Your Fair Share

There are a surprisingly large number of people in America who sincerely believe that they are not getting and so want their 'fair share' which leads to the question: what is your fair share? What is it exactly that you are owed? And who owes it to you?

The first thing that we need to do before we can determine what your particular fair share is would be to define exactly what it is we are talking about. What is it that you are missing out on that others are getting and that you deserve?

Tops on most people's list would be, of course, money. Are you getting your fair share of money? And if you don't think so, then why are you not getting your fair share? Who are you comparing yourself against? What do they do for a living? What do you do? Why do you deserve as much or more?

One area where you hear many folks complain about what others are earning is athletics, or entertainment. Why should a ball player or a singer or an actor make millions while you struggle every day at your difficult job and make five figures?

Well, first of all, how much do you generate in income with your production at your job, and how easy would it be to replace you right now, or in a short time? Could you get up on a movie set and act as well as Denzel Washington or Meryl Streep, get up on a stage and sing as well as Mariah Carey, step up to the plate and hit as well as Derek Jeter?

So the answer is a resounding "no", and you are willing to admit that. But you still sweat and toil, and wonder why they get paid so much more. Well, for one, tens of millions of people all over the country and from around the world are willing to pay their own hard-earned money to watch or listen to these performers. Is anyone willing to pay anything to watch you work?

Because of these individuals God-given abilities they have separated themselves from the rest of us with skills that many of us are willing to enjoy watching them perform. These talents and abilities generate vast sums of income for their studios, teams, and production companies, and a portion of this goes to the performers.

The easy solution would be to not go to any games, buy any music, view any movies, etc. However, the majority of your fellow citizens will not join you in this reclusive lifestyle, and so your protest will effectively be wasted and worthless, except to you, of course.

The exact same income-generation scenario plays out in other forms of salaried positions, from executive boards to law offices to surgery rooms people make money because they have specific talents, or have become educated in and mastered specific skills and professions.

Police officers in the career that I have chosen make more money than clerks in the banking industry that I left behind. The police work outside in all types of weather conditions, have to physically confront dangerous individuals, wear at least one weapon everywhere they go and may need to use it at any time. These and many other skills and job hazards lead to the discrepancy.

In today's America, and for decades now, the old arguments about equal opportunity no longer exist. There will be race-baiters, women's liberation holdovers, and other excuse makers who will try to play on the liberal conscience and make you believe differently, but the fact is that in the vast majority of circumstances in this country, anyone who wants to can succeed.

Recipes for success vary wildly, from taking advantage of some natural talent or ability, to concerted efforts at higher education, to plain-old hard work. If you don't have a natural talent, you can outwork that perceived disadvantage by staying in school and studying, taking low level jobs and working your way up, and so on.

Now some people put roadblocks in front of any success by their own actions involving personal behavior, substance abuse, criminality, and many other activities which cause them to miss opportunities, or have those delayed. This is nothing more or less than their own decision-making process effecting these opportunities.

If you don't want to work hard, or study hard, or conform to regulations, procedures, rules, and norms set up by society or professions, then that is your choice. But then don't blame anyone else for your lack of success either.

Some people complain that they have made all the right choices: never made poor personal choices, stayed in school and studied hard, and went out to work and worked hard, and yet still the big opportunities never came along. To the young who fit into this category all I can say is that competition is rough, and you may need to evaluate specialty education or skills. Keep plugging away, keep looking for opportunities, be willing to stretch yourself, stay on the right path.

To older individuals, you can take the same advice and make it work, but you need to realize that the older you get, there will be some opportunities that begin to close on you. This is a simple fact of life, and if you don't plan on making yourself valuable and diverse while you are young, you may never be able to make that up as you get older. You simply need to try as hard as you can while remaining realistic.

This is not to say that there are no people who need and deserve help. There are some who, because of physical or mental disabilities not of their own making, or because of unusual extraneous circumstances absolutely deserve assistive services in providing at least a certain level of opportunity. This is simple compassion. But no one deserves a check for sitting home and doing nothing when they could be out working and have the opportunity to do so.

This is also not to say that there are not employers who have historically taken advantage of workers by not paying them a 'fair' wage. This happens when business owners in particular fields or businesses 'collude' to construct a salary structure that does not allow for competition. In such cases, limited intervention may be necessary such as salary arbitration, minimum wage laws, etc. But a fine line needs to be walked between protecting salaried workers and profit-seeking businesses so that neither ends up suffering.

The bottom line here is that the only 'fair share' that any of us is entitled to is that which we actually earn by our actions. The person who goes out to work at a low-skill job deserves more salary than the healthy person who sits home on the couch. The person who gets educated and gains experience in a field deserves more than the low-skilled worker. The naturally gifted talent that others are willing to pay see perform deserves more than this educated and experienced person.

You deserve a 'fair share' dictated by your own efforts, your talents, and your ability to generate income for others. There is no legitimate system in the world that works any other way. All systems of Communism and Socialism that attempt to take hard-earned money from true workers and disperse it among everyone eventually have collapsed or deteriorated into systems of pure political patronage.

In the end, the only 'fair share' that we deserve is in opportunity. If we waste away our time and our opportunities while others are working hard to make their dreams a reality, then those others deserve more than we do. Many Americans have simply become their own worst enemy, and the only path to success for them will never come from some political 'change', but only through personal change.

Revelation Perseverance

NOTE: This is the continuation of the 'Sunday Sermon' series, all entries of which can be viewed by clicking that 'label' below.

