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
THIS ARTICLE IS A "MUST READ", especially
for anyone who does not realize that the Entire World is now facing an
existential threat, similar to those that arrived many centuries ago
from the Far East - and also different. For now another and worse
threat has developed from within: the idea that an over-arching world
government complete with universal powers of enforcement should replace
our present structure of individual nations with their own
personalities and interests. This is way beyond stupid.
And in
America we have a clear opportunity to defeat this effort for many
decades to come: DESTROY THE LEFTISTS in the coming elections - and
return the Democratic Party to that which I joined many decades ago -
and then left in disgust over two decades ago.
Read the article.
GS
AS I SEE IT: THE THREE ISLANDS OF WESTERN CULTURAL EXCEPTIONALISM By MELANIE PHILLIPS
The
statue of Britain's former Prime Minister Winston Churchill is
silhouetted in front of the Houses of Parliament in London. (photo
credit:REUTERS) Israel’s strong sense of its own identity derives from the fact that it is the nation state of the Jewish people.
On
a plane to New York this week, I watched the movie Darkest Hour for the
second time. If it packed a punch the first time, on second showing it
seemed even more apposite to our current nail-biting era.
The
movie is about the traumatic period in May 1940 when, as the Nazis
swept across Europe, Britain was staring at the prospect of defeat and
invasion.
Darkest Hour points out the catastrophic error of trying to negotiate with a regime whose agenda brooks no compromise.
Britain
didn’t acknowledge this until it was almost too late. It was so much
easier to believe in a negotiated peace. Winston Churchill alone
understood this would mean annihilation and slavery, and so there was
no choice but for the nation to muster its courage and fight to the
death if need be.
The relevance of this to our current concerns
is all too obvious. Two terrible regimes, Iran and North Korea, present
an unconscionable threat to the world. Years of Western appeasement
have allowed both of them to accrue to themselves terrifying power.
Now President Trump is threatening to tear up the catastrophic Iran nuclear deal and reimpose stringent sanctions.
Britain
and Europe, however, want to continue appeasing Iran, deluding
themselves that the nuclear deal has neutralized the threat it poses
and perversely regarding President Trump rather than the Iranian regime
as the problem.
Nearer to home, there is intense pressure on
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May to negotiate a compromise with the
European Union over Brexit by remaining in some kind of customs union.
This would mean, however, that Britain would still be bound by EU laws
which would cripple its ability to make trade deals in its own
interests.
So this negotiated compromise would in fact be a form
of surrender to those in Britain and Europe whose aim is to reverse
Brexit through the back door.
In the light of all this, one
phrase in Darkest Hour leapt out at me when I watched the movie again.
It was Churchill’s reference to the defense of “this island.”
The
phrase was echoed this week by the British MP and passionate Brexiteer
Jacob Rees-Mogg when, in attacking the proposed customs union, he
referred to “our great island story.”
The fact that Britain is
an island – or to be more precise, that the United Kingdom is a group
of islands – is an essential aspect of its national identity.
Surrounded by sea, it therefore has a natural fortification against
attack. As Churchill says in the movie, the English Channel is its
moat, and is one reason why Britain has not been invaded for the past
1,000 years.
This is the great difference between Britain and
mainland Europe. As much as anything, through its geography Britain has
understood itself to be distinctive and self-contained.
In this
respect, Britain resembles both America and, whether it likes it or
not, Israel. For all three countries are defined by a sense of their
own uniqueness.
BRITAIN’S SENSE of itself as a natural fortress
repelling invaders and fighting off potential subjugation is intimately
bound up with its history as the crucible of political liberty.
Israel’s
strong sense of its own identity derives from the fact that it is the
nation state of the Jewish people who are bound by a unique destiny and
history in a land that is uniquely theirs.
America’s confident
sense of itself derives from the belief that, like ancient Israel, it
is a godly nation. American exceptionalism is built into its national
DNA.
All of this, however, is under sustained attack. For
cultural particularism offends against the liberal belief that only
universal values are decent and good. In the West’s dominant
progressive circles, pride in one’s country and what it stands for is
derided as nationalism, nativism and racism.
But this is beyond
perverse. It is normal and reasonable for people to want to live in
communities of shared principles, traditions, religion, language and so
on, expressed through laws which embody those defining characteristics.
Indeed, only through such a shared sense of common purpose can a society give rise to generous and cooperative values.
In
his book The Virtue of Nationalism, which is due to be published in
September, Yoram Hazony provides a magisterial analysis making very
much this point.
Of course, nationalism sometimes morphs into
aggression and worse. But the idea that liberal internationalism means
sweetness and light and the brotherhood of man is simply false.
It
is those liberal internationalists, after all, who are primarily
responsible for the antisemitism and vilification of Israel now
coursing through the Western intelligentsia.
And these same
British and American liberals are also busily vilifying Britain and
America, trying to destroy and transform their culture and emasculate
Britain as a self-governing nation, for a similar reason to their
hatred of Israel – that these are nations with a strong sense of their
own exceptionalism.
That, of course, is why so many millions
voted for Brexit and Trump – precisely because in opposition to these
elites, they wanted Britain and America once again to uphold and defend
their national and cultural identity.
And that’s why liberals
have become hysterical about President Trump’s stated aim of making
America great again. It’s why those who want Britain to remain in the
EU are hysterical about Brexit. And it’s why British audiences have
been weeping and cheering at screenings of Darkest Hour.
It’s
because at some level at least they know how the free society in which
they so passionately believe has been systematically degraded,
undermined and weakened by those who choose to portray Western cultural
particularism as a form of bigotry.
