Blog Posts

The Russian Bully

3/6/2022

The Russian Bully                             by Vito Tomasino

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will surely be viewed by historians as one of the saddest days
in human history; as profoundly consequential as Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939. Even
then, the European nations failed to realize, that the Austrian Corporal would not be satisfied
until all of Europe was under his rule, and that appeasement is never an effective deterrent
against a man who sees himself an emperor. It did not work then and it will not work now;
nor will pitifully weak, slow-acting sanctions—another form of appeasement.
      The Hitlers and Putins of this world are nothing more than bullies who pick on the weakest
kid in the schoolyard to intimidate. When confronted by another kid with the courage and
strength to stand up to them, however, the bully will always back down. So too would Putin
if we, the United States of America—with NATO, if the will is there; without it if not—send
the full force and might of our military into Ukraine to fight shoulder to shoulder
with the Ukrainian people.
     Some would consider my suggestion irrational. It would start World War III, and
escalate to nuclear warfare, they would warn. Would it? I don’t think so, and they have less
to back up their position than I have mine. Nuclear weapons were first dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki to force the Japanese surrender during WWII. Since then they have made their
way into the arsenal of perhaps a dozen countries and never resorted to; despite the long
“Cold War” engaged in by the United States and the U.S.S.R., the continuing “war” between
India and Pakistan, and the ominous threat of Communist China. The world has seen first-
hand the awesome destructive power of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, and every
world leader with such a weapon at his disposal knows, that should he ever press the “red
button” he would be signing his own death warrant; his, and that of billions more people
on this planet.
      If we were to confront this “bully” I would be one of the first to volunteer. I was on the
ground with the U.S. Marines in Korea, flew over the jungles of Vietnam as an Air Force
fighter pilot, and stood watch during the “Cold War” to insure the old Soviet Union
remained behind her ‘Iron Curtin.” My best years may be behind me. Nonetheless, I
am ready, even now, to pick up a rifle, or “strap on” a fighter jet, and fight alongside the
brave men and women of Ukraine to help secure their freedom.
      Why? Because it is not just their fight. It is our fight, our responsibility to defend
against the tyranny of men like Putin, who, if left unchecked, would strip away our
God-given right to live free.

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Powers Behind the Throne

9/1/2021

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Powers Behind the Throne is my attempt to shed some needed light on the apparent Afghan debacle. Nothing we have heard from the news media pundits, or our government officials, including the contradictory remarks from the President himself, has provided a satisfactory (read, believable) analysis as to why things unfolded as they did. No one, it seems, dares to acknowledge the “elephant” in the room. I thought it was time someone did.

                                        Powers Behind the Throne 08/28/2021
by Vito Tomasino

      I don’t blame the President for the unmitigated disaster that is happening in Afghanistan today. No court of law in this country, or any other democracy would find him mentally competent enough to stand trial. Unless he is reading from a teleprompter, or a carefully worded script, he is often uncertain of where he is, or who is standing beside him.
      These are not recently observed cognitive failures. He exhibited these same traits when he stood onstage with twenty other candidates during the Democratic Primaries, and when speaking from his basement while running for the Presidency itself.
     If not President Biden, then who do we charge with the Afghan debacle? Vice President Harris; a woman who could not win a single electoral vote in her bid for the presidency and dropped out early; who giggled her way out of answering a simple question: When are you going to visit the southern border, Madam Vice President? If not these two, then who?
      Their handlers; i.e., the people who control the Democratic Party and engineered Biden’s unlikely Primary win. They knew, even then, that he was not capable of doing the job, but they needed someone to head the ticket, someone who not only had name recognition, but whom they could control. They also knew, that they would not have such control over Bernie Sanders. So they promised Bernie they would pursue his Socialist agenda, and offered Pete—the only other serious contender—a cabinet position for dropping out. Sanders and Buttigieg were the only viable candidates still in the race.
      With the witless, if not willful cooperation of our news and social media to push the Democratic agenda while portraying President Trump as an egomaniac who colludes with communist dictators, a desperate impeachment attempt, and a timely pandemic for added insurance, they succeeded in elevating the two most incompetent people on that Primary stage to the highest level of political power in the world.
      Thus, these faceless Powers Behind the Throne got just what they wanted. And, because they will remain faceless, they will never have to answer for the Afghanistan catastrophe, the crisis on our southern border, the dismantling of our energy independence, and a national lawlessness unseen in our country since Machine-Gun Kelly and Bonnie and Clyde.
      Why would they do that? Why would they want to bring their own country to its knees? It is a very disturbing question, one that few people can even bring themselves to think about, let alone seriously consider. Yet, what other rationale explains the actions of our current administration. I believe the so-called “King-makers” of this world hold no allegiance to any country or nation. They believe only in their exclusive ruling group, and see the world as their personal chessboard. If they have to sacrifice a Rook, or a Queen to achieve their goal they will, no matter how many pawns have to be sacrificed with them.
      If you can accept this hypothesis as a plausible explanation for Biden’s actions, you may begin to understand why things are playing out as they are in Afghanistan, why we failed to come to the aid of our people in Benghazi, why we lost the war in Vietnam, and why we are now witnessing the dismantling of the greatest democracy the world has ever known.
      These people, the people who pull the strings of the “Puppet Rulers” of most major countries on our planet are certainly not stupid. They don’t do anything without first calculating every possible outcome and which of them would best serve their interests. However, they are not infallible; they do make mistakes—perhaps more often than we will ever know—which is why they prefer to remain behind the throne.

