Today’s Washington Post had a most interesting article regarding the House Representative from Virginia, Eric Cantor. As some of you may know, Mr. Cantor is the number 2 leader in the Republican House Leadership. He is also one of the most vociferous mouthpieces on the floor of the House. His commentary for the President has been along the lines of the Tea Party and 9-12 Plan fruitcakes. Death Panels, Kill Grandma, Socialist President Obama, etc.

Yesterday, in Richmond something happened that can either bring a ray of sunshine or a chill of apprehension regarding the Republican party. Cantor hosted with a Democrat, Representative Bobby Scott a “town hall meeting that wasn’t”. There was no talk of death panels, no illegal alien rants, and no NAZI emblems denigrating “libruls” and the President. Cantor and Scott were there to discuss health care. Health Care? Eric Cantor? He also had acording to the report, words for his Republican peers, “Stop the revivial stuff and let’s talk”. Many in his audience of about 250 people were not happy, they came expecting to be able to perform as they have in town hall meetings all across the nation. But no,,, Cantor and the moderator, the publisher of the Richmond Times Dispatch, all pretty much held the cat calls, shouts and rude overtalk to, get this, ZERO.

Folks, there were two things that crossed my mind while I was reading this article. The first was that some alien being had come to Earth and taken over Cantor’s body and mind. The second, and even more scary was that this was a big plan by the GOP to blunt the lousy impression they have made on the American people over the past several years, leading to their back to back losses in congressional elections and culminating with the loss of the White House as well. Chills ran up and down my spine as I took this thought to another level, that the GOP was putting on a blitz of “niceness” to convince folks that they had learned their lesson and should be given another chance at the reins of power.

Heaven Forfend!!! Simply look as what the GOP was able to accomplish in just two presidential terms. Taking the nation from one of prosperous, jobs building, 401(k) gaining economy to an economy and jobs picture that was one step away from the abyss of the Great Depression.

Do we really want to trust them to be repentful and deserving of another shot at destroying the nation and it’s people?

Well, Not this Cantankerous old Coot.

They all, as a great lady Helen Philpot says, need to sit down and shut up for a few more years.

http://maturecommunications.com/AdvocacyDocumentation/nhi_bill_final-HR676.pdf________________________________________

George W. Bush stood in front of the public, through the press and stated that the Iranian government was moving forward with their nuclear weapons programs and that failure to act would bring World War Three. He said these words in the middle of the month of October, this year. Does the scare tactic seem familiar? Does the reference to nuclear weaponry not smack of his administrations lies in 2002-2003 about the “mushroom clouds” from Iraq’s nuclear weapons programs? Who is this person who sits in our nation’s White House and lies to the American people constantly. Who is this person who allows someone with the most evil of intentions such as Richard B. Cheney, to technically rule the country’s run up to war again?

Mainly, where were the people who were stupid enough to vote for this cretin, not once but twice?

Now we find that Bush knew that the Iranian nuclear weapons programs had been halted almost five years ago and he still, even with that knowledge in hand, stood before the television news cameras and the print media people and LIED to the NATION about Iran!

Our congress issued a bill of Impeachment against President William Jefferson Clinton for lying to a civil court process about a personal situation with a woman. And our congress stands by and does nothing while George Walker Bush lies about war and the reasons of war? He lied and we lost over 4000 of our young men and women in a war that we started ill prepared and ill equipped and with the World opinion against our actions. He lied about his actions agains ANYONE in his administration being fired for exposing the identity of a CIA secret agent! He lied when he vetoed the S-CHIP bill and the other bills that he has vetoed ever since the Democratic Party took the majority away from his lap dog congress.

Yet, we do nothing. We don’t even offer up a bill of CENSURE against him and his cohorts in this unholy cabal. Even a bill of CENSURE is too frightening for our wimps sitting in their cushy jobs on Capitol Hill.

In his news conference relating to this subject, he lied again and once again he also allowed his total contempt for the American people to shine through. This president is beyond a doubt the worst or if not THE worst among the 2 or 3 worst presidents in American history. We have only 12 more months to put up with this cretin. May our nation survive and we can all hope and pray that the next person who sits in the Oval Office is at least respectful of the Americans who put him or her there.

