Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The rise and fall of Michael Vick's dog fighting club

Most of you are aware of Michael Vick and his recent conviction of operating a dog fighting and gambling operation in Virginia. To those of us that are NFL fans this is an unbelievable story. Vick was one of the best of our current crop of quarterbacks, and arguably was one of the most exciting quarterbacks of all time. He was not only just an NFL quality quarterback, he was one of the greatest running quarterbacks in history. He baffled defenses because if not contained, he was just as capable as running the ball for a touchdown, as passing.

Before the discovery of his dog fighting operation, Michael Vick had recently signed a 10 year contract worth $130 million dollars, plus many millions more in endorsements - all of that is gone...it's hard to believe. He has been sentenced to 23 months in jail and it may be difficult for him to physically or mentally ever get back to the level required of an NFL quarterback. It's hard for us to believe how anyone with the world in his hands, could be so stupid, and it's something most of us will never understand.

Dog fighting is a vicious sport. Michael Vick not only supported it financially, but provided the facility, the dogs, the training of the dogs, and also participated in the gambling involved - betting which dog would kill the other. He also participated in the killing of the dogs that were "losers" in the dog fights. After his sentence and incarceration, there are still more than 45 dogs that were rescued when the dog fighting operation was busted. All were pit bulls. All of these dogs will undergo retraining, and all are expected to be eventually put into a good home and to live their lives as dogs are supposed to, being "man's best friend".

But this blog has recently found out that the "alpha dog", the leader of this pack of killer dogs, was not even a pit bull, but a charismatic leader of what would almost be called a "cult"...kind of the Jim Jones or David Koresh of the dog family - he convinced these pit bulls that they were killers. Animal experts have determined that this "alpha dog" cannot be rehabilitated and should be euthanized. We were recently able to visit with this dog and confront him with the fact that he was the leader of this operation. This seemingly "gentle" dog admitted his mistakes and is asking for clemency, just as Michael Vick did. He vows to change his life and wants to reenter society, just as Micheal Vick does. I for one think we should give him one more chance -- he may be the leader of "killers", but has sworn to change. I am posting his picture, not because you need to see what a killer looks like , but hopefully you will show some compassion and give this canine "Atilla the Hun" one more chance.



























Thursday, November 29, 2007

Twas the Night Before Chistmas

I recently listened to a discussion on the Rush Limbaugh program from a Democratic caller who was still livid about the 2000 election, and continues to believe George Bush and the Republicans "stole" it. But as Rush reminded the caller, the New York Times, CNN, USA Today, and several other liberal media organizations conducted a detailed audit after the election, and found that the vote count was accurate, and Bush did win Florida by 538 votes, and thus the national election.

This certainly was the most bizarre election in the history of the USA, and voters in Palm Beach will be the subject of election jokes forever. We sat by and watched months of legal BS while countless teams of Democratic and Republican lawyers carefully examined voting cards to try to determine if the chads were "hanging, "dimpled", or "pregnant". Finally, just before Christmas the Supreme Court put a stop to the madness, and the 2000 Presidential election was certified, and George Bush declared the winner over Al Gore.

After the 2000 election was finally over, I wrote a Christmas poem to celebrate the process. This being the holiday season, I thought it might be appropriate to republish this poem.

Merry Christmas everyone!
Twas the Night Before Christmas II
Charles L. Strickland, December 2000


‘Twas the night before Christmas at the White House this year,
the Demos had gathered to all shed a tear;
Barbara, Jesse, and Al Sharpton were there,
hanging their heads by the chimney with care.

Bill Clinton was nestled all snug in his bed,
While visions of Monica danced in his head;
And Hillary in her kerchief, and Chelsea her cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
They arose from their beds to see what was the matter.
When what to their wondering eyes should be seen,
But Tipper and Al with a Vote-a-matic machine.

“We flew in from Palm Beach, and guess what folks?
I think we have found some more votes!
Look at these ballots with hanging chads pushed through,
and I even have dimpled and pregnant ones too!”

“Oh please Bill, can we count them once more,
you promised the next President would be named Al Gore”
Bill settled him down and said, “Do I need to repeat?,
The Supremes have spoken, and you are dead meat!”

So they all went inside and gathered around,
to see if George W. Bush’s FBI file could be found.
And as Christmas drew near, you could hear them all sigh,
“Merry Christmas to Al, and to Al a good-bye!”

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Thanks Uncle Sam

I am a retiree living the good life at the expense of the government - of course I did contribute to the Social Security System for over 50 years, so I guess they owe me a few bucks. It was announced recently that the annual Social Security benefit for retirees would increase 2.3% next year. For the average retiree this amounts to a $24/month increase in 2008. Unfortunately, those of us that are fortunate and have our own retirement fund, must pay "income tax" on half of that. Thanks Uncle Sam.

Let's put this in perspective - at today's prices this amounts to an additional 8 gallons of gas each month next year, three movie tickets, or a good bottle of wine each month, for the average retiree (assuming we don't see any price increases in our groceries, utilities, etc.). I feel sorry for the smokers, it will not even buy an additional carton of cigarettes each month - of course, most of them are probably dead by the time they retire (and Uncle Sam thanks them for their lifetime contribution to the Social Security Fund).

As someone that earned a nice salary for several years before retirement, I am one of the lucky ones, and my retirement income increase will be a whopping $30 a month in 2008. So with this additional income, my wife and I are already looking at cruise brochures. With this huge increase we are contemplating several cruises - possibly the tour boat at Morro Bay, the Bahia Belle on Mission Bay, or maybe even a special trip to Catalina Island for the day.

Forty million baby boomers are scheduled to retire in the next 15 years and they look forward to their "free" monthly retirement income.

The Social Security Fund earns an interest rate of 2.5%, a "spectacular" return managed by our brilliant Congress. In addition, Social Security revenues were supposed to be kept in a Trust Fund...surprise everyone - Congress has spent the money! George Bush recently proposed a system which would include voluntary Social Security private accounts that could increase this return by two or three times, but the Congress felt it was too "risky". They certainly have our best interest in mind, don't they? Of course they ignore the fact that there is no way the Fund as it's now structured, can support forty million retirees.

