THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS LAW. SORRY HOWARD DEAN

“Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Does any of this sound familiar? It should because it is the first amendment to the Constitution. It is the first of ten amendments which are known as the Bill of Rights.

I am writing about this because of what is only the latest of a long line of idiotic pronouncements by the lame liberal left. This time it was infamous screamer and perennial loser, Howard Dean. Howie tweeted out that, using his words, hate speech is not protected by the first amendment. This all has to do with a speech Ann Coulter is due to deliver at the University of California at Berkeley. She has been invited, dis-invited and now re-invited to speak on campus.

According to Dean and morons like him, any speech with which they disagree, is not protected by the first amendment. I suppose in their world the only speech allowed, or religion allowed, or news media publication, would be speech they had previously approved. I don’t think you could get away with that even in Russia. Maybe North Korea, but few places in the world would permit that view.

A part of the greatness of America, though, is that morons, even millionaire morons like Howard Dean, can say whatever they want. They can demonstrate their idiocy for all the world to see and do it freely because they are protected by the same Constitution they would use to try and muzzle Ann Coulter.

I am told that Howard Dean has a constituency. He has people who agree with him. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be associated with someone like Howard Dean. I put him in the same box as Elizabeth Warren. These are people who seem to want to change this great country into something else. They want a European style socialist utopia. They want this, however, only if they get to make the laws and establish the rules.

That’s where despotic dictatorships like the Soviet Union and Red China came from. Cuba became such a dictatorship under Castro. Look at these places now. Look at Venezuela. That country may now break apart completely.

When are morons like Warren and Dean and their ilk going to come to the understanding that Socialism doesn’t work? America is a right of center country with a strong work ethic and a strong sense of self-responsibility. Patriotism, love of country, and basic Christian principles are the guiding tenets of American life.

The same first amendment that guarantees Ann Coulter the right to speak, guarantees Howard Dean the right to make a fool of himself. The New York Times is also guaranteed the right to print whatever nonsense they want and call it news. I don’t have to buy it or read it. And of course, I don’t. In fact, I have said that I wouldn’t wrap my dead rotting fish in that newspaper for fear the fish would be contaminated by the process.

Freedom can sometimes be ugly. It gives every citizen the right to be wrong. One can obey the law or not. It is up to them. Freedom of speech gives Ann Coulter the right to say whatever is on her mind. You don’t have to like it or even listen to it. Howard Dean has the right to show his ignorance of our basic rights. Another thing  Howard Dean should understand though, is there is also a second amendment. That amendment serves also to guarantee the first one.

Ron Scarbro

I THINK I HAVE FOUND MY SAFE SPACE

The latest demand for the youth of our country is to have “safe spaces.” This is especially true on some of our college campuses. It seems the new order of the day is that no one is allowed to be offended. Now, that offense can occur in any number of ways from so-called micro-aggressions to all out attacks. So there must be safe spaces for these habitually offended persons to hide from the reality of life. The latest is the University of California at Davis where they have decreed that the American flag might be offensive to some students so it must be barred from campus. Remember now this university is supported by taxpayer dollars and wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for a strong military flying this same flag.

I recall when I was a young adult, maybe twenty something, if I had thought I needed a safe space, my First Sgt. would have told me to dig a deeper foxhole. If today’s youngsters think they are offended by micro aggressive behavior, they might want to consider what their parents and grandparents went through in their military service. I remember when I was ordered to salute a pine tree for an hour because I failed to salute some young second Lieutenant. It was my second day in the Army and I didn’t know a second Lieutenant from a pine tree but it made no difference. Trust me when I tell you, I knew from then on. Had I been offended, I would have been told to bundle up my offense and roll it in a round cone and find someplace to stick it.

I’ll tell you where I am going with this discussion. I sincerely believe we need to reinstitute the draft. Every youngster, male or female, should be required as the cost of their citizenship in this great country, to register and be available to be drafted into the military. Do you think things might be a little different then?

Those of you in my age group will remember when we all were looking just any day to be drafted and to then put our lives on hold until our obligation was completed. Some of the more cowardly, however, like a certain former President, ran away to other countries to escape the draft. Fortunately most stayed home and fulfilled their debt to America. Some, like me, even joined in order to have a little more choice in our service. Turns out that wasn’t to be. The Army took me and had their way with me and I became a better person for having had the experience. Even today I continue to be rewarded for my military service.

I have been told the military is opposed to the idea of a draft. They don’t want many of the young, self-centered kids of today. Many, if not most, probably wouldn’t even qualify on the basis of physical ability or intelligence. How sad is that?

