BS Health Care Bill by Any Other Name is Still Crap

The exuberant glee  in the House after Pelosi and company labored into the night to pass their abominable H.R. 3962 health care bill reminds me of the pride a potty-trainee feels upon the inaugural delivery of serious business into the toilet.

Pelosi crowed:

"I . . . received a call from the President of the United States, Barack Obama, congratulating us on a great victory for the American people. I thank the President for his tremendous leadership because without President Obama in the White House, this victory would not have been possible. . . . we are very, very proud -- proud of our success, proud of the Members of Congress who took a very, very intense interest in the legislation -- they know what we have accomplished for the American people."

 

A stunningly questionable accomplishment to be sure since it fails to address tort reform one of the main contributors to the real problems in the United States health care system.

The biggest bone of contention during the Saturday Night live edition of the House was discussion of whether the bill would fund abortion or not. After some closed door negotiation it was included along with the public option and death panels that so many supporters vigorously denied. As it stands this bill will undoubtedly cost jobs, increase already-confiscatory taxes, and will raise rates of the insurance companies this administration consistently demonizes.

The inaccurately named "Affordable Health Care for America Act" will supposedly be funded in part by the elimination of Medicare waste but I don't have much confidence that will happen. There is nothing affordable about this bloated bill and Pelosi and crew will never be able to deny that they "own" this massive $1.1 trillion, nearly 2000-page piece of legislation.

In his congratulatory remarks after the passage of HR the president touted the victory despite "misleading rhetoric surrounding Health Care" but the only misleading was done by the those supporting this bill at any expense.

With the stunning victories in New Jersey and Virginia last week, the silent majority is increasingly finding its  voice. I look forward to the 2010 and 2012 elections when the rad lib Democrats will be swept out of office much like the proud toddler amusedly bids farewell to his "achievement" as it circles the drain before it is flushed away.

Time for the power-crazed majority in the House and Senate to get ready to put on their big boy pants and either come to their senses or face the election results.

These Are a Few of My Favorite TWEETS

03/20/10  O CARE will not only ROB OUR PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS by CUTS in MEDICARE but our CHILDREN & GRANDCHILDREN mortgaging thr FUTURE!!

DESPICABLE! I hope NEVER to know what it feels like to SELL ONE'S SOUL the way Kucinich just did on HC. God help us all.

SERIOUSLY, where does PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY figure in O's INSANE push for National FED RUN HC? We must RESIST the appeal of NANNY STATE!

DEMs that vote for egregious GOV takeover of HC harbor certain death wish with politically deadly dose of unvarnished ARROGANCE.

Praying STUPAK stands strong FOR LIFE and not allow OUR MONEY to pay for SLAUGHTER of innocent unborn and VICTIMIZATION of their mothers.

There is simply NO WAY that self-proclaimed PRO-LIFE DEMS can JUSTIFY their vote for HC BILL. They are pro-life in name only.

THERE WILL BE political BLOOD (figuratively) in NOV if DEMs HIJACK our FREEDOM by forcing HC Bill FORCING us to BUY HC!

02/26/10  Scandal-ridden NY GOV Paterson finally decides NOT TO RUN for RE-ELECTION! http://bit.ly/9r6d2o Now he needs to RESIGN! We deserve better.

O's Union Payback: SEIU's Andy Stern named to O's Deficit Commission http://bit.ly/ajOYKN When will the insanity end?

Just saw PRO-TAX INCREASE union & GPV Paterson-backed ad on TV. Pushing for the SODA TAX here in NY. http://bit.ly/9WvXdp Are they INSANE??

02/25/10  Arrogant O to McCain at HC Summit: "John, let me be clear: the campaign is over!" Disrespectful and arrogant. I have ZERO respect for him

Ethics panel says Rangel broke House rules http://bit.ly/bxEfaT He knowingly accepted Caribbean trips from a corporation.

Boehner is right on at #HCR Summit: Mr President, the people want us to SCRAP the entitlement bill that will bankrupt the country.

Paul Ryan:HC bill filled with smoke and mirrors gimmicks and questions COST that CBO can't rate since they don't have enough details. #HCR

Guess who said this . . .again: "because I am the President" Unappealling, unattractive, unabashed arrogance. And it aint pretty

Arrogant O & DEMS lectured GOP at HC Summit out-bloviating them 2-1 in speaking time. Bipartisanship display? I think NOT!

