Sebellius on Stealth Obamacare
Before the passage of Obamacare, the president and his lackeys were busy denying the rumors of death panels and all the other features of the bill that people were saying would lead to government dictating medical benefits and rationing of health care to America’s sick and elderly.
Since no one actually read what National Review referred to as the “2,562 tree-killing pages” of the Obamacare monstrosity, I guess it’s not surprising to discover that those denials were a pack of lies.
Among others, deposed Senator Arlen Specter and Montana Senator Jon Tester swore that,”If there’s language in there that says the government’s going to make my health care decisions, we’ll get it out. I don’t believe that:” http://tiny.cc/399n7
Of course, simply reading the bill would have cleared up any “ifs” but no one bothered to do that.
Now, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebellius has cleared that matter up with the announcement that not only will rationing be a feature of Obamacare when it is fully implemented in 2014 but that “Dr. Donald Berwick, an advocate of health-care rationing nominated by President Barack Obama to run Medicare and Medicaid, is ‘absolutely the right leader at this time’ to run the government’s largest health-care entitlement programs.”
Dubbed “Obama’s rationing man” by The American Spectator, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1708)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Post-Racial America?
Post Racial America?
America was told– by some people– that the election of the first bi-racial president, Barack Hussein Obama, signalled a new era in America and in American politics, a brave new post-racialism era. Those people may have been wrong.
Indeed, instead of being a unifying force of race-neutralism, President Obama has been the most divisive figure in American history on race and on virtually everything else.
The signs were there long before Obama beat Hillary Clinton et al. in the Democrat primaries and won that party’s nomination for the presidency in September, 2008.
Current Court Jester, aka Vice President Joe Biden during his vainglorious run for the Democrat top spot let slip a now-famous description of Obama during that campaign when he said of the junior senator from Illinois that his opponent was the “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
Time.com added that “the implication was that the black people who are regularly seen by whites–or at least those who aspire to the highest office in the land–are none of these things,” i.e., neither articulate, bright, clean, or “nice-looking:” http://tiny.cc/qtzca
Nevertheless, inexplicably, Obama added Biden to the ticket . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1706)
America was told– by some people– that the election of the first bi-racial president, Barack Hussein Obama, signalled a new era in America and in American politics, a brave new post-racialism era. Those people may have been wrong.
Indeed, instead of being a unifying force of race-neutralism, President Obama has been the most divisive figure in American history on race and on virtually everything else.
The signs were there long before Obama beat Hillary Clinton et al. in the Democrat primaries and won that party’s nomination for the presidency in September, 2008.
Current Court Jester, aka Vice President Joe Biden during his vainglorious run for the Democrat top spot let slip a now-famous description of Obama during that campaign when he said of the junior senator from Illinois that his opponent was the “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
Time.com added that “the implication was that the black people who are regularly seen by whites–or at least those who aspire to the highest office in the land–are none of these things,” i.e., neither articulate, bright, clean, or “nice-looking:” http://tiny.cc/qtzca
Nevertheless, inexplicably, Obama added Biden to the ticket . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1706)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
"Did You Plug the Hole Yet, Daddy?"
"Did You Plug the Hole Yet, Daddy?"
One of the many things that cooked Jimmy Carter’s chances for re-election in 1980 was his confession that he consulted with his 13 year old daughter on nuclear weapons policy. We never learned of Amy’s strategic suggestions to the president.
Barack Obama, he says, has been asked repeatedly by one of his daughters as the poor guy was trying to shave every morning, “Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?” (http://tiny.cc/bbmel)
He didn’t specify if the daughter was 11 year old Malia rather than Natasha but we have to assume it was the elder child who interrupted Obama’s daily routine since what 8 year old wonders about such things?
The following is an unauthenticated account of the first morning’s exchange with Malia:
Malia: Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1705)
One of the many things that cooked Jimmy Carter’s chances for re-election in 1980 was his confession that he consulted with his 13 year old daughter on nuclear weapons policy. We never learned of Amy’s strategic suggestions to the president.
Barack Obama, he says, has been asked repeatedly by one of his daughters as the poor guy was trying to shave every morning, “Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?” (http://tiny.cc/bbmel)
He didn’t specify if the daughter was 11 year old Malia rather than Natasha but we have to assume it was the elder child who interrupted Obama’s daily routine since what 8 year old wonders about such things?
The following is an unauthenticated account of the first morning’s exchange with Malia:
Malia: Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1705)
Memorial Day 2010
Memorial Day 2010
Our president may not have enough of a sense of tradition to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day but the rest of us commoners can still honor that day on Monday.
As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day 2010, a day that has become synonymous with nothing more than the launching of summer, let’s try to remember what it’s all about.
Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday dates to 1868 and is intended to remind us all of those who gave their all in service to this great nation. It is especially meaningful, or should be, during wartime while our men and women are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nevertheless, vacation time in his adopted city of Chicago is more important to Barack Hussein Obama than bothering himself with . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1704)
Our president may not have enough of a sense of tradition to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day but the rest of us commoners can still honor that day on Monday.
As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day 2010, a day that has become synonymous with nothing more than the launching of summer, let’s try to remember what it’s all about.
Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday dates to 1868 and is intended to remind us all of those who gave their all in service to this great nation. It is especially meaningful, or should be, during wartime while our men and women are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nevertheless, vacation time in his adopted city of Chicago is more important to Barack Hussein Obama than bothering himself with . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1704)
Bad and Good News from across the Pond
Bad and Good News from across the Pond
Britain’s day in the sun has largely passed. The glory days of the vaunted British Empire are long gone and the sun regularly sets on it.
Still, in its waning years as Islam continues to gain stronger footholds throughout England in its quest to Islamicize the nation, Great Britain if no longer great still serves as a bellwether for both bad and good trends in America.
For example, Britain has long been a safe haven for abortion and abortionists and the procedure is relatively common though numbers show a very slight decrease in the last year; almost all are funded by the socialized health care program known as the National Health Service or NHS.
Nevertheless, even mad dogs and Englishmen sustained a shock to their sensibilities with the revelation that some British women practice abortion with the same casualness as they approach an afternoon of tea and crumpets.
Of a total of 189,100 abortions (with 2,094 involving girls under 15) in England and Wales in 2009, a shocking 48 were performed on women who have had seven or more abortions and another 3,630 on women who were chalking up their fourth, fifth, or sixth “terminations:” http://tiny.cc/xg7ec
Other methods of birth control are readily available but apparently thousands of women prefer to abort rather than use them, especially since the NHS is picking up the tab.
On the good news front, Britain’s new Work and Pensions Secretary Iian Douglas Smith has declared . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1703)
Britain’s day in the sun has largely passed. The glory days of the vaunted British Empire are long gone and the sun regularly sets on it.
Still, in its waning years as Islam continues to gain stronger footholds throughout England in its quest to Islamicize the nation, Great Britain if no longer great still serves as a bellwether for both bad and good trends in America.
For example, Britain has long been a safe haven for abortion and abortionists and the procedure is relatively common though numbers show a very slight decrease in the last year; almost all are funded by the socialized health care program known as the National Health Service or NHS.
Nevertheless, even mad dogs and Englishmen sustained a shock to their sensibilities with the revelation that some British women practice abortion with the same casualness as they approach an afternoon of tea and crumpets.
Of a total of 189,100 abortions (with 2,094 involving girls under 15) in England and Wales in 2009, a shocking 48 were performed on women who have had seven or more abortions and another 3,630 on women who were chalking up their fourth, fifth, or sixth “terminations:” http://tiny.cc/xg7ec
Other methods of birth control are readily available but apparently thousands of women prefer to abort rather than use them, especially since the NHS is picking up the tab.
On the good news front, Britain’s new Work and Pensions Secretary Iian Douglas Smith has declared . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1703)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wars and Rumors of Wars Part Two
Wars and Rumors of War Part Two
People and nations being what they are, our world has never been starved for war but rarely in history have so many wars of consequence been threatened which are contemporaneous with one another.
All wars are consequential, of course, but most are limited in scope to tribes or other small groups and many are of the civil war variety contained within a single country. The continent of Africa is a case in point.
Today we face three very hot spots any one of which could erupt into a widespread conflagration with the potential of involving various other nations if not resulting in World War III.
An overview of the threats:
Afghanistan and Iraq: The U.S. has been mired in those two interrelated hellholes for almost nine and for seven years respectively and though the president has announced plans to pack up and bug out of both, the outcomes are far from undecided.
The British were defeated by the Afghanis in the 19th century, the Russians in the 2oth. If we are seen as retreating or if we should lose the upcoming, crucial battle in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, it will be seen as yet another sign of weakness. In this age of terrorism, that’s not a good image to project. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1702)
People and nations being what they are, our world has never been starved for war but rarely in history have so many wars of consequence been threatened which are contemporaneous with one another.
All wars are consequential, of course, but most are limited in scope to tribes or other small groups and many are of the civil war variety contained within a single country. The continent of Africa is a case in point.
Today we face three very hot spots any one of which could erupt into a widespread conflagration with the potential of involving various other nations if not resulting in World War III.
An overview of the threats:
Afghanistan and Iraq: The U.S. has been mired in those two interrelated hellholes for almost nine and for seven years respectively and though the president has announced plans to pack up and bug out of both, the outcomes are far from undecided.
The British were defeated by the Afghanis in the 19th century, the Russians in the 2oth. If we are seen as retreating or if we should lose the upcoming, crucial battle in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, it will be seen as yet another sign of weakness. In this age of terrorism, that’s not a good image to project. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1702)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pi Beta Phi: "Hell's Angels of a New Generation"
Pi Beta Phi: "Hell's Angels of a New Generation"
HowStuffWorks.com explains sororities: When you hear the word “sorority,” what comes to mind? Pillow fights? Big white mansions? Pearls and sweater sets? While that’s what Hollywood would have you imagine, in reality, it’s not exactly like that. For many, a sorority can be a great way to make lasting friendships, build a smaller community within a university setting, and find opportunities for leadership and service. But people also associate sororities with elitism, racism, alcohol abuse, eating disorders and promiscuity. So, what is life in a sorority really like?
At least for two Pi Beta Phi sorority chapters at Ohio University and at Miami University of Ohio, the Hollywood version of sororities is as foreign as an alcohol-free keg party. Those sisters have been termed the “Hell’s Angels of a new generation,” and that’s an understatement.
