In Memory of William (Bill) Robert Godshalk

This post is intended to Honor the memory of Bill, whose life was suddenly taken from us September 11, 2001

For Love of Wild Bill

James Bond Godshalk had five children and William R. Godshalk was the wildest. When Bill Godshalk was 10 and playing shortstop in Little League, he caught a ball only to drop it when the base runner hit his glove. Bill attacked the other player. James Godshalk walked on to the field and pulled his son back. "He needed me," Mr. Godshalk said. "And I needed him, I did so much.

"James Godshalk taught his son sports, and in the process taught him how to calm himself. But Bill Godshalk kept his wild and adventurous heart, even as a 35-year-old vice president at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods in the World Trade Center, said his fiancée, Aleese Hartmann. At a memorial service for his son, James Godshalk was reminded of a verse by James Whitcomb Riley:

Old man never had much to say -
'Ceptin to Jim, -
And Jim was the wildest boy he had,
And the old man jes' wrapped up in him!

When he recited the poem, he substituted "Bill" for the name Jim, and told the story of a wild boy and the father who loved him.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 11, 2001

United in Memory has created a quit that honors all 2996 souls that were lost that day, and Bill's quilt can be viewed Here

We will never forget. I will never forget.

God Bless his Family and friends, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

You can view the entire list of 2,996 victims and their blog tributes Here.

http://terroristattack.com/messages.php?id=1088

http://www.9-11heroes.us/v/William_Robert_Godshalk.php

Pease be advised, this post will remain at the top of my blog for the month of September. Please scroll down for recent articles and posts. Thank you.

Gawfer Has Moved

Hello All!

With the help of my fellow 'Bog Dwelling Racist Bigots' as we've been so fondly referred to, Gawfer has migrated to the next level of blogging. You can now find me at Gawfer.net

To avoid trolls of many kinds, you'll need to register and your comments will need to be approved the first time, so leave me a nugget of wisdom.

This site will remain for reference and sentimental reasons, but all future posts will be at the new site.

Thanks again Rob , for making this happen.

Comments are now closed.

By Whom Is Congress Employed?

As a democratic republic, we the people elect Congressmen and Senators to represent us in government. Their salaries are paid by us, the constituents, and as such they are our employees indentured to us. They do not rule over us, but rule for us on our behalf. So when they vote to give themselves a vacation in spite of the serious and immediate energy crisis’, they are not fulfilling their commitments to their elected offices.

Recently, a few Republican Congressmen decided to stand fast and draw attention to the negligence of the current leadership, and have requested that the White House exercise its privilege to force Congress to hold an emergency session.

Bobby Eberle writes:
“…Congressmen sent letters to the president. GOPUSA activists did so as well. However, the White House has come back with a reply: No thanks. The administration rejected the calls from House Republicans and grassroots conservatives, saying it "won't make a difference." Sorry, but that is the wrong decision.
We finally have Republicans stepping forward and taking on the Democrats. We have grassroots activists rallying behind these leaders in support. And... we have the White House pouring water on the small flames that could've spread to a larger fire of energy and support leading up to Election Day. Great job!
As reported in The Hill, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said, "We don't have plans to call Congress into session -- it won't make a difference if Democratic leaders are unwilling to bring up a bill for an up-down vote."
Make no difference? Come on! The Hill notes that "while the president can declare that Congress must sit for an emergency session, he cannot set the agenda -- only the leadership of the majority party can do that." Wrong! President Bush can set the agenda in the minds of the American people. Who cares what Pelosi puts down on the congressional agenda. If President Bush would simply address the American people and tell them that he is bringing Congress back into session to address the country's energy problems, then Republicans and the American people win. Each day that passes without Pelosi focusing on the issue is another day where America can see what the Democrats are all about. And the White House says that it won't make a difference???...”

In spite of a 9% approval rating for congress, and a 72% positive opinion nationwide to lift the ban on off shore exploration and drilling, The White House has disobeyed the direction of its employer; we the people, subsequently allowing the Congress to be defiant toward their employers as well. Any business or corporation would have terminated the employment of these individuals months ago; yet the likes of the Pelosi House continues to thrive.

One might ask why the Democrats are so resolute in their defiance. Simply because they exist in the comfort of deep pockets of the ‘environmental terrorist left’; who ultimately want to keep the price of our natural resources high so as to discourage and limit use. After all, humans are bad.

