The true story of how deep the love between a mother and child really is

When it became obvious Friday night that our little dog was not going to be around much longer, my wife suddenly let loose with 30 years of vent up emotions. Never in all the years I have known her have I heard her weep and wail as she did while holding little Peggy in her arms. All I could do was pray.

In her tears she alternately kept telling Peggy she was sorry for her pain and suffering and asking God why He did not heal her. She had prayed so very hard for so very long. I had no answers.

In between outbursts of tears and wailing, she kept asking God; “Why?” There were no answers. She reminded God of how Elijah healed the Shunamite woman’s child and how Jesus raised the centurion’s daughter from the dead. She was begging God one last time to heal her precious little Peggy whom she loved as much as any mother has ever loved her child.

All my wife ever wanted was to bear children. That was her one request in this life. Denied the chance due to medical problems, over time she transferred her need to nurture and give love to various dogs. None received more love and attention than Peggy. Nothing could rip the heart out of my beloved wife more than losing her “child”.

Yesterday, Peggy hung on until my wife got home from work. She refused to give in to the impending death until her “mommy” could hold her one last time. In a moment of cruel irony, after getting home my wife had stepped out of the room for a few moments. While I was on the phone with the Vet asking what to do, Peggy ceased breathing.

For the next hour, my wife could not stop crying. She condemned herself for not being there at the moment of life’s passing. She ended up holding the lifeless dog on her lap for two hours. It took that long for the outpouring of emotion to finally subside and the reality of what happened to sink in.

Some might say, “why grieve so much for a dog”. Others might say, “It was only an animal”. All I can say is that Peggy was to us, and especially my wife, the closest thing to a child she will ever have in this life. Is it really necessary to allow our cold and reason oriented thinking to overrule the need to pour out a lifetime of emotion over the loss of a loved one? Can we not set aside our black/white attitudes and see that there are some who fall in the “gray area”?

When the time came, I gently told my wife she had to let go of the body on her lap. She knew and then proceeded to show the strength that I love so much in her. Knowing her time of grief had run its course, she helped me put Peggy in a bag to temporarily store in a freezer until I can get her to one of the few pet crematories around. From that point on, my wife refused to give in to the temptation to yield to emotions.

In times of extreme sorrow, it does no good to bottle up grief and pretend it is not there. There is no profit in stifling tears under the guise of being “macho”. When someone dies, that is when God’s mechanism for handling such times kicks in. That is when the tears are supposed to flow, and along with them the flood of emotions locked within.

I am deeply thankful for my wife’s ability to not only close the cover on the book when it was time, but to be willing to let all of her grief and love pour out for so long before then. She was willing to drain herself of her emotions and in so doing help God heal her broken heart. I am sure that in His due time, God will answer my wife’s pleas as to WHY He did not heal her little Peggy. I am sure that He had good reasons whether we can understand them or not.

Peggy gave her mommy ten years of unconditional love. She continued to be her “love dog” even when her body was being attacked by first skin issues and then the lethal renal failure. Through it all, Peggy seemed to know that her place in this life was to provide my wife with someone to act as a surrogate child and receive all the love and affection a mother can give her child.

Peggy was truly a special dog and will be missed greatly. Yet, she could suffer no more. Her little body had been eaten alive by the relentless advancement of end stage renal failure. She defied the odds and gave us a full month more than the vets said she had to give. Even as late as two days ago, she still was trying to give the only thing she was strong enough to show and that was a slight wag of her tail when my wife got home from work.

Until the very end, Peggy fought to stay with us. Not so much because she wanted us, but because she knew how much we loved her and how deep the sorrow would be with her passing. Thank you dear little one for giving us every last ounce of your love and devotion. Now, precious one, rest in peace and find comfort in the release from your suffering. Thank you for ten years of love and devotion.

150 million for a political campaign and $1.50 for Ike/Gustov victims

How is it that Americans had 150 million dollars to contribute in September to the Obama campaign but had nothing but excuses when asked to donate to Hurricane Gustov and Ike victims? How is it that Americans claim they have no time or money to travel to Louisiana or Texas to help hurricane victims, but they willingly drive all over the country to attend rallies for both Obama and McCain?

