Author: therealtruckmaster

I am the Real Truckmaster: 1. I am a born-again Christian (a sinner saved by the grace of God). 2 I am a retired US Army Transportation Sergeant First Class (E-7), my last position of assignment was as the "Truckmaster" of the US Army Transportation Motor Pool in Yokohama Japan (1989-90). 3. I am an amateur military historian. 4. I am a Thailand Veteran of the Vietnam War. 5. I detest "Politics as Usual". 6. I'm pro-life (Abortion is murder) and there is no justification or excuse for it. 7. I believe that we must place the security and welfare of America First! Clarification of Real Truckmaster Blogs For those who follow my blog posts on RTM blogs let me clarify and clear up some confusion. I write highlighting the inconsistencies and hypocrisy of the far-left's war on anything Trump. There are too many willing to argue without merit and I would be remiss attempting to argue against their ignorance, they have way too much experience. My writings are my personal opinion intended to be educational in nature, a bit humorous, satirical, while being informative providing food for thought, which is sorely lacking today. For those who find my posts offensive, I am truly sorry, you have the right NOT to read them as have many before you. I will not attempt to change your mind politically, but provide the opportunity to show something you may wish to consider, thereby illuminating prejudice and misinformation! - I am the Real Truckmaster!

Tell Your Story

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I wrote this is in reference to The Vietnam War series by Ken Burns. I did not watch all the episodes recently broadcast on TV, but maybe one day I will go back and take a second look at the episodes I haven’t seen?

However it seems that the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association event on 3 October 2017, in conjunction with Atlanta, Georgia’s PBS Station, PBA30 held a critique of after watching the 18 hour series.

Prior to the conclusion of the event, PBA recorded 7 Vietnam Veterans giving their assessment of the series and very briefly told their story of the Vietnam War during their time in country. Speakers (in order) are: Bob Babcock, Cary S. King, Jim Dickson, J. Craig Honaman, Tony Hilliard, John Butler and Gen. Ron Helmly.

During the introduction of these veterans the first speaker told of the importance of EVERY Vietnam Veteran to tell their story in their own words, either writing it in the form of a book, telling it to family and friends, or speaking in front of a church group or other forum where it can be preserved for the benefit of everyone who hears or reads it.

We all have a story, our story that can only be told by us. Each story is different. Each story is true according to our individual experiences.

One speaker said it best, the Vietnam War is not a 10 year war, but a 1 year war fought 10 times, by different soldiers, sailors, airman, marines, guardsmen and in the case of Thailand, Civilians of Air America and its subsidiaries.

I fully agree that it is especially important for Thailand Veterans of the Vietnam War to tell our story in our own words. Nobody can tell it for us and it is a disgrace to keep it to ourselves and take it to our graves.

Go to the link to the video of the critiques presented at Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association (AVVBA) luncheon meeting on October 3, 2017.

Go to: pba.org/veterans

Scroll down to ATLANTA VIETNAM VETERANS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, where the video can be viewed.

Click on this link: https://youtu.be/qeBC7DQoAbY

(or copy and paste into your browser).

I have a challenge for you, begin writing down your story, in your own words or set up your video camera and begin talking, as you would to a friend, telling about your experiences during the Vietnam War from the perspective of a Thailand Veteran.

I have already begun writing my story and I urge you to do the same. Share your story with others and maybe, just maybe we can get the word out about what really happened as we supported the war in Vietnam from based in Thailand. Remember our war was not confined to the 10 years of the Vietnam War, we were in Thailand before Vietnam and stayed long after the war ended, in fact many of our folks are still serving in Thailand today.

One last note, the battle hasn’t ended for those of us suffering the effects of herbicide exposure to chemicals such as Agent Orange and other chemicals used on Thai bases. Our brothers and sisters have been dying (some each day) because of this deadly friendly fire enemy, it is the Battle of Orange. – I am the Real Truckmaster!

