Expensive Oil coming soon.

Crude oil and subsequently gasoline and jet fuel are about to get much more expensive and hard to come by. The Middle East is heating up again. Iran has just shut off the taps to the UK and France for imposing sanctions. Iran is close to becoming a nuclear power. If that doesn’t scare you it sure should. Iranian leaders have publicly stated on several occasions that they intend to wipe the State of Israel off the map. Israel will be sure to make a preemptive military strike in an attempt to stop Iran. That will light the fires.

A nuclear exchange of any kind in the Middle East could contaminate the oil fields for thousands of years let alone kill millions. Unfortunately the government of Iran consists on Islamic extremists who could care less about consequences.

Almost all of the crude oil imported by the United States comes from the unstable Middle East. Any restriction of exports from that region will be catastophic to the American economy and will force them to take action to maintain oil flow. That action is sure as hell not going to be sanctions, but will surely be military intervention.

Unless the West can break its reliance on oil imports from unstable, unfriendly countries and soon war is imminent.

 

D-Day 67 years later – we must remember.

On this the 67th anniversary of D-Day we must remember the sacrifice the servicemen of the Allied Powers (Canada, Britain, the United States, France and Poland) made on the beaches of Normandy, France that fateful June day in 1944.

When you look at the photos of aged veterans commemorating that event, realize that on June 6, 1944 these were mere boys and young men who dashed from the landing craft across the beaches under murderous fire from the entrenched German positions. A terrible number of these young men died there on that beach in the battle against tyranny.

The Second World War had been raging for four long years to this point. The invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 resulted in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of the war in Europe less than one year later. It was the turning point of the war in Europe. If the invasion had failed the war would have dragged on for many more years.

The Boomer Generation

When the Second World War (1939 – 1945) ended millions of men returned home to wives and girlfriends most hadn’t seen in years. Guess what happened? Nine months later there began a baby boom the likes of which had never been seen, and hasn’t been seen since. In Canada anyone born between 1947 and 1967 is considered a “baby boomer” or “boomer” for short.

Truly effective birth control, the pill, wasn’t available until the mid 1960′s, so in most cases sex resulted in babies, lots of them. This was not a bad thing, after all these men and women wanted to return to a normal life after six long years of war abroad and on the home front.

Couples wanted to put the war behind them. They wanted marriage and family, and did they ever succeed. Some factoids on the baby boom:

• During the years 1947 to 1966 in Canada there were over 400,000 babies born each year. The highest year was 1959 with 479,000 born.
• In the United States during roughly the same period over 4,000,000 were born each year.
• At the height of the boom Canadian women averaged four offspring each.

I am a “boomer” as are my siblings. We were born in 1949, 1951, and 1955 respectively. Now over sixty years later our generation is beginning to enter our retirement years.

Our generation makes up the largest individual segment of the Canadian population (more than 30%). With retirement comes two key questions for Canadian society,

• Can the pension plans handle the massive numbers of retirees?
• Can the expertise lost by industry and government be replaced?

Most boomers are healther and wealthier than previous generations, but the cost of living has skyrocketed. Better health means longer lives and more stress on retirement income sources.

The anticipated retirement of workers from the workforce will mean more opportunity for the younger generations coming into the workforce.

Baby boomers have a tremendous impact on Canadian society and will continue to be a factor for many years to come. Some factoids on the impact of the boomer generation today (stats are from the United States, but are similar here in Canada.):

• Control over 80% of personal assets
• Control over 50% of discretionary spending.
• Account for more than half of consumer spending.
• Purchase 77% of all prescription drugs.
• Account for 80% of all leisure travel spending.

Stay tuned for more postings on my experiences as part of the Boomer Generation.

Kennedy Sworn in as President – 50 yrs Ago Today

President Kennedy - official White House photo

 Fifty years ago today John Fitzgerald Kennedy took the oath of office at exactly 12:00 p.m. Eastern time in Washington, DC.

Kennedy’s inauguration signaled a new generation ascending to power. His predecessor, President Eisenhower was of a previous generation and had served 8 years, since 1954-1961.

Kennedy, or JFK as he was affectionally known, was the youngest man ever elected president at age 43. Teddy Roosevelt was younger when he became president, but he became president after McKinley’s assassination.

Kennedy was also the first person of the Roman Catholic faith to be elected to the office.

The other fascination for people was his young family and his war service. He exuded personality and vigor. New ideas and renewed energy brought hope to young people.

When he was elected it was the height of the Cold War. The United States and the USSR had enough nuclear tipped missiles targeted at each other to destroy the world several times over. This wasn’t just an American or a Soviet issue, but a world living in the shadow of destruction. In fact the official policy of both nations was Mutually Assured Destruction or M.A.D. for short. Simply put if one country attacked the other it was assured both would be destroyed. Sounds crazy, but it was a fact that all of us lived with during that period. No wonder people were looking for new ideas and fresh hope.

