Guacamole!!!!

If you like guacamole, you'll LOVE the song written for it. Watch for the baby with the Mustache...

G-U-A-C-A-M-O-L-E, Guacamole!!!!!

"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...

September, 12, 2011...

Ten years and one morning ago, America woke to a new nation and to the realization that we would never be the same. September 11, 2001 made us all realize there are others in this world that have forgotten that we are the United States of America. But are we still? Are we really?

As I drove to work this morning, the crisp feel of autumn was in the air. I had the windows opened slightly, the radio was off and my mind was reliving that horrific day so long ago. I saw the world going on about its business like nothing was out of the ordinary and from what I took in, it seems most everyone has moved on. 

On September 12, 2001, I recall seeing flags everywhere. They were on buildings and on signs, there were messages written in shoe polish in peoples car windows and on make-shift signs that proudly reflected sayings like “We will never forget” and “God bless America” and “USA”. I looked for any of those things this morning and regretfully, I didn’t see any of them.

I don’t like to say that it’s because people have forgotten or are lazy or just don’t care, but we must face the truth, those are the reasons why those visible memorials weren’t visible for some in this country. Some in this country could care less about the importance of remembering national tragedies.

I would have loved to have woken up today, in New York City. I would love to have walked up Fifth Avenue and then over to the Financial District and finally to Central Park. I would like to see how New Yorker's spent this day. I admit we, as Texans, have a bit of an ongoing and unspoken “friendly feud” with the Empire State. We poke fun at New York and they poke right back, but inside, we respect each other deeply. There is a bond between New York and Texas, between California and Iowa and Minnesota and Arizona and that bond is one of pride of country and being Americans.

On September 12, 2001, there were souls nationwide grieving, crying and in despair for their brothers and sisters in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. We weren’t Floridians or Virginians or Dakotans, we were Americans. For a period of time in the early fall of 2001, America was one, visibly, emotionally and most importantly, nationally. Members of Congress set aside political party and belief systems and actually gathered together in prayer for the healing of an injured country. And in today’s political spectrum that seems almost unbelievable and impossible to pull off. On that day, did we all gather together lifting prayers to Heaven because we thought that was the right thing to do? Or was it that the true Judeo-Christian belief system of a nation manifested itself without regard of the fallout that would surely come from unbelievers and those among us that have no patience for all things religious? I’m convinced it’s the latter.

In the days and weeks that followed the attack, I had no worries of how we would move on from such a tragedy. Americans have always had the ability to rise from the ashes in the face of great adversity and tragedy. But today, I have to say, I’m worried about our country.

We’ve become so “politically correct” and afraid to face politically flammable subjects that I believe the United States of America has seen its better days. No longer does our government try to “teach a man to fish”, instead it’s easier to “give that man a fish” each month without any output on his or her part and to keep the political fallout to a minimum. Oh, and it's politically correct too. God forbid that we ask someone to actually give back to the country that gives so much. The words of John F Kennedy “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country”, no longer echo as a cry to give your heart and soul to America. Sadly that famous quote has been reversed and its counter-productive meaning is deeply woven into the fabric of this society now. We have become a nation of “me and I” and a growing demographic believes the federal government owes them a home, an income and free health care.  We are in perilous times and I believe America is on the verge of “imploding” as a direct result of the new “me” society and political correctness.

What does all of that have to do with remembering 9-11? I believe that being “politically correct” prevented us from identifying those responsible for the attacks on 9-11. I believe being “politically correct” has reduced us to being molested at the hands of the federal government when flying, because our government is afraid of “racially profiling” someone that fits the criteria of a terrorist. Pardon me, but if profiling a group of individuals determined to kill as many Americans as they can before they meet their own demise, I say begin profiling tomorrow. And I'm very sorry that it just so happens that the majority of the ones that want to kill and maim American's just happen to be from the most violent parts of the Middle East.

