23rd Rant: An Open Letter to America

Our Fellow Americans,
We are writing to you as fellow citizens of this great country, The United States of America. We believe that the direction this country is heading is way off course from what was established by our forefathers and from where we ought to be.
We have taken for granted too long our liberties and our rights and now they are under assault. Through untruths and allegations without basis in fact Mr. Herman Cain was forced to suspend his campaign in order to stop the media frenzy, focus on his family and clear his name.
We the grassroots supporters of Herman Cain believe that this type of character assassination will continue unless we the people send a message to the establishment. In this case we feel a vote for Herman Cain in the caucuses or primaries will send that message. We urge you to consider standing with us on caucus day and let the establishment know that we “the people” will choose our own candidates for elective office.
For more information please check out hermancain.com or listen in on Friday evening at 8pmCST to FoggybottomAl on Cain Nation blogtalkradio.com
Sincerely and Thoughtfully
Concerned Citizens for Cain

These words were written by a good friend and fellow Herman Cain Supporter Brenda Ward. who like many that support Herman Cain is disgusted that he had to drop out over baseless allegations. Like Herman himself said in a few interviews, “They cannot attack me on my policies so they attack me on my character.”

This Open Letter to America is our way to let people know that we will not stand for it any longer and we WILL be heard, even if we have to write Herman Cain in when we vote in the caucuses and primaries!

22 Rant: The Media, the Establishment, and the death of a good man

 

With Herman Cain suspending his campaign yesterday due to baseless allegations and lies on his character, we had just witnessed the death of America. I say that because it was the media and the establishment, folks like Karl Rove, Charles Krauthammer, Bill O’Reilly, Keith Olbermann, Al Sharpton, and Tavis Smiley among others, who had torn down a decent man by listening to the allegations of “women” (and I use that term loosely) like Sharon Bialek and Ginger White who claimed that Herman Cain either sexually harassed or had an affair with them. IF the media were to have done their research on these “ladies” they would have found their claims to be baseless.

For instance, Ginger White had said that during the “affair” Herman Cain took her to a Mike Tyson fight, which is TOTALLY UNTRUE because Tyson last fought in 1997 against Evander Holyfield (aka “The Bite of the Century” where Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear twice) and was suspended due to his actions. Also, Herman Cain was battling STAGE 4 CANCER. Now I do not know much about Cancer, but from I had heard, Stage 4 means you are right at death’s door. So there is no way that he could have had time to have an affair while he was doing chemotherapy. Also, his wife had health problems and so Herman Cain would not travel 30 miles from his home to the WSB studios in Atlanta when he was doing his radio show so Herman had broadcast the show right from his office close to home. (hat tip to Neal Boortz for that little bit of knowledge about Herman’s radio show)

Another thing that has me upset about this is the fact that the media had focused on these “allegations” because of the time frame in which they had taken place in. It seems odd to me that ALL of these allegations took place during Herman’s three years as head of the National Restaurant Association. Out of 45 PLUS years of business experience that Herman Cain has, working at the Department of the Navy, Godfather’s Pizza, Coca Cola, Pillsbury, the Federal Reserve bank of Kansas City, and Cox Media, the Blamestream Media decided to focus on those 3 years like a laser. If they really did their homework, they would have looked at the ENTIRE body of work and asked people who worked with him there and asked if he was like that. But the media did not because they wanted to choose our candidate for us. Well I hope the media is happy because now we are stuck with 4 more years of Obama and as such America died yesterday.

21st Rant: Herman Cain, his path to victory, and the establishment

I have heard many “pundits” and “experts” say that in order for Herman Cain to win, he has to put boots on the ground and spend more time in the first four states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida or Nevada) because that is how TRUE candidates play the game. Well I am here to tell those “pundits and “experts” that it is not the case this election. With the advent of social media and how it is coming into play more now than in the 2008 election, it IS possible to run a different style of campaign. This election is all about going to the people, and have a grassroots team in those states while you listen to the residents of the other states.
Herman Cain is proving this by having people (even in other states) calling the residents of the first four or five states and then going from there while he is in one of the “obscure states” (though this election there ARE no obscure states as EVERY STATE is in play) and campaigning there. He is doing this because the voice of the people is more important than the voice of the “pundit” or “expert” and as such the PEOPLE will choose who our next candidate is!
Back in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s there was a religious crusade in my area of Fort Myers, and the theme used in this crusade was “if one person tells two people, and those two people each tell a person, and those four people each tell a person, then the word will grow.” That was based on Jesus Christ having twelve disciples and then those twelve going out to tell the people in a certain area. Soon the word spread like wildfire and Jesus had a multitude following him. Herman Cain's campaign is the same way. He started out with a small core group of people but in time he grew to 140,000+ followers on Twitter, 300,000+ (or so) people liking his Facebook page, and so many others telling their neighbors by word of mouth.
Not many people had seen a campaign being run like this, so the “pundits” and the “experts” say that this is not how it should be run because it is not traditional. Well who decides what is and is not traditional? After all, what might be traditional to one person might not be to another. Herman Cain does what he does because it works FOR HIM and is traditional FOR HIM. He has seen the “traditional” playbook the establishment has in mind and just tosses it right out the window because he is a candidate of the people, not of the traditional establishment, as Mark Block so eloquently points out in the following video:

