The Next Generation...

Yesterday, amidst the media coverage of all the crisis situations facing us, and, in the wake of Senator Byrd's death, I just happened to look at the "Tweets", that Fox News were posting on their "Insider" site. I was amazed by one of the statements made, and took note of the person who posted it. So, ladies and gentlemen, without further delay, let me introduce you to the "Next Generation of Racist" in America today.... Dr. Marc Lamont Hill !
For those of you who aren't familiar with Dr. Hill, Here is a little background. Dr. Hill has a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. from Temple. He also is an affiliated faculty member in African American Studies at Columbia University, and currently is an Associate Professor at Teachers College, an affiliate of Columbia. A resume' that's not too shabby !
In Dr. Hill's Tweet, he said, "Sen. Robert Byrd died yesterday, his KKK affiliation should make interesting conversation." I was at first, taken a back by the fact that Sen. Byrd died at three am. that morning, and that Dr. Hill's tweet was at 9:00 am, and he said "yesterday"! So I, your humble blogger, in a futile attempt at humor, responded to Dr. Hill's message stating only, "he died at 3:am today!" Well !!! Imagine my surprise, when almost immediately, Dr. Hill shot one directly back to me saying, "What difference does the date of his death make,or matter, I'm talking about his KKK membership!"
Knowing full well that Sen. Byrd's affiliation with the Klan took place some 60 years ago or more, and that since, practically the entire world had accepted his highly spotlighted mea culpa, that's all it took !!! In one fell swoop, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, had in my opinion anyway, firmly demonstrated himself to be on the same plateau with the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the notorious Rev. Wright. The race baiting poverty pimps of the past !
Dr. Hill has aligned himself with the people who feel they are owed for the sins of our forefathers in the past by carrying on the constant ridicule and belittlement of their descendants, causing unrest, violence, and inciting adverse behavior in race relations between both white and black communittees. I further believe that Dr. Hill will continue to poison the minds of our children with racist, bias, and bigoted interpretations of curriculum that he teaches, instead of extending the olive branch and new beginnings towards equality of race in our institutions of higher leaning.
In doing a little more research on Dr. Hill, I discovered he has been regularly featured on such networks as CNN and MSNBC, and was a regular on such shows as Court TV and the Star Jones Show. Quite frankly, no surprise.
However, my first exposure to this man was on "The Factor" with Bill O'Riley. I knew immediately, that this was a man who is in lock step with the liberal views of the current administration, and has his own agenda as well. He also affords all of his viewers a smile while holding nothing but contempt for Conservative values. You may posess all the education in the world Dr. Hill, but it won't mask racism.
On a positive note, I have also come to learn that Rupert Murdoch, President of News Corp., parent company of Fox News, has personally "Fired" Dr. Lamont Hill just this past week, citing his, " reputation of defending cop killers and racists." Kudos to Mr. Murdoch !!!
This is a man who should be nowhere near the youth of America , poisoning their minds with his racist and dangerous views. A man who believes he is due reparations from all of us, for the mistakes of the past. So I ask you, Dr. Hill, in light of your recent job displacement.... Where do we send the check ?



David W. Emerick
"Cowboy"

Byrd of Paradise ?

