Memorial Day 2010

You can just feel it's going to be a great day when you start it off with a couple of the things that matter most. I cracked the Bible first thing for my morning inspiration, walked the dog, the flew the flag in honor of all our great servicemen past and present. As Ole Glory ascended the flag pole I couldn't help but reflect where that particular flag came from. I had a tough decision as I have a few flags that mean so much to me, but I chose the one handed down to me by the VFW as a tribute when I buried my Grandfather. He served in WW2 seeing a lot of Europe and India during his campaigns. My other favorite flag was also a gift from my Son, he brought it back from the modern day war place, where it flew over forward operating base Fenty in Afghanistan, that one will fly on the Fourth of July.

We are blessed to live in a land of freedom. The price for that freedom is paid by the heroes who fight to maintain it, and those who died to achieve it. Today we honor our servicemen, past and present, with thoughts of gratitude and prayers of protection. Their sacrifice for our freedom is the most unselfish act of anyone's lifetime. You might remember these words....
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 5:13

Never ask where all the heroes have gone, they proudly wear the uniform of service that protects our country. Every branch a tribute to the principles our forefathers founded this nation upon. May God bless you all, and keep you safe while you are our watchdogs of freedom!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Let's Appraise The Situation!

Today I'd like to explore the meaning of adding value to others. I once read a line in a book that I find more applicable everyday, it goes like this...." You'd be amazed with just how much YOU have to do with what happens to YOU." I think you reach a whole new level of maturity and when you come to that plateau of understanding. Your actions, both good and bad, have a reflection on how your scene in the play of life is read.

For a moment let's analyze the people who fill our world and stand out above the others. What do they all have in common? I've found their impact is directly proportional to the value they add to me. Sounds a little selfish, doesn't it? Well not really, a great deal of those I speak of add a spiritual value to my life. Examples for me to envy and emulate. Adding value doesn't have to come as a monetary reward. One may be a shining example of a great work ethic, or have a fantastic relationship with their spouse and children. Another might have impeccable integrity, and values. Some exude a massive bank of knowledge, while others are just the best of friends, offering encouragement and edification to prime my ego and keep me on a positive track. They could also be a shining example having a strong emphasis on their faith, a trait I greatly admire! Surrounding yourself with people who add value to your life is like being moored in a harbor at low tide. The rising of that tide lifts all the ships in the area equally. You all add value to each other with your special gifts. This is the key to leadership, the impact of affecting others, through your example. Or, adding value to others, creating a vacuum for those to follow.

When you add value to another it creates a magnetic field that draws that person closer to you. It's natural to want to be in the company of such people. Define the traits you'd like to emulate, then seek those who have the fruit on the tree. Learn from them, then take that knowledge and add value to others, who will in turn influence a larger circle of friends. This is how we affect positive change. This is a clue to effective leadership, and creating a life of substance. You don't have to stand in front of masses to affect change, just be the example, and it'll happen one person at a time. The principles of multiplication will take over from there!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Did You Ever Wonder?

Has anyone else noticed the liberal faction in this country, who are always so "aware" of racial issues and equality for all, are the worse offenders of "class" division? Liberals are quick to define someone's status by income or even education. How many times have they driven a wedge between the rich and the poor in this country? How often have you heard them diminish someone by defining them as stupid or ignorant when they don't bow to their point of view? It's not uncommon to hear them define a person as an intellectual because of the school they attended, separating them from the "common" man.

I propose they have an agenda, one that's not readily acceptable to the citizens who lack an education from the elite institutions of our nations. Liberals are attempting to institute a "ruling class" of politicians who dictate the wisdom necessary to oversee this country. Those ivy league grads know what's best for us, just ask them. It seems the agenda also includes an economic leveling of the playing field as there is an obvious distaste for anyone who has been financially successful, except them. Everyone of them has their fingers in the financial pie of this cap and trade legislation, from Obama to Gore. Yet others who have created an income stream of over $250,000.00 are qualified as the devil themselves responsible for shouldering the tax burden for the most of the nation.

There is a smokescreen of propaganda to appeal to the minorities, and to the average or lower income individuals, that demands everything is equal. Liberals ignore we are a merit based country and your compensated by your value or the demand for your service. They attempt to divide us by our skin color or our religious belief. While this distraction provides cover for them to not only line their pockets, but increase their power in government to insure the longevity and success of this plan. It's a division of classes, the ultimate form of racism.

Truth be told the academics and the intellectuals are powerless in a crisis. While it takes little to preach theory, it takes experience to enact a plan. It reminds me of my stint at a Ford dealership as a youth. we were a couple of miles from the Bell Labs think tank, where scientists developed all kinds of theory. The standing joke was how they couldn't apply practical experience as their cars were often dropped off for the most amusing reasons. One comes to mind in particular, one of the lead scientists left his car because he couldn't get the glove box open, it was just locked. Somehow these academics found a way to help NASA get a man on the moon, but a locked glove box perplexed them. This was not an isolated incident.

I propose these intellectuals who are trying to alter our country with their classroom theory, have other agendas. If the cap and trade legislation is a must for our planet, why are those who are pushing it trying to profit handsomely, while demonizing others who seek financial gain? Why do they preach racial parity, yet the districts they represent wallow in poverty for generations? The truth....They want the power granted from big incomes and they love the poor. The poor respond to government handouts at the ballot box, unaware the very politicians they support insist they stay poor because it benefits them. All their social justice hooey is a cover for their greed and selfishness.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

An Ode To Stanley!

I thought I'd share my adventures of my trip across the state yesterday. I had some parts to drop off in Fort Myers, and some errands to run, which brought me by my old marina. I thought I'd stop in and catch up on some of the scuttlebutt as I've been negligent about keeping current, for one reason or another. Upon my arrival I could see things had changed, and much to my dismay Stanley's Bait and Tackle was closed. Stanley's was a little business inside the marina compound, a place we all used to go stop in at to share our stories and camaraderie. It was like Mom's kitchen, everyone just gravitated there. While it wasn't uncommon for Stanley's to be closed because he often did that when he ran errands, it looked abandoned, and that was disturbing. Like going back to your hometown and finding out they tore down the family homestead. Not to be denied I ventured to the next marina down to get the skinny only to find out my buddy Rick, wasn't in either and his crew was all new and clueless. Time for me to begin some serious investigation, as I needed information and was not going to be denied. So I headed a little more south to Capt. Cain's Marina and low and behold I found some friendly faces! I have to tell you it was a bit of relief, I was feeling like Rip Van Winkle there for a moment. The guys were a fountain of information and soon it was like I had never left. The bad news was Stanley is in Hospice, cancer is about to take him from us. Yesterday was his 78th birthday, and he isn't going to live to see his 79th.

Well I needed to tell my friend goodbye, so I set off to find Hospice, and let Stanley know I cared. Stanley is quite a story, in fact the newspaper sent a reporter down to interview him for a business piece, and ended up doing a whole Sunday section on his life a few years ago. Stanley is an immigrant from Croatia, who as a child tried to escape the tyranny there three times, only to fail and be thrown in jail for his efforts. He finally was successful escaping over the mountains, not unlike the Sound of Music story. His efforts found him jailed once again in Cuba, sidetracked from his ultimate goal of freedom. He eventually entered the United States and became a citizen, securing a job at Penn reels, where he worked for 25 years and retired.

