The Coming of Tel Meggido

Sixty five years ago, in response to the creation of Israel, a group of Arab countries set up an entity called the Arab League to protect any Arab or Muslim state from attack by it. Ironically, the member states activated its agreement recently by attacking not Israel, but rather, other member states.

Egypt attacked Libya for the killing by ISIS, which now dominates Libya's "government", of 22 Egyptian Christians. And just this week, Saudi Arabia attacked Yemen, another member state, due to the Iranian-supported Houthi rebels which overthrew the legitimate Yemeni government.

Other member countries have come to the aid of Saudi Arabia, more due to its fear of Iran, including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan. Even relatively  distant countries like Pakistan, Morocco and Sudan are supportive of both the Saudi and Egyptian actions. And Israel is not even a blip on the tip of anyone's tongue.

Except Iran's American ally, Barry Soetoro Hussein Obama. Ironic, isn't it?

For those who thought the Arab Spring was a peaceful revolution to overthrow barbaric dictators, how is the ISIS-Iran summer looking now? Not so good, I fear. With Obama's tacit support, Iran and ISIS are marching through the Middle East with impunity.

Where does that leave Israel in this nightmare? Thankfully, both Egypt and Jordan, with a lesser extent, Saudi Arabia, understand the need for a secure and peaceful Israel. The Egyptian and Jordanian peace treaties with Israel remain strong.

Presently, Iran controls a huge piece of the Middle East. Syria, Lebanon and now Iraq are client states of the theocracy. Essentially, the old Persian Empire is rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the Arab Spring. I wrote about this on June 12, 2014 in my commentary, The Iraqi-Afghani-Iranian Empire Connection where I discussed Iran resurrecting the Persian Empire as a nuclear-powered theocracy. Looking at what is transpiring in the current Iran Nuclear negotiations, it will come to pass.

As for the rest? This summer and autumn will be very telling, especially if Iran beats (?) the West at the game of Nuclear Chicken. Since it appears that Barry and that other traitor, John Kerry are on the fast track to complete this deal with Iran, and obtaining NO CONCESSIONS from it, the other countries involved in the negotiations are powerless to stop it from happening.

Then, ISIS and Iran could set the world on a course of utter destruction, all in the name of "Allah". These people are mad, crazy fanatics, who have no regard for the sanctity of human life. So who cares if 300 MILLION or more people die in the quest of total world domination? Not the mullahs in Teheran. Not the butchers of the Islamic State.

As for the Arab League? It is but a pawn in the greater chess game being played out in the cradle of civilization. As the heat of summer raises the desert air temperature, the fires of human destruction may burn hotter than Hell itself throughout the region, once believed to be the Garden of Eden, as ISIS and Iran march through the Middle East, knowing not even the United States will stop them.

Maybe it is time to re-read Revelations or the works of Nostradamus. The events as they are playing out on the world stage are eerily familiar to both.

Gramps' Excellent Adventure

 Friday was a special day for Gramps. He arose early, already dressed at 5 AM, anticipating this long-awaited trip to his old job, the job he loved at the New York City Department of Sanitation.

Flashback….

He was appointed in 1953 to the job as a probationary employee, thankful that his time at the A&P was finally done. He spent 16 years behind the truck, coming home each night with a funny story about something that happened during the day. This helped him mark time until he could retire.

Then, in October, 1969, a teletype came down from headquarters on Worth Street which said that on November 3, the day before Election Day, he was to be promoted to Assistant Foreman. All of a sudden, any thought to retire was gone. His whole life changed. Forever.

The 1970s saw more change in Gramps life: promotion to Foreman and then District Super. He loved his job more than any man could love a job. He felt that each day was a challenge in a good way. He felt he could make a difference.

And did.

His main question was "why are you doing it (whatever "it" was) this way?" If a reasonable answer wasn't forthcoming or worse, if the answer was, "because  we always did it this way", he would look to see if there was a better way to do "it". Then, if a better way wasn't found, at least he was able to say the current way was the best way.

He was always pulled out of his normal responsibilities to manage a section, or a garage or a district in order to help his supervisors at the borough level make the job better for all those who worked in the Department throughout the City. He was creative and looked outside the box for answers.

During this time, he was the Borough of Brooklyn's Snow Super, which was virtually a year-round job. He developed some of the systems and programs which are still used today for snow removal.

He was promoted in 1984 to Deputy Chief, which was his final step before officially retiring in 1987. He continued to make inroads in procedures and practices which have not been changed because they worked so well.

Fast forward to Friday.

He got into the car unsure if the trip would be worth it all; the time gone by, the anticipation to see the job again, the reception he would receive. He headed toward Brooklyn, his old stomping grounds, the place where he made his mark.  But traffic was unbearable, coming to a standstill.  Finally, he decided it wasn't worth the trouble. So, disappointed, he headed back.

But then, it was decided to go to a garage closer to home, in Queens. When he got there, one of the guys traveling with him went into the garage to see if a visit were possible. Five minutes passed. Then ten.

Suddenly, his traveling companion came out, escorting the Garage Foreman. Mr V came over to Gramps' side of the car and spent several minutes thanking him for all he did for the Department, and for the men and women who came after him. Gramps was so elated and his bright blue, Irish eyes were smiling wide for the kind words he heard. And the smile on his face was just was wide.

He spoke with the Foreman for a bit, reminiscing, and sharing stories about people they both knew. Finally, Foreman V had to get back and told Gramps to go home, enjoy his retirement, and that he left the Department in good hands.  

Judging by the smile still on his face, Gramps knows that this is a truth. He finished, finally, his adventure, his trip, certainly not disappointed, but rather, comfortable that his journey ended, as it started, thankful that in the end, he knew he made a difference.

And I can assure you, he truly has.

A Call For Removal

For all my friends who get upset with me because I constantly criticize Barry Soetoro Hussein Obama for his illegal and unconstitutional actions, do you REALLY THINK he has the best interests of the country at heart? REALLY??

You, along with your False Hope, love to criticize his predecessor, as if he has ANY control on current events. When George W Bush was President, I blamed him for the things he did which were stupid. But, in spite of revisionist history, he really did not do anything illegal or unconstitutional. I do blame him for the financial crisis of 2008 because he did not insist with the Senate Banking Committee and the House Banking Committee to do their jobs and audit Fannie and Freddie before their practices were out of hand.

I was against the Patriot Act when it was first enacted, but both houses of Congress overwhelmingly voted for it in a bipartisan act.There were other issues, including our entry into the Iraq war but again, both houses of Congress overwhelmingly endorsed this action with bipartisan support.

The last president who acted unconstitutionally prior to Barry was Richard Nixon. I was against the impeachment process of Bill Clinton because he acted stupidly but not unconstitutionally. In both these cases, even the media acted fairly and professionally as it dug into each of these presidents' sins.

Now, we have a media which act as a lap dog to this president. Sadly, any semblance to a free press is gone. In addition, the spokespeople employed by this government have no idea how to tell the truth. Instead, it is all about spinning an agenda which is totally unconstitutional.

I wonder what those who think Barry can do no wrong will say if some of his recent pronouncements actually take away yours and our liberty and freedoms. They may finally have to recognize that their idealism was compromised by probably the worst president we have ever had. Then, who would they have to blame at that point? Bush? Clinton? Reagan??

I think not!

They will have, instead, only themselves to blame for not recognizing criminality when it stared them in the face. To them I say:Impeach, Arrest, Imprison. Criminals should not be allowed to live in the White House, a la the lesson of Watergate.

Finally, it is time for Obama to be removed from office. It is time for the Congress to do its job!

Welcome Spring!

There is so much strife in the world to write about today. I usually am right there criticizing the Administration about its actions, or rather inactions, both here and abroad. The most recent events involves Yemen and Barry's response to the Netanyahu win.

But, for today, I will leave this to others to comment.

Instead, it is a beautiful Sunday morning here on Long Island and in the Northeast, with temperatures expected to be in the 40s and maybe even reaching 50. That is a good sign that the first Sunday of Spring has a good omen for us. Perhaps Friday's snow squall is the last vestige of the worst winter in many years.

I heard birds chirping this morning and when I looked outside, there were birds picking at the lawn. Such a nice scene! In two weeks, it will be Easter and Passover, which are early this year. But they can't come soon enough, don't you agree?

In addition, the 2015 baseball season will be upon us. For my Mets, Opening Day is April 6, on the road. Another sign that warm weather is just about here.

This was a tough winter, especially in the Northeast. It seemed to snow every week from January 15 on. Yes, there were little storms in December, including a torrential rainstorm on Christmas Eve,  which teased us with a White Christmas which never happened, but the January and February snows certainly made up for that.

There is still January snow on the ground, especially in mid and northern New England. But, I expect that with a few warm days, it will be gone, maybe by April 1. I am sure my friends in the northern climes are hoping.

In a month or so, we will see 60s and 70s as a daily occurrence and not long after, 80s and 90s will be the norm. But I don't care.  I never complain about the heat because I like warm. I hate the cold. When one is cold, you are cold to the bone. If I feel hot, there is air conditioning or a cool shower.

So, welcome Spring! I have been counting down to you since Christmas and I am glad you finally made it! Stay a while and clear the way for better days.

And maybe, just maybe, you can help clear some of the political stench which seems to make us all so agitated. 

Tapes and Emails

If you saw the movie "Nixon" by Oliver Stone, you will recall a line in the movie when Nixon, standing in the Oval Office, asks to no one in particular, "What is it about me that makes people hate me so much?" He then rattles off a list of reasons.

Then, later in the movie, in a conversation he has with his wife, after she tells him he should have burned the tapes, Stone shows him to have a sense of moral, as well as, personal responsibility with his response, "I can't. They are evidence. You can't destroy evidence.  And they are mine."

And other than 18 1/2 minutes, which were probably accidently erased, no matter what the Nixon - haters want to contrive, the remainder of the tapes are secured by the National Archives, jointly with the Richard Nixon Library and Museum.

Which is a lot more than can be said about Hillary's emails.

This is the same Hillary who served as an attorney in 1974, of the impeachment inquiry staff in Washington, D.C., advising the House Committee on the Judiciary during the Watergate scandal. And who was allegedly fired for improprieties.

And yet, she has the audacity to laughingly say that SHE felt it was confusing to have more than one email. So, before she took on the job of SECSTATE, she had a server put into her home, where SHE could control access, accountability and disclosure of specific emails and/or topics. Or delete unflattering or questionable ones.

The two stooges who work at the DOS now, Jenn Psaki and Marie Harf, have taken on the role of Ron Zeigler in this parody. They will try to block, deflect and even lie in order to protect Hillary. 

And unlike during the Watergate nightmare, when the media doggedly chased down every clue, every hint of impropriety that revolved around the 37th President and his team of co-conspirators, Hillary Clinton gets a free pass, collects two million dollars and is trying to head to the White House. With nary a peep from the devoted, driveling left stream media.

Why?

Oh... and the "President" of the United States had the nerve to claim he heard about the Hillary email problem "on the news". He didn't know when he received emails from her that they were not from hillary@dos.gov or another government approved, secure web address? Is he stupid? Or does he think we are? I know, ask Jonathan Gruber to answer that one.

When will the media begin the prosecution of Hillary on this violation of government protocol? I know, I know. She didn't violate any law because it wasn't spelled out the way it is now, so therefore she is exonerated. How convenient. Except not all the emails are preserved or backed up. Allegedly, Hillary claims, 30,000 may be gone. Really? She knows the number??

But then, using this logic, neither did Richard Nixon violate any law for having a tape system, as did every single president from FDR to Obama. Except that, he was forced to reveal what was on the tapes and eventually, a "smoking gun" was found.

And Nixon didn't destroy evidence against him. Except for 18 1/2 minutes. And he was chased from office and castigated for that.

Hillary? According to Obama, "She was a great Secretary of State for me." I wonder why. Don't you?

I saw a headline the other day, as I am sure you did, which had a picture of a pensive Hillary with the words "Deleter of the Free World" on the side. I am sure there is more to the story than meets the eye. We shall soon see.

And for the Nixon Legacy? Never forget that even the liberal Oliver Stone was fair to reveal that Nixon recognized it was a criminal act to destroy evidence and other than 18 1/2 minutes, all of the other Nixon sins are there for all to see.

Can we say as much for Hillary?

The Impact of a Resignation

Two years ago, history was made and we were all there to bear witness. The last time this event took place for health reasons was in 1294 when Celestine V resigned. In fact, the great poet, Dante Allegheri was so angry that he sent him to Hell in "The Inferno". In the 720 years since, no pope has taken the name Celestine.

In 1415, Pope Gregory XII resigned in order to resolve a Great Schism which was damaging the Church. At that point, three papacies existed which almost destroyed the political structure of the Church and divided the loyalties of the people.

This time, there was no clandestine or political reason for Benedict to resign. Instead, while not specifically discussed, perhaps he felt his predecessor, St John Paul, stayed on longer than he should have, especially since he suffered from Parkinson's Disease and other ailments at the end. In turn, this forced the Curia, in its own corrupt way, to run the Church without regard to the wishes or the control of the Pope.

While I was not a fan of Benedict, I believe this action by him probably saved the Church from yet another debilitating stagnation and breakdown, which could have destroyed the very foundation of the Church. For example, the Vatican Bank was out of control, much like it was in the 70s when Paul VI was in failing health and the Church was still reeling from the clergy scandals which began to come to light in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

From this abdication, the Church was able recover under the auspices of Francis, who in two years has jump-started the Church, to leap finally into the 20th Century, to make needed giant steps, which was the goal of St John XXIII and his Ecumenical Council.

Because Benedict left, and has lived in obscurity without interfering with Francis, the current Pope has been able to open the windows and let in the fresh, sweet air John prayed for.

Since Francis, who is from Argentina, was not influenced by the politics of Europe or the European Church, he has been able to welcome back divorced and gay Catholics, has turned a blind eye on birth control, has inspired people to at least consider a return to a more modern ideal Church which is trying to understand a 21st Century world.

Francis is a young 78 years old man, having celebrated this birthday in December. But, his ideas are even younger as he envisions continued earth-shattering changes in the Church, to finally drag it into the 21st Century, albeit kicking and screaming like a spoiled child which has always worked at its own pace.

If you recall, I wrote a commentary in March, 2013 called Art, Life & the Papacy where I said the 21st Century Church needed a healer. Well, we have one in Francis, all because his predecessor recognized change was needed and he was not the one to lead the way.

For that, in years to come, Benedict XVI will be revered by the Church for abdicating at a critical time and allowing his successor to run in overdrive without interference. In my opinion, this was the act of a saint who sacrificed his ego for the greater good and the love of his Church. Not too many would be as willing.

Thank you, Benedict, AKA Josef Ratzinger. You chose your name well, as one "who says good things".  Your Church is grateful for your sacrifice, your vision and your faith. Your action has proven to be the greatest ideal of all.

Your resignation truly made an impact. Amen. And THANK YOU!