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The Forces of Evil

4/20/2021

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A friend of mine asked me to comment on an article he read by an author who characterized human beings in general as forgetful of their history; thus, continue to fall victim to the empty promises of their political leaders. My answer:

Whoever wrote the article you sent me is only pointing out the fact, that whenever people trust in their leaders to always act in their best interests, they will at best be disappointed, and at worst, enslaved. History teaches us that truth. Unfortunately, since we never seem to learn from our history we are destined to repeat it.

The founding fathers of America understood this better than anyone, and gave us a Constitution that enshrined the rights of freedom of speech, religion, the right to bear arms, and more. They also turned away from establishing a new monarchy in favor of a three-headed government, each one to provide a check of the other's power to insure a new dictator did not arise. They had had enough of the King of England and willingly risked their lives and fortunes to rid themselves of his tyrannical rule.

However, even in America we are not immune to complacency and tend to forget our history. If we continue on this path we, like every other great empire of the past, will fall. Nonetheless, I believe this latest attempt by the same kind of people who brought down previous empires will fail. They will fail because they have not been successful in destroying our Constitution, thus giving the true patriots in America time to "wake up" to the subtle erosion of our freedoms by a government we naively believed to be working in our best interests.

I hope I am right; for if I am not, and America falls to The Forces of Evil, the world will lose its greatest champion for truth and justice.

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We Kneel To No One

4/15/2021

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The following article came Prague newspaper in the Czech Republic:

"The danger to America is not Joseph Biden, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Biden presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president.

The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Biden, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince.

The Republic can survive a Biden, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president."

The Prague article rings true--even though the writer went too far in calling all American voters depraved.

Foolish, perhaps, but that only applies to little more than half the voting electorate. 75 million of us voted for the guy that gave us the best fully employed economy in our history, orchestrated peace agreements between Israel and several formerly antagonistic Arab States, rebuilt our military and reestablished America's preeminence on the world stage, to name a few of his more prominent accomplishments.

Indeed it would not be an overstatement to say that President Trump did more in his four years in office than any other president since Abraham Lincoln kept our country from being torn in half and freed the slaves.

I would also remind our Czech friend, that were it not for America, and the sacrifices made by our men and women during WWII—on the frontlines and on the Homefront—he or she would be speaking German or Russian today; as would all of Europe. America's "Greatest Generation did that for all of us; then followed it with money and sweat to help rebuild all of Europe, including our former enemies.

We are not a perfect people, and never claimed to be; despite the bloviated rhetoric that often comes out of the mouths of some of our politicians. We make mistakes. Biden may be one of our biggest, but he will be no more successful in bringing the United States of America to its knees than Obama, Bush, Clinton, or Carter before him.

Vito

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War With China?

4/13/2021

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Thanks to the Trump presidency the military was largely rebuilt and the damage done to it by the
Obama-Biden administration undone. It is, once again, the force to be reckoned with, and I don't think China, or anyone else wants to test us on the military front. On the basis of the economy, yes; and that is the reason why there will be no war with China. They now have as much to lose as we do.

The Biden administration will attempt to weaken the military again, but, I believe, not with the same success he and Obama had achieved during their reign. Moreover, it would not take too many nuclear missiles to bomb China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran back into the stone ages.