I’ve been thinking about a safe space for my family and me. I think I found it. It is the United States of America. Imagine, if you will, life in Syria, or Libya, or maybe Cuba, Somalia, or even Venezuela. How about Iran or the Sudan? What would happen if the youngsters in those countries demanded a safe space? I suspect they would quickly discover the meaning of oppression.

We all take what we have here for granted. One of the main advantages of military service is that you get to see how other people live. You come away with a greater appreciation of life in America. If the youngsters of this country had to consider the possibility of being drafted, they might be a bit more aware of the world as it is, not as they imagine it in their fantasies.

Ron Scarbro

SOME STUFF THAT NEEDS TO BE SAID

In case there were any doubters, the events of the past few days should put to rest any idea that there wasn’t a new sheriff in town. The missile attack in Syria was more than an attack on Syria. It also served as a notice to Iran, China, North Korea and Russia that we are serious and that Barack Obama is gone. It will no longer be business as usual. The tin horn dictators of the world are, or should be, waking up to the idea that there will be consequences for bad actions.

Neil Gorsuch has been confirmed as Justice of the Supreme Court. That means the Constitution will once again be the law of the land. With any luck at all, there could be other vacancies on the Court soon. This means that a private bakery in Oregon or anywhere in the US can refuse to cater a wedding for homosexuals or anyone else they choose not to cater. Personally, I would have baked the wedding party a cake but I promise they would never hire me again once they tasted the cake.

The so-called mainstream media is once again making fools of themselves with their coverage of news events surrounding President Trump. They should be ashamed of themselves but that would require that they know what shame is. They are digging their own graves which is sad because I believe we need media. More importantly however, we need truth, not liberal leftist agenda.

Unless you live under a rock you have no doubt heard the Democrat’s latest line of garbage regarding Russia and the Trump Presidential campaign. This line of barnyard fertilizer reminds me of the carnivals who used to come to the small towns in rural America. They would set up their rides, and their games of chance. They would also set up a stage where scantily clad young ladies would come onto the stage and dance seductively to the music. While they were dancing and holding the rapt attention of the men in the audience, pickpockets would move among them relieving them of their valuables. The Democrats and their propaganda are the dancing girls. Fortunately, the girls are so ugly that most people are ignoring them. Sorry Senator Elizabeth Warren. I therefore have this prediction. The Russian story will soon go away in favor of some new wild eyed notion that they feel might help them explain how their miserable candidate for President lost the election.

I have this second prediction. Under the President’s new executive orders and policies, our economy is going to boom and the Democrats are going to find it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to win any election. The farther they move to the left the harder it will be for them to survive. America is a right-of-center country and will continue to reject socialism.

There have been some other interesting tidbits in the news lately. California wants to secede from the union. I would vote in favor of that. That beautiful state has been destroyed by leftist policies and bad governing. Before they depart however, they might want to figure out how they are going to defend their borders and pay the bills for all of the non-citizens they have been caring for. I say let them go and in just a matter of months, when they are completely bankrupt, we go back in and take the state back. This time though we would require the laws of America be followed and enforced. Mayors or governors would not be exempt from jail for refusing to obey the law.

Over the next few days or weeks watch for our ships of war steaming into the waters off North Korea’s coast. We will also rearm those in the Mediterranean. Rex Tillerson is headed off to Russia to explain what we will be expecting from them going forward. If they are smart, they will pay attention. China has been told by now. It will be interesting to see how they respond.

Ron Scarbro

THE STRESS OF MEASURED TIME

Humans, we are told, occupy the highest level of intelligence in the animal kingdom. Humans are supposed to be the smartest of all the animals. If that is true, then how would you explain daylight saving time?

We just advanced our clocks one hour to daylight saving time. That reminds me of a cartoon I once saw that showed an Indian trying to explain the whole thing. He opined that white man was the only one on earth who believes you can cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom and think you will wind up with a longer blanket.

Time is indeed a natural reality but the actual measuring of time is a human invention. Lesser animals tell time by daylight and darkness. They tell seasons by temperature. Mealtime is when hunger and opportunity meet and bedtime is when they are tired.

Humans are the only animals who know how old they are. And, I might add, the only ones who care. Think about this, humans and their pets are the only animals who die of old age. What if you were stranded in a mountain cabin with no electricity and no outside communication? You would have no clock. How long would it take you to figure out mealtime and bedtime? How about the seasons? If you were cold, you would figure out a way to get warm. If you were too warm, you would try to find a way to cool off. Mealtime again would be a meeting of hunger and opportunity and of course bedtime would come when you were tired.

In the natural world plants come alive in the spring. A combination of daylight and warmth causes them to start their annual growth process. They bear their leaves and their fruit. Within that fruit is the seed for the next generation. At the end of their growing season, they drop their fruit for the next generation to take root and ultimately replace them.

