Runt's Rant Page

Revised: Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 02:48 PM

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "someone may steal from it at night.." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job..
  
Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.
 
Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.
 
Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, then hired two people.
 
Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.
 
Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost."
 
So they laid off the night watchman.
 
NOW slowly….Let it sink in.
Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter.
  
Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY .... during the Carter Administration?
 
Anybody?
  
Anything?
 
No?
 
Didn't think so!
 
Bottom line. We've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency ... the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember!
 
Ready?? It was very simple ... and, at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.
 
The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977. TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.
 
Hey, pretty efficient, huh???
 
AND, NOW, IT'S 2009 -- 32 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR.
  
THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND, LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE!
 
THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?"

Ah, yes -- good ole bureaucracy.
  
And, NOW, we are going to turn the banking system, HEALTH CARE and the auto industry over to the same Government?

"When WWIII Started - 1979"

This is not very long, but very informative. You have
to read the catalogue of events in this brief piece.
Then, ask yourself how anyone can take the position
that all we have to do is bring our troops home from
Iraq, sit back, reset the snooze alarm, go back to
sleep, and no one will ever bother us again.

In case you missed it, World War III began in
November 1979... that alarm has been ringing
for years.

US Navy Captain Ouimette is the Executive Officer
at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. Here is a
copy of the speech he gave last month. It is an
accurate account of why we are in so much
trouble today and why this action is so necessary.

AMERICA NEEDS TO WAKE UP! That's what we
think we heard on the 11th of September 2001
(When more than 3,000 Americans were killed)
and maybe it was, but I think it should have been
"Get Out of Bed!" In fact, I think the alarm clock has
been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued
to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more
minutes of peaceful sleep since then.

It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country
going through a religious and political upheaval
when a group of Iranian students attacked and
seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This
seizure was an outright attack on American soil; it
was an attack that held the world's most powerful
country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The
attack on this sovereign U. S. embassy set the
stage for events to follow for the next 25 years.

America was still reeling from the aftermath of the
Vietnam experience and had a serious threat from
the Soviet Union when then, President Carter, had
to do something. He chose to conduct a clandestine
raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin,
but stood as a symbol of America's inability to deal
with terrorism.

America's military had been decimated and down
sized/right sized since the end of the Vietnam War.
A poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly
organized military was called on to execute a
complex mission that was doomed from the start.

Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans
began to be kidnapped and killed throughout the
Middle East. America could do little to protect her
citizens living and working abroad. The attacks
against US soil continued!

In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high
explosives was driven into the US Embassy
compound in Beirut When it explodes, it kills 63
people. The alarm went off again and America
hit the Snooze Button once more.

Then just six short months later in 1983 a large
truck heavily laden down with over 2500 pounds
of TNT smashed through the main gate of the
US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut and
241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns
her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more.

Two months later in December 1983, another
truck loaded with explosives is driven into the
US Embassy in Kuwait, and America continues
her slumber.

The following year, in September 1984, another
van was driven into the gate of the US Embassy
in Beirut and America slept. Soon the terrorism
spreads to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes
in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid.

Then in August 1985 a Volkswagen loaded with
explosives is driven into the main gate of the US
Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, 22 are killed and
the snooze alarm is buzzing louder and louder
as US interests are continually attacked.

Fifty-nine days later in 1985 a cruise ship, the Achille
Lauro is hijacked and we watched as an American
in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list
and executed.

The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing
civilian airliners when they bomb TWA Flight 840
in April of 1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic
bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie,
Scotland in1988, killing 259.

Clinton treated these terrorist acts as crimes; in
fact we are still trying to bring these people to trial.
These are acts of war.

The wake up alarm is getting louder and louder.
The terrorists decide to bring the fight to America.
In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and
killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley,
Virginia.

The following month, February 1993, a group of
terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed
with explosives is driven into the underground
parking garage of the World Trade Center in New
York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are
injured. Still this is a crime and not an act of war?
The Snooze alarm is depressed again.

Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at
a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
killing seven service men and women.

A few months later in June of 1996, another truck
bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military
compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It destroys
the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing
19 and injuring over 500. The terrorists are getting
braver and smarter as they see that America does
not respond decisively.

They move to coordinate their attacks in a
simultaneous attack on two US embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania. These attacks were planned
with precision. They kill 224. America responds
with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep.

