Many years ago there was a Peanuts comic strip starring Linus and Lucy. Linus comes running to Lucy to tell her that it is snowing. Lucy’s response, “Tell it to stop”. Moments later Linus returned with the question, “How does one address snow flakes, individually or collectively?” So what does that have to do with this month’s subject? Our selection this month is The Center for Science in the Public Interest. So then the question is are they individual morons or are they a collective moron? Let’s examine it.
This tax supported bunch has decided, in their wisdom, that small toys in “Happy Meals” should be forbidden. Such inducements, they believe, cause children to make poor food choices. What? How does a child make a food choice in a restaurant? Where are that child’s parents? Who would be paying for the food choice?
First of all, it is absolutely none of the government’s business what children eat in a restaurant. Secondly, children who get “Happy Meals” rarely travel to the restaurant alone. As I heard one mother explain, “Selling Happy Meals is McDonald's business, deciding what her children get to eat is her business.” When did it happen that the government decided they would try to control what children eat in a restaurant?
This appears to be another of those villages trying to raise a child. I say to the village, butt out. Take care of yourself and I will do the same. Can you just imagine what Madison or Jefferson would be thinking now about this?
I recognize that there are for sure some irresponsible parents. Some are even idiots. But, as free American citizens, they and they alone have the right and the responsibility to decide what is best for their children. In other words, they have the right to be idiots. McDonald's and other such restaurants have the right to offer inducements in an effort to sell their products. Their product is legal. For the most part their places of business are clean. So what is the problem?
The problem, dear friends, is morons. They seem to be multiplying. There is no one on the face of the earth who is qualified to tell me what I can or cannot eat. As a free citizen of America, my choices are my choices. Those morons who feed at the public trough serving at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, are serving only their interests.
Not only are morons multiplying, so is government interference into the private lives of her citizens. No where in the Constitution are there allocations for such intrusion. The time has come and gone when we must stand up and demand our autonomy back. Morons like those in this outfit and others need to get a real job. They need to learn a trade like shoe making or ditch digging for example. They need to figure out a way to make an honest living.
I would prefer if parents would make good choices for their children. Who wouldn’t? But to deny a child the thrill of opening up a meal and finding a surprise toy would be a criminal act. Hopefully they would not be eating a Happy Meal all that often, but again this is not my choice, it is instead their parent’s.
The rule is simple. McDonald’s, as a legitimate restaurant, has the right to market their facility and their product, consumers have the right to accept or reject their offerings or at least the right to avail themselves of the products on an occasional basis. If McDonald’s chooses to offer a toy as inducement, that is also their right. Morons, stay out of it. Get a real job.
Ron Scarbro July 20, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP
I spent Independence Day sitting in my easy chair watching golf. That’s not unusual for me on a lazy Sunday. The match was interesting and fun to watch. The reason I speak of this is not the golf however. No, this day was different.
David Feherety was one of the commentators on that day. David is a former Irish pro golfer who now is a commentator for both Golf Network and CBS and as such has always been one of my favorites. He is funny and has a tremendous knowledge of the game of golf. Early in this telecast David announced that this would be his first Independence Day as an American citizen. Even though this was America’s birthday, he said it felt like it was his birthday. His excitement was palatable. I cannot quote him but he went on to say things like now he could refer to this country as his country. He could refer to our military as his military too. You could see his pride and you could feel it also. For some time I have been aware of his involvement with the troops and his work with the wounded. I also knew of his plans to become a citizen.
His excitement and his enthusiasm caused me to consider citizenship in this great country. I wake up in the morning and I am a citizen. I go to bed at night and I am still a citizen. It was conferred on me at birth, citizenship of the greatest country on earth. David and others like him have to earn that citizenship.
Unlike many spots on earth, Ireland is not a second rate third world country. Ireland is not a place from which one must escape. There are no torture chambers or heinous laws preventing freedoms which we take for granted. So why did David want to become an American? I suppose he would be the best at answering that question, but I believe it is because he sees America as a shining beacon on a hill. He sees in America a place where all things are possible for those who want to work for it. He sees America as the land of opportunity. I think he sees America as a place where he wants his children to grow up and prosper. Today America is richer for having David Feherty as a new American.
