Posts Tagged ‘history’

Death Panels: It’s not a bug its a feature

Posted: September 11, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
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One last thing about the death panel stuff.

If you wonder why pro life people, particularly the Catholic Church keep fighting when all this stuff goes on it’s because they have seen the culture of life degenerate since Roe v. Wade. They have seen assisted suicide and euthanasia in the western world. The see the Capewell case and they understand what the fight is all about.

They understand in the great tradition of Margaret Sanger the death panel isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. And once there are guidelines are in place people who would normally be considered good and moral people will embrace those features and say they were just following guidelines or didn’t want to rock the boat. Just as otherwise good people and good neighbors embraced slavery and Jim Crow without giving it a second thought or if they had those thoughts kept them to themselves. The change will be gradual, it will be a gentle slope:

You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report great wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-— the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

If this passes I predict that in ten years we will be told that our instance of the preservation of life and the treatment of the elderly will be called “unreasonable” and the argument of “quality of life” and “economy” and “guidelines” will be used as an excuse to end life.

It’s not a bug it’s a feature

What the purpose of the speech was

Posted: September 10, 2009 by datechguy in baseball, opinion/news
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Ok before we say what the president’s speech was, lets talk about what it was not.

It was NOT an attempt to persuade the American people. I suspect they tuned out in droves, with 100 channels out there and Fox putting out regular programing, and plenty of baseball out there, not to mention millions of TV’s across the land devoted to day one of Beatles Rock Band I suspect only the junkies like me were watching.

It was NOT an attempt to bring Republicans on board, republicans in the house and senate are not only able to count votes in congress but can count votes in their districts and they know that their seats depend on their opposition to this bill.

This speech had one purpose, it was designed to give the democrats that Jane Hamsher might target cover to support some kind of plan, any plan to make sure he can say he passed “health care reform”. That is also the purpose of this CNN poll. I suspect they will push these results:

What was your overall reaction to President Obama’s speech tonight – very positive, somewhat
positive, somewhat negative or very negative?

Sept. 9, 2009
Very positive 56%
Somewhat positive 21%
Somewhat negative 12%
Very negative 9%
Both/mixed (vol.) 2%
No opinion 1%

Without emphasizing this polling sample:

18% of the respondents who participated in tonight’s survey
identified themselves as Republicans, 45% identified themselves
as Democrats, and 37% identified themselves as Independents.

Soooo less than 1 in 5 polled were republicans and almost 1 in 2 who were polled were democrats.

The president’s emphasizes were specifically aimed toward blue dogs, no additional costs, no illegal immigrants, no abortion. These promises were made to give those blue dogs cover.

I wouldn’t bet the farm on it from the reaction such as this:

I don’t know how others will read this, but I was looking for something to show the President understood his credibility with Democrats has been badly damaged by precisely this kind of ambiguity. The fact that he continues this mode means he and those around him don’t get it or they don’t think it matters.

The next week will tell.

Update: The Anchoress proves me right in spades.

Tepid political theater is no match for a good ballgame. And if I have a choice between looking at Nancy Pelosi or looking at Derek Jeter, who do you think I’m going to choose?

and she saw history being made.

BTW that represents hits as a Yankee. Wade Boggs, Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield and Paul Warner are all members of the 3000 hit club and former Yankees. If Jeter gets to 3000 hits he will be the first person to get 3000 hits in a Yankee uniform.

Update 2: Hot air headlines notices the poll sample

The key question for the middle east: “Which Troubridge is Israel?”

Posted: September 9, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news, war
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As my wife noticed every year I re-read the Guns of August. I think it’s very important to not only remember the lessons of Vietnam and World War 2, but the lessons of wars before that. Particularly World War 1 because it came at the end of a long period of general peace between the great powers , just like we have now.

As I’m a bit of a navel fan one of the most interesting stories to me is the pursuit of the Goeben and Breslau, two German ships in Mediterranean Sea at the very start of the war. British ships were ordered to intercept him including some commanded by Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge.

Troubridge following a strict interpretation of his rules of engagement considered the ships a superior force and declined to engage. Accused of cowardice and court martialed he was acquitted but his career ended at that moment.

That would have been quite a shock to his ancestor Sir Thomas Troubridge who served with Nelson at St. Vincent, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Aboukir Bay and was the first Baron of the Troubridge Baronets.

It was likely a big shock to the Germans as well. The Kaiser had a healthy respect for the tradition of the Royal Navy and after a single battle of Jutland kept it pretty much in port.

It wasn’t fear of the reality of the early 20th century Royal Navy of Ernest Troubridge. It was fear of the memory of the early 19th century Royal Navy of his ancestor Thomas Troubridge and Lord Nelson.

And that’s how we get to Israel and the Middle east today. It hasn’t just been the fear of Israel’s nuclear power it has been the memory of each Israeli Victory in 1948 , 1956, 1967, 1973 and the willingness of Israel to do what had to be done to win.

The question on Iranian nukes really comes down to one thing: When the UN and the US under president Obama “fail” (assuming they are actually trying) to restrain Iran will today’s Israel act differently than the Israel of 40 years ago. Will it be Thomas Troubridge or will it be Ernest Troubridge? Iran, Europe and President Obama are betting on Ernest. I think it will be Thomas.

You’d think they were part of an Axis of Evil or something…

Posted: September 9, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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On Morning Joe this morning John Meacham talked about the Newsweek reporter who has been held in Iran for several months.

He is of course correct to be upset about this and lambasting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the irony of him coming to the UN to freely speak when a reporter can’t freely report a presidential election.

During the discussion it was pointed out that Iran is developing Nukes and as I watch I couldn’t believe it. Didn’t the senior editor of Newsweek Michael Hirsh say that lumping Iran into the axis of evil was “devastatingly stupid?”

Amazing the perception difference when George Bush is not in the White House.

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