To My Un-born Child: I'm So Sorry. Love, Dad.

It was January, 1970. A very cold, wintry day when I was born. The President of the United States then, was Richard Nixon. The Vietnam War was still going on. Back then, like today, I don't think anybody had a clear image as to where this Nation was headed.

God works in mysterious ways. One example of that is the mere fact that I still do not have any children. Not by choice. At least a choice I've made, rather a choice made by the good Man above. Only He knows why. Even so, there is still a spirit in the air of my un-born child. A spirit so strong, one that I talk to daily. One that I owe an apology to.

I want to tell my child how sorry I am about how I have left this Country for him/her to live in. You see, when I was growing up, we kids played outside until it was getting dark. We didn't have a choice. "Get your butt outside and play, and DON'T come back unless you are bleeding!" is just one of many sentences I heard when I was a kid. Not today. Today's child is facing an obesity rate never seen before in this country. My generation is to blame. For that, I want to, yet again, apologize to my un-born child. Apologize for making Atari so popular. So popular in fact, Atari brought us Sony Play Stations, Wii and many, many others. Games that kept my generation and generations after me on the couch. Keeping us on the couch, kept us out of our front and back yards. Keeping us on the couch, kept us from being active, not only physically, but in ALL aspects of life. Getting the high score on Grand Theft Auto became more interesting and popular than keeping up with what was going on in the World outside our homes.

I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation that took corporal punishment out of schools. Back when I was in school, if I acted up I got an all expense paid, round-trip ticket to the principles office. This all inclusive trip was not to get caught up on what was going on in his life and with his family. Rather, it was to get my rear end paddled with what seemed to be a Louisville Slugger custom made just for my principles height and weight.

But some where down the line, the term "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" was thought up and used. Used so much, a group called Child Protective Services was formed. Not that I have anything against this great organization, it's just become an ace in many kids' pockets and used when really not needed. A "beating" is one thing. A smack on the butt is another. Kids have been telling their parents "..lay one finger on me, and I will call CPS" for way too long now. Give me a break. If your the bully that goes around shooting out car windows with a Daisy B-B Gun for kicks and grins, then you are the bully that needs a good 'ole fashion a$$ whooping when you get home after your little b-b gun bruhaha. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You need your butt spanked!

I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation that took prayer and Bible study out of school. Boy, boy, boy. Do I EVER regret that this ever come from my generation. All in the name of "Separation of Church and State". What a mistake. What a HUGE mistake. In 1986, I was a sophomore in high school. That summer, I was so excited about the ELECTIVES that I had chosen for my Jr. year in high school. I emphasize the word 'electives' because it was just that. An elective. I elected to take Bible study. Not my parents. Not the state of Texas. Not my school. But me. It was my choice. The same progressives that say it's a woman's choice on weather or not to have an abortion, didn't feel I had the right to take Bible study in school. How screwed up is that? How sad I was on the first day of school my junior year when I learned that Bible study was no longer an option.

I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation that thought it was cool for Roseann Barr to spit and grab her crotch after singing the National Anthem at a Major League Baseball game. I want to apologize for my generation thinking it is cool to blame our own Government and Country for what happened on 9.11.01. How ridiculous. After 9.11.01, we held suspected terrorist in a facility called "Gitmo, or Guantanamo Bay". I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation responsible for closing Gitmo and putting these terrorist back into the general public, or general population of our prison system.

Speaking of "terrorist", I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation that took the term, "terrorist, and terrorism" out of our Governments vocabulary. Again, it's no longer hip, or cool, to use the words 'terror' or 'terrorism'. What a shame.

I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation that saw its Department of Homeland Security call folks that stood against such things as abortion, gun control, big Government, high taxes, nothing but a bunch of right-wing activists that pose a threat to the rest of the Nation.

I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation that finds it important to give people who harm us and our country, a fair and speedy trial in our judicial system and protecting their "rights". I apologize for being the generation that finds it necessary to even consider giving these folks "rights". What "rights" do they have? The ONLY damn right they have is to stay the hell out of my country and keep your violent tendencies in your own home land. Don't bring it to mine.

I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation that brought you Wal-Mart and the term, "Made In China". Speaking of China, I also want to apologize for being the generation responsible for selling off our country to China.

My list of apologies is almost, but not quiet, as long as our current apologetic President. President Obama.

In closing, I want to apologize to my un-born child for being the generation who brought this country its President Carter. Its President Clinton. Its President Bush, one and two. And lastly, Its President Obama. My generation was asleep during these years and for that, I am sorry.

I have left you with a mountain of debt, my un-born child of mine. How will you ever forgive me? Your father,

KP

Marcus Luttrell - American Hero

So, how many of you know the name, Marcus Luttrell? Not many, I'm sure. I didn't know the name until the other day when I was listening to the Glenn Beck Show on KLIF 570 AM here in Dallas.