Some would ask me if David was not a white, glib, talented golfer, but instead a poor, black, dirt farmer from some poverty stricken hell hole, would I feel the same. That is a fair question. Here is my answer. I believe David has decided to become an American. He will not live here as an Irishmen in America. No, he will live here as an American. He will for sure bring much of his Irish culture with him to his new country, but he will be an American of Irish descent. David has followed the rules and done it legally. If the poor minority dirt farmer followed the rules and legally came here to become an American, I definitely would feel the same. If the poor, black, farmer wanted to become an American, learned our language, learned our laws, followed the rules, and assimilated into our culture, I would welcome him with the same enthusiasm as I welcome David. Too often however, people come here just to earn money they could not earn in their home countries. They don’t want to become Americans, They just want to make money and send it back home. They are not immigrants. They are guest workers who are often here illegally.
I am tired of Mexican-Americans and Somali-Americans and all other hyphenated-Americans. I am tired of ethnic ghettos and barrios where newcomers come to continue the traditions that they originally tried to escape from. If you want to live in America as an American and you do it legally, you will be welcome. We are a nation of immigrants. We were born as a refuge for immigrants. Nothing has changed. If you come here legally, with ultimate citizenship in mind, the door will be open. If you try to sneak in and jump ahead of the line, hiding with forged documents, and breaking our laws, then the door will be slammed in your face.
Today I want to welcome all the Davids who have become Americans. Our future is brighter because of the contributions they will make.
Ron Scarbro July 11, 2010
David Feherety was one of the commentators on that day. David is a former Irish pro golfer who now is a commentator for both Golf Network and CBS and as such has always been one of my favorites. He is funny and has a tremendous knowledge of the game of golf. Early in this telecast David announced that this would be his first Independence Day as an American citizen. Even though this was America’s birthday, he said it felt like it was his birthday. His excitement was palatable. I cannot quote him but he went on to say things like now he could refer to this country as his country. He could refer to our military as his military too. You could see his pride and you could feel it also. For some time I have been aware of his involvement with the troops and his work with the wounded. I also knew of his plans to become a citizen.
His excitement and his enthusiasm caused me to consider citizenship in this great country. I wake up in the morning and I am a citizen. I go to bed at night and I am still a citizen. It was conferred on me at birth, citizenship of the greatest country on earth. David and others like him have to earn that citizenship.
Unlike many spots on earth, Ireland is not a second rate third world country. Ireland is not a place from which one must escape. There are no torture chambers or heinous laws preventing freedoms which we take for granted. So why did David want to become an American? I suppose he would be the best at answering that question, but I believe it is because he sees America as a shining beacon on a hill. He sees in America a place where all things are possible for those who want to work for it. He sees America as the land of opportunity. I think he sees America as a place where he wants his children to grow up and prosper. Today America is richer for having David Feherty as a new American.
Some would ask me if David was not a white, glib, talented golfer, but instead a poor, black, dirt farmer from some poverty stricken hell hole, would I feel the same. That is a fair question. Here is my answer. I believe David has decided to become an American. He will not live here as an Irishmen in America. No, he will live here as an American. He will for sure bring much of his Irish culture with him to his new country, but he will be an American of Irish descent. David has followed the rules and done it legally. If the poor minority dirt farmer followed the rules and legally came here to become an American, I definitely would feel the same. If the poor, black, farmer wanted to become an American, learned our language, learned our laws, followed the rules, and assimilated into our culture, I would welcome him with the same enthusiasm as I welcome David. Too often however, people come here just to earn money they could not earn in their home countries. They don’t want to become Americans, They just want to make money and send it back home. They are not immigrants. They are guest workers who are often here illegally.
