IT'S BEEN A HELLUVA YEAR

2016 started with the proclamation from the national media that Hillary Clinton was going to be our new President, period. Oh, there would be an election but that would just be a formality. The outcome was already determined. After all it was her turn.

Well a funny thing happened on the way to the polls. The American people didn’t get the memo. They elected Republican Donald Trump instead and not only that, they also elected a Republican Senate and a Republican House along with a majority of statehouses and governorships. So much for news media proclamations.

Since that election some disgruntled individuals decided that if Hillary lost, it must have been rigged. So, Jill Stein, the fourth place finisher out of four, begged for some money to demand a recount in three of the key states. She picked up over seven million dollars. Federal judges in the key states of Michigan and Pennsylvania said she had no standing and could not request a recount. In the meantime Jill spent over a million in salaries and costs, she says, only to be shut down by the courts. Wisconsin went ahead with their recount where Trump picked up several hundred additional votes from that count. Jill lost again. I have a question. Where did all the rest of that money go? It is well over six million dollars. Maybe that will just be her consolation prize. Go home Jill. Your fifteen minutes are up.

Since that didn’t work out for the Democrats, they have decided on a new scheme. We’ll blame the Russians. We will claim that they hacked our election and that will prove that Trump didn’t actually win. Of course we have no proof but it won’t be necessary. The American people will be so incensed, they will go along with whatever we say. That current fiasco is underway.

What’s next, you ask? Well a group of so-called Hollywood celebrities demanded that the Electoral College refuse to elect Trump. They wanted the electors to violate the law and not vote for their state’s elected choice. Another desperate act by a desperate bunch of losers. After the Electoral College vote, Trump lost a total of two votes and Hillary lost five which made Trump the overwhelming winner. For the disgruntled losers, that’s 0 for 3. Attention Democrats, your cry-baby antics are getting tiresome. Grow up. Go home. Get over it.

Fortunately in a few weeks all of this will be over and the Democrats will come to the understanding that they lost and Trump can get about the business of governing the country.

And how about the media. Both the print as well as televised news have lost all credibility. Today news is a crap shoot. The agenda of the newspaper, or the television station, determines what we read or hear. Television anchors have become stars with clothing contracts. They are paid huge salaries. All they have to do is conform to the agenda of the check writers. Never mind the truth. Apparently facts aren’t important.

I can remember when public embarrassment pronounced the end of one’s career. Not anymore. The morons are out of the closet. Weirdness is celebrated. Perversion has become the norm.

I believe that’s all changing. The election of Donald Trump is our “brexit.”  I think we all will see a different America in a few weeks. Yes, it has been a helluva year. But, we are about to embark on a new day and a new year. To any liberals who might be reading this blog, I have this advice. The train is leaving the station. Either get on board or be left in the dust.

Happy New Year

Ron

THE LEGEND OF DOUGIE THE FIR TREE

A CHRISTMAS STORY

Way out west where the mountains are really tall, snow comes early in the winter and stays long into the spring. In the winter the air is clean and crisp but it is very cold. In the spring though, the sun warms the woods quickly and causes great stirring among the plants and the animals.

On one particular mountainside there lived a magnificent stand of Douglas fir trees. They grew tall and straight destined to become the finest lumber in all the land for building. The great trees were rightfully proud of their destiny. No other trees grew straighter or made finer lumber. In the fall the trees would shed seed cones which would feed the squirrels and other small animals in the woods. Inside the cones were many nutritious seeds. These morsels were the feed for most of the forest’s critters.

Occasionally some of the seeds would be buried by the squirrels for later use. Sometimes the squirrels bury so many seeds that they forget where they all are buried. This is just what happened one autumn on one of these tall mountains. The next spring when the sun warmed the earth and melted the snow, the little seeds sprouted into seedlings. In the life cycle of Douglas firs, new great trees are born. All over the forest young seedlings were sprouting and showing their new growth to the warming sun. All was right with the world as new life was born to take the place of the older trees which would be removed to become the finest lumber in all the land.

Dougie was just such a seedling. He stretched his young needles trying to reach the warming sunlight. But there was a problem. He had sprouted under a giant log which was blocking his sunlight. Dougie thought, “This is not such a big deal. I’ll just grow around the giant log and reach the sunlight.” That is just what Dougie did.

Every winter he slept under the heavy snowfalls and waited until the warming spring melted the snow and let Dougie stretch, further bending around the giant log to grow.

All went well for a few years until Dougie became a sapling. He was now about three feet tall, gangly and spindly as you would expect a teenager to be. Trees don’t grow as fast as humans but they grow much taller. Because Dougie had to grow around the giant log, his trunk was developing a curve. “Don’t worry,” his mother had said. “I am sure your trunk will straighten up when you grow a little more. I just know you will become a great tree and you will be sought out for your destiny to become the finest lumber in all the land.”