How is it that to this date, neither Presidential candidate nor their running mates have ventured down to the areas devastated by Katrina, Rita, Gustov or Ike? How is it that even the latest attempt by Bill and George to solicit donations for the hurricane victims has been met with a resounding apathy?

Has America gone totally insane? Have the last elements of rational thinking been thrown out the window along with all the Stock Market gains of years gone by? Where has the will to help, serve and love those in distress gone? Has it really evaporated into vapor due to the financial meltdown?

Car sales are down and so are home sales in many parts of the country. Yet, people still find the money to buy 700 inch plasma televisions to watch football on. People still have the funds to drive 95 miles per hour to pay hundreds of dollars to sit in stadiums and arenas to watch athletes paid a king’s ransom play games. People still have the funds to flock to Las Vegas, Atlantic City and various riverboat casinos all over the country.

Funny, all the people crying about having no money have money to buy tons of lottery tickets twice each week. These same people who plead poverty to their church pastor when asked to give, think nothing of dropping hundreds of dollars on beer, whiskey, junk food and tobacco each week. People who would not give a dime to a starving person think nothing of spending enough for 10 meals on one night on the town.

Isn’t it interesting how the same people who show up at political rallies holding signs condemning the sitting President and his party are many of the same people who a short time ago were reaping the financial gains due in large part to the policies in place for years? Isn’t it interesting how people who claimed the most important issues to them in previous elections were abortion, individual rights and other conservative oriented matters suddenly could care less about them when they lose a few dollars in the Stock Market?

The hypocrisy of average Americans is astounding. They go to church on Sunday and feign to be good Christians and then the rest of week live like and associate with heathens. This is nothing new, but it is more pronounced now than ever.

When I saw the picture of Obama’s rally in St. Louis yesterday with 100,000 adoring fans coupled with the news that his campaign raised 150 million dollars in the month of September I felt physically ill. I know some of the people who attended that rally and have given truckloads of money to the Obama campaign. They USED to be people I could count on to help others in times of disaster. Now they claim they have no money and no time to volunteer.

Charities, non-profits, churches and various service groups are hurting so badly at this time it is unbelievable. The American public has quit giving to causes which help people and are throwing their money in the toilet of American politics. These same people will soon be throwing their money into the rat hole of the IRS in higher taxes to pay for the United States Government to start doing everything the charities, non-profits, churches and various service groups USED TO DO.

My heart aches for I know the pain and suffering going on in America and I know how many thousands of suffering people are buying into the promise made by Obama that the government is going to meet all their needs and take care of them come January. As sheep to the slaughter, these people really do believe Uncle Sam is going to drive to their home and either give them a check for $100,000 or take them to some utopia where they will lounge around all day drinking margaritas and getting suntans. These same people rejoice when they hear that the evil rich white men and women will be taxed more and more to pay for their life of leisure. What a crock this all is.

This all reminds me of why young terrorists are willing to blow themselves up to kill a few innocent victims. They are promised virgins in heaven and eternal rewards for their sacrifice now. Hundreds of thousands of minorities, lower income and other social fringe groups have been fed a bill of goods by the Obama campaign that has led them to believe their “messiah” will somehow be able to turn their life around and at the same time punish those who made their life miserable with pain and suffering.

Politics aside; if the American way of helping the disadvantaged through volunteer charities falls apart and is replaced with numerous governmental programs, this country is doomed. The free will giving on the part of Americans to help their neighbor in need has made America strong for decades. I pray that somehow America does not forget this as it gets all caught up in Obamamania.

Watch Our for Late Season Tropical Development and Early Season Cold and Snow

It will be very interesting to see what does or does not develop in the Caribbean this week. There are numerous areas of disturbed weather which might affect the United States or could end up being much ado about nothing. All interests from Texas to Florida and from Florida to North Carolina must keep at least one eye squinting at the tropics.

The system off the east coast of northern Florida will produce high tides and potentially heavy rains as it drifts west. If it stays far enough south, it could emerge from the west coast of Florida in few days and once in the Gulf of Mexico could develop into some kind of a hybrid storm or even a tropical storm. Although no one is stating this possibility in any forecasts, there is the potential for a “Fay” type event in the exact same areas Fay attacked earlier in the summer.

