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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - Military - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

An Open Letter to General Wesley Clark (Ret.)

July 8, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

Dear Wesley:

Your recent comments on MEET THE PRESS June 29, 2008 are disturbing and entitled to rebuttal:

For example: You said: “He (John McCain) hasn’t held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded — that wasn’t a wartime squadron.”

Don’t you realize that the entire United States Senate will be unhappy to learn that you do not believe serving in either House of Congress involves executive responsibility?

Do you really believe it is wise to belittle John McCain’s six years in the House and his twenty years in the Senate when your candidate, Barack Obama is in his first term in the Senate? This also invites your opposition to point out that your candidate has never been qualified to command any “large squadron” at any time in his life.

Your most shocking statement was this: “I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.”

As a retired general with your many years of service, you should know there is a huge difference between flying an airplane and riding in one. In your eagerness to belittle John McCain’s background, you have insulted every pilot that ever flew a fighter plane since World War I.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - News - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

Find out who you really are at Chemeketa Community College

June 26, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

There is a surprising course awaiting your discovery in Chemeketa’s 2008 summer class schedule.

It is about something more important than computers, or history, or math, or nutrition or any of those things. In fact, this course may very well be dealing with the most important subject you can learn about in your entire life. I know this first-hand because I experienced this course last summer.

It is a three-hour course starting Saturday, June 28, and yes, if you haven’t guessed already, I’ve registered to experience it again this summer. Notice that I said “experience” this course rather than “take”. You can’t “take” this kind of course because it is an “experience” and one that will find a permanent home wherever your pleasant memories are kept.

When you “take” a course, as in History or Biology, you learn by using a combination of thought processes requiring logic, memory, reasoning, etc. Emotions have nothing to do with it. When you “experience” a course, you learn by using a combination of energies such as surprise, anger, bewilderment, fear, disgust, pleasure, etc. Emotions have everything to do with it. Yes, you can learn about emotions from courses in Psychology, Human Relations, Nursing, Counseling, etc. But you can learn much more about emotions by experiencing them rather than reading about them.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Religion - Science - Vince Johnson

An Open Letter to Einstein

May 21, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

The media has reported that Einstein wrote a letter containing the following quote:

“The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.”
(The word “god” was not capitalized in the article.)

The comment is from a letter he wrote in 1954 to a German philosopher known as Eric Gutkind. Einstein was 75 when he wrote the letter, so it is very likely his conclusion was based upon a lifetime of serious consideration. (Einstein died in 1955.)

I don’t know if this quote is factual, but if Einstein had written that letter to me, here is how I would have responded:
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00Publius Contributor - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes

So Sue Me

April 6, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

During political campaigns we hear a lot about the need for change. I’ve been hearing about change since I was wheeled around in a baby buggy and have decided it is true; whenever things get messy a change is required, and that includes politicians as well as diapers. On the other hand, some things are never changed. Like political promises. I have been hearing the same political promises since I was 12 years old (68 years ago) and things are messier than ever. We’ve all heard the same old line: Fiscal responsibility. Improvements in public education. Making college education more affordable. Reducing and simplifying income taxes. Affordable health insurance. Reducing government waste. Keeping America safe and secure via effective law enforcement.

But what about reality? Fiscal irresponsibility is at a level of chaos we cannot even imagine. The drop-out rate in our high schools keeps going up. College educations are becoming unaffordable for millions. Income taxes are going up for some, down for others, and getting far to complicated for most. Health insurance is far beyond the reach of several million Americans. Government squandering has reached catastrophic levels. Our immigration laws have not been effectively enforced for over 70 years.

The most alarming reality of all deals with our “News Media” which has chosen to report on all of the above in the least informative manner possible. They devote millions of dollars worth of prime time “news” to intimate details on the psychological problems of people like Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith. Barrels of ink are poured into stories about corporate scandals like Enron and Global Crossing. Tons of newsprint and glossy paper are wasted on political embarrassments arising from senatorial affairs in airport restrooms and escort services used by a state governor. News about the war and terrorism is a continual mix of confusing contradictions.
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - Race - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

The Very Predictable and Very Convenient Deadlock

March 30, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

Some will say the Clinton/Obama bashing and counter bashing is a clever orchestration arranged by moles working for Al Gore. The more they bash and counter-bash, the bigger the hero he will be when he suddenly arrives just in time to convert his party into an unstoppable effort to put himself in the Oval Office.

Others will say this is simply a case of mismanaged political strategies that are playing into Al Gores hands. This scenario was predictable so why not sit back and wait for the most appropriate moment to make a move? Why should he spend his money or energy running for President until his opponents spend all of theirs convincing America that neither one is fit to be President?

