A LIGHTNING STRIKE

It was a beautiful day. The sun was warm and the sky was clear. It was calm. In just a matter of moments however, thunder was heard in the distance. Then black clouds appeared on the horizon. The wind picked up. You could see lightning flash. People scattered looking for cover. Some sought protection under trees. You, of course, know the rest of the story. A flash of light, a tree is hit, and people under the tree are struck and they die. Innocent, unsuspecting, men, women, and children die.

This sadly is not an unusual story. It happens all over the world. So what is the point of this discussion?

Let us consider the events at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. We are being told the “alleged” perpetrator was a somewhat normal, albeit brilliant, individual who was calm and quiet. A loner some said. So what does the massacre in Colorado have to do with lightning? I will try to offer some perspective.

In the case of the lightning storm, signs were everywhere. Dark clouds and thunder announced the arrival of the storm. Most people sought cover in safe ways. Some, however, even though they know one should never get under a tree in such a case, did it anyway. The sad and unfortunate result is they died.

The twenty-four year old suspect in the theater assault did not go crazy three weeks before he acted. He has been crazy for a long time. There were signs and they were ominous. There were dark clouds and there was thunder. I believe his parents knew. I believe many people knew. When he finally blew up, there was no place to hide. His actions were premeditated and vicious and his killings were as random as a lightning strike.

I was struck by the uncanny resemblance between this perp and the shooter in the Tucson shopping center. Look at their mug shots. Frightening. I believe in both of these cases many, many people knew these people were nut cases. They as much as announced they were going to, like lightning, strike. It was never a matter of if, it was only a matter of when.

All around the world we see these types of events. In Norway, where guns are totally controlled, dozens of innocents were killed by a nut case. It has happened in Germany. It happens where guns have been outlawed and it happens in more free societies where guns are readily available. These types of mass killings are very similar to lightning strikes. You can only protect yourself so much. One thing is clear. If an armed citizen with a conceal carry permit had been in the audience at the theater and shot the perpetrator, far fewer might have died. Sadly, we will never know. If history has taught us anything though, it is that the only way to stop a gun is with a gun.

Today the usual suspects are railing against the second amendment. People who, in my view, are at least as dangerous as many of the nut jobs among us, want to eliminate guns from our society. I have my guns to protect myself and my family from the crazies and the government. Both are equally dangerous to our freedom and well being.

In life random events occur. Most are good. Some are tragic. The people who went to see the Batman movie never imagined they would die that day. The people who sought protection under a tree in the storm never imagined they would not see tomorrow. Such is life.

Embrace your loved ones. Life has no guarantee. Lightning strikes.

Ron Scarbro July 25, 2012

THINGS THAT AMAZE ME

In my time on this earth some of the things I have experienced have amazed me. Even when I have had time to consider all of the reasons people act the way they do, I still come away confused.

As an example, Bill Clinton, a disgraced, disbarred, and impeached former President still is considered by most Democrats a statesman. His popularity has never been higher. He commands millions in speaker fees. The world doesn’t forget however. Hillary was heckled loudly in Egypt just last week by crowds screaming “Monica, Monica, Monica” at her last visit. Still the Democrats don’t get it.

Obama is pushing Romney to release his income tax returns for several years and at the same time he refuses to release his college records or his phony Social Security information. What amazes me is that his hard core supporters will not see anything wrong with this. Are they blind, or just stupid?

Obama rails against Romney regarding his business experience demanding he explain policies of Bain Capital which occurred after he had left the company. Could anybody tell me of any business experience Obama has had? Is “community organizer” considered business experience to the Democrats?

Obama criticizes Romney for the wealth he has earned but has never offered any explanation of how he afforded his time at Occidental College, or Columbia, or Harvard. How much do you suppose those colleges cost? Oh, and by the way, Obama also traveled around the world during this time and to that point had never had a job, had questionable parentage, and zero means of visible support. Who paid his bills? And why don’t any of the so-called intelligent people in the media ask these questions? Why don’t his so-called intelligent supporters ever question this? Do they just believe in magic? I personally know some of his supporters and I know them to be otherwise intelligent, but for some reason, which I cannot explain, they put blinders on when dealing with the most important issues facing us in this lifetime.

When Obama ran against Hillary, the Republicans left the vetting of Obama to the Clinton machine. They failed miserably. Now it is up to the Republicans to do the vetting and they are doing a terrible job. As a voter I demand to know the background of Barak Obama. I demand to see his college records. I demand to know why he has a Connecticut SSN but he has never lived there. I demand to know who supported him financially during his early years. Who does he owe and how is he paying them? Doesn’t anybody else in this country wonder about all this?

Today we have no choice but to find out about Obama. If he is given another four years as President, this country will suffer untold harm from which we may never recover. The Republican Party has to take the gloves off and go after this charlatan and find the answers he has kept from the American people. Where did Obama come from and how did he get here? Who owns him? Who is controlling his actions? I need to know and so do you.

I have been amazed by many things in my life but how somebody like Barack Obama can come from nowhere, community organizer, to President of the most powerful country on earth tops the list of amazing things. And if, after seeing him in action for the last three years plus, he is reelected, my list of amazing things would have to include yet another item which would top all other entries. Amazing.

Ron Scarbro, July 18, 2012

THE DEATH OF LIBERALISM

Let’s assume the worst. Let’s assume Obama gets re-elected. Most of the problems of Obamacare, and his entire presidency for that matter, are purposely delayed until after the next election. But, what is going to happen when it all hits the fan? And it will hit the fan. What is going to happen when the American people see what exactly the new health care law, for example, is going to cost in real money and jobs?

