President Obama visited Oklahoma to tour the tornado devastation. He paid tribute especially to the dedicated teachers at two destroyed schools in Moore who managed to save all but seven of their students. Oklahoma is in the middle of what some folks call “Tornado Alley” and they wonder why anyone would be crazy enough to want to live there. Well, it’s not that bad. I bet if you checked out all the houses and barns that are, say, 50 or more years old, not one in a hundred has been damaged by a tornado.
Our Columbus Dispatch printed an editorial cartoon that was unfair to Oklahoma Senator Inhofe by claiming he was against aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy but would like aid for the tornado victims. He (and fellow Senator Coburn) voted against the $60 Billion relief for Hurricane Sandy victims because only about $15 Billion was actually for the victims. If Congress decides to allocate a Billion dollars or so to Oklahoma tornado relief, Oklahoma folks will appreciate it. But if an extra 3 or 4 Billion gets tacked on to a so-called relief bill, Oklahoma will say, “Sorry, no thanks. We’ll just take care of ourselves.”
On Friday the President gave a speech to the country. He asked us to forget about the IRS and Benghazi, forget about bugging the Fox and AP reporters, and instead celebrate the end of the war on terror. It’s over. Nothing left but small skirmishes.
That’s what he said. Right after the speech he got a call from England, “Sorry, Islamic terrorists just beheaded a man in London.” Then France called… I guess Obama never heard the story Abraham Lincoln told, “If you call a tail a leg, how many legs does a dog have? Five? No, calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”
I was invited to attend a “March on Monsanto” protest, but I didn’t go. It seems shortsighted to be against using plant genetics to produce more food with less water, less chemicals and less soil loss. The world population will likely increase to 9 billion in 40 years and we can’t feed ‘em all with only the genetics of 40 years ago when we fed 4 billion. All these protesters have one thing in common, at least the ones in the U.S. and Europe: they’re well fed. None of ‘em are starving, except maybe by choice in order to fit into last summer’s swimsuit.
Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“There is certain things nature can do to you (earthquakes, floods, tornados, drought)… When nature enters into it, don’t criticize.” DT #2081, April 5, 1933
“I am only an ignorant cowpuncher, but there ain’t nobody on earth, I don’t care how smart they are, ever going to make me believe they will ever stop wars.” WA #32, July 22, 1923
“A sure certainty about our Memorial days is as fast as the ranks from one war thin out, the ranks of another take their place… People talk peace, but men give their life’s work to war. It won’t stop till there is as much brains and scientific study put to aid peace as there is to promote war.” DT #888, May 31, 1929