Good call Mr. President: Did I say that?

I am not a fan of President Obama but in his recent statement about the proposed mosque near ground zero, the president showed courage in speaking the truth instead of politically correct Washington-speak.

In a free society, EVERY person must have ALL the rights guaranteed to ANY person.

There is no room for any political entity, individual or mob to be allowed to infringe the rights of any individual or group of individuals without endangering the rights of all. 

As a society, we seem to have lost site of this fact and those who clamor for government to prohibit the building of a mosque today will wonder what happened when their own house of worship is forced to close it's doors.

Illegal Aliens and the Statue of Liberty

Much has been said in recent weeks about illegal aliens, the immigration reforms being considered by congress and immigration laws proposed by several states.  Lost in the rhetoric however, is the very magic that made the United States great. 

We ALL came here or are descendants of those who came from somewhere else.  Many were seeking something better than they could find in their homeland; others were brought here in chains or were imported as the cheap labor of the day. Many stayed and became ingredients in the ethnic melting pot from which Americans are formed.

Consider the following poem, "The New Collsous" by Emma Lazarus:    

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 

Do you recognize it?  It is inscribed inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and (at least when I was a child) was memorized by every 5th grader.

 

Today, we pay lip service to the call for immigrants stated there.  They didn't come here to weaken or bankrupt our nation but to become participants in it's success.  Today's immigrants will do the same if we allow them the opportunity to do so instead of clamoring for their expulsion.

 

Enough said.

Terry Fator & Walter

If you haven't seen Terry Fator and his friends, you owe it to yourself to split your sides laughing.  This guy is great.

You can find many of his routines on youtube by searching his name.

Best Reuben in Knoxville!

I like a good Reuben sandwich as much as the next guy but Mary (the light of my life) has a passion for them.   She first discovered them while in college in upstate New York and almost always orders one when they are on the menu of any restaurant that doesn't look like they get their deli meats out of pre-sliced plastic packs.

So, today while we were looking for a late lunch and a brew, we went to the Smokey Mountain Brewery in Knoxville at the Turkey Creek Shopping center.  They have a "Big City Reuben" on their menu for $10.00 and it reminds me of those I had in my New Jersey "Univac" school days.

The local beers were excellent too.  If you like a good sandwich and micro brews, give this place a shot.  We'll go back whenever Mary gets a hankering for her favorite sandwich.