When terrorism strikes, level heads must prevail

"Hatred is corrosive of a person's wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation's spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society's tolerance and humanity, and block a nation's progress to freedom and democracy."

— Liu Xiaobo

"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it."

 — Noam Chomsky

AUBURN — I voted for President Obama, and like many voters, I sometimes disagree with the commander in chief, but his common-sense approach to these inane terror attacks works for me.

How many times do you see politicians employ common sense whenever they open their mouths? We are often treated to nonsensical sound bites from presidential contenders like Donald Trump. Some of our nation's leaders sound just like the rantings and ravings of posters on news web sites. What a bunch of angry people we have become, and you can’t solely blame our negative actions on terrorists.

Was it necessary for the president to take center stage on national television Sunday night?

You bet! 

After what transpired in San Bernardino, Calif., and in Paris, and the frequency of terrorist attacks across the globe, we needed to hear what OUR president had to say.

Look, I never understood why background checks and gun control are an issue. There are people who shouldn’t own a water pistol, never mind high-powered semis which make mince meat out of human beings. I also realize the significance of the second amendment and the fact that this nation was settled with a gun.

At this point, don’t go shopping for a gun just yet even though I have one in the house, too, but owning a rifle doesn’t insure my family’s safety. Every time a deranged individual attacks an abortion clinic, we get a glimpse of our own home-grown terrorists who also use religion to justify homicide — with a rifle, of course.

But terrorism’s roots run deep and there are numerous reasons why people commit nefarious acts. Through the ages, all three monotheism's have experienced radicalism and its violent repercussions.

If hatred prevails and we single out people because of their beliefs, beliefs that I may not share, then chalk one up for terrorists who have succeeded in making a mockery out democracy and fools out of all of us.

I had no problem with law enforcement converting the terrorists’ SUV into the Bonny-and-Clyde death car after police were fired upon by these killers. Police did their job and saved us a costly trial. Anybody of sound mind does not want to hear assassins spouting their warped ideology in an American court of law.

This violent couple presented a clear and present danger to citizens, and law enforcement acted appropriately. Good people were caught in a crossfire of malevolence in San Bernardino, and all I can do is offer my condolences to the families — and my sympathy is not enough to console all those grieving souls — especially during the holidays.

I will never understand a person who claims to be religious, arms himself, chooses a soft target and begins blasting away like a gunman at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Ariz. How can hateful propaganda or a video streamed across the Internet inspire someone, anyone, to commit mayhem? Using a gun to make a point and murder dozens of fellow human beings is a senseless act and their point is lost right after the first shot is fired. 

Martin Luther King and his followers never fired a shot, but his words and devotion inspired a generation of young people, black and white, to act without picking up a pistol. They demonstrated, marched and withstood the water hoses and painful beatings, and they were only armed with the belief that all men are created equal.

We are not a perfect nation and there are several episodes in our history where we failed to live up to the phrase. Slavery, the subjugation of native Americans, the internment of Japanese Americans and exploiting cheap immigrant labor to satisfy a growing nation are a part of our dark past, but every nation has experienced growing pains at the expense of its citizens.

I offer no excuses for our embarrassing past, but we have come a long way thanks to a bitter civil war and a civil rights movement 100 years later that allowed us to turn the corner when it comes to hate and indifference. It was a long moment in history where citizens, black and white, made their point without resorting to violence.

Rounding up Muslims or tossing them out of this country is a nasty step backward, and anybody who understands the U.S. Constitution knows that. Remember, when Italians, Jews, Irish and Asians came here, U.S. corporations had no problems exploiting them for cheap labor. Our new countrymen experienced racism and indifference, and yet they still made their way in a nation that took them for granted and still helped build bustling nation from the ground up.

That is why turning on any group of people is simply wrong and gives every damn terrorists a reason to smile. This kind of thinking triggered the Holocaust and has been the catalyst for all genocides in every generation. There is no justification for murder — and that includes piety.

I’d like think all Americans are smarter than that. If we begin lashing out against a certain group of people, then terrorism wins and all our ideals mean nothing. 

What would our founding fathers say?

Keep that thought in mind during Christmas and Hanukkah this holiday season.

Shut it down, Mr. President

"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself."

                                                                                                                                 Mark Twain

AUBURN, Maine — For those of you who are laughing or sobbing uncontrollably at a Congress that doesn't work and play well with others, enjoy the show that never ends in American politics.

