Sugar Creek Publishing

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

“Give Thanks!”

November 25, 2014

It is really sad that so few of us think of giving thanks as a family group until that festive Thursday in November.

And here it is again! We will have our fill of good food and conversation, perhaps renewing old friendships or affirming newer ones.

Whether you gather in a private home or in a restaurant or café, please remember to take a moment to thank the soldier deployed and away from family. Few of us know what that must be like, but we cannot fail to appreciate the sacrifice that our military personnel make on our behalf.

Food takes center stage on Thursday, but there are so many other elements of thanksgiving in this country. We are free. Nothing tops that. We are able to pursue our chosen careers and travel about as we please.

Football games and naps tend to follow a heavy Thanksgiving meal, as hangs the pungent aroma of turkey and all the trimmings wafts gently from the kitchen as the cooks tidy up.

None of us has had to endure the suffering of those brave Pilgrims. None of us faced hardship in unfamiliar surroundings — harshness that took the lives of loved ones and friends. I wonder what they would think if they could beam themselves forward to this time and place. Undoubtedly, they would take pride in the nation that grew from such humble beginnings.

I refer to a statement made by Benjamin Franklin. Quoted in the Freedom’s Phoenix website, I add it here.

When asked what type of government the American people were going to participate in, by a well-meaning woman, a stern Benjamin Franklin warned that our new government was going to be “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.“

His quick response, I fear, has come back to haunt us. The site finished with the most pressing question of OUR day.

“Can we preserve our great country or will the American government be irretrievably lost to the special interests who would dare to use our country for their own ends, regardless of the cost.”

In all the government and political science lectures I have been privileged to hear, the Phoenix statement is one of the most profound. Can America rise again from the ashes gathering around its foundation like the fabled Phoenix?

We must give thanks for those spokesmen among us who see the danger and are not afraid of addressing it head on. The senior citizens among us worry about their grandchildren’s futures. They have reason to do so.

Thank God for America. Pray that God will preserve it for generations yet unborn. Thank God for freedom of religion. To this point, we still have it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 200                                                                        November 18, 2104

“To everything…”

Some snippets of wisdom stay with us for a lifetime. Oh, perhaps we do not take an inventory of sage information on a daily basis, but every once in a while a situation simply fits. Aptly applied, that old wisdom comes once again to the fore and comports to the current situation as deftly as a well-fitting glove.

So, then, this is the perfect time to revisit one pearl of wisdom that most of us recognize from its first words. We do not need to hear the whole sentence. We know it in its entirety.

This one, of course, comes from the book that boasts the most copies across the globe in every language imaginable. Yes, the Bible.

Ecclesiastes 3. 1-8

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Often, we think of “season” as only pertaining to some sort of celebration. The next for us is, of course, Thanksgiving. People will pause across this nation in their homes, in workplace dining areas, and in health care facilities to reflect on their blessings and express thanks to the Almighty.

Yes, God comes first — really! You wouldn’t know it from surveying our schools or our public squares. You wouldn’t know it when viewing empty foundations where the Ten Commandment monuments once stood.

Somehow, there are among us those who have become so jaded and self-centered that they view faith in God as some sort of an affliction, a shortcoming. It baffles me how anyone could look at the perfection of a newborn, the delicate wings of the tiniest insect, the leaves of a tree, the complexities of nature and her wonders, and the expanse of the cosmos to merely claim that it all came about from interstellar dust and gases.

Our next two seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas should serve a higher purpose than culinary overindulgence and gift giving. Both days should command a higher regard for religious freedom, respect for the intelligence of the Founding Fathers, and a subtle warning that all is not well in our society today.

This planet and cooled and warmed on a cyclical basis since time immemorial. Had it not, the Great Lakes would not exist. Mountains higher than the Rockies would arch over Michigan and Wisconsin. Moreover, we would lack 20% of the fresh water on the planet.

Oh, there is a warming afoot, but it is not climatic. It is moral. As we slide into a chasm of immorality in which marriage is degraded and disregarded, sex is casual with no sense of commitment and love, and where personal pleasure overrides any sense of dignity or ethics, we are warming to Satan.

He must be wringing his hands with joy at the prospect of gaining so many followers — and for so many reasons. Add to the above the current state of foreign affairs where ISIS and Muslim fanatics worldwide boldly state, “Convert or die,” and you see evil at work.

Be thankful that you live in a country where, at least to this point, churches are allowed to open their doors and clergy is free to preach without censorship. I just wonder how long that is going to last when we see elected officials targeting church leaders indiscriminately. That kind of intimidation is unworthy of any elected official. The mayor of Houston learned that lesson firsthand barely a few weeks ago.

As we approach these two loving holidays, remember that some among us are without family and must go through these wonderful days alone. If you can, invite someone without family to join yours. Seek out children who need a good role model. Far too many children grow up without two parents these days and a kind word or guidance means so much to them.

As we read through the Bible passage, we see that it ends speaking of war and peace. Just as the planet continues in a pattern, so does man. Man wages war. Bullies and tyrants are overthrown. Peace is won. For a time, all is well, and then the cycle begins once again.

There is a season for us. It is the season to reassert our faith to those with whom we come in contact. Oh, we don’t need to walk into a room with a Bible in hand, but we need to walk into any room with faith on display.

I grew up watching my father live a tenet he held dear. In few words, he expressed it to me. “If you don’t care and you can’t share, you’re nowhere.”

Remember that during the upcoming holidays. Care for someone else. Share with someone else. It doesn’t have to be monetary or a gift, it can be time. That can be the greatest gift of all.   Don’t find yourself nowhere.

Be somewhere. Be with God. Care. Share His love. Life your faith.

Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 197

September 23, 2014

“The Relentless Pursuit of Imperfection…”

Yep! I’ve done it again. I’ve put a twist on an advertising campaign, in this case one for a Luxury automobile. Lest you think I might slip into an editorial hole using the title, consider current conditions.

