Tuesday, January 31, 2017

The Travel Ban Fits Into A Good Spy Movie

Do you like a good spy movie?  Any good spy movie has to be built on a conspiracy theory!  So follow along with what I say.

First I need to develop the idea for the conspiracy theory and the basic premise for a good spy movie. So here it is ... in the following set of bullet points:
  • Given the President's access to Intelligence, can we all agree that the President has knowledge of terror risks that we do not? That should be an easy 'YES" answer.  
  • Trump campaigned all along that he will move the US Embassy back to Jerusalem if he became President. As we have seen in just the first two weeks of his Presidency, Trump is wasting no time on keeping his campaign promises!
  • In recent interviews since his swearing in, President Trump has not wanted to talk about his plan for our Embassy.  In my previous posts, I wrote that I believe an announcement on moving our Embassy is coming soon and that the President has gone "radio silent" on the topic because he does not want to tip off enemies of Israel and the USA.  Just yesterday the president made the remark that he had a big announcement about our Embassy to make soon. This comment came after he signed his Executive Order for the so called highly controversial Travel Ban.
  • Iran and Iraq clerical leaders, and terror agents of Iran such as Hezbollah and Hamas have all gone on record as saying that if the US Embassy in Israel is moved to Jerusalem that will be considered an act of a declaration of war. Abbas said such an announcement would "open the gates of hell." I have blogged quite a bit about this since last last fall.
  • It is fair to expect that if we do make an announcement to move our Embassy, that the risks of terror against the USA and Israel will immediately escalate exponentially. I think it is also fair to assume that our enemies will want to attack us on our home front.
  • Given the fact that both sides, the U.SA. and Iran, have broadcast there remarks about the intentions and consequences of moving the Embassy, one can make some assumptions about preparation and planning.  In other words, the President, being the only one who actually knows when he is going to make an announcement about the Embassy moving, has an obligation to make preparations for our national security, especially give the stated intentions of Iran.  On the flip side, Iran and other countries which harbor and support terrorism and often act as as agents of Iran, would also want to make preparations for acting out their threats of War should the US formally announce plans to, or actually move our Embassy.
  • Preparation for a terror attack in the USA would require Iran and its allies to move militant radical Islamic terrorists to the USA to carry out attacks.  Those operatives would need to travel to the USA, assuming all of them are not here already.  What countries would they be coming from?  Can we agree that they could come from the same countries that President Obama, and our Nation Security Agencies during his Administration, declared as harboring terrorist and sponsoring terrorism?  
  • Israel has to be involved.  The President would not want to spring the actual announcement for our US Embassy move on the Israeli Prime Minister at the same time he announces it to the public! Trump would tell Netanyahu in advance so Israeli intelligence/military planners can deal with the security threats related to the move of the USA Embassy.  
  • In a good spy movie wrapped around a conspiracy theory, the public is usually clueless.  Or better yet, they are actually played for fools by the antagonist, making challenges for the protaganist in the movie all the harder.  The public is rooting for the terror countries. 
OK ... I have set the stage for the back story of my spy movie. Now for the what the public sees.  The President announces an Executive Order banning travel from countries on the terror watch list which are aligned with Iran.  Then shortly thereafter he makes a big announcement about moving the US Embassy.

The rest of the spy movie story practically writes itself.  Matt Damon would have to be cast as a spy for the USA. Character actors would have to be cast for Putin, Bibi, and of course Trump.  Hmmm, I wonder if Alec Baldwin would turn down a fat payday to play Trump. LOL.

Reality or fiction?  Time will tell.  President Trump likes to keep us in suspense!  As for the time frame.  Well, the Travel Ban was for 90 days, so that ought to tell us a lot!

ADDED THOUGHT ON A SEPERATE BUT RELATED TOPIC:

Possible DT is delaying announcement of Safe Zones in Syria until announcement of moving of US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.  May also explain why Trump put a NO time limit on the non-acceptance of Syrian refugees in his recent Executive Order.

I've made the argument before that Syria is being deeply damaged by the loss of so many of its good citizens who are fleeing for safety. Eventually the battles in Syria need to come to an end. And when they do Syria will need to rebuild!  If millions of its citizens have left, the future challenges to Syria are are nearly insurmountable.

Syria needs those refugees!  They are the hope and future for Syria and if they've left, they take with them the hopes and future of Syria. That is one of the reasons I'm a big supporter of Safe Zones in Syria and Iraq.

Plus, such Safety Zones will be most effective if they are executed jointly with Russia, with the full supoort of Assad!!  That will require some political manueuvering by our new Secretary of State Tillerson.  This is why Trump needs to finish his Cabinet and why Congress holding up his appointments is harmful.

It is my opinion that Trump will announce major plans for safe zones in the very near future.
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Previous Posts:
Trump Has Gone Radio Silent

Radical Departure From Radical Islam


Sunday, January 29, 2017

Trump Has Gone Radio Silent

In telecommunications, radio silence or Emissions Control (EMCON) is a status in which all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area are asked to stop transmitting for safety or security reasons.

For as long as he campaigned, Trump was outspoken about the intention to move our Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. In interviews this past week, Trump has gone "radio silent" on questions about the moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem - Saying "I don't want to talk about it," Some read that as "backing off."  I say it is "radio silence."

Trump has long been a critic of telling the enemy our plans including timing in advance, because he said we were losing key military advantages.

Iran has stated that moving our Embassy would be a "declaration of war."  Words taken very seriously by Bibi and Trump.  Israel, as well as Trump and Mattis must prepare for that very reaction. When the USA and Israel announce the Embassy move in coming months, and the "gates of hell open," Iran will find itself in those fires.

It will happen very fast. Israel's intentions will be very targeted and limited, only for purposes of destroying or irreparably damage Iran's nuclear and ballistic capability.  Other than some special forces to set detonations, Israel will have very few ground troops in Iran. After taking out Iran's power grid with magnetic pulses, the attacks will come from the air.

In the process Israel will take out substantial air defense, radar and other military resources of Iran. Once they have done so, Israel will fall back and wait for and defend against any Iranian assault.

