Please take ten and listen. I can't tell whether this is a history lesson or prophecy. I am stunned that people, in a free nation, are willing to turn every aspect of their lives over to the government, and give up liberty.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine (1961 recording)
Please take ten and listen. I can't tell whether this is a history lesson or prophecy. I am stunned that people, in a free nation, are willing to turn every aspect of their lives over to the government, and give up liberty.
Glenn Beck - Radicals on the Left Want You to Shut Up
A good summary of how the MSM and elected government officials are treating citizens.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
MSM-We Worship, You Don't Get to Decide II -Unquotable Quotes
"If you thought the health care debate was heated in Washington, outside the Beltway it's gotten downright hostile. From Tampa, Florida, to Austin, Texas, to Romulus, Michigan, town hall meetings over health care have turned chaotic; death threats against members of Congress, taunting and shouting, even fistfights. Democrats claim it's all political theater organized by reform opponents." --NBC's David Gregory
[Of course those redneck rubes in fly over country can't possibly know what they're talking about and be serious.]
"The recent attacks by Republican leaders and their ideological fellow-travelers on the effort to reform the health-care system have been so misleading, so disingenuous, that they could only spring from a cynical effort to gain partisan political advantage. By poisoning the political well, they've given up any pretense of being the loyal opposition. They've become political terrorists, willing to say or do anything to prevent the country from reaching a consensus on one of its most serious domestic problems." --Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein
[It's okay to call people opposing the usurpation of healthcare choices by the federal government, terrorists; but you can't call Islamofacists murderers terrorists.]
"I think 45 to 65 percent of the people who appear at these groups are people who will never be comfortable with the idea of a black president." --Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial page editor Cynthia Tucker
[If you're for the Constitution and Liberty, not only are you a domestic terrorist, you're a racist too.]
"[W]hat concerns me is when in some of those town hall meetings including the one that we saw in Missouri recently where there were jokes made about lynching, etc., you start to wonder whether in fact the word socialist is becoming a code word, whether or not 'socialist' is becoming the new N-word." --MSNBC's Carlos Watson
[When you're losing an argument, and you're a Statist and racist, paint your opposition as racist.]
"Angry old white folks are storming into town halls all across the country spewing lies about health care reform. Let me set the record straight early on: These folks [are] dumber than Joe the Plumber." --MSNBC's Ed Schultz
[Maybe that old white folk surgeon that showed up may be too dumb to operate on you when you have a heart attack.]
All these guys, when asked, think they are middle of the road politically. Don't see themselves and Statists or Obama worshipers. They really believe these statements are true and unbiased.
[Of course those redneck rubes in fly over country can't possibly know what they're talking about and be serious.]
"The recent attacks by Republican leaders and their ideological fellow-travelers on the effort to reform the health-care system have been so misleading, so disingenuous, that they could only spring from a cynical effort to gain partisan political advantage. By poisoning the political well, they've given up any pretense of being the loyal opposition. They've become political terrorists, willing to say or do anything to prevent the country from reaching a consensus on one of its most serious domestic problems." --Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein
[It's okay to call people opposing the usurpation of healthcare choices by the federal government, terrorists; but you can't call Islamofacists murderers terrorists.]
"I think 45 to 65 percent of the people who appear at these groups are people who will never be comfortable with the idea of a black president." --Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial page editor Cynthia Tucker
[If you're for the Constitution and Liberty, not only are you a domestic terrorist, you're a racist too.]
"[W]hat concerns me is when in some of those town hall meetings including the one that we saw in Missouri recently where there were jokes made about lynching, etc., you start to wonder whether in fact the word socialist is becoming a code word, whether or not 'socialist' is becoming the new N-word." --MSNBC's Carlos Watson
[When you're losing an argument, and you're a Statist and racist, paint your opposition as racist.]
"Angry old white folks are storming into town halls all across the country spewing lies about health care reform. Let me set the record straight early on: These folks [are] dumber than Joe the Plumber." --MSNBC's Ed Schultz
[Maybe that old white folk surgeon that showed up may be too dumb to operate on you when you have a heart attack.]
All these guys, when asked, think they are middle of the road politically. Don't see themselves and Statists or Obama worshipers. They really believe these statements are true and unbiased.
MSM-We Worship, You Don't Get to Decide
The Obama worshiping MSM is obviously offended by those racist redneck organized!! well dressed!!! folks that don't want the government telling then what kind of health care they can have. Ya see, those horrible people say bad things about the Dems and RHINO's that want to ram this thing down their throats, and go to townhall meetings to express themselves. They say rotten things, which the MSM is quick to point out and repeat ad nauseum. Mean things like, calling them socialists and Marxists, or the Bamster "Obamahdinejad", signs saying 'Nobama Deathcare! 'Obama Lies, Grandma Dies.' This must be reported several times a day! Oh the vileness, the horror, the lack of respect.
Meanwhile, during the Bush administration, not reported, not mentioned, not noticed:
"BUSH: WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE," read the placard, which had an X over the word "ALIVE."
"F--- YOU, MOTHERF---ER!"
"HONK IF YOU HATE BUSH."
"CHRISTIAN FASCISM"
"9/11 - YOU LET IT HAPPEN, SHRUB,"
"BUSH: BASTARD CHILD OF THE SUPREME COURT"
"IMPEACH THE COURT-APPOINTED JUNTA AND THE FASCIST, EGOMANIACAL, BLOOD-SWILLING BEAST!"
People were attacked, hurt, property destroyed, but that was okay. Now violence is being reported at townhall meetings. Of course it's only when ObamaCare supporting thugs from SEIU, ACORN and the AFL-CIO show up to threaten and intimidate. Brown Shirts anyone? Pics and vids to prove it, but the MSM not showing them.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, headline in Washington Post "Obama Faces 'Scare Tactics' Head-On", and story about a fearful Dem congressman the was confronted!!! by 200 angry!!!! conservatives. OMG! I hope they were only wearing Dockers and polo shirts and not Brooks Brothers suits!!! Oh the horror the poor little Dems must be experiencing. wah wah wah
Meanwhile, during the Bush administration, not reported, not mentioned, not noticed:
"BUSH: WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE," read the placard, which had an X over the word "ALIVE."