But it is not the retirees worry - it is on the back of our kids and grand kids. Yes kids, you need to start thinking of 60 hour work weeks and a retirement age of 70, that's what it will take to support us. So the politicians just "kick the can" down the road, and rather than "face the music", will defer the problem to some Congress in the future. Why not, it's too difficult of a problem to face right now, and if they tell people how bad the financial situation in the Social Security System really is, they might not get re-elected, which of course is the most important thing to them.

Anyway, I want to thank Uncle Sam for this generous retirement increase and cannot wait until Hillary becomes President, so in addition, we can get free health care, a $5000 gift for new children, a $1000 contribution to the 401K for everyone, paid leave from work...hey, wait a minute, why is she not doing anything for us retirees? We already have "free" health care, and we have contributed to our 401K's for many years. I think this is age discrimination! If Hillary cannot promise us retirees something "free", I'm voting Republican.

Friday, October 12, 2007

It's the Fruit Stupid

I am a winemaker. Well...a home winemaker.

As we end the wine making season and put this years wines to bed, it reminds me that the unsung heroes in the wine business are the growers - the people that grow the fruit that allow us Californians to make world class wine. In retirement, my hobby is both viticulture and wine making so I straddle "both sides of the fence" (eight foot deer fence that is). We grow small amounts of both Pinot Noir and Viognier, and in addition to making these wines, from time to time we buy fruit or get free fruit from generous grower friends.

Those that are "into wine" know that the winemakers are the heroes - especially if their wine is rated a 90+ in the Wine Spectator. When that happens we celebrate the winemaker and put him on a pedestal. And quite often they deserve it.

I have been making wine for only five years, so admittedly I am a novice. But I have never forgotten something I read once: "It's impossible to make good wine from bad grapes, but easy to make bad wine from good grapes". I know many people will disagree, but in my opinion, the fruit represents 75% of the quality of the wine, and sometimes the winemakers job is not to screw it up. Wine making in many ways is an art and good winemakers deserve the accolades, but if the fruit they start with is not good...good luck!

The grape grower nurtures his vines all year, worrying about water in a drought year, mildew and bunch rot in a wet year. And then there are pests - birds, bees, gophers, squirrels, raccoons, grasshoppers.....and a few exotic ones that can wipe out a vineyard. Then the grower has to prune each year, fertilize, spray for mildew and other diseases, thin leaves, then worry about birds eating his fruit, and finally finding someone to pick...and oh yes, hopefully he has found someone too buy the fruit.

So I salute the grower.
In politics, the favorite saying is "It's the economy stupid".
In wine making it should be, "It's the fruit stupid"

Thursday, October 11, 2007

I want to be a Democrat

I have been a Conservative Republican all of my life, but after watching Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail, I have decided to become a Democrat.

Throughout my life, I have paid for my own health insurance, saved for my own retirement, paid my way through college, and along comes this wonderful politician that offers much of it for free. If she had come along when I was in my 20's , I would be writing this as a life long Democrat.

Hillary is proposing that every newborn baby be given a free $5000 gift from the government to be used for college, upon reaching age 18...or the funds could also be used to buy a house. We have six children and six grandchildren, and have helped many of them buy a house, and most of them with their college expenses. Now along comes a politician that proposes that the government help, or in some cases, pay all of these expenses. If she had only come along when we were younger!

Hillary is also offering all Americans government subsidized health care. After all these years of paying large insurance premiums, finally someone has come up with a solution - have the government pay most of it. Where was she when we were paying $800 a month for health insurance (with a 30% deductible). I am amazed that no one has thought of this before.

Hillary's latest proposal is a $1000 contribution from the government to all Americans to insure they start their own pension plan. We worked all our lives and saved to insure that we could live through retirement using our own finances, and now along comes this presidential candidate that offers much of it for free. Again, where was she when I was young? At least she will take care of our six children and six grandchildren. The idea is simple...unless you are "rich", the government gives you whatever you need...brilliant.

I am 68 years old and have worked hard all my life, and thought I was somewhat intelligent. But I am amazed that it never occurred to me that the solution to the struggles we all face in life are simple, turn to the government and ask them to pay. I have now decided to be a Democrat, and Hillary has my vote.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

70 ain't what it used to be

Decade birthdays are always special....at 20 we celebrate no longer being a "teen" and happy to be entering the adult world. At 30 we lament that our young 20's are gone. At 40 we feel regrets that our younger days are behind us and we are approaching the "middle ground". At 50 we remember those younger days and accept the fact that we are "middle aged". At 60, a voice in the back of our mind starts telling us that, "old age is just around the corner". And at 70, this voice says, "old age is at the front door".

Recently I gave a surprise party for my wife Peggy, celebrating her 70th birthday. Many of her old friends and family attended. One would expect that at a party for someone turning 70, along with their old friends and schoolmates, you would meet a lot of "old" people. That was not the case. My wife and her (also) 70 year old close friend of 60+ years posed for this photo.






















We read about the epidemic of obesity in the US, and how so many people are "out of shape", and the physical condition of our citizens is only getting worse. I am here to tell you that many of us do stay in shape, and keep fit, maybe more than any generation before us. You should meet some of the "old guys" that attended this party, they were an exciting, energetic, and happy group. Self confident, comfortable, and perfectly happy to be "old guys"

And as you can see in this picture, "70 ain't what it used to be".

Monday, July 30, 2007

A "Heaven Sandwich"

We have just returned from what I can only describe as a "heaven sandwich" - defined as, "a six day slice of heaven, with a slice of hell on each side". I will explain...

Every year we take our six grandchildren on a trip. This year it was to be a cruise to the Western Caribbean which we organized a year in advance. The plan was to fly to Ft. Lauderdale arriving at dinner time, have a nice evening swim and dinner, enjoy the morning in the pool, and board the "Princess Caribbean" cruise ship in the afternoon for a cruise to the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico.

