Goodbye, Christian Warrior

This morning I learned that my grandfather, Cecil Girard, passed in his sleep.  It's a little ironic because I happened to be on the phone last night with my fiancee, discussing what to name our new German Shephard, and his name came up as one of the possibilities, which we discussed for some time.  These are the things I know about my grandfather.

Granddad was a a veteran of WWII.  Though he never served in a theater of war overseas, he trained men to go into combat as a drill instructor.  Picturing my grandfather as R. Lee Ermy only with a prohibition against cursing always brought a bit of a smile to my face.  After the war, he flew cargo to China.  When my best friend Chris came to visit with me one year, the Navy veteran and sonarman discovered an instant connection with my grandfather.  Chris (i.e. Jonesy) had been listening to subs aboard essentially the same plane that Granddad had flown.  At times it seemed like I wasn't even in the room as they chatted about their experiences.  Granddad was always my picture of the perfect warrior.  The dignified man of God and country, never ashamed of being so.

Granddad was also a dedicated husband.  His wife, Everma Joe, gave him three children, which gave him seven grandchildren.  I'd be lying if I tried to tell you how long they were married, but when she passed away in 2002, I'd venture it had been 50 plus years, and closer to 60 than 50.  They fit so perfectly together that they always represented what a married couple should be.  These people were Norman Rockwell's goal every time he started a piece.  And he never got close to how good they were.  At that same visit when I was there with Jonesy, I got the first indication of how much her passing had on him.  He broke at one point, choking back tears while talking about her.  I had never seen this man, 6'3" and wide across the shoulders as a football player, always fit, show one second of weakness in his life before that time.  It made me understand just how special a relationship a husband and wife can have and how truly deeply she had been his heart.

He was a humorist.  This wasn't Bill Cosby, by any means.  His humor was so dry I once watched a glass of water evaporate as he told a joke.  He wasn't above cheesy humor either.  He'd often point out a sign on the road that said "STOP AHEAD" and gleefully tell my brother and I "Stop, a head!"  In large part, I think my sense of humor developed from his own.  At times my sarcasm is thick as molasses.  Other times I can resort to the cheesiest joke I can possibly think of laughing giddily.

In some ways, he inspired me by showing me respect.  A conservative man, politically, he recognized my own interest in politics as it developed at a young age.  As I studied political theory and economics, before I was in high school, he had gotten me a subscription to "The Limbaugh Letter" and later, another to a public policy quarterly magazine.  It was more impressive, to me, that when my grandmother faced a second hip replacement surgery, he asked my opinion.  Keep in mind, I wasn't out of high school.  I'm not 100% sure I was out of middle school.  The doctor had but Grandma on a new drug that was supposed to help with the degenerative nature of the joint disease, so Granddad sent me a study on the drug's effectiveness and asked what I thought.  I told him they would likely be recommending the replacement within three weeks.  Turned out I was right.  He and Grandma always expected the most of me, and I have to say, I didn't live up to those expectations.

Granddad was a patriarch in the truest sense of the word.  The unquestioned head of the family, his children and grandchildren were doctors, architects, artists and one unfortunately, became an attorney.  His children are good, moral people, his grandchildren have followed that example.  Okay, I'm not the best about it from the perspective of getting to church and I've had my crises of faith, but there are few situations in which I haven't done my best to be good to others.

Granddad was a Christian.  It defined him in a way that few of us who believe can claim.  His religion wasn't shoved in your face.  It was there, open and evident from the way he conducted himself and his beliefs.  He was a regular at his church and participated in the choir.  It was where he went to exercise when he got old, until they needed him to go someplace where he could be supervised.  

Towards the end of his life, his mind became distracted.  Little registered on him long enough that he wouldn't often repeat the same question he had asked five minutes previously.  I hate to admit that it effected my desire to be around him.  It was hard to see the giant man who was the stereotype of a WWII marine from the black and white movies suddenly transmogrify to mortal flesh.