"F--- YOU, MOTHERF---ER!"
"HONK IF YOU HATE BUSH."
"CHRISTIAN FASCISM"
"9/11 - YOU LET IT HAPPEN, SHRUB,"
"BUSH: BASTARD CHILD OF THE SUPREME COURT"
"IMPEACH THE COURT-APPOINTED JUNTA AND THE FASCIST, EGOMANIACAL, BLOOD-SWILLING BEAST!"
People were attacked, hurt, property destroyed, but that was okay. Now violence is being reported at townhall meetings. Of course it's only when ObamaCare supporting thugs from SEIU, ACORN and the AFL-CIO show up to threaten and intimidate. Brown Shirts anyone? Pics and vids to prove it, but the MSM not showing them.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, headline in Washington Post "Obama Faces 'Scare Tactics' Head-On", and story about a fearful Dem congressman the was confronted!!! by 200 angry!!!! conservatives. OMG! I hope they were only wearing Dockers and polo shirts and not Brooks Brothers suits!!! Oh the horror the poor little Dems must be experiencing. wah wah wah
Discharged Vet? ObamaCare Requires Public Option Only
HR 3200 Americas Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 is the official name of ObamaCare. Sec 102 (a)(1)(A), “Protecting The Choice to Keep Current Insurance”: "(a) GRANDFATHERED HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE DEFINED.—Subject to the succeeding provisions of this section, for purposes of establishing acceptable coverage under this division, the term ‘‘grandfathered health insurance coverage’’ means individual health insurance coverage that is offered and in force and effect before the first day of Y1 if the following conditions are met:
(1) LIMITATION ON NEW ENROLLMENT.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1."
What this is saying is that if you are enrolled in a private insurance day one of year one, you can keep it; as long as you don't change it. If you do change it, or change jobs, a federal bureaucrat will check to see if it's exactly the same. If it's not then you will be required to enroll in ObamaCare.
For newly discharged vets, ObamaCare. That's it. Done deal. Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) has introduced amendments to address this, but don't put it past the Dems to quash them.
(1) LIMITATION ON NEW ENROLLMENT.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1."
What this is saying is that if you are enrolled in a private insurance day one of year one, you can keep it; as long as you don't change it. If you do change it, or change jobs, a federal bureaucrat will check to see if it's exactly the same. If it's not then you will be required to enroll in ObamaCare.
For newly discharged vets, ObamaCare. That's it. Done deal. Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) has introduced amendments to address this, but don't put it past the Dems to quash them.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Debates, Racism, Nazism, Dems, Republicans
Here's a shotgun blast of observations. The first is racism and the Statists in power. Whenever Dems and other Statists are losing an argument, the charges of racism appear. Of course if you're white, Conservative, Christian, Republican, any or all the above, you are, by definition, a racist; along with being a bigot, sexist, homophobe.
The charges of racism against opponents of the stimulus package and Obamacare are in full swing. Those who oppose this takeover of the private sector by the government do so because Obama is black. Statist economist Paul Krugman: "But they're probably reacting less to what Mr. Obama is doing, or even to what they've heard about what he's doing, than to who he is." Monica Novotny, MSNBC: "The town hall confrontations are turning violent...." (Note that violence didn't occur until the Democrat Party sent SEIU, AFL-CIO and ACORN thugs in.) "New fears for the safety of America’s first African-American president." Chris Matthews: "I think some of the people are upset because we have a black president." Carlos Watson also of MSNBC: ...you start to wonder whether in fact the word socialist is becoming a code word, whether or not socialist is becoming the new N-word for frankly for some angry upset birthers and others." So if you're against the imposition of Marxism and the tossing out of the Constitution, you're a racist.
Since the cowardly, spineless Republican leadership is nowhere to be found during this Great Debate, something must be addressed here. There are always extreme nuts on both sides. Rep. David Scott's (D, GA) district office had a swastika painted on his sign.
This must be denounced immediately by all Conservatives, loudly and repeatly. Both because it's vile, and because the MSM and Dems will use the broad brush to once again paint us as Nazis. Of course the MSM will not say much, if anything, about Scott's racist comments. He's black, in a primarily white district. He claims he's received mail 'using the N word', and calling Obama a Marxist. Scott: "We have got to make sure that the symbol of the swastika does not win, that the racial hatred that's bubbling up does not win this debate." "There's so much hatred out there for President Obama." Statists are losing the argument, so, racist, Nazi, Brooks Brother wearing! and worst of all organized!! labels are applied. Full disclosure: Not I, nor anyone I know, have ever worn a Brooks Brothers suit.
Gene Green, (D, TX), from his website: "Town hall meetings are one of my favorite ways to communicate with constituents. I have held hundreds during my years of service in Congress and always welcomed everyone to attend. Unfortunately, due to a coordinated effort to disrupt our town hall meetings, we will be restricting further attendance to residents of the 29th Congressional District and verifying residency by requiring photo identification. Whether individuals agree or disagree, we must maintain order to have a civil discussion of the issues. While I regret this restriction, it is necessary for the safety and consideration of our constituents. Those who do not reside in the 29th Congressional should contact their Member of Congress to voice any concerns that they may have on issues before Congress." This is from a guy that has voted twice against having voters showing an ID to vote. ummmmmm, anything wrong with this picture?
Of course other Dems and RINO's are starting to have teleconferences by invitation only instead of townhall meetings. Cowards. Cowards and liars. Cowards, liars, Statists. I'm disgusted with the whole lot of them.
