One Correct Decision and the Subsequent Slobbering

 Okay my friends, a little perspective please…. Granted, Obama made a good decision but that’s as far as I am willing to go. Those that then add the words brave, courageous and decisive to describe him, even if only referring to this one particular act, lose me. In fact comments along those lines anger me. I am not sure if this is a fair analogy but I am somewhat reminded of a child that is so unruly and ill-behaved that when he finally acts normal, everyone oohs and aahs over him for being such a wonderful little boy. Johnny, you didn’t poke the cats eye out with that stick, you are such a good boy!

Let’s break away from my cynicism for just a moment and look at the facts. UBL was directly responsible for more American deaths than anyone man in history, we have been looking for him for 10 years, we have lost many other brave American service men and women while conducting this search and we have spent countless billions (possibly trillions) doing so. That is the brief history so now let’s look at last week. They come to Obama and tell him, “we got him, we got UBL, what do you want to do”? Obama now has basically 3 options; 1- do nothing and let him go, 2- attack with missiles or 3- send in elite forces. Initial reports from Obama’s administration said that Obama first replied that he was unsure of what action to take. Obama wanted to sleep on it and that he would get back to them the next day. This is understandable since he only had 3 years to think about it. So much for his amazing decisiveness.

Hopefully he did not consider option 1 for too long but we will never know. The remaining two options both have pros and cons, as is the case with most decisions but either one would have worked. I think most agree with option 3 being the best since we then had proof of his death and also got to recover what is reported to be a huge amount of intel. So yes, Obama made a good decision.

In conclusion I want to share with you two things that I keep thinking about that deeply disturb me. As of this writing, Eric Holder with Obama’s backing and support continues to investigate and consider prosecuting the CIA operatives that obtained the info that ultimately lead up to the killing of UBL.  Information that was obtained while using then approved and legal methods of interrogation. This is simply disgusting. These CIA members are no less heroes than the Navy SEALS that carried out the final phase of the operation. Lastly keep in mind we only know what the government wants us to know. What if Obama sent the SEALS in with orders to capture and arrest UBL so Obama could read him his rights and bring him to trial. Yes I am being paranoid but this is certainly more typical of Obama’s M.O.. Maybe the SEALS made a tactical decision while on the ground to kill him. Do you seriously think Obama would not  jump on board and take credit for this “brave” act?

Thank you and God bless, Doug Lang

The Great American Gold Rush

Upon reading the title many would assume I am referring to the great Californian gold rush that began in 1848. The one that helped develop the west and made some otherwise ordinary men incredibly wealthy. In fact, wealthier beyond even their wildest dreams. The good ole “Forty-niners as they later came to be known, really paved the way. Just think about that part of the country in the context of “before and after”. I mean it’s hard for us to even imagine the growth, commerce and expansion that ensued during this time in history. New cities, new industries, the railroads, one could go on and on.

No my friends, I am referring to something much less grandiose. Something that pales in comparison yet I find myself interested in it nevertheless. I am referring to those of us that are out there today buying gold. Not those that are making it part of their portfolio, buying gold stocks simply to diversify because it is (and has always been) a good investment. No, I am referring to the folks that are buying physical gold thinking this will be a good thing to own if all goes to heck and money becomes worthless. This is where I get confused and require guidance from others who see something that I am obviously missing.

My father, Harold Lang (God bless him) used to say. “this whole world is going to hell and soon the only things that will have any value are canned goods and bullets”. Now mind you he was saying this back in the early sixties when I was a small child and had no earthly idea of what the heck he was saying or what he meant. However I do remember it well and now as an adult living in these times it rings true and makes more sense to me than ever before. But if this were true, wouldn’t physical gold be worthless also? I mean are you really going to give up your last can of beans for a lousy hunk of metal that at the time of this writing was valued at $1521.00  per ounce? Well I can tell you what Harry would have told you. He would very simply say “ take that hunk of metal and shove it up your poop”.

Now my sister Dianne and I both hearing dad spout his words of wisdom have different points of view on this subject. Dianne chooses to dabble with these purchases along with canned goods and bullets, while I only buy and stock up on the latter two. Just a little tidbit to help put this in perspective. The Dutch used to place such a high value on Tulip’s that one might trade a cow or a hog for one single bulb. Tulip’s were a great sign of wealth back then to them. Today this seems silly and frankly is laughable to us. But how different are gold and diamonds? Are they not just today’s Tulip’s?

Thank you and God bless.

 

Is Barak Obama the Worst President Ever??

Well the simple truth is I do not know the answer to that question. Since I am not a student of history I just can’t say. Frankly I can’t even name all of our past presidents no less speak to their character, abilities or their records while in office.