We’ve become soft as a nation and every country in this world knows that we will only go so far to protect our interests. After that point, America and Americans don’t matter anymore, what matters is how other countries view us. Political Correctness has opened the lid on Pandora’s Box in America and not only has it made us vulnerable as a nation, it has shortened our memory of our dead that were sacrificed in the name of political correctness.

America is at a turning point. We have the ability to move forward as the great nation we’ve always been or to continue to move toward becoming a third-world nation. And in my most humble opinion there are many things we could do to get America back to where she used to be. I won’t go on about most of the reasons, but I will just say, remembering all that have made the ultimate sacrifice is a good start. We normally show our respects on the day that we are honoring, but wouldn’t it be great if each of us woke up every morning and the first thought that entered our minds was “Thank God for all that sacrificed for me and thank you God for letting me born an American in The United States of America”…

"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...

Icicles in Summer

With the setting and rising of a single sun, attitudes from Las Vegas to Vicksburg changed literally overnight this past Labor Day weekend. Smiles are starting to form again on the faces on folks from all walks of life across the Southwest, South and Southeast. I’ll make an attempt to not sound sexist in any way, but throngs of women across the nation are in celebration because relief blew in on the breeze this weekend.  The incessant barking of the “dog days of summer” is starting to wane as it comes to an end for the Summer of 2011.

The welcome change for many showed up in a blustery gust as the first hints of fall blew in with 30 – 35 mph winds in tow. I stepped outside and realized immediately something was amiss. I saw the weather reports, but come on, I live in Texas and things don’t always go as planned or forecasted when we’re talking about weather in the Lone Star State. But alas, it didn’t feel like I’d just crawled into the circular hell of my clothes dryer, I didn’t break out into an instant sweat and the heat didn’t stifle my breath as I walked in wonder in the front yard. No, it was actually comfortable and this is coming from a man that has zero qualms about hot, North Texas days.

Men and women seem to have differing views on heat and summer in general. Although the change to the weather this weekend was a welcomed change, those that know me, know that I love me some summer. I can honestly say, it’s a rare instance when I hear a man complaining about how “I wish summer were over and fall would get here”. There a a few, but not many. The ladies, on the other hand, are a different story. I honestly don’t know of one woman that has thinking inline with mine. Not one.

Not a soul on this piece of gravel we call earth can truthfully testify, that I’ve ever said anything remotely related to “Oh man I’ll be glad when it starts getting cooler, I can’t stand this heat”. I do, however, remark from time to time that “It’s a scorcher today”. But that in no way dismisses my love for the heat. Ok, ok, go ahead and tell me I have dain bramage and I won’t deny it. But there is just something about the heat and sweating that is invigorating and renewing to me. I know, I need serious, long-term therapy.

My wife and I are always sneaking back and forth from the hallway engaged all summer long in the old “thermostat skirmish”. She’ll lower it to 69 or 70 and I’ll go behind her a while later and bump it up to 74 or 75. I’m not sure why, but women are just wired differently when it comes to heat/cold and being comfortable. And in this case, my wife and I we are polar opposites in that respect.

She loves to be bundled up to the neck in cover on those long summer nights when it’s still 84 degrees at 2:00 a.m. I, on the other hand don’t mind the house being a tad bit warmer, because the covers are too uncomfortable to be pulled up to my ears when I know we could walk outside at that instant and fry an egg to a delightful “over medium” on the hood of my truck. But as the long, hot, lazy days of summer retreat and make way for shorter, cooler days, I once again begin to think of what lies ahead and what the coming months hold in store for me.

As I spoke of earlier, the heat doesn’t bother me basically, at all. Yes, I get hot and sweaty and my skin turns a medium walnut brown if I stay out too long, but again for me, the heat awakes something inside of me. If I have a headache and an overdose of Ibuprofen or Tylenol doesn’t relieve the pain, ten minutes with my face in 105 flames, takes my headache away. I guess my head forgets the pain and is screaming for me to get back inside to cooler temps. And when outside, the sweat feels like a cleansing of sorts and after a nice, long, cool shower, a feeling of renewal moves over me. Sort of like when a snake sheds its skin. But the colder weather always brings something that I do not look forward to and this is wife’s frigid digits.