Nor do I believe there will be a civil war in our country. The left-wing liberals would like us to believe that racism, white supremacy, and "Jim Crow" are alive and well in America, and they throw this false narrative at us every chance they get with the help of fake news and social media. The first two still exist in our country and, no doubt in every country in the world with a diverse population. But racism and prejudice cannot be abolished with the stroke of a pen. Civil Rights Laws can be enacted to reign in the excesses of racism, but they cannot change the heart of a bigot. Only time can do that.

The liberal extremists in our country will continue to use racism as an excuse to take away our freedoms with every incident they can use, but they will eventually overplay their hand. The American people are growing weary of the racist charge and, come this next election cycle, they will make their voices heard at the ballot box.

Honor Flight Letter April 2, 2021

Belinda Morse, President
Honor Flight of Southern Nevada
6270 N. Hualapai Way, Suite 145-176
Las Vegas, NV 89149

Dear Ms. Morse:

I was honored to be one of the fourteen Vietnam Veterans chosen to take part in a special ceremony, “Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day;” held April 29, 2021 at the Purple Heart Plaza in Henderson. It is the second time your wonderful organization has so honored me. On behalf of myself, and the thousands of veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep our country free, thank you, and all the Honor Flight volunteers for the great work you do for us.

I view the Honor Flight Program as I do the USO; both exist to support our troops. One provides comfort and a morale boost for our men and women on active duty, who maybe going off to war; the other provides the recognition they deserve when they return. Both organizations are comprised of true patriots who honor our American heritage and understand that freedom can never be taken for granted; that we must, as our founding fathers did 245 years ago to win it, now be willing to risk it all to preserve it.

I’d be remiss in ending this letter without mentioning the ladies of the “Quilt of Honor.” Each of the quilts they create is a labor of love for the warrior on whose shoulders it will be draped, and for the country we all cherish. They are the Betsy Ross’s of our time.

Many thanks to you, the “Honor Flight” organization, and all the volunteers who pour their hearts and souls into helping our veterans “come home from the battlefield.”

Sincerely:

Vito Tomasino, Major, USAF

WAR AND VETERANS by Vito Tomasino

I was invited to attend a small ceremony last Monday (April 29, 2021) for
Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day. Fourteen of us were so honored at the event
held in the recently inaugurated Purple Heart Plaza in Henderson.
It was organized and arranged by Honor Flight of Southern Nevada, whose President, Belinda Morse, opened the ceremony. The Mayor of Henderson, Debra March, was
the first to speak, followed by Marine Lt. General Bedard—one of the honorees. He
first thanked the ladies and men of Honor Flight for arranging the event and inviting
him to speak. “It’s an honor for me to address a group of men who have sacrificed so
much for their country,” he began. He then started to talk about the war in Vietnam,
but was rudely interrupted by a young man passing by in his car, who stopped to make
some disparaging remarks about the war and our veterans. He drove off as soon as he
saw some of the more mobile vets get up and walk towards his car.
He came back again few minutes later to interrupt the General again. This time he
was invited by Ms. Morse to join us, and offered a chair right in front of our small
gathering. He drove off and never returned. I heard another young lady apologetically
say, “he’s of my generation.” He may have been of her generation, but he did not
represent her, or the majority of other young people like her, who do appreciate the
sacrifices made by our veterans.
War should never be glorified, but that was not what we were doing that day. We
were simply honoring the men and women who willingly put their lives on the
line to preserve the freedoms we hold so dear in our great country. The young man
in that car was, regrettably, incapable of drawing that distinction.
Vito Tomasino, Major USAF

