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!
January 20, 2021 was the day President Joe Biden was inaugurated as 46th President of the United States.
January 25, 2021 members of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources, Armed Services, and Veterans’ Affairs chose to introduce H.R. 484 “No Glory for Hate Act” to the House as a means of stripping former President Donald Trump of all entitlements under the “Former Presidents Act of 1958” such as “retirement, clerical assistants and free mailing privileges, and only allowing President Trump Secret Service protection.” (See no vindictiveness there, right?)
By calling it the “No Glory for Hate Act” these House Democrats seek to prevent (see how they word it so as not to seem outright vindictive) “any former President that has been twice impeached by the House of Representatives on or before the date of enactment of this Act or has been convicted of a State or Federal crime relating to actions taken in an official capacity as President of the United States.”
Remember that the House has twice impeached Donald Trump, once as President and once as a former President thereby placing him into a special category all by himself, yet two acquittals declares him NOT GUILTY of the frivolous charges brought against him.
Once again these House Democrats assume (you know that that means, right) that former President Donald Trump will be convicted of a State of Federal crime relating to actions taken in an official capacity as President of the United States.
What actually are they referring to? The Act prevents commemorating with a symbol, monument or statue, renaming any highway, park, subway, Federal building, military installation, street, or other Federal property name, designate, or redesignate a Federal building or Federal land, or a restriction on Federal funds or other Federal financial assistance for property bearing his name (now read it again very slowly).
Ms. Judy Chu (D) California), having taken it upon themselves to single out President Trump in still another outrageous act of premeditated and spiteful hate as never before seen in our country.
Rather than focusing on Americans suffering from the effects of COVID-19 they spend their time, energy and resources to compile and submit a bill such? It is blatantly a misuse of the powers of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources, Armed Services, and Veterans’ Affairs. Their actions reflect violations of the RICO statute for conspiracy to defame and slander a former President for what they (the House) has done to him purely out of spite.
When will voters wake up to the travesty being played out in the halls of Congress at our expense? Take note of the names listed above. Voters should initiate a recall of these legislators and when they come up for reelection vote them out. I don’t care if you like or dislike Donald Trump but to condone this behavior from members of Congress who have pledged to represent you is unacceptable; hold them accountable for their actions. – I am the Real Truckmaster!
Does anyone else find it interesting that the Democratic Party of yesteryear has remade its image into one of…..well should we say a bit un-different? The party that sprang up the likes of the Klu Klux Klan wearing white bedsheets, robes and face coverings after the Civil War has morphed itself into the political party of “wear a facial covering to stop the spread of the virus”.
It used to be that face coverings were to prevent the breathing in of dust particles or facial recognition when someone robbed a bank. Today refusing to wear a facial covering makes you a denier, someone who is trying to kill everyone around them because they don’t want to wear a mask.
During the Trump years in office the very liberal progressive democratic party of today decided to “resist” the annual State of the Union Addresses given by President Trump for their benefit.
How did they resist you ask? One year they all came to the joint session of congress wearing their favorite white bedding attire. That’s right it could have come right out of the pages of the KKK training manual, the section on how to properly wear a scary sheet.
Another time they dressed in African attire that was from the tribe of slave traders as they paraded themselves around the Capital. And who can forget the impression given by Speaker Pelosi as she tore up her copy of the State of the Union on live television and while President Trump was speaking to the nation.
I’m sorry to say that the Democratic Party of today is in totally worse shape than ever before in their party’s history. They remain unremorseful in the distain they hold for Americans who have differing political views or of even their own party who don’t toe the party line.
Barack Obama used the word Audacity in his book title, but he could or should have used Arrogance as how the Obama Democratic Party shamelessly lords themselves over others as if they are a class unto themselves.
I saw a picture of AOC wearing a shirt that said “Tax the Rich” as if that’s a real thing. I’m not rich but I say “Tax the Political Class” you know politicians who achieve political power and finances while in public service and at the expense of others.
It today’s political climate it’s fair to say that the Very Liberal Progressive Left Circle-Back Democratic Party of 2021 has hardly striven to reach this all-time political low. Maybe they should revisit the party mascot and switch to something more their speed like a Sloth or a sea turtle or just maybe a snail or a slug. Slugs are nice at the first touch of salt they simply melt into nothingness. – I am the Real Truckmaster!
