My Congressman

My Congressman here in Georgia is Phil Gingrey, MD.

I got a phone call at 7:30 pm last night and it was a recording. I almost hung up but right at the last second it got my attention. It was my congressman inviting me to a phone town hall meeting that was going on right then.

So a few seconds later I was connected to the Congressman/Doctor.

He was answering a question about Iraq.

His rational for staying the course and remaining in Iraq was that "we need to give victory a chance". I thought that's what we've been doing for 5 years now.

His second point for staying was that since he was privy to secret intelligence briefings that lowly citizens are not, he knew what was really going on and just trust him....everything is going just fine.

He said there are alot of successes in Iraq that the evil liberal media refuses to report. He said that they only concentrate on the body bags coming back. Which to me seems like a good thing to concentrate on but he is a Doctor so I guess he knows best about body bags.

The whole answer he gave was so disgusting I had to hang up. He reminded me of an old time Southern patrician who said now boy, you just let me handle this because you and the others like you are too stupid to understand...you just go back now to pickin yo cotton and let me take care of everything.

If you think we should stay there give me answer with some facts or some rational thought. Other than some stupid saying like we should give victory a chance. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to give victory a chance? Been there done that.

And don't patronize me by saying that I just don't understand.

And by the way. This guy is an MD.

Here's what I think about MDs who go into the congress or senate.

If you took up the space in medical school that someone else could have had and are now so incredibly bored with your practice...why don't you go do some good in the world and help 3rd world people and give them medical care. Or set up a free clinic. I'm not a Dr, I can't do that but he can. There are plenty of other automaotons like him we can get for the congress. He has a special skill that is desparatley needed by the world. Go do some good instead of wasting my time with propoganda phone calls.

Cato Responds

Actually, dental work is not part of our free health care. I had to pay roughly $700 for all that I needed done.

In Sweden it's even more expensive.

I was wide awake though. Through the whole thing, but now - 8 hours after the fact - I feel pretty good. Very unexpected, but very good.

Norwegian Health Care is not entirely free. Regular doctors, hospital visits, exams and all such things are more or less free. You pay $20 dollars each time you go there. Up to 10 times. After that it's free. However, if you need to see the dentist, chiropractor, shrink or any other health worker - it's all private and expensive.

Universal Health Care for All

So, today, Cato my Norwegian computer guru friend, had his wisdom teeth ripped and yanked out of his head.

I don't know what, if anything, he had to pay for that fun experience because they all get "free" heath care in Norway.

The problem with the "free" health care over there is that they don't knock you out while they are ripping things out of your head that God intended to be there.

He only got Novocaine.

When I had my wisdom teeth pulled, I was on an IV and in teenage wasteland. I was gone. And I remember nothing. And that is the way I want it to be.

My Swedish friend said that in Sweden they don't put you out for a colonoscopy.

What?

I really want to be gone for that one.

So, I'm all in favor of universal health care in USA.

As long as it includes heavy sedation for things like that.

Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigration really baffles me. I don't get it. Well actually I do...it's all about cheap labor...but I don't understand why we still don't do something about it....wait....I do get it...it's about cheap labor.

I have an acquaintance in Orlando who is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. He came here with his family 5 years ago on vacation. The vacation continues. They never left. Never intended to. They came here for the expressed purpose of staying forever.

Now, Raphael is now 21. He used to work as a clean up guy in construction but now installs cabinets for someone. And he works really really long hard hours.

But Raphael is also on probation for drunk driving. So why is someone who is illegal in the first place and has broken our laws not once by coming over here but twice by trying to kill people by driving drunk...why is that person still in the USA?

That is the part I don't understand. The police are not allowed to ask or check someone's immigration status. Why not? We need to change that law. And then why are criminals allowed to stay? It makes no sense.

The border needs to be sealed.

And yes...driving around in busses and rounding up 13 million illegals and taking them back to wherever would be a problem...but give me a break....when one of them gets involved with the law...helllloooo......back to El Salvador for you.

Comment on my Comment

Below is a comment I got on my last post about the racing disaster.


As a pro mod racer, I can tell you that the last thing that the AMS wanted was to see anyone hurt. It is such a tragedy to have happen, particularly at a charity event benefiting children.

I'm sure that no one intentionally planned on smashing into and killing 7 people. However by not taking adequate safety precautions, that is exactly via neglect what happened.

No amount of speculation or blame will bring those people back or ease the pain that this has caused. I am sure that 10 million times they will all wish they could take that moment back.

True. But speculation isn't what's needed. An investigation is what's needed to put in place safeguards so that this doesn't happen again.

This will be a learning experience for many, that despite how many times its been done before without incident, how experienced the driver is, or how good the intentions are, with these and any other machines... things can go amiss quickly and result in devastating consequences.