Marcus Luttrell is a member of the U.S. Navy SEALs. Or should I say, WAS a member of the SEALs. You see, Marcus is no longer in the Navy. He got hurt and had to retire. Petty Officer First Class Luttrell is a 6'5" rancher's boy from Texas. On June 28th, 2005 he was busy protecting me while I slept under the very freedom that he was providing for me. Luttrell was in Afghanistan on that day. Along with 3 other SEAL team members. Luttrell is the only one alive today out of that four-man team.

When the day of June 28th, 2005 was over, a total of 19 Americans lie dead. On that day, Luttrell's face was shredded, his nose broken, three vertebrae cracked from tumbling down a ravine. A rocket-propelled grenade had ripped off his pants and riddled him with shrapnel. On this same day, the United States had suffered its worse loss of life in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. The worse ever in the history of the Navy SEALs.

Why is all of this important? I'll tell you why. Marcus was given a Golden Labrador puppy to help him with his recovery process. Dasy was her name. Each letter standing for a lost member of the SEAL team that was ambushed. Last week, Dasy was shot and killed by a couple of punks. One is still out there on the loose, Michael Edmonds. A warrant for his arrest has been issued by the Texas Rangers.

You can get more of this story by clicking this link:
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/23658/

I won't go into much more detail on the story of Marcus Luttrell other than to ask this question, where is the media on this? Why isn't every major station in the state of Texas covering this? Why did I have to hear about this on the Glenn Beck Show?

Do a Google search of Marcus Luttrell, and you get 172,000 hits. Do a Google search on Katrina Darrell, and you get 941,000 hits. I'm not going to tell you who Katrina Darrell is. I will let you find out for yourself. Once you find the answer to that question, ask yourself who the REAL American Idol is.

Petty Officer First Class Luttrell, if you, by a stroke of luck read this, I want to thank you. Thank you for serving your country and keeping us safe. Thank you for being the bigger and better person during your ordeal with Dasy. God Bless You my friend. Get some sleep, you need it.

KP

Glenn Beck - A True American

I have cooked dinner for 10 and here is my guest list: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, General Patton, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, General Petraeus, Martin Luther King, Condoleezza Rice, and last, but not least, Mr. Glenn Beck.

2 years ago, I didn't even know who Glenn Beck was. It wasn't until I moved back to Texas, after spending 3 years in Louisville Kentucky, that I really even cared who the hell Glenn Beck was. You see, upon moving back to Texas in 2007, I noticed a very creepy, strange, unprecedented change in my home state. It had appeared that there was no longer a federal border that separated the state of Texas from the country of Mexico. I started asking questions. I started calling and writing my State Representative, my Congressman, and my 2 Senators.

Not recognizing any of the FM stations in Dallas anymore, I tuned in to KLIF 570 AM. My life changed. That is when I learned who Glenn Beck was. His radio show comes on at 9am here in Dallas on KLIF 570 AM. I learned very quickly that Glenn was ALL over this "illegal immigration" issue we had going on here in America. Maybe I had become a zombie from the years of 1970 to 2004 and just had become accustomed to the "illegals" here in Texas. For the most part, illegal immigration wasn't really a hot button in Louisville Kentucky. It's crippling affect had not reached up there. So it really wasn't discussed.

Listening to The Glenn Beck Show, I started hearing terms like, "La Raza", "Coyotes", "Ramos and Campion" to name a few. My ears perked from this point on each morning at 9am. I was hooked. After coming home from work one day, I mentioned to my soon-to-be wife, that I had been listening to one of the smartest, well informed guys that I had ever heard. She asked me who it was and I told her "Glenn Beck". She said, "...well, you know he is on t.v. too, right?" I was like, "..NO WAY!!". Sure enough, there he is. 6pm (Central) on CNN Headline News. Again, I was hooked.

It's been a little over a year now that I have been religiously listening, and watching Glenn Beck. He has taught me so much. He's made me think.

Glenn doesn't get all that personal when he talks about himself. I know that he is a recovering alcoholic. I know that he loves and adores his family. I know that he understands where he came from and that he is VERY thankful of what he now has. But most of all, I have come to learn that Glenn Beck is a true American. In every sense of the word.

I don't know this for a fact, but I would be willing to bet that Glenn wishes that he was a man in the 1950's. During the 50's, that is when America was America. That is when Americans had values. Had trust for one another. Had morals.

Glenn Beck has been called "Mr. Doom and Gloom" by many of his critics. He doesn't really care. Glenn is a man of truth and he actually cares about his fellow Americans. He cares about his country. My take on Glenn is this, don't shoot the messenger just because you don't like the message. So many people in this great country are trying to figure out what his or her "purpose" in life is. Me included. Not Glenn Beck. He knows what his purpose is, and that is to spread the word about our day to day lives of the people who run this country. He's been on top of this economic melt down for 2 years. He sees what's coming. He sees where this nation is headed if we, as Americans, don't wake up and do something about it.

I included Glenn Beck on my dinner list for one reason, I want to listen. I want to listen to Glenn Beck talk to the other 9 guests on my list. Some of those other 9 guests had a great impact on the United States of America, others are just American icons. I want to hear the questions that Glenn Beck would have for these 9 individuals and then all I want to do is sit back and listen to the answers.

