ARE MEN REALLY PIGS?

ARE MEN REALLY PIGS? (Frazer Chronicles)

I just read an article in Aljazeera, penned by Naomi Wolf entitled "Is pornography driving men crazy?" I for one can respond with a hearty "nnnnnnooooo!" Actually I have watched some porn on my computer, you guys ought to try it, it's graphic.....STOP, sorry I lost my composure for a minute, maybe this Wolf broad has something going with her "driving men crazy thing."

Pornography, in my opinion, isn't driving men crazy, men in fact are becoming more aware of women and respect them more then ever before in history. That said, I have to admit that "men have a long road to travel before they truly are aware of women in the world, and what they really mean in a man's life. 

In  her article, Wolf talks about "highly visible men in recent years have behaved in sexually self-destructive ways." Wolf contends that "powerful men have long been sexually voracious, but in the pasts were more careful," and continues that those "high profile" men were more discreet and generally  used better judgement to "cover their tracks."

Ms. Wolf is citing her  opinion, "which she is entitled to," which is based on flawed information. I can name many governmental leaders who were "un-discreet" with regards to their extra-marital activities. These long ago men had the benefit of security guards, handlers, political advisers, and..... the press.

Leaders deal with a passion in  their lives that only they know about. Almost every issues that they confront in their lives is a test of wills, a test of whether they can evoke their will on others, a test of how strong that they are, "that's every day." So, even though people might not agree with the philandering, "I certainly don't," these men naturally "tend" to force themselves on mostly receptive women.

There isn't any medical study necessary to "figure out if men's brain's are being rewired by being exposed to pornography." The resounding answer is "no," mixed in with a loud "how dare you."  It's like using an excuse for an activity that to many, many men is unacceptable to our gender and is demeaning.

I have been around three separate "gang bangs" in my time, non of which I might add I partook in. I found it repugnant to "do my business after others had already done theirs." It wasn't that I was so moral, or was above those others, I simply found the activity rather disgusting.

The one incident in  particular left a lasting impression on me, one that I will take to the grave. It happened in Germany, when I was stationed there as an Army medic. In a medical train car, 2 women were at either end of the car, and a line of waiting young soldier's "waited their turn" to get a little.

I decided right then and there that my sex with the opposite sex would be a one on one deal, and something that I was unwilling to share with others. For Naomi Wolf to intimate that watching pornographic "smokers,  as they were called some 90 years ago," and DVD's today, are breaking down men's resistance, and fueling a wanton sex urge in  a man is absolute crap.

Men by and large are cognoscente of women, and women's rights, we many get a little "horn Dogged" by what women ware when out in public, or surely at the beach, but we can control our inhibitions or impulses pretty well, "thank you very much."

Those men, or "boys" that give in to their impulses should get exactly what they deserve, a stint in jail, bunking with Willie, or Percy to get "straight," if you know what I mean. To anecdotally connect the increase in pornographic consumption among young men with the increase impotence and premature ejaculation of the same is, preposterous.

Young men forever have had premature problems, when it concerned to the opposite sex, it's the nature of the courtship, the circle of life, "if you will." It's how young women began to establish their superiority to the man species, and also how they learn to keep that little "secret" of superiority to themselves until they need it to reign in a man.  

It's a silly game played between men and women, one that both know is being played, those that play it better have more partners, those that don't, "men" can resort to barbaric and brutal activity towards women, it's not a "rewiring" of the brain by pornography, it's an emotionally weak individual, weak in life and weak with people.

According to medical studies, pornography rewards the brain with short term dopamine boost, much the same as snorting cocaine or winning at the gambling tables. So that explains why I feel so good before and during sex, and tired as hell after the deed is done, huh, I never knew that I was a cocaine addict. 

Look Naomi, and all you clinical (experts) who are doing all these studies, "I hate to burst your bubble," but men and women have been running after one another since the beginning of time, and the big reason why the Garden of Edan was a "bust" of possibly the very first sex education program of man-kind.

There is almost zero the number of women that want to be violently, violated, most want to be wined and dinned and romanced before they give it up. In many, many cases, the end result is, that they "don't give it up," and the majority of men except that result, and go home and play with their little "winker."

