HOW DO YOU SAY GOODBYE?

As I have grown older, I have been trying to come to grips with the loss of close friends and relatives. I have long said that one of the penalties of aging is having to say goodbye to loved ones. I just turned 81 this month. A lot of people close to me never reached that age. I know that I am richer for having had them in my life, though. 

 

This column, however, is far more personal. We just learned some more friends of ours are dealing with a serious disease. They have decided to refuse available treatments. I guess I understand. It can be very difficult. But I am thinking now about the wife. How does she say goodbye? How do you say goodbye to a lifelong partner? How do you just go on? I know intellectually, that you can and do, but wow, how do you do that?

 

I decided that because of this news and the fact that my wife and I are both in our senior years, I would try to come up with a plan. This December will mark our fifty-ninth year of marriage. The rules seem to be that the man goes first, but that isn't always the case. But assuming I do go first, how do I think my wife would handle it?

 

First, my wife is a Christian and a very spiritual person and I believe she would get along without me. I think she would miss me, but she believes as I do that we will be together again in our next life. In the meantime, there is the loneliness that would be a part of her life. 

 

So then, here is my primer on dealing with the loss. Number one, we have our memories. If your life is anything like ours, those memories are rich and delightful. We produced two beautiful children who have grown up to become talented and productive adults. Like most couples we have had our ups and downs. Mostly ups. But we participated in and saw things neither of us had ever imagined we would. We have traveled the world and lived in many parts of this country. 

 

My wife is a city girl, but when I decided I wanted to be a hog farmer, without a complaint, she went with me and became a hog farmer's wife. We lived in the country. She helped me butcher chickens. She helped with the garden and she canned vegetables. I would go deer hunting and she helped cut up our deer. We picked wild berries and she made jam. She even learned how to fish. In every way she became a country girl. 

 

Then we moved back to the city. She once again became a city girl. All of this has been our life together. I believe today she would have a difficult time deciding whether city or country life was better. 

 

Yes, she could say goodbye, but she says she would prefer "see you later".  And I am proud to believe that. 

 

But if the shoe falls on the other foot and I am the one left behind, that becomes another issue entirely.

 

While I am physically strong, emotionally I may not fare so well. As an example, I suffered a broken leg a while back. While dealing with that accident my wife was my constant nurse. Some might say that one could hire a nurse. Yes but, what my wife does for me could not be bought. Love cannot be bought. She has been my constant companion for our lifetime. I have grown to depend on her being there. I cannot imagine what life would be without her. And I don't want to. I'll continue to ask God to be kind to us both as He has been in the past. He will know best.

 

Ron Scarbro October 26, 2021

 

IT DIDN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN THIS WAY

It didn't have to be this way. There are places in this country where gasoline has gone up to over $5.00 a gallon. Now mind you, that is an increase of almost 300% over the previous year. What happened? Last year we were energy independent and actually selling oil to other countries. This year we are facing huge price increases and massive shortages. There is also a shortage of trucks and drivers to haul the oil.   Before you bring up covid, I contend the virus is not the problem here. No. The problem is, what in sporting events is called, an "unforced error". Our energy problem was created by a stupid move on the part of the new Presidential Administration. Biden cancelled the Keystone Pipeline and halted many other energy producing activities. He failed at one of the most important duties. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Trump had a handle on our energy production. He created our energy independence. With a stroke of his pen, Biden destroyed all of that and now we see the result.

 

The next big mistake was putting into place a plan to pay people not to work. They liked it. They got used to it. They didn't want to go back to work. Driving a truck, flipping a hamburger, or anything. It was just better to sit on the couch and get that government money. Remember, it didn't have to be that way.

 

Before Biden decided to fix the border, things were working. Drugs were being stopped. Illegal aliens were being held in Mexico. Deportations were handled and the law was being enforced. Again, with the stroke of his pen, Biden destroyed it all. Today we are being overrun with people from all over the world and our own government is scattering them all over our country where they are bringing their problems, their diseases, and their poverty with them. They are unvetted. We don't know anything about them except they broke our law to get here and could very easily break more. They send their children to our schools without the ability to speak or understand our language. They tax our welfare systems and our health care facilities. It didn't have to be this way. 

 

Our reputation in the world has suffered unbelievable harm because of Biden's ridiculous pull out from Afghanistan. He abandoned who knows how many American citizens as well as a lot of Afghan allies. He also left millions of dollars’ worth of weaponry, helicopters, and vehicles in the hands of a terrorist organization. He proved to the world that we are not a reliable ally and cannot be trusted. He set an arbitrary withdrawal date and defied his own military advisors who told him to leave some forces there to protect our interests. Obviously it didn't have to happen the way it did.

