Friday, July 31, 2015

Random Thoughts for August, 2015

Random Thoughts for August, 2015. By Robert A. Hall
Feel free to post or forward.

The Left used to shout "Power to the People." But they didn't mean that People would have the power to decide if they wanted Obamacare, the Keystone Pipeline, coal-fired energy, late term abortion, or a host of other things the People want and the left doesn't.

Some people have stopped making and selling the Rebel Battle Flag. Others are making a lot of money doing so due to increased demand.

Muslims and leftists what Americans to conform to Muslim dress codes and Halal food to show cultural sensitivity to Muslim immigrants. We should show the same cultural sensitivity that their home countries show to infidels or Muslims of different sects.

Don't laugh at Greece--our time is coming.

Barack Obama promised us a post-racial society. Instead we got a hyper-racial society.

Pro Tip: If you lend money to socialist progressive governments by buying their bonds, you are likely to take a big haircut, as they always respond to vote buying demands by spending borrowed money they can never pay back. Then they will blame you for lending it to them. See Greece and Puerto Rico. And eventually the USA.

In my blog, I posted stories of armed citizens who defend themselves against robbery or home invasion by shooting the thugs. As a plus, those who are DRT (dead right there) will not be around to join the barbarians coming after us after the collapse. There will still be a surfeit.

You think you got troubles? How'd you like to be the guy who months ago asked Bruce Jenner to be his best man?

Many people see things in black and white (a person is good or bad). This can be damaging. But many people who do see shades of gray are paralyzed by it and cannot act. This is disastrous. Because a murderer with a gun likes puppies doesn't mean you shouldn't shoot him to protect your family.

The selfie stick is the perfect icon for our age of self-centered dissolution.

I went to a Fourth of July parade. I stood and saluted when the flag went by, which caused, I think, many of the people around me to at least stand...sometimes. (There were a LOT of full size flags.) But looking around, it appeared to me that Walmart had burst and the Walmart people have spilled out to take over society.

There was a Confederate Battle Flag in the Columbus, WI 4th of July Parade, something I have never seen in a parade in the North before, outside of the Gettysburg Reenactment we went to. I think there's still a streak in the American people that doesn't like self-righteous people telling them what they must do. I didn't salute it, but I like the defiance.

When the US becomes Greece through progressive borrowing and vote-buying, who will we ask for a bailout? I give it ten years, but it will go fast after the tipping point.

Quote: "The idea of conquest was central to the Sultanate, intricately interwoven with it's holder's position as leader of the Muslim world. ... Only spectacular conquests could legitimize a sultan." Roger Crowley, Empires of the Sea.

Have you noticed how many A-list celebrities are also A list jerks?

Quote: "For every action there is an equal and opposite government program." --Bob Wells

When ever I browse a flea market or yard sale, I look at the tools. Must be a guy thing, because with my skill level, you'd hire me as a handyman right after hiring Hillary Clinton as your Director of Ethics and Transparency.

Greece was not run by conservatives. Puerto Rico, Detroit, NYC, Chicago, Baltimore, and Illinois were not run by Republicans. Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and Communist China, the 20th century's leaders for mass murder, were not run by Christians. Alas, liberals couldn't get a clue if they were in a field full of clues at the height of clue mating season.

My wife can backseat drive the GPS. Which is another reason I'm glad she did the driving on our 3k mile summer vacation.

The only upside to the drug epidemic is that it kills off a lot of idiots, improving the gene pool.

Some people have plans. Most just have fantasies.

Obama says that in his youth in Indonesia, he ate dog. But Indonesia is Muslim, isn't dog Haram there?

Halal meat is animal abuse.

They took the rebel flag down in SC, but, strangely, the number of blacks murdered by blacks has not gone down in Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis or New Orleans.

Some times it's painful to listen to candidates. On TV recently, Huckabee referred to illegal immigrants as flaunting the law. I assume he meant flouting.

The Romans used to control the "headcount" (the mob) with Bread and Circuses (violent games). We do so with welfare and professional sports. Sports on TV are becoming much like the Roman arena.

For the left, the truth can be racist.

The Obama Administration--Minions of Marxism.

The Marine Corps has ordered some recruiters to wear civilian clothes following the Tennessee shooting, though the shooting was at a reserve center, (a recruiting office was shot up). Why not guns? If a terrorist walks into a recruiting office and sees four young guys in suits with tight haircuts, won't he shoot anyway? The uniform is an important recruiting tool.

We need to add, "You are now unsubscribed from our mailing list" to the list of the three great lies.

Donald Trump on Obama in 2008: "But the way I look at it, he cannot do worse than Bush."

For the left truth and facts are often racist, Islamophobic, sexist or something bad and must be denied. A left wing columnist in Madison a few years back responded to my email by saying the facts I cited were conservative facts and he wasn't interested in conservative facts.

If you are lucky, you have learned that life is easier if you play it straight. Cutting corners, breaking small rules and laws and trying to get an edge all the time is exhausting. Plus it leads to confrontations which are draining.

