Five Terrorists for One Alleged Deserter? Quite the Trade!

By Mike Scinto

As seen in 

The Weekly Record Herald

and other fine Civitas Media Newspapers

President Obama has topped his own disastrous presidential deeds with this one. Without Congressional notification, against the recommendations of his own military field commanders and in spite of tradition, policy and law, he negotiated with terrorists to make a trade for a soldier who may or may not have been held captive by the Taliban.

The soldier released was Bowe Bergdahl. He’s the troop you may recall who allegedly walked off his post without permission, weapons or personal possessions five years ago. Over the next 90 days money, manpower and soldiers’ lives were expended to find Bergdahl.  Reports now are he asked civilians in the villages he passed through where he could find Taliban leaders.

I was a Military Training Instructor in the United States Air force at the end of the Vietnam War. If a scenario like this had been presented to me by one of my recruits for my evaluation, my response would have been the soldier needs to be court-martialed for AWOL (absent without leave) and/or desertion since this occurred in a war zone. If convicted he needs to be dishonorably discharged and sent to prison for life.  Rather, he was being painted as a hero, planning to come home to ticker tape parades and the warm welcome of his community; and America.

The price tag to get Bergdahl returned was the release of five high ranking terrorists in our custody; released to return to the Taliban and the murdering of Americans. That price was too high even if Bergdahl had been an exemplary solider.

When you negotiate with terrorists you signal that if any group wants to extract anything from the USA, simply take hostages and negotiate. What could, and quite possibly will happen is American soldiers or even civilian tourists, will be taken captive to be used as negotiation leverage. If Obama realizes what a mistake he made (as I’m sure he has by now) it will be too late. If his answer now is that we won’t negotiate with terrorists, the groups will have no reason to keep their hostages alive. The precedent set is a potentially disastrous one.

Of all of the arrogant and destructive Obama policies this ranks highest in my book. His own Vice-President, Joe Biden, said during the 2008 campaign (and he was right) that the office of President was no place for Obama to receive on the job training. And boy was he correct!

Benghazi; A Free Pass For Those In Charge

By Mike Scinto

As seen in 

The Weekly Record Herald

and other fine Civitas Media Newspapers

This is surely not the America I grew up in or served in the United States Air Force. That seems to be a running theme in my columns, and my life lately. But it’s true. My latest disbelief is with the majority of the population willing to sit back and keep quiet over the Benghazi assassinations and cover-up.

We now have the special House committee to investigate the horrific deaths of an American ambassador and three other brave Americans. I won’t go into the details we have all heard over and over again, the charges and counter-charges and the denials by those in charge. I will simply say this is not the way the America I knew and loved would have handled it. First of all, in that America this never would have happened.

The committee is at least something. But this is going to drag on with challenges, subpoenas, more lies and more cover-ups. There’ll be debate, sub-committees, testimony, pundits offering speculation and the truth is we’ll likely never hold any individual(s) accountable. And that STINKS!

I was a Military Training Instructor in the United States Air Force. I was a non-commissioned officer. I was given the responsibility of watching over and training 50 new recruits every six weeks. They were MY responsibility. If anything happened to any of those trainees under my watch, whether or not I was present, I would have been made to account and quite probably court-martialed; as I should have been. To borrow the infamous line from President Harry Truman, “The buck stops here”.

Hillary Clinton, then Secretary of State, should have been held accountable, civilly and criminally. It happened under her watch. Barack Obama should have been impeached and convicted over this. It’s really just that simple. This PREVENTABLE tragedy, with plenty of warnings, happened to Americans serving their country. And we seem just fine with that.

No, this is not the America where I grew up. I can only pray that future generations will have what it takes to turn this ship around. If we don’t the once greatest nation on the planet will face the same fate as the Titanic; and we’re fresh out of lifeboats.

A Gloomy Road Ahead; But Does it Have To Be?

                We’re into the final days of 2013 and facing an unsure future as a nation looking ahead to 2014 and beyond. I’d love to be optimistic and offer a positive outlook but with the economy still in a state of flux, and Obamacare only creating more problems with every passing day, I can’t see a bright horizon in the foreseeable future. I’m not trying to be Mr. Gloom and Doom but I am trying to be realistic.

As I’ve said so often on the air and in this column, I truly don’t assign much blame to Obama or liberals in Washington. You see, they’ve been forthcoming about what they want to do. And they’re doing it. No, the real gripe I have is with the uneducated, uninformed and/or anti-American voter who continues to support the destruction of this nation and its economy by sending this bunch back to D.C.

This country is resilient and will bounce back I’m sure, but there’s no need to continue to make the challenges even greater for those of us who believe hard work, less government, free choice and that a free market economy is the best, and only, way for America to prosper.

                Given the dictatorial, unconstitutional free-reign Obama has given himself, if we go much longer on this downward spiral, while we likely can recover, the end product might be quite different from any America we’ve known in the past.