The next winter was particularly harsh. Snowfall far exceeded normal. All the young saplings were pushed down by the weight of the snow. But it is the nature of mountains and snow and trees to have these little experiences. When the warming sun returns and melts the snow, all the trees will spring back and grow to become the tallest and straightest trees on the mountain. Dougie had another problem however. The shade over him had caused the snow to stay considerably longer than normal. To deal with it, Dougie decided he would just grow around it as he had before. This time though, he had to grow in a different direction to get to the sun’s warmth. This caused his trunk to develop an “S” shape. “I’m not going to worry,” thought Dougie. “I will just continue to grow taller and taller to become the tallest, straightest tree in the forest. I will achieve my destiny to become the best lumber in all the land.”

Sadly it was not to be. As Dougie grew, his curvature only got worse. His growth became stunted. All the other trees grew taller and taller leaving Dougie in their shade.

“Now what? What is to become of me? All my life I had planned to achieve my destiny to become the tallest and greatest tree in the forest and now it looks like I will be nothing more than a scrub bush. I will never be good enough to be the finest lumber in all the land. It looks like I will have to spend my life as a nothing.”

Well life has a strange way of dealing with things. Just when you think things are the darkest, sometimes great light is shown. As it turns out, Christmas was approaching. Snow had fallen and the forest was even more beautiful than usual. Dougie heard a strange noise in the distance. It seems a family had come to the woods looking for a Christmas tree. The family was a Dad with his three children. The children were very excited looking for the perfect tree to decorate for their home. As they walked around and among the many beautiful young Douglas firs, they would shout “How about this one?” or “Dad, I think this is the best one.” They seemed not to even notice Dougie.

Dougie thought, “I cannot do anything right. I can’t even become a Christmas tree because of my curved trunk. Now I will never be a great tall tree and I won’t even be a Christmas tree. How sad is my life.”

Just then Dougie noticed a little girl looking at him. She was part of the family who was out looking for a tree to decorate. She was smaller than the other children. She stood in a strange way. She seemed to have some difficulty getting around in the snow, but she had a huge smile on her face. She was definitely having a good time. Dougie looked closer and saw that this little girl had a strange curve in her spine much like the curve in his trunk.

“Dad, come and look at what I have found. I think this could be the Christmas tree for us.” Dad came over and said “Honey, this tree has a crooked trunk. I don’t think it would be the perfect tree for us.” He then went off to be with the other kids continuing to look for the perfect tree.

The little girl just stood there and stared at the crooked tree. Dougie was as sad as the little girl. Off in the woods there was the rustling of the kids as they continued to look for the perfect tree. Dad called to the little girl to come with them. “No Dad,” she said. “This tree and I both have a curve in our spines and you always told me that I was as good as anybody else, so I think that just because this tree has a curve in his spine, he can be as good as anybody else also.”

Dad stopped in his tracks. His eyes filled with tears as he suddenly recalled his feelings when he learned of his little girl’s condition known as scoliosis. He remembered the fear both he and the little girl’s mother felt. He knew that he and his daughter had to learn to live with her condition. He had, for years, told her she could do anything she put her mind to. He and her mother had told her to reach for the stars and not allow her physical limitation to slow her down. Now here before his eyes was the essence of the lesson he had tried to teach his daughter for years and today he had to learn it from her. She had become the teacher.

Dad immediately called all the kids together and announced that we had indeed found the perfect tree. The kids were surprised at the choice of the tree with the bent and curved trunk. Dad said, “Just you wait until you see what this tree will become. We will decorate this Douglas fir as no other tree has ever been decorated.” Dad quickly cut the tree down and it was lovingly loaded in the van for the trip home.

When Mother saw what the family had done she was also surprised. “Is this the best you could do?” she asked. When Dad told Mother what had happened, the matter was immediately settled. Mother said, “Let’s decorate this tree as no other tree has ever been decorated.” And so they did.

Dougie saw what he had become and he was truly the finest Christmas tree that has ever been. The tinsel and lights were so grand that no one could ever notice that there was a curve in his trunk. His heart sang. Dougie never again thought of his destiny of being the finest lumber in the land for now he had become the finest Christmas tree in the land.

Often in our lives we make great plans. We prepare for lives with one destiny on our minds. Then on occasion, things happen to change our plans. That’s the way life is sometimes. If we can somehow become like Dougie and this little girl, perhaps we will find a different direction that we could never have prepared for. Perhaps our destiny is yet to be decided. Life truly begins when we accept those things which we cannot change and then live our life to its fullest. Whether you are to be the tallest, straightest tree in the forest or the most magnificent Christmas tree that has ever been, success in life is being the best that you can be.

