HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. On the face of it, that seems a silly concept. Every day should be a day of thanksgiving. For me, I am thankful for so much. 

 

I'll start with my life. I have had and continue to have a great life. I am 81 years old and have shared many of those years, 59 to be exact, with my life partner, Linda. Together we produced two children with whom we are extremely proud. 

 

Our son, Stephen, is a commercial artist who lives in Alaska with his wife Sam. Yes, that's her name. Both of them are very talented artists who create beautiful art in carvings, pictures, and textiles. Our only problem is that they live so far away and we don't get to see them nearly often enough. 

 

Our daughter, Heather, lives with her husband Jimmy here in Brunswick, Georgia. They too are very talented. They own their own insurance company. They are quite successful and get to work together. For some that would be difficult. Not for them. They excel in their work together.  

 

Our two grandchildren, Nic and Scout, have left the nest and are out seeking their fortune. We wish them success and believe they will find it. 

 

Now, who couldn't be thankful for all that?

 

As we sit together tomorrow for our traditional feast, we will be mindful of those who aren't so fortunate. There are so many opportunities available today. There are more jobs than people to fill them. Covid is basically behind us. Life will return to normal. Right now, anybody who doesn't have a job doesn't want one. 

 

Politically we are in a difficult place. Biden and Harris are suffering terrible poll numbers. It's called "buyer's remorse ". I am thankful that there will be another election next year and the cleanup will begin. 

 

The world continues to deal with issues from disease to hunger. Added to that is radicalism of every sort. In many cases it is religious and in others it is socialism. People yearn to be free. Freedom is the natural state of being for people. Authoritarianism flies in the face of that desire for freedom but in the final analysis, freedom wins. 

 

Of course evil still exists in the world today. We need to deal with it when we find it. And we will. 

 

But this column is about thankfulness. Look around you. See how blessed you are. Yes, there is sickness but, never in our history has there been better medicine and medical treatment. There are pain relievers available. There are surgical repairs that fix broken bones as well as removing offending germs and viruses. We are all living longer and healthier than ever. We all should be very thankful for advances in medical treatment. 

 

Now as I sit here, my house smells like Thanksgiving. Turkey stuffed with cornbread dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, to be topped off with the king of southern desserts, pecan pie. Or, as it is sometimes called down here, Karo nut pie. Am I thankful? You bet I am. 

 

As soon as the dishes are cleaned up, we start putting up Christmas decorations. We put traditional Christmas music on the system. Spirits are lifted. Smiles prevail. Love is everywhere. Yes, we are thankful and we wish for you those same blessings. 

 

And we are thankful for you, our readers. We appreciate your thoughtful comments and your continued readership. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

 

Ron Scarbro Thanksgiving 2021

 

WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD CARE?

I sit down in front of this computer every week to prepare a column. I try to be informative with a bit of common sense and even some humor. My subject is usually politics. 

 

Writing about Biden is very easy. It is tempting to use this forum to complain about him every week, but that would be a disservice to my readers. 

 

This week I want to ask about the people around him. Now, first of all I believe sincerely that Biden is mentally incompetent to fulfill the job of President. So then, who is making the decisions that are coming out of this Administration? Who is pulling the strings? When you see Biden without a script, he is pitiful. He often gets lost in the minutia of anything that is happening. Sometimes it's funny, but sometimes it is just plainly dangerous. The world is watching us. 

 

So, what about the people around him? They see the same thing everybody else sees. They surely understand the problem here. Or do they? Do they think all of this is okay?

 

I do not believe every Democrat is on board with what is going on. Biden's poll numbers are worse than Jimmy Carter's. Let's face it. The numbers couldn't be good because everything this bunch has touched has gone into the toilet and now they are contemplating shutting down another vital pipeline. Are they crazy?

 

Here's a name you are probably not familiar with, Saule Omarova. She is their nominee for Controller of the Currency. She was educated at the University of Moscow and is probably a communist. Regardless of that, she wants to see our entire fossil fuel industry bankrupt and is on record with that desire. No oil, no gasoline, no coal, and certainly no nuclear.  I guess she plans to ride to work on a mule. Travel to Europe would have to be by sail boat. There would be no airline industry. What nonsense. This is not the nineteenth century. The vast majority of the food we and the entire world needs is produced using fossil fuels. Democrats know that. 

 

This brings me to the purpose of this column. Where are the people who know these continued screw ups will destroy our country? Surely they are around somewhere. Where are the people who know we wouldn't survive even a day without fossil fuel? Everything that makes us a successful economy is based on the ability to fuel the machinery of agriculture, manufacturing, business, and defense. We don't hitch up a wagon to go to town anymore. We don't go out and milk our cow in the morning now. Can you imagine what living or working on the 50th floor of a building without an elevator would be like? Me neither. 

 

China is sitting back, laughing at us. Iran and North Korea must think we are complete morons to even consider the idea of eliminating fossil fuels. 

 

No doubt a time will come in the future when we will have alternate fuels. But we have to have the new fuels before we eliminate the old ones. That is just common sense. Anyone who cannot grasp that idea should just be ignored.

 

It is time for intelligent people to stand up and be heard. Put the morons in their place.