All the research in the world, all the clinical discoveries will not change a fringe part of society that has always been there and sadly always will be. Just because there might be more clinical studies going on doesn't mean there are more jerks tearing women's cloths off

  

  

THE MESSAGE IN A YARD SIGN, RICK "RICKY" PERRY

THE MESSAGE IN A YARD SIGN, RICK "RICKY" PERRY (Frazer Chronicles)

Can yard signs be like a message in a bottle, I don't think so. I used to drive a truck throughout the country and I've seen some yard signs that might curl your toes. During the run-up to the 2008 presidential election, I saw all sorts of signs down south that I couldn't believe. Not only were they racial, they were mean spirited, and suggested some really bizarre activity.

The "ride a cruise missil right up Husain's butt," or "keep America safe, stomp out Islam," or by far the best one I saw in 2008, "keep your damn hinds off my gins its my right to bear arms." That is exactly how it was written out and spelled, "no kidding."

The yard sign I am speaking about is one from a small New Hampshire town that proclaims that President Obama has launched more missiles during his term as President then any other President in the history of the United States.....that has won a Nobel Peace Prize.

I think it's important to take a look at exactly who Alfred Bernhard Nobel was, so that we all can get a more accurate picture of who the prize.....for peace was named for. Nobel was born in 1833 in Sweden and became a chemist, engineer, innovator and armaments manufacturer. Nobel's most famous invention was dynamite, while his armament company produced cannon and cannon balls.

It's probably a good thing that cruise missiles weren't around back when Alfred was blowing things up, or he'd have probably enjoyed playing with a few of the things, possible in his back year.

I am really, really disappointed in the Obama Administration, and the path that they seem to be taking with regards to war and war making. Bush at least said right up front where he was going and what he intended to do. Obama "fiddle faddles" around, talks about troop "draw-downs" and then goes into Libya, what the hell is going on?

It is true that Obama has launched more cruise missiles then any other peace prize winner, but you gotta remember, he's only in his first term, and the way things are going for him, he needs to set some sort of record. Maybe if he's elected to a second term, he can really set war records, kinda like sports figures do in their chosen fields, only time will tell.


JAMES RICHARD "RICK" "RICKY" PERRY, (Frazer Chronicles)
Does it sound like I'm disrespecting politicians when I insert my own personal nick-names, "kind of like I'm making fun of them? Well it's true, especially when they happen to be career politicians, those guys need to be "knocked down a peg or two."

Look, I don't begrudge a person being in politics for a really, really long time, but when that tenure starts to take on a life of it's own, and people start looking at his or her time in office like statistics for a baseball team, or a league, I start to get a bit nervous.

This "statistical reign" of Texas Governor Richard "Rick" Perry is starting to look exactly like a Texas gubernatorial power destiny for the Republican Party, and that is never a good thing. People need checks and balances for governance, a difference of opinion, "if you will."

"Ricky" is the 47th. governor of Texas, having held the office since December of 2000, when George W Bush resigned the office to run for president of the United States. Perry has been the elected governor since 2002, and has won re-election in both 2006 and 2010.

"Ricky" holds all records for Texas gubernatorial tenure, having broken Allen Shivers' consecutive 7 and a half record. Perry also holds the distinction of appointing at least 1 person to every possible state office.

Perry, a 5th. generation "Texican," "whatever that means," is Texas A&M University educated, "holding a degree in Animal Science," was a door to door book salesman during his college years, and after graduation served in the Air Force, working as a pilot until 1977. He then worked on the family cotton farm.

"Ricky" Perry was elected to the Texas state legislature 1984 when he was 34 years old and has been in the Texas politician machine every since. First a Democrat, Perry switched parties in 1989, and his political stock has been on the raise every since.

During my voting years, I have voted for Republicans, Democrats and independents. Through those same years I formulated a sort of governmental philosophical idea of how government should be operated. I do not feel that one party has "all the answers," nor do I believe that one party or the other lies more then the other, "they both lie, for their own good."