Israel may use this same timing to do serious damage to Hamas leaderhip in Gaza, snd Hezbollsh in Lebanon. This will likely require Israel to troops in harms way.  Something Israel is very reluctant to do.

In the meantime, Israel de-clawed Syria with a pre-emptive strike on the military assets that posed it any real threat. I'm convinced that Saudi Arabia stays out of the conflict and even takes satisfaction in what it is about to happen to Iran, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Same with Egypt.

I expect Russia is going to stand down, as Trump and Putin will have worked out an arrangement by the time action happens. What happens to Assad in the longer run remains to be seen, but Syria will not be targeted in upcoming Israeli offensive actions. But Russia will continue to hammer away ISIS, and the USA will be much more engaged with Russia in doing so.

I expect to see the USA declare heavily guarded safe zones for civilians in Iraq and Syria. Those will be eventually turned over to UN peacekeeping forces after things settle back down and after the UN is shaken up by defunding.  That transition is a ways down the road, but it won't hold up any of the actions I'm speaking of.

Once Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile threat has been blown up, ISIS is crushed, and safe zones have been established, Trump will lift some of the immigration bans Trump recently established.

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See Previous Post:
Radical Departure from Radical Islam

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Radical Departure From Radical Islam

What do ISIS/ISIL, Al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram all have in common?  The specific extreme Islamic belief system of Wahhabism which is centered in Saudi Arabia.  Follow Saudi money and you find one of the main sources of terror on this planet.  On the flip side is Iran with its support of terror groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, Kata'ib Hizballah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Tangent: They each have their own flavor of Sharia Law, both of which oppress women! (But the founders of the Women's March don't like to talk about that!  I digress...)

Most of the terror and violence in the world is ultimately a proxy war between Saudi and Iranian clerics and oil interests. Embedded with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hatred. The USA allied with the Saudi oil interests and Russia sided with Russian oil interests.  Billionaires like Soros, arms dealers, and others also seek influence and use their money to buy it. They perpetuate the conflict mostly financial reasons, but sometimes ideological ones as well.

The battlefield of this war has been Iraq/Iran and as of late, most conspicuously Syria. American tax payers have coughed up trillions of dollars funding this ceaseless futile conflict. Unlike Iran and Saudi Arabia, Israel is neither a theocracy or a monarchy, but rather the only Democracy in the middle east with no oil interests. Israel's interest is survival from the endless efforts of both these terror sides to destroy it.

Incoming Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Trump get it. Tillerson's oil industry experience took him to the top powers in with both sides!  He has done business in both inner circles!  Trump and Tillerson will put America, and our only true ally, Israel first. Trump and Tillerson both know what we are dealing with, AND they have the one bad ass fear no one General "Mad Dog" Mattis to back them up!

In moving our Embassy to Israel, the USA is saying "fuck all you" to the oil and extreme Islamic Clerics' interests.  We are declaring to world three things:
1. No longer dependent on Middle East for energy - eat shit OPEC
2. We stand with the only Nation in the Middle East where Christians, Jews, and any other religion can be practiced freely
3. We will no longer waste our money fighting the Saudi and Iran proxy war.

Trump  and Tillerson represent a radical departure from radical Islam. And that is why Trump said in his inaugural speech he would wipe out ISIS.  Iran already got the message with respect to the Iranian nuclear deal. And, watch how quickly they threaten to develop nuclear weapons! Gee, did you really think they meant it when they said their nuclear program was only for peaceful purposes?!!  Really ...

"Acceptance requires courage, but courage does not require acceptance."

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Previous posts:

Bibi Grabs Victory from Defeat

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Now What? I'd Call It A Compromise

The Women's March was an exceptional protest and a huge catharsis for America! Now what?

The world sent Trump a powerful message through an amazing and well organized Women's March.  Not just in the Capital, but in many cities, big and small across the USA and even in some International locations. How could anyone not be impressed by the show of solidarity for the issues - Right to Choose, Women's Health, and Immigration.

The timing could not have been better for maximum impact! Surely the event drew attention away from Trump's inauguration.  Even large crowds seem to compound, and add further humiliation to the criticism that Trump's inaugural crowd, or hands, are not as big as Obama's.

It had it all - pink pussy hats, tons of great grass root posters, popular speakers.  Wonderful to see families marching together. It was beautiful most of all because it was highly peaceful.

I think some Anonymous protesters ambushed the occasion and showed despicable behavior!  But that should not reflect "on" the Women.  That was the ugly side of hate. And, a strong contrast to peaceful protest that we need to all take note of!

If Trump needed to get a message, a good part of America sent it! Where do you think he goes with it?  Where do you think Congress goes with it?  Where does America go now?

I will take a stab at what I foresee ....

1. Will his Supreme Court Justice nominations be less Conservative? Nope. And they will be confirmed.  Nonetheless, I do not believe, for Constitution reasons, that women will lose the right to choose to have an abortion. By the same token, taxpayers may be less involved in funding it or supporting the process in indirect ways.  Is that a win or a lose for the marchers?  I'd call it a compromise.

2. As for "Women's Health," it gets a bit more nuanced.  Firstly, when we are talking about Women's Health, the primarily political target is Planned Parenthood.  That gets more tricky because it takes in the thorny topic of abortion. My answer on that component is in answer #1 above.  As for access to all other reproductive care, I believe is unfathomable that women will lose access to screenings, and essential treatment.  But it is conceivable that the delivery mechanism, Planned Parenthood, could be altered in some way. Nonetheless, care will be accessible. I'd call it a compromise.

3. When it comes to immigration, there are two primary aspects.

A) To begin with, what happens to illegal immigrants that are here in America already?  My answer has a few parts.
i.  Those with illegal aliens with a violent/criminal record will get deported.  This includes any with suspected terror ties. And when Homeland Security, the FBI, CIA, and even State Police find suspicious behavior, America will have a more expedient means of deporting non-citizens, whether or not they are documented.
ii.  Children already born in America stay, but the laws will get changed on that going forward so that childbirth can not be exploited as an immigration strategy.
iii. The vast remaining portion of illegal immigrants will be offered a legitimate and reasonable process for becoming "documented" and legal tax paying residents with a legitimate path toward citizenship.