 

Rob Scarbro November 16, 2021

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. On this day we celebrate those who have served both in war and during peacetime. I read recently that only about 1% of all Americans either serve or have served in the military. Like many of the readers of this blog though, I am a veteran and proud of it. I entered the service when I was seventeen just out of high school. 

 

I didn't join out of any particular sense of patriotism. I joined because I knew I would be drafted anyway so I might just as well get it over with.

 

Back then getting accepted wasn't a problem. Today, however, I read recently that the vast majority of young people in this country wouldn't even qualify to enter the military service. They would be disqualified because of mental or physical reasons. Now that is sad. 

 

I remember when I joined. My physical exam was really pretty simple. If you could make steam on a mirror, you were in. If there was a mental requirement, I don't remember it, but I must have passed. Within moments of my reporting for my entrance examinations, I was being sworn in and put on a bus to Fort Jackson, SC. I was in the Army for sure. 

 

It turns out that joining the Army was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was a country boy fresh out of the hills of Tennessee with limited experience and even less talent. The Army made a man out of me. I got to see the world. They sent me first to Seattle and then to Germany. While in Germany I traveled to many other countries in Europe. I seriously doubt that I would ever have had such an opportunity without the service. They taught me skills that I still use today. I have said before and I'll say it again, I got so much more from my time in the service than I ever gave.

 

When people thank me for my service, I am grateful, but I also am thankful. Thankful for the many opportunities being in the Army made possible for me.

 

I am enrolled in the VA for my medical care. A lot of people complain about the VA. Not me. They have in the past, and they continue today, to provide the best care possible for me. With the passage of the Mission Act, I often can receive care from local providers which is very helpful. The VA does the job for me. 

 

For young people today, if you can qualify to get into the service, sign up. It will probably pay you many times over for your service.  

 

With Christmas approaching, the war games ads are all over television. You see tanks and big guns. You see bombs blowing up. You see cities being destroyed by these pretend weapons. I have a great deal for you. Join the Army and you get to play with real weapons. You get to blow up real bombs. And, they even pay you while you play with these weapons. You get to shoot real guns. All the while you are standing guard over the greatest country on earth. You become a part of something much bigger than anything you've ever done before. And when your time in service is over, you become a veteran. An exclusive club that is only available to those who have served 

 

There is no greater honor than to serve as a guardian for the lifestyle we all enjoy today. To those among you who belong in that club, I say thank you for your service. Thank you for putting it all on the line. And, Happy Veterans Day.

 

Ron Scarbro November 10, 2021

VARIOUS STUFF ON MY MIND

I am writing this days before the governor's elections in Virginia and New Jersey. By the time I post this blog, the results should be known so I will probably update this piece. 

 

To explain the importance of this election, one should understand that this may well be the beginning of the end for the "progressive, liberal" 

experiment being played out in this country. The Republican candidate in Virginia has gained a huge majority in the most recent polls. The Democrat establishment is definitely worried. They see the obvious. 

 

For several years I have spoken against liberalism and now it might be on death's door.  We can only hope. 

 

We are being told that another caravan of illegal aliens is on the march to our southern border. I have heard numbers in the thousands. They overran the token resistance offered by the Mexican National Guard and started north to the border. When you hear them interviewed, they seem convinced that the border has been opened by Biden and they will be welcomed. I suspect, at least I hope, they will be in for a shock. 

 

I have often wondered how they all seem to have cell phones and clean clothes and plenty of food and water. How are they charging their phones? Who is supplying them? How are they dealing with bathroom needs? Just wondering.    

 

We are now informed that our Social Security COLA will be an increase of 5.8%. Thanks. The only problem is that the actual cost of living for real SSN recipients is much higher than 5.8%. In addition, Medicare costs will also rise further compromising the token increase. I do appreciate Social Security. But, if Lyndon Johnson had left it alone, our monthly benefit would be much higher. I am truly sorry for those who are trying to live only on Social Security. 

 

Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, Biden is in Europe playing nice with representatives of various countries. They seem tone deaf to the real problems facing all of us, preferring to deal with global climate change and phony nuclear test bans in Iran. They all get pretty pictures and good press. How nice. Meanwhile their respective countries go further into the hole. 

 

I understand the climate is changing. It has been since the beginning of time. Someday we may be raising crops in what is now ice covered tundra. Or, we may not. I don't know what the level of the sea is supposed to be. Neither do the so-called experts who offer their opinion. The west coast has been under drought conditions most of the year. Today they are being flooded by heavy rains. That seems to be their normal. Droughts followed by floods. Brush fires followed by mudslides. These are not man made phenomena. These are nature doing what nature does. Deal with it.

 

I wasn't around for the initial planning of this earth. I wasn't in on temperatures, sea levels, species survival, or any of the rest of stuff that advocates of the religion of global warming seem to worship. What I do know is that so far we are able to feed the millions that inhabit this planet and find new techniques everyday to make our lives better. 

 

I am pro-vax but anti-mandate. Turns out most Americans are also. As I have written before, we don't handle mandates and edicts very well. I also believe this virus is losing its hold and will soon be just an ugly memory. We can only hope.

 

What the future holds, I do not know. But I believe the One who really is in charge will make the right decisions.

 

Ron Scarbro November 2, 2021

 

P.S. The election is over and the Republican won in Virginia. New Jersey is still too close to call. This is very bad news for Biden but extremely good news for this country. Smart Democrats, are you paying attention?