Random Thoughts for June, 2014
Robert A. Hall
I'm reading a lot of bashing of VA healthcare due to the AZ
situation and others. I can only speak for myself, but the care I have received
at the Madison, WI VA Hospital as I went through the lung transplant process
has been superb. (Yes, I now have issues that are life threatening. no person's
fault--the luck of the draw--and they are still in there pitching.) There has
been no medical professional there, from the surgeons and other docs, the
transplant NP and transplant coordinator, the PT guys, the other professionals,
to the nurses and the health techs (CNAs) that I would not want to have care
for me or a loved one in the future. Even the housekeeping crew went out of
their way to be helpful during my three (so far) inpatient stays. So I can't
join in the bashing. It has been very helpful to me at a stressful time to have
the VA coordinating my care and billing out to Medicare and my Medigap
insurance policy for the costs as appropriate. I could not have asked for more.
As you know, I established my home as a No-Whining
Zone years ago to deal with my lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis. I don't think
I've been feeling sorry for myself at all. At a recent visit to the Dane County
Veterans Services office, God let me know he favors that stance. Bonnie let me
off at the door, along with Oscar the O2 tank and the wheelchair in case it was
a long walk. I waited in the lobby for her, with a group of about eight
severely mentally and/or physically handicapped young adults--none of whom I'd
change places with. Compared to so many people, I've had and still have a
blessed life.
A while back, someone was whining on a support list
that, "We all ask, 'Why me? Why did I get pulmonary fibrosis?'" I
responded that I asked, "Why me God? Why did I get pulmonary
fibrosis?" And this booming voice replied, "I don't know
Hall--there's just something about you that pisses me off!" Old
joke--which some folks didn't appreciate. I figure whenever it happens, I've
got a long time to be dead. No use letting the inevitable make me miserable
now.
Should have known I had a problem lung when I learned it was
delivered by the firm of Burke and Hare.
I like this going around the net: "Our grandparents
didn't vote for fascists, they shot them."
How long until someone is called a racist for saying they
wish they could have kept their health insurance plan and/or doctor as Obama
promised?
If we'd only had Michelle Obama in a photo op
holding up a hashtag sign that said, "StopKillingJewsandInvadingCountries,
Hitler would have surely complied and WWII would have been avoided.
Interesting how those people who thought that
Shari'a Law was benign and just a cultural expression of faith, so not a threat
if implemented here in America have gone quiet after Boko Haram kidnapped 300
Christian girls and, in accord with Shari'a Law and the teaching of the Holy
Qur'an sold them into sex slavery.
George Kennan's "Long
Telegram."
If Obama needs advice on
containing Russia, he might consult this document on containing the Soviet
Union.
Wishful thinking and nativity
kill. Unfortunately, they have dominated US foreign policy under both Democrats
and Republicans. Recently I read a story of a WWII OSS agent who studied
Russian, admired the Soviet Union and joined a Russian-American Friendship
Society. Sent to North China, occupied by the Soviets, immediately after the
war to help US POWs, he advanced on his first group of Russian troops shouting
"comrades" in Russian. They turned their guns on him and the leader
demanded, "Give me your watch." He was very lucky that losing his
illusions only cost him a watch. Many folks have to be shot before they get it.
Superior troops with good morale
and excellent training can often redeem an incompetent leader's mistakes. Alas,
incompetent commanders rarely get such troops, unless they just took over and
inherited them from a good leader. The same is true in civilian life,
especially in rule-bound bureaucratic organizations, such as government, which
rarely develop leaders interested in the mission more than CYA and their
"perks." Thus they rarely develop subordinates with commitment,
initiative and good morale.
Sometimes my wife doesn't answer
the phone, "Because I don't know who it is." Sometimes I don't answer
because I do know who it is.
When a guy says a girl is
"out of my league," he's probably playing in a fantasy league anyway.
I'm annoyed by folks who never
answer email. And by folks who have to answer every email. And by folks who
expect a response on every joke or cute video they email to their list. Sigh.
The price of instant communication. They are likely often annoyed with me as
well.
And don't get me started on folks
who think that the whole world is waiting breathlessly for them to post what
they had for lunch on Twitter or Facebook.