Sadly my friends, at three am this morning, the world said goodbye to the longest serving senator in the history of our great nation. The Dean of the Senate since 2003 , as well as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate since 2007 . 60 years as public servant and at this age, in his condition, third in succession to fulfill the office President of the United States, West Virginia's own Robert Carlyle Byrd.
Sen. Byrd, (92), Democrat, cast his final vote on the Senate floor this past year, approving of President Obama's health care reform bill. One of over 18,000 votes, more than any other Senator in history. Senator Byrd never lost an election.
In the coming days and weeks, I'm sure the media will tout the many accomplishments in Sen. Byrd's career, all the committees he's served on and/or chaired, all the legislation he's carved out with these decades of service, all of the other leaders he has outlived. In addition, I'm also positive the dark days of Byrd's Klu Klux Klan affiliation will be discussed as well. Certainly, the Senator will be afforded a "State Funeral" in drawn out ceremonies and lie in repose until such time he's committed to the earth and buried.
Well...... Fare well Senator Byrd, and..... in eulogizing you...... All I can say is.............
If ever in my life time there has been iron clad proof in support of the implication of, TERM LIMITS !!! You are it !!!
In the early days of Senator Byrd's career, I'm sure he was pretty much like any other politician, you know, promise the the world, and take what you can get. but as his career blossomed, this man, became known as the undisputed "King of Pork Barrel Projects" in history. He literally attached, or tried to attach Ryder's on every piece of legislation placed before him, resulting in Billions and Billions of dollars, redirected to the state of West Virginia with not so much as a blush on his cheek, and when challenged regarding the matter,he would simply say, "That's my job".
I don't know how many of you have ever had occasion to drive through Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia, but I have...lots of times. You cannot drive one mile in that state without seeing something with Senator Robert C. Byrd's name on it, or something dedicated to him. Bridges, highways, interchanges, rest areas, corporate corridors, schools, ball fields, state parks landmarks, everywhere !!! Not because of the gratitude of the recipients, but because of the shear vanity of the man. If his name ain't on it... You ain't gettin' it !
Just think for a minute, how many things have come and gone during the tenure of this man.
"Klondike 7445", could have been your phone number then, and if you had a "Party Line" you'd be lucky to get on at all. You could buy a new Chevy for $1,225.00. History tells us G.C. Murphy's was the place to shop. If you had money you could buy a Zenith "color TV, but the picture still sucked. Take your home movies on 8mm film, and your still photos on the brand new state of the art, Polaroid Land Camera.
Then came the 60's ! The women burned their bras, and the men burned their draft cards. It was the age of free love, drugs, rock and roll, and Viet Nam. Yes my friends, Sen. Byrd was right there in the heart of it all. I wonder if he was ever on the Ed Sullivan Show ?
The 70's and 80's came and went in a flash, and so did the rotary phone, Beta VCR's, the good ole' LP album, eight track and cassette tapes, and the world finally realized that we absolutely could not exist without a microwave oven in every home. I don't mean to be cruel, but I seriously don't think Senator Byrd remembers the 90's at all !
Anyway, just ask yourself this question.... After the first couple of terms, how effective could he have been ? What legislation did he pen in the twilight of his life ? What relevance did he have ? How many people on his staff were paid, buy us, just to get him ready for a session that he was quite probably too incoherent to understand ? How many time did you see him sleeping on C-Span ?
I hold no disdain for the elderly, in fact I think they should be revered ! But for this and a host of many other reasons, I ask you...." How do you prefer you Senator.... Old, feeble, and washed up, or young, virile, and ambitious ?"
Senator Byrd and many others like him should have been replaced years ago. How else can we move this Country forward ? Not by living in the past. Senator Byrd has finally found his Paradise in death..... Can't we find ours sooner ?



David W. Emerick
"Cowboy"

Divine Intervention

With all that's happening in our beautiful Country today, as well as in the rest of the world, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, the loss and relocation of jobs, as well as the colapse of the economies in America and Greece. Riots, murder and unrest in our border states spotlighting illegal immigration and the drug cartels, hunger and famine in third world countries. Not to mention the threat of the Countries previously labeled as the "Axis of Evil", (nuclear proliferation in Iran, and the threat of launch by North Korea) rattling their sabres. Considering this, I've noticed something missing in our day to day deluge of media reports that I thought should be brought to your attention.
I have yet to see the First Family, The President, First Lady, with kids in tow, going to church on Sunday.... Have you ? I vividly remember almost every Sunday in the past, seeing George and Barbara, (and his Mom and Dad), Bill and Hillary, Ron and Nancy, Jimmy and Rosalyn, Gerald, Betty, even tricky Dick and his wife, attending church on a regular basis.
While I in no way consider myself a "Holy Roller", I do however subscribe to the belief in a higher power. I'm also convinced that President Obama actually believes he's it. But it begs the question, what is it that all of those past Presidents prayed for ? Could it be they prayed for God to grant them the knowledge to lead and the humility to listen ? Could it be that they prayed for their Lord and Savior to deliver them from sin, and grant them the ability to help thy fellow man ? Possibly they prayed for deliverance from the dark days and perils of the present and a return of the prosperous day of the not so distant past, or maybe just help and guidance in the duties thrust upon them.
What ever the reason, I somehow felt more comfortable knowing that the President was seeking answers to the questions and problems before him knowing he alone, could not solve all the problems facing the human race.
I don't think I'm alone today when I say that I can't help harboring feelings of depression, anxiety, impending doom and a complete and total loss of the positive attitude I here to fore was known for amongst the people in my circle.
With all this in mind, I ask you Mr. President, if you really are a man of faith.... "Don't you think it's time for a little... Divine Intervention ?"



