Happy Hour at the White House .... but where's my Timmy?

Henry Louis Gates Jr., a black Harvard scholar, and James Crowley, a white Cambridge, Mass. police sergeant had beers with Obama and Vice President Biden at a table near the Rose Garden

From all the hype, one would think that P-BO was hosting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-il and Vladimir Putin. But as it was, the short conversation (a.k.a. publicity stunt) did little more than cement what was already known by almost all of us: Professor Gates lost his temper and spoke angrily (in his home) when faced by a white policeman at his back door; the white policeman (James Crowley--who goes by his initials: "J.C."), who wasn't pleased that an uppity African American professor [in private: that #%@#& n-word]--who had shown his identification--became angry at a white policeman (himself) and subsequently arrested the Harvard Professor and booked him for disorderly conduct (charges later dropped); and then to top it all off, the President and leader of the "free" world--who should have been in Cambridge as Commander-in-Chief in charge of the Cambridge policemen checking out a possible house break-in that fateful evening--made an "uncalibrated" statement about the policemen at the scene having "acted stupidly."

They all apologized--more or less. And the rest of us thought that the actions of the Cambridge policemen were simply simple-minded, and not out-and-out "stupid"; the President's comments were premature; and Professor Gates should have been more alert to the situation--even after having just returned from China and after a twenty-hour flight. (His suitcases were still sitting out in front of the house while the Event of the Century was taking place behind his home.)

The whole thing at the Rose Garden lasted about three minutes--but this will be a highlight of the nightly news (along with Michael Jackson's death) all the way through the 2012 Presidential campaigns ... and maybe beyond if Rush Limbaugh decides to run.

The "Public Option" that is under such debate is just that ... an OPTION! And one that will reduce EVERY American's premium!!

Remember this photo from about a year ago? She had NO option, if you recall!

I was a civil service employee with the Federal Government for most of my working life. As P-BO said today (very clearly):

"The federal government is a classic example. The federal health employees program is a pretty good deal because you've got several million people who are part of it. So that gives you a lot of bargaining power with the insurers. Well, the exchange will provide that same market power to help negotiate with the insurers to drive prices down."

That's not so hard to understand, is it? Well, neither is the "Public Option" which our president addressed in brilliantly continuing his answer to the very same question:

"And the other thing that we do want to do -- now, this is controversial, and I understand some people are worried about this -- we do think that it makes sense to have a public option alongside the private option, so you could still choose a private insurer, but we'd also have a public plan that you could choose from that would be not for profit, wouldn't have, hopefully, some of the same high administrative costs, and would be potentially more responsive to your needs at a lower cost. I think that helps keep the insurance companies honest, because now they have somebody to compete with. And I have to say, the reason this has been controversial is, you know, a lot of people have heard this phrase "socialized medicine" and they say, "We don't want government-run health care. We don't want a Canadian-style plan."

Obama finished his answer (still to the very same question) with:

"Nobody is talking about that. We're saying: Let's give you a choice. You can choose the private marketplace or this other approach."

Kapish? Option is spelled: O-P-T-I-O-N !!!

Palin steps down ... or maybe ... UP!

Sarah Palin, dishes out a salmon burger as her daughter Piper watches during the governor's picnic in Anchorage, Alaska (Photograph taken yesterday by Al Grillo)

What's next in Sarah Palin's political/personal life is anyone's guess. But my first guess is that she will continue to follow the directions suggested to her by Lord and my Lord, Jesus Christ.

She may very well not have a political power base that goes with the "Governor" title, but she has the support (for whatever is best for her) from her God and many of us who remember her decisions to have a child whom she knew would have physical difficulties (little Trig Palin has Down's Syndrome) and a grandchild who would carry an sadly unfair "title" throughout his life (little Tripp Johnston's father and mother are unmarried) ... but he will be alive and continue to be a child of God for as long as God's plan permits.

I personally would like to see Sarah join Mike Huckabee in either helping to scare Barack Obama into turning 180 degrees into the president we all hoped for (whether it had been John McCain or P-BO)--and would be worthy of a second term ... or ... well, if not that ... well, there's always this!

A needed commentary and press conference ... but was or was not his answer to that "one more question" STUPID? ... Put emphasis on, "stupid"!

What in the world happened?
How could one man not only drop the ball on at least some improvement to our health care "system," but then manage to top the entire mess off with that unnecessary--and unquestionably "stupidest"--foot-in-the-mouth answer to an unrelated-to-the-topic question (Emphasis on the word, "stupidest")?