In closing, I will say this, Americans need to slow down and pay more attention to what is going on in the world around them. We, as a society, can stand in over-night lines at our local AT&T phone store, waiting on the doors to open so that we can be one of the first ones to buy the new iPhone. I'm asking that you take just 30 min of your day and either listen to, or watch The Glenn Beck Show. You may not agree with EVERYTHING that Glenn says, but one thing's for sure, you will become a thinker. When the term "serving your country" is heard or said, the first thing that comes to most people's mind is the men and women who are in uniform defending this great nation. Well, Mr. Glenn Beck, you sir, are serving your country with your message and I want to thank you for that. I know there is about a one in a million chance that Glenn Beck will actually see and read this, but if you do, I would love to meet you some day!

kenneth.powell@yahoo.com

The Year The Media Died (2008)

Well, well, well....here we sit. September 29th, in the year of our Lord, 2008. Waiting on our Congress to pass a $700 billion bail out of Wall Street. Here is my take on how we got in such a mess.

First, let's start with illegal immigration. Have you ever wondered how it is, that our media continues to tell us that the illegal immigrant population is coming to the United States and taking, or doing, jobs that Americans won't do? It should be, that they are doing these jobs for wages that most Americans will not take for these jobs. So, if that is the case, and these illegal immigrants are doing jobs for a much low pay scale, how can they afford to live here in the States? Easy. It's called The Community Reinvestment Act, started in 1977 by then President, Jimmy Carter. It was to help banks make risky loans to low-income families in order for them to afford housing. In 1993, President Bill Clinton, ordered new regulations for the Community Reinvestment Act. Those new regulations went into effect in January of 1995.

Banks were being called "racist" for not lending to the high-risk, low-income families. In my opinion, it has NOTHING to do with race, but rather common sense. Good ole' business smarts. Why would a bank want to lend to someone with "high risk"? Would you?

Starting in 1995, banks went on a "lending spree". They saw an untapped market with the illegal immigrant population and low-income families. "This is a huge untapped market with people that live and work in this country and are capable of buying homes to realize the American dream," said Chan Peterson, executive vice president and head of community banking at Banco Popular, one of the earliest banks to enter this field. Bill Schumer, vice president of product development at Fifth Third Mortgage Co., a unit of Fifth Third Bancorp. (Research), said the company entered the marketplace due to the belief that providing these low-to-moderate income loans will help revitalize communities in the United States, as borrowers buy more run-down properties and rebuild. For now, community banks are leading the charge when it comes to providing home loans for illegal immigrants. Banking experts say that community banks often have the bilingual capabilities and are more in tune with local community needs and markets. And larger banks are holding out for secondary markets such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to agree to buy illegal immigrant mortgages from the banks – thus lowering their risk. Nothing in federal law prohibits illegal immigrants from owning homes. And banks can legally accept passports, tax identification numbers, and consular cards from people who want to open bank accounts or get home loans, according to the Comptroller of the Currency, a bureau of the US Treasury that regulates national banks.

So, that is a little insight to some of the back-ground on how all of this started. It's not ALL because of the illegal immigrant, but they are a big part of it.

Let's talk about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for a little bit. They are the companies that were buying up these bad loans from the banks that were making them. Did they know they were buying bad paper, sure they did. From 1991 to 1998, the Chairman and CEO of Fannie Mae was Jim Johnson. If the name "Jim Johnson" sounds familiar to you, it might be because he was involved in the 2008 Democratic vice-presidential selection of Senator Joe Biden. We'll get back to that point later. Also, in 1991, the Vice Chairman of Fannie Mae, was Franklin Raines. That name may sound familiar as well, due to the fact that Franklin Raines is one of Obama's financial advisers. Again, we will get back to that later. In 1996, Franklin Raines left Fannie Mae to join President Clinton's Administration as The Director of The U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Raines returned to Fannie Mae in 1999 as CEO.

You may be asking yourself, "...who over looks companies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?". Well, that would be the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs. The Chairman of that committee? Democratic Senator Chris Dodd from Connecticut. Senator Dodd also ran for President in 2008, but soon dropped out of the race. We'll get back to Senator Dodd as well. For now, let's talk about Senator John McCain and what he had to say about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

On May 25th, 2006, Senator McCain spoke to President Bush regarding the Federal Housing Enterprise Reform Act of 2005. He is quoted as saying the following: " Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae's former chief executive officer, OFHEO's report shows that over half of Mr. Raines' compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.

The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.

For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay."

McCain goes on to say, "I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.

I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation." (source for above quote from Senator John McCain: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060525-16&bill=s109-190 )

What was Senator Obama saying? Nothing. He was too busy taking campaign contributions from both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to http://www.opensecrets.com/ , who did a study from 1989 to 2008, Senator Chris Dodd, the above mentioned Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affiars, took in $164,400 from both Freddie Mae and Freddy Mac. Coming in second on Freddie Mae's and Freddie Mac's contribution list was none other than Senator Obama with a staggering $126,349. Isn't that odd? It took 19 years for Senator Dodd to accumulate $164,400 from Freddie Mae and Freddie Mac, but only 2 years for Senator Obama to bank roll $126,349 from the two. Odd, very odd.