There is a well-known story about life being the “dash” between a person’s date of birth and date of death. The story begs us to examine our “dash”. What have we accomplished in our lifetime? What will we be remembered by? Or outside of our family will we even be remembered at all?
America watched the spectacles of politicians and former presidents who after passing on to the great beyond were given a spectacular tribute for their great accomplishments by other politicians and former presidents. They were praised for their contributions to the party and the affect they had on America and on the world around them. There were video and online tributes given by those who made sure to get their own 15 minutes of fame praising the very ground they walked on. In reality the proceedings quite often were simply the platform to dump on the sitting President at that time – Donald J. Trump who was “forbidden” to attend.
For us the ceremony is a time of grieving the lost loved one and as a Christian it is a time of celebrating their life and their journey home, where they join a loving God and loved ones who’ve gone on before. It is unthinkable and unacceptable for someone to hack into the ceremony or service for political purposes.
The recent passing of Rush Limbaugh highlights the hypocrisy of politics by the mean spirited comments people feel the need to make so that they too receive their 15 minutes of fame. Well I choose not to give them that platform. I have watched and listened to Rush for years and he has brought forth the voice of reason during a time of unreasonable change happening in America. He will be sorely missed.
In the recent past few months we have lost a number of voices shouting in the wilderness like that of Country Singers Charlie Pride’s Kiss an Angel Good Morning and Charlie Daniels’ The Devil Went Down To Georgia leaving an everlasting mark on the culture of America. We also lost conservative Herman Cain who overcame many obstacles in life but left with barely a whisper. There are more, many more that die minute of every day, they are missed by many and then forgotten.
The months of January and February are very special to me as they are anniversary months of my parents who died pre-COVID and are sorely missed every day. They inspired those who knew them by their example of loving others before themselves. Caring and sharing not out of their abundance but from all they had, literally taking their coats off their back and giving to those in need.
Your “dash” tells more about you than simply words can explain.
What is your dash saying, even now? – I am the Real Truckmaster!
I said I’d keep a low profile after Biden was inaugurated and I intend to keep my word and only write when events prompt me to. Thus far there have been plenty of material to draw from but the photograph that surfaced today puts the icing on the cake.
It’s not written in the constitution that the President of the United States must work or live in the White House and not every president has. However Joe Biden may be the very first “Virtual President” in history, since Facebook, YouTube and Twitter had not been invented during Washington’s time.
There several books written about foreign operatives controlling the office holder of the President of the United States, but I’ve never read one about an actual “Virtual President” before. It could be like in the Back to the Future movies where the president goes into the bathroom in the master suite, lights flicker and suddenly it transforms into the Oval Office.
What’s so strange about that? I read about the guy who built his own Oval Office complete with reproduced furnishings simply because he wanted to.
So with Zoom, Messenger and all the other high tech tools available how are we to know if in fact the President is in the White House at all? And what about the VP seated in the room but often just to the rear or appearing to be the center of attention during a presidential briefing?
Did president’s Obama or Trump do it that way too?
I suspect all the fuss we see in the news and the internet are precursors to a potential mostly peaceful transfer of power when the time is right to pull a number 25 or as Tom Bradley would say, an “OMAHA”.
We have been privileged to the “read outs” of presidential phone calls between President Biden and world leaders, but where are the actual transcript of those calls? For all we know they never happened.
Has China, Russia, Germany, Mexico or any world leader (Kim Jong Un) spoken publicly about talking with the US President? I haven’t seen or heard anything, have you?
Maybe I’m jumping the gun on this one but……….are we sure JB isn’t a clone? You know a “body double” like they use in the movies? I haven’t heard him or KH call anyone a liar in a long time, except when talking about #45. It makes me wonder……..Are we dreaming and when we wake up from our slumber we’ll find that Trump is still president and all is right with the world. Wouldn’t that be a hoot!……..unless you’re a democrat or a RINO.
Henry Ford once said that thinking is the hardest job in the world and that’s why so many people don’t even try (paraphrased by me)! – I am the Real Truckmaster!
Sometimes I like to look back at events that shape my life and there have been many.
One in particular was Friday August 28, 1998 exactly one year after my younger brother John succumbed to melanoma cancer at the age of 44. John had warned me earlier in 1997 to get a colonoscopy. I got my test and assured him I was fine.
I had one mission that fateful Friday morning and that was take the dog to the groomer near our house in Cimarron Hills and my wife would pick her up later. I returned home, grabbed a cup of coffee and went down to my home office and jumped on my computer. I was new to computers only had mine for a little over a year and I was teaching myself to build webpages.
