Just a quick update. I've agreed to start a blog on our local paper www.cjonline.com and will link it to this one as well.
And just so you all know, we'll probably be getting a little more traffic over the course of the next few days. Oh, and it probably won't all be good either. CJ has a lot of left-wing loons who love nothing more than to hurl personal attacks as a way of shutting someone up.
Anyway, I plan to have it up and running by this weekend. This ought to be fun...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
No Game This Sunday...
I'm getting off topic here. But I just found out that due to lack of ticket sales, the Chiefs have blacked out this Sunday's game against Cleveland.
I'm sure the Chiefs management or players don't give a shit one way or the other but in my house, Sunday's revolve around the Chiefs game. Win or lose, we've always been there. We all get together, cook up a ton of food. We laugh, cuss, and dicuss everything under the sun. As the game wears on, there are high-five's, and a lot of groans. I always hang out my huge Chiefs banner on the front of the house. Yeah, even when they lose, it's still a good time.
But now things have changed. They tell us that because not enough people are actually going to the game, my family and I can't even watch them on TV.
I'll tell you what, Chiefs. How about you kissing my ass. How about not sucking so bad for a change and maybe people will start going again.
We'll still get together and we'll still have a good time. But there'll be no banner hanging on the front of my house tomorrow. Probably not for the rest of the year either.
Better be careful, Chiefs. You might just run off the few fans you have left and I'm one of them.
Yeah, why don't you just kiss my ass. I can live without you. But how long can you survive without people like me...
I'm sure the Chiefs management or players don't give a shit one way or the other but in my house, Sunday's revolve around the Chiefs game. Win or lose, we've always been there. We all get together, cook up a ton of food. We laugh, cuss, and dicuss everything under the sun. As the game wears on, there are high-five's, and a lot of groans. I always hang out my huge Chiefs banner on the front of the house. Yeah, even when they lose, it's still a good time.
But now things have changed. They tell us that because not enough people are actually going to the game, my family and I can't even watch them on TV.
I'll tell you what, Chiefs. How about you kissing my ass. How about not sucking so bad for a change and maybe people will start going again.
We'll still get together and we'll still have a good time. But there'll be no banner hanging on the front of my house tomorrow. Probably not for the rest of the year either.
Better be careful, Chiefs. You might just run off the few fans you have left and I'm one of them.
Yeah, why don't you just kiss my ass. I can live without you. But how long can you survive without people like me...
Sunday, December 13, 2009
A Letter To The Editor...
I read a letter to the editor in another paper the other day where the writer complained that the only purpose being served by the “Climategate” e-mails was to muddy the waters in the ongoing Global-Warming debate.
Wow, I thought the debate was over. I mean that’s what the believers and their idiot hero, Al Gore keep telling us.
Actually, because of these hacked e-mails, we’re finally having that debate whether the doom and gloom crowd like it or not. Funny how that works.
Speaking of all that, I’d like to give a quick, well deserved, “shout out” to Congressman Dennis Moore for being the first (of many) Democrat loser in the 2010 elections. You don’t suppose he’s seen the writing on the wall for his predictable, rubber stamp vote on the “Cap and Tax” Bill, Obama’s trying to shove down our throats, do you?
Oh yeah, one more thing. I really enjoy reading the stories and the comments on CJ Online, but some of you guys take yourselves way to serious. The other day during one of the usual insult, counter insult exchanges, one poster actually put another poster “on notice” for something they’d written. I’m not sure exactly what being “put on notice” was supposed to mean, but it was good for a laugh.
I’d suggest some of you need to step away from your keyboards for a while and enjoy life in the real world. Spend a little time with your family and friends, enjoy the holidays and quit being so jacked out of shape all the time. I’m just saying. Merry Christmas, all.
Wow, I thought the debate was over. I mean that’s what the believers and their idiot hero, Al Gore keep telling us.
Actually, because of these hacked e-mails, we’re finally having that debate whether the doom and gloom crowd like it or not. Funny how that works.
Speaking of all that, I’d like to give a quick, well deserved, “shout out” to Congressman Dennis Moore for being the first (of many) Democrat loser in the 2010 elections. You don’t suppose he’s seen the writing on the wall for his predictable, rubber stamp vote on the “Cap and Tax” Bill, Obama’s trying to shove down our throats, do you?
Oh yeah, one more thing. I really enjoy reading the stories and the comments on CJ Online, but some of you guys take yourselves way to serious. The other day during one of the usual insult, counter insult exchanges, one poster actually put another poster “on notice” for something they’d written. I’m not sure exactly what being “put on notice” was supposed to mean, but it was good for a laugh.
I’d suggest some of you need to step away from your keyboards for a while and enjoy life in the real world. Spend a little time with your family and friends, enjoy the holidays and quit being so jacked out of shape all the time. I’m just saying. Merry Christmas, all.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Debate Is Over - We're All Screwed...
We might as well pack it in, boys and girls. Back on October, 19 Gordon Brown told the UN, there were only 50 days left to save the world from the ravages of global warming. If he’s right, we won’t even make it till Christmas and I doubt they'll be able to do much between now and then. So it looks to me, we're all screwed. Might as well live it up then.
You know, you global warming people might be taken more seriously if you didn't get so far out there. That and the fact that you’ve been wrong about every prediction you’ve ever made, starting way back in the 60’s with your global cooling hysteria. You said we’d all be dead by now. And the outrageous claims you made way back then were just as wrong as the one’s you’re making today.
I came across a list of a few of the things you claim global warming is responsible for and some of the one’s you claim are coming. Go grab something to drink, this might take a while.
They tell us we can say goodbye to French wines because the grapes will burn up on the vines. Thanks to killer beetles and global warming, we can say goodbye to baseball because of the ash trees, the one’s baseball bats are made of will all die off. Entire forests in British Columbia are dying, so looks like we can say goodbye to the Christmas Tree.
Evidently Rainbow Trout are all going to die, so we can forget about fly fishing too. How about those ski competitions we all like to watch. Well, they’ll be a thing of the past too once the snow stops falling in the mountains.
Maybe you’re into snorkeling. Forget it. Carbon dioxide is killing the oceans too. How about a nice tropical island vacation this year. Not going to happen, most of the islands we all know and love will be under water before we know it. Salmon and lobsters will die as will the sharks and whales, so you can forget about going out to Red Lobster to eat.
Maybe wildflowers are your thing. Better hurry up, according to your fellow crazies at least a fifth of all wildflower species will be wiped out and replaced by dominant grasses anytime now. Dandelions will take over our lawns, mosquitoes will thrive as will poison ivy along with a long list of noxious weeds.
Birds will die. Once the polar bears run out of food, they’ll resort to cannibalism. We’ll experience a huge increase of brown bear attacks on people because the bears will have to travel farther and farther to find new food sources. Emperor penguins and frogs will be gone. But then so will the Artic fox and the walrus. There’ll be no more Koala bears either. Jelly fish will move closer to shore and start attacking more people than ever before. Now we even have to worrying about giant squid attacking us.
There’ll be no more sheep, goats, deer, rabbits, or lizards. But because global warming will extend the cat-breeding season, there’ll be more stray cats to contend with. But we can say goodbye to the beloved snail.
All the glaciers will be gone and the coveted Northwest Passage will become a reality. The oceans will turn to acid. The great barrier reef will be a thing of the past and some of the world’s largest rivers will dry up. If you’ve never had the chance to see the Mississippi river, you’d better get going soon. Lakes are drying up as we speak. We’ll see a huge surge in volcanic activity. There’ll more and bigger hurricanes. We’ll have more wildfires and floods. New York City will be under 20 feet of water and we’ll return to the dust bowl days of the 20’s.
Global warming will kill millions of us. Malaria, cholera, small pox, and lyme disease will be out of control. And if the diseases don’t get us, war will. Countries will start attacking each other over the few resources left in the world. Mass starvation and famine will become the new normal in the world.
They tell us mankind's very existence is at stake. I'd say our wallets and more importantly our way of life is at stake here. They were wrong forty years ago and they're wrong today.
You know, you global warming people might be taken more seriously if you didn't get so far out there. That and the fact that you’ve been wrong about every prediction you’ve ever made, starting way back in the 60’s with your global cooling hysteria. You said we’d all be dead by now. And the outrageous claims you made way back then were just as wrong as the one’s you’re making today.
I came across a list of a few of the things you claim global warming is responsible for and some of the one’s you claim are coming. Go grab something to drink, this might take a while.
They tell us we can say goodbye to French wines because the grapes will burn up on the vines. Thanks to killer beetles and global warming, we can say goodbye to baseball because of the ash trees, the one’s baseball bats are made of will all die off. Entire forests in British Columbia are dying, so looks like we can say goodbye to the Christmas Tree.
Evidently Rainbow Trout are all going to die, so we can forget about fly fishing too. How about those ski competitions we all like to watch. Well, they’ll be a thing of the past too once the snow stops falling in the mountains.
Maybe you’re into snorkeling. Forget it. Carbon dioxide is killing the oceans too. How about a nice tropical island vacation this year. Not going to happen, most of the islands we all know and love will be under water before we know it. Salmon and lobsters will die as will the sharks and whales, so you can forget about going out to Red Lobster to eat.
Maybe wildflowers are your thing. Better hurry up, according to your fellow crazies at least a fifth of all wildflower species will be wiped out and replaced by dominant grasses anytime now. Dandelions will take over our lawns, mosquitoes will thrive as will poison ivy along with a long list of noxious weeds.
Birds will die. Once the polar bears run out of food, they’ll resort to cannibalism. We’ll experience a huge increase of brown bear attacks on people because the bears will have to travel farther and farther to find new food sources. Emperor penguins and frogs will be gone. But then so will the Artic fox and the walrus. There’ll be no more Koala bears either. Jelly fish will move closer to shore and start attacking more people than ever before. Now we even have to worrying about giant squid attacking us.
There’ll be no more sheep, goats, deer, rabbits, or lizards. But because global warming will extend the cat-breeding season, there’ll be more stray cats to contend with. But we can say goodbye to the beloved snail.
All the glaciers will be gone and the coveted Northwest Passage will become a reality. The oceans will turn to acid. The great barrier reef will be a thing of the past and some of the world’s largest rivers will dry up. If you’ve never had the chance to see the Mississippi river, you’d better get going soon. Lakes are drying up as we speak. We’ll see a huge surge in volcanic activity. There’ll more and bigger hurricanes. We’ll have more wildfires and floods. New York City will be under 20 feet of water and we’ll return to the dust bowl days of the 20’s.
Global warming will kill millions of us. Malaria, cholera, small pox, and lyme disease will be out of control. And if the diseases don’t get us, war will. Countries will start attacking each other over the few resources left in the world. Mass starvation and famine will become the new normal in the world.
They tell us mankind's very existence is at stake. I'd say our wallets and more importantly our way of life is at stake here. They were wrong forty years ago and they're wrong today.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Goodbye Mearl
Damn, it’s good to be home. Let’s see, in the last month I’ve worked in Ogallala and Superior, Nebraska. Spent two days in Torrington, Wyoming. From there they sent me to Hays, Salina, three days in Beloit, and I just finished up a week in Concordia. And actually, I was scheduled to be in Great Bend this week, but things change.
I got home Saturday night, my wife and I went out to eat and headed to the casino. We walked into the Sac N Fox with a hundred dollars apiece and ready to kick some serious casino ass. Well, that plan didn’t work out. We walked out a couple of hours later, and the only thing left in our pockets was a little bit of lint. Oh well, we still had a lot of fun and got to spend time together.
Sunday was a wonderful day. The kids and grand kids all came over to watch the Chiefs beat the hell out of Oakland. We ate, talked, gossiped, played some mean games of ping-pong, and just generally enjoyed being together. Yeah, it was a good day.
Earlier tonight, I was able to go to my niece’s fifth grade, music program. I just love those things. I really enjoy watching the kids singing their little hearts out.
Yeah, it’s good to be home. So good in fact, that every once in a while, even if it’s only for a few minutes, I’ve been able to forget why I was able to get my schedule changed in the first place. You see, a good friend of mine died the other day and tomorrow, well, they’re going to bury him.
Mearl was a good guy. To a lot of people he was probably just another old guy. But to those of us who worked with him and got to know him, he’ll always be well thought of and will always be remembered. Mearl had been fighting pancreatic cancer for the last year or so. He was slowly losing the battle but in the end that’s not what killed him. He had a heart attack last Thursday night. It was a bad one. One that he’d never recover from.
I hadn’t talked to him for a while. I knew his cancer was terminal. But it had been in remission and he’d been feeling better the last couple of months. Like always, I put off calling him. I was either too busy, or just figured I’d call him later. Well ,later came and went. Now it’s too late, he’s gone and I regret not making that phone call.
I’m not telling you this story to bum you out. I guess I’m telling it so that maybe you don’t make the same mistake. If you have someone you care about, maybe it’s a your mom or dad, could be your brother or sister, maybe it’s just a good old friend who’s not feeling well. Call them. Tomorrow just might be too late…
I got home Saturday night, my wife and I went out to eat and headed to the casino. We walked into the Sac N Fox with a hundred dollars apiece and ready to kick some serious casino ass. Well, that plan didn’t work out. We walked out a couple of hours later, and the only thing left in our pockets was a little bit of lint. Oh well, we still had a lot of fun and got to spend time together.
Sunday was a wonderful day. The kids and grand kids all came over to watch the Chiefs beat the hell out of Oakland. We ate, talked, gossiped, played some mean games of ping-pong, and just generally enjoyed being together. Yeah, it was a good day.
Earlier tonight, I was able to go to my niece’s fifth grade, music program. I just love those things. I really enjoy watching the kids singing their little hearts out.
Yeah, it’s good to be home. So good in fact, that every once in a while, even if it’s only for a few minutes, I’ve been able to forget why I was able to get my schedule changed in the first place. You see, a good friend of mine died the other day and tomorrow, well, they’re going to bury him.
Mearl was a good guy. To a lot of people he was probably just another old guy. But to those of us who worked with him and got to know him, he’ll always be well thought of and will always be remembered. Mearl had been fighting pancreatic cancer for the last year or so. He was slowly losing the battle but in the end that’s not what killed him. He had a heart attack last Thursday night. It was a bad one. One that he’d never recover from.
I hadn’t talked to him for a while. I knew his cancer was terminal. But it had been in remission and he’d been feeling better the last couple of months. Like always, I put off calling him. I was either too busy, or just figured I’d call him later. Well ,later came and went. Now it’s too late, he’s gone and I regret not making that phone call.
I’m not telling you this story to bum you out. I guess I’m telling it so that maybe you don’t make the same mistake. If you have someone you care about, maybe it’s a your mom or dad, could be your brother or sister, maybe it’s just a good old friend who’s not feeling well. Call them. Tomorrow just might be too late…
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
THANK YOU VETERANS...
As you go about doing what it is that you do today, stop and at least give a thought to why you're even able to do it in the first place.
It's because of the sacrifices people have made before a lot of us were even born. In every instance (bar none) when our liberty and freedom has been threatened we've turned to the military to bail us out.