I am tired of Mexican-Americans and Somali-Americans and all other hyphenated-Americans. I am tired of ethnic ghettos and barrios where newcomers come to continue the traditions that they originally tried to escape from. If you want to live in America as an American and you do it legally, you will be welcome. We are a nation of immigrants. We were born as a refuge for immigrants. Nothing has changed. If you come here legally, with ultimate citizenship in mind, the door will be open. If you try to sneak in and jump ahead of the line, hiding with forged documents, and breaking our laws, then the door will be slammed in your face.
Today I want to welcome all the Davids who have become Americans. Our future is brighter because of the contributions they will make.
Ron Scarbro July 11, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
THE BLAME GAME
Due to a "phantom gremlin", "The Blame Game" posted on June 19, 2010 disappeared without explanation, however the comments still remain. Therefore I am publishing it again here.
Signed, the technically challenged IT Dept.
(The following was published in the Newsleader on June 25, 2010)
Barak Obama is no more responsible for the problem in the Gulf of Mexico than George Bush was for Hurricane Katrina. For some reason the media seems to believe that constant screaming about this oil spill will somehow take care of it. The Congress, in their questionable wisdom, has held hearings where BP’s CEO Hayward was “raked over the coals” and “taken to the woodshed” as a punishment for BP’s actions. Did any of this stop the oil spill? Did the hearings clean up any of the beaches? Was anything positive accomplished by these immature reactions? Clearly the answer is no.
This is called the “blame game”. One political party thinks they might get an advantage over the other party if they can somehow taint them with the latest crisis. I tried to watch some of the hearings and to be honest, they were tiring. They were ridiculous. We had bombastic loud mouths from both parties looking for TV face time at the expense of an individual who seemed unconcerned and totally unaffected by the attacks. All the while, nothing was done to take care of the problem.
As a private citizen here is what I want from anyone who can accomplish it, PLUG THE DAMN LEAK!!!! After it is repaired, then we can set about affixing blame and securing financial solutions for both the environment and the people who have been adversely affected. Everything is not about politics. Everything is not about getting an advantage. Sometimes it is just about dealing with the situation until it is solved.
This should not be news to you. We are a petroleum based economy. Most of our products and services are in some way related to oil. From the food we eat to the cars we drive to the clothes we wear to the medicines we take. That is just how it is. As for me, I would love to have alternate forms of energy. I would love to tell the Middle East and Venezuela to stuff it. I dislike the smell of burning oil. I detest the sight of diesel trucks fouling the air with their exhaust pipes belching black smoke. I hate being at the mercy of two bit dictators from third world countries. The fact is we have little choice right now. Hopefully, at sometime in the future, we won’t be so dependent on petroleum, but alas that is well into the future. Today we must do what is necessary to take care of our existing needs. We can’t wish it away.
I would love to never have to tempt fate by drilling in the ocean or in the wild areas of this great country, but the facts are we need the oil. We can’t just snap our fingers and have things suddenly change.
I don’t have the solutions, but I know what doesn’t work. Television broadcasts of inane hearings starring your favorite Congressperson who cares only about getting publicity on camera is an example of what doesn’t fix anything. Twenty-four hour coverage of a spill pouring out into the environment doesn’t plug the hole.
The time has long since come for the adults to step up and deal with the reality of the situation. Stop the poisonous rhetoric. Get the experts together, not in some cozy air conditioned hotel, but at the scene of the disaster. Come up with the fix and don’t leave until you do. This ain’t politics. This is real life. Set about to immediately inspect every single well currently pumping in the Gulf. If they have the necessary systems in place to deal with a similar problem, let them produce. If they don’t, shut them down until they do.
One final thought. Any regulator or official or politician who is found to be in bed with any oil company should be prosecuted without mercy. The facts are clear. Oil companies have been pumping for years with few major incidents. When properly regulated and inspected, they should be able to continue. We need them. We need their product. Knee-jerk reaction accomplishes nothing. We need intelligent well thought out solutions. It is way past time.
Ron Scarbro June 19, 2010
Signed, the technically challenged IT Dept.
