President Trump Played the Hand He Was Dealt

I have seen many posts and commentaries critical of the President for signing the Omnibus spending bill into law. I do not think that there was anything more that he could gain by vetoing the bill.

His top priority was to rebuild our nation’s military after nearly a decade of neglect. This bill took a big step in that direction.

Other initiatives such as building the wall, defunding Planned Parenthood, and reforms in the Veteran’s Administration were passed over by Congress. It is neither reasonable nor realistic to believe that Congress would have improved any of these other initiatives.

Republicans control both the House and Senate. It does not appear that they put up much of a fight in the bill that they gave the President. If they did not have his back at the beginning, he certainly could not expect them to have his back to support a veto.

It took a fork lift to deliver the 2200 page bill to the President. When it arrived at the Whitehouse, he looked down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol. All he could see were taxi cabs and Uber cars with members of Congress scrambling to get to the airport.

Congress is supposed to pass a budget and the President sign it before October 1 of each year. When they do not have their act together in time, they merely pass a short term extension.

For this year they extended through December 8, then December 22, then January 19, then February 8, then March 23. I count five times they kicked the can down the road. There is no evidence that anything substantive took place during those temporary extensions.

Here is the real ugly truth. The 2200 pages were churned out by lobbyists and congressional staffers who then packaged it up for a handful of elected members of Congress.

Those few members, from both parties, then push it out to the rest of the members giving little or no time for debate, much less time to read it. This is all under a cloud of imminent disaster if it is not passed by the deadline – which by then is literally hours away.

Georgia Senator David Perdue is on a lonely crusade to change the budget process. Along the way he has built support for his ideas. Congress even established a joint study committee to consider changes in the budget process.

We are now 6 months away from the next budget being due. Maybe I should more correctly say that we are six months away from the next season of kick the can.

Republicans in Congress need to stand up for the agenda on which they have been running and getting elected. Fund the wall, defund Planned Parenthood, and reduce the size of government.

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Two WWII Vets Reminisce

Two WWII Vets talking and eating soup

Robert Cole (l) & Billy Forrest (r)

These two veterans of World War II are enjoying a bowl of homemade vegetable soup and talking about their Army days. They might not be alive today had it not been for an historic decision made by President Harry Truman.

As WWII was coming to a close on the European front, attention turned to the Pacific and Japan. Among options available, a massive invasion of Japan similar to Normandy was on the table.

There was a big difference in Normandy and Japan. Normandy was in France, a nation occupied by the German army. Japan was not an occupied nation.

An invasion of Japan would have been an invasion of the homeland of a people who had already demonstrated a willingness, even desire, to heroically die for their country. Normandy would have been a small skirmish contrasted to the American lives that would be lost in an invasion of Japan.

Another option was a secret weapon that was ready for deployment. This weapon would reign destruction and terror of such a magnitude that the Japanese might choose to surrender. President Truman decided to use the new weapon.

On August 6, 1945 the first atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. Sixteen hours later, President Truman called for Japan’s unconditional surrender or, “expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.”

The Japanese leaders fiercely debated among themselves about continuing the fight for favorable conditions of cease fire or accepting the American demands. On the evening of August 8, the Soviet Union broke their neutrality treaty with Japan and declared war. Shortly after midnight August 9, the Soviets moved into Manchuria.

Later that day, the Americans dropped the 2nd atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Japanese Emporor Hirohito had enough and ordered the Japanese to accept unconditional surrender. He gave a radio address announcing the surrender on August 15.  On August 28, 1945, the Americans began the occupation and rebuilding of Japan.

Robert Cole and Billy Forrest were both draftees from Georgia. They were both sent to Japan as part of the American occupation at the end of the war. They were both assigned to the Signal Corp.

73 years later, they met each other for the first time. They compared notes and found out that both had been deployed to Japan immediately following the Japanese surrender.  Both were in the Signal Corp. Both recall going through a terrible storm on the way to Japan. They concluded that they might have been on the same ship.

They served in different locations in Japan. Instead of fighting the Japanese, they made friends with them and helped rebuild the nation. They were in Japan for about a year before being sent home and receiving their honorable discharges.

Robert Cole married and had two children. One of them was me.  Billy Forrest was already married when he was drafted but he and his wife never had children. Both of these men are now in their 90’s.

They have lived productive lives and impacted the lives of thousands. Billy became a pastor, plays the guitar and sings. He still preaches or pulls out his guitar and sings on ocassion today. Robert applied his Signal Corp training to work at Robins Air Force Base where he retired working in Foreign Weapons Sales. Today he loves to cook and design and build models from scratch.

I may write more about these men later. Both have a great story to tell.

These two men, along with thousands of other young Americans, could have easily been casualties on a Japanese beach in the Pacific Ocean. Billy Forrest could have left a widow back in Georgia. Instead, they were young Americans who befriended former enemies and helped to rebuild a new allied nation of Japan.

Personally, I am thankful that President Truman chose the nuclear option. My prayer is that we never have to use that option again. I also pray for the wisdom of courage of every American President who may have to weigh that decision and use it if necessary.

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Rest for Those Who Never Get It

Megan’s House is a place to offer rest for those who never get it. Let me tell you about it.

The birth of a child is a miracle that the word “awesome” does not begin to describe. A mother and father hold this new member of the world community and dream of the future for their precious child.

They dream of Little League, dance recitals, schooling, college, romance, career, and a host of other life events. Parents wonder what this little baby is going to be like. They imagine how their own parents may have felt when they came into the world and dream ahead for the one they now hold in their arms.

Then, they learn that this wonderful little person has a disability. Perhaps they get the news at birth or before. For some it may be months later. Whenever they learn it, their world changes and it changes radically.

At first there may be a shock of disbelief. They pray that there must be a mistake. Maybe the records got mixed up. Then there is a grasp of hope for a cure, a medical breakthrough that will bring everything back to “normal.”

Every newborn requires a lot of care. The average family with a healthy child knows that there will be sleepless nights. Feeding, changing diapers, and walking the floor with baby in arms in the midnight hours is tiresome and weary. The schedule is tiring but as the baby grows, parents know that things will get back to “normal.”

Parents of a child with a disability adjust to a new “normal.” That new normal carries with it a new perspective on life itself.

Parents of a child with a developmental disability will follow a new path in life. In many ways that new path will bring with it joy that they never could have imagined. That path brings a greater empathy and compassion for others.

That new path also brings with it a constant and overwhelming demand on resources – physical and emotional. A community cannot have enough bake sales, pork chop dinners, car washes, love offerings, and fund raisers to meet the costly needs.

The demand never ends. Don’t let that slip by you. It never ends – ever.

This is where Megan’s House steps in. Megan’s House is a program of Easter Seals of Southern Georgia that provides respite care for families with a child with developmental disabilities or who may be considered medically fragile.

The first home was in Albany and now there is a Megan’s House in Valdosta and Waycross. Easter Seals of Southern Georgia just opened their new Megan’s House that will accommodate up to four children at one time.

This linked video is two minutes. This will be a worthwhile investment of your time.

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