Its My Job ... Isn't It?

If you have an ability ... isn't it important that you use it? If you can clearly see a problem shouldn't you take on the task of solving that problem? Therefore, it is more than my job ... it is my obligation.

I mean ... I see a problem, an issue that needs resolution, a festering sore that must be healed. It might even be a slight fault. These are matters facing my brother, sister, father, mother, son, daughter, close friend. Don't I owe it to them to point out the error of their ways? To help them in their family / friend relationships / improve personal habits ... is this not something which I should step forward to offer my help? It is for their own good ... I have the independent outside view. I can help them get back on the right path. They want to be a better person and I only want to help resolve the issues which are so clear to me.

It is clear to me. I am not sure why they can't see it staring them in the face, the obstacle to their having a better life. A better relationship would be the reward. But they do not seem to see the predicament. But I do see their dilemma. You see, I have the experience, some might even call it the insight. I have blessed to see the big picture. The bigger picture is what they seem to be missing. It has always been easier for me to see the issues from my vantage point.

Now, I am not trying to make myself out as an omnipresent like entity. Although, it seems that I do have a gift not bestowed upon everyone. Of course, I have my own shortcomings. Of course, I am open to the input from any source that might be able to make me a better person. But, why is it that those who with all good intentions are the ones with the wrong perspective? Why is it the ones that try offer assistance to me do not understand all the issues?

If only, I could find a person such as myself to help me with my occasional issues. I mean ... not that I have them often or concerning any significant matter but on those small occasions, it would be nice to have a person like myself to add insight.

That is why it is important ... some might say critical that I offer my assistance to my close family and friends. I know how important that clear insight, that outside vantage view is to solving their problems. Why won't they let me help them solve their problems ... it would make them so much happier as persons ... their lives so much easier if they just did it my way.

Welcome to The Pope

And now a short piece for those of short attention spans.

The Pope is here. A good day for the Catholics. Remember to listen closely ... when he tells you that is ashamed for the Church because of the sexual abuse scandals that rocked the U.S. Church. He will of course forget the Church sex scandals of Africa ... he will leave that for that trip.

He has said he is "ashamed for the Church". He did not beg the people abused for forgiveness. He did not apologize to them for the negligent Church leadership that helped continue the practice for at least 50 years.

What is he sorry about? Apparently, the millions of dollars it cost to the Church to settle the claims and the bad press.

Maybe the Pope can also say he is sorry for the crowds being ripped off with the $10 rosary beads and $20 T-shirts sold in his honor ... unless he is getting a cut.

Well no religion is perfect ... certainly making no self righteous claim ... but at least when you, the Pope, come here to the U.S. ... you could find time to go to Boston where there are hundreds of victims and say "I am sorry for your pain". Do this instead of trying to create a world record for giving the wafer to 30,000+ fans at National Stadium in 15 minutes ... unless you are trying to make this an Olympic Event.

Torch Parade

First and foremost let us be clear ... the Olympics are a political event.

They are no more a mere sporting event presenting the best of the amateur and professional athletes than a Yankees/Red Sox game is a mere baseball game. We well know that when the Red Sox meet the Yankees on the baseball diamond they are still fighting over the Babe Ruth trade which brought the curse upon Boston. Even when Boston wins they are still fighting the curse. Sports enthusiast know what I am talking about. It is the same when you are watching any professional sports contest, why after ten years out of college or high school do you have to announce an athlete along with his Alma mater. I mean how much school did they actually attend? Ego, that is all ... we are catering to the ego of everyone who went to that college.

But enough on that. Why are the Olympics a political event? Well going back to the famous 1936 Olympics where Jesse Owens demonstrated to Hilter on his home field - Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team that in fact Germans were not the Master Race. Let's not forget Jimmy "the absolute idiot" Carter who ordered the U.S. team to stay home because the U.S.S.R. was stupid enough to think they could invade Afghanistan and actually win a war there ... only to have the U.S.S.R. boy cot the following Olympics in L.A. just because the U.S. was playing politics with the Olympics. Remember Afghanistan ... don't we have troops their now fighting the guys we trained to fight the Russians? Boy is life funny!

There are many other instances where the Olympics have been made political ... in fact there is a new book just out covering these and if I was real good I would tell you the title but you need the exercise. The original instance of politicizing the Olympics occurred when the Spartan Team refused to stand for the Athens Team because they decided to wear a small patch of cloth over the genitalia which was formerly unacceptable in the Olympic dress code. Now we have Polo clothes ... see how far we've come.

So what is the point?

Well for the present Olympics it seems that host Red China is not being nice to the poor Tibet monks ... that would be Tibet which China conquered and continues to oppress and has for years. Now, do not forget Mongolia and Taiwan. Well, it seems that the current method of protesting the treatment of Tibet by China is to wreck havoc with the Torch Parade. Why the poor innocent Torch had to take a bus in San Fransisco to avoid embarrassment and protesters.

Give me a break. Do you think China is going to be nice to the Monks because the Torch had to take a bus?

From the Gospel according to Wikipedia - The Chinese government has promoted the games to highlight China's emergence on the world stage. Earlier in 2007, former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch has said that he believes that the Beijing games will be "the best in Olympic history."

