A Golf Story

Nothing like a good golf story.  And this is not only about golf but also about the wisdom that comes with age...

Subject: A Great Golf Story...

  A father, son and grandson went to the country club for their weekly round of golf. Just as they reached the first tee, a     beautiful young blonde woman carrying her bag of clubs          approached them. She explained that the member who brought her  to the club for a round of golf had an emergency that called hi away and asked the trio whether she could join them.

     Naturally, the guys all agreed.

     Smiling, the blonde thanked them and said, 'Look, fellows, I work in a topless bar as a dancer, so nothing shocks me anymore. If any of you want to smoke cigars, have a beer, bet, swear, tell off-color stories or do anything that you normally do when playing a round together, go ahead. But, I enjoy playing golf, consider myself pretty good at it, so don't try to coach me on how to play my shots.'  With that the guys agreed to relax and invited her to drive first.

     All eyes were fastened on her shapely behind as she bent to place her ball on the tee. She then took her driver and hit the ball 270 yards down the middle, right in front of the green.  The father's mouth was agape. 'That was beautiful,' he said.  The blonde put her driver away and said, 'I really didn't get into it, and I faded it a little.'  After the three guys hit their drives and their second shots, the blonde took out an eight iron and lofted the ball within five feet of the hole. (She was closest to the pin.)  The son said, ' Damn, lady, you played that perfectly.'  The blonde frowned and said, 'It was a little weak, but even an easy seven would have been too much club. I've left a tricky little putt.'  She then tapped in the five-footer for a birdie.

     Having the honors, she drove first on the second hole, knocked the heck out of the ball, and it landed nearly 300 yards away smack in the middle of the fairway.  For the rest of the round the statuesque blonde continued to amaze the  guys, quietly and methodically shooting for par or less on every hole.

     When they arrived at the 18th green, the blonde was three under par, and had a very nasty 12-foot putt on an undulating green for a par. She turned to the three guys and said, 'I really want to thank you all for not acting like a bunch of chauvinists and telling me what club to use or how to play a shot, but I need this putt for a 69 and I'd really like to break 70 on this course.  If any one of you can tell me how to make par    on this hole I'll take him back to my apartment, pour some 35-year-old Single Malt Strath Mill Scotch in him, fix him a steak dinner and then show him a very    good time the rest of the night.'

     The yuppie son jumped at the thought! He strolled across the green, carefully eyeing the line of the putt and finally said, 'Honey, aim about 6 inches to the right of the hole and hit it firm. It will get over that little hump and break right into the cup.'

     The father knelt down and sighted the putt using his putter as a plumb.  'Don't listen to the kid, darlin,' you want to hit it softly 10 inches to the right and let it run left down that little hogback, so it falls into the cup.'

  The old gray-haired grandfather walked over to the blonde's ball, picked it up and handed it to her and said, 'That's a gimme, sweetheart.'

  The blonde smiled and said, 'Your car or mine?'

  OLD AGE AND TREACHERY WILL OVERCOME YOUTH AND SKILL EVERY TIME!

The Hillary Defense

This used to be known as "The Otter Defense".  I just saw a story about an excerpt from Hillary's forthcoming book in which her strategy will be to say that she won't stoop to even discussing Benghazi because it stains the memory of those murdered.  The gall!  The sad thing is that she will probably get away with it.  Anyway...I think The Otter Defense is much more appropriate as The Hillary Defense.  It makes about as much sense.

Friday Funnies

Somehow this seems appropriate this week...

West Point Folly

There is so much in the news these days that points out the increasing disaster that is the Obama Presidency.  The two things that are fodder for criticism this week are the shameful VA scandal and the dismantling of our position of world leadership through the dismantling of our foreign policy.  So let's just take a look at the latter issue because I'm still too disgusted by the former.

The President delivered a major foreign policy speech at West Point this week at the Commencement ceremony in which he laid out his agenda for the remainder of his second term.  It was, in my view as well as many others, a major failure.  Check out the opinion of the New York Times here.  The liberal, Obama-protecting New York Times!!  Here's the pull quote:

"...The address did not match the hype, was largely uninspiring, lacked strategic sweep and is unlikely to quiet his detractors, on the right or the left."

This guy can't outline a coherent, “grand strategy" to save his life.  Since he took the oath of office President Obama has been a reluctant internationalist, focusing on domestic issues and allowing critical foreign policy decisions to languish.  The speech was supposed to be a re-evaluation/renewal of his foreign policy approach but there was nothing in this speech that will change the minds of the increasing number who find him weak on foreign affairs.  This speech seems to collect together some of the themes the President has, in the view of many, half-heartedly espoused throughout his presidency. As has been his consistent modus operandi, he can espouse theory with the best of them but when it comes to implementation he is clueless and ineffective.  At some points the President sounds defensive, and rather than building a vision for the future, he is listing achievements (or almost-achievements, such as an agreement with Iran) of the past years.  He does describe the requirements for any new military engagement – it must affect our core interests.  But what are those?  I don't think he has a clue.  But I suspect it would be something like a direct attack of some sort on the homeland.  And if that is the criteria, then we have totally retreated from our leadership position in the world.  And outlining so specifically what the US will and won’t do, will embolden some of our enemies to create more instability in certain regions. 