(The following was published in the Newsleader on June 25, 2010)
Barak Obama is no more responsible for the problem in the Gulf of Mexico than George Bush was for Hurricane Katrina. For some reason the media seems to believe that constant screaming about this oil spill will somehow take care of it. The Congress, in their questionable wisdom, has held hearings where BP’s CEO Hayward was “raked over the coals” and “taken to the woodshed” as a punishment for BP’s actions. Did any of this stop the oil spill? Did the hearings clean up any of the beaches? Was anything positive accomplished by these immature reactions? Clearly the answer is no.
This is called the “blame game”. One political party thinks they might get an advantage over the other party if they can somehow taint them with the latest crisis. I tried to watch some of the hearings and to be honest, they were tiring. They were ridiculous. We had bombastic loud mouths from both parties looking for TV face time at the expense of an individual who seemed unconcerned and totally unaffected by the attacks. All the while, nothing was done to take care of the problem.
As a private citizen here is what I want from anyone who can accomplish it, PLUG THE DAMN LEAK!!!! After it is repaired, then we can set about affixing blame and securing financial solutions for both the environment and the people who have been adversely affected. Everything is not about politics. Everything is not about getting an advantage. Sometimes it is just about dealing with the situation until it is solved.
This should not be news to you. We are a petroleum based economy. Most of our products and services are in some way related to oil. From the food we eat to the cars we drive to the clothes we wear to the medicines we take. That is just how it is. As for me, I would love to have alternate forms of energy. I would love to tell the Middle East and Venezuela to stuff it. I dislike the smell of burning oil. I detest the sight of diesel trucks fouling the air with their exhaust pipes belching black smoke. I hate being at the mercy of two bit dictators from third world countries. The fact is we have little choice right now. Hopefully, at sometime in the future, we won’t be so dependent on petroleum, but alas that is well into the future. Today we must do what is necessary to take care of our existing needs. We can’t wish it away.
I would love to never have to tempt fate by drilling in the ocean or in the wild areas of this great country, but the facts are we need the oil. We can’t just snap our fingers and have things suddenly change.
I don’t have the solutions, but I know what doesn’t work. Television broadcasts of inane hearings starring your favorite Congressperson who cares only about getting publicity on camera is an example of what doesn’t fix anything. Twenty-four hour coverage of a spill pouring out into the environment doesn’t plug the hole.
The time has long since come for the adults to step up and deal with the reality of the situation. Stop the poisonous rhetoric. Get the experts together, not in some cozy air conditioned hotel, but at the scene of the disaster. Come up with the fix and don’t leave until you do. This ain’t politics. This is real life. Set about to immediately inspect every single well currently pumping in the Gulf. If they have the necessary systems in place to deal with a similar problem, let them produce. If they don’t, shut them down until they do.
One final thought. Any regulator or official or politician who is found to be in bed with any oil company should be prosecuted without mercy. The facts are clear. Oil companies have been pumping for years with few major incidents. When properly regulated and inspected, they should be able to continue. We need them. We need their product. Knee-jerk reaction accomplishes nothing. We need intelligent well thought out solutions. It is way past time.
Ron Scarbro June 19, 2010
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN
(The following was published in the Newsleader on July 2, 2010)
Just a few short years ago some very influential men got together over drinks and decided they had had enough. This had been brewing for a while. They felt that they were being taxed to death without representation. They felt they were under the control of a government which did not have their best interest at heart. They signed a document which declared they were for now and for evermore independent from that government which had been controlling them. They told the King of England to “pound sand”. They decided they would form their own government. Such was “The Declaration of Independence”.
Now signing that paper meant treason and possible death. They signed it anyway. Were they courageous or had they just had a little too much to drink? As I consider the act, I believe they were in fact courageous. They knew what was at stake and they knew the danger. They also knew what the payoff could potentially be. They, through their signing, started an experiment which continues today. That experiment is America.
America now has become the envy of the world. Our form of government is the example of how people should and can get along with each other and live as civilized beings. Our country has become the beacon to the world of law and order. We are the epitome of prosperity. We are what freedom means.
Have we had growing pains? Have we made mistakes? Of course we have. But, and this is a very big but, we have dealt with them. We have and are correcting the mistakes of the past. We are not perfect, but we are closer than any other form of government I know of. Every two years we have the opportunity to change our representation in Congress. Every six years we can change out the Senate. Our President has a term of but four years. We are truly a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Dictators need not apply. You will not be welcome.