Back to the names of "Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson". The only thing I can say is that we can add these two names to the list of folks that Obama surrounds himself with. Along with Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, and Tony Rezko. The web is weaved bigger and tighter each and every day.

All of this brings me to the heading of this entry: The Year The Media Died (2008). You can turn on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC, and you will hear nothing about the above topics. You won't hear anything about the illegal immigrant and how they, as a group, helped the United States get into this financial mess that we are now in. You won't hear anything about the connection of Senator Obama and Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson. You won't hear anything about Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs, NOT warning the President and the American people of this potential catastrophe. Nope, you won't hear any of that on these networks. But you will damn sure hear everything about Governor Sarah Palin's daughter being pregnant. These are very tough times we are in as a Nation and for our media outlets to be covering up a lot of the issues that led us to these tough times is just sickening. Don't get me wrong, Republicans are just as guilty of all of this as the Democrats are, but come on folks, look at the cover up here that is taking place right in front of our very faces.

Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Ca.) authored a bill that was signed and put into law by President George Bush. This bill would have given us a double-layered fence to help keep not only illegal immigrants, but terrorist as well, out of this country. As of this writing, no fence. As a result, organizations such as ACORN and La Raza want to scream "racism" at our banks for not handing out loans to low-income families and illegal immigrants. Not to be considered a racist, banks buckle to the pressure of such groups and turn a blind eye and lend the money. The economy crashes. Construction comes to a halt. Jobs become more and more rare. And the illegal immigrant packs up and goes back home. Leaving the Legal citizen of the United States holding the bag full of $700 billion worth of bad debt.

In my opinion, this is just the beginning. How naive of us to think that this just affected the housing market. I have a feeling that credit card companies opened accounts with a blind eye as well. How many goods do you think were purchased with credit cards by people that were given credit based on income that wasn't true? What about automobiles? How many cars, trucks, and vans do you think were bought with bad credit by illegal immigrants? Do you think that all of this "stuff" that was bought with bad credit was left in the houses that were defaulted on that they moved out of? What about their automobiles? Not a chance. My guess is that there are a ton of goods and a ton of automobiles sitting in Mexico that was purchased with bad credit. Just a hunch.

Bonehead Question

I belong to a Yahoo talk group that was originally started for, and by, Duncan Hunter supporters. It is now, more less, a conservative think tank. Just a few days ago, I proposed a question, or should I say, a question with no answer. The basics of the question was this, with the gas prices of today reaching our furthest star, and if our government is saying that the illegal immigrants in this country are doing jobs for far less wages than legal American citizens would do them for, then how is the illegal immigrant population able to pay for the high price of gas since they are making less than the average worker?

Well, there is a gentleman in my Yahoo group that found this question interesting and he decided to post that same question on his blog. You can read his blog at http://rotterdamrepublican.blogspot.com/ Well, tonight, Kevin dropped me an email stating that he got a reply to the question. I would like to share with you what that reply was, so here it is:

working class said...
Let me preface this by saying: I've worked, sweat and bled with these "illegals." I've talked with them about their lives back home and shared a beer or two. With that said, there's a major problem with your question's premise: Most "illegals" don't own cars. If you see them -and you usually don't -a lot of them ride bicycles and live nearby where they work; say within a mile or two. It's a cheaper, safer and more efficient mode of transportation. See, if you're in a country without documentation, it's usually a good idea to fly beneath the radar. Driving a car illegally(if you're not allowed in the country, you're certainly not allowed to purchase car insurance and thus drive a car legally) would be a good way to draw the ire of ICE, a bumbling massively overworked-undermanned organization that couldn't curb, much less quell the tide of immigrants flowing into this country. Not to mention, if you've spent just about everything you own to get into the country illegally, you certainly don't want to jeopardize that by violating all the other laws. Sure, there are exceptions. There are always exceptions. But as a whole, the undocumented/illegal population in the U.S. flies below -WAY below -the radar. That's why they're still here.But back to the premise of the question, which is to say if it's so damn expensive to live here, then will all these foreign workers go home. The answer is simple: No. Why? Because they live cheaper and more efficiently than U.S. citizens. They often live in crowded one-room apartments(10 guys in a one-bedroom), don't mind shacking up on job sites (even in the winter) and can sustain themselves on a bag of rice and some beans for several months while they squirrel away money for their families back home. In fact, the American working poor could learn a lot from these guys. I'm surprised conservative thinkers don't embrace this type of lifestyle. Just think about the tax dollars that could be saved if the food stamp junkies started buying real food and not instant meals and TV dinners. In short, it's a shame these guys aren't American. We could use some of their elbow grease.Think about it. It's food for thought that you can pass around the conservative think-tank the next time such a bonehead question comes up.
Fri May 09, 06:44:00 PM

When I read this, I came unglued!! I don't know where this cat, "working class" lives, but it damn sure isn't in Dallas Texas. I would go as far as saying that he doesn't even live in one of the border states.