Funny, you never see a phony Vietnam vet claiming he was a cook.

From MasterGuns: On July 30th from opening until closing all Chili's Restaurants in the Memphis area will donate 10% of all sales to the families of the four Marines and Sailor that were killed in Chattanooga on July 16th.

I've noticed that A-list celebrities are often A-list assholes.

We were sitting outside at a restaurant, and in the course of conversation, our waiter said, "I believe in karma." After he left, I said to Bonnie, "I also believe in karma...and I carry it on my hip."

I like summer. You drive through the university and try to decide which girls are cutest. In the winter, you try to decide which ones are girls.

I've read that progressive political polemist says that a Greek exit from the Euro is inevitable due to reckless spending and unpayable debt. Hard to believe he'd say that--those are the policies he trumpets for the US.

Get the collection! My “Random Thoughts” from 2008 through July, 2013 are 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://www.amazon.com/Coming-Collapse-American-Republic-prevent/dp/1461122538/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304815980&sr=1-5 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. His blog of political news and conservative comment is www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Some "worth reading" items I've saved

Some "worth reading" items I've saved
Though I unsubscribed from over 50 email feeds, I still had over 500 emails when I returned from vacation. Of course, there are sites like NCPA and Jihad Watch I still want to follow. When I announced that time constraints meant I had to stop the daily news posting, much as I miss them, I promised I'd pop a few items on the blog from time to time. Below are the items and some graphics that I culled from those 500 emails that may be of interest, plus a couple of book reviews and some fun graphics at the end.

Most readers understood why I couldn't continue. One Marine vet accused me of "surrendering to the blob" in an email top his list, as he termed the mess engulfing our country. I offered to get him started doing a similar blog, but he said he didn't have the time. So neither of us has the time, but I have surrendered, he fights on. Go figure.

I have labeled a couple of these pieces as "Must Read." Every once in a while I'll pop up stuff I think you might be interested in and left you know. Thanks for understanding. ~Bob

Book Recommendation: Big Boys Don't Cry Kindle Edition. By Tom Kratman. $2.99
A Kindle-only novella by the incomparable Tom Kratman. (His books on kindle are why I bought one.) As usual with his books, Big Boys makes you think while it entertains you. Can a battle machine, a combination troop carrier and tank, powered by AI, have more humanity than the humans it serves? Tom Kratman is a retired USA LtCol, an occasional contributor to this blog, and an outstand author of military science fiction, including the A Desert Called Peace series. I've loved everything he has written.

Book Recommendation: The Highland Witch: A Novel by Susan Fletcher 
My wife and I love books on CD for long trips, but finding ones that fit both our tastes can be a challenge. This well-written, well-researched novel by Susan Fletcher, based on real people, fits the bill. The protagonist, Corrag, is an English girl who is an herbalist and healer as were her mother and grandmother. All were accused of being witches. When her mother is about to be detained by witch hunters, she sends Corrag fleeing north and west, where she finally settles in Glencoe, about a year before the massacre. In the book, she is in a Campbell jail, waiting execution, and tells her story to an Irish minister, who is gathering evidence of the massacre to support the Jacobite cause. I recommend it.

Must read: The Way of All Appeasement. By Victor Davis Hanson 

Must read: Trump 2008: Bush Is Evil, Talk to Iran, Obama Cannot Do Worse Than Bush
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/420996/trump-2008-bush-evil-talk-iran-obama-cannot-do-worse-bush-jim-geraghty

How Trump spent the war years

Trump Says He Heroically Avoided Capture in Vietnam by Staying in U.S. By Andy Borowitz

Criminal Inquiry Is Sought in Clinton Email Account

Mission to Purge Syria of Chemical Weapons Comes Up Short
May have to Google the title.

John Doe horror stories: ‘I felt completely helpless in my own home’

Tomi's Final Thoughts: I'm Not a Hero, My Heroes Wear Camouflage

WHAT OUR COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS SHOULD SAY

UPDATE: MARINES, UNIFORMS, DUTY

FOUR MARINES DEAD

San Francisco: One Sick Sanctuary City. By Victor Davis Hanson 

The Period Of No Global Warming Will Soon Be Longer Than the Period of Actual Global Warming

Disaster: Today's Warrior Purge in the U.S. military

ICE’s sex offender policies under scrutiny

KILLING KATE STEINLE

The Four Horsemen of a Looming Apocalypse. By Victor Davis Hanson 

"He aint do no wrong: He just shot a cop. Thassall."

Affirmative Action Lands in the Air Traffic Control Tower

A Legacy of Cliches. By Thomas Sowell

Obama’s Never-Ending Middle East Blame Game. By Mark Moyar 

In Pakistan, Detainees Are Vanishing in Covert Jails

Is This the End of Christianity in the Middle East? ISIS and other extremist movements across the region are enslaving, killing and uprooting Christians, with no aid in sight.

Saudi Prince Bandar: The U.S. nuclear pact with North Korea failed. The Iran deal is worse.