Perry (seems) to have somewhat radical ties to religion, maybe his own feelings, I don't know. Whenever a politician  talks about his beliefs about God, Buddha, Islam, or the Singing Bush, I get a little nervous. Although it isn't specifically addressed in our constitution, I believe that a separation of religion and government, "the separation of church and state," is germane to the successful operation of any government.

When religious organizations become more "muscular" in their approach to political issues of the day, like "gays are Nazis," or "Muslims should be converted to Christianity," or that September 11, 2001 was "God's punishment" for the countries "creeping secularism," keeping religion out of government, I need to take a Valium.

Richard "Rick" "Ricky" Perry may be the best candidate for the Republican Party, I don't know. I read that Wisconsin Governor Scott "Sleepy" Walker saw, after he was elected to the office, that his party had control of both the House and the Senate and decided to implement his own "somewhat" radical policies. He, "Walker"  was not elected to implement his own agenda, rather his was elected on what he said during the campaign for the office.

Way to many politicians figure, after they are elected have the right to change their course, the course that they were elected on. In to many cases, politicians operate on what is good for the favored few and industry.

If "Ricky" Perry is one of those "my agenda" type guys, he would be bad for the country, unless you feel that Barack Obama, who ran on quiting the war(s), and instead has ramped the  war(s)  up is good for the country. "Does anybody have a "hit" of marijuana?

ONE SENIOR CITIZEN WHO IS FED UP!

ONE SENIOR WHO IS FED UP! (Frazer Chronicles)

My wife has an autoimmune decease that has attacked her body  unrelentlessly over the past several years. It has taken her hearing completely, her eyesight has suffered, her balance is suspect and now the latest malady to strike is the cartilage in her body can develop  what I call "the droopies." Her left ear lobe actually droops and has lost it's elasticity.

I have my own physical problems, but nothing like my wife. I take a whole diet of drugs to keep me going, I think my doctor is actually a drug dealer, and I'm one of his best customers, with a pill to go to bed, a pill to get out of bed in the morning and several more pills to get me through the day.

My wife does the eye drop thing 3 or 4 times a day, "I'm not sure, I've kinda lost track." In addition to her eye drops and artificial tear medication, she also takes pills to keep her going through the day and a pill or two to insure that she wakes in the morning, "thank God for pharmaceutical companies."

I though it might be interesting to find some sort of rating for the top companies who's job it has become to keep my wife, and me "kicking," you know.....above ground as it were. Not to surprising was what I discovered, and figured before I started researching for this blog, U.S. companies lead the list of companies, "rated by income alone," in the world.

I never figured that a band-aid company could sell enough band-aids to lead in total income, but Johnson & Johnson lead the world in income with a gross income of $61.897 million, and a net of $12,266 million. Pfizer was right behind Johnson & Johnson, while Abbott Laboratories checked in  at  8th, Merck & Co was 9th. and Eli Lilly and Bristol-Myers, Squibb rounded out the American companies in the top 12 in the rankings.

Some might make light at the list and and the gross figures of the companies, but those folks should keep in mind that the list was tabulated by Fortune Global 500, a legitimate company, who rates in a nonpartisan way. And also remember that the Fortune company is rating the world wide industry. In 2009, the rankings of the top 12 producers of medication were even more "bent" towards the U.S as 7 of the top 12 companies were based in the United States.

Hospitals used to be based on patient care and breaking even, now the industry is based on making a profit for shareholders or partners. I really never did understand way a hospital was only supposed to "attempt" to break even, but in recent years, that attitude has been replaced by a "make money at almost any cost."

Now prescription companies exist to distribute medication through the mail, paid for by health insurance companies who decide which medication they will pay for. In many cases, a doctor's prescription will be denied by an insurance company, leaving patient and doctor to scramble for another medicine.

Doctors prescribe a medical procedure, only to have his decision overturned by a health insurance company. The patient is left to dispute the health insurers decision to a medical board, and in many cases must give testimony to that board, even though the patient has absolutely no medical experience, and can only testify as to the pain, or the suffering from the condition that their doctor wants to alleviate through a medical procedure.