Enter video caption here

Herman Cain is smoking the competition because he is doing what HE feels is right, and it is resonating with the people!

20th Rant: The Debt Debacle in Washington DC

 

 

 

This clip from Jerry Maguire where Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) tells Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) to show him the money is quite fitting of what the American people (mostly from the Tea Party) are trying to tell the Democrats and Obama. Namely, the Democrats in the Senate who had not produced a budget in over 800 days now.While the House of Representatives had passed a cure to the debt ceiling (ie. Cut, Cap, and Balance) Obama and the Democrats say that it is not proper and has no chance of passing the Senate. Plus Obama says he will veto it if it passes his desk. What are the Democrats afraid of? Hey, Senate Dems, SHOW US THE BUDGET AND ALSO PASS CUT, CAP, AND BALANCE! Otherwise, your time in control will be up in 2012,

LEST WE FORGET!

I was listening to the live stream of a national talk radio show last August and the host had mentioned this. I will put up the link to where I got it as well as the story.
LINK: http://boortz.com/nealz_nuze/2009/08/lets-end-with-this.html

 

I did all I could last night to research this bit on the Internet. Snopes had nothing. This is a message an airplane pilot sent to his colleagues after one particular flight:

My lead flight attendant came to me and said, 'We have an H.R. on this flight.' H.R. stands for human remains. 'Are they military?' I asked. 'Yes', she said. 'Is there an escort?' I asked. 'Yes, I already assigned him a seat.' 'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early', I said.
A short while later, a young Army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. My soldier is on his way back to Virginia', he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words on his own. I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.
We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', he said. He then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia. The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendant's voice when he asked me if there was anything I could do. 'I'm on it', I said. I told him that I would get back to him.
Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had onboard with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.
Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and this following is the text:
'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and planeside to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans.
Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'
I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.' Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.
'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'
I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His name is private XXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft. When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one. Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.
I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of America.

With the type of people we have running this country right now ... people who don't believe that we're at war with Islamic terrorism .. .this sure makes you feel better about the rest of us.

Let us keep ALL the men and women in uniform, past and present, in our prayers. If there are any who you know who had served or any families of those who are currently serving, thank them for their part in keeping America safe.

19th Rant: The Federal Tax System (Part 3)

 

The above cartoon was posted in my local newspaper by a local cartoonist on April 14, 2010. That is spot on as many feel that way when filling out the tax forms that the government says we are required to do. The Tea Party has it right when they say we are taxed too much, and the only solution to this is to scrap the IRS and the Income Tax and implement the Fair Tax. I had posted a few things on the Fair Tax in earlier rants (http://rickbulow1974.blogspot.com/2005/03/second-rant-federal-tax-system.html and http://rickbulow1974.blogspot.com/2005/04/13th-rant-federal-tax-system-part-2.html, but it needs to be said again. We need to implement the Fair Tax soon and especially with the economy the way it is, because we have lost many jobs and also money overseas. There is over $12 TRILLION of our money invested in offshore banking centers. It is time we bring that money back to the US to be spent.

Here is something heartwarming from Southwest Florida

This is a good heart-warming story of how one loss can help bring back life to another, so to speak.

http://www.news-press.com/article/20091202/COLUMNISTS02/912020383/1075/San-Carlos-Park-man-offers-late-wife-s-artificial-leg-to-Army

San Carlos Park man offers late wife's artificial leg to Army
Sam Cook • scook@news-press.com • December 2, 2009

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Buzz up!Twitter 1:10 A.M. — When retired Michigan policeman D'Arcy Young read about U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Araujo losing his leg, he didn't hesitate.