Food and water, these are two items basic to any people, free or captive. Depriving a prisoner of either or both can result in an admission of real guilt or simply an admission to anything when faced with death.

So, where does the title take us now? I use it as a premise to assess America’s image in the world at large. Once upon a time, America stood as the premier defender and exporter of freedom, a land of promise and opportunity, both in terms of politics and business. At the heart of both were honesty, open communication, and — more than anything else — stick-to-it-iveness! America, quite simply, did not back down or quit.

Despite the odds, America prevailed and won its major conflicts until Korea’s DMZ and the total abandonment of the South Vietnamese people put an end to the goal of “total victory.” We were left in perpetual limbo with American troops defending the border between North and South Korea in the first instance and in an embarrassment that signaled to the world (in the second instance) that America no longer won her fights.

Sadly, American troops never lost a single battle in Vietnam. Her military was defunded and unsupported at the highest levels. That abrogation of the American government’s commitment to its troops ended Vietnam’s quest for freedom at a cost of blood and treasure that still haunts many Vietnam veterans. Today, seen from satellite, North Korea remains dark, her people doomed to deplorable conditions, most people without electricity. They live in darkness, politically and economically.

And so we come to the Gulf War in 1991. Joining with other nations, we freed Kuwait from the iron grip of Saddam Hussein. Some cite that we stopped short of taking Baghdad and bringing forth a new regime. Oh, people on both sides of the aisle in the Congress play “woulda, coulda, shoulda.” We have come to expect that, but the cardinal rule in war is to win. The military knows that to its core, but it seems that the administration is more concerned with previous promises to “get out of Iraq” than to move in with force and remove ISIS completely.

Nothing short of eradication will work here, folks. Sad, but true… And then we come to 9/11 and the Boston bombing. The events of 9/11 awakened America, but we fell into complacency after nothing else horrendous happened in the aftermath.

And what of Boston? It took untold numbers of law enforcement to find one man. Today, many see the ISIS having tens of members in the Boston area alone. How could we contain them?

Iraq brought new challenges and politicians will debate for years whether we should or should have not gone into “country.” However, announcing when troops would withdraw and the failure to orchestrate a Status of Forces Agreement led to what we see today. Such a SFA assured peace in Korea.

America still maintains bases in Germany nearly 70 years after the end of World War II. Absent robust American presence in Iraq, it was just a matter of time until conditions disintegrated into chaos and the country was seen as a prime target for terrorists.

And what of Boston? It took hundreds of law enforcement personnel to find one man. Today, many claim ISIS has tens of followers in the Boston area alone. How could we contain them? Extrapolate that to cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco….. well you get the point.

In America, it is harder to get into a Federal courthouse than to saunter across unsecured borders. Americans clamor for borders security; yet nothing happens. Bills languish on the Senate Majority Leader’s desk, passed by the House but ignored by the Senate. Over three hundred bills….

Once the position’s prerogative to schedule bills was unquestioned because nobody thought the legislative process could be held hostage to political ambitions. A leader was assumed to be a true leader: measured, forthright, and focused on the good of the nation. So much for assuming, eh folks? I fear those days are gone in this administration, and that absence puts us all at risk. It’s not exactly a thought that assures a good night’s sleep, is it?

America no longer commands her once unquestioned international respect. The current occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue began his first term apologizing for supposed American shortcomings and sins. My, how nice.

After nearly six years of such imprudent commentary, we stand at the precipice that has faced many civilizations in which power trumped all else.

With more and more power exerted over our lives at the federal level, we slip closer and closer to the situation that the Revolutionary Army witnessed — a veritable state of monarchy. They broke from England. We, on the other hand, are simply broke. And the current leadership only deepens our debt.

And so we stand, just as the British army did, ablaze in our red (white and blue), lined up and easy targets for our enemy.   Yes, this administration risks all we cherish by the failure to recognize the threat for what it is — existential.   Talking in terms of years, and ignoring the advice of the military (whose job it is to win conflicts), this leadership pales when compared to that of, let’s say, World War II. Can you imagine Churchill, Roosevelt, Patton, De Gaulle and Eisenhower coming out to say what they WOULD NOT DO, where they WOULD NOT GO? Oh, please, folks….

The failure of our schools to teach factual history — military history in particular — has come home to haunt us. Our young people are far more interested in their cell phones and their social media than in the peril their country faces. A working knowledge of military history would have warned them of what looms for America.

And so we watch and agonize as the leadership continues its relentless pursuit of imperfection, and in the process, we slip further and further into the abyss of decline that collapsed Rome and other great civilizations.

An uninformed public is easy to control. The educational shortfalls of the last three decades have achieved the dream that any committed socialist could have envisioned. Only a minority of us realizes the danger or even cares about anything beyond the next meal or entertainment venue.

Pray for America. More than any time in her history, she needs your prayers now. God has not forgotten us, but I fear that many of us have forgotten God. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 197

September 23, 2014

“The Relentless Pursuit of Imperfection…”

Yep! I’ve done it again. I’ve put a twist on an advertising campaign, in this case one for a Luxury automobile. Lest you think I might slip into an editorial hole using the title, consider current conditions.

Food and water, these are two items basic to any people, free or captive. Depriving a prisoner of either or both can result in an admission of real guilt or simply an admission to anything when faced with death.

So, where does the title take us now? I use it as a premise to assess America’s image in the world at large. Once upon a time, America stood as the premier defender and exporter of freedom, a land of promise and opportunity, both in terms of politics and business. At the heart of both were honesty, open communication, and — more than anything else — stick-to-it-iveness! America, quite simply, did not back down or quit.

Despite the odds, America prevailed and won its major conflicts until Korea’s DMZ and the total abandonment of the South Vietnamese people put an end to the goal of “total victory.” We were left in perpetual limbo with American troops defending the border between North and South Korea in the first instance and in an embarrassment that signaled to the world (in the second instance) that America no longer won her fights.