Copyright © 2010 by Ron Scarbro

AMERICA HAS GIVEN HERSELF A GREAT GIFT

The commercialization of Christmas starts earlier every year. I started hearing commercials for Christmas back in October. I’m a capitalist and as such I am okay with selling your product any way you can. Let’s face it, Christmas has become a retailer’s dream. That doesn’t mean that the true meaning of Christmas has to be lost in the hubbub. I just heard Donald Trump wishing a crowd Merry Christmas. He said isn’t it great to be able to say that once again. He challenged the retailers of America to once again use that greeting instead of the politically correct non- greetings that have invaded our language over the past few years. I am hopeful that we all can return to a more traditional America where tolerance abounds and the perpetually offended can just relax and enjoy the ride.

If the music and the decorations of Christmas bother you, that’s okay. Your intolerance bothers me, but I don’t march in the street and cause uproar over it. If my greeting of “Merry Christmas” offends you, I’m sorry you feel that way. A while back I was having a conversation with a Jewish lady who told me in no uncertain terms that she was offended by someone saying Merry Christmas to her. Okay, I’m sad for you and your very thin skin. Along with the vast majority of America, I’m not going to change my ways, so get over it.

I just heard that the atheists are running an ad campaign to ask people to celebrate Christmas but don’t go to church. If you don’t want to go to church, don’t go. I’m pretty sure that the church will be fine without you. The thing about atheism that has always bothered me is that if they are right, they’ll never know. But if they find out they are wrong, it will be too late to take it back. Personally, I wouldn’t want to take that chance.

This Christmas season is particularly special to me. There is a new optimism. People seem to be happier. Now I know there are some who will never be satisfied but you just can’t please everybody. The Stock Market is exploding with new historic highs. The retailers and the online businesses are reporting record sales. Just since the election the Stock Market has risen nearly ten percent. It is an indication that growth is on the horizon. With the election of Donald Trump our economy will grow again. The future has brightened considerably. America has given herself a great Christmas gift. She has rejected the dour, sour, negativity of liberal politics. She has instead voted for a new beginning.

Donald Trump has promised to make America great again. I, for one, am ready. For the past eight years we have been led to believe that slow growth and our bad economy was just something we were going to have to get used to. This was to be the new normal. Well guess what. It turns out that line of reasoning was just the liberal’s way of excusing bad decisions and over regulation. We do have a bright future. Our economy will grow. In fact it has already started. I am going to sit back and watch it all happen. America, open your gift and celebrate Christmas.

Ron Scarbro

THE REMAKING OF AMERICA

House Democrats have, in their wisdom, reelected Nancy Pelosi as Minority Leader. The Democrat Party is now considering Rep. Keith Ellison, D. Minnesota, to be head of the Democrat National Committee. As this is happening, Senator Elizabeth Warren, D. Mass. is gaining in stature as one of their most influential speakers. Let me be among the many, no make that some, no make that the very few to congratulate the Democrats on their choices.

It is clear that they have learned nothing from the election of Donald Trump. I believe them to be tone deaf. They just don’t get it. Well before this election, poll after poll reported that the American people were unhappy with the direction of the country. They were tired of identity politics. They were tired of “political correctness.” They were tired of America taking a weakened position in the world in every treaty and agreement we were involved with. As manufacturing companies moved to foreign countries for better tax positions and cheaper labor, our jobs went with them. America simply said enough.

Already Trump has made our position clear to Carrier Air Conditioning. You move your company to Mexico or any place outside of our borders, you will lose everything you gain in cheaper labor by facing higher tariffs and taxes. In addition, you will put in jeopardy every contract you have with the Federal Government. Carrier has apparently seen the light. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that room with the negotiations going on.

One of the next things you are going to see is billions and billions in American cash coming back into this country when the corporate tax rate is lowered. That money has been stashed overseas to protect it from the government tax grab. It will return and be put to use and our economy will benefit greatly from it.

This will just be the beginning of the remaking of America; the beginning of the unwinding of the mess Obama and the liberal Democrats have left us with. Obamacare will be a thing of the past. Let’s face it. This was never anything more than a redistribution of wealth, taking from those who earn and giving to those who live on the dole. Insurance and medical care are commodities, not public utilities and they need to be treated like commodities. Competition, not government intervention is the answer.

Now, concerning the Clintons. Silly me. I thought when Bill Clinton was disgraced, impeached, and subsequently disbarred from the practice of law for lying to a Grand Jury, that he would be relegated back to some garbage dump in Arkansas. Instead he and his criminal wife have become champions of the Democrats. They have given them riches beyond their wildest dreams. They even nominated her to be their standard bearer in the Presidential election.  Which brings me to the question, how do you suppose the foreign governments and foreign dictators who poured millions into Hillary’s coffers, feel now? They thought they were buying influence and now she has none. Their money is in a rat hole and will be used to finance the opulent Clinton lifestyle. She has no influence. But wait. She has reported that she will probably run again in 2020 and you can pour money into her campaign again. Happy days will be here again.

I believe over the next four years that there will be such a reawakening of the true American spirit that the only way the Democrats will find any relevancy is to move their minds and policies out of the European Socialist Systems and back to traditional American ideas. The clock is already starting to tick. We shall see.

Ron Scarbro