This cinematic production has all the melodrama of a film noir movie that has been playing at theaters ever since President Obama was elected. Congress has put on a quite spectacle that is probably equally amusing to the rest of the world, too. 

Sure, Congress's stupidity is certainly entertaining, but their inability to do something, anything, constructive has left us all out in the cold and wondering why this governing body is still collecting a check.

How can America can be taken seriously when our nation's leaders act like a bunch of toddlers in a sandbox?

I campaigned for the president and I am probably the GOP's worst nightmare — a displaced Massachusetts Democrat who lives in the Pine Tree State.

Believe it or not, I still believe in the value of political parties with different ideologies. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat or an independent, your voice is heard at polls. But when our leaders can't find common ground, compromise, and make appropriate decisions for the greater good, you have to ask yourself what the hell are they doing there on Hill.

Right now, the Republicans appear delusional. They are now holding our government hostage because they don't like Obamacare or the president. And the GOP is allowing the Tea Party (but what is really in the tea) to incite such insanity.

Fine! There is no love lost between the president or the GOP, but that doesn't mean unhappy Republicans are entitled to use the U.S. government as ransom to achieve their political agenda.

Mr. President, shut it down now! 

If the Republicans can't understand that their foolishness will trigger a serious round of unemployment and possibly a worldwide economic meltdown, then let the GOP live with their blunders.

It will cost them at the polls.

Sir, these guys  don't realize Obamacare is the law and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

If Republicans are frightened by the president's healthcare plan, then run for office and try to repeal the law.

Good luck, though!

If the government does indeed close its doors thanks to John Boehner and his group of misguided chowder heads, Obamacare will begin on Oct. 1 anyway — because it is the law.

How can these guys call themselves lawmakers when they don't understand the law?

I think our national leaders have become great entertainers, but when the U.S. government closes up shop and Social Security checks aren't mailed, constituents won't find this sideshow amusing anymore.

Enough with this nonsense from political leaders who lack the common sense to know what it right!

Mr. President, just close it down!

Cry uncle and let slip the fiscal fools

AUBURN, Maine — I am in the process of negotiating a truce with Mother Nature. I refuse, however, to offer the Old Lady unconditional surrender.

No matter what the Old Girl has thrown at me this winter, I refuse to capitulate to this guiding force of creation. After all, the Old Gal has been more of a friend than a foe to this master gardener. Her feisty ways can make or break a garden. She was real good to me last season, allowing me to harvest nearly 300 pounds of vegetables.

But the Old Girl sure has it in for New England this winter. She backhanded us with another weekend storm that produced another foot of white gold for the skiers. 

I have really gotten to know my snow shovels and roof rake this winter. We have become close thanks to Mother Nature's winter whims. Couldn't do it without these handy tools and the generosity of several of my neighbors, who are like the Green Berets when the Old Gal lays down a barrage of heavy snow. They come heavily armed with snow blowers that move mountains of snow. In just minutes, five-foot walls of white stuff is cleared away, liberating me from shovel.

I will always be grateful to these good souls.

If it wasn't for their kindness, I would be entombed in my own backyard until spring.

The week before Mother Nature's latest production was a blizzard that dropped nearly 25 inches of snow and featured 50-mile-per-hour winds.

I don't want to jinx all of New England, but weather prognosticators are saying we should miss the next weekend snowstorm. 

I want that in writing!

But here is the trade off: Mother Nature will be serving up another snowstorm on Wednesday that might last for three days. They are talking about another foot of damn snow.

The Old Gal's fury apparently won't let up this winter.

But I am hoping the Old Lady honors our truce and goes easy on us this spring even though she has a mind of her own.

Fiscal fools

Sequester — to isolate or hide away — or a general cut in government spending.

Let's use the first definition and sequester Congress. Put them all in a convention center and keep them there until they can act like responsible adults who can make responsible decisions — and that goes for both parties.

Sure, the budget is a mess thanks to protracted wars in the Middle East and irresponsible leaders. But cutting off your nose to spite your face means a sequester might be the coup de grace to United State's fragile economy.

According to the New York Times, the sequester law requires President Obama to impose $85 billion in spending cuts to the military and domestic programs. That means federal employees would take a hit along with numerous education programs.