I was taking college classes for computer programming at night and working at a teleconferencing company. I was scheduled to start work at 9:00 am and would be leaving for work soon. My wife was working in her home beauty salon. Everything was pretty normal. I’ll call it the calm before the storm.
Suddenly I felt a pain in my chest. It felt like someone had put a brick on my chest and was pressing down really hard. It was like nothing I had felt before. My first thought was to shut down my computer correctly, and I did.
I then staggered into the home salon and the colorless look on my face put everyone in panic mode. I told my wife I didn’t feel well and her customer said get him to the hospital and she’d lock up.
We lived almost 2 miles from the main gate at Peterson AFB and my wife drove as if my life depended on it. We stopped at the gate long enough to tell the gate guard we were headed to the hospital. He waved us through and as we pulled up to the ER entrance I remember reading the huge sign that said NO EMERGENCY ROOM, the hospital had been downgraded to a clinic.
We parked and headed to the door, aided by a guy on crutches going that way too.
As we entered the building the guy yelled something about a guy having a heart attack. Suddenly it seemed like we had every doctor, nurse and hospital staff member being jammed into the former ER. They were asking me how I felt, feeding me nitro and all I could say when I saw my wife’s primary doctor – check on her, she’s the one with high blood pressure.
What really got my attention was when the doctor picked up the phone and called 911.
I thought why is the hospital calling 911 and what are they going to do? It turned out they sent a civilian ambulance to pick me up and take me to one of the local hospitals where the surgeon was standing by for surgery.
All the way to the hospital the paramedic continued to feed me nitro. It still did nothing for me.
My wife stayed by my side all the way into the hospital where our pastor was waiting. I left them as the elevator headed up to the surgery floor. Once upstairs they prepped me for surgery and soon we were in that tiny surgical room. They hooked the wires and tubes and I was able to watch on the monitor as the angioplasty probe was inserted up the artery and then suddenly the pain stopped. I remember saying to the doctor that I was ready to go home now. She didn’t think so and they soon moved me into a recovery room, then into the ICU for overnight observation.
When I came to my normal senses I found that I was extremely hungry. I asked a nurse for something to eat and she came back with an apple. I like apples and enjoyed chomping on it and soon the apple was all gone……..almost. I felt a rumbling in my stomach and soon I sort of exploded sending applesauce all over my partitioned off area. I don’t think the nurse was very happy.
Later that night I felt kind of warm and sticky and pressed the call button. The nurse didn’t seem too happy when she came in. I asked if I was supposed to be warm and sticky and when she pulled the blanket away and yelled for backup as she applied pressure to stop my arterial bleeding.
The next day I was moved into a private room in the ICU ward. That was when they let family in to visit and my parents were there too. They had driven from Boise, Idaho.
My daughters had brought the grandkids and one wanted to know if they took my heart out.
My youngest daughter said I didn’t have to worry about work because she had called and told them I quit (Just kidding she said).
I was released from the hospital on Sunday and turned 49 on Monday. – I am the Real Truckmaster!
I have written several blogs addressing the impeachment process as it related to President Donald J. Trump and many have disagreed with my assessments. Some have questioned my “qualification” to even comment on impeachment. Well I hate to disappoint you but it does not take an educational degree or a professorship, PhD, or even a passing grade in US History to make a comment or assessment on whether or not there were constitutional grounds for impeaching a sitting president or continuing after he became a former president.
My qualifications are that first and foremost I am a US citizen, old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and I have the God given ability to recognize when elected officials have deviated from upholding their oaths of office and turned into a vindictive mob demonstrating their political power.
From the Constitution:
Article 1, Section 2
The House of Representatives …….. and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.
Article 1, Section 3
The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.
Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.
The second impeachment was an unconstitutional abuse of power by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who formulated Articles of Impeachment accusing President Donald J. Trump of inciting the insurrection into the US Capital building based solely on him speaking at his MAGA rally on January 6th, 2021. It was also an abuse of power by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to even bring it up for a vote after Trump was no longer in office.
The Articles of Impeachment were filed by House Democrats mere days before the end of Trump’s term, knowing full well that the process would not be able to run its course with a full-blown trial before inauguration day. It was purely a political stunt with the aim of preventing Trump from being able to run for office ever again.