The charges of racism against opponents of the stimulus package and Obamacare are in full swing. Those who oppose this takeover of the private sector by the government do so because Obama is black. Statist economist Paul Krugman: "But they're probably reacting less to what Mr. Obama is doing, or even to what they've heard about what he's doing, than to who he is." Monica Novotny, MSNBC: "The town hall confrontations are turning violent...." (Note that violence didn't occur until the Democrat Party sent SEIU, AFL-CIO and ACORN thugs in.) "New fears for the safety of America’s first African-American president." Chris Matthews: "I think some of the people are upset because we have a black president." Carlos Watson also of MSNBC: ...you start to wonder whether in fact the word socialist is becoming a code word, whether or not socialist is becoming the new N-word for frankly for some angry upset birthers and others." So if you're against the imposition of Marxism and the tossing out of the Constitution, you're a racist.
Since the cowardly, spineless Republican leadership is nowhere to be found during this Great Debate, something must be addressed here. There are always extreme nuts on both sides. Rep. David Scott's (D, GA) district office had a swastika painted on his sign.
This must be denounced immediately by all Conservatives, loudly and repeatly. Both because it's vile, and because the MSM and Dems will use the broad brush to once again paint us as Nazis. Of course the MSM will not say much, if anything, about Scott's racist comments. He's black, in a primarily white district. He claims he's received mail 'using the N word', and calling Obama a Marxist. Scott: "We have got to make sure that the symbol of the swastika does not win, that the racial hatred that's bubbling up does not win this debate." "There's so much hatred out there for President Obama." Statists are losing the argument, so, racist, Nazi, Brooks Brother wearing! and worst of all organized!! labels are applied. Full disclosure: Not I, nor anyone I know, have ever worn a Brooks Brothers suit.
Gene Green, (D, TX), from his website: "Town hall meetings are one of my favorite ways to communicate with constituents. I have held hundreds during my years of service in Congress and always welcomed everyone to attend. Unfortunately, due to a coordinated effort to disrupt our town hall meetings, we will be restricting further attendance to residents of the 29th Congressional District and verifying residency by requiring photo identification. Whether individuals agree or disagree, we must maintain order to have a civil discussion of the issues. While I regret this restriction, it is necessary for the safety and consideration of our constituents. Those who do not reside in the 29th Congressional should contact their Member of Congress to voice any concerns that they may have on issues before Congress." This is from a guy that has voted twice against having voters showing an ID to vote. ummmmmm, anything wrong with this picture?
Of course other Dems and RINO's are starting to have teleconferences by invitation only instead of townhall meetings. Cowards. Cowards and liars. Cowards, liars, Statists. I'm disgusted with the whole lot of them.
Changing the Name Doesn't Change the Realilty
Global Warming changed to Climate Change (I'm preparing for the coming ice age) and now the Bamster and his minions are changing Healthcare Reform to Health-insurance Reform. Another pathetic application of 'newspeak'. In their Statist minds this provides two things. The first is the hope (there's some more 'hope' for you) that the debate gets diffused a bit, and the other is what every leftist leader must do to maintain power...find a demon. Chavez and Castro, and Islamofacists have the U S as the great Satan. These guys (Statists) need to have someone other than themselves to blame; can't let the people know who's truly to blame. They all have the Press to suppress any knowledge of what's going on. In those regimes they have nationalized the Press. Here the MSM willingly goes along. Is anyone aware of the NY Times, CBS, NBC, etc., in print or discussion, cover what's in the House healthcare bill? No, they have only attacked, in news stories, not editorials, the people that oppose this latest imposition of government on a free people.
The only place you can find a break down and analysis of the contents of the bill is in the Conservative and Libertarian blogosphere, magazines and talk shows. The attack on insurance companies, lies about the structure, and lies about who's insured and not, has already commenced. The MSM will, with great joy and incompetence, repeat everything our Dear Leader will tell them to.
Getting a jump on them. What you won't see in the coming days are that nine of ten people are covered through work; Obama is only talking about the one in ten that are privately insured, about 15 million people. My own co-pay in the past ten years has gone up five bucks. I can handle that, and I suspect anyone with coverage like this has no problem with it.
Obama wants insurers to cover anyone at any time and at uniform rates. To do that insurance companies will have to charge everyone more. Anytime? So a less moral person (a growing number of people in the country, but that's another blog) gets sick, buys insurance, gets well after thousands of dollars of procedures, then opts out. This has been tried in Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont and is failing. The program has been ended in New Hampshire and Kentucky; it was a costly massive failure. Costs? In 2007, the average annual premium in New Jersey was $5,326 for singles and in New York $12,254 for a family (of four). The national average is $2,613 for singles and $5,799 for families.
There's a lot more wrong with this of course, but I think you get the idea. The big idea of the Statists now in power, is not about your health (which is none of their business anyway). It's about nationalizing another sector of the economy. Taking over AIG was just the first bite of the insurance industry. Obama and his Statists, by changing the name to insurance reform are hoping (there's that word again) to get that whole apple and at the same time getting legislation passed that takes away your choice of how you control your body.
The only place you can find a break down and analysis of the contents of the bill is in the Conservative and Libertarian blogosphere, magazines and talk shows. The attack on insurance companies, lies about the structure, and lies about who's insured and not, has already commenced. The MSM will, with great joy and incompetence, repeat everything our Dear Leader will tell them to.
Getting a jump on them. What you won't see in the coming days are that nine of ten people are covered through work; Obama is only talking about the one in ten that are privately insured, about 15 million people. My own co-pay in the past ten years has gone up five bucks. I can handle that, and I suspect anyone with coverage like this has no problem with it.
Obama wants insurers to cover anyone at any time and at uniform rates. To do that insurance companies will have to charge everyone more. Anytime? So a less moral person (a growing number of people in the country, but that's another blog) gets sick, buys insurance, gets well after thousands of dollars of procedures, then opts out. This has been tried in Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont and is failing. The program has been ended in New Hampshire and Kentucky; it was a costly massive failure. Costs? In 2007, the average annual premium in New Jersey was $5,326 for singles and in New York $12,254 for a family (of four). The national average is $2,613 for singles and $5,799 for families.