Hospitals, health clinics and doctors, through a program of reduced rates, work with insurance companies, where the insured must go to only certain doctors, hospitals or clinics for medical service.  Other "benefit" companies, through deductions from paychecks will take deducted amounts and pay for that part of a prescription that is termed "deductible" by the health insurance company. My wife's insurance pays at an 80%-20% rate, we pay 20% and the health insurance company pays 80%. Dam good insurance.

To muddle up the works is the occasional clinic that attempts to push work, "their work," off on the patient. This crap happened to my wife several weeks ago, when she was fitted with an ear hearing devise that fitted snugly in her left hear, "the floppy one." The implant works out well, and the price was $104, for the device. The 2 visits it took to get the devise and then to fit it cost $140, and the health insurance company paid that without question.

When it came to the device itself, even though the devise was approved by her health carrier and was requested by her doctor, the clinic, who is a member of my wife's health plan requested $104 at the time of inserting the devise in her ear. The reason, "although my wife never asked, nor objected to the payment," is simple, they wanted their money up front.

We are now faced with a "load" of paper work, as is our insurance carrier, a perfect example of a wasteful practice by a stupid administrator who set a procedure with only one issue in site, money right now. The ear piece was approved by the health carrier, the procedure was approved by the health carrier, so whats the problem?

The paperwork, the issuing of a check, the "wait" on our part to get our money back for a procedure that was approved is just another example of how the health industry is broken and only getting worse. When somebody in government talks about Obama-care wanting to destroy the health insurance industry, gees, I hope the guy is right. The industry needs, "at the least" an overhaul, and at the most, a dismantling.

Thank God I'm (only) 67 and still have  some 

BASEBALL, THE LATE GREAT GAME!

BASEBALL, THE LATE GREAT GAME! (Frazer Chronicles)

The Los Angles Dodgers are declaring bankruptcy, "say it ain't so," one of the most fabled franchises in professional sports is in financial trouble. The team that integrated baseball with Jackie Robinson, the team that moved west to Los Angles, abandoning Brooklyn after the 1957 season, the "Daffiness Boys, Dem Bums," the team with Pee Wee and the Duke, "SAY IT AIN'T SO."

But it is so, as baseball moves doggedly slow into the 21st. century, "oh wait, it's already 2011," few changes have been made to the sport that is called "America's pastime." In fact there seems to be a retro thing going on as Davy Johnson, aged 67 has been brought out of moth balls to manage the Washington Nats, and Jack McKeon, aged 80, "way past the moth ball stage," to manage the Florida Marlins.

2011 so far has been a strange season, not only for weather patterns, but for professional baseball going-ons. Barry Bonds is doing his best two step to stay away from the law, Roger Clemens is off in la la land somewhere, still telling people that those who testified against him "miss-remembered." Of course there was also Manny Ramirez retiring in April rather then  serve a 100 game suspension for failing a drug test, comforted with the knowledge that the Los Angles Dodgers still owed him $21 million dollars.

The Dodgers have been a proud franchise throughout their history which began in 1890 when the club joined the National League. The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, "their nick-name" merged with the Baltimore Orioles in 1899 and many of the star Orioles players play for the Bridegrooms. In 1912, Charles Ebbets takes on 2 partners, the McKeever brothers who operate a construction company, who in turn took on the project of building one of the most unique baseball stadiums in the history of baseball, Ebbets Field.

Of course the Brooklyn Dodgers, "who got their name from  fans dodging trolley cars coming to or leaving games," were the first team to use a colored ballplayer, the first team to announce that they would move to the west coast, and also the first "modern" baseball team to use an exclusive football stadium for professional baseball games.

We now are being entertained by the foolish activity of the Dodger owner, Frank McCourt and his soon to be x wife,  Jamie. There very public divorce proceedings has overshadowed the clubs baseball operations for the past couple of years, and is just another black eye for professional baseball.

Mercy, mercy, what a soap opera, these people throw around dollar amounts that define their sheer stupidity towards a common baseball fan. How can anybody relate to a guy, dressed in pajama's, running around with a leather glove on one hand, chasing a white ball that another guy in P.J.s has just hit and is running to.  Then after all the running is done, everybody seems to stop, spit, adjust their equipment, both externally and internally, walk around, get into either  a  defensive, or  offensive stance, and do it all over again.