As a result, the image of
Churchill using the poetry of the English language to breathe into his
people the courage and resolve to stand alone and fight to defend their
nation’s exceptional values is almost unbearably moving.
Britain,
America and Israel form a triple lock as islands of western
exceptionalism. And whether or not their people recognize it, it is
upon these three nations that the fate of the free world now depends.
The writer is a columnist for ‘The Times’ (UK).
SATURDAY,
April 28,
2018
RR#1
SEE MY EARLIER RAPID RESPONSE COMMENT ON THIS SUBJECT. This is what happens when you do not have CONSTITUTIONALLY GUARANTEED RIGHT.
THESE PEOPLE ARE DELUSIONAL AND DANGEROUS. They need another electoral gut-punch in November. Meanwhile, in a recent trip to New Orleans, I found the STATUE OF GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE MISSING. Insanity!
ARE YOU KIDDING? We can just be thankful that there are no duels.
GS
Following
reports that there were no congressional Democrats at the state dinner
for French President Emmanuel Macron, the White House explained to
Newsmax why the Trump Administration was breaking a near 80-year-old
tradition of presidents inviting members the opposition party to
dinners for visiting foreign dignitaries. "We don’t have to have
dinner with them to have conversations with them," press secretary
Sarah Sanders told us. "We'll continue to talk with them about
policy-related issues." She added that since "there were a number of
Democrats [outside of Congress] that were present kind of negates the
fact that it wasn’t a bipartisan dinner." There were no Democratic senators or House members on the guest list.
THURSDAY and FRIDAY,
April 26 and 27,
2018
"YOU WANT THE
TRUTH?..."
Sorry. You'll have to wait - until you "pass on".
GS
TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY,
April 24 and 25,
2018
THIS IS AMERICA.
GS
I think this is especially
neat since a number of VA facilities are removing the bibles from the
displays at some of the VA locations.
MAN WALKS INTO CHICK-FIL-A: Is Completely Blown Away When He Saw This
for Vets
By Bill Callen: Top Right News
Chick-fil-A, the same fast-food outlet has once again proved a positive
to the world. This time it did so by unveiling an amazing Veterans Day
tribute that left Georgia resident Eric Comfort in complete shock.
According to a Facebook post he published on Mon, when he walked into a
local Chick-fil-A, Comfort discovered a "Missing Man Table" that
contained a single rose, a Bible & a folded American flag, as
well as a plaque w/in which was the following explanation:
"This table is reserved to honor our missing comrades in arms. The
tablecloth is white — symbolizing the purity of their motives when
answering the call of duty.
The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of
each of the missing and their loved ones and friends of these Americans
who keep the faith, awaiting answers. The vase is tied with a red
ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to account for our
missing. A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing
and their families who seek answers. The Bible represents the strength
gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as
one nation under God. The glass is inverted — to symbolize their
inability to share this evening's toast. The chair is empty — they are
missing."
After the story went viral, the store manager, Alex Korchan, explained
to WSB that his team members had set up the table because they "wanted
to honor veterans." Furthermore, he offered free meals to all veterans
and their family members on Veterans Day. Korchan also put up a poster
so that customers could write in the names of loved ones who they have
lost. "We've had a lot of people who have come in and seen it and been
touched by it," Korchan continued. "It's been special to see."
MONDAY,
April 23,
2018
"...an unusual,
undiagnosed disease."
Is
this the family's statement or is it the consensus of the baby's
treating medical community? If it is not the latter, then every effort
should be made toward diagnosis and possible treatment. But if it is
the latter...that is "undiagnosed and undiagnosable" and therefore a
futile further effort...his current physicians have no further
obligation to treat. But they must allow transfer to a willing
receiving medical facility that knows all the facts of the case if the
"Health Care Surrogate" wishes it. "Futility" is a real concept in
dealing with the obligations and rights of physicians. And I believe
that it is also a moral concept, as described above. I don't know
anything more about this case to offer more now.
God Bless the baby.
PS. The UK has no Bill of Rights.
GS
Alfie has no time left,
Please help NOW!
There’s not much time.
There’s
a little baby boy at the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool,
England whose life is on the line. He has an unusual, undiagnosed
disease and is currently in a coma and suffers from seizures.
This little baby’s name is Alfie Evans.
Ever
since New Year’s Eve 2016, the hospital has tried to switch the life
support off on Alfie. They said that they would take legal action if
the father, Tom Evans, refused the hospital’s choice.
Give your support to Alfies's parents; send Alfie to Alder Hey Hospital.
He deserves treatment not death!
The
father, a baptized Catholic, has fought all the way to the UK Supreme
Court and even appealed to Pope Francis, who has invited Alfie to
receive treatment at the Vatican’s Bambino Gesł hospital in Rome.
Sadly, the UK Supreme Court denied Mr. Evans permission to take his son
to Italy and has permitted the hospital to remove Alfie from his
ventilator effectively Monday, April 23.
This most likely will result in little Alfie’s death!
You
see the craziness in the whole situation? Why shouldn’t they send the
sick child to a charitable hospital willing to take him in! Instead,
they allow this innocent baby’s life support to be cut against his
parent’s wishes!
Please sign this petition and pray for Alfie’s sake.
www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-uk-supreme-court-denies-alfie-evans-appeal-ventilator-to-be-remove
www.lifesitenews.com/news/charlie-gard-2.0-liverpool-hospital-wants-to-pull-babys-life-support-agains
Gary J. Isbell
Tradition Family Property
SUNDAY,
April 22,
2018
RR#1
ABOUT VETERANS AFFAIRS AND THE VA.