That isn't to say that he and the Democrats don't have a marvelous Health Care System overhaul hidden in their back pockets ... or that Professor Gates wasn't improperly arrested for his unwillingness to cooperate with the Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Department. It's only that the man regarded as our #1 politician managed to pull off the most unpolitical speech/press conference in my memory.

What next?

If anyone needed proof, the tie and "hat" are proof enough for me!

Timothy J. Ryan (son)

I had heard rumors that Timmy was hired as some sort of Technology Director for Personnel at the White House. This pic is all I need for confirmation. Oh my goodness!

Congratulations and best of EVERYTHING to you, Tim!

As important as I think our lacking Health Care "System" is, something else bothers me more!!

It is nearly impossible for me to keep track of Obama and his administration. Among the economy, Pakistan, Iran, Health Care, the (still leaking) Mexican border, Afghanistan and (oh yes, still) Iraq ... it is hard to keep up with it all.

Of most concern to me (despite Obama's limp defense this evening of his (non-existent, but definitely needed) health care system overhaul, is that Obama has so dramatically changed his tune about being against war since the election. I know for a fact that a lot of my friends voted on Obama because they called Bush a war monger. It's not the economy stupid; it's Armageddon!

And oh yes, they (including me) also thought he would do marginally better on the economy than McCain. Whoops!

At the rate Obama is sending more troops and money to Middle East--albeit that Afghanistan is the target today--we will be there another 100 years!! Didn't he criticise McCain for that comment?

Well, July has been the deadliest month yet for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iran is developing a nuclear capability--not to mention North Korea--and the topic of the moment: Health Care!

Sadly, the longer we stay in Iraq and Afghanistan and the more money we spend on the burgeoning Defense budget, the more we'll feel compelled to remain in the Middle East to validate the investment. A similar self-imposed predicament plagued U.S. officials during the war in Vietnam. Oddly enough, when opinion leaders in Washington talk about "lessons learned" from Vietnam and other conflicts, they typically draw the wrong lesson: not that America should avoid intervening in someone else's domestic dispute, but that America should never give up after having intervened, no matter what the cost.

The most important response against a "withdrawal is weak-kneed" argument is that America's military roams the planet, controls the skies and space, faces no peer competitor, and wields one of the planet's largest nuclear arsenals. America is responsible for almost half of the world's military spending, and can project its power to the most inaccessible corners of the globe. Thus, the fear that America would appear "weak" after withdrawing from Afghanistan (today's "front" in the war on terror) is totally irrational.

The $1.5 trillion that a decent health care system might cost (today's estimate) could be bought and paid for ten times over (or never on a planet that's radiated ten times over) for the cost of the continuation of Bush-cum-Obama's War on Terror.

Medicare is worse than a chess puzzle on a Mobius Strip!

Medicare's Mobius Checkmate!

The pile of paper and confusion that best describes my unemployment claims each week (and to date I've received nothing!) is only matched by my Medicare claims relative to that colon abscess for which I received surgery last month. The process continues in five dimensions and, like, Mobius's famous strip ... the backside of a Medicare claim is also its front side.

Between Option F of Medicare and my former Uniform Medical from Grays Harbor College (Stafford Creek Penitentiary)--and I haven't even touched on Options A and B--it would take a Ph.D. in partial differential equations to untangle my forms--most of which have yet to be filled out!

Yeesh!

Lowest level of weekly jobless claims in six months? Ha!!

They seem to be making a big point that the number of jobless claims fell to levels not seen since January (six months ago) last week. Well I'd like to mention two circumstances that ought to be taken into account: (1) It was a shortened week with many businesses, including my former employer, taking Friday off for the Fourth of July and (2) the impossibility of actually applying for unemployment (and making that first claim) what with the new paperless (HA!!) system.

I wasn't able to complete that process until today (by telephone) after being given that nutty Sunday date by the helpful folks at the unemployment office who refused to speak to me earlier than Thursday of this just past week because all applications for Unemployment Benefit Status and first claims for those benefits can only be done by phone and/or the Internet. My mailbox out in front of the house was full every day during the week as a result of my playing it "by the books."

Paperless? You should see my living room--and that's with an inoperable printer on my computer shelf!

Bah! Humbug! It's time for Huckabee and Palin to reduce the size of Government and the complexity of the red tape. At least let's get the numbers straight with my claim in the pot. It would have been 565,001 last week had the system worked (no pun intended).

Huckabee and Palin for 2012! Let's squash all of this Armageddon-2012 talk once and for all!!

What's all the malarkey about the Mayan calendar and the world ending together in 2012?

Let's begin a new age with Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin!

