Nomad News Vol.2, No.36

This is an illustration of the two 36-feet billboards now displayed on Interstate 40 in Cumberland County TN. One facing eastbound traffic is located at mile 304.5 and the other facing westbound traffic is at mile 328.5, just before Exit 329.
40-inch wide copies of the billboard printed on peel-off paper (like bumper stickers) are available at Signsmith Signs, 1337 West Ave., Crossville TN 38555
(just across from Hardee's) for $15.00 each. Ideal for tailgate of pick-up trucks. Make your pick-up a travelling billboard for cleaning house in Washington. If anyone from out-of-town would like one, I will see that it is mailed to you for the additional cost of postage and mailing tube.
Already I have advised you the history of these billboards but I am repeating it here for the record: When we moved last December we sold a separate vacant lot at the same time. We do not pay any income taxes (this can and should be correted with the Fair Tax because I think everybody should pay their fair share) but thinking the vacant lot sale might create some tax liability I went to a tax preparer. When advised we had no liability I was also advised we had a $6000.00 tax rebate coming. "How can this be?", I asked. I was advised it was some Stimulus Fund thanks to the Obama administration. I told the tax preparer I could not in good conscious accept something that had to be taken from somone else against their wishes. I decided not to file my return and forget about the whole thing. But, thinking a little bit more I thought: They will just give it to someone else so I'll accept it and then use the money to help defeat those who had passed this onerous bill. So I decided to use the money for these two billboards. Now, when you pass these signs on I-40 you will see some of your tax dollars working to Kick Them All Out.

Hawkeye

P.S.: I'm getting an estimate on some bumper stickers with the billboard. Anyone interested?

Nomad News Vol.2 No.35

I Believe in Something:

In case anyone hasn't already suspected, I consider myself an Independent Conservative American. If I seem to lean more to the Republican side it is only because that, in most cases, is the lesser of two evils.

First and foremost, I believe in the Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution has withstood the ravages of both current Republican and Democrat parties and all those that came before during the past 200 years plus. At least, to some extent. The patriots who designed the Constitution were able to do so because they relied mostly on a commodity that is sadly lacking today: Common Sense.

I have lived, fortunately, through nearly a century of thieves, hucksters, traitors, and self-serving sleazy bastards who have attempted to shred the Constitution. It didn't start with FDR but that is where it starts with me. FDR started the slide toward socialism with his New Deal schemes. Each succeeding administration has added to the slippery stream until it has morphed into a cesspool of greed , corruption and putrefaction.

And, I believe I am an American. My immigrant parents, like many before them, came to America to be American citizens. Not Irish-Americans, or German-Americans, or Armenian-Americans. They left their old ways behind them and melted in, still maintaining their sense of heritage. They worked hard with little formal education but plenty of common sense. They raised the Greatest Generation and saw to it that their offspring received the education they never had the opportinuty to acquire. One of the greatest questions of the 20th Century that will be argued for years is how the Greatest Generation sired the misfit generation of the 60s who are now occupying the seats of government in the U.S.Capitol.

And, I believe America is a Christian nation and we speak English only. One need not be Christian to be a citizen but to be a citizen one must abide by the laws and procedures set down in our justice and legal system. There is no place for Sharia law or any other foreign system of law in the American justice system.
And I believe it might we well to remember this quote from George Washington's First Inaugural Address on April 30, 1789: "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican form of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people."



Hawkeye




only.

Nomad News - Volume 2 - No. 34

I Don't Believe In UFOs. Or Do I? Several months ago after darkness had set in, Yvette and I were leaving the VFW Post 5025, Hwy 127 South. Yvette was driving and she is always very careful in pulling out of this driveway as there is usually traffic in both directions.

This time there was no visible traffic so she pulled out in the left lane to make a left turn and suddenly, seemingly "out of nowhere", there appeared two brilliant headlights that flooded our car. I looked left and as crash was imminent I turned my eyes straight ahead thinking"we're dead". Yvette uttered a low "Oh".

Then everything was unearthly quiet. This all happened in the matter of a second. Maybe less. Nothing passed in front of our car. It would have been all but impossible for the other vehicle to go behind us, at least without making some kind of noise or commotion . No screeching of brakes or skidding. Just this silence. I had no feeling of being scared or excited as we remained stopped. It was surreal. I then said to Yvette: "You had better get out of the middle of the road before something comes along." We proceeded home in silence as if we couldn't believe we were still alive.