                Many of us remember a day when Americans had a pride that said they’d rather go hungry than take a government handout; or charity as it was called. Fast forward to today; it’s tough to campaign against Santa. Free phones, 100 weeks of unemployment, the prosperous paying for health care for lower income, your mortgage being subsidized and the list goes on and on. The thinking on the political left today is that government should hold the scissors to cut your chord at birth and manage your life until they shovel the dirt in on top of you. Aside from that being an unsustainable task, it robs us of the ability to grow and prosper on our own. The best lessons on sinking or swimming in life aren’t learned by opening a welfare check or handout, but by the successes and failures we all experience. Is anything other than that REALLY allowing us to live? Is that what America has become?

                As you compile your list of New Year’s resolutions I suggest you include choosing leaders who are willing to allow you the growth God intended you to enjoy. It’s not easy but the rewards will be so sweet!

A Cure for S.A.D.

A few years ago if you told me (and many did) that Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) was real I’d have said it’s all in your mind. Well, I would have been right about that part but it’s definitely real. I have it this winter.

Oh the snow and cold bothered me in the past but there always seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I would rationalize and told others, and myself, that pitchers and catchers report to spring training in mid-February. Of course, looking back I realize spring training camps are in warm climates so how does that help here? I’d point out opening day for baseball was close at hand and the days are actually getting longer already. I tried all that this year but those prognostications were covered over by forecasts of accumulating snow after accumulating snow, the lowest temperatures in two decades, frozen pipes bursting around us like the fireworks display on July 4^th and barely a day above freezing. There has appeared to be no light at the end of the tunnel this winter.

Whether or not a shrink would diagnose me with S.A.D., I sure have a good feel for it. I’m not suicidal or planning to grab a clerk at the mall and holding them hostage, but it is depressing. Call it cabin fever, S.A.D. or both; I’ve experienced it this year. I’m hoping by publication time of this column one of the extended forecasts has a temperature beginning with at least a number 5 but the way this season is going, I won’t bank on it.

It won’t take much to snap me out of it. A brief respite with some of that Ohio spring weather I crave and that makes all this worth it. You know, the robins searching out nest sites with the sun blazing brightly and a southerly breeze blowing across your skin. It makes you realize it won’t be long before the coats, scarves and boots can be put away until next winter.

I know many of you are probably feeling the same way this year and I hate to burden you with my whining but it is a bit cathartic to share it in print anyway. Yes, I can almost feel the warm sun on my skin as I sit and type this! Oh wait, that’s not the warm sun, it’s the ends of my fingers thawing out from the three hours of shoveling I just finished as the arctic winds smashed against my cheeks. Hurry spring, we all deserve it this year. Darn global warming!

Guns Are Under Attack Yet Again

As Seen in the KO-Times and other Times Community Newspapers

            Kasandra Perkins is dead. The 22-year-old mother of a 3 month-old child lost her life just as it was beginning really. If you believe sports mouth Bob Costas it’s the fault of the piece of metal that killed her rather than the maniac who took her life.

            I’m a NFL junkie. This past weekend you had to really listen hard to even hear Perkins mentioned. Her name popped up in between messages about the tragic loss of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, the cold blooded murderer who killed Perkins, his girlfriend, who then took the coward’s way out and offed himself in front of his coach and GM.

            Was the murder-suicide a tragic event? You bet it was. But did it have anything at all to do about Belcher’s potential, record, camaraderie in the locker room, hard work on the practice field or mourning his loss on that football Sunday? That shouldn’t have been the focus at all. It was obvious to even the simplest of minds that he knew exactly what he did, and was doing.

            Then Costas, as so many lame and liberal media types do, had to inject his anti-gun, anti-Constitution pabulum into the conversation using Kasandra as a pawn in the gun debate. If you didn’t see Costas’ 90 second rant, check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uOi7If0zW9s .

            I can’t believe I have to still fight this battle supporting our 2^nd Amendment rights in America. To put it quite simply (as we have again and again) guns don’t kill people. People kill people. Criminals will NEVER obey gun laws, only defenseless law-abiding citizens will obey those laws. If we simply enforce the laws on the books when an individual uses a gun to commit a crime, that would be sufficient.

            Big government liberals always want honest Americans to be defenseless. It’s worked when governments/dictators in other countries have decided to take over, why not here?

            Costas says in his tirade “If he did not have a gun, they would all be alive”. Aside from being wrong, it is quite likely the method used by this madman to carry out his will would have been far more hideous than what he did. And if those guns are taken out of the hands of honest Americans Bob, perhaps someday soon you won’t be allowed to sit on the tube and flap your gums without being locked up; or worse. Think about that!

 Mike Scinto is a 35 year veteran talk show host serving locally, statewide and nationally behind the microphone. For the past dozen years he has authored this award-winning column. You may have also seen him offering his unique insights of Fox News Channel. “Friend” Mike at http://www.facebook.com/mikescintoshow or visit http://mikescintocolumns.blogspot.com and with your morning Java or evening reading check out, comment on and subscribe to the best 60 seconds of your day http://www.youtube.com/InaScintoMinute

Vote Robin Hood; Change We Can Count On

As appearing in the K-O Times and other Times Community Newspapers

It’s no secret to readers or listeners who spend any time at all sifting through my thoughts; I know it’s time for a change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And it can’t come soon enough.