Regardless of the situation, regardless of the personal sacrifices it required, regardless of where or when, regardless of the conditions they were asked to fight is, the American Veteran has never let us down.
I have plenty to say about the killing spree at Fort Hood the other day, but I'll just hold my tongue till tomorrow.
Today, it's about thanking all Veterans for the sacrifices they've made in the past and the one's they continue making to this day. We owe them a debt we can never properly re-pay.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
You Gotta Be Kidding Me...
Man, I'm having a really hard time trying to figure what to write about this week. It's not that there's nothing going on. It's more like how do you just focus on one thing at a time. So I've decided to touch on several things, if for no other reason than to get it all off my chest. Bear with me.
I was reading an article in USA Today a little while ago about the new "electric" cars Obama and his enviromental extremists are pushing for. The article talked about the benifits to the enviroment by getting thousands of planet killing, co2 spewing, gas powered vehicles off the road.
That's all good and fine with me, I guess. If you don't mind paying up to $90,000 for one, you don't mind traveling along at a 45 m.p.h., don't have to carry much more than a grocery bag with you, and you don't need to travel more than 40 miles before you have to re-charge it. Other than all that, it's a pretty good deal.
Well there is one little thing they seem to have forgotten about. They've forgotten about how much more electricity will be required to run these little pieces of crap they're trying to shove down our throats and we all know how much they hate elecrticity.
The UN in all their infinite wisdom told us a couple of weeks ago that we only had 50days left to save the world from global warming. Here's the way I see it, guys. That was about 20 days ago. So now we only have 30 days left, hell we won't even make to Christmas. Why bother. Live it up, man and party like hell...
You guys ready for some good, old-fashioned, Government run, health-care? Just look at the stories around the country about the shortages of the H1N1 vacinations we're facing. They can't even get this one thing right and they want us to believe they can take over the entire thing. You gotta be kidding me!
Oh yeah, the elections last night. Don't you believe for one minute that conservatisim in America is dead. Conservatives spoke in one, loud, crystal clear voice and kicked the Democrats out on their asses.
Obama tried his best to put a positive spin on things though. He even issued a statement that he wasn't even paying attention as the results were coming in. I gotta be honest, I had one of those "Joe Wilson" moments and called him a "LIAR."
Here's the deal, Obama. You've shoved way too much down our throats in 2009. Come 2010, we're going to shove it right back up your ass, and mark my word, last night was just the beginning.
I was reading an article in USA Today a little while ago about the new "electric" cars Obama and his enviromental extremists are pushing for. The article talked about the benifits to the enviroment by getting thousands of planet killing, co2 spewing, gas powered vehicles off the road.
That's all good and fine with me, I guess. If you don't mind paying up to $90,000 for one, you don't mind traveling along at a 45 m.p.h., don't have to carry much more than a grocery bag with you, and you don't need to travel more than 40 miles before you have to re-charge it. Other than all that, it's a pretty good deal.
Well there is one little thing they seem to have forgotten about. They've forgotten about how much more electricity will be required to run these little pieces of crap they're trying to shove down our throats and we all know how much they hate elecrticity.
The UN in all their infinite wisdom told us a couple of weeks ago that we only had 50days left to save the world from global warming. Here's the way I see it, guys. That was about 20 days ago. So now we only have 30 days left, hell we won't even make to Christmas. Why bother. Live it up, man and party like hell...
You guys ready for some good, old-fashioned, Government run, health-care? Just look at the stories around the country about the shortages of the H1N1 vacinations we're facing. They can't even get this one thing right and they want us to believe they can take over the entire thing. You gotta be kidding me!
Oh yeah, the elections last night. Don't you believe for one minute that conservatisim in America is dead. Conservatives spoke in one, loud, crystal clear voice and kicked the Democrats out on their asses.
Obama tried his best to put a positive spin on things though. He even issued a statement that he wasn't even paying attention as the results were coming in. I gotta be honest, I had one of those "Joe Wilson" moments and called him a "LIAR."
Here's the deal, Obama. You've shoved way too much down our throats in 2009. Come 2010, we're going to shove it right back up your ass, and mark my word, last night was just the beginning.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
How about this idea...
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Last weekend my mother showed her true colors. This is going to be hard for me to talk about. I mean with the shame and all. But hey, I’ll do the best I can.
I’m not sure exactly what led up to my mom’s comments but she let it be known, that she believes we owe it the kids to take care of them, no matter what. She believes we have a moral obligation to do so. That and it’s just the right thing to do.
The whole “it’s for the kids” argument has always been popular. It’s also hard for a politician to campaign against. As soon as they try, they’re faced with attack ads, painting them as kid haters. Well, I’m not running for anything, so I’ll give it a shot.
Really, I only have one question. Why? Other than “it’s just the right thing to do,” why do we owe anybody, anything? Hard-hearted? I’m sure some of you will take it that way.
But really, isn’t that what we’ve been doing all along? If welfare, food stamps, medical cards, free education, free school lunches, free public transportation, automatic increases in benefits for every new born kid, unemployment insurance, free re-training programs for those looking for a job, free county run health clinics, free rehabilitation programs, free marriage counseling programs, Section 8 housing programs. The list could easily go on and on, but I think you get the point.
Free this, free that. When’s it going to be enough? If these programs aren’t for the kid’s, what is? We’ve been dolling out one entitlement program after another. What good has it done? The poor are still poor. The only difference is, we’ve been doing it for several generations now.
It’s all worked according to the plan, too. Make people dependent on the Government, keep them that way, and sooner or later, it becomes a way of life. And that , my friends, is exactly what this is all about.
Here’s what I believe. We should take care of those who can’t take care of themselves. No question about that. Other than that, I believe there are three more groups we should take care of. Veterans and the elderly. The veterans for obvious reasons, and our parents, well, because we owe it to them. Last but not least, I believe we owe all unborn kids, the most fundamental right there is. Simply the right to live.
Mom, I love you and all, but how about this idea. How about people taking care of their own kids for a change. You know, the way most of us do. But I suppose that’s just crazy talk in today’s world, isn’t it.
Oh yeah, the whole Obama thing I threatened to write about. I was just seeing if you guys were paying attention.
Later…
I’m not sure exactly what led up to my mom’s comments but she let it be known, that she believes we owe it the kids to take care of them, no matter what. She believes we have a moral obligation to do so. That and it’s just the right thing to do.
The whole “it’s for the kids” argument has always been popular. It’s also hard for a politician to campaign against. As soon as they try, they’re faced with attack ads, painting them as kid haters. Well, I’m not running for anything, so I’ll give it a shot.
Really, I only have one question. Why? Other than “it’s just the right thing to do,” why do we owe anybody, anything? Hard-hearted? I’m sure some of you will take it that way.
But really, isn’t that what we’ve been doing all along? If welfare, food stamps, medical cards, free education, free school lunches, free public transportation, automatic increases in benefits for every new born kid, unemployment insurance, free re-training programs for those looking for a job, free county run health clinics, free rehabilitation programs, free marriage counseling programs, Section 8 housing programs. The list could easily go on and on, but I think you get the point.
Free this, free that. When’s it going to be enough? If these programs aren’t for the kid’s, what is? We’ve been dolling out one entitlement program after another. What good has it done? The poor are still poor. The only difference is, we’ve been doing it for several generations now.
It’s all worked according to the plan, too. Make people dependent on the Government, keep them that way, and sooner or later, it becomes a way of life. And that , my friends, is exactly what this is all about.
Here’s what I believe. We should take care of those who can’t take care of themselves. No question about that. Other than that, I believe there are three more groups we should take care of. Veterans and the elderly. The veterans for obvious reasons, and our parents, well, because we owe it to them. Last but not least, I believe we owe all unborn kids, the most fundamental right there is. Simply the right to live.
Mom, I love you and all, but how about this idea. How about people taking care of their own kids for a change. You know, the way most of us do. But I suppose that’s just crazy talk in today’s world, isn’t it.
Oh yeah, the whole Obama thing I threatened to write about. I was just seeing if you guys were paying attention.
Later…
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Should be up and running by Wednesday night...
Sorry, guys, my schedule's been crazy the last couple weeks. But I am working on something.
But first, I probably ought to warn you Obama supporters out there. You're probably gonna be offended, so you might want to skip this one. I'm just saying...
But first, I probably ought to warn you Obama supporters out there. You're probably gonna be offended, so you might want to skip this one. I'm just saying...
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wussification of America
The stupidity just keeps coming, doesn’t it. The other day a six-year-old boy was suspended from school and condemned to reform school for 45 days, all because he brought a stupid boy scout knife to school with him.
Somewhere a parent was arrested for the horrible crime of washing out their kid’s mouth with soap. Imagine that.
Just the other day, an apartment complex manager in Albany, Oregon threatened to evict a tenant because of the American flag he was flying on the back of his motorcycle. They were worried it might offend someone.
The kid with the knife thing. Yeah, I can see where a school wouldn’t want a kid’s bringing knives to school. We all get that. How about this approach though. How about taking it away from the kid and calling his parents to talk about the incident. Nah, that would make way too much sense.
The soap thing. You gotta be kidding me. If that had been a law when I was a kid, my mom would still be in jail. We’re living a new kind of world today. It’s a world where the government has more and more say about how you raise your own kids. It’s just going to get worse if we let it, too. During the campaign anyone calling Obama a socialist was labeled crazy by his followers. Now that all doubt has been removed about his agenda they ask, what’s so bad about Socialism?
Oh yeah, the apartment complex fiasco. Why would anyone be surprised by that one. Hell they’ve been doing the exact same thing with God for years now. The American flag is the next logical target for the left-wing loons. In their world, America is the root of all evil. Well, that and God. So the only logical thing left to do is to remove all symbols that remind us of who we are.
The crowning moment for the extremists had to be the day Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. For what? For embarrassing us by kissing the world’s ass? And what do we get in return? Nothing!
A man of peace my ass. He’s divided this country deeper and faster than anyone has ever been able to do before him. His attacks on those who disagree with him are an attack on millions of Americans, we‘re offended, and we‘re mad as hell. Don’t think for a minute we haven’t noticed or that we’re going to forget.
The 2010 elections will be here before you know it. You had your chance, but it’s time for the adults to take over again…
Somewhere a parent was arrested for the horrible crime of washing out their kid’s mouth with soap. Imagine that.
Just the other day, an apartment complex manager in Albany, Oregon threatened to evict a tenant because of the American flag he was flying on the back of his motorcycle. They were worried it might offend someone.
The kid with the knife thing. Yeah, I can see where a school wouldn’t want a kid’s bringing knives to school. We all get that. How about this approach though. How about taking it away from the kid and calling his parents to talk about the incident. Nah, that would make way too much sense.
The soap thing. You gotta be kidding me. If that had been a law when I was a kid, my mom would still be in jail. We’re living a new kind of world today. It’s a world where the government has more and more say about how you raise your own kids. It’s just going to get worse if we let it, too. During the campaign anyone calling Obama a socialist was labeled crazy by his followers. Now that all doubt has been removed about his agenda they ask, what’s so bad about Socialism?
Oh yeah, the apartment complex fiasco. Why would anyone be surprised by that one. Hell they’ve been doing the exact same thing with God for years now. The American flag is the next logical target for the left-wing loons. In their world, America is the root of all evil. Well, that and God. So the only logical thing left to do is to remove all symbols that remind us of who we are.
The crowning moment for the extremists had to be the day Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. For what? For embarrassing us by kissing the world’s ass? And what do we get in return? Nothing!
A man of peace my ass. He’s divided this country deeper and faster than anyone has ever been able to do before him. His attacks on those who disagree with him are an attack on millions of Americans, we‘re offended, and we‘re mad as hell. Don’t think for a minute we haven’t noticed or that we’re going to forget.
The 2010 elections will be here before you know it. You had your chance, but it’s time for the adults to take over again…
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
At Least I Still Have a Job...
At least I still have a job.
Oh sorry. You caught me talking to myself. It's just that I have to keep reminding myself of the fact that millions of people have lost their jobs in the last couple of years and that I'm lucky to have mine.
That's true enough, I suppose. Sometimes though, I'd just as soon let one of them have mine so I could sit on my ass for a while.
Let's see, in the last five weeks I've worked in Hutchinson, Great Bend, Manhattan, Beloit, Garnett and Topeka.
I got home yesterday (Tuesday) with the agreement that I'd finally get to spend the rest of the week at home. Well that lasted about 24 hours. It's almost 6:00 P.M. and I'm waiting for the word of whether I'm going to either Manhattan or Hays. Either way, I have to make the trip tonight. In the line of work I do, we're usually at work by 2:00 in the morning. So I'd rather make the trip tonight and get a few hours sleep in a motel before I have to get up again.
So here I am, waiting. Waiting for that phone call. Waiting to see where I'm going next. Waiting to see what the people who sign my paycheck have in mind.
Yeah, I know. At least I still have a job...
Oh sorry. You caught me talking to myself. It's just that I have to keep reminding myself of the fact that millions of people have lost their jobs in the last couple of years and that I'm lucky to have mine.
That's true enough, I suppose. Sometimes though, I'd just as soon let one of them have mine so I could sit on my ass for a while.
Let's see, in the last five weeks I've worked in Hutchinson, Great Bend, Manhattan, Beloit, Garnett and Topeka.
I got home yesterday (Tuesday) with the agreement that I'd finally get to spend the rest of the week at home. Well that lasted about 24 hours. It's almost 6:00 P.M. and I'm waiting for the word of whether I'm going to either Manhattan or Hays. Either way, I have to make the trip tonight. In the line of work I do, we're usually at work by 2:00 in the morning. So I'd rather make the trip tonight and get a few hours sleep in a motel before I have to get up again.
So here I am, waiting. Waiting for that phone call. Waiting to see where I'm going next. Waiting to see what the people who sign my paycheck have in mind.
Yeah, I know. At least I still have a job...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Barack Husein Obama, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm...
Just for the record, I have no intrest in the Olympics what-so-ever, let alone where they hold them. So when we learned today that Chicago had been eliminated in the first round of voting, it was more of a yawn moment for me.
Well, it would have been if it weren't for the fact that our arrogant, egotistical, rock star president, Barrack Obama went to bat for us and failed.
This is par for the course though. Here we are, two wars going on. More and more Americans are dying in Afghastan. And for what? Millions of Americans are losing their jobs, unemployment is at it's highest level since the early 80's.
We're told if we don't pass his Health care plan, we'll all die. We're told if we don't sign on to his Cap and Trade fiasco, we'll all die. He ridicules CEO's for wasting money by flying on private jets and such, yet he has the gall to jump in Air Force One to give his pitch to host the Olympic Games. Whatever!
I know, like always, the press will do their best to put a positive spin on the whole thing. But think about it, guys.
What's the man actually done for us? Any of us? Okay yeah, he's done a lot of television. He's trotted around the globe, running America down. He's bowed down to Saudi Kings, he's apologized to the world for everything (good or bad) America has ever done.
What good has it done? Have any of our NATO allies stepped up to the plate and offered to help us out in Afghastan? How about North Korea and Iran's nukes? How's that working out? It's not.