Sadly, American troops never lost a single battle in Vietnam. Her military was defunded and unsupported at the highest levels. That abrogation of the American government’s commitment to its troops ended Vietnam’s quest for freedom at a cost of blood and treasure that still haunts many Vietnam veterans. Today, seen from satellite, North Korea remains dark, her people doomed to deplorable conditions, most people without electricity. They live in darkness, politically and economically.

And so we come to the Gulf War in 1991. Joining with other nations, we freed Kuwait from the iron grip of Saddam Hussein. Some cite that we stopped short of taking Baghdad and bringing forth a new regime. Oh, people on both sides of the aisle in the Congress play “woulda, coulda, shoulda.” We have come to expect that, but the cardinal rule in war is to win. The military knows that to its core, but it seems that the administration is more concerned with previous promises to “get out of Iraq” than to move in with force and remove ISIS completely.

Nothing short of eradication will work here, folks. Sad, but true… And then we come to 9/11 and the Boston bombing. The events of 9/11 awakened America, but we fell into complacency after nothing else horrendous happened in the aftermath.

And what of Boston? It took untold numbers of law enforcement to find one man. Today, many see the ISIS having tens of members in the Boston area alone. How could we contain them?

Iraq brought new challenges and politicians will debate for years whether we should or should have not gone into “country.” However, announcing when troops would withdraw and the failure to orchestrate a Status of Forces Agreement led to what we see today. Such a SFA assured peace in Korea.

America still maintains bases in Germany nearly 70 years after the end of World War II. Absent robust American presence in Iraq, it was just a matter of time until conditions disintegrated into chaos and the country was seen as a prime target for terrorists.

And what of Boston? It took hundreds of law enforcement personnel to find one man. Today, many claim ISIS has tens of followers in the Boston area alone. How could we contain them? Extrapolate that to cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco….. well you get the point.

In America, it is harder to get into a Federal courthouse than to saunter across unsecured borders. Americans clamor for borders security; yet nothing happens. Bills languish on the Senate Majority Leader’s desk, passed by the House but ignored by the Senate. Over three hundred bills….

Once the position’s prerogative to schedule bills was unquestioned because nobody thought the legislative process could be held hostage to political ambitions. A leader was assumed to be a true leader: measured, forthright, and focused on the good of the nation. So much for assuming, eh folks? I fear those days are gone in this administration, and that absence puts us all at risk. It’s not exactly a thought that assures a good night’s sleep, is it?

America no longer commands her once unquestioned international respect. The current occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue began his first term apologizing for supposed American shortcomings and sins. My, how nice.

After nearly six years of such imprudent commentary, we stand at the precipice that has faced many civilizations in which power trumped all else.

With more and more power exerted over our lives at the federal level, we slip closer and closer to the situation that the Revolutionary Army witnessed — a veritable state of monarchy. They broke from England. We, on the other hand, are simply broke. And the current leadership only deepens our debt.

And so we stand, just as the British army did, ablaze in our red (white and blue), lined up and easy targets for our enemy.   Yes, this administration risks all we cherish by the failure to recognize the threat for what it is — existential.   Talking in terms of years, and ignoring the advice of the military (whose job it is to win conflicts), this leadership pales when compared to that of, let’s say, World War II. Can you imagine Churchill, Roosevelt, Patton, De Gaulle and Eisenhower coming out to say what they WOULD NOT DO, where they WOULD NOT GO? Oh, please, folks….

The failure of our schools to teach factual history — military history in particular — has come home to haunt us. Our young people are far more interested in their cell phones and their social media than in the peril their country faces. A working knowledge of military history would have warned them of what looms for America.

And so we watch and agonize as the leadership continues its relentless pursuit of imperfection, and in the process, we slip further and further into the abyss of decline that collapsed Rome and other great civilizations.

An uninformed public is easy to control. The educational shortfalls of the last three decades have achieved the dream that any committed socialist could have envisioned. Only a minority of us realizes the danger or even cares about anything beyond the next meal or entertainment venue.

Pray for America. More than any time in her history, she needs your prayers now. God has not forgotten us, but I fear that many of us have forgotten God. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 196

September 9, 2014

“Shadow Government”

You probably have heard this term, but I think it has — unfortunately — come to a modified, and frightening, definition.

I spent a great deal of time this summer with a book in my lap. First, I delved into the subject of volcanoes. After that, I dipped back into the cache of American history, specifically the office of President of the United States.

I focused my studies on two of our chief executives, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. While some of you might find that an odd couple, it is not.

When you study their writings and speeches, you find that Kennedy and Reagan had an abiding love for and respect for America’s position in the world as a defender of freedom. Both men were fervent in their belief in the American people and the American ideal — in essence, American exceptionalism.

Both men sought to inspire the younger generations and neither one buckled under the threat of Soviet military power.

Both men stood up against the Soviet Union. One faced up to it militarily and the other used the monetary clout that would seed its collapse.

Kennedy’s naval blockade prevented the Soviets from installing missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. And as for Reagan, The Soviets demanded that he US scrap his missile defense program in exchange for eliminating an entire class of nuclear weapons. Reagan stood firm and refused to dismantle his Strategic Defense Initiative.   In the end the Soviet Union capitulated. Reagan was very open to working with others of different viewpoints, but his motto was “Trust, but verify.” Always make sure the other guy is holding up his end of the stick.

Kennedy claimed that “the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” Reagan saw America, in somewhat Biblical terms, in typical style, as a “shining city on a hill.” Neither man was oblivious to the terrible threats looming internationally, but neither man shrunk from duty.

Both not only knew the power of the American military, but also were not opposed to using it. One took office as the youngest in history, the other as the eldest. Both had a strong faith in God. Both were committed Christians.

Putting aside any human flaws, both were exemplary leaders.