Everything went according to schedule as we arrived at the airport at 6 am Saturday for our 7:40 flight. Everyone was on board, ready to take off, and the pilot announced "We have a problem and have to go back to the gate for just a minute". The minute turned into five hours. We then missed our connecting flights to Ft. Lauderdale, and finally were booked on the last flight that night at 10:30 pm. But sadly that flight was 1 1/2 hours late, and we arrived at Ft Lauderdale at 1 am, tired, but ready to go to our hotel and still excited about our cruise! But surprise - only 4 of the 8 bags we checked made it to Ft. L, and Delta informed us that the other 4 bags went to San Diego - yes, just 40 miles from our takeoff airport. And to top off this first slice of hell, they told us that they could not get the bags to us before the ship sailed on Sunday afternoon.

So after collecting 4 of our 8 bags, we arrived at our hotel at 2:30 am - a bit late to have a nice meal and go to the pool. The missing bags belonged to myself and three of our teenage grand daughters who had planned on this trip for almost a year. Since all four of us had only the clothes on our back, no choice but to go shopping for clothes before the cruise - but the "trip through hell" continued when we found out that none of the stores opened on Sunday until 12 noon, and we had to board the boat between 1 and 4 pm at the latest. So the race began - hire a van to take us shopping, come back to pick us up, then back to the hotel to get bags, and then to the boat. I shopped by myself and was able to get enough to get me through the first few days, but my wife had three teenage girls to shop for - a dress, underwear, bathing suit, etc., and
1 1/2 hours to do it in. A monumental job for girls that are used to taking an hour to make a decision. High stress stuff for grandma, but we did it. Our van driver picked us up at the mall (in a blinding rain and lightening storm - just another side note of this trip through hell), then off to our hotel for bags, then to the ship, with 30 minutes to spare. Thus ended the first slice of hell on the "heaven sandwich".










We then checked our group of eight onto the boat, and Princess took over - they gave us all the toiletries we needed, free laundry and dry cleaning with one day turnaround, and even provided me a full tux for the first formal night on Tuesday. They also assigned one person to track our bags and update us every day. Three days later in Jamaica, our bags finally caught up with us, and we were happy campers. The rest is history. The vacation was great and our grandchildren had a trip they will never forget.


















But after a week, it was time to go home and we again went "from heaven to hell".

Princess was very efficient checking us out the following Sunday, and we arrived at the airport in Ft. Lauderdale at about 10 am with a 3:40 flight out to Atlanta, connecting to Orange County, CA. I checked for earlier flights, but, everything was booked. So the eight of us relaxed at the airport waiting for our 3:40 flight. But yes, it was delayed an hour, then another hour, and so it looked like we had missed our connection to CA. But when we arrived at Atlanta, lucky us, our connecting flight was also delayed, so we were on our way home! Unfortunately this next flight was delayed also, and after getting on board at 9:30 pm (instead of 8), we were "ready to go". But the plane didn't move, and we sat at the gate for another 1 1/2 hours waiting for a co-pilot! He finally arrived and we were off, and everyone was happy.

But the happiness didn't last long...after taking off the pilot informed us that we had missed the curfew at Orange County (airport closes at 11pm) so they would have to fly us into Ontario and bus us back to Orange County airport. Lots of unhappy people, but by now everyone was numb and looking forward to arriving at Ontario , getting our bags, then on the bus and off to Orange County where our family was to meet us. But...remember this is the trip from hell.

We arrived at Ontario at midnight, and the first announcement made was, " Sorry about the delay, unfortunately the buses will not be here for another 1 1/2 hours". Now Delta almost had a riot on their hands. We were so exhausted, we just called our kids and had them come to Ontario to pick us up (an hour each way). The trip ended at about 3:30 am in bed...ironically almost exactly 24 hours after we got up on the boat and prepared to travel home. So the "final slice" of the sandwich ended, and we are now all home and will hopefully soon catch up on our sleep.

In closing I will say that if you cruise - go Princess, their customer service was outstanding. If you fly be ready for anything, and if this trip was an example of what the US airline industry is coming to, they are about to hit rock bottom.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Grandchildren - what a blessing


I normally write political blogs, but as we get ready to leave on a Caribbean cruise with our six grand children, I am reminded of what is really important in this life.

We have six great children and they have blessed us with six "great" grandchildren. Many years ago our grandchildren started visiting us every summer for a week or more (without parents), at our ranch here on the Central Coast of California. At that time they were young - ages 5-9, and we spent our time with scavenger hunts, trips to the beach, the county fair, and we just let them play. Then over the years they grew up and we became more than grandparents, we became their friends.
Four years ago we felt they were old enough to start seeing more of the world and we took them on a week vacation to the Olympic Rain Forest in Washington State, and it turned out to be the vacation of a lifetime for them. So we decided to dip into our savings and create some memories . Since then we have been to Hawaii, and last year a trip to New York City, Philadelphia, Gettysburg, Niagara Falls and my birthplace, upstate New York.
In three days we leave on a one week cruise to the Western Caribbean with these "close friends" - just grandma, grandpa and the grand kids. They are now ages 15-19 and still love spending time with their grandparents - go figure...but we love it.

There is something about a family that more than any other thing represents the best in our lives. I don't know how other families interact, but I do know that ours is special. I read something once about families that I have never forgotten:

"The family is the primary unit of social life. For many it is the primary source of satisfaction as well, but nothing guarantees this. To the extent that a household consists of people whose lives are lived primarily apart, there are few satisfactions to be had from family. There is nothing magically satisfying even about having children. If I am the father of a child whom I abandon at birth, I may be pleased if the child turns out well despite my absence, but that happy outcome can give me no meaningful satisfaction. If I pay all the bills for my children's upbringing and delegate the work wisely to good nannies, teachers, physicians, and housekeepers but otherwise have little contact with the children, I now bear theoretical responsibility for how things turn out, and perhaps I can take some pallid satisfaction in my role. But that level of satisfaction is trivial compared to that of the parent who has stayed up all night with the croupy infant, overseen the homework, imparted the discipline, dried the tears, and shared the daily discoveries of growing up. If you want the profound satisfaction from raising children, you have to pay the price, which means spending time with them."