David W. Emerick
"Cowboy"

A Hard Pill To Swallow !!!

General Stanley McChrystal, the Commanding General in the war in Afghanistan, resigned his Command in light of comments made by he and his staff to a Reporter from Rolling Stone magazine this past week, creating a firestorm of media reports on all the regular and cable networks as well as talk radio and print media, that can only be described as a "Feeding Frenzy". The General was literally summoned from the battlefield to the Oval office to explain his actions to the President, Vice President, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. General McChrystal, knowing his job was in jeopardy, no doubt entered the meeting with his resignation in hand, and no doubt offered it without explanation or justification. While I'm sure the General was apologetic, I am certain that he never once lost his military bearing and or demeanor.
Having served in the military, I understand the necessity of having a unified chain of command, and also fully understand the potential problems of dissension in the ranks. A Soldier, must be absolutely certain that the tasks he must perform are in the best interest of our Nation, and agreed upon by all under, as well as over he or she in rank. There can be no doubt in the mind of the warrior that can cause hesitation, for it is hesitation that causes casualties. Uncertainty, can, has, and will get one killed.
Having said this, I know that the President was placed in a situation where he had to make a choice. General McChrystal should never have put himself or his staff in a position where their guard was let down, and weather "Off the Record" or not, they should have know that their comments could be used as fodder for any number of reporters, not just this hack from Rolling Stone magazine. And, while I think this reporter could have used better judgement in his decision to publish this article knowing full well it would be the General's demise, the General too should have known when to bite his tongue.
Nevertheless, what's done is done. But here's my problem. To have this President, a man born of the corrupt politics of the Chicago machine, this President, a man who has never served his Country in any military capacity, a man who has never held a real job, who has never had to make a payroll. A President, that looks down on the American people from the very pedestal that we have placed him on, a man who talks at us not to us. To have this President, who has to date done nothing but take this Country down a road of all but certain disaster. This President, who regardless of the will of the people, jams policy and legislation down our throats only to further his own agenda, a man who has not once demonstrated any kind of leadership in any of the crisis situations this Country is facing....Ever! To have this President...this man.... fire and or accept the resignation of a true American Patriot, a warrior, a man of morals and principles, a man who was promoted based on merit and performance, not on lies, dreams, or political promises, a man such as General McChrystal, who has dedicated his very life to his Country. To have this President do this, for me anyway, is a very....very....HARD PILL TO SWALLOW !!!



David W. Emerick
"Cowboy"

Pipe Dreams!

This past week, the President, utilizing the most powerful backdrop on the planet, the Oval Office, paid lip service the downtrodden people in the Gulf region, by claiming credit for the speed of the response to the gushing remnants of BP's ill fated rig. He also, attempted to regain the approval of the American people by telling us what he was going to force BP to do. I won't go into the details, as I'm sure the majority of us had heard enough. And then, without missing a beat, he tried to tie this disaster to his pipe dream ideas of taking this Country forward by pushing his "Cap and Tax" theory. Clean burning coal, wind, solar, nuclear technology are a noble cause Mr. President, and make no mistake, they should be pursued, but don't try to spoon feed us this diatribe on how soon we could implement such technology.
Let me ask you this Mr. President; Will the wind turbines you and your administration are so gungho about provide enough lift to propel a jumbo jet across the Atlantic? Do any, and I do mean any, of the fighter jets currently in our inventory, or even on the drawing board, operate on solar power? How many of the ships in our Naval Fleet operate on nuclear power Mr. President? To date, Mr. President, I've yet to see or hear about any locomotives running around this Country with a "reactor car" , Have you? Are any of the Hum V's, Tanks, or armored personnel carriers currently operating in the Persian Gulf Theater, Green Vehicles Mr. President?........Are they? And finally, Mr. President, Is Air Force One, or any of the vehicles in your motorcade an electric hybrid? I didn't think so!
The truth is Mr. President, our society isn't just addicted to oil, our technology has not allowed us to rise above the necessity for it. It will take decades of research, development, trial, and error, for us as a Nation to even attempt to convert to a non-fossil fuel based infrastructure and economy. And the saddest part of the whole thing is Mr. President, is the fact that I'm just a little fish in this huge bowl, and I sure I'm not the only one to have asked these same questions.
So, in conclusion Mr. President, Why don't we use our resources to drill and use the domestic fossil fuels within our borders, and use the savings from that to explore these Pipe Dreams of yours!