Just what the economy needs — more people out of work, and those job losses will cause a trickle-down effect that will be felt by all of us.

Perhaps Wednesday's next New England storm is just another omen for Friday's main event — sequester.

A letter to the president

Dear President Obama,

I couldn't care less about the pomp, pagentry, celebrities or VIPs dressed in expensive attire that are the byproducts of every presidential inauguration.

Sure, I enjoyed Maine native James Franco's "One Today" poem, but the rest of the hoopla was just a distraction from what is really important. I know parades and presidential balls go hand in hand with the celebration as Washington D.C. becomes an all-night block party, but for this American citizen, the swearing in of a president, and most importantly, the commander in chief's speech, are all that concerns me.

An inauguration is a key moment in American politics that often defines a nation's agenda for the next four years.

But the highlight of the inauguration for this family, who is fortunate to view this political event from a warm home on cold Maine winter day,  was listening to a speech that made me put down my morning coffee.

Not many things make me put down morning coffee, Mr. President, but it is rare when a politician writes a coherent and inspiring speech that makes me sit up and take notice.

Many speeches are snoozers or say nothing, which congress has mastered over the past four years. But your speech and delivery was just what the nation needed at this juncture in the country's history.

The speech's unifying theme and references to the preamble of the United States Constitution were encouraging to many of Americans who have been knocked around in an economy that is still running on empty.

You put the "we" in your speech, Mr. President, and it really is all about us, because you work for us, not for a lobbyists or party strategists. Party loyalty and polarization have held this nation back for four years. George Washington would be asking King George for a job with the Redcoats if he witnessed today's  lawmakers' moronic behavior and endless finger-pointing.

Mr. President, this was a wonderful, rousing speech on Martin Luther King Day. It was well constructed and I think your sincere words gave all Americans hope that we will remain a strong and peaceful nation.

Your words were indeed uplifting, but it will be your actions and accomplishments over the next four years that will give credence to your inauguration speech.

The best to you, sir.

A quiet Patriot departs

AUBURN — I was watching the last debate  between President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tonight when I began thinking about a former South Dakota representative and presidential contender who died this week at 90 years old.

George McGovern was a liberal Democrat who lost in a landslide to Richard Nixon in 1972. What intrigues me more than McGovern's fine political career was his distinguished service as a World War II pilot.

He was a sincere and brave man who interrupted his studies at college and enlisted right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He flew missions over Italy, Austria and Germany and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross after his plane was shot down.

McGovern flew the B-24, a pig of a plane that was difficult to maneuver. Pilots who flew this heavy bomber watched the bicep in their right arms become enlarged because this beast was so difficult to steer in battle.

He was a rare and sincere breed who demonstrated his integrity by putting it all on line for his nation in a war that consumed the entire planet.

Stephen E. Ambrose wrote an excellent book, "The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys who flew the B-24s over Germany, 1944-45." It featured McGovern's dangerous missions as a pilot who flew with the Fifteenth Air Force's 451st Bombardment Group stationed in Italy.

The book ended with a fascinating episode in a bloody war that haunted McGovern for most of his life. The former U.S. representative spoke about this devastating moment during an interview on a television station in Austria 40 years later.

After one mission, there was a 500-pound bomb dangerously hanging from the rack. McGovern and his crew had two alternatives: Ditch the aircraft or jettison this bomb to safely land the plane.

The crew eventually freed the bomb, but it dropped on a farm house around noon that day. McGovern figured he had wiped out an entire family on the border of Austria and Italy.

Well, during that TV interview, a farmer called the station and told McGovern he got his family safely out of harm's way before the bomb struck his home.

Imagine how relieved McGovern must have felt. After all, this was a man who risked life and limb for his country, but despite the scourge of war and the psychological scars he was forced to sort out throughout his civilian life, he never lost hope or his belief in mankind.
 

A word to the wise

Dear Mr. President,

Your remark concerning the private sector fell into the category of "What were you thinking of, sir."

Mr. President, your comment was a slap in the face to the nearly 15 million Americans who can't find a job in an economy that rivals the Great Depression. And please don't tell me that only nine million Americans are unemployed. The number is far greater than what is being reported in the media.

Despite all the nonsense on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, Americans are tuned in and are simply disgusted with their nation's so-called leaders.

During one of my classes, seniors and I were discussing the poor economy. One bright student said, "That's all we have ever known." Its remark that I have never forgotten and it is comment that should not sit well with you, sir.