Retirement for Stanley consisted of moving to Florida and opening a tackle shop, using the repair skills he learned at Penn to fill his financial needs. Stanley is a true craftsman and a jack of all trades building custom rods and having the patience and skill to put all those pesky little springs and clips back inside a fishing reel in the correct order. Something I'll never have either the patience for nor the dexterity for. If you ever needed anything fixed, Stanley is the man!

Stanley wasn't married, but he has a heart of gold. People used to abandon cat after cat at the marina, I guess they figured the scraps from the fillet tables would keep them satisfied. Stanley adopted each and everyone of them, he took them to be spayed or neutered at the clinic, and made sure they were loved and fed. Whenever a pelican or bird was injured it instinctively knew to seek out our marina. Stanley would capture it and take it to the Wildlife Rehab center, closing his business, to insure every animal's welfare. There will be a place in heaven for a soul who cared so much for God's creatures, I pray his journey is a peaceful one........

I did locate Hospice and got to visit Stanley. He's incoherent, and in the final stage of his journey, a peaceful coma. His shallow breathing reminded me of my father's final day, every breath seemingly a struggle. They have a nicotine patch on him, I guess even as cancer does it's final deed, the urge to smoke the poison that invited his demise is still overwhelming. Although he lived a solitary life he is surrounded by pictures and cards left by people he has touched. Stanley has many friends, a group I'm proud to be a part of.

It's hard to write this piece. Temptation to use "was" instead of "is" haunts every sentence. It's even harder to stop writing, because it'll close a chapter in my life, and worse yet put a finality on Stanley's contribution to all that loved him. My Dad left me some wisdom I need to apply here, "grief is a selfish emotion." Stanley's pain will soon be over, and ours will just begin, it's never easy to say goodbye. God speed Stanley, and may your journey to the other side be a peaceful one. Thank you for touching our lives........

God Bless
Capt. Bill

Some Analogy

Never in my lifetime have I seen America so aware of the political environment. I have seen equal levels of patriotism, but never the hunger to understand the system and the desire to get involved. I had a discussion with Orrin yesterday about an analogy he had read and I thought I'd share. I've got a couple of others to throw in, as it seems for the reasons above, Americans are becoming philosophical about politics.

America's republic, although the longest standing form of democracy, is destined to fail. That's simply a historical fact. Human nature destroys it as they soon understand they have the power to vote themselves the government largess, (in the form of entitlements), that will bring it's ultimate destruction. The analogy likens the people to a bad renter. They understand it's a short term lease and do nothing to take care of the place. The security deposit,( the lives that paid for this freedom), has been selfishly forfeited, as they have no intention of maintaining what they were lent, and returning it to the next generation as they found it.

There are many who find this selfishness repulsive, we like to call the responsible. Unfortunately they don't run the government. Which leads me into the next analogy...

Our economy is like a beautiful and strong thoroughbred, every race it enters it wins easily, it has no equal. This exceptional racehorse is controlled by a jockey, it's only holdback is the weight of the jockey on it's back. That jockey is our government. Lately our jockey has selfishly pulled itself up to an all you can eat buffet, and has increased the weigh load on the back of our racehorse, slowing it down. Our only hope is to pry this piggish jockey away from the dessert buffet, and put him on a crash diet. Our thoroughbred needs to lighten it's load, so we can again a competitive entry in the economic race.

We need to get government out of our lives and allow the principles of capitalism to work. Everything in our economy is self correcting, allowed to work itself out on it own, without government interference. Taxation and regulation is the bane of our society. This leads me to my last analogy...

I heard a woman liken the two parties to spectators at a large house fire. The democrats are currently pouring on the accelerant, but the GOP is standing around watching the house burn down, not doing anything. She was dismayed the GOP had let her down and didn't know where to turn. The reply to her dilemma was priceless. Don't put your faith in the democrats nor in the GOP, place your faith in the GOD to find the answer to this mess. Amen Brother!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

What A Weiner!

The left has launched yet another attack on the conservative media. Congressman Anthony Weiner, a democrat from New York, (How'd you like to grow up with that name?), has decided to open an investigation into a sponsor of The Glenn Beck program, Goldline. This most recent attack on Mr. Beck, I believe, is an attempt to discredit his message, which is a wrecking ball to the progressive agenda. They've attempted to financially wound him by calling for boycotts, but they've been ineffective as the reasoning for the boycotts is baseless, and his broadcasts are growing in numbers by leaps and bounds. Advertisers do want to sell products! So this shot over the bow by Weiner is calling out a triple A rated better business bureau dispenser of precious metals for consumer complaints. Goldline is the largest distributor of precious metals with sales topping over one billion dollars. Weiner contends they have an extraordinary number of consumer complaints, and Mr. Beck is in bed with them by stirring up fear in his listening audience then pointing them toward Goldline for economic security.

Okay let's put aside this is yet another left wing wackjob politician taking personal aim toward a private business man, an improper use of his position in my opinion, and assume his claims have an inkling of merit. As the largest distributor of precious metals wouldn't it be safe to assume they also have the largest client base, ergo the possibility of an increased number of complaints just based on the mathematics alone? I'll daresay Walmart probably has a higher number of complaints than a Mom and Pop corner store. The unaddressed issue is, how many of these complaints were resolved to customer satisfaction? This statistic is suspiciously absent from Weiner's fact sheet.

Now let's look at current events. The Washington Post's headline story just two days ago reflected how precariously unbalanced the economy is claiming, One false step in the world economy could throw America into financial chaos, but Beck is a fear monger, hawking gold, not a prophet. The stock market has had yet another day where investors went, "Phew" after opening with a 200 point freefall to rebound at the bell to a 23 point loss. This is the third time in less than three weeks the market has shown instability, but Beck is again, a fear monger. Interesting......

Our economy is a mess, and investing in gold is a good idea to hedge against hyper inflation which is bound to arise. It's the consumer's job to do their due diligence when investing, including understanding the market they are going to enter, every aspect of it. Investing is a gamble, and the old phrase applies here," buyer beware." Beck is promoting a Better Business Bureau back company who advertises on his show, that's capitalism. In a free country, that's acceptable practice. Remember Mr. Weiner, we are still free, not the social model you endorse that limits our freedom. Perhaps this is a glimpse of the control you wish to have over our lives. Shame on you for using your position in the government to attack a message you don't like. Freedom of speech doesn't sit well with you, does it?

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Authority

The tenth amendment has been absolutely trampled by the representatives in Washington, and while they bear responsibility for upholding the Constitution, we are also at fault for being complacent and allowing this travesty. Let's review.....

Ratified 12/15/1791

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, or to the people.

Pretty simple, huh? One sentence defines the job description of the whole federal government. Yet loose interpretations of other amendments have trumped this mandate. Abuse of the commerce clause has allowed Washington to intervene where they were not meant to be. A shameless power grab by those in power that began back in the early 1900's, a turning point in America's history. That abuse has snowballed ever since allowing a perversion of the founding principles. A slow erosion of the teaching of history previous to that era has left our youth more and more ignorant of the ideals our nation was created upon. If your not aware, how can you complain?