B) We will tighten up our borders to reduce illegal entry into America.  And, making it here illegally will not be a pathway to legal residency or citizenship in the future.  This will translate into a "wall," but NOT the one conjured up by Trump's ridiculous rhetoric!  By the same token, at certain sections of our borders with both Mexico and even Canada, where illegal migration patterns are prevalent, more secure barriers will be erected and new technologies and security methods will be deployed. Plus, travel visas, customs inspections, and screenings will be "hardened" to make it more difficult for a gang like the ones who perpetrated 9.11 to get away with it again.  Answer A.i. above factors into this as well.

All and all, when it comes to the the three primary objectives, Right to Choose, Women's Health, and Immigration, I'd call it a compromise. And when all is said done, that is what America needs to be better at. Listening and compromising!

Now America, please STOP IT.  Everyone who is mocking and trying to humiliate and bully anyone, please STOP!   Please show respect and even greater empathy and kindness for others, including our President, who must do the same!

P.S. I really appreciated seeing Libertarian points of views represented!  Video interviews on Reason site.

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Previous posts:

Speechless

Inauguration Day - Yin-Yang Day


The Sacred Oath


Saturday, January 21, 2017

It Is Clear


Academia, the mainstream media, the celebrity presence which dominates American culture, and Liberals apparently believe America is now being led by a fascist who hates minorities, immigrants, gays and everything that Liberals stand for.  To their thinking, President Trump would be fine if Russia reassembled the Soviet Union and NATO collapsed.

Fortunately they all got the Presidential election wrong, Trump wrong, and America wrong too.

Since Obama became President, the Democrats have lost approximately 1000 elected seats, including congress, governorships, etc. Which is to say that what led to Trump's victory is greater than Trump alone.

The Republicans control of all branches of the USA government, including the Supreme Court with the eventual nomination and acceptance of 2-3 conservative Justices means that yesterday, after coming off 8 years of Obama, we have witnessed the most dramatic shift in American politics I think any of us can recall since Reagan.

Obama enjoys great popularity, even though opinions about Washington and congress have been awful. Trump, on the other hand, is terribly disliked by academia, mainstream media, Hollywood, and Liberals.  Which may be a factor in why he starts as President with very low popularity.  And yet recently, consumer and business confidence which has been lacking for the level needed for investment and growth, turned much higher in an apparent reaction to Trump's election.

The work begins! But, like the protesters crashing through streets and destroying property, there will be many who aim to destroy Trump's efforts to make America Greater.  It is sad to see so many Americans praying for the President to fail -- Better that America falter and fall than Trump succeed.  Even in some cases, hoping for his death.  That it not American unity or the kind of American spirit which will ever make America better.  It is just shameful partisanship.

But this election, and the thousands of other races around the country in tens of thousands of counties, have made it clear enough.  Like it or not, the pendulum is going to swing and America is going to change. This country is going to be given back to the people!

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Previous posts:

Speechless

Inauguration Day - Yin-Yang Day


The Sacred Oath





Speechless

I beg you to try something!  I beseech you to privately experiment. I promise you that no harm will come to you or sacrifice is asked of you from this favor I ask. Others have paid the ultimate price, surely you can spare 5 minutes of your time in the comfort of your home, for our Nation.  Please, do this next thing.
Take off your boxing gloves. Remove the spectacles through which you see only hate for the Man and his Party. Let down your guard and open your heart.  For just once, imagine that this man Donald John Trump, the oldest person ever elected President at 70 years old, this lifelong entrepreneur who worked his whole life to create, has rededicated his passion to America and to all Americans, no matter what race, or color or creed, and yes, who have the actual legal right to be here. Allow yourself to believe that putting America first does not mean bringing down the world because ultimately when our Nation prospers, and is great, it leads to great things for the world. Imagine the power of the Presidency is directed inward on the person who holds the Office, not just outward to the Nation and the World, and that G-d operates in the heart and soul of this President in a way we may not fully comprehend.

Finally, Suspend disbelief and all that you think you know which prevents you from seeing the possibilities that this new President of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it Stands, sees. 
With your mind in the state of which I speak, now, read the full text of our 45th President's Inaugural address. Written and Delivered by Donald J Trump on January 20, 2017:
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Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, fellow Americans and people of the world – thank you.
We the citizens of America have now joined a great national effort to rebuild our county and restore its promise for all our people. 
Together we will determine the course of America for many, many years to come.

