“FROM PARIS WITH LOVE” Movie reviews, et al

YOUTH IN REVOLT -  Rating = O

Teenage nerd, Nick Twisp, falls in love with teen girl which leads to amateurish zany scenes and predictable script. One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Pure garbage. Not because of language or sexual predicaments (common in all movies these days) but the poor directing, inane dialogue and pure trash for acting. This is the kind of movie that appeals to 19-year-old kids on drugs and alcohol, with nothing going for them in the world other than video games and body parts. Any professional movie rater that gave this any stars, should be fired from their jobs. We walked out after 40 minutes.

BOOK OF ELI -  Rating = 8

Another apocalyptic movie about one man surviving the devastated planet long after the bomb(s). This was much better than “The Road” because it actually had a plot, a mission and a worthwhile script. Denzel Washington did a credible job (as always) as the man with a mission. It’s another long and depressing picture, but in its context, well done.

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES  -  Rating  6 1/2

Inspired by the true story of John Crowley, a man who defied great odds and risked his family’s future to pursue a cure for his children’s life threatening disease. Supported by his beautiful wife Aileen (Keri Russell) and their three children, John (Brandon Fraser) is on the fast track. But just as his career is taking off, Crowley walks away from it all when his two youngest children are diagnosed with a fatal disease. With Aileen by his side, harnessing all of his skill and determination, Crowley teams up with a brilliant, but unappreciated and unconventional scientist, Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford). I’ll spare the rest of the story in case you want to see it.

The best actors in the picture are the two girls that play Crowley’s daughters. From there, Ford is good, and Fraser…well…he should stick to silly thrillers like “The Mummy” and stay away from serious acting. Oscar winner, he’s not.

Inspiring story. Worth the ticket price.

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE = 8 ½

John Travolta’s best picture since “Pulp Fiction” and maybe his best ever.

This is a fast-paced spy movie, laden with stunts, guns, murder and humor. Normally, I get impatient with movies that depict gratuitous and senseless violence, but this one is an exception. Travolta plays an eccentric agent trying to teach his nerdy partner the ropes, as they razzle-dazzle fight after fight in Paris, with chases, Karate, bad guys, the girl,…the works. Half the time, I found myself bursting in laughter. Travolta is magic in this picture. If it weren’t such a spoof, he might have been nominated for an Oscar.

Probably more of a guy picture, but ladies who like action and belly laughter will like this too. Suzanne did.

Have fun

A HOLIDAY BLOG GREETING

Thank you.

I have appreciated all your thoughts, comments, ideas and dissent on this blog site over the last couple of years, many of which have been enlightening and informative. I know we are not always in agreement, but America is a wondrous place where free speech and exercise of our rights give us the forum to espouse whatever opinions we have, so long as we don’t incite the violation of laws or threaten harm to anyone else. Few places on planet Earth allow that. Yet we take it for granted. We think it will always be here. It might not.

As we speak, countries all over the world, including some in Europe are acquiescing to intimidation which will prohibit the exercise of free speech and expression of opinion. The change is happening. Those kinds of restrictions exist throughout Asia, Africa, the mid–east and some places in South America. We don’t want that ever to reach America.

In that regard, please indulge me with a very short story. Not long ago, in preparation for an upcoming performance, I was practicing music with a Russian-born friend who immigrated to the U.S. in 1990. We’ll call him Nicolas. A humble man, he had come to America as a scientist and raised his family here. He played great Russian folk music on guitar, and I enjoyed playing a schmaltzy violin with him.

I mentioned that we would soon get some local publicity for our show. At that moment, the mood changed. With his thick Russian accent he said to me, “No. No. Please, don’t use my name in the newspaper about us playing music.”

“Why not?” I asked, somewhat stunned.

My friend bore a somber look on his face. “Well, ” he hesitated. “No one at my work knows I play this music.”

“So?” I said. “What’s the problem?”

“Well, I don’t want to get fired. You never know.”

Then it hit me. Nicolas’ fears were still mired in totalitarian Russia. He had long left the oppression of strict communism — eighteen years — but communism never left him. It was a stark reminder of how much of the world is prohibited from free exercise of thought and expression. The KGB left a mark on Nicolas that still burned inside his belly.

I am a great lover of this country. I never want to see that happen in America. That’s why I write so passionately about retaining the freedoms our forefathers outlined for us, and that every inch we move closer to a more powerful government controlling our lives is another inch toward the dissolution of our individual liberties. When those inches start adding into feet and yards, then miles, it’s a slow process which we don’t often realize until the end result. Then it can be too late. There are forces at work today who have fierce designs on doing just that. It doesn’t take a scholar to know that, only a person who delves a little and cares a lot.

Meanwhile, I will always respect those who disagree on this site so long as it is done respectfully. I think I’ve only deleted four responses in two years, and that was because of foul or insulting language that had no place on my blogs. And to all my supporters, my deepest appreciation for all the contributions you have made. Even if you do not comment on line, I know you are reading and — when you so choose — passing my articles on to others.

And for those who cannot present logical arguments, and assign me labels like “radical” or “right wing extremist” and so forth, remember the story of Nicolas.  I’m only doing my part in preventing you and me from heading in that direction.    

Wishing all of you a great holiday, and a wonderful 2010.

Thanks

Marshall Frank

TRUSTING THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF?

This 10-minute video has been circulated around the Internet for some time. Many will say that it’s a cut and paste job. That’s true. If it was not cut and pasted, it would go on for hours. But the words speak for themselves. You be the judge.

Click here: YouTube – Obama Admits He Is A Muslim#t=28

Here’s a list of terrorist acts in the last 30 years, on American soil.

(

Thanks to

3,308 killed by Muslims in America in 65 terror attacks)The religion of peace.com

KUDOS TO CANADA

A recent visit to my wife’s hometown of Cornwall, Ontario, left me with a new perspective about our friendly neighbor to the north.

Let’s start with a make-up Rotary Club meeting at the Ramada Inn, next to the bridge which crosses into the U.S.A. Yes, people were very friendly, Yes the food was great. But most stunning, was the homage paid to the United States in the opening ritual. I noticed two flags at the front of the room; One with the red maple leaf, the other with the stars and stripes. Then, the woman president said, “Let’s all sing the national anthems.” (Emphasis added to the plural) To my amazement, I was in another country where their citizens were singing The Star Spangled Banner, before they moved on to Oh Canada. Stunned, would best describe my reaction.

I later asked the president, why? For several reasons, she replied. The Canadians love and respect the United States. Rotary Clubs are international, but they originated in the U.S. Cornwall borders our country, and their district includes Rotary Clubs south of their border as well.

While in Canada for those few days, I asked a number of people about their health care system. Boiled down, this is what I got:

* The population feels protected by a national system where everyone is covered

* Doctors make far less money because most are on the government teat.

* Waiting lists and priorities do exist. The most serious get attention first. Less serious problems, such as the need for shoulder or knee replacements, may require many months before someone will get an MRI. Same with minor stomach aches and head colds. Cancer and heart disease goes to the front of the line.

* Much depends on the province one lives in. Health care systems are more reliable in wealthier provinces, such as Ontario and Quebec, than in more rural, such as Manitoba.

* Canadians who can afford, may still buy private health insurance as a guarantee for speedier health care no matter the illness.

* The costs are skyrocketing. Many fault the huge influx of immigration…legal and illegal, which is overloading the system.

* With the lack of domestic health care providers to meet the demand, Canada is turning to foreign doctors and nurses for their health care.

Moving on —

Friendlier people do not exist anywhere else on earth. Eh? Not only in Ontario and Montreal, Suzanne’s roots. On 9/11/01, yours truly was aboard an British Airways flight from Heahtrow when the news came about the terrorist attack. My plane was diverted to a previously unheard of town called Moncton, New Brunswick. I had to remain there for three days before the U.S. Airports reopened. The people of New Brunswick were amazing, hosting and boarding many of the 2500 passengers from the twenty-two planes that landed at that small airstrip. They did all they could to alleviate the burdens and anxiety of passengers whose lives were wrenched from a normal straight line, to a sudden spiral.

Sure, Canada has it’s problems, like anywhere else. Eh? But they have stood shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. in many conflicts, including the current war in Afghanistan. But not without a mind of their own, for their government did not feel the pre-emptive war in Iraq was justified, though they did send personnel to help with reconstruction and the training of Iraqi police.

Mind of their own, indeed. During the recent summit at the United Nations, Canada was among the first (with Israel) to lead the boycott of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his address to the General Assembly. The U.S. followed suit, walking out along with several other nations, leaving the assembly half empty while the mad man of Iran blathered on with hate rhetoric. “There is no way I am going to permit any official of the government of Canada to be present and give any legitimacy to remarks by a leader like that,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Amen.

Canada facts that you might find interesting:

* Canada is the second largest country in the world, with 3,883,855 square miles.

* Canada has the ninth largest economy in the world

* Canada is the home of many great inventions, including: Basketball, Lacrosse, the electric light bulb, the electric range, insulin, the electron microscope, standard time, the telephone, and the zipper.

Greatest All-time TV Sitcoms?

Finally, a few thoughts on the lighter side.

Most people will call me an old fogey, but the truth remains, I cannot find any modern sitcom shows that match the great writing, acting and humor of by-gone days when many of the shows were performed before a live audience and canned laughter was not always needed to instigate laughter.

I realize Seinfeld, Everyone Loves Raymond and Frasier were all big hits, but I often found myself scratching my head at the sound of uproarious laughter when there was nothing that funny about the dialogue. Rare did those shows trigger a belly laugh to compare to The Honeymooners and All In The Family.

Okay, enough with the rant. Here’s my list of the top ten sitcoms of all time:

All In The Family

The Honeymooners

I Love Lucy

The Jeffersons

The Cosby Show

MASH

Night Court

The Golden Girls

Cheers

The Nanny

Five Honorable mentions:

Taxi

Dick Van Dyke Show

Different Strokes

Three’s Company

The Odd Couple

Okay, your choices?

TIME TO SAY “I LOVE YOU”

Delete

In the end, it comes down to that.

Some folks think the worst things about growing older are losing good health or losing good looks. For me, it’s losing all those wonderful friends on the e-mail directory. The older we get, the more often we find ourselves removing folks from the list. These last two years have been particularly sad as I’ve eulogized three and lost a half dozen others, all far too premature.

Delete

This past week, we attended the grave side service of a close friend of more than twelve years. We had lunch with Marvin Schild and his devoted wife, Jean, just two months ago in New Smyrna Beach. A champion tennis player on the senior circuit, Marvin gleefully announced that doctors had pronounced his cancer in full remission. The remission didn’t last long. He was 79.

A past president of the Florida Bar Association, Marvin was also a former municipal judge and city attorney who practiced many years in the Miami area before moving to Maggie Valley, N.C. where we met. He was a delight to argue with, me on the right, he on the left. We dispelled the old adage that the twain shall never meet, because it did on many occasion. Often, he awakened me to the logic of a different position, while he maintained an open mind to my points of view.

Marvin Schild was a deeply caring person who always pulled for the underdog. I will miss him deeply. I only wish he had known that. Shoulda told him when I had the chance.

Delete

Jim Duckworth (Jimmie Dee) and I attended the police academy together in 1960. This man was not only a great cop, but a vigorous stalwart for police officers in general. We worked Homicide together through the early 1970s and remained good friends for life. An ardent athlete, it seemed nothing would ever bring him down. But it did. I visited him just hours before he passed and whispered into his ear, “Love you, Jimmie.” He was 74.