Just so you know....
See the recent article entitled "White House Chief Of Staff Contradicts
Claim On VA Shakeup". (ctmirror.org/2018/04/22/).
Unquestionably, veterans deserve more than they are receiving through
the present system, which has been shaken by scandal.
But
it seems that the current veterans' organizations controversy over new
leadership is nothing more than a fight over retaining bloated
bureaucracy versus reducing that bureaucracy through privatization of
some health care delivery. Same Ol', Same Ol'.
GS
RR#2
NOW THAT IS THE AMERICAN STORY,
despite all of the current hyperbole, hysteria and even hate.
TO THE LEFTISTS OF THIS COUNTRY, FROM ONE OF THE "DEPLORABLES".
This report, reproduced below, encapsulates a raging illness:
PATHOLOGIC OBSESSION WITH THE REALITY OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.
Here is some advice from a concerned physician:
"SNAP OUT OF IT!"
Heal
thyself. Otherwise you will soon become unable to approach and address
any other adversity in your lives. And then we will have to take care
of you also.
PATHETIC.
A desperate move to give this baseless claim legs through the 2018
elections after the Mueller probe is soon concluded.
This
action will further galvanize the "silent majority" to clean the
Leftists' clock in 2018 and to re-elect President Trump in 2020.
"STUPIDO. STUPIDO. STUPIDO".
SUCH IS THE STATE OF OUR UNION
THAT THREE INFORMATIVE BUT ALSO ANGRY ARTICLES APPEARED IN A SHORT TIME.
"Facebook,
The Company That Loves Misery",
by Abigail Shrier, in WSJ April 12, 2018 (Opinion, pA17), about the two
or more faces of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook. I have never had a
presence there. And I have always recommended against it, for the
reasons mentioned - and more.
"Problem
with Conn. education is not a lack of spending",
by Chris Powell, Ibid. "If mere graduation rates rather than learning
are what counts, Connecticut could accomplish just as much
educationally and save billions of dollars by distributing high school
diplomas with birth certificates, dropping the pretense."
The anger is well-directed. Channel it in November.
GS
RR#4
MORE ON THE CRITICAL ILLNESS AFFECTION AMERICAN MEDICINE.
Help. Help.
Interesting but just the government at work doing it's job.
From 2001 to 2005 there was an ongoing investigation into the Clinton
Foundation.
A Grand Jury had been empaneled.
Governments from around the world had donated to the “Charity”.
Yet, from 2001 to 2003 none of those “Donations” to the Clinton
Foundation were declared.
Hmmm, now you would think that an honest investigator would be able to
figure this out.
Guess who took over this investigation in 2002?
Bet you can’t guess.
No other than James Comey.
Now, that’s interesting, isn’t it?
Guess who was transferred in to the Internal Revenue Service to run the
Tax Exemption Branch of the IRS?
Your friend and mine, Lois “Be on The Look Out” (BOLO) Lerner.
Now, that’s interesting, isn’t it?
It gets better, well not really, but this is all just a series of
strange coincidences, right?
Guess who ran the Tax Division inside the Department of Injustice from
2001 to 2005?
No other than the Assistant Attorney General of the United States, Rod
Rosenstein.
Now, that’s interesting, isn’t it?
Guess who was the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
during this timeframe???
I know, it’s a miracle, just a coincidence, just an anomaly in
statistics and chances, Robert Mueller.
What do all four casting characters have in common?
They all were briefed and/or were front line investigators into the
Clinton Foundation Investigation.
Now that’s just a coincidence, right?
Ok, lets chalk the last one up to mere chance.
Let’s fast forward to 2009.
James Comey leaves the Justice Department to go and cash-in at Lockheed
Martin.
Hillary Clinton is running the State Department, on her own personal
email server by the way.
The Uranium One “issue” comes to the attention of the Hillary.
Like
all good public servants do, you know looking out for America’s best
interest, she decides to support the decision and approve the sale of
20% of US Uranium to no other than, the Russians.
Now you would think that this is a fairly straight up deal, except it
wasn’t, the People got absolutely nothing out of it.
However,
prior to the sales approval, no other than Bill Clinton goes to Moscow,
gets paid 500K for a one hour speech then meets with Vladimir Putin at
his home for a few hours.
Ok, no big deal right?
Well, not so fast, the FBI had a mole inside the money laundering and
bribery scheme.
Guess who was the FBI Director during this timeframe?
Yep, Robert Mueller.
He even delivered a Uranium Sample to Moscow in 2009.
Guess who was handling that case within the Justice Department out of
the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland.
No other than, Rod Rosenstein.
Guess what happened to the informant?
The Department of Justice placed a GAG order on him and threatened to
lock him up if he spoke out about it.
How
does 20% of the most strategic asset of the United States of America
end up in Russian hands when the FBI has an informant, a mole providing
inside information to the FBI on the criminal enterprise?
Guess what happened soon after the sale was approved?
~145
million dollars in “donations” made their way into the Clinton
Foundation from entities directly connected to the Uranium One deal.
Guess who was still at the Internal Revenue Service working the
Charitable Division?
No other than, Lois Lerner.
Ok, that’s all just another series of coincidences, nothing to see
here, right?
Let’s fast forward to 2015.
Due
to a series of tragic events in Benghazi and after the 9
“investigations” the House, Senate and at State Department, Trey Gowdy
who was running the 10th investigation as Chairman of the Select
Committee on Benghazi discovers that the Hillary ran the State
Department on an unclassified, unauthorized, outlaw personal email
server.
