DEVILGRASS IN AMERICA

My family and friends know that my yard is my pride and joy, a source of much pleasure for me. It grows lush and green, and flowers bloom brightly. It requires a lot of care, more than I can provide by myself. Eddie mows and edges and does the weekly manicuring. Then there's Joe, who designed and constructed the peripheral beds, the island beds, the fishpond, who advised and guided me in the selection of the permanent plantings, who installed a drainage system with a sump pump so the back corner is no longer a swamp, and who put in an irrigation system so that things I plant have enough consistent water to keep them thriving. Ted built the arbor and installed power sources so the pond pumps can function, and strategically placed lighting can provide beauty and security. I try to keep weeds at bay, and plant annual "bloomers" in their season, to add color and interest. It takes us all, and the end result is worth the effort.

Now and then, weeds creep in. There's the miserable nutgrass, which I call "devilgrass". There are the little pecan tree upstarts, the result of the burying habits of the local squirrels. (Just try to pull one up!) The lawn grass, a mix of Bermuda and St. Augustine, sends runners into the rich earth of the flowerbeds, and must be pulled and cut back often. Several other weeds, whose names are unknown to me and I don't care, try to establish colonies from time to time. Obviously, these intrusions must be dealt with, or they will overtake the entire landscape. They enter without invitation, and flourish without encouragement.

When these invasions come, I go forth to do battle, and pull and spray and dig, and sometimes am successful in crushing the enemy. More often than not, however, it just takes more than I can do on my own. At these times, I marshall my forces, call Joe and his crew, and they descend on the yard, ready to root out the enemy and subdue him yet again.

Last week was such an occasion. The devilgrass had sprouted and spread, seemingly coming from nowhere, and had established thick colonies in both the big island behind the pond, and in the rose island. Mixed into the devilgrass was that wretched little clover-like plant, the one that's so tender and brittle that it's impossible to pull. It just breaks off, and lives to spread again in a few days. It's all ugly, destructive and overwhelming if not brought under control.

Joe and his helpers came, and through their efforts, all the weeds were sprayed and killed, and rooted out, bagged and hauled away. Fresh soil and compost were put down, and pretty little petunias were planted in the big island. In the rose island, pruning was done and the entire bed cleaned up and refreshed. New hardwood mulch went down everywhere. The yard looks fresh, clean and cared-for once again, but I know I can't afford to be complacent. I must keep watch, and when the first sprig of devilgrass rears its hateful head, I must attack it, keep it subdued, lest it once again gain a foothold.

And so it is with our America. It is beautiful, our democracy is a fertile ground where our children and grandchildren can flourish and grow. We provide for their physical needs, of course, with food and clothing and shelter. We provide for their spiritual needs, by teaching them the things of God and making sure they know to Whom they belong. We provide for their emotional needs, by letting them know they are loved and wanted and respected as individuals.

We must also provide for their future, by being vigilant and watchful, for there is a devilgrass that keeps trying to gain a foothold in this country. The soil and compost and water that encourages my flowers to grow, unfortunately also gives the devilgrass a place to grow as well. So do our country's guaranteed freedoms allow the weeds of this world to take root here and flourish, and they are here, and growing.

Islam is a weed that has taken root here, and it is spreading. Unchecked, it will eventually tear down the very freedom that allowed it entry in the first place, and will put this country under the same stifling, crushing laws that exist in its lands of origin. This being America, our laws do not allow us to root it out and send it home. Unfortunate, but true. It is here, and we are going to have to deal with it.

There is a saying in football-loving America - "The best defense is a strong offense." We absolutely must rekindle the fires of patriotism and God-loving in this country, or we will regret it to the longest day we live. If we are strongly patriotic, and vocal and open about our love for God, it will make it much more difficult for the Muslims to make inroads. Weeds rarely grow in thick, healthy grass. They search out the voids, the bare spots in the soil, where nothing else is competing with them.

If there is anything more dangerous than Islam in America right now, it is apathy. Far, far too many Americans do not see or recognize the danger that is sprouting in our land like devilweed. Too many of us are caught up in singing Kumbaya, and loving everybody, and we just don't recognize that Islam cannot, WILL not, co-exist with our Judeo-Christian culture. Islam hates us both - Jews and Christians alike. If you doubt this, then please explain to me why they will execute a Muslim who tries to convert to Christianity. Explain why they consider it an honor to kill a Jew. Explain why anyone caught with a Bible in many Islamic countries can be killed. Let them get strong enough in this country, and we will be overtaken, stifled, and if they have their way, we will convert or die. They have absolutely no objection to lopping off the head of anyone who gets in their way.

I realize I sound like an over-reacting alarmist, but it has happened in some countries, is now happening in others, and if we are not very, very careful, it will eventually happen here. It's their plan, and we had better not forget it. Just as I looked out my window a couple of weeks ago and saw little but devilgrass, the day can come when we will hear the five calls to prayer every day, and we'd better be on our knees with our foreheads to the floor and our backsides in the air, or be executed as an "infidel".