Jim Duckworth left behind three grown kids and grandkids who also adored him, and of course, his devoted wife, Fran.

Delete

I met Don Argo at a book signing in Melbourne in 2003. We became instant friends. Not to be deceived by a deep Arkansas drawl, Don was one of the most respected math teachers ever at a local college. Because of his unquenchable thirst for knowledge, some folks called him a genius. His tenacious research was evident upon reading his historical novel, “Canaveral Light,” which told of the early settling on the eastern shores of Florida after the Civil War. We critiqued each others work head-on, voraciously.

Like Jim Duckworth, I visited Don just hours before he passed. He sputtered his final words to me from the edge of a bed, “Don’t … forget … to finish Orville T. Madison.” (Protagonist’s name in my new novel) To the end, he thought about others. He, too, left behind four children that loved him and devoted wife, Kathy.

Privileged to be called his friend, Don Argo was a man who I admired greatly. Damn, I shoulda told him that when I had the chance.

Delete

George Gilbert Reincke and I were juvenile delinquents together in the 1950s, and never ended our buddy relationship over 55 years of trials and tribulations, dual police careers, broken marriages and plenty of wild days and evenings, some too racy to tell about here. George and I were always there for each other during tough times, much like brothers would be.

We were on the golf course in the North Carolina mountains in the summer of 1985 when he started feeling sick. Diagnosis: Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He went in and out of remission several times during the next 22 years, before the cancer finally won the battle. My wife and I were at his bedside when he passed, along with his ex-wife, Bobbie. George was 68, leaving behind two grown daughters who he cherished.

I really loved that guy. Damn…why didn’t I tell him when I had the chance?

Delete

The beat goes on.

Harry Wendler, top cop and long time administrator with an acerbic sense of humor and wicked golf swing, passed away last year. Delete.

Gary Arbeiter, old high school chum, died suddenly on Father’s Day at age 70. Thank goodness we had a reunion among the old gang two years ago. Delete.

Ray Eggler, stand-up cop and former Homicide detective who worked with and for me during the 1960s and 70s. A hard worker and strong supporter of the PBA, Ray was always there for those who needed him. Delete.

Mike Hammerschmidt, J. B. Johnson, Art Hill, John Coogan, Bill Sampson…all good cops who I worked with over a period of thirty years, have passed in the last two. Delete.

Ray Beck, former Marine, trained me to be a homicide detective in 1966. He was one of those “do it right, or don’t do it at all” people. In later years, Ray worked under  my command. Twas most uncomfortable, me supervising Ray Beck. He fought lung cancer for many years. I received a surprise call one day when I was living in North Carolina. Obviously in great pain, Ray struggled to speak. “Just…wanted…to… tell you…you were like a son to me. I love you. Goodbye.” Three days later, he was gone. Raymond J. Beck, class act. Delete.

Say it, folks. Utter those words. Regardless of sex, political leanings, religion or color, let those people who are especially close to your heart, know how you really feel. While you can. You may wish you had.

Delete

 That dreaded key.

MICHAEL JACKSON GREATEST ALL TIME ENTERTAINER?

As the media frenzy wanes following his untimely demise, pundits continue to exalt Michael Jackson, ad nauseam, as “the greatest entertainer” of all time. In fact, Jackson may have been the most popular entertainer of all time, but to call him the “greatest” is a stretch.

Jackson was a mesmerizing song and dance act, who relied on back-up dancers and singers to enhance his performance, not to mention sound equipment that wasn’t yet invented in days of yore. Beyond that, Jackson did little else. He was one-dimensional. He didn’t act, he didn’t impersonate, he didn’t have a wide vocal range, nor could he classically dance beyond his own unique style. Had an unknown Michael Jackson auditioned as a bare solo in the initial phase for today’s American Idol show — minus instruments, dancers, chorus or sound machines — I doubt he would have made it to the next round.

Young folks unfamiliar with the entertainment industry beyond the years of Madonna should be forgiven, for they simply don’t have a frame of reference for “all-time.” Show business has been around for eons during which we have seen many who could be tagged “the greatest” in terms of raw talent and spellbinding entertainment.

Vaudeville gave us Bob Hope, Berle, Ray Bolger and Rudy Vallee. Later came Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Frank Sinatra and Carol Burnett all of whom could do just about anything, and do it better than well. Liza Minnelli’s one-woman show was unparalleled by anyone. And, of course, there was Elvis.

But one man stands alone like no other. He was not only great, he was multi-dimensional, bursting with raw talent in a myriad of genre in which Michael Jackson — and most others — could not come close. Another great performer once knelt on hands and knees before an packed audience to kiss his feet.

This entertainment giant overcame discrimination during the heights of segregation. He could not sleep in a hotel with white people, nor eat at their tables, nor walk in the front door of the very night clubs he was performing in. Yet the show went on. He fought against the Las Vegas and other establishments for black’s rights. He was a remarkable impressionist. He was an accomplished actor, appearing in thirty-six movies, one of which he sang the memorable Gershwin song, “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from in Porgy And Bess.He also starred with the original “rat pack” in the 1960s. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his Broadway performance in Golden Boy. He sang with a wide vocal range and a variety of style, including blues, jazz, popular and Broadway songs, selling multi-millions of records — via 48 albums – in a genre that was not considered his best forte.

That was reserved for his sheer power as a stage performer, singing and dancing with moves that Michael Jackson later emulated, including the earlier version of the now-popular “moon walk.” The hat, the legs, the poses, the leanings, the spins, the look…they were all his long before Michael Jackson was but a notion in his father’s mind. His tap dancing routines have been used on teaching films for young dancers. More than anything, his connection with an audience was personal, loving, intimate and caring. He reached out and touched, not from afar but up close and personal. He looked people directly in the eyes, though he only had one of his own.

Besides his on-stage accomplishments, he served his country in the U.S. Army during WW II. He wrote a book. He was politically active, respected and adored by both sides of the aisle. He was the first African-American to be invited to sleep in the White House. (by Richard Nixon) He actively fought on behalf of the civil rights movement. His only public controversy brewed from marrying a white woman in 1960, considered risque in those days. The list goes on.

Controversy? We’ll not even mention Jackson’s issues of questionable behavior, his crisis with racial identity, his known payoffs of hush money to accusers of sexual misconduct, not to mention criminal charges for which he was acquitted. That is another story by itself.

Yes, this little man was a true giant of a human being, on and off the stage. For those of us who have been fortunate enough to span the eons of stage, screen, radio and music, there can be no comparison in terms of sheer diversity of talent. That was graphically personified during a 1990 televised tribute, when one of show businesses most eminent stage performers, Gregory Hines, dropped to his knees and gave professional homage to “the greatest,” of all time – Sammy Davis Jr.

Sorry, all you young folks, that you didn’t have an opportunity to see how greatness is truly defined.

Set aside a few minutes, and enjoy a few tidbits:

For a sample of his impersonations

Click here: YouTube – Sammy Davis Jr. – Impressions

In the first 6 minutes of the next video, Davis shows his tap dance skills, then he sings Old Man River.

Click here: YouTube – Sammy Davis Jr.- Tap Dancing,Singing,

Davis doing Bojangles:

Click here: YouTube – Sammy Davis Jnr “Mr Bojangles”

Can you even imagine Michael Jackson ever being roasted:

Click here: YouTube – Sammy Davis Jr. gets roasted

Google YouTube for Sammy Davis Jr., there’s much more.

It’ll be a long time before we see the likes of him again.

PRESS ONE FOR ENGLISH

If you travel to Greece or China, you would expect that any employee of a hotel, or a security officer, would speak Greek or Chinese. After all, it is their country. Same goes for any other nation in the world, except…of course, the United States, where every other language is okay and no one should have to speak anything but their mother tongue. Nowadays, it’s up to Americans to adapt to foreign custom and language, not vise versa.

Something wrong with that.

Take Miami, Florida. Beautiful city. I grew up there, schooled there, worked there, lived there for fifty of my seventy years. What was, is no longer. It must be the most changed city in America, especially since 1960.

We recently traveled there to attend a graduation and stayed at a hotel near downtown Miami. Our room needed another pillow, so I asked the maid in the hallway if she could get us one. “No peaky Engly,” she said, waving me off. Well…okay. I’ll go through the front desk.

The next morning, as the breakfast bar was being opened, I asked the employee, “Do you have decaf?”

“No peaky Engly,” she said. Wellllll, okay.

Later that morning, we arrived at the auditorium parking garage. We needed directions to find the James L. Knight Center. Sure enough, a middle-aged security officer was roaming about, so I asked for directions. “No peaky Engly,” was his answer.

Bottled inside of me, I felt like screaming: “This is America! How can this be? How audacious to work in a public setting in this country and not even try to learn English. And, how dare your employers hire you without being able to communicate to American citizens.”

I consider myself a fairly liberal minded person with conservative leanings. But there are limits. I was deeply offended. If you or I applied for a job in a foreign country, we would feel compelled to learn, at the least, the basics of that nation’s language. Not so here.

I’ve made some progress in learning Spanish. I had to, I was a cop in Miami for thirty years. I love the Cuban people, their food, their music, their vibrance and their diligence. All of my Cuban friends who migrated to America, have learned the English language while still maintaining an Hispanic tongue. And it’s good that they teach their children to be bi-lingual. I do believe more Americans should endeavor to become bi-lingual. I wish I had.

But there’s something about our nation’s identity that is dangerously at risk. That’s disturbing. Language is a major element of “identity.” When an American cannot go into an American hotel or an American city parking lot, and cannot converse in basic English, it’s beyond disconcerting. It’s rude. It’s offensive. It’s the beginning of the Babel mentality. It’s part of the slippery slope from which we may never return.

Writers often make reference to the wisdom of the founding fathers. Can you imagine what Washington, Jefferson or Madison would say if they came to a Miami graduation?

I can only imagine how it might be worse in the southwestern states where Mexican immigration — legal and illegal — is changing the culture of America, including language. Now, schools, government agencies, telephone directories, signs and literature, must adapt to the foreign tongue, rather than the foreign tongue adapting to us.

Don’t tell me about being a nation of immigrants. When Italians, Poles, Jews and Germans immigrated to the U.S. in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, they told their children, “Speak English. You are Americans now.”

Today’s immigrants are telling America, “We want signs, phone messages, government literature, and all other materials to be in Spanish.”

How dare they.

This is like inviting foreign friends into your house. Then they take over and decide it’s their house.

I love America and what it stands for. Yes, I voice complaints like everyone else. It’s not perfect. And, the multi-ethnic aspect of our country certainly enriches the culture. But there are lines and our immigrants are crossing them. We want to keep America the land of freedom and opportunity, and of harmony among the cultures.

That’s why this American votes for making English the official language of this country. It doesn’t mean other languages are illegal, that’s absurd. But it means our schools, our signs, our government communicates in one tongue, and immigrants are obliged not only to learn our language, but to ensure it’s taught to their kids.

In 2005, a Zogby Poll found that 82 percent of Americans favored making English the official language of the nation. An earlier Gallup poll found that 96 percent of Americans believe immigrants should learn English.