The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden,
Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000, when a
small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded
killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship
is an act of war, but we sent the FBI to investigate
the crime and went back to sleep.

And of course you know the events of 11 September
2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack
against US soil or in America. How wrong they are.
America has been under a constant attack since
1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll
over and go back to sleep!!!

In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing
from every high official in government over what they
knew and what they didn't know. But if you've read the
papers and paid a little attention I think you can see
exactly what they knew. You don't have to be in the
FBI or CIA or on the National Security Council to see
the pattern that has been developing since 1979.

I think we have been in a war for the past 25 years
and it will continue until we as a people decide enough
is enough! America needs to "Get out of Bed" and act
decisively now. America has been changed forever.
We have to be ready to pay the price and make the
sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We
cannot afford to keep hitting the snooze button again
and again and roll over and go back to sleep.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto
said "... it seems all we have done is awakened a
sleeping giant." This is the message we need to
disseminate to terrorists around the world.

This is not a political thing to be hashed over in an
election year this is an AMERICAN thing. This is
about our Freedom and the Freedom of our children
in years to come.

Wake up, America!

    US Navy Captain Ouimette is Executive Officer at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida.
An accurate account of why we are in so much trouble today and this action is so necessary.    
 
                                                   AMERICA NEEDS TO WAKE UP!
   We heard this on the 11th of September 2001 (When more than 3,000 Americans were killed on American soil.)  I think it should have been "Get Out of Bed!" In fact, I think the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued to hit the snooze button and roll over since then.
    It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This was an outright attack on America that held the world's most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on U. S. embassy set the stage for events to follow for the next 25 years.

    After reeling from the aftermath of the Vietnam, America had a serious threat from the Soviet Union.  President Carter chose to conduct a clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin, but stood as a symbol of America's inability to deal with terrorism.
    Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans were kidnapped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against the US continued!

    In April  1983 a large vehicle packed with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy
in Beirut.  It exploded, killing 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit the Snooze Button once more.
    In October 1983 a truck heavily laden with over 2500 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut and 241 US servicemen were killed. America mourned her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more.
    In December 1983, another truck loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy
in Kuwait, and America continues her slumber.
    In September 1984, another van drove into the gate of the US Embassy
 in Beirut and America slept.

    Soon terrorism spread to Europe. In April 1985 a bomb explodes in a restaurant frequented 
by US soldiers in Madrid.
    In August 1985 a Volkswagen loaded with explosives drove into the main gate of the
 US Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, 22 are killed. The snooze alarm is buzzing louder as US interests are CONTINUALLY ATTACKED.
    Fifty-nine days later in 1985 a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro is hijacked. We watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list and executed.

    The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing civilian airliners. They bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of 1986 that killed 4; and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in1988, killing 259.
    Clinton treated these terrorist acts as crimes; we are still trying to bring these people to trial. These are acts of war.
                            The wake up alarm is getting louder and louder.

    Terrorists bring the fight to America. In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
    In February 1993,  terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives is driven into the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are injured.  This is not an act of war?  Snooze alarm is depressed again.

    In November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women.

    In June 1996, another truck bomb explodes - 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, destroying the Khobar Towers, a US Air Force barracks, killing 19, injuring over 500. The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America does not respond.They coordinate their attacks in a simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224. America responds with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep.
    The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000, when a small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war; we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep.

    And of course you know the events of September 11, 2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack against US or in America. How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep!!!

    In the news we have seen a lot of finger pointing from every high official in our  government over what they knew and didn't know. You can see exactly what they knew. You don't have to be on the National Security Council, FBI or CIA to see the pattern that has been developing since 1979.
    When are WE as a united people going to say "
enough is enough!"   America has been changed forever and needs to"Get out of Bed" and act decisively now! We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to keep hitting the snooze button again and go back to sleep.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto said, " it seems all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant." This is the message we need to disseminate to terrorists around the world. This is not a political thing -- hashed over in an election year this is an AMERICAN thing! This is about our Freedom and the Freedom of our children's future!

A Somali arrived in New York City as a new immigrant to the United
States.
He stopped the first person he saw walking down the street and said,
"Thank Mr. American for letting me in this country, and giving me housing,
food stamps, free medical care and free education!"
However, the passerby shook his head and replied, "You are mistaken, I am
Mexican."

