ARE WE INVOLVED OR ARE WE COMMITTED?

You may have heard this analogy before. We used it back years ago in business during sales meetings. The question was, “Are you involved with the problem, or are you committed to its solution?” The analogy is the bacon and egg breakfast. In such a breakfast the hen has an involvement, but the pig has a commitment.

I think of this when I consider our bombing of Libya. Are we just involved or do we have a commitment? It’s a fair question when one considers our current use of military forces in two on-going wars. Wars which have been going on for more than ten years now as we have previously reported. Ten years and no end in sight. Are we in those wars as just an involvement or are we committed?

War, by its only definition is an all out affair. It is an unlimited act. For us to be involved must mean that we are committed to win. There is no other reason to bomb and kill thousands of people.

Where Libya is concerned, we are now being told that our commitment is over. We took out Gadhafi’s ability to fight so we can wrap up and go back to other wars. We are told that we will not send in ground troops. I hope that is true.

So, where is this discussion headed? What do you think is going on? Is it an accident that virtually the entire Middle East is rising up and attempting to throw off the oppression of their dictatorial leaders and live as democracys? Is that what we are seeing? I hope so, but I am a bit skeptical. Why, after thousands of years, are the people suddenly demanding freedom? Who is behind all of this? Is this a religious uprising or is this truly an uprising of people wanting to be free? Who is financing this? Where and when will it all end? Will a new Middle East come out of this unrest with a desire to join the twentieth century, participating in the modern world? Again, I hope so.

Even with all the questions, we still have serious interests in the Middle East. Primarily oil. Since we refuse to drill for our own oil and produce our own energy in our own country, we continue to need the oil of the Middle East. It is in our interest that oil continues to flow. In my view that is the reason for our involvement not only in Libya or Afghanistan, but all over the Middle East.

It should be clear to even the most devout liberal that our liberal President Obama has to keep the oil flowing. It is not a choice, it is a requirement. If that means bombing countries like Libya, then so be it. Reasons and excuses will be offered but the real reason is oil. Our economy, and for that matter the economies of the world, depend on oil. They have it and we need it. Imagine how much simpler this all would be if we just got off our duffs and drilled and produced our own oil, but I digress.

So, are we involved, or are we truly committed? Do we have the will and the stomach to face reality and produce our own energy? Do we have the will and the stomach to end our wars in the Middle East, or will we just continue to be involved? As I have said before, the only way a war can end is with a winner and a loser. What we are doing now is just spending military forces and millions of our treasure to keep the game going. We need a commitment. We have the ability. We have the weaponry. The question is, do we have the will?

Are we the chicken or are we the pig?

Ron Scarbro March 29, 2011

VISITING THE SMALL TOWN CAFE

My wife and I are currently on a road trip. We often travel to the south to visit our daughter and our grandchildren. From time to time we try to find new routes to travel so that we may see and experience new territory. We try always, however, to stop in South Beloit, Illinois. Our primary reasons are, number one, it is about as far as we like to drive in one day and the second reason is a little cafe known as Mary’s Place. We accidentally found this gem several years ago on just such a trip south.

Mary’s is a small town cafe where everybody knows everybody. The food is wonderful and the prices are very reasonable. From our first experience, we enjoyed the place. It seems the same people are always there. The customers get up and help the waitresses. They help bus the tables and refill coffee cups. The conversation is never ending. Whenever any person comes in, it seems everybody greets them. Large gatherings occur as tables are pulled together. You overhear discussions about politics, national issues, local issues, and of course gossip about whomever might not be there. You hear about someone who is sick. You learn about their children and all they are facing. In other words, you hear Americana.

There are probably many such cafes and restaurants like Mary’s across this country, but I think they are a dying breed. The customers for such cafes seem to be older. People come for more than just the food. They come for the visits. They come to learn the latest gossip. They come because such cafes are friendly places where everybody feels at home. They also come to share their lives with their friends and neighbors. I know we have always felt welcome.

This column is not a commercial for Mary’s Place or for any other restaurant however. No, this is about what appears to be a disappearing part of American life.

Today’s young people seem to go to coffee shops and they bring their computers with them. They have ear phones in their ears. Their focus is never off their computer screens. They never talk with anybody else. All communication is electronic. They have thousands of on line “friends” whom they have never met. Inter-personal relationships are gone. All they know about these “friends” is what that individual has told them from the privacy of their own space.

Now I don’t want to be critical of this new social interchange, but I wonder if there isn’t something missing from such an arrangement. Is this new way the best way? Are these relationships as satisfying as face to face contact? Can true friendships be forged this way? As these young people age and mature will they not miss out on the companionship that our older generation has experienced? To me it seems a little sad. I wonder if, in the future, will a friend cry when a friend dies? I wonder.