Young, who lives in San Carlos Park, called me and offered to give Araujo, 19, his late wife's artificial leg.
Southwest Floridians are known for helping folks in need, yet how can you top that?
The gift was an ultimate gesture of a man grieving the loss of Henrietta, 74, his wife of 29 years. Young says she died Oct. 30 of a cerebral hemorrhage.
"If that young man needs a leg, this is a possibility,'' says Young, 82. "Henrietta would want him to have it.''
He says his wife had diabetes and a vein problem, yet didn't use the prosthesis much because of infections in her right leg.
Cape Coral resident Araujo is recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., after a Humvee in which he was riding on Oct. 16 was struck by a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Tyler Araujo, the soldier's father, was overwhelmed by Young's generosity.
"That is great,'' he says. "The Army is taking care of Michael's prosthesis, but there is a need for artificial legs up here. He should find a way to send it to Walter Reed.''
Young, who bought the Otto Bock Compact Microprocessor Knee System from Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics in Fort Myers for around $30,000, says he will gladly donate it to the hospital.
"It has a knee joint and can be adjusted to either leg,'' he says about the Austrian-made prosthetic he purchased in 2007. "Rather than see it sit here and go to waste, I'd rather see the Army have it.''

The original story

http://www.news-press.com/article/200911260110/COLUMNISTS02/91119083

Wounded Cape Coral soldier thanks Southwest Florida residents for support
By Sam Cook • scook@news-press.com • November 26, 2009

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11:40 A.M. — U.S. Army PFC Michael Araujo is thankful to be alive this Thanksgiving.

The 19-year-old Mariner High graduate and Cape Coral resident also appreciates the prayers and monetary donations he and his family received from folks in Southwest Florida.

“Please thank everyone for their help during our time of hardship,’’ said Michael Araujo from his bed Wednesday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “We are grateful for their support.’’

Military Policeman Araujo (pronounced A-roosh) lost his left leg when the Humvee in which he was riding was struck by a roadside bomb the Taliban detonated Oct. 16 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Surgeons at Walter Reed removed Araujo’s left leg above the knee in an eight-hour operation Friday, according to Tyler Araujo, Michael’s father. Surgeons completed work Monday with a second procedure.

“They shortened the leg a little bit more,’’ Tyler Araujo said. “They reinforced the upper thigh with screws and pins. They will let it heal and fit a prosthesis with a knee joint in six weeks.’’

Michael Araujo says he is eager to begin his rehabilitation.

“God bless everybody,’’ he said. “Tell them to have a happy Thanksgiving.’’

TO HELP: If you wish to help the Araujo families offset expenses while staying in D.C., mail a check to Wayne Hamlin, Michael’s uncle and godfather, at 1724 NW 15th Terrace in Cape Coral, 33993. Hamlin’s telephone number is 239-218-9019. You may also donate money at any Fifth Third Bank nationwide. An account has been established by Patricia Hamlin, Michael’s aunt and godmother.
Originally published Nov. 19, 2009
There are people who need our help.

Then, there are people who deserve our help.

U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Araujo fits both categories.

The 19-year-old Mariner High School graduate was strengthening his upper left leg muscles Tuesday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The exercise wasn’t part of his normal rehab.

18th rant: The use of Obama's middle name (Part 2)

In my 16th rant entitled The use of Obama's middle name I went on about what happened when Alaska Governor (and at the time Republican Vice Presidential Candidate) Sarah Palin came into Southwest Florida and Lee County Sherriff Mike Scott used Obama’s middle name. The backlash from that was astronomical and (in my opinion) led to the downfall of Senator John McCain’s bid for President of the United States. Well, this article coming from Politico.com yesterday just made me have to laugh.



Swearing in: 'Barack Hussein Obama'
By: Mike Allen
December 10, 2008 12:17 PM EST