As Cyndi Lauper sang 25 years ago, “Girls just wanna have fu-un,” but the girls of Pi Beta Phi have taken their idea of fu-un to a whole new level as demonstrated by recent off campus events. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1701)
HowStuffWorks.com explains sororities: When you hear the word “sorority,” what comes to mind? Pillow fights? Big white mansions? Pearls and sweater sets? While that’s what Hollywood would have you imagine, in reality, it’s not exactly like that. For many, a sorority can be a great way to make lasting friendships, build a smaller community within a university setting, and find opportunities for leadership and service. But people also associate sororities with elitism, racism, alcohol abuse, eating disorders and promiscuity. So, what is life in a sorority really like?
At least for two Pi Beta Phi sorority chapters at Ohio University and at Miami University of Ohio, the Hollywood version of sororities is as foreign as an alcohol-free keg party. Those sisters have been termed the “Hell’s Angels of a new generation,” and that’s an understatement.
As Cyndi Lauper sang 25 years ago, “Girls just wanna have fu-un,” but the girls of Pi Beta Phi have taken their idea of fu-un to a whole new level as demonstrated by recent off campus events. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1701)
BP, the OPA, the CWA, the EPA, the USCG, and the Gulf of Mexico
BP, the OPA, the CWA, the EPA, the USCG and the Gulf of Mexico
Question: How many Obamian bureaucrats does it take to plug a gushing oil well?
Answer: None, since they won’t try.
By now most people have heard of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s graphic comment reminiscent of the Third Reich that the Obama administration “will keep its boot on the throat” of British Petroleum until it plugs the hole 5000 feet down in the Gulf of Mexico and stops the oil gusher.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs thought so highly of that threat that he repeated it the next day, adding “while we [Obama and his administration] do all that is humanly possible to deal with this issue.” See glib Gibbs dance around the issue here: http://tiny.cc/qu3lp
As Mark Levin pointed out Monday evening, the administration’s approach to this whole disastrous mess is all ass-backwards. It is not the province of BP to conduct the capping of the well nor is it British Petroleum’s responsibility to direct the operations of minimizing the spread of the oil slick and the clean-up: http://tiny.cc/0bbeo . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1700)
Question: How many Obamian bureaucrats does it take to plug a gushing oil well?
Answer: None, since they won’t try.
By now most people have heard of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s graphic comment reminiscent of the Third Reich that the Obama administration “will keep its boot on the throat” of British Petroleum until it plugs the hole 5000 feet down in the Gulf of Mexico and stops the oil gusher.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs thought so highly of that threat that he repeated it the next day, adding “while we [Obama and his administration] do all that is humanly possible to deal with this issue.” See glib Gibbs dance around the issue here: http://tiny.cc/qu3lp
As Mark Levin pointed out Monday evening, the administration’s approach to this whole disastrous mess is all ass-backwards. It is not the province of BP to conduct the capping of the well nor is it British Petroleum’s responsibility to direct the operations of minimizing the spread of the oil slick and the clean-up: http://tiny.cc/0bbeo . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1700)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Political Correctness or Just Plain Dumbness?
Political Correctness or Just Plain Dumbness?
When “Jerry Joseph” blew into the West Texas town of Odessa, the assumed disadvantaged youth was virtually adopted by the townspeople. Homeless, an orphan, alone in the world, new to America, “Jerry Joseph” tugged at the heartstrings of Odessa.
Armed with falsified identification papers, “Joseph” was taken in by the town, home to Permian Odessa, the subject high school of Friday Night Lights.
As it turned out, Odessa was also taken in by Guerdrich Montimere, “Jerry Joseph’s” true name, and Montimere wasn’t the 16 year old that he pretended to be but rather a 22 year old Haitian immigrant and naturalized citizen who had a twin brother named Guerdwin and a mother living in Florida.
Montimere had something else going for him besides his sad life: He could play basketball in sports-oriented Odessa.
Whether that was a factor or not–and it seems probable that it was–Montimere, ostensibly 16 but with the musculature of a fully matured man, played some great basketball for Permian in the year and a half he was in Odessa. His basketball coach, Danny Wright, treated him as his second son and Montimere took up residence in Wright’s home for a year, sleeping in the same room as his “other” son and in the same house as his young daughter.
Joseph/Montimere is now incarcerated in the Ector County jail, not for his deception but for statutory rape for which he faces 20 years.
What’s most bewildering about this whole story . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1699)
When “Jerry Joseph” blew into the West Texas town of Odessa, the assumed disadvantaged youth was virtually adopted by the townspeople. Homeless, an orphan, alone in the world, new to America, “Jerry Joseph” tugged at the heartstrings of Odessa.
Armed with falsified identification papers, “Joseph” was taken in by the town, home to Permian Odessa, the subject high school of Friday Night Lights.
As it turned out, Odessa was also taken in by Guerdrich Montimere, “Jerry Joseph’s” true name, and Montimere wasn’t the 16 year old that he pretended to be but rather a 22 year old Haitian immigrant and naturalized citizen who had a twin brother named Guerdwin and a mother living in Florida.
Montimere had something else going for him besides his sad life: He could play basketball in sports-oriented Odessa.
Whether that was a factor or not–and it seems probable that it was–Montimere, ostensibly 16 but with the musculature of a fully matured man, played some great basketball for Permian in the year and a half he was in Odessa. His basketball coach, Danny Wright, treated him as his second son and Montimere took up residence in Wright’s home for a year, sleeping in the same room as his “other” son and in the same house as his young daughter.
Joseph/Montimere is now incarcerated in the Ector County jail, not for his deception but for statutory rape for which he faces 20 years.
What’s most bewildering about this whole story . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1699)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Cops, Race, and the Law
Cops, Race, and the Law
“A policeman’s lot is not a happy one” wrote Arthur Sullivan of Gilbert and Sullivan fame in The Pirates of Penzance.
And that was a century before Arizona’s new immigration law was signed by Governor Jan Brewer. Life under the new statute is bound to get unhappier for cops, sheriffs, state troopers, and other lawman in the Grand Canyon State after July 29th, 2010, its effective date since the eyes of the country and the world will be focused on their every action.
That scrutiny will be aimed at insuring that the law is implemented as written, that no one will be stopped and searched based simply on the hue of their skin. That would be profiling which is a no-no.
That central provision of SB 1070 is a feature never mentioned by the likes of Al Sharpton who is hell bent on getting the law repealed even before it becomes effective so he and other race mongers can claim a victory along with the publicity they crave.
Fat chance, Reverend Al.
Sharpton and his ilk should look closer to home if they want to complain about racism and point to the New York Police Department and its crime statistics. Those NYPD stats aren’t any more racist than Arizona’s SB 1070 but facts and truth have never been an obstacle to Sharpton before so why start now? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1698)
“A policeman’s lot is not a happy one” wrote Arthur Sullivan of Gilbert and Sullivan fame in The Pirates of Penzance.
And that was a century before Arizona’s new immigration law was signed by Governor Jan Brewer. Life under the new statute is bound to get unhappier for cops, sheriffs, state troopers, and other lawman in the Grand Canyon State after July 29th, 2010, its effective date since the eyes of the country and the world will be focused on their every action.
That scrutiny will be aimed at insuring that the law is implemented as written, that no one will be stopped and searched based simply on the hue of their skin. That would be profiling which is a no-no.
That central provision of SB 1070 is a feature never mentioned by the likes of Al Sharpton who is hell bent on getting the law repealed even before it becomes effective so he and other race mongers can claim a victory along with the publicity they crave.
Fat chance, Reverend Al.
Sharpton and his ilk should look closer to home if they want to complain about racism and point to the New York Police Department and its crime statistics. Those NYPD stats aren’t any more racist than Arizona’s SB 1070 but facts and truth have never been an obstacle to Sharpton before so why start now? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1698)
The Monster Mosque at Ground Zero
The Monster Mosque at Ground Zero
As the ninth anniversary of the darkest day in American history approaches, some people are saying that it’s time to move on from September 11th, 2001.
Daisy Khan says, “We need to take the 9/11 tragedy and turn it into something very positive.”
Something very positive, Ms. Khan? What could ever be positive about a day on which thousands of Americans and others were murdered in an unprovoked sneak attack on American soil by maniacal Islamic terrorists?
To clarify, Daisy Khan is executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement and wife of a local imam. She concluded that “very positive” statement by adding, “It will also serve as a major platform for amplifying the silent voice of the majority of Muslims who have nothing to do with extremist ideologies.”
The “it” was a reference to plans to build a 13 story “monster mosque” at 45 Park Place in New York City, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1697)
As the ninth anniversary of the darkest day in American history approaches, some people are saying that it’s time to move on from September 11th, 2001.
Daisy Khan says, “We need to take the 9/11 tragedy and turn it into something very positive.”
Something very positive, Ms. Khan? What could ever be positive about a day on which thousands of Americans and others were murdered in an unprovoked sneak attack on American soil by maniacal Islamic terrorists?
To clarify, Daisy Khan is executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement and wife of a local imam. She concluded that “very positive” statement by adding, “It will also serve as a major platform for amplifying the silent voice of the majority of Muslims who have nothing to do with extremist ideologies.”
The “it” was a reference to plans to build a 13 story “monster mosque” at 45 Park Place in New York City, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1697)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Nervy News #6: D.C. Cops
Nervy News #6: D.C. Cops
Cops are good guys, right? They’re out there on the streets risking life and limb 24/7, preventing crime and arresting the bad guys, preserving order, conciliating the distressed, delivering babies, protecting the innocent, being exemplars of truth, justice, and the American way, right?
So what the hell were D.C. cops doing acting as lackeys and tour guides for notorious radicals?
I have no special affection for banks in general or for the Bank of America or for one of its executives, Greg Baer, but I do draw the line at protestors en masse taking their complaints to the private homes of anyone instead of exercising their constitutional privileges to “peaceably assemble” at corporate headquarters.
When uniformed police officers escort them to private homes, it’s even more of an outrage. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1696)
Cops are good guys, right? They’re out there on the streets risking life and limb 24/7, preventing crime and arresting the bad guys, preserving order, conciliating the distressed, delivering babies, protecting the innocent, being exemplars of truth, justice, and the American way, right?
So what the hell were D.C. cops doing acting as lackeys and tour guides for notorious radicals?
I have no special affection for banks in general or for the Bank of America or for one of its executives, Greg Baer, but I do draw the line at protestors en masse taking their complaints to the private homes of anyone instead of exercising their constitutional privileges to “peaceably assemble” at corporate headquarters.