We bear a responsibility to our freedom to be informed, and complain loudly when boundaries are crossed. If we continue to remain complacent, we won't enjoy our liberty much longer. As a parent or grandparent, and aunt or an uncle, we need to be sure our youth understands history as it was lived, not the interpretation they are exposed to.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Written In Stone!

Has anyone ever wondered why the Ten Commandments were passed along to us written on stone? They did have paper back then. Here's my thoughts....

I think this is where the term "written in stone", comes from. They weren't meant to be watered down or altered, what they say, they mean, and they stand forever. Those are the principles we should guide our lives by, no exceptions. They are not subject to interpretation. The Ten Commandments are a clear and defined message!

Perhaps our founding fathers should have considered putting the principles this nation was founded upon in stone as well, wait....they are. Those ten laws were the basis of the foundation everything we stand for is built. So why do we allow any perversion of our belief? In a biblical sense, anything that was contrary to the Ten commandments was considered the message of Satan himself. When did that change?

We've allowed those in government to pervert the history being taught to our generations allowing the founder's faith to be placed in question. We've allowed, though our ignorance, a faction of this government to lead us to believe in a separation of church and state when there is clearly no such law. They've simply spoke it into existence, creating their own version of history, because after they've controlled the message We either didn't know any better, or didn't care. As a Judo-Christian principled nation, we offer freedom of religion, and any idealism spoken or written by the founding fathers to that end was clearly to preserve religion from government, not to protect government from religion, as the perverters would have you believe.

You can point a finger toward everything that is wrong with society and define it as a perversion of our original belief. We based this country on those ten principles for a reason, and we've clearly drifted from that concept. The results speak for themselves.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

A Story Within A Story!

Today the weekend long leadership convention is drawing to a close; what a great assembly of speakers, passing on countless nuggets to hungry students ready to go out and serve the world. Every event has powerful stories told from stage, stories meant to teach and move you. But behind the scenes there are countless untold stories, stories that may never make the stage, or just have to wait till the person has grown enough to earn their time. I'd like to share one of those as of yet untold stories, because it showed me the power of what we do.....

I met this woman less than a year ago at an open meeting I was speaking at. It was obvious from her appearance she suffered disabilities that would hamper her supporting herself. But she was a woman of strong heart that had simply had enough. She told me she's been collecting disability for over 10 years, and quite frankly was tired of being a victim of the system. It bothered her someone else told her what doctor and what treatment she could have, and when. It ate at her that she had rely on the generosity of others and the support of the government to survive. She confided in me that she lived on less than $12,000.00 per year, and had had enough of poverty.

She saw a dream of being self sufficient, and empowered to take back control over her life. She found in this business a means to get off the government dime and take steps toward her freedom. Understanding leadership development and helping others to see the same freedom offered her a way out, and taunted her with the freedom of living a life of liberty, one that was removed from her by government entitlement. She understood that you will tolerate that which you will accept and invested in her own business. This was a vehicle to independence.

I'd love to tell you she's enjoying a six or seven figure income, but that's not true, yet. She is making a good income, with less than a year invested and is just about to step off the entitlement wagon. She will be in charge of her own healthcare decisions from now on. She will define her income stream and her contribution to society from this day forward. She will be the example to others in a similar situation, and will no longer be enslaved to the charity of the government or other people. She has her independence day and it is a sweet victory. This my friends is the power of the dream, and the result of action conquering the bondage of a situation that it seem she had no control over.

This story may never be told from a stage, but I'm thinking it's just the first chapter. A path has been laid for those who are tired of entitlements, and their excuses have been removed. Once one person has conquered their handicaps, it empowers others to do the same. I so proud of her, and the incredible part is she has nothing to do with any part of my business, just someone who was invited to hear the same opportunity, and found hope and possibility in the presentation.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Where Have You Been?

Having a great time in Louisville, Kentucky! Learing and growing at the TEAM Leadership Convention! Follow me on Facebook for nuggets I grab throughout the day! Like.....

Attitude is your thermostat to success, What's yours set on?

You can't negotiate the price of success!

I don't believe in social assistance without the Gospel!

Excellence is not acheived via the path of least resistance!

A full report tomorrow!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

"Liar"

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal stood before the American people and lied about his service during the Vietnam war. He is running for the senatorial post vacated by another liar and thief, Christopher Dodd. Blumenthal then had the audacity to stand again before the nation and say he mis-spoke a few times. Mr Blumethal, we are not idiots, to repeatedly vocalize something is not a verbal error, it's a lie, and to try to sugar coat it is a rationalization of lying. The proper way to atone for a lie is to first admit it. Then offer an apology, and try to regain our trust. The improper way to deal with a lie is to suggest your record in office is sufficient evidence you have the integrity and character to be trusted not to mislead the American people. To "mis-speak" over and over again is a pattern, a pattern of deception, not an attractive trait for people in positions of leadership! You sir cannot be trusted, don't even attempt to suggest that as a possibility. You don't deserve a position of leadership, in fact your service should be limited to the most menial of jobs, because everything you do must be inspected for completion, as you cannot be trusted to tell the truth. I pray the good citizens of Connecticut are not misled yet again and elect you to any position of power, let alone a post in the federal government. Shame on that collection of fools you got to stand behind you as you made these statements. By association you've impeached their character and integrity as well, you sir are as evil as they come.

Now with that said, I want to be clear I realize we are all sinners and no one is perfect. The last guy who was perfect they hung on a cross. Forgiveness and redemption demands admission and atonement. I'm not seeing that here, I'm seeing excuses for bad behavior, which suggests we should accept it. Not happening, I don't care which side of the fence your political party runs on.

This is yet another example of career politicians not "getting it", John Q. Public is tired of the deception in Washington and will no longer accept excuses, let alone elect someone who begins his federal career with a lie. You dishonored yourself, you dishonored your family, your not going to dishonor your nation. The "liars" in politics have yet to realize their position is not a job, it's an honor. Until they respect that honor bestowed upon them, they are doing their constituents a disservice.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Irreducible Minimum

It's funny how a phrase or a couple of words can impact your life. Pastor Bob Dickie has introduced me to a pair of words that absolutely control my thinking, irreducible minimum. You can properly address any problem is you boil it down to the irreducible minimum. Transferring that to mathematical terms, for those of you who think in mathematical terms, bringing it down to the lowest common denominator, or finding the root cause of the issue. For example....

I got a call from a harried sister who was asking if I'd run a boot camp for teens who did respect adults or the gifts in their lives. I probed, asking why ever would she need that? And she went on to explain her eldest didn't appreciate the lifestyle he led nor was he devoting the necessary time to some of his schoolwork, frustrating her. It was obvious to her that he was the problem and needed some discipline. He had set low goals for himself and didn't aspire to his potential. So I walked her through the process, bringing the issue to the irreducible minimum.