We will never know what might have taken place had John Kennedy not been assassinated, but we do know that he put others above himself — evidenced by his heroism serving with the US Navy during World War II in the Pacific.

I would like to be in their presence in the afterlife to hear what they would say about the conditions we find ourselves in today. Neither man was afraid to put an enemy on notice that reminds me of one of our earlier flags. “Don’t tread on me.”

How disheartening to think of Kennedy’s and Reagan’s words when we tune in to a presidential news conference against the looming threat of Islamic terrorism. Oh, excuse me. The administration has a problem with that.

It occurs to me that if you cannot name an enemy, you cannot defeat it. Yes, this is an enemy without nation status, but it is an enemy nonetheless

— one with an unrestrained zeal to put an end to the West and its values.

That includes you and me, folks. Remember the old saying, “Better red than dead?” Well, ISIS expounds a new one. “Our life or the knife!” Sad, huh?

Alas, we find ourselves witness to the brutality of beheading. While it might be scary in a horror film, actors jump off the floor, someone in props picks up the head and filming continues. In real life such brutality is the ultimate wake-up call. We need to demand that our government step up to the plate and do something strong.

An old joke is that the camel came about as the result of a committee. I wonder if the NATO coalition is just more of the same. Where is Turkey in all this? Turkey is a NATO member, yet it is not a signatory on the recent documents in Wales. Where are the other nations in the Middle East, those most at risk? Where are Saudi Arabia, The UAE, Jordan, and Egypt? We know where Israel stands. The only democratic state in the region, Israel is fearless in the face of terror. They deal with it every day. I doubt if any of us would do so well as the average Israeli.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out Israel will not back down. Constantly at risk of bombings and murders, Israelis maintain a top-notch intelligence service in their Massad, an agency that commands respect of law enforcement agencies around the world. Israelis have more than an ear to the ground. They, undoubtedly, have human assets at work.

Now, we look at the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. My, for a self-proclaimed scholar, he has a problem parsing a sentence to follow the one preceding, doesn’t he? How many times have you heard him contradict himself within a few sentences? Depressing doesn’t begin to describe it.

From the moment he took office and began to apologize for America’s actions in the world, he set the stage for anyone with an axe to grind — or knife to fall — to “have at it.” And they did.

I hear all kinds of criticism of him, and the more bizarre they seem when applied to former presidents, the more they make sense when applied to him. Nuances to horrific acts of rebel fighters and the level of training compared to a JV basketball team falls short of what I consider fitting presidential rhetoric. With a dictionary full of wonderful, expressive, appropriate words, he opts for sports every time.

I think it’s about time he got on the ball instead of addressing it. He has a handicap all right, but it’s not on the golf course. With September 11^th just around the corner and a porous, virtually open southern border eyed by evildoers as an easy avenue, we should all be afraid.

It will be challenging to watch what happens next. When it comes to Iraq, funneling arms through Baghdad is fruitless, because nothing ships north to the Kurds. We leave those Kurdish fighters hanging. Their impressions of American help are — pitifully — pallets of MREs.

What will it take to force this administration to do something strong? I fear it may take a replication of 9/11 or something much worse. Don’t kid yourselves that the terrorists are not here. It took them from 1993 to 2001 to take down the World Trade Center. They are patient. It’s been thirteen years. Passports are easy to get in foreign lands. Travel to and from suspect countries has continued unabated. I hear some critics claim that terrorists are hatching their plots here as well as abroad. Clearly, these barbaric people are not afraid to attack us, but why should they be? We don’t do anything when provoked. As Donald Rumsfeld once said in sage, terse terms, “Weakness is provocative.”

Attacks here on our soil? The only question is when, not if. Take a moment in your prayers to remember all those men and women sworn to protect and defend freedom. Pray that their orders reflect the strength and resolve it took to defeat Hitler and his Third Reich. Remember, the Germans killed people by the thousands daily, but they hid their evil inside the walls of concentration camps scattered across scenic countryside. Undoubtedly, German citizens living nearby knew that something odd was happening; but they were as afraid of the SS as targeted ethnicities (i.e. Jew, Gypsy, etc.).

When Allied forces liberated the camps, soldiers were aghast at what they saw. No press had reported what was happening on German soil. In contrast, ISIS (or ISIL) brazenly showcass the beheadings of journalists to the world on video.   So far, it is one American from New England and one American from Florida who became an Israeli citizen. Who’s next?

What do you think John Kennedy would have done if he had seen a film of an American beheaded by a hooded villain? What would Ronald Reagan have done?

I feel confident that neither man would have hummed and hawed and searched for a response. It would have been swift and lethal. Where is an American statesman when we need him? Absent.

Why the title “Shadow Government?” The one we see today is a mere shadow of what we need. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

#195

August 19, 2014

“Spit or Choke?”

Recently, I listened intently as a man who had done considerable research compared ancient Rome with the United States. Rome was the major world power of its day, but its demise came nonetheless. Are we next in line?

A combination of unchecked immigration, excessive subsidies of the poor and rampant overspending finally brought the magnificent power to an end.

The steady growth of Rome came from monitored immigration. Newcomers had to speak the language and adapt to cultural norms. It all worked beautifully for a long time. Then an emerging threat came from Northern Europe, flooding hordes of refugees into the Roman Empire and saturating it with unskilled laborers who sapped the government’s resources.

Of course, all of us (except the Native America tribes) trace our roots to immigrant forebears. Yet the attitude of the times was so different from that of today. I remember my grandfather telling the story of his family. They left LeHarve, France, aboard a huge boat and eventually settled in Kansas. First, they scraped together as tenant farmers and later moved to Illinois. There, my grandfather became an electrical engineer. The first order of the day once they set foot on American soil was to learn and master English. They did — as did countless other families.