We can only hope against hope.

This will be the first and could be the last, blog entry where I discuss items specifically related to the Senior Citizens Consortium organization. However, it was a request from one of our organization’s officers and I felt that the request was reasonable, so here it is.

The 2007 SCC Conference

Nashville, Tennessee – home of the Tennessee Walking Horse, Jack Daniels Whiskey and the Grand Ole Opry. Oh yeah, it is also the home of Country Music. To this storied land, the SCC members came to meet and greet. To have face to face interactions after so long of simply being cyber friends. All in all, even with the significantly reduced participation, it was a very good meetup, everyone was enjoying each other’s company and we had a couple of reallyl good meals to share and hold great conversations. What’s a conference meeting for, if not that? A tour on a river boat, a shopping expedition and a visit to the saloons on Broadway to hear live country music were among the fun things.

Those members who attended all agreed that we would really like to make the 2008 Conference a much bigger and better set of sessions. So, we are going to start now, working on a location and venue for the next conference. We hope to be able to encourage more people to attend.

Oh yeah, at the Nashville Conference, we also conducted some SCC business. The very first SCC official business strategy meeting was held on Friday afternoon. The original SCC agenda, created when we thought we would be many more in attendance, was scrapped and we had only two items on the agenda for the Annual Business Meeting. These were:

Establishing a formal organizational structure
Establishing a formal membership organization

I will present a summary of these items on this blog entry, but will have a more detailed presentation in formal documents available on the SCC Home Page.

Membership Organization

First the membership organization is the most important. We have had a significant number of people come to our SCC web site, participate on our members forum and on our BLOG. Some counts are in the neighborhood of 90 to 92 actual members. We had a couple of duplicates and two “management” userids. But in the end, we were over 90 people strong. This has changed over the past few months and we have had several members leave our organization for one reason or another. Some, thankfully, have returned with our new SCC2008 focus and member board forum.

With regard to those members who we have lost, we were concerned about them personally and had no knowledge of why they left. Considering that we had one member pass and we were grieved, we were thinking along the lines of how to maintain contact with our members and friends without being intrusive, yet being able to contact them after a prolonged absence to make sure that they were alright.

A more detailed description of the Nashville Conference discussions are found in the Proceedings document which is posted on the SCC Home Page under Administration.

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Formal Organization Structure

As an adjunct to the membership approach, we would also establish the formal organizational structure for the SCC and would develop and publish a set of organizational documents. These have been completed and are in final edit review. Once the reviews are completed, these documents will be available for viewing by the general public. Our official documentation includes, Mission Statement, Charter, and By-Laws.

These documents will also be posted on the SCC Home Page under Administration.

All documents will be available for viewing by November 1, 2007.

To those who were orginally planning to attend but for one reason or another could not, we would encourge you to start planning now to attend the next conference. We promise a great time and a learning experience.

The new message board is up and running thanks to Harvey Hodges.  Several of our old friends are back posting again.  We have been having a wonderful time discussing issues, informing each other of new current events and just generally enjoying friendly conversation.  Any of you who haven’t signed up yet, please do so.  Come have your morning coffee and conversation with your Cyber friends on the SCC board.

Six years ago this morning exactly, two airliners flew into the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City. Shortly after these two aircraft hit the towers, a third flew into the Pentagon and a fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. On that day, our lives were irrevocably changed.

American Airlines Flight 77 held particular significance for me, not just because it crashed into the Pentagon and I was but a short distance away. No, it was more personal and profound. For a year prior to that time, I had flown AA Flight 77 from Dulles to LAX every month for a consulting task that I was working up in Thousand Oaks, California. I came to know this fine, extraordinary flight crew, pilot, copilot, and flight attendants on sight. I was understandably shocked the next morning when I saw the photos of the crew in the Washington Post and realized that they were the same people that I had flown with for those many months. Then it dawned on me that due to the program completion just three weeks prior, I was NOT on that aircraft on that fateful day.

