VA Medical Facilities. My Experience.

I have been a participant in the medical care provided by the US Air Force for over 20 years, and now through the VA for a number of years. 

The medical care provided by the VA is far, far better than anything available to almost any American citizen except perhaps for the most costly insurance plans. The only reason I use private health care instead of the VA is because I don't want to take the space needed by many BADLY wounded veterans.  Veterans who suffered those wounds because of our endless wars which we continue simply because more than 100 huge corporations need endless wars to continue to pad their profits. Meanwhile, the VA has been hit by cut after cut after CUT from Washington, rendering it almost moribund. 

And while I salute those 40 or 50 or more veterans who apparently died because of problems in funding and manning in Arizona – I also have to pause for a moment and think of the thousands and thousands of civilians who have died and are dying now, because of the lack of health care available to them.

Every developed nation in the world except American provides national health care to all their citizens.  The most valuable natural resource available to ANY nation is the health of its workforce.

Bundy and bundy.

Cliven Bundy has been feeding his cattle free for many years on property owned – and leased – by the United States government.  He willingly participated except he says that this land is his land and he doesn’t owe anything to anybody.  Futhermore, he’s ready and willing to shoot down and kill federal officers if they try to keep his cattle from eating US grass.

Fox media raced to his aid and promoted Bundy as a hero of the common man, a wise, well-tempered, reasoning man with an important message we all need to hear.  The Republican Party raced to Bundy’s aid, not so much with support as with questions of doubt and wise looks of dawning enlightenment.

Then The New York Times interviewed Bundy and strange things began to  happen.  Like happy Negroes sitting on a porch, pleased with the good work they do every day picking cotton.  Pleased because they are working “hard” and getting things done and not abortin' their babies.  

Suddenly the lens shifts.  We blink our eyes and notice that  Bundy is very rich.  We begin to refocus him as one of the upper One Percent or so.  And we – well, we become one of the happy Negroes, sitting on that porch, working hard, getting things done, picking lot’s of cotton and not abortin' our babies.  

Fox News realizes what has happened.  They realize they have stepped in bundy and they have bundy all over their shoes and it stinks and smells like bundy and they have tracked that bundy all over their studios and transmitted it out across America.  The Republicans gag, disclaim vehemently,  try to look shocked, profess ignorance, and  try to change the subject.  But you can tell their nostrils are clenched together.  They too know bundy  when they smell bundy but apparently they don’t always recognize it right away.  

Meanwhile, Bundy has told the United States to stay away from “his land” and his cattle.  He is NOT going to pay his taxes, and NObody else in the United States needs to pay  their taxes either.  

Stay tuned.  But not to Fox News.  Although that might be interesting.

Mitt Rominiey

Mitt Romney opened his mouth again and fell in again.  Scolding the Russians, and everybody else for wasting money on the Olympic games in Soci instead of spending it to eliminate poverty in the world.  Oh, that poverty would be such a trivial thing.  Then, from deep in his own throat, he said the GOP should not bring up Bill Clinton's "indiscretions" with Monica Lewinsky again.   Oh her.  Oh that.  Well, wonder what brought that up again?  

Government – an Alternative to War

The planetary survivors of a war involving nuclear, gas or chemical weapons would be genetically altered, and their children would be even more so. The pollution from a war of that nature would be incomprehensible and its affect on all growing things would create a new form of evolution.  

The answer?  Government.  The sitting down with your enemy and talking frankly about your common problems – yes, each other –  and then beginning to make plans together. 

Nothing easy about it.  A lot of people think it’s stupid and dumb.  It’s time-consuming and wasteful.  But.

The planet Earth will still be here.  It will continue its orbit and there will be sunrises and moonsets, and rain and snow will fall, and it will create and evolve with its new creatures.  It doesn’t need people.  It doesn’t need governments.  It doesn’t need religions.  It doesn’t need heavens or hells or gods or devils.  It will still be here after the people kill each other.  It can handle the nuclear radiation, it won’t mind the poison gas.  Plants that need poison gas will begin to grow and start consuming that gas.  

What about it? Government IS a pain in the ass.  Agreed.  But there are a million billion planets in the universe.  Here is a chance to make a difference and be somebody.

Government.  

Think about it.

Hey Uncle Sam! Say it Ain't So?

The problem of too many illegal immigrants from Mexico seems less important now than it has been in the past.  The number of those coming in from Mexico have decreased dramatically while those returning to Mexico continue to increase.