She had purchased him a truck, that he turned his nose up at, it wasn't what he wanted. So she became a lending institution and financed him a loan for the truck he wanted, keeping the original one as well. He proceeded to wreck his new truck, and she then financed another loan to get the repairs done. In the process he let his grade slip in pre-calculus, and has acquired a attitude toward his mother, including being disrespectful. She was ready to adjust his attitude via a 2X4 to the side of the head, or call Uncle Bill to correct this disrespect. I explained neither of which would work, he's not the root cause of the problem.

Poor sis, little did she know she was about to get a dose of the truth. I listened to an eerie and uncommon silence on the other end of the line as I walked her toward the inevitable conclusion. I don't believe I've ever heard her that quiet for that long, but it was nice to know she was listening for the thirty minuets it took for me to explain the cause of this issue.

Problem one, junior hasn't had to earn anything, you've given him all he's asked for and he hasn't learned delayed gratification. You've taught him the sky's the limit and introduced him to the philosophy of borrowing money to fulfill his every whim.

Problem two, this has been manifested as after he acquired his truck, he had no responsibility to pay for it's needs. No insurance premium to be held accountable for, so he disrespected the privilege of driving and ran it into a canal. The rise in insurance costs didn't affect him financially so there was no lesson learned. Then his truck was promptly repaired, at your expense. No arm no foul in his book, a teaching moment passed by because he was enabled.

Problem three, he devotes the money he makes to his whims, teaching him a warped sense of priorities. First responsibility should be to an insurance payment for his ride, no insurance, no ride. He now thinks his entertainment is a priority, and his responsibilities will take care of themselves. This has poured itself into his schoolwork, as it wasn't entertaining him.

Problem four, the disrespectful attitude. Well looking above I can see how it was learned. If you want change ,sis, your going to have to change.

Now boiling this down to the irreducible minimum the problem lies in the personality of his Momma. She's a phlegmatic, and what's worse she doesn't know it. A phlegmatic hates conflict, and loves to be loved, hence the enabling. My dear sis is now reaping the rewards of trying to be her children's friend, not their parent. I'm happy to say she has realized the lad isn't the whole problem and his life is about to take a change for the worse, but yet it will be better for him in the long run. At first glance junior might have been perceived as the problem, don't get me wrong he was a problem, but not the root cause. The time proven 2X4 method wasn't required, it's just put a bump on his hard head, and probably damage the wood, not bringing the desired results.

Me, I'm sitting back enjoying the karma of my grandmother's curse. The girls all laughed when she told them she hoped they'd have children just as bad as they were. It's not so funny now, unless of course your me!

God Bless!
Capt, Bill

Out Of The Mouths Of.....Tourists

Late yesterday afternoon I received a call from the boss to jump into the car and drive to Orlando to pick up a fellow who was coming into meet with Orrin from Singapore. I was assured he knew English and told his name, what flight he arrived on, and what time he was expected, with this vague assignment I set off to the airport. On the two hour drive up, I wondered what we might have in common, and looked forward to this great new opportunity to broaden my cultural horizons. Making a long story short, Rykle was easy to find, in fact he stuck out like a sore thumb, he was involved in a conversation with a couple as he exited his plane like any good distributor would be. He was sharing his exciting business opportunity with people he'd just met on the flight, imagine that!

Well we stumbled through the introductions, and I heard him tell the couple I must be from the Air Force as I had introduced myself as Captain Bill, I quickly corrected that and learned that his country was military oriented so he naturally assumed he was being greeted by a government official. So we loaded his gear into the truck and set off for the estate. It was kind of stereo-typical as he broke out the video camera and began to film and narrate a video to share with friends back home. He was taken aback by everything, the size and quantities of the cars, the gigantic parking facility, and not surprisingly the price of gasoline. He was in awe and curious about everything, but what amazed me was one of the first things out of his mouth, and a long topic of our discussion home, was why was President Obama trying to ruin our country?

Here is a stranger from another country, a socialist one at that, a person I've never met before asking out of the blue, the question that plagues most of us. Is this the world view of our president? As you can imagine that question hit my "on" button and we had quite a give and take all the way home. I left the car with a whole new perception of how the world interprets our leader. Now take this into consideration, the news he gets in Singapore is filtered by the government, and flavored toward the socialist point of view. Yet he and his friends seek information of the Internet, and sniff out the truth. Truth be told, he was less misinformed than a lot of the citizens of this nation.

Lesson....You can spread your propaganda worldwide, but people will find the truth and you'll be exposed for the poser you are!

God Bless!
Captain Bill

Choked For Cash!

I've been pondering the policies we use to confront terrorism, and our foreign affairs. I think we can all agree they are basically not effective, we've tried might, and we tried understanding to no avail. We are put into a position of playing defense with no concrete idea of where or what we will confront next. President Bush seems to have been the most effective, keeping terrorists on their heels and preventing any additional attacks on our soil. President Obama has tried to reason and be sympathetic to their cause but it has brought nothing but increased domestic activity from the jihadists. It may well be they have just evolved and these assaults were inevitable, or the current policy could be seen as a sign of weakness, there is no way of being sure.

Here's the truth, we don't understand our enemy. It doesn't matter if it's Hamas, Hizb'allah, Taliban, or al Qaeda, they think the same. Their warriors consider themselves already dead, your not going to reason with that mission statement. We can close whatever prisons we wish or make policy changes till we're blue in the face, they don't care. Their mission is to erase us and anyone else who gets in their way, bar none. They hate Israel and America's values. They won't rest until their enemy is exterminated, and nothing we say, do, close, or policy we alter will change that. They are not going to tell anyone we stopped water boarding prisoners, closed any prison, or where we held trials any of the enemy combatants, it's irrelevant to them. So what do we do to end this threat?

Well, what keeps them in business? Nothing works in this world without funding. The answer to this lies in who or what supplies them the funds to move forward. Truth be told without money they are not effective, they can't travel, buy supplies, or train. They would be reduced to throwing rocks and spitting at the infidels (that'd be us)! Their chaos is based on fear, and their fear needs funds. So if you choke off the funds, you weed out the threat from your garden. Pull the roots!

Two things fund terrorism, oil and drugs. First we need to spray a herbicide over every poppy field in Afghanistan, and keep doing it until it's eradicated. Why are we bartering with Afghans over reduction of the crop of drugs? Eliminate it, period! That will seriously dent the income of jihad. The second most prominent financier of this movement comes from Iran and it's oil. For most of the 1990's, Iran's support for terrorism and it's relentless quest for an atomic bomb were written off as a soon to be forgotten oddity of a still evolving nation, and we all know the results of this ignorance. Iran has patiently accumulated the tools of regional influence and basks in the power vacuum brought on by our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. America and Europe have squandered a decade of opportunity to terminate this threat by neutering Iran's agenda. Defund this movement and it will evaporate.

There are more sponsors in the Middle East, but those are the two major ones. Follow the money, and choke off it at the source, end of problem. The alternative is a nuclear Iran, you think we have threats now? You not seen anything yet. Diplomacy won't work with a man who has death in his eyes, but removing his means to be effective will. You can't hitchhike to America.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Mother of Exiles!

