Games We Played
July 10th, 2009
by Larry Ennis
I spend a great deal of time reliving my youth. Mostly wishing I could go back. Sure, there were things I’d change if offered the opportunity. One thing’s for sure, I’d have damn sure stashed back more money and in safer places.
Marbles; it was marbles that got me thinking about bygone days. The marble games on the west coast and in the south were pretty much the same.
I wasn’t just good, I was very good — but my brother Lowell was awesome. He could clean out a marble circle like Minnesota Fats could clear a pool table. Right thumb nail had a hole it from wear caused by shooting marbles. Got to where no one wanted to play against him. The other kids nicknamed little brother “The Hook” because of his right index finger, which had been injured and healed crooked.
Written by Guest Author
Tags: games, kids
Posted in History, Life | Comments (1) | Home
Obama and Sarkozy Leching
July 10th, 2009
This photo has already been published everywhere. But I just couldn’t resist!
Written by Tom
Tags: girl, Obama, Sarkozy
Posted in Life, Politics | Comments (4) | Home
Paglia on Palin, Hate Crimes
July 9th, 2009
Camille Paglia answers questions submitted by readers in her monthly column at Slate.com. The questions and answers are on Sarah Palin, loose comments on assassinations of and attacks on political figures, President Obama’s apparent attitude toward women’s rights, the power and limits of language, hate crimes legislation, perceptions of art as pornography, and commentary on several issues related to the arts. Finally, if you’re of a Puritan bent, don’t read the last page — you were warned!
If you’re not already a reader of Paglia’s columns, give it a try. Her only online presence is the column at Slate.com, and it appears only once a month, on the second Wednesday.
Here are excerpts of Paglia’s response to a reader who asked if she thinks “Sarah Palin is ready for the big stage:”
Written by Tom
Tags: hate crimes, Paglia, Palin
Posted in Media, Politics | Comments (1) | Home
Feed Me! Heal Me!
July 8th, 2009
Browsing through the comments section of an MSNBC article titled Congress: The centrist threat?, the subject of government-run health care came up. Many people displayed that “feed me,” “heal me,” “take care of me” attitude that shows how little they respect themselves and how little they care about the people who actually pay for their food, health care, and whatever else. But just about as many expressed their discontent with the prospect of even more “nannycare.” In my view, the following comment by Mr. Charles Morrison of Atlanta, GA provides the most compelling argument against the prospect of our government controlling the health care system:
Written by Harvey
Tags: medicine, nationalized healthcare, Obama
Posted in Life, News, Politics | Comments (9) | Home
Will Obama Betray Israel?
July 7th, 2009
Jeff Robbins wrote an interesting review and commentary on a new book at The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal. Robbins’ comments are particularly relevant at a time when the Obama Administration, Democrats in general, and most of the media are taking a studied know-nothing approach to policy regarding Israel and problems in the Middle East.
Despite decades of history and abundant facts, they insist that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are the primary obstacle to resolving Israel-Palestinian problems and achieving the nirvana of a two-state solution. But the true obstacle to peace in the Middle East lies elsewhere, as Robbins illustrates:
And just last week, despite yet more stories in the western media that Hamas was at last “moderating” its position on Israel, Hamas informed former President Carter, whose credulousness on the conflict is a source of some wonderment, that as it had previously made clear, it would never recognize Israel’s right to exist under any circumstances.
Written by Tom
Tags: Israel, Obama, Palestine, peace process
Posted in History, Politics | Comments (6) | Home
Free Speech and Flag Burning
July 5th, 2009
Eugene Volokh stated in an article on July 3:
Congress is once again considering a constitutional amendment to ban the desecration of the American flag. The proposal, introduced this spring in the Senate by David Vitter (R., La.), and cosponsored by 20 other Republicans and Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, probably won’t get enough votes. Yet even if it doesn’t, one longstanding misunderstanding about the First Amendment is likely to live on. …
From the late 1700s on, American law has recognized symbolic expression and verbal expression as legally and constitutionally equivalent. “Speech” and “press” in the First Amendment don’t just apply to words or printed materials. The First Amendment protects symbols, paintings, handwriting and, yes, flag burning.
It’s always been clear that the First Amendment protects all manner of speech and expression, to include symbolic expression. In fact, if that were not the accepted view, a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning would not be necessary.
Written by Tom
Tags: flag burning, freedom of speech
Posted in News, Politics | Comments (7) | Home
Al Franken, Filibuster Buster
July 5th, 2009
Now that the Minnesota Supreme Court has resolved the Franken-Coleman election dispute, Al Franken will take his seat as the junior Senator from Minnesota, presumably during the coming week.
There’s a lot of talk about the Democrats having a filibuster-proof 60-vote supermajority with Franken in the Senate. The fact is, it’s a pretty shaky supermajority.
Of the 60 senators in the Senate Democratic Caucus, Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Joe Lieberman are both independents, and Lieberman in particular often doesn’t follow the party line. Newly-minted Democrat Arlen Specter will go where his conscience takes him. Senator Robert Byrd and Senator Ted Kennedy are both ill and frequently miss votes.
