The "Hero" That Wasn't...

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Op-Ed

When did America become so desperate for heroes, and when did we stop recognizing the real ones..?  We don’t have to look hard to find them as they are everywhere; they don the uniforms of our military every day and stand in harm’s way on our behalf; they are cops, firefighters, first responders, and struggling single parents. 

They are grieving Gold Star Mothers and Fathers, brothers and sisters, widows and widowers, and the children of those lost on the battlefields at home and abroad; and they are so many others who just do the best they can on a daily basis just to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and fed.

The word “hero” is defined thusly; “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” 

I would suggest that the definition flies in the face of today’s current “hero” who many say was referred to as “song bird” by an enemy.

Depending upon which version of the “accident” story is to be believed, It flies in the face of someone whose actions and carelessness while on board the USS Forrestal probably resulted in the deaths of 133 men and caused extensive damage to the ship, not to mention the cover up which ensued because of the influence of his Four Star Admiral and Supreme Commander of the Pacific Fleet father who certainly ensured that he was spared facing a court martial or any real repercussions.

It flies in the face of a man who came home to his badly injured wife who had held things together during his absence and he gradually tossed her aside when it suited him, and it flies in the face of someone who while serving in office was among the most corrupt and worst senators in US history, regularly voting against the wishes of his constituents and party. 

This same man coddled the candidate who easily defeated him in his final run for POTUS to the point that he publicly stated he wanted that now former president to be one of the eulogists at his funeral; and after constantly speaking out against the current president, flatly snubbed him for doing the job he was elected to do by his base.  I could go on.

I understand the pressure that POTUS is under to simply bite his tongue at this time; and he will because he is a statesman and is too smart to do otherwise. 

The usual cadre of talking heads has already started to completely ignore the wrongful deeds of this “hero” and lavish false praise upon him; however, I will not.  There are many labels that one could assign to John McCain, but except for those on the left who are incapable of finding even a shred of decency, morality, or honor within their ranks, “hero” is absolutely not one of them.

I doubt that he is considered a hero by the families of those who lost their lives because of what he may have divulged to an enemy when interrogated, or by the families of his deceased shipmates; nor is he considered a hero by millions of American Patriots who were forced to suffer with arguably the single worst piece of legislation ever to come out of DC due to his vote. 

Is the bar really set so low now that we could be on the verge of one day acknowledging the treasonous Jane Fonda as an outstanding American for her collusion with the enemy..?!  Will we set aside a day to honor the murderer Che Guevara given his lofty prominence in liberal circles and the adornment of his images on swim wear..?!  Are Saul Alinsky, Bill Ayers, Frank Marshall Davis, and Margaret Sanger candidates for high honors…?! 

A lot of people may not like hearing the truth about this man, and so be it.  I have often used this platform to speak the truth about many others, including #44; and I’m here to tell you that if I’m alive when he crosses over into whatever awaits him in Eternity, I’m not about to offer a sugar coated, flowery dissertation for him either.  This idea that when someone dies their misdeeds should somehow be erased from the public discourse is nonsense.

While I have empathy for his surviving family members; truth be known, the passing of John McCain is the end of an outright stain on US Politics.  

We would do well to stick to the true definition of the word “hero” before we paste it on anymore individuals who simply don’t live up to it. 

Social Security Turns 83, Charles Ponzi Is Still Blushing...

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Op-Ed

Imagine if all the financial institutions in America created a deal that sounded anything like this.  “We are going to take 6.2% of every dollar you earn and deposit from now on and start putting it away, interest free, and we’re going to make your employer match it.  We will probably make a few dollars with that money, (maybe even a lot) but don’t you concern yourself with that.  All you need to know is that we are going to put that money into a “jar” for you and pay back some of it to you when you are no longer able to work and retire, until you die.  In the meantime, before you do retire or die, we are going to give it to people you don’t know and probably wouldn’t like for lots of different reasons that we may deem appropriate..!  And here’s the best part, we actually will keep track of how much we put in the “jar” for you, just because y’know, we like to keep records and such; however, if you die before you retire or any time thereafter, the only person who will receive any of your hard earned money is your spouse if you have one, and/or any minor children until they turn 18.  If you don’t have one, we will overlook that you might have any kind of estate, and simply continue giving it to those other people you don’t know.  By the way, you have no choice in the matter.”

Several things would take place after the banks made such an announcement.  First of all, no clear thinking individual would willingly sign up for a “new deal” like that, the depositors would not only stop putting money in those banks, they would smartly withdraw every dime; they would force the government to put an end to the practice and round up the “banksters” immediately and lock them away for malfeasance, fraud, theft, and lots of other related crimes, which they of course would so that we’d continue voting for them.