Have you ever read these words?

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
' With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus

The words inscribed in Liberty Enlightening the World, or as most people know it; The Statue of Liberty! How many of you have visited it in person, and felt the empowerment of this national symbol erected to celebrate our freedom, and the melting pot that makes this country great? Better yet, how many of us have researched the history behind this amazing woman? I challenge you to do a little Google search and learn the little things that make this wonder so impressive, like how many pennies thick the copper is, or the story behind Emma Lazarus, the author of those inspiring words.

What inspired this jaunt through history? Well to be honest it was a chapter in a book I'm reading, but then I began to ponder...Am I doing my job as a parent and mentor if I don't inspire my children, grown or not, to appreciate the wonders of our history and where their heritage came from? You have to pass it on to the next generation before it's lost, because trust me, if it's allowed to be forgotten, it will be. Or rewritten to fit someone's agenda...Not on my watch! So since I was just notified of a huge family reunion on my mother's side back up north, a side trip to the Statue of Liberty with my two grown sons is way overdue. It's never too late to have a teaching moment......

God Bless!

Capt. Bill

Who Owns you?

We live in tough times right now, not necessarily financially, or in terms of luxury or convince.Our generation will be defined by the decisions we make here and now, and that's the tough part of the times we live in. Are we going to be a nation founded upon individual freedom, or one that slips into the entitlement state of socialism? Like Satan temps us to sin, those "benefits" attempt to lure us into a place where we trade off individual choice for government controlled perks. It'll define the character and integrity of our nation. Are we still the greatest nation on earth, capable of innovation and production, or do we need government to "take care of us"?

The first argument thrown in our face is how we love our social security, the original socialist tidbit. Seniors will rightfully fight for continuation of the program, and any increases it offers, for two reasons. We fell into the temptation trap and took the devil's offering, now he (the politicians) holds it over our head, hostage to our greed. The second reason is the contributed into it, for years, and feel they deserve the rewards to teased us with. So Washington uses greed and our sense of entitlement to play and lure us to other social programs. Yes, we love our big entitlement program, but truthfully, the only way to break this cycle is to eliminate them. President Bush tried to privatize it, breaking the government control, but met serious resistance fueled by left wing propaganda.

Let's look at this option once again. Social security saps 15% of your lifetime income on a bet you'll not live long enough to see a return. How much would you have to retire on if 15% of your income was invested and returned 10%, guaranteed over your earning years? Well you'd retire a millionaire at a younger age, and live a much better lifestyle in retirement, than any social program offers, on the most meager of incomes. It would eliminate a need for retirees to have a medicaid program as they could easily afford health insurance on their saved income. There are insured mutual funds that offer this type of return. We opt for a minimal return from the government because we've been conditioned to accept the government is the only secure option. So how's that working for us? Keep drinking that koolaide, and you'll get the same results.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Keeping It Regular!

Congress has gone to great lengths to pervert the Commerce Clause, bending it's original intent, to give them unlimited authority defining just about everything as interstate commerce. The enumerated power granted to them under Article I, Section 8, Clause 3, of the Constitution, states: "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes".

The intent of the clause is to insure that no state imposes a tariff or any other such action to discourage commerce between the "United" States of America, It's Congress's duty to see that business flows through state lines without intrusion. So, isn't it unconstitutional for any state, county, city, or school board to boycott another? With that in mind, isn't it also Congress's job to stop that interference? So why is Arizona subject to this insane onslaught of boycotts? It's a direct violation of the Constitution.

Instead of doing it's defined job, Congress is too busy meddling in healthcare, cap and trade, steroids in sports, and the way college football operates it's playoff system. Shouldn't someone in Congress notify Los Angles, Boulder Colorado, and the school board in Illinois their actions are not only unconstitutional, but unpatriotic? Don't hold your breath, November cannot come soon enough!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Now Who's To Blame?

Time for input on the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Congress is holding hearings looking to assign blame, Florida Governor Charlie Crist is trying to enact legislation to permanently ban drilling off the Florida coast, (something that's not happening), and the enviro-nuts are using the emotions of the moment to stir up anti-drilling sentiment. It's time for a sane voice to rise above the crowd, so here I go!

First of all Congress doesn't know an oil rig from a natural gas platform. They have no concept of what's involved in drilling for fossil fuels, nor is it their job to. So what exactly do they bring to the table while investigating this disaster? Well, truthfully they parrot questions someone else fed to them, not knowing if they are getting truthful answers. It makes for great TV and campaign ad sound bytes but as far as solving anything, that's not going to happen.

Now to the Florida Governor Charlie Crist, grrrrrr. Charlie, do you ban airplanes when there is a crash? Is that a solution to solving a rarely occurring problem? I've live in Florida most of my life, I've driven vessels through the oil fields, it's a beautiful sight, surrounded by pristine waters. For the better than 30 years I've been here there has not been a drop spilled, even through massive natural disasters, (hurricanes,etc.). So I think rational people can agree, this is an anomaly. Using the emotion of a disaster to promote your failing political career is despicable. Your slowly peeling back the skin of your progressive agenda, concealed by the faux conservative republican label. Oh and just so you know, when you refer to yourself as a conservative, don't use Teddy Roosevelt as an example you admire, he was one of the original progressive republican chameleons. It was extremely telling, either you don't know your history, or your a cloaked liberal who just exposed himself. I'm betting on the latter.

Now to solve this debacle. Like I pointed out before, you don't ban flying when there is a plane crash. You send in the experts, (that's not you Congress), to check that the measures put in place to insure this wouldn't happened were followed. We created a division just for this purpose, perhaps they should do their job and inspect environmental concerns! This agency is aptly named, The Environmental Protection Agency, Their job description is hidden within the title of the entity. Now if the EPA had been inspecting oil rigs for hazzards and doing it's job as depicted in their name, this may not have happened. When was the last time an EPA inspector checked to see if the valves and other equipment designed to prevent the explosion were in place and functioning? That's the first and most important question to be asked. Maybe if the EPA wasn't so involved in promoting it's own agenda, forwarding edicts to be placed into law as if they were a legislative body, they'd have time to "protect" the environment.

OSHA is also responsible for the conditions on the rig. Did anyone haul them into Congress for questioning? Not that I heard, we pay good tax money to these divisions to oversee the safety of workers and environment, it wasn't done.......

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Thermal Deceit!

Well today we will be blessed with a proposal to institute a Cap and Trade policy over our economy. Despite the growing pile of information leading to the conclusion that global warming is a hoax, including the impropriety of present and past elected officials involvement in establishing the Chicago Carbon Exchange, a endeavor expected to be a 10 trillion dollar boon for those investors. The exchange will be similar to the New York Stock Exchange trading carbon credits for cash, Al Gore and President Obama are just two of the players involved in the initial funding of this endeavor. Is it any wonder why they are so unwavering in their belief and support of the global warming initiative? We still have representatives perpetuating this delusion of wrong thinking. I'm beginning to believe they are simply basing their support on social issues rather than factual. They don't wish to be portrayed as anti-climate, clinging to their loyalty, not seeing past their illusions or the imagination-killing need to fit in with the liberal tree hugging crowd.