The ownership of the McCourt's and the Dodgers seems to be somewhat like a marriage made in hell. Since 2004, Frank and Jamie McCourt have  owned the ball club, one of the more successful professional franchises. The figures that are being thrown around, "like I said" are huge, $20 million here, $19 million there. Bankruptcy fillings listed $1 billion in assets and around $500 million in debt.

Much finger pointing is going on between Frank McCourt and baseball commissioner, Bud Selig, it's like a "he said, she said deal," which doesn't help the matter at all. As sports are driven more and more by money, it seems to ring the enjoyment right out of the game. Color commentators, announcers, ball, strike, outs, pitch numbers are in boxes across the top of my T.V. screen, a pitch locator box at the right side of the screen, and continuous game updates rolling across the bottom of the screen.

Commentators talk about "shoulders flying up," about hips opening to quickly," how and where a pitch is delivered. Please stop, all of this crap is ruining the game, at least for me. I guess I'll have to start going to games to escape all the verbiage so that I can enjoy the game, maybe that's what Major League Baseball is tyring to do, "get baseball fans to get so bored with watching baseball on their televisions that they actually would rather go to the game at a stadium." If that's their intent, for me it's working.

I used to play baseball, I have coached and I have managed adult teams, high school teams and college baseball teams. I have worked for armature teams, professional teams, and collegiate teams, and through it all I enjoyed what I did. I knew that I wasn't a good ball player, knew I was a better manager then  a coach. My one strong point was assessing baseball talent and where to put that talent on a baseball field.

Major League Baseball has been referred to "as the show," and that "show," in my opinion is hurting the game. The first rule of baseball is to "hit the ball and run like hell," everything else is secondary and fans don't care.

That's why amateur baseball, or independent minor league baseball is so interesting to me. Those that play amateur ball do it because they love the game, it's not for the money. Independent league professional baseball comes in a close second for me, because those players still have the dream, play hard and always give a good accounting of themselves.

I remember an old armature league in Michigan that it was my great honor to participate in many years ago. There were natural rivalries, heated battles and a hell-of-alot

The league ran from somewhere in the 1920's to the 1990's and was chuck full of  characters, the original week-end worriers. Member villages included Cedar, Lake Leelanau, Leland, Northport, Suttons Bay, Elmwood, Empire, Maple City and Traverse City.

Everything late in the season was scheduled around the cherry pack, almost everybody in Leelanau County worked in some segment of the cherry harvesting industry, so at least for three Sundays in August, it was tough to get 9 players to a game.

That was the real game and still is, to bad most of the younger players no longer play, they don't know what they are missing. I remember a time when a player threw a beer bottle out his car window right when a cop was passing him. The cop pulled him over, wrote him up, and made him come out one Saturday to pick up bottles on the side of a road for some 20 miles, but only on one side of the road. Now those were the days

I was involved with baseball for 29 years and during that time, not one player lost his life driving home after a game. Maybe God really was a baseball player when he was young. Baseball is still alive and well.....in Little League, Babe Ruth, Legion, High School, College and Independent Professional ball. I guess the professionals have their game, and the rest of us have our game.

FISHING IS AN ATHLETIC SPORT!

FISHING IS AN ATHLETIC SPORT! (Glen Arbor Sun)

Well, if you search long enough, your bound to eat your words. I wrote a blog the other day about the Pentagon, and the millions that they spent, sponsoring athletic events and teams, "even fishing," which I said "wasn't a real sport." I stand corrected, admitting now that fishing can be a sport, and participants take their sport seriously.

I have been fishing, even caught a few of the scaled, slimy, wiggly critters, "if that's what you call them," and found the worst part.....the very worst part was having to clean them. Scaling, cutting them open from stem to stern and taking the innards out and then chopping their heads off. Not my kind of sport. I like to eat fish, but like a cow and hamburger, I don't really need to know where my dinner comes from, or the process that makes it eatable.

I can count on one hand the number of times that I baited a hook with a worm, another slimy, wiggly critter that fish must like, because they fall for the hooked creep, wiggler, or winkler, "other words that can be used when describing a worm on a hook."