It’s not such a big deal during the summer, because the cooler weather in the house that my wife demands doesn’t require her to get closer to a heat source, (me). It’s quite the opposite, actually. But in the winter time, when it’s cold and the wind is blowing and I’m getting ready for bed, dread sets in early as I lay me down to sleep.

For those that know my wife, they know she’s a 5’2”, 106 pound bundle of kinetic energy. She’s goes from sunup to sunset without stopping and sometimes, back to sunup again. Many times I’ve awakened to find her still in the kitchen baking or cooking or at the computer answering emails and I realize she hasn’t been to bed yet. And yet, she never, ever seems tired. There’s just something wrong with that. She’s amazing with kids and has the respect of many for the community service programs she initiates, runs and is proud to give service to. But like me, she’s not perfect and forgive me darlin’, but dang, she got cold hands and feet!

I try to make sure to be the first in bed when the temps dip below say, 40 degrees, because once that level of temperature is here in Texas for the duration of winter, I’m officially cold. My feet are cold, my hands are cold, my nose, ears and elbows are cold. I’m cold until the spring thaw. So I try to get into bed and wrap the covers around me, to get a head start on warming up.

Once I’m in bed for more than two minutes, the heat my body puts out creates a nice little, warm cocoon and I’m very comfortable. And as my wife will tell you, once I’m comfortable, I’m asleep in no time. Well, THAT’S when she decides to get in bed toting those lethal weapons she refers to as fingers and toes. And yes, the first thing she does is scoot right up next to me.

Not only is she a little bundle of energy, she’s also a bundle of humor. Knowing full well the temperature of her fingers resemble that of the dangling stalactites hanging from the eaves of a house right after a freezing winter rain, she carefully, gleefully and oh so strategically places the tips right into the small of my back. The placement ensures that I make a sudden, catapultic launch straight out of the bed and into the wall next to me. If these little events were “accidental”, the pain and discomfort wouldn’t be so bad. But the demonic little giggle coming from the red-eyed face of my beloved tells me that this was planned well in advance. And for the next twenty minutes I have to endure the unending cackles of her, “I’m so sorry” laughter.

Her explanation is that she wants me “to understand how cold she really is”. Ok? I’m not sure why, but that’s her excuse and she’s “sticking to it”. I know it’s cold outside and that’s why I make the attempt to get warm and go to sleep quickly, so I can forget that I’m freezing to death. But right or wrong, happy or sad, cold or hot, she is my sweetie and soon I’m warm once again and somehow I dismiss the trauma I just endured and drift off.

About six months from now, or when the days start warming to the point where I can crawl out of my winter shell, I will be outside non-stop. I do admit there are days that can be too hot to do anything, and most of the Summer of 2011 was just that. It was (still is) a record breaking heat wave and the drought that we’re facing here in this part of Texas goes on with no relief in sight.

For the first time in my life, that I can recall, I can honestly say that I look forward to the fall and winter rains and snows. Now before you think I’ve lost my mind and just retracted everything I just said, let me explain. It’s not for the glory of watching the new fallen snow, or the delight that I might get to miss a work day or two because of bad weather, no, it’s partly because I’m sure there won’t be any precipitation of any noticeable level for the rest of the Texas summer. Oh yeah, on the calendar it might say we’re getting close to “fall” and in Maine, or Washington State or even Southern California, fall may have arrived. But here in Texas, the heat, albeit a lot less than the abnormal levels we’ve experienced this year, go on. So I’m praying for the cold weather to bring the rain and snow to heal this parched land. To turn the brown, flat mess I call a yard, into a lush green landscape once again.

Unfortunately for us here in North Texas, I don’t think the color green will be visible again until the first Robin Redbreast returns once again in the early days of Spring, 2012. And when it does return, I’m praying for it to bring two things... spring rains and the warming rays of summer.

The Impulsive Texan

"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...

If it sounds too good to be true, well, you know the rest of this story...