How about withdrawing the missile defense from Poland? Do you really believe Russia is all the sudden going to help us out and support sanctions against Iran? I guess we'll see. I wouldn't count on it though.
The way I see it, is he's emboldened our enemies by showing weakness. He believes if he apologizes enough and makes nice with them , they'll be more willing to do what he wants. It's not going to happen.
And you can bet, they're all having a good laugh right about now.
He's the ultimate left-wing lunatic. And we elected him to lead us.
God help us!
Well, it would have been if it weren't for the fact that our arrogant, egotistical, rock star president, Barrack Obama went to bat for us and failed.
This is par for the course though. Here we are, two wars going on. More and more Americans are dying in Afghastan. And for what? Millions of Americans are losing their jobs, unemployment is at it's highest level since the early 80's.
We're told if we don't pass his Health care plan, we'll all die. We're told if we don't sign on to his Cap and Trade fiasco, we'll all die. He ridicules CEO's for wasting money by flying on private jets and such, yet he has the gall to jump in Air Force One to give his pitch to host the Olympic Games. Whatever!
I know, like always, the press will do their best to put a positive spin on the whole thing. But think about it, guys.
What's the man actually done for us? Any of us? Okay yeah, he's done a lot of television. He's trotted around the globe, running America down. He's bowed down to Saudi Kings, he's apologized to the world for everything (good or bad) America has ever done.
What good has it done? Have any of our NATO allies stepped up to the plate and offered to help us out in Afghastan? How about North Korea and Iran's nukes? How's that working out? It's not.
How about withdrawing the missile defense from Poland? Do you really believe Russia is all the sudden going to help us out and support sanctions against Iran? I guess we'll see. I wouldn't count on it though.
The way I see it, is he's emboldened our enemies by showing weakness. He believes if he apologizes enough and makes nice with them , they'll be more willing to do what he wants. It's not going to happen.
And you can bet, they're all having a good laugh right about now.
He's the ultimate left-wing lunatic. And we elected him to lead us.
God help us!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The Numbers...
Every once in a while someone will ask me why I've named my blog "ROOM 235." Hopefully, this will help explain it...
Numbers. I've never been a numbers guy, never really gave them much thought one way or the other. But over the course of the last 23 days I've learned numbers can literally mean the difference between life and death.
Numbers like 17, 235, 15,12, 160, 87, 65/45, and 23 all became to mean everything in my Granddaughter's world. Emily was born 17 weeks premature on November 12th.and was transferred to “room 235” of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Stormont-Vail Hospital. This was also the day my journey through her world of numbers began.
Good morning Emily, I'm your Grandpa. I know, I'm kind of big and probably a little scary looking but you'll get used to me. Hey, look at those numbers on the ventilator. The nurses tell me 15 is excellent for your oxygen level. And that the vent setting doesn't get much better than a 12. I know it's been a pretty rough first day for you, so I'm not going to stay too long. You be a good girl and mind the nurses, I'll see you in the morning. And remember that Grandpa loves you.
And so our daily routine began. We talked about the adventures we were going to have once she got to come home. First and foremost I explained she was going to have to put on some weight. At 1lb., 4oz., it was going to be hard for her to ride a bike. I offered to start bringing her chocolate chip cookies and pop. While Emily thought it was a good idea, the nurses didn't think so. We talked about her first day of school, about the fishing trips we were going to take. She was really excited about going 4-wheeling in the mountains of Colorado.
I told her how lucky she was to have two Grandmothers Linda and Debbie that loved her so much. We talked about her aunts, uncles, and cousins. I warned her about the stupid cats and dogs she'd meet. I even warned her about staying away from boys. I'm not sure, but I think I saw her blushing after this conversation. But mostly, she liked hearing about her Mommy and Daddy.
Over the next few days I learned about the other numbers on the monitor above her bed. The top one was her heart rate. I learned that 160 was a very good number indeed. And that 87 indicated how much oxygen was in her blood. The 65/45 was the blood pressure.
All day and night long the doctors and nurses watched these numbers. They made adjustments to the machines or medications according to what the numbers told them. They were very up front with us from the beginning. Some days were pretty good. Others were pretty bad, it all depended on the numbers. The nurses referred to this as the roller coaster ride.
Monday December 4th was an exceptionally good day. Emily's numbers were even better that they had been the previous weekend. She was finally able to open her eyes for the first time. They were the biggest, most beautiful, brown eyes I had ever seen. We talked about riding the train at Gage park. I blew her a kiss, told her Grandpa loved her, and assured her I'd see her in the morning.
Sometime around 9:00 Monday night the hospital called. Emily had taken a turn for the worse, and we needed to get there as soon as we could. It was the numbers, the 15and 12 had turned into 101 and 40. The 160 was now a 50. The 87 was somewhere around 35 now, and the blood pressure that once read a steady 65/45 wasn't even registering anymore. They told us her system was shutting down, she was dying, and didn't think she'd be able to hang on for much more than 3 or 4 more hours.
Ultimately the numbers did get the best of her, but Emily did beat the 3 and the 4. She was able to hang on another 24 hours. And in doing so we were all able to say our goodbyes. I'm not sure what the others said to her. For me, I just held her tiny hand, kissed her on the forehead and told her I understood that she had to go, I promised I'd never forget her, and told her to remember that Grandpa loved her.
We had Emily with us for 23 days, 4 hours, and 42 minutes. And for that I'll always be grateful.
You can get a hold of me at my blog www.rm235.blogspot.com or you can e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Numbers. I've never been a numbers guy, never really gave them much thought one way or the other. But over the course of the last 23 days I've learned numbers can literally mean the difference between life and death.
Numbers like 17, 235, 15,12, 160, 87, 65/45, and 23 all became to mean everything in my Granddaughter's world. Emily was born 17 weeks premature on November 12th.and was transferred to “room 235” of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Stormont-Vail Hospital. This was also the day my journey through her world of numbers began.
Good morning Emily, I'm your Grandpa. I know, I'm kind of big and probably a little scary looking but you'll get used to me. Hey, look at those numbers on the ventilator. The nurses tell me 15 is excellent for your oxygen level. And that the vent setting doesn't get much better than a 12. I know it's been a pretty rough first day for you, so I'm not going to stay too long. You be a good girl and mind the nurses, I'll see you in the morning. And remember that Grandpa loves you.
And so our daily routine began. We talked about the adventures we were going to have once she got to come home. First and foremost I explained she was going to have to put on some weight. At 1lb., 4oz., it was going to be hard for her to ride a bike. I offered to start bringing her chocolate chip cookies and pop. While Emily thought it was a good idea, the nurses didn't think so. We talked about her first day of school, about the fishing trips we were going to take. She was really excited about going 4-wheeling in the mountains of Colorado.
I told her how lucky she was to have two Grandmothers Linda and Debbie that loved her so much. We talked about her aunts, uncles, and cousins. I warned her about the stupid cats and dogs she'd meet. I even warned her about staying away from boys. I'm not sure, but I think I saw her blushing after this conversation. But mostly, she liked hearing about her Mommy and Daddy.
Over the next few days I learned about the other numbers on the monitor above her bed. The top one was her heart rate. I learned that 160 was a very good number indeed. And that 87 indicated how much oxygen was in her blood. The 65/45 was the blood pressure.
All day and night long the doctors and nurses watched these numbers. They made adjustments to the machines or medications according to what the numbers told them. They were very up front with us from the beginning. Some days were pretty good. Others were pretty bad, it all depended on the numbers. The nurses referred to this as the roller coaster ride.
Monday December 4th was an exceptionally good day. Emily's numbers were even better that they had been the previous weekend. She was finally able to open her eyes for the first time. They were the biggest, most beautiful, brown eyes I had ever seen. We talked about riding the train at Gage park. I blew her a kiss, told her Grandpa loved her, and assured her I'd see her in the morning.
Sometime around 9:00 Monday night the hospital called. Emily had taken a turn for the worse, and we needed to get there as soon as we could. It was the numbers, the 15and 12 had turned into 101 and 40. The 160 was now a 50. The 87 was somewhere around 35 now, and the blood pressure that once read a steady 65/45 wasn't even registering anymore. They told us her system was shutting down, she was dying, and didn't think she'd be able to hang on for much more than 3 or 4 more hours.
Ultimately the numbers did get the best of her, but Emily did beat the 3 and the 4. She was able to hang on another 24 hours. And in doing so we were all able to say our goodbyes. I'm not sure what the others said to her. For me, I just held her tiny hand, kissed her on the forehead and told her I understood that she had to go, I promised I'd never forget her, and told her to remember that Grandpa loved her.
We had Emily with us for 23 days, 4 hours, and 42 minutes. And for that I'll always be grateful.
You can get a hold of me at my blog www.rm235.blogspot.com or you can e-mail me at: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Phone Call...
The first thing I did once I got settled into my daughter's car was to look in the rear-view mirror. There she was, my little, Sofie, sound asleep in her car seat. Sophie's my grand daughter. She's almost two-years-old now, and she's my best buddy. It had been a little over two weeks since I'd seen her and I had really missed her.
I just kind of stared at her for a while. There was this perfectly innocent little girl sound asleep and totally unaware of why we were meeting in St. Mary's for lunch and completely unaware of how close she had come to losing her dad today.
You never really know when you're going to get one of those phone calls, do you? It was about 10:30 or so this morning, I was about to leave Manhattan and finally make it home. Really, I'd been ready for a while, I was just kind of hanging out with the guys. We had been talking about our kids and how they had all grown up, married, and moved away. You know, that kind of stuff, when my cell phone started ringing. It was my daughter, Misty. One of the guys named, Hudson laughed when I told him who it was. He said she probably knew we were talking about her.
What's up kiddo? Dad, Travis has been in a bad wreck. He rolled his work truck a little west of St. Mary's on hi-way 24 and I'm on my way. I talked to him and he says he thinks he's okay.
Okay, kiddo, I'm on my way. I grabbed my lap-top and coffee cup, told the guys what happened and hit the road. I didn't know what I expected to find and wasn't sure what I'd do once I got there. All I knew was that my kids were in trouble and needed my help.
Travis, my son-in-law, had been heading west on hi-way 24 and was just coming into the little town of Bellvue when he slipped off the right shoulder, he probably over-corrected and sent his truck into an out of control slide across the oncoming lanes and rolled the truck into the ditch. Luckily, the truck came to rest on it's wheels and was sitting half way in the ditch and half way in a corn field.
Travis was outside the truck when I arrived. The cops and EMT's had already left by the time I got there, so I pulled over the the edge of the road and talked to him. He assured me he was okay. I knew he was shook up and just wanted to go home. But I also knew he didn't want me to know that. So I didn't argue with him when he told me he was going to stay and help his boss clean up the mess and told me not to worry about him.
With that said, I hopped in my truck and headed up to where my daughter had pulled over when she arrived. She was about to lose it and asked if I'd stay in her car to keep an eye on Sofie. I assured her It'd be my pleasure.
I sat there watching her sleep in the rear-view mirror and thought to myself, Sofie girl, we dodged a really big bullet today. Funny thing is, you'll never even know it.
I just kind of stared at her for a while. There was this perfectly innocent little girl sound asleep and totally unaware of why we were meeting in St. Mary's for lunch and completely unaware of how close she had come to losing her dad today.
You never really know when you're going to get one of those phone calls, do you? It was about 10:30 or so this morning, I was about to leave Manhattan and finally make it home. Really, I'd been ready for a while, I was just kind of hanging out with the guys. We had been talking about our kids and how they had all grown up, married, and moved away. You know, that kind of stuff, when my cell phone started ringing. It was my daughter, Misty. One of the guys named, Hudson laughed when I told him who it was. He said she probably knew we were talking about her.
What's up kiddo? Dad, Travis has been in a bad wreck. He rolled his work truck a little west of St. Mary's on hi-way 24 and I'm on my way. I talked to him and he says he thinks he's okay.
Okay, kiddo, I'm on my way. I grabbed my lap-top and coffee cup, told the guys what happened and hit the road. I didn't know what I expected to find and wasn't sure what I'd do once I got there. All I knew was that my kids were in trouble and needed my help.
Travis, my son-in-law, had been heading west on hi-way 24 and was just coming into the little town of Bellvue when he slipped off the right shoulder, he probably over-corrected and sent his truck into an out of control slide across the oncoming lanes and rolled the truck into the ditch. Luckily, the truck came to rest on it's wheels and was sitting half way in the ditch and half way in a corn field.
Travis was outside the truck when I arrived. The cops and EMT's had already left by the time I got there, so I pulled over the the edge of the road and talked to him. He assured me he was okay. I knew he was shook up and just wanted to go home. But I also knew he didn't want me to know that. So I didn't argue with him when he told me he was going to stay and help his boss clean up the mess and told me not to worry about him.
With that said, I hopped in my truck and headed up to where my daughter had pulled over when she arrived. She was about to lose it and asked if I'd stay in her car to keep an eye on Sofie. I assured her It'd be my pleasure.
I sat there watching her sleep in the rear-view mirror and thought to myself, Sofie girl, we dodged a really big bullet today. Funny thing is, you'll never even know it.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Racism My Ass...
Okay, I know I promised to drop the political stuff for a while. I really just wanted to talk about the State Fair and all.
I will say it's now Day Six and we're reached the half way point. It's been a lot of fun, I've met a lot of good people from all across the country. But it's been a hell of a lot of work and I'll be glad when it's over so we can all take a break.
But here's the deal. I'm really pissed by the way the "irrelevant", so called main-stream media, Obama, members of Congress, and Democrats in general are constantly playing the "race card" as a means to discredit their critics.
I don't have a lot of time this morning, so I'm not going to be able to get into it till later.
In the mean time, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the subject.
For now though, I have about two hours to get ready for the masses. Today is "Kids Day." Great!!!
I will say it's now Day Six and we're reached the half way point. It's been a lot of fun, I've met a lot of good people from all across the country. But it's been a hell of a lot of work and I'll be glad when it's over so we can all take a break.
But here's the deal. I'm really pissed by the way the "irrelevant", so called main-stream media, Obama, members of Congress, and Democrats in general are constantly playing the "race card" as a means to discredit their critics.
I don't have a lot of time this morning, so I'm not going to be able to get into it till later.
In the mean time, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the subject.
For now though, I have about two hours to get ready for the masses. Today is "Kids Day." Great!!!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Kansas State Fair: Day One...
I left the house about 5:00 this (Wednesday) morning to head out for my latest assignment. I‘ll be spending the next two and a half weeks working the State Fair in Hutchinson. As soon as I got to town, I hooked up with my partner in crime, a guy named, Huey Nelson. Actually, Huey is the brains of the operation. I’m not sure, but I think we might be in trouble. Today was really just a day of getting in touch with food vendors to make sure who made it again this year and who didn‘t. For the most part, the same people who were last year are all here again.
There was the guy from Florida, he’s a good guy. The old guy and his wife who live and breathe KU football was back. The guy from Jersey and his son were back and ready to get this thing started. The grouchy old lady from somewhere in Oklahoma hadn’t arrived yet. Good. We went from one stand to another and just about the time we were finished the old guy from Tulsa who sells turkey legs showed up. He’s probably the coolest old guy I know. It was especially good to see because last year he told us he was hanging it up. He was going to sell his stand and finally retire and enjoy life for a change. I think he decided this is what he really enjoys and when it came right down to it, he wasn’t ready to hang it up after all.