When uniformed police officers escort them to private homes, it’s even more of an outrage. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1696)
Hate Crimes=Thought Crimes
Hate Crimes = Thought Crimes
Britain doesn’t lead the world in much nowadays, unless you include British Petroleum successfully polluting vast tracts of the Gulf of Mexico and its horrendous health care system.
However, the Brits are still the leaders of the pack when it comes to politically correct Big Brotherism especially when it comes to punishing free speech and so-called hate crimes.
According to Merriam-Webster.com, the concept of “hate crime” dates to 1984 and is defined as ”any of various crimes (as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation).”
Now, virtually any crime of violence against persons or property can reasonably be interpreted as a hate crime since few such crimes are motivated by the antithesis of hatred and the un-loved person or thing thereby becomes the object of some form of attack.
For law enforcement agencies to determine that a run-of-the-mill crime qualifies as a hate crime, they would have to prove the perpetrator had hateful thoughts toward a victim, based on “color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation,” barring a statement by said perpetrator such as, “I hate Buddhists” before fire-bombing a Buddhist temple. Otherwise, he might just be a random temple fire-bomber.
Point is, to be enforced, law enforcers and juries must be able to read the minds of the alleged perps and be satisfied the crime in question was also a thought crime.
Great Britain, apparently, doesn’t draw such fine distinctions. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1695)
Britain doesn’t lead the world in much nowadays, unless you include British Petroleum successfully polluting vast tracts of the Gulf of Mexico and its horrendous health care system.
However, the Brits are still the leaders of the pack when it comes to politically correct Big Brotherism especially when it comes to punishing free speech and so-called hate crimes.
According to Merriam-Webster.com, the concept of “hate crime” dates to 1984 and is defined as ”any of various crimes (as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation).”
Now, virtually any crime of violence against persons or property can reasonably be interpreted as a hate crime since few such crimes are motivated by the antithesis of hatred and the un-loved person or thing thereby becomes the object of some form of attack.
For law enforcement agencies to determine that a run-of-the-mill crime qualifies as a hate crime, they would have to prove the perpetrator had hateful thoughts toward a victim, based on “color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation,” barring a statement by said perpetrator such as, “I hate Buddhists” before fire-bombing a Buddhist temple. Otherwise, he might just be a random temple fire-bomber.
Point is, to be enforced, law enforcers and juries must be able to read the minds of the alleged perps and be satisfied the crime in question was also a thought crime.
Great Britain, apparently, doesn’t draw such fine distinctions. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1695)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Nervy News #5: Felipe Calderon
Nervy News #5: Felipe Calderon
It’s common courtesy for a guest invited into someone’s home to be gracious, non-judgemental, and not contumely. Similarly, it’s common sense that the homeowner also not tolerate rude and insulting behavior on the part of said guest.
The President of Mexico has been visiting the White House–the American peoples’ house–and he engaged in notably un-diplomatic behavior, markedly rude behavior, and the current caretaker of our house thought so little of his fellow countrymen that he refused to call him on it.
In a joint, two question, press conference in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, President Felipe Calderon criticized the Arizona law on illegal immigrants. “Many of them, [illegals whom he prefers to call “migrants”] despite their significant contribution to the economy and to the society of the United States, still live in the shadows and, occasionally, as in Arizona, they even face discrimination,” Calderon said.
Instead of defending Arizonans and politely suggesting Calderon had outworn his welcome by attacking the law of a sovereign state which happens to mirror United States’ statutes, the caretaker concurred with the Mexican leader and spoke of a possible civil rights suit against Arizona: http://tiny.cc/14afv . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1693)
It’s common courtesy for a guest invited into someone’s home to be gracious, non-judgemental, and not contumely. Similarly, it’s common sense that the homeowner also not tolerate rude and insulting behavior on the part of said guest.
The President of Mexico has been visiting the White House–the American peoples’ house–and he engaged in notably un-diplomatic behavior, markedly rude behavior, and the current caretaker of our house thought so little of his fellow countrymen that he refused to call him on it.
In a joint, two question, press conference in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, President Felipe Calderon criticized the Arizona law on illegal immigrants. “Many of them, [illegals whom he prefers to call “migrants”] despite their significant contribution to the economy and to the society of the United States, still live in the shadows and, occasionally, as in Arizona, they even face discrimination,” Calderon said.
Instead of defending Arizonans and politely suggesting Calderon had outworn his welcome by attacking the law of a sovereign state which happens to mirror United States’ statutes, the caretaker concurred with the Mexican leader and spoke of a possible civil rights suit against Arizona: http://tiny.cc/14afv . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1693)
Gays Are at it Again, Part Two
Gays Are at it Again, Part Two
As if they ever give up, gays are at it once again.
Anyone who has ever doubted that the ambitions of the Homosexual Lobby include as a primary aim the recruitment of as many of the normal population as possible to their perversions must not have seen the last installment of “American Idol.”
To start with, Ellen Degeneris, aka Ellen Degenerate, was as poor a choice for a judge in that contest as Perez Hilton was for a judge on the 2009 Miss USA competition when he tried to jap Carrie Prejean as a homophobe and she outed him as a gay bigot. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1692)
As if they ever give up, gays are at it once again.
Anyone who has ever doubted that the ambitions of the Homosexual Lobby include as a primary aim the recruitment of as many of the normal population as possible to their perversions must not have seen the last installment of “American Idol.”
To start with, Ellen Degeneris, aka Ellen Degenerate, was as poor a choice for a judge in that contest as Perez Hilton was for a judge on the 2009 Miss USA competition when he tried to jap Carrie Prejean as a homophobe and she outed him as a gay bigot. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1692)
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mothering, Fathering, and Little Girls Gone Wild
Mothering, Fathering, and Little Girls Gone Wild
It would appear that the mothers, and fathers, of that group of 7-9 year old girls who let their daughters perform provocatively onstage never read Helen Steiner Rice’s gushy poem about what a mother is or should be.
In case the reader hasn’t seen the gyrations of the prepubescent girls dressed as Vegas showgirls, clips and commentary by a concerned mom may be witnessed here: http://tiny.cc/0zkyz
“Witnessed” is an appropriate word for the dance exhibition the very talented little girls put on for a World of Dance competition sponsored by Paul Mitchell beauty products since the clips could almost be introduced in a court case of child abuse against the parents as Exhibit One.
The parents of the kids and the promoter of the contest seem as oblivious of the suggestive nature of the dance moves as they are of the provocative costumes which feature lingerie more fitting for baby hookers than for 8 year old children.
One parent, a mother, made a point of saying, “It’s not like the girls wear those costumes to school” as if that were a defense of the skimpy get-ups the girls’ pimpy costumers put them into. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1691)
It would appear that the mothers, and fathers, of that group of 7-9 year old girls who let their daughters perform provocatively onstage never read Helen Steiner Rice’s gushy poem about what a mother is or should be.
In case the reader hasn’t seen the gyrations of the prepubescent girls dressed as Vegas showgirls, clips and commentary by a concerned mom may be witnessed here: http://tiny.cc/0zkyz
“Witnessed” is an appropriate word for the dance exhibition the very talented little girls put on for a World of Dance competition sponsored by Paul Mitchell beauty products since the clips could almost be introduced in a court case of child abuse against the parents as Exhibit One.
The parents of the kids and the promoter of the contest seem as oblivious of the suggestive nature of the dance moves as they are of the provocative costumes which feature lingerie more fitting for baby hookers than for 8 year old children.
One parent, a mother, made a point of saying, “It’s not like the girls wear those costumes to school” as if that were a defense of the skimpy get-ups the girls’ pimpy costumers put them into. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1691)
Oil, America's Lifeblood
Oil, America's Lifeblood
As British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon continues to gush millions of gallons of crude oil into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the temptation to ban deep sea drilling for oil now and forevermore is growing.
None of BP’s fixes for this catastrophe have had any appreciable effect on stopping it, oil slicks seem everywhere, tar balls have hit the pristine beaches of Key West and may head up the Atlantic seacoast. The spill promises to exceed the ecological impact of the Exxon Valdez in 1989 and possibly exceed the gross volume of all oil spills in history.
It seems like an environmental Armageddon and Greenpeace, other environmental whacko groups, and green politicians must be mobilizing for an all-out effort to pre-empt any future, similar disasters by agitating for a cessation of all off-shore drilling just as they have campaigned against on-shore drilling.
The chief problem with that approach . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1690)
As British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon continues to gush millions of gallons of crude oil into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the temptation to ban deep sea drilling for oil now and forevermore is growing.
None of BP’s fixes for this catastrophe have had any appreciable effect on stopping it, oil slicks seem everywhere, tar balls have hit the pristine beaches of Key West and may head up the Atlantic seacoast. The spill promises to exceed the ecological impact of the Exxon Valdez in 1989 and possibly exceed the gross volume of all oil spills in history.
It seems like an environmental Armageddon and Greenpeace, other environmental whacko groups, and green politicians must be mobilizing for an all-out effort to pre-empt any future, similar disasters by agitating for a cessation of all off-shore drilling just as they have campaigned against on-shore drilling.
The chief problem with that approach . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1690)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Wright Snit
The Wright Snit
Reverend Jeremiah Wright is in an obvious snit over his shabby treatment by long-time parishioner, Barack Hussein Obama.
After all, this man who happens to be president sat in the pews of Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ with his family for 20 years and listened to Wright’s vitriolic anti-American venom and now has the audacity to shut him out since he moved on up to the White House!
The Reverend Wright performed the wedding ceremony for Barack and Michelle, baptized their two children and not only hasn’t been invited to the White House in the sixteen months of the Obama presidency but has been shunned as if he were a pariah, as if he were that crazy, old uncle shut away in the attic.
How dare he! Has he no loyalty?
Wright did nothing wrong to deserve this treatment, that is unless one considers it wrong to . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1689)
Reverend Jeremiah Wright is in an obvious snit over his shabby treatment by long-time parishioner, Barack Hussein Obama.
After all, this man who happens to be president sat in the pews of Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ with his family for 20 years and listened to Wright’s vitriolic anti-American venom and now has the audacity to shut him out since he moved on up to the White House!
The Reverend Wright performed the wedding ceremony for Barack and Michelle, baptized their two children and not only hasn’t been invited to the White House in the sixteen months of the Obama presidency but has been shunned as if he were a pariah, as if he were that crazy, old uncle shut away in the attic.
How dare he! Has he no loyalty?
