Bloody irony.

President Barack Obama has lifted the ban on Federal funds being used overseas to promote or provide abortions. The ban, often referred to as the Mexico City Policy, was first put in place by Ronald Reagan. It was lifted by Bill Clinton and reinstated by George W. Bush. Most of the funding for abortion counseling and provision will be directed at third world countries.

President Obama's action is not surprising given his previous pro-death record concerning the unborn. It is a bit ironic though. A man who stated on the campaign trail that determination of the unborn's right to life was above his pay grade has now determined that they have no right to life. Was his pay grade raised? Perhaps. Was he simply lying to avoid a difficult question? More likely.

I find the lifting of the ban by America's first black president to be somewhat fascinating, much like watching a car wreck take place. To see any minority promoting any type of pro-abortion agenda is enough to warm the heart of ethnic cleansing proponents such as Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger.

In America today, blacks make up approximately 13 percent of the population. They account for 33 percent of abortions performed. Some sources estimate that one in two black babies are killed in the womb. The majority of abortion clinics are located in either black or Hispanic neighborhoods. The two ethnic groups together account for over half of all abortions performed in the United States.

Sanger would be thrilled were she still alive. As a proponent of eugenics, she agreed with Adolf Hitler about the weaker races and the need to cull them. However, she thought that he was too broad in his scope and too brutal in his methods. The current situation fixes that problem. Rather than round up the minorities, let them gradually kill themselves off. After all, if it's their idea, who are whites to argue?

All in all, the entire situation is incredibly sad. It does beg one question though. Since President Obama is apparently now pulling down enough to make determinations regarding the life and death of the unborn, just how much is he being paid to be one of the top white supremacists in America today?

After action report - Prairie Grove, Arkansas

Traveled down to Arkansas this past weekend to participate in the reenactment of the battle of Prairie Grove. Fortunately my folks live about 45 minutes away in eastern Oklahoma so Mrs. Spiff and the youngsters had a warm place to stay over the weekend.

Arrived at my parents' Thursday evening and caught a last rest in a real bed before the event. On Friday morning my brother called and let me know that he would be unable to make the trip to join me. Undaunted, I headed off into the December afternoon with the intent of getting set up in the daylight. Amazingly I did just that, got some wood gathered, and started a fire prior to the arrival of anyone else in my unit. As the evening wore on various men from the 9th trickled in but nowhere near the numbers that we had been told to expect.

Saturday dawned bright and cool. Not as cold as forecast. Surprisingly I had remained warm and comfortable all night. Soon the fire was going and morning salutes taken care of. That done we settled down to burn and devour breakfast. A rations issue followed and then brigade drill for most of the morning. During drill Mrs. Spiff and the young fry arrived. Spiff Jr. enjoyed performing his own drill with his wooden musket. Following drill it was back to camp for a quick lunch. Spiff Jr. was quick to show off his new shirt and vest to the members of the 9th and then it was time to fall in for the battle.

For most of the battle we waited in reserve. After the Yankees had gained the crest of the hill in front of the Borden house we were called up and hit them square in the flank. Down they tumbled and we pursued to the bottom of the hill where our formations were broken up by Federal artillery stationed across the field. We returned to the top of the hill and reformed. That ended the combat for the day.

Following the battle we had word that the paymaster had reached the army. Spiff Jr. managed to rejoin us for this and received his full two months pay of six dollars Confederate. Needless to say, he was thrilled. Then we were called back into formation for mail call. Period letters were passed out and some were quite amusing. Then it was time to clean muskets. As I finished this task the shadows began to lengthen and the temperature started to drop. The family headed off to warmer quarters and I joined the rest of the unit in preparing a stew that turned out quite well. After some fellowship around the fire I headed off to bed.

Sunday morning was actually a bit warmer than Saturday although the night had been cooler. I managed to stay warm all the same. Following morning formation and breakfast we had church call. Decent sermon and welcome as always. Then it was off to a rapid-fire competition. Much to my surprise I managed to pull off a first place finish.

Shortly after noon we again formed for battle. This time we were the lead battalion. We advanced down the slope to meet the Yanks in the open field and carnage followed. We slugged it out with infantry and artillery before falling back to the base of the hill. Our ranks were thinned and the enemy pressed us. All appeared lost. The color sergeant removed the flag from the staff, stuffed it in his jacket, and took to his heels. I followed suit. We remained at the top of the hill until the end of the battle.

Following the battle it was one final formation and then off for home. I drove back to my folks and managed to get in before dark.

Overall it was a good event. Extra welcome since I had been unable to get out to any of the others this year. The weather cooperated and there were many familiar faces. Prairie Grove is also always special because we get to reenact on the actual battlefield. That is a rare treat and much appreciated.

Murderous irony.

I find it amusing that a large number of today's pro-choice politicians were once active in the Vietnam peace movement.

In the 1960's and 70's the John Kerry and Jane Fonda types made life miserable on soldiers, sailors, and airmen returning from Vietnam. Meeting the returning servicemen in the airports, they would scream and spit at them. By the mid 1970's returning veterans were being told not to wear their uniforms on the flight home.

One of the favorite labels that the peace protesters hung on the military was the thread-bare "Baby Killer" tag. How ironic. The same folks who shouted "Baby Killer!" at soldiers returning with honor now defend a woman's "right" to kill her child for any and all reasons or for none at all. These same people who cursed and reviled the military refuse to stop doctors from stabbing infants in the back of the head with scissors.

Apparently the hippies of the sixties have now devolved into the hypocrites of the new millennium.

Hold that thought.

I was working a case and telephoned dispatch to ask for some information on the suspect. The dispatcher started on what I needed and then asked if she could put me on hold. Sure, I said.

