Thursday, November 27, 2008
Hope all is well with you and yours...
Last week I responded to a letter written by my new friend Jim Hansen. You know the story so I’m not going to bore you with the details. But I did invite Mr. Hansen to visit my blog where we could have an honest debate about our differences. So far he has declined the invitation, that’s alright. Who knows, maybe he’ll have another letter in the Metro this week.
Here’s the deal guys. I know from time to time I get pretty controversial and a lot of times I do it just to get a reaction and when I do get one I’ve probably got it coming. All I ask is that if your going to respond to something I’ve written be honest about what I’ve said.
I still haven’t been able to generate much interest in my blog but I do get quite a few e-mails and last week’s column generated more that usual. Okay, the number of replies I received was six. Hey, it’s a start. Anyway, for the most part everyone agreed with my response to Mr. Hansen’s letter and agreed that he had in fact misrepresented what I’d written and that he’d started it, but without exception, all thought I was out of line when I told Jim to take off the “liberal blinders” and accused him of being divisive. Alright, point taken.
I don’t suppose it would kill me to give my own “conservative blinders” a rest every once in a while. I won’t like it but I’ll try. Maybe we all should. And I’ll bet you that if we did and started having honest conversations with each other without the accusations and name calling we’d probably find out that we’re not all that much different. I’ll bet you we could find that we all want a lot of the same things out of this life. A decent, safe, and stable place to raise our families.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop speaking out about the things I believe in. I’m not going to all the sudden tell you I’ve decided to support things like late term abortions or gay marriage just so I don’t offend someone. When I see or hear a politician saying or doing something I don’t agree with, I’m probably going to say so. From here on out though, I’ll make an extra effort to understand where that person’s coming from and try to listen to why they support and believe the way they do. Who knows, maybe I’ll learn a thing or two along the way. Hey, anything’s possible.
Look, Obama promised “change” and people believe it. That’s a good thing I guess. But listen, and I’m not trying to put the man down but he can’t do it. Sure, he promises to get us out or Iraq and I hope he does. He can promise to cut our taxes and so on and so forth. But that’s it.
Real change must come from us. At some point in time we need to quit the constant fighting and name calling and realize we’re all in this mess together. And at some other point in time we’re going to have to realize that in order for anything to change we’re going to have to work together. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and yes Jim, that means you too.
Just because I haven’t been able to generate much interest in my blog doesn’t mean I’m ready to give up. Stop by sometime, who knows, maybe we can learn something from each other at: www.rm235.blogspot.com or you can e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Here’s the deal guys. I know from time to time I get pretty controversial and a lot of times I do it just to get a reaction and when I do get one I’ve probably got it coming. All I ask is that if your going to respond to something I’ve written be honest about what I’ve said.
I still haven’t been able to generate much interest in my blog but I do get quite a few e-mails and last week’s column generated more that usual. Okay, the number of replies I received was six. Hey, it’s a start. Anyway, for the most part everyone agreed with my response to Mr. Hansen’s letter and agreed that he had in fact misrepresented what I’d written and that he’d started it, but without exception, all thought I was out of line when I told Jim to take off the “liberal blinders” and accused him of being divisive. Alright, point taken.
I don’t suppose it would kill me to give my own “conservative blinders” a rest every once in a while. I won’t like it but I’ll try. Maybe we all should. And I’ll bet you that if we did and started having honest conversations with each other without the accusations and name calling we’d probably find out that we’re not all that much different. I’ll bet you we could find that we all want a lot of the same things out of this life. A decent, safe, and stable place to raise our families.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop speaking out about the things I believe in. I’m not going to all the sudden tell you I’ve decided to support things like late term abortions or gay marriage just so I don’t offend someone. When I see or hear a politician saying or doing something I don’t agree with, I’m probably going to say so. From here on out though, I’ll make an extra effort to understand where that person’s coming from and try to listen to why they support and believe the way they do. Who knows, maybe I’ll learn a thing or two along the way. Hey, anything’s possible.