O extremely condescending to Lamar Alexander. Not sure what benefit this show is to Dems. They look arrogant, stubborn and ignorant.

Paul Ryan:HC bill filled with smoke and mirrors gimmicks and questions COST that CBO can't rate since they don't have enough details. #HCR

02/24/10  MAYO CLINIC: The HEART is beating & pumping blood just 4 WKS after conception. Abortion stops a beating heart. http://j.mp/9boQTK

02/19/10 John Bolton at #CPAC10 remarking on O's foreign policy approach: "negotiation is not a policy. It is a technique."

Stimulus-created jobs "saved or created" is a total FARCE akin to "The Emperor's New Clothes" Do the math. Simply aint real.

11/10/09 Always sad when a life is ended but Beltway sniper execution is delayed justice. Especially for the families of those he killed.

11/09/09  Lieberman believes Ft Hood attack was terrorism. Only voice unafraid to state the obvious.

11/10/09  Does BIG BIZ Planned Parenthood offer post abortion COUNSELING to post-abortion women that have difficulty?

11/10/09  GLARING DIFF between O and GWB - GWB & Mrs secretly visit the injured from terrorist slaughter at Ft Hood while O publicizes his visit.

11/10/09  What a freakin EMBARASSMENT!! O fails to mention the contribution of the great Ronald Reagan to the fall of Berlin Wall, Communism.

11/10/09  Homeland Sec J Nap "working 2 prevent anti-Muslim backlash". How bout work 2 protect ALL of us rather thn focus on imaginary backlash???

11/07/09  Swine Flu Crisis is being CRIMINALLY MISMANAGED! Vaccines sent to Wall Street B4 hospitals and will go to Gitmo detainees.

How will O honor the FALL of BERLIN WALL, Communism? http://bit.ly/2g1IZG Spiegel Online reports O is TOO BUSY! (Maybe has golf game?)

Obama's Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting http://bit.ly/22OxvC reports NBC Chicago. YES, NBC CHICAGO! Is MSM waking up??

11/06/09 I believe that the impractical OBSESSION with POLITICAL CORRECTNESS directly contributed to the slaughter at Fort Hood. Shame on us!

FED CANT MANAGE H1N1 CRISIS . U SERIOUSLY think they can manage R HEALTH CARE? And Y R they content to leave 5% w/out coverage??

In endorsing Dem HUGHES in NY23, loser SCOZZAFAVA reveals herself as a vengeful Lib-Dem in RINO clothing she always was.

WHY is it that most cases of VOTER FRAUD involve those pushing LIB DEM candidates?

RINO Scozzafava suspends NY 23 campaign! http://bit.ly/xwhgB BOOST for Hoffman and indicator of POWER of CONSERVATIVES! NO 3rd party necessary

John Stossel Destroys/Pulverizes/Crushes O's anti-American 'Health Care' Plan http://bit.ly/UmEmV #tcot Pls RT USA AWAKEN !

Judge O by WHO he SURROUNDS HIMSELF WITH http://bit.ly/2mEhjD Yet Another Poor CHOICE

Glenn Beck is #1 on Forbes Top Scariest List. If telling unvarnished truth makes one "scary" then I LOVE being scared by @glennbeck

ITS HAPPENING! RINO Scozzafava suspends NY 23 campaign! http://bit.ly/xwhgB BOOST for Hoffman & indicator of POWER of CONSERVATIVES!

O names just 110 WH visitors, most still HIDDEN http://bit.ly/25mMiz Daschle, NOWs Gandy, SEIU chief. MSNBC request 4 full list REJECTED

AWESOME! http://www.mycongressmanisnuts.com/ Created by Floridians - constituents - outraged by Alan Grayson's disgraceful behavior

Frm conception 2 term abortion is murder. Our goodness as a society rests on how we protect the unborn. -Donald Douglas http://bit.ly/17PTAT

SCARY: Pelosi believes her HC Bill will increase services, reduce costs. Are we to believe that our gov to do more with less? IMPOSSIBLE!

