Sworn to secrecy!
Oct 24th
One of the vicissitudes of blogging is that someone always says it better than you, and faster too. I guess that is why we have the cut and paste function.
Over the weekend at JOM we were laughing about the report out of the White House that President Obama sometimes sends money to people who write him letters. The President does not, of course want to advertise his amazing generosity, we are told, so keep it to yourself.
Over at PJ Tatler, Clarice nails it, as always, with the help of JOMer BGates, who really should be hired by Jon Stewart to give his show a hint of reality.
Every night before he goes to sleep, the president of the United States reads 10 letters from the pile of 20,000 sent to him by Americans every day. Sometimes, he writes back. He’s even, on occasion, included a check.
“It’s not something I should advertise, but it has happened,” President Barack Obama told reporter Eli Saslow,
bgates, that cynic isn’t buying it:
A check. Not cash. Something with a signature. And then the people who were so desperate for help that they wrote the White House to beg for money, whose financial problems were solved through the personal intervention of the President of the United States – they quietly cashed the checks and went on with their business. Or, maybe they tried to get the story on the local news but the hard-hearted reporter types didn’t see an angle. “What, President saves family farm from bankruptcy? There’s no story there!” Until finally, after years and who knows how many instances of this selflessness, we finally hear about it from none other than Captain Reticent himself.
This is quite possibly the stupidest lie I have ever heard from an adult person.
At Clarice’s suggestion, I plan to offer a prize on my radio show to anyone who can produce a copy of said check. (Has anyone researched to see if the Obama’s actually have a checking account not labeled “US Treasury”?
It takes all kinds
Oct 18th
I heard a lot of tornado stories at Harvest Fest last weekend. 80% were stories of kindness, of people who came to help and worked endlessly, often for free; the volunteers who haven’t dropped the ball, no matter how many months go by; the people who suffered damage and went out to help people who suffered more damage. All of them would make your heart soar.
And then there was the 20%.
One person told me that after the tornado, local kids bragged that they knew where they could get “free stuff” despite the fact that they suffered no damage. They were proud and boisterous about how they gamed the system, and wanted everyone else to know how they could do it too. The person who recounted this story was pretty sure the parents were the ones passing out the information to their kids, and considered stealing from those who needed help, a badge of accomplishment. These were the same kids whose parents claimed, and got benefits from FEMA because FEMA didn’t bother to vet them.
Another person told me a story about working on hurricane relief in Munson, a town utterly decimated by the tornado. He worked at a large center than gave out needed goods including diapers, rubber gloves and other things donated to the victims. One Sunday a couple came in and filled bags to the brim with the free stuff, joyous in their accomplishment. The reporter decided to engage them in conversation and asked where they lived. They replied that they lived in a town not touched by the tornado. He calmly explained that these goods were for people who needed them because they had lost so much. As a result the man returned his goods, but the woman refused, saying that they were “free”. The reporter watched as they drove away in their brand new BMW.
As they say, it takes all kinds. Too bad, really.
Today I met two heroes
Oct 16th
I spent the weekend raising money for Operation Tree Party, our project to repopulate the trees lost in the June 1st tornado. We met a lot of people at Harvest Fest and heard a lot of tornado stories. The most moving moment for me happened this afternoon when I got to meet and speak with Gold Star Mom, Debra Booth whose son Josh was killed 5 years ago tomorrow.
As is my style, I asked Debra all about Josh, and how she was doing, and how one continues on after losing her only son in Iraq. Although we were both teary-eyed, she spoke about Josh with such love and joy that it was easy to meet him through her. At one point she commented that she had no idea how he became the man he was. I was wide-eyed at her uncertainty and told her with complete certainty that Josh became the man he was because of his parents. Of that I have no doubt.
When Debra told me she was a Gold Star mom, I knew whose Mom she was even though I had never met either Debra or Josh before. I remember when Josh died – only because he was from Sturbridge and because like so many others, I am so appreciative of our soldiers and their unwavering willingness to keep us free.
Today I had the opportunity to be also appreciative of one soldier’s mother, a Gold Star Mom who also gave all to this country because she gave us her only son. Please remember that we are eternally grateful to both of you.
Where will OWS end?
Oct 16th
One of my favorite people in our local tea party is a certified Beckafile. She was helping us yesterday at Harvestfest where we were raising money for Operation Tree party, lamenting about OWS and how it is designed by Soros, SEIU, Van Jones, et al to allow Obama to declare martial law and suspend the next election. She was wondering aloud whether the military would side with Obama or with America.
It does seem pretty clear that the “Hate America” movement is going full steam, and it is hard to know where it will end up at this point. The democrats and the media are embracing the protests, even reveling in them, and that alone is telling. The racist, anti-semitic, hateful signs and speeches at the OWS rallies are business as usual, completely ignored by the same media that accused the tea party of all those evils with no evidence. Apparently all kinds of hate are acceptable if the left does it.
It’s hard to not consider my friend’s concerns given the double standards embraced by the media in this country. They are no longer the guardians of our freedom. But I also worry about what is being ignored at the same time, on purpose I suspect. Fast and Furious is coming to a head, Solyndra gets uglier every day, and it seems like every day we discover a new executive order that limits freedom that was snuck in and not reported on.
I may not be as far over the edge as my friend, but I am indeed worried. And I think everyone else should be as well.
OWS – Share the burden
Oct 14th
Last week the overtime cost for the Boston Police for the Bay State version of for Occupation Wall Street was $2 million. Part of that time was spent arresting over 200 protesters. Given the hard economic times we face, and the demand for “shared burden” by these protestors, I have a solution. The cost should be borne by those arrested. Defendants are routinely assessed costs in any court hearing. Often they are arbitrary. These are calculable. There would be no need for police overtime if these people were not breaking the law.
Today it was announced that overtime in NY is $3.5 million so far and growing. The arrests continue. Let’s make those arrested pay their “fair share”. Why should the 99.999999999 % of us not incurring the costs pay for those who are. Mommy and Daddy can simply consider it an increase in this quarter’s tuition.
After all isn’t that exactly the protester’s point?