The Book of Revelation is the final book of the Bible. Also known to some as 'The Apocalypse' or the 'Revelation to John', the book is filled with symbolism as it unravels the end of times for man's journey here on the planet Earth which began in the Garden of Eden.

The symbolism of the book can likely be attributed to two parts. The first part is one that I believe to be mystical revelation in which God reveals future events to John of a spiritual or heavenly nature with symbols that he can understand and which are left to our interpretation for their exact meaning and nature.

The second part is one that I believe comes from John's attempts to describe future people, places, media, weaponry, technology and events in ways that are understandable to him based on the world of his time. For instance, John describes in Revelation 9:19 what I believe to be tanks as horses. When you read the passage and a few just prior, it is easy to follow this logic.

The Book of Revelation is about two main principles. As the New American Bible describes it "the triumph of God in the world of men and women remains a mystery, to be accepted in faith and longed for in hope." This means that we need to accept with faith that God has a plan for humanity, and that the culmination of his plan for humanity is nothing to be feared, but rather to be longed for.

Many through the ages have wanted to believe that this finale for humanity was upon them and their world. They have seen the end of days, that 'apocalypse' or prophesied time of the imminent destruction of the world and salvation of the righteous, coming in their own lifetimes. Every one of these previous believers was wrong, or was rushing God's hand.

God has laid out certain key events in the text of the Bible that must occur before the events depicted in Revelation will come to pass. Among these were the spreading of the Gospel of the Truth of Jesus Christ to all corners of the world. This has only become realized in recent decades, with the final reaching of missionaries, evangelists and, frankly, the internet into the remotest sections of the planet.

Another key event that the Bible lays out as necessary before the end times fully arrive is the rebuilding of the Jewish temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This was impossible until recent decades, with the return of the Jews to power in the region, the establishment of Israel as a nation, and their subsequent control over Jerusalem itself as a result of a series of wars. Those wars will probably look like small potatoes next to what will result if they actually attempt to build that Temple.

The organization of the European Union is another clear sign that we are moving towards those end days of Revelation. Add in the circumstances of Israel in relation to its neighbors, the budding relationship between Russia and Iran, and the strengthening of China, and any serious evaluator of a Biblical end times theory has to admit that the earthly powers and circumstances are finally aligning as fully as never before in human history to those expressed as necessary by Revelation and other Biblical revelatory books.

Now there will be some who will scoff at any 'end of the world' scenario. There are many non-believers in the world today. Not just non-Christians, but people who refuse to believe in anything beyond their own worldly thoughts and desires. For these people we can do nothing but pray, and hope that as the final years play out they see the light before it is too late.

The fact is that the Bible says there will be many who see these Revelation events unfold before their very eyes, and yet continue to disbelieve. Some will do so out of a hard heart. These are the stubborn people who simply refuse to admit they were wrong, and refuse to surrender their will to that of God. Others will be seduced and misled by the forces of evil that will emerge during these end times, most especially by the anti-Christ, the world leader who will emerge.

Keep in mind the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Jews there. If you see that happen, you can begin the countdown. If you don't see that happen, then anything else is pure fear-mongering. But if that does happen, if you are not a believer by that point you had better start paying attention to Revelation, and in fact to the entirety of Christ's teachings and those of his Apostles in the New Testament.

The end times, whenever they occur, will not be a happy period for Christian believers here on earth. There will be wars, famine, persecution, pestilence, natural disasters, and many other heart-stopping occurrences. The anti-Christ will mislead many into thinking that these are coincidental and that he has the answers. Those of us who know the truth need not fear that time and those events, we only need do two things: remain faithful, and persevere. Remember, we know how it will all turn out in the end.

Until such time, if it even happens in our lifetimes, I would urge you to open up your Bible and read. Try to take the time to read it from front to back. If nothing else, at least start out by reading through the New Testament, from the teachings of Christ to the 'Acts of the Apostles' and on to Revelation. Give yourself a fighting chance by experiencing the ammunition of revealed Truth. And may God bless you and yours as you continue your life's journey.

Islamism Series: The Two Jihads

Back in April of this year, local Philadelphia Bulletin writer Herb Denenberg pointed out that the War on Terror (or the 'contingency operation' or whatever other soft-sounding name the Obama administration wants to rename it today) needed to be fought on two fronts. Fail to fight battles aggressively on either front, and we are in danger of ultimately losing the entire war.

Denenberg opined that al Qaeda and other radical Islamist terror organizations and their sponsor states were fighting the war on those two fronts: the 'Explosive Jihad' being carried out by the terror organizations through bombings, beheadings, and other planned mass attacks and the 'Stealth Jihad' being carried out by the slow manipulation of populations, politicians, universities, and cultures.

That 'Explosive Jihad' has again blasted into the American news headlines in recent days with the FBI raids in the New York borough of Queens. The Feds uncovered the first proven al Qaeda cell operating on U.S. soil since the 9/11 attacks, and moved quickly to take them down with raids in New York and Denver. Complete plot details have not been released, but as reported in the New York Daily News, this was "the real deal" and not some informant-based action.

These raids follow on the heels of the May foiling of a major plot to bomb a pair of New York synagogues and then shoot down an airliner with a Stinger missile. That plot was foiled when the New York-area Joint Terrorism Task Force uncovered and infiltrated the scheme, and supplied it with phony plastic explosives. When the terrorists planted the fake bombs, the Feds moved in and made their arrests. The Daily News reported also that one of the suspects, Abdul Rahman, stated "I hate those motherfuckers, those fucking Jewish bastards. I would like to get a synagogue."