There's a lot more wrong with this of course, but I think you get the idea. The big idea of the Statists now in power, is not about your health (which is none of their business anyway). It's about nationalizing another sector of the economy. Taking over AIG was just the first bite of the insurance industry. Obama and his Statists, by changing the name to insurance reform are hoping (there's that word again) to get that whole apple and at the same time getting legislation passed that takes away your choice of how you control your body.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Parenting Observations - Rebecca Hagelin
"Our teenagers are more sexually active than any generation of youth before them. They also are consuming more pornography and compromising basic moral standards more often. It seems that many of them have lost not only their innocence, but their conscience, too. The plethora of negative and immoral behaviors glorified by a media world that's gone stark raving mad -- combined with graphic, non-judgmental sex education and a highly sexualized culture in general -- causes many of them to lose understanding of what is wrong and what is right. When a young child's sensibilities are constantly violated, and he begins to ignore the natural pangs of guilt after yielding to cultural pressures, he can end up being miserable, and begins to develop a hard heart and weak spirit. If we as parents blindly turn our own hearts away from them because we're scared of confrontation, or because we're too lazy to do 'the hard stuff' like fight for their integrity, we have a hand in dooming their young spirits to inner torment. And, ultimately, if the pattern continues, to the loss of basic decency and sensitivity to evil. ... It's critical as a parent to take control and do everything in your power to make certain that the culture does not molest your child's young mind. Setting standards for media consumption can help avoid a lot of regrets, especially when it comes to the evil of pornography. But since we are all sinners, we also need to learn to recognize when our children might be feeling uncomfortable and guilty -- and offer them hope and a way out of their despair." --columnist Rebecca Hagelin The whole article here
Random Thoughts by Thomas Sowell (One of the Wisest Men in America)
Random Thoughts
by Thomas Sowell
August 11
Townhall.com
Random thoughts on the passing scene:
Different people have very different reactions to President Barack Obama. Those who listen to his rhetoric are often inspired, while those who follow what he actually does are often appalled.
New York and Chicago have both recently had their coldest June in generations. If they had had their hottest month, it would have been trumpeted from the media 24/7 by "global warming" zealots. But the average surface temperature of the earth has not changed in more than a decade, according to the Cato Institute.
Many years ago, there was a comic book character who could say the magic word "Shazam" and turn into Captain Marvel, a character with powers like Superman's. Today, you can say the magic word "diversity" and turn reverse discrimination into social justice.
I would rather see politicians hanged than see their children smeared.
Someone pointed out that blaming economic crises on "greed" is like blaming plane crashes on gravity. Certainly planes wouldn't crash if it wasn't for gravity. But when thousands of planes fly millions of miles every day without crashing, explaining why a particular plane crashed because of gravity gets you nowhere.
Neither does talking about "greed," which is constant like gravity.
Political ideologies are fairy tales for adults.
What did we learn from the "beer summit" on the White House lawn, except that Vice President Joe Biden doesn't drink alcoholic beverages? Considering the many gaffes that the vice president has made while cold sober, the thought of an intoxicated Joe Biden boggles the mind.
Seeing children repeating the cant they have been taught is not only depressing in itself, it provides a depressing preview of the future, when those children become voting adults, with a habit of reaching conclusions after hearing only one side of an issue.
Since no one seems overly concerned about putting a racist on the Supreme Court-- provided it is a politically correct racist-- the moral of the story seems to be that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, that doesn't matter if it coos like a dove at Senate confirmation hearings.
I hate seeing a referee keep giving warnings to a boxer for low blows. Taking a point away is the only kind of warning that is likely to make the low blows stop. The rules of boxing don't say you are entitled to one free low blow, much less repeated low blows.
Perhaps the scariest aspect of our times is how many people think in talking points, rather than in terms of real world consequences.
Over the years, unions in the private sector have been declining, while unions in the public sector have been thriving. The United Automobile Workers are getting a big return on their investment in the election of Barack Obama because the government takeover of General Motors makes the UAW more like a public sector union, whose demands can be met at the taxpayers' expense.
Recently I was foolish enough to try to reason with an environmentalist. But it became obvious that he had his mind made up and didn't want to hear any evidence to the contrary. The Pope is more likely to have read Karl Marx than an environmentalist is to have read even a single book that criticized environmentalism.
With Velcro and other modern adhesives available, can't someone design a boxing glove that doesn't require fights to be stopped in the middle of a round so that loose tape can be repaired? Often the break in the action changes the whole tempo of the fight and can affect the outcome.
How long will it be before the public gets tired of the little know-it-all sermonettes by Barack Obama-- especially since nothing that he is doing is actually working?
The 150-year prison sentence for Bernie Madoff has implications that go far beyond this particular swindler. There was a time when a simple life sentence would have kept him behind bars. But today the practice of over-stating the sentences that will actually be served-- in order to soothe the public-- has gotten so widespread that a ridiculous sentence like 150 years has to be given, in order to try to make sure he won't be back on the streets again.
by Thomas Sowell
August 11
Townhall.com
Random thoughts on the passing scene:
Different people have very different reactions to President Barack Obama. Those who listen to his rhetoric are often inspired, while those who follow what he actually does are often appalled.
New York and Chicago have both recently had their coldest June in generations. If they had had their hottest month, it would have been trumpeted from the media 24/7 by "global warming" zealots. But the average surface temperature of the earth has not changed in more than a decade, according to the Cato Institute.
Many years ago, there was a comic book character who could say the magic word "Shazam" and turn into Captain Marvel, a character with powers like Superman's. Today, you can say the magic word "diversity" and turn reverse discrimination into social justice.
I would rather see politicians hanged than see their children smeared.
Someone pointed out that blaming economic crises on "greed" is like blaming plane crashes on gravity. Certainly planes wouldn't crash if it wasn't for gravity. But when thousands of planes fly millions of miles every day without crashing, explaining why a particular plane crashed because of gravity gets you nowhere.
Neither does talking about "greed," which is constant like gravity.
Political ideologies are fairy tales for adults.
What did we learn from the "beer summit" on the White House lawn, except that Vice President Joe Biden doesn't drink alcoholic beverages? Considering the many gaffes that the vice president has made while cold sober, the thought of an intoxicated Joe Biden boggles the mind.