The climate is not a linear issue, there are no absolutes. If there were, the weatherman would always be correct, which ranks right up there with the odds of winning the lotto. As one attempts to make predictions further and further into the future, the amount of information one needs to gather about initial conditions increases exponentially. Truth be told, the input global warming scientists had was shaky at best, so the margin of error was incredible. Climate is actually a non-linear event, influenced by too many variables to accurately predict from day to day, let alone generations into the future. The forces of nature are constantly poised on the edge of unpredictable change, making the whole affair basically a crap shoot. This is a premise for legislation? I think not! This is the blindness that decades of living in Washington, or a Harvard education produces, enhanced by the arrogance of perceived power. Sprinkle the opportunity of a quick buck, with a minimal ground floor investment on top of that and presto-chango, we have the legislation, and in a word, corruption.

The infuriating part is they believe they've gotten away with it, and we are too stupid to see through the smoke screen they've created. It's my belief that once this is exposed,(if the media ever does it's job), It will exceed any political scandal ever, bar none. This will make Watergate look like a childhood prank.

Austrian economist Friedrich August von Hayek once said, "There is much reason to be apprehensive about the long run dangers created in a much wider field by the uncritical acceptance of assertions which have the appearance of being scientific." Sounds like he knew Al Gore!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Exhibit "A"

Expanding on yesterday's thought, we are faced with the responsibility of contributing to Greece's financial bailout through our commitment to the I.M.F. Greece used the fiscal policies that liberals in our country endorse and over committed itself creating a missive debt problem, threatening a collapse of the country. Like an irresponsible teenager with a borrowed credit card, they were drunk with spending power. Now someone has to clean up the mess and pay the piper.

The committee of "they",(which tries to dictate how we do everything through their opinion), has decided Greece's financial default will be good for America, as it will strengthen our dollar in the world market. I can't help but wonder if "they" had considered how much more solid our dollar would be if we were not on the hook for 100 billion dollars to right this debacle? We maintain the largest investment (17%) of the monies sent with other members rounding out the balance. I wonder what power drunk official barter that agreement? Anybody want to bet me it was a democrat? Before you lose the farm, it was, and a progressive liberal at that! In fact one of the original progressive liberals, Franklin D. Roosevelt, just another of his gifts that keeps on giving.

If Greece's economy collapsed and the European Union was alone responsible for bailing it our, first of all my bet is they would have insisted on more responsibility by Greece in it's spending. Second of all it would have placed the strain of the bailout on those who thought it was wise to intertwine their economies with others, making America's dollar rise in value. How wonderful would that be right now in servicing our debt? We could have leveraged the increase to lower our debt and in turn strengthened our dollar, ergo our economy, even more. But Noooooooo, we have to deflate our economic status because, well I don't know because why. It simply makes no sense for us to be committed to this fund. If we felt charitable, and we always do, why force our commitment? Could we just pony up funds as needed? I donate to charity every year, but I never signed a contract. Suppose I lost my job?

Committing to the I.M.F. was a move designed to stroke someone's ego. America's money spends just as well without a contract to donate. And as I laid out this is a poor decision to use our funds on. It's not like we don't have financial needs of our own to take care of. Instead of Greece lying in the bed they made, we come along and provide maid service to place clean sheets over the mess. Without regard to how this pig sty was created and what steps will be used to prevent the mess from reoccurring. As soon as Greece is clear of the I.M.F.'s oversight it'll return to the entitlement state that created this disaster. And this is the model some of our politicians seek to impose upon us as a nation.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Overwhelmed?

Has anyone else noticed the abundance of crisis we've been facing of late? Is anyone naive enough to think this is a coincidence? Would you be surprised to find, I don't believe it is? Here's my theory.....

The world has entered a paradigm shift, it didn't happen overnight, and I wish I could point directly at one source for the failure to adapt, but it's been awhile in the works. We entered the information age, things move at the speed of light, or even faster. There isn't one foreclosure, there is a nation wide collapse of the nation's mortgage market. It isn't one computer or child that contracts a virus it's a world wide epidemic. We don't have on bank fail, it's a global crisis. Not just one country is facing financial collapse, the whole European Union is.... It's hard to comprehend the speed at which the smallest crisis blossoms and spreads.

Do our leaders look like bumbling idiots when these situations arise? Absolutely! They lack the creativity, knowledge, and forward thinking spirit it takes to attack these issues. They are so corrupt, so involved in the system and self preservation, they are dinosaurs in a world of innovation. Our survival is left in the hands of politicians whose only attribute is they are bewildered by the here and now, and that's been the situation for way too long. The integrity of our representatives, the trust we should place in our leadership, our belief that they are capable of telling the truth, is eroding away. John Q. Public is starting to realize we are trapped on a rudderless ship, with a Captain without a clue.

Our leaders have made us part of a network of interdependency, one that is beginning to spin out of control. One incident, like Greece's economic issues, can begin a domino affect that could be felt worldwide. How did we allow ourselves to be so vulnerable that one country's irresponsible policies might have a major impact on the once most powerful nation on earth? Is this in anyway congruent with the foundation of independence our forefathers bequeathed to us? Not from where I'm standing.

Somewhere we left the role of leadership behind and began to follow the rest of the world like sheep to slaughter. America can be the example again, but not on the present course. We need to find our independence, so we can defend our nation. How can you set a course if you can't stand alone? We've become to dependent on outside sources. By definition, if your a dependent, you rely on someone else to survive. If you have common goals, interdependence is a good thing. So tell me who in this world has our ideology? Better yet, tell me who we can trust to support us when our problems overwhelm us?

I have a deep inner feeling i'm not done with this subject......

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Mother!

Today is the day we honor all those under appreciated souls who experienced childbirth. Who would volunteer for such a job? Your christened with vomit, have to clean soiled diapers, and get up in the middle of the night to console the sick, whether your ill or not. The pay sucks and the hours are worse. You bust your butt all day to hear; What's for dinner? The rewards are questionable.... What Mother hasn't been told; "I hate you," and smiled with the satisfaction of knowing she's doing a good job of raising her child? Mom takes it on the chin, but she does it out of love. The best way to describe a Mom's duties is unappreciated and overworked, but today is the day we correct that, and honor their commitment, and unconditional love..

We are told in the Bible that the Father is the head of the family, if that's true, Mom is the neck that turns the head in the direction it needs to go. Mom is the link that keeps the head attached to the family, without Mom, the head would be floating off in space, with no family to lead. Mom is the adhesive that bonds it all together, but Mom knows this, apparent in the knowing twinkle in her eye when she has to course correct.

It's a thankless job, one they freely accept, and we could never express our gratitude enough. Yet Mom's find the accolades they need in simple rewards. Their baby's first step, the first word, the card you made for her with crayons, scissors, glue, and glitter. Your first ball game, your first fish, the note of praise from your teacher, your kindergarten graduation, the day you finish elementary school, high school and college graduation, and the simple hug around her neck, followed by a heartfelt, "I love you." The day you get married, and finally the day you make her a Grandma, so she can start the process all over again, but with a slightly different role,(spoiler). Her most gratifying award is the day after you have her grandchildren, when the light bulb goes off, and you finally appreciate everything she did and went through for you.