Together we will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.
Every four years we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power.
And we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent, thank you.
Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another – but transferring it from Washington DC and giving it back to you the people.
For too long a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.
Washington flourished but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered but the jobs left and the factories closed.
The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country.
Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs. While they have celebrated there has been little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.
That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you. It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America today.
This is your day.
This is your celebration.
And this – the United States of America – is your country.
What truly matters is not what party controls our government but that this government is controlled by the people.
Today, January 20 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. 
The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now.
You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement –  the likes of which the world has never seen before.
At the centre of this movement is a crucial conviction – that a nation exists to serve its citizens.
Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighbourhoods for their families and good jobs for themselves.
These are just and reasonable demands
Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation.
An education system flushed with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge. And the crime and the gangs and the drugs which deprive people of so much unrealised potential.
We are one nation, and their pain is our pain, their dreams are our dreams, we share one nation, one home and one glorious destiny.
Today I take an oath of allegiance to all Americans. For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry, subsidised the armies of other countries, while allowing the sad depletion of our own military.
We've defended other nations’ borders while refusing to defend our own.
And spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
 We have made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon. 
One by one, shutters have closed on our factories without even a thought about the millions and millions of those who have been left behind.
But that is the past and now we are looking only to the future.
We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, in every hall of power – from this day on a new vision will govern our land  from this day onwards it is only going to be America first –America first!
Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families.
Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. I will fight for you with every bone in my body and I will never ever let you down.
America will start winning again. America will start winning like never before.
We will bring back our jobs, we will bring back our borders, we will bring back our wealth, we will bring back our dreams.
We will bring new roads and high roads and bridges and tunnels and railways all across our wonderful nation.
We will get our people off welfare and back to work –rebuilding our country with American hands and American labour.
We will follow two simple rules – buy American and hire American.
We see good will with the nations of the world but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their nations first.
We will shine for everyone to follow.
We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones, and untie the world against radical Islamic terrorism which we will eradicate from the face of the earth.
At the bed rock of our politics will be an allegiance to the United States.
And we will discover new allegiance to each other. There is no room for prejudice.
The bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when god’s people live together in unity.
When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.
There is no fear, we are protected and will always be protected by the great men and women of our military and most importantly we will be protected by god.
Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger. As Americans, we know we live as a nation only when it is striving.
We will no longer accept politicians who are always complaining but never doing anything about it.
The time for empty talk is over, now arrives the hour of action.
Do not allow anyone to tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America. We will not fail, our country will thrive and prosper again. 
We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the earth from the miseries of disease, to harvest the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.
A new national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights and heal our divisions. It’s time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.
We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms and we all salute the same great American flag and whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look at the same night sky, and dream the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath by the same almighty creator.
So to all Americans in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean – hear these words – you will never be ignored again.
Your voice, your hopes and dreams will define your American destiny.
Your courage, goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.
Together we will make America strong again, we will make America wealthy again, we will make America safe again and yes – together we will make America great again.
Thank you.
God bless you.
And god bless America


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Previous posts:


Friday, January 20, 2017

Inauguration Day - Yin-Yang Day


Opposite Day - January 20th - Inauguration Day. Today is an amazing day.  I can't remember a day like today. Sure, we have had other inauguration days, but not like this that I recall.  The emotions around the Reagan and Obama inaugurations were very high too, but they were not as divided, as opposite. I can't imagine that as many people felt as strongly positive or as strongly negative about the same event.

Where some see great hope, others have great fear and disbelief. For every significant feeling some feel about today there is another group that is experiencing the antonym emotion.

It occurred to me there is something special about how opposite yet balanced, the emotions surrounding today are. Not for any individual person, but overall. That's when I recognized a connection to the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang.

I understand why this analogy is a stretch, but if you open your mind to the relationship I am proposing, you might just feel a bit better about today, regardless of whether you are positive or negative about what is happening!  NOT because I am justifying Trump, but rather because there is something suitably valuable in the dissonance we all can recognize about this moment.  If you can separate from your personal attitude, pro or con, and rise above that, you may sense what one ancient philosopher expressed about the power and importance of Yin and Yang: “If you can understand Yin and Yang you can hold the universe in your hands.”

If you don't wish to play along, this is the point I should lose you, so have a nice day. For the others, thank you for hanging on.

I will share some principles of Yin-Yang below, but I am not going to offer my explanation of the correlations I see with today's inauguration. You will have to work for that in your mind.  Some reading this will mock this comparison.  Fine with me, that is your loss in my opinion.  But others, regardless of affiliation to party, ethnic or religious or any other cultural group, who recognize what I found, may get a similar sense of comfort in making the connection. For a moment perhaps. But that moment, that sense, can be applied. Hard to explain ... and I won't.

(What you see below is copied and pasted from online explanations of the Yin-Yang model.)

Everything contains Yin and Yang. They are two opposite yet complementary energies. What does this really mean? Although they are totally different—opposite—in their individual qualities and nature, they are interdependent. Yin and Yang cannot exist without the other; they are never separate.

The original concept of yin and yang came from the observation of nature and the environment. "Yin" originally referred to the shady side of a slope while "yang" referred to the sunny side. Later, this thinking was used in understanding other things, which occurred in pairs and had complementary and opposing characteristics in nature. Some examples include: sky and earth, day and night, water and fire, active and passive, male and female and so on. Working with these ideas, ancient people recognized nearly all things could have yin and yang properties.
  • First, the theory of Yin-Yang tells us that at the macro level—the largest scale imaginable—all things are always balancing and rebalancing into a state of perfect harmony. Yes, there is ceaseless change, yet this movement and flux, at its deepest level, is creating harmony, is perfect harmony. Yin and Yang are the two energies that embody Universal law, which ensures that all things remain in harmony.
  • In the Chinese Yin-Yang model, Yin (the black) contains a seed of Yang (in the form of a white dot). There is Yin, but interestingly, Yin is also Yang because it contains some Yang. The truth is Yin can transform into Yang under certain conditions. It can do this because Yang is present in Yin.  
  • It’s often difficult to actually see this harmony on a smaller scale, in the world around us, for instance. It isn’t always apparent in the world humans have created and especially in our busy, frequently complicated modern lives. But think about it: if you really understand and believe in Yin and Yang, harmony is the Universal architectural framework that underlies and impacts this reality. So in essence, harmony is the only ground we walk on and is the very air we breathe.
  • The entire Universal pattern is one of establishing balance and harmony. This perspective can help you more peacefully view the world and your role in it.

So whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, a male or a female, black or white, we all have a bit of each other inside of us. Which means we all have the ability to find empathy.  And that is enough of a reason to be hopeful!



Wednesday, January 18, 2017

The Oath - the Sacred Oath of Office

Trump's moment is America's moment and here is why ...

Per Article II, Section 1, the first order of business for those elected to national office, is to swear an oath to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution under which they were duly elected.

When we swear in our President, what is most important and central to the whole event, is the oath the elected individual must take to uphold OUR Constitution. THAT is what makes Trump our President. JUST as it made Obama our President.  

When people say that Trump is NOT your President you are not just disrespecting Trump, you are disrespecting the Constitution! In effect, endangering America. 

On 30 April 1789, America’s first Commander in Chief, President George Washington, took his presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible opened to the book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 28. He ended his oath with “So help me God.” Shame on anyone, who has any faith in G-d and the Divine nature of our Founding Fathers accomplishments, if they do not say a prayer for Donald Trump when he takes the Oath to become our 45th President!  