Better words were never spoken...you have to pay the price, and that price is time sharing their lives with them. My wife and I have often discussed this subject. It really isn't money, it is time spent with children, and now grand children, that counts, and when that window in their lives closes, it is gone forever. An hour playing or working together, or even just talking at the dinner table, can have a greater impact than a week of television or videos games. Yes, the parent-child relationship will always be there, but the close bond, the feeling of satisfaction and the sense of accomplishment watching that child go into the world can only come from spending the time with them when they are growing up.

It's a simple formula, but in today's world of upward mobility, high-stress careers, constant push to increase material wealth and endless activities, the important thing to remember is that family is the basis for everything else.

Monday, July 9, 2007

Abandon ship!

The rats are starting to abandon George Bush's "Iraq War Ship", but the skipper has the sails pulled in tight, and so far he is holding his course.

Ten GOP senators are now moving toward the side of the Democrats who are pushing for the U.S. to begin redeployment's. Who knows what effect a vote in the Senate to "redeploy" will have. The House may follow suit, but what will happen then? I was a young man when the drums of defeat were beating in the press over the Vietnam War...there are definitely some parallels now. What baffles me is that General Petraeus was confirmed in the Senate 81-0, and the Senators knew he would be in charge of the "surge". They knew it would take until late spring to get all the surge troops in place, and all General Petraeus asked was, "Give me until September". Here we are in early July and the rats are ready to jump ship. Iraq is a mess, no question about it...but why won't these so-called congressional "leaders" give this brilliant general until September as they promised?

The pundits on each side have different theories...


The Democrats want out of Iraq immediately saying that: "The war is lost, violence is getting worse, the Iraqi military and police forces are not trained yet, the Iraqi government is not stepping up, and one more loss of an American life is too many". They may be right.


The Republican Bush supporters (plus the lone independent Joe Lieberman) are saying: "It will get worse before it gets better, but the surge is working. They point to the fact that many Sunni tribal leaders are turning against Al Queda, and the insurgents are moving to much "softer" and geographically remote targets, because of US army and Iraqi army pressure . The Republicans say the mainstream press and the Democrats are "invested in defeat" in Iraq, and they hate Bush so much they will do anything to see him lose. They also say the Democrats will suffer a huge political defeat if General Patraeus turns around the situation in Iraq". They may be right.


So the skipper of the ship is sailing into some very strong headwinds and rough water, and some of his crew are lowering the lifeboats and want off. If you look at history, this is when some presidents have looked around, and no one was there. A true test of leadership. As I say above, "Both sides could be right"...so George Bush may be a lonely man on this issue.


The few people that read this blog know that I am a Conservative Republican and most of the time a Bush supporter. Surprise...I was against the Iraq war from the beginning - I did not feel that Saddam Hussein's life was worth one American, and I thought the last thing this country should do was to spend 500 billion dollars to send this guy to Allah. I felt we could control him as a "tin pot" dictator using "the no fly zone", and our superior air power, which could destroy any new suspected military or nuclear research targets. Ask my son Mike, he was on the USS Ranger during the first Gulf War which was a total victory with almost no loss of life, but using a lot of cruise missiles.


But we are in Iraq, it is a mess, and what is done is done, so what should we do? Anyone that thinks terrorism is "overstated" has their head in the sand. We saw an example of that just last week in England. And my wife and I, and our grand kids saw the results of Islamic terrorism when we visited the World Trade center site in NYC last year. These terrorists will not leave us alone, even if we "jump ship" in Iraq.

So rather that throw "political bombs' at each other, let's pray that George Bush, General Petraeus, and all the decision makers that will plot this ships course the next few months will have the wisdom and fortitude to get it right in Iraq.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Pardon me

Pardon me...but I can't help but comment on this "Scooter" Libby situation.

Here is Hillary Clinton's comment on the pardon: "Today's decision is yet another example that this administration simply considers itself above the law". I wanted to respond immediately, but I was laughing so loud that my fingers could not work the key board.

Bill Clinton pardoned over 200 people including 147 "under the table" on his last day in office.

Today I heard this comment by a left wing pundit: "OK Clinton pardoned over 200 people but none were involved directly with him"...give me a break. Let's look at a few of them...

Marc Rich pardoned - he was wanted by the US government for evading over 45 million in taxes, and just by coincidence his ex wife donated over a million dollars to the Clinton library a few months before the pardon.

Henry Cisneros pardoned - Clinton's former HUD secretary who pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal officials

Roger Clinton pardoned - the Presidents half brother who was convicted of cocaine distribution in Arkansas

Susan McDougal pardoned - former Clinton business partner in jail over the Whitewater scandal.

Plus countless drug dealers, and other felons that in one way or another "supported" the Clintons. So you decide if none of the above "Were directly connected to the Clintons"

The beauty of our constitution is that it allows all citizens to speak freely...that's why I love Blogs. But for the Clintons to speak about "cronyism" in the Bush administration is laughable. The Clintons have written the book on "cronyism" and the book could be cast in bronze - Rodin would be proud.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Sometimes Democracy works

The Immigration Bill failed today...and is dead for at least a year or two.

Just a few weeks ago this was a bill negotiated in private and guaranteed to become law. It was drafted by Teddy Kennedy and our great Republican (?) Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham, and strongly supported by George Bush and the White House. We were told that it was a significant improvement over the present situation, and it was "the best we could do". We were told it would move through Congress fast, and they said "trust us, it is a good bill". No review of the details, no committee reviews, no financial reviews of the cost to the American public - just "trust us". And some of the floor votes on this bill were made even before the final version was written!

The American people did not buy it.


Shortly after debate started and votes were scheduled in the Senate the people started asking questions...the more information that came out about this bill, the worse it looked, and then a silent revolution started. We do not riot in the streets, fly Mexican flags, or cry "racism"... it's not our style. We do what a democracy is supposed to do - let our Representatives and Senators know that if they don't follow the will of their constituents, they will lose their job.