Rocketman of North Korea

Elton John: Rocketman

She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour nine a.m.
And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then
I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It’s lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it’s gonna be a long long…

During President Trump’s speech at the UN, everyone, except the delegate from North Korea (who was furiously writing), were attentive, especially when President Trump referred to KJU as “Rocket Man”. I busted up laughing (here all by myself) with the words to Elton John’s song running thru my head, it was then that I decided to do this simple illustration. LOL – I am the Real Truckmaster

The Battle of Orange

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We who have put on the uniform of the United States military were prepared for battle through meticulous training. We were told about the cunning ways of our enemy. We were taught how to fight the enemy not on his terms but ours.

We went to war in foreign lands. Many of our brothers and sisters engaged the enemy on the field of battle with devastating consequences. While the enemy felt our might, many of our brothers and sisters fell in battle. We honor and remember them, like the names on the wall.

We who remain have been fighting the Battle of Orange. It is an enemy we were not told about, nor were we prepared for the affect it has had on our lives over time. Without our knowledge or participation this enemy has whittled away at our body, cell by cell, tearing away at our bodies defenses.

Strangely once exposed to it, the affects are different for each of us. Many of us have yet to realize that we have been affected by it. We attribute our ill health as a process of aging, which might be true, to a certain degree.

We look at other brothers suffering and we feel compassion, but alas it is not I, we think. We go on with life and our brothers and sisters pass away, into eternity and the battle of Orange claims another victim.

What we are learning some 50 plus years later is startling, disheartening and often depressing. We find that the Battle of Orange is from friendly fire. It is self-inflicted by our unsuspecting brothers and sisters utilizing one of the many weapons of war – chemical herbicides.

They are called “Rainbow” herbicides for their many colors – Blue, White, Orange, Pink (just to name a few) each with their own concoction of chemicals, some more deadly than others and effective on plants, animals and humans.

We have heard of their use on foreign soil, used against the enemy to deprive of food and cover. What we have not heard is they were manufactured in chemical plants here on American soil and tested at home and abroad.

We have learned of their being tested, stored and used at various military installations in the United States, in the Central American country of Panama, where they were tested extensively prior to and during the Southeast Asian war in Vietnam. We find they were used in places like along the DMZ of Korea and in US occupied military bases throughout Thailand and in the countries of Cambodia and Laos.

We were told not to worry because these chemicals were used on the perimeter of bases and did not affect anyone except military police and dog handlers patrolling the fence line. We were told nothing about the potential for “drift” outside the spray zone. We were told nothing about why in a tropical environment there was little to no vegetation growing inside military bases.

It has been more than 50 years since many of us were little more than children, in a land with so much hidden dangers all around us where we spent 12 months or more exposed. The department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has comprised a list of ailments that are VA recognized as a byproduct of exposure to herbicides, and even though we have one or more of these ailments, we must PROVE we were exposed.

Are not the ailments proof enough? Even with our brothers and sisters dying from these ailments, proof is being denied?

What about our families, our children, our grandchildren? We have family members who were exposed? We have children and grandchildren born with a host of uncommon ailments, diseases or worse?

When will our Battle of Orange, (Agent Orange) end?

Death is not the end, the battle continues! – I am the Real Truckmaster!

The Busyness of Christmas

I wrote this back in 12-22-14, but it’s still true today – 12-24-2017

The Busyness of Christmas 2017

The holiday season is upon us. We have advertisements for “After Christmas Sale Now” and K-Mart has their infamous “Blue Light Special” only now it’s for Members Only? Gas prices are down in many areas to less than $2 per gallon for regular unleaded. We worry about getting the “right” gift for everyone on our gift list. We worry about sending out Christmas Cards, especially to those who’ve sent us one first? We make last minute phone calls to family and friends wishing them “Happy Holidays” and “A Joyous New Year”. Amongst all the hustle and bustle of making sure we’ve covered all the bases we mustn’t have forgotten anything. But have we really? We sing the songs; we eat, drink and are merry. But are we? We have our traditional viewing of “White Christmas” and “It’s A Wonderful Life”. We remember Tiny Tim and Mr. Scrooge. We have Scooby Doo, The Muppets, even Elvis. We have it all and still it’s not enough? Haven’t we forgotten something?