@JIDF NAACP Invites Jeremiah Wright to Speak at Awards Dinner, Black Honoree's Friends Refuse to Attend http://is.gd/4HxEn #tcot #jcot

06/01/09 Blind squirrel TED RALL has diff reasons 4 it but finally found acorn "It’s increasngly evident tht Obama shud resign" http://bit.ly/1a54xw

Yet Another Poor CHOICE

President Obama's Science Czar John P. Holdren co-authored a 1970's college textbook that promoted the idea that "illegitimate children" born to unwed mothers could be taken by the government.  He elaborates further noting that:

It would even be possible to require pregnant single women to marry or have abortions, perhaps as an alternative to placement for adoption, depending on the society. . . .  . Indeed, it has been concluded that compulsory population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing Constitution if the population crisis became sufficiently severe to endanger the society.

Although Holdren was compelled to issue a statement in July (in which he denies his advocacy of the totalitarian population control proposals outlined in his own academic textbook) it escapes me that our President could have willingly invited someone who had ever propounded such base, radical views to become a part of his administration.

In 2006 syndicated columnist Dr. Walter E Williams wrote that in 1940:

the illegitimacy rate among blacks was 19 percent, in 1960, 22 percent, and today, it's 70 percent.

According to Holdren's misguided beliefs (conditionally, if "the population crisis becomes sufficiently severe") the newborn children of unmarried black women who chose not to abort their children would be heartlessly removed from their mothers' care. I find that terrifying.

I recently read the haunting narrative of  the life of former slave Frederick Douglass and am now reading another of his books "My Bondage and My Freedom." He recounts that for black slaves living on Southern farms traditional family life as we know it was non-existent. Innocent babies, quite often the product of an unholy union between slave-owners and the young black girls they took wanton advantage of were routinely taken from their mothers and instead raised by older unrelated slave women no longer able to work in the fields.

Is it a stretch for me to conclude that Holdren shares some of the same views as the racist eugenics queen Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood?

 

Why, in this country, are we so obsessively and obscenely concerned for the welfare of something as obscure as the delta smelt out in California,  a so-called "endangered species" that the government would see fit in move to ensure its protection thereby restricting the water supply to farms that rely on it for their existence? Yet, care not for the dignity of human beings trying to survive?

Why do I find the image of our President holding a baby thrust into his arms so disturbing (in that it fails to illustrate the usually guaranteed smile of a career politician in such a cliched situation), made more disturbing that it is that of President Obama who rarelyfails to display his winning, if insincere, megawatt smile?

I believe that I find it disturbing because I am haunted by the remark he made below:

“Most leaders spend time trying to get others to think highly of them, when instead they should try to get their people to think more highly of themselves. It’s wonderful when the people believe in their leader. It’s more wonderful when the leader believes in their people! You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. — Booker T. Washington”

I believe that Barack Obama by his poor choices, intentionally or not, seriously shortchanged all of the people that truly believed in him. By his actions, I have my misgivings about whether he truly believed - or respected - the people that made him President of the United States.

The New Civility

The 21st Century meaning of civility bears no resemblance to its original definition and includes an unhealthy dose of character assassination.

Shortly after she assumed her duties as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (full of barely-contained glee in her newfound power) announced that there was to be a new mood of civility and cooperation now that she and her cronies were in charge. Whether her words were heart-felt or not, from the outset there has been no evidence that a new era of civility had descended on Washington as she and the Democrats proceeded to immediately channel the agenda of the radical left. Perhaps she knew that civility would not be called into play since she and her cadre never had any intention of engaging Republicans in any meaningful way.  The GOP voiced their unhappiness with one of their bills and her response was:

“Yes, we wrote the bill. Yes, we won the election.” 

When Rep. Alan Grayson spewed his outrageous lies that characterized the Republican's idea of Health Care reform as based on their belief that the sick should "die quickly," Madame "Do-As-I-Say-Not-As-I-Do" Pelosi said she saw no reason to either rebuke him or pressure him to apologize.

As more and more obscene details of the Democrats bloated Health Care giveaway emerged, the American people became restless and increasing numbers of disgruntled tax-payers began to fill town hall meetings.

Rush Limbaugh and other discerning, right-thinking talk hosts reported on this phenomenon while the mainstream media for the most part remained shamefully silent.  When the protests could no longer be ignored, Madame Pelosi lashed out at the disgruntled legions giving them the unfounded label of "Nazi".