This bill was stupid, a waste of time, and could lead to a "cleaning of the house" in Washington. It's good that George Bush does not have to run for re-election...if he did, his fate would be the same as his fathers. What a disappointment he has been. And this whole exercise showed how out of touch with the people Congress is on this issue.

Here are some of the highlights of the bill that failed:

- 12 million people would have been 'legal" within 24 hours, after a background check. It takes 90+ days to get a passport now, and the government tried to convince us they could check the background of 12 million people within 24 hours after they register. These 12 million would have been eligible to bring in additional family members increasing the "new legal immigrant" total to 20-30 million people depending on whose estimates you believe.

- These new "legal" immigrants would not only get access to social benefits, but even "in state" tuition rights to our colleges. Which means that if an "American" wanted to go to an out-of-state college, he or she would pay a higher tuition than an illegal immigrant.

- These new "legals' would have access to legal representation if they needed it, paid for by the American people.

- Illegal convicted felons would not be deported, and could have easily become legal. If a gang member signed a document that he or she would no longer be involved with gang activities, they would become legal. What would you do if you were a gang member?

I could go on, but this is just a snapshot of this crazy bill...but you the public came alive. Our family personally wrote over 20 letters to Senators and Representatives...not angry letters, just explaining our position and also pointing out that many of our Democratic friends felt the same. This was a bipartisan bill, and it had significant bipartisan opposition.

So we won this round, but it is just the start...in the end, all we citizens have is our vote, so even those that are not politically active need to think about the future. We have a lot to do to get this country back on track, and security is the most important thing. This bill should have been a security bill - close the borders first and stop the influx, then figure out who is in the country illegally, and then deal with those folks in an orderly fashion. The USA is still a country of immigrants, but let's do it the right way.

Congratulations to the American people.`

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

We are not a "Mosaic"

The latest "politically correct" spin by the liberal society in this country is that the USA has become a "Mosaic"...defined as a blend of people from around the world that speak different languages, have different cultures, and we should respect and accommodate them. I read recently that some school administrators have even discouraged teachers from using the well known term "Melting Pot", as it may sound discriminatory.

Europe is a mosaic, we are not. As a businessman I traveled throughout Europe for more than 30 years. What is interesting is that the European "mosaic" society of many languages uses English as their official business language. Throughout our history, the USA has been known as, and proud to be, a "melting pot". Here is Websters definition of that term:

Melting Pot: noun: A place where a variety of races, cultures, or individuals assimilate into a cohesive whole.

Note the key words: "assimilate into a cohesive whole". The USA has always been a place where people could come to escape repression, religious persecution, political persecution, and join a society that was a melting pot of people that wanted a better life, the freedom to pursue their dreams, and become part of something much larger than a mosaic society...known as "The American Dream".

The "mosaic" dream is a country that speaks all languages and everyone lives somewhat isolated within their own culture . That is not the United States of America. We are Americans, we speak English, and immigrants came here to escape, live a life of freedom, and to "assimilate into a cohesive whole". Our national language is English, if you want to speak another language why did you come here? This is not discrimination, it is who we are...our ancestors came here speaking other languages, but when they came here they spoke English (or tried to), and were proud to do it. My wife tells the story of her grandparents arriving here in the early 1900's from Norway and refusing to allow their children to speak anything but English in their home, "If you want to be an American, you will learn the language". It seems to be the opposite now...in fact we even educate immigrant children in their native language,"to respect their culture".

So when you hear the term "mosaic", it may sound better than "melting pot", but it is code for - lets print voting ballots in many different languages , print all government forms in other languages, teach in other languages..."to accommodate and respect other cultures". The tragic aspect of this is that when children are isolated from "English only" teaching, and encouraged to speak their own language, they become second class citizens with no hope of achieving the American dream. Without being fluent in our "national " language they are destined to live a life without much of a future, and quite often requiring government assistance.

In 1963 Martin Luther King made his famous "I have a dream" speech, as he preached for equal opportunities for African Americans and their desire to live the American dream.

I have a dream also. I dream that some day I will phone my bank, and instead of the recording saying, "Dial 1 for English", I will hear; "This bank only does business in English, the national language of the United States of America. If you wish to conduct business in another language, please visit one of our local branches and bring an interpreter with you that can convert your native language into English. We look forward to assisting you and welcome to America. Have a nice day".

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

It's Amnesty

Well...how do I write this without sounding like a bigot.

The new proposed immigration bill is apparently a "bipartisan" agreement between Congress and the White House. The 12 million "undocumented aliens" (code for illegal immigrants) in this country would immediately become "legal", and if they chose to, would get a path to legalization along with their families - (an estimated additional 6-8 million). Each "illegal" (let's give them the proper description) would get a "Z Visa" which would give them a green card + welfare benefits, college tuition benefits, social security benefits, medicare benefits....I could go on. And if someday they wanted to become a citizen, they would have to pay a fine and make a "touchdown" trip back to their country of origin. But why would they want to become a citizen when they get all the benefits by just being "legal"?

It's not the intent of this blog to debate the details of this proposed 1000 page new law. On the contrary the situation is simple as I see it. These people came here illegally....why should anyone be rewarded for breaking the law. I have heard several conservative Senators say "It was the best we could do, and politics require compromise to get things done". Bull sh--. Any way you slice it, it is amnesty.

It is estimated that 60% of the 12 million are high school dropouts, and if you believe the statistics, each illegal immigrant costs this country $19,000 per year in health benefits, welfare, education expenses, etc. You do the math.

The proponents assure us this bill includes a strong provision for border security - 300 miles of new fencing (what happened to the 700 miles that was approved last year). A fence will help, it did in my home town of San Diego, but eventually the millions in Mexico will find a way to a better life here. And let's not even talk about security from people that want to kill us.

This country simply cannot keep absorbing millions of new residents, especially those that cannot pay their own way or even speak our language. The social security and medicare systems are already broken and those of us with children know that our children and grandchildren will have a future financial burden that doesn't add up. And that is before the addition of 15-20 million new "citizens" that will be mostly poor and not only straining, but maybe even "breaking" our way of life.