He also discovered that none of those emails had been
turned over when she departed her “Public Service” as Secretary of
State which was required by law.
He also discovered that there was Top Secret information contained
within her personally archived email.
Sparing
you the State Departments cover up, the nostrums they floated, the
delay tactics that were employed and the outright lies that were spewed
forth from the necks of the Kerry State Department, we shall leave it
with this…… they did everything humanly possible to cover for Hillary.
Now this is amazing, guess who became FBI Director in 2013?
Guess
who secured 17 no bid contracts for his employer (Lockheed Martin) with
the State Department and was rewarded with a six million dollar thank
you present when he departed his employer.
No other than James Comey.
Amazing how all those no-bids just went right through at State, huh?
Now
he is the FBI Director in charge of the “Clinton Email Investigation”
after of course his FBI Investigates the Lois Lerner “Matter” at the
Internal Revenue Service and exonerates her.
Nope couldn’t find any crimes there.
Can you guess what happened next?
In
April 2016, James Comey drafts an exoneration letter of Hillary Rodham
Clinton, meanwhile the DOJ is handing out immunity deals like candy.
They didn’t even convene a Grand Jury.
Like
a lightning bolt of statistical impossibility, like a miracle from God
himself, like the true “Gangsta” Homey is, James steps out into the
cameras of an awaiting press conference on July the 8th of 2016, and
exonerates the Hillary from any wrongdoing.
Can you see the pattern?
It
goes on and on, Rosenstein becomes Asst. Attorney General,
Comey
gets fired based upon a letter by Rosenstein, Comey leaks government
information to the press, Mueller is assigned to the Russian
Investigation sham by Rosenstein to provide cover for decades of
malfeasance within the FBI and DOJ and the story continues.
FISA Abuse, political espionage..... pick a crime, any crime, chances
are...... this group and a few others did it.
All the same players.
All compromised and conflicted.
All working fervently to NOT go to jail themselves.
All connected in one way or another to the Clinton's.
They are like battery acid, they corrode and corrupt everything they
touch.
How many lives have these two destroyed?
As
of this writing, the Clinton Foundation, in its 20+ years of operation
of being the largest International Charity Fraud in the history of
mankind, has never been audited by the Internal Revenue Service.
Let us not forget that Comey's brother works for DLA Piper, the law
firm that does the Clinton Foundation's taxes.
TUESDAY
and WEDNESDAY, April 17 and 18,
2018
RR#1
MORE ON THE COMING DEMISE OF MEDICAL CARE - AND OF THE MEDICAL
PROFESSION ITSELF- IN AMERICA. THIS IS OBSCENE!
A
personal note. I have been a practicing physician for 61
years...and counting. I have never closed my practice to new patients.
I have always taken all patients, regardless of the accompanying
payment schemes, some miserable and all subjecting me and my medical
colleagues to theft of services of about 40% of my income for the last
30 years.
"No Brag. Just Fact".
But I have refused to get
sucked into the vortex described below: electronic health records for
clinical care; performing work 10 points below my pay grade; sitting on
hold - or allowing my staff to sit on hold, etc. I and my staff work
WITH patients, not FOR patients. we require that they do their part.
Meanwhile,
many tens of thousands of good physicians have given up private
practice - or medical practice entirely, even choosing suicide! Not Me.
But you, the patient, are right now at great and increasing risk.
You are receiving less and less effective and timely care. And only you
can unite to reverse this lethal trend - because the regulators and the
legislators don't give a damn for the health care personnel that they
are trampling with abandon. Rise and Fight; or Sit and Die a slow death.
“Store up
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where
thieves do not break in or steal”
With Trump as President, we might be able to get this passed. Let's
send it across the country.
Will I Get Three Replies?
I’m sending this to a variety of friends & family to see what
kind of opinions this might bring forth.
SOME STATES (Maryland, Michigan & Arizona) ARE ALLOWING MUSLIM
STUDENTS TO PRAY DURING SCHOOL HOURS.
IF
THEY ALLOW THAT, THEN WE SHOULD BRING BACK OUR FLAGS INTO THE
CLASSROOMS AND ALLOW OTHERS TO PRAY TOO! TIME FOR THE CHRISTIANS TO
SPEAK UP & DEMAND THEIR RIGHTS.
When we get 100,000,000,
that's one hundred million, willing Christians to BOND together, voice
their concerns and vote, we can take back America with God's help.
Become one of the One hundred million Then let's get 200 million. It
can be done just by sending this email to your friends.
Do the math. It only takes a single willing heart and a fed-up SOUL.
God Bless America and Shine your light on Her!
In 1952 President Truman established one day a year as a "National Day
of Prayer.
In 1988 President Reagan designated the first Thursday in May of each
year as The National Day of Prayer.
In June 2007, then Presidential Candidate Barack Obama declared that
the USA "Was no longer a Christian nation.
In
May 2009 President Obama dismissed our 21st annual National Day of
Prayer ceremony at the White House under the ruse of "not wanting to
offend anyone"
Sept. 25, 2009, a Muslim Prayer Day was held on
the West front of the U.S. Capitol Building, the site where U.S.
Presidents have been inaugurated since 1981.. There were over 50,000
Muslims in D.C. that day President Obama dismissed our National Day of
Prayer and now it is okay for an event at our capitol for Islamists?
I for one was offended. But wait, it did not stop!!!
February
17-19, 2015, a Muslim prayer was recited at the start of the second day
of the White House summit on “Countering Violent Extremism,” but no
other religious text was presented during the portion of the event that
was open to the press. Imam Sheikh Sa’ad Musse Roble, president of the
World Peace Organization in Minneapolis, Minn., recited a “verse from
the Quran” following remarks by Obama administration officials and
Democrat members of Congress.