If anyone is interested in relevant statistics, just check out this link:

Click here: Facts & Figures

Meanwhile, for a good 3-minute song about America and the English Language, and some good old fashioned music, try this link:

Click here: YouTube – Press One For English

Adios, Au revoir, Arrivederci and Sayonara.

CIGARETTES, ADDICTION, KIDS AND TAXES

This is about smoking cigarettes. Most of my readers have given up the habit long ago. But, you might want to pass this down to a few of the grandkids, especially those entering their teens.

I know a guy who smoked four packs a day. He was a hard-core nicotine addict.

He started…much the same way most teens start, because he wanted to be “the same,” included, part of the group, no different. He wanted “acceptance.” Smoking cigarettes was part of the every day culture. It was cool!

Of course, in the 1950’s, smoking was the “in” thing for society in general. We cannot see an old Classic Movie starring Humphrey Bogart or Bette Davis without noticing that every character in the scene is puffing away on the weed. Holding a Chesterfield between the fingers was part of the attire. Until the 1980s, smoking was allowed almost everywhere, including office buildings and movie theaters. No more.

Like most kids who continue the habit into adulthood, he became addicted to nicotine. After all, it’s as much a drug, as is heroin and cocaine, only nicotine is sold legally and taxed by the government. The addiction became so powerful, that the mere thought of quitting gave him pains in the jaw. When he went without a smoke for more than a couple hours, he felt disoriented, achy, needy. He had to have a cigarette, and when he finally did, he felt that rush of light-headedness. Sooo good.

Eventually he entered into a fast-paced job with lots of pressure. Pall Malls burned to the fingers before he’d light another, and another. Two packs a day, then three, then four. He gave up good relationships if smoking offended the opposite sex. By the time he reached his thirties, he woke up hacking in the mornings. His lungs pained him, but he still managed to smoke. He smoked in the shower, leaving a butt burning on the toilet tank for a quick “hit” between the wash and the shampoo.

He became a slave to cigarettes. They were part of his persona. He felt undressed if they weren’t in his pockets. He’d panic if he ran out of matches. Pall Malls were a significant part of his budget. They came first, before food. Cigarettes owned him.

He was 39 when the doctor told him he had early stages of emphysema. “I’d rather treat a cancer patient any day, than an emphysema patient,” he said. “If you don’t quit, you’ll die a very slow and painful death.”

So, he went about trying to quit. It was almost impossible. He tried special filters, but they didn’t work. He tried acupuncture, but it didn’t work. He tried hypnotism, and it didn’t work. When he did quit for a few days, he’d sneak puffs off cigarette butts from abandoned ash trays.

Finally, at the age of 43, he had an epiphany. The filters, acupuncture and hypnotism didn’t help, because he had not really committed himself to quit. He was relying on the devices to do it for him. There was no other way, than to do it on his own. So, he made a hard-fast commitment: “As of today, I am a non-smoker.”

There is no such thing as “trying.” The term “trying” is a pacifier, to shut people up. You either do it, or you do not.

He went to a doctor and asked for a medicine to knock him out over the week-end, as a head start. That was 26 years ago. To this day, he considers himself an addict in recovery. If he risked one puff, he’d be just like a recovering alcoholic having one drink.

Kids think they are too young to worry. They are invulnerable. Becoming 40 or 50 is too far off to be concerned. But, the addiction begins early. And it stays, and it dominates, and it controls, and it makes slaves out of its users.

Since those days, the four pack-a-day smoker has seen many of his friends go by the wayside the hard way, all smokers who started when they were invulnerable. It’s not the deaths that are so troubling, it’s the suffering along the way to the grave. Emphysema victims spend months and years hunched over gasping for a breath, many with oxygen strapped to their backs. One Miami cop who suffered with this horrible disease stuck a gun in his mouth to end it all. Another suffered from painful lung cancer for five years, and misery from cancer treatments, before he finally succumbed. Then, there’s the ones with heart disease, another fallout from the addiction to nicotine.

No sense boring you with statistics, you’ve heard it all. Suffice to say, the chances of suffering with a horrible smoking-related disease later in life is twenty times greater if someone is a smoker of cigarettes. All it takes, is being an addict. Few can escape it. Thus, the mere lighting up is tantamount to the long road toward a painful suicide.

With all that we know in the 21st century about disease and smoking, and the utter gamble kids are making by lighting up that first cigarette, one can only conclude that “acceptance” among peers is a more desired choice than certain suffering. Not only that, it’s plain stupid

Oh yeah…that guy who quit 26 years ago, he had a hard time with his lost habit, nervousness, nothing to do with his hands, and lips, and those missing packs from his pocket made him feel naked.

Someone said, “exercise.” So, he tried jogging. He couldn’t jog the length of a football field to start, without keeling over, but he kept trying. A couple weeks went by, and he jogged around the block before flaking out. A month later, he jogged one mile. Amazingly, three months went by and he ran 5 miles. Three years later, he finished a 26 mile marathon.

What a high!

There’s no such thing as “I can’t.” You just have to want to, bad enough.

I had a recent op-ed published in Florida Today, related to the tax increases on cigarettes. If interested, click on this link:

Give kids the truth | floridatoday.com

GOVERNMENT INFILTRATION: ONLY JUST BEGUN

The future of America is in big trouble and we keep looking the other way.

Here is a segment from an important document, extracted from the manifesto of an organization known as the Muslim Brotherhood. It is not ambiguous:

“The process of settlement (of Islam in the United States) is a “Civilization-Jihadist” process. The Ikhwan (brothers) must understand that all their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging their miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all religions.”  

The Muslim Brotherhood is the most widespread and influential of all the extremist organizations within Islam. It is rooted on more than seventy countries, including the U.S. and Europe, and has vast financial power at its disposal via the mid-east oil conglomerate. I invite anyone to check it out on Google. There is a plethora of information available for those inclined to investigate further. Here’s a start:

Click here: The roots of the Pan-Islamic Jihad

Click here: Muslim Brotherhood – Wikipedia

Click here: Rod Dreher: What the Muslim Brotherhood means for the U.S.

In 1991, that document was introduced into evidence by the Justice Department at the Holy Land Foundation trial in Dallas, Texas. The FBI found it during a raid of a suspect’s home in Virginia.

Ten years later, just two months after 9/11, another document was discovered in Switzerland during a raid of a private home where an Islamic banker was suspected of laundering money. This document, known as “The Project” was also penned by the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood. I have written about this before, as have other anti-Jihadists who have their heads out of the sand. Yet, people still refuse to believe the obvious. “The Project” spells out, in stark detail, the global strategy on how the MB intends on conquering the west from within and establish Islam as the ruling caliphate by the end of this century. In case you never read it, try this:

Click here: FrontPage Magazine – “Project”

Click here: WHAT AMERICANS NEED TO KNOW

If caring people were to take a hard look at the progress of international Islamic Jihad in the last twenty years, they would see that the “Project” is a viable and very effective war plan.

President Obama has announced the appointment of Arif Alikhan as Assistant Secretary For Policy Development in the Department of Homeland Security. The administration will tell us how Mr. Alikhan is a former prosecuting attorney and deputy mayor for the city of Los Angeles. Mr. Alikhan is also a devout Sunni Muslim who, in 2007, was the force behind abolishing the “Muslim Mapping Plan” organized by the L.A.P.D.

Click here: Muslims Welcome Removal

Another victory for the Brotherhood.

In case anyone has forgotten, Jihad is very real, and it’s not just a threat in Pakistan or Iraq. It’s here. They want to bury us… from within. They have said so, just read all of the above. Our country is the prime target, thus the state of our homeland security is in peril. How soon we forget…9/11. We should point out that Jihad is not necessarily synonymous with violence, as the Brotherhood has made it clear they intend to conquer from within. The onus is on law enforcement to glean as much intelligence information as possible, to keep our country safe. But, it appears that political correctness trumps national security.

Keeping track of Muslim organizations, business, mosques and certain individuals is vital to our homeland security. It does not imply that our government hates Muslims, any more than our government hated Italians just because cops were investigating the Mafia. Had the Italian community had a counterpart to Mr. Alikhan in years past, and cops were prohibited from investigating Italians in the Mafia, law enforcement would have been rendered impotent.

In essence, Mr. Alikhan helped to lower our national defenses. And, our president surely knew about that.

The trend toward Islamic infiltration within our government is far more viable now than if anyone else had been elected president, including other democrats. In March, the Los Angeles Times reported that J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, “sifted through more than 300 names” and forwarded a book of 45 resumes to the White House. Evidently, the White House is eager for the vetting help. The effort, stated the Times, was “bumped up two weeks ahead of schedule because White House officials heard about the venture.”

Look for great joy among the Islamic community in the months and years to come as more Muslims are appointed to positions of power in the government. Mr. Obama may be putting his toe in the water, taking it slow, and not to appear too eager. But the long range end result will still be the same: A very changed America. Well…he did promise.

Considering his widespread awareness of international affairs and depth of knowledge concerning Islam, the president most certainly is familiar with the Muslim Brotherhood, its goals and objectives, its money and its power. With that in mind, one can only wonder where his true loyalty lies.

Recommended reading: Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam is Subverting America without Guns or Bombs. A book by Robert Spencer: Click here: Amazon.com:

Click here: YouTube – Arab Festival 2009: Sharia in the US

For a startling video, check out the recent Arab Festival held in Dearborn, Michigan where an American fellow and friend, with camera, picked up a brochure that invited everyone to come to a specific tent to ask questions about Islam. As you’ll see, the questioner and his photographer were assaulted and ushered away by angry Muslims, though they did nothing other than ask a question and use their video. Welcome to America, the land of the, once, free.

MICHAEL JACKSON: DANGERS OF IDOLATRY

My cranky old stepfather had a way with words. Back in 1955, I was but a 16 year-old lad when we were engaged in a conversation about movie idols. I shared with him my admiration for Elizabeth Taylor, who I considered to be the most gorgeous human creature ever to walk the face of the earth. In the middle of my blathering over her, Bernie interrupted, and in his inimitable Brooklynese, said, “Listen kid. Think about this. What if Elizabeth Taylor is out hiking in the woods. She’s gotta take a …she’s gotta go, you know…real bad. What does she do? She lifts her f ——g dress, pulls down her panties and squats…just like you and me.”

Fame and fortune doesn’t make anyone more or less human than you or me.

The current news blitz about the life and death of Michael Jackson is a good example of off-the-charts idolatry. Despite his wealth, (or because of it) it ultimately served as a virtual prison within a secluded world. Such was the case with Elvis, and others, who could not walk the streets, attend a public function, go to a movie or eat in a restaurant without throngs of worshippers crowding, begging, drooling and kissing his feet. If I were given the choice between the fame and fortune of a Michael Jackson, and to have what I have now, it would be a no-brainer. Michael Jackson wasn’t free. He wasn’t happy. He had not achieved the pinnacle of life. Sure, he was loved my millions, but was he really loved…as a man, as a human being, as a partner? So, what good the money?

Americans have a way of idolizing entertainers, religious figures and some politicians, ad nauseam. So much that no matter their foibles, no matter their transgressions, forgiveness is automatic, forgiveness that would be unthinkable if the transgressors were you or me. The media, and the general public, turn a blind eye for every indiscretion, crime, sin, character flaw or act of deceit they may engage in. It doesn’t matter. Idols are above morality. They are above decency. In some cases, they are even above the law. They can even be dangerous. Idolaters trust the untrustworthy, even if it means following them like sheep over the cliff. They can do no wrong.