I predict we are reaching a boiling point in this country. Maybe the citizens will finally rise up and stop things...elect new Representatives and Senators. And of course with the Democrats promise of free benefits for everyone, the end result of this bill could be a one party system here, with tax rate of 75% just to pay the bills.

The bottom line is simple, these people are here illegally and that's the end of it. Secure our borders - then figure out how to solve the problem with these 12 million people, and give those folks that are "legally standing in line" first shot at the American dream.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

"Class" Warfare

Much of the rage in the rambling manifesto and videos of the deranged killer at Virginia Tech dealt with his hatred of the "rich kids" at his school. Even though he was a lunatic, it brought to the surface the continuing issue of class warfare in this country, which is fueled by much of the main stream media and liberal politicians. "Rich people are taking more than their share from society, and leaving the poor behind".

This sentiment is echoed around the world as "America haters" continue to spew their anti US rhetoric. We are looked at as a society that cares about nothing but earning money. Ironically many of these same haters would come to live in the USA without hesitation.

This class warfare attitude is fueled by the Enron, and World Com scandals, CEO's that receive huge salaries, and CEO 's who are fired for poor performance, yet get multimillion dollar severance packages. These are the stories the media concentrates on, and of course reinforces the "hate the rich" sentiment and continues the class war.

We are retired and live on a 20 acre ranch in a beautiful part of California, and are financially comfortable...to some people we would be considered "rich"

But very few people know my background - growing up in the projects of Buffalo NY, graduating from high school and moving to California on my own. With no option of being "sent"to college, I went through engineering school while working full time and raising a family. Even though I became successful in the corporate world, like many young men I had the urge to start my own company. So I put everything on the line (including my only pension fund) to go off on my own. The rest is history, after years of 60 hour work weeks the company was successful, we sold it, and retired comfortably. But my story is not unique - I have many friends that also started with nothing, worked long hours building their own companies, and are now considered "rich".

But you never read about these stories, there is nothing sensational about them. The NY Times, and much of the mainstream media publish the stories of the Enrons, and CEO's that take unfair compensation, or cheat their employees. And the liberal politicians continue to tell us how the poor are being mistreated and left behind. So the class war continues.

Yes, there are inequities in many parts of this country, and many people are paid more money than they are worth (how about athletes, entertainers, rap stars...why don't we read about their unreasonable compensation?). Maybe instead of a "class war" we should celebrate all the thousands of men and women entrepreneurs who quietly go about building their wealth by hard work and creativity, in one of the few countries in the world that offers any person who is willing to work hard, the chance to become "rich".

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Carbon Credits

Global Warming is one of the big issues of our time. "Big Al" Gore won an Oscar for his so-called documentary and I applaud him. The fundamental issue of Global warming is CO2 emissions. In his Oscar acceptance speech he said, "We all need to reduce our CO2 emissions by reducing our energy usage, and in the process, save the world".

It turns out that Al Gore, just in his primary residence (one of four homes) is using 22,000 kilowatt hours of energy each month. As a comparison, here on our 20 acre ranch we use about 2000 kwh per month, which includes our 3000 sq ft house, 600 sq ft guest cottage, and small winery...and I would think our living space is much larger than the average. This says that Al Gore's energy usage is more than ten times the average American ...in just one of his four houses. But in a recent interview he said that even though their energy usage is high, he buys "Carbon Credits" in the amount that makes his usage "Carbon Neutral".

It was later revealed that he owns part of the company that sells him the Carbon Credits!

I did not understand the Carbon Credit thing, but being conscientious, and not wanting to be called a "polluter', I Googled it. One of the first websites that came up was from the "Clean Air Conservancy", and they sold Carbon Credits. Their website says that they have an Emissions Bank where they keep "retired pollution". I am not kidding folks...

They have forms on the web site that you can fill out to see if your car (or home) is "carbon neutral". So I filled out the form for one of our cars: 2007 Toyota Avalon with estimated annual mileage of 20,000 miles. After filling out the form and clicking 'submit', I received a message that the car was not "carbon neutral", but it could be for $37.80 per year (6.3 carbon credit units). The site then asked for my Visa number and even said that I could buy additional carbon credits for anyone as a gift. I am not kidding folks...

But having a science background, and working daily with plants in my vineyard, I started thinking -we live on a 20 acre ranch, with an estimated 600-900 mature oak trees. When we built our house we landscaped with over 500 plants and shrubs, and we have 200 mature grape vines. We have our own water system and burn clean propane for cooking and heat (in addition to a high tech efficient fireplace). Just these oak trees, plants, and vines alone must suck up huge amounts of CO2 and exhale pure clean oxygen. I do not know how to calculate "carbon credits", but we must have them coming out the wazoo. And since we do not really need additional income at this stage of our lives, we have decided to "donate" these carbon credits to friends and family, rather than sell them.

Our son Mike drives a huge gas guzzling SUV which spews CO2 emissions into the beautiful countryside around Washington D.C. Our good friend Scott Forward drives off-road motorcycles all over Baja, not only destroying the environment, but also polluting the pristine Mexico air. And our liberal friend Mike Holland flies all over the country in his private plane dumping CO2 into the upper atmosphere. But being close friends and family, these folks do not have to worry...we have decided to give them a carbon credit certificate which will make them "carbon neutral'. Here is all we ask in return... the next time we are together, they buy us a dinner or a few bottles of good wine. It's our sacrifice...but we have the carbon credits and want to share.

I hope this is a start of a movement - if you have excess trees, or plants, or drive a Prius, or ride a bike to work, or use florescent bulbs, or are lucky enough to own some "retired pollution" - you most likely have extra "carbon credits" that you can pass on to your polluting friends or family, like we have. Let's work together on this so Big Al will be proud of us.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Her name was "Lipstick"

It's been a few years, but I still remember that her name was "Lipstick."

