You may be following the story of young Daniel Hauser. He's the 14 year old boy, diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, that went missing with his mother last week.
They ran to escape a court order mandating that he begin chemotherapy. His family objects to the procedure for religious reasons.
I would certainly make a different decision if it were my child. And a part of me is glad Daniel will now be getting the life saving treatments.
But I'm flabbergasted at the court's intrusion.
I imagine some of you reading this post agree with the judge's decision to issue the court order, overriding the wishes of Daniel's parents. After all, doctors say he'll die without the treatments. Surely any religious belief that causes parents to risk their child's life is irrational. Right?
But I think there is a higher principle at stake. Perhaps a couple. Religious freedom and parental rights.
How long will it be until a judge somewhere rules one of your religious practices to be irrational?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Frog in the water
We all know the metaphor. A frog put in a pot of boiling water would jump right out. But a frog put in comfortable water will enjoy his jacuzzi while the heat is increased and the frog boils to death.
We have enjoyed the nice warm bath of freedom and free enterprise most of our lives. For those that have not noticed yet THE WATER IS GETTING HOT!
Our great-grandparents would have wretched at the idea of entrusting the government with the education of our youth.
Our grandparents would never have believed our parents would be dependent on the government for their healthcare in their senior years.
Our parents would not have believed their children would witness the nationalization of the banking and automobile industries. Or the use of every aspect of the tax codes to redistribute wealth from producers to non-producers. Or the diminishing of quality of life for 'global climate change' that may or may not be happening, may or may not be our fault, may or may not be bad, and may or may not be reversible. Or the degredation of our strength and position in the world at perhaps its most dangerous time in history.
What of freedom will be left for our children?
We have enjoyed the nice warm bath of freedom and free enterprise most of our lives. For those that have not noticed yet THE WATER IS GETTING HOT!
Our great-grandparents would have wretched at the idea of entrusting the government with the education of our youth.
Our grandparents would never have believed our parents would be dependent on the government for their healthcare in their senior years.
Our parents would not have believed their children would witness the nationalization of the banking and automobile industries. Or the use of every aspect of the tax codes to redistribute wealth from producers to non-producers. Or the diminishing of quality of life for 'global climate change' that may or may not be happening, may or may not be our fault, may or may not be bad, and may or may not be reversible. Or the degredation of our strength and position in the world at perhaps its most dangerous time in history.
What of freedom will be left for our children?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Barrack Corleone?
As a case in point of my previous post, "Shock and Awe", here are 3 items that have hit the news cycle in just the last 24 hours.
1. Chrysler executives, in the midst of bankruptcy and facing the poor public relations that generally accompany it, decided to spend $134 million in advertising over the next 9 weeks. But the federal Auto Task Force, chaired by President Obama, (who incidentally has never run a business and held only one private sector job) concluded that was too much and will allow Chrysler to spend only $67 million. That's right, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT is making executive decisions for a a major corporation in the private sector. Apparently only tax dollars are suitable for squander.
2. President Obama is personally speaking with the credit card industry and "urging" them to make specific changes that he has outlined to their practices. He wants them instituted by Memorial Day.
3. Administration officials have proposed controls and caps on salaries paid to banking industry officials. Even those that have not received any money from the government.
Obama must be making them "offers they can't refuse".
It reminds me of a famous poem that I have slightly revised here:
They first came for the schools,
I didn't speak up because it was convenient.
Then they came for the wealthy,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't wealthy.
Then they came for big corporations,
I didn't speak up because I wasn't an executive,
Then they came for the gun owners,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a gun owner.
Then they came for our religious heritage,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't religious.
Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
1. Chrysler executives, in the midst of bankruptcy and facing the poor public relations that generally accompany it, decided to spend $134 million in advertising over the next 9 weeks. But the federal Auto Task Force, chaired by President Obama, (who incidentally has never run a business and held only one private sector job) concluded that was too much and will allow Chrysler to spend only $67 million. That's right, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT is making executive decisions for a a major corporation in the private sector. Apparently only tax dollars are suitable for squander.
2. President Obama is personally speaking with the credit card industry and "urging" them to make specific changes that he has outlined to their practices. He wants them instituted by Memorial Day.
3. Administration officials have proposed controls and caps on salaries paid to banking industry officials. Even those that have not received any money from the government.
Obama must be making them "offers they can't refuse".
It reminds me of a famous poem that I have slightly revised here:
They first came for the schools,
I didn't speak up because it was convenient.
Then they came for the wealthy,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't wealthy.
Then they came for big corporations,
I didn't speak up because I wasn't an executive,
Then they came for the gun owners,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a gun owner.
Then they came for our religious heritage,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't religious.
Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Shock and Awe!
We were first introduced to the phrase "Shock and Awe" at the beginning of the war in Iraq. It described the strategy of our military forces. We would go in with such overwhelming power that the enemy would be stunned and unable to effectively respond. It would seem that Pres. Obama has adopted a similar strategy.