David W. Emerick
"Cowboy"

On Deadly....Water ?

CAUTION: The following editorial may contain material too intense for some readers. Conservative supervision advised. Any similarity between this editorial, and rescent events is purely coincidental.......or is it ?

This morning, as I chatted away on the new Fox News Insider "Live Wall", I suddenly realized something shocking that I have to share with all of you.
Years ago, I don't recall exactly when, A movie was released called, On Deadly Ground. The movie featured Steven Segal and Michael Caine. The plot of this movie and the crisis playing out in the Gulf offered so many similarities, that as I pondered on recalling this movie, I was amazed! While I in no way consider myself a conspiracy theorist, the events in this movie are strikingly similar to today.
First of all, the movie was set in Alaska, (nothing to do with Sarah Palin I'm sure), anyway, Steven Segal was a rebellious oil worker or roughneck if you will, and one of his old time buddies, or mentor if you will, was constantly complaining about substandard blowout preventors being rebuilt instead of replaced, putting his crew in harms way solely for the purpose of meeting a corporate deadline. As a result of his concern for his crew, he wound up dead. He did however stash the info on a disc tucked away at his home. Once Segal found out his friend was murdered, he took up the cause.
Segal, being the hero whistle blower took this info to his so-called friend and CEO of the oil company, Michael Caine. (a Britt) who assured him this was all false, and to let it go. Now, as you may have surmised, a catastrophic explosion occurred, and that sent Segal over the edge.
Enter the Eskimos! After all of this hoopla about the white man destroying the sacred grounds of the Eskimos, Michael Caine, (the CEO) Testified before the tribal leaders, who by the way, looked alot like the members of that Senate subcommittee that Tony Hayward was crucified by yesterday, and wouldn't you know it, as he was leaving, some Eskimo woman jumped up, threw oil all over him and labled him a murderer. (I wonder if that woman yesterday, who looked like an eskimo saw this movie?) Anyway, to make a long story short, the CEO's corporate goon squad killed all kinds of people in a futile attempt to cover up their deadly greed for the almighty dollar, and Segal got pissed and killed all of them. THE END!
Now, far be it for me, to even suggest that the events of today were pulled from that movie, or that the motives of BP reflect that of the Hollywood left. But if you take just a moment to compare these two absolute and total coincidences, you, as I, can't help but wonder..... How can this be ? Just some food for thought!


David W. Emerick
"Cowboy"

PLUG THE DAMN HOLE !

This whole ordeal defies logic! If there has ever been a case of putting the cart before the horse, someone please show me. I've been watching this catastrophe play out on all the networks, and all I see is hearing on how it happened, news conferences on who is to blame, pipe dreams of future "green" energy sources, not to mention our fearless leader, who is under the impression the he can single handily take control of a private corporation.
There is a camera a mile deep in the gulf showing the oil spewing out of the ocean floor, but none showing whats being done on the surface. Obama said in his speech from the oval office the other night, that there was thousands of ships in the gulf... DOING WHAT ? Am I the only person in the world who thinks that if all this clean-up effort is really going on, the government, (or the main stream media) would be bombarding us with the film footage of all of these vessels cleaning up the oil ? NO, they would rather tug at our heartstrings by showing us pictures of oil soaked wildlife and beaches that can't be used. This whole thing smacks of incompetence and cover up.
Maybe it's just me, But shouldn't we stop the spill before we try to bring forth legislation on how to prevent it from happening again ?
Now that that is out of my system... I have a question. If you look up the term, "knee jerk reaction" in the dictionary, It would most definitely would say that Obama's moratorium on all the drilling in the gulf would be the definition ! But that's Okay, we'll just throw 100 million dollars of BP"s money into an unemployment fund to pay these workers until such time that we can figure how to make this operation safer. THIS IS INSANE !!!
Know this... My prayers go out to all affected by this crisis, but I feel it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.... I truly am embarrassed by this Country's Leadership, and ashamed by the response. Good Luck...and Godspeed!!!

David W. Emerick
"Cowboy"