Too Close for Comfort by Dr. T

My fellow citizens, though many are celebrating tonight, the Supreme Court vote on the 2nd ammendment today was "too close for comfort". True...we won, but with a 5 to 4 vote, it's hardly a reason to break out the bubbly. Antonin Scalia's "majority opinion" was succinct and brillant. The job of these nine in black robes is to uphold the Constitution, not trample it, bend it, shred it, and disect it until it is unrecognizable. Unfortunately, there are 4 judges who want to legislate by judicial fiat and if the Constitution stands in their way they will attempt to circumvent it.

Many Americans do not understand the weight and breadth of the Constitution. The framers were brilliant in the reasoning they put forth when forming this document. Because they understood human nature and because they experienced what tyranny is, they established amendments meant to protect the citizenry from the oppressive hand of government. Jefferson, Madison, Washington et al knew that the right of self defense and defense of one's home was necesary and that the right to bear arms is fundamental. "It keeps the government in check". Today 4 judges attempted to overthrow that right....to win by the narrowest of margins...to wit, by one vote, is far too scary for me.

Remember, if Obama wins, the shift in the court will be devastating.

The Best Man I Never Met..by Dr.T

Once in a great while a truly special human being walks among us. So it was with Tim Russert, who left us way too soon when he passed away suddenly this past Friday. Did I know him personally? No...but I sure wish I had, for he was that rarest of individuals whose personality drew you to him. I knew enough about Tim to know that what you saw each Sunday on "Meet the Press" was genuine. He loved politics and he loved his work and treated every guest, no matter what side of the aisle or issue, strongly but fairly. He was a middle class guy from Buffalo, New York who made it big but never forgot his roots. He loved his family, admired the hard work of his dad and passed the same value system he was taught on to his son Luke. Actually, Tim and I are quite similar. I was born and raised in the Bronx, lived in a modest home in a working class neighborhood, attended Catholic schools, just like him. Love of God, family and country along with a strong work ethic are the lessons we learned. Tim's dad served in World War II, so did mine. Tim wrote a book about the sacrifices his dad made on his behalf. I've written speeches about the sacrifices my dad made for me. Maybe these similarities made me feel a connection or kinship with this man I never met, I don't know. All I know is that I have acknowledged the passing of many famous people, but Tim Russert lingers in my mind. I watched colleagues pay tribute to him with personal stories about his generosity and kindness and I actually mourned this man I never met. He still had much work to do, his chair will be tough to fill. My heart goes out to his family and friends, for surely, life without Tim will never be the same.

The Blame Game by Dr. T

It's disgusting, pitiful, and disingenuous to watch the Democrats and in particular, Barack Obama play the "blame game". Our oil crisis never had to be a crisis at all. Leave it to the government to screw things up and then shift blame to others. When gas shortages happened in the 1970s it should have been a wake up call for our country to get moving in the direction of maintaining it's own internal supplies. But environmentalists and anti-capitalists began rattling their sabres and soon the Democratic party was marching in lockstep. Off shore "drilling" became an enterprise of scorn, refineries slowed, new ones halted as year after year we became more dependent upon foreign entities for energy. Fast forward to 2008 and we are in deep stuff, folks are hurting, businesses failing, prices for all goods and services increasing, all because the price of crude has gone through the roof.

But fear not, dear citizens, the government will come to the rescue in the form of the messiah, Barack Obama...he feels your pain and he is going to make those responsible for that pain pay. One problem, he is blaming the oil companies and wants to slap a windfall profit tax on them. Ah, the old "bait and switch". The truth is, it's the government that has us in this predicament. And in particular, the Dems. Each time drilling off shore and in ANWR has come up for vote...the Republicans have voted YES while the Dems have voted NO. We have the technology to drill responsibly and doing so would give some immediate relief while alternative energies are pursued. Instead, the government chooses to put the focus on the oil companies banking that the citizenry will follow along. First of all, the oil companies make about a 4% profit, the government , which does nothing to deserve it, makes about 15%. To add insult to injury, if they get away with slapping the windfall tax on the oil companies...who do you think will end up paying the added taxes.....that's right...it will be passed on to us... the consumers. Yeah, Barak feels our pain.

The Doc is in the House

After many months of hiatus the blog is calling me back....my co-writer is defending our country and I'm stepping in to do my part. Besides, if I don't unburden my brain I'm going to explode. This whole Democratic primary and the general atmosphere of the country has me in a tailspin. I've often said that now in my maturity I really understand that old adage, "Ignorance is bliss". I sometimes think I would be so much better off going through my days with cotton between my ears...then I think NO, can't do that...I've got to contribute if just in a small way. I love my country too much to turn a blind eye.

I've followed the whole primary, oh the drama, oh the angst, oh the bull----! The Republicans got in there and got it done in no time flat......I have to admit that it's been fun watching the Dems get themselves in deeper and deeper.
Here's my take:

Democrats are always trying to prove that they are above it all, much better people, so progressive. Along comes Barack Obama, virtually unknown...but what a catch....we'll prop him up, what a coup, won't we look great. This is a party that puts emphasis on race, but for the wrong reasons. This was all for show, they didn't bother to check the guy out...now it's coming back to bite them in the ass. The trouble is they were in too deep to back out...Hillary was expecting a coronation, instead she got the boot. Now the party has to hope that 18 million voters believe her mush about how they've kissed and made up. Even if they do, there is still Obama's baggage to deal with, you know those scary friends of his...Ayers, Wright and Pfleger. Not to mention a scary wife and a resume that would fit in a thimble with a foreign policy stance that says: "Hey Iran COME ON DOWN". I must admit I'm not thrilled with McCain, that old lesser of two evils comes to mind. I admire him for his extrordinary service, but we part ways on immigration and some other issues. The fact is you're never going to get 100% agreement, but you try to get as close as possible, and I think McCain will fit the bill. My hope is that he understands that he has to get tougher. I understand that he wants to run a clean campaign(could there be such a thing?)...but he has legitimate contrasts that he can make and he has to hit hard. The press is in the tank for Obama, they have laid off McCain up until now because all the focus has been on the contest between Obama and Clinton. Now that it's settled, the big guns will come out. John had better be prepared, these next five months are going to be a battle zone.