Obama has proved himself to be the golfingist president.  He has played more golf in his 18 month presidency than any other president played during their entire terms.  He plays even when the world thinks he ought to instead intend to business, leaving the tee times open for members.  He plays when Michelle is out with the kids, and plays when Michelle is home with the kids.  Yep, he’s an enthusiast of the game of golf.  Wouldn’t you like to know what those who have played a round with him would say about his golfing ability and strategy while navigating the obstacles?   What do the secret service agents think of his behavior and manners on the course?   They’ll never tell, as they are professionals doing the job of protecting our president, but it’d sure be interesting to hear them chat among themselves. 

Does he think of how the game of golf applies to the course of life?   Does he ever think of the rules and . . . golly ghee whiz. . . how sports are governed?   George Allen wrote a book titled “What Washington could learn from the World of Sports”, and I recommend it to Obama in particular and to all politicians and the bureaucrats running the country too, and our judges could learn a thing or two from the analogies.   Hey, it’s a good read for anyone.

Playing a round of golf is a game of navigation, a game of avoiding the hazards for the purpose of getting to the goal set before you in the least number of attempts.  The rules are clear.  They are the same for everyone.  The starting point is the same for everyone.  The goal is the same for everyone.   The obstacles affect everyone the same way.  No discriminating rules in golf, or any other sport for that matter.  No favors here or there. 

Put a diverse foresome together on the same tee and the rules apply evenly, the obstacles apply equally.  That’s fairness.  The maintenance crew is not out there moving ponds, trees, bunkers and the tall grasses so one player has it easier than the others attempts to avoid those obstacles.  The rules committee is not changing the rules during the round favoring one over another.  You’re on your own against the course and the best navigator wins.  You may think the other is there to intimidate and distract your “shots”, but there are those unspoken rules of governing that too.   Things like “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” keep the players acting in sportsmanlike conduct during the event, like remaining quiet and still while the other is playing his shot. 

Baseball has umpires.  Football has referees.  In tennis they are called referees too, and professional golf uses officials.   Unlike the other sports golfers are their own scorekeepers.   Golf officials are called upon by the golfers themselves to rule on a particular situation the player finds himself, not wanting to violate a rule and have to impose a penalty on himself.  Recreational golfers, like Obama and the rest of us at the local course must call penalties on ourselves according to the rules.  If one tries to circumvent a rule to save a stroke, like kicking a ball back in bounds, the others will eventually shun that rule breaker, never ever wanting to play with that person again, ever.  Nobody likes a cheat. 

Such should our law makers act.  So should the president of the US be thinking when any law is put forth on his desk considering that his job is to make sure all the rules (regulations) apply to all citizens, insuring that the new rules do not hinder the individuals navigation through life. 

Dennis Prager has a speech ready for every High School Principal to give his/her students at the beginning of the upcoming year.

Here’s the beginning:

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.

The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity — your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.   Read on . . .

The Philadelphia Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council has been fighting the city council for changing their long standing agreement concerning the lease of a building the scouts themselves built and deeded to the city eons ago for the right to use the building rent free.  The city agreed.  Both parties were happy with the 80 year old agreement until . . . gay activists got involved and demanded that the scouts change their charter to admit gay people into leadership roles over scouting.

Read my post highlighting this story back in December 2007.  Philadelphia boy scouts need your help.

Now the scouts have won.

A federal jury Wednesday decided that Philadelphia violated the Boy Scouts’ First Amendment rights by using the organization’s anti-gay policy as a reason to evict them from their city-owned offices near Logan Square.

The gays do not care if the scouts vacated the building causing a big empty spot of help for kids in the the local community.  That’s not their concern.  Only the fact that the scouts will not allow homosexuals to be leaders of unsuspecting 10-18 year old boys who wish to learn to obey the scout oath.

“On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”

It’s that “morally straight” part that homosexuals can’t deal with.

Those folks running the show up there in Washington land think that Americans are dumb.  Those average folks all over the country think those people up there in Washington are stupid. 

Would someone remind us again why the nation elected this man to be president? A man with no resume, a man with no experience in running anything other than a political campaign, a man who is ignorant of history, economics, and technology? A man who is shallow and lazy? A man who shares neither character nor temperament with the American people in this vast republic? How did this happen?  The Smallest President

That ought to do it folks.  Every last one of us is dumb, and or stupid.  Did I leave anyone out?   The political class calls us dumb and we the people think their stupid butts ought to be sent home in need of guidance.

And so it is written in American Thinker today:

We do not read what they want us to read, vote the way they want us to vote, buy what they want us to buy, or believe the way they want us to believe. The United States bounded by the Hudson River and Rodeo Drive is a black hole of intellect and culture desperately in need of guidance.

Hmm?  They lead and control the educational system of the country.

A few days ago, Mark Stein (a Canadian) wrote We’re too broke to be stupid.   But we’re also “rich enough that we can afford to be stupid.”