So, a while back, the friend of a friend of a friend, you know, says he will "give" me one of his three OS loads that he has left over from the Windows 7 software he bought and load it to my PC. It took a while, but I realize now that he gave me more than I bargained for.

He installs the system, leaves and it is working fine..for a while. Now my PC informs me every 30 seconds that "you may have a counterfeit operating system on your pc". Whuhhh??? This ain't gonna work at ALL, but the last thing I'm gonna do is let the super shade tree techie do anything else to my pc again. So tonight after months of looking at this notification blinking and going off and driving me up the crazy tree, I go to Best Buy hoping to find a cheap fix. I waited all this time hoping that by some miracle of technology, the system would just magically revert back to the system I had before. Well, this is where you can insert the title of this post...

I ask the young guy with the earrings that look like tires off of a Hot Wheels car if I buy the "Windows 7 Upgrade", will it "cure" the counterfeit operating system problem? Ok, this kid is working in the SOFTWARE section of the store and his answer is "well, I'm 90% sure it will, but I'm not so sure and to make sure, you might want to ask the Geek Squad over at the Help Desk, just to be sure". Ok, so I'm about ready to throw something around the store at this point and my first choice is the helpful clerk with the spare tires in his ears.

I go to the Geek Squad counter and the lady there gives me the exact answer I do NOT want to hear. "No, it won't fix your problem. As a matter of fact, since the operating system is counterfeit, it more than likely has other issues like shutting down other vital functions...sister, you just don't know.

Rewind, five days earlier. I'm in Wally World window shopping on my lunch break. My beloved has been asking for an external hard drive to dump her pics and other important info on for a while now, so I see this super-duper, highly technological Seagate Free Agent, Go Flex Desk External Hard Drive with, not one, but TWO terrabytes of storage space. Hmmm, TWO terrabytes??? And it was on sale for $99. Ok, that sounds like a deal to me, since a 500 GB external hard drive sitting next to it was $79. It has way more storage space for $20? Well, I might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night....sold.

So, I take it home and unpackage this wonderful, roomy black beauty and plug it in...I said I plugged it in...uhmmm...it's plugged in now PC, aren't you supposed to automatically send up a signal that you see it there and ask if I want to install it? In the real world, yes...but this is MY world. World of the good deals and a fancy new hard drive that is NOT working. So, I spend the next two evenings trying to get the Seagate to marry up with my pc.

Now then, fast forward back to the OH so helpful lady at the Geek Squad desk. After she tells me I can't fix my problem with an upgrade she throws in that "for only $149 more I can buy the software and truly fix the software problem". Well, that's what was supposed to happen when super geek came to my house to load up the OH SO GOOD DEAL OF THE WEEK.

So, I'm thinking, for $449, I can buy a new PC and actually I've been thinking about it, since my beloved has basically overtaken my PC. So I think to myself, since I'm here, I may as well ask her about the Super Duper mega-storage external hard drive with TWO terrabytes of storage . She then refers back to the conversation where she referred to "other issues" and guess what technology fans, this is another problem.

So as I silently plot how I'm gonna off the shade tree techie that got me into this spot in the first place, I ask her "what are my options"? So she says, you can go to the PC manufacturers website and for around $35 - $40 I can download the backup disks to put my PC back to original factory specs. I'm thinking well, that's the way I'm gonna go, a cheap, easy fix. So I ask her, "will I lose any of the files I have on my hard drive?" and her response was something close to, "everything", so I'd recommend backing up your files on disks or to AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE." Uhmm, well, you know where my mind is going now, yes, back to the other conversation where one of the "other issues" is that my PC won't recognize my super-duper, highly technological Seagate Free Agent, Go Flex Desk External Hard Drive with TWO terrabytes of storage.