First, I would like "working class" to know that illegal immigrants DO own cars. I live out in east Texas and I commute, on average, an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half to work. During this commute, I pass around 15-20 USED car lots. All of them look the same. All of them sit in southeast Dallas County. One of the heaviest populated illegal immigrant areas of Dallas. They all have 3 flags waving along the entrance of the parking lots. Some have several flags along the fence line. But the fact remains that there is only 3 patterns of flags flown at these prime establishments. They are the United States flag, the state of Texas flag, and last, the Mexico flag.

I don't ever see an Alabama state flag. Nor do I ever see a Canadian flag. Nope, just 3. The Texas, U.S. and Mexican. So who are they advertising to by doing this? Now mind you, I have already mentioned that most of these used car dealerships sit in southeast Dallas County. One of the heaviest illegal immigrant populated areas of Dallas. Inside of these used car lots are nothing but a bunch of run down, failed state inspection, mosquito sprayers. All with signs that say "buy here, pay here". "working class" brings up auto insurance. To that, I have this to say. Some auto insurers, however, see a golden opportunity. California law, for example, doesn’t bar companies from selling insurance to unlicensed motorists. So, insurers, including some major ones like Progressive Corp., are covering illegal-immigrant drivers, often charging them premiums above the normal market rate.

Funny thing I just thought of, I don't recall seeing any Toys R Us stores with bicycles all lined up outside.

Twelve Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. If those numbers are correct, it translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens. That's 21,900 since Sept. 11, 2001. (now mind you, these are stats that were taken in 2006. I don't ever see news reels showing illegals going back to Mexico, rather I see a ton of them coming over to the United States every single day. Off of that, I am going to say that since 2006, these numbers are much higher.) But the carnage wrought by illegal alien murderers represents only a fraction of the pool of blood spilled by American citizens as a result of an open border and un-enforced immigration laws.

While King reports 12 Americans are murdered daily by illegal aliens, he says 13 are killed by drunk illegal alien drivers – for another annual death toll of 4,745. That's 23,725 since Sept. 11, 2001.

I'm sorry, did that last statistic taken in 2006, say that an additional 13 Americans are killed each day by drunk illegal alien drivers? Wow! That is awesome! In all of my 38 years, I have never heard of someone getting killed by a drunkard on a bicycle. According to "working class", the bicycle is the chosen method of transportation by the illegal immigrant.

"working class" had this to say about the dietary habits of the illegal immigrant: "can sustain themselves on a bag of rice and some beans for several months while they squirrel away money for their families back home. In fact, the American working poor could learn a lot from these guys. I'm surprised conservative thinkers don't embrace this type of lifestyle. Just think about the tax dollars that could be saved if the food stamp junkies started buying real food and not instant meals and TV dinners". Now, "working class" should know all of this, after all, he has sat and drank a beer or two with them.

I wonder if this ever come up in conversation while "working class" was enjoying a few cervezas? According to a 2002 Center for Immigration Services report, (again, these numbers are 6 years old, so with more coming to this country than leaving it, I'm going to assume these numbers are higher by now) households headed by illegal aliens imposed more than $26.3 billion in costs on the federal government in 2002 and paid only $16 billion in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of almost $10.4 billion, or $2,700 per illegal household. The report goes on to say that among the largest costs are Medicaid ($2.5 billion); treatment for the uninsured ($2.2 billion); food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches ($1.9 billion); the federal prison and court systems ($1.6 billion); and federal aid to schools ($1.4 billion).

I'm sorry, does it say $1.9 billion for food stamps and free school lunches? This can't be. According to good ole' "working class", these folks eat beans and rice.

So, I leave you with a question without an answer:


Fact: gas prices are $3.50 and more per gallon here in Texas

Fact: The government says that illegal immigrants are doing jobs that most "Americans" won't do

Fact: These jobs are generally being done for slave wages

Here is my question...if the illegals are working for WAY less wages than most Americans, how is it that they are able to afford these type of gas prices?

Next time you would like to say something in regards to something being a "bonehead question", please be sure you have some facts to back your statement up.

KP (http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53103
http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=186030) all used for my data

Mother's Day - Don't Forget To Say Thank You

The older I get, the more and more thankful I become of who my mother is. She to me, is a remarkable person. A person I will miss very much when she is gone should she leave this earth before I do.

We all live in a day in time where we work 10,11, sometimes 12 hours a day. Tack on the daily commute of getting to and from work and there is another 10-15 hours per week. Extra time these days is a thing of the past. We live in a "need it now" society.

Having said that, with Mother's Day approaching this weekend, I wanted to set some time aside for MY mother who I love dearly. Mom, this one's for you. I love you!

