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dsullivan
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Interests: Writing short stories. Webmaster of Sullivan's Short Stories and Unearthly Tales. Collecting old music. Dogs. Hiking. Swimming.
Expertise: Writing and publishing short stories. Foriegn languages: Poor to fair Chinese Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Japanese.
Occupation: Retired US Army
Industry: Government
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
5/31/2004
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| Compare the extravagances of today's politicians with Harry (Give 'em Hell) Truman.
Many of today's politicians live like royalty, although they are supposed to be servants of the people. A good example of this extravagance is the jet provided to Nancy Pelosi to fly to her home in California on weekends. There was a rumor that Pelosi demanded a 200 seat jet that would fly nonstop to her home. Snopes.com says this is only partially true.
She had a small air force jet at her disposal that had to stop for refueling on the way to California. She requested a plane that could make it without stopping to refuel, and the air force provided the larger jet.
That is but one example of our "royal" politicians. Here is an account of a true servant of the people: President Harry S Truman.
Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many, or more important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 32 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.
The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri . His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there.
When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year..
After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them.
When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."
Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."
As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.
Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale. (sic. Illinois)
Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!
Once, after a meeting with members of congress, a reporter asked Truman if he gave 'em hell. His reply: "No. I just told 'em the truth and they thought it was hell."
He was a plain, straight-talking man of the people. Let's dig him up and clone him!!
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The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
End of Ben Stein's comments.
The following comment is attributed to Billy Graham's daughter:
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding the terrorist attack on 9/11).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves..
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Note : Ben Stein and Anne Graham did not mention that it is fine to trash things sacred to Jews and Christians, but we dare not trash anything sacred to other religions.
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| Friday, 16 October 2009 Did you ever scramble out of bed early on a Saturday morning and creep down to the family room to watch your favorite cartoon before anyone else awoke? Did you ever memorize a jingle or theme song, and sing it so many times your parents wanted to pull their hair out? Did you have a favorite cartoon character whose photo was on everything, from your socks to your wall to your lunch box?
Everyone was a kid once. Take a walk down memory lane, release your inner child, and tell us about your favorite childhood cartoon memories. Or, if you didn't watch cartoons, tell us about your favorite childrens' storybook memories. It can be funny or serious, poetry or prose. We'll reminisce with you, we'll laugh with you, we'll cry with you... and hopefully we'll all be featured - with you!
When I was a kid, TV was still on the horizon. People talked about it, but nobody in our neighborhood had one. I grew up with the funny papers and comic books. I remember Mutt and Jeff, Wash Tubbs, Etta Kett, Our Boarding House (Maj Hoople), Out Our Way, Crabtree Corners (Abby and Slats), Popeye, and others. My favorite was Al Capp's Li'l Abner.
I couldn't wait for the daily paper to see what Li'l Abner would be up to next, and when Li'l Abner would follow the exploits of his favorite comic character, Fearless Fosdick, I would follow along with him. As far as I know, Fearless Fosdick was the only "comic strip within a comic strip."
I never really watched Saturday morning cartoons until I was in my twenties. I and a group of men ranging in age from about 20-30 would watch 'toons such as Huckleberry Hound, Dudley Do-right, Foghorn Leghorn, and Yogi Bear. I think Yogi was everybody's favorite.
You'd never guess who the men were: soldiers who were linguists in a military intelligence unit (Some born in Asia and Europe.) Every Saturday morning those who were off duty would go to the day-room to watch cartoons--while waiting for the college football games. Throughout an average day in the unit you'd hear cartoon-isms like "Hey hey heyyy, Boo Boo," and Snidely Whiplash's sneering laugh, "Ya ha haaa."
Kids of all ages love cartoons.
Click here to go back to Cartoon Craze on Featured-Grownups!
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| My latest novelette, "The Menorcans of Florida," has been published and is now available at Lulu publishing, and soon to be at Amazon.
The story takes place from 1768 to 1777, and is based on the 1,455 Menorcans who were recruited by wealthy Scotsman Dr. Andrew Turnbull as indentured servants to work his plantations in Florida. However, the Menorcans were to find that Florida, then still wild and unpopulated except for hostile Indians, was a hell-hole; it was hot, humid, and filled with malaria carrying mosquitos, alligators, and snakes.
Further, they were treated like slaves, not as servants. They lived in thatched huts, were not released from indenture at the appointed time, they were starved, beaten, and worked sunup to sundown seven days a week. During the nine years from the time they boarded ships at Menorca until they finally escaped from Turnbull, over half of them died.
The story centers around Miguel Ortegas, a teenage orphan boy who was recruited by Turnbull.
The time period was during British control of Florida, in between the two periods of Spanish control. Slavery was permitted in British Florida as well as its colonies to the north. Dr. Turnbull also had plantations in South Carolina, where he used African slaves.
The book has five short stories as well as the novelette. It's available at http://stores.lulu.com/dhsully
It will be available at Amazon in several weeks.
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| Thursday, 01 October 2009 Things have been rough all over lately. The economic downturn is a global event, which has affected all of us to some degree. This month's topic is about the struggling economy, and how it relates to you and your life.
How has the economic downturn affected you personally? What changes have you made in your life to save money, pinch pennies, stretch your dollars? What thrifty tips can you share (places to shop, coupons to use, places to eat, etc.)?
Here's what we've done:
We fired several of our house servants. We kept the chauffer, cook, gardener, and maid, but cut their salaries.
We traded the 80-foot yacht for a 60-footer. Uses less fuel.
We're getting rid of several Rolls Royces. Now the wife and I have only one each.
We're keeping our private jet, but cutting down on our trips to places like The Riviera and Monaco. Instead, we'll rough it occasionally and take the yacht to the Caribbean.
We broke down and bought one of those little plastic gizmos that squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube.
Yes, things are tough all over.
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