President-elect Barack Obama says he plans to use all three of his names when he takes the oath of office in January, giving voice to a name that was was rarely used during the campaign except by critics.
In his first post-election newspaper interview, with reporters from the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, Obama was asked: “Do you anticipate being sworn in as Barack Obama or Barack Hussein Obama?"
He replied: “I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition, not trying to make a statement one way or the other. I'll do what everybody else does.”
In fact, all presidents have not used their middle names when taking the oath of office. Jimmy Carter famously went as “Jimmy Carter.” Ronald Wilson Reagan took the oath as simply “Ronald Reagan.”
Harry Truman, of course, didn’t have a middle name — just an initial that didn’t stand for anything — and was sworn in as “Harry S. Truman.” (We've gotten a lot of e-mail about the period after the 'S.' Despite the urban myth to the contrary, the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum says Truman put a period in his signature and posts a photo to prove it.)
Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald R. Ford took the oath using their middle initials.
The last three presidents have used their middle names: George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton and George Walker Bush. So did Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, in the hasty ceremony aboard Air Force One, went nameless — prompted to say only, “I do solemnly swear.”
The insertion of the name is a tradition not specified in the U.S. Constitution, which directs about the president in Article II: “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’”
Obama’s middle name was largely taboo during the campaign, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) apologized when it was used by Bill Cunningham, a talk-radio host who was introducing McCain at a rally in Cincinnati.
The Associated Press reported at the time, “Asked whether the use of Obama's middle name — the same as former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein — is proper, McCain said: ‘No, it is not. Any comment that is disparaging of either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama is totally inappropriate.’”
Here is a transcript of Obama’s interview with the two newspapers, which have a joint Washington bureau as Tribune Co.

© 2008 Capitol News Company, LLC

17th Rant: The lack of knowledge of those who vote

As I was listening to the radio, I tune into the Neal Boortz radio talk show and he mentioned something which I found disturbing and will even make mention of it here.

http://boortz.com/nealz_nuze/2008/11/how-obama-got-elected.html

HOW OBAMA GOT ELECTED
By Neal Boortz @ November 19, 2008 8:26 AM Permalink | Comments (40) | TrackBacks (0)
Now that the election is over, this report by John Ziegler is making some waves. Maybe because it exposes some of the Obamamania. Also because it shows how the lamestream media was in the tank for Barack Obama in this election. And also because it demonstrates the fruits of our government education system.

Now I really don't care what else you do today .. so long as you don't abuse any small animals .. but please watch this video. On Election Day some Obama voters were chosen by the producers of an upcoming documentary "How Obama Got Elected." These voters represented a cross-section: young and old, black and white, male and female. They were chosen based on their verbal abilities and willingness to express their feelings to a large audience. Listen to these people. I promise you, you will be entertained.

Certainly it was hard to judge the true nature of Obama supporters based on the random ones selected for this video ... So the Zogby people were commissioned to conduct a telephone poll to ask a greater number of Obama supporters the very same questions asked of the people in the video. Oh and one other thing to keep in mind. The people were given multiple choice answers to these questions. Even with multiple choices, here were some of the results.

94% of Obama voters correctly identified Sarah Palin as the candidate with a pregnant teenage daughter.
86% of Obama voters identified Palin as the candidate who spent $150,000 on a campaign wardrobe.
86.9 % of Obama voters though that Palin said that she could see Russia from her "house," even though the quote actually came from Saturday Night Live.
Now for some news about the candidate they were supporting ....

57.4% of Obama voters could not correctly say which party controls congress.
82.6% of Obama voters could not correctly say that Barack Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot
88.4% of Obama voters could not correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket
56.1% of Obama voters didn't know that Obama started his political career at the home of Bill Ayers, an unrepentant terrorist.
Now you have a measure, for good or bad, of some of the voters who went to the polls on Election Day awash in Obamamania. Do some of you now think that there are people voting who shouldn't be allowed to vote? Remember, there is no constitutional right to vote in a presidential election. Shouldn't we be weeding some of these people off the voting rolls?

Also, here's an interview with John Ziegler by Nate Silver. Oh my is it full of bad words!

 

I had followed the comments and also the callers to Neal's show, and most of what I had read and heard was rather disturbing especially in regards to the fact that people just pick and choose that which they want to hear and learn.

16th rant: The use of Obama's middle name

Yesterday during a rally for Republican Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin, the sherriff of Lee County referred to Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama by his full name which is Barack Hussein Obama. The McCain-Palin ticket distanced themselves from the comment, even going so far as to have their spokespeople saying, as Palin spokeswoman Tracey Schmidt did, that they "do not condone this inappropriate rhetoric, which distracts from the real questions of judgment, character, and experience that voters will base their decisions on this November."

I personally see no problem with it for the simple reason that if you watch the presidential innaugurations, you notice that the Chief Justice uses the President-elect's full name (for example George Walker Bush for the current sitting president) when giving the oath of office. For McCain and Palin to distance themselves from it is beyond me.