You know the radical left-wing Democrats are desperate when they dust off the character assassination shotgun previously levelled at Clarence Thomas, Hillary Clinton's imagined "vast right-wing-conspiracy" purveyors and countless other targets of their derision. The acrid smell of desperation by the loony MSM (mainstream media), radical LWEs (left-wing extremists), RINOs and CINOs (Republicans and Conservatives in name only, respectively) is evidence of the last line of defense in an arsenal that contains little more.

When word got out that Rush Limbaugh had been courted to become a part-owner of the Rams NFL team, the professional race-card players were out in full force. They smelled blood in the air and launched an irrational jihad against Limbaugh.  When the liberal, yet honorable Juan Williams dared to defend Rush Limbaugh based on the facts he was soundly spanked by his guest Warren Ballentine who had the audacity to tell Williams to "go back to the porch".

This kind of baseless, revolting character assassination is what happens when many liberals can't handle the inconvenient truth that facts present.  They still believe that if they repeat a lie loud enough and often enough it becomes the truth. Selective use of their fact-checking machine - as with the recent Saturday Night Live skit that mocked Obama's accomplishments (just two: "jack" and "squat") is indicative that their definition of the much touted "transparency" promised by this administration is just as faulty as their definition of civility.

Reading more than just the headlines, questioning our elected representatives and holding them accountable is key to ensuring a healthy governemnt and will go far to lift the mask of seething hate that has been worn for far too long inside the Beltway in Washington. "The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation" that George Washington subscribed to should be required reading for anyone hoping to be elected to office.

Mason Locke Weems, an early 18 century author who wrote extensively on George Washington said of Washington:

 "it is no wonder every body honoured him who honoured every body."

When the day comes that our leaders honour the people that they work for, we will experience genuine civility.

Balloon Boy

My heart was in my throat when I first heard about the little boy that had supposedly floated away from his backyard in an oversized home-made balloon.

MSM was all over it with dramatic minute-by-minute live coverage. The six-year-old boy had somehow loosened the tether to the inflated balloon. His older brother told his parents that he had seen him climb inside.

My seven kids are all grown now but I well know from experience how children can and - if left to their own devices.- absolutely will do some incredibly stupid things.  I said a prayer for the boy's safety and for his parents and family as they witnessed the out-of-control Mylar mushroom-like flying through the skies far above the ground. I felt guilty about the growing resentment I harbored towards the parents for not watching their boy more closely.

Relief when the balloon landed gently and unceremoniously in an empty field, rescue personel quickly scrambling to release the boy from the collapsed balloon. But he was nowhere to be found. Now there was a report that someone had witnessed something falling from the aircraft not far from where it was inadvertently launched.  I prayed that the boy had run off and hidden out of fear after releasing the aircraft and never was in the balloon to begin with.

On my commute home I saw the first of dozens of posts on Twitter saying that the boy had been found and was safe. Thank God! A happy ending!

But that is not the end of the story. The boy had indeed been hiding in his own home. I can't imagine how his parents had not checked every nook or cranny that a small child could have concealed himself in when the alternative was so horrific.

In the opinion of a body language expert employed by the police department the parents behavior was genuine - that they believed their son was in the balloon. But most people are starting to believe that the whole thing was a hoax.

I'm tired of this shameful story. The parents were completely irresponsible to allow even the possibility that their child could be put in such danger. It is just as asinine as having an unfenced pool, a pet python or a loaded gun around when you have small children.

I heard that the police are planning to bring criminal charges in this case and I do look forward to that.

Rape is Rape

Debra Winger and Whoopi Goldberg, one of the regular hosts on the ABC-TV show "The View," both think that Roman Polanski should not face any further penalties as a consequence of his drugging and raping a thirteen-year old girl 30 years ago when he was 44 years old.

Whoopi commented on The View:

“I know it wasn’t rape-rape. It was something else, but I don’t believe it was rape-rape.”

What an assinine comment. What a freakin' FIDIOT! C'mon, Whoopi, rape is rape.  Would you be so magnanimous if Polanski preyed on someone in your family? If an adult male has sexual relations with a child it is rape, end of story.

Woody Allen, (no surprise) another Polanski defender, and Debra Winger attended a film festival honoring the director Polanski in Switzerland where Winger said she was there

 “to honor Roman Polanski as a great artist, but under these sudden and arcane circumstances, we can only think of him today as a human being.”