There was only one answer. It had to pass over us. But how could this be possible. Was it a UFO that swerved up and over? What power could lift a heavy object over another? What emotion did the occupant or occupants of the other vehicle feel? I have read of similar experiences where a heavy object was moved by an unseen power but I didn't believe them.

In my last issue of the Nomad News, No. 33, I discussed how my journey to Tennessee was planned sixty years ago and that I was here for a purpose. Can there be a power that protects me until that purpose is fulfilled? I don't think so but how do you explain this "miracle" because that is what it was. Or, was it a UFO?

Hawkeye

Nomad News - Vol. 2 - No.33

My Journey to Tennessee: I have often been asked "How did you decide to come to Tennessee". It was a little unusual so I would recite it until one evening we were watching The Mike Huckabee Show and Gov. Huckabee had as a guest Kathy Lee Gifford. In response to a question Ms Gifford commented that one of the most interesting persons she had interviewed was Paul Newman. At the time Mr. Newman was fighting his battle with cancer and Ms Gifford asked him what kept him going as he was pursuing an active life. His reply: "Each morning when I awaken I believe I am here for a purpose so I just keep going."

I began to think about this and it occured to me that I just didn't end up in Tennessee per chance but that I was destined to be here for a purpose and as of this date I don't know what that is but the start of my journey, I believe, was 70 years ago when I enlisted in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. It was at that period I met Mario Grasso, a South Philadelphia Italian-American. I dislike hyphenated designations so, to set the record straight, Mario was an American citizen, born in Sciliy and came to America when he was a year old, as I remember. It was an unwritten law in the community at that time, maybe still is, if you were born in South Philly you lived and died in South Philly and you married a nice Italian girl. If one did move out of South Philly it was only a short distance away, probably within 50 miles. Mario was an anomaly.

Mario married late (although not as late as me) and married a nice non-Italian girl, then he not only moved out of South Philly but he moved over 700 miles away to Tennessee. You will see a little later on how all this about Mario affected me. The 103rd Observation Squadron entered active duty on February 16, 1941 with, as I recall, about 260 personnel. Mario was one of the first people I met and we became instant friends. All 260 of us were a cohesive group and we knew each other on various levels of friendship. I was close with about a dozen of them but Mario was the only one I kept in touch with after the war. When the squadron was split to form new units I went to Europe and Mario went to Burma.

When Mario married his wife Jane and then later moved to Tennessee we stayed in touch and I would visit them regularly in Tennessee. They always tried to get me to move down and I would say: "Me, move down to this hick country" and so it went. In June 1987 we came down for a week of fishing. On our arrival Mario asked if we would like to meet friends, Jim and Charlotte Bulleck, who had moved down from New Jersey and Jim was a woodcarver, like me. Our 20 mile trip ended at the most beautiful "Garden of Eden" imagineable. A small home overlooking a small lake and gardens of beautiful flowerining flowers. Everything was located in a most pristine setting. We were so impressed, the next day we decided to contact a real estate agent in the hope of finding another "Garden of Eden" in the area, looking ahead to retirement. Mario directed us to 20th Century Realty where we met Boyd Raper. We told him what we were looking for, something that had to include a lake, etc. Our search was not fruitful.

Unbeknowust to us, while we were gone Mario had told the Bullecks about our search and they announced they had been thinking of returning to New Jersey to be near their grandchildren. I immediately contacted Mr. Bulleck and was advised they were thinking about it and he promised to get in touch with us first. The next day Mr. Bulleck called and asked: "Are
you serious?" The answer, of course, was in the affirmative so we went over, made a casual trip around the property and I asked: "How much are you asking?" He told me, I said "You have a deal". We made the deal for a year later, I gave him a check for $2000.00, we shook hands and I told him to send us an agreement of sale when he got around to it. We had no intention of moving at that time so we decided to rent the property and went back to Mr. Raper and asked if he would handle the rental. He agreed but called me the next morning and said: "I looked at your property and wouldn't have any trouble renting it, but anyone I rented it to would dsestroy it and I don't want that on my conscious." We decided he was right and without hesitation made a decision to go home, wind up our affairs, and move a year later. This was our first 'Tennessee experience' and I'm pleased to say we have met many more fine Tennessee folks over the past 22 years.

Now, these may be a series of coincidents but I don't think so. I think we were destined to end up in Tennessee and that destiny has yet to be fulfilled. Perhaps more on that later

Hawkeye