Those crossing back into Mexico are less interested in returning to the US than previously.  Reasons given include “being home”, better health care, and more jobs.  Hmmm.

I wonder if there is already coming a new headline that points out how the Mexicans are beginning to build a fence on THEIR side of the border to keep down an increasing migration of illegal Americans trying to sneak into Mexico?  Why?  Well, better jobs and health care to begin.   Other reasons may be already developing.  The power provided by unions and good retirement benefits are already vanishing, and there may be something to be said for a cheaper source of food.  Stay tuned. 

Chris Christie, Continued.

Interesting things to watch now: 

Christie has now made some powerful enemies in the way he blamed his main supporters - his "coterie" - and he viciously fired them in humiliation, blaming them for lying to him.   That WILL have repercussions.   These people are mean.  They had a promising future and now they are politically dead.  They will probably want to get “even”.  And they learned from one of the best.

Also this:  Christie has not really needed support from any national figures yet.  Let’s see if anyone comes to his aid.  Who am I looking for? These would be people who passionately believe in something else - not Christie - BUT they know they could never be elected to ANY position, so they need someone who CAN be elected.  THEN, as an advisor, they can work on their own heart’s desire.  Who are these people?  Look around Washington and elsewhere:  Elliott Abrams? Kenneth Aldeman? John Bolton? Douglass Feith? George Tenent? Richard Perle? Paul Wolfowitz? John Yoo? Lewis Libby? Ralph Reed? Weinberger? Woolsey? The Koch brothers? Grover Norquist? Even Kissinger, Cheney, Karl Rove, Rumsfeld, and others.  These are the people would have come in to power had Romany been elected president – now they are excluded again and have no real opportunity.  NOW, Chris Christie needs help.  GOOD help.  EXPERIENCED help.  Don’t look for front page headlines announcing this – but be aware.  Get your “feelers” and “antenna” up (as Kissinger used to say).  

And again, to quote from “Capitalism:  Servant or Master?”, p.29. 

“The demonstration of a high degree of loyalty is a powerful compensatory factor.  Even just knowing who the most loyal people ARE, is a factor of power, and knowing some of them well, having their confidentiality and trust is a significant accretion of power in itself.  To work with these people helps build one’s “credibility” and helps one to become known as a “person of substance”.  Not knowing who the Lord’s people are, presents an element of danger, and because no one knows for sure who they all are, everybody in the organization shares varying degrees of this danger.  Would-be “volunteers” sometimes think they can join this powerful group by revealing things about coterie members to people they know are higher in the organization.

The coterie and their staff administer over workers who must constantly meet important loyalty tests.  Discipline is enforced throughout the organization by the use of fear and suspicion. They are carefully developed, maintained and encouraged and are the primary forms of leadership and control used in the workplace, more constantly evident in lower echelons. “ 

http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/john-womack/capitalism-servant-or-master/ebook/product-20251807.html

Is Christie Embarrassed?

NJ Governor Chris Christie just whipped an Anthony's weiner out of his pants, revealing intimate details of his political anatomy, and of his integrity.  In the words (more or less) of the Great Elvis, "you ain't nothing but a hot-dog."

Christie fits perfectly the description of a "Lord" in Chapter Three, "The Secret Organization" in the book "Capitalism:  Servant or Master?"

On page 28, the book speaks about these things:  " The coterie, or the upper administrative staff, sometimes guides the organization in the Lord’s place, especially in some of the more controversial issues, giving orders or initiating action prior to his “official” knowledge of those actions.  This permits the organization to plan and direct severe actions and initiate changes involving hardship upon the employees while the Lord maintains a Father-image so employees may believe “HE does not know what ‘they’ are doing to us; if HE did know, he would stop them.”  

Of course those members of Christie's coterie who got caught will be gone, because as the book continues on page 29:  "Simple incompetence, if accompanied by faithful loyalty, can be overlooked, perhaps even “justified” and protected, but not infidelity, not even suspected infidelity, and the worst possible crime of all is to embarrass the Lord." Well, now EVERYbody is embarrassed.  

http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/john-womack/capitalism-servant-or-master/paperback/product-20013906.html

A Ten Commandments to Post in Public Places

And God spoke: "I am Capitalism, the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the Economic oppression of Governmental Regulation, and released thee from the competitive pressures of Free Enterprise.  These are my Commandments!

I - am Capitalism!  Thou shalt have no other god or gods, including any religion of any kind, that is permitted to come before Me and the Economy.  