Former President Obama encouraged
schools to teach the Quran for extra credit, while at the same time, we
cannot even talk about the Bible, God, pray, or salute the American
Flag.
The direction this country was headed should strike fear in the heart
of every Christian.
How
refreshing and beautiful our First Lady Melania Trump was in Melbourne,
Florida on February 18, 2017. Instead of the normal “pumping up” of the
crowd, Melania chose to start the rally off with the Lord’s Prayer. It
sounded more like the start of a football game after the National
Anthem rather than what we would expect to hear after a prayer.
Make
a “joyful noise unto the LORD thy GOD!” The “sincere ignorance and
conscientious stupidity” of Madeline Murray O’Hair and ACLU efforts in
1962, "School Prayer was removed from the U.S. public education system
by slowly changing the meaning of the First Amendment through a number
of court cases over several court cases should be confronted and
reversed.
RR#2
1950's version of an E-Mail
I have no idea who put this together, but it is wonderful!!
Long ago and far away, in a land that time forgot,e
Before the days of Dylan , or the dawn of Camelot.
There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me,
For Ike was in the White House in that land where we were born,
Where navels were for oranges, and Peyton Place was porn.
We longed for love and romance, and waited for our Prince,
Eddie Fisher married Liz, and no one's seen him since.
We danced to 'Little Darlin,' and sang to 'Stagger Lee'
And cried for Buddy Holly in the Land That Made Me, Me.
Only girls wore earrings then, and 3 was one too many,
And only boys wore flat-top cuts, except for Jean McKinney.
And only in our wildest dreams did we expect to see
A boy named George with Lipstick, in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We fell for Frankie Avalon, Annette was oh, so nice,
And when they made a movie, they never made it twice..
We didn't have a Star Trek Five, or Psycho Two and Three,
Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty in the Land That Made Me, Me.
Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp,
And Reagan was a Democrat whose co-star was a chimp.
We had a Mr. Wizard, but not a Mr. T,
And Oprah couldn't talk yet, in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We had our share of heroes, we never thought they'd go,
At least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe.
For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be,
And Elvis was forever in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We'd never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson , and Zeppelins were not Led.
And Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkees lived in trees,
Madonna was Mary in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We'd never heard of microwaves, or telephones in cars,
And babies might be bottle-fed, but they were not grown in jars.
And pumping iron got wrinkles out, and 'gay' meant fancy-free,
And dorms were never co-Ed in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We hadn't seen enough of jets to talk about the lag,
And microchips were what was left at the bottom of the bag.
And hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a flea,
And rocket ships were fiction in the Land That Made Me, Me.
T-Birds came with portholes, and side shows came with freaks,
And bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks.
And Coke came just in bottles, and skirts below the knee,
And Castro came to power near the Land That Made Me, Me.
We had no Crest with Fluoride, we had no Hill Street Blues,
We had no patterned pantyhose or Lipton herbal tea
Or prime-time ads for those dysfunctions in the Land That Made Me, Me.
There were no golden arches, no Perrier to chill,
And fish were not called Wanda, and cats were not called Bill
And middle-aged was 35 and old was forty-three,
And ancient were our parents in the Land That Made Me, Me.
But all things have a season, or so we've heard them say,
And now instead of Maybelline we swear by Retin-A.
They send us invitations to join AARP,
We've come a long way, baby, from the Land That Made Me, Me.
So now we face a brave new world in slightly larger jeans,
And wonder why they're using smaller print in magazines.
And we tell our children's children of the way it used to be,
Long ago and far away in the Land That Made Me, Me.
If you didn't grow up in the fiftys,
You missed the greatest time in history.
"On
The One Hand", Jeff Benedict and all of the movie's participants
succeeded well in telling the story that they intended to
tell...although some of the actors - especially "Governor Rowland" and
"Claire Gaudiani" came directly out of Film Noir casting.
"On the other hand", they completely ignored theother vital parts of
the story:
Governor
Rowland having wanted to test a new Connecticut State Law passed to
help depressed cities like New London - which could have easily
otherwise used the existing Blight statute that could have been applied
to the conditions at Fort Trumbull.
The passing reference to a chronically dysfunctional city
political apparatus.
The
idea that a then - moribund New London Development Corporation could be
the effective vehicle for spending over 60 million dollars for a
complex and controversial project...by creating a Committee of 40
people (!) and heading it with a college professor with a penchant for
self-promotion.
The heavy-handed, "Win-Lose" approach so
typical of this city rather than a humane, sensitive, "Win-Win"
approach - even possibly including retention of the existing
neighborhood - that could someday achieve this city's "potential".
The
Committee losing all credibility for a non-political approach by
allowing the retention of the Italian Dramatic Society building as the
only one in the neighborhood left standing.
The occult deliberations with the only corporation in
contention.
The
ultimate legal documents which evidently allowed that corporation to
withdraw from a key element of the agreement - the promise to build a
hotel in the immediate area - when the corporation had a change in top
leadership.
The withdrawal, by a key planned occupant for a key
location on the property - leading to a partial decision by the
Superior Court that required the subsequent legal actions including the
USSC.
The fact that the Institute for Justice did not take
the case "Pro Bono", as was intimated in the movie - but that they
received well over 1 million dollars by a local donor to take the case.