A great many folks are willing to
take credit for good outcomes. I used to say that when I was a Senator, I took
credit for the sun coming up, because I also got blamed for negative things
beyond my control. You will find that if you generously share the credit with
everyone involved, even a little beyond their contributions, it will pay large
dividends. And you'll feel better, too.
The really hard thing to do it to
take responsibility for your actions when the outcomes are negative. The child
is much more likely to say, "Mom, the dish broke," than, "Mom, I
broke the dish--I'm sorry." Having learned that avoidance behavior, it
carries through life. Like everyone, I have to work on this and I try hard,
because it is right, and showing such integrity produces a better reputation
with other folks. So there is a long term payoff, as there so often is, for
doing the right thing, however difficult. Politicians (of all stripes) especially
have trouble admitting error. If a Republican or Democrat says, "I was
wrong, this policy isn't working, we are going to scrap it," the other
side and their media allies don't congratulate him or her for a sensible and
courageous decision; they eviscerates the elected official for the error. So
the politician often flips 180 degrees and acts like he/she was always there.
Thus you have the farce of a CEO losing his job for having held the same position on Gay marriage years ago that Obama held at
the same time, while Obama draws more support from gays because of the flip.
There are many Republican examples as well.
Since requiring IDs to vote is
racist because minorities are unable to get them, for whatever reason, then
requiring them for anything is racist. Minorities should not be disadvantaged
in buying guns, checking out library books, cashing checks, flying, getting
licenses, entering buildings or events, purchasing cigarettes or drugs or
government benefits or anything else because of race. I suggest that Republican
lawmakers pass bills making it illegal to require photo IDs for any reason.
I think of Obama as the Composite
President. He combines the naïveté of Wilson on foreign policy, the competence
of Carter, and the ethics of Clinton and Nixon. At least he doesn't seem to
have the sexual morals of JFK.
The only good argument for Common Core is that it helps
teachers who know they are too stupid to know what to teach on their own, and
are desperate for a how-to check list.
If you are not old enough to give informed consent to having
sex, you're not old enough to consent to having an abortion.
Assault rifle bans aren't that bad. A few cosmetic changes
to remove features that scare liberals and you are good to go, with basically
the same weapon.
When you are sick, folks bring you presents. For example,
our granddaughter's little dog, Caramel, found a squashed mouse in the
driveway. The wife couldn't get it from him--he insisted on bringing it in the
house and presenting it to me on the couch. It's the thought that counts.
If God didn't want me to be profane, he wouldn't have let
them send me to Parris Island. "Dear Lord, I don't really want you to take
the time to damn the oxygen hose I just tripped over, or punish my computer for
the glitch. But if they were to melt in the future, I'd consider it
just..."
People who say they don't need to go to church because,
"God is everywhere," are seldom looking for him everywhere, and would
be startled if he manifested himself there.
We should take Obama's word that Benghazi or the IRS are not
scandals with the same degree of confidence that everyone gave Nixon's "I
am not a crook" statement.
They say "Freedom is not Free." If you want to
know who paid most of your share, stop by your local VA Hospital and look
around. Volunteering would be even better.
I imagine an old guy with his 48-inch belly hanging over his
34-inch waist jeans, meeting a young guy with his jeans down to his thighs and
his butt protruding in his boxers, each thinking how stupid the other one
looks.
The most ignored sound in our house is the dryer buzzing at
intervals that it's done. It can go on for hours.
If all you do is criticize, or all you do is praise, no one
will give much weight to either criticism or praise from you.
Troops used to get tattoos reading, "Death Before
Dishonor." In today's military, they should read, "Death Before
Political-Incorrectness." PC will kill America's sons and daughters. But
to be fair, soldiers have died throughout history to stroke the egos of
politicians, whether it was for "empire," "honor,"
"national prestige," "pride," "avenging a national
insult," or to allow today's so-called "leaders" to feel warm
and fuzzy about being all PC, since they have no experience paying the
butcher's bill with their or their children's blood. And no intention that
their own kids will ever go in harm' way.
I like earrings on men. They tell you who is a slave to fads
without having to talk to them.
If I go into the VA for rehab and catch the physical
therapist talking to one of my old DIs on the phone for hints, I am outta there!