The carneys are hard at work getting their rides set up. It’s really hard to imagine that in just one more day this place will transform from the mess and chaos it is now to the showplace that it will become in order to be ready to welcome and entertain hundreds of thousands of people from all over the place.. Ah, The State Fair, there’s nothing like.
The place is a mess. Food service trucks are everywhere. Electricians and plumbers are busy making sure everybody’s stands are working like they’re supposed to. People are unloading their cars, vans, pickups, and trailers all over the place. Everyone of them hoping to sell enough of whatever it is they’re selling to make it all worthwhile. It’s easy to spot the Fair Officials, too. They’re the one’s running around with really stressed out looks on their faces and talking on their radios.
Crap, my partner just showed up. I’ll check in with you guys later. It’s time for me to get to work. 24 hours till the gates open. It’s crunch time!!!
Okay, that’s done. Looks like we’re dealing with about 30 food stands. We’ve got them all filled up and all are ready to go. The rest of the day is mine to do as I see fit.
I’m always impressed at how the midway (rides) go together. This morning it looked like complete chaos. This afternoon, it still looks like chaos, but they’ve got a lot done. I gotta tell you though, some of the people they have working on the stuff are a little scary looking. Oh well, that’s another story for another time.
There was the guy from Florida, he’s a good guy. The old guy and his wife who live and breathe KU football was back. The guy from Jersey and his son were back and ready to get this thing started. The grouchy old lady from somewhere in Oklahoma hadn’t arrived yet. Good. We went from one stand to another and just about the time we were finished the old guy from Tulsa who sells turkey legs showed up. He’s probably the coolest old guy I know. It was especially good to see because last year he told us he was hanging it up. He was going to sell his stand and finally retire and enjoy life for a change. I think he decided this is what he really enjoys and when it came right down to it, he wasn’t ready to hang it up after all.
The carneys are hard at work getting their rides set up. It’s really hard to imagine that in just one more day this place will transform from the mess and chaos it is now to the showplace that it will become in order to be ready to welcome and entertain hundreds of thousands of people from all over the place.. Ah, The State Fair, there’s nothing like.
The place is a mess. Food service trucks are everywhere. Electricians and plumbers are busy making sure everybody’s stands are working like they’re supposed to. People are unloading their cars, vans, pickups, and trailers all over the place. Everyone of them hoping to sell enough of whatever it is they’re selling to make it all worthwhile. It’s easy to spot the Fair Officials, too. They’re the one’s running around with really stressed out looks on their faces and talking on their radios.
Crap, my partner just showed up. I’ll check in with you guys later. It’s time for me to get to work. 24 hours till the gates open. It’s crunch time!!!
Okay, that’s done. Looks like we’re dealing with about 30 food stands. We’ve got them all filled up and all are ready to go. The rest of the day is mine to do as I see fit.
I’m always impressed at how the midway (rides) go together. This morning it looked like complete chaos. This afternoon, it still looks like chaos, but they’ve got a lot done. I gotta tell you though, some of the people they have working on the stuff are a little scary looking. Oh well, that’s another story for another time.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Kansas State Fair: Part One
Let's do something different for a while. How about we just get away from politics all together. Well, with 9-11 and the Tea Parties all over the country, that might be hard to commit to.
I've just spent the evening packing for a three week road trip to Hutchinson, Ks. to work the State Fair. This is the second time I've worked it. It's a hell of a lot of work but there's always a little free time to check out the sights too. Especially this year, the boss had this brain fart a while back and mentioned it might be cool to have a travel trailer for us to hang in whenever we had a little down-time. I told him, oh yeah, that'd be a hell of an idea.
Anyway, one thing led to another and now they've decided since they went to all the expense and trouble of getting that trailer I should just sleep there too.
So her we are. I'll be heading out by 6:00 in the morning. And you're more than welcome to come along...
I've just spent the evening packing for a three week road trip to Hutchinson, Ks. to work the State Fair. This is the second time I've worked it. It's a hell of a lot of work but there's always a little free time to check out the sights too. Especially this year, the boss had this brain fart a while back and mentioned it might be cool to have a travel trailer for us to hang in whenever we had a little down-time. I told him, oh yeah, that'd be a hell of an idea.
Anyway, one thing led to another and now they've decided since they went to all the expense and trouble of getting that trailer I should just sleep there too.
So her we are. I'll be heading out by 6:00 in the morning. And you're more than welcome to come along...
Monday, September 7, 2009
A friend of mine asked me to post this for him.
Letter to the Editor 9-3-09
Are You Smater than a Congressman?
Take this simple test. Maybe you could be smarter than a Congressman, especially in the North East or West Coast States, if you were to move there.
1. Would you read a bill, before voting for it?
2. Would you avail yourself or your staff to actually understand what you were voting on?
3. Would you care if it added trillions of dollars to our national debt, indebting future children and grandchildren of the citizens you represent?
4. Would you think about future negative consequences of the bill you were about to vote on?
5. Would you show leadership by putting yourself and your family under the same program you were voting for, I.E. Health Care Plan?
If you answered in the affirmative on any of these first four questions you could be smater than 50% of our current Congressmen. If you answered yes to question 5 you have more guts and integrity than most Congressmen. This country needs a serious recruting effort for next year's elections for Congress. American deserves a better effort from those we elect.
Joseph Ledbetter, Veteran, J.D.
Topeka, Kansas
Are You Smater than a Congressman?
Take this simple test. Maybe you could be smarter than a Congressman, especially in the North East or West Coast States, if you were to move there.
1. Would you read a bill, before voting for it?
2. Would you avail yourself or your staff to actually understand what you were voting on?
3. Would you care if it added trillions of dollars to our national debt, indebting future children and grandchildren of the citizens you represent?
4. Would you think about future negative consequences of the bill you were about to vote on?
5. Would you show leadership by putting yourself and your family under the same program you were voting for, I.E. Health Care Plan?
If you answered in the affirmative on any of these first four questions you could be smater than 50% of our current Congressmen. If you answered yes to question 5 you have more guts and integrity than most Congressmen. This country needs a serious recruting effort for next year's elections for Congress. American deserves a better effort from those we elect.
Joseph Ledbetter, Veteran, J.D.
Topeka, Kansas
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Farewell Metro News...
Sorry guys, but this is going to seem a little weird. Last week I talked about the Topeka Metro News being sold and how the new owners decided they, either didn’t have room for or simply weren’t interested in hearing from any local writers. Anyway, they dumped us all. If you think about it, it is a little weird for a local paper not to want anything to do with local people, hmm.
Hey, that’s just life. I knew going in, that nothing’s forever. It’s funny, too. Because, the older you get, the more you understand just how true that is. I really wanted to the chance to say goodbye. And I still believe they owed me that much. But hey, it’s their world and I was just passing through anyway.
So today, even though I’m not really going anywhere, I’ll still be ranting and raving on the blog, I just won’t be in the Metro News, I’m going to go ahead and write the farewell column I should have been allowed to do in the first place.
******************************************************************************************************
Well guys, looks like this is it. This is the last column I’ll be writing for the Topeka Metro News. I always knew that sooner or later this day would come. Still, I wish it could have lasted a while longer. Like twenty or thirty more years.
And you know what? For the first time in a long time, I’m not sure what to say. I guess I should start out by thanking you, the readers. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to spend a little time with you guys each and every week. I thank every one of you who either, wrote a letter to the editor or sent an e-mail my way because of something I’d written. That’s not to say everyone agreed with me either. But, what it meant to me, was the fact that you were reading my stuff and that it made you stop and think for a while. Thank you. That’s really all I was trying to do in the first place.
Sure, from time to time, I got a little controversial. I might have even gone over the top every once in a while too. I’ve received e-mails from people demanding that I apologize for this or that. Here's the deal, I didn’t apologize then and I’m sure as hell not going to start now. Someone a lot smarter than I said it best, "I meant what I said and I said what I meant."
You see, in America, at least for now anyway, we still have this little thing called the 1st amendment, you know, the whole freedom of speech thing. I’m real big on that one. In fact, I’m going to give it one last shot today.
America! What the hell were we thinking of when we elected Barrack Obama as our president. A lot of us did our best to warn you. We warned you about the left-wing radicals he liked to hang out with. Reverand Wright, with his special brand of racisism and hatred come to mind. The guy responsible for planning the bombings of police stations and the Pentagon, Bill Ayres was another. We warned you about the Socialist agenda he would bring with him. You accused us of using scare tactics and called us racists and fear mongerers. Whatever.
I believe with all my heart that we're in the middle of the fight of our lives. If this country is going to survive (the one I grew up in anyway) we’ve got to get our butts off the couch and do something about it. Don’t sit back and wait for your neighbor to do it for you. Is it going to be easy? Hell no it won’t. Make that phone call to your Senator! Write that letter to the editor! Turn off MTV and American Idol long enough to find out what’s going on in the real world. Pay attention to the "TEA PARTY RALLIES" being held all across the country over the next few months. Hell we're even going to have our very own rally here in Topeka on 9-12, make plans to be there if you can. It's important, even if it's only symbolic. We gotta get the message out that we're mad as hell and we're here to stop these idiots in Washington dead in their tracks. Tell em loud and clear, "this is our country and we're here to take it back!"
Just remember, if you decide to take that stand, you'll be in for one hell of a fight. The left-wing loons will come after you like nothing you’ve ever seen. They’ll mock you. They’ll call you every name in the book. Trust me, the first thing they'll acuse you of is being a racist. That's seems to be pretty popular these days. They’ll use anything they can think of against you in order to silence you. Just remember, because of the antics of the extreme, left-wing lunatics, only 20% of the American population is still willing to call themselves liberal, they’re loud and the press gives them a lot of attention, but because of their numbers, they’re becoming extremely irrelevant. Think about that.
Anyway, do you guys remember watching the Carroll Burnett Show? If so, I'm sure you remember the way she always ended it by singing a little song that went something like this, “I’m so glad we had this time together. Just to have a laugh and sing a song. Seems we just get started and before you know it, comes the time we have to say so long.” Remember that?
For me, this is kind of like that. Thanks for everything guys, it was one hell of a ride.
Hey, that’s just life. I knew going in, that nothing’s forever. It’s funny, too. Because, the older you get, the more you understand just how true that is. I really wanted to the chance to say goodbye. And I still believe they owed me that much. But hey, it’s their world and I was just passing through anyway.
So today, even though I’m not really going anywhere, I’ll still be ranting and raving on the blog, I just won’t be in the Metro News, I’m going to go ahead and write the farewell column I should have been allowed to do in the first place.
******************************************************************************************************
Well guys, looks like this is it. This is the last column I’ll be writing for the Topeka Metro News. I always knew that sooner or later this day would come. Still, I wish it could have lasted a while longer. Like twenty or thirty more years.
And you know what? For the first time in a long time, I’m not sure what to say. I guess I should start out by thanking you, the readers. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to spend a little time with you guys each and every week. I thank every one of you who either, wrote a letter to the editor or sent an e-mail my way because of something I’d written. That’s not to say everyone agreed with me either. But, what it meant to me, was the fact that you were reading my stuff and that it made you stop and think for a while. Thank you. That’s really all I was trying to do in the first place.
Sure, from time to time, I got a little controversial. I might have even gone over the top every once in a while too. I’ve received e-mails from people demanding that I apologize for this or that. Here's the deal, I didn’t apologize then and I’m sure as hell not going to start now. Someone a lot smarter than I said it best, "I meant what I said and I said what I meant."
You see, in America, at least for now anyway, we still have this little thing called the 1st amendment, you know, the whole freedom of speech thing. I’m real big on that one. In fact, I’m going to give it one last shot today.
America! What the hell were we thinking of when we elected Barrack Obama as our president. A lot of us did our best to warn you. We warned you about the left-wing radicals he liked to hang out with. Reverand Wright, with his special brand of racisism and hatred come to mind. The guy responsible for planning the bombings of police stations and the Pentagon, Bill Ayres was another. We warned you about the Socialist agenda he would bring with him. You accused us of using scare tactics and called us racists and fear mongerers. Whatever.
I believe with all my heart that we're in the middle of the fight of our lives. If this country is going to survive (the one I grew up in anyway) we’ve got to get our butts off the couch and do something about it. Don’t sit back and wait for your neighbor to do it for you. Is it going to be easy? Hell no it won’t. Make that phone call to your Senator! Write that letter to the editor! Turn off MTV and American Idol long enough to find out what’s going on in the real world. Pay attention to the "TEA PARTY RALLIES" being held all across the country over the next few months. Hell we're even going to have our very own rally here in Topeka on 9-12, make plans to be there if you can. It's important, even if it's only symbolic. We gotta get the message out that we're mad as hell and we're here to stop these idiots in Washington dead in their tracks. Tell em loud and clear, "this is our country and we're here to take it back!"
Just remember, if you decide to take that stand, you'll be in for one hell of a fight. The left-wing loons will come after you like nothing you’ve ever seen. They’ll mock you. They’ll call you every name in the book. Trust me, the first thing they'll acuse you of is being a racist. That's seems to be pretty popular these days. They’ll use anything they can think of against you in order to silence you. Just remember, because of the antics of the extreme, left-wing lunatics, only 20% of the American population is still willing to call themselves liberal, they’re loud and the press gives them a lot of attention, but because of their numbers, they’re becoming extremely irrelevant. Think about that.
Anyway, do you guys remember watching the Carroll Burnett Show? If so, I'm sure you remember the way she always ended it by singing a little song that went something like this, “I’m so glad we had this time together. Just to have a laugh and sing a song. Seems we just get started and before you know it, comes the time we have to say so long.” Remember that?
For me, this is kind of like that. Thanks for everything guys, it was one hell of a ride.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Putting Things Into Perspective...
It’s funny how quickly things can change. One day you’re stressing out trying to meet the demands of your everyday obligations. You know, things like your job, trying to stay on top of the yard work, the plumbing issues, and trying to keep your wife from killing you because you’ve been working on the road for five out of the last six months. And on top of all that, you absolutely have to have your column turned in by 3:00 P.M. every Wednesday afternoon.
And so it went. For the last two years and eight months without fail, I’ve managed to get it all done. Then last week, out of the blue, I got a call from Denise Hall, the owner of the Topeka Metro News. She informed me that she had sold the paper and that I’d better contact the new owners to find out whether or not they’re interested in continuing my column. So I did.
The answer came in the form of an e-mail the next day. It simply said, Mr. McGinty, sorry but we won’t be able to run your column anymore.
Well, that’s that then. I can no longer call myself a columnist, but then neither can any of the other local columnists that have always been a big part of the paper. The new owners have decided to drop all local commentary from the paper and keep a couple of national syndicated one’s.
I’m not sure why they‘d want to go that route, but it looks a lot like the strategy, Spike Santee used when he took over one of the most popular radio stations in Topeka, AM 1440. The first thing he did was to fire Jim Cates. Then came the local DJ’s, followed by Steve Forman and Deb Goodrich. By the time he was done, he had managed to get rid of almost all the local people and replaced them with national syndicated shows.