 

Because of these and other moronic moves by our elected "leadership", we now have run-away inflation. Everything is more expensive. Normal grocery bills have gone through the roof. Forget bacon or beef. Automobile prices are up. Medical costs are exorbitant and not going down any time soon. Small business owners are being forced to raise prices just to try and stay alive.

 

The maddening part of all this is, it didn't have to happen. Elections definitely have their consequences. This is what happens in a free country when the wrong people get elected.   

 

Ron Scarbro October 19, 2021

 

LEAVING FANTASY TO THE LIBERALS

You may remember back when Barack Obama announced that he intended to fundamentally change America forever. He thought he would just flip a switch and we would become a socialist country like European countries. That apparently was his plan. He even selected a complete moron as his Vice President so that he wouldn't be kicked out of office before he got his job done. 

 

Well, it didn't work. Normal, sane, Americans just said no. Donald Trump was elected to try to fix the mess Obama caused. It was necessary to break a few eggs in order to make an omelet. That upset some people, especially the media, so Trump wasn't allowed to finish fixing the mess. The voters of this country turned back to idiot government and elected Joe Biden. Biden selected Kamala Harris as his VP to make sure he could stay in office. He then set about fundamentally changing America into some big government socialist country where American citizens cede their citizenship in favor of dependency. It's a marriage made in socialist Heaven. 

 

In some cases it is working. There are some people who prefer a government control system. Fortunately they are in the minority. Americans generally prefer freedom over tyranny. Sadly there are many who cannot connect the dots and therefore do not realize socialism equals tyranny. Just ask Venezuelans how they feel now. This once-great country is now a wasteland with people trying to escape to other places to live.

 

Currently the Democrats are trying to garner enough votes in Congress to pass a bill euphemistically called an "infrastructure" bill. In actuality it is more a "green new deal" bill which would go a long way toward bankrupting this country. By the way, the green in this new deal is the unbelievable amount of money this liberal pipedream would cost the country. When this green new deal was first brought up by the "squad" I, like most sane people, thought it was a joke. Well it isn't a joke anymore. There are people who actually believe we could survive this nonsense.

 

Let's see now. No fossil fuels of any kind. That means no automobiles, no trucks to bring cargo, no air planes, no power plants, and no generators to recharge cell phones or anything electric. There would be very little food production because it's tough plowing fields with horse drawn plows. If you would like to travel to Europe, you would have to sail and it could take a few months. Most medicines would disappear. Of course meat would be gone. That's okay because these morons all seem to prefer the vegan diet anyway, not just for them but for everyone. So forget cheeseburgers or steak. 

 

Here is another thing I can assure you of. Judgement day is coming. The direction of this country under Democrat rule, is unsustainable. The more we knuckle under to this global warming nonsense, and other man-created crises, the sooner we will see that judgement, and it isn't going to be pretty. We have millions of people in this country to feed and house. If they are unable to get that food or housing, they probably would get a little upset. We need a return to reality and we need to leave fantasy to the liberals. 

 

Ron Scarbro October 11, 2021

 

AMERICANS DON'T HANDLE MANDATES VERY WELL

What does freedom look like? When a government agency issues "mandates" requiring obedience by free citizens, does that look like freedom to you? Is a mandate to wear a face mask legitimate?  Can you do that to a free people? Is a mandate to get a vaccination an act of free choice? What about when that mandate includes a fine for non-compliance? 

 

Our government has issued just such a requirement of employers over a certain size. Otherwise the employee has to be terminated. 

 

For the record I want to say that I am fully vaccinated. I consulted my doctor, who himself had just gotten his shots, before I made the decision to get the shots. Now, mind you, I consulted my doctor, not my Congressman, not my Senator, and certainly not my President. I paid very little attention to political organizations like the WHO or the CDC. No, I decided that my medical advice should come from a medical professional, not a politician. I further plan to continue to get my medical counsel from the medical profession, not a bunch of power-hungry would-be dictators. I recommend the same for you.

 

Reacting obediently to mandates from dictators is not something we Americans do well. In fact, you don't have to study a lot of history to see how we have handled it in the past. Consider the verbiage in the Declaration of Independence. We decided that the best choice for us was to just say no. This reminder to would-be dictators today; the same blood that ran through those early patriots still flows in today's. We have humored you for a while, but time is running out. If you think mandates are good government, you had best find a country where freedom doesn't and hasn't reigned.

 

Again for the record, I definitely recommend getting the shot. Neither my wife nor I had any ill effects. And no, I do not wear a mask when I leave my house and only would where it was absolutely required like at the hospital. I see people wearing them driving their car. Whatever. In the majority of those cases you will see a Biden bumper sticker on that car. If somebody wants to wear a mask, that is and should be their choice. 