It is obvious to me that Obama doesn’t really care about anything beyond the next election. He and the Democrats haven’t given much thought to the damage they are doing to their own party or to the country for that matter. How would you like to be a Democrat running for a seat in government when the truth about Obamacare manifests itself? Even today none of them are running on his “coattails.” Have you heard anyone campaigning as an Obama Democrat? No and you are not likely to either. When private health care coverage cost is doubled and tripled, when doctor appointments are set months in advance because of shortages, when emergency room waits are extended to hours and hours, when government agents decide who gets care and who doesn’t, when the IRS begins collecting the Obama tax for failure to buy insurance, and when the Catholic Church decides to excommunicate  members who support this new socialism, how would you like to be a Democrat running for election?

Here is a truth. Obama cannot run for reelection past this next term. His party, the Democrats, will be on their own left to try to explain to the American people why the change they voted for failed so miserably.  

While  none of us can see into the future, we can speculate. What do you think is going to happen? The points I made earlier I believe are inevitable. Small business is going to suffer. Most will probably cancel their employee health care coverage. People who have in the past never bought health insurance because of its cost are not going to buy it now for the same reason. The threat of a new tax is not going to cause them to spend money they say they don’t have. Estimates are that over 30 million new patients will seek health care from a dwindling number of doctors and hospitals. That will definitely have a negative effect on the medical profession’s ability to function successfully. Many doctors are going to just take their money and run. Many others are not going to accept medicare or other government subsidized patients. What we are about to experience is a gigantic mess. Contrary to the “pie in the sky by and by” you have been told, this has disaster written all over it.

Do you remember when Clinton had his sex scandal? When it subsided, the Democrats said we should all just move on. In fact they even started an organization called “Move on Dot Org.” Reid, Pelosi and Schumer are out and about now saying the same things about Obamacare, we should just move on. Well that is not going to happen. The movement they will see will be at the ballot box.

First and foremost, we need to get rid of the perpetrators of this nonsense. That’s what elections are all about. If we hold the House and just capture a few Senate seats, we can curtail this wild eyed spender in the White House. Aside from just spending us into oblivion, there will also be new Court appointments coming up in the next few years. This truly will be the most important election of our time.

I predict that when the full impact of Obama’s presidency hits this country, the Democrat party will suffer for years and years. There will be no place to hide. In fact the only running they will be doing is running for the exits. Once again it will be left to the Republicans to clean up the mess. When the smoke clears on Obama’s fiascos, we may well be witnessing the “Death of Liberalism.” One can only hope.

Ron Scarbro July 11, 2012

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2012

I re-read the Declaration of Independence today before I wrote this column. I paid particular attention to the part where the authors wrote that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed. In light of recent events and court decisions I thought that would be especially apropos because if the governed do not consent, our government has no power.

Today I am ingesting and digesting the Court’s decisions. I am frankly both  surprised and disappointed with John Roberts. He, in my opinion, basically re-wrote a law he was only supposed to judge. I am hearing all the spin from both sides of the argument and it is deafening. But I am not a seer. I cannot determine what the future holds any more than anyone else. I can only offer my thoughts and opinions.

America is fundamentally changing. From my early years to now one would have a difficult time recognizing this country. It just is not the same place. Whether the changes are for the better or the worse is for you to decide. I have made my decision.

I do not believe in the America of my youth the Federal Government would have  refused to enforce laws against illegal immigration. Now not only are they refusing, they are also forbidding states from enforcing the law. I do not believe the America of my youth would force any citizen to buy any product for any reason and then penalize them if they refused. The America of my youth would never attack an entire religion representing millions of people both here and throughout the world by requiring them to endorse and fund activities against their beliefs.

What we now have in this country is a dysfunctional executive, legislative and judicial government, and while these three branches of government are independent from each other, they are not independent from us, the American people.

Romney has said that his first official act as President will be to grant waivers to all fifty states which would essentially gut and eliminate Obamacare. Several Governors have said in the past few days that they would not put the new law into effect. That would have the same effect. One thing is clear. Any law is only as good and effective as its enforcement. Back in the sixties some hippies wore a t-shirt that said, “What if they started a war and nobody came?” What now if they passed a law and nobody obeyed it?

The Court has basically said to the American people, if you don’t like the laws your President and Congress passed, and over 60% of those polled don’t, get rid of those who passed the law and start over. That appears now to be the order of the day. Since the SCOTUS decision, Romney’s campaign fund has been exploding with donations. We also need to change out Congress.

I am indeed saddened by the changes our country has been experiencing. I regret the loss of individual responsibility. I detest the loss of our basic freedoms. I absolutely hate the direction this country is headed. Our values are being eroded.

There is good news though. We have an election coming up, you know.  So I wonder, have you had enough yet? Are you better off today than you were three years ago? Are you pleased with our headlong rush into socialism? Is this rush the change you thought you were voting for in the last election? Just wondering.

We all are guaranteed equal opportunity. That is one of our basic rights. However, we are not now nor have we ever been guaranteed equal outcome. No amount of wealth redistribution is going to materially alter the lives of some of our citizens. We succeed or fail based on our own individual initiative, not on any government handout. How I long for the America of my youth.

Ron Scarbro July 4, 2012