Ya think? I certainly don't. I think that MOST normal people would think of pedophile Polanski as just what he is: a scurrilous bit of human detritus that fled from the tiniest shred of justice that rightfully should have been afforded to his thirteen year old victim.

How is that so many of these same people can villify Michael Vick for his involvement in dog fighting, and for which he paid his debt in prison, yet they support convicted pedophile Polanski who NEVER paid his debt to society?

I can only wonder what their opinion is of the practice of child brides.

Derrion Albert, Honor Student

The revolting cesspool that is Chicago has produced yet another shameful chapter in its disreputable history. Sixteen-year old high school Honor Student Derrion Albert lost his life last week when he intervened in a violent street fight between rival groups.

He was brutally kicked and beaten to death with a wooden board by other teenagers, his peers. Four were arrested. Several of the mothers of the boys involved in the murderous brawl expressed sorrow and remorse at the loss while one mother attempted to make an excuse for her son's involvement. Of what looked like dozens of people at the scene of Derrion's death, one captured a permanent record of the brutality, later (irresponsibly in my opinion) broadcast on many television stations and is now posted on YouTube. 

I don't care much to learn about the boys that killed Derrion Albert but I do want to know more about Derrion who likely faced many of the same choices that his killers did but chose a decidedly different path. The Chicigo Tribune reported on Saturday:

The honor roll student known for his love of computers became the third Chicago teenager killed this month. At least seven more have been shot.

I hate that a line describing a tiny aspect of Derrion's short life is tainted by the cold reality that his death is not an isolated incident.  I pray that his short-lived existence might serve as an example of  what is possible. Derrion was one of the few in the crowd that day who chose to do the right thing, while the vast majority of the others present chose to do the wrong thing. 

UPDATE: A Memorial Fund has been set up to help Derrion's family pay for the expenses of his funeral.

http://www.thenewlicious.com/2009/09/derrion-albert-fund.html

Have You Forgotten?

I am proud to be an American and a New Yorker in particular. After living in Providence, El Paso, Key West and then spending another 10 years in the DC suburb of  Fairfax, Virginia I happily returned home in 1989. While I never failed to put down roots, fully embracing the experience no matter where I lived, a large part of my heart remained in New York and I always considered it my home. Always.

I grew up in a close-knit family, the firstborn of 10 children. All of my siblings were in New York as were my parents. It was wonderful to be back home once again where my family could see my children grow up just as I could witness their growing families.

September 11th, 2001 was one of those spectacularly glorious end-of-summer days where you couldn't help but feel anything but happy to be alive. I left my house in southwestern Nassau County traveling north on the Cross Island Parkway to my office in Queens when the first plane hit the World Trade Towers.  It seemed a perfect morning for blasting music on the car's CD player rather than listening to the news so I was oblivious to that deadly fact. Minutes after I arrived at my office I learned what happened and immediately sought more information from local news websites. The pages were painfully slow to fully load but the images of the deadly destruction was unmistakable.  The security cam TV in the office of one of the Vice President's had been switched to the local news channel.  Not a lot of information yet available, initial reports indicating that a small plane had somehow managed to tragically go off course.

That evening I was supposed to see Tom Selleck in "A Thousand Clowns" on Broadway, a belated birthday gift from a friend and I was looking forward to it. I wondered if this awful accident downtown would affect our plans. My department and the rest of the company continued to work, and I frequently checked the TV news. One of my co-workers was distraught because a good friend of hers worked in one of the World Trade Center towers. She was reassured when she received word from her friend's mom that her friend was not in the tower that was hit. Later we would learn that her relief was short-lived.

I was concerned about my own sister who worked in the World Trade Center but resisted the urge to call my Mom at home or my Dad at work and burden them with what I was certain would be yet another phone call from frantic siblings worrying about my sister's welfare. I tried calling my friend with whom I was to go to the city but it was impossible to complete any cell phone calls. I tried reaching my children but it was near impossible to get through to anyone by telephone.

When I checked the TV news coverage a while later I thought I was witnessing yet another replay of the earlier crash but was horrified to learn that it was a live feed.

My department canceled any service calls we had scheduled for the WTC area. The company I work for never closed that day, schedules were adjusted and warehouse and office employees moved about like zombies, half-heartedly working and gathering in small groups to discuss what was now being reported as a likely terrorist attack on our country.