I can't do this alone. Neither can you. None of us can. But all together, just as Joe and his crew and I restored beauty and order to the yard, we can squelch this invasion of devilweed in our country and restore America to the serenity and beauty that we all grew up with, before the weeds took root. We must return to our churches and synagogues, get on our knees before our Lord, and rededicate ourselves to His service.

Then we must stand and look the devilweed in the face, and make it absolutely clear that Islam will not be allowed to overtake this country. We must stop them at the polls, being very careful whom we elect to legislative positions. We must refuse to allow them to dictate policy in the workplace and the schools, both of which they are already doing in some cases. We must be watchful, to the very edge of paranoia, because they are very skillful at insinuating themselves into the fabric of our lives. Apathy is our enemy, watchfulness is our ally. We need to wake up, look out of our windows, and spot the weeds so we can stop them before they get started.

WHEN WILL WE FIX THESE LAWS?

Early last week, The Dallas Morning News carried the story of a tragic accident in our city, which injured several people and killed a newlywed couple. I use the term "accident" loosely, only because I'm fairly sure that the individual who caused the carnage didn't deliberately set out to do it.

Of course not. When he deliberately started drinking, and then made the deliberate decision to get in his car and drive, I'm sure he thought he was doing just fine. He thought he was doing just fine on the four previous occasions when he drove drunk, was arrested, lost his license, paid fines, did a little jail time, etc., ad nauseum. Therefore, I can only assume that he thought he was doing nothing wrong this time, either. Or didn't care. You would think the fact that the state had lifted his license would have given him a clue, but obviously it didn't. He just simply didn't care.

No one but a deliberate murderer would knowingly do what he did, I suppose. Yet, the uncomfortable truth is, this drunk driver murdered that young couple, just as surely as if he had leveled a gun at them and fired.

This useless little creep, this waste of space and oxygen, had no fewer than four previous DWI arrests, and had led police on merry chases in the past. And yet, inexplicably, he was out on the streets behind the wheel of a vehicle while drunk, yet again. The article states that he "may" have been driving on a suspended license. Well, I would certainly hope his license had been suspended, after four previous convictions, but the fact that he was driving anyway clearly illustrates the fact that a suspended license is meaningless. He just got in his car and blundered away to deliver death to innocent people.

How sad that the law doesn't see it that way. No, the law sees him as just another drunk with bad judgment, someone to be slapped on the wrist, fined a few hundred dollars, allowed to sit in air-conditioned comfort in a cell for a few days, and then released on an unsuspecting public yet again.

According to the newspaper account, he had been held on a $3500 bond for his last offense, bond had been increased by a wise judge to $100,000, then for some reason lowered again to $3500, which he posted and went free. For the paltry sum of $350 (you do know that you only have to post 10% of bond, right?) he walked out the door and set himself on a course that would ultimately snuff out the lives of a young couple who had been married just two months before. Why was he on the road?

I recall a case a number of years ago that has haunted me ever since. A young trooper had stopped to change a tire for an elderly lady, well off the road on I-20. A drunk driver blew by, driving on the shoulder of the road, and struck and killed the young officer, leaving a grieving widow and a couple of kids. A sad story, indeed. Sadder yet when it was revealed that the driver had no fewer than 42 convictions (not just arrests, but convictions) for drunk driving. Again, why was he on the road?

Someone once explained it to me that a tremendous source of revenue for the state would be lost if these habitual DWIs were taken off the road. Just look at all those 42 arrests, and imagine how much that man paid in fines over the years! That's a cynical view that chills me, and while it may well be true, I'd prefer not to think about it. Is that the price of a trooper's life, of the lives of the newlyweds? No, I just can't go there.

Still, I have to wonder. Why have we not enacted some laws that have some big, sharp teeth in them, and why have we not at least actively enforced the wimpy laws we do have? Why are these people still on the road? Obviously, just suspending a driver's license has no impact on the majority of these creeps.

A drunk doesn't care whether his license is legal or not. The only thing that will keep him off the streets is jail. Here's a suggestion. First offense - suspended license for a year or so. There are a precious few people for whom this will be a wakeup call, and it won't happen again. Second offense or driving on a suspended license - automatic jail time, at least a year. Third time - ten years, no exceptions. I know, our laws don't support that. Then let's change them! Obviously, lives are at stake.

First offense - shame on the offender. Second offense - shame on society. The death of innocent people is a high price to pay for the gutlessness of our laws and the lack of enforcement thereof.

I'M FEELING MUCH BETTER NOW, THANK YOU!

I was working the night Sarah Palin gave her acceptance speech, but I had the foresight to record it. This afternoon, I finally got to watch it, and I'm so glad I did.

Up until now, I have said that I wasn't going to really be able to vote FOR a candidate, I would be voting AGAINST one instead. For many, many reasons I simply could not ever make myself vote for Barack Obama. He is eloquent, charismatic, and I'm sure could charm the birds out of the trees. So can the devil. His speeches are beautifully delivered, and he speaks so smoothly of hope and change, hope and change, hope and change. Now let's look at his views on some selected issues.