Such was the case in Guyana in November of 1978, when a charismatic preacher named Jim Jones convinced 909 of his religious followers — supposedly intelligent and educated human beings — to kill themselves, including over two hundred children, by drinking Kool-Aid laced with cyanide. Unbridled worship is the seed for ominpotence.

Click here: Jonestown

Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, Peter Popoff, Robert Tilton and Kent Hovind are but a few American evangelists who found gold by mesmerizing congregations into dutiful worshippers, gaining riches at the altar of ignorance then bilking their people for millions upon millions of dollars by lying to them. There’s really no one to blame but the gullible, for they buy into every word, because they are words they want to hear to begin with.

Besides corruption, the sheer and blatant hypocrisy of these supposed mouthpieces for God never cease to amaze me, yet their followers continue to ignore and buy into the excuses. All the while Jim Bakker spent twenty years being revered from his PTL broadcasts, spewing goodness and morality, he was bilking his donors for millions of dollars, not to mention an extra-marital affair. His exploits landed him in prison for five years. But, not to worry, Bakker’s ministry is alive and well again — after a mea culpa apology of course — broadcasting the word of God to many millions of those same followers who just can’t get it.

Jimmy Swaggart was another idolized preacher who spent much of his off-pulpit time hiring detectives to spy on other evangelists, including Jim Bakker, in order to expose them as sexual deviants unworthy of a ministry. Then, the tables turned, as another detective — hired by one of those ministerial enemies — caught him in motel room with a prostitute. From there, we all remember the televised crying jag begging for forgiveness for spending his congregations money toward sexual favors. Three years later, he was caught again, with another prostitute. But that didn’t phase the blind followers. Today, Swaggart heads up a world wide ministry staffed with his new wife, and many of his family members, while the sheep continue to drop over the cliff. Amazing, what charisma can do when people hear what they are predisposed to hear.

The idolization of O.J. Simpson earned him a Not Guilty verdict for the cold-blooded, premeditated murder of two people, in which the evidence of his guilt was overwhelming. Had someone named Willie Jones had a mid-level lawyer, considering the same evidence, he would have been convicted and executed by now.

He’s not the only celebrity who managed to escape prison because of fame and wealth. There was Robert Blake, star of Baretta, who allegedly killed his wife, but despite hard evidence, managed an acquittal.

Michael Jackson, the current epitome of idol worship, is said to have settled with no less than three accusers over a period of fifteen years, 1988 – 1993, one for $20 million, to drop charges against him. In each, the alleged victims were children and the alleged crimes were sexual molestation. His criminal trial for similar charges in 2005 resulted in — what else? Not guilty.

Some say, all those charges were trumped up. Yet, these were the cases that reached public scrutiny. I ask, how much is out there, that we do not know?

That also goes for politicians, probably more so than entertainers and preachers. For we — the people in general — are gullible enough to vote them into public office where they are not only held in high esteem, they hold power over our very lives.

American voters trusted Rod Blagojevich, the man who allegedly sold an Illinois senate seat to the highest bidder. Americans trusted Jim McGreevey, governor of New Jersey, until it turned out he was having gay affairs behind his wife’s back. Americans trusted Mark Sanford, governor of South Carolina, never thinking he was the ilk to abandon his post for four days to have an affair in another continent. Americans trusted Eliot Spitzer, governor of New York, until a sting caught him commiserating with prostitutes. Rep. William Jefferson, of Louisiana, stashed $90 thousand in his freezer. Yet, he ran for office again, and 47 percent of Louisiana’s voters cast their ballots for him. They didn’t care.

These are the ones we know about. What don’t we know?

In 1990, Marion Barry, former mayor of Washington D.C., was caught in an undercover operation using crack cocaine with a woman. He served a federal prison sentence, and — get this — ran for mayor again and got re-elected. If a police or fire applicant had such a record, he would be laughed out of the testing room.

Unfortunately, people get what they ask for…and deserve.

And so, contrary to the days of Lincoln, Taft, FDR, HST, and LBJ, we now live in the age of idolatry, where the beloved can do no wrong and otherwise intelligent people continue to turn a blind eye to thieves, liars, cheaters, dopers, molesters and corruption in general, because — well, they are all so cool.

Despite his foibles, Michael Jackson was certainly talented. For that, he deserved plaudits. But we have known others equally talented, today and yesteryear, (Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Gene Kelly, Ella Fitzgerald, Liza Minelli, Madonna, Elton John, et al), but were never raised to the levels of such adulation that they had to be relegated to self-imprisonment.

To those who still think Michael Jackson walked on water, may I refer you to the words of my old stepfather, Bernie, who had a way of putting it all into perspective. Just re-read the first paragraph of this blog.

And that goes for the unnamed herein.

PRESIDENT OVERLOOKS AMERICA’S GOODNESS TO THE MUSLIM WORLD

Americans will soon tire of our new president sucking up to the Muslim world by denigrating our country as the one to blame for all their problems. Mr. Obama would be wise to realize that he was elected president of the United States, not planet Earth.

The Iraq war stands as the convenient wedge for which the president apologizes, calling it a “war of choice.” While that may or may not be true, I’m sure it doesn’t set well with the families of fallen American soldiers to hear Mr. Obama make such a global announcement, as though our sons and daughters sacrificed and died for a wasteful cause.

In fact, long before any war with Iraq, relations with the Muslim world has long been a source of consternation, particularly since radical Islamists have been murdering innocents around the world by the multi-thousands in the name of Allah. One could cite hundreds of terror attacks, not only in America and Europe, but also in southern Asia, and throughout Africa, including hundreds of thousands killed in Algeria. Many of the victims have been fellow Muslims, deemed martyrs by radicals because they died for the cause of Jihad.

Listening to the president, one would think the mid-east Palestinian crisis is wholly the fault of Israel. We forget about the pre-WW II Arab Muftis from the mid-east conspired in the late 1930s and 1940s with Hitler to participate in the “final solution.” Truth be said, the hatred of Jews is long standing, not just in the current era, but for 1400 years since the living days of the prophet Muhammed. Jewish hatred has been taught to Muslim children around the world by their parents and clerics for centuries, long before Israel was even an idea, yet a country.

While he revels in Muslim plaudits for every mea culpa and talks tough about demanding Israeli concessions, the entire tone of his speeches in Egypt, and earlier in other mid-east countries, draws concern among many Americans about where his true loyalties lie. His many references to the past shows disrespect, if not contempt for his predecessor. (”The U.S. has been arrogant, derisive and divisive”) It seems highly inappropriate and unprecedented for a new president to hop around the globe pointing out how the past president was all wrong, and he is all right. One might remind Mr. Obama that nearly 60 million Americans voted against him.

Reaching out to the Muslim world is one thing, but this borders on groveling. Yes, we need better relations with the 1.2 billion people on this planet who practice the Islamic faith. But respect doesn’t come from words of conciliation, it comes from deeds. Besides, it’s not just America’s job alone. The world of Islam must assume much of the responsibility to mend these estrangements, for it is the radical side of their religion that has caused havoc in all four corners of the world — for a very long time. And, that radical side are not all terrorists. How many thousands of non-terrorist Muslims danced in the streets of New York, Chicago and London when they heard about the successful mass murders of 9/11?

Instead of accepting blame on our behalf, the president would do better to balance his addresses with some well-deserved praise for our country, pointing out how generous American taxpayers have often been there to defend and protect Muslims everywhere.

* Thousands of American servicemen have been buried in military graves after defending Muslim nations from aggression and human rights violations in Bosnia, Croatia, Somalia, Kuwait and Afghanistan, twice. (Once in their defense against the USSR) Why wasn’t this mentioned?

* Every time there is a crisis caused by earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones, America is at the forefront deploying resources and technology around the world, saving lives and bring order to the lives of millions. It matters not whether the victims are Muslim, Hindu, Christian or Jewish. He could have pointed that out.

* The United States taxpayer provides over $20 billion in foreign aid to 150 counties in the world. Of the top fifteen recipients, eleven are Muslim nations, including Egypt, Afghanistan, Jordan, Indonesia and Pakistan. Worthy of mention?

* According to the annual Index of Global Philanthropy, nearly $100 billion in foreign aid is provided by America’s private sector. This comes from foundations, corporations, religious organizations and private individuals, much of which is dedicated to Muslims throughout Africa and Asia.

* The president failed to point out how Muslims in the U.S. enjoy full religious freedom — contrary to many of their own countries — and that many thousands of Muslims are granted student visas every year to attend American institutions of higher learning.

* While America’s leader portrays our nation as an abuser of human rights (i.e. Gitmo, Abu Graib, Iraq invasion, etc.) he boldly bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, calling that nation a friend of America. Meanwhile, he fails to hold them accountable for gross violations of human rights that are routinely practiced in that country with impunity. (beheadings, honor killings, subjugation of women) Neither does he mention how the Saudis have rewarded the families of martyrs (murderers) with cash rewards for killing Jews. Neither has he mentioned that Saudi Arabia finances 80 percent of the mosques in America, yet if Mr. Obama, or anyone else, so much as carried a Bible in the streets of Riyadh, he would be imprisoned.

* Criticism of the past administration may draw applause from Muslims, but it overlooks how Mr. Bush continually defended Islam and referred to it as a “religion of peace,” much to the chagrin of relatives from the 9/11 attack, and thousands of other victims of terror from around the globe.

One day, perhaps, the Muslim world will present a great leader who will rise from within to denounce not only terrorism, but global jihad, and show us all that it is possible for non-Muslims and Muslims to live in peace, everywhere. That … is what is needed, rather than a president basically denouncing America. Mea culpas from an international Islamist leader, and an outstretched hand of conciliation, agreeing to work side by side with the free world to rid it of terror, jihad and human rights violations, would be most welcomed on this side of the Atlantic.

Then again, is it possible that the Islamist world already has that leader?

Ten-Point Advice for the Republican Party

The Republican Party is licking its wounds while the big bosses retreat to the strategy rooms to formulate the turnaround, much like they did after Clinton won in 1992. But they’re doing it all wrong, starting with the players. It’s certain path toward self-destruction which will please a lot of Democrats. After all, the more Democrats who are elected into power, the more the presidency becomes a rubber stamp dictatorship.

As an Independent, and certainly not running for office, I happily reject those confining pigeonholes that politicians cannot avoid. As NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, sometimes the Democrats have good ideas, sometimes the republicans have good ideas. I generally lean toward Democrats regarding social issues, and lean toward the Republicans, most strongly, in issues of national security. What’s most essential, is that we maintain checks and balances. With a one-sided government, that’s gone.

I do hope for a Republican resurgence in the 2010 off-year election, otherwise they will have no more voice than a whisper in the wind.

From my perspective, the Republican Party needs to follow some tough advice if they have any hope to regenerate in the future.

1) Dump Dick Cheney. Get him off talk shows, TV sound bites, debates, or another or forum dealing with the party’s future. Whether you like him or not, he’s part of the old republican machine that no one trusts, dating back to the 1970s. Whether deserved or not, his name is mud with the majority of Americans.

2) Obama’s election success can be summed up in a single word: Bush. Thus, Jeb Bush should crawl in a Texas oil hole with bro and his pop when all the 2010 planning goes into effect. He might be a good guy, but the name “Bush” is a guaranteed liability in any future American election.