I continued to monitor news updates on the Internet and was at my desk when it was reported that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. It was overwhelming news and my eyes burned with the tears I could no longer hold back. I had so many friends in Virginia that worked in the Pentagon and the DC area. It was incomprehensible. All air traffic had been halted across the nation and there were rumors of dozens of flights still unaccounted for. Then the devastating news of a plane that had crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania that was believed to have been headed back to the DC area and possibly the White House. My friend related to me that people were starting to leap from the shattered windows of World Trade Center offices located above where the planes crashed rather than be consumed by the unstoppable inferno. It was not in the news. I did not want to believe her and inwardly resented that she would tell me something so disgustingly evil. 

But she was right.

The office finally closed early at 4:00 PM and I began the eerie ride home retracing the route I had taken just that morning. It was early rush hour but the parkways were uncharacteristically nearly empty. When I exited onto the Southern State Parkway I saw that emergency vehicles blocked all traffic going west towards the city. 

I was anxious to see my seven children but concerned about how could I ever help them to understand the pure evil that had occurred on that day.

My commute to work in the weeks after were completely foreign to what I had been accustomed. American flags seemed to have sprung up on hundreds of cars and there was soon a shortage of American flags of any type to be had. People were kindly and forgiving of any inadvertently discourteous driving. Smoke and haze hung over the low-lying areas of the area for days, weeks and the odor was indescribable, odd, haunting.

During the days after the murderous terror attack on my beloved New York City I remained glued to the television absorbing the horror as the details unfolded. During that time I discovered Fox News Channel and fell into the habit of leaving the TV on all night so I could wake up to the most current news.

A few weeks ago I received an email news alert that a terror raid was being conducted in Queens, New York. No details such as WHERE in Queens. When I got to the LIRR station on the way home from work I noticed helicopters hovering overhead, the raid was just blocks from my workplace.

I thought back to my sister returning home from the city the day terrorists murdered thousands of Americans covered in the dust and ash of the fallen towers - and many of her co-workers. I thought back to the heart-breaking TV broadcasts of the loved ones of thousands of victims holding their photos up with contact information in a vain attempt to locate them. I, like many New Yorkers, lost friends and neighbors and I remembered them, as I frequently did. I thought about how I had resolved NOT to be afraid when I got on an airplane, how I refused to be cowed to the threat of terrorism, how I would continue to live my life in spite of any threat. For to do so would give undeserved power to those terrorists.

In a September 27th article “The Terrorist Threat Still Exists” Diane Dimond asks what we should be concerned about, what should we be doing to combat further attacks? One reader commented that he was “mostly scared of the CIA and germ warfare”. I responded that:

I am not scared about the latest terror threats in my own neighborhoods, but I am ANGRY.

ANGRY that so many could FORGET the impact of 9/11 and the subsequent finger-pointing that found fault in those that failed to "connect the dots".

ANGRY that our government would see fit to dilute the reality and unforgiving danger of terrorism by eliminating even the word TERROR from their language.

ANGRY that I am reminded of September 11th every time I hear or see a plane flying overhead.

ANGRY that for even the briefest of moments that I wondered about the lovely Muslim family that moved into the house next door. They came here for a better life much in the same way that my grandparents did.

ANGRY that after September 11th I felt unbridled, unrelenting hate for the first time in my life. 

I agree with the comment that the CIA is being systematically weakened. It is already occuring. People should rightfully be SCARED of the CIA, but those people should be the terrorists. And germ warfare? Well, gas masks are no protection against senselessly exploding buildings and the bodies of those that chose to jump to a horrific death rather than be incinerated in a burning skyscraper.

On September 12th, 2001 we were truly One Nation, Indivisible. Sadly, in the years since this is not so much the case. 

Have you forgotten? I have not. To do otherwise is to allow the terrorists to prevail by destroying us from the inside out.

God bless America and all heroes that fight to protect us each and every day.

La Musica is Everything

A few months ago on the way home from work in Queens to my home on Long Island I had to take the subway because of some problem with the Long Island Railroad.

As I dashed from one subway connection to the next I heard the beautiful sound of live music. I stopped for the briefest of moments to try and catch a glimpse of the name of the performers: Agua Clara, I scribbled it down and searched the Internet to find out more about them when I got home.