Last year Obama ran for the presidency presenting himself as a centrist. I always knew he is very liberal, perhaps even crossing the line into Socialist. My anticipation was that after the election he would gradually reveal his liberalism through his proposals.
I was not prepared for the onslaught we are witnessing. Obama has revealed as much of himself in just over 100 days in office as I thought would take him 3 years. Perhaps he is emboldened by the Democrat majorities in the House and Senate, and in the press. I think it may be his own "Shock and Awe" strategy.
Moderates and conservatives are finding it difficult to know where to engage. The ideas for tax hikes, government take-over of industry, weakened foreign policy, 'stimulus', bailouts, regulation, global warming, etc., are coming at us too fast and furious. Don't think that Janet Napolitano's warning that anyone to the right of Karl Marx is an "extremist" and potential domestic terrorist isn't part of this strategy. They are attempting to disarm the enemy. (That's us.) Many average citizens have simply surrendered, believing they can't make a difference. This explains why I've not been posting here. I withdrew into my shell.
I believe there is a time coming when it will have gone too far and the citizens will say "enough". I hope it will happen before it's too late to save our republic.
Last year Obama ran for the presidency presenting himself as a centrist. I always knew he is very liberal, perhaps even crossing the line into Socialist. My anticipation was that after the election he would gradually reveal his liberalism through his proposals.
I was not prepared for the onslaught we are witnessing. Obama has revealed as much of himself in just over 100 days in office as I thought would take him 3 years. Perhaps he is emboldened by the Democrat majorities in the House and Senate, and in the press. I think it may be his own "Shock and Awe" strategy.
Moderates and conservatives are finding it difficult to know where to engage. The ideas for tax hikes, government take-over of industry, weakened foreign policy, 'stimulus', bailouts, regulation, global warming, etc., are coming at us too fast and furious. Don't think that Janet Napolitano's warning that anyone to the right of Karl Marx is an "extremist" and potential domestic terrorist isn't part of this strategy. They are attempting to disarm the enemy. (That's us.) Many average citizens have simply surrendered, believing they can't make a difference. This explains why I've not been posting here. I withdrew into my shell.
I believe there is a time coming when it will have gone too far and the citizens will say "enough". I hope it will happen before it's too late to save our republic.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
No experience required.
President-elect Obama has selected Leon Panetta to be CIA director. While Mr. Panetta is a very smart man, and by all accounts a very good one, he has no experience in Intelligence. There are many cabinet posts that simply call for men or women of good caliber and leadership abilities without necessitating any specific expertise. But the Intelligence department is one that calls for a professional with knowledge of the industry.
You wouldn't select a non-doctor to be Surgeon General or a non-lawyer to be Attorney General. Likewise CIA director is not the place for a purely political appointment.
You wouldn't select a non-doctor to be Surgeon General or a non-lawyer to be Attorney General. Likewise CIA director is not the place for a purely political appointment.
Nation's biggest Ponzi scheme ever???
By now you are certainly aware of the swindler Bernard Madoff. He has confessed to operating a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi scheme is defined as follows:
When the organizers of the scheme use the assets of new investors to make profit payments to the old investors. The scheme typically has no other source of revenue other than from the new investors. Ponzi schemes, often called pyramid schemes, progress geometrically until they reach the point that the operators cannot find enough recruits (victims) to continue the payout.
Some in the press have described Madoff's crime as the the biggest Ponzi scheme in American history. I suggest they make themselves familiar with our Social Security system.
To be fair, there are some differences. Madoff tricked investors into voluntarily participating, and was actually using their money rather than investing it. For this he will certainly go to prison for the rest of his life.
Our government mandates that we participate, like it or not, and "invests" it into their own deficit spending. For this they are repeatedly reelected.
The differences are clear as mud.
When the organizers of the scheme use the assets of new investors to make profit payments to the old investors. The scheme typically has no other source of revenue other than from the new investors. Ponzi schemes, often called pyramid schemes, progress geometrically until they reach the point that the operators cannot find enough recruits (victims) to continue the payout.
Some in the press have described Madoff's crime as the the biggest Ponzi scheme in American history. I suggest they make themselves familiar with our Social Security system.
To be fair, there are some differences. Madoff tricked investors into voluntarily participating, and was actually using their money rather than investing it. For this he will certainly go to prison for the rest of his life.
Our government mandates that we participate, like it or not, and "invests" it into their own deficit spending. For this they are repeatedly reelected.
The differences are clear as mud.
Apocalypse Now- quick hit
Can there be any doubt that Al Franken being elected to the U.S. Senate is a sign of the Apocalypse? Thanks a lot Minnesota!
There is a silver lining. It is a testament to the American Dream that the nation's worst comedian, then the nation's worst radio personality, has the opportunity to become the nation's worst politician.
There is a silver lining. It is a testament to the American Dream that the nation's worst comedian, then the nation's worst radio personality, has the opportunity to become the nation's worst politician.
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