I had the pleasure of introducing him to my fiancee only a few months ago.  One of the brightest moments he had in the last few years was when she was discussing how her father is older than her grandmother.  His eyes instantly lit and his laugh came to the front as he asked about this odd circumstance.  It was clear to me then, given the right prompt, his mind was still capable of catching fast to something of interest and being engaged, if only briefly.

In the end, he had recently moved into a retirement village of sorts.  Karen, the fiancee, had been asking last night after him, if she should go visit him, being six hours closer than I am.  It was his desire to pass peacefully in the night, and from all indications, he did.  He missed his wife terribly.  Today I know he is with her and he is happy in her arms again and in the arms of God.

I will miss him, and when I look at the world today, I know that much of what is wrong is that there are less men like him, and more men like me.  I know that I would be well served to spend the remainder of my life trying to get to a point where I'm like him.  A Christian, a warrior, a man of principle, a man of service.  Everything we think of when we think of the "greatest generation".

God bless you, Christian Warrior.  You will be missed.

Um....No, That's Not What A "Shotgun" Is

This particular comment is worth commenting on for two reasons.  First, I have my doubts that President Obama knows anything about a shotgun that doesn't involve a joint.  Second, it feeds into the mythos that somehow the Second Amendment is about hunting.  Again, the left is using distraction to change the discussion.  The old leftist mantra was that the Second Amendment was an antiquated provision of the Constitution dealing with the provision of militias and that the comma in the wording of the Amendment meant that it was not an individual right, but rather, the right of a group, the militias, which no longer exist.  Call me somewhat less than surprised that the left speaks in terms of group rights over those of individuals.  The Supreme Court, however, has shot that down recently, much to my delight.  So, now, they are changing the argument.  Now, it is the conciliatory idea that, of course we have rights to guns and arms, but it's just for hunting, and who needs an AR-15 (hint, the AR doesn't stand for assault rifle) or more than 7-10 bullets to kill a deer.  Personally, I'm a pretty shitty shot with a rifle and may need thirty bullets to even alert a deer that I'm in the same geographical area.  Don't let the argument shift rhetorically, or you lose.

It's Never Too Late to Say You're Sorry...Unless it's Too Late

I would like to thank House Speaker John Boehner for agreeing with my previous opinion on the "fiscal cliff" idiocy.  Mr. Boehner has admitted he regrets the course he took after President Obama's reelection in caving on tax increases.  Mr. Boehner would best be served to remember that principles cannot be compromised for political expediency.

Sanctuary Cities for Guns?

With the recent proposals regarding gun restrictions including the talk of an "assault weapons" ban that bans a bunch of guns that aren't assault weapons some police officials are saying that they will not enforce what they believe to be an unconstitutional restriction on gun rights.  Personally, I don't believe the gun ban is strictly constitutional.  However, I also don't think it is the purview of local officials to decide what is and is not constitutional.  If they feel they cannot enforce the laws, then resign.  This is the same view I hold with regard to "sanctuary cities" and I'm not much for hypocrisy.  What I will say, though, is that the case law of the United States Supreme Court clearly says that the States can afford protections above and beyond those contained within the Constitution, but not less.  As such, should the state, for example, Texas, pass a law that gives greater 2nd Amendment rights to its citizens, allowing for weapons covered by the "assault weapons" ban to be carried and owned by its citizenry, it is well within its rights to do so.  This would make what the sheriffs in the above story within their power to refuse to enforce the federal ban over state law.

It will be interesting to see, however, whether or not those on the left who support the "sanctuary cities" suddenly become enraged at the prospect of local sheriffs ignoring federal law. 

Today's Recommended Reading

Avert thine eyes, oh liberal brethren!  For Ann Coulter comes with the logic on gun control including scientific studies!  But she is Ann Coulter, so you will likely discount it as the ranting of a hysterical conservative that needs to have pies thrown at her and that should be banned from college campuses.  Never mind that what she says makes damn good sense and is supported by (GASP) evidence as opposed to hysterics.