Written by Tom
Tags: Franken, Obama, Senate
Posted in News, Politics | Comments (1) | Home
Who Was Jackie Parr?
July 4th, 2009
by Larry Ennis
The Fourth of July is a special “Americans only” holiday. For some reason I always think of Jackie Parr.
Never knew or met him. He was older than me but still his mom and dad’s baby. I attended his funeral.
Jackie was killed in action just as World War Two was winding down. If he had made it another three months he would have been twenty years old.
Jackie’s funeral was the first military funeral I’d ever attended. The burial of a warrior is a solemn affair. I suppose different people leave these types of funerals with different impressions.
Written by Guest Author
Tags: fourth of july, funeral, soldier
Posted in Life, Military | Comments (1) | Home
Thoughts on Honduras
July 4th, 2009
All of the facts that can be gleaned through the news media indicate that the OAS (Organization of American States) is acting irresponsibly. They have called the ousting of former Honduran President Zelaya a “military coup” when the facts clearly indicate that the Honduran Supreme Court ordered the military to remove Zelaya after he insisted on pushing for a referendum that could have removed the current one-term limit for the presidency and allowed him to run for re-election.
Excerpts from a BBC background article on the situation in Honduras:
Written by Harvey
Tags: Honduras, OAS, Zelaya
Posted in News, Politics | Comments (1) | Home
The Content of Their Character
July 3rd, 2009
I wrote in Sotomayor Decision Overturned that the Supreme Court’s Ricci v. DeStefano decision should have nothing to do with the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. My reason was that the voters elected President Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress, and they should get the nominees they select, barring any major disqualifications that might emerge. That’s the way the system is supposed to work.
Aside from the Sotomayor context, reading and thinking more about the decision itself I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s more important than even the justices themselves seem to think.
The city of New Haven, CT gave a promotion test to firefighters for advancement to command positions. The process was carefully designed to be neutral in terms of race and ethnicity. For example, nine three-member exam panels were used, each panel including one white, one Hispanic, and one African-American. Minorities were also over-sampled in developing the questions that were asked.
Written by Tom
Tags: affirmative action, Ricci v. DeStefano
Posted in History, Politics | Comments (3) | Home
More Government Control
July 2nd, 2009
Do you like the idea of a bank that works for you, one that can create specialized financial products that suit your needs? Well, your president says ‘fugetaboutit’! Under Obama’s newly-proposed Federal Consumer Protection Agency, banks will no longer be in business to meet meet your individual needs. They will be under strict control of the federal government and will be directed to only meet the needs of Americans who know the least about financial matters.
Why this drastic measure? Well, the government thinks that most people may be too dumb to know when they can or can’t afford something and too dumb to be able to make individual decisions about their finances. They may be right — most people were dumb enough to elect a president who made it very clear during his campaign that individuals are much less important than the masses.
Written by Harvey
Tags: banking, Consumer Protection Agency, Obama
Posted in Economics, Politics | Comments (13) | Home
California: What a Mess!
July 1st, 2009
The California legislature has not found a way to balance the state’s budget by today (July 1st, the beginning of a new fiscal year), so everyone who receives money from the state — state employees, contractors, welfare recipients, etc. — will receive IOUs in their pay envelopes instead of money. Why? Because the California Constitution requires (demands) a balanced budget.
Why the state budget got out of whack is explained very well by Associated Press Writer Eric Carvin in an article published in the Southern Ledger titled: Meltdown 101: California’s budgetary troubles.
Mr. Carvin explains that one thing that got California in trouble in the first place was:
Lawmakers and voters have agreed to higher levels of spending over the years without identifying a dedicated funding source. Over time, that means the state’s general fund has had more obligations than it can afford to pay.
Written by Harvey
Tags: budget, California, Obama, Schwarzenegger
Posted in Economics, News, Politics | Comments (4) | Home
Uncle Jerry the Train Robber
July 1st, 2009
by Larry Ennis
I’m a story teller. I try to tell about the past as it was during my childhood.
So, once again I’ll attempt to let you go back in time just a tad. Have a good trip.
As a kid most of my summer evenings, especially those on the weekends, I’d like to sit on the front porch with the adults and listen to their conversations. The old people in particular were the ones I enjoyed the most. Never crossed my mind that the time would come when I’d feel a need to remember those long-ago, warm, honeysuckle-laden evenings.
On some evenings the old folks would invite me to add my opinions to their conversations. Being recognized and called upon by your elders was an honor not taken lightly.
Written by Guest Author
Tags: train robber
Posted in History, Life | Comments (2) | Home
Global Warming Kerfuffle
June 30th, 2009
This from a Fox News report:
A top Republican senator has ordered an investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency’s alleged suppression of a report that questioned the science behind global warming.
The 98-page report, co-authored by EPA analyst Alan Carlin, pushed back on the prospect of regulating gases like carbon dioxide as a way to reduce global warming. Carlin’s report argued that the information the EPA was using was out of date, and that even as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, global temperatures have declined. …
An EPA official told FOXNews.com on Monday that Carlin, who is an economist — not a scientist — included “no original research” in his report. The official said that Carlin “has not been muzzled in the agency at all,” but stressed that his report was entirely “unsolicited.”