In the economic expansion of the late 20th century, citizens of Western democracies paid more in taxes but lived better than their parents and grandparents. They weren’t exactly rich, but they got richer. They also got more stupid. When William Beveridge laid out his blueprint for the modern British welfare state in 1942, his goal was the “abolition of want.” Sir William and his colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic succeeded beyond their wildest dreams: to be “poor” in the 21st-century West is not to be hungry and emaciated but to be obese, with your kids suffering from childhood diabetes. When Michelle Obama turned up to serve food at a soup kitchen, its poverty-stricken clientele snapped pictures of her with their cellphones. In one-sixth of British households, not a single family member works. They are not so much without employment as without need of it. At a certain level, your hard-working bourgeois understands that the bulk of his contribution to the treasury is entirely wasted. It’s one of the basic rules of life: if you reward bad behaviour, you get more of it. But, in good and good-ish times, who cares?

We’re rich enough that we can afford to be stupid.

We’ve hit a new milestone in America where dumb is cool and stupid is uncontrollable. 

School lunches are to blame for the obese children in this country says a group of retired military officers.  More than a quarter of our youth, aged 17 to 24 are too fat to meet the physical requirements of military service.  Are school lunches a national security threat?

But that’s not all.  The lack of a high school diploma is also keeping kids out of military service.

So what’s happened over the past decade or so that the obesity epidemic has grown out of proportion, and education standards have  taken a nosedive?   This is America folks, the land of the free and home of the brave.  At least it used to be proud of the countries ability meet the enemy head on and fight to win.  Now our military is endangered.

Of course, in this age of big government everyone looks to the congress to do something rather than putting the blame on parents themselves.   Congress makes all kinds of laws and regulations forcing people to change their behavior.  There’s always a special rhetorical ring to the purpose of regulations.  “This bill. .. puts us on the path to ending childhood hunger and addressing the epidemic of childhood obesity,” said Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., 

If only.

Changing the food in cafeterias will not solve the problem.  Giving the schools an additional 6 cents per each lunch served will not solve the problem.  Expanding the number of kids eligible for free lunches will not solve the problem.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 would commit an additional $4.5 billion to child-nutrition programs over the next 10 years and implement the most sweeping changes to those programs in decades. Among other things, the bill directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set new nutrition standards for all food served in schools, from lunchrooms to vending machines.

. . . .

One of the bill’s chief goals is to expand the number of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

And then some of the people said: Oh goody, see how much they care for us.   And some of the mommies said: My darling does not like vegetables.  He wants a grilled cheese with fries.

Parents must solve the problem.   So what’s wrong if a kid goes without a lunch?   Will the kid die?  Will he/she suffer hunger?  Will malnutrition set in?  Only if parents are not taking responsibility themselves, waking the kid up early enough to get oatmeal and then serving the precious darling a home cooked meal in the evening as the entire family sits around the table hashing over the homework assignments for the night so they can graduate high school.

We the people are forcing the department of Agriculture to get bigger and stronger with increasing power over the myriad details of keeping ourselves healthy.  Parents, that precious child you have is your responsibility.

Spring, that magical time of year our natures God has provided us.  Along with the beauty of flowers beginning their bloom, grasses turning green, trees leafing out, comes the maintenance chores also.  Beauty, pleasure and work.  Work and enjoyment of the beauty of it all.   Life.

And then rounds of golf can be resumed also.  With friends.  What would a game of golf be without the friends and associates to rib you the wrong way on an errant shot, to congratulate you on that lucky shot, and to deal with your own temptations to throw the dam clubs in the pond and swear off forever.

Why the torture?  Why?  Why?  Why do I keep going back for more?

It’s certainly not the scores that stray from an equal plane.  A 95 one day and a 76 the next time.  What’s fair about that?   It’s a yoyo experience, and one never knows from one shot to the next what experiment nature will take you through.  Water.  Tall grasses.  Sand.  Trees.  Wind.  Bounces.  You look to the heavens and wonder: God, is this a test?

Politically speaking, I wonder if any politicians relate life itself to the game of golf.  If they had their way, theirs would be a totally different scoring system with equality of outcome as the overriding rule.  We would all get a score of par on every hole, regardless of actual effort or talent and ability to hang in there. 

But life is not like that is it?   Nor is the game of golf.  You take your clubs out of the car, sign up, start on number 1 without any guarantees.  None, except the willingness to start as equals.  The rest depends on you alone.

“Life isn’t always fair.

Life isn’t always par.

It isn’t always easy

To go from where you are.

The rough may oft impede you

On the journey towards your goal,

Or an unexpected hazard

Might take a heavy toll

Keep strong your faith and patience

Midst all life’s ups and downs,

And trust your silent partner

Who guides through Life’s rounds.”

anonymous golfer.

Happy Spring!

And to the politicians: Get a life and quit meddling in mine, as I’ve got enough troubles figuring out what club to use and how to use it.

Read it and Sign it.  It behooves all of us to let our voices be known in one way or another.  As most all of us are too busy making ends meet to physically go to Washington and seek out our representative to get our voice heard, there must be another way.