Consider these words from President Washington's first Inaugural Speech to both Houses of Congress. “It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect.”  Now open your mind to my next point.

To those who abhor Trump's ego, I truly believe that when Trump has quiet moments in the White House, after he has taken his sacred Oath, and when he stands before portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the Oval office, his ego will be humbled. Pardon my next analogy, Trump's heart will grow, like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Which is why I ask those who hate Trump to pray for Trump and to give this man who clearly deeply loves America a chance, a period of time, 6 months or a year even, to try to make America greater.

On January 20th, the man I did NOT vote for will be MY President. And the man who I DID vote for will NOT BE my President any longer.  I am very happy about this change! And I have greater hope now than I was promised by the man leaving office.

The good thing about Obama and Trump is that between the two of them, many more people are engaged in our political process. Millions of American's have found that our leadership is listening! They may hear different things, and offer different solutions, but at least there is a dialogue!


God Bless America! And God Bless Donald Trump!

Other Points About The Oath of Office:

Link to a Conservative viewpoint on the Oath of the President


Military Oaths


The Pledge Versus the Oath

Monday, January 16, 2017

Trumping China

With all the explosive rhetoric flying around about trade wars, as a result of remarks by the President-elect, one might wonder if Donald Trump wants to damage China.  Is Trump's objective to reduce imports from China?  Does Trump want a trade war?  The answer to these questions is NO!  Here's the bottom line ... Trump demands greater parity - greater fairness!  And, he is using his life long experience as a negotiator to achieve an end that is desirable for both the USA AND China!

Here's some facts to make the point ...

China is second to the USA as the largest economy in the world!  China's GDP is nearly 8x larger than Canada and 10x larger than Mexico.  And yet, China imports less than 1/2 what these two trading partners import from the USA.  The story is similar with other nations.  Many of our other trading partners have a much more balanced trade relationship than China.  Not that we don't have a right to want better deals with any of them!

Trump doesn't want to import less from China, he wants China to import more from the USA. Trump also expects China to be more fair about how it treats USA companies trying to do business in China. In addition, Trump wants better protection of USA intellectual property (patents, trademarks, etc.) which are being stolen and used to compete against their rightful owners in world markets. Fair and ethical practises includes reducing the extent to which China exploits workers and the environment in order to gain a competitive advantage over America and other Western countries.

Is Trump risking a trade war? YES. But all negotiations involve risk. One must be willing to risk in order to win.  Trump is setting up negotiations. and he knows how important it is to be fearless in negotiations.  The average American does not have a clue.

It's not an accident that Trump is saying things intended to scare Chinese leaders.  But we shouldn't let Trump's tactics scare us.  Understand that the media loves fear because it gets ratings! So the media loves to fan the flames of fear.  And, Trump loves it when they do, because it plays right into his negotiating style!

Trump is able to negotiate a better deal for the USA because Trump knows he is negotiating from strength. The USA is China's number one market for exports - we make up nearly 16% of all their exports.  And, whereas the health and stability of the Chinese economy and Communist political party is very dependent on exports to the USA, Chinese exports account for less than 1% of the USA GDP. In other words, while neither the USA or China want a trade war, the Chinese have more to lose!

(Click on image to expand)

It is also important to understand that where one starts in negotiations is not typically where one ends up.  Trump is starting out with reasonable demands and the USA stands to benefit substantially from any progress Trump makes in negotiations.

In the final analysis, the problem is not that the USA imports nearly $400 billion in goods from China.  The problem is that China imports only about $100 billion from the USA.  The Chinese don't have to lose - they just have to expand their economy and increase USA imports. If played right, Trump can succeed at the ultimate goal in negotiations for two parties that want to have a long term relationship - a WIN WIN!

The Middle East Dodged A Bullet

I am happy to see that the first big "IF" which I have blogged about has been avoided!  Alarm Bells have stopped ringing over what could have happened at the Paris conference yesterday.  Thanks to pressure from Israel, it's supporters, and the momentum of President-Elect Trump, Israel dodged a bullet.  

If not for such pressure, anti-Israel and anti-Peace forces, including most Arab nations, would have gotten their way.  And then the final communique out of the conference surely would have read very differently.  Furthermore, chances of that communique working it's way into a rushed United States resolution are now all but nill.

Apparently in deference to the Trump team, the UK delegation did not include any senior-level officials.  Britain sent Michael Howells, head of the Mideast desk in the foreign office, and two diplomats in its embassy in Paris.  Russia, as well, was “only” represented by its ambassador to France, and not by its foreign minister. Even new UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres didn’t attend the conference.

Diplomatic officials in Jerusalem said intensive efforts by Israel over the last few days were successful in softening the language of the statement, which – for instance – did not include the language of Resolution 2334 in referring to east Jerusalem as “occupied territory.” They also noted that there would be no follow-up in the Security Council, and attributed this largely to Israel’s furious reaction to the US failure to veto that resolution. 

The final communique also shied away from explicitly criticizing plans by Trump to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, although diplomats said the wording was meant to send a “subliminal” message.

In a nod to Israel, the final declaration of Sunday’s conference included criticism of incitement and “terror,” a reference to Palestinian attacks. And some of the pro-Palestinian language in an earlier draft was removed after diplomats huddled in Paris.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon dismissed Sunday’s conference, tweeting that it was “flat as a failed soufflĂ©.” And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the conference marked the “last flutters of yesterday’s world.”  “Tomorrow will look different and tomorrow is very close,” he said.

Thankfully, it will also be a world in which French President François Hollande, who organized the conference, will not be leading!  His days are numbered.

So does it mean the peace process must fail if the peace conference didn't achieve the result which Palestinian leadership sought?  Of course not! Ultimately, the Paris Conference proclaimed what Netanyahu and others who want peace have been saying all along. Peace requires direct negotiations -- Not a United Nations mandate! 

Hopefully, Abbas has come to the end of the long road he has taken since breaking off direct negotiations in 2014 and trying to force Israel to accept terms he wanted by bringing International pressure on Israel.