Written by Tom
Tags: climate, energy, global warming
Posted in News, Politics | Comments (5) | Home
Political Confusion in Honduras
June 30th, 2009
The situation in Honduras is confused. The elected president, Mel Zelaya, has been removed from office and exiled to Costa Rica. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton see this as a straightforward military coup and demand that Zelaya be restored to office. Others look at the details of what happened and see a popular democratic movement. Not surprisingly, there’s a left-right divide in American views on the subject.
Zelaya, elected in 2005, originally appeared to be right-of-center. Then he fell under the sway of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and began to change. Recently he attempted to emulate Chavez by changing the constitution of Honduras to permit himself to serve more than one four-year term as president. However, the process he undertook was judged to be unconstitutional by the Honduran attorney general, Congress, and Supreme Court, which ordered the military not to facilitate the referendum Zelaya sought. With the assistance and support of Chavez, Zelaya then attempted to carry out the referendum on his own. Finally, the military arrested Zelaya and removed him from office.
Written by Tom
Tags: Chavez, Clinton, Honduras, Obama, Zelaya
Posted in Military, News, Politics | Comments (2) | Home
Camp Cho-Yeh
June 29th, 2009
On June 23 all the young women at my church got to go to Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston, Texas. My cabin was Cabin 11. I got to be in the same cabin as my friend, Clara.
I am an inside person. I’d rather be inside reading a book than playing outside. So this was a big change for me. Especially when it was 105 degrees outside! I also never spend the night at anyone’s house. My mom has to really know the parents first. So I’m never away from home, and being away from my family for four days was kind of hard.
I had to stick up for my friend lots of times because the other girls in our cabin would be mean to her. The other girls in my cabin were Autumn, Gabby, Mary, and Sarah.
Written by Amber
Tags: summer camp
Posted in Life | Comments (5) | Home
Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years
June 29th, 2009
According to a New York Times report, Bernie Madoff has just been sentenced to 150 years in prison. The judge who sentenced him called his crimes “extraordinarily evil.”
I guess we can all rest better tonight. Madoff’s victims won’t receive much compensation for their losses; however, we can take heart from the fact that we’ll pay his room, board, and other expenses for the rest of his short life. At least he won’t be out on the streets, mugging us, shooting us, or taking our money in fraudulent investment schemes. But wait — that wouldn’t have happened anyway.
I suspect the sentence means very little to Madoff. He’s a ruined, broken old man who is reviled around the world. What more could have been done to him that would have made any difference, for him or for us?
Written by Tom
Tags: Madoff, prison, sentence
Posted in News, Politics | Comments (0) | Home
Sotomayor Decision Overturned
June 29th, 2009
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today on Ricci v. DeStefano, an appeal of a decision of a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Sonia Sotomayor, now a Supreme Court nominee, was a member of the three-judge panel and joined in the decision that has now been overturned. As reported,
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.
New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities. …
“Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer’s reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions,” Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his opinion for the court.
Written by Tom
Tags: law, Ricci v. DeStefano, Sotomayor, Supreme Court
Posted in News, Politics | Comments (0) | Home
Addiction to Money
June 29th, 2009
Politicians are addicted to money. That’s unavoidable, it would seem, given the large amounts of money needed to win and keep their places at the center of power and influence. The insurance and health care industries are smart about where they spread their political money, and that’s going to impact on how health care reform is structured and even whether it happens at all.
There isn’t anything new about the pernicious influence of money in politics, particularly in the U.S. Congress. What is new is the scale. Passing trillions of dollars in spending without reading the legislation, loading bills with irrelevant and sometimes ludicrous earmarks, no sense of priorities as they diddle with trivia while ignoring important issues — dig deep enough, and in almost every case you find campaign money.
Can every politician be bought with contributions, in cash or in kind (such as flying on luxury corporate jets)? No, of course not. But even most of those who aren’t bought outright are still responsive to their contributors.
Written by Tom
Tags: campaign contributions, Congress
Posted in Economics, Politics | Comments (3) | Home
The Secret of Prosperity
June 28th, 2009
Why has America been so extraordinarily successful, politically and economically?
The political answer is easy — freedom and strenuously defended individual rights. Americans sometimes fall prey to pathological navel-gazing, so closely focused on the cracks and flaws in our system that they can see nothing more. All it takes is to look up to the horizon and examine the political systems of all other countries. In terms of freedom and rights, a mere handful can compare to America; all the rest range from deficient but acceptable to downright abysmal.
But what about our unmatched and evidently unmatchable economic prosperity? Individual freedom and rights are obviously a factor. More important, though, is the political, cultural, and financial atmosphere that encourages and rewards invention, innovation, and creativity. It’s hard to define precisely, but the proof is in the many brilliant people who have flowered in America either as immigrants of choice or refugees.
Written by Tom
Tags: creativity, economy, prosperity
Posted in Economics, Politics | Comments (8) | Home
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