3) Nobody wants to hear what Sarah Palin has to say. She’s a reminder of what went wrong with John McCain’s campaign. Party leadership should keep her in Wasilla, smiling waving winking attending soccer games like a good mom. Folks in the media rarely pursue her with tough informational questions about international jihad, nuclear warheads, and international commerce, and that’s because she’s a lightweight. Cute yes. Conservative, Yes. But not an asset to the party on a grand scale.

4) The party leadership should publically announce that no radio entertainer is the dominant head of a national party, nor ever will be. Those who cite Rush Limbaugh as the saviour of the Republican Party are bogging the party into the depths of right-wing extremism, the very mantra they need to shed. And even if he’s right a lot of the time, it doesn’t matter. Perception is 99 percent of reality.

5) Get with the changing times and broaden appeal. Study the demographics. The days of Goldwater and Reagan are gone. What once was a nation where 85 percent of the voters were of European descent, today that number has dropped to 70 percent.

6) Republicans should be desperately reaching for attracting the youth, a huge voting block clearly locked into the democratic side.

7) Show that the Republican Party is flexible enough to modify a position. Abortion comes to mind, which— in the international scheme of things — is the least important issue I can think of, yet guides millions of one-issue voters and ill-defines the party in the minds of many. Revise the platform, to exclude restrictions to rape victims, mentally unstable victims, health of the mother.

Revamp the party’s image. People like Hannity and Limbaugh who continually jackhammer terms like “Conservatism” and “Judea-Christian values” tend to be more divisive than inclusive. They sound great, and may be well-intended but it’s the same old broken record. The party needs accomplishments, not adjectives.

9) Politicians should fly commercial whenever possible, attend town hall meetings, reach out to grass roots, and show the American people they are willing to make concessions to improve America.

10) Out with the old, in with the new. Highlight fresh, bright new thinkers, and include minorities, such as Michael Steele and J.D. Watts. New leadership should be cherry-picked from the ranks of governors, who — without a sentatorial/congressional record — are able to distance themselves from the Bush years. Names like Mark Sanford, of South Carolina, Rick Perry of Texas, and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, come to mind.

Republicans can do it. One elder statesman is worthy of consultation, but nothing more than that. Newt Gingrich is probably one of the most astute politicians of the last 30 years, and his wisdom should be sought after.

Obama’s election was as much a passionate statement against the Bush regime, as it was an endorsement for the candidate.

HEADSCRATCHING 101: WHAT A WORLD

What a world we live in.

Can you imagine a clothing style where women … especially fat women…wear low rise pants and skirts so their guts can hang over for all to admire?

Can you imagine a dress style in America where young men walk around with their pants hanging under the cheeks of their ass, so their underwear is completely exposed? And parents say it’s okay?

Can you imagine youngsters on a dance floor doing nothing other than dry sex with clothes on? Welcome to 2009, folks.

Can you imagine admiring performers like Frankie Avalon, Frank Sinatra or Ray Charles singing lyrics about raping women, killing cops and using drugs…and our kids make them rich by buying millions of their records? Welcome to gangsta rap. And these guys win Grammy awards. Well…after all, Elvis wiggled his pelvis, right?

Can you imagine school officials strip searching a 13 year-old girl, because she was caught with an Advil? Or suspending a 9 year-old for giving a Cert mint to a friend? Again, welcome to 2009. It just happened in Manassas, Va.

Can you imagine arresting a 19 year-old for having consensual sex with a 17 year-old girl, then sentencing him to prison for ten years? Genarlow Wilson. Google him.

Can you imagine a college senior with no criminal record, being sentenced to life in prison with no parole, for introducing a cocaine buyer to a seller? Google Clarence Aaron.

Can you imagine, a world where murderous pirates ravage the high seas for years on end, by the thousands, kidnaping hostages like snatching stray puppies, killing people, firing on innocents every day aboard vessels, and when they are captured…guess what? They are released… to do it again? Har har har. The laughs on us.

Can you imagine the reactions from Thomas Jefferson, or even Harry Truman, when we tell them our Homeland Security Secretary says immigrating illegally into the U.S. is not a crime?

Napolitano: “…when we find illegal workers … some of which is criminal, most of that is civil, because crossing the border is not a crime per se.”

Can you even imagine what the founding fathers would think if they were told we have allowed almost 20 million aliens into our country illegally and our taxpayers will foot the bill for their health and housing costs.

Can you imagine capturing enemy combatants who have sworn to kill as many of us as they can, and then releasing them back to their army to kill again…while the war still wages? Are you shaking your heads?

Can you imagine someone like Adolf Hitler being called to speak at an international summit on human rights, racism and tolerance? Of course not.

But can you imagine, Ahmadinejad, the Jew-hating, gay-hating, nuke threat from Iran who swears to annihilate Israel, being invited to speak at an international summit on racism and tolerance? Of course not. Wait. Imagine it again because it just happened in Geneva, where representatives of the European Union and other delegations walked out.

Can you imagine a leader of a major country claiming the Holocaust never happened, and people still listen to him… and applaud?

Can you imagine Dwight Eisenhower bowing waste level to anyone, yet to Nikita Khrushchev, even though he knew that the Soviet Union had designs on conquering the west? Of course not.

Can you imagine a president bowing to a Wahhabist Saudi King, who spends kazillions investing in the west for the ultimate purpose of controlling America and Europe? A Saudi king who presides over a nation that considers women chattel, who rewards suicide bombers for killing Jews, whose Islamic teachings are about hate and subjugation of women, who practice and condone honor killings and beheadings. Bowing? Our president? Of course not. But..wait…it just happened.

Can you imagine a U.S. president declaring that our country is going to cut back a missile defense system, while countries like North Korea and Iran are testing long range missiles, ostensibly for the purpose of carrying nuclear bombs that will destroy innocent people in our country, or our ally nations? That’s like dropping your gun belt while you’re in a duel to the death.

Can you imagine someone who failed to pay $34 thousand in back taxes for four years, being confirmed as the Secretary of the Treasury?

Can you imagine a member of parliament from the Netherlands being subject to criminal charges because he loves his country and speaks out against a rising threat the very existence of its culture? Can you imagine free speech relegated to the Dempsey Dumpster? Can you imagine that same Dutch diplomat being refused a visa to the UK to give a talk, because they were afraid of what Muslims would think?

Can you imagine capitulating to a country (Saudi Arabia) that demands religious tolerance in America, but imprisons anyone in their country who so much as carries a bible in their possession?

Can you imagine living in a European country (France) where a particular culture routinely goes about intimidating, terrifying and rioting everywhere, and then that country arrests an international celebrity for complaining about it… five times! Google: Brigitte Bardot.

Can you imagine an American government that sends troops 12,000 miles overseas to confront radical Islamic terrorists, yet pays no attention to thirty-five (or more) such radical enclaves right here, nestled in the confines of our own United States.

Can you imagine an America where the world of communists and radical Islamists are supporting and revelling in the new leadership of our country, and we don’t think it’s a problem for our grandchildren?

Can you imagine winning the gun war, but losing the propaganda war…and then, the tactical war of infiltration?

I can.

Can you imagine…in the wake of WWII and the holocaust … disregarding a document penned by a major international organization which spells out the war plan for conquering the west? We have done just that. “The Project” is no different than Mein Kampf…yet, we ignore.

Click here: FrontPage Magazine

Click: The Counterterrorism Blog: The project

Can you imagine Americans naive enough to let it happen all over again, only this time it is us who apologizes to the rest of the world for being us. And we think that’s going to appease?

Can you imagine telling the world that we are not at war with Islam, when Islam — or a major radical sect within — has made it clear they are at war with us? Very, very clear.

Can you imagine fighting the Japanese and Nazi Germany, then claiming we are not at war with them, but we’re just fighting bombs and airplanes? How is that different than saying we are at war against terror?

 Can you imagine kissing the butts of those who would annihilate us…and we know that. But we do it anyway?

 What a world. I’ll take 1940, 1960 or 1980 anytime. At least we had pride.

AT 70 – ONE LUCKY MAN

When baseball great Lou Gehrig was dying of his now-infamous disease in 1939, he stood in Yankee Stadium, hunched, and proclaimed, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

If that’s not seeing the glass half full, I don’t know what is. The Iron Horse, as the pundits dubbed him, thought not so much about his impending death, but his remarkable life, his humble upbringings and his enormous athletic talent that elevated him to fame and fortune, providing love and dignity to his family. He thought about the treasure of life. After all, he figured, we all gotta die sometime, what’s the big deal?

Reminds me of that poignant poem by Linda Ellis titled, “The Dash,” which focuses on a headstone marker, denoting the year of birth and the year of death, but all that really matters is that little dash in between the years. If you’ve never read it, here it is:

                          I read of a man who stood to speak
                               At the funeral of a friend.
                      He referred to the dates on her tombstone
                            From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

As the big 7 – 0 approaches for this blogger, Ms. Ellis’ poem, and Mr. Gehrig have given me cause to pause and reflect on glass half full. What a life!

I often wondered what it would have been like to see Babe Ruth hit a baseball, Paganini play a violin, or see an opera with Enrico Caruso, or live in a time when Mozart, Beethoven, DaVinci and Michaelangelo were alive. Or, the great Abraham Lincoln, Ben Franklin, Jefferson or Columbus, Moses or even Jesus himself.

How lucky I’ve been. I may not have been there in the old days, but I’ve lived to see Tiger Woods’ golf, Pete Sampras in tennis, Jim Brown’s football runs and Nolan Ryan’s fast ball. I’ve heard Pavarotti sing Puccini arias, and witnessed the legendary acting talents of Streep, DeNiro, Bette Davis and so many more. I was there to see and hear Ezio Pinza sing “Some Enchanted Evening” in 1949 New York. I’ve met the great Jascha Heifetz and stood in the wings, awestruck, when he played the Beethoven Concerto in D Major for violin. I lived in the time of Gandhi, Churchill, Roosevelt, Hitler and Martin Luther King, Jr.and everyone else who has made a difference since April of 1939 when I entered planet Earth. I remember the Roosevelt funeral, the atom bomb, Korea and the Kennedy inaugural “Ask not” speech on a black & white television set. I was there, glued to a television set when men from my country set foot on the moon. These are people and events that will be the subject of history books in centuries to come, and I was there…so to speak.

I’ve been to famous monuments, the Louvre and other museums to witness the greatest art in the history of man. I stood in the White House, the Capitol and at the Speaker’s Box in the House of Commons. I’ve met governors, senators, and other celebrities. My views about crime in America were once sought after by members of the United States Congress.

I’ve played violin in symphonies, baseball in Babe Ruth Leagues, golf at the Doral Blue Monster, written books and had my humble opinions published in many newspapers and magazines. A stint in the Parris Island Marines and thirty years of law enforcement introduced me to every side of life known to man, the good and the bad, all of which has made me realize just how lucky I’ve been to have mind and body at my disposal, to cherish and to use.

I even managed to run a 26 mile marathon three years after quitting a four pack-a-day Pall Mall habit.