Although his presidency was short-lived Kennedy began the dialogue with the Soviet Union on disarmament signing the Test Ban Treaty. This was a first step towards reducing nuclear arsenals.

I remember President Kennedy today for those steps he initiated towards reduction of nuclear tensions.

eBook Published – Near Miss: Attempted Assassination of JFK

My book has now been ePublished  and so far is available at the following sites.

Check it out, http://tinyurl.com/2432nrz Amazon, and http://tinyurl.com/24jlqrc Barnes and Noble.

If this interests you please consider purchasing it at the low price stated.

It will soon be available at Borders.com and Kobobooks.com

9/11 Never Forget

New York Times

The Truth is Out There – The JFK Assassination

It has been almost 47 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in downtown Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. Thanks to the release of new documents and the scientific analysis of evidence with new technologies the truth is gradually being uncovered.

Who cares, you say? I believe that to preserve democratic societies the truth must always be uncovered.

First the official version of what happened as outlined by the Warren Commission Report hinges on the following key points,

1. Lee Harvey Oswald was the only gunman. He and he alone killed the president.

2. Only three shots were fired in Dealey Plaza that day. The first shot missed and slightly wounded James Tague who was watching the motorcade. The second shot hit Kennedy in the back, exited from the throat area, entered Governor John Connally seated in front and to the side of Kennedy, this broke several bones in Connally, and changed direction several times. Finally this bullet was found on a stretcher in Parkland Hospital in pristine, undamaged condition. This is the so-called “Magic Bullet” theory.

3. The third shot struck Kennedy in the back of his head causing his death.

4. All shots originated from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository behind the presidential limousine.

5. There were no others involved in the assassination.

While there have been outrageous theories and ridiculous speculation put forward about the assassination, new evidence and new technological analysis of existing evidence has debunked most of the findings of the Warren Commission. Without firm evidence to identify a motive or actual shooter(s) here are some proven facts that contradict the record,

1. At least one shot and possibly more originated from the Grassy Knoll to the right front of the president. The fatal head shot struck Kennedy in the right front of his head. Analysis of the Zapruder Film proves more than four shots were fired at the president that day. That evidence alone proves more than one shooter.

2. Oswald’s prints were not found on the 6.5 mm Mannlicher-Carcano rifle, that is alleged to have been used to kill Kennedy.

3. A paraffin test done on Oswald at the time proved he did not fire a rifle on November 22, 1963. This is an accepted test in the law enforcement and legal community. It detects GSR (gunshot residue).

4. The medical evidence proves the exit wound in Kennedy’s head was in the rear. Parkland Emergency doctors observed this, as did autopsy doctors, but they were ordered not to report this. Blood splatter, brain matter, and a large skull fragment all found to the rear of the limousine  prove this. Again this was not included in the Warren Commission. In my belief this absolutely proves the fatal head shot came from the Grassy Knoll to the right front of Kennedy.

5. About half of the witnesses to the assassination reported shots from the front of the limousine (the Grassy Knoll). These witnesses were either not interviewed by the Warren Commission, or their testimony was ignored and discounted.

Tape recordings of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s directions to Chief Justice Earl Warren prove the Commission was ordered to find Kennedy was killed by one assassin, that assassin being Lee Harvey Oswald. The findings of the Commission were predetermined by the president, the FBI (J. Edgar Hoover), and the CIA. No other conclusion was acceptable.

I recommend the following books supporting these conclusions:

The Zapruder Film: Reframing JFK’s Assassination, David Wrone, University Press of Kansas, 2003

The Grassy Knoll Witnesses, Harry A. Yardum, 2008

JFK Assassination File: Retired Dallas Police Chief, Jesse E. Curry, Dallas, 1969

In the Eye of History: Disclosures in the JFK Assassination Medical Evidence, William Law, with Alan Eaglesham, JFK Lancer Publications, Southlake, TX, 2005

Head Shot: The Science Behind the JFK Assassination, G. Paul Chambers, Ph.D, Prometheus Books, New York, NY 2010.

Bullet Proof: The Evidence That Guns Leave Behind, Jaime Joyce, Franklin Watts, a Division of Scholastic Inc., New York, NY, 2007.

John Kennedy Wins Nomination – 50 years ago

JFK and Caroline in August 1963-White House photo

I can’t let this anniversary pass. On this day in 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy won the Democratic nomination for president at their convention in Los Angeles, California.

Of course, he went on to win the general election in November 1960 by the slimmest of margins to become president-elect. On January 20, 1961 he was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States. He was also the youngest elected president to take office and the first person of the Roman Catholic faith to become president.

Tragically, he became the youngest president (46 years of age) to die in office when he was assassinated on November 22, 1963 while riding in a motorcade through downtown Dallas, Texas.