News

Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act

This week, the House voted on the H.R. 22, Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act, of which I was an early co-sponsor. This legislation prevents the Secretary of Energy from selling any Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) oil to an entity affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or any entity that plans to export it to China.
Read MoreProtecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act

Molenda USMC

Robert (Bob) Molenda is a United States Marine, because once you are a Marine you are always a marine. Bob grew up in Illinois and joined the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in late 1962 where he trained in San Diego and became one of America's finest, an Infantry Marine in the 3rd Marine Division.
Read MoreMolenda USMC

The Pool Hall Kid

I went to work at the pool hall one afternoon, straight from school. Ol’ Jim and Ol’ Bill were there, and they could tell I was despondent. I was 13 years old and had just got my first pair of glasses. I wanted a girlfriend awfully bad at that time and those glasses made me uglier than I had ever been. One of the older girls called me ‘four eyes. Now ‘the pool hall kid’ wasn’t my only nickname. Now I was gonna be called the “four-eyed pool hall kid”. I told my old friends there on the front bench that I was thinking on quitting school and just staying there in the pool hall forever. Ol’ Bill asked what brought that on and I told him. I was born too ugly to ever get a girlfriend and now I was uglier because of those glasses.
Read MoreThe Pool Hall Kid