I was happy to discover that they had a website but dismayed that I could neither purchase their music by download or place an order online. I sent an email telling them how much I enjoyed their music in the subway and inquired how I could buy their music. I got a reply from Angel Marin who said he would send me whichever CD I wanted. I asked him to recommend one and within a week I received "La Musica is Everything" in the mail. The CD was wonderful and immediately ordered another one.

NYC Performance by Agua Clara

As their website says Agua Clara:

"is a Fusion of music, cultures, traditions from our homes in Ecuador, Chile, Peru, and US into a music based in the South American style and that freely incorporates modern and contemporary rhythms."

I highly recommend Agua Clara! La musica IS everything!

Agua Clara Website

Halloween Comes Early at the UN

Any respect I had for the United Nations was forever dashed when terrorist FREAKS and narcissistic GEEKS masquerading as wise world leaders with legitimate agendas descended on New York this week.

The Three Stooges, as portrayed by Libya's Gaddafi, Iran's Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's Chavez were remarkable as 21st Century adaptations of Moe, Larry and Curly respectively. The President of the United States was spot-on as Narcissus, the proud and unfeeling, self-absorbed son of a god from Greek mythology.

The TRICKS were in abundance. A surprise revelation that Iran indeed had a secret Iranian nuclear enrichment plant, lavish praise heaped upon the President by the world's worst dictators and terrorists, and an over-limit, self-promoting spiel by Narcissus trumped only by a 96-minute venomous, rambling, and often incoherent diatribe courtesy of Moe. (It was reported that over an hour into the rant his translator shouted that he ”just couldn’t take it any more,” on the live microphone and collapsed.)

The rare TREATS presented themselves when respectable diplomats refused to dignify the remarks of Ahmadinejad and walked out. Of particular import was the response of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Ahmadinejad's rant against Israel:

"To those who refused to come and to those who left in protest, I commend you," he said. "But to those who gave this Holocaust denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, the Jewish people, and decent people everywhere: Have you no shame? Have you no decency?"

He continued:

"Perhaps some of you think this man and his odious regime only threaten the Jews. Well, if you think that, you are wrong, dead wrong. What starts as attacks on Jews always ends up engulfing others. ... This regime embodies the extremes of Islamic fundamentalism."

Halloween might come but once a year but it is pure folly to allow the deadly charade of regarding these dictators and terrorists as anything but what they are.  And we must acknowledge that something is seriously amiss when our President is held in such high regard by such a cadre of disreputable thugs.

Mike Duvall

California lawmaker Mike Duvall was caught on an open mike bragging about his extramarital escapades and has thankfully resigned from office. He had been stripped him of his committee posts and an ethics probe of his actions was launched after the unintentional audio was released.

"I am deeply saddened that my inappropriate comments have become a major distraction for my colleagues in the Assembly," Duvall said in a written statement Wednesday afternoon. "It would not be fair to my family, my constituents or to my friends on both sides of the aisle to remain in office. Therefore, I have decided to resign."

This asshat is saddened about his inappropriate comments but what about the inappropriate behavior he described? One wonders whether he would ever have been concerned about fairness to his family if he his own words had not revealed his incredibly poor judgment.

Post-Racial America

The idea that we will be able to embrace a "post-racial" America with the recent election of the first black President is set back yet again thanks to the vile words of Charles Rangel of NY.

At a rally that he attended following the tragic friendly-fire shooting death of armed off-duty black police officer Omar Edwards who was mistaken for a suspect he railed that "even President Obama should be careful in Harlem without ID".

Murderers Charles Stuart & Susan Smith and more recently runaway thief Bonnie Sweeten all claimed a "black man" perpetrated the crimes that they themselves were responsible for keep racism alive and their lies are reprehensible. But it seems to me that people like Rangel and Reverend Sharpton relish their seeming careers of ripping open the wounds of racism and we are all terribly diminished by it.

They are shameless.

PRO-LIFE, Rather Than Anti-Abortion

Why the headline reads "Anti-Abortion Group Denounces Tiller Shooting" rather than "Pro-Life Group Denounces Tiller Shooting" is beyond me.

I submit that the decks have long been woefully stacked against ANY PRO-LIFE organization by the MSM who consistently labels them ANTI-ABORTION rather than the more accurate "PRO-LIFE." This, in much the same way that the transparently biased MSM only refers to PRO-ABORTION groups as PRO-CHOICE rather than the chillingly more appropriate PRO-ABORTION.