Most animals in the wild mate at such time as to have their offspring in the spring. That gives them the advantage of the warmth and the growing plants. Their lives are just that. They are born, they live for a period, produce offspring to replace them, and then they die making way for the next generation.

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if we didn’t measure time. Imagine life without a clock. Imagine life without a calendar. What if you just ate when you were hungry and went to bed just when you were tired. Can you even wonder how much stress is caused by the need to adhere to measured time?

Most of us have to get up to go to work or school. We set our alarm clocks. We do that because to wake up when we are still sleepy requires another man made invention, the alarm clock. What if you could just wake up when your body had enough sleep? Many of us face commuter time going to work and returning home. Why? Because everybody else is on the same schedule. They all had to set their clocks too.

We do what we have to do to make a living, feed our families, and supply ourselves with the “necessities” of life. In so doing, we become slaves to measured time. Oh well, life is what it is.

Sometimes it is fun, though to just wonder about some things that have long been the norm, like the measuring of time. This all started because my wife mentioned the other day, it is already the end of March. Time is just flying by. We have both noticed that it seems to go much quicker as we get older. I also believe that time flies when you are having fun and we are both definitely having fun. We hope you are too.

Ron Scarbro

MAKING SAUSAGE AND LAWS

I always heard that there are two things you don’t ever want to see. They are how laws are made and how sausage is made. Well, I have never made laws but I have  made sausage. Simply put, if the ingredients are good then the end product should be good also. Good sausage is the result of quality ingredients and seasonings mixed together by a good sausage maker and the product is delightful. Shouldn’t good laws be the same? If the parts going into the law are good, shouldn’t the law then be good also?

A terrible thing happened a few years ago. Barack Obama decided to put together a scheme to redistribute the wealth in this country by taking money from those who work for a living to pay for health insurance for those who don’t. It obviously hasn’t worked.

Why didn’t it work? Let’s consider the ingredients in that law. First and foremost, it included a large helping of lies and obfuscation. There was never a time when the cost of insurance under Obamacare was going down. There was never a time under Obamacare when one could keep his own doctor. Other ingredients in the recipe were equally bad which resulted in a bad law that is now doomed to fail.

A major ingredient in this mess was that there was absolutely no participation from the Republican party. It was completely a Democrat scheme. Obama called together his Democrat leaders and basically told them what was coming and that they should let all their fellow dems know how they will vote. The Democrats are very good at this. The Republicans could learn a lesson from them.

So now the Republicans are left with the chore of repairing the healthcare insurance industry in this country. The voters gave them everything they needed to make this repair. They elected a Republican House, Senate, and a Republican president. It should be as simple as the President calling in the leaders of the Republicans in the Congress and telling them how to vote. The problem is that it doesn’t happen that way in the Republican Party.

Lawmaking is a give and take process. It requires negotiation if it is done right. The Republicans have had seven years to come up with a replacement for Obamacare and they apparently haven’t put together a program that can get the necessary votes to pass Congressional muster.

This now is where lawmaking and sausage making take on similarities. This is where it gets real messy. This is how stupid money-wasting programs get through Congress. This is where we get programs that test the swimming ability of shrimp and other ridiculous “boondoggles.” Dissenting Congress people basically sell their vote in exchange for something that benefits some donor to their campaign. That’s an ingredient for bad sausage.

Clearly, though, the Congress has to repeal and replace Obamacare. I have heard estimates that within two years or less it will die from its own weight. That is going to throw millions and millions off of any health insurance plan. We will have a serious crisis on our hands and it will be the fault of Obama and the Democrats but I am sure they, with the help of the national media, will blame the Republicans for not fixing their mess.

Trump needs to call the leadership of both parties into the Oval Office and tell them in no uncertain terms, get me a bill I can sign and do it immediately or else. There are ten Democrat Senators facing reelection in two years and they are from states that Trump carried overwhelmingly. There are also Congressional districts all across this nation where many are hurting from the disaster of Obamacare. Nobody’s job is secure.

So, to all of them I say, get busy with the work we hired you to do or we will get somebody else to do it. Pass the sausage.

Ron Scarbro

LEARNING HOW TO LOSE

I was recently watching a college basketball game and noticed the cameras focusing on a young fan in the stands. This young man was apparently a big fan of the team which lost. He was devastated. His team was supposed to win. After all they were picked to win by the experts. He was in tears and inconsolable. It would be easy to feel sorry for this youngster, but I didn’t. I felt sorry that he had never learned how to lose.

