Profiles in Courage Circa 2013

Phew! NYC is safe. Eliot Spitzer, voted Best John of 2008, has announced that he won't vote for The Weiner.  Character does indeed count!

abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/07/eliot-spitzer-i-wont-vote-for-anthony-weiner/

Republican Thinking on Obamacare

Currently in vogue among Republicans is the idea that Obamacare will fall apart from its own weight. Wishful thinking.

The Democrats sole objective is control. They are not interested in solving problems, efficiency, or anything else that matters to most people. They have already shown that they will throw massive amounts of money at ideas that don't work (think solar energy) because they should work. How much more so when it is a program that extends their grip into every fiber of the American being? Democrats are already busy placing their minions in cushy taxpayer-funded jobs in the state insurance exchanges mandated by Obamacare and in a multitude of new Federal agencies tasked with running the program. Patronage and control: mmm, mmm, mmm!  No big Federal program since the 1930s has ever gone away and there is no reason to think that this one will either. Repeal it or learn to live with it. 

The Liberal Heritage

A picture sometimes is worth more than a thousand words, as the pictures here are. Detroit has recently been in the news for its bankruptcy, but these pictures show that the city was bankrupt in almost every other sense before it formally filed the legal paperwork. This is what liberal politics and runaway unions can do, There are literally miles and miles of these ruins in Detroit. The same cancer is at work in California, Illinois, and other blue bastions. Most importantly, it is at work at the national level in a way never seen before. I hope that you will take a moment to look at these photographs. We ignore this at our peril. There is real destruction, real shattered lives, real hopelessness. 

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2011/02/07/captured-the-ruins-of-detroit/2672/

A Reflection on Art

Let's go in a different direction. Too much of the political stuff rots your teeth, not to mention your mind. Let's do art.  

Eric Metaxas co-authors Breakpoint, the daily column started by the late Chuck Colson, and his column yesterday on God the Arts and Us was a good one. Going to a symphony concert with his daughter triggered his thoughts about God as the Great Creator and the fact that because we are made in His likeness, the same creative spark resides in us, in the mundane as well as the spectacular.

Metaxas quotes theologian T.M. Moore extensively about the meaning of art and what it signifies and it is worth repeating:

"... the grandeur and beauty we encounter in great art all speak of Him.

That’s one of the main thrusts of T. M. Moore’s ViewPoint study series on art. For Christian artists, T. M. says, art absolutely should be a “testimony to the grandeur and pleasure of God” in all settings—sacred or secular.

T. M. tells a wonderful story about Johann Sebastian Bach, the great eighteenth-century composer. Now Bach loved his coffee. And in honor of his passion, he wrote the “Coffee Cantata,” which involved a funny drama about a father and daughter arguing over the daughter’s love for the bean. The music itself, T. M. says, is as rich and beautiful as any of Bach’s famous sacred pieces.

And that was on purpose. “For Bach,” T. M. writes, “even the most ordinary things of life could convey a message of divine glory and pleasure, even your morning cup of coffee. Great art functions like this, taking as its focus common . . . subjects and using them, in the setting of a big, sweeping vision, to communicate a simple message.

“In Christian art,” T. M. continues “whether the images are saints and martyrs or a parental dispute with a daughter over the supposed evils of coffee, the message remains the same: Life has meaning and beauty when it is lived within the framework of the overarching majesty, goodness, and love of God.”

Think about that folks, the next time you’ve got an opportunity to see, hear, or read a great piece of art—at a gallery, in a concert hall, or in a book of poetry."

Good advice. 

www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/22905

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phillippians 4:8

The Obama Starship

Breitbart has a great picture and column this morning to illustrate how the President is going to lead us to economic new tomorrows that pretty much sums up his 87th "pivot" on the economy. Yes indeed, the President is a Whirling Dervish when it comes to pivots which is probably why even much of the liberal media such as Dana Milbank of the Washington Post and Chuck Todd from NBC News were unimpressed with his effort at Knox College. It was same old, same old. You know we are in trouble and he is out of ideas when the President concludes with - as Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro says - this "glittery" line:

America, we have made it through the worst of yesterday’s winds. And if we find the courage to keep moving forward; if we set our eyes on the horizon, we too will find an ocean of tomorrows, a sky of tomorrows – for America’s people, and for this great country that we love.

Oyvez! This line aches for a response a la Three Amigos and Shapiro provides it: 

How will we reach these glorious seas and heavens of the future? By taking the Barack Obama Starship!