My Country by Vito Tomasino July 31, 2020

      I faced the North Koreans and Chinese across the 38th parallel during the Korean War, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong in the Vietnam War, and stood watch on bases around the world during the early years of the “Cold War” to ensure the USSR (Russia) remained behind her “Iron Curtain.” Never did I imagine—until witnessing the unchallenged lawlessness and wanton mayhem taking place in Portland, Seattle, New York, Chicago, and other once great American cities—that the most dangerous threat to the survival of my country would come from a segment of its own people. I should have.
      History teaches us that powerful nations, empires, are never conquered by an outside force, but by an internal erosion of the very things that made them great—a belief, rightly or wrongly, in their ideals and righteousness of cause. The Romans, Persians, Arabs, Turks, Greeks, and others, all had their moment of glory in human history; indeed, a moment that lasted far longer than ours. Yet, all were so weakened by their own greed and lust for power they were eventually brought down.
       America is not recognized as an empire, but it is undeniably the richest, most powerful, most influential nation on earth. Moreover, it is a unique phenomenon in human history, in that it has never been conquered, or subjugated to the will of another nation since it declared its independence two hundred and forty four years ago. It stands, today, as the last beacon of hope for freedom loving people around the globe.
      Being an American has nothing to do with ethnicity, or the country you live in. It is an idea, a belief in truth and justice…that all men are created equal under God, free to pursue their own destinies.
      Unfortunately, America—a country that embodies these principals like no other—is now under siege. Indeed, we are engaged in a very real war of ideas between those who would defend the laws enshrined in our Constitution and preserve its governing institutions, and those who would shred the wisely crafted document of our founding fathers, obliterate our history, tear down existing governing bodies, and replace them with a socialist-communist central committee that would effectively enslave all of us who are not members of the ruling party.
      We cannot let that happen. The world cannot let that happen. For, if America goes down, the world will go with it.
      Millions of brave men and women of all colors and creeds risked every-thing to preserve the hard won freedom our founding fathers bequeathed us. If it were not for them, "The Greatest Generation," we would all be speaking German, or Japanese today, and the black-hooded, black-shirted, armed thugs leading the assault on our once great cities, would be wearing arm bands embellished with a Nazi swastika, goose-stepping down 5th Avenue. You and I would once again be subject to the indignity, the cruelty, the sub-human existence of being a slave.
       I started this essay with a reference to my experience in facing the enemy in past wars. Some of the men I stood with in that Korean trench-line, or flew with over the jungles of Vietnam never made it back. I was lucky. Nonetheless, even now, I am prepared to pick up a rifle, or climb into the cockpit of a fighter aircraft to help ensure that, when the dust from this war settles, the United States of America is still standing.

The Flawed Warrior by Vito Tomasino July 15, 2020

America is at a critical juncture in its 244 year existence. The man we choose as our president this November will either fight to protect our rights and freedom under the United States Constitution, or he will sell us out to the highest socialist bidder.

When Donald J. Trump threw his "hat in the ring" four years ago, and stood on that stage with 16 other Republican candidates (all but two others career politicians), the American people instinctively knew, that the only one with any hope of bringing about meaningful change to the Washington establishment, was that brash, trash talking, street-fighting billionaire from New York.

Despite his many personality flaws, we chose him to be our candidate and elected him to be our President. Another huge reason for our choice was the alternative, Hilliary Clinton. One might describe it as the "perfect storm." Frankly, if personality had any part to play in the election, neither one of them would have been running, let alone elected. But, personality has nothing to do with governing a nation. If it did, most of our past presidents would not have qualified for the job.

Like every other presidential candidate before him, Trump made a number of campaign promises. However, unlike all those other guys, he has made good his promises. He lowered taxes, rescinded stifling business regulations and renegotiated trade deals with Canada and Mexico, which allowed our economy to grow like never before in our history, creating more jobs for everyone at every social level. The unemployment rate before the COVID-19 pandemic, was the lowest it has ever been in our lifetime. Every American willing and able to work had a job, many of them at a higher wage.

Joe Biden and his Democrat handlers would have you believe that only the rich, and big corporations benefited from the Trump tax cuts; as though the historically low unemployment rate and improved worker wages happened by accident. Biden will cite statistics to have you believe that the biggest percentage of the tax cuts went to benefit the wealthy. Even if that were true, does it matter? Ask yourself: Has my work and financial position been more improved under Trump's first three years in office, or Obama and Bidens eight?

Is it possible (assuming Joe's statistics are correct), that the reason so much of the tax cuts went to big corporations was because they know something about growing a business and creating wealth, not to mention jobs? And, here's something else to think about: How in the world do you think they could keep growing, if we did not grow with them; i.e., paid enough to buy their stuff. The truth is, they need us, as much as we need them.

Our president also embarrassed our NATO allies into paying their agreed share of Alliance costs, and he is building a wall to secure borders the Democrats would prefer to leave wide open. He is also a strong, but compassionate law and order president who denounces rioting, looting, the tearing down of statues, and deals harshly with MS-13 gang members/terrorists, while passing legislation granting clemency to thousands who have served enough time for their crimes.

Donald Trump not only accomplished all of these things and more in his first three years in office—far more than any other president was able to get done in eight—he did it while simultaneously engaging the Democrats, a hostile press, and some in his own party, in a no-holds-barred political war that included a Special Council Investigation and an impeachment trial. He beat them all, and stands as strong and resolute today as he did the day he took the oath of office.