Look, Obama promised “change” and people believe it. That’s a good thing I guess. But listen, and I’m not trying to put the man down but he can’t do it. Sure, he promises to get us out or Iraq and I hope he does. He can promise to cut our taxes and so on and so forth. But that’s it.
Real change must come from us. At some point in time we need to quit the constant fighting and name calling and realize we’re all in this mess together. And at some other point in time we’re going to have to realize that in order for anything to change we’re going to have to work together. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and yes Jim, that means you too.
Just because I haven’t been able to generate much interest in my blog doesn’t mean I’m ready to give up. Stop by sometime, who knows, maybe we can learn something from each other at: www.rm235.blogspot.com or you can e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Dear Jim...
I’d like to thank Jim Hansen for the letter in the Metro last week. Let me guess Jim, you’re one of those tolerant liberals we keep hearing about, aren‘t you? Don’t get me wrong, I welcome your response. I do enjoy a good, heated debate every now and then. But come on Jim, how about being honest about what I said instead of spinning it into something you want to believe I meant.
In your letter you talked about the column that ran on Nov.7th and about how I tried in vain to make it seem as though Bush and his right-wing conservatives had nothing to do with the current mess we’re in today. Gee whiz Jim, I checked it out and that’s not even close to what I said. Go back and read it again, you’ll find that what I really said was that “both political parties have screwed this country over for as long as we’ve been around.”
You brought up a litany of gripes I’d talked about in the column. Things like Home foreclosures, utilities being cut for the poor, gas prices being unpredictable, our kids coming home dead from war, and possible confrontation with Russia. You quickly pointed out that Bush and the Republicans have been in power for the last 8 years so it was quite clear (to you) who’s responsible. Then I guess to either prove your point or maybe just to drive it home you boldly asked how many of these woes even existed 8 years ago.
Man, you can’t be serious. Do you really believe your beloved Democrats had no part whatsoever in the mess we’re now facing. Are you really that blind Jim? Do you not understand that Bush can’t do anything without the approval of Congress which by the way buddy, is made up of quite a few Democrats? Hey, believe what you want, I don’t care.
But as far as the litany of gripes you brought up and asked which one’s even existed 8 years ago. Well Jim, I did some checking on that and guess what I found out. They all existed. Let’s see, have you ever heard of that silly little thing called the “great depression? Home and family farm foreclosures were a pretty big deal back in the late 20’s and early 30’s. I’ll be the first one to admit I don’t have any hard evidence to back this up but I’d be willing to bet that the problem of utilities being cut off to the poor has probably been around a little longer than 8 years too. I don’t know how old you are Jim, maybe you’re just too young and don’t remember the recession and oil embargo back in the 70‘s that made gas prices and even availability unpredictable at best.
You talked about our kids coming home dead by the thousands from war. Sorry Jim, I checked that one out too and what I found was that we’ve been doing that for quite a bit longer than 8 years. Looks like it’s been going on pretty much since the day the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Early on we had that thing with the British. I don’t know Jim, maybe you missed that one. Let’s see, what else was there, oh yeah, how about the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World War One, and World War Two. Remember those Jim? We’ve lost soldiers in North Korea and Viet Nam just like we did in Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq. And do you really believe a possible confrontation with Russia never existed more than 8 years ago. I don’t know Jim, maybe you’ve never heard of it, but we had this thing back in the 60’s called the Cuban missile crisis. Let me guess, you missed the whole Cold War too, didn’t you? Hmmm., weird.
You boast that Obama will govern with dignity and hope rather than fear and divisiveness. Come on Jim, give me a break. I’ve read your letters for years now and for the most part, they’ve all had the same common theme, “your hatred of Conservative Republicans.” It’s a little hypocritical that you can lecture me about divisiveness when you’re one of the most divisive people around. I’ve got an idea buddy, how about taking off the liberal-blinders you wear long enough for the fog to lift and then maybe we can have an intelligent conversation.
