Hero High School Student
Disarms Gunman 
. . .  Gets Suspended

"A Florida high school hero who wrestled a loaded gun away from a football player threatening to shoot a teammate was himself suspended for three days".

Why would a school punish a student for his bravery?  A selfless act of bravery that surely prevented bodily harm - and perhaps the deaths - of fellow students?

The school attributed their suspension of the 16-year-old student to his "role in an incident where a weapon was present" which seems to put him in the same category as the gunman. Are you KIDDING ME??? Outrageous!

Sadly, this scenario is more the norm rather than the exception to the rule.  Our nation is raising a generation afflicted with "Genovese syndrome" - people that not only stand by and do nothing but - that are now mandated to do so by the schools they attend.

Seriously? Are we really putting our children and our grandchildren into the hands of administrators that have such poor judgment?

I have never been a fan of following the crowd.

Never.

Never, ever.

When several family members sought membership in sororities or fraternities I was more than a little surprised. I thought that they were at the very least as smart - and as strong - as I was. The idea that they would subjugate their own opinions to that of the group was beyond foreign to me and I was disappointed in their judgment. 

That feeling was reinforced when I learned of the shocking death of Drum Major Robert Champion a few years back. At the time his band's director, Julian White, referred to Robert in the Orlando Sentinel as a person that had a bright future and who had "a very fine drum major who was of excellent character." 

He died needlessly as the result of injuries sustained from hazing. He died because there was no voice loud enough on that bus to object to the brutality of this hazing assault on a healthy young man. He died at the hands of his peers.

Thanks to the heroic act of that unnamed 16-year-old we are not mourning the loss of the gunman's target. Sadly, we continue to mourn the loss of persons with sound judgment, persons that would penalize those who act on their natural instincts to help others.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/teen-suspended-preventing-school-bus-shooting-article-1.1278648#ixzz2ModYU3TN

We Have Them On The Ropes

I found the entertaining little gem below in my inbox when I got home from work this evening.  It was a mass email apparently sent out to Democrat email list by Charles Chamberlain, the Political Director for Democracy for America and it illustrates how the long-delusional Democrats are starting to wake up and smell the coffee.  It shows how they are fully prepared to throw their own under the bus (Dick Durbin) in their headlong attempt to jam through this devastating, nation-changing Health Care plan.

God only knows how I am on their list but I was certainly amused to get a feeling for where they think they are on Health Care.

I have highlighted in red the particularly comical points by Mr. Chamberlain with my comments in blue BOLD CAPS.

Roll Call, a Washington insider newspaper in D.C., reports today that Senator Dick Durbin will ask Democratic Senators to break their promise (ENTER BUS STAGE LEFT) to vote yes on a public option in reconciliation if it comes up to a vote as an amendment from the floor.

What did Senator Durbin say was the reason they want public option supporters to cave on their promise to the people in their states? Because:

So, let's get this straight. Their argument is that these Democrats should break their promise to the American people, risk primary challenges (THIS WILL HAPPEN REGARDLESS AND ESPECIALLY IF THESE LOONS TRY TO PASS THIS BLOATED HEALTH CARE TRAVESTY)  from real Democrats back home, and vote against a public option, purely because Republicans will offer other amendments too.

"We know the Republicans are likely to offer a lot of amendments, and some of them may be appealing to Democrats" (OF COURSE,  ANY  RATIONAL AMENDMENTS WILL BE APPEALING TO RATIONAL PEOPLE.)

That's not leadership -- it's weak, fear-based failure. (THEY HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO UNDERSTAND WHAT FAILURE IS)

Your Senator committed to vote for a public option in reconciliation if it came up for a vote. We need to fight back fast against these statements from Democratic leaders reported today and tell Senators not to break thier promise. Demand your Senator stand up to Republicans and fight for you.

[the email then directs me to CLICK on a link FOR THE NUMBER AND A SAMPLE SCRIPT RIGHT NOW]

Even Senator Durbin admits that Republicans will offer many amendments from the floor regardless of whether a public option comes to a vote or not. And, of course, Democrats should vote every awful Republican amendment down. (PARTISAN PARTISAN PARTISAN!! WHAT ABOUT VOTING FOR WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?)

But healthcare reform isn't about Republicans -- it's about the American people.

And it's about Democrats like your Senator keeping the promise to stand up for the American people by voting to pass a public option in the reconciliation bill.

It's time for Democrats in Washington to lead. The American people are depending on it.

Please call right now and make sure your Senator knows (THE ONLY PART OF THIS FRIDICULOUS EMAIL I AGREE WITH! WE DEFINITELY NEED TO CALL TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON THOSE PEOPLE THAT SUPPOSEDLY REPRESENT US TO EXPRESS OUR OPINIONS IF WE BELIEVE - AS I DO - THAT THEIR BOGUS MESS OF A HEALTH CARE PLAN WILL HAVE A DEVASTATING IMPACT ON OUR FAMILIES) your state expects them to keep their promise.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Political Director

Democracy for America

P.S. We added Senator Bill Nelson of Florida yesterday to the growing list of senators on the record committing to vote yes on a public option in reconciliation. Our pressure is working and we're proving the votes exist. That brings the count to 41 senators ready to get the job done -- only 9 more and we win -- as long as we make sure it comes to a fair vote. (PASSAGE BY RECONCILIATION IS FAR FROM FAIR!)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ya Know?

God bless, Caroline Kennedy.

I do admire her. As the daughter of President Kennedy she managed to survive and thrive to become the successful, mature woman she is today. This despite the relentless obsession of the press, thanks in great part to the wonderful job her mom did raising her and her brother. She made it through her teenage years unscathed, graduated college and went on to obtain a law degree. She married and raised three children, the youngest now a teenager. She has worked as a lawyer and is a successful author. She is devoted to her family's legacy and charity work.

With all due respect, however, none of those accomplishments - as laudable as they may be - offer any indication that she is in the least bit qualified to become the next Senator from my state. And it is unfathomable to me that she could have the spotty voting record that has been reported in the news. Voting is a privilege that I take very seriously and I could not imagine missing even a single opportunity to vote.

Lastly, (and it may be incredibly shallow of me) but I cringed when I saw news story after news story criticizing her speaking style when she finally relented to requests for an interview. Sadly, those opportunities failed miserably to highlight the fine mind she undoubtedly possesses. Instead, she appeared as incredibly inarticulate . [I was a teenager when my father's cousin brought to my attention the fact that I tended to fill my sentences with excessive "ya knows". I was mortified! But was cured immediately.]

"You know, I think, you know, we're sort of, uh, sharing some of this experience. And um, as I've said, he was a friend, a family member, and um so, and uh obviously, he's, you know, he's also had an impressive career in public office." - Caroline Kennedy

What a grievous misstep that Caroline and her handlers did not make it a priority that she participate in an intensive crash course in public speaking before agreeing to any interviews.

Oh, sweet Caroline, um, you are simply not ready for prime time . . . ya know?