Seeing children repeating the cant they have been taught is not only depressing in itself, it provides a depressing preview of the future, when those children become voting adults, with a habit of reaching conclusions after hearing only one side of an issue.
Since no one seems overly concerned about putting a racist on the Supreme Court-- provided it is a politically correct racist-- the moral of the story seems to be that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, that doesn't matter if it coos like a dove at Senate confirmation hearings.
I hate seeing a referee keep giving warnings to a boxer for low blows. Taking a point away is the only kind of warning that is likely to make the low blows stop. The rules of boxing don't say you are entitled to one free low blow, much less repeated low blows.
Perhaps the scariest aspect of our times is how many people think in talking points, rather than in terms of real world consequences.
Over the years, unions in the private sector have been declining, while unions in the public sector have been thriving. The United Automobile Workers are getting a big return on their investment in the election of Barack Obama because the government takeover of General Motors makes the UAW more like a public sector union, whose demands can be met at the taxpayers' expense.
Recently I was foolish enough to try to reason with an environmentalist. But it became obvious that he had his mind made up and didn't want to hear any evidence to the contrary. The Pope is more likely to have read Karl Marx than an environmentalist is to have read even a single book that criticized environmentalism.
With Velcro and other modern adhesives available, can't someone design a boxing glove that doesn't require fights to be stopped in the middle of a round so that loose tape can be repaired? Often the break in the action changes the whole tempo of the fight and can affect the outcome.
How long will it be before the public gets tired of the little know-it-all sermonettes by Barack Obama-- especially since nothing that he is doing is actually working?
The 150-year prison sentence for Bernie Madoff has implications that go far beyond this particular swindler. There was a time when a simple life sentence would have kept him behind bars. But today the practice of over-stating the sentences that will actually be served-- in order to soothe the public-- has gotten so widespread that a ridiculous sentence like 150 years has to be given, in order to try to make sure he won't be back on the streets again.
Health Care Debate/A Unique Perspective
What Lies Beneath
Cal Thomas
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Townhall.com
The debate -- OK, the shouting match -- we are having over "health-care reform" is about many things, including cost, who gets help and who does not and who, or what, gets to make that determination. Underlying it all is a larger question: Is human life something special? Is it to be valued more highly than, say, plants and pets? When someone is in a "persistent vegetative state" do we mean to say that person is equal in value to a carrot?
Are we now assigning worth to human life, or does it arrive with its own pre-determined value, irrespective of race, class, IQ, or disability?
The bottom line is not the bottom line. It is something far more profound. Our decisions regarding who will get help and who won't are about more than bean-counting bureaucrats deciding if your drugs or operation will cost more than you are contributing to the U.S. Treasury.
The secular left claims we are evolutionary accidents who managed to crawl out of the slime and by "natural selection" stand erect and over millions of years outsmart our ancestors, the apes. If that is your belief, then you probably think health care should be rationed. Why spend lots of money to improve -- or save -- the life of someone who evolved from slime and has no special significance other than the "accident" of becoming human? Policies flow from such a philosophy, though the average secularist probably wouldn't put it in such stark terms. Stark, or not, isn't this the inevitable progression of seeing humanity as maybe complex, but nothing special?
The opposing view sees human beings as unique creations. Even Thomas Jefferson, identified by historians as a Deist who doubted the existence of a personal God, understood that if certain rights (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) do not come from a source beyond the reach of the state, then the state could take those rights away. Those who believe that God made us and also makes the rules about our existence and our behavior will have a completely different understanding of life's value and our approach to affirming it until natural death.
It is between these two distinctly different worldview goalposts that the battle is taking place. Few from the "endowed rights" side are saying that a 100-year-old with an inoperable brain tumor should be given extraordinary and expensive care to keep the heart pumping, even after brain waves have gone flat. But there is a big difference between "letting go" and "snuffing out." The unnatural progression for many on the secular left is to see such a person as a "burden." In an age when we think we should be free of burdens -- a notion that contributes to our superficiality and makes us morally obtuse -- getting rid of granny might seem perfectly rational, even defensible. But by doing so, we assume an even greater burden: the role of God in deciding who gets to live and who must die. Anyone who has seen the film "Bruce Almighty" senses how difficult it is to play God.
We are now witnessing some of the consequences of attempting to ban people with a God perspective from the public square. If there are no rules and no one to whom one might appeal when those rules are violated, we are on our own to set whatever rules we wish and to change them in a moment in response to opinion polls. Any appeals to a higher authority stop at the Supreme Court.
The explosive town hall meetings are indications that Americans are trusting government less and less. So where should we go? The answer is in your wallet or purse. It's on the money. Right now it is little more than a slogan, but what if it became true: in God We Trust.
Cal Thomas
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Townhall.com
The debate -- OK, the shouting match -- we are having over "health-care reform" is about many things, including cost, who gets help and who does not and who, or what, gets to make that determination. Underlying it all is a larger question: Is human life something special? Is it to be valued more highly than, say, plants and pets? When someone is in a "persistent vegetative state" do we mean to say that person is equal in value to a carrot?
Are we now assigning worth to human life, or does it arrive with its own pre-determined value, irrespective of race, class, IQ, or disability?
The bottom line is not the bottom line. It is something far more profound. Our decisions regarding who will get help and who won't are about more than bean-counting bureaucrats deciding if your drugs or operation will cost more than you are contributing to the U.S. Treasury.
The secular left claims we are evolutionary accidents who managed to crawl out of the slime and by "natural selection" stand erect and over millions of years outsmart our ancestors, the apes. If that is your belief, then you probably think health care should be rationed. Why spend lots of money to improve -- or save -- the life of someone who evolved from slime and has no special significance other than the "accident" of becoming human? Policies flow from such a philosophy, though the average secularist probably wouldn't put it in such stark terms. Stark, or not, isn't this the inevitable progression of seeing humanity as maybe complex, but nothing special?
The opposing view sees human beings as unique creations. Even Thomas Jefferson, identified by historians as a Deist who doubted the existence of a personal God, understood that if certain rights (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) do not come from a source beyond the reach of the state, then the state could take those rights away. Those who believe that God made us and also makes the rules about our existence and our behavior will have a completely different understanding of life's value and our approach to affirming it until natural death.