Once again House Democrats and the media portrayed the MAGA crowd as an angry mob of “Trump Supporters” who invaded the Capital, wreaking havoc thereby filling legislators with fear and trembling as they ran for their lives – All Lies.
I’ve watched the video footage of the MAGA crowd, men, women and children after walking for 45 minutes and arriving at the Capital building and being invited inside by Capital Police. I’ve seen footage of the mayhem happening inside as insurrectionists hammered on doors, broke windows and made their way by force past Capital Police inside the Capital. Those were clearly Antifa and BLM anarchists doing what they have been doing over the past year in Portland, Seattle, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis and even in DC – rioting and attacking those who get in their way.
I’ve read the accounts of folks who watched Antifa protestors dressed in dark clothing being escorted into the Capital building on January 6th as the MAGA crowd began arriving. I’ve watched the footage of someone placing items outside the Capital building the night before the events of January 6th.
I’ve listened to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claiming to be frightened enough to lock herself inside her office bathroom, filled with uncontrollable fear as Capital Police go door to door initiating a lock down of the building and directing everyone to safety and Representative Rashida Tialb who thanked Allah she was not at the Capital building that day. I have also seen photos of her LEADING protest riots.
I purposefully did not watch the congressional clown show which was set to run prolonged until the Republican Senate witness list was to begin with House Speaker Pelosi. Suddenly it was time to vote – Convict or Acquit!
What happened because of House Democrats in their rush to judgement (again) set a precedence that could become the norm to impeach every elected official after they have left public office?
What should have happened was first Congress create a bill from both Chambers sent to the President for signing into law changing Article 1, Sections 2 & 3 concerning impeachment a former President when he is no longer in office.
I used Nixon as an example of a president who resigned when threatened with Articles of Impeachment.
The act of impeaching a president is akin to accusing the president of wrongdoing but it is the conviction of the president that would remove him from office. It is a separate vote after conviction that could bar him from holding office again. Impeaching Trump at the end of his term is like calling a fight after the final bell has rung and saying “YOU’RE OUT!” – I am the Real Truckmaster!
It’s officially over – the unconstitutional impeachment of former President Donald J. Trump. The verdict – Acquitted of the charge of inciting the insurrection on January 6th 2021. Whether you’re rejoicing, rejecting or indifferent depends on what you believe about “the big lie”.
Did President Trump incite his supporters into a rowdy mob of violent insurrectionists? Did his words at the DC rally cause his supporters to turn and run to the Capital building, bust past the Capital Police, tear into the interior of the nation’s Capital and cause mayhem and destruction?
That is exactly what House Democrats have charged in their totally unconstitutional impeachment of a former president. But what has the “evidence” shown?
It was reported several weeks ago that the first Trump supporters to arrive at the Capital after a 45 minute walk witnessed Antifa members being escorted inside the Capital. It was also reported that Capital Police had opened a downstairs doorway and began waving Trump Supporters inside where they were in awe of the Capital, taking pictures and righting overturned trash receptacles and picking up garbage that had been dumped or spilled out while paying careful attention to stay inside the roped area.
A surveillance video surfaced showing someone placing what appeared to be explosives around the Capital building during the night of January 5th or early morning hours of January 6th. How is it possible that law enforcement did not see or apprehend that person(s) at that time? How does someone get close enough to a prominent structure like the Capital building without being detected?
It has also been reported that the FBI, Capital Police and DHS had been pre-warned of threats of violence in or around the Capital building would be occurring on January 6th. President Trump had declared DC unsafe so that National Guard troops could be called up as a backup for Capitol Police to quell any civil unrest that might arise.
My questions are these –
Why was no reinforced fenced-off area established to cordon off the Capital grounds and security check points established BEFORE January 6th?
Why did it take so long for National Guard troops to be deployed AFTER the insurrection?
Why National Guard troops were being “vetted” for white supremists views and having their integrity and allegiance questioned at a time of national emergency? Is not their allegiance to protect and defend the Constitution?
Why are National Guard troops not billeted and fed in a hotel, conference facility or an established bivouac area instead of a parking garage and why are they still in DC?
Based on the evidence publicly available it is my contention that an insurrection did occur on January 6th and that the responsibility rests with the Mayor of DC who’s Capital Police facilitated entry into the Capital and members of Congress who it has been reported had begun writing the Articles of Impeachment even before January 6th as well as every news organization that gave wings to this outrageous and treasonous act against a sitting President of the United States, and later a private citizen so they could make history as being the most corrupt Congress in American history.