By the way, Mr. President, I am a Democrat who is also an Independent wannabe and dreams of a presidential candidate who can demonstrate common sense and has a clear understanding of the phrase, "We the people."

I am not a Republican and I am not writing this letter to lambaste you. The GOP is doing a grand job of using your miscue as fodder to dominate the news cycles.  This will become one of the GOP's favorite campaign ads using your own words.

President Obama, Maine Street has been disappearing and empty neighborhoods have become a sea of repossessed homes. We are a nation that is now home to the under-employed who live day to day, never mind week to week. We have NOT come out of the recession. I know many fellow Americans who share my sentiment.

We fight wars in the Middle East with the foolish notion of spreading freedom with tanks and bombs. I do commend you on your drone program to destroy Al Qaeda and making that difficult decision of placing our soldiers in harm's way to remove bin Laden, but our involvement in the Middle East to protect oil companies is sucking our economy dry.

Mr. President, the private sector is a shambles. Thanks to greedy CEOs and Wall Street, and the fact that we exploit Asians and Hispanics to produce our goods, Americans are lucky to find jobs as store greeters. Of course, thanks to the enormous expense of attending a reputable university, our sons and daughters can look forward to vying for jobs as underpaid clerks at fledging department stores and gas stations.

Sure, there is plenty of blame to go around. We could begin with the last president and then move right on to corrupt banks and indifferent politicians who forgot that they represent us. I know you were handed the keys to a nation treading water, and it really is the most difficult job in the world. Still, your comment was out of step with what you truly believe.

Sir, I voted for you and I will vote for you again because Mitt Romney is about appealing to me as an abscess tooth. 

President Obama, there are many reasons why I find you appealing as a second-term president, but I am not writing a letter of praise.

But please take a good look around the country and you will see many Americans slipping into poverty.  It doesn't say much about the private sector, does it, sir!

Despite my reservations, and that fact that the GOP's candidate is just another drumbeater for big business, I will vote for you. 

You have my word, but be more careful how you choose yours, sir. Your re-election to a second term depends on it.

They say it's your birthday

Our pride and joy. Happy birthday, big guy!

AUBURN, Maine - He turned 15 today and I am proud to say Anthony has surpassed me in nearly every way when I was his age.

He is wiser and smarter  — and we are not the least bit envious of him.  He is not a follower and marches to his own drum. He thrives on our unconditional love, and he  still doesn't mind having us around, although that will soon change.

He is growing up in central Maine and I was raised in the Greater Boston area, and they are worlds apart when it comes to the fast pace of life.

We both like to think we had something to do with Anthony's solid upbringing, and we don't take each other for granted. But we never take all the credit for his performance in the classroom and his wise choices when it comes to friends and doing the right thing. He has made those decisions on his own, but he also realizes we are his first phone call when life goes awry.

I have often told him this: 

"I am not your friend. I am your father, and I am better than any friend you will ever have. I am not cool and I will always hate your music because I am older. When it comes to sex, drugs and rock-and-roll, we are open 24 hours a day and the coffee is free — so come on in and talk to us."

If you are any kind of a parent, you want your one-and-only son to excel in this unstable world. We have always put his needs and interests first — and that is the only way it works in this please-and-thank-you family.

If you are an adult who doesn't share this philosophy about nurturing children, then do us all a favor and don't bring a kid into this world. Society doesn't need another horror story about a neglected child whose parents put themselves first.

That's why parenting is the best job in the world and why I enjoy holding the job title of "dad." But this family could not function without dear-old mom - Terri - who is the go-to person when it comes to compassion and understanding. 

Anthony is smart, but I have cautioned him about arrogance and indifference. He understands life is fickle and has a way of knocking you down no matter how many degrees you have earned in this brief lifetime.

He has been warned about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, knowing I have a zero tolerance for narcotics or the town drunk. He is aware that we have never used drugs and drink very little. I was a bartender for years, and I can tell you from experience there is no good drunk.

Anthony now stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs 160 pounds. He is a damn monster who consumes milk by the gallon. I can no longer offer him one hamburger when we cook on the grill. He is good for two or three burgers.