And
most importantly, the fact that a strong case can be made - and was
made successfully at the U.S. Supreme Court - for the legitimate
application of the Constitutional power of Eminent Domain for the
benefit of an entire city and region...if applied fairly, evenhandedly
and transparently. The Court's decision, in my opinion, would have
garnered a much stronger majority opinion if it had been so applied
here. Many dying cities in this nation need such a mechanism to avoid
demise.
That was the story "On The Other Hand..."
GS
RR#2
AS MY FATHER USED TO ADVISE:
"See what he does, not what he says.".
This is particularly true of the actions and words of President Trump,
whose words have been known to melt "snow-flakes", and even at times to
seem outrageous. But his actions as President have been spot-on, as I
have listed in prior Rapid Response offerings.
And the actions described in the attached article are clearly overdue -
by decades. In fact, a recent report described a substantial
discrepancy between the millions of jobs going unfilled while the
Unemployment Rate is near rock bottom. It appears that there is another
identifiable group of people who are not seeking jobs...because they
are "disabled", this by their own decision and not involving those on
Social Security Disability. Shall we call this "Work Shock" (as in
"Shell Shock"), or "Work Fatigue" (as in "Battle Fatigue")...or just
plain DeadBeat Syndrome. There's a cure for that, and it's coming.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
1)
I have a fairly large and growing personal book (and other media)
library, including many topics as befit my interests. But I never gave
thought to what it might mean to me personally / psychologically.
Now
comes a composite of three book review entitled "Putting Your Self on a
Shelf", by Ernest Helbert (WSJ April 14-15, pC14. One quote: '"My
library explained who I was", writes Manguel. The books 'both enclosed
and mirrored me'". Now "I see the light".
2) After that I came
across, in the same edition, a real "put-down" for a physician, "The
Botch of the Human Body", by Nathan H. Lents, a BIOLOGIST, mind you.
"Big brains allowed us to survive our many bodily defects". Professor
Lents must have been having a particularly bad personal day when he
wrote that piece. Get thee to your PCP.
GS RR#2
COULD THERE BE A GLIMMER OF HOPE IN THE BOILING CAULDRON THAT IS THE
MIDDLE EAST?
See two articles which were recently published.
1)
"15 Years Later, Iraq Is A Modest Success", by Karl Zinsmeister, WSJ
April 9, 2018, Opinion, pA19. A hard case if there ever was one, since
Iraq's creation out of the fevered imaginations of two British and
French bureaucrats after WW l. But it's beginning to get there.
2)
"The Necessary Injustice Of Partition", by Yussi Klein Halevi, WSJ
April 14-15, 2018, Review, pC1. A thoughtful and heart-felt proposal,
this conjures up the story of the trapped man (here both the Israelis
and Palestinians) who cuts of his arm in order to save the rest of him.
Very painful...but liberating. "A deepening Israeli-Sunni strategic
relationship could evolve into a political relationship, encouraging
regional involvement in tempering if not yet solving the Palestinian
conflict...That scenario is still remote. And yet for the first time in
many years, it is possible to imagine a different future." One can hope.
GS
FRIDAY,
April 13,
2018
RR#1
SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT??
Even the HUFFPOST couldn't distort this report beyond their title.
"The
Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt
should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and
controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed,
lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to
work
instead of living on public assistance."
Cicero, 55 B.C.
So, we've evidently learned nothing over the past 2,073 years!
ON IMMIGRATION: DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS.
The Catholic Bishops have an obligation to hold this position on
Immigration.
The
President of the United States and his Administration have an
obligation to defend our national borders from illegal economic and
criminal enterprises.
And citizens and immigrants alike have an obligation to see the
difference.
TIME NOW FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF
"AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 OPINIONS", with general references.
1) You are asked to support House Bill 5148: "An Act Concerning
Pregnant Patient Exercise of Living Will".
Even
the Catholic Church requires that the Life of the Mother be paramount
in making treatment decisions that can affect the fetus. This Act
should be a corollary to that.
2) "Play It Again, Sam". See "A
Republican Pulse In Connecticut" (WSJ March 30, 2018). The State of
Connecticut has been poorly governed for decades.
3) "You want the Truth?". Lou Dobbs will give you the Truth (Fox
Business).
4) Doesn't it feel good to spend someone else's money?
The
two historic buildings on Bank Street should be saved...but not by
requiring the private owner to foot the entire bill. That could be
considered a "Taking" without the protections of Eminent Domain.
If
Union Railroad Station Trust had relied on that approach to save Union
Station, you would have had a cinder block building there since
the1970's.
5) "OH, THE PAIN".
The Fort Trumbull Greek Tragedy
will be re-lived on Sunday with the showing of the movie "The Little
Pink House" at the Garde. Don't forget: you have to drive home.
6) "Are Chimpanzees 'Persons'?" (NYTimes April 8, SR p10).
First, adjudicate the obvious and most pressing question: Is A Fetus,
From Conception, A Person?
And then: GIMI A BREAK!
7)
What is the Law regarding Priviliged Communications: Attorney / Client;
Physician / Patient; Priest / Confessor...? A Vital Question, now
answered by Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz. See his statement,
below. ---> DOJ
Firewalls, Taint Teams Don't Protect 4th, 6th Amendment Rights
8)
Connecticut's Public Schools: Still Poor for the Poor and for the
poorly represented. SHAME. (See "Ct's Performance On 'Nation's Report
Card' Doesn't Budge". (ctmirror.org/2018/04/10).
9) Finally, Some Attention To The 800 lb. Russian Bear in the Arctic:
"Initiative Tackles New Defense, Security Challenges Of Warming Arctic"
(in The Day April 10, 2018, military news).