 

We have covered at length how Covid 19 has become the crisis the liberals have wanted so long. To cause a disease to become a political weapon is a sickness too. And, whether they like it or not, the disease is coming to an end which also ends their manufactured crisis. 

 

Between vaccinations and natural immunity, this virus will soon have no place to land. Then the liberals will have to find something else. Some things are certain. We will have an election next year. People like Schumer, Pelosi, and their ilk may well have to find new jobs. Voters will have their say and it's not looking very good for the Democrats.

 

For the sake of this country, we must never again allow tin horn politicians to issue edicts, mandates, or any other illegal orders. We are not an empire and we have no emperors. Laws are enacted by the people's representatives in the Congress, not by any other means. Unelected bureaucrats are not lawmakers. We don't handle mandates very well.

 

Ron Scarbro October 4, 2021

 

I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMAN AND OTHER LIES

I was recently watching one of my favorite TV preachers, David Jeremiah, who spoke on the subject of lying. His message was, don't believe the lies. He went on to explain more specifically the lies from the national media as well as those from politicians. It is clear that we are being lied to on a regular basis.

 

I have to admit. I have spent most of my life as a naive watcher of the news and the political scene. I even believed it when Walter Cronkite said, "and that's the way it is" at the close of his newscast. I, like millions of others, thought that truly was the way it was. Well, that has come to a crashing halt. I have lost all confidence in the credibility of any news source. Today Fox News comes as close to the truth as anybody. They are famous for their slogan, "We report, you decide." Unfortunately they decide what they report. The decision not to cover an important story is the same as lying about it. 

 

When you look at the important issues facing this country today, how could you not report on the invasion at the southern border? How could you ignore the Americans we left behind enemy lines in Afghanistan? What about Hunter Biden? Any reasonably intelligent person knows he sells influence and access to his father. And he has been doing it for years. I guarantee you Uncle Joe is getting his share too. The news agencies who refuse to cover this are all guilty of lying to the country. 

 

Let's see now. "You can keep your own Doctor." Or "I did not have sex with that woman." Here's one, "We will leave no Americans behind in a war zone." Or, "Our southern border is closed. Don't even try to come or we will just deport you back to your home." In reality there are too many lies to cover in this brief column, but they are all lies. 

 

I heard Biden tell a group of reporters that the Border Patrol whipped Haitian illegal trespassers with leather whips from horseback the same way slave owners whipped their slaves years ago. Another lie. The Border Agents held reins to their horses, which is how one controls a horse, and did not use any whips of any kind. Just another lie.   

 

I like "Trust the science." Hmmm. In the last few days I have heard from many "scientists" and they all seem to have different views of what is going on. From Covid to Global Climate Change, it seems you can find an expert to say anything you want them to say. Just like the actual origin of this virus. Any reasonable person with an ounce of intelligence knows the Chinese developed this virus as a weapon and it got away from them. I'm sorry but, no, I don't trust science either. 

 

In years past we had good reason to trust our government. I fear those days are gone. We seem to have a bunch of power-hungry money grubbers who will say anything, do anything, endorse anything which will lead to more power. 

 

It is going to be left to the people. Pay attention to what these clowns are saying. If it looks like a lie and sounds like a lie, it probably is a lie.

 

Eventually the chickens come home to roost. Hillary's big lie about Trump's involvement with the Russians, which was always a lie from the onset, is now being shown as nothing more than a political dirty trick which very nearly put lying Hillary Clinton in the White House. In the final analysis it served only to harm Trump's agenda. I would love to see Hillary in an orange jumpsuit. I remember my mother's words, "Liars never prosper." We can only hope that comes to pass.

 

Ron Scarbro September 28, 2021

 

USE THE FRONT DOOR

We are barely into the eighth month of the Biden Administration and I am already tired of writing about it and him. I have never seen such incompetence and downright stupidity. I would truly like to point out any positives if there were any. But there are none. It isn't necessary to go into all the crap that has befallen this great nation since he took over, but I would like to comment on one of the most dangerous situations that has recently arisen. 

 

In Del Rio, Texas there is a bridge. It is a normal bridge, but today it serves not as a bridge but as home for approximately 15,000 illegal aliens. They are camped out there with no running water and only portable bathroom facilities that Del Rio is supplying. There is no food supply and no electricity. These people have been there for several days and more are showing up every day. 

 

It was reported today that many strange diseases run through these individuals. Measles, Covid 19, Variants of all kinds, Leprosy, TB, STDs of all kinds, and probably more that we have never heard of. The people there are coming from all over the world and many from countries that know nothing about preventative health care.