Let me submit this tidbit. It’s not about you, or me, or presents or eating and watching movies. It’s not even about Football! It’s not about getting the latest in electronics or the coolest car. It’s not about sitting around with family and friends reminiscing about “the good old times”. It’s not about getting Christmas Cards. It’s not about the holiday lights on many, many homes around town. It’s not about feeling good about doing good either.

Christmas is about love, unconditional love, the love of a Father for his Son, the love of the Creator for His creation. Christmas is about dying to be born. Christmas is about God becoming man to save man from sin. Christmas is about obedience to God. Christmas is about Jesus.

Jesus is the reason for the season. We are told that thru the obedience of a young woman named Mary, God gave his Only Begotten Son Jesus, born of a virgin, a living sacrifice, with the express purpose of dying for the sins of mankind. Christmas is celebrating this magnificent and one of a kind birth which goes against all sense of normalcy in the eyes of man. The King of Kings and Lord of Lord, born of an unwed (betrothed, but not yet married) mother, in a far away city (Bethlehem) where no lodging could be found, even for a full term pregnancy (9th month). Yes Christmas is celebrated because those chosen by God, submitted themselves to God so that the plan of God would be fulfilled.

Today (2017) we humble and submit ourselves to God by remembering what Christmas is all about. The reason for Christmas is Jesus Christ. – I am the Real Truckmaster

Qualified to be President

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That’s a nice thought but how does one prepare to be president? Is there some secret test you have to take? Who would you submit it to? Who exactly is the one who “certifies” that you are now worthy to become president? So how can someone make a pre-determination, or rather a post-determination that Donald J. Trump is not “qualified” to be president?

Those are some of my questions when I hear or read about some self-proclaimed “experts” declaring with certainty that Trump is unfit to be president. Who made THEM subject matter experts on the fitness of a president?

Why don’t we go all the way back to the beginning, to see who conducted the “Presidential Fitness Test” for good old George Washington? Did someone smuggle it in from France? (Oh wait France didn’t have a president!) Maybe the test came surfaced from some Russian contacts the very early Trump connection?

Let’s fast forward to “Honest Abe” Abraham Lincoln. Wasn’t he just some backwoods self taught lawyer? He didn’t even have twitter. How did he become qualified or fit to become president? Who certified him? Did they use an invisible scale of comparison to previous presidents?

Maybe if we come a little bit closer, what about Harry Truman? Wasn’t he just a shop keeper? Oh I almost forgot, he was a military officer during World War I? Maybe that was his qualifier? After all George Washington was a military man before him.

What about John Fitzgerald Kennedy? How did he meet the qualifications to become president? Was it money and power? Did someone give him the “PFT”? Wait he was a naval officer, PT 109 (I saw the movie) but who qualified him, his dad, who?

If we come even closer let’s look at George Hubert Walker Bush, who certified him to be president? Wasn’t he a presidential appointee, ambassador or CIA head or something? Wait he too was a military man, a pilot during World War II. Maybe he had a Russian connection?

Oh now I see, it was William Jefferson Clinton. He obviously was qualified, a lawyer, an attorney general, a governor and he was married to Hillary Rodham Clinton. Surely he had the touch. He was qualified.

What about “Barry Sotoro” aka Barack Hussein Obama? What was his qualification for president? Like many before him, wasn’t he a lawyer? Wait he was a community organizer in Chicago, and he was married to Michelle (forgot her maiden name) Obama so surely he was qualified? He wasn’t a military man (unless you count the Black Panthers)? He was a senator and most of all he was a democrat, just like Jack Kennedy before him, he had to be qualified?