It is between these two distinctly different worldview goalposts that the battle is taking place. Few from the "endowed rights" side are saying that a 100-year-old with an inoperable brain tumor should be given extraordinary and expensive care to keep the heart pumping, even after brain waves have gone flat. But there is a big difference between "letting go" and "snuffing out." The unnatural progression for many on the secular left is to see such a person as a "burden." In an age when we think we should be free of burdens -- a notion that contributes to our superficiality and makes us morally obtuse -- getting rid of granny might seem perfectly rational, even defensible. But by doing so, we assume an even greater burden: the role of God in deciding who gets to live and who must die. Anyone who has seen the film "Bruce Almighty" senses how difficult it is to play God.
We are now witnessing some of the consequences of attempting to ban people with a God perspective from the public square. If there are no rules and no one to whom one might appeal when those rules are violated, we are on our own to set whatever rules we wish and to change them in a moment in response to opinion polls. Any appeals to a higher authority stop at the Supreme Court.
The explosive town hall meetings are indications that Americans are trusting government less and less. So where should we go? The answer is in your wallet or purse. It's on the money. Right now it is little more than a slogan, but what if it became true: in God We Trust.
Monday, August 10, 2009
More Bush/Hitler by moveon.org
I've been reluctant to post this, but since the Speaker of the House, 3rd in line for the presidency, calls citizens that oppose Obamacare, Nazis...well, pictures of Leftist's attitudes were in a previous post below. This is truly despicable. Pelosi, Reid and Obama are supporters, and are supported by moveon.org.
Protest Only OK If Leftist's Do It (vid)
But Pelosi and Stoyer say it's 'un-American' to protest against the overhaul of healthcare and 'cap 'n trade'... say what?
Sure Glad We Live in a Post Racial America With a Post Racial President
NBC has announced it will have a Statist web site called "theGrio.com. The African-American perspective on news. Our lives, our world, our stories. theGrio.com. Part of NBC News." -- promo for new NBC News website, August 9, 2009.
THE African-American website? What? There's a monolithic African-American perspective? I wonder how many Black Conservatives will be writing for it? How many will be interviewed?
Guest writers so far are racist and anti-Semite Al Sharpton, and a character by the name of David Wilson, also a Statist. He's the Managing Editor and Founding Member of Three Part Media: "TheGrio.com is the first video-centric news community site devoted to providing African-Americans with stories and perspectives that appeal to them but are underrepresented in existing national news outlets". "TheGrio.com's goal is to be the biggest and most reliable aggregator, producer, and distributor of black news online."
Ford Motor Co. is the primary sponsor.
"There is not a Black America and a White America and a Latino America and an Asian America -- there's the United States of America." Barack Obama
THE African-American website? What? There's a monolithic African-American perspective? I wonder how many Black Conservatives will be writing for it? How many will be interviewed?
Guest writers so far are racist and anti-Semite Al Sharpton, and a character by the name of David Wilson, also a Statist. He's the Managing Editor and Founding Member of Three Part Media: "TheGrio.com is the first video-centric news community site devoted to providing African-Americans with stories and perspectives that appeal to them but are underrepresented in existing national news outlets". "TheGrio.com's goal is to be the biggest and most reliable aggregator, producer, and distributor of black news online."
Ford Motor Co. is the primary sponsor.
"There is not a Black America and a White America and a Latino America and an Asian America -- there's the United States of America." Barack Obama
Pelosi Calls Opponents of Health Care Nazis/Rush Counterpoint Causes Furor
From the Rush monologue: "You have the Democrat Speaker of the House saying that people, citizens who are concerned about health care are now wearing swastikas. She's basically saying that we are Nazis. She is saying that the people who oppose this are Nazis, and I'm going to tell you what. I'm going to run down the list here later on in the program, but this party, the Democrat Party and where it's taken this country, the radical left leadership of this party bears much more resemblance to Nazi policies than anything we on the right believe in at all, and I'll go through that list in just a second." Rush does go down the list of similarities between liberalism and Nazism." You can read the whole monologue here.
I remember in the mid-nineties this became an issue. Rush had one of his producers check the congressional record, and there were many (I forget the number) references to Republicans, on the floor of the House, as being Nazis. I remember lots of references, when I watched a lot of C-Span, of lock step jack booted Republicans. Now that the Dems are 100% in agreement about imposing socialist programs, I'm not hearing anything similar being said by Republicans during sessions in Congress now.
Here's some more Leftist protests from the Bush years:
When I posted about the Joker issue, I left out this gem. The president's wife. I mean, really...
PELOSI: I think they are Astroturf -- you be the judge -- of carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town hall meeting on health care.
Rush: "You have the Democrat Speaker of the House saying that people, citizens who are concerned about health care are now wearing swastikas. She's basically saying that we are Nazis. She is saying that the people who oppose this are Nazis..."
I remember in the mid-nineties this became an issue. Rush had one of his producers check the congressional record, and there were many (I forget the number) references to Republicans, on the floor of the House, as being Nazis. I remember lots of references, when I watched a lot of C-Span, of lock step jack booted Republicans. Now that the Dems are 100% in agreement about imposing socialist programs, I'm not hearing anything similar being said by Republicans during sessions in Congress now.
Here's some more Leftist protests from the Bush years:
When I posted about the Joker issue, I left out this gem. The president's wife. I mean, really...
PELOSI: I think they are Astroturf -- you be the judge -- of carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town hall meeting on health care.
Rush: "You have the Democrat Speaker of the House saying that people, citizens who are concerned about health care are now wearing swastikas. She's basically saying that we are Nazis. She is saying that the people who oppose this are Nazis..."
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Small Miracles
Some will say coincidence.
In 1939, Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who was stationed in Lithuania during one of the darkest times in human history, saved thousands of Polish Jews from the Nazis by issuing transit visas to them defying his own government, he wrote visas day and night, even scribbling them by hand and passing them through a train window as he departed Lithuania.