Not that she wore a lot of make-up...to my knowledge she didn’t wear any - no false eyelashes, no rouge. She wasn’t beautiful, but she had that look that makes females attractive. Large eyes, some would say too far apart, but they always seemed to be wide open and full of life. Her large beautiful lips glowed a golden color in the sun, and that’s how she got her name. She had a beautiful body and when she moved, her tail moved slowly back and forth with a smooth rythym. She never wore clothes but was still modest in her own way. I used to have a martini with her almost every evening. She did not drink, but always stayed close...she loved my company.

Lipstick became part of our family one year and was my constant companion ever since. Joining me for my morning coffee most days, her body moved with the grace of a bird, gliding with effortless motion as we both relaxed in the morning sun. She could have spent her life in the city, safely enclosed behind glass walls, but chose instead the country, surrounded by the sounds of birds and waterfalls.

But suddenly Lipstick was gone. A victim of nature’s cruel cycle of life, after becoming a midnight snack for a hungry raccoon. She is now in that great Koi pond in the sky, swimming to her heart’s content for all eternity. These are the harsh realities of living in the country, surrounded by wild turkeys, raccons, Indian casinos, and wineries. But it was our choice to move here, and as we forge out our life in this untamed wilderness, we will think of Lipstick often, and keep a vigilant watch for the wily raccoons who continue to make many nightly raids on our goldfish pond.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Heavenly Suicide

To those of us in the West, suicide bombing is not just savagery but something we will never completely understand. Whether we are religious or not, there is something perverted about taking your own life along with the lives of innocent men, women, and children at the same time.

We have been told that as a reward for being a "martyr" the suicide bomber will be rewarded with 72 virgins when arriving in heaven. The dictionary defines a martyr as "One who suffers death rather than renounce his religious opinions". Who is asking a potential suicide bomber to "renounce his religious opinions"? It seems to me that someone has brainwashed these young men. If those of us that are not Muslims do not renounce our religious beliefs, is it really his destiny to kill us? That does not fit the definition of a martyr...and it's ironic that the largest percentage of people killed by Muslim suicide bombers or other Muslim "martyrs", are fellow Muslims...not just in Iraq - a million "martyrs" died in the Iraq-Iran Muslim war, and hundreds have died recently as the Palestinians started killing each other.

None of us know what happens when we get to heaven but what if the 72 virgin scenario were accurate? Mr. Suicide Bomber let's think about what could happen...

First you blow your body into a thousand pieces so you can go to heaven. You kill a lot of innocent people in the process...probably even women or children. I assume somewhere between the "suicide scene" and heaven, your body is reconstructed and ready for the 72 virgins. Kind of like the way the Tin Man stuffed hay back into the Scarecrow and put him back together after he was torn apart by the Wicked Witch's Flying Monkeys.

Anyway, so you arrive in heaven and there they are...72 young ladies dressed in black waiting for you to put them into "heaven". Now these are virgins, so you must be gentle and not be like a gorilla and hurt the young ladies. This is not an easy process, therefore I think we can assume you will be quite a man if you can deal with one virgin a day until you "take away their flowers".

So Mr. Suicide Bomber let's think this thing out...

You now have to have sex with a virgin every day for the next 72 days. I know you are young and virile, but this may be tough. And at the end of the seventy second day, don't plan to rest. Virgin number one, two, etc. will be waiting to start all over again. No slacking off my friend...these are your virgins and it is your responsibility to take care of them.

So Mr. Suicide Bomber are you sure you really want to do this...?

Now none of us really know what happens in heaven, but what if you have to provide food, lodging, new Burkas, Tampons, etc., etc., for your 72 ladies? And let's not even think about taking them shopping. What if they start getting pregnant? If they each have one child the first few years, you could be looking at 72 little ones running around. Mr. Suicide Bomber...if all this happens I could see where you may consider committing suicide a second time!

So let's think about how your life will be in heaven...most of us have trouble living with one woman for 40-50 years, in addition to kids and all their problems. But 72 women and 72+ children for eternity...ouch! And sadly, if in Heaven you meet up with the other innocent Muslims or other "ex- human beings" that you have killed...what are you going to say to them?

Mr. Suicide Bomber this is probably a very bad decision on your part.

Here is my point...You believe your religion requires that you try to kill all the "infidels" in the world, but before you push that button, think about what you are doing. Take it from an old guy who has been around...this world is not that bad. Maybe you should consider staying here, marrying just one woman, having a few kids and live life like the rest of us. It's not always perfect, but a few kids, watching them grow up, going to soccer games, hanging out with friends, watching American Idol and "24" on TV ...it's not that bad. And maybe even a shot of Jack Daniels in your tea or a glass of good Cabernet from time to time. I believe Allah would understand...after all he is the only one that is perfect...right?

So Mr. Suicide Bomber, let heaven come in it's own time and consider living in peace with the rest of us. Whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, or even Atheist we are all human beings first and should respect each other. Your life is worth a lot here on earth..don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

The Two Faces of Mammoth


Those that have been to the Mammoth Mountain ski area in the Sierras of Central California know it is aptly named. With twenty five lifts and hundreds of ski runs, it is one of the largest ski resorts in North America. The ski area ranging in altitude from 9000 to 11,000 feet has spectacular views in every direction. The town of Mammoth Lakes is at 7000 feet, so be ready for some “thin air” breathing the first few days.

We just returned from a ski trip to Mammoth and again the mountain showed us both her personalities. Someone once said " Mammoth's middle name is wind”, and if you have spent time there you will know what they mean. On our first day while having our morning coffee at Canyon Lodge we looked out at a picture of dark skies and "sideways" snow coming down. But we are lifelong skiers, and as we reach the near side of 70 (and me with my artificial knee), every ski trip is precious. So we looked at each other and said, "Let's go for it". My wife does not like cold and wind, and on the way up the first lift, the “sideways snow” was icy and blowing at 25 knots, so we knew we were in for another Mammoth adventure. With low (and sometimes no) visibility, and wind that almost blew us down, we started our first run...not bad as long as we kept our backs to the wind. But I have always said "A bad day of skiing is better than most things". It did clear up for short periods that morning, but “mother wind” kept blowing. My wife quit at noon, but I continued until 2 or so. After almost being blown off a lift, I decided enough skiing for the day, and we retired to the bar. Following a few beers enjoying each others company and watching skiers coming down, we enjoyed an evening of pizza and good wine while watching American Idol (as compared to the 30’s crowd who went to the disco).