This man is a warrior, the likes of which we have not seen since Teddy Roosevelt,
and every bit the PATRIOT. He is the right man for the job at the right time in our history. Judge him not by his flawed personality, but by the many good things he has done to improve our lives and our country in his first term as President.

But, his work is not done. We need to insure that Donald J. Trump is given another four years to reverse the negative impact of eight years of Obama-Biden; four more years to “drain the swamp.”

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To the Protestors

6/22/2020

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To the Protestors by Vito Tomasino June 22 2020

You tore down the statue of George Washington, the “Father of our country; the man who fought and won our freedom from an oppressive King. Why? Yes, he owned slaves; as did Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of The Declaration of Independence and one of the framers of our Constitution. He, along with other notable Americans like John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, James Madison, and others, risked their lives and fortunes to gain our independence from England. Some of these men, to whom statues have also been erected in recognition of their selfless contribution to our freedom, also owned slaves. Are their statues to be destroyed?

President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves after fighting a bloody Civil War to hold our young republic together and you defaced his beautiful Memorial in Washington D. C. with your obscene graffiti. Why?

You did the same to the Washington Monument and WWII Memorial—belatedly installed to honor the hundreds of thousands of brave American men and women of all colors, who risked everything to preserve the hard won freedom our ancestors bequeathed us. If it were not for them, The Greatest Generation--those who fought on the front lines of that war, and the millions more who stayed behind to work the factories in support of it—we would all be speaking German, or Japanese. And the black-hooded, black-shirted, armed thugs you have been blindly following would, today, be wearing arm bands embellished with a black swastika, goose-stepping down 5th Avenue. And you and I—blacks, whites, reds, yellows, and browns alike—would once again experience the indignity, the cruelty, the sub-human existence of being a slave.

You think not? Think again. I challenge you to name one country in this world that has been in existence more than two hundred years, whose people have not only owned slaves at some time in their existence, or have themselves been slaves. Name one. My point is, there is not a single race of beings on this planet that has not, at some period in its history, either been a slave, or been the enslaver. If this is true, then how can you justify the senseless destruction of the very things we need to remind us of our propensity to enslave our fellow man…our history. If you succeed in obliterating our less than noble past, you will ensure its repetition.

If we take your protest to its logical conclusion—given the history of slavery in our world—the national flag of every country on this planet is a symbol of oppression and must come down.

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April 1st, 2020

4/1/2020

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The Wild Card by Vito Tomasino    12 Jun 2020

George Soros is one of many other "Globalists" in our world who recognize no national borders and think that only they know how we should live our lives. Unfortunately many of our world leaders, past and present, are members of that elitist group. Donald J. Trump is not. But, he knows of them and their plans to destroy the country he loves. He is their greatest enemy, the strongest and, perhaps, last viable obstacle to the achievement of their goal of world domination. They know that if America goes under, the world goes with it.
   Trump is the wild card they never expected to face, a true patriot who now holds the most powerful office in the world and--through the renegotiation of trade deals, tax reform, and deregulation--has revitalized a deliberately weakened economy, while depriving the global elitists of the trillions of dollars they were siphoning from the hard-working people of our world. Thus, he must be taken down at any cost. Russia collusion, impeachment, a global pandemic, "spontaneous" protests and riots around the world over the death of an obscure drug addict and convicted felon are just the opening salvos in their desperate attempt to bring down a duly elected President.
   Somehow, however, despite their pathetic attempts to do so, despite even their control over the news media in the United States and around the world, they have failed to bring him down. Why? Because we, the true American patriots of our great country, who put him in office three and half years ago, continue to stand with him and, come this November, we will do so again.

After the Wave Recedes by Vito Tomasino April 2, 2020

Since the dawn of time, the universe has been, and still is, a boiling cauldron of catastrophes without end. It is, in fact, the fire in which we and every other living creature in it is forged. Whether we emerge from it a stronger, sharper steel sword,
or beaten down into a crude plowshare, will be determined by how we face each
new challenge.

What now? Do we cower in our caves and homes afraid to even breathe the air
around us, or do we face it with the same courage and willful determination with
which we endured the thousands of other scourges that have befallen mankind
in the millions of years human beings have walked on this planet? That is our
choice, one that each of us should make for him, or herself.

I used the word, should, rather than must, because that decision has been taken
from us by weak politicians more concerned with appearing to do what is best
for their voting constituency and in covering their backs, than they are in doing
what’s right for the country.