They know that offshore drilling will directly impact the price of fuel. Heck, the mere mention of offshore drilling will immediately affect the price. Look no further than 3 weeks ago when President Bush announced his decision to lift the executive ban on offshore drilling: within a week, the price per barrel decreased from $147.00 to its current $121.00.

There are other opportunities to affect the energy crisis as well.

• Nuclear Power is so far advanced now; it can be quickly implemented with no affects to the environment. The previous concern was the resulting waste. But with current technology, breeders can be built to rejuvenate the fuel for reuse, thereby all but eliminating nuclear waste. By the way, Nuclear power emits exactly 0% gases.
• Solar energy is another source of energy that is becoming highly useful and very profitable. Solar fields are becoming common place in the high deserts of California, yet Congress has failed to offer any substantial incentives to potential owners/producers.
• Windmills are another source of environmentally safe energy that produces no off-gasses and only the occasional dead bird that flies in the Propeller.
• Hydro-electric generators are relatively easy to install and any waterway with minimal flow can produce usable quantities of energy with NO affect on the environment. Helical turbines run at 70% efficiency, meaning if the water flows at 20mph, the turbine spins at 14 mph which is more than enough to spin large generators.
  
  

These are simple solutions to a big problem that our employees have failed to address. It is time for Congress to step up and earn the money, free travel, health insurance, and retirement they are receiving from WE THE PEOPLE.

CONGRESS: Go back to work…NOW!

Do You Know Him?

THE FROG THEORY

I have been on vacation for the last week and though I've tried to keep abreast of the news, I haven't posted anything regarding politics. I received this email and thought it was point on so here's a cheap way to post something good without having to put a lot of thought into it.

If you drop a frog in boiling water he will leap right out. If you slowly heat the water he will be content until it’s too late to get out. That is exactly how history works. It moves slowly and we never really see any danger until it’s too late.

Remember how suppressed workers were before unions came along? The unions leveled the playing field. Unfortunately, over a long period of time the pendulum swung too far. Slowly, businesses and factories closed and jobs left the country. We were comfortable and didn’t see the change coming. We blamed everyone except ourselves for what happened. We weren't alert to how slow things change over time.

World War II, and the Korean War, demonstrated how powerful a united nation could be. Our nation and our families were united. The father was the head of the family and the President was the head of the nation. Both were highly respected. We were content and happy.

We were good at fighting a hot war but we were unprepared to fight a cold war with the communists in the 50’s. They knew they couldn’t change us but they didn’t care. Their philosophy was to wait it out and capture the minds of our children. They loaded our colleges with many of their professors and waited. It didn’t take long to see the results.

The 60’s ushered in the radicals, drug culture, student protesters, and the Vietnam War. The aim of the cold war was to divide and conquer. They divided our families and the nation. The secret to defeating a polite and respectful people is to scream. The louder and longer you scream the better your chance of winning. Radicals are masters at this form of attack. They know if you constantly scream and repeat a lie it will eventually become the truth.

The media, and Hollywood, hammered us with hate America themes and stories. Our service men, and women, were jeered, cursed, and spit on. Even the people, who later wanted to become their President, trashed them. We lost our first War in history. There was no hero’s homecoming for our fighting men and women.
The Reverend King, who was raised in the old school, peacefully changed the race issue and united the people. When he died the new breed of leaders like the Jesse Jacksons, Lewis Farrakhans Al Sharptons, and Rev. Wrights put a lid on his efforts and turned racism into a money making machine.

Corporations were green-mailed by threats of protests, product boycotts, or endless lawsuits. Every issue, large or small, became a race issue. The public recoiled in fear of being called a racist. Their voices were silenced because one word could cost you a career, get you fired, or get you sued.

Even politicians buckled under to the pressure. The Florida legislature issued a formal apology for having slavery 200 years ago. They were thanked by being asked for compensation. There is no end in sight for this kind of nonsense. America didn’t capture slaves and bring them to America. Their own people sold them to slave traders from several nations. This knowledge doesn’t stop the screamers. History is what it is and you can’t change it. There have been many tragic events in history. You acknowledge them and move on.