Hey, it’s their world, they can do with it what they want. But they do need to understand how that strategy worked out for my old buddy, Spike. He took over a radio station that had always enjoyed ratings at the top of the charts because of local participation. And a year after he took over, their ratings have dropped to the very bottom of the charts.
Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I pissed? Oh hell yeah. It was a little like getting kicked in the gut. I thought for sure they'd at least write one last column, you know, just to say goodbye and all that. But the new owners of the paper thought otherwise.
But you know what? None of that really matters. I received a text massage from my daughter that same afternoon that brought everything in perspective for me. (Dad, everything’s normal, there’s no cancer and I’m okay.) God, you have no idea how much of a relief that text was. After that news, any small disappointment I may have felt, whether it was real or imagined, just sort of faded away.
So now, I’m just going to keep writing and posting on my blog. I’ve decided to keep Wednesday afternoon as a deadline and I'm going to try writing a book of some kind. And my offically cancer free, daughter has promised to work on it with me. Today, I’m stuck working in Pratt, Kansas and I’m okay with that.
Take a minute or two today to give your kids a hug and tell them how much you love them. Call your mom and dad if you can. Maybe you grandparents, too. How about your brothers and sisters, maybe your mad at them over some family squabble or something. Call them to burry the hatchet. Maybe you have an aunt or an uncle who’s not doing so well. Give them a call just to let them know you’re thinking about them. Life’s too short not to.
Life is full of disappointments, large and small. Just try to keep them in perspective.
I hope all is well with you and yours today, and I’ll talk to you guys next week…
And so it went. For the last two years and eight months without fail, I’ve managed to get it all done. Then last week, out of the blue, I got a call from Denise Hall, the owner of the Topeka Metro News. She informed me that she had sold the paper and that I’d better contact the new owners to find out whether or not they’re interested in continuing my column. So I did.
The answer came in the form of an e-mail the next day. It simply said, Mr. McGinty, sorry but we won’t be able to run your column anymore.
Well, that’s that then. I can no longer call myself a columnist, but then neither can any of the other local columnists that have always been a big part of the paper. The new owners have decided to drop all local commentary from the paper and keep a couple of national syndicated one’s.
I’m not sure why they‘d want to go that route, but it looks a lot like the strategy, Spike Santee used when he took over one of the most popular radio stations in Topeka, AM 1440. The first thing he did was to fire Jim Cates. Then came the local DJ’s, followed by Steve Forman and Deb Goodrich. By the time he was done, he had managed to get rid of almost all the local people and replaced them with national syndicated shows.
Hey, it’s their world, they can do with it what they want. But they do need to understand how that strategy worked out for my old buddy, Spike. He took over a radio station that had always enjoyed ratings at the top of the charts because of local participation. And a year after he took over, their ratings have dropped to the very bottom of the charts.
Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I pissed? Oh hell yeah. It was a little like getting kicked in the gut. I thought for sure they'd at least write one last column, you know, just to say goodbye and all that. But the new owners of the paper thought otherwise.
But you know what? None of that really matters. I received a text massage from my daughter that same afternoon that brought everything in perspective for me. (Dad, everything’s normal, there’s no cancer and I’m okay.) God, you have no idea how much of a relief that text was. After that news, any small disappointment I may have felt, whether it was real or imagined, just sort of faded away.
So now, I’m just going to keep writing and posting on my blog. I’ve decided to keep Wednesday afternoon as a deadline and I'm going to try writing a book of some kind. And my offically cancer free, daughter has promised to work on it with me. Today, I’m stuck working in Pratt, Kansas and I’m okay with that.
Take a minute or two today to give your kids a hug and tell them how much you love them. Call your mom and dad if you can. Maybe you grandparents, too. How about your brothers and sisters, maybe your mad at them over some family squabble or something. Call them to burry the hatchet. Maybe you have an aunt or an uncle who’s not doing so well. Give them a call just to let them know you’re thinking about them. Life’s too short not to.
Life is full of disappointments, large and small. Just try to keep them in perspective.
I hope all is well with you and yours today, and I’ll talk to you guys next week…
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
We've had it...
Wow, have you seen the latest Gallup poll? Evidently, President Obama’s approval rating has now dropped to an all time low, and his disapproval numbers have risen to an all time high.
How about the poll that says that conservatives now outnumber liberals in 47 of the 50 states? Seen that one?
Last week I talked about Obama being one who wanted to divide us. Maybe I jumped the gun on that statement. What the president and the Democrats in congress have actually done with their non-stop name calling and personal attacks on conservatives is to unite us like no one else has been able to do since the days of Jimmy Carter.
And they wonder why so many people are fed up with them. It’s because we can’t get a straight answer on anything. Go ahead. Ask any of them a simple question about the massive health care plan they’re trying to sell us. Good luck trying to get an answer though. Sure they’ll talk a lot. In fact they’ll probably talk 10 or 15 minutes non-stop and by the time they’re through, you have no idea what they just said. But neither do they.
Then last weekend they trotted out my favorite ex-governor, Kathleen Sebelius to tell us Obama might be willing to drop the public option in order to pass his proposal. She told us, the public option wasn’t really essential to getting this done.
That same weekend, Obama told a crowd in Grand Junction, Colorado pretty much the same thing. He described the public option as not being that important. Actually, he said it was only a small sliver of the plan in the first place.
Then on Monday, they sent press secretary, Robert Gibbs out to tell us what we all heard wasn’t what they were saying at all. He explained that Obama and Sebelius have always favored the public option and there was no reason to think they had changed their minds.
Note to Robert Gibbs: That, Jedi mind trick you keep trying to use was pretty cool in the Star War movies, but it doesn’t really work.
Look, conservatives aren’t unreasonable people. But we don’t like being lied to and we like to know what we’re getting before we just blindly buy what you’re selling.
I know it’s a stretch, but how about just being honest with us. How about answering simple questions with simple answers for a change. How about just explaining it to us, the whole thing. Not just the parts you want to talk about. We want to know what’s in the bill and we also want to know, if you know what’s in it. Is that too much to ask?
When we ask you how much it’s going to cost us. Give us an honest answer. When we ask how you’re planning to pay for it. Don’t tell us by taxing rich people. With all the spending you’ve done since taking office, you’re going to bankrupt all the rich people we have. Then what?
When we ask if this plan will mean tax-payer funded abortions will become the norm. Answer the question. Don’t tell us it depends on how you look at it.
You act like you’re shocked because so many of our 40 million seniors citizens have turned on you. Did you really think they’d be okay when you announced your intentions to cut medicare funding by $500 billion.
Then you tell us, all that means, is you’re going to go after the fraud in the system. Hmm, why aren’t you doing that anyway? That’s your job.
And now, a note to the Republicans: You can stop slapping yourselves on the backs. We’re sick of most of you too. You had your chance to get things right, you blew it.
Mid term elections aren’t that far away. I believe the American people will finally come out in droves and vote for the people who they believe will have their best interests at heart. You carreer Congressmen and women had better start looking for another job. We’ve had it with you.
Agree, disagree? Stop by the blog this week at: www.rm235.blogspot.com I’d love to hear from you.
How about the poll that says that conservatives now outnumber liberals in 47 of the 50 states? Seen that one?
Last week I talked about Obama being one who wanted to divide us. Maybe I jumped the gun on that statement. What the president and the Democrats in congress have actually done with their non-stop name calling and personal attacks on conservatives is to unite us like no one else has been able to do since the days of Jimmy Carter.
And they wonder why so many people are fed up with them. It’s because we can’t get a straight answer on anything. Go ahead. Ask any of them a simple question about the massive health care plan they’re trying to sell us. Good luck trying to get an answer though. Sure they’ll talk a lot. In fact they’ll probably talk 10 or 15 minutes non-stop and by the time they’re through, you have no idea what they just said. But neither do they.
Then last weekend they trotted out my favorite ex-governor, Kathleen Sebelius to tell us Obama might be willing to drop the public option in order to pass his proposal. She told us, the public option wasn’t really essential to getting this done.
That same weekend, Obama told a crowd in Grand Junction, Colorado pretty much the same thing. He described the public option as not being that important. Actually, he said it was only a small sliver of the plan in the first place.
Then on Monday, they sent press secretary, Robert Gibbs out to tell us what we all heard wasn’t what they were saying at all. He explained that Obama and Sebelius have always favored the public option and there was no reason to think they had changed their minds.
Note to Robert Gibbs: That, Jedi mind trick you keep trying to use was pretty cool in the Star War movies, but it doesn’t really work.
Look, conservatives aren’t unreasonable people. But we don’t like being lied to and we like to know what we’re getting before we just blindly buy what you’re selling.
I know it’s a stretch, but how about just being honest with us. How about answering simple questions with simple answers for a change. How about just explaining it to us, the whole thing. Not just the parts you want to talk about. We want to know what’s in the bill and we also want to know, if you know what’s in it. Is that too much to ask?
When we ask you how much it’s going to cost us. Give us an honest answer. When we ask how you’re planning to pay for it. Don’t tell us by taxing rich people. With all the spending you’ve done since taking office, you’re going to bankrupt all the rich people we have. Then what?
When we ask if this plan will mean tax-payer funded abortions will become the norm. Answer the question. Don’t tell us it depends on how you look at it.
You act like you’re shocked because so many of our 40 million seniors citizens have turned on you. Did you really think they’d be okay when you announced your intentions to cut medicare funding by $500 billion.
Then you tell us, all that means, is you’re going to go after the fraud in the system. Hmm, why aren’t you doing that anyway? That’s your job.
And now, a note to the Republicans: You can stop slapping yourselves on the backs. We’re sick of most of you too. You had your chance to get things right, you blew it.
Mid term elections aren’t that far away. I believe the American people will finally come out in droves and vote for the people who they believe will have their best interests at heart. You carreer Congressmen and women had better start looking for another job. We’ve had it with you.
Agree, disagree? Stop by the blog this week at: www.rm235.blogspot.com I’d love to hear from you.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Divide and Conquer...
Hey, before we get started today, I’m going to throw Obama’s Snitch Line (www.flag@whitehouse.gov ) out there just in case someone wants to report me to the, “One.”
Responding to the outrage during her Town Hall meeting in Missouri the other day, Claire McCaskill, said, “I don’t understand the rudeness, I honestly don’t get it.”
That’s the problem, Senator. You really don’t get it, do you? Somehow, the Obama administration and his puppets in Congress can’t grasp the idea that anyone has the nerve or even the right to question their decisions.
Well, let me try to explain it. We’re sick of the whole damned thing. We’re sick of your arrogance. We’re sick of you mocking us. We’re sick of you calling us names. We’re sick of you trying to shove your socialist programs down our collective throats. And we’re sick of your lap-dogs in the media going along with you every step of the way.
Remember the Democrats outrage when we found out that the Bush Administration had been tapping into e-mails and phone calls from overseas in their attempt to intercept terrorist messages? Remember how they called that one of the worst cases of destroying our Constitutional rights they‘d ever seen. And now, these same people have the nerve to provide direct access to the White House through an e-mail address where we’re supposed to report fellow American citizens for criticizing their “health-Care“ bill. You know, for exercising their first amendment right, the whole “Freedom of Speech“ thing. Now that takes a hell of a lot of nerve.
Every time Obama gets on TV and tells us to get out of the way and shut up just makes it worse, too. When you send out your fellow Senators to compare us to “the type of people who pushed Timothy McVeigh over the edge,” it widens the gap. You call us racists, extremists, and angry mobs. You’ve even trotted, Nancy Pelosi out to call us Un-American.
You accuse Republicans of using scare tactics. Give me a break. How many times has Obama used the word “crisis” since he took office. First, he followed Bush’s lead when he said if his stimulus package wasn’t passed in a couple of days, America was doomed. Bam! He got it.
How many times has he used the phrase “Climate Crisis” as he spreads his message of how the world will suffer if we don’t sign onto his “Cap and Trade” fiasco? Depending on how they're spinning the latest crisis, it's either the "Health Care Crisis," or the "Insurance Crisis." According to a report from the U.N. the other day, we've only got four months to secure the future of the planet.
Wow, nothing scary there.
A lot of people believe Obama simply misspoke when he inflamed racial tensions with his “the Cambridge Police acted stupidly” comment. I don’t believe that for a minute. Ever hear the phrase “Divide and Conquer? He wants us divided. He knows if he keeps us at each other’s throats, we’ll be less likely to pay attention to what he’s trying doing to us. It’s the same thing when he goes out of his way to mock and ridicule “people holding those little tea bags.”
On September, 11th, these same people are bringing those same tea bags to Washington D.C. for a little "Tea Party" and they’re bringing about a million friends with them. It's funny as hell when you look down your noses and say it's all organized and manufactured. You bet your ass it is. You see, we've figured out how to use the internet just like Obama did to get his message across too. We're organized, mad as hell, and there are millions of us. Believe me when I say, you haven't seen anything yet.
But still, you guys really have no idea who we are. We’re the “Joe the Plumbers” of the world. We’re the baker, your waitress, or maybe we’re the cop on patrol. We might be the mechanic, who fixes your car because you can’t. Maybe we’re the electrician who fixed your wiring. We might be the carpenter who built your house. Maybe some of us drive a truck for a living. Some of us might even be found hanging onto the back of a trash truck. I have a hell of a lot of respect for those guys. We’re the farmers and ranchers who feed your family, we’re oilfield workers, and we even have a few doctors and lawyers to boot. We're the American people. We’re also the one’s who'll be expected to pay up when the bill comes due. And it will.
We’re the tens of millions of regular, working class, Americans you've been trying to push around. We outnumber you and we're here to push back. Don't make the same mistake others have in the past by underestimating us. We will not sit down or get out of the way, and we're sure as hell not going to shut up.
Senator McCaskill, maybe you’ll understand the American people's anger in next years mid-term elections when we kick you and the rest of Congress to the curb.
Stop on by the blog this week. I’ve posted a bunch of videos I’d like to hear your response too at: www.rm235.blogspot.com
Responding to the outrage during her Town Hall meeting in Missouri the other day, Claire McCaskill, said, “I don’t understand the rudeness, I honestly don’t get it.”
That’s the problem, Senator. You really don’t get it, do you? Somehow, the Obama administration and his puppets in Congress can’t grasp the idea that anyone has the nerve or even the right to question their decisions.
Well, let me try to explain it. We’re sick of the whole damned thing. We’re sick of your arrogance. We’re sick of you mocking us. We’re sick of you calling us names. We’re sick of you trying to shove your socialist programs down our collective throats. And we’re sick of your lap-dogs in the media going along with you every step of the way.
Remember the Democrats outrage when we found out that the Bush Administration had been tapping into e-mails and phone calls from overseas in their attempt to intercept terrorist messages? Remember how they called that one of the worst cases of destroying our Constitutional rights they‘d ever seen. And now, these same people have the nerve to provide direct access to the White House through an e-mail address where we’re supposed to report fellow American citizens for criticizing their “health-Care“ bill. You know, for exercising their first amendment right, the whole “Freedom of Speech“ thing. Now that takes a hell of a lot of nerve.
