THE HAWK and THE KUBOTA

This afternoon was warm and sunny. A perfect day to begin my Spring brush hogging. Each year, as the field is cut down from about 4 feet of growth to yard height, it removes much needed cover from the residents that reside there. Rabbits, armadillo, and especially small rodents. Today, as my Kubota and I slowly circled the field, I noticed a beautiful hawk sitting in a tree, overlooking the field, watching me. An obvious veteran of many warm afternoon hunting campaigns, he was tall, proud , well proportioned, and most interested to see what entrees my Kubota and I might send his way.

Seldom does a person get to engage with nature in a positive way, but this afternoon was a rare exception. While my feathered friend's cousins soared and rode the afternoon thermals in adjoining fields looking for their "daily bread", my friend carefully watched, moving from one tree along the perimeter of the field to another, gaining the best vantage points and avoiding the casting of a shadow as the afternoon sun changed, all the while watching from many feet above for movement in the grass caused by the encroaching brush hog.

Suddenly, out of corner of my eye, I saw him. From far across the field, high in a tree he had come, down to the fresh cut field near me, in that instant blink of an eye...lifting off the deck, huge beautiful wings lifting him into the sky with entree in clinched talons. Game over. Hawk: one. Rodent:.....gone.

In a few minutes, my new winged friend returned to a branch near by. As I passed, my slow circling continuing, he cleaned his beak on the branch, looking at me as if to say....... "delicious Paul, we make a good team together. Thanks!!".

As the afternoon wore on, more victims fell prey. He watched me and I watched him, marveling at his natural intelligence in devising this sophisticated, yet amazingly effective hunting campaign.

I realized what a rare treat this day had been. The Hawk, The Kubota, and me.

THE MAN CAN'T LEAD

If there was any doubt in anyone's mind, it should be gone by now. Gas prices are rising every day, food prices are rising in double digits on a monthly basis. The Middle East is on fire and world war seems more likely then ever. That fresh young community organizer from Chicago, you know, the one that promised hope and change...the one who had no leadership or business or economic experience?

The price of electing an incompetent man, driven by a Marxist ideology is bearing fruit before us daily. This man is dangerous. Dangerous because he is weak and incompetent. Dangerous because he does not believe in the America that you and I believe in. He is anti-capitalism, anti-democracy, and wants to bring America to a point where it is weak economically, militarily, and embroiled in social upheaval. All for the purpose of bringing about some type of socialist/communist utopia that he believes will be better than what constitutional democracy harnessed to capitalism has provided.

It is time to wake up America!! The enemy is at the gates and they are organizing for the final push to take over. You must be vigilant and aware of the threat. Read and understand what is happening around you. It is being pushed as simple labor rights. But it is far more than that. Labor rights are the Trojan horse, hiding a dangerous movement to bring a new order to America...one that will have no constitutional basis....only power to bind you to its will by governmental controls over your freedoms.

It's a Start

For the first time ever, we have actually CUT spending in the Federal budget. To be sure, it is only a drop in a sea of red but it is a first. It is the first time that we have cut spending rather the simply slowing the growth. It is frustrating that we did this for only two weeks, but if we cut 4 billion every two weeks under threat of government shutdown, guess that is how it will have to be done.

Interesting to see Democrats cry foul for cutting fractions of pennies when the government spending has increased 25% since just the Obama election.

END OF A TRUE ERA

74 years. That is how long my father has been driving....legally. Actually, he began sometime before that. He tells the story, when the opportunity presents itself, of how as a kid, he accompanied his Dad to town one Saturday in the family car. While my grandfather ran errands and visited with friends he met, my father patiently awaited his return.

My grandfather eventually did return from his errands, only to find a large crowd gathered around on the sidewalk. " It's the Ryburn's kid " someone in the crowd said. As my grandfather arrived at the scene, he too was amazed to see that a car had jumped the curb where it had been parked, lunged through a plate glass window, and was sitting inside the front of a retail business. Sitting in the driver's seat, much to my grandfather's dismay, was indeed "the Ryburn's kid"....my father.

