Typically, I pick one topic and begin my.....rant? Is that fair? I suppose tonight is no different, though. The one topic is the evening news...and the horrendous reports coming at us simultaneously. If I didn't know better, I'd swear someone was sitting inside the studios at Rockefeller Center feeding fake stories into Brian Williams' teleprompter. So many 'fun' things to discuss - where do I begin? Maybe we'll just take them in the same order as Brian.
The Secret Service, a branch of the Treasury Department, has removed the security clearances of 11 of their agents because they are accused, along with five military personnel, of bringing prostitutes back to their rooms during a trip to Cartagena, Colombia. This was the President's advance team and, ironically, this was all brought into the open because, on the morning after the alleged incident one of the men refused to pay one of the prostitutes. As I pause for a moment, let's ponder that together - a Secret Service agent, after bringing a prostitute back to his room, decided NOT to pay her. I feel like this is one of those 'pictures' where I now ask, "Which of these things doesn't fit?" None of it fits! We could start with, "How could you be so monumentally stupid?" as the initial question for these men, but that seems rhetorical to me. This isn't like an insurance salesman going to a convention and picking up a woman in the bar. They're the Secret Service...and at a time like this, with actions like these, I have to wonder if they thought they were in a Saturday Night Live skit - "Sshhh...we're in the Secret Service. It's a secret. Don't worry - no one will tell." The worst part is the shame and embarrassment these few agents brought to what has, and always will be, a proud group of individuals who are willing to put themselves between a bullet and their protectee. As one former agent said tonight, "No one is asking for a pass nor are they making any excuses, but any of us that have ever served are deeply embarrassed by these actions." Mark my words - the fallout will be swift and broad. If there is any doubt about anyone in particular, I believe they'll be gone. Okay, again I ask, "He refused to pay her?" How bloody stupid can you be??? Okay, moving on....
Mitt Romney. I'm not really sure what else to day. Based on everything I'm seeing, though, I can only ask, "When is the Great White Hope going to arrive in the form of a real Republican candidate?" Every time I watch this man, I can only think one thing - he can't get out of his own way fast enough. Seriously. Every four years or so, we're treated to a politician opening their mouths when a microphone is 'hot' and they are unaware. Here's a tip - don't say stupid things. Ever. It'll help. You might even appear to be, well, in touch with the rest of the world and the plight of the American people in general. Again, moving on.....
The GSA. I expounded on this subject a few weeks ago, however they deserve a bit more public scorn, don't you agree? As I watched the local news this evening, they broadcast the story of a 62-year old black man that goes to a job fair every week, dressed in coat and tie, trying to find a job. He appeared to be a proud man and one that will not let the current state of the economy get him down. He wants to be an earner. He wants to work, though he can find nothing. Yet while the economy continues to languish at the basement door, our tax dollars are being put to good use. They're helping fund the 'training classes' for the GSA. Yes, our friends in the General Services Administration spent in excess of $800,000.00 for a conference in Las Vegas. The commissioner that presided over that conference appeared before Congress today, as lawmakers showed their bipartisan disdain for his actions. The incredible part of this story, though, is that Jeff Neely was testifying and asserted his Fifth Amendment rights......SIX times! I'm sorry. I understand (and love) our Constitution, believe me. I cannot, however, abide by a public servant in this position, squandering our tax dollars, then pleading the fifth. Where will this end? When are we, as a society, send an irrefutable message to the politicians that enough is enough? He should, in my opinion, be held criminally liable. In a time where we can give someone $1 Million for spilling hot coffee on themselves, why can we not find a way to hold people liable for stealing from us, the American public in general? Sweating....and moving on.......
It was almost one year ago that tornadoes ripped violently through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Last night, after having a terrific advance warning, more than 100 tornadoes touched down again in the Midwest. Violently, they tore houses apart and left people homeless. One woman remarked that on this, her birthday, she was happy that her husband and children were alive. "It's a house. I can rebuild it. I can't rebuild them," she said referring to her family. When asked if she would stay, she said, "I'm not leaving if that's what you mean. This is my home." There is nothing more enduring than the American spirit. At this age, I have seen many disasters tear apart certain locales. What always strikes me as motivational and amazing is that, no matter what the situation or amount of loss, the American people pull together, stand side by side, and carry on. We endure. We survive. We rebuild. God bless the people of the midwest tonight...and everyone touched by last night's storms. They are, and always will be, the embodiment of what 'American' means.
Until next time.....
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