How about it Jim, you ready to have an honest debate about our differences or do you prefer to remain the same, divisive person you seem to be? It’s up to you man. If you want to talk, you’re welcome to visit my blog at: www.rm235.blogspot.com That goes for the rest of you too. Or like always you can reach me by e-mail at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
In your letter you talked about the column that ran on Nov.7th and about how I tried in vain to make it seem as though Bush and his right-wing conservatives had nothing to do with the current mess we’re in today. Gee whiz Jim, I checked it out and that’s not even close to what I said. Go back and read it again, you’ll find that what I really said was that “both political parties have screwed this country over for as long as we’ve been around.”
You brought up a litany of gripes I’d talked about in the column. Things like Home foreclosures, utilities being cut for the poor, gas prices being unpredictable, our kids coming home dead from war, and possible confrontation with Russia. You quickly pointed out that Bush and the Republicans have been in power for the last 8 years so it was quite clear (to you) who’s responsible. Then I guess to either prove your point or maybe just to drive it home you boldly asked how many of these woes even existed 8 years ago.
Man, you can’t be serious. Do you really believe your beloved Democrats had no part whatsoever in the mess we’re now facing. Are you really that blind Jim? Do you not understand that Bush can’t do anything without the approval of Congress which by the way buddy, is made up of quite a few Democrats? Hey, believe what you want, I don’t care.
But as far as the litany of gripes you brought up and asked which one’s even existed 8 years ago. Well Jim, I did some checking on that and guess what I found out. They all existed. Let’s see, have you ever heard of that silly little thing called the “great depression? Home and family farm foreclosures were a pretty big deal back in the late 20’s and early 30’s. I’ll be the first one to admit I don’t have any hard evidence to back this up but I’d be willing to bet that the problem of utilities being cut off to the poor has probably been around a little longer than 8 years too. I don’t know how old you are Jim, maybe you’re just too young and don’t remember the recession and oil embargo back in the 70‘s that made gas prices and even availability unpredictable at best.
You talked about our kids coming home dead by the thousands from war. Sorry Jim, I checked that one out too and what I found was that we’ve been doing that for quite a bit longer than 8 years. Looks like it’s been going on pretty much since the day the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Early on we had that thing with the British. I don’t know Jim, maybe you missed that one. Let’s see, what else was there, oh yeah, how about the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World War One, and World War Two. Remember those Jim? We’ve lost soldiers in North Korea and Viet Nam just like we did in Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq. And do you really believe a possible confrontation with Russia never existed more than 8 years ago. I don’t know Jim, maybe you’ve never heard of it, but we had this thing back in the 60’s called the Cuban missile crisis. Let me guess, you missed the whole Cold War too, didn’t you? Hmmm., weird.
You boast that Obama will govern with dignity and hope rather than fear and divisiveness. Come on Jim, give me a break. I’ve read your letters for years now and for the most part, they’ve all had the same common theme, “your hatred of Conservative Republicans.” It’s a little hypocritical that you can lecture me about divisiveness when you’re one of the most divisive people around. I’ve got an idea buddy, how about taking off the liberal-blinders you wear long enough for the fog to lift and then maybe we can have an intelligent conversation.
How about it Jim, you ready to have an honest debate about our differences or do you prefer to remain the same, divisive person you seem to be? It’s up to you man. If you want to talk, you’re welcome to visit my blog at: www.rm235.blogspot.com That goes for the rest of you too. Or like always you can reach me by e-mail at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
How's Senator Palin Sound...
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the left melt down because of Alaskan Governor, Sarah Palin over the course of the last couple of months. The left, you know, the chosen one’s, the one’s who preach inclusiveness, tolerance, and above all, a woman’s right to chose. Problem is though, that only counts if you chose to tow the liberal line and nothing else.
