IT IS DISTRESSING THAT WE FEEL SO BADLY ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT LEADERS--BUT IT'S NOTHING NEW!
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H.L. Mencken Born 1880 – Died 1956
A journalist, satirist and critic - he wrote an editorial while working for the Baltimore Evening Sun, which appeared in the July 26, 1920, edition.
"As democracy is perfected, the office of President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be occupied by a downright moron."
-- H.L. Mencken, The Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920
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IN CASE YOU HAVE BEEN STRANDED ON A TROPICAL ISLAND OUT OF TOUCH WITH CIVILIZATION
Count the "scandals" that have been exposed…in the past few months. Where there is this much smoke, there must be a fire, or many of them.
- Benghazi--a tragedy, a debacle or a cover up? Where was everyone when this was happening? (We know now--they were "laying low."
- IRS targeting conservative organizations with apparently political intentions--at whose behest? Someone high up in the government had to initiate this, or at the very least be aware of it and let it go on.
- The government seizing AP phone records as part of an investigation, and then threatening/actually naming a Fox News correspondent (James Rosen) as a co-conspirator because the asked/encouraged a source to divulge information.
- The leaking, by government insiders, of multiple pieces of classified information--at great risk to the USA.
- The Attorney General and the President acting as if they were totally uninformed until media coverage began. Isn't it their job to be informed? So either they are negligent in their duties, inept in their positions, or lying. Which is it? (Or come combination of the three?)
- And that's just a partial listing, leaving off misbehavior by a disenfranchised (by court ruling) NLRB, and several other agencies whose heads were chosen by illegal recess appointments (where there was no official recess).
MEANWHILE, LITTLE OR NOTHING TO ADVANCE THE NEEDS OF THE COUNTRY IS GOING ON IN CONGRESS?
That's not actually true. There is work on both Immigration reform and some kind of Budget (gasp, what's that). The problem is that the gridlock continues, the partisan rift is as wide as ever, and the president is more worried about "plausible deniability" than "responsible accountability." The House is chasing "Scandals"--in the Obama Administration, not the TV show. The Senate is positioning to get as many Democrats reelected as possible to keep their majority, which is key to the gridlock on Congressional progress.
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MEANWHILE, THE CHINESE HACKING/THEFT OF U. S. SECRETS IS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL EVER.
Here are two pieces worth reading. One I wrote for TheBrennerBrief, and the other I found… When I wrote THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY a few years ago, I knew cyber-threats would get worse. I just didn't know how bad, and how fast. A recent report for the Pentagon done by the Defense Science Board says that many critical government and military system designs have been stolen-by the Chinese! Advanced Patriot missile system--PAC-3; two ballistic missile defensive systems; designs for the F-35 joint Strike Fighter; and that's just a partial listing. If there is a complete list, it would be terrifying--so maybe its better that no one leaks it.
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THERE ARE SOME CASES WHERE THE TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN ANYTHING YOU COULD MAKE UP
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HERE IS ANOTHER SET OF IRONIC CONTRASTS:
Two government institutions. a school and a prison. A student in school is not allowed to read the Bible. An inmate in prison is allowed to read the Bible. Huh?
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Two more instances where the irony is amazing. Hundreds of Muslims are bent over praying at what appears to be a public entertainment event in a large city. That is OK. Tim Tebow on bended knee praying before an NFL game. That is not OK! Huh?
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HERE IS SOMETHING THAT MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE OR THAT OF A LOVED ONE
Remember the 1st Three Letters..... S. T. R.
"During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ...she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this." A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough. RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, S-T-R.
Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions: > S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
> T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. Chicken Soup) > R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. >New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue!
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved. I have done my part. Will you? |
TIME TO SIGN OFF FOR THIS WEEKEND. STAY COOL (in more ways than one)… and HAVE A VERY SAFE AND HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND.
JOHN
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Author of the Award Winner: THE COMPLEXITY CRISIS, the exciting novel: THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY, and co-author of HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY: Leadership Lessons from the Obama Presidency
John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, http://www.mariotti.net, http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/
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