In the meantime, we will continue to visit Mary’s Place whenever we are in South Beloit and we will continue to try to find other such cafes and restaurants across this great country in our travels. We will rejoice in the camaraderie we witness. We will continue to look for Americana and wonder if it will all change. I believe it would be sad if it disappears.

Ron Scarbro March 16, 2011

THE BUDGET BATTLES HAVE BEGUN

What you see happening in Wisconsin is about to be played out in many other states as well as in Washington, DC. I am talking about the budget battles. To be sure, not everyone will be happy with the proposals or the end results of these battles, but changes are going to occur. I recently wrote a piece about issues which are, in my mind, untouchable unless they are increased. Those being veteran’s benefits and Social Security. I stand by those words today as I opine about the proposals now being debated.

In Washington the Republicans have determined that ending funding for public broadcasting is one way of reducing spending. They also just passed an amendment ending funding for Planned Parenthood.

First my thoughts regarding public broadcasting. Setting aside the fact that they have become a propaganda arm of liberal politics and also the fact that, in a typical hour of programming, a full twenty minutes is dedicated to commercials on a “commercial free” aired program, I don’t care what they broadcast. My TV and radio are equipped with a station selector and an on/off knob and I use them frequently. My concern is that they operate with taxpayer money and that is wrong. If their programming is of value to their viewers and listeners, they should have to compete along with all other private businesses for customers and advertisers. No free country, least of all America, needs a state run broadcasting outlet of any political view.

Now concerning Planned Parenthood. I personally do not oppose abortion. I do not oppose assistance with family planning. What I oppose is that my tax dollars are being used for those purposes. All across this great country are millions who also oppose this illegal use of taxpayer money. Again, if these services are of such value to their clients, then it is incumbent upon Planned Parenthood to figure out another way to pay for them. In no way should it be at the expense of the American taxpayer. Abortion and family planning are very personal issues and in many camps religious issues and as such are none of the government’s business. They are in no way issues in which the government should be involved. These are but two of many proposals and decisions which will be made in the near future which are going to displease some portion of the public, but hard decisions are going to be made.

Wisconsin is, like many other states, facing huge deficits and they have no choice but to find cuts in their spending. I understand their deficit is about three billion dollars which is small when compared to others. Minnesota for example is twice that amount. Consider California and other big states that have spent like drunken sailors for the past several years. Judgement day is at hand.

The vast majority of citizens of Wisconsin know what is coming and they seem ready for it. That is why they elected the people they did. What is happening in Madison is a small number of union members from Wisconsin as well as other states raising a ruckus as they face the inevitable. The delaying tactics being tried by the State Senate Democrats will only serve to further irritate the good citizens of Wisconsin and will, in the final analysis, fail. Wisconsin citizens’ reality is that either these cuts are made or several thousand of them will lose their jobs. Not a happy choice but reality nonetheless. Wisconsin’s problem is pocket change however when compared to others like California, for example.

I’ll end this piece with these observations. In my seventy short years of life I have seen several fluctuations in our economy. Prices and values have risen and fallen. But, and again this is a big but, we have always recovered and gotten stronger. This is no different. In a few short years we will look back on this time and be amazed by our own resilience and our ingenuity. My word for the day is PATIENCE. While that is a good word for every day it is especially proper now. We all need to adopt this word and look to a bright future.

Ron Scarbro February 20, 2011

ARE YOU THERE PATRICK HENRY???

We have just witnessed the overthrow of the government of Egypt. For the past several days all the news has been of the people marching in the streets of Cairo demanding the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Well, that has happened. He announced his resignation and the Military will take over until a new government can be installed. As I write this, I ask myself, “Is this a good thing, or is this a bad thing? Is this the equivalent of the Berlin Wall coming down or is this another Iranian Revolution?” It is so tempting to be hopeful and believe that this is a revolution of people seeking freedom. Is that what is going on? Is this rebellion what it appears to be? The problem is we really don’t know and neither do the people of Egypt.

Should we believe that this is a revolution much like our own? That this is the same as when we threw off the mantle of oppression from Great Britain? I would like to believe that, but I remember as a very young man how we cheered a radical militant who, with his ragtag army, ousted the dictator Bautista, only to learn to our great disappointment that Fidel Castro was in fact a communist and that his beautiful country would then be cast into despair under his brutal regime. In all the years since, Cuba has never recovered from the communist domination of her people. Even today Cubans are years away from being restored to any semblance of their former self.

Is more disappointment awaiting us?

I have watched the young people in their western dress, jeans and t-shirts with cell phones on their ears and I-Pods at the ready chanting with hope on their faces. In two months will they still be in those clothes or will the girls be dressed in Burqas? Will their pretty faces be covered? Will their hopes and dreams be dashed by oppressive dictators from a religious sect? You see, we don’t know. Will the young men be given jobs with hopes for a future, or will their future be destroyed by radical religious groups bent on domination of the entire Middle East? Again, we don’t know.