Assimilation proved to be the key to success. Yet, sadly, today we see our store signage, many government forms, and even the Social Security Offices chock full of pamphlets in many different languages. We won’t secure our borders. I say, “won’t” because it is hard for me to believe that we can’t. We just don’t. Neither will we demand that English is the language of the country. Oh, that’s right, we might offend someone. Go figure….

Incidentally, English is the language of all air traffic control — worldwide. While it may be hard to master for foreigners, it can be mastered. Those who learn English meld into the population far easier and succeed at a higher rate than those who do not. Common values and common interests only strengthen a nation. Division, on the other hand, only weakens a nation.

Is it unreasonable to ask those seeking freedom and opportunity to learn to speak English? It is unreasonable for us to ask that they work and pay their own way. Oh, I forgot, we don’t even ask that of able-bodied people who find a way to live off the system. Wow. Incentive is gone. It wasn’t three generations ago. Incentive was alive and well.

What happened in these last two generations? Well, there has been a creeping undercurrent of “Uncle Sam will do it for you” implied in program after program. The spurring incentive that propelled Americans to greatness has been replaced by an almost venomous invective. If you criticize any part of the “nanny state”, you are cruel and unfeeling. You’ve seen the films of the insurance investigators taking movies of people carrying large boxes while drawing disability for back problems. Scams live well in today’s world.

Standards for disability dropped precipitously under the current administration, and some actuaries claim that if a person takes advantage of as many government programs as possible, they would earn the equivalent of $60,000 per year. Not bad for sitting back on one’s backside, is it?

The average working American watches the federal government spending money hand over fist and then he or she must choke up the taxes to pay for that excess. This cannot continue unabated. Paying up with be a nasty business.   And just what excuse will be given to the generations unborn saddled with the bill? That will be an interesting conversation.

Am I preaching to the choir? Probably, but it just breaks my heart to see what is happening to my country. Are we truly the land of the free? I wonder for how long.

We see our freedoms disappearing. If a law won’t pass muster in the Congress, then “executive orders” skirt the legislative branch and govern by virtual fiat. We are slipping ever closer to an autocracy and those who scream against it are called anarchists and accused of losing their minds.

Well, it’s not their minds they are losing. It’s their country.

You better not get too accustomed to your utility rates. When the coal-fired power plants shut down, you will be in for a shock — and not an electrical one. Little by little and chip by chip, the incessant reach of an unrestrained — and grossly ignored — executive branch gnaws away at the tree of freedom of choice.

Wasn’t it this bunch that said, “Never let a crisis go to waste?” Well, they revel in any crisis situation. Now, how — as citizens and voters — will we handle the spending crisis, folks? This mid-term election should ignite a fire under anyone working and those retirees who can see the forest for the trees — in this case a forest fire! Maybe, it’s time we fired the majority in the Senate and brought the more than a hundred or so bills to the floor. Those bills have been sitting in a pile, put there by one Harry Reid, a stellar example of how not to be a legislator. Oh, he is the first one to claim that the GOP is responsible for all the inaction, but he refuses to even bring their bills to the floor. And there is more than one reason. It’s not just that he wants them to look bad, it’s because his fellow Democrats would have a hard time voting against sensible bills designed to jump start the economy — not the least of which is The Keystone Pipeline.

This is not the time to sit back and stew about the ballooning of federal regulation and overreach. Get out there and encourage everyone you know to get out the vote.

It’s up to us in the end. Nobody in authority seems to be interested in addressing the growth of federal power. Meanwhile, that debt clock just advances interminably. Will we spit it out or choke on it?

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 194

August 14, 2014

“New Housing Crisis Looms”

Every vocation has its own lingo — those words that resonate with those of a similar occupation that might fall on deaf ears of those unfamiliar with the particular line of work. Machines have parts. Parts have names, and a serious lack of parts can spell disaster for a company, an army, or a nation.

Karim Nice explains my part of choice today by posing a question that many of you may have asked in the past. “Have­ you ever wondered how things like inline skate wheels and electric motors spin so smoothly and quietly?”

The answer can be found in a neat little machine called a bearing. The bearing makes many of the machines we use every day possible. Without bearings, we would be constantly replacing parts that wore out from friction. Don’t despair, folks. There is a method to my madness.

First of all, courtesy of science.com/how stuff works, take a look at the types of bearings and their uses.

Cutaway view of a ball bearing

Photo courtesy The Timken Company

There are many types of bearings, each used for different purposes. These include ball bearings, roller bearings, ball thrust bearings, roller thrust bearings, and tapered roller thrust bearings.

Ball Bearings

Ball bearings, as shown below, are probably the most common type of bearing. They are found in everything from inline skates to hard drives. These bearings can handle both radial and thrusts loads, and are usually found in applications where the load is relatively small.

In a ball bearing, the load is transmitted from the outer race to the ball, and from the ball to the inner race. Since the ball is a sphere, it only contacts the inner and outer race at a very small point, which helps it spin very smoothly. But it also means that there is not very much contact area holding that load, so if the bearing is overloaded, the balls can deform or squish, ruining the bearing.

Roller Bearings

Roller bearings like the one illustrated below are used in applications like conveyer belt rollers, where they must hold heavy radial loads. In these bearings, the roller is a cylinder, so the contact between the inner and outer race is not a point but a line. This spreads the load out over a larger area, allowing the bearing to handle much greater loads than a ball bearing. However, this type of bearing is not designed to handle much thrust loading.

A variation of this type of bearing, called a needle bearing, uses cylinders with a very small diameter. This allows the bearing to fit into tight places.

Cutaway view of a roller bearing

Photo courtesy The Timken Company

Ball Thrust Bearing

Ball thrust bearings like the one shown below are mostly used for low-speed applications and cannot handle much radial load. Barstools and Lazy Susan turntables use this type of bearing.