Every time Obama gets on TV and tells us to get out of the way and shut up just makes it worse, too. When you send out your fellow Senators to compare us to “the type of people who pushed Timothy McVeigh over the edge,” it widens the gap. You call us racists, extremists, and angry mobs. You’ve even trotted, Nancy Pelosi out to call us Un-American.
You accuse Republicans of using scare tactics. Give me a break. How many times has Obama used the word “crisis” since he took office. First, he followed Bush’s lead when he said if his stimulus package wasn’t passed in a couple of days, America was doomed. Bam! He got it.
How many times has he used the phrase “Climate Crisis” as he spreads his message of how the world will suffer if we don’t sign onto his “Cap and Trade” fiasco? Depending on how they're spinning the latest crisis, it's either the "Health Care Crisis," or the "Insurance Crisis." According to a report from the U.N. the other day, we've only got four months to secure the future of the planet.
Wow, nothing scary there.
A lot of people believe Obama simply misspoke when he inflamed racial tensions with his “the Cambridge Police acted stupidly” comment. I don’t believe that for a minute. Ever hear the phrase “Divide and Conquer? He wants us divided. He knows if he keeps us at each other’s throats, we’ll be less likely to pay attention to what he’s trying doing to us. It’s the same thing when he goes out of his way to mock and ridicule “people holding those little tea bags.”
On September, 11th, these same people are bringing those same tea bags to Washington D.C. for a little "Tea Party" and they’re bringing about a million friends with them. It's funny as hell when you look down your noses and say it's all organized and manufactured. You bet your ass it is. You see, we've figured out how to use the internet just like Obama did to get his message across too. We're organized, mad as hell, and there are millions of us. Believe me when I say, you haven't seen anything yet.
But still, you guys really have no idea who we are. We’re the “Joe the Plumbers” of the world. We’re the baker, your waitress, or maybe we’re the cop on patrol. We might be the mechanic, who fixes your car because you can’t. Maybe we’re the electrician who fixed your wiring. We might be the carpenter who built your house. Maybe some of us drive a truck for a living. Some of us might even be found hanging onto the back of a trash truck. I have a hell of a lot of respect for those guys. We’re the farmers and ranchers who feed your family, we’re oilfield workers, and we even have a few doctors and lawyers to boot. We're the American people. We’re also the one’s who'll be expected to pay up when the bill comes due. And it will.
We’re the tens of millions of regular, working class, Americans you've been trying to push around. We outnumber you and we're here to push back. Don't make the same mistake others have in the past by underestimating us. We will not sit down or get out of the way, and we're sure as hell not going to shut up.
Senator McCaskill, maybe you’ll understand the American people's anger in next years mid-term elections when we kick you and the rest of Congress to the curb.
Stop on by the blog this week. I’ve posted a bunch of videos I’d like to hear your response too at: www.rm235.blogspot.com
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Lone Duck: The Best Lil' Campground in Colorado...
It’s funny. I’ve always made it a point not to get sucked into an argument with a loudmouthed, drunk. But one night last week, I let my guard down. It wasn’t really an argument, I guess. More of a difference of opinion. Still, the debate is settled. I was right, he was wrong.
If you’re a long time reader of this column, you might remember me telling you about the, Lone Duck Campground in Colorado. My family and I have camped there for twelve years in a row now. Well, there was the year my daughter and daughter-in-law were both pregnant. They both used it as an excuse not to travel. Whatever.
Anyway, that’s where we were last week, and late one night, around 11:00 P.M. I was in the video game room, minding my own business when this guy holding five bottles of beer plus the one he was drinking from burst in. I continued to mind my own business and kept on playing my pin ball game. For a while the guy just kind of staggered around looking at the different games in the room. Finally he asked in a loud, obnoxious voice. So, where you from, bud?
I told him I was from Topeka, Kansas. He said, cool, you’re a long way from home, why in the world would you come to this place? I told him this was our twelfth year in a row to camp there and that there was no place I’d rather spend my vacation. He looked at me like I was crazy or something. He said man, there are so many better places than this. I asked him, where? He told me, he couldn’t remember the names of the places, but assured me there were a lot of them out there. I bid my new drunk friend, goodnight, and headed back to the campfire my clan had gathered around for the night.
Early the next morning, I thought about what the guy was saying. I guess, “better“ depends on who‘s telling the story. Sure there are a lot of bigger campgrounds. There are newer one’s too, who knows, maybe that’s what my, drunk friend meant by better.
But if you’re looking for a place in the heart of the Rocky Mountains that have so many of their own things to offer plus being so close to so many attractions in the area, you won’t find a better place to take your family.
Steve and Lisa work tirelessly to accommodate every single one of their guests. If you’re up early, Steve will even cook you breakfast, but don’t be late, his cooking is pretty popular. They have tent and RV sites. They also have at least one travel trailer they rent out. If that doesn’t work for you, you can always stay in one of their, one-room cabins. There’s a playground and a heated swimming pool for the kids. They even have a fishing pond for those who’d like to try their luck at landing a trout. They have a really cool gift shop and plenty of room to gather in the lodge. The game room is filled with a lot of old games from when I was a young man. Games like TRON, PAC MAN, GALIGA, and several racing games. They have three old pin ball machines, FISH TALES and WHITE WATER are the one's we play the most. If you hurry out there you just might find my initals on GALAGA as the top score. Cool! And because they never stop cleaning, the restrooms are spotless. Your clothes getting wet and dirty? no problem, they have a laundry mat to take care of that one too.
Let’s see, they’re five minutes from the Pikes Peak Highway and Santa’s Workshop, a really cool place for the kids. They’re located five minutes west of, beautiful downtown, Manitou Springs. You can easily get to The Garden of the Gods in 15 minutes. Seven Falls and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo are 20 minutes away. Woodland Park and a seemingly endless supply of jeep trails we explore along Rampart Range every year are just 15 minutes to the west. And if you’re a history buff or a gambler looking for some action, Cripple Creek is just a 33 mile drive. Maybe you plan to go river rafting, Canon City is just 57 miles to the southwest. Maybe you’d like to spend a day to see the Continental Divide. It’s just a 100 miles to the west. Trust me, it’s a beautiful drive.
Oh yeah, and it’s only 8 miles or so from our official, newest favorite, locally owned, restaurant in the world. It’s called “Jo Mamas“, in Woodland Park. It’s a small, Italian place. Nothing fancy, just a really cool place. The atmosphere is fun and friendly, the food was wonderful, and even though they were busy as hell, the service exceeded all expectations. Friday and Saturday nights they have live music. You should have seen my 18-month,old grand daughter out there dancing when the guy started playing his guitar. It's quite possible that she was a bigger hit than he was. To the guitar player, I'm sorry I didn't get your name. But just so you know, your performance that night just made an already exellent day even better.
For me, it’s all about building memories. And to Steve and Lisa, and now a little Italian restaurant named Jo Mamas in Woodland Park, I thank you for being a part of it.
A better place? No way, that’s just crazy talk.
Stop on by the blog this week and tell us your vacation story at: www.rm235.blogspot.com
If you’re a long time reader of this column, you might remember me telling you about the, Lone Duck Campground in Colorado. My family and I have camped there for twelve years in a row now. Well, there was the year my daughter and daughter-in-law were both pregnant. They both used it as an excuse not to travel. Whatever.
Anyway, that’s where we were last week, and late one night, around 11:00 P.M. I was in the video game room, minding my own business when this guy holding five bottles of beer plus the one he was drinking from burst in. I continued to mind my own business and kept on playing my pin ball game. For a while the guy just kind of staggered around looking at the different games in the room. Finally he asked in a loud, obnoxious voice. So, where you from, bud?
I told him I was from Topeka, Kansas. He said, cool, you’re a long way from home, why in the world would you come to this place? I told him this was our twelfth year in a row to camp there and that there was no place I’d rather spend my vacation. He looked at me like I was crazy or something. He said man, there are so many better places than this. I asked him, where? He told me, he couldn’t remember the names of the places, but assured me there were a lot of them out there. I bid my new drunk friend, goodnight, and headed back to the campfire my clan had gathered around for the night.
Early the next morning, I thought about what the guy was saying. I guess, “better“ depends on who‘s telling the story. Sure there are a lot of bigger campgrounds. There are newer one’s too, who knows, maybe that’s what my, drunk friend meant by better.
But if you’re looking for a place in the heart of the Rocky Mountains that have so many of their own things to offer plus being so close to so many attractions in the area, you won’t find a better place to take your family.
Steve and Lisa work tirelessly to accommodate every single one of their guests. If you’re up early, Steve will even cook you breakfast, but don’t be late, his cooking is pretty popular. They have tent and RV sites. They also have at least one travel trailer they rent out. If that doesn’t work for you, you can always stay in one of their, one-room cabins. There’s a playground and a heated swimming pool for the kids. They even have a fishing pond for those who’d like to try their luck at landing a trout. They have a really cool gift shop and plenty of room to gather in the lodge. The game room is filled with a lot of old games from when I was a young man. Games like TRON, PAC MAN, GALIGA, and several racing games. They have three old pin ball machines, FISH TALES and WHITE WATER are the one's we play the most. If you hurry out there you just might find my initals on GALAGA as the top score. Cool! And because they never stop cleaning, the restrooms are spotless. Your clothes getting wet and dirty? no problem, they have a laundry mat to take care of that one too.
Let’s see, they’re five minutes from the Pikes Peak Highway and Santa’s Workshop, a really cool place for the kids. They’re located five minutes west of, beautiful downtown, Manitou Springs. You can easily get to The Garden of the Gods in 15 minutes. Seven Falls and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo are 20 minutes away. Woodland Park and a seemingly endless supply of jeep trails we explore along Rampart Range every year are just 15 minutes to the west. And if you’re a history buff or a gambler looking for some action, Cripple Creek is just a 33 mile drive. Maybe you plan to go river rafting, Canon City is just 57 miles to the southwest. Maybe you’d like to spend a day to see the Continental Divide. It’s just a 100 miles to the west. Trust me, it’s a beautiful drive.
Oh yeah, and it’s only 8 miles or so from our official, newest favorite, locally owned, restaurant in the world. It’s called “Jo Mamas“, in Woodland Park. It’s a small, Italian place. Nothing fancy, just a really cool place. The atmosphere is fun and friendly, the food was wonderful, and even though they were busy as hell, the service exceeded all expectations. Friday and Saturday nights they have live music. You should have seen my 18-month,old grand daughter out there dancing when the guy started playing his guitar. It's quite possible that she was a bigger hit than he was. To the guitar player, I'm sorry I didn't get your name. But just so you know, your performance that night just made an already exellent day even better.
For me, it’s all about building memories. And to Steve and Lisa, and now a little Italian restaurant named Jo Mamas in Woodland Park, I thank you for being a part of it.
A better place? No way, that’s just crazy talk.
Stop on by the blog this week and tell us your vacation story at: www.rm235.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Obama's Not Looking Out For People Like Me...
I remember it like it was just yesterday. Well, six months ago anyway. Obama had just been elected president. During his inaugural address, he spoke to people like myself. You know, the fifty-six-million of us who didn’t vote for him. He said he’d work to gain our support and assured us he’d be our president too.
It‘s funny, but I did take a little comfort in that statement. I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t be the far left zealot I was afraid he’d be. I hoped he govern more as a centrist and that we’d be okay.
Well, it’s not exactly working out that way, is it? Was he working to gain our support as he trotted around the globe blaming America for pretty much everything that’s wrong in the world today? How much support did he gain from us as he bowed down to the Saudi Arabian King and then lied about doing so?
How about the whole global-warming con he’s promoting? How much support from us has he gained with his “Cap and Trade” fraud that’ll do nothing what-so-ever to slow down the Co2 emissions the global-warming crowd is so scared of? How’s much support is he going to get from us once thousands more people begin to lose their jobs because of this fiasco?
How about the health care thing he’s trying to force down our throats? If he thinks he’s looking out for people like me, he’s out of his mind. If you use the numbers he keeps throwing out there, there are approximately 47 million Americans without health care insurance. Okay, but that also means there’s somewhere around 250 million of us who are insured, and most of those are pretty happy with the health care they receive. Why in the hell should the health care of so many be drastically altered to accommodate so few? I guess it’s kind of like he told “Joe the Plumber,” he likes to spread the wealth around.
How about this idea? How about just doing something for the one’s who aren’t insured and leave the rest of us the hell alone. How about doing something like a temporary medicare for those who’ve fallen on hard times because of a loss of their job or whatever.
I say temporary because it should be handled just like unemployment benefits, it should be there only as a safety net until you can find another job. I’m sure it’d mean a tax increase for the rest of us, but I think most Americans are willing to help their fellow man as long as he’s willing to help himself.
How about when he chose sides in a racial dispute the other day? I’m talking about when he took sides in the racially charged, dispute between his buddy, Cambridge professor, Henry Gates before he even knew all the facts in the case. He just automatically assumed because it was a white police officer arresting a black man, it just had to be a case of racial profiling. How much support did he gain from us over that one?
You left-wing loons can rant and rave all you want. And just for the record, I love the “Flat-Earth Society” label you’ve tried to pin on us because we refuse to fall for this, end of the world global-warming crap you get so worked up about. And it amuses us when you have the nerve to call us selfish for expecting people who are able bodied to stand on their own two feet and support their own families. It amuses us because since that’s what we’ve done all our lives, we know it can be done.
Obama’s approval ratings are falling like a rock and it’s because people are finally waking up and seeing his true colors. He’s as far left as you can get, and we’re not going to let him shove his socialist agenda down our throats.
Oh, one more thing. You libs had better enjoy your brief time in power. Because sooner or later the adults will take charge again. And we will take our country back.
I know some of you have something to say. What are you waiting for? Jump right in there and let us know what's on your mind.
It‘s funny, but I did take a little comfort in that statement. I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t be the far left zealot I was afraid he’d be. I hoped he govern more as a centrist and that we’d be okay.
Well, it’s not exactly working out that way, is it? Was he working to gain our support as he trotted around the globe blaming America for pretty much everything that’s wrong in the world today? How much support did he gain from us as he bowed down to the Saudi Arabian King and then lied about doing so?
How about the whole global-warming con he’s promoting? How much support from us has he gained with his “Cap and Trade” fraud that’ll do nothing what-so-ever to slow down the Co2 emissions the global-warming crowd is so scared of? How’s much support is he going to get from us once thousands more people begin to lose their jobs because of this fiasco?
How about the health care thing he’s trying to force down our throats? If he thinks he’s looking out for people like me, he’s out of his mind. If you use the numbers he keeps throwing out there, there are approximately 47 million Americans without health care insurance. Okay, but that also means there’s somewhere around 250 million of us who are insured, and most of those are pretty happy with the health care they receive. Why in the hell should the health care of so many be drastically altered to accommodate so few? I guess it’s kind of like he told “Joe the Plumber,” he likes to spread the wealth around.
How about this idea? How about just doing something for the one’s who aren’t insured and leave the rest of us the hell alone. How about doing something like a temporary medicare for those who’ve fallen on hard times because of a loss of their job or whatever.