Wright did nothing wrong to deserve this treatment, that is unless one considers it wrong to . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1689)
Big Bucks for Dead Babies
Big Bucks for Dead Babies
It should be good news that at least one sector of our economy is thriving but, unfortunately for pre-born human life, that fact represents very bad news.
With approximately 50,000,000 legal abortions already performed in America since Roe v. Wade, the leader in the highly lucrative business of killing the pre-born has announced its bottom line is looking just peachy keen. “The Planned Parenthood Federation of America [PPFOA] annual report for 2007-2008 revealed record net assets of $1.014 billion and an increase of 15,560 more abortions in 2007 than the previous year:” http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46449.
Rendering that success even peachier, that CNS report includes what may be a revelation to some, namely that “The American taxpayer also contributed more than ever before, with $349.6 million of Planned Parenthood’s funding coming from government grants and contracts.”
The PPFOA is right up there with politicians as the most deceptive and hypocritical group in our country but, whereas politicos are generally understood to be liars and cheats, the PPFOA is considered fairly reputable. Witness that $349.6 million of hard earned taxes which goes into its coffers, thanks to you, me, and everyone else, which monies would never be funneled into a disreputable organization, right? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1688)
It should be good news that at least one sector of our economy is thriving but, unfortunately for pre-born human life, that fact represents very bad news.
With approximately 50,000,000 legal abortions already performed in America since Roe v. Wade, the leader in the highly lucrative business of killing the pre-born has announced its bottom line is looking just peachy keen. “The Planned Parenthood Federation of America [PPFOA] annual report for 2007-2008 revealed record net assets of $1.014 billion and an increase of 15,560 more abortions in 2007 than the previous year:” http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46449.
Rendering that success even peachier, that CNS report includes what may be a revelation to some, namely that “The American taxpayer also contributed more than ever before, with $349.6 million of Planned Parenthood’s funding coming from government grants and contracts.”
The PPFOA is right up there with politicians as the most deceptive and hypocritical group in our country but, whereas politicos are generally understood to be liars and cheats, the PPFOA is considered fairly reputable. Witness that $349.6 million of hard earned taxes which goes into its coffers, thanks to you, me, and everyone else, which monies would never be funneled into a disreputable organization, right? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1688)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Elena Kagan, Political Softball
Elena Kagan, Political Softball
An old and suggestive Clairol commercial asked the age-old question: “Does she or doesn’t she? Only her hair-dresser knows for sure.”
Ostensibly, Clairol was implying that the beautiful damsel with flowing, glistening tresses in the ad may be using Clairol hair dye to color those locks but no one will ever know.
We also may never know for sure whether Obama’s solicitor general is or is not a closet lesbian yet that question seems to be consuming the blogosphere, if not the mainstream media. Granted she looks and acts like a lesbian and even batted from the left side of the plate during her softball years. If it quacks like a duck, etc. it must be a duck, no?
Point is, so what if Kagan is gay? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1686)
An old and suggestive Clairol commercial asked the age-old question: “Does she or doesn’t she? Only her hair-dresser knows for sure.”
Ostensibly, Clairol was implying that the beautiful damsel with flowing, glistening tresses in the ad may be using Clairol hair dye to color those locks but no one will ever know.
We also may never know for sure whether Obama’s solicitor general is or is not a closet lesbian yet that question seems to be consuming the blogosphere, if not the mainstream media. Granted she looks and acts like a lesbian and even batted from the left side of the plate during her softball years. If it quacks like a duck, etc. it must be a duck, no?
Point is, so what if Kagan is gay? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1686)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Ethical Murder
Ethical Murder
. . . On a much smaller scale is the ethical issue of killing one man or a group of men who you are reasonably certain are plotting to decimate cities and commit mass murder. Today we have the ability to accomplish such precision acts of war without risking the lives of the guys with boots on the ground or of the pilots in the sky.
Some are calling the use of very successful predator drones in the Afghani war as unethical, others call it a great advancement in the conduct of modern warfare. Pinpointing a high value target certainly seems to beat the destruction of large swaths of real estate tenanted by unknown numbers of innocent non-combatants.
And, yes, there will be drone mistakes, casualties that occur in the fog of war described with the sanitized term ”collateral damage” which happens no matter the military tactics employed but do those mistakes constitute unethical warfare?
A related ethical question has arisen in conjunction with Islamic cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1685)
. . . On a much smaller scale is the ethical issue of killing one man or a group of men who you are reasonably certain are plotting to decimate cities and commit mass murder. Today we have the ability to accomplish such precision acts of war without risking the lives of the guys with boots on the ground or of the pilots in the sky.
Some are calling the use of very successful predator drones in the Afghani war as unethical, others call it a great advancement in the conduct of modern warfare. Pinpointing a high value target certainly seems to beat the destruction of large swaths of real estate tenanted by unknown numbers of innocent non-combatants.
And, yes, there will be drone mistakes, casualties that occur in the fog of war described with the sanitized term ”collateral damage” which happens no matter the military tactics employed but do those mistakes constitute unethical warfare?
A related ethical question has arisen in conjunction with Islamic cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1685)
Nervy News #3: Woody Allen
Nervy News #3: Woody Allen
Woody Allen, (real name Allen Stewart Konigsberg), is a movie director whose movies are acclaimed by “the critics” but which no one sees. He has also been a comedy writer, stand-up comic, actor, sometime musician and, of course, his biggest claim to fame, noted pervert.
A long-term member of the Roman Polanski School of Perversion, Allen/Konigsberg is an accomplished clarinetist as well as an aficionado of underage girls like Polanski except that Woody did Roman one better. He got his woody with his own (virtual) daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, when he was 52 and she 22.
Unfortunately, unlike Polanski, Allen/Konigsberg couldn’t be prosecuted for his relationship with Soon-Yi since she was of legal age but he was charged with sexually abusing Dylan, his 7 year old adopted daughter with Mia Farrow. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1684)
Woody Allen, (real name Allen Stewart Konigsberg), is a movie director whose movies are acclaimed by “the critics” but which no one sees. He has also been a comedy writer, stand-up comic, actor, sometime musician and, of course, his biggest claim to fame, noted pervert.
A long-term member of the Roman Polanski School of Perversion, Allen/Konigsberg is an accomplished clarinetist as well as an aficionado of underage girls like Polanski except that Woody did Roman one better. He got his woody with his own (virtual) daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, when he was 52 and she 22.
Unfortunately, unlike Polanski, Allen/Konigsberg couldn’t be prosecuted for his relationship with Soon-Yi since she was of legal age but he was charged with sexually abusing Dylan, his 7 year old adopted daughter with Mia Farrow. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1684)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Jews, Catholics and SCOTUS
Jews, Catholics and SCOTUS
It’s long past time for America to consider the heretical idea of amending the Constitution and make new openings on the Supreme Court term-limited if not elective offices.
When the Founding Fathers devised the Constitution in the late eighteenth century, life expectancy at birth, thanks to rampant diseases, was a mere 24 years although, depending on where one lived, it could range up to 60 in New England, 45 in the Middle Colonies and 35 in the South. Those figures are according to Encyclopedia.com.
Averaging the 3 locales, a person could expect to live 46.7 years, with a little bit of luck. Today, thanks to the marvels of modern science and medicine, Americans can reasonably expect to live well into their seventies and beyond and late eighties and nineties are no longer unusual.
There is no possible way that James Madison . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1683)
It’s long past time for America to consider the heretical idea of amending the Constitution and make new openings on the Supreme Court term-limited if not elective offices.
When the Founding Fathers devised the Constitution in the late eighteenth century, life expectancy at birth, thanks to rampant diseases, was a mere 24 years although, depending on where one lived, it could range up to 60 in New England, 45 in the Middle Colonies and 35 in the South. Those figures are according to Encyclopedia.com.
Averaging the 3 locales, a person could expect to live 46.7 years, with a little bit of luck. Today, thanks to the marvels of modern science and medicine, Americans can reasonably expect to live well into their seventies and beyond and late eighties and nineties are no longer unusual.
There is no possible way that James Madison . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1683)
Friday, May 14, 2010
These Are Our Leaders?
These Are Our Leaders?
Leadership has been defined as “a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent.”
We look to our leaders and others in authority to show us the way, to inspire and to motivate whether on a national, state, or local level and in our daily lives. Everyone can’t be a leader; with all chiefs and no braves, we would have chaos so those who assume the mantle of leadership have a unique obligation to show the way.
What we have in America today is a dearth of true leaders, a crisis of leadership in that many of our leaders seemingly haven’t the foggiest notion of what their responsibilities are and how to fulfill them. They may be accomplishing their narrow personal goals but they all but ignore their broader national leadership mandates.
They don’t know how to lead.
A prime case in point is our attorney general,. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1682)
Leadership has been defined as “a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent.”
We look to our leaders and others in authority to show us the way, to inspire and to motivate whether on a national, state, or local level and in our daily lives. Everyone can’t be a leader; with all chiefs and no braves, we would have chaos so those who assume the mantle of leadership have a unique obligation to show the way.
What we have in America today is a dearth of true leaders, a crisis of leadership in that many of our leaders seemingly haven’t the foggiest notion of what their responsibilities are and how to fulfill them. They may be accomplishing their narrow personal goals but they all but ignore their broader national leadership mandates.
They don’t know how to lead.
A prime case in point is our attorney general,. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1682)
The War in Our Streets, Part Two
The War in Our Streets, Part Two
It only takes a casual perusal of the headlines to determine that America is indeed at war and one front of that war against Islamic fundamentalism has arrived on our shores, in our streets, in our air space, and on our Army bases.
Part One explored that reality. Part Two takes up “A Plan to Counter an ‘Ever-Evolving Enemy’ ” and an article by Ed Fuelner citing the Heritage Foundation’s approach to dealing with Islamic extremists. Fuelner is the president of that conservative think tank.
Fuelner points out the obvious, that this is a different war we’re battling and that the enemy is not always distinguishable as the enemy but that we have nevertheless interdicted some 31 attacks, including Times Square, since 9/11.
I’m not certain what all the other 30 were but we didn’t thwart the last two. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1681)
It only takes a casual perusal of the headlines to determine that America is indeed at war and one front of that war against Islamic fundamentalism has arrived on our shores, in our streets, in our air space, and on our Army bases.
Part One explored that reality. Part Two takes up “A Plan to Counter an ‘Ever-Evolving Enemy’ ” and an article by Ed Fuelner citing the Heritage Foundation’s approach to dealing with Islamic extremists. Fuelner is the president of that conservative think tank.