It may help most of us if we rephrase the question and ask if Barak Obama is the worst president in recent history or in our lifetimes. To help put it in perspective, if I had been asked who I thought the worst president in my lifetime was before Barak Obama took office, I would have quickly and without hesitation opined, Jimmy Carter! But wait, there is a new contender in the ring and he packs a hell of a punch. And now in the red corner weighing in at 180 lbs., the master of disaster, Barak… Hussein… Obama… This guy is tough to hit, nearly impossible to get up against the ropes and he can come at you from one side and then change direction effortlessly. Folks I think we are looking at the new undisputed “World Champion”.

I realize this is an over simplification but here is how I view his first term, albeit not yet complete.

The first two (2) years cramming “Obama Care” down our throats while effortlessly running up the largest deficit this country has ever seen. The next two (2) years campaigning and running for re election. Someone has to put on the brass knuckles and KNOCK THIS GUY OUT!!

Thank you and God bless.

Doug Lang

The 2011 Budget Battle - "It's Only a Few Billion Dollars"

Well my friends, I find myself a little torn on this one. Here is the dilemma. Should the House have insisted on the entire one hundred billion and shut down the government if necessary, or compromised to get things moving?

On one hand I find myself ready to buy into the argument about how important it is to strive towards great goals while keeping in mind that usually compromise is a key component of all negotiations. I certainly remember how furious I was just a short time ago when the Dem's controlled the White House and both houses of Congress and they crammed Obamacare down our throats. They did not offer an ounce of compromise and it was quite literally infuriating. I think I even remember Obama saying things like, well we won and you lost so this is how it's going to be. (I deliberately left off the quotation marks as I am paraphrasing, my memory not being what is used to be). So now that we conservatives have regained some power in Washington do we go with the "payback is a bitch" route or the "do unto others" route? I have been a businessman for many years and negotiated all sorts of deals. I have always thought that if any one party involved in the negotiations is one hundred percent (100%) pleased with the deal, then the other party got stiffed.

On the other hand how about we simply forget about the numbers for the time being and look elsewhere. In truth it is only a measly few billion dollars and will honestly not have any impact on our budget. How about instead of money we concentrate on silly outdated things like principals and keeping our word. I am going to keep this very simple as no "fluff" is necessary to make this point. If you state you are going to seek a cut of one hundred billion dollars and will not back down or settle for less, then don't! How in the world do you expect to be taken seriously in the upcoming battle over trillions of dollars when you cave on billions of dollars. Stand on your principals!

Okay, so there it is. Two very different approaches to the same problem. Frankly neither approach is unreasonable, so which way do you go? For me the answer while not simple, it is clear. If I give you my word on something you can count on what I tell you! I might later regret making the commitment but I will keep it.

Thank you and God bless, Doug Lang

One Little Thing I Do Not Like About Sean Hannity

I warn you now, this is not a meaningful post but more of just a little pet peeve I have with Mr. Hannity.

I consider myself to be fairly (meaning very) conservative and agree with nearly all of Mr. Hannity's opinions. I love when he points out all of Mr. Obama's flaws. I know that is wrong of me but I get a kick out of it.
However I really wish he would put down his pen before shaking his guests hands. It just seems rude to me to shake someone's hand while still holding a pen in the hand you are shaking with. But that is just me.

Thank you, Doug Lang

Washington D.C. or Bust.

Melissa, my lovely wife and I are about to celebrate our fourth (4^th) wedding anniversary. We are marking the occasion by spending a long weekend in our nations capital. It will be the first time that either of us has ever been there so needless to say we are very excited. This trip was planned a long time ago and as often is the case, when something is a long way off you tend to forget about it. However now that it is just around the corner and we have started making dinner reservations the trip is seeming more real and our excitement level is quickly rising.

One of the best parts of the trip will be the travelling to and from Washington D.C.. Normally I despise the travelling part as it is typically very stressful particularly with the delays, traffic and airport security. However for this trip we are travelling via Amtrak and have reserved a private sleeper car. I will write more about this in the future but if you have never traveled this way, you are truly missing out on a wonderful experience.

Fortunately for us in addition to all the normal sights our trip is during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Combine all of that with dining at a couple of places featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and you have the making of an unforgettable trip. Melissa also takes a lot of pictures and then organizes them in a way that beautifully chronicles the entire trip. This makes for such pleasurable viewing for years to come, actually bringing the trip back to life. We can't wait!

Thank you Doug Lang

Border Security. What Am I Missing?

Can someone out there set me straight on why securing the border between the U.S. and Mexico is such a touchy subject. Frankly I do not even understand why the subject is debated. The fact that it is fiercely debated blows my mind. Why is enforcing current border security laws something we have to discuss on whether to pursue or not? Is there an open debate raging today on whether or not we should enforce drunk driving laws or spousal abuse laws or any other existing law? How does a deep desire to keep the country safe make someone a racist?