Well that brings us to “The Donald” as he liked to be called, Donald J. Trump. Who administered the “PFT” to him? Who set the bar to become president? Actually who told Trump he had permission to go forward with his bid to be president? Who told him business dealings with Russia would be a disqualifier, rather than actually selling Uranium like Hillary did? Isn’t he just a rich businessman with money to burn and going after the job of president is just another feather in his cap? He doesn’t even like America (some have said), not as much as he likes himself?

What I see in President Donald J. Trump is a man who has answered a calling that few could or would. You see it isn’t something that gains anything additional for a man who has virtually everything one could ask for, family, money and possessions. What I see is a man who saw the awful direction this country has spiraled into and decided that enough is enough.

Like many of us who see nothing but corruption in government every time we turn on the TV. We see congress men and women acting downright outrageous, making ludicrous statements and doing nothing, nothing without somehow being financial “enlightened” in their bank accounts for passing things like the “bridge to nowhere” and studying how sand fleas mate or some such idiotic thing?

Not only did Trump see the corruption, but he decided that he COULD do something about it. He is not a man who does anything to fail. Failure is not acceptable. Trump does everything I say again EVERYTHING to win. Why run a race if you’re not going to TRY and win? Trump doesn’t stop at trying, he plays to win.

So when politicians try to lay the political blame game on him, he doesn’t fall for it. He doesn’t act like a politician. Maybe he doesn’t act like a lawyer either? Trump is a successful businessman and applying successful business practices is something that has not been applied to government before. At least not by someone who knows how to be successful in business, Trump is a negotiator and intent on pulling the best deal out of any negotiation he is engaged in. That holds true on the international scale as well.

As President, Trump has faced his fiercest battles with congress and the media. Some have said he is trying to circumvent congress while trying to stifle the media? I say hogwash. Trump is trying to motivate/shame congress over their lack of ethics and refusal to do the job voters have sent them to congress to do. As for the media, Trump has put their unethical tactics and fake news stories front and center where even a blind man can see them for what they really are – fake news. Any reporter or news editor worth his or her salt would take that as a challenge to simply report the news, not create fake news. I just wonder when the White House Press Secretary will simply withdraw the credentials of reporters from CNN and others and replace them in the press room with reporters who are committed to integrity in their reporting?

If you decided to run for president would you be able to pass the same “Presidential Fitness Test” that the congress and the fake news folks have declared was flunked by President Trump? Who would let you know if you passed such a test? – I am the Real Truckmaster

UN Vote to Condemn US Decision to Move Embassy to Jerusalem – 12-21-2017

United Nations

How does it feel to stand as a nation on principle because it’s the right thing to do, even though the world stands against us?

Romans 8:31 – What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Here are the member states of the United Nations and how they voted. The results may surprise you (or not):

Member states that voted in favor of the resolution condemning the US moving its Embassy to Jerusalem:
A: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan
B: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi
C: Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica
E: Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia
F: Finland, France
G: Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana
I: Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy
J: Japan, Jordan
K: Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan
L: Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg
M:Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique
N: Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway
O: Oman
P: Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal
Q: Qatar
R: Republic of Korea (South Korea), Russia
S: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria
T: Tajikistan, Thailand, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey
U: United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan
V: Venezuela, Vietnam
Y: Yemen
Z: Zimbabwe

Member states that voted against the resolution:
G: Guatemala
H: Honduras
I: Israel
M: Marshall Islands, Micronesia
N: Nauru
P: Palau
T: Togo
U: United States

Member states that abstained (Refused to Vote):
A: Antigua-Barbuda, Argentina, Australia
B: Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina
C: Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic
D: Dominican Republic
E: Equatorial Guinea
F: Fiji
H: Haiti, Hungary
J: Jamaica
K: Kiribati
L: Latvia, Lesotho
M: Malawi, Mexico
P: Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland
R: Romania, Rwanda
S: Solomon Islands, South Sudan
T: Trinidad-Tobago, Tuvalu
U: Uganda
V: Vanuatu

SOURCE: Al Jazeera News

Genesis 12:2-3. God is speaking to Abraham. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

– I am the Real Truckmaster

The United Nations

United Nations

Sorry folks but I can’t hold back any longer, but they are nothing but the epitome of an Oxymoron if I ever saw one. They sit in their “ivory” tower in New York City, yes I said New York City and do absolutely nothing about the injustices and atrocities being committed around the world today in 2017.