The Senate trial phase was a complete farce as the Democratic House circus atmosphere spun some of the most outrageous lies, altered statements to affect the outcome of this impeachment while American’s have seen through everything.
It is time to impeach members of Congress beginning with Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Schumer and EVERY OTHER MEMBER OF CONGRESS COMPLICIANT IN THIS WASTED PROCESS.
Failing that I believe a Convention of States is in order to formally abolish this corrupt government body and give America a DO OVER. – I am the Real Truckmaster!
I urge you to do your own research before you blatantly spout the nonsense fed to you by corrupt politicians and their media lackeys. I keep reading the exact same wording from people who have no idea they are simply repeating political psychobabble.
Case in point:
Your X POTUS WAS A POOR EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN MUCH LESS THAN THE LEADER OF THE USA. HE CAUSED DEATHS ON 6 JANUARY AT THE CAPITAL OF THE USA. YET YOU DUMB A**ES DEFEND HIM. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR LOGIC AND THE BRAIN YOUR GOD GAVE YOU. I AM SURE SHE IS LOOKING AT YOU SHAKING HER HEAD SAYING WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THESE IDIOTS.
The author of that post has most likely not missed a moment of the nonsense broadcast on television this week. I would normally just scroll past and ignore this but not this time.
In response to this “expert” opinion I’d like to know how you figure:
That Trump is “my x POTUS” and not yours too? It’s pretty obvious that whether you like or dislike him the office holder is OUR president none-the-less.
You say he was a poor excuse for a human – like you are a better one? Tell me how someone who has everything we call success, can leave it to fight for you and he’s suddenly a poor excuse? As for the leader of the USA – he most certainly was the best leader of any of our recent ones. Not because he was “special” but because he actually used that brain that God gave him and didn’t place himself above any of us (you included).
You say he caused the deaths on January 6th and I say you’ve been sipping way too much “grape juice” or whatever. The “insurrection” of the Capital was pre-planned and as video has shown weapons were pre-positioned way before the rally at noon on January 6th. So my question is how was that allowed to happen? Was Antifa given a pass by the DC mayor? What about the Capital Police who are charged with protecting legislators, guests and visitors at the Capital? Where were they? Take a good look at the picture taken inside the Capital on January 6th and tell me what you see. Even putting lipstick on a pig doesn’t make it any less a pig. Those were not Trump supporters doing a photo op, those where typical Antifa domestic terrorists insuring they were seen doing what they do best.
Lastly you accuse Trump Supporters of not using our logic and the brain god gave us? You seriously have no understanding or intimate knowledge of the Creator God of the bible or you wouldn’t spout that nonsense that He is a woman or calls what he has created idiots. The bible clearly says that calling someone an idiot is a sin. God is not a man, nor does he lie. To say otherwise shows that God is not in you.
If you cannot see the obvious lies in your statement above I suggest that you humble yourself before God and ask him to reveal himself to you.
As for the rest of the “resistance” crowd or “never-trumpers” that goes for you too.
In my lifetime Congress has become more corrupt than at any time in our nation’s history. We have lifetime legislators whose quest for power is never quenched. It is never enough. They demonstrate their collective ignorance by parading themselves as semi-quasi experts when they have no idea what they are saying. They simply want their 15 minutes of fame.
I have said and continue to say – let their record speak. During their time in Congress what have they done to help anyone other than themselves? Have they gone into their home districts and asked the people who sent them to congress if things are better for them personally since they’ve been in office? I think not. Have they looked at their actions and whether it adversely affects the nation or simply affects their own bank account?
We are suffering in a manmade pandemic, made even worse by politicians who resisted efforts to help Americans through this difficult time. They stand before us on television berating us about wearing masks and facial coverings, while in private they do no practice what they preach.
Instead of opening up the economy, putting workers back to work, children back in schools – as they should, they condemn the good, instill and spread fear to the point that people are taking their own lives as their only way out.
If that shoe fits – wear it!
It is the politicians who have done this to our nation. When President Trump took action – who resisted?
When he said HCQ worked – who condemned it simply as a means of demonstrating resistance?
When medical doctors came out publicly to declare HCQ a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 who then came out condemning them?
What social media “fact checkers” censured, suspended and removed common sense prescriptions and advice from medical experts?
Who have urged everyone to follow the science when clearly there is no science to follow?