II -  Thou must work with all thy might for the Economy; no matter how little thy pay may be, or even if there is  NO pay, and no matter what the conditions are, thou must work with all thy heart, and all thy soul and for all thy life!  Hard labor shall be thy propitiating curse for the sin thou committed with an Apple in the garden!

III -  Thou shalt not speak ill of thy employer, for thy employer shall not hold him employed, he that speaketh ill of him.  Even if thy employer should refuse to honor his promises, thou may only praise him and not use his name in vain.

IV -  Six days shalt thou labour for the Economy and do thy employer’s work.  But the seventh day is MY Holy, Sacred Sabbath Day.  Then thou shall spendeth thy entire day and all thy money, and supporteth a football team, or a basketball team, or a baseball team, or a hockey team, or a soccer team either by attending all day in person, or by subscribing to special channels and watching for the entirety of My Sabbath Day!

V - Thy shalt honor thy employer and thy boss, that thy term of employment in the Economy may be extended as long as they find thy work acceptable. Then thou shall be cast into the streets to squirm out thy days.

VI - Thou shalt not kill;  that is a privilege reserved only to thy employer.

VII - Adultery is only permissible if thy employer does it to you, then thou must be grateful for his great gift!

VIII -  Thou shalt not steal, no matter how low thy pay may fall nor how high prices may rise. 

IX -  Thou shalt not bear any kind of witness, false or otherwise, or make any judicial or legal statement against, or even about thy employer.  

X - Thou shalt not covet thy employer’s position, nor his pay, nor his working conditions, nor his prerogatives, nor his asses, nor his asses' assistants, nor any thing else that is thy employer’s.

A Frank Appraisal

We look at our country with its economy drifting, its health care disappearing, its education plummeting,  its government shutting down and saying "No!", its prisoners skyrocketing, its wars dragging on and on and its richest people growing richer by the hour – and we wonder what went wrong?  

The answer is us.  And the response is us.  And the cure is up to us, you and me.  Let's quit screaming and shouting at each other, begin talking with each other, and begin solving our own problems together – that's the magic of democracy.  

If our elected officials don't want to go along with us, we can fix that too.  

NOTE:  This was submitted to the Hickory Daily Record and published  as a Letter to the Editor on 2013.1214Sa, or December 14, 2013 pg 4A.  

Local Government Response to Violent Weather.

We had a serious weather incident a couple of months ago when unusually heavy rains flooded basements and some neighborhoods and washed out roads and bridges.  That now appears minor compared to the weather incidents now affecting the central part of Colorado.  One thing is becoming increasingly clearer and that is that our weather  patterns are changing.  Another is that the effects of these new patterns are overwhelming parts of our infrastructure that was not designed for this.

It appears obvious that we can expect to see violent weather striking close to home more and more often in the future.  How can we prepare for the next incident?

I think government has an important role that it can play here.  Not just the national  and regional services but we really need help from people close to the action.  Local governmental officials who can come out, put boots on the ground, be where it is happening and provide needed services.  Some of those services are listed here: 

Monitor area weather

Provide warnings that include local area layout

establish a command post for coordinating data 

from weather services

from other governmental agencies

from affected people

from affected businesses

from businesses who might have response functions

Develop a basic response plan

coordinate rescue operations and evacuations 

begin to develop a rebuilding plan tailored to actual situation

Of course, this is only a sketch.  Other people who have more experience with this type of action would have other ideas.   But I think that this area is an important one for our community.  And I believe it is a proper role for government to play. We are now hearing reports that as many as 1,000 people may now be missing in this rain now hitting Colorado.  Our recent flooding may be only a warning of what is coming.  

Hickory Mayoral Candidates at League of Women Voters. 2013.0913

The League of Women Voters of Catawba Valley hosted a meeting of the mayoral candidates at the Highland Recreation Center at 7 p.m. on Friday the Thirteenth, in October, 2013.  

The candidates are, from left to right, Jeff Brittain, Ernie Masche, Candice Harold, Terry Revels and Rudy Wright.  Jody Inglefield is also a candidate, and was present before the meeting but did not take part.

Topics were 1) why are you running?  2) What can you (and Hickory) do?  3)  Why should people vote for you?  4) Not really clear.  5) What about imposing a fast food tax?  and 6) How can you help all four quads of Hickory develop?  