The system south of Puerto Rico is currently labeled “invest” and certainly needs to be investigated. The models are all over the map and although the potential to curve northeast exists, there is greater probability the system will head toward Hispaniola and from there who knows where. The other current “invest” is not anything to be concerned about.

With two Mexican storms hitting along its west coast, coupled with the front making its way across the United States, there is always the potential for the tail end of these systems to stall in the Gulf and turn into a tropical system. The western Caribbean and western Gulf of Mexico must be watched this week for any development.

Boise, Idaho had its earliest recorded snow the other day. Does this mean anything? Probably not, but it is indicative of some very cold air in the area. Of greater interest is the abundant snow in Wyoming. Most of the state received a very heavy early season snow the past few days.

Most independent experts are calling for the high probability of a much colder and wetter early winter this year. This translates into the potential for November snows over much of the Midwest, Ohio valley and northeast. The wise traveler would at least take this into consideration when thinking of the very late Thanksgiving this year.

I live out west of St. Louis, Missouri and remember distinctly early November of 1991 when we had a high temperature of 21 degrees followed by 6 inches of snow. Both were records for so early in the year, but proof that even this far south, it is possible to see a very early winter. What is interesting to note is that winter ended up being very mild after the brutal early start.

The pattern this year favors more what we saw during the winters of 1989-90 and again in 2000-2001. December 1989 was one of the most brutal periods much of the country ever saw so early in the winter. I remember days where the HIGH temperature was -10 degrees in St. Louis. This had never happened and hasn’t happened since. January of 1990 was as mild as December was cold. February of 1990 was almost as brutally cold as December had been.

These “bookend” winters are some of the most extreme. Not only is there the swinging back and forth to deal with, there is the problems associated with bad weather in December and all the traveling and shopping that take place then. On the other side of the coin is the fun and games associated with a mild January. I recall vividly the Pope riding through St. Louis with everyone in short sleeved shirts as the temperature hit 70 in the middle of January 1999.

Regardless of how this winter plays out, there is bound to be hardship due to the economic situation. A bad November/December could be disastrous for many who are already strapped for money. I recall vividly the almost $500 natural gas bill we had after the wicked December cold in 1989. That was a lot of money to pay for gas back almost twenty years ago.

If people are faced with super high utility bills on top of everything else going on, this early winter could be the straw that breaks many homeowner’s backs. I pray that either the long range forecasts turn out to not be as harsh as possible or that something breaks in the financial realm to soften the blow of what could be a very difficult couple of months coming up.

The Change in Financial Attitude between the Great Depression and current Crisis

I wrote this in November of 2007 and feel it is still as pertinent today as then. I re-submit this as a reminder that what is currently happening economically is not new and the rumblings of the current disaster were heard a year ago.

I truly feel sorry for the majority of my fellow Americans. The unfortunate reality of what is transpiring, even as write this post, is either not seen or not believed by all but a few in this country. People don’t want to see, hear or talk about what is going on economically. They close their eyes to what they do not want to see, stop their ears from what they don’t want to hear and talk about trivial matters to avoid having to speak about reality. As many of you know who read these posts; I am no fan of entertainment for many reasons, not the least of which is that it is fantasy.

It is truly incredible how many people spend the majority of their lives living in a world that does not exist. Whether science fiction, romance novels, sports or computer role playing games; anyone who lives in these worlds is not living in the real world. It is perfectly fine for children to live in their “make believe” world, but it is NOT for adults. Real is real and make believe is imaginary. Never should the two be confused with each other.

I fear that what most people think is real is nothing but a mirage. We have all seen the puddles on the highway while driving, only to watch them disappear when we get near them. A mirage looks like the real thing. Many times a mirage is simply something a person WANTS to see and thus sees it. A man trudging through the desert wants to see an oasis. Lo and behold there one sits on the horizon. He musters all his strength to reach his promised land only he never gets there. He could keep walking forever and never find that oasis, for never really existed except in his eyes.

People who live chasing mirages never find them. They are as elusive as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Haven’t we all, at some point in our lives, driven in search of that pot of gold? It is never there because it does not exist. Chasing fantasies has become the great American pastime. The indelible lines which should be separating reality from fantasy have been blurred to the point most people cannot seem to tell the difference.