People my age have lived through some of the most significant transitions in history, socially, technologically and politically. Once, it was S.O.P. for people with darker skin to sit in a separate part of a bus, or drink from a separate water fountain. Today, it’s unthinkable. Once, people would have laughed at the concept of a black person becoming president of the United States. Those of us who were born in the 1930’s, watched the growth of technology change from file cards to computers, from a four-inch, rabbit-eared television, to i-Pods, Blackberries and plasma screens. Party lines and long distance rates are of the past. Now we can talk to anyone in the world, any time we wish, using a small hand-held device. Amazing. World travel for common people is unremarkable today, whereas it was once a phenomenon. Symphonies and concertos play in our homes and cars today, where we once had to attend concerts to enjoy such beauty of sound. Foods, fashion, housing, entertainment, medical advancements, longer life and improved health…the list is endless measuring today’s bounty. It would be beyond belief of our ancestors.

Now and then, I’ve managed to help others with their struggles, needs and ambitions…friends, family, children…and learned that giving is one of the most satisfying feelings one can ever experience. Little can match the unexpected letter from a long-lost colleague of a generation past, telling me how much I once meant to him or her. Or that surprise hug from a stranger at a library talk, telling me I changed his life forever when he was a teenager…and I didn’t even know it.

A Miami Beach bookie gave me the springboard that launched a law enforcement career and thus, a life of helping my fellow citizens live in a safer community. (or, at least, I’d like to think so) At the same time, that career provided an enormous well from which my life has been enriched with so many unique and wonderful friends.

Most of all, I have basked in the love of my French honey, (and sculptor artist) Suzanne, for twenty-two years, and of my ever-so-strong kids, now adult, who have weathered and survived some rocky roads of years past. It gladdens me to know I may have made a positive difference in their lives, somehow. And for the rocky roads, perhaps I helped them to learn the art of survival and the joy of achievement. It also gladdens me to know and enjoy my grandchildren, and that one day, I will meet my four-year-old great-granddaughter who lives in another far away state.

Sure, I’ve screwed up. Sometimes I screwed up really bad. I’ve hurt others in years past, and for that, I can only atone and try to make things better. I’ve overcome my share of adversity, only to emerge a better person, able to make others happy and to share the good things in life.

Of course, I would love to be a millionaire, though I’ve know paupers that were happier than some millionaires. And as I may ponder about material things others have, I never forget an old quotation that my best friend, Harvey Glaser, repeated almost 55 years ago:

There was a man who said… “I cried when I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.”

I don’t need a million dollars…it’s been a million dollar life.

If I were to die tomorrow, it would surely be too soon. But, anyone who would read my marker could say, “There’s a guy who didn’t waste his dash.”

Like Lou Gehrig, I am a lucky guy.

Thank you all…for being you.

LETTER TO GEORGE W. BUSH – PARDON THE COPS

Dear Mr. President,

Now that your term is near an end, you’ll be doing what all lame-duck presidents do just before leaving the Oval Office; issuing dozens of pardons and commutations to America’s prison inmates. As of December 23^rd, you’ve issued only 191 presidential pardons. Some may think that admirable, but the truth is, all of them came after the convicts already completed their sentences. Among those pardoned, were drug dealers, embezzlers, unlawful gun dealers, tax evaders, thieves, one bomber and a host of others. Besides the pardons, you’ve commuted nine sentences, thereby shortening prison time for those convicts.

Contrast your record of compassion to that of other presidents: Wilson 2,480 pardons, Truman 2,044, Hoover 1,385, Lyndon Johnson, 1,200, plus Clinton, Reagan and ford, all of whom pardoned over 400 each.

It’s time, Mr. President, to right a grievous wrong.

It’s one thing to pardon people who made a habit of committing of crime, it’s another to pardon those who lived a life fighting crime on behalf of Americans. I’m talking about those who make Americans safer, who risk their lives every day on the front lines of the war on crime, who are there for you and me when we need them in times of crisis.

There are several of those who are serving long undeserved sentences in prison. Among them, Border Parol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, serving eleven and twelve years respectively for shooting a criminal in the buttocks, a career criminal who was trying to smuggle nearly a thousand pounds of drugs into the U.S., and who was given special privileges and rewards in exchange for his testimony against these officers. And from there, he arrogantly continued to smuggle and break American laws, while the prosecutor’s office turned a blind eye in order to nail the cops.

The detailed facts are arguable. Yes, they may have fudged on their reports, yes the Monday morning quarterbacks may have found violations of procedure. Perhaps they deserved admonishment and even charges. But did they…and their families… deserve a decade of life inside prison walls while their wives and children were sentenced to survival without a father in the home?

You know the answer to that, Mr. President, and so does every American who has followed case. Please don’t hide behind the law and swash it all with a lame explanation that they were convicted by a jury of their peers. We all know there is no such thing as a jury of our peers in today’s world. And regardless, if those jurors knew that the criminal had been given special rewards for his testimony, and that he was arrested again for smuggling drugs into the U.S. before the trial date, it’s unlikely the officers would have been convicted. And, if the jurors knew that —according to a technicality in the federal law — any convicted person who commits the “crime” while in possession of a firearm is automatically sentenced to a minimum of ten years, it’s unlikely the officers would have been convicted. However, the prosecutors, led by your appointee, Johnny Sutton, purposely did not reveal these facts to the jury. Consequently, Ramos and Compean — who are required by job description to possess a firearm on duty, got nailed for the maximum…and so did their families.

Non-criminals are wrongly serving time, Mr. President. Criminals who prey on society, are not serving time. How does one explain that?

You know the facts, but for those who don’t check out this link:

Click here: Ramos-Compean:

While you are at it Mr. President, consider some other officers of the law…some of whom may have made errors in judgement, but certainly did not deserve long prison sentences away from their families, lives wasted, non-productive.

Stephanie Mohr is one of those. A K-9 cop with Prince Georges County, Maryland, Officer Mohr allowed her K-9 partner to bite a criminal who was caught atop a commercial building at 1 a.m. in the morning, a criminal with a past record of drugs and theft and who was in the country illegally. She was convicted on testimony from another cop in big trouble, who was given special treatment in exchange for his testimony..saying the dog bite was unnecessary.

She had served with distinction as a decorated officer with several commendations for putting her life on the line protecting citizens of Maryland. She is now serving her fifth year of a ten year prison sentence. Her child doesn’t have his mom at home in all this time. If ever there was overkill in the criminal justice system, this is it. Stephanie Mohr does not deserve ten years behind bars.

Click here: Mohr Case Profile

There are others. Check out:

Click here: Chief of Police Richard Thompson

Click here: From the Chairman

So, Mr. President. Now that you don’t have to run for office any more, and the favors are all paid back to your political backers, it’s time to do the right thing.

You once called yourself a compassionate conservative. Time to put up, or shut up. Pardon these cops, and give them and their families, their lives back. You have the power…until January 20^th. I implore you in the name of humanity.  Use it.

Beware of Repair Scams

This is a re-posting of a blog from November or 2008

AUTO REPAIR FRAUD IS ALIVE AND WELL

Buyers, Beware!

We all know the horror stories about car-owners who are taken to the cleaners by unsavory auto service centers, out to make big bucks off the ignorance of neophytes. Most of us know that getting a simple oil change may result in garage managers trying to sell their customers unneeded parts such as air filters, brakes, shocks, serpentine belts, and such. Young women, in particular, are an easy target.

But I never thought a garage would stoop to the bottom of the sleaze scale by staging a problem in order to make a big sale. Such is the case with a 22 year-old woman who recently took her Jeep Liberty to a local, all-service tire service dealer in Melbourne for an oil change. When she returned to pick up her car, the message was dire. “You have a major oil leak, Miss. You need to have this fixed right away.”

Fortunately, her grandfather had forewarned her about auto service predators. Her response was simple. “Thank you. I’ll have it checked by my mechanic.”

And so she did. The vehicle was brought to a certified master mechanic in Rockledge with a long-standing reputation of honest service. Sure enough, the alleged “major oil leak” was fictitious. This incident was especially egregious because the tire center personnel had loosely inserted the oil filter and poured oil over the engine to give the bogus appearance of a serious leak.

While most licensed auto service dealers are reputable, auto repair fraud is still a common problem all over the nation. Too often, estimates are inflated, unneeded parts are sold to unknowing customers, and the most unsavory of all — like in the case mentioned above — will produce a bogus problem.

Here’s a few important tips:

* Always ask for written estimates for repairs.

* Do a background check on the garage/mechanic. Contact the Better Business Bureau.

* Be sure. Do not approve of a repair job unless you’re sure it is legitimate.

* Get a second, or a third opinion from a certified, licensed auto mechanic.

* Ask that they provide you with the used parts that are replaced, such as brake pads.

* Do not accept, at face value, everything that an auto service center will claim is wrong.  Be suspicious.

* Watch out for discount specials. Crooked repair shops will advertise oil changes, lube jobs and tire rotation specials as hooks to lure customers into the web of deceit.

* Try to establish a trusted relationship with a regular, certified mechanic for all your auto service needs.

It’s good to bear in mind that many tire and muffler auto centers do not make their profits off oil changes and selling tires. Franchise stores are under pressure to make extra sales in order to pay the rent.

The 22 year-old woman was lucky enough to have a caring grandfather, otherwise she may have been raked for a thousand dollars, when all she needed was a $25 change of oil.

Don’t let that happen to you.

p.s. The young woman’s grandfather writes books and blogs and struggles with the violin.  Hmm.

1. Ron Kenerly, on November 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pm Said:

   Your correct about the auto repair fraud on-going. Wonder why the police and SA’s don’t attak something like this that would mean so much to so many people..fraud is fraud, or is it..guess it is too tough of a subject to tackle?!?!?!

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2. Bill Solen, on November 21st, 2008 at 8:19 pm Said:

   This type of scam has been going on since Henry Ford. I have caught dealers using a trial and error repair method and guess who picks up the tab for the ‘trial’ parts?

   Your last tip is the most effective method for minimizing the problem. If you’re not sure who might be a reliable mechanic chances are that someone you know can give you a name. You know, “I’ve used this person for years”, etc. I can give you the name of one I’ve used for almost 14 years in Davie, FL. Same holds true for motorcycles and never trust a motorcycle Dealer or you will be replacing brake pads every other oil change.

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3. Lyle McGuire, on November 21st, 2008 at 8:51 pm Said:

   This is why I stopped buying Buicks and now go with Lexus. The American car companies have become disconnected with their dealers. From experience I cannot trust any GM dealer to provide honest and reliable service. Detroit needs to fix this problem above all else..

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4. Bill Bell, on November 21st, 2008 at 8:51 pm Said:

   Thanks, Marshall, for this good message. I’ve never been the victim of auto repair fraud, but it pays to be wary because it could happen any time.

   Regards, Bill

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5. Jerry Reichardt, on November 21st, 2008 at 9:36 pm Said:

   I guy came to the door selling $11 oil changes at Meineke. I bought a card worth 6 oil changes. When I took my car in for an oil change I had to pay another 5 bucks to recycle the old oil. Now the oil change cost $16. When they were finished they tell me my van needs new shocks & struts. I took the van to my neighbor’s shop & he said they were fine. The following week I took my wife’s Lexus in for an oil change and they said her car needs shocks & struts. It seems like the Meineke computer is programed to print out a report that says that all cars in for an oil change need new shocks & struts since they really don’t make any money on a 16 buck oil change. Beware if some door-to-door salesman trys to sell you an $11 oil change.