But what a minute, what if that actually did happen..?! 

Well, lo and behold, it did..!  In fact, it happened eighty-three years ago today.  However, the only difference to the above story is that it wasn’t the financial institutions that did the stealing; it was the Federal Government under the leadership of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

They painted it with floral colored brushes, saying it was good for everyone; they paraded lots of older folks who looked like our dear old aunts and uncles, and who would be able to begin receiving benefits immediately since the government necessarily saw fit to “salt” the mine as it were.  They “salted” it with taxpayer dollars that they stole from the treasury; then they forced us via legislation to contribute to the program with a small percentage of every dollar we earned so that we could all have something to supplement our savings with in our Golden Years, and they stressed how important it was for a great nation to take care of the old and infirm.

And it all sounded good and even worked for a while until people started to wise up and realize that it would be nearly impossible to get back even a small fraction of what was put in because there were all sorts of rules set up to determine how much of a benefit you would receive.  If you kept working long after the age of retirement, they gave you less of a benefit; until at some point you received the “maximum” benefit; either way, you would never live long enough to get back what you put in.

The most simplified explanation of how it was supposed to work is as follows; once an individual started his or her working life, he or she enrolled in the Social Security System and a small percentage of their pay was deducted and matched by their employer who in turn sent it along to the Social Security Administration where it was added to the account of the worker.  When the program started there were lots more workers than retirees, so it was easy to keep the cash flowing; however, the worker/retiree ratio began to swing the other way rapidly as the “baby boomers” began to age and retire, so that now, there are not sufficient workers contributing to support those receiving benefits.  I.E., it is unsustainable and most certainly all but bankrupt.

A large part of the reason for the breathtaking deficit is that huge chunks of the monies deposited were allocated to other programs that were never intended to be part of the system.

A major factor for this colossal failure is that the government, the same government that mismanages everything, gave itself control of mandated retirement funds instead of allowing a consortium of private money management firms to manage and invest those funds properly and allow for growth to create actual wealth for each individual. 

Such a system could have used the same withholding percentages and allowed for everyone who contributed to it to build a tidy nest egg that would be willable to heirs and not be reliant on the work of others to maintain.  It would also have held the financial institutions accountable and liable for proper handling.

It couldn’t have been more of a scam if Charles Ponzi himself had dreamed it up…!

Seventy-Three Years Ago Today…!

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Op-Ed

A nightmarish attack, a hard fought war, two massive bombs, and an unconditional surrender by the attackers.

Once upon a time in America, we fought our enemies and prosecuted wars with the singular intention of “we win, you lose.”  There was no playing nice, no warning of attacks, no “exit strategies” that included telling them when we would just up and leave.  And certainly no concern about which group of “snowflakes” might get offended and need to retire to their “safe place.”

Instead, if and when we got attacked and took a hit, such as we did on December 7, 1941, we would brace ourselves, lick our wounds, tend to our wounded and bury our dead, and then confront the aggressor.

And that is exactly what we did in the immediate days following that infamous day in 1941 when 2403 American military men and civilian personnel perished during a surprise attack by forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

The history of that attack and the war that ensued is well documented.  Even still, to this day, there are some on the left who refuse to accept the accounts and want to revise the story more to their liking.

What is irrefutable is that we suddenly found ourselves caught up in yet another world war on two very inhospitable, separate fronts on opposite sides of the globe from each other, fighting desperate enemies who really didn’t like each other, but hated us more.  The European Theatre had already been raging for two years, and our allies on that front were taking a beating.

In answer to the attack, we declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, and three days later, their ally, Germany, declared war on us.

So we fought alongside our allies, we and they had victories and suffered losses together, but there was something different on both sides of the equation. 

Our enemies made up of the Axis powers were as absolutely determined to be victorious as we were, and what it really came down to was who would make the fewest miscalculations and kill more of the other; I.E., who wanted it more, the aggressor or the defender…?!

From the day that Germany made its declaration of war and we became involved, the war in Europe lasted 1244 days culminating in the unconditional surrender of the Nazis on May 5, 1945.

With the majority of allied troops now freed up, all of the Allied Countries focused their attention, troops and resources on ending the war in the Pacific; and a very determined enemy was preparing to stay in the fight until the very last drop of blood from their last soldier was spilled along with the blood of as many of our troops as possible.

The top secret Manhattan Project was complete and we had successfully tested an Atomic Bomb in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.

America was tired of her sons and daughters coming home in body bags; we’d been victorious in Europe, and the threat of a protracted war against Japan with millions more lost on both sides loomed very large, and President Harry Truman was faced with a couple of scenario choices. 