If this virus was as deadly as we are told it is, why is there no requirement to wear full protective gear and dispose of discarded masks, gloves and gowns in biohazard containers (which are not available except in certain medical facilities)?
America has become a nation that calls evil good and good evil. That ought not to be.
Politicians have tried running President Trump out of town on a rail, but when that didn’t work they switched tactics and are driving the train to run him over. It is gullible people who simply parrot the media talking points and show their own ignorance.
America – you own it!! – I am the Real Truckmaster!
I have not, nor do I intend to watch the sham impeachment of Donald J. Trump by the “high and mightier than thou” Congressional Democrats. It is obvious that this is not about Trump, the insurrection into the Capitol or the fact that he is no longer the sitting president.
This is like a kid flexing his muscles to show how strong he is. It is about power and control.
Remember when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer met with newly elected President Trump in 2017 in the Oval Office? Pelosi’s words still ring as though she said it yesterday, she was speaking to Trump, “You don’t know the importance I bring to this meeting”.
At that time she had previously been Speaker of the House and acted as if she alone was the relevant one at the meeting. Schumer was her peer buddy as they sought to pressure Trump to do their bidding.
That meeting didn’t go so well and neither has their actions over the past 5 years as they have tried every trick in the democratic playbook to impede Trump from discharging his duties as President.
From the trumped up collusion, the first impeachment and now the unconstitutional second impeachment their goal remains the same – to stop Trump and it matters not that he is no longer in office.
Without thinking it through Pelosi/Schumer have opened up Pandora’s Box and because they failed to follow the Constitution it will come back to bite them in the end (figuratively and literally).
If Hollywood made a movie about this dysfunctional duo and hired the most famous and impressive actors to portray them in action like Batman and Robin – nobody would watch it.
On the other hand if some non-Hollywood types made a movie about Trump fighting for the “will of the people” against the “will of congress” it would be sold out immediately.
Many have said that impeachment is a tool to be used by Congress to remove an elected official from office. When it involved a crooked President, the Chief Justice MUST preside – according to the Constitution. When it involves an elected official who breaks the law it is to be used to remove that official from office. It can also be used to prevent that official from holding any future elected office.
When impeachment is used against a private citizen it is not constitutional no matter if the Senate votes to say it is or not and TECHNICALLY any elected member of Congress who endorses, promotes or otherwise enables this unconstitutional miscarriage of justice should themselves be impeached and removed from office and failing that voters should take notice of which elected official needs to be replaced at the next election because Congressional Democrats are nothing more than actors delving into the art of smoke and mirrors.
I venture to say that EVERY DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT, LEGISLATOR, GOVERNOR AND MAYOR who has not made the lives of his or her constituents better should resign and go get a real job. VOTE THEM OUT! – I am the Real Truckmaster!
We read about guys going back to revisit the battlegrounds of Vietnam some 40 years after they served. Quite often what they find is vastly different than what they remember. There’s 2 sides to every coin (don’t count the edge).
Let me tell about my first trip alone in 1989 going back to Thailand after being leaving almost 19 years earlier. Any biker will tell you it’s the journey not the destination that makes a trip memorable and mine was no exception.
I left Bangkok on July 31st, 1970 with a dufflebag and my new bride. It was her first time ever leaving her family, friends, customs and her country without a basic grasp on the English language. We settled for a time in Boise, Idaho before returning to life in the Army and traveling around the world together.
In 1988 I was on orders for an unaccompanied tour to the Island of Japan. It was to be my final overseas assignment and it was the first time our family of four was separated in 19 years. The girls were in school, my wife had opened her beauty salon and I was off to still one more foreign land.
I arrived in Tokyo in early January 1989 and as I prepared for this new assignment I figured that a trip back to Thailand was in order. My wife and I had traveled with our elder daughter in 1973 and I figured going back alone would be a piece of cake.
Being the penny pincher that I am I decided to travel the very cheapest way possible – military space available and as there were no military flights from Japan to Thailand I had to get to Clark AFB in Manila and that was easier said than done. I had minimal cash so I used my checkbook on base to get enough money for the trip (I hoped).
I first had to get booked on a flight to the Philippine Islands. I went to nearby Atsugi Naval Base and was told they had no flights, but I should go to Yokota Air Base. I arrived shortly before an unscheduled Navy C-130 was about to take off. Lucky me – I got my boarding pass and soon we were onboard and airborne.