Across the oceans, in a miserable plot of land called Afghanistan, a bearded fanatic, Osama bin Laden cheered his organization’s success in striking a blow against the infidels of the West. Over three thousand people died on that cataclysmic day and we do not count the scum who were responsible for the flights, the 19 Arab men. They, in my honest and fervent belief, will spend their eternity burning in the same fires that they ignited, and being tormented by demons every moment of their miserable existance.

If there is any justice in the universe, these 19 individuals (to refer to them as men would bring dishonor on even the worst examples of the male human), will be tormented by having the demons who torture them for eternity be pigs considering that the Islamic fundamentalists have such an aversion to pork of any fashion.

With the horrific events of 9-11-2001, this nation, the United States of America came together as we have not done since December 7, 1941 after the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbour. We were horrified, angry and shocked at the violence visited on our country, our people and our culture by a group of rabid fanatical theocrats. America recieved an outpouring of sympathy and support from almost every nation in the world, save a very few radical regimes. Our subsequent retribution actions were not only applauded but supported with personnel and materials by these countries when we responded to the Taliban of Afghanistan and the al Quaeda fanatics. Our actions in Afghanistan were understood, supported and aided by the world and we were able to drive these fanatical bastards out of power in that country.

There is no justification in any religion for the horrible acts this group of rabid, fanatical Moslem men perpetrated on this country and on our people.

On this very auspicious day, let us all pause in rememberance of these wonderful souls whose lives were cut short by an act of fanaticism and evil. Let us come together in remembrance of these individuals and their families who continue to live with the horror of that day.

But also, let us ensure that the political prostitutes are not successful in using this day of honor for their nefarious ends.

May all the fallen be welcomed into the light of eternal peace.

I thought I would do a “change up” on the few people who come to read this blog and write about something totally different than Single Payer Universal Health Care. Today, I would like to give some insight as to why I believe we need to get after the Congress to repair, extend and expand the AMTRAK system rather than the current mindset of diminishing the services offered by this National Passenger Rail System until it no longer exists at all.

Let’s take a short stroll back into history. Not that far really, but before the total disintegration of our passenger rail systems. Back then we had passenger trains servicing the majority of our nation, every fairly large town and city had passenger service from one of several dozen rail road companies. These trains also provided transportation access to thousands of smaller towns and villages across the country at what were then known as “whistle stops”. That meant that the train only stopped there if there were passengers to pick up or drop off, otherwise, it blew it’s whistle as it passed.

People were able to buy a ticket on a train in Ottumwa, Iowa and ride the trains into Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, etc. People were able to get on a train in Chicago or Los Angeles and take a vacation trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Shreveport, Louisiana with a reasonable schedule for the travel. Kids were enthralled by the sound of the train wheels on the rails and many is the night where they were lulled to sleep by this pleasant sound. I know I was!

Today, very few towns and cities have a passenger rail service. Why is this? Well a couple of reasons, but mainly the Airlines and the government subsidies for those airlines. Consider the early days of air travel, heavy commitments by the government to use the airlines for carrying Air Mail and to build and maintain airports in multitudes of locations. Trains used to carry the majority of Americans from the country into the city, on vacations and on business trips. Today, effective and efficient trains service the Washington-Boston Corridor and the mid-California coast only. There are still a few cross country trains, including the fabled City of New Orleans made famous in song. There are also still trains that run from Los Angeles across the southern route to Orlando, FL. Still a train that runs acorss the northern route from the east coast to the west coast, But alas, the days of the wonders of rail travel are almost gone in this country.

Isn’t it interesting that in the REST OF THE WORLD, rail travel is still among the most predominate modes of transportation for the masses? Trains run regularly and on time from Hanover Germany (in the north of this beautiful country), all the way across Europe to France, England, Italy, Spain and the rest of that area. Trains run frequently, services small intermediate towns and villages with local services and they carry millions of passengers each year, many on daily trips. There are “bullet” trains that travel in excess of 300 miles per hour in Europe and Japan. We have a train Acela, that has the capability, but cannot make higher speeds due to the condition of our rail road tracks and that they have to share the rails with freight trains. The Mistral train carries people at 250 to 300 miles per hour in luxury and comfort across France and into the other European countries, on special dedicated rail systems.