Her greatest reward lies when you achieve your victory, and realize your dreams. Watch a Mom when her child hits their goal, the beam with pride and glow with satisfaction. We have a duty to achieve our goals, it's our Mom's reward, one that's long overdue. Flowers, candy,and whatever gift you can buy will never replace the satisfaction a Mom will feel knowing she's guided you to success! That my friends is a Mom's trophy!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

But Wait...There's More!

Following up on yesterday's blog and the importance of educating our youth to understand their history. Hey, let it be known, history was by far my least favorite subject, but I'm beginning to think it's taught in that manner so we purposely dismiss it's importance. There are so many riveting struggles and stories imbedded in the birth of our country, it's shameful to dismiss them as meaningless.

Here's how important this issue is, a recent survey of tenured college professors found that better than 90% of them described themselves as liberal. Just for reference, that's a greater percentage than people who describe themselves as believing in God. While not all of them teach with a bias, the majority of them do, again supported by another survey of college students.

Liberal academia has a habit of twisting and contorting history to fit their agenda. It's our responsibility as citizens to insure our youth understands the principles upon which this country was founded. For instance, the liberal cry of separation of church and state, there is no such power, law, or edict anywhere in the Constitution, Bill of rights, The Articles of the Confederation, nor any other rule of law governing this country. The only reference to religion is the first amendment which states....

"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of;"

This was twisted along with a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote some 25 years later referencing the "wall of separation between church and state" as rule of law. If this is not taught to our children it will be accepted as truth. Where the original intent is that government wouldn't establish a national religion, or ever stop you from worshiping as you please. The left has purposely misinterpreted this mandate because morality interferes with their agenda. For us to defend our Constitutional rights, we need to know exactly what is written and what it means, otherwise we'll accept the interpretation of someone else who might have and agenda.

History, as taught by the left, has conveniently altered the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King. Did you know this freedom fighter was a registered republican? I'll betcha Al (no so) Sharp-ton, or Reverend Jesse Jackson avoid letting that cat out of the bag. They also forget to mention the racism experienced in the south during the segregation of schools occurred by democrats in power. They stand before their people and tell them Dr King believed in all men being equal, when in fact he believed in equal treatment of all men. The subtle difference builds their platform of social justice and redistribution of wealth. Dr King dreamed that all men would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin, and never suggested that their be a redistribution of wealth, just an equal opportunity as granted us all by the Constitution. If someone suggests they are mistaken they use the fear tactic of branding you a racist and demanding social justice. They confuse justice being what they deem as social equality, and the rule of law whereby justice is applied equally, for rich, poor, or any skin color. The left's whole agenda with minorities is fueled by their ignorance of history, and the spinning of what their leaders believed in, and leveling fear of a racist charge in those who question them. The whole process stinks of a lack of character and usury.

These are just a couple of examples of where we've drifted from the truth, based on misinformation fed to us by evil. I hope you can see how important knowledge of our history, and passing that forward is to our future generations is. I don't want my bloodline living in a socially just environment. I want a land of opportunity, where innovation and hard work are rewarded, and ignorance and idleness are inspired to be enlightened and productive. We keep score, and those who endure win. We are all born equal, we all have the same opportunity, and those who seize it will move forward, those who don't will be pitied but not enabled, except to better themselves.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Honest Abe!

A quick note to all politicians.....
If you lie during your campaign, and your opponent does not. After the election is over, no matter who wins, you still have a title...liar, and your opponent has one as well....integrity. Is it worth it?

Abraham Lincoln is one of my favorite presidents; did you know he was born dirt poor in a one room log cabin? Rumor has it that one room cabin only had three walls. Anyway his family was so poor they left Kentucky where Abe was born for Illinois, because they didn't have the finances to defend their property claim when it was challenged. Abe rose to greatness because his mother, and later step-mother inspired him to educate himself.

Now imagine if today's social programs had been in place back then....Would Abe been capable of rising above the entitlement system, to become the great self educated leader he is admired for today? Who would have led this country away from the legality of owning slaves, had Abe been a victim of today's social programs? What future great leaders are falling victim to entitlements, robbed of the struggle that builds the character, greatness is based upon? I can't help but wonder if ole Abe would have been so persistent and overcome all the setbacks, had an easy path to mediocrity been laid at his feet!

Abe taught himself to be American, he just as easily could have taught himself to be Hitler. Children need to be taught to be proud of their heritage and understand the roots they came from, not the altered curriculum the government is providing in school today. The children are being taught to be socialist, infected with social justice ideology, not equal justice for all, the principle our country was founded upon. It's our job, like Abe Lincoln's parents did, to instill the proper in our youth. Teach them the principles we based this great nation on, and teach them to cling dearly to them!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Hints!

One of the keys to being a person of influence, (leader), is to live the example that people would like to follow. None of that requires a fancy home, big car, or a great deal of money. It simply requires that when you leave the presence of others they either wish you hadn't left or you had a positive impact. How does one accomplish that?

Well, first I'd suggest you live a life of purpose. Nothing is more admirable in someone than he or she who gives of themselves. Unselfish giving is not only uncommon, but a great path to personal satisfaction. Think of the person you admire the most....What is their most outstanding trait?

It might be loyalty, or how they treat others. Again it leads back to being unselfish, putting others before yourself. People are naturally drawn to those who always speak kindly of others, and are loyal to the end.

Maybe you admire how they handle their financial life. It doesn't take a great deal of money to be successful, just the self discipline of living within your means. Debt is unattractive at any pay scale.

I've also found that those who walk with a tight relationship with the Lord exude a great deal of magnetism. Albeit the opposite is true if your presenting a facade. Nothing turns people off like a poser. Personally, I feel that's where a great deal of the crowd who have a bad taste in their mouth about religion were turned. Hypocrisy is never attractive.

Another key is association, who do you keep company with? Your convicted by others through the company you keep. "Birds of a feather, flock together," and it's true! Add the sum of your four best friends together and divide it by four and you'll be pretty close to you income. Same applies to your ethics, character, and integrity. If you hang around with thieves, you'll find yourself driving the get-away car.

In short, a life of purpose, unselfishness, discipline, and quality association highlight the laws of attraction. These are the foundation of a great leader!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Time To Part The Waters Of Tyranny!

One of the greatest figures in biblical times has to be Moses. He was born a slave, moved to favor inside the Pharaoh's inner sanctum, killed a man who was abusing a slave and dealt with a self imposed exile, then rose up as God's chosen one to lead the Jews out of Egypt, and to be free of tyranny. A great story of leadership, struggle, and victory, that's been repeated many times in history.

George Washington was one of America's Moses type figures. He led our country away from the tyranny of England, to form a promised land where all could be free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. But George left one important aspect of America behind, the victims of slavery.

Enter Harriet Tubman, another Moses like figure in historical times. She led the slaves out of tyranny toward the promised land through her underground railroad network. But her truly great work wasn't complete either...

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. arose as the next to assume a Moses like role. He led the his people to the promised land of civil rights, and equality for all men.