The whole scene was reminiscent of a recent election where the person who was supposed to win, lost. Many supporters of that loser were inconsolable. Many were in tears. Some still are. Some are having trouble sleeping. Some just can’t seem to get on with their lives. These are people who have never learned how to lose.

Now, why is that? Could this be the result of “participation trophies?” One of the most important lessons one learns growing up is that there are wins and there are losses. How could you ever be proud of an accomplishment if everybody had the same accomplishment? It wouldn’t be an accomplishment. Unless you can feel the disappointment of a loss, you could never appreciate the thrill of a victory. Winning and losing are just parts of life.

What is going to happen to this young basketball fan when he goes out into life, gets a job, and faces the reality of the world? What will happen when he has to compete for jobs? What will happen when, as an employee, he has to compete for customers? You win some and you lose some. That’s life. If one cannot handle a loss, one is going to have a very difficult time getting through life.

It comes down to this. We are doing our youngsters no favors by denying them the necessary losses they must experience in life. Sooner or later they will in fact face the losses we have tried to hide them from and they will be ill prepared to deal with it. These are basic lessons of life. Here is another reality. We are rapidly becoming  a one-world economy. We will be competing with foreign countries and their philosophies. Are we preparing our children to work like the Asian countries prepare their children? I have heard that there are some schools who don’t want to give out grades because it might make some who don’t measure up feel bad. The idea of “valedictorian” is going by the wayside. It might make those who don’t accomplish as much feel bad. I think it was John Wayne who said, “Life is tough. It’s even tougher if you’re stupid.”

Don’t get me wrong. I love winning. In my lifetime I have experienced both winning and losing. Coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.” That’s a little harsh but the lesson is that one should learn from his losses to make them into winners. I have had many losses in my life but they have been overshadowed by my wins. In fact my biggest win in life is my wife. Her presence in my life has made the losses less painful and the wins all the more special.

The current upheaval being perpetrated by the left is going to pass. Soon their antics will go the way of all snowflakes. Once the sun hits them, they disappear and it couldn’t happen soon enough for me. Winners will continue to emerge and there will be losers. Let’s hope the losers learn from their experience.

Ron Scarbro

STRANGER THAN FICTION

Every week I sit down to write this column. I try to find interesting items in the news to report and comment on. A friend recently suggested that I should write a novel. As I view the current situation I am convinced that fiction would fade by comparison to the actual events happening in the world today. Truth is definitely stranger than  fiction in our world today.

We all are aware that many of our colleges are offering “safe spaces” for their students so they will have a place to hide from the ugliness of truth and any opposing view. Those who choose to live in complete denial of the facts of life and the true politics of today can go to these spaces and hug their stuffed animals and read a bedtime story. Some even offer therapy dogs to help these students deal with reality. Do you really think a fiction writer could come up with anything more dramatic than what these so-called institutes of higher learning are providing to the next generation of Americans?

Southern Illinois University has decided to go one better for their students. They are offering a new therapy for disenchanted students who are having trouble dealing with events of the day. It is called “nap time.” Students are encouraged to go to the library and take a nap. But, they should dream during these naps, and not just any dream that a young pre-adult might have. No, they must have dreams of diversity. By controlling what these dreams are all about, it is believed that a new more diversity loving person will emerge from their nap. And everybody will live happily ever after. Do you wonder, as do I, what the parents who are shelling out thousands for their kids’ education might think about this bit of nonsense?

Not to be outdone, a high school in Valley, Iowa has decided to terminate a long- standing tradition of allowing students to wear patriotic clothing with the colors of our flag during basketball games. In their wisdom they decided that to show any patriotism for America might be offensive to teams who come there to play because they might have players and parents who are immigrants from other countries.

Well guess what? I am offended. I am offended that any community would allow such egregious behavior from their school board. These morons are responsible for turning out the next generation and some of these students may well have to don those colors to fight for the freedom that we enjoy. Whoever is responsible for this new violation of American rights should be fired immediately and replaced by true patriots who understand what it means to be an American. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by these actions because these school administrators are products of the very universities we spoke about earlier in the piece.

I have often thought about writing the “great American novel” Barb, but I don’t think my imagination could compete with the reality of today. We have a national media hell bent on self-destruction by editing the news with their leftist agenda and trying at every opportunity to make our duly elected President look bad. The American people told us and them in no uncertain terms that they were dissatisfied with the direction of this country and voted to change it. The national media just doesn’t get it. Their denial is at their own peril.

One day soon we may well have to once again take up arms to defend this country. We may well have to look to these young people to fight for our freedom as did their parents and grandparents. I wonder what it would be like to share a foxhole with one of these spoiled children? God help us.

I think for now I will just stay with reporting facts and leave the fiction to Dr. Seuss.

Ron Scarbro