Meanwhile, on the "Stealth Jihad" front, the Wahhabists from Saudi Arabia continue to fund a variety of methods aimed at changing American attitudes and culture in favor of Islam. As reported in the online magazine Front Page: "..embedded deep within our system of higher education, including many of our most prestigious universities..the Saudis have steadily infiltrated American educational institutions with vast infusions of cash."

Wahabbism is one of the most radical and virulent strains of Islamism, the worst of the worst among radical Islamists. It hates Western religious tolerance, and advocates Islam taking over the entire world religiously, culturally, and politically. It has been estimated that the Arab Wahabbis have funded the vast majority of the mosques built here in the U.S. over the past few decades.

The Wahhabists make the mortgage payments on 80% of American mosques, according to Front Page, and have contributed approximately $70 billion dollars over the past three decades to fund anti-American and anti-Israeli propaganda efforts, including the establishment of schools of Middle Eastern studies at major American universities accompanied by the infiltration of professorial positions in those programs that push an anti-Western message.

The attempted attacks and the efforts at manipulating our society from within and without are all part and parcel of what the radical Islamists see as 'the long war', the one of attrition that they will ultimately win by wearing down America's will to fight. They hurt us on many levels with physical attacks, such as the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks of 9/11, but it may be the emotional toll that such attacks take on us, combined with our inability to recognize the danger thanks to the cultural and educational softening, that ultimately prove our undoing.

The Washington Times has reported that "al Qaeda is looking to exploit weakness in U.S. border security" in order to carry out what their sources believe may be a massive biological attack. In a video presentation, a senior al Qaeda official states: "Four pounds of anthrax in a suitcase this big (shows moderate hand separation) carried by a fighter through tunnels from Mexico into the U.S. are guaranteed to kill 330,000 Americans within a single hour if it is properly spread in population centers there."

It has also been reported that al Qaeda has forged agreements with the notorious South American drug cartel Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, to smuggle thousands of the terrorist group's operatives across the U.S-Mexico border. MS-13 would be paid from $30-50,000 US dollars for each operative smuggled into our country.

Americans need to understand that just because the former mainstream media does not report on these continuing efforts by the radical Islamists to exterminate and overthrow our culture and our nation, that these efforts have ended. As Denenberg pointed out correctly, the battle cry of the Muslim Brotherhood, one shared by all radical Islamists, is this: “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Quran is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.” The fully intend to make this happen through the efforts of the Two Jihads.

Deh-rek Jee-ter!

As shortstop Derek Jeter stepped to the plate for his first at-bat of last night's game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles his hometown fans were ready. They had braved this windy, rainy Friday night in order to be in the stands at the new Yankee Stadium in order to watch history be made.

This would be no ordinary baseball history, but would mark a truly significant accomplishment. With just one more hit, the Yankee team captain and longtime leader would pass the immortal legend Lou Gehrig and become the all-time hits leader of the New York Yankees.

Let that roll around your mind for just a minute. This is the New York Yankees that we are talking about here. The single most iconic franchise in American professional sports history. Winners of 26 World Series championships. Playing in the spotlight and the crucible that is America's largest sports market.

The players that Jeter had to pass in order to reach this point represent a true Who's Who of baseball history: Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Reggie Jackson, Bernie Williams. Jeter had passed them all to tie Gehrig at the top of the Yanks' career hits mountain with 2,721 base knocks.

Derek Jeter began his career when he was selected as the 6th overall pick in the 1992 MLB draft by the New York Yankees. The Yanks earned that high pick because they were in the midst of one of the worst stretches in the history of the storied franchise, suffering through their fourth consecutive losing season, intolerable in America's largest market with some of the most demanding (and spoiled) fans, and with a still cantankerous George Steinbrenner pushing the buttons of ownership.

Jeter was a skinny shortstop who batted just .202 in his first minor league season, but in 1993 he became the top prospect in his league, and by 1994 was honored as the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America, the industries leader in such evaluations. In 1995 he got a cup of coffee with the big league Yankees when he was called up to cover for an injury, but was quickly returned to the minors. It would be the last time he was demoted.

By 1996, Jeter was awarded the starting shortstop job for a Yankees team that was beginning to emerge from those losing seasons. He began that first full season by homering on Opening Day, and ended the regular season being named as the American League Rookie of the Year. To cap it all off, he led the Yanks into the playoffs and to their first World Series title in nearly two decades.

Jeter would go on to become perhaps the single most vital player as the Yankees returned to the World Series in 5 of the next 7 seasons, winning 3 more titles. In the 2000 season he became the first player in Major League history to win both the All-Star Game and the World Series MVP awards as the Yanks beat the cross-town Mets in the game's first 'Subway Series' in 45 years.

All during this stretch of team excellence, and on through the first decade of a new century, Derek Jeter continued to play outstanding shortstop defense, pile up the hits, and lead the Yankees to excellent seasons. He won three Gold Glove awards for fielding excellence at the demanding shorstop position, creating a hallmark 'jump throw' from the shortstop hole that has created an entirely new term for such plays as being "Jeterian" in nature.

Having signed a 10-year, $189 million dollar contract in 2001, Jeter was set financially for the rest of his life. In the 2003 season he was named as the Yankees official team Captain, a ceremonial title but one that carried significant leadership acknowledgement. He is a 10-time all-star, and a 4-time Yankees team Player of the Year.