He could either let the war continue for who knows how long and then have to explain to the country and families of countless dead Americans why he didn’t use a massive, war ending weapon that was at his disposal; or he could use that weapon and face criticism from those who would never have agreed to it.  Even a future president, #44, criticized him by virtue of offering an apology to Japan for this nation having done so.

He rightly chose to get it over with and the order was given; on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 in the morning, the Enola Gay, piloted by Paul Tibbetts dropped the first Atomic weapon ever used against an enemy.  Somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 people died and many more were severely wounded.

While there can be no doubt that Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese War Council became unnerved and aghast by the damage wrought by that first bomb, they refused to accept demands for surrender.

So, on August 9, 1945, a second bomber was deployed and headed to its first target of Kokura; however, inclement weather forced the pilot to opt for the secondary target of Nagasaki and at noon on that day the 5 ton “Fat Man” was dropped over that city.

Then, understanding beyond a shadow of a doubt that the United States was capable and willing to continue using these weapons, Japan announced on August 14, 1945 that it would surrender unconditionally and did so formally on September 2, 1945 on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

With that surrender, the war with Japan officially ended 1365 days after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor which started it.  We defeated an enemy that attacked us because we had the means, resolve, and strong leadership to do it.  But if history teaches us nothing else about war, it teaches us that there are no real winners, as both sides always lose much.  As the victor, and at great expense of personnel and materiel, we maintained our way of life; as the aggressor, Japan had nothing to show except lots of dead people, destroyed families and grieving loved ones.

As I reflect on that period, it strikes me once again that back then our enemies lived far away and wore unambiguous, definitive uniforms.  In today’s very real, if undeclared, war, the enemy wears no identifying uniforms; due to PC nonsense, we have welcomed them with open arms and they have infiltrated our culture and live among us at every level and rung on the social ladder.  They are LEOs, Firefighters, Judges, Lawyers, elected officials; they may be your next door neighbor and you may even call them your friend. 

That makes them a far more dangerous enemy than the one living far away wearing a uniform; because while they can be and are recognized by their words and actions by those who can read between the lines, they use our own laws against us and we can’t end today’s war with a once and for all bomb. 

Think about that and let it sink in America..!

Treason by Trump…?! What did I miss..?!

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Op-Ed

I saw two mostly cold adversaries; the President of the United States and the President of Russia on a stage taking questions from the media after a private meeting between the two leaders.  I saw them both being poised and “presidential.”  I saw two ideologically opposed men standing next to each other whose countries have rightfully never trusted each other and have narrowly escaped war with each other on a number of occasions.  I saw two fathers, both with grandchildren who have no reason to trust each other and may or may not even like each other much, but who, for the sake of their own families and countries cannot help but respect each other and be willing to sit down together.

I heard a US President disagree with our “intelligence” community by emphatically stating that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russian actors, and somehow this is being labelled as treason by some.  Well gee whiz, in a time when, in spite of an admitted preponderance of evidence to the contrary against a real criminal, Hillary Clinton, the then Director of the FBI decided and declared that “no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case,” while a top tiered agent sent numerous text messages on his issued phone to discuss with his girlfriend his complete disdain for then Candidate Trump, “they” haven’t exactly been what one might call pillars of integrity lately. 

In case you’ve been in a coma, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, with the all too willing assistance of the media has been attempting to set POTUS up by conducting a bogus investigation into so called Russian interference of our last election.  Speaking of that “investigation,” a friend of mine, Sybele Capezzutti offered this great thought, “…normally there is an investigation when there is a crime to solve.  But somehow, Mueller and the democrats are getting away with spending millions on a year-long investigation not to solve a crime, but to find a crime instead.”

I might add, my friend Wild Bill posed this tongue in cheek question yesterday, "who do you trust more, the President of Russia or today's Democrat Party...?"  That's a no brainer...!

I guess people choose to conveniently forget that Donald Trump was NOT the president when the election took place; so any meddling by the Russians, which is nothing new in the first place, should rightly fall squarely on the shoulders of #44 and his DOJ. 

However, it is certainly reasonable to imagine that #44 and his administration might very well have looked the other way while such meddling was occurring given that it was his administration that allowed the sale of 20% of our weapons grade Uranium to those very same Russians, and it was he, #44 who told then Russian President and now Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev while a hot mic was nearby that he “could be more flexible after the election.”  That is evidence of just two occasions where he committed treasonous acts which scream for his post term impeachment, and could and should be investigated, but haven’t been due to the unimaginable double standards set in place by the ruling elite.