His bold and extraordinary act of heroism was largely unknown and unsung in the immediate aftermath of the war. For many years he occupied an obscure footnote in history-until survivors who had been rescused by Sugihara began to emerge from the silence of their post-Holocaust shock and started telling his story. Soon, his courage and greatness were being celebrated all over the world, catching the attention of the mass media and inspiring several authors to write books describing the actions of the "Japanese Schindler."
Meanwhile, the Israeli government was gathering names of "courageous rescuers," whose efforts it wished to repay. One of the ways the Jewish state attempted to acknowledge its debt was by giving rescuers and their families sanctuary and lifelong pensions. Another, more symbolic way, was by planting trees in their honor. When Sugihara's valor came to light, Israeli officials immediately made plans to plant a cherry grove, as was customary, in his memory. But suddenly, in a uncommon move officials rescinded the order. They decided that, in keeping with the breath taking scope of Sugihara's actions, cherry trees were an inappropriate symbol. They opted instead for a grove of cedar trees, deciding that cedar was sturdier and had holier connotations, having been used in the First Temple.
It was only after they had planted the trees that the astonished officials learned for the first time the "Sugihara" in Japanese means...cedar grove.
~~From the book "Small Miracles" by Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal
In 1939, Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who was stationed in Lithuania during one of the darkest times in human history, saved thousands of Polish Jews from the Nazis by issuing transit visas to them defying his own government, he wrote visas day and night, even scribbling them by hand and passing them through a train window as he departed Lithuania.
His bold and extraordinary act of heroism was largely unknown and unsung in the immediate aftermath of the war. For many years he occupied an obscure footnote in history-until survivors who had been rescused by Sugihara began to emerge from the silence of their post-Holocaust shock and started telling his story. Soon, his courage and greatness were being celebrated all over the world, catching the attention of the mass media and inspiring several authors to write books describing the actions of the "Japanese Schindler."
Meanwhile, the Israeli government was gathering names of "courageous rescuers," whose efforts it wished to repay. One of the ways the Jewish state attempted to acknowledge its debt was by giving rescuers and their families sanctuary and lifelong pensions. Another, more symbolic way, was by planting trees in their honor. When Sugihara's valor came to light, Israeli officials immediately made plans to plant a cherry grove, as was customary, in his memory. But suddenly, in a uncommon move officials rescinded the order. They decided that, in keeping with the breath taking scope of Sugihara's actions, cherry trees were an inappropriate symbol. They opted instead for a grove of cedar trees, deciding that cedar was sturdier and had holier connotations, having been used in the First Temple.
It was only after they had planted the trees that the astonished officials learned for the first time the "Sugihara" in Japanese means...cedar grove.
~~From the book "Small Miracles" by Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal
Shut Up He Said, "I'm the President"
"I'm the President." So shut up and do as I say! "But I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking."
"When I walked in we had a $1.3 trillion deficit. That was gift-wrapped and waiting for me when I walked into the Oval Office." ummmm, well, not exactly..It was $460 billion. And by the way, before he was Pres, Obama voted for all the programs that got us into this mess.
Mr. Obama, What About the Christians of the Middle East? by Paul Batou
This is from an editorial by an Iraqi ex patriot about the plight of Christians in the Middle East, published by the Assyrian International News Agency. It doesn't look good, especially since the president of the United States has shown more support for Islam than Christianity. You can read the whole editorial here.
Some of the acts of violence committed as reported by the Assyrian International News Agency:
"*A two month infant was kidnapped, beheaded, roasted, and returned to his parents.
*14 year old Ayad Tariq was considered a "dirty Christian sinner" and decapitated.
*Fr. Paulos Iskander (Paul Alexander) was kidnapped, beheaded and dismembered.
*Five priests were kidnapped and released after ransom was paid. Five other priests and three deacons were murdered.
*59 churches were attacked or bombed since June 2004: 40 in Baghdad, 13 in Mosul, 5 in Kirkuk and 1 in Ramadi.
*At least 13 young women were abducted and raped, causing some of them to commit suicide.
*Female students were targeted in Basra and Mosul for not wearing veils; some had nitric acid squirted onto their faces. Elders of a village in Mosul were warned not to send females to universities.
*Mahdi Army circulated a letter warning all Christian women to veil themselves.
*Christian businesses were targeted. 95% of liquor stores were attacked, defaced or bombed. 500 Assyrian shops in a Dora market were burned in one night
*Children were kidnapped and forcibly transferred to Arabs and Kurdish families.
*Property was confiscated by Kurds in the North and in the south by Shiites and Sunnis.
*Kurdish authorities forced public works projects to divert water and other vital resources from Assyrian Villages to Kurdish villages.
*While the Arabs protest for one Muslim killed in Europe, they are silent for what happen to the Christians of Iraq, the people of Darfur, or the Coptic in Egypt."
"Yes Mr. President, I did like your message to the Arab world in Cairo. I am not against your action of praising Islam or the Quran, but you failed to address their oppression against non-Arabs or non-Muslims who live in the Middle East. We build 12,000 Mosques in the United States, and many thousands more in Europe, yet not one church is allowed in Saudi Arabia. Mr. President, you failed to ask why. I know the answer, because we are infidels and forbidden in their land."
I don't know how many times I've heard Christophobes in this country and Europe say that Christians are just as bad as Muslims wanting to impose their views and morality on others. I'm just as appalled as anyone else with the headlines of Christians stoning people to death, beheadings and beatings of nonChristians in America and Europe.
Some of the acts of violence committed as reported by the Assyrian International News Agency:
"*A two month infant was kidnapped, beheaded, roasted, and returned to his parents.
*14 year old Ayad Tariq was considered a "dirty Christian sinner" and decapitated.
*Fr. Paulos Iskander (Paul Alexander) was kidnapped, beheaded and dismembered.
*Five priests were kidnapped and released after ransom was paid. Five other priests and three deacons were murdered.
*59 churches were attacked or bombed since June 2004: 40 in Baghdad, 13 in Mosul, 5 in Kirkuk and 1 in Ramadi.
