MICHIGAN FIRST? NOT ON MACKINAC ISLAND

Mackinaw Island sits in the Straits of Mackinaw between Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas with a rich history. The island was long ago a home to a Native American settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century, (they still constitute 23.7% of the island's population.) Later, Fort Mackinac was built on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the scene of two battles during the War of 1812. Now the descendants of those same Native American tribes fight over jobs with people brought in from not only outside of Michigan, but from outside of the U.S.. The Governor's summer mansion sits on the island as does the Grand Hotel and the Mission Point Hotel. Both hotels are visited regularly by our top representatives here in Michigan and are host to many political functions. On Saturday, Sept. 26th of this year for example, the Republican party held it's gubernatorial debates on the island. The main subject; jobs. But even as they argued over how to fix Michigan's highest-in-the-nation unemployment, the island's hotels bristled with employment not for Michiganders, but for foreigners, brought in by using political connections.

When Michigan's U.S. Senator Carl Levin visits the Grand Hotel for lunch or dinner, as he often does, he is waited on not by fellow Michiganders, but by Jamaicans brought in through U.S. temporary work visas. As Governor Jennifer Granholm vacations at her summer mansion and dines at the Mission Point Hotel she is waited on not by fellow Michiganders, but by employees brought in from Asia or one of a dozens other countries. She even appointed the Grand Hotel's Kenneth Hayward to Michigan's Travel Commission.

All of this happens while they tell you they are fighting for Michigan jobs, for Michigan residents.

Ben, A close friend of mine, (name changed to protect him from retaliation) was a procurement agent for a company on Mackinac Island. He had this to say about the hiring of non-Michigan residents."The companies are using the nationals to hold their wages down instead of using Michigan residents who would cost them more. They also don't have to worry about paying them unemployment and can send them right back to their country of origin if they don't do as they are told."

With the money they deduct for housing and food, that's getting damn close to slave labor.

So how do the hotels get away with this in the face of the highest unemployment Michigan has seen in the past nearly 80 years? By greasing the palm of politicians of course. A quick check of political contribution records brought up several things of interest. For example; R. Musser, President/Owner of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island gave $14,500 to various politicians. Most of that money went to none other than Senator Carl Levin.

To say that this is hypocrisy would be to understate the problem. I would equate it to having slaves serve your lunch while your promoting abolition. How can we take Governor Jennifer Granholm at her word, or Senator Carl Levin, or any of the Michigan representatives for that matter, Democrat and Republican alike, when they say they are trying to bring jobs to Michigan? Our Governor is served dinner by foreigners brought in under U.S. work VISA's while Michiganders lose their jobs. These are jobs that could go to residents. Maybe they just thought that no one would notice, or care. Well, they were wrong. I think every single unemployed person in Michigan should write a letter to our Governor, our Senators and all our Representatives and tell them that we don't think they should be padding their pockets with contributions from people that don't put Michigan first. That they shouldn't be dining at establishments that don't put Michigan workers first. And they damn sure shouldn't be helping people put Michiganders out of a job while collecting a salary paid for by us, the Michigan taxpayers. H.C.

EMPTY ARMS

Colorado. The very name conjures up images of cowboys, horses, open spaces, and most importantly, mountains. Nothing can match the beauty of what mother nature can create. My intent this past week was to hunt cow elk and monster mulies while spending some time with my adopted son Aron and his brother Bob. My hope was to bring home some tasty venison to make the trip complete. Today I'm going to attempt to paint a day for all of you that will forever be etched in my memory. Life is, after all is said and done, nothing more than the days you can remember. The rest is just filler.

The morning was rather uneventful. I sat with Aron and Bob near the top of a finger that cascaded down from a huge mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see. I saw no animals and simply enjoyed the scenery. That afternoon, I decided to strike out on my own for the far-away base of the mountain. It was a two mile hike from our campsite, but mountain men have to be tough I'm told. I packed a fishing pole and a gun along with my day-pack, water and snacks. My intent was to fish a stream that ran down from a draw and then finish the day hunting.

The walk across the plateau that separated our camp from the mountain range was hot and barren and I was glad for the day-pack carrying my extra clothes that I didn't have to wear. Arriving at the base of the mountain, I sat down to catch my breath. The air was thin and this old flat lander was still in the process of acclimating. However, the sight of a trout rising in the stream soon had me back on my feet and fumbling for a fly to tie on my line. The stream was surrounded by young willows and the best I could do was dapping the fly into the small holes and cuts that the stream had made on its way to join the mighty Colorado River several miles away.

Time after time I was frustrated to see brook trout shooting out from the cuts as I stealthily made my approach. Finally, after several attempts, a lightning fast Brookie grabbed my fly in an instant. Reeling back, I flopped him onto the bank and man and fish played a quick game of "catch me if you can". When I finally managed to pin him and hold him in my hand, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the 12 inch fish. Orange, red, and white blended with colors I don't even know the name of to create a palate that would send Picasso into a fit of jealousy. The sun glistened off his shining skin and for a moment I thought that this must surely be the most beautiful fish I had ever seen.Gently, I place him back into the water, thanking him for the fight.