The minute John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate the left went directly into all out attack mode. They sent wave after wave of people to Alaska in an effort to dig up any and all dirt they could find on her and her family. Oh they found stuff alright. They found someone who claimed she had tried to ban books. That’s funny too, one of the books she supposedly tried to ban was “Harry Potter.” Problem with all that is the fact that “Harry Potter” hadn’t even been written yet. But hey, when you’re out to destroy someone, does that really matter?
They found out her husband got a DUI some 20 years ago. Oh my, there was the scandal involving her 17-year-old daughter being pregnant. We had the famous bridge to nowhere. You know, the same bridge that Obama and Biden both voted for before they voted against it. They tried their best to bring her down with the overblown trooper-gate thing. I’m sure they hated it when she was eventually cleared of any wrong doing in that case. Let’s see, she was criticized for having a baby with down- syndrome because in their minds, the only acceptable solution for such a child is to abort them. You know, because it’s best for the child. Sorry, I still have trouble following that logic.
The Obama deranged media, late-night talk show hosts, and the Hollywood elites all did their part to bring her down. The hypocrisy was mind boggling to say the least. High class celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Lindsay Lohan, Madonna, and mother of the year, Brittney Spears all sobered up long enough to climb on top of their high-horses to put her down. Larry Flint, an outstanding citizen, roll model, all around good guy, and oh yeah, owner of Hustler magazine jumped into the mix by making a porn movie with a Sarah Palin look alike. Now that’s real class. Not surprising, the most vicious attacks came from anonymous online bloggers. It’s amazing how cold-hearted people can be when they can hide in the shadows of their computer monitor.
Thought you had her, didn’t you? Wrong. Thanks to convicted felon, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, Governor Palin just might end up being Senator Palin. Didn’t see that coming did you? Yeah, you beat the hell out of John McCain but who didn’t see that coming? And yes, you dealt Palin a set back. But you know what? She’ll be back and I believe she’ll be back stronger and more popular than ever.
When she does maybe we’ll finally get to know the real Sarah Palin instead of the pit bull, lipstick wearing, hockey mom the McCain campaign tried to turn her into.
Do I think she was ready to be vice-president this time around? Probably not. Not yet anyway. Do I think she’ll be ready to run for president in 2012? I don’t know, we’ll just have to wait and see. Give her a few years in Washington to learn the ropes then we’ll get a chance to see how she handles herself. We’ll get a chance to watch how she votes on issues that are important to us as a nation. I don’t know how it’s all going to pan out. Like I said before, we’ll just have to wait and see.
What I do know is that she’s tough as hell and handles herself with the dignity and class that most of her critics can only dream of having. Am I a Palin supporter? You betcha.
Want to argue about it? Visit me online at: www.rm235.blogspot.com or you can e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
The minute John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate the left went directly into all out attack mode. They sent wave after wave of people to Alaska in an effort to dig up any and all dirt they could find on her and her family. Oh they found stuff alright. They found someone who claimed she had tried to ban books. That’s funny too, one of the books she supposedly tried to ban was “Harry Potter.” Problem with all that is the fact that “Harry Potter” hadn’t even been written yet. But hey, when you’re out to destroy someone, does that really matter?
They found out her husband got a DUI some 20 years ago. Oh my, there was the scandal involving her 17-year-old daughter being pregnant. We had the famous bridge to nowhere. You know, the same bridge that Obama and Biden both voted for before they voted against it. They tried their best to bring her down with the overblown trooper-gate thing. I’m sure they hated it when she was eventually cleared of any wrong doing in that case. Let’s see, she was criticized for having a baby with down- syndrome because in their minds, the only acceptable solution for such a child is to abort them. You know, because it’s best for the child. Sorry, I still have trouble following that logic.