I can remember the time when I chased my sister, Elaine, around our yard with a worm, I almost gave her a heart attack. She deserved it, she always knew exactly which "buttons" to push to make me see red. After the worm thing, she kinda left me alone.

Now I learn of a bass fishing tournament up near one of my old Michigan haunts near Interlocken, Michigan.....Green Lake. Professional fishing has "exploded" according to the Glen Arbor Sun article, written by Joe Blondia. There are numerous club events throughout Northern Michigan, and the Green Lake event was held on May 21st. It was a competition of 11 teams from 4 area schools.

A total of 11 boats with 2 fishermen and a Captain in each boat readied for the launch horn which was scheduled to sound at 10:00 A.M. As the horn time approached, the gathered crowd of parents, girlfriends and other assorted people waited in hushed silence.....for the horn to go off.

Precisely at 10:00 A.M. the horn sounded and each boat scurried off to their favorite fishing spot. Although there wasn't any play by play, the young anglers didn't mind one bit. The caught bass couldn't be kept, or even weighed, the season wasn't officially opened, so a catch and release rule was strictly enforced.

The winning of the tournament, which ran from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. would be the team with the most catch and release bass. Number 1, with an impressive catch of 24 fish was the Benzie Central Huskies, with 24. Number 2 was the Leelanau Schools, "which I remembered as being the Indians," but with the now politically correctness that has swept the country, they sadly are called the Thunderbirds, anyways they had 14 fish.

3rd. and 4th places went to the Suttons Bay Norsemen with 11 catches and Elk Rapids Elks with 8. To me the standings, or the number of fish caught and the released didn't mean a thing, it was good, clean fun and experience that was had, especially since all the fish were thrown back, "no cleaning."

The 2 fellows that organized the tournament, Bob Sonnenberg and Joe Blondia of the Leelanau Schools are to be commended, they went above and beyond in their duties as educators and the Leelanau Schools are lucky to have them on their staff.

The excitement and  interest that was generated by the tournament, according to Bob Sonnenberg, people should expect more events during this summer's months. I wonder if they will schedule any winter ice fishing, and do they still use those flagged tip-ups?

NEW WEEK, SAME OLD CRAP!

NEW WEEK, SAME OLD CRAP!, (Frazer Chronicles)

Sometimes we need to read about stuff that's depression, some things that we can't seem to get right, no matter how hard we try.....or don't. In our busy work-days, or in my case, "between naps and computer time" we fail to make an inch of progress in some really knotty issues of the day. I don't subscribe to that rosy, politically correct "globally community thinking," in fact I think that that type of approach to the world is what has landed America in the position it is in.

The conservative radio and television personality,  Sean Hannity on his radio broadcast last week remarked that "politicians usually don't lie," and that they "genuinely care about American and what happens to it." What a load of crap, politicians, during the course of their drive to be elected lie, stretch the truth, or ignore facts and attempt to crush their opponent.

Once in office, these traits serve these politicians well in the daily work of "serving their constituents." Of course there are a few "good guys" out there, but it's like saying that Frank Nitty wasn't as bad a criminal as Al Capone. Both were ruthless thugs and killers, and politicians "collectively" are a rather sorry lot and I won't waste my time sorting through them to find the good ones.

There are 2 things in our society that I would like to talk about today, both are problems, both are not being addressed either by the people of the country, or the legislature and both are potential lethal to the progress of the country.

The first is a really depressing story of homelessness in the United States on a scale that many Americans chose to ignore, while others remain unaware of, and want to keep it that way. There is yet another segment of America that lump all homeless people as ignorant, lazy minorities that could care less about their plight, and are willing to live in poverty.

Homelessness has always been a problem in bigger cities, called "skid row" it was where alcoholics, drug addicts and low life scum resided. During the warmer months, in doorways, park benches, in allys, or on the ground. During the winter months, inside doorways or "soup, soap and salvation missions run by religious groups or Churches.

Then came the city, county or state run poor houses were the Supervisor of the Poor and his staff, with city, county, state or federal funds took care of the indigent. In some cases, concerned people would band their resources together, seek additional financial support and offer what they could to the homeless.