There can be no peace unless the parties want peace.  Something that is so obvious and yet missing when it comes to the true intentions of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and others who are on the ground and/or dictating Palestinians actions. Abbas, or his successor, must come to the table in good faith!

“The Palestinians and a number of Arab states have not expressed a will for peace,” said Serge Klarsfeld, a well-known French Nazi hunter. “If it existed and if the Arab world recognized the existence of Israel, we would find the means to solve all the problems very quickly.”

The next stress test for the Middle East will come after Trump is in office.  Will he move the US Embassy to Jerusalem?   We shall see if he keeps his campaign promise.  IF so, the alarm bells, and possibly air raid sirens, will sound again.  But there is a righteous ring to such an announcement.  Our sovereign nation, the USA, has EVERY right to locate our embassy in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel, another sovereign nation.  And any country that opposes that never truly wanted peace in the first place and probably never will. 

Until then, the sad and tragic news of more innocent civilians being killed by terrorist and jihadist will continue on a weekly and near daily basis. How long can Israeli, and Jews in Europe who face terrible hate, continue to live this way?  For as long as they need to!

[Facts, some wording, and qoutes in this post have come from the Jerusalem Post and World News.]
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Here is egg on the faces of Hollande, Obama/Kerry, and especially Abbas! 

Check out what British Prime Minister Therasa May has to say about the Obama Administration's handling of the Peace Process and UN Resolution 2335's and treatment of Israel.  
Article in the Guardian
Washington Post 
The Syndey Morning Herald
Theresa May on Israel "a thriving democracy, a beacon of tolerance, an engine of enterprise"



Sunday, January 15, 2017

Countdown To Purim

Fear not, Purim is around the corner. Though Haman's evil plan is about to unfold, the one G-d draws close to keep the covenant and defend Israel!

I have been blogging on this concern for months. It is finally time for things to be, or not to be. The timing is no coincidence.

Today, Sunday, is the day.  The first "IF" in a series that leads to war in the Middle East will be put on the table today.  When we start our day on Monday in America, the news won't be so much about Russian hacking and Trump being illegitimate  . . .  It will be about a crisis brewing for Israel.

The betrayal of Israel was delibrately timed for after the US Presidential election so it would not hurt Hillary's chances and yet still give time for Obama and Kerry to allow critical UN Resolutions to pass.  Even the timing of the announcement from the Paris conference falling on Martin Luther King Day, is part of the deception.  And we can expect Hamas to draw IDF fire to locations in Gaza where children are by conducting Gaza border raids so that Hamas can release images of dead children to also stir anger against Israel during this week!

The next "IF" will occur by mid week. That is when world attention will shift to the United Nations which will announce plans to convene a special meeting to consider the statement out of the Paris conference before Obama leaves office.  That will set the stage for the next "IF" -- a United Nations resolution, which for all intents and purposes, unilaterally establishes the state of Palestine which includes Jerusalem.  Haman has deceived the king.

BUT THESE "IFS" CAN BE TURNED BACK WITH ENOUGH PRESSURE.  AND THAT PRESSURE IS WORKING ON KEY PARTICIPANTS IN FRANCE. 

Otherwise, just in time for Purim ... The trumpet will sound for America's new leader. That is when the third "IF" will happen. After Trump is sworn in - Trump will receive and sign a bill from both Houses to move our embassy in Israel to the eternal capital of Jerusalem. This bill will also reaffirm Israel's right to defend itself.  In addition, this bill will hang the family of Haman in the United Nations by defunding it.

If these three big "IFs" come to be  . . . .  The Shofar will sound and disrupt our enemies!  (Num. 10:9 “And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the SHOFARS, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies.”) The tables will turn on shabbat March 11th when the swords of the mighty decendents of Mordecia rise up against Israel's enemies.

Until then I anticipate Israel will take certain limited strikes to soften opponents military readiness inside Gaza, Lebenon, and Syria, starting two days ago in Syria.

Russia will profit from the war through the sale of weapons,  but I do not believe that Putin will enter the war thanks in large part to Trump's "Russian Reset"

One love. One state. Israel!

Friday, January 13, 2017

Just Stop It

Wrote lyrics for a song. Now I need to figure out a melody.

Title: Just Stop it

Black, white, they both know
The other don't know
Understanding can't grow
Blue, red, watch the show
Folks voting down the row
Keeping everyone in tow

You, you  ... you
You, you  ... you
That's what we
do, do ... do
Do do ... do
Just stop it, stop it.

East, west, says they're the best
The other can't pass the test
All we got is unrest
Building bombs to kill the rest
Leaving infants with no nest
Is that anyway to be blessed

You, you  ... you
You, you  ... you
That's what we
do, do ... do
Do do ... do
Just stop it, stop it.

Listen, listen, pull your fist in
Violence comes around
When everyone stands their ground
Who ever can hear the sound
Please God, not another round
Mercy in empathy must be found

You, you  ... you
You, you  ... you
That's what we
do, do ... do
Do do ... do
Just stop it, stop it.







Thursday, January 12, 2017

War On The Table

THE PROSPECTS FOR WAR OR PEACE WILL BE ON THE TABLE IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK.

A Congressional Bill to move the US Embassy to the "eternal capital of Israel" is IN-PROGRESS, and will happen as Trump promised.  If ever there was something meant to be it is for Jerusalem to be the eternal capital of the one and only Jewish State, Israel!

If moving our Embassy to Jerusalem means there will not be peace with the Palestinians, then so be it if we must settle this with a war.  Who ever will lift a weapon against Israel for calling Jerusalem its Capital, never wanted peace in the first place.

There are dozens of Muslim countries. Countries whose existence and boundaries were created, and have far less historical basis for existence than Israel. (One exception is Egypt, whose history is as rich as Israel.) These countries have brutal Sharia Laws, that treat women and Christians and Jews harshly. Unlike Israel, where Muslims, Christians, and women live with respect and freely.  In Gaza, a place where all Jews left and is controlled by Hamas, a group whose Charter calls for the destruction of Israel, they celebrate and reward murder. The world can make room for One State of Israel.

