Posts Tagged ‘reality’

…but don’t call them death panels

Posted: December 15, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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When Sarah Palin referred to death panels she was called a liar, or ignored and is still hit for it, even as the section was pulled.

When examples from England’s NIS of brought up we were told that is had nothing to do with the US.

When the mammograms recommendations came out we were told that it isn’t an example of how Government health care would work.

We were told all these things, but there is one important thing about reality, it exists whether or not you want to acknowledge it:

New York used to screen women of all ages, but this year the budget crunch has forced them to focus on those considered at highest risk and exclude women under 50. “It’s a scary thought. It really is,” said LaBarge, who fears she’s at a higher risk because her grandmother died of breast cancer.

Well that is just one state that is on the brink, it’s not like a bunch of states are doing it…oh wait:

At least 14 states cut budgets for free cancer screenings this year: Colorado, Montana, Illinois, Alabama, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Carolina, Utah, Missouri, Washington, Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Arkansas.

Via Gateway and Say anything who got to it yesterday.

This story should be a whole lot bigger than it is.

Let me tell you something, if we as a society give the power of life and death to government bureaucrats, we better not be surprised when they will use it.

The time is even more important than they know

Posted: December 13, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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Red State quotes Churchill in warning that we have to fight and push while the advantage is ours.

The most powerful words in the Senate are “I object.” Senate Republicans should have been shouting those two words on the Senate floor early and often from the moment this bill was considered, instead of the complete silence we have heard – other than to constantly agree to conduct business through unanimous consent. Here are just a few ways those words can (and should) be used in a very effective way:

He then lists rule after rule that republicans have eschewed that could be used to advantage.

Robert Stacy notes this and point out the time and timing make such a difference in general::

Had more conservatives jumped onto the Hoffman bandwagon in August — when Erick Erickson did — maybe Scozzafava could have been driven out of the race a couple of weeks earlier. Instead, she got about $1 million from the RNC and NRCC and hung in until the last weekend before Election Day, then endorsed Bill Owens, making just enough difference to elect the Democrat by a margin that, in the end, amounted to about 3,200 votes.

Republicans are instead allowing things to go forward Bill Kristol pointed out on Fox News Sunday today that the ideal is for this to be passed 60-40 so every democrat can be made to blame for the unpopular bill.

If your goal is to gain a political advantage that argument might hold water, but silly fellow that I am, I think the idea of voting conservative, or republican is because you believe in certain principles, and want those principles to advance for the common welfare.

If the only purpose of voting republican is to give republicans power and the only purpose of that power is electing republicans then what’s the point? It’s political Sola scriptura and it’s just as circular.

Let’s bottom line this: If “Health Care Reform” passes in ANY form it will NEVER be repealed. As the years go by whenever the democrats have the opportunity or the votes they will amended it little by little, in increments so tiny that as each amendment passes we will not see what it does all we are worrying about and more comes to pass.

This was the political genius of Ted Kennedy, he understood this and was able to use these tactics to reshape the country. That’s why he got along so well and compromised so much. He knew that every time he made a small compromise he pushed us one little bit closer to the dependent society that would vote democratic to keep the checks coming and those he made defendant would worship him for it..

I’m sorry but I’m not in favor of risking passage because we hope for an extra 5 house and/or 2 senate seats in the midterms. I’m not going to risk disaster because we are afraid of what a media that doesn’t like us and never will might say. As Cleveland said: “What’s the use of being elected or Re-Elected if you don’t stand for something?”

Erickson and McCain are right, we should use every single rule in the senate and in the house that we can in our favor. If we don’t and we lose, then those couple of extra seats are going to be small consolation for a mess we could have prevented.

It will be our own fault and future generations of Americans will rightly not forgive us for it.

Remind me, who won World War 2?

Posted: December 11, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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Apparently not who we thought:

But sometimes a story emerges that requires outright condemnation. On this occasion, the condemnation goes to the British Government. The government – our government, supposedly representing you and me in its interaction with people abroad – wants to label goods as coming from the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, so as to help consumers boycott them.

As it happens, I have misgivings about the settlements and think that those who call for a return to old borders have a point. But only people with no sense of history could think it unobjectionable to start branding Jewish goods like this.

Haaretz has more, there is both more and less to this than meets the eye:

According to European Union law, many types of products, especially food products, that are imported from outside the Union, by law must be labeled with the country of their origin. The British government issued its recommendation after several NGOs and marketing chains asked for guidelines regarding the differentiation between settler products and Palestinian products from the West Bank.

According to the new guidelines, the British government recommends indicating whether the product was made by Palestinians or Israeli settlers on the label of every product originating from the West Bank

This is a no brainier. Nobody argued that the west bank was anything but Jordanian before 1967. Israel defeated Jordan in a legitimate war so the choice is either to recognize that conquest or not. I don’t hear anyone claiming it is part of Jordan, but instead they designate it part of a mythical state that doesn’t and never has existed.

Until or unless Israel cedes it it the products that come from the West Bank are products of Israel.

This is really more about European Bureaucracy than it is antisemitism but the self righteousness of those arguing for this differential (take a look at the comments at the linked site) reveal the motives for what they are. Let them answer this question if they dare?

Which brings us, of course, to the moral issue that has long been obscured and forgotten: why would “peace” entail the forced expulsion of at least 100,000 people, and even if a sovereign Palestinian entity were to arise in the West Bank, why would it have to be Judenrein?

Who knew that 65 years after it’s fall the Reich’s dream of Judenrien lands would be shared by so many who have such moral superiority; dare we say it; a Moral master race!


So I guess I’ll make your life easier and put it on now.

“But DaTechGuy”, say you, “you’re not Jewish, you’re Catholic and a Sicilian American, why do you wear the patch?”

My answer? I hope to follow the example of that good fictional priest Fr. William O’Malley from Lee Marvin’s last movie:

Abdul: What is your name?
Father O’Malley: William O’Malley.
Abdul: I did not call you.
Father O’Malley: You called for all the Jews. I’m Jewish, just like Jesus Christ. You take one, you gotta take us all.

That’s good enough for me.

Update: Is the irony that this story comes out on the first day of Hanukkah enough for you? Let me wish all my Jewish readers a happy and blessed Hanukkah.

For our Protestant friends who don’t include the book, the Biblical story of that first Hanukkah is here.

I’ve heard of the war against Christmas, but not against Christmas cards

Posted: December 11, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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The Jawa Report gives us an interesting postscript to the Rifqa Bary story:

In a stunning development in the ongoing legal saga of Muslim-turned-Christian convert Rifqa Bary, the parents’ attorney, Omar Tarazi, filed a motion with the Franklin County courts last week moving to ban on all Christmas cards being sent to Rifqa through her attorneys, and demanding the seizure from her of all Christmas cards that she might have already received. And yet her parents still make representations to the media that they intend to honor and respect her Christian faith, while their attorney files sealed motions stating that Christmas cards are “dangerous to her health and safety”.

Am I surprised, yes and no. Yes I’m surprised that Jawa scooped Atlas on this and no I’m not the least bit surprised by CAIR’s actions. They are Islamists in sheep’s clothing. And that clothing is only convincing to those who want to believe.

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