Ah, leftovers! The best part of Thanksgiving dinner. Memories of long ago times with a grandmother and a six-year old sharing turkey and dressing on toast in the dark quiet of the morning after. Turkey, cranberry and cream cheese sandwiches on Saturday – To. Die. For. And that last appearance of the whole shebang on Sunday evening. Heaven. Much to be thankful for.

There are other kinds of leftovers though. Like the unidentified green and growing stuff at the back of the refrigerator. When the kids were in school, I could always claim “science projects” – not so much any more. So every now and then, it’s necessary to don masks and gloves and attack the far reaches of cold storage.

So too are the unfinished drafts of blog posts that remain in WordPress memory, nagging for completion or deletion. It’s time to clean out those leftovers…

SQUIRRELS, SHINY THINGS, and SALAMIS

What do those three things have in common, you ask? Benghazi. And the various attempts by the Obama Administration to avoid coming clean on the fiasco in Libya.

You remember the little dog from the Pixar movie Up – the one that was so easily distracted by squirrels? This one…

First diversionary tactic: The YouTube video that supposedly caused the riot that eventually resulted in a full-blown military attack. Hey – it pretty much worked for the MSM for over two months, so you have to give them credit.

But eventually, even the slow kids figured out there was more to this tragedy that took the lives of four brave Americans. So the Administration trots out the shiny things: Paula Broadwell and the Kelly girls. Not just the shiny things, but the CIA Director, a four-star general, classified information, and SEX!!! Woohoo!!! Entertain the unwashed masses. Oh, boy has that worked or what??? Hearings in Congress, all sorts of media coverage and cleavage – what more can you ask for?

How about an answer to the real question?

Here we are almost three months after the attack and we still don’t know what happened to the cavalry.

When our guys were under attack and endangered by RPGs and mortar rounds and calling for help, WHY DIDN’T THEY GET THE HELP THEY NEEDED???? Live video of the attack was streaming into the White House and the President and his security team were supposedly watching as events unfolded and the calls for reinforcements came in.

Obama has said that he directed his staff to get whatever help was needed to the stranded Americans – so what happened? If the president gave that order – who countermanded it? Why was General Ham relieved of duty when he began to activate his forces? (And – by the way – where is General Ham these days?)

Quite frankly, I don’t care who’s playing Hide the Salami with whom as long as our troops are adequately protected. It’s way past time for Congress to focus on the serious stuff. The families of Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen A. Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods and the American people deserve the truth.

Or is this a case of Obama lied and Americans died?

EROSION

Last summer, I was searching for a location to host a fundraiser for a political candidate. Because I live less than a half a block away from a lovely city park where private parties are held all the time, my first thought was to see if that venue was available. I called City Hall and learned that the date was available and the terms were reasonable, so I booked my event and agreed to stop in to fill out the paper work and leave the deposit the following day or two. Fast forward – I appear at the City Clerk’s office prepared to finish up the details. As I fill out the form and chat pleasantly with the clerk, I come to the question that asks what type of function is contemplated. When I fill in fundraiser, the clerk ask what organization the event is for, and I respond with the name of the candidate I was holding the party for. After the tiniest of pauses, she politely informs me that it is against policy to allow political gatherings on city property.

HUH?????? Can we say “Freedom to peaceably assemble”?

Then a couple of months later, in the parking lot of a private business, I was told that I could not display a candidate’s sign in the window of my personal vehicle.

SAY WHAT??? “Freedom of speech” anyone?

I tend to prefer the passive-agressive approach to conflict management, so I didn’t raise the issue on either occasion. But isn’t that how we will lose that which is most precious – by ultimately accepting the small infringements on our liberty without objection?

Not that protests haven’t been made, but still we meekly take our shoes off and empty our pockets in order to board an airplane. We object among ourselves because others have demanded that their priorities are more worthy than our own – yet we accept racial, gender, or religious preferences, even when we know that such demands are unfair, if not patently unconstitutional.

How long until there are no more little things to lose? Or are we already past that point?

There are other leftovers in the blog archives that never got hit by the publish button – but they are too old and moldy for even a leftover post. I’ll use the delete function – it’s like the garbage disposal. Some things are no longer appropriate for human consumption….