My personal rating of the candidates was as follows:  Harold 25, Masche 22, Brittany 21, Revels 9, and Wright – well, I rated him a 16 BUT disqualified him for a flagrant disregard of the ground rules by disparaging a competitor. Wright backed down, but his charge had already been made and of course the other individual was prohibited from responding.  

Harold clearly had an impassioned presentation and showed clear concern for the city.  Brittain made probably the most convincing case for development.  Masche was very professional in his presentation, but kept calling for less government, fewer codes and rules.  Revels was his own worst enemy, talked about himself and did not present a positive case.  Wright did not look real. His hair seemed

fake”?  He had a piece of cardboard about three feet by two feet that was marked up in some way that could not be seen by most of the audience, yet Wright presented it and talked about it as if it secured his position.  Much of the audience looked puzzled.  And Wright looked bored throughout much of the evening.

Candice Harold

Jeff Brittain

Ernie Masche

Rudy Wright

Terry Revels

Made in China?

On 9/11/2001, 15 men from Saudi Arabia with four others from Lebanon, Egypt and UAE attacked the  United States.

The world rushed to America's side with support and offers of help which were cast aside by our president.

We then began a 10+ year war with Iraq and Afghanistan.

That war may cost $6 trillion.  Taxes were not raised.  The war was paid for by debt.  Made in China?

Response to Gas Attack in Syria.

I agree that there must be a response to the use of poison gas in Syria.

But –  that response MUST be made by the world, or at least by a significant number of people and nations who are representative of all human beings.  Certainly not by just one nation and not by just one person. 

The UN is paralyzed because we Americans have neglected and ignored it for too many years.  We need then to have support from major developed nations in Europe and Asia.  Certainly, we must have unified support from the United States if we are to be the ones to initiate action.

The speed of response is not as important as is the statement made by that response. We need a presentation of the facts of the attack and discussions about the nature of it.  England has responded and France has responded.  America can’t yet because its congress is still on vacation.  

But.  We need to get the information of the gas attack presented to the world.  We need to discuss the facts involved. And we need to vote on whether or not to respond militarily.  AND we need to have nations and people vote, have their names recorded and listen to their reasons why they think we should respond or why not to respond.

This gas attack – if really it was – is the first in almost 100 years.  If it goes unchallenged, there will be more.  If we don’t respond to this one we need to get ready for the next one.  

There is no such thing as a “Limited Incursion”.  Any act of war is a creative act which creates more war.  There are many forces in this world – many of them American – that NEED war and need MORE war.   We need to talk, ask questions, and question those answers.  

Strike America First

Don’t ever strike another nation unless we are willing to “Strike America First” with a 50% tax increase on ALL Americans  and also impose a mandatory draft on ALL Americans between the ages of 18 and 30.  No deferment from that draft except for physical disabilities.  

Our "limited Incursions" USUALLY turn into major wars.

Syria - Thoughts

Well, Syria is not the only mess around here.  

The use of poison gas is indeed a crossing of a VERY Red Line, and it MUST be punished.  No question about that.  But.    

First of all there must be PROOF that there was indeed the use of this weapon, not just “almost certainty”.   Second, there must also be proof how it was done:  1) Was it done by Assad?  2) Was it one of Assad’s generals acting without authority? 3) Was it done by the rebels?   Third, it must be punished by whom?  The response MUST be made with the authority of the people of the world.  

Granted that 1) the authority of the UN will probably be missing because of Russia and China, therefore 2)  it must carry the weight of most of the developed nations of Europe and Asia, and 3) the unanimous support of the leaders of America’s administration AND congress AND both major political parties in America. None of that now exists.  Even the president’s party is divided.

Such an attack coming from outside the region of the Middle-east may well “destabilize” an already disintegrating collection of failing nation states that see their competitive religions being threatened by “infidels”, i.e. each other.  

If there indeed was a poison gas attack, and it is not responded to decisively, there will be more to come.  If there is retaliation – and it is done by one nation only – and there is not internal support within the government of that nation – then the result could be a world catastrophe resulting in one of the greatest wars of human history with profound release of poison gas and almost certainly nuclear weapons once Iran and Israel feel they are threatened by invasion. 

The planetary survivors of such a war would be genetically altered, and their children would be even more so. The pollution from a war of that nature would be incomprehensible and its affect on all growing things would create a new form of evolution.  

The answer?  Government.  The sitting down with your enemy and talking frankly about your common problems – yes, each other –  and then beginning to make plans together. 

Nothing easy about it.  It’s stupid and dumb.  It’s time-consuming and wasteful.  But.