To me Hamas is no better than Hitler's Nazi party.  And like Hitler, anyone who supports it, is Israel's sworn deadly enemy and should be dealt with as such!

As for Iran, it comes down to THREE FACTS and ONE QUESTION:
THREE FACTS:
1. Their controlling clerics have pledged to destroy Israel
2. They promote and fund terrorism around the world
3. In the so called Iran deal, the United States had previously held the posture that Iran should not be allowed to enrich uranium. But we made a shift during the negotiations of the nuclear accord, which allows the Islamic Republic to enrich up to 3.67% of uranium for 15 years and only for "PEACEFUL PURPOSES." That is just enough to make a bomb.  And they keep improving and building missiles to deliver it.

ONE QUESTION:
1. Do we believe Iran is up to "PEACEFUL PURPOSES?"

The US Embassy move is in-progress and will pass.  BUT THAT WILL BE AFTER TRUMP BECOMES PRESIDENT AND I SAID WAR WOULD BE ON THE TABLE IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK. HERE IS WHY ...

On Jan. 15th, 3 days from today, 70 plus Nations will meet in France.  If they agree to declare the State of Palestine, with boundaries that include the old Temple and Ancient Biblical Jerusalem, that will set in motion a chain reaction that may bring a vote up in the United Nations with wording from the Paris conference, just in time before Barack Obama and Kerry leave office.  WHAT THEY DO IF SUCH A UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTION IS PUT ON THE TABLE WILL DETERMINE THE PROSPECTS OF WAR OR PEACE.

IF THAT MOTION DOES COME TO A VOTE IN THE UN BEFORE OBAMA IS OUT, IT WILL BE BY OBAMA'S DESIGN IN BOTH MEANING AND TIMING. THEREFORE, IT WILL ALSO SEAL OBAMA AS THE MAN WHOSE DEEDS BETRAYED ISRAEL.  WILL OBAMA TURN OUT TO BE AS HAMAN?  THAT QUESTION WILL BE ANSWERED VERY SOON ... JUST IN TIME FOR PURIM!

IF OBAMA DEVIOUSLY PLANNED THE TIMING OF HIS CONSPIRACY WITH ARAB COUNTRIES AND THE FRENCH CONFERENCE PLANNERS AND THOSE IN THE U.N. WHO BROUGHT US RESOLUTION 2334:
After that conference the initial reaction to the French and UN vote will be jubilation!  It will be Trump and the Bill moving through Congress to move the Embassy that will be the catalyst for turning that celebratory emotion into an angry and violent uprising. Thus, Obama will blame Trump. Obama is devilishly clever.  But if these events actually do unfold, anyone should be able to tell who the architect of this future confrontation truly was.

Days away from a very big IF!!

Previous Post - IF>THEN: You Do The Math On The Middle East

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Quick Fix For High Drug Price In America

QUICK EXPLANATION AND SOLUTION FOR HIGH DRUG PRICES.

What good is it to have the buying power that Medicare has if we don't use it?  See facts below from WSJ article.

"Medicare, the largest single U.S. payer for prescription drugs, is by law unable to negotiate pricing . . . The arrangement means Medicare is essentially forfeiting its buying power, leaving bargaining to doctors’ offices that have little negotiating heft, said Sean Sullivan, dean of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Washington.

Asked to comment on the higher prices Medicare pays compared with foreign countries, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said: “The payment rate for Medicare Part B drugs is specified in statute.”

Furthermore, Americans fund much of the global drug industry’s earnings, and its efforts to find new medicines. “The U.S. is responsible for the majority of profits for most large pharmaceutical companies,” said Richard Evans, a health-care analyst at SSR LLC and a former pricing official at drug maker Roche Holding AG .

Laws in USA which unreasonably protect drug company patents and make it ridiculously expensive, difficult, and lengthy to get new treatments approved, benefit large Pharma. Meanwhile, other countries benefit from Americas amazing drug research while Americans foot the bill.

Why are Americans getting such a bad deal? Because Congress is bought and paid for by Pharma!!!  Republicans are as or more guilty as Democrats on this for selling influence.  As Trump said, essentially, Americans are being screwed by drug lobbyists.

Their biggest recipient? Clinton. She collected $336,416 in donations, over a third of the total contributions during the 2016 presidential campaign. The next biggest recipient was Republican candidate Jeb Bush, who collected less than half the amount of Clinton. Trump received the least in donations: $1,010, enough to buy one Daraprim pill.

Obamacare was virtually written and paid for by Pharma lobbyist. The health care law is expected to boost Big Pharma's profits, possibly from $10 billion to $35 billion over the next decade.

Ultimately, Obama turned on Pharma in latter years. Just as he did with insurers. He played them. That's why insurers are dropping like flies. He was smart and wiley and Pharma can now see the writing on the wall if we get to a single payer system.  I am all for negotiating the best deal, but I oppose socialized medicine.  With Medicare we have the power of a monopoly but we dint use it to America's advantage, as described above, again because the Pharma Lobby owns congress.

Wait till Trump starts Tweeting and calling out Pharma, like he has the auto industry. Trump hates it when Americans are getting screwed while other countries benefit from our stupid politicians on the take.

Here is a simple idea that would not have a chance before Trump, but may going forward. Pass a law that drug companies can not charge more for a drug in the USA than they sell it for in other countries.

Couple this with reducing regulations and streamlining the process for approving new treatments to lower cost and speed up bringing new medicines and devices to market.

Bam!!  Watch how fast drug prices go down in the USA, AND how they go up internationally. Other countries have to start paying their fair share!!

Here is a link to a previous post - How Not To Solve Healthcare

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

How Not To Solve Healthcare

It is disengenuous for Obama to say that he welcomed Republican's help with the creation of Obamacare. It sounds good but the two parties were so FAR apart in their philosophy about how to approach Healthcare that it was either the President's way or the highway. And that's the way it turned out -- with not one Republican vote.