He is not sports fanatic, but he knows nearly every warship since the 1700s. He is a writer, poet and history fanatic who doesn't mind watching "All The President's Men" for the umpteenth time with his dad. He is a skier and swimmer who loves hiking with his parents. In the summer, Maine's pristine's beaches and lakes are his playground. In the winter, he heads to the mountains with his skis.

He campaigned for President Obama when he was 12 years old, speaking with angry voters over the phone

He is heading for the high school, and I worry about him even though he is smarter than his old man.  I always worry about him and my wife. You do that when you are fortunate to be a member of a loving family.

I am apprehensive about the future, but I am looking forward to the next 15 years of my son's life — and I am sure my wife feels the same.

Happy birthday, son! You are a fine young man.

Heard it all before

"“In politics stupidity is not a handicap."
                                                                                                             - Napoleon Bonaparte




We all heard about the Bottom Line during President Obama's inspiring State of the Union speech Tuesday night.


It is reassuring to see the president and the rest the nation's statesmen trying to get to the bottom of America's hair-raising recession.


It took them long enough.


We listened to how the president will work in harmony with Congress (add canned laughter here) to cut the deficit (this we gotta see), curb spending (Sure thing!) and create jobs (that's a good one).


Sounds good, Mr. President!, and oh, good luck!

You are at your finest at the podium, sir, and I appreciate your exuberance from a man who has the most arduous and thankless job in America, but at least you have a job, Mr. President. I am also fortunate to be employed.


While I admire your pluck and enjoy a profound speech from an eloquent speaker like yourself, I am betting weary citizens of this mismanaged nation, no longer listen or could care less about another politician pontificating.  


I am betting Congress hasn't looked outside a window, read a morning newspaper (sound out the words) or opened a letter from one of their constituents who lost a job and home. The last time I took a good look around my town, there were boarded-up buildings, a foreclosure sign on nearly every block, and now I see people holding signs, begging for work - or worse - food.


Thanks for the awesome speech, Mr. President, but unless the gang of 535 shows some signs of life and evidence of clear thinking on Capitol Hill, more disenfranchised Americans will consider writing in their cat or dog for senator or the next president of the United States.


Words are worthless when you don't have a job or a place to live. I still don't understand how anything in Washington comes to fruition when the nations' leaders can't find common ground and continually display the fine art of bickering. Turn on C-Span and painfully watch as politicians go through the motions. It is like watching grass grow - or the New England Patriots taking a nap in the playoffs.


The deficit - So all of you have been shouting about the evils of out-of-control spending. Where were you guys and gals when President Bush was nestled in the White House and spending wasn't such a big deal?


Wanna cut the deficit? Here's how!


Cut every, and I mean every Congressman's salary in half — except President' Obama's paycheck. Can't be done? Why not! We all have to bite the bullet. Why not you guys and gals on the Hill! Remember when (and this where you have to know your history) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked the affluent to step up and take dollar-a-week government jobs when the country was mired war and suffering from a hangover from the Great Depression. So please don't make us wince with another empty speech on the House floor.


2. Make a graceful exit from Iraq and Afghanistan and return these fine men and women in uniform home.There is no way America can fight two wars, and then cut taxes. Sure, I love tax breaks, but how do we pay the braves guys and gals who are putting it all on the line around the globe. As far as I am concerned, our servicemen should be paid the $200,000 salary that Congressmen receive.


Here is my favorite — the economy and jobs.


What jobs! Our wise leaders and businessmen moved the well-paying jobs overseas so we can pay some poor schmuck 25 cents an hour to make dungarees that fall apart. If there is a really big war, we are in really big trouble because we don't have a manufacturing base. So what do we do when one of our adversaries goes ballistic? Call China and order our uniforms and tanks. Until the 17 million unemployed people find decent jobs, American businesses will continue to disappear and foreclosed homes will be as abundant as sand on a beach.


I am astounded by Republicans and some Democrats who have made repealing Obama's health-care plan their Holy Grail. People are out of work and can't feed their families. China has become this nation's landlord, and that doesn't sit well with many Americans. And our statesmen continue to lash out over a health-care plan that all Americans deserve. By the way, Congress is provided with Cadillac insurance courtesy of taxpayers.


What are the cures to this economic debacle? Well, there are allegedly 535 educated men and women sitting around in Washington D.C. trying to come up with an answer — between all the finger-pointing.


I know one thing is for certain: Another rousing speech won't help the guy out on the street looking for his next meal.