Another reason that #44 might not have been concerned about the “meddling” is that I believe any interference the Russians might have been involved with during that election would very likely have been orchestrated to assist the losing candidate because they clearly understood that a President Trump would not be a weak “draw a bunch of lines in the sand” kind of president, and they would most certainly face a formidable opponent who would stare them down.  Clearly they knew that if the losing candidate had won, they would have been able to buy everything except maybe the launch codes for our nuclear arsenal.

And by the way, the Russians by no means own the rights to meddling in foreign elections as we’ve done more than our share as well.

Interestingly, while all this is going on, in California, Chicago, Boston, and probably lots of other places; certainly tons more by 2020, illegal aliens are now being allowed to vote in “minor” local elections, and 2020 will undoubtedly be cleared for the major elections as well, because what the hell, liberal democrats have to win somehow..!  Let me repeat that so it really sinks in, “illegal aliens are now being allowed to vote in “minor” local elections…!”   

Can anyone please explain to me how allowing illegal aliens to vote is NOT aiding and abetting foreign actors to meddle in our elections, and given enough numbers and multiple opportunities to vote, they certainly pose a real threat to sway any given election..?!  How is that NOT treason, and why is it not being investigated by Robert Mueller and his Democrat bosses..?!

Getting back to POTUS for a moment though; if he had come out swinging at Mr. Putin for any meddling, the left would have either accused him of being too aggressive or not swinging hard enough.  Like everything else that he does, he cannot win with the leftist media.

However, he cannot lose with his supporters either.  This president has been doing exactly what we put him in office to do; sure he is going to make some mistakes along the way, however we elected him to be captain of the ship, we are his crew, and we must weather the never ending media storms with him.  No matter what..!

So I urge all patriotic Americans to support him with your actions and prayers, because while I don’t know if we can ever fully recover from decades of damage, I know for sure that if he isn’t supported and re-elected, the wolves are at the gates and America will cease to exist as we know it.  

#MAGA

Why the blind hate...?!

Written by David DiCrescenzo on . Posted in Op-Ed

If your angst against President Trump is factually based on real issues, perhaps we can have a dialogue; however, if your angst is merely baseless hatred fueled by leftist news outlets and party “loyalty,” all I can do is offer you a moist tissue…!

Really, I don’t understand the vitriol of the left where it concerns President Trump.  There have been presidents that I haven’t liked, but I could give lucid, concrete reasons why I took exception to them; in every case, I could write a list of issues.  Some people may not have agreed with my list, but no one could say I was blindly against them just because.

So I decided to challenge those who blindly spew hatred for this president with some questions.

Is it the great economy that you hate..? 

Are you upset that the unemployment rate in all sectors is lower than it has been in over 45 years..? 

Perhaps your angst is derived from the fact that both friend and foe respect us more than they have in decades..?  They may not like us more, but they do respect us.

How about this, six months ago it looked as if we might be on the verge of nuclear war with NOKO and now they may be getting a McDonald’s Franchise; is it not better to find our president sitting across the table from Kim Jung Un having a chat rather than sabre rattling with the very real possibility of trading nukes..?!

The DJIA has added over $4T in value, is that a problem..?!

How about the tax reform and the repeal of the forced ACA mandate..?!

What of deporting 36% more MS-13 gang members; is that a bad thing..?!

I guess if you think entering our country illegally is okay, you must hate the crackdown on “sanctuary cities.”

Are you upset because we are finally curbing the wasteful spending in every Federal Department, including the military, not to mention having his presidential salary donated to charities..?!

Does saving babies from being murdered by the abortion industry largely on the taxpayer’s dime have your underwear in a wad..?!

Let’s see, improving the VA by allowing senior officials the ability to actually fire non-performing employees is somehow bad..?!

I have to believe that minimizing ISIS to the point that we rarely hear of them these days must be awful for you..?!

Do you find fault with supporting Israel, our closest ally, by establishing an Embassy in Jerusalem..?!

Are you concerned that some previous officials that you worship may actually face criminal charges for things you or I would have long ago been jailed for…?!

I could go on and on, but I think you get my point.  You may not like some of these things, however you certainly understand that I can actually list what I like about this man, and I ask again; which of these things is worthy of the endless vitriol I see daily..?!

Worse yet, if the truth be known, would you not have celebrated like crazy if #42 or #44 had been able to accomplish some of the items above…?! 

To prove out that last point, how is it when #42 and #44 called for better border security you applauded them..?! 

How can anyone reconcile #44 receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for merely taking the oath of office and giving a few speeches as opposed to #45 actually sitting down across from a real foe and opening real dialogue..?!

I have barely scratched the surface of a very successful president, a man who has accomplished more in just less than a year and a half than the last four presidents combined.

So here is my challenge...!  Put the blind hate aside and ask yourself, “what has this president actually done that offends you..?”