They divided our nation into two separate Americas. We now have Americans, and African-Americans, although Africa has nothing to do with being an American. You can be one or the other but not both. You are what you were born to be. You do not subordinate our country to any foreign nation. It’s equivalent to flying the African flag above the Stars and Stripes. If you hyphenate two countries America always comes first.

This election year could be the turning point in our history because the frog theory has come into play. It’s time to step back and look at how the country has slowly changed since the cold war started. Don’t get caught up in all the hype.

George McGovern was the first Presidential candidate to test the waters with college students. The Clintons played a big role in his campaign. It was the worst campaign ever run. He was crushed in the election.

Step two was to infiltrate all the information vehicles such as radio, newspapers, magazines, TV and movies. They were quite successful at that. Jimmy Carter was the first President to demonstrate the leadership skills of the far left. Weak military, high taxes, runaway inflation, 19% mortgage rates, and plain incompetence ended his career in Washington. Iran, a small country at the time, took American hostages and kicked sand in our face. By negotiating from weakness Carter could not get the hostages released.

The big benefit of the Carter years is that they were followed by the Reagan years. The nation got a clear look at the difference between a weak nation and a strong nation. Every student should know this difference. When Ronald Reagan took over the hostages were quickly released, taxes were lowered, inflation dropped, mortgage rates dropped, and the military was strengthened. Russia quickly waved the white flag and waited for another Democrat term.

Clinton took over Carter's uncompleted social programs. He weakened the military and tried to pass large government programs. An Intern derailed his Presidency. While he was tied up with his personal problems his lawyers ran the country. He passed up three [unverified] opportunities to take out Osama Bin Laden. This eventually cost us the loss of our Twin Towers, thousands of American lives, and got us involved in a war with Iraq.

By the end of his term the left had captured a large share of the media and it flexed its muscle in 2000. The hate Bush campaign got off to a roaring start. The brainwashing theory of repeating the same story over and over again was launched.

There were endless stories about our evil nation and it’s President. Top-secret plans were leaked to the press and printed for the entire world to see. Hollywood cranked out documentaries about the evil Bush administration and our evil military. They laid the groundwork for the next election. The ACLU flooded the courts with lawsuits and the Democrat party became a law firm. Almost every incumbent, or his or her spouse, is a lawyer.
They now have the perfect candidate because they can squash criticism by playing the race card. If you don’t like Obama, or criticize him, you are a racist. They can hide his inexperience and background by turning him into a rock star and singing change and hope. They don’t tell us what kind of change, or how it will
be done, only that you should hope for the best. By keeping the hype going they don’t have to put anything of substance on the table.

The only thing we really know about Obama is that his wife has never been proud to be an American. They want us to believe that his liberal college professors, Rev. Pfleger, his ties to radicals Bill Ayer and Lewis Farrakhan, and listening to the Rev. Wright’s hate talks for 20 years, had no influence on his thinking. If they didn’t, then who did? He hasn’t in business and didn’t see fit to serve his country. These people launched his political career and their organizations received earmarks in return for their campaign donations and political help. They must have had some influence. Rev. Wright’s church received over $15 million. That’s only one small local church. Think on a national scale.

The change being promoted is a change back to the Carter years. It started in 2006 when the lawyer party took over. There have been endless lawsuits and investigations in retaliation for the Clinton years. It keeps the lawyers busy but does nothing for the economy. The economy has been in a downward spiral since they took over.
Returning to the Carter years of high taxes, high inflation, and a weak military is not the change we are looking for. We cannot cower to a bunch of crazies whose only goal in life is to kill us.

The old sages (over 50) will have to play a big role in this election. The young people simply don’t know what the aged know. The advantage of aging is the knowledge you accumulated. You know what United States means. You know what the seldom-heard word respect means. You know how wonderful freedom and independence is. You know the difference between a strong and a weak nation; and you know what it takes to keep it strong. You know history because you have lived it.

Although the old guard is dying off, and getting too tired to fight, they have to muster one more charge. If they don’t, our children, and grandchildren, will never know the joy and freedom that is the bedrock of our country. The heat is slowly being turned up and the water is getting hot. The old frogs’ better start jumping before it’s too late.

This frog is awake! How about you?