In his personal life, Derek Jeter has provided the fans and more importantly the tabloid writers of New York with repeated material over the years as the confirmed bachelor has had relationships with and dated a laundry list of celebrities: Mariah Carey, Scarlett Johannson, Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba, Vanessa Minillo, Jessica Biel, Minka Kelly, and even a former Miss Universe, Lara Dutta.

So as their beloved championship-winning, celeb-dating captain Derek Jeter stepped to the plate for his first at-bat last night, tied with Gehrig, the fans roared and the flashbulbs popped. Jeter would be up against driving rain as the game began, as well as a fireballing rookie phenom pitcher for the Orioles by the name of Chris Tillman. As Tillman delivered and the flashbulbs popped in anticipation, Jeter swung through the kid's fastball and struck out.

The complete anti-climax of the moment was replaced by a question: would these fans even get a chance to see history on this night? As hard as it was raining, there was a chance that Jeter wouldn't even get to bat again if the game did not go on. But the teams continued to slog through the same rain that was canceling and delaying games in other venues, the same rain that the Phillies were playing through a few hundred miles to the south.

In the bottom of the 3rd inning, with the Yankees on top by a 3-1 score and the rain having trailed off somewhat to a light drizzle, here came Derek Jeter strolling to the plate once again for his 2nd at-bat. Quickly, Tillman again tried to bust Jeter inside with his explosive fastball. This time, Jeter was ready. Using his patented "inside out" swing, Jeter sliced the ball on a line drive past the first baseman and into right field for a clean single.

As he rounded first base and stopped there, Derek Jeter was the new all-time hits leader for the most legendary baseball franchise of all. He was quickly surrounded by his teammates in congratulations as the game was stopped just momentarily. The fans roared their approval as flashbulbs continued to pop, and the crowd began what has become a regular chant over the past decade: "Deh-Rek Jee-Ter! Deh-Rek Jee-Ter!" they chanted over and over.

Now in his 15th year of Major League Baseball, all played with that same New York Yankees franchise, Derek Jeter is putting together one of his best seasons ever at age 35. He is 4th among all American League hitters with a .331 batting average. He is playing shortstop as well as he has ever played it. And he has those Yankees back on top of the American League east division standings, appearing poised for another playoff run deep into October with their captain leading the way.

Where Were You?

I've already heard it asked in my office, on the radio, and in a couple of other venues this morning: Where were you when you first heard about the attacks on 9/11? The answers have been numerous, from people sitting in their cars in traffic, to folks working as police officers here in Philly, to folks who had the day off and were watching it all on television.

Being a police officer who has worked the 'Last Out' shift for a few years, meaning that I worked a steady shift of overnight hours from approximately 11pm until 7am, I have often speculated that there must have been at least some officers of the NYPD who worked overnight and had just gotten home and in bed by 8am or so on the morning of September 11th, 2001. I was usually in bed by that time after working that shift myself.

I can imagine such an officer sleeping away their day, perhaps with their cellphone off or on 'silent' and with their home phone ring turned off. Again, this was my habit after working overnight. The last thing that I wanted to have happen was for anyone to wake me up for anything, let alone for some random call from work to reach me. Who could ever imagine receiving the call that those officers may have missed and later found on their answering machines?

Imagine those officers working all night, getting home on a typical Tuesday morning, and then waking up at around 3pm before finally hearing from some source: a phone message, the news on television or radio, some friend or neighbor in person telling them what had happened. Of course your first call is going to be in to your work place, and then begins the likely process of getting ready to head in to work, possibly having to make some special travel arrangements to get there.

All of that is speculative, but it takes no stretch of the imagination to consider that there were probably hundreds of such officers in New York city on that fateful day. Where was I that morning? I would imagine it's pretty typical, and typically uninteresting. I was assigned as a Detective with the Northeast Detective Division of the Philadelphia Police Department at the time, but was on a scheduled day off.

At about 7:15am I had left our home in the Somerton section of Philadelphia to drive our daughter Melissa to school. She had just begun her sophomore year at Archbishop Ryan High School in the Far Northeast section of the city, and it took me about 35 minutes to get her over to the building and out of the car, and drive back to our house.

I had been logged on to my home PC before we left, checking my email while waiting for Melissa to finish getting herself ready, and was listening to Philly's local "smooth jazz" radio station. It was such a beautiful morning when we left, and the mood with the jazz music was so mellow, that I left it playing so that I could return to this same atmosphere.

I got back and things were just as I had hoped. The day was still blossoming in gorgeous style with mellow temperatures and a high, clear blue sky. The jazz music was keeping that atmosphere just as mellow inside my house, and I sat back down to the computer. Many mornings would find me turning on and following Fox News, but this morning the music was so perfect for the day that I just left it play and kept out the news of the world.

At about 9am, my home phone rang, and it was my wife Debbie calling. She had a bit of an excited tone to her voice as she quickly asked "Are you watching TV?" I told her that I wasn't, and she replied "Well turn it on, they just bombed our embassy!" I told her okay, and we quickly hung up the phone. But I didn't turn on the TV right away. She called back a couple minutes later and said "Do you have the TV on?" When I told her that I hadn't turned it on yet, she more insistently told me "Turn it on!"

So I grabbed the remote and clicked on the television, wondering what could be upsetting her so much about one of our embassies being bombed. Not that it wouldn't be a big story, but I just didn't understand why she would be calling from her work about it. As the screen came in to view there on Fox was a picture of the first Twin Tower in the minutes after it had been struck. I told her "That's not an embassy, it's the Twin Towers, and a plane hit it" She just told me to keep it on, that they were talking about a possible terrorist attack, and we again hung up.