The pro-aborts would argue that they are for "CHOICE," however, that argument quickly disintegrates upon examination in that they offer virtually no support for women who have made the choice for LIFE - rather than the PRO-ABORTION groups favored singular choice of abortion as the best solution to unwanted pregnancy.

Furthermore, they ignore the inconventient truth that there is no "CHOICE" for the genetically unique male and female unborn children whose mothers seek abortion. To parapharase the slogan that has been frequently applied to suicide: abortion is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Lastly, and perhaps most grievous, is the failure of PRO-ABORTION groups to serve those women that have chosen abortion that subsequently have difficulty dealing with the reality that their children have been relegated to some hazardous medical waste dump. The well-documented book "Hidden Grief" by Theresa Burke Ph.D. is a thoughtful presentation of years of post-abortion counseling experiences and research and is a highly recommended read.

The murder of George Tiller, unapologetic, infamous late-term abortion practitioner, diminishes us all. It is of no small consequence that this event will surely contribute to a political "perfect storm" where PRO-ABORTS in league with the most PRO-ABORTION president that has ever been elected will elevate the situation to crisis status. It was announced only a short while ago that Attorney General Eric Holder has directed federal marshals to "offer protection to other appropriate people and facilities around the nation," according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

I think it is important that we remain acutely aware of the likely demonization of the entire PRO-LIFE movement in the aftermath of the Tiller murder. It is important to closely scrutinize BHO & CO reaction - it is sure to be very telling.

And voice your opinion loud and clear that killing is NEVER SANCTIONED by true pro-lifers. May God help the women exploited by Tiller, pray for his family during this difficult time and let George Tiller, M.D. rest in peace.

To Love, and LIFE - the LOVING CHOICE!

Fallen Heroes

I never had much desire to see any movie on Viet Nam because I grew up during the time when they would scroll a list the names of the fallen American soldiers on the nightly news, and there was so much unrest at home. The boy next door went off to Viet Nam and he - along with thousands of other soldiers and military were disrespected by too many Americans upon their return.

From all that I have read about the movie "Forgotten Heroes" I think that I may have found one of the very few movies about the Viet Nam war that will have some positive, healing value. For that, Jack Marino is my hero.

". . . movies should be a positive expression that there is hope, love, mercy, justice and charity. . . It is the filmmaker's responsibility to emphasize the positive qualities of humanity by showing the triumph of the individual over adversities." - Frank Capra 1960

PLEASE NOTE that the producers of "Forgotten Heroes" are donating 25% of all gross DVD sales to The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Fund.

Thank you, Jack Marino!

Jon & Kate Plus Eight, Minus Kate

Please spare us the drama of a family disintegrating before our eyes. There is no need to turn on a television to witness the heartbreak of a family in crisis. Sadly, we see it far too often in the lives of our friends and families.

The producers of "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" are SHAMELESS! As much as I favor the much-beleaguered and seemingly saintly Jon over the "just plain mean" Kate, BOTH he AND his wife should be protecting their beautiful young children rather than exposing them to this circus. It is their MOST IMPORTANT ROLE. The recent evolution of the show reminds me of the the sad tales of exploitation experienced by the Dionne quintuplets in the 1930's.

Kate seems to have serious unresolved anger issues that must be addressed in private. To take editorial license with the words of Dylan Thomas, these parents SHOULD take their darling children and "Go Gentle into That Good Night." Retreat from the insatiably intrusive public eye and heal their relationships.

Short of that, perhaps the producers can rename the program to "Jon & Kate, Plus Eight, MINUS Kate" and simply edit Kate out of the show - Jon seems infinitely more capable than Kate to care for the kids.

Thank You

Thank you for buying me a virtual cup of coffee in supportof the growing conservative movement!

They have awakened a sleeping lion.



Gina

A Miracle for NEW YORK!

A US Airways flight with 148 passengers and 5 crew members crashed into the Hudson River this afternoon - some injuries but looks like all were saved.

God bless the pilot and crew, the NYC firefighters and emergency personnel, the NY Waterways ferry operators, commuters and everyone else that assisted with this amazing rescue effort.

One airline passenger was asked by a reporter how many minutes passed between the moment that the engine exploded and the plane crashed into the water.

He said he wasn't sure but it was exactly ten "Hail Marys".