This country has been blessed with REAL times of prosperity. This country has also been saddled with REAL recessions and depressions. Unfortunately, those people who lived through THE depression are becoming more and more extinct. Anyone old enough to really remember the suffering that took place in the 1930’s is 80 years old or more. Anyone who was an adult during the Great Depression has to be over 90 years old. Only someone pushing 100 would have clear memories of the Stock Market crash of 1929.

The Baby Boomers parents all grew up during some part of the Great Depression. Whether they were directly impacted by the events that took place in the 1930’s or not, they all heard stories and knew people whose lives were destroyed by some aspect of the Depression era. This is why Baby Boomer’s parents all seemed to preach the same gospel of thrift, stewardship and borderline frugality. Lessons learned through enduring difficult times tend to stick with you.

Following World War II, the United States enjoyed a remarkable stretch of prosperity. This stretch of time roughly parallels the stretch of time our parents lived during the Great Depression. Thus, whereas those growing up in the depression era learned to live on less, endure hardships, take care of each other and be thankful for whatever they had; those growing up in the Baby Boom generation learned to live on credit, complain about everything, think only of themselves and feel like they never have enough.

Growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s bears no resemblance to growing up in the 1930’s and 40’s. In fact, they pretty much represent both sides of the coin. Although most Baby Boomers didn’t grow up in great affluence, most did not grow up in abject poverty either. In fact, the later in the Baby Boom generation one goes, the more prosperity people enjoyed from birth. Someone born in 1945 certainly didn’t have all the conveniences a person born in 1963 could enjoy. Although both are considered Baby Boomers, the older ones still had to endure some hardships compared to the younger ones.

I have a sister born in 1940. She is a true hybrid when it comes to economic thought and habit. She remembers vividly the tough times after the big war and the good times that began to unfold by the mid 1950’s. I have a brother born in 1945. He is a charter member of the first Baby Boom class. His memories start at the same time the better times started. He was too young to remember the hard times, but can vividly recall the transition from having little to having enough.

I was born in 1953. By the time I have any memories, the good times were in full swing. I was able to enjoy items that only the privileged were able to afford when either my sister or brother were growing up. I was able to grow up in a “normal” home in a fairly large city with nice schools. My sister grew up being shuttled from one state to another due to the war and its aftermath. My sister never did get to live in the dream house my parents finally purchased in 1958, she went away to college.

My brother barely lived in the home before getting married and finding his own place. I got to spend 13 years in one room in one house. Most people today would consider that torture. I look back and consider it stability and security. By the time I moved away in 1971 and left my parents an empty house, but to them a very comfortable, yet humble abode. They were able to enjoy the fruits of their labors and live in that home for another 28 years.

Instead of learning from our parents, the Baby Boom generation has for the most part decided to discard all their advice and “go for it all” while they can. The generation that grew up in the 1970’s and 1980’s knows nothing of the hardships their grandparents went through for their parents made sure they would never have to endure such things. They begged, borrowed and many times stole to get the very best for their children. There was no way their children would have to live in the “poverty” they lived through. This “spoiled” generation knows only prosperity and hasn’t a clue what it means to have to do without.

Now we have the current generation growing up in the roaring 90’s crazy 00’s. This generation is now so far removed from their ancient ancestors who endured the Great Depression; they know absolutely nothing about it, World War II, or even Viet Nam. All the current generation knows about the 70’s is it had cool music and weird television shows. They were born in the decade of non-stop prosperity and their parents have vowed to make sure they have all the things they were deprived of in their “Spartan” growing up years.

Because no one cares about what happened 80 years ago, history is bound to repeat itself. The similarities between this country in the late 1920’s and the present are eerily similar. In 1928, President Hoover said; “We in America are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us.” A little more than a year after he said this, the United States Stock Market crashed and a worldwide depression lingered for almost 15 years.

During the Great Depression some industries made a profit. If Americans couldn’t work, they could at least go for a drive, have a cigarette or watch a movie. Sales of oil, gas, cigarettes and movie tickets all skyrocketed during the depression. People were looking for an escape. Sounds pretty similar to what goes on today if you ask me.

I pity the fool who wastes his life chasing fantasies. I pray for the fool who ignorantly goes his merry way oblivious to the doom awaiting him. I abhor the fool who though arrogance and pride, refuses to acknowledge the obvious and stubbornly continues on the path that leads only to oblivion.