As I sat back and watched those early confusing moments, something almost unreal happened on the screen. While they were talking about a plane hitting the tower, and speculating on the nature of that crash, suddenly there was another jet coming in to view in the picture. In the split second that it took for the mind to go from "What the heck is a plane doing flying that low when one already hit the tower" to "Oh my God!" the second plane struck the second Twin Tower.

At that immediate instant it became clear that this was no accident. There was no doubt that this was an attack. Now the question was, what next? I clearly remember stopping right there and saying a prayer.

The rest of my day was filled with following the developments on Fox News and the other news channels. My wife was let out early from her work, and on her way home she picked up our daughter from school. I found that my other two older daughters were safe, and closely followed things to see if Philadelphia would ever become involved or our officers mobilized. Neither ever happened.

That is forever how I will remember that day, that moment. The incredible peace and tranquility of that morning suddenly ended by the phone call, and then that incredible moment on television of the second plane as it hit the World Trade Center. Eight years later it still is as clear a memory as the sky was on that Tuesday morning. I imagine that it will forever remain that crystal clear, and I hope and pray that there is never another day like it, or worse, in our nations future.

9/11

"The British are Coming!" "Remember the Alamo!" "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy" "9/11"

All of these phrases are now burned by history into the collective American consciousness, automatically bringing us back to times when our nation was under attack right here on our own soil. However, the first three are actually a bit misleading in that regard. Neither the British attacks in the Revolutionary War, the Mexican attack in Texas, or the Japanese attack in Hawaii happened in an official state of the Union.

In the first, the United States was not a fully formed, world recognized, independent nation, but instead was fighting for some type of independence from the British empire. It shouted a warning among the American colonists that British troops were approaching, and is usually specifically related to the midnight ride of Paul Revere. It also hearkens us back to a time when British 'red coats' were firing on Americans, burning homes and businesses, and marching across the land that we now know as the United States of America.

The battle at the Alamo mission also was not fought on what was then technically United States soil, but was fought between the Republics of Mexico and Texas in the aftermath of the Mexican revolution. It was a decade before Texas would officially become a U.S. state. The Texian forces fighting for their independence from the Mexican government where vastly outnumbered, yet fought off the Mexican troops valiantly before finally being overrun and massacred. The incident rallied Texians to eventual victory, and ultimately to statehood.

Again, the Japanese sneak attack in Hawaii did not technically take place on an official state in the Union. On December 7th, 1941, Hawaii was an annexed American territory and the site of an extremely strategic naval base located at Pearl Harbor. When the Japanese bombs and kamakazi pilots virtually wiped out the American Pacific Naval fleet that morning, it not only sparked our entry into World War II, but also showed the importance of Hawaii to our interests, resulting in full statehood by 1959.

Most people alive today know full well of the events of 9/11 as they relate to more attacks on American soil, attacks this time on an official state (New York) as well as on the seat of our government (Washington, D.C.), along with a thwarted attack that ended in the loss of American lives in Pennsylvania.

Here in Philadelphia and along much of the American east coast, today is a dark, gloomy day on which the rain pours from the skies. I will refrain from talk of it being tears for the lives of the nearly 3,000 victims lost that day. The only reason that I point out the bleak weather conditions today is to relate how stark the contrast it is with that absolutely gorgeous late summer morning, now eight years ago.

America awoke and began it's commute to work on that Tuesday morning with little thought of the radical Islamic assault that was fully planned and already operational. Despite repeated threats and actual attacks leading up to that day, most Americans had their heads in the sand regarding men such as Osama bin Laden and groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and al Qaeda. We were virtually untouchable and absolutely indestructible as a nation. All that went away in just a couple of hours.

Despite the magnitude and suddeness of those attacks, the loss of all of those lives, the televised attacks on and collapse of the iconic Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, a jet airplane ramming through the core of our national defense at the Pentegon, the grounding of American air traffic for almost a week, and the subsequent wars fought in Iraq and Afghanistan we seem to have learned little.

The radical Islamists who attacked us that morning were not representatives of any particular nation. We were not attacked that morning and at other times by Saudi Arabia, or Iraq, or Afghanistan, or Iran, or Libya, or Egypt, or any single Middle Eastern or Arabic nation or group of nations. We were attacked by radical groups operating within those nations who are inspired by the Koran and their faith to conquer the world on behalf of Islam.

In past wars and battles, whether fought to form the United States as with Britain, to expand the United States as with Mexico, or to defend the United States as with Japan the enemy was usually an easy to define nation-state. It had borders, populations, armies, resources, and allies that were usually easily definable. To win, you had to defeat the other guys in head-to-head physical combat. There was a measure of ideology that needed to be defeated as well, but ultimately if you won the physical battles and suppressed the enemy troops and their leaders, you were the clear winner.

I put it to you that it is no different now. We still need to win that physical battle. But as with those past conflicts, this is also a war of ideologies, and we must also win on that front to ever have a long-lasting peace. This war must be fought and won on two fronts, both of which we must be willing to support and sustain if we want to win.

On one hand we must support and sustain the ideological war that is raging within Islam itself. There are moderate forces within that religion, the 2nd largest on the planet with an influence over approximately 1.5 billion people, or almost 1 in every 5 people on the planet. The radical forces calling for that religion to control the world not only religiously, but also sociologically, financially, politically is growing. We must support in every way the forces within Islam that want to maintain it as a part of the whole where the world is concerned, not as a world domination ideology.