Latest satellite technology.... a huge advance!
These guys have come up with a fantastic idea, that will give everyone access to very high resolution images of every spot on the planet taken every day.  I don't know who is paying for all this, but it's an incredible project. The video was set up by someone so that Vietnamese could read it as well.  I don't know how you get access, which the developers say is free to all, but it would be interesting to start looking at assorted areas of interest.  Maybe prison camps in North Korea, or Viet Nam, or the shipyards in China where they're building their super-carriers.  Or of course, there's Iran.....Del

Ireland: Muslim rally against the Islamic State draws…50 people

Who watches the watchmen?

SATIRE: Iranian Negotiator Discusses Nuclear Deal

WHOM AS 37th COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS?

Iran's Ayatollah Vows Opposition to 'Arrogant' U.S. Despite Nuke Deal

79 Mispronounced Words

I did pretty well. Forte, correctly pronounced "fort" when you mean strength, is one of my bugbears. ~Bob



















Sunday, July 26, 2015

What I did on my summer vacation--with pictures

What I did on my summer vacation--with pictures

This was our first vacation in a while, unless you count a couple of days in St. Louis for a family funeral this spring. The last time I was this far from home was in November of 2012 at the AAHKS Conference in Dallas.

Let me start by apologizing to the dozens of friends in New Jersey and Massachusetts we just didn't have time to get to see. The trip took 16 days, and 7+ days of that we were on the road. We covered 2,978.8 miles, Bonnie driving and me using my BiPAP or Nebulizer in the car. Luckily we love Books on CD, though finding ones we both like can be a challenge. No way to fly. In addition to the expense, I have too much in medical equipment, supplies and pill boxes I have to carry. The medical routine--except for physical therapy--went with me.

Driving to Baltimore to see Bonnie's dad, a Marine vet took two days. Ted will turn 86 in August. He has decided to finish his life on his terms. Has stopped taking his meds and going to the doctor. Like me, he has steroid-induced diabetes, but eats what he wants and smokes a lot. We went to a store and he bought three gallons of chocolate milk, a box of ice cream bars and a try of frosted mini cupcakes!



We spent a couple of days with him, mostly talking--and eating. (We love the crab cakes at the G&M Restaurant, his favorite.)

We then drove to Philly to see Britnye's dad, Otto, who is in the hospital. He has leukemia. He looks good but has lost weight. They are trying to get him well enough to have a bone marrow transplant.

Then over to NJ to visit Cathy and Chas. Cathy was a work colleague of Bonnie, and then worked for me as office manager at NAPNAP. She has been battling cancer for five years. She looks well, but the issue is in doubt.

Chas has a new toy--an 18-year-old Porsche Boxter with 61,000 miles on it he bought for $6,500, plus $1,200 in mechanical work! What a steal.



We stayed at our friends Bonnie and Mike that night. Mike also has a toy, a Caddy version of the Corvette, with a retractable hardtop.




The next day we drove by my grandparents old house in Collingswood, 940 Maple Avenue, where my dad and Uncle Frank grew up



Then went to their condo down the shore for a couple of days, stopped to see Cousin Bill, his wife Marilyn and son Jason, First time in years.






Felt like yesterday with Bill. We were playmates as kids.

Spent two days at the shore, which is pretty much like I recalled it from my childhood in NJ: beach, ocean, boardwalk, water ice, seafood. Found a great restaurant called Baia.









Then we drove to Massachusetts and spent three days with my brother Tom and his family, Kim, Meg and Cori. Been awhile since we saw them. Went to an outdoor concert at a vineyard.




Saturday they had a cookout at their house to celebrate Tom's upcoming 60th birthday.





Monday we went into Boston, had lunch with former Senate President Bill Bulger in Southie, and then visited the State House. Saw the Senate Clerk, Bill Walsh, who worked in the clerk's office in my time, and met the current Minority Leader, Sen. Bruce Tarr.





On the way west, we stopped to have dinner with Ron "Count" Pittenger, a close Marine buddy I met at Lejeune in 1964.




That night we stopped in Stockbridge, MA. Next morning we had breakfast at the Red Lion Inn, formerly owned by the late Sen. Jack Fitzpatrick, and then toured the Norman Rockwell museum. After that we drove across NY through the mountains to Olean, NY when I lived in 8th grade. (We thought about Niagara Falls, but the time and extra distance would have added a day.)

The next morning we drove around (my memory isn't perfect after 56 years) until we found the huge house my dad had rented. It had four ways to get to the kitchen from the front door. Down the hall, through the parlor to the left, through the parlor to the right, and up the stairs then down the back stairs. The people who own it now have restored it--it was a mess for awhile. Bonnie knocked on the open front door and the woman let us in.







From there it was two days to Wisconsin. Had a great sunset the night before we got home.


We were happy but tired. My health held up well, FEVs down a bit as being outside a lot made me cough and I had a build up mucus in the lung. All in all a great trip, that went pretty much as planned.


~Bob