Fuelner points out the obvious, that this is a different war we’re battling and that the enemy is not always distinguishable as the enemy but that we have nevertheless interdicted some 31 attacks, including Times Square, since 9/11.
I’m not certain what all the other 30 were but we didn’t thwart the last two. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1681)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Nervy News #2: Tacky Clinton
Nervy News #2: Tacky Clinton
. . . Another Nervy News tale has reached my desk, this time involving the guy who everyone knew–or should have known–was the tackiest president in American history, William Jefferson Blythe Clinton.
From his taking a tax write-off for donating his underwear to his tawdry misuse of the Oval Orifice to rumors of both Clintons looting the White House before they left, Bill Clinton has demonstrated that you can take the boy out of Arkansas but you can never take the Arkansas out of the boy.
He has almost outdone himself with his latest tackiness. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1678)
. . . Another Nervy News tale has reached my desk, this time involving the guy who everyone knew–or should have known–was the tackiest president in American history, William Jefferson Blythe Clinton.
From his taking a tax write-off for donating his underwear to his tawdry misuse of the Oval Orifice to rumors of both Clintons looting the White House before they left, Bill Clinton has demonstrated that you can take the boy out of Arkansas but you can never take the Arkansas out of the boy.
He has almost outdone himself with his latest tackiness. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1678)
The War in Our Streets, Part One
The War in Our Streets, Part One
There’s very definitely a war in progress on America’s streets, a number of wars, really.
Some could be termed skirmishes such as the ongoing war against crime, particularly in our cities and more particularly within our inner cities where minorities continue to commit mayhem and murder almost with impunity.
Another is a more recent series of battles involving patriotic and God-fearing Americans who cherish our country and who dearly hope for its survival in the face of an invasion across our southern, swiss cheese-y border.
As serious as those struggles are, the most dangerous at the moment is the war that our commander-in-chief refuses to concede even exists, the war against Islamic terrorism.
The title of a Pat Buchanan article, “Is the War Coming Home?” poses what must be a rhetorical question since surely Buchanan is well aware that the undeclared war with Islam “came home” years before the unsuccessful effort to murder thousands in Times Square on May 1st. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1680)
There’s very definitely a war in progress on America’s streets, a number of wars, really.
Some could be termed skirmishes such as the ongoing war against crime, particularly in our cities and more particularly within our inner cities where minorities continue to commit mayhem and murder almost with impunity.
Another is a more recent series of battles involving patriotic and God-fearing Americans who cherish our country and who dearly hope for its survival in the face of an invasion across our southern, swiss cheese-y border.
As serious as those struggles are, the most dangerous at the moment is the war that our commander-in-chief refuses to concede even exists, the war against Islamic terrorism.
The title of a Pat Buchanan article, “Is the War Coming Home?” poses what must be a rhetorical question since surely Buchanan is well aware that the undeclared war with Islam “came home” years before the unsuccessful effort to murder thousands in Times Square on May 1st. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1680)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Will Atlas Shrug?
Will Atlas Shrug?
. . . Her novel is more relevant than ever today for America and the rest of the Western World as creeping socialism is becoming galloping socialism. The only question is not the repetitive catchphrase of the novel, “Who is [the protagonist] John Galt?” but rather, “Can and will Atlas shrug once again and dump the takers from his back?”
It’s wishful thinking but we can all wish, right? So, I wish that mythological Titan, the deity of crushing burdens, gives just a little shrug and then let’s see how well society’s leeches and hangers-on subsist.
My guess is that, as in Atlas Shrugged, they wouldn’t do very well.
(Read the first part at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1679)
. . . Her novel is more relevant than ever today for America and the rest of the Western World as creeping socialism is becoming galloping socialism. The only question is not the repetitive catchphrase of the novel, “Who is [the protagonist] John Galt?” but rather, “Can and will Atlas shrug once again and dump the takers from his back?”
It’s wishful thinking but we can all wish, right? So, I wish that mythological Titan, the deity of crushing burdens, gives just a little shrug and then let’s see how well society’s leeches and hangers-on subsist.
My guess is that, as in Atlas Shrugged, they wouldn’t do very well.
(Read the first part at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1679)
How Proudly It Waves
How Proudly It Waves
Leftists, liberals, “progressives” are all fond of Dr. Samuel Johnson’s definition of patriotism, that it’s the last refuge of scoundrels, and use it to attack conservatives, flag wavers, anyone with great pride in our country.
According to Thomas Boswell, Johnson’s biographer, the lexicographer never meant to impugn true patriotism but rather false, phony, insubstantial love of country, all of which adjectives perfectly describe the sentiments of leftists, liberals, and “progressives.”
Flags and patriotism have been very much in the news of late, principally relating to the uproar that has arisen on both sides of the issue of Arizona’s new immigration law recently signed by that state’s governor, Jan Brewer.
More so now than at any other period in the past six decades, a sense of true patriotism is a requisite for these times that are trying men’s souls and there is no better time to demonstrate that love of country and no better way than by displaying, waving, and defending the symbol of the nation, the flag of the United States of America.
The stars and stripes are currently under attack by a wide assortment of foreign and domestic enemies. We can and will defend the country against foreign foes which in some sense are more easily defeated than those already on our shores.
Homegrown enemies and the forces of foreign enemies who have invaded our land by the millions are more challenging and insidious since they eat at the very soul of America from within our borders, leeches who suck the life blood from America even as they show contempt for our values and our symbols. . .
(Read more at http://genelalor.com)
Leftists, liberals, “progressives” are all fond of Dr. Samuel Johnson’s definition of patriotism, that it’s the last refuge of scoundrels, and use it to attack conservatives, flag wavers, anyone with great pride in our country.
According to Thomas Boswell, Johnson’s biographer, the lexicographer never meant to impugn true patriotism but rather false, phony, insubstantial love of country, all of which adjectives perfectly describe the sentiments of leftists, liberals, and “progressives.”
Flags and patriotism have been very much in the news of late, principally relating to the uproar that has arisen on both sides of the issue of Arizona’s new immigration law recently signed by that state’s governor, Jan Brewer.
More so now than at any other period in the past six decades, a sense of true patriotism is a requisite for these times that are trying men’s souls and there is no better time to demonstrate that love of country and no better way than by displaying, waving, and defending the symbol of the nation, the flag of the United States of America.
The stars and stripes are currently under attack by a wide assortment of foreign and domestic enemies. We can and will defend the country against foreign foes which in some sense are more easily defeated than those already on our shores.
Homegrown enemies and the forces of foreign enemies who have invaded our land by the millions are more challenging and insidious since they eat at the very soul of America from within our borders, leeches who suck the life blood from America even as they show contempt for our values and our symbols. . .
(Read more at http://genelalor.com)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Raquel Welch, National Prude?
Raquel Welch, National Prude?
To those under 40, the name Raquel Welch must conjure up visions of ancient sexpots like Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe just as in my time we thought of Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow as temptresses of another age.
Raquel, though, is very much alive and kicking as she approaches 70 and though she’s long past her prime as a sex goddess, she has words of wisdom for America’s youth in A.D. 2010.
People, even sex symbols, tend to grow more conservative and even prudish as they age. For us commoners the tried and true adage that a liberal is a conservative who hasn’t been mugged yet is usually applicable. As for the prudish label, that varies.
Raquel would never have been termed a prude during her performing career but despite four husbands–typical in Hollywood but a fact which now shames her–and despite her buxomy acting roles and Playboy centerfold–she also has never had equally typical Hollywood scandals associated with her name. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1675)
To those under 40, the name Raquel Welch must conjure up visions of ancient sexpots like Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe just as in my time we thought of Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow as temptresses of another age.
Raquel, though, is very much alive and kicking as she approaches 70 and though she’s long past her prime as a sex goddess, she has words of wisdom for America’s youth in A.D. 2010.
People, even sex symbols, tend to grow more conservative and even prudish as they age. For us commoners the tried and true adage that a liberal is a conservative who hasn’t been mugged yet is usually applicable. As for the prudish label, that varies.
Raquel would never have been termed a prude during her performing career but despite four husbands–typical in Hollywood but a fact which now shames her–and despite her buxomy acting roles and Playboy centerfold–she also has never had equally typical Hollywood scandals associated with her name. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1675)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Elena Kagan, Gay Justice?
Elena Kagan, Gay Justice?
Just as it was with Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan as replacement for SCOTUS Associate Justice John Paul Stevens was a done deal as soon as President Obama nominated her. Kagan, a Janet Napolitano lookalike, is a shoo-in.
The Democrat Party’s 59 seat Senate majority insures it. Republicans would need an unlikely unanimous agreement of its 41 members to filibuster her nomination.
In addition, Sotomayor was a woman and a Hispanic, Kagan is a woman and, apparently, a lesbian. What else did they need going for them? It was payback time in both instances. Two prime Obamian constituencies were in line for some recognition, the Hispanic-Latino community and the gay-lesbian community, and they’ve now gotten it.
However, why the White House became all exercised over a CBS online story that outed Kagan as “the first openly gay justice” was baffling when it hit the fan three weeks ago: Then she was only on the list of possible nominees and not yet even on the short list but why all the perturbation?
Did the Obamians consider open or hidden lesbianism a negative? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1674)
Just as it was with Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan as replacement for SCOTUS Associate Justice John Paul Stevens was a done deal as soon as President Obama nominated her. Kagan, a Janet Napolitano lookalike, is a shoo-in.
The Democrat Party’s 59 seat Senate majority insures it. Republicans would need an unlikely unanimous agreement of its 41 members to filibuster her nomination.
In addition, Sotomayor was a woman and a Hispanic, Kagan is a woman and, apparently, a lesbian. What else did they need going for them? It was payback time in both instances. Two prime Obamian constituencies were in line for some recognition, the Hispanic-Latino community and the gay-lesbian community, and they’ve now gotten it.
However, why the White House became all exercised over a CBS online story that outed Kagan as “the first openly gay justice” was baffling when it hit the fan three weeks ago: Then she was only on the list of possible nominees and not yet even on the short list but why all the perturbation?
Did the Obamians consider open or hidden lesbianism a negative? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1674)
Tabula Rasa Reversal?
Tabula Rasa Reversal?
See baby eat. See baby burp. See baby turn over. See baby make moral judgments based on a congenital code that enables him or her to distinguish right from wrong?