The man went on and encountered another passerby. The immigrant said, "Thank
you for having such a beautiful country here in America!"
The passerby said, "Sorry, I no American, I Vietnamese."

The new arrival walked further. He shook hands with the next
person he saw and said, "Thank you for this wonderful America!"
That person dropped his hand and said "I am from Middle East, I am not an
American!"

The immigrant finally saw a talkative lady and asked suspiciously, "Are you
an American?"
"No," snorted the lady, "I am from Cuba and proud to be a Cuban!"

Now really puzzled, the immigrant asked, "But where are all the Americans?"

The Cuban lady looked at her watch, shrugged and said, "Probably at work."

Our Social  Security


Many years ago in Seattle, two wonderful neighbors, 
Elliott and Patty Roosevelt came to my home to swim on
a regular basis.  They were a great couple full of
laughter and stories that today I continue  to marvel
at. Both are now deceased, but their stories remain.
During the  years of our friendship we had many, many
discussions about Elliott's  parents (President Franklin D.
and Eleanor Roosevelt) and how his father and  mother
never intended for the Social Security and Welfare
programs to  turn out the way they are today. Elliott
used to say that if his parents  returned to earth and
saw what the politicians had done to their programs they would have burned all of them in hell.

Here is a story I  received today regarding the Social
Security Program and I immediately  thought of
Elliott's comments. I Hope you will read
this and think about  it.


Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social 
Security (FICA) Program. He promised:

1.) That participation in the  Program would be
completely voluntary,

2.) That the participants would  only have to pay
1% of the first $1,400 of their annual
incomes into the  Program,

3.) That the money the participants elected to put
into the  Program would be deductible from
their income for tax purposes each  year,

4.) That the money the participants put into the
independent  "Trust Fund" rather than into the
General operating fund, and therefore,  would
only be used to fund the Social Security
Retirement Program, and no  other
Government program, and,

5.) That the annuity payments to the  retirees
would never be taxed as income.
In 1927, a major unnamed hurricane struck the city of New Orleans. It
was actually more powerful than Katrina. The scope of damage was much
more severe because this particular hurricane actually hit the city.
Katrina missed it by 25 miles. The interesting difference is the
response the government gave in 1927 to those hurricane refugees,
compared to the refugees of Katrina, err-I meant "survivors"
---(demanded by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson).

How much aid did the government dispense at that time?  Zero, Nada, not
one dime.

And you know how much aid the army offered? The only aid from the army
came in the form of loaning the city of New Orleans tents & camp stoves.
Ironically, later, the army sued the city for reimbursement.

So what was the big difference here? It was the attitude the people had
towards the government at that time, compared to the attitude that
Katrina's victims have. The 1927 "survivors" expected nothing from the
government. 80 years ago, people understood that the government was
there to "protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Today, Americans expect the government to "provide life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness."

That's a major difference. And now, a week later, when the government
failed on all three levels of local, state, and federal to provide for
their needs instantly, some Americans were sorely disappointed.

The so called "Reverends" Jackson and Sharpton spend their opportunities
arguing semantics. "They shouldn't be called refugees, they should be
called survivors," they bellowed. Unfortunately, they missed the boat.
It was a perfect opportunity to deliver a very basic message to the ones
they say they represent, "their people."

Fact is, if you are poor and uneducated in America, this is what
happens. Fact is, if you depend on the government to do everything for
you, you will be sorely disappointed.

Fact is, if you are poor in America, there is no reason for you to be
uneducated. Its free! All 12 grades of it. FREE!!! And, if you care to
apply yourself, there are enough grants and assistance out there for as
higher education, which will raise you above the poverty level. And no
longer will you depend on the government and be disappointed. It's
unfortunate that this lesson will be missed by most of the "survivors".

A couple of other points should be brought to light. G. W. has asked the
congress for 52 billion dollars worth of aid for the "survivors" and to
clean up of the city. Interesting isn't it? One million people displaced
and out of work in that city, sitting all day in shelters, waiting for
the next handout. Of course, the thought never occurred to anyone that
just maybe, "hey, we should give all these folks jobs filling sand bags
to plug the levees and clearing trees." You have to wonder how many of
them would want government aid if they had to work for it?