The next morning we woke up to Mammoth’s other face…blue skies, no wind, packed powder, and no people.














With no lift lines, we skied until our legs were mush. From the first run at 8:30 until the lifts closed at 4, we made over 30 runs in absolutely perfect conditions, skiing from one side of the mountain to the other. As you can see this (almost) 70 year old grandma was having a blast.

So if you go to Mammoth and the weather is bad, hang in there for a day and things will probably change. It is a spectacular place to relax and enjoy nature at it's finest.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Global Warming....really?



I guess you cannot have a Blog without talking about global warming, it certainly is a popular subject these days (excuse me, I need to turn the heater up...we are going through a record cold spell here on the Central Coast of California). And as you can see this Nuclear Sub sure wishes it could get through this darn ice.

O.K. where was I...

My son is frustrated because even with my physics and engineering background, I am skeptical about global warming. Not skeptical about the planet warming (after all we do have thermometers), but skeptical that it is "man-made". But how can you not believe in global warming? The Academy Awards this past weekend gave "Fat Albert" Gore an Oscar for his so- called documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth", so it must be a real phenomenon...right? I thought it was hilarious that they announced the Oscars had gone "green", as all the stars arrived in their 5 mpg stretch limos and will probably fly home in their private jets.

Anyway back to the serious subject of global warming...

Here are some observations:

1/ The earth warmed by 0.7 degrees C (1.2 degrees F) during the 20th century.
2/ CO2 levels have risen the past century (although there have been warming periods in the past when CO2 levels went down...but let's forget that for now).

3/ Glaciers are melting, the Arctic ice pack is getting smaller. The ice pack around Greenland is getting smaller. The ice thickness in the middle of Greenland is getting thicker...hmm...we had better come back to that also.
4/ Polar bears are threatening to go on strike without icebergs to ride on, and I had a bee infestation in my vineyard last year.
5/ California has had one of the coldest spells in history during January 2007 and lost $10 billion in crops (obviously that's not "warming"...but the experts call it "climate change", and is the result of global warming..hmm).
6/ Fisherman on the west coast of Iceland this year have had difficulty getting out to sea because of freezing temperatures causing large ice flows. But the experts call this a "climactic aberration" - these guys are good, an answer for everything.
7/ Antarctica in 2007 is also not following the "computer models"...some of the ice flows are getting thicker, but that cannot be, the computers must be right....right?
8/ There have been many warming/cooling periods during the past centuries, and they have been acurately recorded during the past 500 years or so, long before the "industrial revolution". Why do the "experts" skip over that history?

Do you see where I am going with this? I don't know...and I wonder if the "experts" really do. Over 2000 scientists have come to a "consensus" that global warming is serious and it is caused by man. Many of these scientists rely on financial grants for continuing research. There are hundreds of thousands of other scientists and engineers in the world. I wonder what their opinions are?
Maybe we should consider the Kyoto protocol, but something bothers me. China and India are excluded, while the rest of the world must spend billions on reducing so-called greenhouse gases. Yet it's hard to buy anything that is not built in China and impossible to get computer or any other type of tech support without talking to someone in India. Something is wrong with that picture.
In Physics 101 we were taught that it is not science until it is proven. Until then it is a hypothesis. "Man-made " global warming has not been proven.

So, I will remain in the minority arguing against this "environmental/political" issue that will not be resolved for years....maybe not in our lifetime. In the meantime, during this very cold winter...keep "warm" out there.


Friday, February 16, 2007

"Love the Country Life"

I spent most of my life in the city, growing up in Buffalo, N.Y. and then moving to Southern California after high school. After college, we spent all our adult life in the city, running our business in San Diego. After selling the business, we decided to get out of the city and spend retirement in the country...the dream of a lifetime. So we bought a 20 acre ranch on the Central Coast of California.

It’s easy to take living in the country for granted, but compared to the city, here in the beautiful outdoors we are reminded daily of the ways that nature interacts with us. Last night as we lay in bed pondering the silence of the country, we could hear the patter of little feet running around in the attic. I have been spending an hour or so a day recently on mouse control, and spent today installing traps and poison pellets amid the insulation in the attic...bless their little hearts.

Waking up this morning the sun shone bright through our bedroom windows as we looked out over the brilliant hillsides. This morning was special as I woke up to see several deer and their babies in our backyard eating all of my wife's prize flowers...what beautiful animals they are. Morning brings our usual routine of fresh coffee while breathing the fresh mountain air. I then remove the cover we keep over the fish pond. The cover has to be installed every night to keep the raccoons from eating our goldfish. After that I clean the bat guano off the front porch. This morning, I plan to set traps for ground squirrels, who are tearing up the pasture and burrowing under the foundation of the barn. Those squirrels sure are cute little animals.

Today is lawn mowing day. After cleaning the wild turkey droppings off the grass, I plan to put gopher poison in the ten or so holes in the lawn, as the gopher burrows are slowly undercutting the back patio. And then it’s off to the south pasture to spray Roundup on the poison oak and try to get it under control.

We planted a small vineyard several years ago, since it was my dream to grow grapes and make wine. Two years ago was our first harvest of fruit from the vineyard. Unfortunately, before we could pick the fruit, it was all eaten by birds. Those Starlings sure are cute little things. This year we got smart and put netting over all the vines when the fruit started to get ripe...no more problem with birds.
But, surprise...the yellow jacket bees were able to fly through the netting. These pesky critters suck out the juice from each berry on the cluster. But the installation of several bee traps in the vineyard should take care of the problem, and we look forward to picking some fruit next year and finally making some wine.

Gosh...I love living in the country, what a beautiful way to have such intimate interaction with mother nature.