Millions Suffer while Smiley celebrates and “the Boss” serenades Obama’s Nation

Finally, after a wait which seemed to take forever, the Associated Press released a couple of articles this weekend dealing with the missing people from Hurricane Ike and the environmental damage caused by hurricane damaged oil platforms, pipelines and storage tanks. What has been the response? Well, if silence speaks volumes, then we have our answer.

Americans cannot be bothered right now about mundane and trivial things such as hurricane Ike related issues. Not with the Stock Market poised to drop by a million this morning. After being mesmerized by many days of drama in Washington over the Bailout Bill, everyone thought all would be well after the House voted Friday afternoon to approve the measure. Immediately after the vote, the Stock Market plunged.

This is what it is coming down to in America. Far more people are concerned about Cubs and Brewers got knocked out of baseball playoffs than the fate of hundreds (if not thousands) of missing fellow Americans in Texas and Louisiana. While millions upon millions of fanatic football fans were glued to their television sets Saturday and Sunday, thousands of people waited for someone to help them figure out where to start in the recovery process. While just about everyone was burning up the phone lines complaining to someone about the financial mess, hardly anyone even remembers there were back to back hurricanes less than a month ago.

No one knows what this month holds, but being an election year, there is a 100% certainty of some “October surprise”. Even now, the campaign has turned negative with the inevitable name calling and dredging up dirt on each other. Like a long running soap opera, millions of people stay glued to their news outlet waiting for the next installment of “As the Campaign Turns”. This would be humorous except for all the horrible things going on in the REAL WORLD.

So what if “Hannah Montana” turned 16 this weekend. So what if “Brittney” is going back to her old ways. So what if Bruce can play his guitar and through his influence persuade thousands of people to vote for Obama. So what if Saturday Night Live does a good parody on the VP debates. None of these things are news. All these stories do is feed the monster of the fantasy world most people live in.

Americans better wake up and realize what is happening right under their noses. The government, which is set to grow far bigger than anyone ever imagined, is taking control over things that not even the most brazen conspiracy theory backer thought possible this quickly. Once Sen. Obama is elected (and that is foregone conclusion), the nationalization of health care, insurance, education and welfare will soon follow. Anyone caught badmouthing minorities, gays and lesbians, Muslims or the government will pay dearly for their folly.

The Bible speaks in 2 Timothy 3 that the last days will be “perilous”. If the current days do not meet that criteria I don’t know what would. In the following verses in 2 Timothy 3, specific things are stated which define “perilous”. The first thing mentioned is that people will be lovers of themselves more than lovers of God. Our selfish, “me” driven mentality has produced the crisis in the financial sector as well as housing, employment and even disaster recovery.

Until and unless Americans yank their collective heads out of the dark place and rise up and do two things, the circumstances we are surrounded by will only get worse. The two things we all must strive to do are:

1. Let our voice (vote) be heard. Do not sit back and allow the vocal minority to say they reflect the views of the silent majority. Speak up, stand up and let your opinion be known.

2. Exercise the old axiom of when the pressure is on—GIVE. If Americans continue to shut down their spending it causes businesses to fail. When Americans shut down their charitable giving, lives will be lost and undo suffering will abound.

We must not allow the current economic situation to persuade us that we cannot afford to speak up or give. To the contrary, we must use the current situation as a springboard to bolder speech and more audacious giving. While the world says “you cannot afford to give”; God says “try and out give ME”. Please, on behalf of millions of suffering people, I beg of you to find new and innovative ways to give of your time, resources and means. Thank You.

Gustov and Ike victims have been totally forgotten and neglected

Some have told me to “let it go”. Others have told me “it’s a lost cause”. Still others have accused me of being “crazy” and through it all, NO ONE has told me “keep it up”. What is this all about?

One month ago today a major hurricane hit the Louisiana coast near Grand Isle. Hurricane Gustov continued inland and hurricane force winds battered places as far away as Baton Rouge relentlessly. Meanwhile, down the road in New Orleans all the reporters from all the major news outlets were focused on watching a few waves overtop a few levees. With every ounce of their being they were hoping to see the levees break and their cameras provide live footage of the greatest flood of all time.