The importance of free speech

Recently, I have been accused of being a Bog Dwelling Racist Bigot because of my defense of a couple blogger’s right to free speech. Interestingly, the individual who is making the accusation is supposedly a team player. I made a comment a couple of weeks ago that seemed pretty clear to just about all who read it… except the individual it was directed at, so I’ll publish it here:

”…I fully agree with Voltaire's idea:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

Though he did not actually write this, the phrase was invented by a later author as an epitome of his attitude. It appeared in The Friends of Voltaire (1906), written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall under the pseudonym S[tephen] G. Tallentyre.

My point now is the same as it has always been:

I don't need to agree or disagree with anybody's position; but I will defend to the death their right to say it. That was why I served: to protect this country against all enemies; both foreign and domestic. Interestingly, by attacking [one’s] free speech, you seem to be placing yourself in the latter column…”

Gawfer- Warou Ichiyusai Homepage 07.24.08 - 7:32 am #

Now, because I have defended Free Speech, I received an email earlier this week… while on vacation:
Gawfer:

You told me Robert was a good man, of good heart.

I seriously have to question those statements. He's gotten worse, and you've joined him, maybe not at this thread, but you're enabling that hatred…”

“…It's hard for me to understand, really. The best I can say is that you, Robert, Texas Fred, Cary, Jenn, Kris, and a few other random commenters form an evil community of hatred.

You all sit around and call people child pedophiles, while defending the most evil attacks on the nicest people like Amy Proctor…”

“…Jenn's the worse hypocrite. She attacked Sherry on the View but embraces Texas Fred, totally giving him a pass…”

First of all, the only disagreement with Amy Proctor was with ONE individual; not the collective so the author’s generality is a typical error of the left. Personally, I enjoy Amy’s website and frequently agree with her articles, commenting occasionally. But I digress.

The clear issue here is that because there are differing views about issues, the use of colorful and sometimes derogatory language, and because certain individuals believe their education gives them some sort of intellectual superiority, they feel they have the right; nay, the responsibility to become the moral police, publishing and berating the “offenders,” attempting to have their websites shut down.

News Flash: Frequently, people say derogatory things that are intended to be hurtful. Look no further than the daily kos or the Huffington post for examples (I won’t even bother to link those sites). But the thing about the first amendment is it doesn’t protect us from being offended. And the minute we begin to regulate free speech simply to protect the minority, we damage the core of that inalienable right and the heart of this nation.

Here are a couple of recent examples:

• 1962, Engel v. Vitale: Prayer is outlawed in the classrooms;

• 1985, Wallace v. Jaffree: Period of Silence banned;

• 1992, Lee v. Weisman: Clergy cannot deliver invocations, no matter how banal, at school functions. Establishes vital new constitutional right to “not feel uncomfortable.”

• Current: Atheists are endeavoring to remove “In God We Trust” from our currency and “Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance.
(How to ruin the United States of America, Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth, New Beginnings Press, 2008).


When one attempts to quiet the American Voice in public forums such as the internet, one becomes the enemy who is destroying this Country from within.

With that being said, please understand, my website is NOT a public forum but a personal journal of opinions, and is completely regulated by me. The rules of engagement are simple: if I find your comments offensive or irrelevant, I reserve the right to edit them and or delete them. I will not hesitate to ban anyone who is too stupid to function. Free Speech Begins and ends with your own site; not mine.

Finally, as I said previously, “…I don't need to agree or disagree with anybody's position; but I will defend to the death their right to say it…”

And for the record, I play golf with friends and acquaintances; not back stabbing morons.

Lawmaker offers 'modest bill' for detainees

One Congressman grows a set and stands up in the face of the Politics of Adolescents, and begins to behave as an adult.

As reported on Politico:
By REP. LOUIE GOHMERT
After reading through Boumediene v. Bush, I cannot help but feel that it is simply about the judiciary expanding its own power by usurping the clearly defined constitutional powers of Congress and the president. In essence, the Supreme Court ruled in this case that when Congress and the president followed the decisions the court itself made in crafting law regarding enemy combatants, they did not act within the bounds of our Constitution.

As Chief Justice Roberts noted in his dissent, “The DTA [Detainee Treatment Act] system of military tribunal hearings followed by Article III review looks a lot like the procedure Hamdi blessed. If nothing else, it is plain from the design of the DTA that Congress, the president and this nation’s military leaders have made a good faith effort to follow our precedent. The court, however, will not take ‘yes’ for an answer.”