Is the Clinton/Obama deadlock by design or by accident? I say it doesn’t matter. I say it is not only “convenient” to Gore’s ambitions, it was sufficiently predictable to count on as a stepping stone of “heroic” proportions. When two candidates are perceived as equally inexperienced, it is predictable that both candidates will focus on the other’s weaknesses rather than the issues. When two candidates have a young and extremely dedicated following, there will be impulsive trash talk and there will also be emotionally driven remarks that belittle those they were aimed at them as well as those who uttered them. In their efforts to tear each other apart, they will tear themselves apart. And Mr. Gore will arrive as a great and benevolent hero without spending a dime!
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00Publius Contributor - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - GOP - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Vince Johnson

If You’re a Teenager, Listen up

March 28, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

This picture was taken back in 1950’s when I was in my teens. If you don’t know who I am, your parents or teacher will. They will probably tell you how I blew the whole deal after I got to the top of the world. Well that’s OK, because it’s true. In 1977, I was 42 and worth millions, but I messed up big time. I was addicted to drugs. I overdosed. The end wasn’t pretty and I didn’t make it.

So now let me tell you about another kind of addiction. It is going on in your Congress. The “addiction” I’m talking about has to do with borrowing money. Congress is absolutely hooked on borrowing money. Tons and tons of money. Check this number: $9,000,000,000,000! That’s $9 trillion! That’s how much money Congress has borrowed to cover their hog wild spending. If I made $100 million a year, I would have to work 90 thousand years to pay it off! If your calculator doesn’t have enough zeros, check it out with your math teacher.

Here’s what you ought to keep in mind. They are borrowing most of that money from YOU!
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00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - News - President - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

6th Open Letter to the Candidate I’d Vote for

January 19, 2008 by 2 Comments

-By Vince Johnson

Dear Candidate for President of the United States: (Either party)

Last week you announced that your next conference would be held near Jamestown, Virginia where you would discuss changes you would advocate in our Foreign Policy. Here’s the speech I’d like to hear:

“Since the end of World War II, America’s foreign policy has been more confusing than it has been successful. Example: America has repeatedly told the world we were concerned about the “domino effect” regarding the spread of communism into North Korea and Vietnam. This totally ignores a reality known as Cuba which succumbed to Communistic rule in 1959. There is no reasonable explanation why Communist nations several thousand miles away were regarded as a greater threat to America than another Communist nation only a few miles from Florida. (Havana is 106 miles from Key West and Hanoi is 7,560 miles from Los Angeles.)

“The total of American lives lost in the Korean and Vietnam wars is 95,083! This is a horrible reality all Americans have to live with. The 2007 CIA World Fact Book classifies North Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba as Communist States. These are the same classifications North Korea and Vietnam had before all those lives were lost several decades ago. America did nothing when Cuba adopted communism in 1959. In 1961, Cuban exiles trained by Americans in Florida were involved in an invasion that failed miserably at the Bay of Pigs. North Korea and Vietnam are still communistic states and Cuba was added to the list after the Korean War and prior to the war in Vietnam! Our record in foreign affairs does not work. It must be changed while there is still time to do it.
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00Publius Contributor - Elections - News - President - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

Fifth Open Letter to the Candidate I’d Vote For

January 12, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

Dear Candidate for President of the United States: (Either party)
Last week you announced that your next conference would be held near Franklin D. Roosevelt’s home at Hyde Park, New York. You also said this location was a clue regarding your plan that would bring Congressional borrowing under control. Without fanfare and hoopla you make another brief speech:

“We are close to Hyde Park to remind everyone that strong leaders of the past have not been afraid to veto bills loaded with wasteful or unnecessary spending. This practice must be re-established by the next president. Franklin D. Roosevelt was famous for frequent use of his power to veto bills passed by Congress. During his twelve years in office he vetoed 635 bills. This averages to 53 per year. In comparison, Bush has vetoed 5 bills during his first 7 years and Clinton vetoed 37 bills in 8 years. This means that, on average, Roosevelt vetoed 53 bills per year, Clinton vetoed 4.6 per year and Bush vetoed less than one a year!

Some may not understand how your veto will bring Congressional borrowing under control. Explain in very specific terms:

“Here’s how a resolute veto strategy can work. Example: The president is receives a bill extending the Medicare Program through the fiscal year. The bill includes an item allowing a grant of no less than $2,290,000 for the International Fertilizer Development Center located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The entire bill would be vetoed immediately.
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00Publius Contributor - Elections - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

Fourth Open Letter to the Presidential Candidate I Would Vote For

January 11, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

Dear Sir/Ms/Mrs.__________________________________________

I have decided to address these open letters to the candidate I’d vote for rather than everybody’s “favorite” candidate which caused a lot of confusion. Not everyone agrees with me, so henceforth, I’ll confine my advice to the candidate I’d vote for.

For this week, I suggest that you make a high impact speech near the National Office of the PTA in Chicago. It should be brief and to the point: “The most critical issue facing America today is not getting any attention by any candidate. This issue involves grievous ethical questions regarding our Public Debt. At the moment this debt exceeds $9 trillion dollars and the borrowing is increasing at a non-stop rate of $1.5 billion dollars per day.

“The enormity of this debt is only a symptom and not the real problem. The core of the debt problem is with Congress who approves of all the borrowing. The cure for the problem is in the hands of the voters who decide who should go to Congress.”