Just look around at the continents, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. How many countries are currently committing genocide on a massive scale that makes Hitler’s atrocities pale in comparison? Many of those countries are where the United States has deployed covert special operations teams in an attempt to maintain stability and/or prevent genocide from happening.

What has the U.N. been doing, casting stones (voting against the U.S.A.) for deciding to move the US Embassy into Jerusalem because our President said so? Come on?

Why doesn’t the “Blue Helmets” go into North Korea and put an end to the reign of “Rocket Man” and free the Korean masses enslaved in slave labor camps working the coal mines so the social elites can live the life of luxury in the capitol city?

What about going into Africa and stopping the abduction of young women to be held as sex slaves by a group (s) of men and boys who do so brazenly and with impunity?

Maybe take a look at the religious persecution of Christians in the Middle East by ISIS and other Left Wing Muslim Extremists Groups, where a whole population who don’t bow to Mohammad are being sought out, forced to flee or are outright killed for their beliefs?

Look at what’s happening in Afghanistan where terrorists are and have been affecting the population of an entire country and the only choices are joining to fight Americans or die (That’s a die or die situation)?

I could go on and on, but instead of voting against these acts against humanity, the UN simply ignores what’s going on because they seem to be living (expenses paid by the US taxpayers) in the United States and rubber stamping the dictates of a select few who exercise their power over other members.

I’m glad that the US Ambassador to the UN has the internal fortitude to stand up to these whiney and grumpy old men and women of the United Nations and tell it like it is.

I don’t know what kind of “treaty” or contract the US has with keeping the UN on our soil, but I would hope that the President and with the backing of the Congress of the United States (both House and Senate) would stand up and demand that the United Nations relocate immediately to some distant land and do so without the financial assistance of the United States.

I can think of a number of locations that would be suitable. Some place where it’s sunny and warm year around, not affected by the weather that comes to New York.

How about the Bikini Islands? I hear that it currently has no inhabitants, thus no crime of any type. – I am the Real Truckmaster

Rewriting the book of Can’t

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12-20-2017

Rewriting the Book of Can’t

It would be funny if it wasn’t so true, prominent people “in the know” seem to think that telling President Donald J. Trump he can’t do something is going to make him change his mind, it only makes him that much more determined to push on through.

Before he decided to run for president, the name Trump was well known in New York City, Atlantic City and all the way down to Florida for his real estate deals. There were some that fell through and cost him a tremendous amount of money, but that didn’t stop him. He just found another way and his philosophy seemed to be never give up.

As President, Trump is a wild card and that scares those people “in the know”. He is brash, outspoken and at times very unconventional. He is the quaint essential un-politician. Trump has written several books (which I’ve yet to read), and even today he is rewriting the book of politics, the book of “You Can’t Do That”!

While other presidents have used various media to get their messages out, Trump has grasped social media in a way that others could not. Roosevelt used the radio for his fireside chats talking friend to friend. Reagan used television a media that he knew. Obama used late night talk shows and thought of himself a star. Trump used Twitter (and now X) to get his message across and that makes everyone in the media or on the left have a fit. When technology changes, so must we. That is exactly what Trump does.

When Donald Trump speaks what’s on his mind, it’s not just a casual off the cuff remark, but has had much thought behind it and Trump tells it like it is. Because it’s spontaneous and unpredictable it may come across as crude or “not presidential”, but the media is all over it like flies on……….honey.

So why is it that prominent world leaders know exactly what Trump means, yet so many (or so few liberal) Americans can grasp it?

I find it refreshing that a successful businessman can do what he does best – look at government like a business, bring in fresh, experienced and highly successful businessmen and women to evaluate the situation to bring about much needed changes much like a clock maker, fine tuning a Swiss watch. Changes aimed at bringing back American pride; pride in manufacturing; pride in working toward the American dream. Having pride in the accomplishments of the people who make up the American workers, through hard work, dedication to service and helping others is something to be sought.

