LEE RODGERS
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April 22 --

SILVER SPOON SILLINESS ...
PERUSING POLITICAL POLYGAMY ...
BARACK'S COUSIN BERATES OBAMACARE

What could be more absurd? Two people, Barack and Michele, graduates of Harvard Law School (thanks to somebody's checkbook) plaintively disclosing that they "weren't born with a silver spoon in our mouths."

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Worst political blunder of the past week: Montana Democrat Governor Brian Schweitzer's attempt to bring polygamy into the presidential race by mentioning that Mitt Romney's GRANDFATHER had once lived in a Mormon community in Mexico where some members -- not the grandfather -- had multiple wives.
     Hey, Buddy-boy, want to discuss the much more recent history of polygamy in Obama's family? -- Like the fact that his own Muslim father had multiple wives, as did his grandfather and great-grandfather, back into time.
     Stupid. Just ... plain ... stupid.

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So Senate Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid thinks old people want and need junk mail as a morale-booster. Since Harry isn't exactly a youth (he's 72) perhaps he'd welcome all the junk mail people would like to send to his own mailbox. Furniture sales, mattress deals, drugstore offerings; he'd love 'em all.

Also ... one wonders what he thinks of his fellow Democrats' gratuitous attacks on his fellow Mormon, Mitt Romney.

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From The Atlantic, hardly a conservative publication ...
     "President Obama could be in big trouble when it comes to the youth vote, according to a new poll. Less than half of 18-to-24-year-old voters want Obama to win reelection."

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Dr. Milton Wolf, radiologist and cousin (really) of Barack Obama, offers this in the Washington Times ...
     "Liberals are a curious breed. They actually believe the government can mandate you into prosperity. They wave a magic wand, and the universe bends to their whim. At the end of each day, they rest their weary heads blissfully - willfully - unaware of the damage they cause.
     "Witness Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Before she was wielding the iron fist of power granted to her by Obamacare, she was the Kansas’ governor and, before that, the Kansas insurance commissioner. Health insurance mandates were her stock in trade, and with each new government dictate, Kansans saw their premiums increase.
     "The net result? Mrs. Sebelius chased nearly a dozen health insurance companies out of the state, leaving behind 40,000 Kansans who no longer had health insurance. That President Obama would choose her to head HHS and implement Obamacare is telling and terrifying.

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Reader Greg offers this pungent bumper-sticker ...
     "WHO CARES WHERE OBAMA WAS BORN...
       THE PROBLEM IS WHERE HE LIVES"

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Obama's campaign to encourage support from black Americans turns Dr. Martin Luther King's admonition to "judge a person by the content of his character, not the color of his skin" upside down, doesn't it?

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It was as predictable as sunrise. Fox-Chicago reports on a crime in suburban Maywood ...
     "Alton L. Hayes III told police he was so upset about the Trayvon Martin case in Florida that he beat up a white man early Tuesday.
     "Hayes and a 15-year-old Chicago boy walked up behind the 19-year-old man victim and pinned his arms to his side, police said. Hayes, 18, then picked up a large tree branch, pointed it at the man and said, 'Empty your pockets, white boy.'
     "The two allegedly rifled through the victim’s pockets, then threw him to the ground and punched him 'numerous times' in the head and back before running away, police said. Hayes and the boy are black; the victim is white.

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Jobs for Americans?  According to New York Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop and North Carolina Republican Rep. Walter Jones, the Obama administration is spending American tax dollars on a training program in the Philippines to train workers there in English so they can take jobs in call-centers dealing with U.S. customers.

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It never stops. A Muslim mob has burned a Catholic church in Khartoum, Sudan.

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Am I alone in suspecting that the stock market is largely operating on the ancient "greater fool" theory? The theory that, "Even if I'm foolishly overpaying for a stock today, tomorrow an even greater fool will pay me even more for it."

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I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU AN ITEM CALLED TO MY ATTENTION BY DAN SORKIN.
 