 

What are we doing about it? I just heard a report that said many of these illegals are being gathered up and dropped off in cities all over the country bringing their issues with them. That means that children will be going to school with other children who cannot speak English and carry with them diseases which we have long since dealt with. Isn't it kinda puzzling how you can't even go into some restaurants or get on any airplane without the vaccination, but you can wade across the shallow part of the Rio Grande River and be welcomed with open arms and all that living in this great country offers?

 

This bit of chaos along with all the other screw-ups under Biden's watch is what we would call unforced errors. In football it's like a pre-snap penalty. It is mistakes caused by ignorance or just lack of concentration. The problem is, of course, this isn't a football game. Real lives are at stake. 

 

Guess what? The Democrats know this too. All those who represent reddish or purple states are growing more and more concerned. 

 

The "border czar”, Kamala Harris, has disappeared. I guess she thinks all of this will just go away if she doesn't have to show up and deal with it. Wrong again, czaress. This mess is the ongoing legacy of the incompetence of the Biden/Harris White House so, Vice President Harris, you also are being held to account for this and all the rest. 

 

Voters, today's Democrats are not your parent's Democrats. There are no Harry Trumans around anymore. Today you have Nancy Pelosi and AOC. I don't know who is pulling the strings on Biden, but somebody is and they don't have the best interest of America as their guidance.

 

We truly do not know who is invading our country in Del Rio. There are probably drug dealers, terrorists, criminals of all stripes, and who knows what else. This is very dangerous and it is only going to get worse unless we fix it. Gather these people up and send them back to their own countries. Tell them if they want to become Americans, use the front door. Do it right and you may be welcome. Sneaking in will be a closed door for you.

 

Ron Scarbro September 20, 2021

 

NEVER FORGET

Never forget. We heard that a lot this past week-end. We heard it a lot twenty years ago right after the planes, having been hijacked by terrorists, flew into the buildings and into the ground in Pennsylvania. Estimates are that three thousand people were killed. Since then, there have been many, many more.

 

This has been an interesting weekend. Parades, flags, military celebrations, in fact all manner of celebration. What happens then this week? Will we pack all this away for another twenty years? Will we sorta remember or sorta forget? 

 

Let me tell you of an experience I had nineteen years ago. I had to take a flight to somewhere for business. I don't remember much about why I was traveling but I most certainly remember something that happened on the trip. 

 

I was sitting with two other guys who were also traveling on business. That's what we did. A couple of flight attendants came up to us to have a conversation. The first thing out of the attendant's mouth was, "Do you know what today is?" Immediately I responded, September 11th. That's when it hit me. I hadn't thought about it but I was flying exactly one year after the attack on our country by terrorists.

 

She asked had you forgotten? If you were in the airline industry you certainly wouldn't have forgotten. In fact, she added, some airline employees even refused to show up for work on September 11, 2002. 

 

At that point I was a bit disappointed in myself. How could I have not thought more about this date, this event, that so affected our lives? I suspect that I, like so many others, had just resumed our lives. We all had jobs. Children to raise, bills to pay. You know, the regular things that we do. I certainly didn't forget, I just didn't dwell on it. 

 

The flight was otherwise uneventful and so I went on with my life. Meanwhile America hit back. We sent a lot of goat herders to a different century. Thousands of so-called fundamentalists were sent to meet their Maker and try to explain their actions. The problem was not the number of enemy that we killed but rather the number left alive. 

 

Today, because of ill advised choices made by the Biden Administration, Afghanistan is being ruled by the same thugs who were there twenty years ago, and they haven't changed their opinion of us. Plus, we left them millions of dollars’ worth of weaponry and helicopters. There is no doubt that we will have to go back there to finish the job. We can never allow terrorist thugs to govern a country. There is a ten-million-dollar bounty on the head of one of their high up officials. Eventually they will be taken out. That goes for Iran and North Korea as well. Remember, no war ever ends until there is a clear winner and a clear loser. You can't just gather your marbles and go home. 

 

Listening to the Biden people trying to explain away their incompetence is humorous. They continue to blame everything on Trump. It isn't going to work. Secretary of State, Winken, Blinken, or Nod, whichever one he is, looks truly out of his element at the Congressional hearings.

 

The facts are simple. The chaotic pull out from Afghanistan was ill advised and poorly handled and we will doubtless have to go back to that rat hole country to finish the job we started. Because of the Taliban's pseudo need to kill Americans, that war will only end when we end it. There are no ties in war.

 

Ron Scarbro September 15, 2021