The planet Earth will still be here.  It will continue its orbit and there will be sunrises and moonsets, and rain and snow will fall, and it will create and evolve with its new creatures.  It doesn’t need people.  It doesn’t need governments.  It doesn’t need religions.  It doesn’t need heavens or hells or gods or devils.  It will still be here after the people kill each other.  It can handle the nuclear radiation, it won’t mind the poison gas.  Plants that need poison gas will begin to grow and start consuming that gas.  

What about it? Government IS a pain in the ass.  Agreed.  But there are a million billion planets in the universe.  Here is a chance to make a difference and be somebody.

Government.  

Think about it.

Andy Wells – an Open Letter on Weather and Education

This is my response to your e-mail of August 19, 2013, "Good news/Bad News"

Mother Nature  These problems may have occurred only once in a thousand years but that was then, now we live in a world racked by weather patterns created by man’s continued pollution of the planet’s water, air and land.  Our weather has gotten bad and it is going to get a lot worse.  It is not “Mother Nature run amok”, it is mankind running without regulation.  It’s like a football game with no referees, the benches have already emptied, now the stands are emptying.  It is going to be a BIG deal.  And it is not going to be over in our lifetime.  We need to be ready for serious changes in the weather and we need to make serious changes in our government.

Government’s Role.  The State Department of Environment and Natural  Resources should have Boots on the Ground capabilities for these types of environmental issues to evaluate the problems while they are happening, to determine procedures and recommend immediate actions.  And they need the ability to enforce those decisions.  This would be a good piece of legislation for you and other representatives to prepare and implement.

Common  Sense:   You mentioned that phrase 3 times in your email and referenced it another time with your “emergency” comment.  We don’t need “common sense” to deal with these problems.  That’s what CAUSED them.  We need Expert Knowledge.  We need planning for the future while the event is still in progress, not just patchwork done here and there according to one’s abilities and finances. 

NCAE.  You called it a “union” three times in your email.  It’s not a union.  You really ought to know that.  Surely you DO know that.  Your use of the word “union” implies – to me and perhaps others – a attempt to denigrate NCAE.  The North Carolina Association of Educators represents the teachers and administrators who are now preparing our children and grand-children for a world that is already far different from the one you and I encountered when we were children. 

Budget:  Budgets are usually developed from the ground up by the agencies who know what they will need, not by elected bureaucrats, and they utilize as a starting point a Continuation Budget from last year.   The budget the Republican Legislature gave its citizens has already forced North Carolina Education into a major retrenchment.  You did NOT raise the education budget by $400 million – you cut the heart out of it – and if you don’t understand THAT then you have no business preparing or even talking about budgets.  Certainly, your comments about that reveal a total lack of understanding of how budgets are prepared.  

Anthony's Wiener Does the Right Thing

Anthony's wiener was sterilized today with a shot of sodium nitrite, and he changed his name to Carlos Dangler.

"Its all over."  He said, "You can vote for me now and I won't send you any more photographs.

NOTE:  For more informations about Anthony's wiener,  see the blog post of June 6, 2011:

http://theprettypenny.blogspot.com/2011/06/anthony-weiner.html

Bradley Manning was Abandoned

Bradley Manning was evidently all alone on his army post.  He evidently needed no supervision even though he was only a PFC, the lowest rank in the Army.  It was reported that he leaked 700,000 secret documents to WikiLeaks.  He obviously had no supervision, because he shouldn’t have even have had access to 700,000 documents of ANYthing, much less highly classified information.  Where were his supervisors?

Where were Bradley Manning’s supervisors while he was leaking ANY information?  Where were his supervisors when he leaked the FIRST item?  Why didn’t they do anything then?  Where were his supervisors when he leaked the first 10 documents?  Where were his supervisors’ supervisors?  Where were they when he leaked all over them and the entire US Army?  Where were they when he was on trial? Why weren’t they sitting there with him?   And where are they now as he begins serving 35 years in prison?  

Bradley Manning done wrong.  Yes he did.  He deserves to be punished.  But so do his supervisors.  What Manning did was really a minor thing, what his supervisors and their supervisors and THEIR supervisors did is  a major thing, and his punishment – all alone – is an indictment of the entire American Armed Forces system.   