Ball thrust bearing

Photo courtesy The Timken Company

Roller Thrust Bearing

Roller thrust bearings like the one illustrated below can support large thrust loads. They are often found in gear sets like car transmissions between gears, and between the housing and the rotating shafts. The helical gears used in most transmissions have angled teeth — this causes a thrust load that must be supported by a bearing.

Roller thrust bearing

Photo courtesy The Timken Company

Tapered Roller Bearings

Tapered roller bearings can support large radial and large thrust loads.

Tapered roller bearings are used in car hubs, where they are usually mounted in pairs facing opposite directions so that they can handle thrust in both directions.

A list of machines that require bearings would be far too extensive for any column such as this. The crux of the matter is that there is a real cost to losing that once-proud and sought-after label: “Made in America.”

My husband is a farmer and he can fix just about anything. In addition, he is an avid snowmobiler and he spends a portion of the summer tweaking his “sleds” and readying them for the upcoming winter season. Recently, he noticed that bearings in one of his sleds were pretty worn. That surprised him, given the age of the sled. Generally, he expected the bearings that were made in the USA to last for a certain range in terms of miles. The Timken name is well known and equated with quality.

Shopping for the new snowmobile bearings should have been easy, and it was. However, results were surprising. You see, while the bearing did have the familiar, trusted Timken name, another credit was etched into the bearing. You got it: Made in China. Store after store, the answer was the same. My husband could not find bearings made here.

So, where are we now? Nearly every machine has a housing and relies on bearings within that housing. How smart is it to be in a position where our bearings are made overseas? Oh, undoubtedly, there will be those who claim that Americans supervise the production. Well, if that is right, then why is the quality so much lower than in the past? Retailers and jobbers tell us that the quality has dropped precipitously and that the bearings imported today are not equal to those made here.

I said over ten years ago in one of my first columns that I feared America was feeding the tiger that would devour her. My opinion hasn’t changed. Isn’t it about time we brought at least a good percentage of the bearing production back home? Where will we be if the Chinese government stops shipping bearings? How long would it take us to begin to manufacture them again? How long would machines sit idle with no “guts” to run them?   Machine housings need bearings.

Are we ready for this new housing crisis? I wonder if most of us even realize it exists. You had better think about this one. It could spell disaster for what is left of the mechanized portion of our economy.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

#193

July 8, 2014

“Red”

I love red —- the color, that is. Red is a strong color. It anchors the brilliant white stripes in our flag and beautifully contrasts the blue field of shining stars in the corner of our beloved banner. However, other types of red have us “seeing red” and wondering if there will ever be an uptick to our human condition here in the United States. I would have said “within our borders”, but since we don’t really have sovereign, defended borders, that quip will bite the dust quicker than a tumbleweed in a west Texas windstorm.

Once upon a time, an American president claimed to draw a “red line” in Syria over its caches of chemical weapons. When they ignored his threat, the consequences were nonexistent. Why? He did nothing.

In the past our government has operated in the red, but not to a degree that endangers every American adult’s financial security and every young American’s career dreams. Yes, presidents (both Republican and Democrat) increased our debt, but never to the extent of the current occupant on the Oval Office. We are not only adrift in red ink, we are- — to a person — drowning in it.

And now for the other red, the Communist “Red”, the red that Joseph McCarthy railed against. Yes, he was fearless and caustic, but in many ways he was right. There is a “red menace” and its goals become clearer as you read this column.

Only an uninformed, uneducated population is at the mercy of its leader or leaders. When our media debase this nation’s basic values, when “educators” edit our children’s textbooks, and when TV and radio air clearly biased news reports or — most dangerous of all — omit news that does not fit a liberal broadcaster’s agenda, we place ourselves not only in harm’s way, but trussed to the tracks with a freight train barreling toward us at high speed.

Diversity is wonderful when viewed in terms of thought and opinion, but diversity taken to the extreme is more than dangerous, it is deadly. I recently read several articles on how schools discipline administrators for programs aimed at polishing English speaking and writing skills in our children. If you don’t think this happens, consider the fate of Texas Middle School Principal Amy Lacey in Hempstead, a Houston suburb. Her contract was not renewed. Why? She encouraged her students to speak English in the classroom so they would have a better chance at succeeding in life. Please, give me air.

If your family moved to Spain or France, do you think the educational system there would allow your child to speak English in the classroom? Hardly. Unless, and until, great numbers of Americans speak out about this, this nonsensical, “politically correct” behavior will continue. Why should those who push this disgusting policy change if the people do not rise to oppose them?

There is a big difference between exposure and immersion. Merely exposing a child to a new language is useless. Immersing that child in the new language works best. Yes, it is hard. However, ask this question? Is the opportunity to live in this nation worth the effort? The answer: Absolutely.

The tail is wagging the dog and the poor dog (America) is nearly on her knees. The whole situation makes me see red! I see red lines ignored, red ink drowning the hopes and dreams of my grandchildren, and a red threat in Putin that reeks of despotism at its greatest.

Why should the schools change if parents don’t object and local governments don’t get involved? Our national debt will continue to spiral upward unless we sidestep the pork at the federal level and pay for our services at the local level.

Russia is on the march and may invade Ukraine and take over a sovereign nation. It is sad that Ukraine did not join the EU, but it did not. Can we leave the Ukraine hung out to dry? Can NATO do nothing? Why should Putin stop? Talk is cheap, and talk is all we are hearing these days.

Getting back to red, Old Glory flies in peril today. Dangerous reds come first — the ink (debt) and the threat (Putin). The blues deepen as our beloved country crumbles before our eyes. Finally, we turn ghostly white to find that we are not dreaming, but relegated to being subject to a corrupt system that milks us of every possible dollar, ignores our heritage and faith-based values, and dooms us to the dismal status of far too many countries across the globe: broke and broken.

It’s that old country lyric again, “You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.” Hmmmmm…..