For the sake of the Middle East, Israel and freedom everywhere, I hope this is not the case. For the sake of the Egyptian people, I hope this is a revolution similar to our own. I hope the Egyptian version of Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere is there with you and can show you the way to freedom. I hope you can continue to show the courage that you have demonstrated these past few days. When you have to make the difficult choices in the coming days, I hope you make the right decisions. Ronald Reagan told us that all men yearn to be free. I am sure the Egyptian people are just like everyone else.

Egyptians are educated people, with talent in music and poetry. They have existed since well before Christ. Since the early days they were masters of building with great pyramids and statues still remaining after eons of time. Today their future is in their hands. Will they choose wisely? Will they install a democracy? Or will they fall for a Theocracy? In many ways, while they abide in the Middle East, they are Westerners. They have, for years, followed and pursued western ideology.

For now however, like you, I will watch. I will watch hopeful that my worries are silly. I will watch in the hope that Egypt will join The Community of Nations seeking peace, prosperity, and brotherhood with all mankind. I will look for Patrick Henry and hope that he shows up and helps guide these newly freed people in the proper path. Will they seek liberty or will they find death? The choice is theirs.

Ron Scarbro February 13, 2011

A REPUBLICAN DOES A DUMB THING

Most of you who read my columns will recognize me immediately as one who thinks and writes from the right side of the political spectrum. I readily criticize those on the left when they do the silly things they do. Today, however, I am forced, by fairness, to criticize a Republican.

Our Congressperson, Michele Bachmann, has proffered the idea that in order to deal with our deficit, we should reduce our funding to veterans by some four hundred million dollars. We are in the middle of two wars. We are experiencing casualties from both Iraq and Afghanistan on a regular basis. To do anything short of increasing our financial commitment to veterans is dumb. That’s all, just dumb. Fortunately she has seen the error of her ways and has since retracted that idea. That is smart, just smart.

Like most concerned Americans, I readily agree that our spending has to be controlled. That having been said, I now suggest that there are two areas where reduction is out of the question, Social Security and the VA.

I am both a veteran and a Social Security recipient. What that means to me is that I have a contract with this government that is inviolate. When I was seventeen years old, I joined the armed forces of this country and signed a contract that gave over to the country everything I had including my life. America in turn guaranteed certain coverages for me in my later years. I kept my end of the contract and I fully expect the government to keep up their end.

In addition, for about fifty years or so, I worked and earned a living for me and my family. The government confiscated a portion of my income to “set aside” for my retirement years. I was never given an option to opt out. I was never offered the option as to how or where that money would be invested. It was clearly understood that when I reached a certain age, there would be money available to me for my “golden years.” I never agreed that the fund should be raided by various congresses to pay for anything other than legitimate recipients of Social Security. Again, I was not given an option or a say in the matter. Now, with prices rising to ridiculous levels for everything most of us buy, our government has not even seen fit to offer us a cost of living increase, all the while increasing their own incomes.

So you ask me, how would you cut our spending, Mr. Smart Aleck? That’s a fair question and I have a few thoughts. I read recently that we send one and a half billion dollars to Egypt every year. It now seems that a majority of that hard earned tax money has ended up in Mubarak’s personal bank accounts. How many other tin horn dictators are we propping up and supporting with our tax dollars? How much American tax money goes throughout the world for who knows what and to whom? My suggestion, quit it. Just say no. Did you know that in the very small state of West Virginia, there exists the best road system, dam system and government buildings of anywhere in America, and that they all seem to bear the name of their benefactor, Democrat, Sen. Robert Byrd? There are bridges to nowhere and highways in the wilderness in Alaska thanks to their Republican Senator, Ted Stevens. No, it would not be very difficult to find a number of ways to reduce the waste in our spending.

We do not need to buy security by funding outlaw governments all over the world. We can enforce our security at any moment of need. It is past time when we must face the very real fact that we can no longer afford to support the world. We need to see to our own needs first.

Let us instead keep some of this money at home. Let us maintain a strong military. Let us never forget our commitment to our veterans and to our senior citizens. Let us take care of ourselves before we begin to think about taking care of other peoples and countries. And finally, let us re-establish integrity in the halls of Congress and put the people of America first.