I'm sitting here at the infected PC now, realizing that the only solution to fix this problem is to:

1.) Buy that new PC way before I wanted to
2.) Connect the two pc's together so I can transfer all of the data on the old PC to the new PC.
3.) Go online and buy the $35 - $45 backup software to get the old PC back to factory specs
4.) Install the factory specs back onto the old PC
5.) Hook up the PC's again and transfer the data BACK to the old PC from the new one.
6.) Delete all of the files from the old PC off of the new one
7.) Try to get the old PC to now recognize the new super-duper, highly technological Seagate Free Agent, Go Flex Desk External Hard  Drive with TWO terrabytes of storage
8.) Make arrangements for my beloved to visit me at the state prison, because you know who the next person I'm going to see is.

Remember friends, if it smells like a duck, sounds too good to be true, then it's definitely a shade-tree techie installing something on your $600 electronic briefcase that AIN'T gonna work.

The Impulsive Texan


"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...

Texas Caviar

I love this dish. It's very tasty with so many flavors going on. It's cool and refreshing and you don't have to turn on the oven to make it!

TEXAS CAVIAR

1 - 15 oz can black-eyed peas
1 - 15 oz can white hominy
1 - chopped bell pepper (any color)
1 - small chopped onion
1/2 - bottle of Zesty Italian salad dressing

Optional ingredients:

1 finely chopped jalapeno
1/2 pound sausage or hamburger meat
2 tbsp's chopped cilantro
a couple of dashes of your favorite hot sauce

Open all cans, drain water/juice. Put all ingredients into a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.We usually add the jalapeno's if we know that everyone coming over likes them. Add enough Zesty Italian dressing to coat all ingredients, but not too much that the recipe is sitting in the dressing. Put in the refrigerator for about an hour and serve chilled. And that's it!

We serve it as an appetizer with tortilla chips or if we really want it bad enough, we have it as a side dish. Either one works. Serves a BUNCH!!


The Impulsive Texan

"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...

Of Bois d' Arc Apples and Bowling Balls

Growing up in Texas, I figured out real quick there are some things you can always count on like the sunrise if you live here long enough… mouthy politicians, hot summers, great bar-b-que and Bois d’ Arc trees.

You're probably wondering what a Bois d’Arc tree is? Well it’s what a lot of folks call a “trash” tree. It grows fast and tall, but it dies just as quickly. It sheds limbs like leaves and will fall over with the slightest breath of air. But the old Bois d’ Arc does have a few redeeming qualities.

Ranchers in early Texas would plant the trees in close proximity and would use the growth as a fence line when the expensive “devil wire” or barbed wire couldn’t be afforded. The trees grow in a hap-hazard, gnarly, crazy fashion and the limbs mingle together and intertwine with each other to form an almost impenetrable barrier. That being the case, cattle couldn’t get through the tangled mess of limbs, shards and leaves, making it a great alternative to the wire fence.

Another quality of the Bois d’Arc tree was the bois d’ arc apple. The Bois d' Arc apple is the vegetation the tree produces. But an apple it’s not and the last thing they are, is edible. I truly wouldn't recommend putting this fruit in your favorite corn flower bowl and setting them on the table. 

The inside of the Bois d' Arc fruit is a stringy, sinewy mess and it oozes a milky, white substance that looks and feels kind of like the glue that every kid that ever attended grade school has used. On the outside, the orb resembles a pomegranate that had grown inside out. Its light green color and small, hard nodules covering the entire surface make it a strange looking site.

Some folks say leaving the apples lying around the front door of your house will ensure no unwelcomed visits by crickets during the height of that season. Well, as best as I can recall, I’ve swept leagues of the deceased critters right past the apples lying on the ground… so much for that theory.

I grew up on the northeast side of a little town in Central Texas and our house was on the corner of Hart Street, to the west, Walcott Street to the south and to the north was Highland Avenue.

In those days, kids walked to school the better part of the year, period, or our family did anyway. And the home I grew up in was less than half a mile or so from the school. But as a 10 or 12 year old kid, the bitter cold of winter or the blazing heat of the seemingly endless summer, made that walk seem a whole lot further.