I fear it will take years and significant treasure to rebuild our position in the world.  And it's not just about power.  It's about trade, stability, coalitions, and diplomacy.  Without a strong position, without the belief by our friends that they can count on us and our enemies that we will not be pushed around, we will face many more crises.  We have robbed funding from our instruments of diplomacy and defense to the point that they can only do so much.  I hope we can hang on for a few more years until someone comes along who understands foreign relations and can implement solutions.

Men

Saw these two little dittys while surfing around the net.  Was going to save them of Friday Funnies, but they both crack me up so here they are.  See ladies, we can laugh at ourselves!

Cool Pic

Motivation Monday

Good Advice

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I Love Dogs

I Miss George...

Interesting

Every once in a while I stumble on something obvious but that I never really thought much about.  This is one of them...

Cool Pic

Ballooning

Never have gotten it...never will.  Looks dangerous and scary.  Not for me.

World Cup

Every 4 years the World Cup comes around and the soccer (football to you Euros) world goes a bit goofy.  It dominates talk, all talk turns to who's in, who's out, who the heroes are, etc.  of course, this year they are going to get to talk about the disaster that is Rio.  Can't wait for the Olympics!!

Rebel!!

Genius

The phrase, "what was he thinking?" comes to mind...

The Guy On The Left...

...is an asshole

Ironic

We take so many things as a given.  The evolution of technology is truly the miracle of our times.

Very Clever

Always keep,them on their toes...

Cool Pic

Clowns

When I was a kid I had an irrational fear of clowns.  Truth be told, they still make me nervous.  But this...this is just creepy!

I Would Move

And I'd be spending tonight in a hotel!!

A Common Phenomenon

And I've experienced it...on both ends.

Motivation Monday

Jackass

And not just Jackass...ultimate Jackass!!

I'm Going To The Dentist This Week

This could easily be me.  But don't tell my Hygienist!!

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Golf

I'm good a flirting!

Brazilian Athletes

They are very talented...

Trust Your Instincts

Advice

Sometimes you find great advice in the oddest places...

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Friday Funnies

Motivation Monday

The Truth Will Emerge

Great short and devastating indictment of the President and Democrats over Benghazi.  You can watch it here

Winning the Long War

The cold war may have ended, but the animosity between the US and Russia continues.  But...maybe we can wait the Bastards out...

Ineptitude or Incompetent or ???

Two foreign policy issues are in the news...Benghazi and the Lost Girls.  On both, the incompetence (I hope it's just that) of the Obama Administration is breathtaking.

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know about the sorry story of Benghazi.  I first posted about it when it occurred in Sept, 2012. You can read it here.  And there were subsequent posts.  The story has been going on for a long time.  It fades from the news and returns.  The idiots in the White House would like us to believe there is nothing to it.  But now there's some evidence of a coverup.  And the Republicans think they may finally be able to get to the truth.  Peggy Noonan had a good article in the WSJ today about it and she hits the nail on the head.  You can read her views here.  She has a pretty good explanation of the issue in this succinct paragraph.

"The reasons Benghazi is important do not have to be rehearsed here. An American outpost, virtually undefended, was attacked by armed and organized al Qaeda-associated militants on the anniversary of 9/11 and four were left dead, including the U.S. ambassador. It happened eight weeks before the 2012 presidential election. From day one White House management and leadership focused on spin and an apparent fiction. Did they deliberately mislead and misdirect? Why was there no military response? Who is responsible?"

 She also addresses the comparison with Iran-Contra far better than I could.

Iran-Contra was a real scandal and an embarrassment to the U.S. government. In the early 1980s the Reagan White House was worried about the fate of a handful of American hostages being held by Hezbollah, which had snatched each off the streets of Beirut. The president was especially worried about CIA station chief William Buckley, who was being tortured.

Suddenly in 1985 word reached the administration of a possible opening, a group of so-called Iranian moderates who might be willing to pressure Hezbollah for the hostages' release. Meetings were authorized. It turned out the Iranian group wanted something in return: the U.S. to permit Israel to sell them antitank missiles to use against Iraq. The U.S. would replenish the Israeli stock.

Reagan unwisely agreed. His secretary of state, George Shultz, heard about the scheme, opposed it, and told Reagan that while it might not technically amount to an arms-for-hostages deal, it would look like one and open the president to charges he broke the law.

Reagan should have pulled the plug, but some hostages were slowly released, and he allowed the scheme to continue.

The story broke in a Mideast newspaper. The administration denied it—all of it. Reporters began to dig.