The Obama deranged media, late-night talk show hosts, and the Hollywood elites all did their part to bring her down. The hypocrisy was mind boggling to say the least. High class celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Lindsay Lohan, Madonna, and mother of the year, Brittney Spears all sobered up long enough to climb on top of their high-horses to put her down. Larry Flint, an outstanding citizen, roll model, all around good guy, and oh yeah, owner of Hustler magazine jumped into the mix by making a porn movie with a Sarah Palin look alike. Now that’s real class. Not surprising, the most vicious attacks came from anonymous online bloggers. It’s amazing how cold-hearted people can be when they can hide in the shadows of their computer monitor.
Thought you had her, didn’t you? Wrong. Thanks to convicted felon, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, Governor Palin just might end up being Senator Palin. Didn’t see that coming did you? Yeah, you beat the hell out of John McCain but who didn’t see that coming? And yes, you dealt Palin a set back. But you know what? She’ll be back and I believe she’ll be back stronger and more popular than ever.
When she does maybe we’ll finally get to know the real Sarah Palin instead of the pit bull, lipstick wearing, hockey mom the McCain campaign tried to turn her into.
Do I think she was ready to be vice-president this time around? Probably not. Not yet anyway. Do I think she’ll be ready to run for president in 2012? I don’t know, we’ll just have to wait and see. Give her a few years in Washington to learn the ropes then we’ll get a chance to see how she handles herself. We’ll get a chance to watch how she votes on issues that are important to us as a nation. I don’t know how it’s all going to pan out. Like I said before, we’ll just have to wait and see.
What I do know is that she’s tough as hell and handles herself with the dignity and class that most of her critics can only dream of having. Am I a Palin supporter? You betcha.
Want to argue about it? Visit me online at: www.rm235.blogspot.com or you can e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
What can I say...
America has spoken and spoken loud and clear. They made it known they wanted hope and they wanted change. You got it.
But what happens when the tears stop flowing, the hugging stops, the singing stops, and the euphoria you’re all feeling right now starts to fade away? What happens when the props, bling, and all the glitter are sent back to the warehouse and you realize Barrack Obama’s just another politician who simply told you everything you wanted to hear? What happens when everyone goes back home to their hum-drum daily lives and find out that everything’s the same as it‘s always been? What happens when people who bought more house than they could afford still lose their homes even though Obama told them he’d take care of that? What happens when you get behind on your heating bill this winter and the gas company cuts you off for non-payment? Do you think Obama’s going to be there for you? How about when you fill your car up with gas? Is Obama all the sudden going to pay for it because you’re down on your luck? No, it’s not going to happen.
What happens when you realize we’re always going to be in Iraq regardless of what you‘ve been told? You’ve bought into the notion that we should be doing more in Afghanistan. We probably should too, but you’re really going to hate it when they start sending our dead kids home by the thousands once you get your way.
Do you really believe now that your guy’s in the White House the Muslim extremists are going to stop hating us? You want to believe it’s all Bush’s fault but I’ve got a news flash for you, they hated us way before Bush ever came along. What happens when Russia deploys missiles against our NATO allies in Poland of they invade Georgia? Couldn’t happen? Already has. Do we go to war with Russia? I gotta tell you, you’re really going to hate that.
What about the collapse of stock market? The Freddie and Fannie thing? The housing crisis? Bush’s fault, right? Give me a break. Both parties have screwed this country over for as long as we’ve been around. And if you think electing Barrack Obama as our newest President is going to change that, well, I’ll just say you’re mistaken and leave it at that.
It comes down to this. If you want to get ahead in this world, all you’ve got to do is get off your butt and do something about it. Don’t sit around waiting for someone to come to your rescue. That’s the way it’s always been and the way it’ll always be no matter which political party happens to be in power at any given time.
Just look outside. The sun came up in the east this morning and it’ll still set in the west tonight. Life goes on. It’s up to us as individuals to either make something out of ourselves or not. Don’t buy into the notion that some politician is going to do it for you.