A in aviation, most rules, regulations and changes are written in blood. Someone or many had to die to make a change.

I'm sure as a pilot, you can relate to the collective sorrow felt when similar incidents have arisen in Air Show situations as well.

I do feel sorrow for the victims and their families and I am horrified at this unneccessary tradgedy. What I find egregious is the lack of prudent safety measures being taken. It seems intuitively obvious to me that this was an accident waiting to happen. And if this is normal procedure and has been done many times in the past without mishap then everyone has been very lucky to date.

My deepest prayers and sympathy to the victims, their families, and the others involved in this tragedy.

Me too.

Thanks for your comment.

Death and Stupidity in Tennessee

In Tennessee this past weekend they were having a charity thing for kids in TN. It was supposed to be a parade and then some rocket scientist thought it would be a good idea to have a drag racer go zooming down the street where people were lined up having just watched the parade.

Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning said Sunday the seven killed were in their teens or early 20s. The accident injured at least 18 others, including a 5-year-old boy, who were taken to hospitals in Tennessee and Mississippi.

The crash happened Saturday during an "exhibition burnout" - when a drag racer spins his tires to make them heat up and smoke - at the Cars for Kids charity event in Selmer, about 80 miles east of Memphis


Well the car went out of control and killed 7 people. Oooops.

As a pilot, I am highly attuned to safety. When my sister let's my nephew stand on a chair in front of a plate glass window, I cringe. I can't watch. Disaster waiting to happen.

So how could the police or anyone have thought this drag racing thing was a good idea? Especailly when there was no barrier between the car and the people. They are the one's responsible for these people's deaths. Most of them teenagers.

What a waste.

Update

Paris is back in jail and the kid in pictures below got a judge to throw out his felony conviction and reduce it to a misdemeanor and time served. Of course....

Jubilation turned to anger Monday after Georgia's top prosecutor vowed he would fight a judge's order that would have set free Genarlow Wilson, a Georgia man serving a 10-year prison sentence for a consensual sexual encounter he had as a teenager.

Let's see what else. Approaching 4000 American soldiers killed in Iraq.

That's the real story.

But no one really seems to care about Iraq anymore. Very few of us in America are sacrificing in anyway with this war. And nothing is really happening. It's the same old stuff. Car bombs. People being blown up. etc. Nothing changes. And I think that the politicians are just laying low until the election is over to actually do anything. The debates are like watching paint dry.

I used to think (before Bush) that the person that we elected President didn't really matter that much. The Congress would keep him in check and nothing really outrageous would happen. I wonder if I could have been more wrong? I always paid attention to the candidates etc but like I said, I thought that they all were more or less the same. I definitely don't believe that now.

And what's up with the debate or whatever it was on TV about the candidates faith? Since when did we become a Theocracy. I am definitely a person of faith but I don't think that having each candidate give a sermon and hold a revival meeting is appropriate. Especially since I don't believe most of them really feel that way. But is was mild entertaining when Hillary a few weeks ago stood up in that black church and gave a sermon with her pseudo-southern accent. That was good.

I am looking forward to seeing Michael Moore's film "Sicko". Not in the movie theater. I'll wait until DVD. But I saw him on Oprah and he was right on. I guess if I like Michael Moore I really am a left wing nut.

The End of the World as We Know It

Paris Hilton was released from jail today for an unspecified medical condition.

She will now spend 40 days in house arrest at her mansion.

This is it. The world has stopped spinning.

You mean to tell me that the LA County jail system is not capable of dealing with an unspecified medical condition?

What if Paris were poor and not white? I wonder where she would be now with her condition. She definitely would be in jail and might even be punished for complaining.

So that's it. Our country is a total farce. There is no justice in this country.

None.

Not that I ever thought that there was any justice here.

The Bush is probably going to pardon Scooter, I'm a perjurer, Libby.

That's just great.

Why don't we hand out special ID cards to those of money, status and privilege so that when they are caught doing something wrong we don't have to waste our time prosecuting them since they won't be punished anyway.

And for the rest of us that don't have the ID card, what's the point of a trail. Just pronounce us guilty and get it over with. I can't afford Johnny Cochran, can you?

Here in Georgia a black 17 year old male had oral sex with a 15 year old black girl.

He is now serving 10 years in prison. Oh by the way, he was a 4.0 student, homecoming king, football star etc.

Georgia passed a law that made it a crime for anyone 17 or over to have sex someone under 16. Mandatory sentence...10 years.

The legislature has amended that law since putting the 17 year old kid in prison wasn't their intent for the law. But since he was convicted before the law was changed...he still gets 10 years.

And he's still in prison.

They should immediately release him and expunge his record.

Ooops. Can't do that because he doesn't have one of the special people ID cards. Oh well....rot in prison you poor black kid. Maybe Paris will write you and encourage you now that she has access to her personalized perfumed stationary.