In the 1960s and 1970's much de-institutionalized patients from state run psychiatric hospitals was a participating factor, actually "seeding" the homeless population, especially urban areas. Many of these people had sever mental problems, which did not endanger the general population, rather rendered many of these people incapable of caring for themselves.

In the 1980's there was an unprecedented jump in homelessness throughout the nation, but unlike previous homeless people, the 1980's saw entire families join the ranks of the wondering, motel living and homeless shelter residence. There were several reasons for the jump in homelessness, at the beginning of the 1980's, economic distress and unemployment were the driving force behind the chronic problem of homelessness.

In 1980, federal funds made up 22% of big city budgets, but by 1989, the  aid composed just 6% of urban revenue. Federal low income housing assistance and the Section 8 "a voucher subsidization program" were slashed from $74 billion to just $19 billion. During this decade the average soup kitchen was enlarged by a factor of 50% as the number of citizens taking advantage of these services doubled and then tripled.

In the 1990's soup kitchens and homeless shelters sprang up across the nation in cities and villages that never before had the need for the service. To say that each and every person going through the soup lines wanted to be there is ludicrous, 90% just wanted a job where they could make a living wage. Most were even willing to work a second job to keep their families together and out of the Foster Care system.

Now in 2011, it almost seems like the country has come full circle, as hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs, their savings and their houses. These people are not "skid row bums," they are honest, hard working, stand up type people that make up the vast majority of our country. Through absolutely no fault of their own, they have lost everything.

Diluting the picture is those volunteers that help the homeless and donate food stuffs, money and even a place for some families to live. I say "diluting the picture" because taxpayer money should be taking care of these people, not volunteers and donations, which.....can dry up at almost any moment. When I read that Afghan and Iraqi families get free health insurance provided by the United States and that our government is spending billions so that Afghan's and Iraqi's can have air conditioning, I get PISSED OFF.

We have our priorities mixed up and our leaders are driving the boat in the wrong direction. As a nation, we need to first be concerned with our own, no matter how disgusting they might be.....they are still ours. "Lets get out of the shade, and into the heat, off our collective asses, and on our feet, and let our legislature know we need a change in course."


OBAMACARE,


Do any of you remember the Bush doctrine with regards to government purchase of drugs for Medicare and Medicaid in bulk quantities at whatever the "sticker" rate is, as opposed to taking bids and choosing the best economical price.

The drug industry also gets a pass from the Food & Drug Administration when it comes to some dubious clinical tests that show dangerous or ineffective drugs need to be removed from the market, but the FDA is slow to take action. In other instances, the FDA moves far to quickly to approve new wonder drugs with way to little research with regards to long term effects.

Some of the newer drugs can change the way some body functions might react to a drug, or completely change how the body assimilates or creates certain natural secretions that are necessary for your health.

Without doubt pharmaceutical companies in not only the United States, but the world are running out of control, using all manner of inducements to alter political oversight on ineffective drugs, dangerous drugs to repetitive drugs.

I have had several lower back procedures over the past 4 months, my wife has had problems with her hearing, eyesight and has balance issues. of the 10 procedures that we have had between us, insurance companies have had to be consulted on 7 of them. Thankfully none of the procedures were life threatening, or one of us, or both could have died waiting to an approval.

Obamacare and the Obama administration is only marginally doing better then the Bush administration did. There is yet no breakthrough with regards to labeling dangerous drugs, or limitations that the drugs have. Is Obamacare better then what it ostensibly replaced, with few exceptions, probably not. The drug companies are still running the show, until that changes, we are all in danger.

CLIMATE CHANGE V GLOBAL WARMING!

CLIMATE CHANGE V GLOBAL WARMING! (Frazer Chronicles)

That kinda sounds like a line from Law & Order, "Climate Change V Global Warming" and "we're done here." Hey I like that, I thought this might be another dry, statistic filled Blog, but maybe the human touch can come through, I hope so, for my sisters sake. She has accused me of  entering boring dissertations, long in duration, filled with words that she doesn't understand, seeing as how she spent the first 10 years of her life locket away in a potato cellar at our mother's request, it's not hard to understand why she wouldn't understand much of what I Blog.