I say temporary because it should be handled just like unemployment benefits, it should be there only as a safety net until you can find another job. I’m sure it’d mean a tax increase for the rest of us, but I think most Americans are willing to help their fellow man as long as he’s willing to help himself.
How about when he chose sides in a racial dispute the other day? I’m talking about when he took sides in the racially charged, dispute between his buddy, Cambridge professor, Henry Gates before he even knew all the facts in the case. He just automatically assumed because it was a white police officer arresting a black man, it just had to be a case of racial profiling. How much support did he gain from us over that one?
You left-wing loons can rant and rave all you want. And just for the record, I love the “Flat-Earth Society” label you’ve tried to pin on us because we refuse to fall for this, end of the world global-warming crap you get so worked up about. And it amuses us when you have the nerve to call us selfish for expecting people who are able bodied to stand on their own two feet and support their own families. It amuses us because since that’s what we’ve done all our lives, we know it can be done.
Obama’s approval ratings are falling like a rock and it’s because people are finally waking up and seeing his true colors. He’s as far left as you can get, and we’re not going to let him shove his socialist agenda down our throats.
Oh, one more thing. You libs had better enjoy your brief time in power. Because sooner or later the adults will take charge again. And we will take our country back.
I know some of you have something to say. What are you waiting for? Jump right in there and let us know what's on your mind.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Beecher Island Part Five: The Conclusion...
You know, the more I learn about the Battle of Beecher Island, the more I want to talk about it. But I did promise to wrap it up this week and like they say, a deal’s a deal.
The rest of the story is a little sketchy. What I mean is that I’ve read several different versions of it by several different authors. So I’m just going to go with the version they inscribed on the monument in 1905. I figure if that’s the story they’re sticking to, it’s good enough for me.
Lieutenant, Forsyth knew if they were going to survive he’d have to send for help. On the first night, J.S. Stillwell and P. Trudeau escaped by crawling past the Indian’s lines on their hands and knees. Their assignment was to reach Fort Wallace, some 60 miles to the southeast any way they could and send help.
Because of all the Indians in the area, Stillwell and Trudeau were forced to travel by night and spend their days in hiding. On the 5th day, they flagged down a stagecoach and rode it the rest of the way to Fort Wallace.
On the third night, Forsyth sent two more men named, J. Donovan, and A.G. Pilley in the direction of Fort Donovan. They followed the south fork of the Republican River and eventually reached Fort Donovan, but because the soldiers were out in the field, the place was mostly deserted. They were able to round up four men and immediately headed back toward Beecher Island. Finally, once they had gotten within about twenty miles from the island, they ran across Captain Louis H. Carpenter and his Company of about 60 “Buffalo Soldiers,” who were out on patrol. Captain Louis was a good friend of Forsyth’s from the Civil War, and as soon as the two scouts told him of their situation, Donovan and Pilley led them on a twenty mile, mad dash.
Meanwhile, back on the island, Forsyth and his men’s situation was getting desperate. The only food they had was the putrid, rotting meat of their dead horses. The injuries of the wounded had become infected and many of them were literally on the verge of dying. They had no way knowing whether the two teams they’d sent for help even got past the Indians, let alone whether or not they were coming back.
Finally, at 10:00 AM on the ninth day (September 26th, 1868) since their ordeal began, the men trapped on the island saw movement on the prairie. Within an hour they could see it was a Cavalry unit coming their way. The Indians were also watching this movement. They knew they had failed to starve the white men to death like they wanted and reluctantly decided to moved on.
Captain Louis and his Buffalo Soldiers fed the men who were able to eat and began trying to stabilize the wounded as best they could. One scout’s injuries were so severe, Captain Louis’ surgeon decided the only way to save the man’s life was to amputate his left leg.
You need understand just how brutal this must have been. It’s not like they had a clean, sterilized operating room to work in. It took place on a filthy sand bar in the middle of a river, surrounded by the stench of fifty dead and rotting horses that were laying everywhere. Somehow, civilian scout, Lewis Farley lived through the surgery but didn’t make it through the night. A few hours before sunrise on the morning of the 27th, he became the fifth and final casualty in the battle of Beecher Island.
About noon the next day, a full twenty-six hours after Captain Louis and his Buffalo Soldiers from Fort Donovan arrived, civilian scouts, Stillwell and Trudeau arrived with help from Fort Wallace in Kansas. To say they were relieved to find that help had already arrived would be an understatement. The rescue they had planned had turned into an evacuation and they loaded the weak and wounded into Government wagons for the two day trip back to Fort Wallace.
Today, one hundred-forty-one-years later, you can safely stand on the exact spot the island was. You can see the ravine, Roman Nose led his attacks from. And you can walk a mile long trail around the battle field. The first stop on this trail is the top of the hill, Roman Nose led his last charge from. It’s a very moving experience. Anyway, it was for me.
It was pointed out to me that this whole thing didn’t happen along the Republican River after all. So for a point of clarification, it took place on the Arickaree Fork of the Republican River. Hope that helps clear things up.
It’s also been suggested I provide references to back up my story. Fair enough. Just do like I did before I even took the trip. Google it.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading the story of Beecher Island and I hope one day you can make the trip to Wray Colorado to see it for yourself. I’m still looking for a historian out there who would like to take part in the online discussion at: www.rm235.blogspot.com
The rest of the story is a little sketchy. What I mean is that I’ve read several different versions of it by several different authors. So I’m just going to go with the version they inscribed on the monument in 1905. I figure if that’s the story they’re sticking to, it’s good enough for me.
Lieutenant, Forsyth knew if they were going to survive he’d have to send for help. On the first night, J.S. Stillwell and P. Trudeau escaped by crawling past the Indian’s lines on their hands and knees. Their assignment was to reach Fort Wallace, some 60 miles to the southeast any way they could and send help.
Because of all the Indians in the area, Stillwell and Trudeau were forced to travel by night and spend their days in hiding. On the 5th day, they flagged down a stagecoach and rode it the rest of the way to Fort Wallace.
On the third night, Forsyth sent two more men named, J. Donovan, and A.G. Pilley in the direction of Fort Donovan. They followed the south fork of the Republican River and eventually reached Fort Donovan, but because the soldiers were out in the field, the place was mostly deserted. They were able to round up four men and immediately headed back toward Beecher Island. Finally, once they had gotten within about twenty miles from the island, they ran across Captain Louis H. Carpenter and his Company of about 60 “Buffalo Soldiers,” who were out on patrol. Captain Louis was a good friend of Forsyth’s from the Civil War, and as soon as the two scouts told him of their situation, Donovan and Pilley led them on a twenty mile, mad dash.
Meanwhile, back on the island, Forsyth and his men’s situation was getting desperate. The only food they had was the putrid, rotting meat of their dead horses. The injuries of the wounded had become infected and many of them were literally on the verge of dying. They had no way knowing whether the two teams they’d sent for help even got past the Indians, let alone whether or not they were coming back.
Finally, at 10:00 AM on the ninth day (September 26th, 1868) since their ordeal began, the men trapped on the island saw movement on the prairie. Within an hour they could see it was a Cavalry unit coming their way. The Indians were also watching this movement. They knew they had failed to starve the white men to death like they wanted and reluctantly decided to moved on.
Captain Louis and his Buffalo Soldiers fed the men who were able to eat and began trying to stabilize the wounded as best they could. One scout’s injuries were so severe, Captain Louis’ surgeon decided the only way to save the man’s life was to amputate his left leg.
You need understand just how brutal this must have been. It’s not like they had a clean, sterilized operating room to work in. It took place on a filthy sand bar in the middle of a river, surrounded by the stench of fifty dead and rotting horses that were laying everywhere. Somehow, civilian scout, Lewis Farley lived through the surgery but didn’t make it through the night. A few hours before sunrise on the morning of the 27th, he became the fifth and final casualty in the battle of Beecher Island.
About noon the next day, a full twenty-six hours after Captain Louis and his Buffalo Soldiers from Fort Donovan arrived, civilian scouts, Stillwell and Trudeau arrived with help from Fort Wallace in Kansas. To say they were relieved to find that help had already arrived would be an understatement. The rescue they had planned had turned into an evacuation and they loaded the weak and wounded into Government wagons for the two day trip back to Fort Wallace.
Today, one hundred-forty-one-years later, you can safely stand on the exact spot the island was. You can see the ravine, Roman Nose led his attacks from. And you can walk a mile long trail around the battle field. The first stop on this trail is the top of the hill, Roman Nose led his last charge from. It’s a very moving experience. Anyway, it was for me.
It was pointed out to me that this whole thing didn’t happen along the Republican River after all. So for a point of clarification, it took place on the Arickaree Fork of the Republican River. Hope that helps clear things up.
It’s also been suggested I provide references to back up my story. Fair enough. Just do like I did before I even took the trip. Google it.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading the story of Beecher Island and I hope one day you can make the trip to Wray Colorado to see it for yourself. I’m still looking for a historian out there who would like to take part in the online discussion at: www.rm235.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Beecher Island, Part Four: Impossible Odds
Let’s see now, where were we? Oh yeah, when we last talked, Lieutenant Forsyth and his fifty-one scouts had barricaded themselves on a small sand bar (Beecher Island) in the middle of the Republican River. They had survived the initial attack with only two casualties. Second in command, Lt. Beecher and civilian scout, George W. Culver had both been killed. Lt. Forsyth had been shot in the leg, and acting surgeon, Dr. JH Moores had been shot in the head, but for some reason or another, was still alive. They were now bracing themselves for an all out assault on their position from a band of approximately 300 Indian warriors led by the well known, Cheyenne Warrior, Roman Nose.
Because of the way the ravine Roman Nose had decided to attack from was situated, the men could hear the Indians coming before they ever saw them. Forsyth shouted out a few last minute orders. He told them this was it, there was no more time to prepare. He directed them to look out for one another, to hold their fire until the Indians reached the edge of the river, and to make every shot count. It probably wasn’t politically correct, but he also told them he’d personally kill any man who tried to desert his post.
The attack was classic, Roman Nose. There he was, fearless, and like always, front and center. But because of the narrow ravine he had chosen to attack from he and his men had become easy targets for Forsyth and his men.
As they emerged, the Indians were only two or three abreast and with the new Spencer Seven-Shooter, one after another fell. The attacks came wave after wave and the results were all pretty much the same. Every Indian who came within range was met with another, deadly accurate bullet.
Roman Nose called off the attack long enough to regroup. It was decided they’d break up into several smaller groups and try to surround the men on the sand bar. Maybe if they’d tried this tactic from the beginning, things would have turned out different. Who knows?
Roman Nose led his group from the top of a hill just west of Forsyth’s position. By now he was full of rage. He was driven by his hatred of the white man and had become frustrated by his inability to slaughter this small group of men. Maybe he had become careless by making himself such an easy target. But this would be Roman Nose’s last fight.
As he reached the river’s edge, Roman Nose was met with a fatal shot. He struggled to stay on his horse for a while. But finally, death overtook him and he fell where he was. His death had an immediate, demoralizing effect on the warriors and the attack was called off.
Because of a good, last minute plan, and superior fire power, Forsyth and his men had won the battle against what seemed like impossible odds.
But it wasn’t over. The battle had now become a siege. The Indians decided if they couldn’t beat the white men in this battle, they’d keep them pinned down on their sand bar and simply starve them to death. And so it began.
Once it became clear the battle was over Forsyth and his men slowly crawled out of their holes in the sand to take stock of themselves and each other. They had lost two more men in the battle. Civilian Scouts, William Nelson and Lewis Farley had both been killed. When they went to check on the surgeon, DH Moorse, they discovered he had also died of the gun shot wound to the head he had suffered earlier in the day. On top of all that, there were 18 more men wounded, some of them critically.
All the food and medical supplies the men had were loaded on the four pack-mules they brought with them. All four mules had been killed and were laying some hundred yards to the north of them. They might as well have been on the moon. There was no way the Indians were going to allow the men to retrieve any of their supplies. They tended to the wounded as best as they could and tried not to think about having no food.
As night fell, they buried their dead on the battlefield and Forsyth explained their situation to his men. He told them it looked like the Indians intended to starve them out and asked for volunteers to break through the Indian‘s lines and head some sixty miles away to Fort Wallace for help. Four men stepped forward.
Okay, I promise to wind this story down by next week. I’m still looking for someone who knows how this story will end though. How about it, how about joining me on the blog to talk about it at: www.rm235.blogspot.com Surely there’s a historian out there somewhere.
Because of the way the ravine Roman Nose had decided to attack from was situated, the men could hear the Indians coming before they ever saw them. Forsyth shouted out a few last minute orders. He told them this was it, there was no more time to prepare. He directed them to look out for one another, to hold their fire until the Indians reached the edge of the river, and to make every shot count. It probably wasn’t politically correct, but he also told them he’d personally kill any man who tried to desert his post.
The attack was classic, Roman Nose. There he was, fearless, and like always, front and center. But because of the narrow ravine he had chosen to attack from he and his men had become easy targets for Forsyth and his men.
As they emerged, the Indians were only two or three abreast and with the new Spencer Seven-Shooter, one after another fell. The attacks came wave after wave and the results were all pretty much the same. Every Indian who came within range was met with another, deadly accurate bullet.
Roman Nose called off the attack long enough to regroup. It was decided they’d break up into several smaller groups and try to surround the men on the sand bar. Maybe if they’d tried this tactic from the beginning, things would have turned out different. Who knows?
Roman Nose led his group from the top of a hill just west of Forsyth’s position. By now he was full of rage. He was driven by his hatred of the white man and had become frustrated by his inability to slaughter this small group of men. Maybe he had become careless by making himself such an easy target. But this would be Roman Nose’s last fight.
As he reached the river’s edge, Roman Nose was met with a fatal shot. He struggled to stay on his horse for a while. But finally, death overtook him and he fell where he was. His death had an immediate, demoralizing effect on the warriors and the attack was called off.
Because of a good, last minute plan, and superior fire power, Forsyth and his men had won the battle against what seemed like impossible odds.
But it wasn’t over. The battle had now become a siege. The Indians decided if they couldn’t beat the white men in this battle, they’d keep them pinned down on their sand bar and simply starve them to death. And so it began.
Once it became clear the battle was over Forsyth and his men slowly crawled out of their holes in the sand to take stock of themselves and each other. They had lost two more men in the battle. Civilian Scouts, William Nelson and Lewis Farley had both been killed. When they went to check on the surgeon, DH Moorse, they discovered he had also died of the gun shot wound to the head he had suffered earlier in the day. On top of all that, there were 18 more men wounded, some of them critically.
All the food and medical supplies the men had were loaded on the four pack-mules they brought with them. All four mules had been killed and were laying some hundred yards to the north of them. They might as well have been on the moon. There was no way the Indians were going to allow the men to retrieve any of their supplies. They tended to the wounded as best as they could and tried not to think about having no food.
As night fell, they buried their dead on the battlefield and Forsyth explained their situation to his men. He told them it looked like the Indians intended to starve them out and asked for volunteers to break through the Indian‘s lines and head some sixty miles away to Fort Wallace for help. Four men stepped forward.