Patrick Henry demonstrated his unconditional commitment to freedom when he
said: “Give me liberty or give me death. Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, Hancock, Franklin, Paine, and so many other brave men of their time, risked their
lives and fortunes to secure the blessings of liberty we have enjoyed for the past two hundred and forty four years. They deserve better from us than to have that precious gift of freedom compromised, or to see a once booming economy brought its knees.

The same state governors and city mayors who prided themselves on their self-
reliance and independence before NOVID-19 reared its ugly head, are now
pointing their fingers at the federal government, more specifically the President,
for not having sufficiently prepared for this new calamity.

Where were they? Why were they not prepared? Is it not their first responsibility
to take care of the health and well-being of their people? Do they not have access
to the same information regarding diseases as the U.S. Government? Do they not
have emergency plans prepared to cope with just such contingencies? If not, why
not? This is not the first time the world has been under the siege of a deadly virus.

The American people are angry at politicians whose only response to every crisis
is to point their fingers at those “on the other side if the aisle.” We don’t like it
from our governors and mayors, we don’t like it from our congressmen and
women, and we damn sure do not like it from our president. We expect better
from those with whom we have entrusted the health and well-being of our
country. Stop your petty bickering and political maneuvering and do your jobs.

I have no doubt we will get through this latest threat to humanity just as we did
all the others. My concern, given the tidal wave of fear and panic that grips so
many of our people—fed by the greed and lust for power of a few of our less
principled leaders—is how much of America will still be standing after the wave recedes.

All Tensed Up by Vito Tomasino    March 16, 2020

   The parking lots were full and the super markets were crowded with people
in every aisle, or standing in long lines to check out. Many of the shelves were
already stripped bare, as were the produce bins. I had to go to three different
stores to find the few things I needed. While I waited in line watching the
woman in front of me check out two shopping carts piled high with “stuff,”
I had time to contemplate the paranoia I was witnessing.
   What is going on? Why this fear of a virus pandemic over which, it seems,
there is little anyone can do to stop? Thousands more people die every year
because of the flu virus, than has been occurring with COVID-19. And, even
if we are facing the apocalypse, how in hell is over-loading your shopping
cart with toilet paper and hand sanitizer going to stop it? The behavior of the
people in that store seemed to be irrational, unwarranted, at best.
   Then it occurred to me. Most of them had to be Democrats; some of the
same folks that voted for Hillary Clinton in the last Presidential election.
They lost, but have never stopped crying about it, or trying to undo the
results through impeachment and other means. I remembered that special
classes to console their grief were set up in our universities and public
schools. It was the most irrational reaction by a group of people to
the results of a democratic election I have ever seen in my lifetime.
   In the fighter pilot business we take a more philosophical approach
to situations over which we have no control. Every time we climb into
the cockpit of a high-performance jet fighter, whether it be in combat,
or on a routine training flight, we know that it could be our last. If we
spent even a few seconds worrying about it we couldn’t do our jobs.
   An old fighter pilot once told me: “If you are going to die, why
do it all tensed up?”
   After the “Two-cart lady” paid for her “stuff,” the cashier rung up the
two onions I had put on the conveyer belt. It came to 78 cents. I handed
her the change and said: “This should hold me until the end of the
world.” That brought a smile to her face.

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March 20th, 2020

3/20/2020

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That’s Life by Vito Tomasino 03/20/2020

In his signature song, “That’s Life,” Frank Sinatra—a man who did it his way
and was knocked down for it—always picked himself up and got back in the race.
I was disappointed that he ended the song with the words: “If nothing’s shaking
come this July, I’m gonna roll myself up in a big ball and die.” They are not the
words of a man whose courage I admired as much as his talent. I don’t know
why Frank allowed those defeatist words to remain in the lyrics of an otherwise
honest portrait of the man.
Nonetheless, those same words of capitulation did strike me as being a very
apt description of what we are witnessing today…people in this country and
around the world cowering under the threat of an invisible virus that poses
less of a threat to human life than the common flu. Shutting down the world
isn’t going to stop this virus no more effectively than it would the flu; but it
can, and will—if we continue this senseless behavior, this fear of the
Apocalypse—destroy the world’s economies and reduce our way of life to
the time of the Great Depression.
I agree with Mayor Goodman’s position that the Las Vegas Casinos,
restaurants, and any other place of business not be shut down; not in Vegas,
nor in anywhere in the world. As Frank Sinatra might re-phrase the lyrics,
it’s time to: “pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back in the race.”
Rolling up in a ball to die is not who we are!