Welcome to the fight of the Century. In this corner,
representing the Obama Administration's Decisive Action Team, wearing spangled
Spandex, Michele Obama holding a
#BringBackOurGirls hashtag sign. In the far corner, representing Boko Haram,
wearing a filthy burnoose and a dynamite-spangled vest, Mohammad Akbar, holding an #AllahPermitsSexWithSlaveGirls hashtag
sign--and a fully loaded AK-47. Let the battle begin.
America is being punished for Obama's mom being punished
with a baby.
Chelsea Clinton's pregnancy is about the only thing the
Democrats haven't blamed on Bush, the Koch brothers or global warming.
I'm very tolerant. I'm pretty much willing to extend
tolerance to anyone who is willing to extend it to me and others. Otherwise....
Eric Holder says about racism: “The greatest threats are more subtle. They
cut deeper. And their terrible impact endures long after the headlines have
faded and obvious, ignorant expressions of hatred have been marginalized.” And
what is a "subtle threat" of racial discrimination? Why, any
opposition or disagreement with Obama's or Holder's policies or actions, of
course! ~Bob
Lèse-majesté: The crime of committing
an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign.
Now called "racism."
I know a couple of people who, if they go to hell, will
annoy Satan until he throws up his hands and puts in air conditioning.
Unions: Making the world safe for mediocrity.
I have a lot of Marine tee shirts, which I like to wear to
the VA for rehab. But they are even more fun to wear to the Madison, WI Farmer's
Market around the capital. It's sort of like a Progressive Petri Dish, with
groups on every corner lobbying to "Save the Transgender Whales," "Give
Voting Rights to Non-Citizens," or to "Ban Carbon Based Life Forms,"
because carbon is poison. My tees include: "Free Men Bear Arms,"
"Blessed Be the Lord, My Rock, Who Trains My Hands for War and My Fingers
for Battle--Psalm 144/1,"
"Happiness is a Belt-Fed Weapon," "Freedom is Not
Free--But the US Marines Will Pay Most of Your Share," "Some People
Just Need Killing--That's Why We Have Marines," and "Peace Through
Fire Superiority." The last is different from the usual, "Peace
Through Superior Firepower," which means you have better and/or more guns.
"Fire Superiority" means you are shooting so well, the enemy dares
not put his head up to shoot back. The local progressives never have the nerve
to say anything to me, but my wife loves to watch their faces after they read
the shirt and try not to stroke out. Good, clean fun.
I watch TV with a book in my hands. If you ask me if I saw a
particular ad that runs frequently, I'd probably remember the ad--but not what
it was selling.
Never brag or celebrate until the results are all in. When I
was getting out of the Marines to go to college, I had to take the SATs--four
years after I graduated in the top 95% of my high school class. Since I rarely
had more than a C, but often lower, neither I nor anyone else saw me as a
scholar. A girl friend, who had respectable SAT scores of 525 in verbal and 650
in math--her major--was busting me, the dumb Marine who had to hope they gave
me a couple of points for spelling my name correctly. Then my results came. I
had a 735 in verbal (98th or 99th percentile) and a 589 in math (95th). This
was back before the SAT folks lowered the scores because they were dropping, so
my combined 1,324 out of 1,400 possible was better than the same score today
(and qualified me for Mensa). Naturally, I served her a large, cold crow
dinner. Another example: on election night in 1972, about 1:00 am, when I was
trailing the incumbent by about 2,000 votes, several car-loads of his
supporters drove past my house, yelling and honking their horns. At 6:30 am,
the last town came in, putting me up for the first time--by nine votes--and I
became the Senator in January. And then Fitchburg State College, which in 1968,
before I took the SATs, had suggested with my grades I try the community
college as being less demanding, was coming to me for help with their budget.
Thanks to Marine Electronics School in 1965, I've always
done very well on multiple guess tests. Every week we had a 33-question computer-graded
test. Top scorer got 100, regardless of his raw number. Bottom three flunked,
regardless of their scores. If you flunked three times, they transferred you to
the infantry and you got killed in Vietnam. Very completive school. I finished
second to a reservist who was an electrical engineer in civilian life.
(Actually, my buddy Ron and I volunteered to drop out to go to Vietnam after
ground troops landed that year. They said thanks and ordered us back to class.