And finally, they haven't hardly begun the task of picking up dead
bodies, and already the finger pointing has started. The congressional
hearings and probes will go forever. Millions will be spent on a wasted
diatribe of a bipartisan "witch hunting expedition"- all of which will
be nonsense. They could have spent the millions educating the poor and
misplaced citizens of New Orleans so that they could go out & get a new
& better life, instead of wasting it on useless "blame" investigations.
Unsung heroes

Airline flight attendants are the country's unsung heroes in our current "War on Terrorism."

Every time a plane takes off, every time a traveler stands up and walks toward the cockpit, and every time a passenger ducks behind his seat to dig through carry-on luggage, flight attendants

go on high alert.

Four years ago, immediately after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the media was filled with stories about "real heroes" - rescuers, police and firefighters who risked their lives to save workers in those buildings.

Those brave emergency workers were racing up stairs into harm's way while the office workers were filing down the stairs away from danger as quickly as possible. The firefighters, EMTs and police deserve every accolade they receive.

Now, let's think about something. Firefighters and the police are trained for danger. When they arrive, they can see the broad outlines of what they are facing. They are skilled in protecting us. They do it every day.

But what about flight attendants?

Flight attendants face potential danger every time they go to work, too. Where once their main purpose was to see to in-flight comforts and provide knowledgeable assistance in case of an emergency landing, their new job is much more nerve-racking. Worse, it is almost always taken

for granted.

What once was an airborne world of giddy tourists and grumpy businessmen is now a war zone. Trouble, perhaps deadly trouble, could break out in the cabin at any time. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But perhaps someday.

New terrorist dangers are unknown. So unknown, in fact, that the Department of Homeland Security, the FAA and other government organizations still cannot predict where, when or how

a future attack will take place.

While passengers grumble about the inconvenience of waiting in long security lines, taking off

our shoes and having our luggage and bodies probed, most of us have decided to fly again, at l

east to places that are important to us. We have that choice. Flight attendants don't. If they

want to continue being paid, they have to go back to work.

The same is true of pilots, of course. But pilots are now barricaded inside their cockpits. Some

have been given stun guns and others have been trained to carry firearms. But what are flight attendants getting?

Not much.

Before they lock themselves in the cockpit, captains now basically tell the flight attendants that they will have to fend for themselves. They don't have much choice; most everyone agrees that the cockpit door must stay locked.

Yes, some airlines now train flight attendants in the basics of self-defense: skills like coordinating with other flight attendants, maintaining distance, assuming a protective body position and dealing with unruly passengers. Some airlines even offer advanced programs - on a voluntary basis - but the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) hasn't designed a system for evaluating this training and, worse, flight attendants have a hard time getting time off to attend. According to some guidelines, flight attendants are even expected to know how to search for explosives.

As for public recognition, there's been almost nothing. The courage of those flight attendants aboard the hijacked planes on September 11, 2001 has not even been memorialized at the

airports from which they departed on that fateful day.

Instead, what flight attendants have seen since I first wrote this story four years ago is a continuing series of layoffs, downsizings and reductions in pay.

Are our memories so short?

Flight attendants were the most consistent source of information on 9/11 when, at the risk of their lives, they phoned airline operations to let them know about the hijackings; they even provided seat numbers and hijacker descriptions. Flight attendants were most certainly involved with the in-cabin attack on the terrorists aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in the fields of Pennsylvania instead of into a building on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Later, in one of the few instances of terrorism thwarted in the act, a diminutive flight attendant physically prevented a fanatic from lighting a fuse to a shoe-bomb that would have downed American Airlines Flight 63 in the middle of the Atlantic.

Let's get our priorities straight.

Baggage screeners earn between $25,000 and $38,000 a year. TSA supervisors earn $44,400 to $68,800 a year. Federal air marshals make between $36,000 and $84,000 a year. These workers receive all the standard government perks of medical care, vacations and insurance.

Meanwhile, flight attendants, the airlines' real frontline troops, receive starting salaries of $18,000 a year, or less, and don't have a prayer of seeing $30,000 for at least three years. Vacation time in those years is meager, while time "on reserve" (waiting around in case another flight attendant is sick or gets stuck in traffic) seems to be endless.

To add insult to paltry pay, over the past year many flight attendants have had their retirement programs and pensions stripped from them by their struggling airlines.

For years, we have heard the flight attendant mantra, "We are here for your safety." Now those words are truer than ever. And safety, today, means far more than helping with oxygen masks, securing the overhead compartments, checking seat belts and opening emergency doors.