Being so proud of yourself that you resent what you don’t have and the only outlet is to lash out at symbols of freedom and use all your energy to tear down anything that you feel is “oppressive” or representative of something evil in the past. How oppressive is that?

Turn your energies into something positive. Our government has become so huge it’s like a machine that gobbles up people and spews out rules, regulations and laws aimed at enslaving society as a whole and having gone unchecked for so long it is time for someone to say “check mate”, “Stop”, “There has to be a better way”.

President Donald J. Trump is not the savior of America or of the world. Unlike his predecessor who sought the office of President for various reasons and said he cured the economy while nothing changed for the better. Trump knows the savior of the world, Jesus who is the Christ, and when following the leading of the Holy Spirit of God things do get better for America AND for the world.

It has been a long time since one man has been so determined to bring about real change in government without a hidden agenda. The Trump agenda has been from the start to “Drain the Swamp”, although it began as a campaign slogan, the rumbling we hear coming out of Washington is the sound of the swamp creatures who are afraid of being drained as their power is taken away.

I don’t see that Donald Trump came to office for power or prestige, he had all that. Nor did he take on the job of president for money, he had more than enough. He didn’t do it so he could fly around in Air Force One, not when he had Trump One with golden faucets and all the elegance of HIS own choosing.

President Trump didn’t seek power so he could be ridiculed over every word he said, his employees were totally committed to making sure he was happy and satisfied on everything he saw, felt or touched. As far as worldly riches, Trump had it all. What a far cry for the man who had everything money, power, prestige, a family whom he loves and they love him.

So why would Trump take on the job of president? Because deep down inside like many of us, we tend to see something wrong and think to ourselves “Somebody outta do something!” and we forget that we are somebody and we can do something. Donald Trump said I WILL do something. I will run for president and I will win. Everybody laughed at him.

They said it couldn’t be done. Even the California politician who had no defined plan or policy idea about fixing what is wrong in America and everybody laughs.

If I know one thing about Donald J. Trump (whom I’ve never met), when you tell him it can’t be done, he will prove you wrong. I don’t know of anything that Trump has ever done in his life that he has not done to win. Failure is not an option with Donald Trump.

Quitting is for losers and Trump is not a loser.

President Donald J. Trump is for America winning again on the world stage. Yes Trump is an actor and he doesn’t put himself into a situation or “reality show” where he plans to lose.

Love him or hate him, Trump is for you – winning again.

Trump was the 45th President of the United States of America and means to put America First – secure our borders (build that wall); rebuild our military (prepare for war, live in peace); Talk Straight (say what your mean) and Mean What You Say; hold your loved ones close and your enemies closer.

Stay focused – keep the goal in sight and above all “Run the race to win”.

In everything you do, do as unto the Lord. Do it to please God above, not man below.

If you live to please man you aren’t living at all. – RTM

Blinded Eyes Fail to See

newsweekobama

Let us take a look back after the election of 2008 and see if there is in fact any thing new under the sun?

1-24-2009

With the campaign over and the new president in office I wonder how different things will be in America and in the world. Running on a campaign of change, with echoes of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy I trust that he will do the right things for the right reasons and go further than either of these two previous role model presidents.

Americans want to identify with President Barack Obama and see this country change, change for the better. The economy is at its all time low, the lowest since the great depression. Wall Street has been shook at the core. The government bailout of huge financial institutions, as well as many other corporations who hope to get on the gravy train, are yet to be funded. In fact, where will this funding come from? Who is holding the proverbial bag? The amount is so vast that many Americans simply ignore it hoping it will simply go away.

Congress is pressing the new president to make those funds available, when some of those same congressmen are the totally responsible for the financial crisis we are in. When will Americans wake up and demand an accounting from them?

