I’m not a huge golf fan. It’s genetic. My father, my grandfather, my great-uncle, and many other forbearers were obsessed with the game. And they were all equally-genetically ill-suited for it. My great uncle Tony was a good example. On one particular day at the 18th hole, he knocked one into the water trap. He was so angry about it, he marched down to the water and threw his entire bag of expensive clubs in the drink, then stormed into the clubhouse for some liquid refreshment. His young caddy took off their shoes, socks, and rolled up their knickers, then waded in and fished out the bag and all the clubs. He then dried them off, and brought them into the clubhouse, no doubt expecting a big tip. What I’m sure he didn’t expect was that Tony grabbed the clubs under one arm, the caddy under the other, and then marched down to the water trap, where he threw them both in. Genetically. Ill-suited. So I stay off the links. [Read more…] about President Mulligan
Obama
Doublespeak.
On the day that the Communists of the world celebrate their hopelessly-flawed, failed social system of governance, it’s time to think about the tools of oppression – and recognize them for what they are, for as the great Joe Bob Brigs (drive-in movie critic of Grapevine, Texas) says “Without eternal vigilance, it can happen here.” [Read more…] about Doublespeak.
ServerGate.
Apparently, Hillary Clinton never learned a thing in her youth, when she served on the Congressional staff of the investigation into Watergate.
In a report tonight in Politico, Congressman Trey Gowdy states that the former Secretary of State wiped her server clean, and has destroyed ALL the emails on it. For those of you who frequent the mainstream media (where you surprisingly might have heard a little about this story) or for those of you coming in late (welcome to the party, pal!) allow me to give you the 50,000-foot view history lesson: [Read more…] about ServerGate.
On Bullying…and Bullies.
When I was a kid we had bullies. I was a student at Southfield School. And in 6th grade there was a kid who was bullying me. It just didn’t stop. I tried being nice. I tried keeping quiet. I tried telling the Principal. Nothing worked…until one day I’d had enough. I got to my mom’s car and threw my books in, furious, and I told her “Wait here…I’ve got something to take care of,” and I stormed off. There used to be an old wooden long building out by the field, they used as dressing rooms. I stormed onto the field, looking for this kid, mad as Hell, and I wasn’t going to take it any more.
[Read more…] about On Bullying…and Bullies.
Do Vows Matter Anymore?
I’m confused. You see, I grew up in a household where a person’s word was their bond. But apparently, I’m mistaken.
I said that very phrase just the other day, and my daughter asked me “what’s a bond?” I explained it as something of value that you put up as collateral, essentially something that you forfeit if you don’t keep your word. I told her about collateral on loans, and explained that the phrase essentially meant that “my word should be good enough for you, because I’m a man of my word.” I’ve always tried to be VERY careful about that with my daughter. I think as parents, it’s way too easy to promise your child something and then not make good on it, for a variety of reasons. I’ve tried to be up-front with my child, and if I can’t honor my promise when I promised to do so, I’ve always let her know, and then made it up to her as soon as I could. Because of that, she trusts me. She believes I will keep my word, because I always do. [Read more…] about Do Vows Matter Anymore?
The UN-candidate.
We are all, at one level or another, creatures of habit. That’s a good thing, most of the time. I mean, if we woke up to a world everyday where we had to figure out how to feed and clothe ourselves, with no idea of what would come next, none of us would leave very productive lives. But there’s a dark side to habit – that being the phenomena whereby we attempt to pigeonhole everything that happens, so we can process it, understand it (in terms of previous experiences) and move on. This system of shorthand evaluations doesn’t work at all, however, when you run smack dab up against something new. New is…different. It doesn’t fit the mold. It doesn’t lend itself to snap analyzes, or fitting into patterns. But “new” is where innovation comes from. It’s where solutions come from. And it’s where our future lies.
Consider (soon-to-be former) Gov. Sarah Palin. [Read more…] about The UN-candidate.
The first thing you do, is to stop digging.
That’s the advice my father gave to me, when I first found myself in debt up to my eyeballs. I thought he simply didn’t understand. I explained, as patiently as I could, that things like cable TV and renting videos were necessities – not luxuries. I explained how I simply needed more money, and since I worked for him, it was his responsibility to pay me more so I could maintain my standard of living.
He patiently explained that “when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you do is to stop digging.” There’s no way to spend yourself out of debt. I learned the truth of that, unfortunately, the hard way. “Making do” became a part of my vocabulary, just as “discretionary income” and “charge it” became a thing of the past.
Here’s the problem…when it’s just you – or you, your wife, and your kids – it’s not that difficult to get everybody on board the “let’s watch every penny” train. When you’re a nation, not so much, if only because a lot of the people that are the beneficiaries of “tax and spend” policies vote. [Read more…] about The first thing you do, is to stop digging.
What are you willing to fight for?
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. Here’s a partial list of what I’ve read/am reading/rereading lately:
- The Five Thousand Year Leap (Cleon Skousen)
- The Fourth Turning (William Strauss and Neil Howe)
- The Real George Washington (Jay Parry)
- An Inconvenient Book (by Glenn Beck)
- Fluke (Christopher Moore)
- Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
As I’ve been reading, I’ve been thinking – thinking about my country, how it works, how it’s changing, and what I want to see for our future. [Read more…] about What are you willing to fight for?
What…Me Worry?
Warren Buffet and Rupert Murdoch have a lot more money than I ever will. They are both billionaires, wealthy industrialists, captains of industry. They obviously know more than I do about money. And recently, both have said “the worst is behind us…the economy is getting better.”
So why don’t I feel comforted?
I’ll tell you why. Because I don’t believe a word of it. These are smart men. Knowledgeable men. Talented men. So are both of these guys wrong? Let’s pause for a nanosecond and examine the possibilities: [Read more…] about What…Me Worry?
Partying Like It’s 1836.
For those of you not from Texas, 1836 was the year the phrase “Remember the Alamo!” passed into our national lexicon, for it was that year, that 187 Americans told Mexican General Santa Anna and his 6,000 troops to go suck an egg. The Americans held off the Mexican Army for 13 days. They were eventually overrun and killed to a man, but they never gave up, never surrendered, and never quit.
On Wednesday, I was proud to be among what I estimate to be about 10,000 other Texans who gathered at that same, sacred spot in San Antonio, to draw a metaphorical line in the sand (the Alamo, by the way, is where that expression came from), to send a message to Washington: “You’re NOT LISTENING.”
If you watched the coverage on Fox News, you already know this. If you watched the mainstream media, you have no clue. [Read more…] about Partying Like It’s 1836.