The Patriot has one.

They’ve laid out the ten principles upon which this country must stand.

We are voters.

We are not defined by race, creed, ethnicity, religion, wealth, education or political affiliation, but by our devotion to our Creator, and the liberty He has entrusted to us, one and all.

We are Patriot Sons and Daughters from all walks of life, heirs to the blessings of Liberty, bequeathed to us by our Patriot Forebears.

Go here and sign your name in support.

Hiding in the bushes, behind trees, and parked vehicles you might see someone watching what’s going on in your home or the neighbors home, at the construction sites, in and out of small businesses, on the farms, at employee parking lots of manufacturers, restaurants and fast food joints.  To catch the illegal workers, government spies are doing just that. 

But that’s not in the US.  That’s not been thought of here.   Whereas 7 to 8 million illegal immigrants are currently working in the US, even though companies use the government devised and run “E-Verify” system to ascertain employees eligibility, and thus to keep jobs open for citizens.   Yet E-verify misses the illegal workers 54% of the time.

The bureaucratic government experts told the media that 100,000 people could lose their jobs in February due to the blizzards.  The blizzards came and then Harry Reid thought it was really good news that only 36,000 Americans lost their jobs in February. 

Now the democrat controlled congress has passed a new jobs plan which looks the illegal workers in the eye and says: “you’re safe”.  And to the American citizens: “I feel your pain”.

Senate Passes Jobs Bill That Rewards Businesses for Hiring Illegal Aliens

The Senate voted 70-to-28, passing the $15 billion jobs package, including a $13 billion tax incentive for employers who hire new workers. The component of the bill exempts employers from paying payroll taxes if the new hire has been recently unemployed. The bill does not require the employers to use E-Verify, so employers could receive tax incentives for hiring illegal aliens.

Senators Urge Majority Leader Reid to Include Immigration-Related Amendments in Jobs Bill

The statistics are sobering. Currently 15.3 million Americans are officially unemployed. If one adds the number of Americans who are underemployed, what the Department of Labor calls the U-6 unemployment rate, that number jumps to 26.5 million. Meanwhile, there are between 7 and 8 million illegal aliens in the U.S. labor market, many of whom have only recently entered the country.

No, politically correct sensibilities would not allow profiling of our illegal immigrants within our borders and kick them out of the country, but another country has no qualms about it.  They are protecting their citizens.  With Passover approaching, the nation of Israel is working to clean out illegal workers by sending out the Oz unit spying for illegal workers.  

I heard about Jessica for the first time this morning as she was highlighted on the Crystal Cathedral morning worship service.   The story of Jessica Cox is inspiring.  What a testimony.  What determination. 

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Even though she was born without arms, Jessica Cox never says "can’t."  Instead of saying she can’t do something, Cox prefers to say, "I haven’t figured it out yet."

Amazing parents.

When Jessica was born without arms, she said her dad never shed a tear for her.   Jessica. speaking about her father, says: “He never saw me as a victim. I never had that as an excuse, that I was a victim of my condition. This is just who I am and I’m not a victim of anything.”

Nobody needs to ever worry about Jessica.  She’s a winner.  Her parents are winners. 

She’ll never be waiting around for someone from the government to come and help. 

Nick Vujicic is another one, born without arms or legs he’s now a testimony to the love of God, as he travels around the world giving inspirational Christian testimonies.  He heads up the Life Without Limbs organization.

"Consider it pure joy, my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

Tiger made his statements today and included in his remarks about his selfish behavior was the statement that he “felt like he was entitled”   Entitled to what?   Irresponsible behavior at the expense of others.

“I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.”

Because he was on top of the world in his profession, had a million plus  a year income, had the fans and the media worshiping his skill at hitting a golf ball, he did not feel responsible to those fans who paid to watch him play and purchased his sponsors products, by acting morally responsible himself.   He left his former ways.  He never thought of who he was hurting.    

Sounds like many of our politicians who have done the same, thinking the same, that the rules do not apply to them.

Thus, being on top of the world, Tiger felt he could do whatever he wanted and the normal rules of responsible moral behavior and accountability that apply to the rest of us did not apply to him.

We the people of this country have the same feeling about our current political class, those politicians who have been re-elected over and over again, that they feel they are entitled to run the country and spend our tax monies in any way they wish.  They feel they are entitled to their power, after all, the voters keep pulling the lever for them.  They feel they are entitled to spend our taxes as if there was no tomorrow, after all, the voters keep re-electing them.  They feel as if they’ve been given the freedom to engage in irresponsible behavior neglecting the principles put forth in the constitution because the voters keep them in office.  They make the rules but don’t expect those rules to apply to themselves.  The laws that apply to the rest of us don’t apply to them.

That’s the entitlement feeling.

And then there is a small portion of our population who have been on welfare and after a period of time feel they are entitled to continue receiving those funds without responsibly trying to do like the rest of us.

The time has come to make “real” changes.