For those who haven’t flown in those cargo net seats alongside each wall of the aircraft, with palletized cargo secured in the middle this was definitely not first class. As I glanced around I found the urinal near the back of the plane. Nice to know when the urge hits you and yes it had a partial curtain for privacy. I began to take notice of the other passengers. They were all dependents, women, toddlers and infants.
This was my first time on a Navy flight where unaccompanied dependents were transported to the base where the fleet was anchored. Instead of Clark we were headed to the nearby Subic Naval Base but first we had to stop at the Iwakuni Marine base on the tip of the main island in Japan.
When we landed it appeared to be a typical air base with slots in the passenger terminal. After discharging cargo and picking up more headed to the PI we were called over by the pilot who had some weather updates to go over with us. He said there was a storm that could be pretty severe and might upset the little ones. He asked for a show of hands of who wanted to deplane here and wait for another unscheduled flight (should there be one) or brave the storm and head on in to PI? Everyone wanted to continue.
So we were airborne once again. Did I mention that outside the crew I was the only active duty and Army member on the plane? The storm was a bit rough but we made it and landed without incident. I was never so glad to get off that plane that smelled like soiled diapers, vomit and some really sick kids and moms.
It seems that there are no space available flights leaving Subic Naval Base and nothing scheduled out of Clark for Bangkok. I did notice a lone Army VIP aircraft parked near the passenger terminal. I was told it was going to Thailand and I had to convince the pilot to take me. So I figured I’m Army and in uniform and it’s an Army plane – no problem. Wrong! The pilot was on an exercise called Cobra Gold and unless I was too, no dice. He would make no exception, I even told him he didn’t have to land, just touch and roll and I’d bail out? Nope!
I had to purchase a one way ticket from Manila to Bangkok. It was Friday and the flight wouldn’t leave until Monday. So I found that the recreation center had snorkel gear and a bungalow on a nearby beach. Not a problem since I’m scuba certified (Canal Zone in 1976). I rented the bungalow for the weekend.
As I stepped off the small boat on the island I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as this sailor wanted to impress his girlfriend and stepped into the water and into the middle of what looked like a school of jelly fish (That must of hurt)!
I stowed my bag inside and grabbed my snorkel gear I headed for a spot without any jelly fish and began a couple hours of snorkeling. This was the life! What I didn’t count on was coming out of the water with a bad case of sunburn and a touch of sun stroke. I managed to get the girl who had opened the bungalow for me to find some blankets and I spent the next 24 hours in bed covered by blankets and freezing.
I felt a bit better on Sunday and took the bus to the Hilton in Manila. I had reserved a room for $25 per night. The bus stopped in front of the hotel long enough for me to grab my bag then took off. I walked into the lobby like I owned the place. Asked for my room and was told – no reservation found. (They didn’t even have a computerized system either). Soon the desk clerk came back apologizing and said all he had was a suite. He could let me have it for the price of the room I had reserved. I went upstairs to find a living area, a couple of bedrooms and a kitchenette – all to myself.
The next day I got a bus to the airport. I walked in and found a spot on a hard wooden bench. It was too early to check in so I had to wait. I don’t know if you remember the 1986 Michael J. “Crocodile” Dundee movies but the guy next to me was the spitting image, even had the accent “Mate”. He asked me to watch over his luggage as he went to talk to the Sheila at the counter. Soon he was back and it was time to check in.
As I was going through the immigration station the agent checking my ticket tried to get me to buy him a .45 cal. Pistol in the US and bring it back to him. He wouldn’t take “no way” for an answer. I had to wait a couple of hours in the duty free lounge and always had my back against the wall.
I gave a sigh of relief as I sat into my seat on the Thai Airways flight to Bangkok. Nice customer service, hot towel, hot food and a relaxing flight. We landed just before midnight at Don Muang International Airport. Going through customs was simple and soon I found myself outside the terminal.
I was headed north but didn’t want to give away my destination to just anybody. I began walking and this kid (young man) kept after me to use his brother’s taxi. He wanted to know where I was going and when I told him I was going north to Suriburi, he asked why I was walking south? I finally took his brother’s taxi to the bus stop a couple of hours north in Suriburi. The bus to Korat was pulling out and he managed to flag the busser who got the bus to wait for me.
I stood just inside the back door, holding on to the overhead rail for balance. What I found was this bus was a Cha-Cha (very slow) bus that stopped for ANYONE alongside the road. It was a long night. Finally we got to Korat and I changed buses, catching the one to Khon Kaen. By the time I arrived it was around 8AM and I had been up all night.