It was a big enough scandal on its own, but then came word that profits from the arms sales had been illegally funneled to the Nicaraguan Contras, who were fighting the communist Sandinista government.

The attorney general, Ed Meese, launched a review of the affair. It was a real investigation, and he went public with his findings. The national security adviser who oversaw the operation had left, but his replacement resigned and his deputy was fired.

The president delivered a national address. Two congressional committees launched investigations. Networks covered the hearings live. Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post said it was the most fun he'd had since Watergate.

Reagan waived executive privilege so his aides would testify. He announced a special commission to investigate everything. There was a full housecleaning. Colin Powell was brought in to run the National Security Council, and Mr. Shultz given full authority for all dealings with Iran. Ultimately Reagan dumped his chief of staff.

The Iran-Contra affair did not spring from low motives. There was no hope of partisan gain, it wasn't a political play.

All involved were trying—sometimes stupidly, almost childishly—to save lives, and perhaps establish a new opening with Iran. They had good reasons, but the actions were bad, and everyone involved paid a price.

Compare that with how the Obama White House has handled Benghazi. It's all been spin, close ranks, point fingers, obfuscate, withhold documents, accuse your accusers of base motives. Nobody in the administration has paid a price.

I don't know where this whole thing is going.  But from my perspective one thing is certain.  When this happened the first motivation was political spin.  Not 4 dead Americans and a State Department that didn't give a shit.  Not holding people accountable.  Not doing the right thing.  And that's not what we expect from our President.

And then there is the tragic saga of the Lost Girls of Nigeria.  This story has been splashed on the headlines the last few days.  A group called Boko Harem, who are a bunch of thugs and terrorists in Nigeria, kidnapped 300 girls from a boarding school and are selling them into slavery.  Of course this is a despicable and shameful act.  And the world is outraged.  There are protests, outcries, marches, even attempts to help.  We have sent a team of hostage negotiators and experts to assist the Nigerians.  But here's the thing...we sent 10 people.  10!  Boko Harem is hiding in a forest in Nigeria.  It is about 750 miles x 500 miles.  That's 375,000 square miles.  And we send 10 people.  We have the most sophisticated and capable military in the world.  And we send 10 people.  We have forest penetrating radars, unmanned aerial vehicles, Special Operations who are expert in this kind of thing.  And we send 10 people.  Michelle Obama goes on national TV and rightly claims it's an outrage and says she and Barrack will do everything possible to fix this situation.  And we send 10 people.  If there is anything consistent with this crowd, it's that they say one thing and do another.  They have great rhetoric about what they are going to do...and then they do nothing...or send 10 people.  It is disgusting and shameful.  By their lies, their disengagement, their blunders, they have taken the USA to the lowest position in the world in a century.  But elections have consequences.  We have been told that.  Well, an election is coming.

Happy Mothers Day!

Great Form

I always like to admire great form on a surfboard...

Friday Funnies

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Motivation Monday

Most Difficult Thing In Sports

It's almost axiomatic.  Hitting a round ball with a round bat.  Then add that it's being delivered by a major league pitcher who's either throwing a 95mph fastball or has wicked crazy stuff.  So if you're wildly successful, if you are better than the vast majority of of other players, you can do it 3 out of 10 times!  And no one has hit 4 out of 10 times since the early 1950's!!

But still, I can really relate to this...We went to a Padre game on Saturday.  Wonderful night at Petco Park, great atmosphere, perfect weather...but the stinkin Padres can't hit worth beans.  Come on fellas..start putting some wood on the ball!!!

Good List

I stumble on a fair number of lists for various things while surfing the net.  This one is pretty good.  Some pearls in here...

Well..I Guess So...

This is great.  Who would even think of this?

I Could Live Here

Sez Me

It just keeps getting worse.  It's bad enough that he has flat lined the economy.  It hugely disappointing the he hasn't lived up to being the role model so many expected.  Its been predictable that taking over one-fifth of the economy would be hopelessly mired in the quagmire of breathtaking bureaucracy.  It's vaguely surprising that while the beginning was filled with such promise of high principles, he has dived to new depths when it comes to politicizing EVERYTHING!  But the worst is the dismantling of our foreign policy and the destroying of our place in the world.  And that piece is really scary.  And I won't even reference Benghazi.  That despicable failure of our government is beyond comprehension.  I've written about it previously and just don't have the energy to get into it again.  There are a few commentators and analysts on the national scene that routinely make sense.  I think one of them is Charles Krauthammer.  His column this week hits the nail squarely on the head regarding the disastrous and dangerous national security failures of this President.  You can read it here.  It seems that most won't care or will have their head in the sand.  Don't let that be you.  Elections are coming.  Remember what he said 5 years ago.  Elections have consequences.  Boy do they ever!

Friday Funnies

He Did It His Way!

Visibility!

WTF?