Here Lately

“What’s Going On”
- Marvin Gaye

Looking back at the last week and a half, I get a little frustrated. You had Hugo Chavez talking smack on American soil, that creep from Iran also, former President Bill Clinton going off in an interview, Sheesh…. What’s next?

As it has been said, “when the center does not hold, things fall apart”. Baby, Western civilization’s shit is getting raggedy. At the rate we are going we have 20-25 years tops before it all comes tumbling down. Or, we can cut out all the dumb shit and get this great experiment called America back on track and continue the journey.

To my friends on the left, and some of my friends on the right, do not be mistaken, America has been, and is the best and only hope for a sane, safe world. Warts and all, America’s existence has been a stabilizing force on this planet. Show me another country that had the capability to subjugate the world and did not attempt to do so. Show me another country that has historically sent it’s young men and women into harm’s way and only asked for enough ground to bury those unfortunate enough to be killed. Show me another country that approaches anywhere close to the scale of freedom and prosperity that Americans have, show me.

I fear the appeasers amongst us will never understand what is at stake. The world seems to be reliving that nightmare of a year1932, sitting back, giving instead of being firm, allowing the enemies of freedom to grow stronger- much like the world did when Hitler was amassing one of the most efficient armies the world had ever seen. Hitler would couple that army with his Nazi ideology and damned near conquer the world. As Nazi Germany led by a madman rose in power, it inspired Japan to make a bid for it’s share of the world. History has a tendency to repeat itself, that is, if we allow it. God, I hope we don’t wait to late to deal with our enemies, I hope that at some point all the leaders in America recognize the threats that face us. At least step back and ask,”what’s going on”.

Later’

Crikey..............................

22Feb.1962- 4Sept. 2006

In the early afternoon of 4 September 20064 , Steve Irwin was fatally stung in the chest by a stingray off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia while filming an underwater documentry
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A few years ago while watching television with my kids, we stumbled across the “Crocodile Hunter”, Steve Irwin. Here was a man that wasn’t scared of anything that crawled, slithered, or swam. Just about everything he chased had sharp teeth, and knew how to use them. My kids and I were instant fans.

Upon hearing of Steve Irwin’s death I was saddened. It’s simple, there are too many punk-assed men on television. Steve-o would be driving down a road and see movement in a mud hole, jump out of his land rover and dive in. After a considerable amount of splashing, low and behold, He would have12-15ft of crocodile in the full nelson.

I remember one episode where Steve was using himself to demonstrate how effectively a spitting cobra could spit. Wearing a pair of sunglasses he took quite a few shots from a very pissed off cobra. The camera work was superb, you could see the venom collecting on the glasses and the parts of his face that weren’t covered by the glasses. Needless to say the venom burned his bare skin.

Television used to be filled with men like Steve Irwin. Men like Jacques Cousteau, Marlin Perkins and Jim fowler. Men that got down and dirty taking life threatening risks doing their jobs of showing the public the world of animals and their surroundings. Who really gave a damn about whales until Jacques Cousteau filmed them gracefully gliding in the ocean? How many children born in the 60’s and 70’s did these men and others inspire to appreciate the sometimes delicate ecosystems in nature, and the need to preserve and protect it?

So long Steve, Crikey……… we are going to miss you.

Later’