The theory of the tabula rasa or blank slate pre-dates the 18th century English philosopher John Locke by more than two thousand years, back to Aristotle and other ancients and through Aquinas but Locke is generally credited with postulating that all human life is born with a moral sense as naked as the body, free of evil, free of good, just a plain, old, natural blank slate ready for good or evil nurturing that will determine the individual’s thinking. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1673)
See baby eat. See baby burp. See baby turn over. See baby make moral judgments based on a congenital code that enables him or her to distinguish right from wrong?
The theory of the tabula rasa or blank slate pre-dates the 18th century English philosopher John Locke by more than two thousand years, back to Aristotle and other ancients and through Aquinas but Locke is generally credited with postulating that all human life is born with a moral sense as naked as the body, free of evil, free of good, just a plain, old, natural blank slate ready for good or evil nurturing that will determine the individual’s thinking. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1673)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
The Wit and Wisdom of Joe the Plumber
The Wit and Wisdom of Joe the Plumber
His real name isn’t Joe at all. It’s Sam Wurzelbacher of Ohio and he was just elected to the Lucas County Republican Committee but will always be remembered as Joe the Plumber from the 2008 presidential campaign since, I guess, that moniker was more catchy than Sam the Plumber.
AOL News just published an apparent telephone interview with Joe/Sam who became a cause celebre when he asked candidate Obama a question as Obama passed through Wurzelbacher’s town in October, 2008. As per usual, AOL omitted a pertinent detail that reflected poorly on the Democrat presidential nominee saying only that it was “a tough tax question.”
More precisely, Sam said that Obama’s tax plan was going to hurt him in his effort to buy a plumbing business.
Unscripted, Obama gave a convoluted response ending with, “It’s not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they’ve got a chance at success, too . . . and I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” (emphasis added)
That off-the-cuff “spread the wealth around” comment could have come right out of Karl Marx’ Das Kapital, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1672)
His real name isn’t Joe at all. It’s Sam Wurzelbacher of Ohio and he was just elected to the Lucas County Republican Committee but will always be remembered as Joe the Plumber from the 2008 presidential campaign since, I guess, that moniker was more catchy than Sam the Plumber.
AOL News just published an apparent telephone interview with Joe/Sam who became a cause celebre when he asked candidate Obama a question as Obama passed through Wurzelbacher’s town in October, 2008. As per usual, AOL omitted a pertinent detail that reflected poorly on the Democrat presidential nominee saying only that it was “a tough tax question.”
More precisely, Sam said that Obama’s tax plan was going to hurt him in his effort to buy a plumbing business.
Unscripted, Obama gave a convoluted response ending with, “It’s not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they’ve got a chance at success, too . . . and I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” (emphasis added)
That off-the-cuff “spread the wealth around” comment could have come right out of Karl Marx’ Das Kapital, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1672)
Hispanic Enemies in Our Midst
Hispanic Enemies in Our Midst
Toward the end of a 5 minute rant, a Hispanic speaker at a rally for La Raza reveals the philosophical underpinnings of the La Raza movement when he says, “Our enemy is capitalism, imperialism.”
If that sounds like a line from a speech by Cuba’s Fidel Castro or by Venezuela’s Communist despot, Hugo Chavez, it very well could be. However, this speech was not being delivered on the streets of Havana or Caracas but on the leafy campus of UCLA and the Hispanic teacher is preaching revolution.
See and hear the entire 5 minute tirade against America here: http://tiny.cc/ejeq6
La Raza is Spanish for the Race or the People, the Chicano, Mexican, and mestizo people who inhabit much of America’s Southwest and West and are scattered throughout the rest of the country, and numbering some 40 million, according to the speaker. He considers them all forces of “the northern front” in a war to re-conquer all of the “stolen” lands of the mythical Aztlan.
Human Events refers to La Raza and its subsidiary organization MEChA as . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1671)
Toward the end of a 5 minute rant, a Hispanic speaker at a rally for La Raza reveals the philosophical underpinnings of the La Raza movement when he says, “Our enemy is capitalism, imperialism.”
If that sounds like a line from a speech by Cuba’s Fidel Castro or by Venezuela’s Communist despot, Hugo Chavez, it very well could be. However, this speech was not being delivered on the streets of Havana or Caracas but on the leafy campus of UCLA and the Hispanic teacher is preaching revolution.
See and hear the entire 5 minute tirade against America here: http://tiny.cc/ejeq6
La Raza is Spanish for the Race or the People, the Chicano, Mexican, and mestizo people who inhabit much of America’s Southwest and West and are scattered throughout the rest of the country, and numbering some 40 million, according to the speaker. He considers them all forces of “the northern front” in a war to re-conquer all of the “stolen” lands of the mythical Aztlan.
Human Events refers to La Raza and its subsidiary organization MEChA as . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1671)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Bordering on Stupid
Bordering on Stupid
Amid the ongoing border babble, one question is rarely asked or addressed, namely does the United States even want to have secure and inviolable borders. For all intents and purposes, it doesn’t seem as if we do, at least not on the federal level.
It’s worthwhile to remember that the porous border problem existed long before Barack Obama took office. President George W. Bush for 8 years showed no inclination to seal our southern border and Obama is simply continuing that policy of inaction.
Whether based on purely political considerations, catering to the Hispanic vote, or business interests, staffing menial jobs with millions of illegal immigrants, both Bush and Obama seemed to agree that an open border was in their best interests and the interests of their respective parties.
Yet, the debate continues with Arizona’s new illegal immigration law merely accenting the issue.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1670)
Amid the ongoing border babble, one question is rarely asked or addressed, namely does the United States even want to have secure and inviolable borders. For all intents and purposes, it doesn’t seem as if we do, at least not on the federal level.
It’s worthwhile to remember that the porous border problem existed long before Barack Obama took office. President George W. Bush for 8 years showed no inclination to seal our southern border and Obama is simply continuing that policy of inaction.
Whether based on purely political considerations, catering to the Hispanic vote, or business interests, staffing menial jobs with millions of illegal immigrants, both Bush and Obama seemed to agree that an open border was in their best interests and the interests of their respective parties.
Yet, the debate continues with Arizona’s new illegal immigration law merely accenting the issue.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1670)
Friday, May 7, 2010
Whose Country Is This, Anyway?
Whose Country Is This, Anyway?
Whose country is this, anyway?
The passage of the Arizona illegal immigration bill may have been the greatest thing to happen in this country in years. It ignited firestorms on both sides of the issue, firestorms that have been burning more brightly on the anti-American, pro-illegal aliens side but that same light just may be awakening the sleeping giant that is the pro-America side.
In apparent reaction to the liberal fury over the Arizona law, students in the West and Southwest have been causing a nationwide commotion by daring to wear tee shirts emblazoned with the American flag and have been disciplined for doing so.
One California school district realized the error of its ways in suspending students for wearing “incendiary” emblems on their tees, namely representations of American flags, but didn’t see that error until parents protested: http://tiny.cc/p285d
How the American flag could ever be incendiary is beyond me, except when it is burned by America-haters, but District Superintendent Wesley Smith covered for the administrators of Live Oak High School by issuing a statement. It wasn’t an apology for administrative wrongdoing or ignorance but rather a policy clarification. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1669)
Whose country is this, anyway?
The passage of the Arizona illegal immigration bill may have been the greatest thing to happen in this country in years. It ignited firestorms on both sides of the issue, firestorms that have been burning more brightly on the anti-American, pro-illegal aliens side but that same light just may be awakening the sleeping giant that is the pro-America side.
In apparent reaction to the liberal fury over the Arizona law, students in the West and Southwest have been causing a nationwide commotion by daring to wear tee shirts emblazoned with the American flag and have been disciplined for doing so.
One California school district realized the error of its ways in suspending students for wearing “incendiary” emblems on their tees, namely representations of American flags, but didn’t see that error until parents protested: http://tiny.cc/p285d
How the American flag could ever be incendiary is beyond me, except when it is burned by America-haters, but District Superintendent Wesley Smith covered for the administrators of Live Oak High School by issuing a statement. It wasn’t an apology for administrative wrongdoing or ignorance but rather a policy clarification. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1669)
What's Wrong with These Pictures?
What's Wrong with These Pictures?
Racial segregation committed against white children: The black principal of Dicken Elementary School in Ann Arbor, Michigan had a wonderful idea for his school’s AA Lunch Bunch, a segregated, all-black group of students: He took them on a field trip to meet an African-American rocket scientist.
Upon returning to Dicken, Principal Mike Madison heard boos coming from the fifth graders who had been left behind. According to those students and their parents, Madison tore into the boo-ers, lecturing them on race issues and belittling a Muslim girl who complained about discrimination.
A district spokesman characterized the interplay with the other students as a “discussion” but admitted that Madison was “passionate about it.” In a letter to the community, the passionate principal admitted that “In hindsight, this field trip could have been approached and arranged in a better way:” http://tiny.cc/i2hbb . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1668)
Racial segregation committed against white children: The black principal of Dicken Elementary School in Ann Arbor, Michigan had a wonderful idea for his school’s AA Lunch Bunch, a segregated, all-black group of students: He took them on a field trip to meet an African-American rocket scientist.
Upon returning to Dicken, Principal Mike Madison heard boos coming from the fifth graders who had been left behind. According to those students and their parents, Madison tore into the boo-ers, lecturing them on race issues and belittling a Muslim girl who complained about discrimination.
A district spokesman characterized the interplay with the other students as a “discussion” but admitted that Madison was “passionate about it.” In a letter to the community, the passionate principal admitted that “In hindsight, this field trip could have been approached and arranged in a better way:” http://tiny.cc/i2hbb . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1668)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The National Day of Prayer Controversies
The National Day of Prayer Controversies
The National Day of prayer, established by federal statute in 1952 and fixed as the first Thursday in May in 1988, will go on as planned, although not without controversy.
One’s first inclination is to wonder how such an event could be controversial in any way since it permits all Americans to pray to any god they wish in whatever faith they wish or, if they wish, not to pray at all.
Nevertheless, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, cheered on by other atheist groups, filed suit in federal court to have the statute thrown out and a Wisconsin judge agreed with the plaintiff.
Judge Barbara Crabb ruled “that it violates the constitutional ban on government-backed religion,” http://tiny.cc/018r7, even though the government isn’t “backing” any religion with the non-denominational Day of Prayer.
The defendant, of all people, is President Barack Hussein Obama since he represents the federal government but Judge Crabb’s injunction will not take effect until all appeals are heard, meaning, I guess, that we won’t go to jail if we pray on May 6th.