Of course! Fasten in all you Trekkies and follow the guy on the unicorn to the oceans of tomorrow! Hi Ho Silver - Away! Is the economy better yet?

www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/07/24/Obama-skies-of-tomorrow

Dirty Dems

Wiener, Spitzer, Filner. It's not the Dirty Dozen yet but they are working on it. The first two are running respectively for the mayor and comptroller of New York City. Today even the New York Times bailed on Wiener, who hinted that even more X-rated peccadilloes of his are on the way. Great. 

Then there's Spitzer. Eliot "No Shame" Spitzer. I remember when the story first broke about his midnight romps with prostitutes and he shamelessly mounted the podium with his wife as a stage prop. She looked so very sad. 

Finally, Filthy Filner, the Mayor of San Diego. At last report he was urging select females in his office to report for work without panties. Unbelievable. What ever happened to embarrassment?  Shame has been extinct for a while.

More importantly, what has happened to the voters? We get the statesman or bums that we deserve because we can vote for or against them. San Diego in particular used to be a relatively conservative city but Filner has always had a rep as very liberal and a horn dog. In much of the country, it appears that the cultural climate and the political climate mirror each other. Excuse me, I need to go take a shower. 

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Street?

Why did the chicken cross the street? Well, in this case, they didn't in Salem but got smacked instead and PETA now wants to erect a roadside memorial statue (see picture - I am not making this up) to all these AWOLs from Col. Sanders. Fortunately, Salem's city fathers and mothers (and LGBT or whatevers) put a stop to all this and there will be no Angry Birds glaring at us from the city's lovely byways. It's summer - enjoy!

www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/07/chicken_statue_could_ruffle_fe.html#incart_m-rpt-2

BANKO!

That would be the once great city of Detroit, MI that filed bankruptcy yesterday, declaring almost $20 billion in bad debts. I have written several times about Detroit's trials and tribulations, but financial gravity finally caught up with the bedraggled city and it hit the ground with a resounding splat.

It will be interesting to see what happens from here on out, but I suspect that municipal bond rates just went up for the rest of American cities. This will come back to haunt all of us taxpayers as - yup, higher taxes for such things as school and road bonds. Did I mention that Detroit has been run by Democrats and unions for decades? Any place else that you can think of that fits this same description?

townhall.com/columnists/richgalen/2013/07/19/detroit-bankrupt-n1644599

Zimmerman

The Left in this country doesn't want fair trials - it wants show trials. George Zimmerman is white (sort of) and therefore he is guilty if a black man is dead, regardless of the actual facts.

The jury heard the evidence and it stunk. The prosecution overcharged to an outrageous degree, probably from pressure brought by the same people who now want a body to run up the flag pole to warn and shame all White Oppressors. The prosecution's witnesses were its own worst enemies. No matter. Evidence doesn't matter. Legal standards don't matter. A sacrifice needs to be made to the Left's neuroses and Zimmerman fits the bill. From President Obama on down, all are in disgusting full cry for Zimmerman's scalp. 

It is impossible to reason with the Left - you can't reason with crazy. Not to mention nasty and unscrupulous. So don't try. Oppose them at every turn and reason with those who are still reasonable. The Left is gone.

We Reap What We Sow

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7
So do societies, as Ben Stein recently pointed out in a CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. He acidly observes:

"In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell."

Indeed. In a handbasket. And I think that when the journey is complete we will find that it has not frozen over. 
www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=16823#.UKerIoZSSD8

Holes in the Shield

The U.S. has spent 20 years and $41 billion to develop an anti-ballistic missile defense system. The last time it successfully intercepted a missile, however, was in 2008. Program staff say the reason is reduced funding from 2008 on by - you guessed it - the Obama Administration. 

This is the same Administration that quickly relied on this same system earlier this year when North Korea was threatening an ICBM launch towards Japan and the United States. It's like anything else - if you don't maintain something, it's not there when you really need it. We are talking about the survival of whole American cities. Is anybody paying attention to this malfeasance or do we have to lose several million people first? 

www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_07_15_2013_p20-596132.xml

I Can Relate to This

Auf Wiedersehen Blimps!

Say it ain't so Joe! Goodyear is getting rid of its famous blimps. But no worry - it is replacing them mit zeppelins. The difference? Blimps are gas bags and zeppelins have a rigid frame. 

The new airships are 246' long versus the current 192' for blimps. The new airships also fly faster, more efficiently, and are much quieter and more maneuverable. This will allow faster transit times between venues and better coverage of noise-sensitive sports events like golf. 

I will miss the old gas bags that always announced their passage with blatting engines, but the new zeppelins look to be a worthwhile improvement over their lumpy predecessors. 

news.cnet.com/8301-13576_3-57593561-315/goodyear-bids-goodbye-to-blimps-says-hello-to-zeppelins/

Is Oregon a Nanny State?