Ron Scarbro February 6, 2011

THE SHALLOW END OF THE GENE POOL

In just the past few weeks and months we have seen what seems to be an upsurge in idiotic acts. There’s a guy from the Twin Cities trying to climb Mt. McKinley in January. I heard yesterday that the wind chills were in the minus 100 degree range. I understand some of our young people are looking for new and better ways to get stoned. Some are using synthetic marijuana while others have found intoxication from exotic bath salts. Bath salts? Where did that come from? Who was the first moron to try that? Of course there is always the old standby of sniffing paint or glue. The end result of all these acts is a fried brain and in some cases serious psychotic issues. Many individuals have committed suicide while under the influence of these inhalants. Some just become vegetables in constant need of care and supervision. What in the world is going on?

I am going to try to examine some of this phenomena. First, I am sure you would agree that we are all members of the animal kingdom. I grant you that we should accept that we might be a higher order of animal, but animals none the less. In the lower order of animals, individuals with a propensity of self destruction don’t last very long. In fact, entire species have disappeared because of their failure to adapt. Humans, one would expect, should use their brains for their survival, not their destruction. I don’t believe lower animals would ever intentionally dare fate by putting themselves in compromising situations. If a lower animal climbs a mountain it is for a reason other than just because it is there. They would be looking for food or shelter or safety or something of value. Humans are the only animals who dare fate by exposing themselves and their ultimate rescuers to danger just because they can.

Only humans look for ways to alter their consciousness by getting high. Apparently lower animals accept life as it is and deal with it. It would also appear that only humans suffer from the need for an adrenaline rush. Why else would anyone try to climb an ice covered mountain in the middle of January? Another question I have is why would the news media cover such an event? Is it like watching a traffic accident? Are we waiting for the eventual disaster?

All of these moronic acts are committed by selfish people seeking attention. These are people whose desire for the high, or the rush, is so great that they forsake their families and their responsibilities to their fellow humans in order to get that feeling. Often we are left to pick up the pieces of wasted lives. Often children face a life without parents because of those parents’ desire to dare themselves or test fate. And to what end? What has been accomplished? So you climbed a mountain. Big deal. Instead of celebrating you, I pity you. I pity your family and your friends who have to worry about your survival. I also pity the rescuers who often have to risk their lives to pluck your sorry hide off the mountain. No, to me, there is nothing to congratulate.

To those among you who are bent on removing yourself from the gene pool, be my guest. If this life is so bad and so harsh that you need to alter your brain, jump in. Through the many eons of animal existence on this earth, some species have excelled and survived. Alas, many others have died off. The gene pool is always open. Dive into the shallow end at your own risk.

Ron Scarbro January 25, 2011

GETTING PHYSICAL

It is about time for my annual physical exam. Like most of you I go through this every year. I don’t look forward to it but I recognize its importance and its value. A friend of mine from out west once told me that he never went to the doctor for a physical. He said that if there was something wrong with him, he didn’t want to know. May he rest in peace. Would he be alive had he known of his condition? I don’t know but why take a chance. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

I am a veteran and as such am enrolled in the VA Medical system. They make sure that I know when it is time to come in because their computer tells them and they set me an appointment.

The lab will draw blood for testing and then the nurse will weigh me and take my blood pressure. Then she will ask, are you in any pain? On a scale of one to ten, where is your pain? This is where it starts to get sticky. Like most seventy year old men, I always have some kind of pain. Having never been seventy before, I don’t know how I am supposed to feel. I can remember when I wasn’t in pain but that was years ago. So what is normal? There is no doubt as I have grown older, I have slowed down. My body objects to sudden movement and sometimes any movement at all. It takes a while when I get out of bed in the morning to get everything going again. I guess that is my new normal. I know that feeling little aches and pains beats the alternative, that of feeling nothing at all. Mickey Mantle said on the occasion of his retirement, I still run as hard to first base, I just don’t get there as quick. That pretty much sums up my new normal.

So now I see my Doctor. She has been my Doctor for about six years and has seen me through some ups and downs. The first thing she will do is frown when she sees my weight. She will express concern about my blood sugar and my blood pressure. I believe she sees her job as keeping me alive as long as she can. Good for her. I hope she continues to do her job well. We have the same objective. I’d like to say a brief word here about my care at the St. Cloud VA. It has been superb. They treat me as if I were the only patient they will have all day when I know that there are many, many waiting in the lobby. I am never rushed or kept waiting. One of the reasons I tell you these things is that I know my Doctor reads this column and I don’t want to get her mad at me. Seriously though, the VA has provided me the best of care and I am always amazed at the quality of the care I receive.

I hope and believe that the physical will prove to be a normal exam. I know, however, that someday one of those pesky little tests will come back with an abnormality. I hope that is many years in the future. This physical is a present I give to my body. My body has served me well for these seventy years and I look forward to the next seventy.

How long has it been since you have had a check up? Do you owe your body a present? Do yourself a favor. Make an appointment with your doctor and get an exam. Think of how much better you will feel when you learn that everything is normal.

Ron Scarbro January 16, 2011