So, what does it mean to be an American? There are many answers. I’ll try to share just a few that stand out to me. The first is personal responsibility. I am responsible for my actions, no one else. I am responsible for my success and for my failure, no one else. To me it doesn’t take a village to raise a child. It takes a responsible parent who loves and cares for that child. The rest of the village should be taking care of themselves. Being an American means I am able to speak my mind. I have the right to criticize my government and their actions. They don’t have to listen to me or anyone else, but they ignore us at their peril. I have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. I am not guaranteed anything but the opportunity to try. My success will be determined by me, not someone else.
As an American I believe I have an obligation to make sure this country remains the “Beacon of Freedom” the rest of the world is striving for. In my case that required that I serve a time in the military. Not everyone has that obligation, but we must always maintain the strongest defense that is possible. We all have a role.
I believe “The Constitution” is the law of the land and should be literally interpreted and followed. It is not subject to changes that might suit whoever might be in power.
These few lines do not cover all of my thoughts about being an American. I intend in future writings to discuss more of what this great experiment means to me.
It is sufficient to say that I am so grateful to have been born free. I am proud to have been born American. I hope to share my pride with you in future columns.
At this holiday season, as you are grilling your hot dogs and hamburgers, give our heritage just a brief thought. Think of what being an American means to you.
Ron Scarbro Independence Day 2010
Just a few short years ago some very influential men got together over drinks and decided they had had enough. This had been brewing for a while. They felt that they were being taxed to death without representation. They felt they were under the control of a government which did not have their best interest at heart. They signed a document which declared they were for now and for evermore independent from that government which had been controlling them. They told the King of England to “pound sand”. They decided they would form their own government. Such was “The Declaration of Independence”.
Now signing that paper meant treason and possible death. They signed it anyway. Were they courageous or had they just had a little too much to drink? As I consider the act, I believe they were in fact courageous. They knew what was at stake and they knew the danger. They also knew what the payoff could potentially be. They, through their signing, started an experiment which continues today. That experiment is America.
America now has become the envy of the world. Our form of government is the example of how people should and can get along with each other and live as civilized beings. Our country has become the beacon to the world of law and order. We are the epitome of prosperity. We are what freedom means.
Have we had growing pains? Have we made mistakes? Of course we have. But, and this is a very big but, we have dealt with them. We have and are correcting the mistakes of the past. We are not perfect, but we are closer than any other form of government I know of. Every two years we have the opportunity to change our representation in Congress. Every six years we can change out the Senate. Our President has a term of but four years. We are truly a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Dictators need not apply. You will not be welcome.
So, what does it mean to be an American? There are many answers. I’ll try to share just a few that stand out to me. The first is personal responsibility. I am responsible for my actions, no one else. I am responsible for my success and for my failure, no one else. To me it doesn’t take a village to raise a child. It takes a responsible parent who loves and cares for that child. The rest of the village should be taking care of themselves. Being an American means I am able to speak my mind. I have the right to criticize my government and their actions. They don’t have to listen to me or anyone else, but they ignore us at their peril. I have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. I am not guaranteed anything but the opportunity to try. My success will be determined by me, not someone else.
As an American I believe I have an obligation to make sure this country remains the “Beacon of Freedom” the rest of the world is striving for. In my case that required that I serve a time in the military. Not everyone has that obligation, but we must always maintain the strongest defense that is possible. We all have a role.
I believe “The Constitution” is the law of the land and should be literally interpreted and followed. It is not subject to changes that might suit whoever might be in power.
These few lines do not cover all of my thoughts about being an American. I intend in future writings to discuss more of what this great experiment means to me.
It is sufficient to say that I am so grateful to have been born free. I am proud to have been born American. I hope to share my pride with you in future columns.
At this holiday season, as you are grilling your hot dogs and hamburgers, give our heritage just a brief thought. Think of what being an American means to you.
Ron Scarbro Independence Day 2010
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