The war in Iraq is seen as a mistake, yet many Americans do not realize that we are on the verge of the greatest trials to befall America. Trials that will make the twin towers barely a memory. It’s obvious that the terrorists will test this new president. It will be a test of America. War is not the answer, yet failing to prepare for war is not an option. War in it’s self is a two edged sword, it feeds the industrial complex, while depleting the very lives it is trying to save.

The American media coverage of the election was decisively stacked against the incumbent president. It was responsible for the perception that the democratic candidate would be so much better. I believe that several factors were responsible for the republican loss. Over confidence, underestimating the fact that America would do just about anything to put a democrat in the White House.

When the democratic victory came, many Americans could not handle it. It is a testimony to our culture, and the overwhelming desire to get God out of America that brought out the worst in America. When a people who do not respect themselves, publically display outrageous disrespect for the outgoing president, they shame us all.

Now let’s talk about change in America.

Change for change sake is not change. Unless something is broke, don’t fix it. When you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem. These sayings should cause people to stop and take a second look at what needs to be changed, really!

Granted, America needs a better way to handle health care, but don’t go down the same path as Canada or France. We have the expertise right here in America with new ideas that can overhaul our current system and become an example for other nations to follow.

America needs to overhaul our social security system so that our children and our grandchildren, and their grandchildren will not be left out. No grandchild left behind!

The American political system needs serious reform. Since when has being a “public servant” ceased to exist? When we send our representative to state or national service, it should be for the good of the people in that legislative district. The longer one is in political office, the more power is given and as another saying goes, “Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”. The Bible calls “The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil”. We see that is true even today.

Gone are the days of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. Today it’s “Give Me, Give Me, and Give Me”. When are we as a people going to wake up? Go back and read the fairy tale of “The Pied Piper”. They wanted change too.

Do we really want the government into our daily lives? Do we want someone coming around and telling us that because we have 2 cars, we must give one to someone who has chosen not to work, but to live off government subsistence? Do we want government to tell us what we can watch on TV? Or limit us on how many of ANYTHING we can have? Next it could be how many children we can have, before the government steps in to force abortions.

We really don’t know how far this could go. All we have to do is to look around at other countries who have tried Communism, Marxism or dictatorial styles of government. Read in recent newspaper articles about the wave of genocide in the Congo. Families and soldiers are running for their lives to get away from the rebel forces making changes. – I am the Real Truckmaster

Exploring Thailand – My Way

road sign

I first went to Thailand as an 18 year old GI in February 1968. It was then that I developed a heart for the Thai people. They are friendly, extremely tolerant and forgiving as I began learning some of the customs and courtesies of these wonderful people.

I’ve had the opportunity to return to Thailand several times over the years, once by myself and that could have been a disaster, but wasn’t. Mostly it’s with my Thai wife of 48 years, and now that my kids and all my grandkids have been back, we are usually accompanied by friends who often haven’t gotten back home for quite a while. Each visit is an adventure. I make new friends, lookup old acquaintances (many of whom have passed on).

Let me tell you about Mr. Taipoosa (as I called him) was the tailor who came out to our small army camp at Khon Kaen. He would take orders for shirts, walking suits, or other clothing. He did his measurements, and then come back with the finished product. Normally they were made of Thai silk. His business took a direct hit when our unit left in 1970.

Over the years I managed to locate his shop, still in the same spot in downtown Khon Kaen. It is no longer a tailor shop, but a Kodak Camera shop. He had to reinvent his business and turned to developing film and printing photographs.

Normally when I’m in Khon Kaen I’d head downtown during the mid-morning hours and stop in to visit. Sometimes he was out of the country on business, other times he would be sitting behind his desk reading the newspaper. On one trip his wife (who still runs the shop) informed me that he had died. It was a shock and a wakeup call, knowing that we will all die one day. Today we are in the digital age and the shop can download photos from phones, cameras and flash drives; print and reproduce documents; and for a time was a center piece for foreign tourists (his English was good) who would frequently stop in asking for directions.