In order for someone in this country to travel from Washington, DC to say Huntsville, Alabama and they didn’t want to ride on another of those crappy airplanes flying today, they could take a train but only to Birmingham, AL and would then have to rent a car to get the final 60 miles or so up to Huntsville. In point of fact, Huntsville, Alabama just recently demolished their only remaining train station and the tracks that used to lead up to it no longer exist either. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of train stations in this country that are abandoned or have been turned into offices or restaurants. An entire segement of our nation’s history is being systematically demolished day by day.

Trains are what made this country what it is today. Passengers and freight were carried across the new nation to build the communities that had been founded a few years earlier by wagons and pioneers. Yet today, even the freight trains are struggling to maintain a profitable business profile. Many of these in-country destinations are no longer readily available to us because our national passenger rail system is being systematically destroyed by our elected officials and the airlines stopped flying there because it was not sufficiently profitable. Now, that they have achieved dominance, the airlines are severely reducing or totally halting service to the smaller communities, so people have to find means of transport to the larger towns and cities where air travel is still available.

Frankly, the airlines show their disdain for the traveling public on a daily basis. Their airfares changes almost hourly, they lose our bags, they make us wait in interminable lines with too few customer service reps, and then wait in other lines to clear security, and finally wait in a gate area to get into another line to actualy board the aircraft. Finally, we are on board and strapped in, and now we wait in another line while our flight gets final clearance to use the runway for take off.

Consider in comparison, a modern train station with multiple ticket windows or you may have purchased your ticket online through Amtrak’s EASY TO USE web site. You arrive at the station, and a Red Cap (yes they still have those), is there to take your bags if you wish. You then go to the ticket window to check your bags, OR you keep them with you (no tight restriction on carry on bags). You then get some refreshment at one of several facilities in these larger stations or at the “diner” in the smaller stations while you wait a short time for your train to be announced (ON TIME). At that point, you walk along a corridor or down an escalator to the loading area (a very short distance) and the train is standing there with doors open for your boarding. The conductors and porters have placed steps to make your access to the train car even easier. You get on the proper car, find your seat or on a longer trip, your roomette and get comfortable. Within a short while the train begins to move slowly out of the station. As it picks up speed, you watch the country slide by your window and the conductor come by to validate your ticket. You sit, relax, read, plug in your laptop at your seat, make a cell phone call (no restriction because there are no worisome electonics), or simply take a nap. The seat is wide, thickly padded and there is a considerable amount of room between your seat and the row in front of you. So stretch out and relax.

Big difference huh? Ever try the trains in other countries?

WE, the United States citizenry, essentially REBUILT the European rail system following World War II and the European nations have made improvements and enhancements ever since. WE, at the same time, allowed our rail system to be primarily relegated to freight trains only. The freight trains now have priority over all rail traffic, when just a few years ago, freight trains were required to pull onto a siding to allow a passenger train to go by.

It was decided that passenger rail had seen its day and that people wanted to travel faster by air so the government put its might behind the airline companies and assisted in the demise of the private sector passenger rail sytem. The Federal Government then took over these passenger trains, creating the AMTRAK system or the National Passenger Rail System. But through the years they have systematically worked to effect the almost total demise of our national passenger rail system.

This strangling of AMTRAK is sort of like the theory that Newt Gingrich used toward Medicare, he wanted to continue to hold off on funding and allow Medicare to die a slow and painful death (didn’t care what the senior citizens would do). The combination of adminstration perfidy, a significant lack of concern by the Congress and continuing inroads by the airline industry has taken the passenger rail system in this country to the brink of extinction. There are movements in Congress and this perfidious administration to “chop” up the AMTRAK system, handing off responsibilities for huge portions of the system to the several states and keeping only the California commuter corridor and the Washington-Boston corridor trains in the Amtrak service. As you can imagine, that would totally destroy the ability to travel coast to coast reasonably by train, so the final demise of our rail system would be complete. Also, the States don’t really have the money or the inclination to assume responsibilities for a passenger rail system. My gosh, they can’t even implement decent light rail for their cities to reduce the commuter waste.