He sees a baby as a "punishment" in some cases. A baby is a punishment? He says he would not want his young daughter "punished for making a mistake". I get what he's saying, but there are alternatives to abortion, adoption being the obvious, merciful choice. The girl has her baby, a childless couple is given a gift, and a baby gets the gift of life. The young birth mother is then free to resume her life, perhaps sadder, certainly wiser, but happily NOT saddled with the guilt of having sacrificed the life of a child for her own convenience. No punishment there, it's a win/win situation. In time, with or even without the support of sensitive parents, she will come to realize what a courageous and loving choice she made instead.

He says deciding when life begins is "above his pay grade". Well, it's not above mine, and I would imagine my pay grade is considerably lower than his. Having attended quite a few spontaneous abortions, commonly known as miscarriages, over the years, I can tell you that life begins a whole lot earlier than the law defines at this moment. I have seen ten-week fetuses suddenly expelled into a bedpan, and I have seen a little chest, no thicker than my forefinger, quiver with the last failing heartbeats. Even at that young age, tiny half-inch footprints can be obtained and given to the grieving mother. With that much "life" present at ten weeks, I think it's just pretty reasonable to assume that life begins at conception. If there's a heartbeat, there's life, and that heartbeat begins very, very early, usually before the mother even suspects she's pregnant.

He wants America to leave the war in Iraq behind. He wants us to tuck our tail, turn and run. He wants us to surrender, to give up, to abandon the cause for which our young men and women have been fighting so valiantly, and winning. He is listening to the Hollywood publicity grabbers and the negative left-wing media, and he's not listening to the military personnel who have been there, who ARE there, and who absolutely do not want us to quit. We are winning. This is not the time to run. America is better than that.

He wants us to disarm, to "lead" in the movement for nuclear disarmament. He simply does not get it. In today's world, with nuclear weaponry getting ever more popular, we absolutely cannot afford to disarm. It reminds me of those who want guns outlawed. Make guns illegal, and the country will be a safe place once again. Uh-huh. Do you believe that? Of course not. Criminals will still have guns, because breaking the law is what criminals do. The guy who breaks into your house will be delighted that you're a law-abiding citizen and don't possess a gun, but he'll have one, and he'll shoot you with it.

In the same way, Kim Jung Il of North Korea will be thrilled when we do away with our nuclear weapons, because that will mean we can't fire back at him when he launches his nuclear missiles at us. Mr. Obama doesn't seem to understand that the only thing that is holding the wolves at bay right now is the knowledge that we are stronger than they are and can hurt them more than they can hurt us. It's sad, but it's true. In today's world, only superior strength can bring peace. The days of Kumbaya are in the past, they went away with the flower children.

So, why am I feeling so much better now? Because after hearing Mr. McCain speak, I'm much more impressed with him than I was a week ago. He's tough, he's determined, he's got good sense, and maybe most important of all, he's a flat-out, unashamed patriot. He may be 72, but his mother is 96 and she looks pretty fit to me, so maybe he's got good genes, and will manage to make it through four years, or even eight.

He's also smart. He showed that, when he chose Sarah Palin as a running mate. Sure, it was a politically expedient move to choose a woman. She will draw a lot of disgruntled feminists who would have voted for Hillary even if her horns were showing. Granted, gender is not a valid reason to vote for OR against a candidate, but some people will. (By the way, race is not a valid reason either, but some will base their vote on that, either for or against Mr. Obama. Shame on them.) So, that being the case, and with winning being the obvious goal, I think Mr. McCain used good judgment in choosing a woman as a running mate. However, it's only good judgment if the woman is qualified, and praise the Lord, I do believe Sarah Palin is supremely qualified.

After hearing her speech, I came away feeling encouraged, hopeful, and really looking forward to going to the polling place and casting my vote for Mr. McCain and Sarah Palin. She has more executive experience that Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden combined, which isn't hard to do since neither of them has any executive experience at all. Zero. Zero. Zero. As in "none".

Yes, I do now believe that John McCain will make a good President. However, there is great comfort in the knowledge that if, God forbid, he is for whatever reason unable to complete his term of office, Sarah Palin will be there to take over, and in my opinion, she would make far and away a better President than Barack Obama could ever hope to be, even in his wildest dreams.

I really believe that McCain and Palin can and will win, and I think America will be in a much better place four years from now. I believe we will begin to drastically cut our dependence on foreign oil. I believe a lot of the pork will be taken out of some slimy hands in Washington. I believe we will see a victorious end to the war in Iraq, and we will know that it was good that we were there. Dubya has fought an uphill fight and hasn't backed down, the reports coming out of Iraq today are telling us that we're winning, and now I think we've got a good chance of electing a team that will see it through and we will emerge with victory in our grasp.

So, that's why I'm feeling much better now, thank you.