74 years later a driving era is coming to a close. My father was recently hospitalized for low blood pressure and feeling lightheaded at times. On the advise of his doctor and at my insistence, he has given up (TEMPORARILY he thinks) his driving, assuring me that he has to have that ability to "do things". After a long discussion, while not conceding anything or turning over his keys, we discussed the fact that there are "workaround" solutions that can be utilized in place of his continued driving. One of which is for me to chauffeur them to their appointed rounds, as I will be doing today. But it is the end of era for him and the beginning of a new relationship with him for me.

Speaking of "kicking some ass", Mr. President.

Obama needs to back up to a full length mirror to see the person whose "ass to kick". It was his administration that gave the "exceptions" to the existing tough laws on the books, learned from the Exxon spill 20 years ago, making the potential for this disaster much more likely to occur and subsequently worse. BP "bought" their way around this legislation in exchange for financial favors given to you Mr.Obama, and your regime. We have seen this game played many times before. Its' called political corruption.

Sorry Mr.Obama, your outrage is staged and we all know it. To paraphrase an old saying: "we have seen the ass, and it is you". Your liberal, environmental constituency just might figure your game out and the damage it is now doing to our environment. All for political gain. They are true believers in protecting the environment. If THEY figure out your political gamesmanship, there really will be some ass kicking come November. Don't forget to check that mirror Mr. President.

TEARING DOWN A CROSS

Today liberals tore down a cross that symbolized for 75 years the Christian faith and a tribute to our military fallen heroes. You liberals are such proud defenders of free speech and free expression until the speech and expression as well as a legal ruling, goes against your views. Then it's only your speech, your views, your symbols that must prevail or you act out your disagreement in rage, with angry unlawful acts, such as this, with your perverted sense of superiority over everyone else and their rights. We have stood by for years quietly watching as you throw tantrums like this. But rest assured. Our patience is about gone and our sense of fair play and lawful obedience to your "progressive" laws that you inflict on us is coming to an end. Beware OUR outrage....

Tea Party a Threat ? Just the Opposite.

President Obama thinks they are humorous. Former President Clinton thinks they are dangerous and are the soil from which Timothy McVeigh's are grown. Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano says they need to be monitored and watched closely as they are dangerous and likely to erupt in violence against the government.

Having met with and attended several Tea Party events, I find it interesting that the progressives in the liberal left are trying to characterize the Tea Party movement as something dangerous. When the citizenry awakens and becomes aware of the radical agenda that the Obama administration represents, those in power immediately feel threatened and begin a campaign to discredit and destroy any opposition to their agenda. How often have we seen this situation in history?

None of my contacts with the members of the Tea Party movement have shown me anything but the wisdom and extraordinary vision that the founders of this country had in mind when they carefully constructed the Constitution of the United States. Within its confines, the framers anticipated that there might come a day when the government itself and its elected officials would seek to expand its powers and controls over the individual citizen. To provide a check on this potential abuse of power, the framers wisely gave the citizen the right to protest,voice his objections, and to use the power of the vote to change that governance.

Exercising that right is what I have been witness to in my contacts with the Tea Party movement. It is most refreshing to see. For the first time in my life, I am now witness to democracy in action. What I studied in school with minor interest has suddenly become alive and very real for me.

What concerns me most, however, is not the vocal protesting, the groups of disgruntled citizens meeting in parties, but the response by those that govern this country. Rather than recognize Tea Party's actions as democracy in action and constitutional in behavior, engaging their fellow citizens in honest debate, the response by people such as Joe Klein and the Obama administration is to try and characterize the Tea Party movement as dangerous and thus needing to be suppressed and ultimately destroyed.

This itself is dangerous. When a power elite begins to insulate itself from policy debates, legislation is behind closed doors, excluding elected officials from participation, ignoring the will of the people, defends itself from any criticism and seeks to destroy citizen opposition to its policies, we are moving away from democracy. We are,in fact,an oligarchy, slipping dangerously towards a one party dictatorship......something the founders warned us to remain vigilant against.

The Tea Party is the citizens constitutional right to exercise that vigilance.