My grandfather was about to take his second flight as he neared 70 years of age. It was the return leg of the first flight he’d ever taken and he was leaving Cleveland to return home. The year was 1968.
He had been a Teamster truck driver for 42 years, and was a leader in the notoriously violent 1934 Minneapolis riots, an event that was not only pivotal to Teamster growth, but solidification of union rights in general. When the company for whom he worked went bankrupt his pension benefits evaporated along with the corporation, and the Teamsters never gave him a red cent in compensation, deferred or otherwise. So much for getting his head cracked open by the goon squads whom by many accounts he nearly singularly helped defeat.
The details about the bloodsucking, self-serving, and criminal nature of the Teamsters can wait for another time, another column, or more likely a novel, because I told that story so I can relate another about the flight from Cleveland 44 years ago. Fortunately, security as we know it today with the ineptness of the TSA and Schutzstaffel-wannabe Janet Napolitano did not exist in those days so Grandpa was not sentenced to a remaining life of hard labor, nor was he deemed dispensable by an Obamacare death panel……….. To the very end he preached about doing things the right way, and remained fearless.
An announcement from the captain indicated the flight would be delayed due to mechanical problems, and Gramps, new to air travel like so many others of that era, saw a mechanic walking around the wing’s engine with one hand in his pocket and a huge, industrial size screwdriver in another, which caused him to do what he always did: take action.
In his inimitable manner he stood up in the cabin and said, “Ladies and gentlemen. If you look out any of the windows on the left side of the plane you will see a mechanic with a large screwdriver. I’m no genius, but I do know one thing, and that is that you can’t fix a jet engine with a screwdriver. I’m getting off this plane. Who’s with me?”
He was no longer the brute of a man he once was, but he still had a lion’s heart and was not afraid to confront what he believed to be wrong. He led almost 70 people off the plane that day, and when airport officials finally calmed the throng of people now gathered inside the terminal, the crowd was asked what caused the problem. My uncle was still at the airport, wishing some say to see his father’s plane take off, and their stories of what ensued were identical. Grandpa, ever the gentleman of those days in his Fedora, looked at the airport officials and stated his claim, and this time with some attitude, saying, “Nobody can fix a jet engine with a screwdriver and none of us are getting back on THAT plane,” and the passengers roared with approval.
Another plane was eventually located, and the story now rests in family lore.
Coincidentally and most unfortunately, that mechanic symbolizes Mr. Obama, who for all intents and purposes is so ineptly equipped to address the morass into which he has plunged this country, that he is the worker strolling around the engine of an old DC-9, somehow delusional enough to think he can fix the disaster he created with the equivalent of a simple hand tool.
We have a president who knowingly advocated imbecilic policies and is now suggesting more of the same as a remedy despite empirically proven to be wrong in practice and by long accepted economic dictums, which is either a sign that he is more than moderately unhinged, or that his and his wife’s self-professed hatred of the United States has morphed from attitudinal to pathological obsession, neither of which speaks of leadership. Instead of managing expectations for those to whom he has made unrealistic promises, he seeks to vilify an opponent who has legitimately succeeded in every walk of life in ways most of us can only dream. Mr. Obama doesn’t offer solutions because it is more expedient to attack than to present reasoned discourse, once again because he must cower from the fiasco that is his administration. Fomenting class warfare does not count seriously as a building block of statesmanship and instead is a cheap and superficial means at stirring emotions as opposed to educating his base about the realities the country faces, and accepting responsibility for his failures.
He conveniently ignores the destructive policies he along with a Pelosi and Reid-led Congress enacted without conscience or understanding about the inevitable consequences and lays blame lamely on his predecessor, while John Boehner remains immobiley puckered like a child in front of the principal for the first time, reluctant or unwilling to assign blame. If a finger should be pointed in any direction it should be at Reid and Pelosi, who managed Congress like drug lords from January of 2007 until the mid-term elections in late 2010 added ballast to an otherwise listing and rudderless ship of dream-sequence liberal schlock.
Mr. Obama does not suggest anything new because he is either disinclined or cowardly incapable. He cannot seriously ask for trust because he has performed in a most unsavory and duplicitous manner, yet he is not above somehow demanding it. Despite fawning media representations to the contrary, he does not have the mental capacity to strategize, model, or reason in the abstract, especially when compared to the depth of understanding and undeniable success of his opponent. Lobbing slanderous and libelous tear gas bombs as a methodology for reelection is neither dignified nor designed to suggest a path through which the entire country might follow and emerge, and his reliance on straight-up lies to ignite racial rancor is intellectual laziness with a goal of creating disharmony, once again to cover the warts that lie immediately beneath the faux finish of his paper-thin veneer. He desires to deflect attention away from himself by denigrating an opponent and assiduously refusing to discuss the paucity of his own ideas, a strategy which belittles the vaunted position of the presidency and one which reveals significant levels of weakness that are components of a person without character.