OF course Democrats call that obstructionism. And you can say it was!  But there was just as much unwillingness on the part of the Democrats to accept the Republicans ideas on HealthCare.  Both parties stood their ground and America became divided.  Here's is a NY Times article that delves into this.

It is not that Republicans are evil and uncaring people. And lets face it, they have the same healthcare problems - they get sick, and have pre-existing conditions, and struggle with the costs just the same as Democrats!  It is just that Republicsns have philosophical differences about how to solve problems. And Republican's knew Obamacare was ultimately a Trojan Horse version of Hillary care.  And here is why ...

Republicans foresaw what the President refused to admit - and actually lied about to sell his plan! Republicans, and Libertarians, anticipated the present and looming financial failures of Obamacare in the long run and how it would discourage competition and ultimately cost considerably more to taxpayers. Republicans were right about real problems, loss of carriers, and escalating premuims.

The President knew what was coming down the pike as well.  Many believe Obama expected competition, under the ACA as designed, to fail and drop coverage. Just as he knew ultimately many would not get to keep their original plan and the premiums would skyrocket. And, that insurers would drop out, as they are, because of rising costs and limits on government  reimbursement. This begs the question of why - what good come from designing a failure?  Here's the answer ...

In the end, the President gambled that there would be a Democrat in the White House. None other than the Queen of Socialized medicine - Hillary R Clinton!  SO, when the ACA failed BY DESIGN, the goverrment could "save the day" by moving to a "single-payer system," a Monopoly, and THEN the government could mandate prices through legislation. In essence a socialist system versus a capitalist system!!  Hello Bernie Sanders.  Obama's plan B.  And maybe his best salesman!  But clearly a Socialist!

I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to give up on our Founding Fathers vision for America's economic system.  But if you are maybe you should move to France, just saying.  (Pardon my snarky humor.)

It is also misleading to ONLY point to the people that now have coverage who could not get it before, and OTHER benefits of the ACA, as the reason that Obamacare is working.  Of course there are some Pros. But the system still has to be sustainable. So to only point to the positive misses the full picture.  Nor do they mean the overall program is optimal.  Nor should Republicans be relieved of an obligation to figure out how Americans can obtain coverage who might otherwise have been shut out. There are other Pros to the ACA and Republicans will have to cope with those challenges.

Obamacare started with many lies, and today as predicted it is failing under its own weight. Obama knows it, which is why he welcomes the Republicans to propose changes.  There will be major fixes needed for it to survive.  So, it is tempting for Republicans to opt to let it come apart on its own.  Which would be an embarrasment to the President if his legacy failed by design, however, if Democrats want to play it that way, that's an option.

But that's not the way to fix our problems! It is just another way to not fix Healthcare

I have never seen a departing President lead an effort to undermine the incoming President. America is a freaking mess! And until we start working together we are not going to solve Healthcare or our other major issues.

Here is a follow-up article on a Quick Fix to Healthcare. 

Monday, January 9, 2017

Why I Believe In Reincarnation


Recently I became a believer in reincarnation.  I personally witnessed evidence of it. And I am here to share it with you.

Reincarnation is the belief that an aspect of a living being goes through successive starts in a different physical body or form, called rebirths. And that "Karma," which literally means "action," is the sum of one's actions and the force that determines ones's next reincarnation.

(Before I go any further, let me be clear that what I'm about to describe does NOT FIT the classical definition of reincarnation!  It's probably not appropriate to even use the term, other than as an asociation and to serve the purpose of a headline.  But I digress and having your attention, I thank you, and can move on.)

I am a recent witness to reincarnation.  And the realization came to me as I was searching for a song I wanted to listen to called "Asher Yatzar," named after a Hebrew prayer of the same name. The song is written and performed by an artist named Dan Nichols.  It is on his album "Beautiful and Broken."  While that song relates, it was not what triggered this blog.

I came across a song by Dan Nichols called "May I Suggest To You."  As I listened and absorbed its message I actually got a bit choked up.  It is both very sad and very joyful at the same time.  The lyrics say all one needs to say about how I percieve the concept of reincarnation and Karma.

But it was not that song either that actually triggered my thoughts on reincarnation.

It was latter on the same day when I saw a Facebook post by my daughter-in-law Melissa. In her post, Melissa shared a humorous article about the "First Intensive Care Unit Opened for Men Suffering from a Cold." Naturally this invited a series of funny jibs & jabs, sexists of course, to which my son Alex who was home suffering from a cold had now recieved "insult to his injury," and had become the brunt of the humor running through this particular Facebook thread.  Alex, like a good sport, defended himself tongue in cheek, with the following response,

"Listen, this hybrid strain of bird flu crossed with swine flu that I have is a real ass kicker. Only a man could make it out of this one alive. Just be glad I've passed on these tough as nails genes onto our daughter."

I came back with,  "I'm with you son. Very frightening.  Charlotte is very fortunate. Hopefully she has your never get cavity teeth too!!"  And then, that is when it hit me!

You see, Alex has never had a cavity.  I rarely get them either. Neither did my Dad. And his Dad, Alex's great grandfather was a dentist.  There it was, Karma - the sum of one's actions!

Mary and I, and Melissa's parents, Don and Cindy, recently all became grandparents.  And when we did, it reminded me of something I said to Don years ago while at the bar when he and I were hanging together during Alex's bachelor party.  Don, I said to him as I put my arm on his shoulders, we are going to make babies together.  Creepy, yeah, but we laughed, and cried a bit too, because Don is as sentimental as I am, and I love him, and he got it!  Don lost his father at a young age to a bazarre and tragic accident.  We both understood that our children truly are our, our parents', and our parents' parents, and on, lasting legacy. And all we wish is for them to do better than we did.

Now, if you would like, listen to the song I mentioned above in this blog post, and I hope you will understand now why I said the lyrics say all one needs to say about how I percieve the concept of reincarnation and Karma. Again, the song is "May I Suggest To You" by Dan Nichols, and it was inspired by the film "Road to Eden."

If you are a grandparent, you will get it too!