Liberal Zombies Coming to Eat the Rich!!!

Here's the plot of every zombie movie.  Virus/apocalypse/rabid monkey results in hordes of mindless, shriveled corpses that cannot think and desire only to prey on the ones who survived.  Sound familiar?  Every zombie movie ever made should now be seen as an analogy for the tax and spend wing of the Democratic Party.  Irrational hordes of brainless people who seek only to feed on the rest of society.  And it's not just the wealthy.  If President Obama and his allies in the Democratic Party hadn't wanted to increase taxes on people below $450,000.00, the easily could have offset the 2% bump in the payroll tax with a corresponding 2% rate drop, but I don't hear anybody having argued for that.  Hell, they probably could have kept in the payroll tax "holiday" (I love how when you get to keep your own money it is somehow a holiday, keep in mind, these jackasses named that holiday Making Work Pay...seriously), it's not as if they've displayed any concern about the solvency of Social Security.  But it's not enough for Democrats that they got $41 in tax hikes for every $1 in spending cuts they won't ever put in place.  After all, if you ask the President, spending isn't even a problem, despite the explicit conclusion of his own debt commission.  So, it should be no surprise that earlier this week President Obama said that there would have to be additional taxes because we just can't cut our way to prosperity (after all, government is the primary source of prosperity, right?).

It didn't take long for the first shriveled corpse to chime in.  On CBS's "Face the Nation" House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D. CA) roundly rejected the notion that the debate on tax revenues (ugh, revenue is something you earn, not something you loot) was not over and that additional looting would be required in any further debt negotiations.  Hell, she couldn't even wait for the question to end before emphatically rejecting the notion she isn't going to feed on the rich.  The evil, evil rich.  What Pelosi is referring to is the elimination of deductions.  You remember those?  They're the little parts of the tax code where the government generously allows you to keep some of your money if you behave the way they want you to, like buy a house.  Personally, I would be all for that idea if it included a reduction in rates, but they already raised rates. She's on the lookout for those "unfair" deductions, i.e., the ones that don't go to her pet causes.  Like battery manufacturers that use recyclable casing materials that smell like peace and love.  Luckily, none of this matters, as we will all be dead soon, Democrats gnawing on what's left of our wallets.

Obamanomination

President Obama today announced he wants an apparent homophobic anti-Semite with a knack for appeasement to terrorism as his choice for Secretary of Defense.  RINO (Republican in name only) Chuck Hagel is a former Nebraska Senator.  He has served in the Obama administration as co-chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, a position which did not require confirmation by the Senate.  Hagel has, in the past, opposed any sanctions against Iran for its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons.  Hagel is also in favor of entering talks with the terrorist organization Hamas which lobs rockets into Israel like they are cheap fireworks (thanks to funding from....you guessed it, Iran).  Not that laying down for Hitler isn't enough to disqualify someone for Secretary of Defense, Hagel also once criticized an ambassador for being openly, aggressively gay, whatever that means.  Luckily, 14 years later, he managed to eek out an apology.

So what does this say about our fearless leader?  Mr. Hagel is unlikely to survive the nomination process and President Obama knew this before the announcement.  It may signal that Mr. Obama intends to go down the path of alienating Israel, in as much as he hasn't already done so.  This might be further supported by the fact that his nominee for director of the CIA.  Mr. Brennen has referred to Jerusalem as "Al Quds" as well as avoiding language that might tend to offend terrorists, like "jihadists".  It may also be a political calculation aimed at marginalizing Republicans.  The idea would be that he puts forth this token Republican who happens to have some very unattractive "qualities" so that media can splash headlines like "Republican Hagel's Anti-Israel, Anti-Gay Past Haunt Him At Hearings".  Call me a conspiracy theorist, but given the President Obama was offered all of the revenue he asked for in the "Fiscal Cliff" deal through tax reform and yet he insisted that it had to come through raising tax rates tells me his political calculations come before anything else.  The Cynic in Chief reigns supreme.