I WILL NOT SEEK NOR WILL I ACCEPT...

After much conversation with my family and due consideration of the work involved, I have decide not to announce my candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. I understand this may come as a shock and even a disappointment to many of you. My decision is however final. I will use this forum to explain my decision and beg for your understanding.

First, there already is a loud mouthed, opinionated, know-it-all individual in the race so my candidacy would be redundant. I doubt we need another one. Secondly, we have what is tantamount to half the population of the country already announced and I don’t like to be in crowds. Third, the effort it will take to fix the mess our country is in will take two lifetimes and I don’t think I have that much time left. There are of course other reasons but I think you understand my feelings.

I therefore thought I would take this opportunity to offer considerations of the candidates who have announced and give you some of my opinions.

The Democrats. I don’t trust Hillary Clinton period. To me she is a political opportunist with empathy for Hillary and no one else. She would be dangerous to this country. Sanders and Warren are joke punch lines. Both are far left liberal socialists who would be better off in Europe where they could live in the Socialist paradise of, say, Greece. If I had to pick a Democrat it would be Jim Webb, former Senator from Virginia. Webb is a former military man who  comes much closer to what this country needs than any other Democrat currently running.

Now the Republicans. My favorite is Gov. Mike Huckabee. He is a good man with executive experience. I recognize he is far behind at this time but you never know what might happen. Number two is Gov. Scott Walker, another with executive experience and a proven record of problem solving. He also has shown tremendous courage in the face of difficulty. Gov. Rick Perry is next on my list. A daring and effective former governor who is exactly what we need as we face adversaries who need to see our true nature. How about Chris Christie? He would make Putin look like the little puppy dog that he is. He would also put Iran in their place and that is not in possession of nuclear weapons. Finally on this list is Sen. Marco Rubio. Rubio is a young attractive individual who has a real future in our government, but he is very young. I would prefer him as the Vice President.

I understand there are many others that I have not commented on. They are at the bottom of my list as they are with most others. The exception might be Jeb Bush. I like him but circumstance, I believe, will be his doom.

The coming election will be one of the most important in our history. Of primary importance is the danger the world faces and the reality that we are the only nation with the resources and courage to fix it. We absolutely cannot entrust this country to political hacks or loud mouthed self promoters. It is for that reason, among others, that I say, as did Lyndon Johnson facing almost certain defeat, I will not seek, nor will I accept the nomination for President of the United States.

I hope that all of my supporters will understand and get serious about picking a candidate who can and will beat Hillary and return this country to its greatness.

Ron Scarbro

POLITICIANS SHOULD JUST ATTEND COCKTAIL PARTIES

The image was poignant. It was a picture of the front of the military recruiting station in Chattanooga, Tennessee with the sign announcing, “Gun Free Zone.” It was riddled with bullet holes. Has there ever been a clearer statement of the fact that bad guys don’t go by the rules? Gun free zones only apply to law abiding citizens. All others make up their own rules.

The ruling established in the early ‘90s that military personnel cannot carry weapons on duty in this country is blatantly stupid. I was in the military and was trained in the use of many weapons. I was qualified on the .45 caliber pistol, the .30 caliber M1 rifle, and several machine guns including the famous “burp gun.” I was also qualified on the use of hand grenades. In other words I was trained to kill as were all of my comrades in the military. I was even chosen, because of my proficiency as a shooter, to be on a military rifle team to represent the Army in competitions. I doubt that there is anyone in this country who gets more or better training in the use of weapons than our military including the police.

Here is our reality and it is a reality even if it is politically inconvenient or politically incorrect. Radical Islam extremists are at war with us. We didn’t choose this war but we are in it regardless. These morons are going to pop up and strike at any time they choose. They are not going to warn us or play by any rules of civilized societies. They are killers and are motivated by the insanity of their leaders who use an ancient religion as some weird justification to kill. And, this is not going to go away. This war will end when we end it and not until.

Consider this. Some of you will remember what happened to the Japanese Americans during WWII. Innocent farmers and normal citizens were rounded up and put in camps as a method of control and in our faulty opinion at the time, a way of protecting ourselves from the “inscrutable Japanese.” Is that what is next for American Muslims?

We are told constantly that the vast majority of Muslims living in America are peaceful, loyal American citizens. I believe that. I am sure that the vast majority of Japanese Americans living here during the war were also loyal American citizens, but we rounded them up and hauled them away anyway. Putting them in these camps was a catastrophic mistake, but we did it anyway.