He's a marvelous person and ready to be president TODAY and she’s a wonderful woman PERIOD. Therefore, let me be the first to announce the next President and Vice-president of the United States.

I think we can count on them to lead the fight against Barack Obama (nice guy and some good ideas relating to caring for the least fortunate among us) and his unlawful spending, scooping up of private companies and basically continuing W's policies of mayhem in the Middle East.

They (H and P) are going to be the ones to become most prominently outspoken against P-BO, and I for one am right behind them both.

It sounds like a lot of divisiveness going on in Washington today--even between and among members of the same party(ies). What’s wrong with a pair of strong independent leaders who don’t take bribes and are against lobbying? Think about it!

My Deepest Apologies for the Previous Posting

Paris (from her 11 year-old heart): "I just want to say... ever since I was born.... daddy has been the best father you can imagine. And I just want to say I love him so much."

What can I say about my previous tasteless posting other than ... I'm sorry!

Earlier at the funeral ... all three ... Paris, Prince Michael I and (hiding) Prince Michael II

It's almost been two weeks ... but the "Michael Jackson Story" has longer legs yet!

Last Shot of Michael from Implanted Camera Prior to Burial

It has almost been two weeks since Michael Jackson died of _____ (fill in the blank) and the details (again, fill in the blanks) of his finances, funeral extravaganza and sad life story (who knows?) are still occupying nearly every news and entertainment channel (cable or air waves) 24/7 ... with no sign of abating.

To insure that the story continues beyond this week, month and year, CNN and FOX News have combined resources to have an IR camera implanted just above Michael's face in the coffin and wireless communications installed so that Michael Jackson fans can go directly to WWW.C.MIKE/DK so as to watch Michael decay ... in real time ... except for the pop-up box ads!

Only in America!

Michael After One Year--Time Enhanced Photography from IR Camera in Coffin

466,000 in June and now we have 1 already in July. I'm with you, Sarah--let's both refuse to be dead fish just "going with the flow"!

Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin ... for three more weeks

Watch for Sarah and I to put on a full-court press and help to bring our country back to the USA we all remember ... way back then.

In the meanwhile, look at it as a situation wherein we both have walked out through the razor wire into a free and breezy "real world" of people, animals (especially cats), fluffy clouds and a loving God.

I'm still with you, Sarah ... all the way into the White House. Get as far as you can from the Lettermans and other vicious and ugly persons who will be after you with everything they've got ... persons who are frightened beyond words that you will bring common sense back into American leadership.

But for now, we could all feel your pain as you have been enduring growing personal pressures with ugly jokes about your children, legal bills, ethics investigations and a running, public feud with McCain's camp--seething with jealousy--but not including Senator McCain himself.

So what happened? Of course we were all shocked this morning to learn that Sarah Palin, in a hastily arranged news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, said she will formally step down on July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks. She said she had decided against running for re-election as Alaska's governor, and believed it was best to leave office even though she had two years left to her term.

That can be interpreted as her deciding to join the rolls of unemployed so as to stand up proudly for her God, her family and her country.

Go, Sarah, GO!!!

It would've been only 466,999 !!

My New WAL-MART

Employers cut a one-person-larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate climbed to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent. Had I made it through to July 1st, the numbers would have been 466,999 and 9.4999999%. Workers also saw weekly wages fall, suggesting that persons like myself will have little appetite to spend … and the economy's plus my own road to recovery will be very, very bumpy.

Out! And this time, really OUT!!!!

It didn't hit me until I looked up,
And there the glistening razor-wire looked down ...
On me and my "escort" ... hup, hup, hup!
Sparkling in the sunset on my obvious frown.

First through master control
Securing my keys into the numbered slot
And then out through minor control,
Through which I'll surely again enter ... NOT!

I'M REALLY OUT!

On the good side of not making the cut at the end of the fiscal year is that not one of the Control Officers (guards) made even a move as so many of my close friends (felons all) hugged, cried and held tight to my wind-breaker as I was taken out of the classroom, building and ultimately out of the prison. (Even touching a "staff member" is a major infraction for any inmate, so that was a first of its kind, I think.)

I find it ironic that on the same day that I was "evacuated" from Stafford Creek State Penitentiary, our guys and gals in Iraq were evacuated from all of the cities and urban areas within Iraq. A connection?

There's something about that synchronicity ...

And yes, I teared up after promising myself I would never do so. Of course, I was relieved of my picture-badge, keys (quite a ring full) and other odds and ends, such as equipment/security chits and the card I had for use in vending machines--which I never used in the nearly three years I dutifully carried it hidden behind the badge in its holder.

The drive down the hill was an emotional five or so minutes ...