I have another sister who depends on the natural rains and warmth of the summer sun to promote her flower gardens and poesy's around her house. She is retired and spends as much time as possible with her flowers, so I'm sure that she is "keen" on the climate change issue. Elaine has many different spices of plants and amazingly she can call each by name, "not nick names, Jane," the real horticultural given names.

Both my sisters have flowers around their houses and work on them throughout the growing season in Michigan's lower peninsula. I have my tomato plants here in Northeastern Wisconsin and labor over them each year, "with little results, I might add." The three of us, "which is my point," have a vested interest, albeit casual, in how the weather effects our growing endeavors each summer.

Climate change in the world, according to the experts, is "bad and getting worse." Everybody knows, "or should know," that Greenland's two largest glaciers are melting at an ever increasing rate, especially over the past 10 years, the water produced would fill Lake Erie, "now that's alot "O" water."

On the reverse side of the issue is west Texas, which is currently undergoing it's worst drought since the great dust bowl of the 1930's. The resulting lack of water is leaving the states wheat and cotton crops in an extremely dire situation.

Central China has experienced it's worst drought in more then 50 years and regional authorities have declared more then 1300 lakes "dead." Now that stopped me in my tracks, I didn't know that a lake could die, I mean I knew that they can dry up, but to die. The meaning of a dead lake is that there out of use for both irrigation and drinking water supply.

Floods have struck eastern and southern China, killing scores, forcing evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, followed by severe flooding that again hit eastern China,  forcing an additional 5 million people to seek safer high ground.

Meanwhile in Europe, crops in the northwest are suffering the driest weather in decades and scientific research has confirmed that, so far, humankind has raised the earth's temperature, and these events are directly tied to that temperature.

Of course the flooding in the Dakota's, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Oho, Michigan and Wisconsin can be traced to wetter then usual springs. Can these events be connected to global warming, oops, I mean Climate Change, "I want to be politically correct," possibly.

If there's only a slight possibility that people are causing some sort of climate change, shouldn't we, as the human race, attempt to make some sort of change so that our children and grand children can enjoy the earth that we all live in.

I have read where infectious diseases carried by insects, like Malaria, Lyme disease, Dengue fever are all expected to worsen. Vector-borne diseases will also increase as climate change progresses and attack undeveloped country's that have not developed resistance to these types diseases.

Some doctors feel that the  effect from climate change will be from heating of the planet which will change our health with far-reaching problems. Everything that effects our environment, effects our health. No matter what our technology advances might be, as a people, we still need clean water, air and food, and we rely on our environment for it.

Hurricane Katrina, some cite as a prime example of what can happen during  a weather  event that "might" be caused from climate change. 2000 people died, thousands of people were throw out of work, hundreds of thousands were left homeless and thousands were displaced forever.

In addition, New Orleans, before the storm had 7 hospitals, now there are 2.5 operating, and the other 4.5 will never return. The physical injuries and psyche illness's connected with Katrina have not gone away, and may never.

Some people think that new technology will save us, others say that there is no problem and yet others figure that "whatever happens will take thousands of years." Any one of these beliefs might be true, but if human kind is causing climate change, we're screwing ourselves, and worse, future generations.

I usually don't give a crap about "future generations," I figure we have had to deal with what our ancestors left us, and the future generations can do the same. However in this case, climate change, and the huge changes that seem to be happening in our time, or beginning to happen in our time, probably needs to be addressed, now.

Saudi Arabia has announced that the water reserve that they depend on for drinking water and crops will be gone by possible 2020. Hey, I might still be alive then and as that country's aquifer is depleted, where will they get their water, and as their oil reserves are depleted, how will they pay for water and how high will gasoline prices be.

I'm uneasy about this climate change thing, "I don't like to be uneasy about something that I have no control over." I want to take a shower whenever I want, I want a drink of water whenever I want, and if I decide to water my lawn, I want to do so, whenever I want.



The carbon that is produced everyday by us all damages the atmosphere, everybody knows that, even the fossil fuel companies. Those company officials have kids, just like we do, do they really think that they can escape the same fate that we might face?