My mom was 16 years old when I was born. A situation that didn't set too well for her mother and my beloved Grandmother. My mom grew up an only child with expectations from her parents that nobody could achieve. So high of expectations that she didn't even dare put them on me when I was growing up because she already knew they were unobtainable. With mom's parents being Church of Christ, and my father's parents being Church of God, mom did what others expected her to do, and that was to marry my father. As abusive as my father was to my mom, she stuck with it. She was 16. What's a 16 year old girl who just gave up drill team captain to do other than stick with it. Her parents were not too pleased at the circumstances that their daughter had put them in. It was embarrassing to them. You weren't supposed to get pregnant at 16 in the minds of her parents. Very inconvenient to their life style, the family, and their friends. My mom under went pressure that I can't even imagine being put under. Abortion and adoption not an option for her. She wanted to do what she thought was the right thing, have her baby and marry the father. A decision that most adults can't make in today's day in time. As time went on, the physical abuse and fighting that was brought on by my father was too much for my mom to deal with. Yet another teenage decision was facing her. Stay just for the fact there was a child involved, or save her life and leave? Stay and possibly end up killing my father out of hatred, or do what she thought was best at the time and leave?

The very unfortunate thing about having to make this decision was that her parents didn't have her back. Nor did my father's parents. Back then, folks lived in a time where domestic and spousal abuse was not talked about. It was not a topic you talked about, much less have a "hot line" one could call to get help. Back then, you were just stuck. Despite all of the outside pressure to stay, mom left. I was 2 years old. Due to threats from her own parents, threats of getting a lawyer and making damn sure I would never see my mother again, she left me with my father. A man who I myself, would leave when I turned 13 years old.

Looking back, mom's decision to leave me with my dad was probably the best decision she would ever make in her life. A decision that I know didn't come easy for her. Whatever God she was praying to during that time, He was listening. Little did she know the decision she made then, would end up enriching both of our lives years down the road. She ended up remarrying. She ended up marrying the man who I now consider my dad. Big difference in "father" and "dad". Any boy can be a father, it takes a real man to be a dad. To this day, they are still married. Growing up, the three of us had so much fun together and so many good times together. From our trips to Austin Texas and San Marcos Texas, to our vacations in California, we had some damn good times together. Memories that I hope will stick with me until I take my last breath.

My fondest memory of my mother came not too long ago. In 2004, I made a decision to up and move to Louisville Kentucky. A decision that just came out of the blue, but one that needed to be made. At that point in my life, I was going through a divorce that included my own step-children. I wanted to do for them, what was done for me when my mother married my wonderful step-dad. Bad idea on my part. Didn't quiet work out the way I had it planned in my head. So in 2004, I thought the best thing for me and the kids, was for me to distance myself as far away from the situation as I possibly could. 850 miles away was Louisville Kentucky. On Feb. 16th, 2004, I did one of the hardest things for me to do. Look my mother in the eye and tell her that her only child was moving 850 miles away. Not knowing what was facing me in the days to come, I didn't know if I was hugging my mother for the very last time or not. One things for sure though, she understood and some how, she knew I needed to do this for myself.

I don't know where my mom got this "understanding" attitude she has, but as her only child, I appreciate it. I moved to Louisville with no job, no place to live, and no family. I quickly befriended a person who I guess, looking back on it, was my guardian angel. Todd is his name and he quickly became my best friend. I met him within the first week I was in Louisville so I guess that was part of God's plan as well. Over the next couple of years, mom took Todd in as her "second son". Knowing full well that he was the chosen one to look after me and to look over her only child.

Six months into my move, I had taken a job just to have a job. It was still in the same industry that I had just left in Dallas, but it was a job at the bottom of the ladder and the bottom of the pay scale. I had to do what I had to do. My car ended up getting repossessed and for the next year and a half, I either took the bus to work or I walked. Never missing a day of work. For the next year and a half, I either ate tomato sandwiches or the Ranch Style Beans and hot sauce that mom would send me in her "care packages" she would send me from time to time. Upon moving to Louisville, I found out rather quickly that they didn't sell Ranch Style Beans or El Fenix hot sauce up there so mom would mail it to me from time to time. All along not knowing that there were times that this is all I had to eat for the week.

After figuring out that I wasn't coming back anytime soon, mom made her first trip up to Louisville for a visit. Doing the motherly thing, she wanted to "check" out things. Make sure I was okay. Meet the people I was hanging around. You know, mom stuff. When she first got into town, she asked me where my car was. Not knowing that it had been repossessed, I told her that I had been keeping it at Todd's house. This wasn't a lie. ( I had been keeping it at Todd's house. The bank had been calling me and I knew what was coming. So on the weekends, I would park it at Todds.) Mom would never question it again and I would never bring it up again. At least for now.

Mom's first visit to Louisville was such a fun one for me. She saw my apartment and saw that all I had was a blow up mattress and a fold out chair. Both given to me by Todd. I didn't even have a t.v. Didn't need one. I had my trusted a.m. radio and my John Grisham books. Life was good! Mom didn't take to this too kindly so being a woman and a bargain shopper, she immediately asked where the closest Target and Wal-Mart were. Kenneth was about to get some stuff for his apartment!!

When mom left for Dallas, I had an entertainment system, a 19" color t.v., two chairs, a microwave, coffee maker, coffee table, lamps,...etc. I felt like I had just left the set of The Price Is Right!! She had a budget and it wasn't primo stuff, but you know what, it sure as hell beat a blow up mattress and a fold out chair!! Mom left having a little bit of "peace of mind". She had met my friends for the first time, she knew I was no longer sleeping on the floor and I could now watch the Indianapolis Colts versus listening to them coming through a stat-icky old radio. My entertainment system was $12 worth of milk crates that we had turned on their sides. We laughed quite a few times over that one.