*At least 13 young women were abducted and raped, causing some of them to commit suicide.
*Female students were targeted in Basra and Mosul for not wearing veils; some had nitric acid squirted onto their faces. Elders of a village in Mosul were warned not to send females to universities.
*Mahdi Army circulated a letter warning all Christian women to veil themselves.
*Christian businesses were targeted. 95% of liquor stores were attacked, defaced or bombed. 500 Assyrian shops in a Dora market were burned in one night
*Children were kidnapped and forcibly transferred to Arabs and Kurdish families.
*Property was confiscated by Kurds in the North and in the south by Shiites and Sunnis.
*Kurdish authorities forced public works projects to divert water and other vital resources from Assyrian Villages to Kurdish villages.
*While the Arabs protest for one Muslim killed in Europe, they are silent for what happen to the Christians of Iraq, the people of Darfur, or the Coptic in Egypt."
"Yes Mr. President, I did like your message to the Arab world in Cairo. I am not against your action of praising Islam or the Quran, but you failed to address their oppression against non-Arabs or non-Muslims who live in the Middle East. We build 12,000 Mosques in the United States, and many thousands more in Europe, yet not one church is allowed in Saudi Arabia. Mr. President, you failed to ask why. I know the answer, because we are infidels and forbidden in their land."
I don't know how many times I've heard Christophobes in this country and Europe say that Christians are just as bad as Muslims wanting to impose their views and morality on others. I'm just as appalled as anyone else with the headlines of Christians stoning people to death, beheadings and beatings of nonChristians in America and Europe.
A Tale of Two Types of Protest
This is how SEIU see's protest.
Here's some fashion shots of Leftist protesting. Thanks to Michelle Malkin
Remember too all the well mannered Leftists at G8 Meetings throwing bricks through display windows of stores, battling police, Leftist environmentalists blowing up cars on dealership lots, torching houses under construction, breaking into university and corporate labs destroying property.
Damn, those Brooks Brothers wearing right wing extremists are a dangerous piece of work; going to townhall meetings they've been invited to and asking their elected representatives to explain themselves. The audacity! The danger!! The horror!!!
Here's some fashion shots of Leftist protesting. Thanks to Michelle Malkin
Remember too all the well mannered Leftists at G8 Meetings throwing bricks through display windows of stores, battling police, Leftist environmentalists blowing up cars on dealership lots, torching houses under construction, breaking into university and corporate labs destroying property.
Damn, those Brooks Brothers wearing right wing extremists are a dangerous piece of work; going to townhall meetings they've been invited to and asking their elected representatives to explain themselves. The audacity! The danger!! The horror!!!
Mark Levin "We Out Number You" (vid)
The "Great One" explains this well. Must read is his book "Liberty and Tyranny".
Ingraham: Obama Democrats Call 'Health Care' Protesters 'Domestic Terrorists' (vid)
I guess dissent is only okay if from the Left... now the government is attacking its own citizens...
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Wolf and the Lamb - By Aesop
A WOLF, meeting with a lamb astray from the fold, resolved not to lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea, which should justify to the lamb himself, his right to eat him.
He then addressed him: Sirrah, last year you grossly insulted me.
Indeed, bleated the lamb in a mournful tone of voice: I was not then born.
Then said the wolf: You feed in my pasture.
No, good sir, replied the lamb: I have not yet tasted grass.
Again said the wolf: You drink of my well.
No, exclaimed the lamb: I never yet drank water, for as yet my mother's milk is both food and drink to me.
Upon which the wolf seized him and ate him up, saying: Well! I won't remain supper-less, even though you refute every one of my imputations.
Moral:
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny, and it is useless for the innocent to try by reasoning to get justice, when the oppressor intends to be unjust.
He then addressed him: Sirrah, last year you grossly insulted me.
Indeed, bleated the lamb in a mournful tone of voice: I was not then born.
Then said the wolf: You feed in my pasture.
No, good sir, replied the lamb: I have not yet tasted grass.
Again said the wolf: You drink of my well.
No, exclaimed the lamb: I never yet drank water, for as yet my mother's milk is both food and drink to me.
Upon which the wolf seized him and ate him up, saying: Well! I won't remain supper-less, even though you refute every one of my imputations.
Moral:
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny, and it is useless for the innocent to try by reasoning to get justice, when the oppressor intends to be unjust.
Obama, On Vid, Saying He Wants a Single Payer Health Care System
He's on tape saying it, why is he denying it now? He says these are out of context. What context of this statement 'I want a single payer...' would change this to 'I don't want a single payer...'?
Barry Goldwater- Quotable Quotes
"Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed. Their mistaken course stems from false notions of equality, ladies and gentlemen. Equality, rightly understood, as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences. Wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism."
"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"
"My faith in the future rests squarely on the belief that man, if he doesn't first destroy himself, will find new answers in the universe, new technologies, new disciplines, which will contribute to a vastly different and better world in the twenty-first century. Recalling what has happened in my short lifetime in the fields of communication and transportation and the life sciences, I marvel at the pessimists who tell us that we have reached the end of our productive capacity, who project a future of primarily dividing up what we now have and making do with less. To my mind the single essential element on which all discoveries will be dependent is human freedom."
"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"
"My faith in the future rests squarely on the belief that man, if he doesn't first destroy himself, will find new answers in the universe, new technologies, new disciplines, which will contribute to a vastly different and better world in the twenty-first century. Recalling what has happened in my short lifetime in the fields of communication and transportation and the life sciences, I marvel at the pessimists who tell us that we have reached the end of our productive capacity, who project a future of primarily dividing up what we now have and making do with less. To my mind the single essential element on which all discoveries will be dependent is human freedom."
Friday, August 7, 2009
Who Really Owns the Airwaves? by by Brian Jennings
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/08/05/the-property-status-of-the-airwaves/#more-197798
Additional thoughts to my earlier blog about Obama and the airwaves.
Additional thoughts to my earlier blog about Obama and the airwaves.
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