While the rest of the world improves and expands their rail systems, we in this country, in our typical blind idiocy, are demolishing our passenger rail systems. Why is this?

Are you really happy with the service, comfort and customer care that are being provided by the airlines today.

Are you really happy that ontime arrival and departures for ALL airlines has sunk to dismal levels, to the point where it is rare for them to meet any schedules?

Lost passenger bags are increasing in frequency, the seats are getting smaller, harder and more close together with each passing year.

Why do you suppose they feel they can get away with that? Simply because we and the federal government allow them to do so. We sing the songs of energy conservation and fossil fuel independence, but we continue to utilize the terribly fuel inefficient airplanes to travel. Did you know that the same amount of fuel used by a modern 767 taking off and flying up to it’s cruising altitude, would be more than enough to power a passenger train several times the number of people, from New York to Los Angeles? People don’t seem to understand that the passenger cost per mile on a railroad is less than one tenth that of a passenger mile on an airplane. But then we still drive those big honking SUV’s that get 10-18 miles per gallon, don’t we?

I personally have taken a pledge that where EVER and when EVER I have the opportunity I will forego the dubious pleasure of hopping on a “regional jet” from Delta, American, United, etc or any of their “regional” carriers and squeezing myself into a seat that would be a tight fit for a super model, and having my knees shoved up to my chin when the guy in front tilts his seat back. Instead, I plan on going to the AMTRAK train station, boarding a comfortable train car, sitting down in my wide, thick cushioned and very comfortable seat (only two abreast), tilting my seat back and raising the foot rest to the optimum comfort. I will not have to strap my seat belt and wait for the interminable time before take off, the train I board will move smoothly out of the station, on time. After riding for a while, I will leave my seat, walk down to the cafe car or the dining car (depending on the type of travel) and have a decent snack or meal and a cup of coffee, a soda, a beer or a mixed drink. If the train segment is sufficient long enough, I can go to the Dining Car and have a full meal at a table with a cloth covering, silverware and glasses for my drinks. NOT plastic or fiber cups. Then if I wish, I can go into the Club Car, have a couple of cocktails or a beer/wine or soda and network with some of my fellow passengers watching the scenery pass by the windows. OR I can return to my seat or my roomette, get out my laptop computer, PLUG it into the power socket at my seat, and do some work or whatever I wish to do. Some trains are now providing hookup to an internet connection, but the prevalence of this option is still highly dependent of gaining more passengers, and that, in an of itself, is a huge struggle.

Simply put, the fact is that the train does take longer to get people from place to place. It does not travel unimpeded through the skies above 30,000 feet, at 400 or 500 miles an hour. Instead, the modern American Passenger train travels at a constant range of speeds of between 50 and 80 miles an hour, through the country side and provides extensive views out of the picture windows of our great nation and its wonders. I can also, IF I wish, book a cross country trip, getting a “sleeper” room with privacy and the amenities such as a bathroom and a bed that is made up by the professional porters and other train employees. Then in the evening, after the bed has been “turned down”, I can snuggle into my comfortable bed and fall asleep to the sound of the wheels thrumming on the steel rails. A most peaceful sound and very conducieve to a good night’s rest, I might add.

Are we simply a bunch of sheep and idiotic Type A personalities that we can no longer take the time to enjoy travel and use a train, but instead have to shlepp our bags through the indignities heaped upon us by the airlines and the Federal TSA people as they paw through our luggage, search our physical persons and make us take off our shoes and walk on their dirty floors?