Another cause of the controversy is the rumor that Obama had abolished the National Day of Prayer.
Whether Obama would like to or not, Snopes.com points out that what the president did was to refuse to host an ecumenical service in the White House, as George W. Bush had done, and instead issued a traditional presidential proclamation . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1666)
The National Day of prayer, established by federal statute in 1952 and fixed as the first Thursday in May in 1988, will go on as planned, although not without controversy.
One’s first inclination is to wonder how such an event could be controversial in any way since it permits all Americans to pray to any god they wish in whatever faith they wish or, if they wish, not to pray at all.
Nevertheless, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, cheered on by other atheist groups, filed suit in federal court to have the statute thrown out and a Wisconsin judge agreed with the plaintiff.
Judge Barbara Crabb ruled “that it violates the constitutional ban on government-backed religion,” http://tiny.cc/018r7, even though the government isn’t “backing” any religion with the non-denominational Day of Prayer.
The defendant, of all people, is President Barack Hussein Obama since he represents the federal government but Judge Crabb’s injunction will not take effect until all appeals are heard, meaning, I guess, that we won’t go to jail if we pray on May 6th.
Another cause of the controversy is the rumor that Obama had abolished the National Day of Prayer.
Whether Obama would like to or not, Snopes.com points out that what the president did was to refuse to host an ecumenical service in the White House, as George W. Bush had done, and instead issued a traditional presidential proclamation . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1666)
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
America's Schools in a Freefall into the Third World
America's Schools in a Freefall into the Third World
America’s public schools haven’t merely been falling behind. They’re in a freefall compared to other nations, including “developing” nations such as Slovakia, et al. which, almost literally, don’t have a pot to pee in but yet succeed in educating kids far better than we do.
Thing is, it’s not news simply because it’s been going on for a few generations now and, if anyone noticed, they haven’t said much about it and those who try to say much about it are derided as simpleton reactionaries.
The causes of the misedumacation going on in most schools today aren’t complex. They can easily be pinned on the National Education Association, the NEA, which says on its website that, “We’re Fighting for the Right to a Great Public School” when, in fact, it has been the major force behind diluting curriculum, undermining traditional values, endorsing and promoting liberal thought, and pushing diversity, all at the cost of abandoning the primary role of public schools, to provide a good, fundamental education. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1665)
America’s public schools haven’t merely been falling behind. They’re in a freefall compared to other nations, including “developing” nations such as Slovakia, et al. which, almost literally, don’t have a pot to pee in but yet succeed in educating kids far better than we do.
Thing is, it’s not news simply because it’s been going on for a few generations now and, if anyone noticed, they haven’t said much about it and those who try to say much about it are derided as simpleton reactionaries.
The causes of the misedumacation going on in most schools today aren’t complex. They can easily be pinned on the National Education Association, the NEA, which says on its website that, “We’re Fighting for the Right to a Great Public School” when, in fact, it has been the major force behind diluting curriculum, undermining traditional values, endorsing and promoting liberal thought, and pushing diversity, all at the cost of abandoning the primary role of public schools, to provide a good, fundamental education. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1665)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Connecting the Terror Dots
Connecting the Terror Dots
Dave Letterman has been getting a lot of mileage, and a lot of laughs, out of the Gulf oil disaster that killed 11 Americans and which is an environmental catastrophe. On Monday, he began milking the Times Square failed terrorist attack for all the yuks it was worth. On Tuesday, he linked the two, asking the rhetorical and inane question, Which is worse?
For Mr. Letterman’s edification, what happened to British Petroleum’s offshore oil rig was, apparently, a deadly accident. What happened Saturday in the crowded “Crossroads of the World” was just one more in a series of planned but fortunately foiled terror attacks on our homeland.
Neither should be a source of amusement even for Letterman.
What is also not amusing is the recent escalation of successful and unsuccessful Islamic terrorist attacks–there, I’ve said it, Mr. Obama!–on American soil, an escalation which should give pause to those who refuse to admit we’re in an undeclared war on terrorism, or that the United States is in imminent danger. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1664)
Dave Letterman has been getting a lot of mileage, and a lot of laughs, out of the Gulf oil disaster that killed 11 Americans and which is an environmental catastrophe. On Monday, he began milking the Times Square failed terrorist attack for all the yuks it was worth. On Tuesday, he linked the two, asking the rhetorical and inane question, Which is worse?
For Mr. Letterman’s edification, what happened to British Petroleum’s offshore oil rig was, apparently, a deadly accident. What happened Saturday in the crowded “Crossroads of the World” was just one more in a series of planned but fortunately foiled terror attacks on our homeland.
Neither should be a source of amusement even for Letterman.
What is also not amusing is the recent escalation of successful and unsuccessful Islamic terrorist attacks–there, I’ve said it, Mr. Obama!–on American soil, an escalation which should give pause to those who refuse to admit we’re in an undeclared war on terrorism, or that the United States is in imminent danger. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1664)
Abortion, the Bottom Line
Abortion, the Bottom Line
Much has been said and written about abortion rights, too much in fact.
The right of a woman and, as it has evolved, the right of a pubescent girl, to terminate a pregnancy was decided in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court in its landmark Roe V. Wade decision. It thereby became the law of the land. The matter was settled.
Well, not really. The case may have been settled, but the matter was far from settled. It hadn’t been settled any more than the decision of the Supreme Court in 1857, in the matter of Dred Scott v. Sandford, settled that particular matter. The Court then concluded that Dred Scott was a man “of inferior order” and hence should not be accorded the rights of citizenship.
Of course, today the Dred Scott Decision is regarded as odious, predicated on the sentiment of some at the time and a usurpation of the rights of another human being on the basis of his African heritage. It took a Civil War and a number of amendments to our Constitution to right that grievously wrong decision of the Supreme Court. Likewise, with Roe v. Wade, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1663)
Much has been said and written about abortion rights, too much in fact.
The right of a woman and, as it has evolved, the right of a pubescent girl, to terminate a pregnancy was decided in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court in its landmark Roe V. Wade decision. It thereby became the law of the land. The matter was settled.
Well, not really. The case may have been settled, but the matter was far from settled. It hadn’t been settled any more than the decision of the Supreme Court in 1857, in the matter of Dred Scott v. Sandford, settled that particular matter. The Court then concluded that Dred Scott was a man “of inferior order” and hence should not be accorded the rights of citizenship.
Of course, today the Dred Scott Decision is regarded as odious, predicated on the sentiment of some at the time and a usurpation of the rights of another human being on the basis of his African heritage. It took a Civil War and a number of amendments to our Constitution to right that grievously wrong decision of the Supreme Court. Likewise, with Roe v. Wade, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1663)
NHS Updates
NHS Updates
The UK’s National Health Service, the NHS, a model for and a forerunner of Obamacare, continues to fail and disappoint the British people just as Obamacare will fail and disappoint the American people once it is fully implemented in 2014:
“But the place is full of blokes!” “Sorry, dearie, it’s all we have to offer.”
Thirteen years after Britain’s Labour Party promised that mixed sex wards in NHS hospitals would be abolished, patients were forced to spend some 20,000 nights in mixed sex accommodations last year, many hospitals used only thin partitions to separate the sexes, and dozens used a curtain.
In 2009, there were 18,685 breaches of the rules and the number is growing rapidly.
In addition, 20% of NHS patients are forced to share washrooms and toilets with patients of the opposite sex and many are confined to hospitals which still feature “Victorian style” facilities, that is, men and women aren’t even kept in separate bays or have the benefits of flimsy separations for privacy.
It’s highly improbable that Queen Victoria had to share such undignified arrangements. If she had, she would certainly not be amused.
Meanwhile the conservatives and labourites quibble over which party is responsible for this offense to propriety in very proper England. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1662)
The UK’s National Health Service, the NHS, a model for and a forerunner of Obamacare, continues to fail and disappoint the British people just as Obamacare will fail and disappoint the American people once it is fully implemented in 2014:
“But the place is full of blokes!” “Sorry, dearie, it’s all we have to offer.”
Thirteen years after Britain’s Labour Party promised that mixed sex wards in NHS hospitals would be abolished, patients were forced to spend some 20,000 nights in mixed sex accommodations last year, many hospitals used only thin partitions to separate the sexes, and dozens used a curtain.
In 2009, there were 18,685 breaches of the rules and the number is growing rapidly.
In addition, 20% of NHS patients are forced to share washrooms and toilets with patients of the opposite sex and many are confined to hospitals which still feature “Victorian style” facilities, that is, men and women aren’t even kept in separate bays or have the benefits of flimsy separations for privacy.
It’s highly improbable that Queen Victoria had to share such undignified arrangements. If she had, she would certainly not be amused.
Meanwhile the conservatives and labourites quibble over which party is responsible for this offense to propriety in very proper England. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1662)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Words of Truth
Words of Truth
They may not go down in history as the equivalent of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” or JFK’s “Ask not what your country can do for you . . .” but a few recent public statements are notable if not as quotable.
Environmental activist and actor Harrison Ford came out with a good two-liner this past week in response to a question about his ownership of 7 aircraft and whether that fact was a contradiction of his green credentials.
Without batting an eye, he quipped that if any conservationists criticize him for his planes, “They’re quite right. I’ll start walking everywhere when they start walking everywhere.”
While conceding that general aviation does contribute to air pollution, he later added the obvious about his seven planes, “I only fly one of them at a time:” http://tiny.cc/c8vj7
Ford seems to be a rara avis, a Hollywood green with a sense of humor who can give as well as take. Calista should be very proud of him.
Far less entertaining is the revelation by retired Army chaplain Arthur Schultz . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1661)
They may not go down in history as the equivalent of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” or JFK’s “Ask not what your country can do for you . . .” but a few recent public statements are notable if not as quotable.
Environmental activist and actor Harrison Ford came out with a good two-liner this past week in response to a question about his ownership of 7 aircraft and whether that fact was a contradiction of his green credentials.
Without batting an eye, he quipped that if any conservationists criticize him for his planes, “They’re quite right. I’ll start walking everywhere when they start walking everywhere.”
While conceding that general aviation does contribute to air pollution, he later added the obvious about his seven planes, “I only fly one of them at a time:” http://tiny.cc/c8vj7
Ford seems to be a rara avis, a Hollywood green with a sense of humor who can give as well as take. Calista should be very proud of him.
Far less entertaining is the revelation by retired Army chaplain Arthur Schultz . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1661)
Mexicans in America: Tercera Parte: Criminal Activities
Mexicans in America: Criminal Elements
Yesterday’s installment of this re-published series focused on Aztlan, the mythical place; today’s Part Three deals with the criminals in that very real place, the United States.