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June 21st, 2019

6/21/2019

1 Comment

   A Veteran’s Day Tribute Part I by Vito Tomasino 11/11/2019

      The American Flag is a symbol that not only represents those of us who live in a place called The United States of America, but every freedom loving human being on the face of our planet. It deserves, no, it commands the respect of all who would call themselves an American.
      Tens of thousands of our best men and women gave their blood, their sweat, and their tears under its proud banner in World Wars I and II, and those fortunate enough to come home were greeted like the conquering heroes they were. Not so the veterans of Korea and Vietnam. This was especially true for the Vietnam Vets, who were literally spit upon and called “baby killers” as they got off the plane.
      That has changed. In recent years, the American people have come to realize, that the men and women who fought that war were simply doing the job they were trained to do; sent there by politicians who failed to do theirs.
   But what does it mean to be American? It’s not a race, or a religious sect; nor is it an ideology. What then?
   It is simply an idea, an idea that every person, no matter where he or she lives on this earth has the right—and with it the responsibility—to be free to explore the limits of their God-given potential without the restraints of oppressive government.
   Thanks to our veterans, the "Stars and Stripes" still waves proudly over America's shores, and continues to stand as a beacon of hope and refuge for all freedom loving people in our world.

Part II

      Four years ago I was visited by two youngsters from South Korea, Sarah (17) and David (19) who, before coming back for a third “stateside” visit, pleaded with their “adopted” American father to arrange a meeting with a soldier or marine who had fought in the Korean War so they could personally thank him for saving their country from Communism.
      My wife and I met with him and his kids, and what was expected to be short visit lasted three hours. They thanked me, many times, then asked a million questions: What did I do in the war? How did I feel? Was I afraid? Finally, David asked: “Why did you sacrifice so much to help a people that you hardly knew existed before the war?” A profound question from one so young. It deserved a thoughtful answer.
      “America is a nation of immigrants,” I slowly began, “who came here seeking freedom from an oppressive King, or dictator…for the opportunity to forge a better life for themselves and their children. The early immigrants were the poor and destitute from Europe; followed by the Chinese and other Asian peoples. They asked for nothing more than the chance to find honest work to feed and house their families, but were not greeted with open arms; nor were they given anything free. They fought for everything they got. Nonetheless, they were in a country that rewarded hard work and perseverance. And persevere they did. Their ultimate goal was to become an American citizen, and they did.
“In that struggle for freedom—won for us by our founding fathers and later reinforced by our immigrants—the unlimited potential inherent in every human being was released. Our history, and that idea, is engrained in the psyche of every American. It’s in our DNA. America is a unique phenomenon of the ‘New World,’ a country unencumbered by thousands of years of the subjugation and oppression experienced by almost every other nation on earth. No other people on this planet identify with the plight of the downtrodden like the American people; because, not too long ago, we were them.
        “So, when asked to pick up a rifle, or strap on fighter jet to help those in a little known country on the other side of the world secure their freedom, we feel a special obligation to answer the call, and welcome the opportunity to pay it forward.
"It is who we are.”


Author’s Note: David and Sarah returned to South Korea shortly after our meeting; David to begin his required two year service in the Army, Sarah, her first year of college. Their youngest sister, Esther was just beginning high school. Presently, all three are attending university. Meeting these amazing kids (I met Esther two years later) brought closure to my Korean War experience. The material in quotes above is taken from my latest book, Close Calls and Other Neat Stories. But, it was Dan’s Kids who provided me with its final chapter, appropriately entitled, The Unforgotten War.

The Second Ammendent 10/28/2019

The following essay was written in response to an e-mail I received regarding the marked increase in crimes in Australia, one year after their government forced the surrender of all weapons owned by its citizens.

We've seen this result in our own city of Chicago now repeat itself in a nation; but that won't stop the left wing liberals from continuing to push for stricter gun control, with the ultimate goal of disarming of every law-abiding citizen of our country.

Why would they persist in doing that in the face of the disastrous results we see? Are they out of their minds, or just stupid? Neither. They know exactly what they are doing. They want power, and they know that a disarmed citizenry would be forced to turn to government to protect their lives and property; which they would be happy to provide for their guaranteed vote. Hitler used this "grab for power tactic" in Nazi Germany, Mussolini, in Italy, and Mao Tse Tung in China. We have seen the results there.