The town looked familiar and I thought a bowl of meatball soup would be nice. I found the first restaurant open was a fishball soup place that triggered a bad experience I’d had one time in Bangkok, but I ate it and it wasn’t too bad.
Next I wanted to ride a Samlar (bicycle taxi) out to the village. Found an older taxi guy, agreed on a price and I settled down for the maybe ½ mile ride. When we got to the main road he refused to cross the 4 lanes in each direction highway. (It had been a 2 lane road the last time I was there). So I paid him and grabbed my bag and made my way across the highway and headed up to the temple at the top of the hill.
At least I knew where I was going and this part I could do easily right?
As I walked into the temple yard and exited through the gate on the other side I stopped dead in my tracks.
As I looked around gone was the single telephone and electric light pole for the village that had drastically changed. It was no longer a sleepy little village, but had more houses and streets than I remembered.
I was lost!
Well at least I could converse right? I spotted a small shop and as I approached I asked “Bon Nung Sah Sip Hoke tee ni cop” (where is house #136 madam)? (Loosely translated)
She just stood staring like she was listening to an alien…..I guess she was because after all I was a farong = foreigner. Then a man came up the street and she asked if he could understand what I was saying?
I asked the same question = Where is house #136? I had to repeat it a couple of times before he understood and said to go down this street, 2 cross streets and turn left. I thanked him and headed that way.
After 2 cross streets I turned left and BAM = lost again!
I spotted another shop and asked the same question = Where is house #136?
She had that same deer in the headlight look as the first lady.
Then I remember I had a fairly recent photo of my wife and I in my wallet. I pulled out the photo and her face lite up and she called out to her neighbor “Tian’s husband is here”. (I understood her better than she did my Thai). Immediately my brother-in-law came out from the next house where he was cutting hair (he was a barber). He sent one of the boys to fetch his mother at the nearby rice processing plant.
I had never met him or the two boys before but when I had last seen my sister-in-law she was a lot younger. The next morning I wanted to go out to the old camp. She sent the elder boy with me. I told him get us on the bus to Udorn and when I say stop the bus he would yell “Jot Duey”.
As the bus pulled away we stood looking at several of the old billets that were still standing. Most of the base had been taken down. I took a few pictures and then a man appeared asking what we were doing?
The nephew said this crazy American said this used to be an American base.
The man confirmed what I’d said. He had even been a Thai Security Guard at the base and lived nearby. He invited us over to his house for a glass of water and he explained further about our big trucks.
We caught the next bus back to town, and walked out to the village. I ended up spending a couple of nights but had to call JUSMAG to find out about a flight to Clark. I needed to get on the list and had to do it in person at the JUSMAG compound. I decided I’d splurge on a flight to Bangkok it cost $45 and lasted about 30 minutes, but served a hot towel and a meal.
I found a taxi driver who knew where the compound was and took me there at a fair price. After I signed up on the roster, a van showed up to load the passengers and take us to Don Muang RTAFB. We got on a C-130 and as we were taking off the pilot got a call diverting us to Chiang Mai to pick up a hurt American soldier and his doctor and bring them back to Bangkok. Then after dropping them off at Don Muang we headed for Clark Air Base in the Philippine Islands.
Since I had only taken a 14 day leave when we landed at Clark I was close to being out of leave time. Lucky for me they got me on a flight to Yokota and I called for one of my military taxi drivers to pick me up and take me to Camp Zama to sign in from leave.
I learned some valuable lessons. Plan your trip wisely. Take enough money to last. Use a guide when traveling in a foreign country. Learn to ask important questions “hong nam u-tee ni” (where is the bathroom) and “towlie Cop” (how much)? Thai people are friendly and yes they smile a lot. If you make the effort to communicate they will meet you more than halfway.
I’ve been back to Thailand many times over the years and we generally have a good time, see lots of “non-touristy” things and always the food is good and it is spicy hot.
Our girls are now grandmas and all of OUR grandkids have been to Thailand at least once. They love the people and they really love to eat Thai food. Our house is southwest of Bangkok about 2 miles off the beach and not so much of a touristy place. My favorite part is getting up early grabbing a cup of coffee and watching the sun come up in the east. (Oh and the air condition, I love the air condition) – I am the Real Truckmaster!
The Real Truckmaster 