Let's face it. Federal air marshals are not on most flights. While the plane is in the air, flight attendants are our first line of defense. They may be serving peanuts, pretzels and drinks, but

they are constantly on watch and alert from the time they check IDs at the boarding gate until touchdown at the final destination.

Today's flight attendants face what amounts to nonstop battle stress from an unidentified, furtive and unpredictable enemy.

I, for one, thank them for their service. All of us who fly should thank them as well.


  EDUCATION IN AMERICA


Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $3.58. The counter girl took my $4.00 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3
pennies, while looking at the screen on her register I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she
stood there and cried.

Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

Teaching Math In 1950:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?


Teaching Math In 1960:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1970:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?




Teaching Math In 1980:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20.

Your assignment:

Underline the number 20.


Teaching Math In 1990:
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20.
What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question:

 How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes?
(There are no wrong answers.)


Teaching Math In 2005:
Un hachero vende una carretada de madera para $100. El costo de la produccisn es $80. Cuantes tortillas
se puede comprar?
Things that make you think a little........


1. There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq during January.... In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq .

2. When some claim President Bush shouldn't have started this war, state the following:

a. FDR...led us into World War II.

b. Germany never attacked us: Japan did.

From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.

c. Truman...finished that war and started one in Korea. North Korea never attacked us.

From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,334 per year.

d. John F. Kennedy. ..started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us.

e. Johnson...turned Vietnam into a quagmire.

From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost, an average of 5,800 per year.

f. Clinton...went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent. Bosnia never attacked us.

He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

g. In the years since terrorists attacked us President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran and North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people.


The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking, but...It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation.


We've been looking for evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.


It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chapaquiddick


It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida!!!!


Our Commander-In-Chief is doing a GREAT JOB! The Military morale is high! The biased media hopes we are too ignorant to realize the facts.


But Wait, there's more......................


JOHN GLENN (ON THE SENATE FLOOR)

Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:13


Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the armed services do what they do for a living.


This IS a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never served think of the military.


Senator Metzenbaum (speaking to Senator Glenn): "How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real job?"

Senator Glenn (D-Ohio): "I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank."


"I ask you to go with me ... as I went the other day... to a veteran's hospital and look those men - with their mangled bodies - in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job! You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and Orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee... and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their DADS didn't hold a job. You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags.


You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell ME that those people didn't have a job? I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum; you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that there were some men - SOME MEN - who held REAL jobs. And they required a dedication to a purpose - and a love of country and a dedication to duty - that was more important than life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible. I HAVE held a job, Howard! What about you?"


For those who don't remember - During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorney representing the Communist Party in the USA. Now he's a Senator!


If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English thank a Veteran. It might not be a bad idea to keep this circulating....

HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING THESE THINGS?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many years ago, in Scotland, a new game was invented. It

was ruled
"Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word
GOLF entered into
the English language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime
time TV were Fred
and
Wilma Flintstone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US

Treasury.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can
hear better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coca-Cola was originally green.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk

to work: Alaska
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now
get this...)
Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of
eleven: $6,400.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The average number of people airborne over the US any
given hour: 61,000.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their
hair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in
China in 1910.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom
Sawyer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile
National Monuments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great
king from
history:
  Spades - King David
  Hearts - Charlemagne
  Clubs -Alexander, the Great
  Diamonds - Julius Caesar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both
front legs in the
air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one
front leg in the air
the person died as a result of wounds received in
battle. If the horse
has
all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural
causes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence
on July 4th, John
Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on
August 2, but the
last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most
popular boat name
requested?
A. Obsession
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you
have to go until
you
would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield
wipers, and laser
printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other

day of the year?
A. Father's Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed
frames by ropes.
When
you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making
the bed firmer to
sleep on. Hence the phrase..."goodnight, sleep tight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago
that for a month
after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his
son-in-law with
all
the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and
because their calendar
was lunar based, this period was called the honey month
... which we know
>today as the honeymoon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts.
So in old England,
when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at
them "Mind your
pints and quarts, and settle down". It's where we get
the phrase "mind
your
P's and Q's."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle

baked into the
>rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed
a refill, they
used
the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is
the phrase
>inspired
> >by this practice.
~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick
their elbow.
Send E-mail Back to Main