On the other hand, we must be willing to back that financial and rhetorical support up with our armed forces. The radical Islamist groups are heavily armed, well equipped, and train regularly. And their numbers and influence are growing, as is their technology. It is just a matter of time before nuclear weapons are in the hands of radical Islamic terrorist regimes. Once that happens, these groups will use these weapons to further their agenda in Israel, Europe, and here in America. Until such elements are effectively wiped out, we are going to have physical battles to fight.

There will be a number of remembrances across the country and around the world today on the 8th anniversary of those radical Islamic attacks on September 11th, 2001. There will be a few television programs this evening that will recall the events of that day. If you have not yet seen them, I can highly recommend four different films that you need to watch.

"9/11" was perhaps the best documentary on the day of the attacks, and is available by clicking on to the title of this article through Amazon. This and "United 93" are probably the two best films ever made to this point. "World Trade Center" is also a well made dramatic depiction of the New York attacks. Finally, the documentary film "Obsession" tells the full story of the radical Islamic problem across the world today.

9/11 was not the beginning of this world-wide ideological struggle, and we will not likely see the end any time soon, if ever. There will be further dates to remember, catch-phrases to live in infamy. Today we should remember those who lost their lives that day, as well as those who fought and continue to fight for victory in the continuing ideological struggle against the forces of radical Islam. Those forces are still out there, still bent on that same world domination, and the United States of America continues to stand as the best defense against their aggression.

You Lie!

Congressman Joe Wilson had enough of the lies, and could no longer contain himself. The Republican from South Carolina had sat patiently in his chair while trying to endure 45 minutes of President Barack Obama droning on about extending his Socialist vision of America into the health care industry.

But then Obama told one lie too many for Wilson during last night's nationally televised attempt at indoctrination and bullying. The President let slip that his proposed government option would not cover illegal aliens. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back for the Congressman.

"You Lie!" shouted Wilson.

If you were watching on television, you heard it plain as day. The uproar in response was immediate and boisterous as various members of Congress either gasped in astonishment, hollered their disapproval, or mildly cheered the outburst. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, seated immediately over Obama's left shoulder, shot an icy stare in Wilson's direction.

Obama was also stunned by the outburst and momentarily glanced away from his teleprompter, causing him to stumble and mumble a weak "That's not true" as a response. Unfortunately for Obama, Pelosi and the Democrats, particularly the ultra-liberals on the far left who are pushing the President further and further towards that Socialist disaster, Joe Wilson was the only one actually speaking truth.

On the issue that caused Wilson's outburst, Obama has repeatedly rebuffed calls for individuals to provide proof of citizenship in order to receive health care under the proposed government option. This will undoubtedly result in illegals receiving such care, and increased numbers of them as Mexicans and others stream across our southern borders to receive better medical care here at no cost.

Well, it's at no cost to the illegal aliens. It will, however, cost every single taxpaying American as money is sucked from our paychecks in order to provide health care for people who are not even citizens of our country.

The funding for this project is another of it's controversial elements, and was addressed last night with another of Obama's lies. He spoke of increasing costs by $900 billion over the next decade, and compared that amount to the same amount to fund the Bush tax cuts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His point was that it is affordable if we choose to take care of uninsured sick Americans instead of giving tax cuts to the wealthy or going to war.

As usual, Obama was lying. The $900 billion dollars over the next decade figure comes from adding up to 18 million more Americans to the Medicaid rolls. But that is just the rock bottom basic cost. Everyone involved knows that costs will rise and that the plan would end up costing at least hundreds of billions of more dollars. And then there is the fact that the plan doesn't go away after a decade.

Harsh to say that Obama is lying? Not at all. I am going to give Barack Obama credit where liberals were unwilling to give George W. Bush credit by saying that Obama is smart. Fact is, so was Bush, but you'll never convince most libs of that notion. But they would definitely agree with me that Obama is both intelligent and informed.

To even contemplate that Obama does not know all of the facts involving his health plan would be ludicrous. So when he tells you that it will be affordable, that there will be no increase in the federal deficit, that illegal aliens won't be covered, and that abortions won't be covered he is quite simply not telling the truth as he knows it to be. The word we all use for such a person is 'liar' in other instances, and it applies here as well, whether you like the sound of Obama being called one or not.

As to the controversial abortion topic, for instance, the President claims that the language of his health bill is 'neutral' on the issue. Fair enough, but fact is that most Americans have already spoken their minds that they do not want a publicly funded abortion option as part of any taxpayer funded plan. So Republicans tried to insert amendments that would specifically prohibit the plan from covering abortions. The amendments were voted down by the Democrats. So much for the President' bill being 'neutral' on abortion. What is to keep it from covering the procedure, Mr. President?

Mr. President, it might make Nance Pelosi cringe, your fellow Democrats bellow, and even moderate Republicans feign public indignance, but the facts are the facts and the American public deserves more than you and your administration are giving us on issue after issue. A 'Change' to Socialism was not what they voted for last November. I can't blame Joe Wilson for his outburst because frankly, Mr. President, he simply was telling the frustrating truth when he shouted "You Lie!"

Freedom of Speech

Does the U.S. Constitution protect your right to say anything you want, whenever you want, anywhere you want? Some people think that it indeed does, or that if it doesn't allow that, it should. But most understand that while we are free to speak our minds most times, there are limits. You can't just yell "fire" in a crowded movie house, to use an old example.