See also my continuing web-site section entitled "The Arctic and Global
Warming".
10)
Sorry, but I don't recommend your taking anti-depressants, in view of
the NYTimes article published Sunday, April 8, on the difficulty of
getting off of them. Rather, I recommend the admonition I use from
Winston Churchill:
"NEVA GIVE IN. NEVA GIVE IN. NEVA. NEVA. NEVA. NEVA...."
GS
RR#3
LET'S TALK ABOUT MARIJUANA.
Executive Summary: Medical Marijuana, YES; Recreational Pot, NO.
SOME FACTS.
1) The brain has many endo- and exo- cannabinoid receptors, ready to
engage as part of the brain's endorphin systems.
2)
There are many type of cannabinoid chemicals, natural and synthetic,
that can be manipulated by manufacturers for specific effects.
3) A person's response is dependent on dose, frequency, route, types
and ratios of chemicals.
4) When smoked, peak effect is in 15-20 minutes; duration is about one
hour, then promoting further desire.
5)
"Spice" is a synthetic cannabinoid, easily subject to overdose...and
can be sprayed on other related drugs. It is not detectable in urine,
but requires more extensive and expensive tests for detection.
Withdrawal symptoms begin within 2-4 hours of withdrawal.
6)
Cognitive effects: acute for 1-6 hours; residual for 7 hours to 20
days; long-term effects for 3+weeks; chronic effects possibly
persistent. These effects include academic performance, driving and
psychiatric illnesses.
7) Addictive in 10% or more of users.
Withdrawal effects, including gastrointestinal, sleep and irritability
effects, can last 10-14 days.
8) Age at onset of use is critical.
Much worse in children and adolescents, including permanent reduction
of IQ. There is evidence that use is now extending down to Middle
School children!
MEDICAL MARIJUANA HAS MUCH MORE TO RECOMMEND IT,
in a "risk-to-benefit" analysis, and evidence-based.
Therefore: MEDICAL MARIJUANA, YES. RECREATIONAL POT, NO.
GS
TUESDAY
and WEDNESDAY, April 10 and 11,
2018
EXACTLY!
Today's world is God's punishment for Abortion.
FREE WILL IS NOT FREE.
Stupid is as Stupid Does (WRITTEN
BY A GENIUS) A MUST READ
Facts are Facts
So if you are offended - blame History!
A HISTORY LESSON WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET!!!
Eighty Four Percent of those who receive this
Email will not completely read it…
if they read any of it at all.
Ten Percent will read it,
but they will choose not to forward it on to others.
The remaining 6% most likely will forward it.
The War started in the 7th Century
and lasted through the 17th Century.
Many will contend it never stopped;
the Facts below are Historically correct.
That is why many of us Choke
when we hear someone say we will defeat
or contain these Islamic Terrorists in a few Years,
or even "30 Years" as has been stated by Leon Panetta..
If the latest batch of Murders,
Beheadings,
and Killing of Innocent Christians has at all shocked you,
it is time for you to read this Compilation
of Historical Facts about the Intense Hatred
that Muslims have for ANY and ALL who are “NOT” Muslims!
WE ARE THE STUPID
In 732 A.D.,
the Muslim Army,
which was moving on Paris,
was Defeated and turned back at Tours, France,
by Charles Martell.
In 1571 A.D.,
the Muslim Army/Navy was defeated by the Italians
and Austrians as they tried to cross the
Mediterranean to Attack Southern Europe
in the Battle of Lepanto.
In 1683 A.D.,
the Turkish Muslim Army,
Attacking Eastern Europe,
was finally Defeated in the Battle of Vienna
by German and Polish Christian Armies.
This Nonsense has been going on for 1,400 years!
The SAD thing is that more than half of all Politicians
do not even know any of this.
If these Battles had not been Won,
we would most likely be speaking Arabic.
And Christianity could be Non-existent.
Judaism certainly would NOT exist!
Reality check:
A lot of Americans have become so Insulated
from Reality that they Imagine America
can Suffer defeat without any Inconvenience to themselves.
Think back:
The following events are true historical facts.
It has been many years since 1968,
but History keeps repeating itself.
1. In 1968,
Robert Kennedy was Shot
and Killed by a Muslim Male.
2. In 1972,
at the Munich Olympics,
Israeli Athletes were Kidnapped
and Massacred by Muslim Males.
3. In 1972,
a Pan Am 747 was Hijacked
and eventually Diverted to Cairo
where a Fuse was lit on Final Approach.
Shortly after Landing,
it was Blown up by Muslim Males.
4. In 1973,
a Pan Am 707 was Destroyed in Rome
With 33 People Killed,
when it was Attacked with Grenades by Muslim Males.
5. In 1979,
the United States Embassy in Iran
was taken over by Muslim Males.
6. During the 1980’s,
a number of Americans were Kidnapped
in Lebanon by Muslim Males.
7. In 1983,
the United States Marine Barracks
in Beirut was Blown up by Muslim Males.
8. In 1985,
the Cruise Ship Achille-Lauro was Hijacked,
and a 70-year-old American Passenger
was Murdered
and thrown Overboard in his Wheelchair by Muslim Males.
9. In 1985,
TWA Flight 847 was Hijacked at Athens,
and a United States Navy Diver,
who was trying to Rescue Passengers –
was murdered by Muslim Males.
10. In 1988,
Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by Muslim Males.
11. In 1993,
the World Trade Center was Bombed
for the First Time by Muslim Males.
12. In 1998,
the United States Embassies
in Kenya and Tanzania were Bombed by Muslim Males.