Here’s the deal, yes, we have our problems. But I truly believe we live in the greatest country in the world. I certainly didn’t vote for Barrack Obama but he’s still going to be my president. I’ll do my best to support him and my country any way I can, we all should. Just remember though, 2012 is just around the corner, we‘ll fight another day.
Hey, before I wind this up though, I’d like to throw out a “hell yeah” to our new Shawnee County District Attorney, Chad Taylor. No Chad, you didn’t have much of anything to offer as far as qualifications go so you whipped up the Phill Kline thing almost as good as Paul Morrison did. I guess in politics, winning is the only thing that matters, right?
Got something you want to get off your chest? Visit my blog at: www.rm235.blogspot.com or you can always e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
But what happens when the tears stop flowing, the hugging stops, the singing stops, and the euphoria you’re all feeling right now starts to fade away? What happens when the props, bling, and all the glitter are sent back to the warehouse and you realize Barrack Obama’s just another politician who simply told you everything you wanted to hear? What happens when everyone goes back home to their hum-drum daily lives and find out that everything’s the same as it‘s always been? What happens when people who bought more house than they could afford still lose their homes even though Obama told them he’d take care of that? What happens when you get behind on your heating bill this winter and the gas company cuts you off for non-payment? Do you think Obama’s going to be there for you? How about when you fill your car up with gas? Is Obama all the sudden going to pay for it because you’re down on your luck? No, it’s not going to happen.
What happens when you realize we’re always going to be in Iraq regardless of what you‘ve been told? You’ve bought into the notion that we should be doing more in Afghanistan. We probably should too, but you’re really going to hate it when they start sending our dead kids home by the thousands once you get your way.
Do you really believe now that your guy’s in the White House the Muslim extremists are going to stop hating us? You want to believe it’s all Bush’s fault but I’ve got a news flash for you, they hated us way before Bush ever came along. What happens when Russia deploys missiles against our NATO allies in Poland of they invade Georgia? Couldn’t happen? Already has. Do we go to war with Russia? I gotta tell you, you’re really going to hate that.
What about the collapse of stock market? The Freddie and Fannie thing? The housing crisis? Bush’s fault, right? Give me a break. Both parties have screwed this country over for as long as we’ve been around. And if you think electing Barrack Obama as our newest President is going to change that, well, I’ll just say you’re mistaken and leave it at that.
It comes down to this. If you want to get ahead in this world, all you’ve got to do is get off your butt and do something about it. Don’t sit around waiting for someone to come to your rescue. That’s the way it’s always been and the way it’ll always be no matter which political party happens to be in power at any given time.
Just look outside. The sun came up in the east this morning and it’ll still set in the west tonight. Life goes on. It’s up to us as individuals to either make something out of ourselves or not. Don’t buy into the notion that some politician is going to do it for you.
Here’s the deal, yes, we have our problems. But I truly believe we live in the greatest country in the world. I certainly didn’t vote for Barrack Obama but he’s still going to be my president. I’ll do my best to support him and my country any way I can, we all should. Just remember though, 2012 is just around the corner, we‘ll fight another day.
Hey, before I wind this up though, I’d like to throw out a “hell yeah” to our new Shawnee County District Attorney, Chad Taylor. No Chad, you didn’t have much of anything to offer as far as qualifications go so you whipped up the Phill Kline thing almost as good as Paul Morrison did. I guess in politics, winning is the only thing that matters, right?
Got something you want to get off your chest? Visit my blog at: www.rm235.blogspot.com or you can always e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Sunday, November 2, 2008
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Solo Expedition...
I haven't really talked about it much but every other weekend I usually head out by myself. It's usually the day I seek out new fis...
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Have I ever told you about “Lone Duck“ campground? It’s in Cadorado. That’s how my grandson used to pronounce Colorado. You see, we’ve taken...
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Imagine if you will, a world being run by insane people. Hell, you don't have to imagine it. Just look around. Just two short years ago ...