All the willing of all the media could not force the levees to break. After a day of anticipation, they were bitterly disappointed that there was no huge story coming out of New Orleans. With heavy heart they trudged to either St. Paul to cover the Republican convention they never wanted to attend, or to South Carolina on the off chance Tropical Storm Hanna might turn into a real newsworthy storm.

While Hanna was huffing and puffing and not really doing much of anything, Hurricane Ike was ripping the Bahamas and then Cuba apart like an angry monster let loose on the city. Of course no reporters are allowed in Cuba and no one in their right mind would have stayed in the Bahamas. Thus, the real story of Ike was neglected, just as the real story of Gustov.

For days, the headlines regarding Ike were directed towards Florida. Where and how this became the focus of attention is baffling. Ike was never headed that way. Still, whenever the folks on Key West are told to evacuate, that becomes the almighty big story of any storm. Why do people live there anyway?

Consider these facts. In the twelve days between Hurricane Gustov and Hurricane Ike, there was basically NO media coverage of Gustov’s damage except in the immediate New Orleans/Baton Rouge areas. Even the television outlets in coastal Mississippi did not cover the story. There were far bigger fish to fry than spending resources on covering a little ole storm that hit a section of Louisiana no one in the United States knows or cares about.

FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and a few other charities were on the scene providing a little help; but the response after Gustov was minimal and a disgrace to the heart of disaster relief in this country. If we are going to selectively pick and choose who receives aid, media coverage and prayers; our country has slid down the slope to extinction.

As Ike grew into the sprawling monster he became, of course every news outlet rushed crews to Galveston and Houston in anticipation of a huge story. Dreams of Katrina like footage flooded the minds of reporters looking for the story that would catapult them to the “big time”. As dire warnings were issued for those refusing to evacuate circulated, the army of reporters spread out to find safe areas to weather the storm at, yet be close enough to provide graphic shots of the impending carnage.

Images of reporters being swept off their feet in the rising storm surge made the rounds on the internet along with pictures of fools hanging sideways on light poles as the rising winds came ashore. Stupid interviews with people bragging about not evacuating but staying in their beachfront houses drinking beer and partying were still filling television screens the afternoon before the storm hit.

When the media went to bed that Friday night Ike came ashore, they were like children on Christmas Eve. Surely the next morning would provide days of coverage of a totally wiped out Galveston and a severely crippled Houston. Awards and high ratings danced through their heads as they endured a night of wind and storms.

But, alas, once again the weather gods did not cooperate. With bitter disappointment these loyal foot soldiers of the media giants went out to battle on Saturday only to find huge sections of Galveston still standing and worse yet, Houston was barely touched. With clenched fists they cursed the weather gods for not sending the 20 foot storm surge that would have leveled Galveston and crippled the oil and gas industries in Houston for years. Instead, all they got was a little category 2 hurricane with a storm surge that only destroyed places too far to film and that no one cared about.

As a result of Ike not killing 100,000 people, totally destroying the city of Galveston or flooding half of Houston; the media stayed long enough to give a few reports for a few days and then started the mass exodus to find the next big story that America craved to see. Within a week to ten days after Ike, most of the national media were long gone and by two weeks after the storm, there were no longer ANY stories about Ike, Galveston, Houston, the Texas coast or Louisiana.

What have we come to in this country? Do we simply cast off those who suffer the loss of their homes, jobs and families simply because the carnage was not great enough to warrant continued coverage? The media stayed in New Orleans and to a lesser degree the Mississippi coast for months after Katrina. Through their constant coverage of the devastation came the impetus for America to give of their goods, money and time to help those in need.

Since the media has chosen to forsake those affected by Gustov and Ike, there is but a trickle of help heading their way. The response by America to these hurricanes has been tepid at best and non-existent most of the time. America has quickly forgotten about Ike because of the soap opera playing out in Washington over the “bail out”. While debate continues on giving 700 billion to bail out banks, an obscure bill was passed giving a few billion dollars to help those affected by Gustov and Ike.

