Your Dad

To My Brooke:

As I sit in this airplane flying to the East Coast, I’m thinking of my Dad. I didn’t really know him. We didn’t talk much and when we did it was really small talk. I regret that immensely. I missed a chance to have a friend. I loved my Dad. He was truly my hero. Although through most of my life, he did little that was heroic. But what he did took courage that few have.

We know that when they are gone – they are gone. So here’s a bit of your Dad for you to remember me by.

I’m angry that the Boy Scouts of America and the Pledge of Allegiance are under attack. I was a Cub Scout, never a Boy Scout. I loved my time in the Cubs. I don’t understand anyone that would attack this organization. This is a group that teaches principals we all should be proud of: be fair, don’t cheat, play nicely, share and share alike, and tell the truth.

Since Cub Scouts, I’ve tried to live by these simple rules. Play hard, play to win, but play by the rules.

When I was in grade school, Congress changed the Pledge of Allegiance, to include “under God”. I didn’t like it because it changed the rhythm of the poem that I had grown use to. On the other hand, we are a country that was founded “under God”. Not Allah, not Jehovah, not Mother Nature, but “under God”. It was the belief of our founding fathers. It is our Puritan heritage. It’s our history.

Ballots, which used to be subject to scrutiny, are now being thrown out in favor of electronic ballots that are not verifiable. Chad? This was simply a way that a losing party could challenge the vote. What will happen next? Minnesota recount! My bet is that, shortly, someone will work the new electronic system “surprising” the legislators that gave us this new process. Hey, I’m a computer geek. I like the electronic ballots -- the immediate tallying of the votes. I also know that there has never been a lock that couldn’t be broken.

Christmas and Easter are under attack. Soon someone will insist that we remove all crosses from Christian Churches because “the cross offends non-Christians.” I have no idea how the First Amendment has become so messed up. It was established to protect churches and religious freedom. There is nothing in the First Amendment that mentions separation of Church and State. We are a Judeo-Christian country. Period.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

“Homosexuality is cool.” “Marriage is wrong and should be replaced by a consenting relationship between any two living creatures.” What is taking place with our world? There are reasons for man’s objection to homosexual behavior. AIDS, for one -- diseases that we are now just beginning to discover -- Pedophilia for another. May God have mercy on their souls.

This may surprise you but I’m in favor of choice regarding abortions. It is the woman’s body. She should be able to make her choice. She will have to live with it and die with it. This is not something the government should be involved with either for or against. I find it offensive that our government has promoted abortion and funded abortion clinics. I’m offended that so many children in the womb have been killed in the last decade. However, it is the women’s right to decide regardless the morality. The medical profession is a different matter. It is against the oath of the physician to kill these unborn children. This is a conundrum that is beyond my simple mind. So I’ll stop here.

We took out a genocidal dictator of incredible cruelty and have been reaping incredible flak because of it. The Democratic leadership has sold its soul. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out who the buyer was. It’s not the devil. He’s too good for these incompetents.

We have had, in times past, the wisdom to establish radio and TV stations to broadcast the truth to subjugated peoples. No longer. We’ve traded this for partisanship reporting at home where truth is ignored to sway the people. I liked it better when I could believe what was reported and not have to interpret based on the source.

We’re in the midst of a religious war both here and abroad. To be politically correct is to deny this claim while watching our children die at the hands of religious zealots. It is a religious war that we cannot ignore. We’re right, not wrong. We’re honorable, not despicable. Somehow, we’ve been told a lie: that we’re the bad guys and that evil is good. We aren’t. It isn’t!

I believe that our government must stop funding the ACLU. It was an organization created by the far left to protect the far left (“far left” could be interpreted as socialist or communist). The ACLU is not American and has nothing to do with liberty. Note how the ACLU stands silent when ideals not from the left are subjugated, lost. Liberty is not a political view. It is a gift that we in the USA must defend or we will continue to lose our liberties.

It is now time to become completely politically incorrect. I do NOT believe that Mexican citizens or any other citizens of another country have the right to bypass US federal requirements to legally enter the United States, that illegal aliens should be given driver’s licenses, that illegal alien children should attend our schools, that illegal aliens should receive tuition to attend our colleges and universities, that illegal aliens can use our medical facilities without just compensation, that illegal aliens should receive food stamps. The key word here is ILLEGAL. These people are not immigrants. They are not guest workers. They are not migrant workers. They are illegal aliens invading a neighboring country for settlement purposes.

I object to state governments that provide welfare to over 200,000+ homes headed by illegal aliens, to city governments that order employees not to report information on illegal aliens, to the movement in California to provide housing for illegal alien farm workers, to new borns of illegal aliens receiving USA citizenship. I am shocked that the three major gangs in Oceanside are composed mostly of illegal aliens. I believe that illegal aliens from any nation in the world should be immediately deported. I can care less that that may be 12+ million. They need to go back to where they came from . . . now!

I do not believe that we need illegal aliens to support our economy. Our youth have an unemployment rate of over 50%. Why? Because illegal aliens are working the low-paying jobs that traditionally went to new entries into the job market (our young people). What is being said is that we need the illegal aliens to keep the wages down for farm workers, entry level jobs in restaurants, cleaning services, etc. If we didn’t have the illegal alien option, what would happen? The wages would rise until demand was met. Duh, sounds like America to me.

Some may call me racists for these beliefs. To others, I may seem paranoid. I know racists and I’m not. I grew up with paranoia. I’m not. I’m simply a man accidentally born in the United States, educated in the United States, convinced that I was raised in the finest nation since time began. I’m Christian. I’m loyal to my beliefs. I’m based in the honor of athletics: Play to win; Push the rules to the max; Plan, practice, perform; Luck is where opportunity meets preparation. I find it objectionable that an individual or a family can sneak into our country and claim that we owe them something other than a one way ticket out of town (make that country). And, we don’t owe them that. They should buy their own ticket out of town.

I’m a family man. I respect the vows I made when your mom and I were married. I love your mom more today than yesterday and I’m sure I’ll love her tomorrow more than I do today. I honor the sanctity of the family. I love my children to death. I cry almost daily that we lost Tisha for in that loss we lost a part of our future family. I respect my kids’ decisions. I believe that mom and I raised you to make good decisions.

Brooke, you’ve seldom if ever disappointed me. I’m so grateful for that simple statement. I’ve taken great pride in my kids’ accomplishments. Not to brag, but to take joy in their accomplishments. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll brag, but I believe your accomplishments verify our approach to life. Thank you.

I’ve always viewed work as a means to an end -- not for luxuries but for comfort. I’ve worked hard in my life. I’ve worked long hours. I like to work. I’m good at my work. But, I work to enjoy my life style. I work to provide my family with more than I was provided as a child. I work for self-respect. I work for recognition. I work because I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have to work.

As I contemplate retirement, I think I’ll approach it as if it is a job. Who knows, I might like it. But, that’s later.

These are my beliefs.

This is your Dad.