Monday Morning Rant 147

Brother Wells came to Fellowship to deliver the Sunday night sermon. It was vintage “Wells” which sent us racing through the scriptures for the apt passages and the constant message to support his thesis. In his well-grounded faith in his Master, he put aside that which was on the congregation’s mind. Tomorrow morning he will have a kidney transplant and we prayerfully anticipate that the procedure will restore his vigor and usefulness to his Savior. Given the intense fervor of last night’s message, one can only imagine his intensity when he is restored to full health. Your prayers for a successful operation and the continued good health of this servant and the donee (his grandson) would be appreciated. Thank you.

A Shell Game

In a blatant attempt to placate the SEIU, we plainly see mis-use of government employees in the mob action at the home of a banking executive in Maryland. DC cops crossed over into a sovereign state to reinforce the action of intimidation and terror. Under the guise of “providing security” they accompanied bus loads of union members to the private home to trample that private property and intimidate the only person present in the home at that time--a young boy. Apparently, calls to local police went unanswered and the mob action went on unimpeded.

You may safely assume you are looking the future directly in the face. This is the only promise which the current administration has made which you may depend upon. They will continue to support these hooligan tactics to threaten other American citizens in the pursuit of the transformation of government. In earlier action, they bailed out the unions by supplying billions of dollars to protect an unimaginably comprehensive health care plan and an overly generous retirement program for union members with both GM and Chrysler. False claims of success by their CEO notwithstanding; there is little hope for GM ever to recover and return as a viable entity in the automobile business without huge subsidies from the US Treasury.

The lies of socialism, progressivism, communism, or whatever vile label you wish to assign; are all encapsulated in a totalitarian plan to deprive average unimpowered citizens of individual liberties to benefit a protected segment of the populace. Nothing could be further from the intentions of the founders of this great and exceptional nation. They valued individual initiative, imagination and industry to supply the engine of progress. By selection of favored groups, we defeat their vision of our country. God help us!

Rasmussen Reports

The president’s poll numbers have descended to a low not seen since January 23rd. In today’s report we find his “approval index” (strongly approve/strongly disapprove) at 25/43 or a net of minus 18%. On the generic with the “strongly” absent we find him at 44% approval with 55% disapprove or minus 11%.

We are especially heartened by this report from Rasmussen in consideration of their past record in polling. They restrict their polling to registered voters and come up with an historical record vastly superior to any other methodology.

Richard Blumenthal

It is indeed a sad commentary on the citizens of Connecticut that they are inhabited by those who would rise to the defense of their Attorney General who has posed as a combat veteran during Viet Nam. As the pendulum slowly swings to acknowledge the service of those brave men and women who fought during that conflict we find this usurper claiming unjust heroism and participation. There is world of difference between a cushy state-side job and the mud and the slime and the sacrifice experienced by those heroes who were actually there. It is representative of cowardice in the extreme.

It is appropriate however for this liar to be poised to replace Chris Dodd. You know—birds of a feather and all that. If he is successful, it will underscore every preformed opinion I have of Connecticut, the Democrat Party, lawyers, and progressives. The only remaining mystery is how a contingent of actual veterans can stand next to him on a dais and demonstrate support. Shame, shame on you!

I PUT ON MY UNIFORM TODAY!!!

This piece is taken in its entirety from oldNFO at “Nobody Asked Me”; one of my favorite daily reads. When you have a moment, drop by and enjoy his contribution to the blogosphere. It helps if you have some prior or current military experience but that is not absolutely necessary. This should help to clarify any misunderstanding of the duty one assumes when taking the oath.

“At a friend's retirement a few weeks ago he read this; and I thought some of y'all might be interested in his perspective after 28 years on active duty...

I PUT ON MY UNIFORM TODAY!

A Navy Chief sat behind his desk, just down the hall from his Commander's office. As the Chief started on a second cup of coffee and finished the last of the morning messages, the commander stepped into the office. "Chief," the Captain said, "I hate to ask you this, but you are needed in Southwest Asia in six days for a 90-day rotation. Can you go?" With no voiced emotion and without looking up, the Chief replied, "Ma'am, I put on my uniform this morning."

The Captain, somewhat taken a-back, thought to herself, "The Chief doesn't usually talk in riddles. Has this veteran of 20 years gone off of the deep end?" The wise old protector of the enlisted corps smiled and began to explain. "Ma'am, I made a promise to myself more than 20 years ago, that I would only put this uniform on as long as I'm available for duty. You see, while it is obvious to most Navy members, it seems to completely escape others. 'Available for duty' means more than the desire to negotiate and select the premium assignments. It requires us to go any place in the world the president or officers appointed over us determines, at any given time. This doesn't mean we shouldn't want or receive our preferences. It does mean we'll go when and where we are needed and called. Now this may seem overly simplistic, but, I think everyone can agree: when it comes to defining service to our country, the answer is just that simple. In today's world of 'What can you do for me?' it's very easy to lose sight of what 'service to country' is all about. Service goes far beyond the individual; it affects the well-being of our nation. Sitting in comfortable surroundings, at your dream base in CONUS, it's easy to forget the sacrifices we agreed to endure in service to our country. Sitting in Saudi, Iraq, Bosnia, Japan or maybe Korea, the sacrifices become much clearer. The bottom line today is that we are an all-volunteer force, and though our force has been reduced by 30 percent in the last five years, it remains a highly mobilized, continually-tasked 'corporation.' Everyone is vital to its continued success."

The Chief continued by saying, "The Navy will go on tomorrow with or without any single one of us; however, the efficiency of any one of its specific units may be adversely effected by the loss of only a few. All of us have the responsibility to report our availability for duty. If someone has a family problem or special circumstances that preclude them from being available, they need to report it immediately and especially prior to being deployed. If any member does not deploy when called upon, another member must fill that slot. So, any time someone cannot or will not deploy, the ripple effect is felt throughout the Navy. Everyone's family would like them to be home for the holidays. I can't think of a single person who would intentionally miss their child's graduation. And we're all aware of the pain of losing a loved one and know how the grief can be compounded by not being at their side in the final moments. Yes, we are all continually asked to make sacrifices. Yet some seem to forget that we are serving our nation, and that we are all volunteers. Who said it was going to be easy? The leadership of our country depends upon us for being good and true to our word. Every day, each of us needs to look into the mirror before getting into uniform and ask, 'Am I available for duty?' If the answer is "No," then we need to notify our supervisor, Division chief, or commander immediately! Then the next step is to determine if the non-availability is temporary or permanent. Then the toughest question must be asked--should that person resign, separate, or retire? There are no gray areas. Everyone must decide for themselves."

Finally the Chief looked at his commander, and said, "Ma'am, as I said earlier, I put on my uniform today, and I'm available for duty. Do you still need a 'yes' or 'no' answer to your question?"

Nuff said...”

And Finally

I mentioned a while back that I would try to firmly identify the exact nature of our occasional hummingbird. Granny has just complicated the matter. She put up a feeder designed exclusively for hummingbirds. We now have multiple birds to identify. The additional feeder plus the three new grape trellises are changing the look of the deck view out my office window. Rejoice with me—it’s about the way I envisioned it.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon