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Friday, January 13, 2006

 

Plight of the Homeless

Good Day America.
For most of us It's a bright new day and it doesn't come to mind quickly that there are people in our communities who are homeless and unhappy. They kind of melt into the surroundings and are often overlooked. We know that if they are sleeping under newspapers on a city street, they can't be comfortable. Sometimes a homeless person is living in a car, cleaning up at a gas station rest room, and going to work during the day. These people are just as homeless as those that live on the street, but they are not as easy to spot. One may have served your coffee at the local restaurant this morning.

Homelessness can begin with bad luck, drug or alcohol abuse, or illness. Whatever the cause, a homeless person needs help. Relieving the distressed is a fundamental rule of human society, but sometimes we forget.

A few homeless people have given up and become feral and prefer to remain homeless. Sometimes they just can't cope with rules. Sadly, relief efforts usually do not work very well with them. They make it a challenge to provide for their basic human needs in a way that attracts their cooperation and does not completely destroy their self esteem.

How to help.

Our Government is, one way or another, charged with protecting us all from inhuman conditions as well as from foreign enemies. It is important that the general society cares for those who can not care for themselves. It is the meaning of welfare. The way it is accomplished is often controversial, but in most cases humane assistance is not.

Government welfare has a long history of inefficient management and this suggests that, by itself, government welfare may not always be the best solution. Unfortunately, government interference in social problems tends to remove incentive and pride. Sometimes it even causes a homeless person to become dependent when the object is to make them "not homeless".

END


posted by Notes From Dixon  # 9:02 AM 0 Comments

Friday, January 06, 2006

 

Islam fails the test




01-26-06

Americans fit into the world in a special way. For years we have been the good guys, jumping to solve every problem. According to several critics, especially our friends the British, we have become rather heavy handed. To them (and to others) the impression is that we assume authority to police other nations when we shouldn't. This makes even our friends uncomfortable.

The "bull-in-a-china-chop" American attitude is hurting our relations with many countries. We are strong. When something in the world is unacceptable, we have the ability to something about it. We can and do use our power when needed, and in most cases we are not arrogantly pressing our power. In fact we go out of our way to step lightly. America has a long history of being extra careful and cautious. There have been only a few issues that can be counted on to prompt American displays of power:

We consider all three of these to be threats to America. Ideally an organization of nations that agree with us would function together as a policeman. The design of the United Nations ensures that it can never do so. It is time to develop and alternative. As it stands, when America is threatened by the actions of another nation, particularly in the three areas mentioned, we go begging for a coalition of support. This is not right. Condoleeza Rice might, for example, provide the leadership to form a "NATO" type organization to combat the current threat of radical Islamo-faschists. They are everyone's enemy and must be stopped.

END


posted by Notes From Dixon  # 2:05 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

 

Zip your do-dah G.I.



MEMORIAL DAY


Today is the Friday before Memorial Day. Sadly, most young people don't really appreciate what this day represents. All Americans should reflect on those who have served in the military forces of this country. Without their sacrifice America would be a sad and different place.

A few years ago there were still a handful of vets from the Spanish American war around. They are all gone now. There might be a dozen or more left that served in WW I. If there are any WW I vets they'd have to be about 100 years old now.

To all who served, dead or alive, thank you.

WORLD WAR


I was born in 1936 when Hitler was on the rise and rolling across Europe. It was before the engagement of America, but in the news every day. By the time I was 3 or 4 years old WW II was in full swing. By then it was certain that America was about to take part. And it did.

Our family, like many others, had a Victory Garden behind the garage where we grew most of our own vegetables. We saved grease from the cook stove and turned it in to the local butcher. Gas was rationed with colored stickers displayed on windshields denoting how much each vehicle was allowed. The nation's enemies were portrayed in the press by nasty stereotypical cartoons. Land-O-Lakes butter was scarce so we used something new called margarine. It was an off white color but the makers soon included a red pellet of food coloring that made it the color of butter - almost. All of these things and more were for the "war effort".

Families with members serving in the war had small banners posted on the inside of their front windows. One gold star in the center meant one service person, two meant two, and so forth. A lot of people complained about "that crafty fox Roosevelt" but the nation was solidly behind him and the war effort.

In school and in church there were folks who sold "War Bonds" to support the troops. Everybody bought them. There were blank "War Bond" books. You purchased stamps like postage stamps and glued them on the pages. When a book was filled you took it to the bank and redeemed it for a War Bond. Every family I knew saved for their War Bond books.

THE KOREAN WAR

The war finally ended and I continued to grow up. By the time I was in 8th or 9th grade in school, an equally deadly confrontation had begun in Korea. I was 18 in 1954 and the Korean Police Action was going full tilt. I joined the U.S. Airforce and took my basic training at Parks AFB near Dublin, California. Immediately following basic I attended an electronics tech school at Lowry AFB in Aurora, Colorado. After completing the electronics courses there I was sent to Biloxi for more training, and then on to the Missile Guidance System school at Orlando Air Force Base in Orlando, Florida. After more training I was sent with my unit to Sembach AFB in Germany.

Sembach AFB was an recently used Luftwaffe Base that the Americans took over. It was nestled in a rural area of rolling green hills just outside of the small farm town of Sembach. It was a beautiful place of rolling green hills and small farms. When we had some time off, which was often, we drove a few miles to Kaiserslautern, a much larger town. Kaiserslautern provided lots of stores, beer bars, and other entertainments.


The missile we worked on through all of this time was the Martin Matador TM-61-C, which was the first tactical U.S. guided missile to be deployed outside of America. The missile itself was quite like a Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star (the first serious American Jet Fighter) but without a pilot. Same size, same engine, same range and so forth.

The guidance system was a special radar based technology called "Shanicle" by the Martin Company/Baltimore (the manufacturer). It was composed of two base radar stations that controlled the azimuth (direction) and two base radar stations that controlled the range (distance). The four stations were widely spread apart. The distance between each pair was around 25 miles, and the distance between pairs was about 100 miles. The missile was launched (from behind the center of the base station locations) toward the target. Once aloft the base stations assumed control and guided the missile onward to the target. The theory was pretty good, but in practice the electronics were crude and unreliable. There were a number of failed launches but not in Germany. In order to actually launch and quide the missile to it's target we had to go south. Very south.

Our unit went on regular trips from Sembach, Germany (home base) to Wheelus AFB, Tripoli, Libya near the African Guided Missile Test Range. My unit flew in C-119 cargo planes. There is nothing quite like them flying today. The fuselage looked like a huge pod with two large prop engines at the front of twin booms that ran straight back and past the rear of the pod, ending at the twin tail area. There was a minor wing from one boom to the other. At the rear of the pod were two enormous clam shell doors. Theoretically the pod could hold a tank or a jeep or a weapons carrier, and then parachute it out the open clam shell doors. In our case it held only frozen officers and airmen going to and from
Wheelus AFB.



This was an outstanding military base. There was bright sun, the blue Mediterranean, white washed quarters for the troops, and a terrific golf course. When off the base on leave or R & R our troops had to be alert. Not all of the natives were friendly.


During the times I spent there between 1956 and 1958, Gamal Abdul Nasser was the dictator of Egypt. His regime was threatening the Suez Canal and rattling sabers all over the Arab world. Egyptians on the Libyan border were considered hostile. We (the Americans) shared the region with a few British units. They taught us a lot, especially how to keep the "wogs" at bay.

1. The British treated the Arabs very firmlym with no nonsense, and with a
big ugly stick.

2. The British were spit upon, stoned, and generally hated more than we were by the Arabs in Tripoli.

3. Most Libyan Arabs were sympathetic to Nasser and his attempt to build a United Arab Republic.


When traveling off base in the back of open trucks we were sometimes stoned by hidden Arab boys, and once in a while when walking the streets of Tripoli's old town (the Arab quarter) we'd be spit upon. If the British caught a spitter or stoner they would beat him bloody on the spot. We Americans were ordered to walk away. The British soldiers warned us that the only language the young Arabs understood was brutal retribution. It was a very uncomfortable feeling to know we were disliked because we were American.

THE WAR IN IRAQ

50 years or so years later, Americans are still disliked by most of the Arab world and still understand only brute force. You would think they might have learned better in 50 years, but they haven't. In Iraq we have learned that it is their religion that ferments most of the hate between us. Western scholars and historians have known this for years, but failed to get it across to the general public.

Fundamental Extremist Islam is our enemy, and always has been.

END


posted by Notes From Dixon  # 5:21 PM 2 Comments

Sunday, September 11, 2005

 

Starting the blog


Everything begins sometime and at someplace. How could anyone think otherwise. Common sense is enough to convince us that everything we know, including humanity, began somewhere. The same logic is much less certain about when or if an ending might occur. We are left waiting to find out. The Bible provides a hint when it says that we will end in the dust where we began. That statement may be a clue as to where humanity is headed. It does not however, meet the demands of common sense. It tells us that the dust remains behind, and the dust itself is something is it not.


With those brain burps consider yourself forewarned. I write pretty much what is on my mind at the time. It usually makes some sort of sense to me, but it may not to you. Blogging offers a way to relieve the stress of everyday. If it does the job well I will be overjoyed.
If not, mox nix.


My generation is not enamored with mental illnesses. It's a subject not quite out of the closet and rarely talked about. .There seems to be something effeminite about psychology and psychiatry. My friends and I came before the "ME" generation. We went to school when COMPETITION was still used to teach INCENTIVE. Does anyone remember those days? A student could actually and be held back until he got it right. Why don't they they do that any more?

"POLITICAL CORRECTNESS" has replaced common sense, that's why.

The over educated, wildly liberal, social engineers produced by our colleges and universities have decided that "NO ONE CAN WIN - BECAUSE THEN SOMEONE MUST LOSE. . Our public schools bought this nonsensical concept, and have already ruined generations of students. (There are times when I think they all became politicians. But I digress). These educators have created the beginning of a dumbed-down American society. Our upper level students no longer consider; belief in a supreme being, honoring parents, patriotism, loyalty, honesty or integrity as beneficial to themselves or others.

The new mantra is "HOW CAN I DO LESS AND GET MORE".
Pay attention in your community. You may notice that COMPETITIVE SPORTS are slowly being phased out of many elementary and intermediate schools. It was first thought to be the result of a a lack of funding - but later discoved to be more political correctness. The so called "mental health experts" have taken over a lot of our school systems. These are tje people insisting, with no supporting facts, that COMPETITION CREATES LOSERS. In their collective stupidity they are trying to sell the idea that children and young adults are so delicate they can't stand the pressure of competition. Oh, give me a break.


Let's face some facts here:

  1. Life is competitive.
  2. There are consequences to your actions.
  3. Some people will lose.and some will win.
  4. Athletic programs promote competition and improve health..
  5. Good health, a good education, and a competive spirit prepares students for life..

End..

posted by Notes From Dixon  # 3:19 PM 0 Comments
 

Newt & Hillary - blurp

Newt Gingrich and Hillary Clinton have joined forces to work on improving health care in America. This was reported on the telly by a newsperson who could hardly resist the giggles. These two people are so very unlikely to cooperate that the very idea is humorous.

There must be a hidden reason why a truce has been called. Perhaps there is something sinister behind all this friendly nonsense. Newt is one of the most intelligent conservatives now on the political scene. He is also (arguably) one of the most abrasive people in the whole universe.

Hillary, an extremely left of left liberal and hard shelled Democratic Senator, is one of the most ruthless and ambitious politicians ever to grace the halls of the Senate. Politically, Hillary is so far left of Newt it's laughable. Like her husband ex-President Bill, Hillary is self centered, hard working, radically liberal, and usually wrong.

It will be a modern miracle if Hillary and Newt can do ANYTHING worthwhile together.


posted by Notes From Dixon  # 2:00 AM 0 Comments

Saturday, September 10, 2005

 

Israel - right or wrong?

7-20-05

Israel is a puzzling country. A tiny wisp of land in the midst of aggressive enemies. The Israeli people have deep roots there. They can and will stubbornly defend their land. The rest of the world can count on it. In America Israeli's have strong support. There is a feeling here that the jews deserve a homeland. That they earned it by the fact of the holocaust.
The land itself was a gift from a saddened world ashamed of the tragic Jewish history. The borders were carved out of essentially wasted, infertile and unwanted earth. In terms of natural resources no land is or was poorer. At the time Israel was founded it was sparsely inhabited by both Jews and a very few Palestinian Arabs. The Arabs were welcomed to the new state of Israel, but they would have none of it.
The Palestinian Arabs had no political organization, no country of their own, and no inclination to join the world's communities. Instead they fought all progress, all attempts to forge a political unit, and any attempt to get them to tolerate their neighbors. The situation was intolerable.

Zionism has been part of Jewish culture where ever they have lived. The phrase "next year in Jerusalem" represented a better day to come. When the state of Israel was created the dream became a fact. Jews flooded to Israel from all parts of the world. At last they had a homeland.


Anti-Semitism, especially in the Arab world, made the new nation of Israel a primary target. While the origin of anti-semitism is not clear to me, it certainly has been a fact of Jewish life for centuries. It is part of the problem with all Muslims. Palestinians now claim the land of Israel was stolen from them. It's a lie because they never had it in the first place. For those who follow the religion of Islam, a lie is a normal part of complaining. It's also a regular part of their war of terror against Israelis.

The followers of Islam are dedicated to erasing Israel, Israelis, and all other infidels from the face of the earth. The instruction is stated in clear language in the Koran and is the basis upon which radical, extremist Muslims view the world.


Today, "political correctness" has impacted our society. Just a few years ago there were many uncomplimentary names for the Jewish people and racism was alive and well. The world has more recently learned that the religion of Islam is the source of nearly all of the paranoid hatred, antisemitism, and inhuman terrorism inflicted upon the Israelis and other infidels.

The hateful Religion of Islam.

Millions of radical Arab Muslims have been taught by their extremist religious leaders that Jews are the natural enemy of Islam. The fires of hate have spread by these hateful but powerful religious leaders. We are told that millions of Muslims believe these lies. Americans have become major targets of Muslim terrorism. These extremists have no tolerance for any religion but their own. They believe that anyone who is not a follower of Islam is an enemy and must die.


The religion of Islam must change - or close up shop.

Case closed.






posted by Notes From Dixon  # 10:00 PM 1 Comments

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

 

Old Timers Lament

Getting old? Too bad. There's not a damn thing you can do about it.

Look in the mirror. The guy looking back is slowing down isn't he? He looks a bit wrinkled and gray and past his prime - but hates to admit it. Being almost over the hill is no damn fun at all. There are more and more afternoons when he's tired, angry and ready for a soft chair and a cold beer - even before he pets the dog. And those days are coming around more frequently now.

Reminisces will corrode your plumbing and warp your brain. It does no good to think about what might have been done differently - why it wasn't - and who really cares anyway. Someone pointed out that there will never be a day with as much potential as today. That dunce was just another damn fool optimist, and may a pox be upon him. Think about it. Did he mean potential good or bad. Is the glass half full or half empty? Bah! Humbugeroo.

Personally, every time I am gloomy and out of sorts I think about the poet, or was it Shakespeare who said "do not go gentle into the night". Now that guy had the right idea. I know he was talking about death but what he said applies every day. If a person has only one shot it's important to make the most of it. I like that. Of course, it gets harder when a person begins to run out of gas. How then does a person motivate his day? The best bet seems to be to set a few new priorities (if and when you can find the energy) intended to keep you from napping. You can beat lethargy every time if you just remember that "oldness" is a state of somebody else's mind. Blurp'em. Doesn't apply to you. Make your long list of important things to do - get out of the chair - start moving - then forget where you put the list.
The things you've always wanted to do but couldn't.

What ever you do - don't find the list.

But NEVER give up!

posted by Notes From Dixon  # 5:00 PM 0 Comments
 

Liberals, Critics and Dog Poop

June 2005.

The President talked to our nation last night. He should do it more often. Without the "smirk" he is fairly effective. The subject was the war in Iraq and he had three main things to get across:

The outrageous criticism from the political left is so virulent that it is giving aid and comfort to our enemies. As far as I am concerned, this is a clear indication that partisan politics is becoming more important than our nation's survival. Not good.
The war in Iraq has been won hands down but the peace is still to come. Terrorists in and out of Iraq are preventing faster progress and need to be stopped. They are a relatively small number but extremely radical and dangerous. These "criminals" have managed to keep most Iraqi neighborhoods in a state of fear. There's no peace yet. Of course, the American extreme left wing liberals blame President Bush and his administration. They are very loud with their criticism but, as usual, there's not much thought behind it. They are definitely making it more difficult to bring peace and resolution to that sad country.

Some of the more nasty critics have reduced American politics to a ridiculous cock fight. The traitors Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose of WW II fame did less damage. These critics are pretty awful. We have people like:

And other well known extreme leftist liberals making statements that border upon ANTI-AMERICANISM. These idiots are trying to turn the idea of patriotism inside out. What happened to the loyal opposition?- What happened to vigorous, peaceful debate of contrary notions?

How did these few Democratic radicals manage to sink so fast and so deep in the dog poop?

We will never know. They have single handedly shot the Democrats in their collective foot and nearly destroyed the party. While that brings a smile to my face, it is not a good thing. America needs a loyal opposition. Issues need to be studied and debated from ALL sides. The fact that the current Democratic Party leadership has turned off most of their constituency raises the question of what political party will replace the Democrats.
Who will debate the issues?


posted by Notes From Dixon  # 8:34 AM 0 Comments

Friday, July 01, 2005

 

Saddam was bad but the Saudis are worse

7-05-05

Oil means money. Lots of money.

Money means power. Lots of power.

As the rebuilding proceeds in Iraq it becomes ever more apparent that Saddam Hussein and his regime were truly bad guys as advertised. They definitely deserved to be put out to pasture. There was some question about who should do the job. If the United Nations was not so corrupt it would have been theirs. Realistically, however, the U.N. is toothless. It will never be effective in situations like this unless it is overhauled completely. As it stands, the only organization with the ability to correct the evil in Iraq (without the use of nuclear weapons) was and is the United States. And it isn't going to be easy.

As the process of rebuilding goes forward we are gathering more detailed information about Islamic fundamentalists. These people may ultimately prove to be a greater threat to regional stability than Saddam Hussein and his gang.
Interestingly, as we discover more about Islamic Fundamentalism, our focus is turning from Iraq to Saudi Arabia. During the years since World War II, America's Saudi Arabian friends have been openly hostile to all non-Islamic people, especially Americans and Israelis. Our government has not anxious to inform the American public of this.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been using their oil as a political and religious tool for decades. The Saudi's have made no secret that they are enemies of the United States - but our government chose to overlook it in order to secure adequate supplies of oil. America chose to be blackmailed by the Saudi's - in return for oil. Simple as that.

Where was Americas vaunted moral and ethical compass?

According to the Islamic Fundamentalists, ALL non-Muslims are infidels and their lives are of no consequence. ALL infidels are to be exterminated, and the hated Jews should be the first to go.

It has taken a while to penetrate the American mind that there are such twisted and bloodthirsty people. Modern society universally holds that human beings have value. Not the Saudi's. Their peculiar, distorted and evil view of Islam is the result of the Wahhabist interpretation.

The Wahhabists are a vicious and intolerant sect of fundamentalist Muslims. Their interpretation of the Qu'ran (Koran) can only be described as evil. There are no other words. Most Saudi's are Wahhabist Muslims. One of their loudly proclaimed hates is their anti-Semitism. They are rabid anti-Semites to the core. Once again, our American government has known this for decades - but given in to it, overlooked it, gone along with it, and kept it rather quiet. Our leaders have acted in a disgusting way by allowing the Saudi's to impose their prejudice in the granting of contracts, spending of their money, and protection of their borders.

Worse yet, America continues to arm the Saudi's - while understanding the certainty that the Saudi's will use the weapons against the Israelis at first opportunity.

It is time the American voting public paid attention.
If America does not hold to it's values, does not honor our founding fathers and exhibit goodness and right to the world - then why are we in Iraq?

posted by Notes From Dixon  # 11:59 AM 0 Comments

Thursday, June 02, 2005

 

A Government Job Means a Great Retirement

Remember when policemen, firemen and city council members were underpaid public servants? There has quietly been a correction. Now some these jobs have waiting lines of applicants. Now these jobs are very attractive. In a word, it's the money.


When people pay themselves they get paid very well. No kidding.


It kind of starts with the congress itself. Not only do these political creeps establish their own pay, they also slip in the extras. Notice, for example, that they voted themselves out of Social Security and into a private plan that pays them a retirement fortune the rest of us can only dream about. Many of these so called selfless public servants, after they work a year or two, retire and forever receive more pay than when they worked. Taxpayers like you and I pay for this.


Think about it. Why do you suppose a man will spend $200,000 to get elected to a government job that pays $25,000 a year? Hint: Look at his retirement program. Notice that the Mayor (often a ceremonial position with a token salary) often retires with a huge pension. Why should we little people taxpayers support such generous benefits?

What happened to ethics and the idea of public service.

What happened to oversight responsibilities.

What happened to checks and balances in politics.

Far too many people in government jobs are vastly overpaid.

They are robbing the public bank.

And we let them.


posted by Notes From Dixon  # 4:04 PM 0 Comments

Saturday, May 28, 2005

 

Arriving in America 1905

Dad arrived when he was five years old. He came across on the Mauritainia with his father, mother and brother. Apparently the ship came in to New York and the family transferred to another vessel that took them from New York up the St. Lawrence and finally let them off in Greenbay, Wisconsin. The family always said they did not enter New York and never set foot on Ellis Island like most of the British immigrants.
The official sponsor of Dad's family was Uncle Ben. He lived in Greenbay and vouched for the family and promised to help them get started in America. That was how it was done in those days.
My Dad's father, my grandfather, died when I was quite young. My recollections of him are limited. He was a large man with hands that had seen a lot of work. I am pretty sure that both he and my grandmother on that side were not able to read and write.
My grandmother was as small as grandfather was large, yet she was the memorable one. When I first was acquainted with Grandmother Webb she stood about 5 feet tall, had bowed legs, lots of freckles, curly kinky black and gray hair, and talked so fast she sputtered. Grandfather Webb, by comparison, would rather sit his lanky frame on the porch stoop and carve a whistle from a piece of wood. He usually had a pipe with a curved stem hanging from one side of his mouth as he talked. Like most Englishmen of the day, he had stained, worn and broken teeth. Grandfather Webb gave the impression of being a quiet but powerful hard working man, and that's just what he was.
When my father and his family left England the Victorian age was drawing to an end. London was still as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens before him has described in several novels. Life was mean for the poor folk, unemployment was high, poverty was rampant, and opportunities to improve were all but non-existant. Dad's part of the Webb family came to America while another branch of the Webb family went to Australia.
_________________________
More recollections some other day.

posted by Notes From Dixon  # 1:54 PM 0 Comments

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