Blood out of a Turnip

Phyllis Diller, one of America's great wits and a woman much smarter than she appeared, said one time, “Why go to bed mad when you can stay up and fight?” As a doctor, of some reputation, I would advise everyone to get a good nights sleep. I know of nothing that will prolong life, prolong good health, more than rest; getting sleep. When you have nothing else to do, take a nap. It will prolong your life and keep you out of the doctor's office.

There are things that we should get mad about, that we should become filled with righteous indignation, such as what is happening to the most blessed country in the history of man. As a veteran, as one who has known the martyrdom of many of our finest, for this country, it frightens me that there is so little patriotism left. Most of us, can find much more wrong with this country than what is right with the country. Most young people, have no love or devotion for this country at all. Thank God, we still have some willing to fill the military ranks, willing to stay submerged for weeks at a time in submarines, willing to risk everything in landing jet planes on ships in the middle of the ocean, willing to fight for fellow human beings (such as in Iraq and Afghanistan) when it is almost impossible to tell one enemy from another enemy.

Young men and women, every skin color, from every crossroads in the fruited plains, who knows a certain percentage of their number will be killed, and an even larger percentage of their number will be forever wounded, either in body or spirit. It is no secret that a nation, which at one time cared for their own, now treats the Veteran as any other disabled citizen with socialized health care and food stamps. Socialized health care is wonderful, VA health care is wonderful, JUST DON'T GET SICK, DON'T HAVE A NEED FOR IT! Much of the dilemma in the liberal media, the Marxist academia, the bailed out conglomerates, even the public school system, where police patrolling the hallways replaced prayer in the classroom, is a direct result of politicians enamored with their positions, pre-embalmed with the drugs of the lobbyist party-givers, and insulated from the realities of the people they swore to protect and defend.

Much of it starts from the lying and hypocrisy at the very top. “I like Ike” was fine for this great commanding General until we found he had lied about the U2 spy plane and found that Gary Powers, who was supposed to kill himself rather than be captured, did not want to die; the Russians made a fool out of the lying President Eisenhower. Attending the Republican National Convention, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1964, this poor veteran stayed at a low priced hotel (Mark Twain) but a ranking General came by to pick me up each day and he said, “Goldwater will probably put us in Vietnam, but Lyndon Johnson will put us there much quicker.” And so it was. We have 58,000 dead to prove the lies of Vietnam. The older Bush said, “Read my lips”, but he went down in flames (much like the plane from which he was rescued in the Pacific) and has lived to see that each time his son moved his lips, there were lies. (It is reported that George and Laura Bush will get 10 million for their memoirs)

Bill Clinton, in front of God and everyone, said, “I did not have sex with that woman.” When impeached, when we saw Monica Lewinsky testifying in the well of the US Senate. Those of us stumbling around as disabled veterans, were left to wonder, “Is this our country?!”

Add all these lies of past Presidents, past Congressional Leaders, past state and local wannabe slave masters, with their promises and their desire to live like the 'rich and famous'. Multiply all these lies by 10 to the 20th power and you will begin to get an idea of what we now face as a nation from the present lying administration and lying Congress. A baby born in the local hospital this very morning, is in debt to the federal government alone for $250k. This says nothing of the debts of the state, county and city. The Energy Trade Bill passed this week, 1300 pages, most of it never read by those who voted for it, a bill which establishes parameters for the living of every breathing American, is beyond the comprehension of the human mind. Even 40 Democrats could not vote for it, but, 8 coward Republicans, who could have prevented its passage, did vote for it, including, to the disappointment of every Christian in this nation, Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey. This former Democrat, president of the New Jersey Right to Life Committee, now an embarrassment to every Catholic, has with this action, insulted every Christian who thought he was on their side, and believed that he was on God's side. It is these traitors to our country, Chris Smith, Mark Sanford, Allen Stanford and Bernie Madoff, who make Judas appear righteous. It is the political appointee regulators, those who should be given 'oversight', those who put party or race as the idols in their deception which are bringing slow but sure disaster to this republic.

Over 50% of our citizens do not pay income tax at all. The others, unless filthy rich from inheritance, can not begin to pay the bills due. The $134 billion in questionable bonds, (these caught, how many not caught?) the nervousness of our creditors (China, Japan, Middle Eastern countries) would shake the very foundation of Washington or Wall Street if the regulators and political appointees were not too busy having a good time.

I live in the 'old' historic district of my city. Many tourists are on the streets, admiring the old houses. There are some very fine, expensive restaurants in the area (Elijahs, Pilot House, Reel Cafe, etc.) I have never eaten at one of these restaurants, I can not afford to do so. But, I have asked employees who work in these places, “I can not afford to eat in your restaurant, please tell me who does?” Every time I get the same answer, “Political officials and government employees.” You see, our government has about squeezed every tax they can get out of us. For most of us, there is not much left. YOU CAN NOT GET BLOOD OUT OF A TURNIP.