Just then a loud crash and splashing came in my direction. As quick as I could I reached for my BK 54 caliber muzzle loader. With two more bounds an Angus cow and her calf appeared within a few feet of me. Cows are allowed to run free in the mountains of Colorado. In the winter, snow forces them down to the lower elevations where they are rounded up by cowboys and placed into large pens where they are sorted out by their brands to their proper owners. The large cow faced me with her calf cowering behind her. She let out a loud snort and made an aggressive couple of steps toward me. Trapped between the stream and her, I false-charged her with arms thrown into the air to make myself appear bigger. Luckily, she conceded and turned with her calf to disappear back into the brush.

Two more Brookies later, I decided it was time to pick a hunting spot for the evening. The mountain opened herself up to me as I made my way through green conifers and Quaking Aspens. On the top of a small hill I found a pine surrounded by juniper and propped myself up against it's base. Soon a small flock of Merriam's turkeys made their way past me. The same turkeys had befriended me and Aron the day before. Usually a very shy and skittish bird, these birds had decided we weren't a threat and followed us around like farm birds. In all my life I had never seen such behavior from a wild animal.

The sun slowly faded as it made it's way to the top of the mountain range. Shadows grew longer and longer until they blended together to form the evening's dim light. As darkness fell, the mountains became so still that the wrapper on my candy bar sounded like I was wadding up a ball of aluminum foil. Coyotes yapped in the distance announcing their arrival on the scene as evening became night. Standing up, I stretched my legs and prepared for the long truck back down the mountain. In the flashlight-lit darkness on the way back down an elk sounded off his bugle. A shrill rising crescendo that ended with a barking chuckle. I felt that he was telling me, "Thanks for trying, but this mountain belongs to me."

As I approached the beginning of the plateau, I thought briefly that I had once again failed at my mission of bringing my quarry to my side. Looking back at the mountain, I recalled the events of the day. And in that silent moment, I realized that although my arms were empty, it was my heart and my mind that had been replenished. And that, I realized, is far more important than what I carry in my arms. H.C.

OBAMA'S VIETNAM

In "Charlie Wilson's War", a pro-Democrat telling of the Soviet Union's loss in Afghanistan, U.S. House Representative Charlie Wilson (D-Texas) leads a covert operation called Operation Cyclone with the intent of handing the Soviet Union a defeat on par with the U.S. defeat in Vietnam. By arming the Mujahideen, (who would later morphed into the Taliban), Senator Wilson hoped to turn the tide against the Soviets. With the help of Ronald Reagan who praised the mujahideen as "freedom fighters", Charlie Wilson increased funding for the covert operation up to $500 million dollars and helped the future Taliban to secure Stinger missiles that are now being used to down our own helicopters. The film is an obvious attempt by the Democrats to write the history of the fall of the Soviet Union with a more Democrat involved spin.

But weren't we hearing from those same Democrats that we (meaning the U.S.) were paying for our involvement in Afghanistan when we were attacked on 9/11? How is it that Charlie Wilson can be praised by the Dems and Hollywood when much of our problems in that region stem from his involvement? The Democrat Party, it seems, is a bit schizophrenic when it comes to the issue of Afghanistan.

The history of Afghanistan is littered with the bodies of past conquistadors. One by one they overran Afghanistan only to find that holding Afghanistan was far harder than capturing it. In recent history, the Afghani people have seen 5 different Constitutions (not including the present) under different governments that have all failed. Now, the U.S., under President Obama, are stuck with the task of trying to do what has yet to ever be accomplished; establishing a secure government in one of the most fractured and tribal regions in the world.

From the beginning, Afghanistan has been a problem for Barack. Early in his presidential bid, Obama caught grief for his statement that, if he had the chance, he would call in an air strike on Osama Bin Laden with or without Pakistan or Afghanistan's approval. Interestingly enough, Obama has succeeded in killing one of Osama Bin Laden's sons.

President Obama now finds himself in a situation that very much mirrors the one the U.S. suffered in Vietnam. Only now the consequences of leaving are far further reaching and dire. As much as the Looney Left would like us to simply pack our bags and leave Afghanistan, that option isn't really even on the table. Unlike Vietnam, where the consequences of our actions were suffered by the Laotians, Cambodians and Vietnamese, the fall of the Afghani Government to the Taliban could lead to the fall of Pakistan, a nuclear armed country. The prospect of radical fundamentalists controlling between 10 and 50 nuclear weapons is very frightening indeed, and Obama knows it.

As the left continues it's move away from President Obama and his sudden realization of the depth of the problem in Afghanistan, I predict a continuation in his popularity drop. For Obama, it must be a perplexing problem. How does one get a group of people, in this case the far left, to understand something they never wanted to hear. That war is sometimes the only answer. The left will never understand that it is simply not the same for a country like Israel to have nuclear weapons as it is for a country like Afghanistan. (Strangely, they do understand back-ground check for hand guns, just not for nuclear weapons.) For the Democrat friends of Charlie Wilson, the answer must be clear; sometimes you must do what keeps the world safe. For the rest of the Democrats, it must be mind-boggling; how can this left-leaning president sound more like a Republican war-monger every day? For President Barack Obama it must be even more incredibly difficult; do you chose to do what you promised to do, to the people that helped get you elected, or do you do what you know in our heart will keep the country safe and then watch your approval ratings fall and fall. With dwindling support and very few good options, this could very well be the war that destroys the Obama presidency. H.C.