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6. Richard Plager, on November 21st, 2008 at 10:03 pm Said:

   I have a Honda, needs servicing once a year by the Honda dealer where I have been going for twelve years. No problem.

   rhp

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7. Ed Hensley, on November 22nd, 2008 at 12:14 am Said:

   Very timely Blog M.F.,

   Economic hard times are going to see more of us driving the old family bus longer. That means more auto repairs & more attemps at fraud. Car repair crooks come large & small but sometimes even the big sleaze bags get caught. Not often, but sometimes!

   I can’t think of auto repair fraud without
   thinking Sears, 1992 and a CA BCIS Sting
   catching Sears Auto Shops scamming customers
   as SOP. Sear’s coughed up $20 Million to
   keep their Auto Repair Shops open. See >

   http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3092/is_n18_v31/ai_12736011

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8. Frank M., on November 22nd, 2008 at 7:29 am Said:

   After so many years of doing my own service, I finally gave it up and now use a reputable Toyota dealer. Since they are very such reliable vehicles, I only have the oil changes done every 5000 miles, and they check all the operating systems and make recommendations on repairs or replacement. They do not do anything to the vehicle without my permission. They have taken me back to the garage and shown me the parts that they are recommending for replacement so I can make an informed decision. They also send me coupons for special deals. This dealership is in St. Augustine and I can truly recommend it to anyone needing service.

   After every service, I recieve a letter from the GM asking me to provide feedback on how I was treated and how the vehicle was serviced, asking me for any recommenations that I may have to improve their service. Now that’s the way to run a dealership and a repair facility and to keep your customers coming back. On my last visit, I had the opportunity to meet the GM and I was able to tell him in person about his facility and what a pleasure it was to come to. He introduced me to his service manager and all of his other managers and thanked me for my comments.
   Try meeting the General Manager at any of the big three…

   Take heed GM, Ford and Chrysler, maybe if you had done what the foreign car makers have been doing, you wouldn’t need billions of tax dollars to bail you out. Poor management and overzealous unions ruined the American car industry and they still don’t get the big picture. Too little, too late, I’m afraid.

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9. Paul, on November 22nd, 2008 at 7:34 am Said:

   How I wish I had a granddad like you! My story: We own a 2004 Honda which we purchased from Space Coast Honda. We’ve had it serviced every time at Space Coast following the suggested frequency as outlined in the owner’s manual, plus following the notice they put on the top of the windshield. I took the car in for regular service and left it for additional service as recommended by Ron, my “service adviser”. The phone call I received from Ron assured me that my tires were in serious condition. “Sure,” I said, “if they need replacing go ahead and do it.” Big Mistake.

   Ron wasn’t in when I came for the car so I asked the Service Manager how my tires got in such a deplorable condition when I brought it in regularly for service. He then turned to his trusty computer and asked me if I checked the tire pressure regularly. I said NO, I bring it into you for the maintenance! Another Big Mistake. He then asked me if I read my owner’s manual. No, That book is ¾ inches thick and I only open it if I need to check on how to operate the sliding doors.

   He then relied on his trusty computer to print out for me page 204 of my Owner’s Manual otherwise know as his “CYA” (Cover Your Ass) book!. There it was, how stupid I was not to have known! It plainly says:
   “Owner’s Maintenance Checks, You should check the following items at the specified intervals. If you are unsure of how to perform any check, turn to the appropriate page listed.
   *Engine oil level – Check every time you fill the fuel tank. See page 171
   *Engine coolant level – Check the radiator reserve tank every time you fill the .
   fuel tank. See page 172.
   *Automatic transmission – Check the fluid level monthly. See page 216
   *Brakes – Check the fluid level monthly. See page 218
   Tires – Check the tire pressure monthly. Examine the tread for wear and foreign objects. See page 230
   *Lights – Check the operation of the headlights, parking lights, tail lights, high mounted brake lights, and license plate lights monthly. See page 220.

   I realize how wordy my comments are but I think everyone should be aware, Your service advisor is not your friend. He works for a dealer who is more interested in Covering His Ass than in doing what you expected him to do when he was selling you the car. I guarantee you NO ONE CHECKS HIS OIL EVERY TIME HE FILLS HIS FUEL TANK!

   My bill was $473.47. Shame on me for not checking my tire pressure monthly!

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10. Paul Jr., on November 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 am Said:

    I wish it were only auto repair techs! Probably the worst in Florida are the AIR CONDITIONER tech scams! There are so many crooks in the A/C business in Brevard that you would have a hard time believing it. One of many scams tried on me was that my system needed a $2,300.00 replacement – but I fixed it myself after I snooped around and found a bad relay which I replaced by myself for less than $25.00. When I told them I fixed it myself, the owner came by (Mickey Kabran) and terrorized my young daughter by pounding on the door demanding to speak with me (I was at work and my teenage daughter was just home from school). Was he drunk? Who knows. Yes, I definitely straightened him out. I don’t trust any A/C guys in Brevard except for Dan Rhode. I grew up with Dan and he is stone-cold honest and fair.

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11. Ray T, on November 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 am Said:

    went to a local Chevy dealer in Pembroke Pines I had some warning lites appear on 04 Tahoe with 44000 miles on it indicating service stability, traction & abs..computer indicated speed sensor in left front wheel is bad so I got it repaired little did I know it was attached to the wheel hub and everything else in there final bill for this “wheel sensor” $598.00 but I am a good customer (sucker) got a 10% good customer discount!! Oh ! out of warranty of course !!

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12. David N., on November 22nd, 2008 at 10:29 am Said:

    For Lyle McGuire, I have been getting my service done at a Buick dealer since 2003 and have had no problem. They may mention that the tires need rotation (n/c) or even other minor items. As I looked through my owners manuals ( 3 sperate buicks) everything they have offered is at my descretion, I even take my Ford truck into them for service since the local Ford dealer charged me an arm and leg for work that didn’t work (no guarantee).If anyone in North Florida would like to find out who this GM dealer is e-mail me. Some GM dealers may be bad news but not this one.

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13. Barb H, on November 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm Said:

    I learned my lesson about 23 years ago, when I moved to Florida. Had a brand new
    car. Bought gas and whatever small service was needed at the same CHEVRON STATION, which was near the office I worked in. One morning, I stopped and asked to have my tires rotated. Left the car and was called sometime later at my office, to let me know I needed shocks. As a bookkeeper, and being a single woman, what did I know about shock absorbers. I said, if I need them, then replace them. After work, I picked up my car and a $5oo.oo bill. My son, when told of this, almost handed me my head. Needless to say, I learned the hard way. Never, ever again have I patronized a CHEVRON STATION. I also learned more about what to do when my car is not feeling well.

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14. Cathy Stanton, on November 22nd, 2008 at 6:48 pm Said:

    Well, Marshall, we do have to be very careful, not trusting dealers any more than we can see them–even the Asian car dealers on occasion.

    Word of mouth is the best way, I think. My cars have been serviced thru the years by Foreign Car Clinic in Eau Gallie. I have one “dinosaur”, a 1987 Buick LeSabre Estate Wagon with over 200,000 miles clocked on it. I had to pay $60 for a tank full of gas one day, and on impulse (and in desperation) found a 2004 Hyundai 2-door coupe. I was told by the Mitsubishi salesman that it would get 35 mpg, but I’m lucky to break 28. A helluva lot better than 17 mpg for the Buick,which I need for my business, but I do wish they could have been honest about mileage.

    It, and several cars before it, have been well cared for by Foreign Car.
    This week I filled the tank for $20, and the Buick for $30. (I don’t drive it much.)

    The little Hyundai hasn’t been there yet. I’ve had it for 5 months, and had the oil changed (by Tire Kingdom in Eau Gallie), plus a tire rotation. The brakes also needed new shoes at that time. That’s all. No dealer prices either. I don’t trust ‘em.

    Just a note of interest: Bill Scott taught classes on car care at the Shepherd’s Center awhile back, and did stress the importance of regular checkups of our cars, as well as collecting names of car care places trusted by the students. Many had not ever looked under their hoods.

    Cathy Stanton

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15. Joe Haymes, on November 23rd, 2008 at 3:14 pm Said:

    This is a very good matter to get distributed as widely as posible. I might let my wife read it, but I am not too concerned about her and her car. We have spent a few years extablishing a very good relationship with our service center, and have not been subjected to questionable offers or suggestions. I have always tinkered with cars, and in my high school days worked in a state owned garage, so I am inclined to be suspiciaous of any unlikely sounding suggestion. But it happens, and I have had to turn down a few from other establishments in other cities.

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16. Leslie, on November 24th, 2008 at 9:53 pm Said:

    Well, Marshall I have to say that I agree with you and most other people on many issues mentioned regading this subject…except for the person who went out to buy a “Lexus” and won’t buy American any longer. Some of us do not have that luxury! Which brings us to MY point..It is times like these where I thank God I don’t have any money, and live only paycheck to paycheck,LOL. If I have work done on my car…in more cases than not, I have only budgeted for THAT work. They can tell me all they want about what is in DIRE NEED as far as any other work needing to be done, but it all falls on deaf ears..AND…empty pockets!! If I have to PUSH my car out of their garage…they STILL get nothing more out of me, LOL. Therefore…no mechanic has ever “bullied” me or “cohersed” me…or just plain “scammed” ME because I never had the money anyway. Anyone who just says “go ahead” because it just seems easier, or doesn’t get a second opinion is just plain silly. I believe, in some ways..having little money (yet keeping my car safely on the road at the same time)has made me smarter in that respect. It just takes common sense, and personally, I have never just “believed” someone simply because they “said so” just ask my mom, LOL!

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17. Tom Ault, on November 25th, 2008 at 9:32 pm Said:

    For once, I can’t comment. My dad owned a garage, he was honest and taught that to me. People came to us because of it but like many of the “honest” folks dad disliked being questioned and his first reaction to questioning was simply, “I have plenty of business without yours so if you don’t trust me, take it somewhere else!”
    Unfortunately that stuck with me and when questioned as to my honesty I get upset quickly, and for the most part without reason.

    Go a bit easy on some of those guys, they are, for the most part, pretty honest.

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18. Rich Moore, on November 26th, 2008 at 12:45 pm Said:

    I drive an older Benz and I have a garage in town that I use that always gives me the final total before they start. If anything is discovered they call and give me time to check it out before agreeing to any more work. I always use genuine Mercedes parts and I question the boss and mechanic closely when any work needs to be done. They know that my business depends on my being satisfied every time…there are too many gaages out there to settle for a bad one. Drivers beware!!

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19. Pat Wilson, on November 26th, 2008 at 11:37 pm Said:

    How well I can identify with this! In two stances, I luckily said the right thing, and DIDN’T get stuck with a huge bill! I lived in Las Vegas many years ago, and we needed a second car. My husband got a used car several years old for me, and when I shut the engine off after several miles of driving, I could not not turn it on again until it cooled off. I took it to a repair garage to find out what was wrong. The owner said he had the latest equipment to check the car thoroughly. The basic price for this service was $75, plus the cost for the repair. I wisely said I had to talk to my husband about it. When I told my husband about this, he asked a friend, who was a mechanic for one of the big showplaces, The Mint, if he could check the car. The man opened the hood, took out the old thermostat, and that was the end of the problem!

    The second experience was here in Florida. A friend recommended a new “great” garage that was about a mile from where I lived, better than the 12 or so miles I drove to a Goodyear garage in Leesburg. The second time I went to the new place, they told me I needed a new condenser in my AC. I mistakenly thought that Goodyear had replaced that a year before, and I told the new place I would go back to Goodyear and demand that they explain what they did. Goodyer told me they had replaced the compressor, and I did not need a condenser! That condenser would have cost me $984! So twice in my life I said the right thing–luckily!