Had the colonists been totally disarmed 244 years ago, we would still be ruled by a despotic king whose lust for power and treasure could never be satisfied. After risking their own lives and wealth to rid themselves of King George III, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, et. al., crafted a Constitution that provided for the creation of three equal branches of government, thus never allowing power to reside solely in the hands of one man. Moreover, knowing there may come a day when even that safeguard against despotic rule might be compromised, they added the Second Amendment, giving every American citizen the right to bear arms.

Benghazi Revisited

They attributed the attack on the Benghazi Consulate to a spontaneous response
by a group of people outside the gate who were peacefully protesting a YouTube
video critical of the Prophet Mohammed published almost six months before.
This was a bold-faced lie that they continued to perpetuate days
after the facts were known.

An overhead drone was streaming real-time video into the "Situation Room”
within one hour after the attack, that clearly showed it to be a planned assault
by well trained, heavily armed terrorists. President Obama, Secretary of State
Clinton, Defense Secretary Panetta, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
General Martin Dempsey coldly watched this slaughter unfolding before them
and just sat on their hands. Even worse, they would not allow anyone to come
to their defense, despite the fact that F-16 fighter jets could have been over
the Consulate within three hours. Even if unarmed, their show of force
might have been enough to slow the attackers down, and give follow-on fighters
time to arm and get there for a full blown close air support mission; which
may well have saved the lives of Doherty and Woods--if not Ambassador
Stevens and Foreign Officer Smith.

The Commander of the African Command was ready to send a fighting force
into the fray, and another rescue team in Tripoli was standing by. All were
ordered to "stand down" by President Obama. Even if he himself did not give
the order, he, as Commander-in-Chief, is the only one who could
have approved it.

When asked by a TV anchor why a rescue effort was not made, our stalwart
Secretary of Defense had the audacity--or was it just naivete--to say that
"We don't send troops into harms way until we know the situation"--not
an exact quote. Really? When our troops stormed the beaches of Normandy,
Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Inchon, etc., did they, or their commanders know exactly
what they were getting into? Our military is trained to do exactly that, go
into harms way to defend our national interests. Indeed, it only exists for that
purpose.

These four "leaders of our nation," Obama, Clinton, Panetta, and Dempsey
swore an oath to defend and protect our country from all enemies, and to
insure that the people we send out into this world to do that are adequately
staffed and protected; our military adequately trained and equipped. They
obviously failed in that duty. Was it just incompetence, or something more?

In any case, for what they did, or failed to do in Benghazi, every
one of them should have been impeached, court martialed,
and/or tried for treason.

The Electoral College
I
If not for the Electoral College Hilliary Clinton would have finished the job
of bringing this country to its knees; one that Barak Hussein Obama was
recruited to do and almost achieved. It was only because of the electoral
college that honest, hard working Americans were able to put in the
office of the presidency the only man in the 17 person field of Republican
candidates who was not only a non-politician, but had the personal
strength and determination to take on a neutered Washington establishment

Yes, he can be, and often is, crude and insensitive, with an ego the size
of the Washington Monument, but I believe he is a true patriot who
loves his country. We the people saw this clearly. We also see, that he is
getting things done in a grid-locked Washington, and has indeed stopped
our downward spiral; while the embittered Democrats are still unable to
accept the fact that Donald Trump won the election and their anointed
queen lost.

We owe a debt of gratitude to our founding fathers who, in their infinite
wisdom, created the Electoral College. They knew even then, that it would
be needed to give all Americans a voice in the selection of their President.

The Electoral College is essential to the preservation of our Democracy and
must stand forever. AB-186 must be struct down.

1 Comment

The Office

7/16/2018

0 Comments

      Reasoned debate between rational minds open to the truth
is a healthy thing for a democracy. Unreasoned, emotional personal
attack against any individual is not.
      The U.S. Presidency is the most powerful, most consequential
position of power and influence in the world. Whoever sits in the
Oval Office bears the awesome responsibility of exercising that
power wisely; with a healthy respect for the office and his role
as leader of the free world.
      On the other hand we, the American people: Republicans,
Democrats, Independents, Mainstream Media, and all others--
who, in our democracy, are free to criticize our government
and its duly elected President, must always keep separate our
personal feeling toward the current office holder and the office
itself. There is too much at stake for us, and the world, to allow
our disagreements with the man tarnish the office he temporarily
holds.

0 Comments

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