That's the question posed on the front page of today's Statesman Journal. I have only one thing to say: B-a-a-a!

www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20130710/NEWS/307100058/Is-Oregon-nanny-state-

A Clear Likeness

Ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner, he of Sextingate and now running for mayor of NYC, has recently compared himself to Nelson Mandela and FDR. Take a look at his likeness to the left and see what you think.

www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/07/07/Weiner-Compares-Himself-to-Mandela-FDR

Why Gas Prices Are Zooming

Been wondering why gas prices keep going up? I have and especially so since U.S. fuel consumption is down 16% from 2007 and oil prices are falling. The answer: corn, of course!
That's right, corn, as in ethanol has had a price run-up because a drought last year has squeezed corn prices between ethanol producers and food companies. And as columnist Harry Jackson points out, the Iowa Presidential primary is important to the pols, so the result is what we pay at the pump. 

It us way, way, way past time to get rid of this stuff. Corn isn't going to go to waste on the ground. There are a lot of poor people around the world who need American corn to survive and domestic food prices could use a little relief too. If there is a non-mandated demand for ethanol, then corn farmers are free to sell their corn to meet it, but every time government sticks its big fat finger on the scales to favor one group over another, someone gets hurt as is the case right now with gas prices. It's time for government to sit down, shut up, and don't touch anything!

townhall.com/columnists/harryrjacksonjr/2013/07/08/pain-at-the-pump-n1636172

The Money Fairy Taketh Away Too

Here is all that is left after $175 million was spent on "planning" the Columbia Crossing replacement I-5 bridge in Portland. Actually, the picture is better because there is at least something there. Yes indeed, the Money Fairy departed for new digs after the Washington Legislature refused to fund their half of the project, but not before dropping copious amounts of money on various consultants and bureaucrats including Gov. Kitzhaber's favorite insider, Patricia McCaig, to the tune of $481,000+.  I use the term "planning" lightly because among other things, this group planned a 95' high bridge which the Coast Guard sent back to the drawing board saying that 116' was the minimum necessary for navigation of larger vessels on the Columbia River. Well, easy come, easy go. What can we throw taxpayer money away on next? Wait - how about free college tuition? Yeah - that's the ticket!

www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/07/columbia_river_crossing_spends.html#incart_more_business

The Money Fairy Strikes Again

Who comes up with this stuff? Having failed to deal with a long term PERS solution which could bankrupt the state in the next 5-10 years, the Oregon Legislature has now suggested "free" college tuition that you "pay forward" by owing the state a portion of your later, no doubt handsome post-college income. These guys are smoking medical marijuana! Have they looked at Federal student loan default rates? Do they know that Starbucks is a good job for a lot of college grads? How about the fact that last month's unemployment figures were up in Oregon? I think we should just declare everything free and be done with it. 

www.kgw.com/news/Plan-would-make-tuition-free-at-Ore-colleges-214294461.html

Happy July 4th!

The Shining Light of Liberty Flickers

As we get ready to celebrate Independence Day - the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, etc. - the torch of freedom proudly held by the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor is flickering. A German Christian family moved here under threat of criminal prosecution by the German government for home-schooling their children. They believed that the German schools were teaching their children things clearly in conflict with their faith, so off they went to the aforesaid Land of the Free, Home of the Brave and sought asylum on religious grounds. Well not so fast mein herr!

The U.S. Department of Justice has taken the official position before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals that sending these religious snivelers back to der Rhineland is just ducky because Germany's goal of an "open, pluralistic" society trumps any trivial religious objections. That should sound familiar as those are the words often used by President Obama and his minions to describe what they think the U.S. should look like, never mind what the First Amendment says about government making "no law" abridging the religious rights of the people. They have consistently talked about "freedom of worship" not "freedom of religion" as it is set forth in the Amendment.

So enjoy this All-American holiday and eat your fill of hot dogs and apple pie, but know that there are faceless politicians and bureaucrats who find all of this detestable and would love to change all the red, white, and blue into a uniform gray that only allows for slavish obedience to the diktat du jour from D.C.

www.wnd.com/2013/07/doj-governments-can-punish-homeschoolers/?cat_orig=us

Humility

Andrew Klavan and Bill Whittle at PJTV.com recently did a short piece on humility. It was a pleasant change from politics and their thesis was that humility is the starting point for wisdom, e.g. - none of us know it all. They are right. 

The world is full of people who are full of themselves and they are making a hash of things. They are trying to create kingdoms in their own images, whether at home or at the national or even international level. The problem is of course that since all fall short of the glory of God, so do their kingdoms. In fact, in time they all become petty, arbitrary, and often plain miserable places for others to live. If we humble ourselves by admitting that we don't know it all, then we can begin to listen to God and to others. That is indeed the start of wisdom and leads to better families, better nations, better lives.