13. On 09/11/01,
FOUR Airliners were Hijacked.
Two of the Planes were used as Missiles
to take down the World Trade Centers..
One Plane Crashed into the United States Pentagon,
and the other Plane was Diverted
and Crashed by the Passengers.
Thousands of People were Killed by Muslim Males.
14. In 2002,
the United States fought a War
in Afghanistan against Muslim Males.
15. In 2002,
reporter Daniel Pearl was Kidnapped and Beheaded by
you guessed it - a Muslim Male.
(Plus two other American Journalists
who had just recently been Beheaded.)
16. In 2013,
the Boston Marathon Bombing
resulted in Four Innocent People,
including a Child,
being Killed
and 264 other People injured by Muslim Males.
NO,
I really do not see a pattern here to Justify Profiling.
Do YOU?
So,
to ensure we Americans never Offend Anyone
- particularly Fanatics intent on Killing US
- Airport Security Screeners will NO longer
be allowed to Profile certain People.
So,
ask yourself:
"Just how Stupid are we?!?!"
Have Americans completely lost their Minds
or just their
"Power of Reason?"
As the writer of the Award Winning story
"Forrest Gump"
so aptly put it,
"Stupid is as Stupid does."
You now have the Opportunity to send this on
to other Email Contacts.
Please do that!
Or you can just sit back,
keep complaining and do nothing.
As Barack Obama said in his book:
"Nothing sounds as Beautiful
as the Muslim Evening Prayers from the Tower."
Wake up America!!!
SUNDAY,
April 8,
2018
RR#1
AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE, THE WSJ REVIEW
ON SATURDAYS IS ALWAYS A VERY GOOD READ!
The offerings for April 7-8, 2018 are no exception. See the page 1
article by Patrick J. Buchanan entitled "WITH NIXON IN '68".
1968
was a year that threw this nation off its tracks entirely. It is now
barely back on, repairing those tracks slowly and ineffectually as it
moves forward.
And one of the damages is outlined by Peggy Noonan in the same edition
of the WSJ, entitled: "If
Adults Won't Grow up, Nobody Will"
(Opinion, pA13). There is much more and continuing evidence of that
state of affairs in the many years of offerings in this Rapid Response
section.
Indeed, the message here - certainly from me - is that
the "Adults" have little basis upon which to "grow up". It is their
parents and grandparents who must stay on the field of battle for
another generation (yes, into their 90's) to try to impart their
hard-won wisdom to their continuing charges.
Your Work Is Not Yet Done!
GS
RR#2
"NOW YOU JUST HOLD ON THERE, PARDNA.
Megyn
Kelly may have "sealed her fate" with "Dumbocrats" (a nice touch by one
commenter)...but her honesty has been noticed. Let's see how that works
for her.
REGARDING THE NOVEMBER 2018 NATIONAL ELECTIONS.
What is reported here is Not a trick or a ploy.
Nancy
Pelosi and her Leftists have been clear about their intentions if given
the chance. It is not that they would succeed. But such actions would
prolong the current severe divisions in this nation to a point possibly
of no return. This is not hyperbole. SO ACT ACCORDINGLY.
DON'T CRY FOR ME
ARGENTINA..."
But YES, cry for me, for your other doctors, and especially for
yourselves.
What
you read here is exactly the way it is, as I have been reporting for
over 40 years of my 60 years of continuing Practice of Medicine.
Cry. Then wipe away your tears, get angry...and fight for yourselves.
ABRAHAM
LINCOLN: "You
cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You
cannot help small men by tearing down big men. You
cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You
cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. You
cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds. You
cannot establish security on borrowed money. You
cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's
initiative and independence. You
cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they
could and should do for themselves."
FRANKLIN
DELANO ROOSEVELT, 1935: "Continued
dependence upon relief induces a
spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally
destructive to the national fiber. To
dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic,
a subtle destroyer of the human spirit."
RR#3
HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF REAL NEWS, FOLLOWED BY FAKE NEWS.
Professor
Dershowitz' interview as always gives a clear explanation for the
current actions of Robert Mueller in dealing with alleged "collusion"
between Donald Trump and the Russians.
And
then there is a lengthy and fevered diatribe posing as a book review:
"Bad For The Jews: A look at what Trump's ascendance has meant for
Jewish people in America", by Simon Schama, referring to the book by
Jonathan Weisman (in NYTimes Book Review, April 1, 2018, p12.)
For
Schama to allege that his obvious Leftist delusions are a response to
any rampant antisemitism in America today is a libel on Jews and on all
other Americans. Sick.
FOR "60 MINUTES": TEN OUR FATHERS AND TEN HAIL MARYS.
That Penance, in addition to the fine set of stories aired on Easter
Sunday evening, will be almost enough to make up for the
Pornography
for the Masses served up to us on the prior Sunday, as described in my
Rapid Response of March 27, "starring Stormy Daniels".
The three
excellent stories aired this Sunday, about the Army hero who gave his
life for vital brain science, about the noble and equal-opportunity
Israeli - Palestinian music conductor, and about the riches of the
ancient town of Herculaneum provide forgiveness.
"GO, AND SIN NO MORE".
AS SOMEONE HAS
ALREADY NOTED: ROBERT MUELLER IS NOT AN ALTAR-BOY.
Between
the recent report by Sean Hannity (about Mueller having been in charge
of the FBI Boston office during the Whitey Bulgar travesties), and the
report that follows...
Robert has a good deal to answer for, in addition to the never-ending
Trump investigation.
And to that we must add a thorough investigation of the FBI and
elements of the Department of Justice.
NOW!