I do not believe the Muslims among us will suffer the same treatment as the Japanese, but it is incumbent upon these loyal American Muslims to get control of the radicals in their population. They need to be aware of the goings on in their Mosques. We will never allow them to take our country from us. We will never live under Sharia law. We will never treat our women as less than goats or sheep. If they are to live here, they need to understand what being an American means.

Now this final point. Today a new policy must be announced. All uniformed military personnel must be supplied with hand guns and armed at all times and all must be given concealed carry permits to allow them to carry even in civilian clothing. The radicals are targeting our men and women in the military and we must allow them, even require them to protect themselves and anybody who might be near them. Like it or not, we are at war and our army is designed to kill people and break things. Politicians should just attend cocktail parties and leave the defense of the country to the military.

Ron Scarbro

ONE IS TOO MANY

As a young man I traveled extensively to San Francisco. I went there both for business as well as pleasure. It was a beautiful city. I was always struck by the smells of San Francisco. Down on Fisherman’s Wharf the odor was definitely fishy or you could say the smell of the sea. Nearby was the fragrance of baking sourdough bread. In the Italian section one would smell pasta sauces and sausages. Then there was Chinatown. You never knew what you were smelling, just that it always smelled good. There was also the other side of San Francisco. During my time of visiting the city the hippies were going strong. If you happened to get to the Haight-Ashbury district there was always the distinct odor of dirty humans. You see, the hippies didn’t see the necessity of bathing. The city was always multicultural and diverse.

I will travel to San Francisco never again however. Over the years they have apparently decided to separate themselves from the rest of the country and make their own laws, laws that are in direct opposition to American laws. They became a “Sanctuary City.” As such they are one of many cities which have decided they don’t have to obey American law. Specifically they encourage and allow illegal aliens from all over the world to be housed there without fear of deportation. They give lawbreakers sanctuary.

Of course everyone knows of the beautiful young lady who was murdered and died in her father’s arms killed by one of these protected illegal aliens, one who had been convicted of seven felonies and deported five times. He was in San Francisco because he knew he would be protected from the law.

The alien has now been arrested and will doubtless die in prison, but that should not end the story. Today the Sheriff, the Mayor, and the entire Board of Supervisors should all be arrested and charged with complicity to murder. They are all as guilty as if they were supplying the gun. They are all as guilty as if they were standing arm in arm with the killer. Their actions caused the death of this beautiful young girl.

I know there are many other “sanctuary cities” and I know there are many other crimes being committed by illegal aliens. One is too many. Some say that the great majority of illegals are hard working people who never break the law and just try to take care of their families. That is probably true. But, they broke the law entering this country. In most countries in this world they would be summarily rounded up and sent packing. In some countries they would be jailed or even executed.

One still hears the tired old statement that these illegals do the work that Americans will not do. I think a truer statement is that they do those jobs because their employers can get away paying them less than they would have to pay legitimate American citizens. Many are paid “under the table” with no tax requirement. I have even heard that forty percent of the economy of California is underground and in cash. It would be real hard to prove or disprove because there are no records kept.

Municipalities which give sanctuary are complicit in the crimes committed by illegals and complicit in the crimes committed by the employers of those individuals.

The matter of illegal entry into this country is not going away. The matter of an unsecured border is not going away. There will be a day of reckoning and it is coming soon, and it is not going to be pretty.

Ron Scarbro

MONEY IS CREATED BY PRODUCERS NOT TAKERS

Some people say there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats. For a certainty the lines have blurred over the recent years. For example, I don’t believe Harry Truman could be a Democrat today. It is possible that even John Kennedy might be a Republican according to today’s standards.

As for me, I vote Republican most of the time. I don’t always go along with the “company line,” but the Republicans seem to come closer to my way of thinking than anyone else.  I see myself more as a traditional American than a member of a particular party. To me, the opposite of my traditional thinking is the liberal view. I believe, as do most when polled on the subject, that America is headed down the wrong path and that path is being led by liberal thinking.

All across the world we can see the problems associated with liberalism and socialism. Just look at Greece. They are out of money and have no way of obtaining any unless they borrow it. In order to borrow money they must adhere to new and stringent austerity rules imposed upon them by their creditors. That would be a major change for the Greek people who have been cared for in a birth-to-death socialistic society; a situation which can no longer be provided. Their economy, and therefore their lifestyle, is unsustainable period. And Greece isn’t alone. Many of the little countries which have been supported by the Eurozone are facing the reality that money doesn’t grow on trees and that their free lunch is disappearing.