We were 19...gung ho and dumb.)
Now that they have "Honor Flights" to take WWII
vets to DC to see the memorial, I think they should have "Dishonor Flights,"
led by Bill Clinton, to take old hippy protesters to Canada to visit their war
buddies.
If you walk around at work with a clipboard and a cup of
coffee, people will think you are management and not expect you to do anything.
Suggested new Planned Parenthood slogan: "Abortion
Macht Frei."
It's not true that liberals hate all assault weapons.
They're fine if pointed at American troops. http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/19/jane-fonda-on-riding-that-north-vietnamese-anti-aircraft-gun-in-72-sorry-somebody-took-a-picture/
Al Gore's slogan must be, "Think Globally, act like you
hope no one is watching what you personally do."
Nothing is as scary as seeing my granddaughter and her
13-year-old friends in party dresses, and hoping there are no boys like me in
her class...
A lot of people on the right use "Libtard" to
describe liberals. I don't. First, name calling doesn't move anyone to consider
your views. Second, it demeans mentally handicapped citizens by conflating them
with liberals.
Most people get the need for smoozing upward, towards the
boss, teacher, commanding officer, etc. Many get the value of smoozing
laterally with equals, building relationships that help everyone. Only a few
get that smoozing downward is equally important. First, just because you are in
a higher status or position, doesn't make you better than other people. And
they can help you as much as you can help them. Sam Wall treated the greeters at
Walmart as well as he treated corporate CEOs. When I was a senator, I treated
the pages as equals. When the Senate President or Sergeant-at-Arms wasn't
around, we were on a first name basis. And they tended to run errands for me
first. Plus the information they passed to me was very valuable. Some senators
treated them like inferiors servants. Bad mistake, born of arrogance and a
sense of entitlement. My update is, "Whom the gods would destroy, they
first give a sense of entitlement.
It' an unfortunate truth that lying too often works. Obama
lied about Obamacare and got it passed. He lied about Benghazi and got
reelected. There are many examples, from politicians of all sides. And not just
politicians.
The tricky thing for a third world dictator is knowing when
to hang on to enjoy the power and perks while building that Swiss bank account,
and when it's time to scoot and enjoy the millions you've looted the country
for.
Suggested epitaph for a golfer: "What's par for this
hole?"
Listen, wannabees, it's "All present OR accounted for," not "All
present and accounted for." The company might have three men on leave, two
in the brig and four at sick bay, who are not present, but are accounted for.
If they are missing and not accounted for, they are UA (AWOL in the old days).
Got an e-mail from a conservative site that claimed,
"There is a huge, hushed-up conspiracy that may
wipe
out 281 Million Americans in the next 6 months. The media has been forbidden to
report anything
about it." Both sides do this to keep the base in a frenzy. Often they are
expressed in terms of a question, like, "Is Harry Reid/the Koch Brothers
about to be indicted?" the question format lets them say they weren't
claiming it as a fact, but "just asking." This rubbish adds nothing
to the debate or the public's understanding of issues. But we have jerks of all
political stripes.
To be safe, stay out of businesses with "no guns
allowed" signs. Easy targets for armed criminals, so you are more likely
to be robbed and shot there.
Get the collection! My
“Random Thoughts” from 2008 through July, 2013 are now collected in this book: The Old Jarhead's Journal: Random Thoughts on Life,
Liberty, and Leadership by Robert A. Hall
The Old Jarhead’s
Journal is a collection of Random Thoughts on politics and life and
Conservative Political Essays, mostly published on the author’s blog, including
the essay “I’m Tired” which went viral on the Internet in 2009, “The Hall
Platform,” “This I Believe,” and “Why I’m a Republican.” While they will be of
interest to conservative thinkers, they are collected here in book form as a
service to readers who wish to give a copy to favorite liberals and watch their
heads explode. All
royalties are donated to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
*****
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam Veteran who served five
terms in the Massachusetts State Senate. He is the author of The Coming Collapse of the American Republic.
http://tiny.cc/g02s4 For
a free PDF of Collapse, e-mail him at
tartanmarine(at)gmail.com. Hall’s eleven books are listed here: http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-book-published.html
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