When the Supreme Court makes a ruling, America listens. Congress believed that the Supreme Court would follow its own rulings and the precedents it set when it ruled in the 2004 Hamdi case, the 2006 Hamdan case, and the 1950 Eisentrager case.

In his dissent in Boumediene, Justice Antonin Scalia said the court's decision means the "[handling of] enemy prisoners in this war will ultimately lie with the branch that knows least about the national security concerns." If the high court is going to exceed its jurisdiction and endanger the American people, at least we can help it do a better job by seeing that it has a little skin in the game with some hands-on experience.

The Supreme Court clearly is exercising self-appointed war powers in order to micromanage the handling of international terrorists. By transporting all of the detainees to the court's grounds, my bill, H.R. 6615 — "To provide for the transport of the enemy combatants detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Washington, D.C., where the United States Supreme Court will be able to more effectively micromanage the detainees by holding them on the Supreme Court grounds, and for other purposes" — will give the justices plenty of opportunities to interact with these terrorists and therefore do a better job of supervision.

It is especially important for the court to closely observe the effects of its ruling, as Scalia pointed out in his dissent: “During the 1995 prosecution of Omar Abdel Rahman, federal prosecutors gave the names of 200 unindicted co-conspirators to the Blind Sheik’s defense lawyers; that information was in the hands of Osama bin Laden within two weeks. … In another case, trial testimony revealed to the enemy that the United States had been monitoring their cellular network, whereupon they promptly stopped using it, enabling more of them to evade capture and continue their atrocities.” Scalia surmised that, “The game of bait-and-switch that today’s opinion plays upon the nation’s commander in chief will make war harder on us. It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed. That consequence would be tolerable if necessary to preserve a time-honored legal principle vital to our constitutional republic. But it is this court’s blatant abandonment of such a principle that produces the decision today.”

What a sad day it was for the rule of law when such important constitutional precedent was discarded. And what a sad day it is when Americans cannot rely on their Supreme Court to be consistent in upholding the rules it makes. As a former judge, I have a deep understanding of the role of precedent in creating certainty, stability and order. The purpose of my bill is simply to hold our high court responsible for its decisions, so that we may rely on some degree of certainty as we go forth in conducting the work of our nation. The court needs to understand that it does not make such inconsistent rulings in a harmless vacuum.

Rep. Louie Gohmert is a U.S. representative for Texas (R-Texas).

There was a time when most of our elected officials actually behaved as adults, and as a result built on what our framers started rather than destroying it. But somewhere along the way, selfish desires and an apatite for power corrupted the lot of them and even the perception of career politicians who are owned by lobbyists and special interest groups. Now, when an individual stands up and says something with meaning, we applaud them as being extraordinary. What a shame.

Congress Screwing America

I am amazed at the individuals who take Boxer and Feinstein seriously when the bash the Bush Administration. He doesn't legislate our government, the congress does, and in the last yeay and a half, Congress has earned a whopping 14% overal approval rating thanks to the idiot speaker of the house.

Pelosi Blocks Gas Price Relief
By Henry Lamb
July 29, 2008

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN that she would block any vote to allow offshore drilling. This remarkable stance comes in the face of the latest poll that says 73 percent of Americans favor offshore drilling, while only 27 percent oppose it. Nancy Pelosi again displays her contempt for her employer, the American people. Her arrogance and wrong-headed philosophy have led Congress to an approval rating of a staggering 14 percent, the lowest ever.

And imagine if the democrats secure the whitehouse as well as a fillibuster proof congress. You think its bad now?

Gawfer, at a wise 17 years

While stationed at NATTC Memphis for A school, a photo was taken and a portrait painted.

For posterity's sake and subsequent entertainment.

(Thanks for the correction, Chief)

Gawfer's Opnion on the 2nd Amendment

Click on the Pic to buy this Tee Shirt and many others.

The Surge was only Marginally Successful Says Obama

Once again, we see the audacity of stupidity present itself in the form of stubborn arrogance.



Good Lord, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that violence is down 80% thanks mostly to the efforts of our Military and General Patraeus. Even Katie tried to point that out; only to be patronized by Obama. Clearly, Liberalism is the politics of adolescents. And democrats are those politicians who never grew up.

Obama Love Affair

Hat tip: Kelly found it.

By the way, this is on the McCain site, LOL!.