Okay, I promise to wind this story down by next week. I’m still looking for someone who knows how this story will end though. How about it, how about joining me on the blog to talk about it at: www.rm235.blogspot.com Surely there’s a historian out there somewhere.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Beecher Island, Part Three: The Battle
Last week we left off with Lt. Forsyth checking on the men he had stationed as sentries on the hills overlooking their camp, to make sure they knew what he expected from them.
Satisfied, he rode back to camp to make his final preparations for tomorrow’s battle. He knew they were outnumbered by something like three to one and knew their only real chance in defeating the enemy was to launch an attack while they were still asleep. With that in mind he had decided to have his men up and ready to go by 4:00 the next morning.
What he didn’t know, was that he had fallen into a trap. The 150 or so Cheyenne warriors he and his men had been following were joined overnight by warriors of the Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, and the Ogala Souix tribes, making a combined force of around 750.
It was still a couple hours before daylight on the morning of Sept. 17, 1868, the men were already busy breaking camp, saddling up their horses, and making final preparations for the battle that lie ahead, when out of nowhere came the first rifle shot from one of the sentries posted on the hills surrounding the camp.
Eight or nine warriors had managed to sneak past his position and into camp in an effort to stampede the their horses and leave Forsyth and his men abandoned, making them easy targets. Once it became clear that wasn’t going to work, the warriors disappeared back into the night just as fast as they had appeared.
It was all quiet for the next hour or so. Then just as the sun started to rise, shots rang out from the rest of the sentries. The men came riding into camp as fast as their horses could carry them and reported they were being surrounded on all sides by more hostile Indians than they’d ever seen at one time.
In no time at all it was apparent just how much trouble they were really in. The Indians had started to crest the hills overlooking their camp. They were lined up on both sides of the river as far as the eye could see.
Forsyth knew if he and his men were going to have any chance at all of surviving they had to find some kind of cover, and quick. He ordered them to retreat to a small sandbar (island) in the middle of the river about a hundred yards just south of their position. It was a pretty good size sandbar with one lone Cottonwood tree and a large growth of Willows growing around it. It wasn’t much, but he knew it was the only chance they had.
They made a mad dash toward the island. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds either. The river back then was a lot wider and deeper than it is today. There were parts where the water came up to the men’s chests but they all made it.
Just as they made it to the island, the Indians started their attack. It was vicious. The air was filled with hot lead and arrows and it didn’t let up. Right off the bat, Forsyth was shot in the leg, and his second in command, Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher was killed. Most of the horses were killed and fell where they stood. Struggling to stay alert, Forsyth ordered his men to use the dead horses for cover and to start digging holes in the soft sand (think foxholes) with their tin plates, rifle butts, or their bare hands.
The plan worked, and after an hour the Indians became frustrated and called off the initial attack and retreated back over the hills they had come from to regroup. The men on the sandbar realized they were getting good cover and used this time to re-enforce their holes in the sand and to tend to the wounded as best they could. Lt. Forsyth used the time to dig the lead ball that been buried deep in his thigh out.
It was somewhere around noon that day when Forsyth and his men watched as the Indians gathered again. They knew they were making plans for another attack. They also noticed that in the middle of the gathering was a big, tall Indian who seemed to be doing most of the talking. They knew at once it was none other than Roman Nose himself.
They didn’t have to wait long for the plan to unfold. Roman Nose led a party of about three hundred warriors in a direct assault on their position from a small ravine to the west, as the rest of their war party tried to sneak in from both sides of the river using the tall grass for cover.
What Roman Nose and his warriors didn’t know, was that Forsyth and his men were all armed with a new type of rifle, the .56 Cal. Spencer Seven-Shooter. The Indians were well aware of the damage a single shot rifle was capable of but this was the first time they’d ever came up against a repeating rifle. To say the least, the results were devastating.
Stop by the blog this week to join in on the conversation at: www.rm235.blogspot.com I’d love to hear from anyone and everyone who thinks they know how this story ends.
Satisfied, he rode back to camp to make his final preparations for tomorrow’s battle. He knew they were outnumbered by something like three to one and knew their only real chance in defeating the enemy was to launch an attack while they were still asleep. With that in mind he had decided to have his men up and ready to go by 4:00 the next morning.
What he didn’t know, was that he had fallen into a trap. The 150 or so Cheyenne warriors he and his men had been following were joined overnight by warriors of the Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, and the Ogala Souix tribes, making a combined force of around 750.
It was still a couple hours before daylight on the morning of Sept. 17, 1868, the men were already busy breaking camp, saddling up their horses, and making final preparations for the battle that lie ahead, when out of nowhere came the first rifle shot from one of the sentries posted on the hills surrounding the camp.
Eight or nine warriors had managed to sneak past his position and into camp in an effort to stampede the their horses and leave Forsyth and his men abandoned, making them easy targets. Once it became clear that wasn’t going to work, the warriors disappeared back into the night just as fast as they had appeared.
It was all quiet for the next hour or so. Then just as the sun started to rise, shots rang out from the rest of the sentries. The men came riding into camp as fast as their horses could carry them and reported they were being surrounded on all sides by more hostile Indians than they’d ever seen at one time.
In no time at all it was apparent just how much trouble they were really in. The Indians had started to crest the hills overlooking their camp. They were lined up on both sides of the river as far as the eye could see.
Forsyth knew if he and his men were going to have any chance at all of surviving they had to find some kind of cover, and quick. He ordered them to retreat to a small sandbar (island) in the middle of the river about a hundred yards just south of their position. It was a pretty good size sandbar with one lone Cottonwood tree and a large growth of Willows growing around it. It wasn’t much, but he knew it was the only chance they had.
They made a mad dash toward the island. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds either. The river back then was a lot wider and deeper than it is today. There were parts where the water came up to the men’s chests but they all made it.
Just as they made it to the island, the Indians started their attack. It was vicious. The air was filled with hot lead and arrows and it didn’t let up. Right off the bat, Forsyth was shot in the leg, and his second in command, Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher was killed. Most of the horses were killed and fell where they stood. Struggling to stay alert, Forsyth ordered his men to use the dead horses for cover and to start digging holes in the soft sand (think foxholes) with their tin plates, rifle butts, or their bare hands.
The plan worked, and after an hour the Indians became frustrated and called off the initial attack and retreated back over the hills they had come from to regroup. The men on the sandbar realized they were getting good cover and used this time to re-enforce their holes in the sand and to tend to the wounded as best they could. Lt. Forsyth used the time to dig the lead ball that been buried deep in his thigh out.
It was somewhere around noon that day when Forsyth and his men watched as the Indians gathered again. They knew they were making plans for another attack. They also noticed that in the middle of the gathering was a big, tall Indian who seemed to be doing most of the talking. They knew at once it was none other than Roman Nose himself.
They didn’t have to wait long for the plan to unfold. Roman Nose led a party of about three hundred warriors in a direct assault on their position from a small ravine to the west, as the rest of their war party tried to sneak in from both sides of the river using the tall grass for cover.
What Roman Nose and his warriors didn’t know, was that Forsyth and his men were all armed with a new type of rifle, the .56 Cal. Spencer Seven-Shooter. The Indians were well aware of the damage a single shot rifle was capable of but this was the first time they’d ever came up against a repeating rifle. To say the least, the results were devastating.
Stop by the blog this week to join in on the conversation at: www.rm235.blogspot.com I’d love to hear from anyone and everyone who thinks they know how this story ends.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Beecher Island: Part Two
Let’s see now, where were we? Oh yeah, last week I started telling you the story about a battle site in northeastern Colorado called Beecher Island I visited a few weeks back.
I talked about Lieutenant Forsyth leading a group of fifty-one men in search of a band renegade Indians. Forsyth and his men had caught up the Indians they had been pursuing on the afternoon of September 17th, 1868 just west of Fort Wallace, which was located in the westernmost part of Kansas. In order to rest his men, Forsyth ordered them to make camp in a small valley along the Republican River early that evening, and Forsyth and his second in command, Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher had retreated to their tent to plan their next move and to await their date with destiny.
Alright, this week, I’m going to tell you the story about one of the main players they were going up against, Cheyenne Chief, Roman Nose.
First off, the white’s had his name wrong. He was given the Indian name by his people, Woqini, (Arched Nose or Hooked Nose.) It was the white’s who interpreted it as Roman Nose. Anyway, the name stuck. He was a giant of a man, he stood well over six feet tall, and was an imposing figure on the battlefield who literally struck fear into the hearts of his enemies with his straight, in your face style of battle. He conducted himself in battle to such a high degree that the Generals in the U.S. military considered him the Chief of the entire Cheyenne nation.
Contrary to popular belief, Roman Nose never was a Chief, a dog soldier, or the leader of any of the Cheyenne military societies. He was however, known to all as one of the greatest Cheyenne warriors to ever live and the greatest leader during any and all combat situations.
Roman Nose was driven by his hatred of the white man, and the U.S. Government in particular for breaking the treaties they had signed with his people in the mid-1860’s. Following the Sand Creek Massacre on November 29th, 1864 where some four hundred Indians, mostly older men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered by a group of renegade, U.S. soldiers led by Colonel John Chivington, Roman Nose began his retaliatory attacks against any white settlements he came across along the Platte valley of southwestern Nebraska, western Kansas, and eastern Colorado. Native American author and physician, Charles Eastman, once wrote of Roman Nose, “Perhaps no other warrior attacked more emigrants along the Oregon Trail between 1864 and 1868.”
Some spoke of him as being arrogant and flamboyant. Other’s described him as simply brutal in nature. In April, 1867 General Winfield Hancock sent word to the Cheyenne that he wanted to talk. They sent Roman Nose to Fort Larned to conduct the talks with the white General. Roman Nose arrived at this meeting wearing the uniform of a General in the U.S. military. He had a Spencer carbine rifle hanging from his saddle, four Navy revolvers stuck in his belt, a knife strapped to both of his legs, and a bow, already strung with arrows in his left hand. He started the talks with a simple demand, “talk.” The General knew right then, Roman Nose wouldn’t intimidated and it didn’t to him one way or the other, whether they talked or they fought.
Meanwhile, back at their campsite along the Republican River, Lieutenant Forsyth was well aware of the stories surrounding, Roman Nose. He was also aware of the fact that, Roman Nose was among the War Party they were planning to engage in the morning.
About an hour after they had eaten, Forsyth gathered his men to inform them the forward scouts had just returned and reported seeing as many as 150 Indian warriors camped in a ravine about a half a mile west of their position. He explained to them they were probably going to be outnumbered by at least three to one. With that in mind his plan was to catch them off guard while they were still sleeping. He told his men they’d have to have their horses saddled and to be ready to head out by 4:00 the next morning. He told them to make sure their guns were in good working order and to get as much rest as they could.
He rode up to visit with the sentries he had posted along the hills surrounding the camp to make sure they knew what their job was. He instructed each man to fire a single shot if he saw any movement at all. He stressed that he only wanted the shot to come from the direction of the movement. In case of a surprise attack, he wanted to be able to tell where it was coming from. He reminded them that the lives of every single member of their party depended on them doing the job they had volunteered for, and one by one, he asked each one of them if they were still up to it. He told them, if they wanted to back out, now was the time.
Maybe you’ve visited Beecher Island, stop on by the blog this week and tell us your story at: www.rm235.blogspot.com
I talked about Lieutenant Forsyth leading a group of fifty-one men in search of a band renegade Indians. Forsyth and his men had caught up the Indians they had been pursuing on the afternoon of September 17th, 1868 just west of Fort Wallace, which was located in the westernmost part of Kansas. In order to rest his men, Forsyth ordered them to make camp in a small valley along the Republican River early that evening, and Forsyth and his second in command, Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher had retreated to their tent to plan their next move and to await their date with destiny.
Alright, this week, I’m going to tell you the story about one of the main players they were going up against, Cheyenne Chief, Roman Nose.
First off, the white’s had his name wrong. He was given the Indian name by his people, Woqini, (Arched Nose or Hooked Nose.) It was the white’s who interpreted it as Roman Nose. Anyway, the name stuck. He was a giant of a man, he stood well over six feet tall, and was an imposing figure on the battlefield who literally struck fear into the hearts of his enemies with his straight, in your face style of battle. He conducted himself in battle to such a high degree that the Generals in the U.S. military considered him the Chief of the entire Cheyenne nation.
Contrary to popular belief, Roman Nose never was a Chief, a dog soldier, or the leader of any of the Cheyenne military societies. He was however, known to all as one of the greatest Cheyenne warriors to ever live and the greatest leader during any and all combat situations.
Roman Nose was driven by his hatred of the white man, and the U.S. Government in particular for breaking the treaties they had signed with his people in the mid-1860’s. Following the Sand Creek Massacre on November 29th, 1864 where some four hundred Indians, mostly older men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered by a group of renegade, U.S. soldiers led by Colonel John Chivington, Roman Nose began his retaliatory attacks against any white settlements he came across along the Platte valley of southwestern Nebraska, western Kansas, and eastern Colorado. Native American author and physician, Charles Eastman, once wrote of Roman Nose, “Perhaps no other warrior attacked more emigrants along the Oregon Trail between 1864 and 1868.”
Some spoke of him as being arrogant and flamboyant. Other’s described him as simply brutal in nature. In April, 1867 General Winfield Hancock sent word to the Cheyenne that he wanted to talk. They sent Roman Nose to Fort Larned to conduct the talks with the white General. Roman Nose arrived at this meeting wearing the uniform of a General in the U.S. military. He had a Spencer carbine rifle hanging from his saddle, four Navy revolvers stuck in his belt, a knife strapped to both of his legs, and a bow, already strung with arrows in his left hand. He started the talks with a simple demand, “talk.” The General knew right then, Roman Nose wouldn’t intimidated and it didn’t to him one way or the other, whether they talked or they fought.
Meanwhile, back at their campsite along the Republican River, Lieutenant Forsyth was well aware of the stories surrounding, Roman Nose. He was also aware of the fact that, Roman Nose was among the War Party they were planning to engage in the morning.
About an hour after they had eaten, Forsyth gathered his men to inform them the forward scouts had just returned and reported seeing as many as 150 Indian warriors camped in a ravine about a half a mile west of their position. He explained to them they were probably going to be outnumbered by at least three to one. With that in mind his plan was to catch them off guard while they were still sleeping. He told his men they’d have to have their horses saddled and to be ready to head out by 4:00 the next morning. He told them to make sure their guns were in good working order and to get as much rest as they could.
He rode up to visit with the sentries he had posted along the hills surrounding the camp to make sure they knew what their job was. He instructed each man to fire a single shot if he saw any movement at all. He stressed that he only wanted the shot to come from the direction of the movement. In case of a surprise attack, he wanted to be able to tell where it was coming from. He reminded them that the lives of every single member of their party depended on them doing the job they had volunteered for, and one by one, he asked each one of them if they were still up to it. He told them, if they wanted to back out, now was the time.
Maybe you’ve visited Beecher Island, stop on by the blog this week and tell us your story at: www.rm235.blogspot.com
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