Lay it out something like this: “There is a new kind of reality in America today. Congress has discovered there is no outrage when they borrow trillions from foreign nations, mutual funds, individuals, banks, retirement plans, etc. Since there is no objection, they borrow more money for projects that will help them get re-elected while important things America really needs are tabled and forgotten.”

Then remind them who will make the payments. “Those who will pay the most for this uncontrolled borrowing consist of 75 million kids under 18 who have never been allowed to vote. This reality is more than criminal. It is immoral, it is unethical, and it is a sickening form of greedy arrogance that is destroying America.”

Don’t stop there: “This conference is being held near the National Headquarters of the PTA to remind America of the first sentence in their mission statement: ‘To be a powerful voice for all children’.”

Keep at it: “And I’m here today to ask the PTA to help me publicize a question that none of the other candidates for President regard as important enough to address. That question is basic and to the point:
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00Publius Contributor - Constitution - Elections - News - President - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

Clarification Letter #1

January 10, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

Advice to the candidate for President that I would vote for:

On a regular basis, you should hold a “Clarification Conference” to clear up any confusion regarding your previous statements.

Your sudden departure from the confusion generated by Presidential Debates needs further comment. You openly admit it was a planned strategy designed to focus attention upon where you stand on key issues. Your stand on the debates can be defined in one sentence: The qualifications to be President should not be judged on brief orations controlled by a moderator asking questions approved by staff members for each candidate.
Next you clarify your position on immigration. The Mexican border must be sealed off using wide water along as much of the Rio Grande as feasible and placement of well trained security teams and high tech surveillance methods along the entire border.

You then reveal that your idea about inviting Mexico to become our 51st state has a subtle purpose. At first, nobody will take the idea seriously. But Mexico has oil reserves of considerable value and beautiful coastal properties having great potential for world-class resorts and retirement villas. Their extended growing season and agricultural resources are exceptional. These natural assets afford exceptional growth opportunities that are no longer available in the United States.
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00Publius Contributor - Elections - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

Clarification Letter #1

January 9, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

Advice to the candidate for President that I would vote for:

On a regular basis, you should hold a “Clarification Conference” to clear up any confusion regarding your previous statements.

Your sudden departure from the confusion generated by Presidential Debates needs further comment. You openly admit it was a planned strategy designed to focus attention upon where you stand on key issues. Your stand on the debates can be defined in one sentence: The qualifications to be President should not be judged on brief orations controlled by a moderator asking questions approved by staff members for each candidate.
Next you clarify your position on immigration. The Mexican border must be sealed off using wide water along as much of the Rio Grande as feasible and placement of well trained security teams and high tech surveillance methods along the entire border.

You then reveal that your idea about inviting Mexico to become our 51st state has a subtle purpose. At first, nobody will take the idea seriously. But Mexico has oil reserves of considerable value and beautiful coastal properties having great potential for world-class resorts and retirement villas. Their extended growing season and agricultural resources are exceptional. These natural assets afford exceptional growth opportunities that are no longer available in the United States.

It is not likely the citizens of Mexico would be allowed to have such a vote, but the extensive media coverage should encourage their government to develop ways to improve their people’s quality of life. This would make it more rewarding to stay at home than to migrate to the U.S. This is not the case at the moment, and one way to bring this attitude into the equation, is to invite Mexico to join the Union.
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00Publius Contributor - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Elections - GOP - Military - News - Patriotism - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Vince Johnson

Third Open Letter to the Presidential Candidate I’d Vote For

January 6, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

Dear Sir/Ms/Mrs._____________________________________________
In review: In my first letter I suggested you walk out during a nit picky debate and announce a press conference on the Mexican border near Del Rio, Texas. At Del Rio you explained what you plan to do about immigration and announced your third conference at Santiam High in Mill City, Oregon. At the third conference you make a short speech before an audience of students, and teachers at Santiam High School:

“Last week I discussed my plans about immigration. This week I will state my position on education. Each student in this room is nearing a decision point that will affect their life as long as they live. Those desiring to have a meaningful and successful career have two basic choices. You can serve your country in any of many trades and professions. Or you can serve your country in the armed forces.

“In 2006, $1.4 billion tax dollars were spent on advertising designed to persuade you to enlist in the armed forces. Once you enlist, more billions are spent to feed you, cloth you, fix your teeth, treat you when you are ill, and on and on. Beyond that, more billions will be spent to train you in a wide variety of technologies and essential skills. And beyond that, billions and billions more are spent on military assets that you might operate, navigate, repair, maintain, and so on.

“To repeat: You have two options. You can serve your country in the armed forces, or you can serve your country in any of the thousands of trades and professions. Keep in mind that either choice is honorable and absolutely necessary. If you choose to join the armed forces the government pays you and gives you everything you need If you choose a career in one of the trades or professions, you might qualify for a loan from the government, otherwise you are on your own. This is not a wisecrack. This is fact.
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