There is actually no universally accepted definition of 'Freedom of Speech' that is applied within the United States of America. The idea is not clearly defined even within the Constitution itself. Issues relating to free speech have been debated and the courts have ruled on these issues almost since the Bill of Rights was added.

That 'Bill of Rights', for those who may require a brief civics lesson, are the first ten 'amendments' to the originally approved U.S. Constitution. The very first amendment reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

As explained in "The Heritage Guide to the Constitution": "The Founding generation undoubtedly believed deeply in the freedom of speech and of the press, but then, as now, these general terms were understood quite differently by different people. Many people did not think about their precise meanings until a concrete controversy arose, and when a controversy did arise, the analysis was often influenced by people's political interests as much as by their honest constitutional understanding."

Heritage also goes on to explain fully that there are certain established 'rules' and 'exceptions' where free speech is concerned which have developed largely over the past century.

Free speech guarantees restrict only government actions against such, not those of private employers, churches, universities, private home or property holders, and others. You can't put a sign up in your office cafeteria calling the boss an idiot, get fired over it, and claim some alleged free speech protection of your job.

In placing restrictions on government actions limiting free speech, that protection extends not only against federal government, but also to state and local governments, and all branches of the same. These protections are extended not only to traditional speakers and writers, to formal newspaper columnists for instance, but also to regular individuals as they communicate messages through such mediums as the Internet.

The issue has come to light recently with an incident generally involving members of my own Philadelphia Police Department. A police sergeant created a website on his own time, which he operated on his own time, popularly known as "Domelights" by it's users. The site was set up to provide vital information to officers as well as to allow communication and expression for those officers. To that expressive/communicative end, the site provided message boards covering a variety of topics.

One of the most popular of these message boards was named 'Philly Blue', intended to be populated by police officers commenting on issues involving law enforcement in general and the PPD in particular. I posted on Domelights as a regular for years, though ultimately much less frequently, using 'The Big Irish' as my screen name identity. Despite this anonymous name, everyone knew who I was. I never hid it, frequently advertised it, and made my identity available on the site's biographical information records for any member to view.

Problems always existed on Domelights due to the anonymous status of the vast majority of posters, many of whom took 'pot shots' at the department in general, it's policies and programs, and at times even at specific individual officers, supervisors, and managers.

The site has currently been shut down, temporarily restricted from accessibility due to a court proceeding. The site and it's owner found itself in court proceedings when a law suit was filed by the Guardian Civic League, an organization representing black police officers, alleging racism and other activities that it deemed libelous and possibly illegal coming from the message board posters.

I personally believe that this charge is frivolous. There were undoubtedly some posters at Domelights who were racists, just as they exist in society. And there was definitely a major flaw in the Domelights system with the anonymous status of the posters encouraging some folks to say anything inflammatory or irresponsible. But again, these are my personal opinions.

The problems at Domelights led to my own decreased visits and participation, but I would vehemently disagree that the site, it's owner, or it's board participants are institutionally racist or encourage illegal actions. It is what it is, a loosly monitored anonymous message board directed towards a specific target audience that make up the vast majority of its viewers and posters. Those suing Domelights simply don't like what is being said there at times. I believe they will ultimately lose the court fight, and we will see the return of the site in it's entirety, or with slight modifications.

Many have a hard time accepting that free speech guarantees extend to conduct that is "conventionally understood as expressive", according to Heritage. This includes things like wearing an armband, carrying a flag, and even burning of a flag extending into expressions of good and evil, with no exceptions even for things like radical Islam, Nazism, or so-called 'hate speech' expression. To quote the Heritage writers, "Under the First Amendment, there is no such thing as a false idea."

There are, however, universally accepted and court decision-backed exceptions to free speech. You may not speak to incitement, meaning your speech cannot be likely to cause people to engage in imminent unlawful conduct. You cannot give a street corner speech rabidly inciting folks to turn over cars, shoot police officers, and burn down buildings.

You cannot make false statements of fact that are 'knowing lies', though some such instances have been protected while some even 'innocent mistakes' have been punished by the courts. You cannot make statements that are reasonably perceived as threats of violence, and you cannot use 'fighting words' addressing individuals in face-to-face situations. "I'm gonna blow your head off" or "I'm gonna kick your ass" or "Your wife is a dirty ho" are examples that could be punishable by law.

You cannot participate in expression through obscenity or child pornography. The obscenity standard has been particularly strongly debated. Hard-core pornography is indeed punishable under certain guidelines, but those guidelines remain hotly debated and seem to constantly shift in practice. As for child pornography, courts only restrict the actual use of a child, not the presentation of a person as a child. So using a younger looking 18-year old girl in a movie that presents her as a 12-year old, one in which she has sexual relations, does not violate child pornography laws.

There are restrictions relating to the use of owned property, so-called 'intellectual property' laws for things like copyrighted information in music lyrics and formally published books and periodicals. However, these restrictions do not extend generally to things like facts and ideas. No one can legally monopolize an idea as their own.

There are restrictions on 'commercial advertising' which address things such as businesses having to make 'disclaimers' ("this pill may result in seizures and even death in some cases - check with your doctor before using"), but this does not extend to political advertising, meaning basically that politicians can exaggerate or mislead, but business cannot. It is directed towards speech that "proposes a commercial transaction", protecting the consumer. Shame that we don't rate voters as highly as product consumers where advertising protection is concerned.