I see border security as an issue un to itself. National security, illegal drug smuggling, kidnapping, murder and illegal immigration, while linked to border security are entirely separate issues and we can talk about them until your hearts content. But not until the border is completely secure.

Please do not talk to me about the cost of securing the border and our current fiscal situation. Especially since the lack of border security is one of the main reasons we are in this financial mess. The amount of money we spend as a nation on problems associated with an open border is staggering. While I do not have the statistics to back it up, I am sure that every dollar we spent on securing the border would come back to us in savings. Our cities, states and federal government would save a fortune if we did not have to deal with the afore mentioned problems from having such a porous border.

So what is the answer to my question? I suppose it is just good ole politics as usual. Our wonderful elected officials do not want to alienate the illegal aliens. After all, everyone of them is a potential voter. Do every American and legal resident a favor and seal up that border!!

Thank you , Doug Lang

Better Safe Than Sorry.

Today I have decided to stock our home with a three (3) week supply of canned goods. I do not view myself as an alarmist nor am I running around telling anyone who will listen, “get ready because the world is coming to an end”. This is not an “end of times” moment, I simply want to have some basic provisions in the house in case our area is hit with a natural disaster and food is difficult or even impossible to buy for a week or two.

Here in Atlanta if we get a few snow flurries the food flies off the shelves and last year we did experience a five hundred (500) year flood that really rocked this area. One could argue that natural disasters seem to be on the rise and this is just being prudent. Conversely one could also argue that these natural disasters have always been taking place and at the same rate. Emphasizing that due to today’s increased level of communication (i.e. the Internet and cell cameras) the world has become a much smaller place and consequently we just see and hear more of these instances than in years past. Frankly this would be a good argument as it is simply true.

Having said all that, however you look at it or whatever your point of view, I see it as a win – win approach. If God forbid something happens we will be prepared and not have to run out and fight over a can of peas while waiting for our local shelves to be restocked. If nothing happens we can donate the canned goods at our church during one of our food drives. You simply have to buy the same items every two years. No biggie and keep in mind once donated it becomes tax deductible. Win – win.

Thank you Doug Lang

The beauty of Spring and Daylight Savings Time.

My prepared blog for today was originally going to be about the devastating combination of public unions and the federal government intruding into the hiring practices of local municipalities. I refer specifically to the feds forcing towns, counties and states to "dumb down" their pre-hiring, qualifying tests in order to make them more fair for minorities.

But wait a minute..... I just checked the calendar and the weather report for this weekend and instantly became light hearted, dare I say gleeful? Certainly writing about the imminent demise we face due to the afore mentioned practices can wait one more day.

Last weekend was DST (daylight savings time) which is one of my favorite days of the year. Longer and warmer days, come on, who doesn't love that? Now I see that this Sunday, March 20th is the first day of Spring. And if that isn't enough I see that here in Atlanta it is going to be 84 degrees, sunny and a 0% chance of rain. Is this the perfect trifecta or what?

Therefore I am officially forgetting about all the doom and gloom out there for today (goodness knows there is plenty of it) and I am going to plan an outing for Saturday. Maybe a nice cruise up to Helen for the day. Today for me is a day to be thankful to the Lord for the small pleasures in life that we are blessed with so often. May we never take Him or His blessings for granted.

thank you, Doug Lang

Obama unable or unwilling to make decisions?

President Barak Obama seems unable or unwilling to make timely decisions on many if not all major world wide events. Maybe this should not be too surprising since he has a history of simply voting "present" while in the Senate and not taking sides on important issues. I suppose it could also be his total lack of experience with such matters and that he is just woefully ill equipped to lead. He may also be trying to please everyone and as often is the case with fence sitters, they wind up pleasing no one.

What I do know for sure is that Obama’s procrastinating on such matters of border security, the BP oil spill, bringing terror suspects to trial and now Libya (just to name a few) has cost this country dearly. I personally happen to disagree with nearly everything this man does but for this post I am angry with Obama for not doing anything!

Thank you, Doug Lang

Emails to Bill O'Reilly

Is there anyone out there that has ever been able to get through to this guy? My lovely wife and I have become fans over the last year or so and have tried on several occasions to get an email read on air. I know he probably gets thousands of emails a day but i suppose on those rare occasions I feel I have written something very witty, it would be nice to get through and hear my pearls of wisdom read aloud.

I plan on using this blog for much more serious matters in the future (i.e. the disaster in Japan and the state of our own nation) but for now let's just consider this a "test blog" since it is my first attempt and i am just trying to see how this works.

tks, dal