Mexicans, El Salvadorans, Guatemalans, any Hispanics and, indeed, most people of any nationality are fundamentally good people. At least, that’s what I firmly believe.
I’ve also said that if I were in their positions of poverty and deprivation and if I had the opportunity to sneak into another country which happened to be rich by my standards, I probably would do it. If that were the only way I could provide for my family, as illegal as it may be, I’d give it a shot and risk arrest, deportation, and imprisonment, though imprisonment would be rare if I snuck into the United States.
Chances are, if I were apprehended for violating American immigration laws, I’d be fed a meal then packed off to my native country, enabling me to try, try, try again until I made it into the Land of the Gringos where I could earn some dollars to FedEx back home to be converted into pesos so that my wife and kids could eat and be a tad more comfortable.
Whether it would be via a restaurant job, a farm job, a factory job, I would consider myself, and my family, fortunate. I guess I’d pass at nannying, but who knows? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1658)
Yesterday’s installment of this re-published series focused on Aztlan, the mythical place; today’s Part Three deals with the criminals in that very real place, the United States.
Mexicans, El Salvadorans, Guatemalans, any Hispanics and, indeed, most people of any nationality are fundamentally good people. At least, that’s what I firmly believe.
I’ve also said that if I were in their positions of poverty and deprivation and if I had the opportunity to sneak into another country which happened to be rich by my standards, I probably would do it. If that were the only way I could provide for my family, as illegal as it may be, I’d give it a shot and risk arrest, deportation, and imprisonment, though imprisonment would be rare if I snuck into the United States.
Chances are, if I were apprehended for violating American immigration laws, I’d be fed a meal then packed off to my native country, enabling me to try, try, try again until I made it into the Land of the Gringos where I could earn some dollars to FedEx back home to be converted into pesos so that my wife and kids could eat and be a tad more comfortable.
Whether it would be via a restaurant job, a farm job, a factory job, I would consider myself, and my family, fortunate. I guess I’d pass at nannying, but who knows? . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1658)
The World According to Grant
The World According to Grant
The legendary radio talk show personality, Bob Grant, is a trip.
Quirky, abrasive, and occasionally downright rude to some of his callers, he’s as off-putting to his fans as he is to his multitude of liberal critics.
Now 81 years young, Grant, born Robert Ciro Gigante, has long been one of the most irascible, intemperate, and controversial–and popular and conservative–local talk show hosts in broadcast history. Still on the air after well over half a century, he now presides over “The Bob Grant Show” on WABC 770 (New York) Sundays from noon to 2 PM and writes weekly articles for “BobGrantOnline.com.”
Three of the those pieces recently caught my attention, specifically “GOP Needs to Unify,” (April 8th), “Obama: The Enemy Inside the Gate,” (April 21st) and “Illegals Add to Our Problems,” (April 27th).
“GOP Needs to Unify” posits the contrarian point of view–Grant’s specialty–that the Republican Party will not take over the Congress in the coming election primarily because it lacks unity among its members and leadership. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1660)
The legendary radio talk show personality, Bob Grant, is a trip.
Quirky, abrasive, and occasionally downright rude to some of his callers, he’s as off-putting to his fans as he is to his multitude of liberal critics.
Now 81 years young, Grant, born Robert Ciro Gigante, has long been one of the most irascible, intemperate, and controversial–and popular and conservative–local talk show hosts in broadcast history. Still on the air after well over half a century, he now presides over “The Bob Grant Show” on WABC 770 (New York) Sundays from noon to 2 PM and writes weekly articles for “BobGrantOnline.com.”
Three of the those pieces recently caught my attention, specifically “GOP Needs to Unify,” (April 8th), “Obama: The Enemy Inside the Gate,” (April 21st) and “Illegals Add to Our Problems,” (April 27th).
“GOP Needs to Unify” posits the contrarian point of view–Grant’s specialty–that the Republican Party will not take over the Congress in the coming election primarily because it lacks unity among its members and leadership. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1660)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
"A Nation of Immigrants"
"A Nation of Immigrants"
We all know the devil can cite scripture for his purpose and that words can be twisted out of all proportion from their original meaning and intent.
Such is the case with the term “a nation of immigrants” which has become a catch phrase of the illegal immigration, illegal migration, undocumented workers now demonstrating nationwide for reform of America’s immigration laws.
Aside from those “nations” which don’t deserve that designation by virtue of having no defined borders or no interest in or capability of defending their borders, the United States of America has some of the less stringent immigration laws on the planet.
Post 9/11 and much too late, we tightened up visa, immigration, and citizenship policies but it’s worth noting that all of that tightening relates to legal immigrants, those willing to wait on line, be patient, pay the relevant fees and hope for admission into our great land. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1659)
We all know the devil can cite scripture for his purpose and that words can be twisted out of all proportion from their original meaning and intent.
Such is the case with the term “a nation of immigrants” which has become a catch phrase of the illegal immigration, illegal migration, undocumented workers now demonstrating nationwide for reform of America’s immigration laws.
Aside from those “nations” which don’t deserve that designation by virtue of having no defined borders or no interest in or capability of defending their borders, the United States of America has some of the less stringent immigration laws on the planet.
Post 9/11 and much too late, we tightened up visa, immigration, and citizenship policies but it’s worth noting that all of that tightening relates to legal immigrants, those willing to wait on line, be patient, pay the relevant fees and hope for admission into our great land. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1659)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Mexicans in America: Segunda Parte--MEChA
Mexicans in America: Segunda Parte--MEChA
Yesterday’s first installment of this re-published series focused on Aztlan, the mythical place; today’s Part Two deals with the movement called MEChA.
I’ve personally seen illegals in action and I can say that Mexicans, and most other Latinos, are damned hard workers.
Whether they arrived via wading across the Rio Grande or by running across the Sonoran or Chihuahuan Deserts, by being trucked in, or by any other means, their entrance onto our shores was not an easy one, in most cases. From the southwest they then migrated north and east and west and take jobs that Americans, we are told, don’t want, from farm laborers, to factory workers, to restaurant workers, even nannies.
If I were in their positions in their home countries, immersed in poverty and politically corrupt regimes, their families barely eking out existences in fetid cities and on dismal farms, I would probably do the same, that is, illegally enter that rich nation of the gringos, work hard, live meagerly, and ship bundles of American dollars back home to help keep their loved ones alive. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1657)
Yesterday’s first installment of this re-published series focused on Aztlan, the mythical place; today’s Part Two deals with the movement called MEChA.
I’ve personally seen illegals in action and I can say that Mexicans, and most other Latinos, are damned hard workers.
Whether they arrived via wading across the Rio Grande or by running across the Sonoran or Chihuahuan Deserts, by being trucked in, or by any other means, their entrance onto our shores was not an easy one, in most cases. From the southwest they then migrated north and east and west and take jobs that Americans, we are told, don’t want, from farm laborers, to factory workers, to restaurant workers, even nannies.
If I were in their positions in their home countries, immersed in poverty and politically corrupt regimes, their families barely eking out existences in fetid cities and on dismal farms, I would probably do the same, that is, illegally enter that rich nation of the gringos, work hard, live meagerly, and ship bundles of American dollars back home to help keep their loved ones alive. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1657)
Mexicans in America: Primera Parte--Aztlan
Mexicans in America: Primera Parte--Aztlan
. . . “MEChA, an acronym for the separatist Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or the Student Movement for Aztlan, has chapters in ninety-percent of California’s high schools and colleges. Their stated goal is to re-claim America’s Southwest and other areas for Mexico and to re-establish the kingdom of Aztlan, the mythical place of origin of the Aztecs, “after they emerged from the bowels of the Earth through seven caves.” (Quoted from Aztlan.net. That MEChAn website indicates it is “published in Los Angeles, California USA (Aztlan).” Incidentally, the national symbol for MEChA is a fierce eagle wielding a machete and a stick of dynamite.”
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1656)
. . . “MEChA, an acronym for the separatist Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or the Student Movement for Aztlan, has chapters in ninety-percent of California’s high schools and colleges. Their stated goal is to re-claim America’s Southwest and other areas for Mexico and to re-establish the kingdom of Aztlan, the mythical place of origin of the Aztecs, “after they emerged from the bowels of the Earth through seven caves.” (Quoted from Aztlan.net. That MEChAn website indicates it is “published in Los Angeles, California USA (Aztlan).” Incidentally, the national symbol for MEChA is a fierce eagle wielding a machete and a stick of dynamite.”
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1656)
Religious Teapot Tempest
Religious Teapot Tempest
Oh, great someone or something way up there high in the sky we ask your blessings. Amen.
That wasn’t precisely the prayer dictated by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2008. In fact, no prayer was dictated but the tradition of permitting Virginia State Police chaplains to invoke the name of Jesus Christ was ended in favor of a non-denominational “prayer,” if it could be called a prayer, to be offered at all official police functions.
Favored by then-governor Tim Kaine (D), the new rule effectively ended a policy in place since the founding of the volunteer police chaplains organization in 1979. The old rule was just re-instituted by Republican Governor Bob McDonnell.
The new governor said through a spokesman that, “The Governor does not believe the state should tell chaplains of any faith how to pray,” adding, “The Governor believes that longstanding bipartisan policy is the appropriate one. This policy puts the State Police chaplains in the same position as those in the United States Military, Virginia National Guard and other law enforcement agencies:” http://bit.ly/aS4Rsc
Case closed? Hardly. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1654)
Oh, great someone or something way up there high in the sky we ask your blessings. Amen.
That wasn’t precisely the prayer dictated by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2008. In fact, no prayer was dictated but the tradition of permitting Virginia State Police chaplains to invoke the name of Jesus Christ was ended in favor of a non-denominational “prayer,” if it could be called a prayer, to be offered at all official police functions.
Favored by then-governor Tim Kaine (D), the new rule effectively ended a policy in place since the founding of the volunteer police chaplains organization in 1979. The old rule was just re-instituted by Republican Governor Bob McDonnell.
The new governor said through a spokesman that, “The Governor does not believe the state should tell chaplains of any faith how to pray,” adding, “The Governor believes that longstanding bipartisan policy is the appropriate one. This policy puts the State Police chaplains in the same position as those in the United States Military, Virginia National Guard and other law enforcement agencies:” http://bit.ly/aS4Rsc
Case closed? Hardly. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1654)
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