We need to mind that all free speech protections extend to us as citizens from the government "acting as sovereign" but do not extend necessarily to that same government acting as an employer, educator, property owner, or regulator of the television and radio airwaves. The rules for these types of situations are so numerous that Heritage equates them to trying to understand the tax code.

The bottom line is that when speaking, be it in a public forum or in private conversation; whether on a street corner, a stage, or in an Internet chat room or message board; whether addressing a political or social or personal issue; in any event under any circumstances to any audience, it is always recommended to know your audience and know what you are talking about, and use a measure of common sense, respect, and even discretion in what you communicate.

Our Founding Fathers did indeed incorporate the idea of freedom of speech into the First Amendment of the Constitution, and not just they but all following generations of Americans have understood this idea as a basic right. What has been and likely always will be less 'basic' is the interpretation of restrictions and exceptions to speaking your mind freely.

Stretch Drive Arrives in MLB

Today is September 1st, which marks the beginning of that most important time in a Major League Baseball regular season known as the 'Stretch Drive' to fans of the sport. The 'dog days' of August are over, in just three weeks summer will officially end, and this coming weekend is Labor Day here in the United States.

The 'Stretch Drive', or simply 'the Stretch' refers to that final stretch of games before the playoffs begin. It marks the final 2-3 dozen games of the regular season, a time when divisional rivals often square off against one another in what are frequently winner-take-all games and series that can determine the eventual playoff teams.

If your team wants to participate in the playoffs, now is the time to turn it on. For fans here in Philadelphia, these are unusual days indeed. Manager Charlie Manuel and the defending World Series champion Fightin' Phils begin tonight's series with the San Francisco Giants holding a 7 1/2 game lead on the 2nd place Atlanta Braves. That lead is 9 games when you consider the all-important 'loss' column.

The team's 'Magic Number' for clinching their 3rd straight National League East Division crown is down to a manageable 26 games. This means that any combination of Phillies wins and Braves losses totalling that number 26 will give the Phils the NL East again, and punch their ticket into baseball's post-season.

The Phils have been playoff contenders for most of this decade, and in the past two seasons they have been able to run down the New York Mets from behind. The Mets led going into September both years, by 2 games last season and by 3 games in 2007. In fact, in each season the Mets actually built their leads up even higher only to play poorly and watch the hot Phillies shoot past them in the final two weeks.

This particular year, each of baseball's divisional leaders enter the month enjoying somewhat comfortable leads. The Phils have that 7 1/2 game cushion in the NL East. In the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals have an even bigger lead of 10 1/2 games, the largest lead in all of baseball. In the NL West, the LA Dodgers lead is at 5 1/2 games over both Colorado and the Giants team that the Phils meet tonight.

Over in the American League, the Yankees hold a 6 1/2 game lead. In the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels enjoy a 6 game lead. In the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers hold the smallest edge, just 3 1/2 games up on Minnesota. Winners of these division titles receive entry into the post-season, but it's not the only way. You can also make it as a 'Wildcard' team. Each league sends the 2nd place team with the best record into the playoffs, joining the three divisional winners.

In this year's current Wildcard race, the Boston Red Sox hold a 4-game edge in the American League over Texas and a 5-game lead on defending AL champion Tampa Bay. In the National League, Colorado and San Francisco are tied, with Atlanta just 3 games back and Florida still in the race at 4 games out. Any one of these teams can get hot in September and either clinch that Wildcard spot, or even rundown one of the divisional leaders from behind.

The bottom line is that while every game matters, with games held way back in April counting just as much as today, the games of September take on a greater urgency. The schedule is drawing to an end. Teams are running out of chances to get hot and makeup ground if they are behind. Teams moving towards a title can perhaps sense the end and pickup the pace in order to put their divisional rivals away.

Another unique aspect of big league baseball 'down the Stretch' are the expanded rosters. On September 1st of each season, MLB clubs are permitted to add as many players as they like from their minor league systems to the parent club. During the rest of the season, teams have been restricted to playing with a 25-man 'active' roster which does not include injured/disabled players. This means that each game there are 25 players available, with usually an 8-man starting lineup, an 11 or 12-man pitching staff, and 5-6 players on the bench as substitutes/reserves.

With the expansion of rosters on September 1st, teams will often bring up a handful of players from their minor league systems to bolster the big club for that 'Stretch Drive' period. They usually promote 1-2 extra catchers, 2-3 extra pitchers, and perhaps a particular position player who offers a special skill, such as speed or strong defense. Some teams see this as an opportunity to reward a minor leaguer for having a strong season down on the farm, or give a veteran player another shot at the big leagues. In any event, Managers of contending teams often end up with increased player assets as in-game options with which to maneuver.

Tonight's game between the Phillies and those San Francisco Giants, which my wife and I will be attending, will showcase all of 'Stretch Drive' baseball's best elements. A champion Phillies team trying to remain in charge of it's first place standing. A contending Giants team battling neck-and-neck for a Wildcard playoff berth, and possibly even to catch the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. All of it with expanded rosters in front of a sellout crowd in one of baseball's most beautiful ballparks on a perfect weather night.

It's time for 'Stretch Drive' baseball in the Major Leagues. A few teams will strongly position themselves for the playoffs in the coming final weeks, hopefully including another run by our Phillies. A couple of others will battle tooth-and-nail down to the wire of the final week to get into the post-season. Perhaps one of those currently comfortable division leaders will collapse, ala the Mets of the past two seasons. In any event, it will all provide plenty of drama leading in to the ultimate excitement of October baseball.