As we made our way to school, we’d alternate our route as to how we got to and from school. Some days we’d walk down Walcott, others we’d walk down Highland. On Highland there was a Bois d’ Arc tree strategically growing at the crest of Highland Hill. And it always had an ample supply of the round, sticky apples lying just under it. From the top of the hill to the school we attended was probably 300 – 400 yards, but in my 12 year old minds eye, it seemed like a country mile.

Boys are naturally curious about most things and naturally, something as strange as the bois d’ arc apple was something we couldn’t pass up. I’m not sure how it began, but one day, one of us decided to see who could roll an apple the furthest down the hill. Then another joined in and then, lo and behold, Bois d’ Arc bowling was born.

We’d place discarded soda bottles, limbs, cans or anything that stood up and resembled bowling pins at the base of that hill and take turns “bowling”. This game became so popular between us that we’d sometimes meet on Saturdays to compete.

Me, Shorty, David and a few other local boys would take turns hurling the apples down the hill to see who could get the closest to the “pins”. And you know, I can’t say that I remember any of us ever hitting the pins, but one thing I do remember is, I remember those wonderful days. What a great memory and what a great time we had playing that game.

After the game, we’d all jump on our bikes and head to Ned’s Grocery to swig down an icy .15 cent Dr. Pepper or some other cool drink to wash down the dust, sweat and heat from another hot Texas day.

We didn’t have a whole lot growing up, but I never knew that. I was fed, healthy and had a comfortable bed to sleep in, so to me, life was great. We had to pass our time thinking of things to do since there was no extra money for new bicycles and toys, guitars or the new G.I. Joe with the Kung-Fu grip.

And to tell the truth, I never wanted for anything. Life was simple, slow and looking back, it’s like seeing an album filled with old black and white photos. I still can’t figure out why all of my memories are “black and white”. Maybe it’s because my mind tells me that it’s another place and time and color might somehow take away the legitimacy of the memory. Maybe it’s because I can’t think in color. Oh well, the memories are there just the same.

Some might think that “Bois d’ Arc Bowling” was a little out of the ordinary or down right crazy. And maybe it was, to some. But we kids had a great time going crazy. But the way I look at it, creating memories and hanging out with friends is never crazy or out of the ordinary and ought to be done on a daily basis.

The Impulsive Texan

"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...

The World's Largest Army

After the Japanese decimated our fleet in Pearl Harbor Dec 7, 1941, they could have sent their troop ships and carriers directly to California to finish what they started. The prediction from our Chief of Staff was we would not be able to stop a massive invasion until they reached the Mississippi River. Remember, we had a 2 million man army and war ships, all fighting the Germans. 

So, why did they not invade? After the war, the remaining Japanese generals and admirals were asked that question. What was their answer? They know that almost every home had guns and the Americans knew how to use them.

The world's largest army is America's hunters! I had never thought about this. A blogger recently added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states and arrived at a striking conclusion: 

There were over 600,000 hunters this season in the state of Wisconsin alone! Allow me to restate that number. Over the last several months, Wisconsin's hunters became the eighth largest army in the world which is more men under arms than in Iran. More than France and Germany combined. These men deployed to the woods of a single American state to hunt with firearms and no one was  killed. 

That number pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted the woods of Pennsylvania and Michigan's 700,000 hunters all of whom returned home safely. If you toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia it establishes the fact that the registered hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world. 

Can you imagine if this study had added the hunters from the Great State of Texas? Ain't NO country in their right mind gonna invade Texas. Every child born in this state is given an arsenal dowry at birth! A Glock 40 is their teething toy!

The point is, america will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of home-grown firepower Hunting is not just a way to fill the freezer, it's a matter of national security. That's why all enemies, foreign and domestic, want to see us disarmed.   

Food for thought the next time gun control is before Congress. Happy hunting in 2011 Texas!

The Impulsive Texan.

"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...

The Plain Truth

I made a promise to myself when I began The Impulsive Texan that I would keep my political views to myself and not post them on this page. And to date I’ve kept that promise.

I choose not to because I have friends that are from “both sides of the fence” and I don’t want to cast a negative light on how they feel politically, if it differs from my viewpoint

But left or right, Democrat or Republican, or liberal or conservative, we all admit, there is a major problem with our political process here in the United States.