As all of us watch the polls, interviews, pundits, news reports and listen to water cooler chat we get at least a fairly decent sampling of where the lines are drawn this year. To be honest, those who don’t follow politics much, and even some who do, have had it up to here with the back and forth this election cycle.

My ride has been much like a roller coaster through the primaries, and now the general sweepstakes. I have reservations, but I have always had hope that Americans would rush in at the eleventh hour and realize what’s at stake and do the right thing. But I’m feeling more and more like any arguments against Robin Hood may be falling on deaf ears.

Yes, I said Robin Hood. While President Obama isn’t the infamous “criminal” woodsman of Sherwood Forest in green tights, robbing from the rich to give to the poor, that message certainly has to ring clear to all of us who’ve suffered through the campaign rhetoric these oh so many months.

But this isn’t Nottinghamshire and “Robin” doesn’t carry a bow and arrows but rather a Blackberry. And the reality is the problems faced by the poor can really only be solved long-term BY the rich.

Government wasn’t intended to, and has shown it can’t fix the private sector economy. It can offer patchwork fixes that are band-aid at best. And that’s where this “Robin” trades his bow for a quick snake oil salesman’s pitch. Give more “stolen” trinkets to the peasants, and they’ll follow you anywhere. Problem is, the peasants don’t realize the trinket supply is limited; and made in China.

In the past, the majority of Americans were brought up with a strong work ethic, by parents and grandparents who’d rather work three jobs than take “charity” from anywhere, including government. But I believe we’ve crossed the line in our country where the majority has grown up, at least to some degree, nursing at the breast of Uncle Sam to survive and being told not to worry, “we’ll take care of you” by liberal leaders.

While the reality is that’s a short fix that, if implemented long term will bankrupt all of America, all the recipients can see is the short term remedy that allows them live a reasonably comfortable life for contributing nothing in return.

How do you argue with “something for nothing” to folks raised to that mantra?  This nation truly has divided right down the middle; those who create and those who consume. Our schools, teachers, parents, business leaders and many in this generation have allowed that division to grow and it could just be out of control.

            How do you teach values and work ethic unless it’s learned by example from a very young age? So my fear is we’re fighting against the guy with the bow and arrow in the green tights and the Sheriff of Nottingham might not arrive in the nick of time to save us from our own greed and laziness. I pray I’m wrong; for all of us!

Back To School; At Home

**As it appeared in the Kettering-Oakwood Times and other Times Community Newspapers**

I remember it was a very hot summer day, much like the ones we are experiencing now. It was sometime in the mid 1990s. I had been out in the heat much of the day and needed air conditioning and a cold drink. I found both. After sipping the ice cold water and getting comfortable in my seat I tuned out all around me and the next thing I knew it was time to head back out into the oven. I suppose the only bad thing about my siesta was that it happened during a very boring, but mandatory, continuing education class for real estate sales. I hope I didn’t snore.

I have been a licensed real estate agent since 1992. I am still licensed but I haven’t been practicing since 1999. I do keep up on real estate trends and practices just in case I get the urge again. I loved real estate sales. And most of the continuing education classes were not as boring as the one I slept through, but they were always inconvenient. I had to block out three hours (plus travel time) here, or four hours there and was locked into that classroom for the entire time. If I missed something the instructor covered, that was just too bad. I needed some way to take my thirty hours, every three years, do it when it was convenient for me and actually get something out of spending my time in the class. Well, I found it this go-around for my license renewal.

I had wondered for some time just how comprehensive, well-planned and convenient education on line would be. I discovered that a real estate salesperson could take some, or their entire CE block on line. I checked online for the best reviewed, most affordable, asked former colleagues and ended up with McKissock Professional Education. McKissock offers a multitude of online courses for real estate professionals. But would I really learn from the classes I took on my computer? You see, some folks in careers requiring continuing education just go through the motions. I have always valued my time and wanted whatever I do to be more than just spinning my wheels.

I loved it! I could go through the classes at my own pace. I could go back over material that I thought was especially important and deserved another look. I didn’t have to listen to self-aggrandizement of instructors in a classroom, or hear their same bad jokes over and over again. I could work a little on a course after supper and pick it up again after watching “Letterman” (without getting dressed). The courses were set up by highly trained and skilled pros who know the business and the course layout seriously makes you feel it was set up just for you.

I can’t speak for all online university or continuing education courses. But I can tell you that at least for my profession, McKissock is the total package and I will, and already have recommended it to my friends in the business. I hope whatever training or education you seek online works out as well as mine did. And for those Realtors weighing the difference of classroom versus online, for me online wins hands down. McKissock can be contacted at http://www.mckissock.com or if you prefer to call, the number is 1-800-328-2008.

By the way, if you need a mid-summer afternoon nap, there are more refreshing ways to get that sleep than sitting through a class on radon gas!