Are we far behind? Let’s face it. We have been living on borrowed money for several years. We have unfunded liabilities up the wazoo. Social Security and Medicare are going to run out of money. I was just told by a VA employee that the VA is out of money and cannot fulfill its promises to our veterans. I am one who has been told that they cannot afford to pay for my complete procedure coming up very soon. It’s funny though that the food stamp program hasn’t run out of money or the free cell phone program. Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

Some say we should just start up the printing presses and print more money. I think that is what they have been doing and that has certainly contributed to our problem. So, what should we do? What would we say if our creditors suddenly required us to adhere to more stringent austerity rules in order to continue to get credit? The reality is that there are a huge number of people in this country who contribute nothing to the bottom line. They are essentially wards of the government. Between subsidized housing, cell phones, school lunches, food stamps, subsidized health care, and welfare checks on top of it all, they are takers, not contributors. How would they survive if the money spigot was suddenly turned off?

Traditional thinking favors self reliance and self responsibility. Traditional Americans don’t want to see anyone starve but by the same token, they don’t want to see them without any self respect. This lack of self respect is what leads to a house full of children born without a father present. These children then go out to face a world without knowing responsibility. They have never known anybody with a job. They think the gravy train will never run out. The sad truth is that the train will come to an end.

Money is created by producers not takers. Regardless of what the liberals would have you believe, ours is a top down economy. Takers produce nothing but more debt. For us to regain our status in the world, we must return to more traditional thinking and practice. Wow, I think I just heard a train whistle.

Ron Scarbro

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF EVIDENT

Most of us have a pretty good understanding of the “Declaration of Independence.” I decided to get my copy out and really study it to see if I could get an even better grip on its meaning and its language.

The Declaration came about because quite simply the colonists were tired of being pushed around by a government thousands of miles across the sea whose interest seemed to only be about the tax that government could collect. The British Crown refused to accept our laws or our choices for leadership, or just about anything that the King didn’t think of or approve beforehand.

Some, as has been reported, hard drinkers sat around the pubs of the time complaining about all of the problems levied on them by the British. They didn’t like the so-called Royal Guards. They didn’t like having to pay taxes to a King who did nothing for them. One particular individual famously known as a rum smuggler and bootlegger was upset because the British had seized some of the ships that he was using to bring untaxed rum to the colonies. That individual was none other than John Hancock. He was not a man to be toyed with.

So they decided that the answer was to create their own country with their own government in defiance of British Rule. They asked Thomas Jefferson to draft a declaration to send to the King telling him in no uncertain terms that they were tired of the nonsense and they were henceforth independent of the Crown. All of the signers, all fifty-six of them, knew that to sign that document was an act of treason and it was punishable by death. They signed it anyway.

Stating that we hold these truths to be self evident means simply that the situation should be obvious to anybody with a brain. They went on to say that all men are created equal and are endowed by their God, not some king, to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And that no man, regardless of his station in life, was above the law. This was the beginning of the Declaration.

Next came the long list of grievances and complaints against the King. The list is indeed long so I’ll just say that they were unhappy and were willing to put their lives and fortunes on the line to make it clear to the King that they had had enough.

They also told the King that on many occasions they had complained to no avail. They said this should not come as a shock to the British Government having come before the Crown humbly begging for redress. But they were ignored.

Buoyed some say by the rum that was readily available and concerned that that supply may well be in jeopardy, they signed and sent the letter.

Obviously the King could not allow this insurgency. How dare these colonists. He had to put this revolt down. And he tried. Oh how he tried. It took two wars for the British government to learn that the colonies were not going to give in. That these freedom loving people had too much to lose to give up. And that they never would.

It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t quick. But it was worth it. America was born and prospers yet today. The truths that were so evident to the early colonists are still evident today. We celebrate Independence Day. We celebrate freedom. We celebrate America. Long may she live.

Happy Independence Day.

Ron Scarbro

HATE BEGETS HATE BUT LOVE BEGETS LOVE

In response to the tragic shooting in a church in Charleston, S.C., President Obama has decried that this happened because there are just too many guns in this country. And, he added, too many guns are in the hands of the wrong people. I have this simple question. What if there was just one more gun and it happened to be in the hands of one of the people who were at that church service? What if, while this worthless punk was reloading, that one gun was used to take him out? You see, as I have said so many times before, the only way to stop a gun is with a gun. When seconds count, the cops are only minutes away.