Another year and half would go by. Over that time, I had worked so hard to move back up the ladder at work. Proving to the folks in Louisville what I had already proven in Dallas. It finally paid off. I was now back in the pay bracket that I had been accustomed to. It was then, and only then, almost 2 years after the fact, that I come clean with mom in regards to my car and what my situation really was. I told her about the countless walks I made across the 2nd Street Bridge that crosses over the Ohio River just to get to work and back.

She was a little taken back, but she had her suspensions that something was up. You see, mom herself is an only child. In March of 2003, the good Lord called upon my grandmother to come and join Him. Leaving my mom the duty of taking care of my grandfather. Knowing that her hands were full by taking care of my grandfather all alone, keeping her home in tact, maintaining a full-time job, the very last thing she needed to worry about was me. I was okay. I had a roof over my head. I had a job. Plus, I had surrounded myself with people that actually cared for me. I was 850 miles away from mom, she didn't need the stress of worrying about me.

I am now back in the Dallas area. Closer in miles to my family. Although I don't nearly spend the time with them I would like to, it's still very comforting knowing I can now get in a car and drive to their house versus having to save up for a plane ticket home.

To this day, I really don't understand where my mother gets her strength. She is a very strong willed woman. I admire that in her. I at one time, was very good about running from my problems. Out of sight, out of mind. I'm still a little bit like that, but the older I get, the more like my mother I think I become.

I will never in my life time be able to repay my mom for what she has done for me. Both psychologically and financially. She and my "dad" now have a Harley that they ride and take trips together on. It's her way of letting her mind go. Re-grouping for what the following Monday will bring. She and I just emailed one another yesterday trying to make plans for Mother's Day. I don't live real close to her, but I live half way between her and where my grandmother is buried. We decided on a little hamburger joint not far from where we will be going to pay our respects to our beloved Francine.

After deciding on the hamburger joint, I said to mom, "..how white trash is that? Eating at a hamburger joint for Mother's Day". Her response to me was, "...Kenneth, it's not where we eat, it's the time we spend together that matters the most."

How true that is. How very true that is. God has not blessed me yet with kids of my own. But when he does, if I can do half of good as job that mom has done with me, my kid will be okay too!

Mom, I love you dearly. The anger that I once possessed when I was a child over you leaving has turned into nothing but love and understanding for you as an adult. I thank you.

Your son,

Kenneth

(P.S. - two songs I will never forget, Send In The Clowns by Judy Collins and OUR song, Colour My World by Chicago)

Being "White" In America

In today's world, we hear a lot of comments such as "...this is what it is like to be 'Black' in America." Or, "...you are taking what he said out of 'context'."

I've been sitting back, watching the whole Obama/Rev. Jeremiah Wright ordeal run it's course. All the while, thinking to myself, "..boy, boy, boy." I wasn't around in the 50's or 60's. All I have to go on is what I was taught in school or what I saw on t.v.

What I DO know is this, we as a country have come a very long way when it comes to civil rights for the minority. In fact, we have come so far, I really don't even know who the so called "minority" is any more. Webster defines the word 'minority' in this way: a part of a population differing from others in some characteristics and often subjected to differential treatment.

In 1985, Michelle Obama, (at that time, her name was Michelle LaVaughn Robinson) wrote a thesis while attending Princeton University. The title of this thesis was "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community". For the record, the library at Princeton University has removed this thesis until November 5th, 2008. We elect a new President of The United States on November 4th, 2008. Odd don't you think? In this thesis Michelle describes, the best she can, what it's like to be 'black' in a primarily all 'white' college. She goes on and on and on about how she was made to feel by her 'white' college classmates. Let me ask you something, do you hear the 'white' community yelling "RACIST"? Do you see organized marches and protests taking place? What would happen or what would be said if a 'white' student at, oh let's just say, Grambling University or Southern University, (both are majority 'black' colleges in the state of Louisiana) wrote a thesis titled "Grambling-Educated Whites and the White Community"? I know what would happen, all hell would break loose. Both Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson couldn't catch an early enough flight to get there and protest. Who's choice was it for Michelle Obama to go to Princeton? If she was so into helping the 'black' community, why doesn't her degree come from a college such as Grambling or Southern? Both of which cater to the 'black' student.

I have another question for you to ponder. Where is Condolezza Rice's thesis titled "Notre Dame-Educated Blacks and the Black Community"? I can tell you where, it doesn't exist. She has way more class than to write such rubbage.

How many of you remember Jimmy the Greek? Jimmy the Greek was a football analyst for CBS back in the 70's and 80's. He worked for CBS for 12 years. He was fired in 1988 for comments that he made in regards to the physical abilities of the white and black athlete. He went on to say that the black athlete was "bred to be the better athlete because, this goes all the way to the Civil War when ... the slave owner would breed his big woman so that he would have a big black kid." Again, Jimmy the Greek being white, was fired from CBS for making these comments.