All of this in the midst of concerns about environmental issues where the athletes might not even be able to breathe the air in China and the human rights violations, particularly in Tibet. There have also been growing concerns of major nations boycotting the Olympics in protest of China's actions in Tibet.

Well, accept for pissing on the athletes and those big sponsors who have paid billions for the rights to broadcast this "sporting event" by boycotting and the resulting boycott by China of the 2010 Olympics which is winter sports which they suck at ... who cares?

The answer you have been waiting for! Do you want to send a message to China? Well, boycott Wal-Mart until it stops selling cheap stuff from China. Boycott any other store that makes its billions from cheap goods manufactured by Chinese slave labor. Boycott "Made In China".

Of course, you may have to deal with the consequences of China's response ... (a) it stops buying U.S. Treasuries which helps fund the drunken Congressional spending resulting in a $500 annual deficit and (b) it decides to dump the almost two trillion dollars it is sitting on into the open market bringing the U.S. to its knees economically ... gas at the pump would shoot to $20 a gallon at least. Sucks to be dependent.

So, you will note that President George "no brains" Bush has said he is going to China to watch the games because they are just a sporting event. Sport event nothing ... he is going because if he doesn't China will call his marker.

Bottom line ... leave the Torch alone and protest where it belongs ... in front of Wal-Mart and in front of Congress.

Save Me From Our Leadership

Why oh why are we plagued by the worst of all possible leadership pools? Is it the result of not paying enough for education? Is it the result of too much TV and video games? Should we not have purchased that big screen TV and then compounded it by adding a Wii ... dam you Guitar Hero ...

The result ...

Here in Florida they are going to solve the state deficit problem by cutting money from schools which are supposed to be our future so that they can give tax cuts to home owners while increasing real estate taxes for businesses, new home owners and snow birds who only bring money to spend in Florida ... cut our future to save the guy living in their house for many years ... I guess that is why Florida is in the mess it is in

Congress is running to bail out bank and home builders because its an election year and they don't want to appear to be doing nothing .. the candidates (Democrats) do not want to appear to be indifferent so they want to help the soon to be foreclosed home owner ... So, we the ordinary, hard working paying your bills person will again pay to supplement the aggressive businesses that paid their CEO's multi million dollar salaries and bonuses to help get people into homes that they could not afford ... so that the bankers and builders can not suffer for their greed and stupidity ... and the dumb home owner who would have been better off a renter or less of a house can live continue to live over his means ... not unlike the U.S. which lives on borrowed Chinese money ... Remember Congress November elections are around the corner.

Oh so much to complain and lament about and so little to make it better ...

Lee Iacocca Rambles

Now I I did not write the quote below although I could have ... I do not vouch for the accuracy of this quote ... I do not know if it in fact comes from the book indicated ... I do not know if Mr. Iacocca even said it ... what makes a difference is that it does infact state a real problem of leadership ... and the critical part is that you may be voting in the near future ... are the individuals you voting for any different?


Write letters to your elected officials and newspapers ... be mad as hell and shout about it!

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This makes sense no matter what political party you might be for.........The two party system ???? Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from it's death throes? He has a new book, and here are some excerpts.


Lee Iacocca Says:

"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course"

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned "Titanic". I'll give yo u a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out!"

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the "America" my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest "C" is Crisis !

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess. So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "The Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?


Had Enough?

Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope; I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the "Great Depression", "World War II", the "Korean War", the "Kennedy Assassination", the "Vietnam War", the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this: "You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to "Action" for people who, like me, believe in America . It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had "enough."

Make a "real contribution" by sending this to everyone yo u know and care about......our future is at stake!

Frustration

How is it that we must be plagued by stupidity and blindness. Now, there must be some way to deal with these when they are clear and unquestioned.

What is the issue ... well, there are many but today ... this minute?

Former President Jimmy Carter, easy contender for the worst person to ever serve as the President of the United States of America, is about to take off on another one of his "I can make it all better missions".

He has announced that while visiting the Middle East he will meet with Hamas leadership. You know Hamas ... the killers of innocent men, women and children. The group that is raising its children to be suicide bombers to murder other children because they are Jewish Israelis. The organization who has clearly and repeatedly stated that it goal is to remove Israel from the face of the earth and while moving towards that goal murder every Jew that gets in its way or might otherwise be on the face of the earth.

This would be the same Jimmy Carter that has attempted to rewrite history with his book claiming that basically everything is Israel's fault ... that every problem of the Palestinians, Arabs throughout the world and Muslims everywhere is only there because Israel exists.

How is it that he is allowed to go meet with people who the United States and Europe identify as terrorist and come back home? People who give aid and comfort to enemies of this country are tried in our courts as traitors. Why is Mr. Carter not being warned that upon his return he will be tried as a supporter of terror?

Why does the press not label Mr. Carter as for what he is ... an individual who believes that our enemies should be made to feel good about their hatred of America and its allies. Why is he instead interviewed by every major news outlet? Do we give direct access to the American media to Castro? Did we give a voice to Hitler? Well, why do we allow Mr. Carter to give a public voice to the murders of Hamas?

We have no problem with stating that the current President is wrong and his actions are not in the best interest of our country. Why do we not shout out that the former President is making a fool of America and working against its best interest? Mr. Carter ... if you give aid to murderers that makes you no better than one of them.