I enjoy walking around the downtown area, into the small shops and into the marketplace (talot) where you can find virtually anything and bargain for a good price, as bartering is the custom of Thai vendors.

Very rarely do I venture into the touristy areas, but some of the new indoor and outdoor malls are a place to meet some friendly people and come across some unusual (in American society) items for sale.

I call this exploring Thailand – My Way!

I have travelled north to the city of Chiang Mai, wandered thru a Hmong village looking for souvenirs, some of which can be pretty frightening, like a human skull (real or not, I didn’t ask). We went to a snake farm but nobody would venture out of the van. We stopped downtown at a factory that makes bamboo and silk umbrellas and fans. Interesting to see the process first hand and made by hand.

I’ve been to the city of Kanchanaburi where we walked across the River Kwai, on an old but still active railroad bridge, and sailed up the river on a boat, visited caves, museums and two foreign cemeteries where Japanese Prisoners of War (World War II) were buried.

One of the things I’ve done is rent a car and drive from Khon Kaen north to Nong Khai. After walking thru the sidewalk market and having fresh fish for lunch, we headed eastward along the Mekong River thru Nakon Phanom (NKP) and all the way to the town of Mukdahan, then returning via Sakon Nakhon and Kalasin, arriving back in Khon Kaen around 12 hours later.

I’ve driven on roads that turned into mere footpaths; other roads that ended in a cow pasture with a creek running thru it. I’ve driven thru Roi Et and Surin to the Sisaket Zoo near the Cambodian border (where the temple dispute continues today), then up to Ubon to visit friends who moved to Thailand back in 2002 or 2003.

I’ve been literally across Thailand, except to the very south around the Phuket area.

Until recently I’ve always returned to Khon Kaen where the people are always friendly. The last couple of years I’ve taken to the town of Cha Am, south of Bangkok and a bit north of Hua Hin. It’s a touristy town, lots of hotels on the beach. I haven’t come across any other American’s yet, mostly European Expats living the good life.

The Thai people are ingenious about what they do. They can spend hours on very tedious and time consuming labor projects that yield small profit (if any). They will build fireworks that dazzle the eye. The food is always fresh and extremely spicy. I like to begin with a cup of coffee and fried bread (Potango) and the perfect ending of a hot day is with a cup of Thai Ice Coffee (Oleang).

Thailand is a country full of contrasts. Workers in the rice field; fishermen in the water with nets; vendors with “street food” are the best. I see the westernization of Thailand with 7-11 stores literally on every corner. In Cha Am along a 1 mile stretch of the beach I counted more than 12 such stores.

Almost gone are the “Samlars” man powered bicycle taxi’s in many cities, they have been replaced by “Tuk Tuk” Diesel powered 3 wheel taxi’s, and there is talk about going to electric taxi’s to replace the modern version of the Thai “rickshaw”.

Motor scooters are abundant and often the only mode of transportation a family can afford. They are used to transport entire families of (4 or 5, or more) on a single trip. Scooters have been adapted to serve as delivery vehicles for all types of food, adaptable with a variety of specialty carts and you have the means for mobile service vehicles.

Traveling long distances, you have the choice of flying for mere pennies on the dollar (Baht). Maybe a tour van is your style? They are air-conditioned and even have refrigerators and televisions onboard. One can take an express bus that stops at designated rest areas, but the air conditioned environment inside the bus can be relaxing. I simply like to drive, whether it’s a rented vehicle or a family car. You have the freedom to make detours along the way and spend a bit longer exploring Thailand.

Sense my first time in Thailand I’ve noticed changes in the roads. Back then most were two lane roads with traffic going each way. Now they have become freeways of 2 – 4 lanes each way on a divided highway.

It’s been said that the difference between sightseeing as a tourist and connecting with the people of Thailand has to do with getting out and exploring your surroundings. Meet someone, have a meal with them. Get to know them and let them get to know you. It will warm your heart and bless your soul.

Thailand the Land of Smiles – I am the Real Truckmaster.