Additionally the airlines continue to degrade their services. No longer do they serve meals (such as they were even then), their seats are hard and uncomfortable and the airplanes are almost always full or more accurately “jammed packed”. In fact, in a growing number of cases people are “bumped” from flights because the airline overbooked a flight and someone has to pay by not getting on their flight. The airline, don’t really give a rat’s patoot about your inconvenience. Just consider that in the course of a decade, the airlines stopped serving a choice of meals, went to sandwiches and a cookie or fruit, then to peanuts and a granola bar. The sandwiches and fruit are still available in a “flight box” but you pay for them at an exhorbitant price. You can at least still get a soday or coffee for free, but wouldn’t put it past them in the near future to start charging 1.25 or better for those items. Putting it frankly, the airlines and air travel suck big time now and it is only getting worse.

Next Time you travel, if you can afford a little extra time, TAKE THE TRAIN if at all possible. I guarantee you will enjoy the trip a lot more. I know that I certainly do.

More on this topic in upcoming segments.

The news has been filled with examples of the past, present and ongoing corruption among our current President and his administration. Each and every day, it seems, we have another situation that arises that makes one stand back and say oh my God, what are they doing up there?

Interestingly enough, from the inaugration of Bush in his appointed position as President following the debacle of the 2000 election, to the 2006 elections when the Republican Party lost it’s majority, we rarely, if ever, heard anyting untoward about our presidential administration.  We only rarely heard anything about the corrupt practices within the Republican Congress.

However, now that there is a new game afoot, the Republicans are once again in the minority, the slime is starting to be seen more and more.  From the questionable firings of 8 US Attorney’s, to the possible violation of the Hatch Act by the head of the GSA, it seems that this administration can’t catch a break!  And rightly so.

I read an article in the Washington Post that describes George Bush going into a “bunker mentality” and sinking lower and lower in the minds of our national citizenry.  People by the droves have seen the perfidy, the corrupt dealings, and the arrogance of this administration and they are frankly, getting really pissed off.  From the White House Staff, to the political appointees in the various agencies, we are seeing a tremendous lack of respect for the American people and for our country as a whole.  These people have come into the government with the sole purpose of taking whatever they can while they are in a position to do so,. There is NO honor in their actions, they have no desire to make the country better, and they certainly do not care one whit about the average American.

Now, if you are Exxon, or Merck, or Chase, or Cigna, that’s another story.  If you are a high powered lobbyist or have the bucks to hire a high powered lobbyist, you can get any damn thing you want from this government.  Never mind what is in the best interest of the country.  Hell a goodly number of these people have moved their companies off shore or are in the process of doing so.  In many cases these organizations are “multi-nationals” such as EXXON who are basically beholden to no single country and yet they take billions of tax payer dollars through our corrupt government representatives and continue to rape and pillage the Americans on a daily basis.

Let’s take our president, George W. Bush for instance when we consider the incompetence that is rampant in the current administration.  First he has NEVER held a real job.  EVER.  He starts a couple of businesses, and drives them into insolvency straightaway.  But he gets bailed out by his daddy’s influence and their best pals the Saudi’s,.  Then he leverages a very shady “possible insider trading” windfall profit into an investment with the Texas Rangers baseball team.  He is also incompetent there and the other people on the management board “buy him out”.  Sort of like leaving the post to spend quality family time???

His best pal, the vicious little chubby Karl Rove gets him set up as the Governor of the Great State of Texas.  To do this they totally besmirch through outright lies and innuendos, the reputation of a most gracious lady governor, the late Ann Richards.  When the people of Texas are blinded by the BS, LIES and Spin Doctor crap, and elect this individual to the highest office in the state, all hell breaks loose.

George W. Bush starts an oil exploration company and is probably the only person in West Texas who had such a company and it went bust because “THEY COULDN’T FIND OIL”. In West By God Texas for crying out loud. How incompetent can one person be?

Love his stupidity and culpability regarding health care in this country. As far as George W, his whole family and the entire Bush cabal administration, there is no need for universal health care in this country. Guess he figures let them who can’t afford health care, simply die off and reduce the over population. Sounds about right!

Hello all, I’m a self employed blue collar liberal from rural Maryland.

The AARP has been engulfed with the right wing attitude especially with the inception of the 2000 selection of G W Bush as president.

The influence of the political right with the AARP is noticeable to the many elders with the sense to know what the AARP stood for before the 2ooo election. So wonder why so many elders are no longer members.