Now, 15 years AFTER Jimmy the Greeks comments, Dusty Baker, (a very well respected professional baseball manager who is black) had this to say in 2003 while he was the manager of the Chicago Cubs, "...I'm not playing the race card. I'm telling it like it is. What I meant is that blacks and Latins take the heat better than most whites, and whites take the cold better than most blacks and Latins. That's it, pure and simple. Nothing deeper than that." Dusty was NOT fired for these comments.

Keeping with the CBS theme, who remembers Don Imus? Don Imus, a white, radio talk-show host, was fired by CBS for calling the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." A team that included both white and black players. Imus was even sued by some of the players. And guess who was there leading the cause in getting Imus fired from CBS? You guessed it, both Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Civil rights leaders such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson became closely identified with protests against Imus. But one of the earliest sparks may have been provided by the National Association of Black Journalists, an organization based at the University of Maryland in College Park. (Funny, I don't recall there being a National Association of White Journalists.) CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves said he made the decision to stop carrying Imus's program after he and CBS executives heard from "all segments of society" in recent days. Moonves also went on to say "...In our meetings with concerned groups, there has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society," Moonves said yesterday in a statement. "That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision."

Now, let's talk for a minute about the part "..make their way in THIS society." Does Moonves mean a society that allows preachers such as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright to say things such as "God damn America"? Or, "Hillary doesn't know what it means to be a nigger"? Or, "USKKK of America"? What society is CBS executive Moonves speaking of when he says "particularly young women of color trying to make their way in THIS society"? Please tell me because I don't get it.

The society that I myself live in, is one of which that includes the date of October 3rd, 1995. On this date, not only did the United States of America hear the words, but the entire WORLD heard the words, "Not Guilty". On this date, O.J. Simpson was found not guilty for the brutal murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. To this day, nobody has yet to be charged with the two murders.

I can still see it like it was yesterday. It was almost like the day The Towers went down. America was huddled around any t.v. they could find. A verdict was coming. Everyone just knew O.J. was going to be put away for life, or better yet, put to death for this horrendous crime. Didn't happen. Not guilty. I remember watching all of the major news stations. They all had the same thing on. Blacks all across America jumping up and down cheering. Cheering as if they themselves were on the stand. Cheering like they had just won the lottery. Some were quoted as saying "justice has finally been served". Do what? Did they just say justice had been served? I'm sorry, but two lives were brutally taken. Throats were slit from ear to ear. Blood running from the door all the way out to the street. Letting O.J. off the hook was not serving justice.

Who remembers Michael Vick? Michael Vick was the former NFL quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Vick is also black. Vick is the former quarterback of the Falcons because he is now in prison. What is he in prison for, you ask? Vick is in prison because he broke the law. Michael Vick funded an illegal dogfighting ring. Big difference in funding an illegal dogfighting ring and deer hunting. Why am I comparing the two? Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because blacks all across America did that when Vick's butt was thrown in jail. They said, (they being a lot of the black population in America) there was no difference in whites going out and killing deer and dogs killing each other. Some even said it was a "cultural" thing. I don't know about you, but I have deer hunted in my life. I did it so that I could eat. And yes, it is against the law if you do it out of season. I would say that 99.9% of the deer hunting population out there hunt deer for food. I've yet to come across a deer hunter that did it to gamble on who had the bigger or best deer. Most do it to feed his/her families. Period.

Now, let's take this in a different direction for a minute. How many of you whites that are reading this have been called a racist for even bringing up the suggestion of needing a border fence? Why do we whites have to be a racist for the mere suggestion of the need of a border fence? Has this country not heard about the ongoing tunnel problem we have on the Mexico/U.S. border? Has this country already forgotten 9-11-01? Why do people automatically ASSUME that the white population wants a fence to keep folks from Mexico out of our country? Why can't it be that we want a fence in order to protect us from another violent attack such as 9-11-01? If I'm not mistaken, if your like me, you want a border fence on both borders, Canada AND Mexico. (But it wouldn't hurt to start at the southern border). It's a matter of National security. It's about keeping the gangs, drugs, murderers out of this country. Rev. Jeremiah Wright accuses the U.S. government of putting illegal drugs into the hands of black-America. Doesn't he know that over 90% of ALL illegal drugs that enter this country come from Mexico? You would think that if the Rev. Wright was so into protecting his race, he would be demanding his friend of 20 years, (that just so happens to be running for President), to make it one of his highest priorities to build a fence. But no, it's so much easier to blame white-America for the down fall of the black society in this country.

In closing, I don't say God damn America. Rather, I say God Bless America. God Bless the men and women who fight for my freedom and the freedom of people like Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The freedom that gives Rev. Wright the freedom of speech. God Bless America in giving us the strength and the courage to grow as a nation. Grow to the point that we DO now have the possibility of our first black President. The growth as a nation to give us Oprah, the wealthiest woman in America. (By the way, Oprah is black). God Bless America for the freedom that gives Michelle Obama the freedom to say that for once in her adult life, she is happy with her country.

K.P.