"But how do they know?" I asked myself, as I almost always do when peculiar incidents are followed almost immediately by mundane explanations.
The Russian meteorite explosion. From meteor to Meteorite. Nothing to see here, folks, just another meteorite. Chances are -- and by chances we mean somewhere around 99.99999999 percent (and no, math isn't my thing, before you criticize) -- it was a meteorite. But what if it wasn't? What if the object had been a super-energized space vehicle or probe from somewhere else, hurtling through space over the ages? Or remnants of a statue or artificial structure from the cosmos, light years away from some former home planet and drifting through space for the millennia? No matter, to "them" it's a meteorite and nothing more than a rock just in time for "News At Eleven," and we best swallow that whole. I watched in utter fascination as scientist after weather reporter after news reporter after man, woman and child on the street mimicked the word, "meteorite" long before we could know for sure. I guess because it's what society has come to expect, and to think anything else is intellectual blasphemy. So, assuming meteorite is the final explanation, good work -- once again, scientists prematurely guessed correctly from the knee-jerk position, oblivious to how they embarrass themselves professionally when they do that. Yes, as all fragments reportedly point to a rock from the sky, I suppose they were on target. This time.
Here, I'll wrap you in the flag so you can avoid answering the question: I've no problems with Chuck Hagel's military decorations from the Vietnam conflict, and in fact I honor him for his sacrifice. But at the congressional hearing for his appointment as secretary of defense, Senator Ted Cruz asked a question about troubling reports of monies being directed his way by American-unfriendly countries in the past. Before he could answer, Sen. John McCain verbally whipped out the flag and played the how-dare-you-ask-an-American-hero a question like that game. In the room, and then outside, there was outrage over Cruz and his question. Truth is, Cruz was doing exactly what he was supposed to do -- get to the facts. Hagel, to be blunt, isn't doing so well with his responses, and I'm not at all sure I favor his appointment. Nevertheless -- the intriguing and all-important question about contributions went unanswered as McCain stepped in and literally prevented the truth from coming out, whether that truth held water or not. Seems kinda dangerous when everybody gangs up to be group-offended and questions consequently remain unquenched. However, as usual, the main focus should be directed to the White House and Mr. Obama, who knew very well what would happen when he submitted this controversial name.
And speaking of Senator McCain, at least he's one of a very few bold enough to insist that several questions about the Benghazi tragedy remain unanswered, and his concerns point directly to the White House.
From TV Show to. . .TV Show: Anybody still adorned with the aura of youth won't know what I'm talking about, but I was a little surprised a few days ago when I caught an old episode of "The Rifleman" on TV. A member of an organized posse (that is, the horse kind of posse), allowed only a one-liner during his debut -- and last appearance -- in this particular episode was none other than the late Tom Snyder, former host of NBC-TV's long-running "Tomorrow" show. I seem to remember Snyder mentioning his brief acting career, and back then he was credited as Thomas Snyder. I only mention him because, over the long course of the late-night "Tomorrow" series, Snyder interviewed several people from the UFO arena , as well as a fair population of the strangest people in the world, and he conducted his program with humor, interest and as much integrity as would be warranted. Still, kind of a shock to see (then) young Tom sitting on a horse in a fictional town of the Old West -- though not as much of a shock as knowing Johnny Crawford, who played Lucas (Chuck Connors) McCain's young son Mark in the series now conducts his own orchestra and apparently turns out compact discs like a machine. Everybody grows up. Well, some do.
Why do mad scientists go mad? That's an easy one. Deprived of proper love and respect for their intellect, instead society worships silly people who make millions of dollars putting balls into holes, skiing down hills or repeating lines of script while instructed how to parrot and move like puppets on movie sets. On a related note, a recent study more than suggests that young people expect instant fame over hard or routine work, and at the very least college graduates believe they should start at the top. Meanwhile, the lowly scientist sweats, goes nearly blind from reading, loses sleep over research rather than late-night parties, discovers and invents, and for the most part nobody gives a damn. If only scientists could put balls into holes, spit and grab their crotches in public, down steroids freely, beat up their spouses or significants and travel with an entourage, the crowds would roar. Pity. Oh, almost forgot, science and the computer are destined to kill us all anyway.
The curbing of or path to the death of American freedoms couldn’t be more obvious. All we need do is watch gun control legislation proposed from coast to coast. The latest outrage comes via some previously irrelevant legislator in Washington State who submitted a bill allowing local law enforcement personnel to inspect gun owners’ homes once a year to make sure firearms are properly secured. In America?!! Later, he claimed not to know this absurdity was in the bill. Yeah, right. Democrats – what the heck has infiltrated your party? Looks like much of it was in there already, festering for years and waiting for The Big Chance. Like the disastrous “Affordable Health Care Act” legislation, prescribed in thousands of pages over the years primarily by Democrats waiting for the right opportunity to spring it, you can bet all of this gun legislation has been hidden under the liberal bed until public hysteria reached a fevered pitch. Voila! When I attended college after the military years, I became one of the most liberal-minded people one could imagine. But years have passed and I watched and watched – and, perhaps like you, believe this path isn’t working out at all well. Maybe I’d prefer something in the fiscal conservative Libertarian mode – wild, huh? Meantime, I’m running for the hills every time I hear somebody use the word, progressive, because the only thing the term means ultimately is more power for government and less for the individual. So. . .
I’m going to do something I thought would never happen on these blog pages. Having come fairly -- and with great patience -- to the realization that the major TV networks and news sources do little but alter or exclude the important things altogether, in keeping with the promotion of a wildly progressive agenda, I want to recommend three Web sites you might consult regularly. Maybe I’ll even put them into the link list. First, The Drudge Report (drudgereport.com), constantly updated with important news from the USA and the world. Second, The Blaze (theblaze.com). Third, Michael Savage (his radio show is a hate/love experience, but his education, credentials and knowledge about so many things can’t be beat) at michaelsavage.com. Yep, very conservative stuff – and my longtime exploration of these sites has found them to be amazingly credible. Agenda-ridden? Yes, though not always, but compare those agendas with the variety currently being inflicted on the country by a cacophony of politicians grasping the hysterical moment at our expense. Gun control is just the tip of the government control iceberg, and this time even law enforcement personnel are catching on across the nation, as too few legislators who formerly paused before wishing to question unconstitutional tactics themselves take heed. Good for them. Keep in mind, too, how envious much of the world is because American citizens can have guns – and don’t think for a moment that the world’s dictators respect or fear us less because of it.
A major reason for me to recommend these sites is accounts reflecting that legal USA immigrants from repressive nations, again and again, tell us that the United States -- under the current Administration -- is slowly turning into everything from which they escaped. From what I’ve heard, they’re scared to death.