    Pat Wilson

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20. Marvin, on November 27th, 2008 at 10:05 am Said:

    I visited the Ford dealership for a noticicable problem. They kept the truck four days after repeated phone calls as to what was the problem. They finally told me that I had to purchase a “chip” that they use to analyze the automobile to point out the problem, cost $400.00;

    Drove away half angry that someone has been had by this and will be again.

    Drove to a private reccommended mechanic who had the “chip” as all legitimate servicers should have.

    Repair cost…………$187.00.

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21. Frank Piloto, on November 27th, 2008 at 3:35 pm Said:

    At the risk of being labeled a jerk, which I am used to already, I have to say that, some of the lowest forms of human degradation include lawyers, car salespeople, child molesters and auto mechanics.
    We bought a brand new Jeep and had to take it 8 times to Tamiami Dodge where each time, and found “nothing wrong.”

    After the warranty ran out, the same problem continued, the engine light coming on, and we took it back to Tamiami Dodge where then they found that, it was a transmission problem and tried to stick me for over $2000.00.
    That is when I found a friend who recommended me Nunez Tires on Flagler and SW 74th Ave and took it there only to find out that, it was a defective gas cap. I replaced the factory issued one with a cap that had a key and that brought the light on.
    So, from that day on, I used these people’s services and have had no more problems.
    Like Marcy Simms used to say, ” An educated consumer is our best customer.” Take time to learn a bit of the product you have, do some research and you may never get stuck.

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Greatest Comedians Of All Time

Always loved a good comic.

Maybe I’m just an old fogey who, like most old fogies, think the old timers were better than what the modern day produces. When I surf cable channels, like the Comedy station, I try to find good humor without a litany of four-letter words, crotch-grabs, sexual denigration, and constant references to body parts, but it’s futile. What is it that the audience finds so funny? Comics today think the funniest word on the planet is the oft repeated, “MF.” Alas, I sit laughless.

In today’s world, viewers of sit-coms are manipulated by canned laughter. Class B television actors recite lines and suddenly we hear an uproarious response to an inane comment that’s about as funny as a sore throat.

Whatever happened to the variety show before a live audience? Jackie Gleason and all his characters? Same with Flip Wilson, Carol Burnett, and Sonny and Cher. And for those of us who can remember, the age-old “Colgate Comedy Hour.”

Having come from a show-biz family, I am always looking for a good comedy, on television, stand -up, and in movies to rival such classics as “Some Like It Hot,” and “What’s Up Doc,” both of which starred non-comedians yet were among the funniest ever. Who can deny that Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles” were not among the comic classics, or “Liar Liar” and “Silver Streak.”

So…who were the most talented comedians of all time? Most of my top ten are long gone…but they sure knew how to evoke pure laughter from an audience.

My top ten:

Jackie Gleason

Carol Burnett

Robin Williams

Red Skelton

Johnny Carson

Jerry Lewis

Harvey Korman

Richard Pryor

Bill Cosby

Jim Carrey

Honorable mention (meaning, could easily be a top tenner also)

Sid Ceasar

Eddie Murphy

George Carlin

Steve Martin

Lucille Ball

Tim Conway

Mel Brooks

Flip Wilson

Bob Hope

Don Rickles

Art Frank

Let’s see your picks?

FINANCING HARVARD – MORE QUESTIONS UNANSWERED

Well, here I go smearing Obama again…I guess I must be a racist.

Honest folks, I’m not making this up…the information is out there for anyone if they are willing to learn. As usual, the media is hands off the Teflon candidate.

Barack Obama has claimed that his entry in the most prestigious Ivy League University law school in the nation was financed by student loans. Seemed logical enough. That’s the route of thousands.

Along comes Percy Sutton, a rather imposing 88 year-old lawyer, a former president of the Borough of Manhattan and a loser in the race for city mayor to Ed Koch, years ago. A credible man.

In an interview earlier this year on New York’s all-news cable channel NY1, Sutton made some interesting revelations about his relationship with young Barack Obama. He told NY1 reporter Dominic Carter on “Inside City Hall” that he was introduced to the 25 year-old Obama by a friend raising money to help further his education. The friend asked Sutton to write a letter in support of Obama’s application to Harvard law school.

Sutton did so, and Obama was admitted. The rest is history.

But wait. Who was that masked man? Who was that benevolent fellow who felt so close to the young man that he would make such an effort to sponsor him?

It wasn’t the Lone Ranger. From Mr. Sutton’s lips: “The friends name is Dr. Kjhalid al-Mansour, from Texas. He is the principal advisor to one of the world’s richest men. He told me about Obama.”

Click here: YouTube – Obama and Khalid Mansour

According to Newsmax reporter, Kenneth Timmerman, Percy Sutton was a former business partner of al-Mansour. He knew about al-Mansour’s external relationships quite well. Mr. al-Mansour was representing top members of the Saudi Royal family seeking to do business in and exert to influence in the United States.

One of those Saudi royals was Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of Saudi King Abdullah. He was the Saudi prince who offered $10 million to help New York rebuild after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani refused to accept, because the prince had made statements indicating that the U.S. brought on the attacks by virtue of a poor foreign policy.

Born Donald Warden, al-Mansour is a graduate of Harvard and has been a guest lecturer there. His writings and statements reveal him to be an ideological clone of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. He is also a confirmed anti-Semite, anti-Christian radical Muslim who is known for his hatred toward mainstream America. I invite all readers to Google his name and delve into the many YouTube rants and other writings of this man, who —- according to Mr. Sutton — apparently mentored Barack Obama.

Naturally, this blog is going to generate more of the same accusations, that I …and so many others…are reporting this as a smear campaign to prevent a black man from becoming president.

C’est la vie. But opening one’s eyes from a deep sleep can enlighten…if one is willing to wake up.

Having been a cop and an investigator for so many years, it’s my experience that information that raises suspicion is worthy of checking out. In Obama’s case, we wouldn’t want to think that a man who is about to become the president of the United States owes any obligations to foreign interests who would be our enemies.

The best route, of course, is for some media journalist to have the cajones to simply ask the questions: “Senator Obama, what was your relationship with Dr. Kjhalid al-Mansour? Did Mr. Percy Sutton tell the truth? If you did have a relationship with al-Mansour, were you aware of his passionate anti-Semetic, anti-American leanings? Was any foreign money, namely from Saudi Arabia, used to help you enter Harvard Law School? Can you produce evidence that you paid for graduate school with student loans?

Wanna bet that’s not going to happen?

There is another thought here. Maybe Percy Sutton is lying. And this is all made up. I hope so. I would hate to think that Barack Obama is indebted to a Wahhabi Muslim nation that is funneling billions into the United States on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood…for one purpose.

I would hate to think that Senator Obama would allow himself to be exploited like that.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope Mr. Sutton was lying. Gee, maybe Mr. Sutton is a plant from the republican party, paid to make false statements to smear Obama.

Never know.

For the whole story: Click here: Newsmax.com

Also: Who is Khalid al-Mansour?

WHERE IS OBAMA’S MONEY COMING FROM?

I’ve hesitated to speculate where Barack Obama has garnered his enormous record-setting mountain of campaign funds. His change of heart ( better known as flip-flop) from vowing to accept public funding, to vowing to rejecting it, was undoubtedly triggered by an awakening that money would continue to pour in from the private sector like Niagra Falls until the election is over.

Poor black communities? Doubtful. Movie stars, rock stars and generous liberal moguls, perhaps, but that wouldn’t assemble that much continuous cash on hand. Pro-choicers? Some, perhaps. Besides refusing public funds, Obama has also vowed that he will not accept donations from special interest groups as well.

Interesting to note; more than half of his $400 million has come from private donors sending under $200. The war chest is almost double that of John Kerry’s in 2004.

We do know that the Islamic world, not only inside the U.S., is licking their chops to see Obama elected. Some have openly declared their interest in seeing him win the Oval Office. Not only American Muslims ( www.muslimsforobama08.com ) but Palestinians overseas have formed phone banks to raise money for his campaign. Click here: Amanda Carpenter :: Townhall.com

What don’t we know? That worries me even more.

It’s common knowledge that the Saudis — who are saturated in an endless sea of petrodollars — are very interested in American life, and our government, as indicated by the billions of dollars they funnel into our schools, universities, banks, prisons, media, real estate and other institutions.

But it’s illegal for foreigners to contribute to an American political campaign. Right?

Of course. But it’s not illegal for the Saudis, or Yemenites, or Palestinians, or another other foreigners to send money to American Muslims, or other supporters, as cash gifts. From there, the money can find it’s way into political coffers via the Internet as small donations under $200, from which donors need not be identified. Ergo…foreigners are fully able to finance an American campaign under the radar, and no one would know the difference. It’s not provable, but it sure is feasible.

I’m not saying this is a fact, only a possibility. There must be a reasonable answer for the avalanche of funds that continue to keep pouring into the Obama camp.

Why is this important?

For the same reason it was important to know where the G.W. Bush machine amassed their campaign fortune in the last two elections. A large part of that came from corporations and industries who held special interests in getting their guy elected, like: Construction, Agriculture, Hotel/Restaurants, Pharmaceuticals, Munitions, Oil, Religious fundamentalists, and more. That, in part, is why we have such a problem the last seven years with illegal aliens. Bush owed favors, and employers of illegal workers received them.

Once in office, the electee is beholden to those who helped him win. It’s called; payback. Favors are owed. It’s the American way.

When and if Obama wins the election, he will take care of those who took care of him. (As will McCain) And if the Muslim community worked that hard, and raised that much money for B. O., you can bet that the CAIR, (Council for American/Islamic Relations) and other Islamic organizations in and out of the U.S. — radicals and moderates — will rejoice in the streets. The advancement of Islamist interests in America will accelerate like a stuck gas pedal. One of those interests (no secret) is the eventual Islamization of the western world.

As I documented in my blog of two weeks ago, the malevolent Muslim Brotherhood is in the process of working toward that goal now, with little resistance. Their strategy has been articulated in their document: “The Project.”

If you haven’t read it, I hope you do. Click here: WHAT AMERICANS NEED TO KNOW

Numerous articles have been written which expose Obama’s leanings toward Islamists around the world, including his relationship with cousin, Raila Odinga, Marxist and radical Muslim who has promised to invoke Sharia law throughout Kenya, once in power.

In a future blog, I will point out several more recent relationships that the Obama camp has had with questionable people, all of whom should raise eyebrows. Naturally, those in love with the Teflon candidate will likely turn a blind eye before raising any eyebrows.

The entire message here, is that we must question Barack Obama’s relationships, his actions, his motives and his true loyalty to America. Forget about speeches and words. Politicians will say anything to get elected, then do what they darn well please once in office.

If Joe Blow was running for the presidency, and being touted and supported by folks like David Duke, the KKK or the American Nazi Party, wouldn’t folks wonder: Why do these radical groups support this guy? Why is he…their guy?

Back in the 1970’s, when asked by Bob Woodward about tracing corruption and abuse in the White House, it was Deep Throat who said, “Follow the money.”

I invite voters to investigate. Think beyond impressions and party line. The information is out there. Check it out.

Click here: Muslims in fed terror probe making donations to Obama

Click here: Hamas Endorses Obama