Get involved. Make your voice heard. Letters, emails and calls need to flood the offices of our elected representatives in Washington, D.C. Stop incessant spending. Eliminate the Department of Education. Take action against Russia. So long as Putin and his cohorts have their own way, the spread of Communism will once again threaten to march across Europe. We have always stood for freedom. We need to do it again.

Flood the switchboards in our nation’s capital. How long will you stay silent?

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

#192

July 26, 2014

“Sharing”

Given the events over the past two weeks, I am not surprised that a column has not come forward forthwith. Every once in a while, current events — both national and international — come down with a thump to the point that words can fail a columnist. And so it has been with me….

Some human conditions are truly horrible, and most — sadly — are of other humans’ making. The only concept surviving this maelstrom is sharing armaments with neighboring countries.

For more than two hundred years, Americans have shared the message that freedom and unleashing men and women to launch their ideas into products and services are the highest and most valuable of all examples to put forth for all peoples.

Lest we forget, the taking of Crimea is the first instance since World War II that one European country has forcibly taken a portion of another. And what do we do? Nothing. Do we answer the pleas of the Ukrainian government for small arms to use against the Russian-supported rebels? No. Do we take a public position and institute further sanctions against Russia for this macabre sponsorship? No.

It is the same scenario seen in 2009 when young Syrians begged for the US to help them. We stood by and did nothing. Never in our history have we taken such a passive stance. And why?

Perhaps it is because those within the highest levels of government are deluded by the rancorous socialist (yes socialist!) ideal that violence never accomplishes anything. Well, if that were true, then we would all be speaking German and no Jew would be breathing in either Europe or America. Yes, folks, Hitler would have single-handedly taken Europe, and likely, America. Those V-2 rockets and similar weapons were meant for us. Thankfully, Adolf did not get that far.

Why? The European nations, with America’s help, defeated him and his precious Third Reich.

And so we come to today. Christianity preceded Islam in Iraq. Yet we see the Muslims threatening the few remaining Christians. Convert, flee or die. My, isn’t that a nice tenet for a “religion?”

And where is our government on this? AWOL: “Absent With Out Love.” This nation was based on the strong belief in God and the freedom to worship. Yet we see God routinely banished from the public schools and the public squares. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to read the Old Testament and see what happened to a nation that turned its back on God. As I remember, those nations ceased to exist.

I fear that the United States is on a similar path. Have we sunk so far that we heed the voices of an infinitesimal number of atheists? It’s may be more than the tail wagging the dog. I may well be the death knell for a civilization.

We have shared the message of peace and freedom, but it has been a hard won message. Phrases like “walk softly but carry a big stick” and “peace through strength” come to mind.

If we are anything these days, it’s not strong. We show no strength in the face of real crises. We proclaim no strong message to the Palestinians who lob rockets into cities across Israel. We send them billions — yes billions with a capital “b” — of dollars every year. Oh, joy! We fund the people who bomb Israel at every available opportunity.

Thanks to Joan Rivers, a proud American who has been to Israel. She stood up to a reporter at an airport the other day and told it like it is. Before she finally gathered up her bags and went into the terminal, she made some cogent, informed comments, uncommon these days, especially from people in the entertainment arena.

Joan Rivers, clearly irritated by press coverage of the Hamas-Israeli situation, said the major networks should be ashamed of themselves for not telling the American people the truth. Clearly, her following comments merit repetition.
When first approached to comment, (paraphrased) she said, “If New Jersey fired rockets into New York City and tunneled underground to get into the city, we would flatten it.”

Replying to a question about collateral damage and innocent people dying, Ms. Rivers said, “Then tell them (The Hamas Palestinians) not to put their ***-dammed missiles and rockets in schools and private homes!”

Clearly hoping for a liberal answer, the reporter kept up questions. In response, Ms. Rivers recoiled at the press and shouted, “What’s the matter with you people (the press)? They (Palestinians) started it! THEY started it! I’ve been there (Israel). I know.”

Disgusted, she turned and walked away. Kudos to you, Joan Rivers. You see what is happening and you are not afraid to “tell it like it is!”

So, is this what America has become? A by-stander to unspeakable carnage on an international scale? Pulling US Embassy personnel from Libya? At least somebody is getting our people out this time. Explain that to the families of Ambassador Chris Stevens and his comrades killed at Benghazi.

Slowly but surely, we are becoming an international joke. Donald Rumsfeld said it best, “Weakness is provocative.” What’s next? I would not hazard a guess. Perhaps hazard is a word that best describes what awaits us.

We have tens of thousands of Central American women and children pouring over our borders. We are no longer a nation, because the definition of a nation is land defined by a border. Our borders are not only ill defined, they are also invisible.

Remember that “line in the sand” about Syria and chemical weapons? I imagine that the Syrian people do. They could not count on us then, and the Palestinians think that the Israeli people cannot count on us now.

America’s love of freedom spread to peoples far and wide over centuries now fades for her own people here at home. Our freedom teeters with government intrusion into the most basic portions of our daily lives. Our freedom teeters when bureaucrats hold sway over what health care we receive and rend the relationship between doctor and patient. Our freedom teeters when the executive arbitrarily changes a written law and chooses to only enforce other laws of which it approves. Federal law rules at the border, yet this administration brings suit against states that try to enforce immigration law and stations personnel 40-50 miles inside the border. And when did you hear that Mexican troops recently fired on US Border agents?

If, as I believe, masses of Americans see what is happening today, how can they remain silent? I hope and, yes, pray they do not. Do your part and email and call anyone and everyone you can. They are your representatives. Do they represent you and your views? Ask yourself that and then look at the children around you every day. It is their future — that is, if we GIVE them a future.

My grandparents often made a statement that describes today’s events. “The world is going to hell in a hand basket.” It is, isn’t it? There is only one resource left to us, and it is not man, but our Creator.

It’s high time that we shared something else. It’s time we shared the love for America that has fueled her progress from her founding. America is a nation of which to be proud, not a nation for which to apologize.