All the historical figures above share a couple of things in common. They had a great network and didn't have to operate alone in their struggle, and the people they freed, didn't initially appreciate their new found freedom. In fact most wanted to return to the tyranny they fled from because it offered them security. It's what happens when oppressed people are given freedom, then suddenly realize they don't have the umbrella of someone controlling them and addressing their needs.

We're entering a period where our freedom is threatened. Government is offering a veil of security to us, under the guise of watching out for us. We are creeping back into oppression just like the Jews wanted to go back to Egypt. Who among us will rise as the next Moses and lead us down the right path? It seems right now we are wandering in the desert as did the freed people Moses led, until we appreciate the value of the freedom we were gifted. How precious do you hold your rights?

Sucking on the teet of government largess is leading us right back to the slave like conditions Harriet Tubman risked her life to help other's escape. Unemployment insurance, welfare, food stamps,medicaid, medicare, social security, and every other government regulation and assistance are all handcuffs keeping us from self reliance, or in another word ....Freedom. Are you willing to trade your freedom for security? Entitlements threaten our American heritage, they push us right back into the overseer on the plantation, or the tyranny of King George. Who among you will walk in the footsteps of Moses, Washington, Tubman, or Martin Luther, and cling to the principles of freedom that lead us out of tyranny? Stand up America, everyday we procrastinate we become one step closer to returning to slaves.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Do You Want What's Left, Or What's Right?

When a woman asked Ben Franklin, "What kind of government have you given us, Sir?" He replied," A Republic, if you can keep it!" There was a reason for both his curtness and the form of government. Democracy's have a life span of about 200 years. About that time the citizens of said democracy figure out they have the ability to vote themselves largess, or as we call them entitlements. Under the guise of wanting a better life they opt for government sponsored perks, forgetting that under a democracy, the government is them. So they end up having to pay for the perks with taxes, which eventually bankrupts the democracy.

The founding fathers bequeathed us a Representative Republic, where instead of us voting directly for our perks, we enable representatives to do that for us. The thought being with the buffer of a representative who needs to find a way to make all his constituents happy, that brave soul would have to make concessions. Unfortunately after the 235 years since the forefathers designed this system, the representatives have learned they can secure a large voting block by promising them government largess.

Which is exactly the plan the democrats use to win elections. They send community organizers out to fire up their base, promising them all kinds of goodies to win their vote for public office. Enter the Tea Party, that group of concerned individuals who realize someone has to pay for all of this, and money doesn't grow on trees in government groves. Hand in hand with the members of the 9/12 project, those patriots are seeking a return to responsible government. Our only saving grace.

The left has only one alternative, to disparage the conservative movement. They call them ignorant and violent, after all the left is led by mostly esteemed graduates of upper crust universities. The liberals paint the entire movement as violent protesters when the truth is they are respectful of the laws they cherish. Truth be told, it's always been the liberals who suffer from a lack of emotional maturity, and almost always result in violent acts when they don't get their way. Wasn't it the liberals who disrespected the police and called them "Pigs?" How about the window smashing G 20 protesters, where they conservatives? I submit to you the left wing activist group "code pink," more examples of radical protesters who use violence to push along their discord. You'll also notice the protesters of the new immigration laws enacted in Arizona have resorted to violence to punctuate their point, fueled by left wing antagonizers.

So I ask you, which side is acting with more maturity and expressing their outrage in an acceptable manner? Who would you like to be associated with? Animals act like the liberals do when their agenda is threatened. This is the way of the educated citizen? It's not hard to see which group is on the side of what is right, just examine their behavior!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Oh, The Arrogance!

The other day I was musing about the world we live in and this question kept running through my mind: How arrogant does one have to be to be to think they have the right to "fundamentally ruin" America? Really, think about that. What super power granted anyone the right to think they have a better plan than the men who fought the British and risked everything for our freedom? It's not like they willy nilly established the founding principles and rushed the process. It was a correlation of great men and minds spending countless hours in toil and turmoil to pond out the process we operate this country under. Yet out of the blue here comes a president who has a better idea. What tyranny has he conquered? What exactly does he have on the line if he fails? Where is his stake in the process?

I'm beginning to appreciate more and more everyday the cavalier attitude that has been taken when we were educated about out past. The lack of enthusiasm used when passing this information forward is beginning to reflect in our decision making. I was guilty of that too as a youth, history class had no meaning or use to me, but then it couldn't have been taught with less vigor. It's like it was just as much a chore to them to teach it as it was for us to listen. Memorization of dates isn't what history was about. There were stories, great stories that when properly told would capture the attention of even the most bored youth. Our lack of information allows what is happening in the first paragraph above to happen now in modern day. We have no appreciation of our past principles, so to alter them is simply acceptable and taken lightly.

Do your country a service and find those wonderful stories, then pass them forward, especially to the youth. Never should our struggle to win our freedom, nor the process we use to keep it be taken lightly. We are not so far removed from tyranny that we can't appreciate our freedom, we just need a reminder. Like those brave people who jump into questionable floatation, to cross shark infested waters, risking their very survival, so someone can stand before them and arrogantly state he's going to alter the process they just fled to.....

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Knock, Knock!!!

I feel safe saying the majority of us have enjoyed company in our home both invited and uninvited. The accepted and courteous procedure of gaining entry into one's home is to use the front door and announce your arrival by either door bell or some sharp raps on the door. The occupant of the abode then makes a decision as to whether to allow you entry and entertain your company or turn you away,(as the case with unwanted solicitors).

Suppose if you will, while you were busy at the front door, dealing with company , someone gained access to your home through the back! They barged in, uninvited and simply made themselves comfortable, taking advantage of all the amenities your residence has to offer. They raid the fridge, use the bathroom, put their channel on TV, pretty much take over all the comforts you worked so hard to attain. We'd all call that rude, discourteous, and despite our patience and good manners ask them to leave.

Follow me a little further here...., they refuse, offering the excuse your stuff is so much nicer and newer than what they have in their home. What's worse is they make no effort to adapt to the norm, simply refusing to be good guests, and demand you change to accommodate them. Could the possibly have anymore gaul, or be any ruder?

It would be accepted procedure at this point to call law enforcement and ask them to escort these intruders off your property. Your patience is tried, and you've done the best you could as a courteous host to politely suggest if they wish to visit they should come to the front door and request entry as all other guests do. The police arrive and tell you since they look pretty comfortable, and seem to live there, they can't do anything.

Ain't that a fine ball of wax? Uninvited and unwanted you lose your cool and take matters into your own hands. Time for them to go! Would anyone blame you for being fed up? Well apparently the liberals of this nation would. Make those uninvited guests, illegal aliens, and your home Arizona. That changes the equation, With that small switch, suddenly those abusive unwanted intruders are "entitled" to be there, and any action you take to remove them is "racist."

Why do the rules of etiquette apply to your house, but not your country? Why is a rude forceful entry, void of manners and every accepted practice, allowed by "illegal" immigrants? If they come to our front door and request admittance, we'd surely invite them in. We love to entertain guests, well, invited ones.....

God Bless!
Capt. Bill