After a few seconds my in-car radio crackled to life. It was dispatch calling me. The same dispatcher who had me on hold. I checked to make sure I was still on hold. Yup. Ok, keyed up the mic and let dispatch know that I was tied up on the phone with dispatch. Click, the phone picked up. Sorry about that, the dispatcher said. She told me that she knew she had someone on hold but had forgotten it was me.

Say what?!?!

Good deal?

It's been awhile since I posted. In the interim, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. I must say that I have never been so embarrassed or ashamed to be an American as I was watching the election results come it.

My reaction was sparked in part by Mr. Obama's color. Not his skin color, the red of his politics. Mr. Obama's socialist tendencies are well documented and must have the Founding Fathers spinning in their graves.

It is hard for me to see how Mr. Obama's plan to "spread the wealth around" can co-exist with any sense of freedom and personal responsibility. When the government is willing to take care of one's family, a sense of duty is lifted. No longer does a breadwinner have to make decisions based on what will best provide for their family. If a person wishes to do without a job or take a job that cannot pay the bills, that is fine. The government is there to make sure that the "wealthy" help out their fellow man. With everything from food to clothing to medical care, the citizen may rest easy, the government is there.

Admittedly some of this is already in place, but Mr. Obama has proposed the biggest expansion of government entitlements since FDR's New Deal. Like FDR, Mr. Obama is not planning on letting the lagging economy stand in his way. Rather he intends to use it as an excuse to "take care of" the American people.

There is perhaps one small catch to such an increase in government largess. It may do us well to remember that the government that is powerful enough to provide you with any service will also be powerful enough to require any service from you. Perhaps we will find that government benefits do not come cheap.

Interesting take.

"We of the North couldn't make it [slavery] pay, so we are convinced that it is the sum of all villainy. Our plan is more profitable; we take care of no children or sick people except as paupers, while the owners of slaves have to provide for them from birth till death. So how we view the issue depends on what kind of glasses we use.

If we of the North were called upon to endure one half as much as the Southern people and soldiers do, we would abandon the cause and let the Southern Confederacy be established. We pronounce their cause unholy, but they consider it sacred enough to suffer and die for. Our forefathers in the Revolutionary struggle could not have endured more than these Rebels.

A nation preserved with liberty trampled underfoot is much worse than a nation in fragments but with the spirit of liberty still alive. Southerners persistently claim that their rebellion is for the purpose of preserving this form of government."

- Private John H. Haley
17th Maine, US

A couple of fascinating points here. Private Haley seems to think that the North's opposition to slavery had little or nothing to do with moral concerns. He last paragraph is one which concisely sums up the views of the South about the war. Much more need not be said.

Child custody dispute.

The young woman wanted a police officer to accompany her to her mother's house and retrieve her child. The grandmother had been keeping the child and now would not return him to his mother. I asked the young mother for her name and her mother's name. She gave them to me and I immediately recalled the grandmother.

Grandma had come into the Police Department a month or two earlier. She explained to me that her daughter had left her grandson in her care and had taken off with no explanation as to where she was going, how to contact her, or when she would return. Grandma wanted to know what to do to be able to keep the child. I told her to immediately contact an attorney and inquire about getting custody. From what I had heard about her daughter and was now observing with her and the little boy, he was better off with Grandma. I stooped to talk to the little guy, about the age of my own son. I then wished Grandma luck on getting custody. She thanked me and left. Now I was on my way to her apartment with her daughter and hoping she had gotten the paperwork done, or at least started.

As soon as Mom and I started up the walk, Grandma came out of the apartment. She didn't want us on the premises. I asked her if the woman with me was Mom. She admitted that she was. I then asked her for any paperwork giving her legal custody of her grandson. She had none. I would have settled for anything to muddy the water a little and allow me to leave the boy with Grandma. There was nothing. She hadn't even called a lawyer. I was incredulous and out of options. I told her she would need to turn the lad over to his mother. She protested, pointing out rightfully that she was the better guardian. I explained that I had no choice without some kind of legal paperwork to back me up. We entered the apartment.

Mom gathered up the boy and some of his clothes and started out the door. The child began to cry and call for Grandma. Mom carried him out the door as I looked at the floor. It wasn't right, Mom taking this child, but it was legal and I had no options. Right at my feet was a toy hammer identical to the one that my own little boy would be playing with when I returned home. Mom carried the young one to the car, buckled him in, and drove away without a backward glance. She hadn't even told Grandma goodbye or how to contact her.

I had Mom's contact information and decided to pass it on to Grandma. She would need it if she decided to pursue custody. I cleared my throat and began to speak. Grandma cut me off. She began to yell at me that I shouldn't have let her daughter take her grandson. I tried to explain that I had no choice. Unheeding, she got louder. I didn't care about children at all, she explained. I was probably corrupt anyway on top of it all. If the child died or was injured as a result of her daughter's lack of care she would be sure to let me know since it would be my fault and should rest on my conscience. Of course I probably didn't have one. I could leave now that I had put her grandson in danger, probably had donuts to eat or bribes to collect anyway.

That was enough. After five minutes of the tirade I cut Grandma off. My turn I told her. Shut up and listen. She had been told previously to get the paperwork in order to avoid just such a situation as this. She didn't do it. Not my problem. Having a boy of my own of the same age I understood her frustration and did care.

That seemed to catch her by surprise but she quickly rallied. What she had or hadn't done didn't matter. I had no right to let the boy's mother take him. Having my own lad didn't insure my sensitivity, my boy was undoubtedly white and her grandson was black. I just hated black children and it didn't matter to me if they lived or died. I was a racist and didn't value her grandson as much as I would have a white child in the same circumstances. Had the boy been white I would have acted differently.

I turned, walked back to my car, and left. As I pulled away from the curb I called dispatch and advised them that I was done with the call.