Straight From The Hart

My column which appeared in today's paper, a day late due to not feeling well Tuesday. KERRY'S FAMILY TREE When Secretary of State John Kerry was photographed in November 2013 in Geneva shaking hands with his Iranian counterpart Mohammed Javed Zarif at the beginning of the Iranian nuclear negotiations only a handful of people in the entire world knew that this was not the first time these two men had met. They were introduced in 2004 by George Soros, a billionaire and political king-maker who has bankrolled many liberal politicians and causes over the years. Soros had invested thousands of dollars in Kerry’s failed presidential bid in 2004, and was looking for a way to recoup at least some of that money by using Kerry to work with Zarif to resolve outstanding issues between the U.S. and Iran in the making since 2003 under the name “Grand Bargain”. At the time he introduced the two men, Zarif was the Ambassador to the United Nations from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and S...

If you are a gun owner who receives a Social Security disability check from the U.S. Treasury but you have chosen, for whatever reason, to have someone help you manage your finances, whether you are just forgetful or not good at keeping your checkbook balanced, and have asked for help from a family member or another fiduciary, the Obama administration has a plan in the works to take your guns away from you. The Executive Order is part of the President’s plan to strengthen gun control after the shooting incident at Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012, when twenty school children were massacred by a young man from the community. The plan, which is among 23 executive orders issued by the President to the Department of Justice, could affect millions whose disability payments are handled by others in an effort to bring the Social Security Administration into line with laws that prevent gun sales to felons, drug addicts, illegal immigrants and others. It is consistent with Surgeon G...

My column from today's paper. I know I complain sometimes about LDR but that's only because I want it to be good. But aside from that I am such a believer in small town newspapers, I think they are very important.**************** Some people, it is said, are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. That was not me. But I had something better. I was born with a pen in one hand and a newspaper in the other. I cannot remember when I have not loved newspapers. Once I had mastered a few words from “Dick and Jane” in the first grade reading books at the country school in Washington District where I began my education under the able tutelage of Mrs. Ruth Garrett, I knew I had found my calling to become a lifelong reader. I found an old newspaper in the farmhouse where I lived. I don’t remember much about those early days of my life but I remember that newspaper and I”m sure it was the first one I ever saw. It was a rarity in our home, and books were not readily available either....

My column from today's LDR: President Obama admitted this week that he has no strategy for dealing with ISIS. That means he never has had a strategy for dealing with them, he’s just been leading us on. In the meantime, the membership of ISIS continues to grow, crushing everything that gets in their way, whether it be cities or historic monuments or people. The number of fighters in the ranks of ISIS as of this time is all over the place, ranging from the CIA’s estimate of 31,500 to Kurdish president Massoud Barzani’s estimate of 200,000. Obama keeps passing the buck to the Pentagon, but Pentagon spokesmen say they are waiting on the president. And rightly so. I guess it’s my Bible study training from my years as a pastor, but I always go back to the origins of words to get an accurate meaning. “Strategy” in the Greek language means “the art of being a troop leader; the office of general or commander, and refers to a high level plan of achieving one or more goals under conditions...

The United States Army’s Special Operation Command (USASOC) will begin a two month multi-state military exercise in several states in the Southwest, including Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and California. The actual number and list of states has changed from time to time. The operation will begin on July 15 and continue through September 15, and will be conducted by members of USASOC and service members from the Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Air Force Special Operation troops, Marines Special Operation troops, and conventional army infantry. Approximately 1200 troops will be participating. The exercise, known as Jade Helm 15, will take place primarily in Texas because it requires large areas of undeveloped land as well as access to towns. Texas also possesses the kind of “unique terrain” in which soldiers operating overseas might find themselves, according to the USASOC. The public can expect nothing much different from their day-to-day activities since much of ...