He is the bully in the pulpit, the tough guy on the playground, the neighborhood thug, but listening to the context of automatonic gibberish, he more frequently resembles a pull-string toy from Mattel with short cropped pants and beanie with propeller on top.
Or more accurately, a mechanic with one hand in his pocket and a screwdriver in the other.
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Thank you as always, Chris.
If you re-visit the site you’ll see we heard from someone willing to join Obama in the boat that crashes over the falls at Niagara.
Scott,
Your argument went nowhere from the moment you raised credibility as an issue to defend this president from those critical of his continual use of false representations, and sunk further when accusing an obscure author of trying to create a mob mentality.
Listen a bit more closely to the president as proceeds with his divide and conquer methodology, and then try to determine how outright lies could be construed as credible.
We can discuss analogies another time.
What an idiotic analogy. Did any of you geniuses figure out the reason the mechanic had the screw driver? In those days you opened up the work panels with a flat blade screw driver. Like so many other false accusations against this president, this one too fails even the simplest test. If you’re going to try create a mob mentality about something and try to make a point at least make the analogy hold water. It’s embarrassing.
I know why not create a mob “lets get off the plane” mentality about things this president has done well then say it’s not enough or something. You’d have credibility then at least.
Analogies aside. If a guy managed to get a screw out with one hand in his pocket, What could he do with a plane load of people, on the tarmac, with a screwdriver? I’d get off the plane too.
For someone who’s whole life is based on a lie, this is a drop in the bucket!! Barry-O isn’t suggesting anything new because it is his intention to steer the Ship of State over Niagara Falls if the dumbed-down loons we see at his campaign stops believe every word he says & will vote for him no matter what. Would that Mitt start calling Barry-O out on his comments, he’d have those fickle independent voters on his side. Us Constitutional Conservatives would be more energized for him too. God Bless your Granddad for having the fortitude to call out a suicidal move. Glad you & Mychal are in the same mold….
Immelt should go to jail with the rest of them, Jim. They’re putting on a clinic with respect to corruption and cronyism.
I agree with the facts concerning a suspect background, Saxman. If proven to be the imposter he apparently is, would it negate every bill and treaty he’s ever signed?
He’s worse than the steroid era of baseball. All Selig and sportswriters had to do was pretend it never happened.
Very well said…this is a parable…and a great one. Made this old duffer understand..I’m thinking thet jeffery immelt with G.E. is a obummer czar–and he’s outsourcing jobs to china by the thousands and his company is giving big to obummer.
I really like the analogy, Dan. Great article! Obama can no longer use the Baine story because he was one of the “takers” and take he did. He invested in Baine and reaped thousands of dollars from Baine. Also, some of the Baine executives contributed to Obama Campaign 2008. There is more information coming out on Obama’s role in the Baine Company that Romney was so much a part of and apart from. The only issue that Obama could fix right now is to say “Hand me an electric screwdriver, put it in reverse, and I will dismantle the entire health care bill.” That would win him some votes. But, he won’t do that, we know. There are many reasons for ObamaCare and mostly Obama’s need to “Control The People.” Page 107, the word “Dhimmitude” appears. What the hell does that mean? Google the word and it is very clear the meaning.
“Dhimmitude is the Muslim system of controlling non-Muslim populations conquered through jihad. Specifically, it is the TAXING of non-Muslims in exchange for tolerating their presence AND as a coercive means of converting conquered remnants to Islam.
ObamaCare allows the establishment of Dhimmitude and Sharia Muslim diktat in the United States . Muslims are specifically exempted from the government mandate to purchase insurance, and also from the penalty tax for being uninsured. Islam considers insurance to be “gambling”, “risk-taking”, and “usury” and is thus banned. Muslims are specifically granted exemption based on this.
How convenient. So I, as a Christian, will have crippling IRS liens placed against all of my assets, including real estate, cattle, and even accounts receivables, and will face hard prison time because I refuse to buy insurance or pay the penalty tax. Meanwhile, Louis Farrakhan will have no such penalty and will have 100% of his health needs paid for by the de facto government insurance.
Non-Muslims will be paying a tax to subsidize Muslims. This is Dhimmitude.”
I regret that Obama and Michelle cannot unscrew their heads and repalce them with heads of real American values and intent to recover from the Recession. That simply is not the nature of their big “Agenda.” Both are intent on ‘screwing’ the American People; their actions speak much louder than words!
I commend your grandfather, Dan, for bucking the Union Thug system. I also believe he was great to not fly on some airplane that was to be repaired with a “screwdriver!” Bravo!