On Saturday, July 24th, 2010 the town of Prescott Valley , AZ, hosted a Freedom Rally. Quang Nguyen was asked to speak on his experience of coming to America and what it means. He spoke the following in dedication to all Vietnam Veterans.
      "35 years ago, if you were to tell me that I am going to stand up here speaking to a couple thousand patriots, in English, I'd laugh at you. Man, every morning I wake up thanking God for putting me and my family in the greatest country on earth.
     "I was asked to speak to you about my experience as a first generation Vietnamese-American, but I'd rather speak to you as an American.
     "I am a proud US citizen and here is my proof. It took me 8 years to get it, waiting in endless lines, but I got it, and I am very proud of it.
     "I still remember the images of the Tet offensive in 1968, I was six years old. Now you might want to question how a 6-year-old boy could remember anything. Trust me, those images can never be erased. I can't even imagine what it was like for young American soldiers, 10,000 miles away from home, fighting on my behalf.
     "35 years ago, I left South Vietnam for political asylum. The war had ended. At the age of 13, I left with the understanding that I may or may not ever get to see my siblings or parents again. Somehow, my family and I were reunited 5 months later, amazingly, in California . It was a miracle from God.
      "If you haven't heard lately that this is the greatest country on earth, I am telling you that right now. It was the freedom and the opportunities presented to me that put me here with all of you tonight. I also remember the barriers that I had to overcome every step of the way. My high school counselor told me that I cannot make it to college due to my poor communication skills. I proved him wrong. I finished college.
      "This person standing tonight in front of you could not exist under a socialist/communist environment. By the way, if you think socialism is the way to go, I am sure many people here will chip in to get you a one-way ticket out of here. And if you didn't know, the only difference between socialism and communism is an AK-47 aimed at your head.
     "In 1982, I stood with a thousand new immigrants, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and listening to the National Anthem for the first time as an American. To this day, I can't remember anything sweeter and more patriotic than that moment in my life.
     "I finished high school, finished college, and like any other goofball 21 year old kid, I was having a great time with my life. I had a nice job and a nice apartment in Southern California . In some way and somehow, I had forgotten how I got here and why I was here.
     "One day I was at a gas station, I saw a veteran pumping gas on the other side of the island. I don't know what made me do it, but I walked over and asked if he had served in Vietnam . He smiled and said yes. I shook and held his hand. The grown man began to well up. This was a profound moment in my life. I knew something had to change in my life. It was time for me to learn how to be a good citizen. It was time for me to give back.
     "You see, America is not just a place on the map, it isn't just a physical location. It is an ideal, a concept.  This is about Freedom, not free stuff.
      "Brothers and sisters, to be a real American, the very least you must do is to learn English and understand it well. In my humble opinion, you cannot be a faithful patriotic citizen if you can't speak the language of the country you live in. It took me a long time to get to the point of being able to converse and until this day, I still struggle to come up with the right words. It's not easy, but if it's too easy, it's not worth doing.
     "Before I knew this 46-page document (the Constitution) , I learned of the 500,000 Americans who fought for this little boy. I learned of the 58,000 names inscribed on the black wall at the Vietnam Memorial. You are my heroes. You are my founders.
     "At this time, I would like to ask all the Vietnam veterans to please stand. I thank you for my life. I thank you for your sacrifices, and I thank you for giving me the freedom and liberty I have today. I now ask all veterans, firefighters, and police officers, to please stand. On behalf of all first generation immigrants, I thank you for your services and may God bless you all."
 
Quang Nguyen
Creative Director/Founder
Caddis Advertising, LLC
"God Bless America "
"One Flag, One Language, One Nation Under God"
 
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

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Jim Eason contributes more media mangling of the language ...
      "Heard for the third time this week: The word is INTERIM (IN-ter-im) ... NOT INTERM."

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I recently asked an acquaintance what kind of gasoline mileage he was getting from his new car. His response was a perfect example of imprecision. He said he drove to work three days on a "tankful."  Say what?!
     Gasoline tanks come in many sizes, so that answer is no answer at all. It seems absurd, but there are people who have never mastered the simple formula for determining REAL gas mileage; i.e., fill the tank and note the mileage on the odometer ... drive until it's below half-full ... fill up again and divide the number of gallons (including tenths) into the miles accumulated since the previous fill-up.
     Once you have a fix on your gasoline mileage for city driving, highway driving and a mix of the two, you can stop depending on the often-unreliable gauges and know it's time to look for a gas pump when you've reached a certain number of miles.
     Similarly, the tachometer is useful for determining your best speed for mileage or a combination of trip-time and mileage. My own modest vehicle delivers best performance and reasonable highway speed at 2200 RPM, which equates to 68MPH. It'll go faster, of course, but gas mileage begins to decline above 70. (In Arizona, where I live, the speed limit on the Interstates is 75.)

Also ... don't drink and drive. You'll spill too much.

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Record-rate recidivism ...
     Marcus Hunt of Tampa, Florida, didn't take long to return to a life of crime. Sixteen minutes after he was let out of jail, he slugged a man and stole his bicycle.
     He's now back in the Graybar Hotel.

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My friend O.V. presents a plethora of punishing puns ...
     I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's now syncing.
     Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.
     How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.
     This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.
     I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.
     What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.
     Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!

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Frances reminds us of an essential role in parenting ...
     A teenage boy had just passed his driving test and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car.
     His father said he'd make a deal with his son: 'You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut. Then we'll talk about the car.'
     The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer, and they agreed on it. After about six weeks his father said, 'Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't had your hair cut.
     The boy said, 'You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair...and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.'
     Dad's reply: "Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?"

Lee Rodgers"...and now, if you'll excuse me..."
radiorodgers1@yahoo.com