And we’ve all got someone to point the finger at. But this article, written in the context that “all politicians are crooked”, hits the nail on the head and I thought I’d share it with everyone that frequents my blog. Take a few minutes to read this because it’ll have you shaking your head in agreement after the first line.

 

                                          545 vs. 300,000,000 People 

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.

The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy", "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess.


> > Accounts Receivable Tax
> > Building Permit Tax
> > CDL license Tax
> > Cigarette Tax
> > Corporate Income Tax
> > Dog License Tax
> > Excise Taxes
> > Federal Income Tax
> > Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
> > Fishing License Tax
> > Food License Tax
> > Fuel Permit Tax
> > Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
> > Gross Receipts Tax
> > Hunting License Tax
> > Inheritance Tax
> > Inventory Tax
> > IRS Interest
> > Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
> > Liquor Tax
> > Luxury Taxes
> > Marriage License Tax
> > Medicare Tax
> > Personal Property Tax
> > Property Tax
> > Real Estate Tax
> > Service Charge Tax
> > Social Security Tax
> > Road Usage Tax
> > Recreational Vehicle Tax
> > Sales Tax
> > School Tax
> > State Income Tax
> > State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
> > Telephone Federal Excise Tax
> > Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
> > Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
> > Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
> > Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
> > Telephone State and Local Tax
> > Telephone Usage Charge Tax
> > Utility Taxes
> > Vehicle License Registration Tax
> > Vehicle Sales Tax
> > Watercraft Registration Tax
> > Well Permit Tax
> > Workers Compensation Tax

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?

"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...

Deer Camp, 2010

With hunting season getting closer every day, I thought I'd share a story I blogged just after returning from a hunt last year. 

Deer Camp, 2010

It’s 6:09 p.m., Sunday, October 31st, 2010. It’s just starting to get dark. The blazing Texas sun is finally settling down behind the trees before it goes to sleep for the night and now I can finally see the entire area just below where my tree stand was oh-so carefully placed without the glare blinding me. My wife is 100 yards due North, behind me and has been settled in to her stand for hours.  


Over coffee, she had told me earlier that morning that she noticed the deer she had seen were coming down a trail behind me and were coming out around 6:15. Well, bingo, right about that time I notice movement to my left and behind a stand of trees of course. It’s a very large doe that is making its way around me to the left and behind me, headed down the trail just like my wife had said earlier that morning. I can’t get a shot off, so I frantically text her “Big doe coming down the trail toward you”! I sent it in plenty of time for her to be ready should the deer make its way into her range.  What happened for the next eleven minutes makes me appreciate even more, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and the blessings of survival.

It’s been one or two minutes since the doe passed behind me. All of a sudden I hear the BANG of my wife’s crossbow, followed quickly by “SNAP, CRASH, RATTLE, RATTLE, RATTLE” as a crossbow bolt ricochetes off of tree limbs, trunks and finally lodges into a fire ant mound ten feet below me and eight feet to my left. My mind immediately goes back to my Navy days and into “General Quarters” or “Battle Readiness” and I go into “battle mode”! I turn around in the tree stand to find the direction of the incoming fire and realize, “OH GOD”, it’s my wife and she has three more bolts and a horrible sense of direction! About that time again I hear, “BANG” as the second bolt screams in, head high through the trees to my right this time and dancing wildly through the tree tops and landing twenty feet right and ten feet behind me! I’m thinking, how the heck did a shot hit fifteen feet in the top of a tree if she’s shooting at a deer on the ground? Oh, the thoughts that run through your mind during a crisis. Is it truly a deer she’s shooting at or has she snapped and suddenly thinks she’s found a way to collect on that measly life insurance policy I took out? 