Its time we shared the firm effort to demand and exact change at the highest levels of our government. It’s time we changed BACK to the America we knew before it was “fundamentally changed.” Fundamentally, America was strong, firm, and a world power. This “changed” America is anything but….

“God help us.” Nobody else seems to care.

Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 191

“The Dotted Line”

As I walked through a room the other day, I stopped before a document carefully framed and displayed for all to see — my great-grandfather’s immigration papers issued at Ellis Island.

Ferdinand Schott, Republic of France, 1895. Six words, simply put, indelibly a part of my heritage and that of my brother. Republic of France, the nation borne of struggle and the nation that came, under Lafayette, to the colonists’ aid during the Revolutionary War… the nation with the starring role in the memorable, moving musical derived from Victor Hugo’s magnificent work, “Les Miserables”… the nation to which Americans returned to wrest it from the iron grip of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich….

I remember my grandfather, Lewis Schott, telling me of holding his mother’s hand on deck of a ship leaving LeHarve. He was five years old. His family embarked on a journey to a strange land in search of freedom and opportunity. He found it, eventually becoming an electrical engineer and bringing electricity to my hometown in the early 1900s. The early years were hard, but hurdles did not stop my ancestors. They learned English immediately and set about to earn their living, first in a “soddy” in Kansas and then near Rankin, Illinois, where they finally found a permanent home.

I’ve seen a picture of my great-grandfather. It was taken in a vineyard. He was a small man, but with big dreams. When I was in grade school in the 1950s, one of my teachers looked forward with zest to a bottle of Grandpa’s homemade wine, brewed carefully in large jars on the enclosed back porch of the little house on Broadway. There were jars of cherry, grape, and elderberry wine. I lament the fact that none of us learned from him. Any wine we serve comes from wineries, not from the back porch.

Ellis Island suffered mightily during Hurricane Sandy, but will once again welcome visitors who will marvel at its vacuous spaces where untold numbers of immigrants first met Americans in person. Interviews and medical examinations proved too much for those returned to their points of origin. Even at the height of the surge in the late 19th century, America had her thinking cap on tightly and refused those with dangerous health conditions or communicable diseases.

That’s a 180-degree departure from what we see on our borders today. No longer do we see orderly immigration, immigration complete with papers and documentation of those wishing to come to America. We see hordes of people urged to come here with false information. The British press coverage is interesting, because it notes that people in South America also hear the message that coming to the USA is free and open to all.

Oh, please. Consider the rules for importing pets into this country. All such importation is subject to health, quarantine, agriculture, wildlife, and US Customs requirements and prohibitions. Pets taken out of the United States and returned are subject to the same requirements as those entering for the first time.
Sadly, pets excluded from entry into the United States must either be exported or destroyed. While awaiting disposition, pets will be detained at the owner’s expense at the port of arrival.
The U.S. Public Health Service requires that pet dogs and cats brought into this country be examined at the first port of entry for evidence of diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Dogs coming from areas not free of rabies must be accompanied by a valid rabies vaccination certificate. Turtles are subject to certain restrictions, and monkeys may not be imported as pets under any circumstances.
So, our government is more concerned with pets entering the country than people. So much for any modicum of common sense here!

My kitchen strainer has better control than the US border. The only thing that deters illegal immigration is a permanent, enforced border. Walls and authorities It’s time that we dispatch California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas National Guard personnel to the border. What better time for a terrorist to come across the border than when border guard workers are pulled from their normal areas to deal with all these children?

Our country is at risk. Our everyday lives are in peril. What happens if a terrorist gets across the border with a suitcase nuclear device. What if some of these children are pawns in a deadly game of disease as a weapon? Remember, these children are not dispersed in areas close to the border. HHS is flying them to every corner of this nation. What better way to spread disease and mayhem. Trojan horses? No Trojan ponies — innocent children used in the most despicable ways.

Murrieta, California, residents see the danger. Do you?

Our power grid vulnerable to attack, too. It only takes an attack on it to cripple us all.

A nation without borders is a nation without laws. A nation without laws is doomed. Demand security of your government — if there is still time., as Americans, are much too passive. We leave big problems to “the other guy” to solve. I would hate to see what would happen if “Undercover Boss” used responsible Americans to infiltrate government agencies, specifically HHS. (For the time being, let’s leave IRS, NSA, and VA out of it.)

My, that would be enlightening, wouldn’t it? I wonder what we would find? Hmmmmm….. It’s as if HHS and the Department of Justice are hell bent on bringing in anyone who breathes, regardless of the fact that the vast majority cannot speak English and lack the skills to do even the most basic jobs. The one say to “fundamentally transform America” is to assure that the gap between rich and poor (seen throughout human history) will disappear. Why? There will be equality. Everyone will be equally poor.

I don’t want to think that those at the highest levels are using our federal agencies to deliberately weaken the nation, but too many events point in that direction. It’s as if all these crises are part of a carefully orchestrated plan. Oh, one more point on the border situation — not one truck would have crossed that border and not one tourist plane would have lifted off a runway in the USA until Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi was released. Our government stands by and does nothing for him, and yet extends a full welcome to hundreds of thousands of illegals. Yes, folks, illegals. Not undocumented. Against the law means illegal.

Even a lifeboat has a capacity. Ours is overflowing. It’s time we stiffened our backs and opened our mouths to demand full compliance at the borders with enough armed authorities to enforce the borders. If we don’t, our fate is sealed. We will have been fundamentally transformed as a nation all right, but to one we will not recognize.

Oh, we need transformation, but of another kind altogether.

It’s time that any US border is more than the dotted line appearing on a map. It’s time for THE dotted line at the bottom of common sense Congressional legislation — a bill moved that lands on the desk in the Oval Office. It’s high time for a bill to “fundamentally transform” the US Border Patrol to fully enforce the border to maintain national security. We deserve nothing less. Think about it.