There is no manner in which to “modify” the excessive taxation masked by obamacare, Marilyn.
It must be repealed in its entirety.
As for dhiminitude, it is the mission of every foreign operative to advance that cause, which raises the question: how is he different? (he’s not)
In Obama’s case, he is just some guy off the street who has no qualifications to be a jet engine mechanic. In fact, he is totally ineligible to be a mechanic. Just because he carries a screwdriver doesn’t mean he has the qualifications. He is an impostor. Period.
Now, if the people on grandpa’s plane had given grandpa the screwdriver and sent him to fix the plane, what would we say? That just because the people chose him to fix the plane that he was qualified? That is the common response to Obama not meeting Constitutional qualifications for president, specifically to be “natural born.” They say the people vetted him when he was elected. Really? Has anyone seen his authentic birth document? There is more about him that is unknown than is known, particularly his birth and parentage.
My pleasure, RG.
Keep up the good fight.
Well stated Mr. Bubalo, thank you. More ammo for my conversations with my left leaning friends.
I share your point of view, Joe, and that he suffers from obsessive/compulsive issues with respect to a foreign ideology that borders on clinical. The “ignorance” of which I spoke is merely a component of that erratic behavior—-for no president has ever been so brainwashed that he cannot or will not even feign moderation. In fact, he’s doubling-down to demonize success as I write.
IMO the 35 ‘czars’ are working feverishly on the plethora of executive orders which will flow out of the White House non-stop from Nov 7 until Jan 19th … whether or not this wrecking machine is re-elected. Can we not still see the damage remaining 68 years after FDR?
Well said, Bill Sr. He is in desperation-mode now, so the outrageousness ought to be off the charts by November along with an obscene level of wrecklessness.
Sooo true. We really have not seen how far he can and will go to hold on to his ill begotten power and fraudulent use of it. A seen from the Exorcist no less may be forth coming.
Dan wrote: “He is the bully in the pulpit, the tough guy on the playground, the neighborhood thug, but listening to the context of automatonic gibberish, he more frequently resembles a pull-string toy from Mattel with short cropped pants and beanie with propeller on top”
I don’t look at obama as the bully nor the tough guy as he is far too effeminate. Michelle appears to have all the testosterone in their family. Although his reckless and uninformed actions do emit the stench of the neighborhood thug, surely a product of Chicago Socialist ghetto politics complete with foul stench.
The rest of your description (he more frequently resembles a pull-string toy from Mattel with short cropped pants and beanie with propeller on top) is right on. I can easily see him holding his breath until he gets his way … pitiful!
What worries me more than the TOTUS is his obamabots who voted for him and still maintain blind loyalty. The gene pool certainly needs cleansing.
Holding his breath AND stomping his foot, Mr. Holmes.
His body language and scowling face is mindful of one whose lug nuts aren’t on tight, and getting looser by the mile.
Dan, the countdown clock is running as to when he goes all cuckoo nest!!! I hope we get pictures!!!
What this article misses, as good as it is, is what most people in the country, conservative commentators included, is that Obama is not inept, rather he is achieving exactly what he wants, namely the destruction of this nation as we have known it. He truly believes that we have acted in an evil manner, and is determined to bring us to a point where we no longer have the economic strength or military power to be a super power. He feels that we have been a colonial power that has exploited other nations, and that we need to share our wealth with those from whom we robbed their riches. It leads him to do things that seem crazy and inept to people who try to analyze and judge his actions from the perspective of wanting our nation to succeed, and thinking that he just does not get it, well-intentioned though he may be.
Look at his ignoring of the Constitution, a document that he detests and once described as document of “negative liberties.” He decides which laws he will or will not enforce. He promulgates executive orders to override legislation that has been passed by Congress. He has his bureaucracy issue regulations designed to impede the ability of businesses to succeed, often intruding the government into areas where it has no Constitutional authority.
I could write a long essay or a book detailing all of this, but suffice to say that we have a President who detests the country that gave him the opportunity to ascend to the most powerful position in the world. It is up to all people who truly love our country to do everything possible to see that he is a one-term President.
Today we hear Obama has said a person who builds a business doesn’t own it and that it belongs to those who work for you. Typical communist logic. To me this the same as saying if you and your wife consistently work three different jobs until you save money to buy a house the house isn’t yours it belongs to the people who paid you. This mans values and reasoning are just simply out of line with capitalism and more in line with Marxist socialism which he has embraced for 20 years in college and with his chosen associates over the years. Except for this and his habitual lying, deceptive agenda, dysfunctional upbringing, egotistic attitude and loathing of white America he seems to be a likable guy who could possibly qualify for work as a community organizer