At this point I’m in true "panic mode" as I peek from behind the tree from one side to the other. Of course, THIS is the morning I forgot my tree harness when I realize I’m not strapped to the tree. The thought keeps running through my head that if the wife doesn’t impale my liver to my spleen, I will fall out of this tree. I’m trying to figure out just how many shots she has left as I become the closest thing I’ll ever be to a “tree hugger” and then “BANG… CRASH, RATTLE, RATTLE, RATTLE” again is what I hear as bolt number three drops harmlessly in front of my stand and into a clearing I’d just made that very morning between hunts.

I’m hanging onto the tree with one arm and wildly waving my orange ball cap with the other screaming at the top of my lungs “Cease fire!!! Cease fire”!!! but to no avail. I hear the “BANG” of her last bolt, and I'm furiously walking that stand down the tree to the bottom in a New York hurry. Then, I remembered, SHE BROUGHT HER SPARE CROSSBOW TO THE STAND THIS MORNING AND HAS FOUR MORE BOLTS!!!! I get on the cell phone...I’m calling, texting, screaming, crying out to her to get her attention. But my wife is in full “hunt mode” and hasn’t heard anything except the voice in her head demanding her to “kill, kill, kill”! She’s been steady cocking, loading and shooting for 10 minutes now and is determined that we’re having backstrap TONIGHT. Then all of a sudden, there’s a lull in the woods, except for the knocking of my knees and the barely audible mutters of me quoting  “Bubba” Blue in Forrest Gump as he said ”I wanna go home”. Finally, God seems to have pity on me and fortunately for me, her bow jams and she can’t fire or there would have been a second barrage of four more bolts headed my way.

So, it’s been a minute or so since the shooting has stopped, I’ve gotten back control of all bodily functions but I’m still so shaky I still can’t reach her on the phone. So I start running blindly and stupidly toward her, waving my orange hat! As I make my way to the clearing by her stand, she comes outside and says “Hurry, get over here”!!!! I’m thinking "Oh my gosh, she wants to get a sure fire, close-up shot so she won't miss"!. So I walk gingerly to her stand and as I approach, she says “GET DOWN, GET DOWN, THERE ARE DEER EVERYWHERE”, INCLUDING THE ONE I’VE BEEN SHOOTING AT! So I drop to the ground, afraid if I didn’t, she’d find something to pick up and throw at me to finish the job. As we slink down in the waist high grass, a deer meanders out into the opening and wanders to within 15 feet of where we are! Then I realize what she just said, “that’s the deer I’ve been shooting at”! I now get the old “deer in the headlights look” as I began to wonder, WHO'S stupider, me or that deer? Thank the Lord the bow was jammed or that poor deer would have been legs up on a spit back at deer camp within the hour! I actually felt kind of bad for the little guy, especially after she picked up the bow again and was frantically trying to unjam the string. My next thought is whether I should take off running before she has the chance to get the bow unjammed or to scream at the deer to get the heck out of the clearing! Finally reason settled in and I did what every smart man would do when his wife has a loaded weapon right next to him..I sat down and didn't say a word.

 At that point I would have never believed I could be so amazed over two totally different events, on the same night, within 15 minutes of each other! But what happened next, was utterly amazing. For the next eight minutes the little spike that almost died with me that night, stood there in that clearing as my wife shot video of him quietly eating and staring at us. He even looked straight at us several times, but kept on grazing. Then, slowly, quietly and peacefully, he melted back into the woods. I truly had just witnessed the phenomenon called “Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde”. Ten minutes prior to videoing the deer, my wife had the crazed “kill the deer” look in her eyes and the next minute she was kneeling peacefully in the grass enjoying the second blessing that God had allowed us to witness that night. Obviously the first one is that my wife didn’t become a widow.

 It’s Tuesday now and my heart has stopped beating out of my chest, my nerves have finally settled down and the work week is here again. As I write this, I’m glad to say that my wife and I have already made plans for our next hunting trip. I can’t wait to crawl back into that stand, to see the sun rise beautifully in the East, to sip on a warm cup of hot coffee, to enjoy Gods great outdoors and the fantastic view from my NEW “perfect spot”, three-quarters of a mile away from my wife’s blind.

 Happy Hunting Texas…

"I may not get much done, but I sure am slow"...