Turning Point

A Session for the Ages  www.charlotteobserver.com

Good article.  But that’s only the headlines.  The real story is the on-going takeover of our country and its people by a few who possess great wealth.  One of the things those people need is to get rid of our government or better yet to render it useless, even make it seem foolish and inept.  The rest of us need to realize we ARE the government.  Our Founding Fathers knew that and they wrote, speaking of those “self-evident and unalienable rights” supposedly given to us by our Creator, that the Creator can GIVE, but even that Creator has not been able to “secure those rights” in the long story of history.  The Founding Fathers were aware of this and specifically wrote:   “To secure these rights, governments are instituted among (people) deriving their just powers FROM THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED".  

Now, what to do?  First of all, “The Wealth”  has divided us against ourselves.  I’m not saying we need to band together, Republicans and Democrats and TeaParty people and Christian Righters, but we DO need to quit screaming at each other and shouting and calling ourselves foolish names.  We need to begin a discussion among us, among the people of our state, our nation and even – where we can – with people from other nations.  We need to find the main issues and to discuss them in a civil, constructive and meaningful manner.  It is not just us in North Carolina, not just us in the United States who are being assaulted right now.  

We all are reaching a Turning Point in the affairs of humanity and we need to be players in turning us in a direction that WE want to travel.  We will NOT ever reach agreement on everything, but we can find and examine the real issues and select a majority approach to many of the problems we face if we collectively approach our differences openly and honestly.

How?  Well the hour is already late, but we need a searchlight shining on these people of great wealth.  Most of them are still hiding behind the curtain.  They don’t run for office, they could never be elected to any office, but they don’t need to get elected, they know they can get good looking straw men to run for office, get them elected and they will follow orders, even if they don’t completely understand them – as McCrory made SO evident is his rambling, lost press conference yesterday.

If the writers, poets, artists and photographers of our area, our state and our nation would each tell a few of the stories they see happening we could turn that searchlight on, and bring it to focus on some of the things that are now being done to turn us against each other and to highlight the destructive things now happening to our less fortunate people, those who need healthcare, those who need education, those teachers who need classrooms, those who need unemployment benefits, those who will will want to vote, those who are concerned about the increasing pollution we all now live under, gun proliferation,  tax reform, and many other issues.  Think about the stories that are lying out there in front of us now.  Bring some of them into your artistic folders, think about them, find the real story that lies behind some of these issues and bring them out in ways you feel fitting.   We can submit, publish, Blog, use Facebook, Twitter, Text, but get the real stories out.  And let your viewers know who the  enemy really is.  They can't hide from us.  

Zimmerman and Travon and all the rest of us.

2013.0713Sa0030.  The jury is out tonight.  What will they say?  The real verdict though, is already in. Travon Martin was sentenced to death and has already been executed.  What about Zimmerman, the collective policeman, judge and one-man jury?  Will he have to suffer needlessly?  Well, who really cares?  The point here is who is REALLY guilty of this crime?  Can we forget that Zimmerman called in to 911 that he was tracking a “suspect”?  Can we really forget that the 911 dispatcher told Zimmerman that he didn’t need to follow that guy?  Because if he had followed the instructions from the 911 guy rather than Travon, then almost certainly nothing would have happened that night and this problem would have been postponed to a later date.  

But what was the crime that was really committed?  What should REALLY be on trial?  Perhaps the real problem, the CAUSE of the real problem goes back to the “Stand Your Ground Laws” passed by the Florida legislature, which seemingly gives ANYbody the right to shoot someone if they FEEL threatened by them.  And the real point here is that it now seems that the Republican Party is marching in lock-step, as a fully functioning fascist political organization, following the orders of its great leader.  And who is this great leader?  No, it’s not Boehner, its not Paul or Romney or Rand.  It’s somebody under the covers.  It’s somebody with money.  Somebody with a LOT of money.  Somebody who can buy political seats in the legislatures of the states.  I’m talking about people like the Koch brothers.  And they are not alone.  There are others.  But the power of America has flooded from the people who vote to those who have the money to buy votes. I am talking about the hundreds of large and profitable corporations who NEED more people to buy more guns, and NEED more people to buy more ammunition.  These powerful corporations use their profits to buy lobbyists, many of whom are former congressmen and former senators who with their staffs can write bills ready to submit and can and do present those documents to currently serving senators and representatives, along with money or perhaps a trip or a nice watch or something – AND with the understood commitment not to support anyone else in the next election.

So this is what Travon was really up against.  This is also what Zimmerman was up against.  Really, they both are victims, just like the rest of us are.  Victims of power and money.  Guns are only a few of the minor obstacles that tug our attention away from our main problem.  

John Womack