Some Things You Don't Forget

I was working in a small town in Central Texas. It wasn't a large project, and it wasn't terribly far away, so we worked Monday through Friday and came home on the weekends.

The weather caught my attention. Thunderstorms of unbelievable size, and fury, were a daily occurrence in the distance. I'd never seen such huge, billowing clouds that stretched into the stratosphere. My only reaction was awe. Even though I'd been exposed to thunderstorm my entire life, I'd never seen anything that compared to what I was observing.

One night, at about 1:00 am, I awoke, when the power went out. The deep darkness was broken by constant lightning. Not a second passed without a flash and the continuous, bright flashes would have allowed reading newspaper.

The motel manager walked through the parking lot and spoke to those that were standing outside. A tornado warning was issued and the storm was forecast to continue to our location.

I watched until the tremendous downdraft hit. I stepped back into my room and waited.

As I waited, I wondered about the tornado. Where was it? Was it wrapped by the heavy downpour, filled with small hail? Was this it? Would my life end when the motel was ripped apart?

My answer was soon to arrive: the tornado lifted back into the clouds and the storm eventually passed without any damage.

The following morning was clear, and the only indication of the storm were a few puddles in the parking lot. News reports revealed only minor damage to outbuildings in the surrounding countryside. Nobody was injured and nobody died.

I've seen tornadoes, although they've always been the small storms, or waterspouts, found along the coast. They cause damage, but the winds are far from the horrendous 200 mph plus winds in an E4, or E5 tornado.  I can't imagine such an event and don't want to ever have it part of my memories.

So, I've wandered all around the gut wrenching feeling of knowing parents are mourning the injury and death of the their children in Oklahoma. I can only offer prayers at this point, and they seem woefully insubstantial to the horrors they endured.

Lazy Sunday

Yesterday - in fact all the preceding week - was busy. I had lots to do, and pushed too hard. Yesterday brought it to fruition, when I hit a stick on my rider and knocked the drive belt off the pulley. Placing it back into position led to some strange contortions, which led to an angry response from my lower back.

So, today I kicked back and did nothing except a little grocery shopping and the long cooking of a roast. It was good, and tomorrow brings another start to what I'm forecasting as a busy week.

One other thing: Thanks to some links, and a lot of new readers, I'm getting substantially more traffic than I've ever had before. It's humbling and I'm thankful. For those that visit, I really do appreciate your time.

Kept Up To Date

From an interview with Dan Pfeiffer, an Obama Aide, with Chris Wallace:

"...Asked about whether the president entered the Situation Room, Pfeiffer says, "I don't remember what room the president was in on that night, and that's a largely irrelevant fact."

Maybe in his mind, but when it comes to a coordinated attack against representative of the United States, it's not irrelevant; it's a demand the President is completely apprised and taking the necessary actions.

He continued:

"... the president was in the white house that day, kept up to date by his national security team, spoke to the joint chiefs of staff earlier, secretary of state, and as events unfolded he was kept up to date..."

Oh really? He was kept up to date? He was in the White House? So, if the man in charge was on top of things, is it safe to assume the responsibility of the outcome is completely that of the President?

I don't know about you, but if this is true, the only conclusion is the President either wasn't paying attention, or the lives of 4 U.S. citizens ended with absolutely no effort to save them. Either is unconscionable and illustrates how little concern this administration has for the safety of U.S. citizens. If they'll let those that are our ambassadors to foreign lands be butchered by terrorists, it's safe to assume they have less concern for the ordinary citizen. 

Obama can't skate on this one. Either his aide is lying or he just implicated the President in one of the worst atrocities ever performed by the United States government.  

When "Scandal" Isn't Enough

The word scandal doesn't describe the outrage of the criminal acts being discovered by investigations. In our current society, "scandal" has been so misused, there isn't enough outrage associated with the description.

From the murders in Benghazi, to the deliberate acts of government agencies to criminally oppress - or spy - on citizens, a more fitting description needs to be applied. Atrocity is a better description. From this point on, I'll describe the acts as atrocities.

Let's Call It What It Is

It's tyranny. When a government uses its powers to oppress, influence political elections, destroy personal wealth and endanger the lives of citizens, there is no other description.

Now, we'll find out how our Congress Critters handle one of the most pivotal events in the history of the United States. If they don't crush this oppression, they effectively join in terrorizing the citizens. The next step to solving this problem is really, really ugly.