I know times are tough and everyone is uptight about money, but that does not give an excuse to forget about those who have lost everything and are only starting on the long journey to normalcy. Even the incredible story out of Atlanta regarding gasoline shortages has only in the past two days made the headlines (near the bottom). Either America does not care anymore about helping her fellow citizens in time of need or they do not know what the need is due to the arrogance and ratings driven media who have shirked their duty by failing to cover Gustov and stick with the Ike stories. Shame on you.

Armageddon, Bouncing Dead Cats, Hurricane Ike Fatalities–What a Day

Walking by a newspaper stand this morning, the huge headline read; FEAR GRIPS STOCK MARKET. I wonder if tomorrow’s headline will be equally as bold and honest to read; GREED CAUSES MARKET TO SOAR? Correct me if I am wrong, but were we not told repeatedly that if the Bail Out package were not passed by yesterday that financial Armageddon would result immediately? If such Armageddon is strictly measured by yesterday’s huge drop, then I guess the fear mongers were right. But, if measured against yesterday’s drop and today’s gain; I’d say Armageddon is nothing to dread.

As I write this at noon on September 30^th, the Dow has managed to gain back one third of what it lost yesterday, on a Jewish holiday to boot. Now, if yesterday was Armageddon, then we have no reason to keep talking about bail outs. If yesterday was Armageddon, then what is today?

What took place yesterday about this time was nothing but pure panic driven selling. Fear is a huge motivator, especially when one has millions of dollars at stake. It almost seemed as if the traders were waiting to either go on a buying or selling binge strictly based on the outcome of a vote in the House of Representatives. As soon as the vote totals were released, the market immediately went down so fast the tickers couldn’t keep up. From then on it was more momentum than anything which drove the market.

I wrote a post a couple of days after hurricane Ike posing the question of what became of all those who failed to evacuate when ordered with the repeated stern warning of certain death. No one knows for sure how many people ignored the orders, but there had to be at the very least a few thousand who stayed in houses which literally disappeared during hurricane Ike. Where are these people? They are not reflected on the death count and their whereabouts is not accounted for anywhere.

At one time the media reported there were 140,000 people who failed to heed the mandatory evacuation order. That means 140,000 people were told they faced certain death if they did not leave. They were told the equivalent of what the United States House of Representatives was told before their vote yesterday and again this morning. Just as there is nothing to indicate even 14,000 lost their lives in Ike, the horrible disaster which was to have driven the Market into the ground did not happen today.

When statements are made such as “stay and you face certain death” or “we must pass this measure or the market will immediately fall off the earth”; such statements better be right or all credibility is lost. In the case of Ike, the warning needed to be issued, but not in reference to all 140,000 people who did not evacuate. The warning did not apply to all those who stayed, only those in one story homes in certain locations. Yet, the initial stories kept repeating the 140,000 who defied mandatory evacuation orders.

Only a handful of people honestly know what has happened and really is happening to the stock markets, the banking institutions and mortgage holders in this country. If we are to assume the President of the United States is one of those people, then either he has repeatedly lied through his teeth in telling us the sky is falling or it is yet to fall.

The biggest problem with the measure which was defeated yesterday was that it gave entirely too much power to the Treasury Secretary and exposed the United States taxpayers to risk that was not needed. Representatives from both parties rejected their party leaders and voted their conscience yesterday. What took place was neither Republican nor Democrat; it was American.

The Stock Market could still fall hard the next few days. There could be more big banks fail this week. But, the odds of this happening are very slim, simply because of what has happened today. With the market now gaining almost ONE HALF of what it lost yesterday back with two hours left in the day, there is no way the sky is falling today anyway.

I believe those who stood up to their party bosses and voted their conscience yesterday are the true patriots in this country. Those who were willing to be on the receiving end of Barney Frank’s sarcasm and Nancy Pelosi’s finger pointing are those who stand a chance of guiding this nation out of shark infested waters into the bay of financial stability.

There are major problems causing banks and other businesses along with hundreds of thousands of individuals to be losing the battle of solvency. These problems need to be addressed and corrected, but not by simply throwing more money at them while recklessly running the national debt past the ten trillion dollar mark.

May the lesson to be learned by President Bush, Treasury Secretary Paulson and those at the National Weather Service be; If you cry wolf—there damn well better be a big bad one lurking just outside the door. Somehow I have the feeling none of these people or agencies are going to listen to me.

Did I just hear someone crying “Wolf” again?