We have to face some reality here. There are probably as many guns in this country as there are people. If a law was passed today outlawing guns, who would then have guns? Would it be the good citizens who protect their families and their possessions? Or would those guns be in the hands of the bad guys? Wake up.

Gun control legislation is liberal feel good legislation. It has no practical benefit to the people.

Since this shooting, reports are coming out that some people who knew Dylann Roof, the suspected killer, were aware that he was an evil racist. They are even saying he was destined to commit some vicious act. The question is being asked, “Why didn’t somebody report him? Why didn’t somebody stop him?” You might just as well ask why didn’t somebody stop a bolt of lightning from striking?  We live in a free society. Our society is governed by laws. One cannot be prosecuted unless and until they break the law and hate is not against the law.

That having been said, I believe more could possibly have been done. Somewhere, somehow, Roof learned his hate. He learned a hate that has been simmering for a lot longer than just one evening. He doubtless had shared his twisted views with many over his few short years. Perhaps if someone who loved him had slapped some sense into him maybe he wouldn’t be in the situation he is in today and maybe these nine innocent lives would have been spared. We are not seers. We cannot see the future. We don’t really know what the future holds, but we can often see little bits and pieces that should tip us off.

So what do we do with this miserable little twerp now? Some say if he is convicted, he should be executed immediately. Others say nothing is gained by killing this killer. They say there is no deterrent value in a death sentence. Well it certainly would be a deterrent to Roof because he would be dead.

I have even heard that a proper punishment would be to cut him loose in a maximum security prison, give all the inmates the information that he is there and tell them what he did, then give Roof a fifty yard head start. I believe the state would be spared a good deal of expense if that were done.

Today though, the families of his victims see things differently and are praying for his worthless hide. Today they are offering forgiveness. My heart was broken as I listened to the families asking God to forgive this punk. I doubt that I would have the grace to do the same if those were my relatives and friends.

What is the better way? Is it better to hate this creep? Or is it better to pray for him? I leave it to you to decide. For a certainty hate just begets more hate, but love absolutely begets love.

Ron Scarbro

WE NEED A DEPARTMENT OF TRANS

Let us consider the prefix trans. It is used a lot. For example, transfer or transact, or how about transition and trans fat? In these utilizations trans might mean to change or to alter. To go from one place to another or to go from one situation to another.

Lately it has also come to mean to go from one sex to another as in transsexual or from one gender to another as in transgender. Later in this column we will see how this prefix is coming to mean just about anything we want it to mean.  

Rachel Dolezal is a white woman who, a few years ago, decided it would be in her best interest to pass herself off as a black woman. She married and divorced a black man and has two biracial children. She curled and dyed her hair as well as darkened her skin tone with makeup. She graduated from a predominately black school, Howard University, and went on to become President of a Spokane, Washington chapter of NAACP.

In order to obtain and keep her position as President, she spun a series of tales from parental abuse to having a black father to being raised in a tepee and hunting for her food with a bow and arrow. None of her tales were true.

Her parents outed her. Her own brother, incidentally a biracial young man who was adopted by her parents, also outed her. She is of European descent and is totally white. She is biologically caucasian.

So, here we are. She has been caught in a lie, a big lie. I was always told when you are in a hole, stop digging. Rachel evidently didn’t get that message. She has continued to compound her problems by adding to her lies. The reality is she cannot get out from under the web of deceit she has spun. What to do? What to do?  

Rachel has apparently decided the answer is to claim to be a transracial person. A what? A transracial person. According to her explanation she sees herself as a black woman. It doesn’t matter that she is biologically caucasian, she believes she is a black woman. That should, in her mind, make it okay. I heard a doctor say this past week that he may decide to see himself as a sixty-five year old man and then apply for Social Security benefits. According to the current thinking he should be granted these benefits because that is the way he sees himself. What do you think his chances are? I suspect he would be arrested and charged with fraud.  

That brings us to this final point. Has Rachel Dolezal committed fraud? Has she gained any financial benefit by lying about her race? She certainly has gained status in the black community of Spokane, albeit for a short time. She has since resigned her position as President. Her continued lies serve no one, especially her.

Personally I don’t care how this woman sees herself. I don’t care how Bruce Jenner sees himself or herself depending on which day it is. People have choices and they should be free to exercise those choices. But, they also should realize just how silly a lot of this nonsense is.

Me, I’m going to now transition myself near some food contaminated by trans fat, eat it and transfer my guilt to some government agency known as the Department of Trans. Have a nice day.

Ron Scarbro