There was an animal involved in this incident, but it wasn't Justice!

 

I was looking through some old newspapers and came across the story that last year broke everyone's heart -- everyone, that is, except the idiot who perpetrated the crime and his family.

 

Darius Ewing set a little Lab-terrier mixed breed puppy on fire just for the heck of it. The poor little thing, named Justice by his rescuers, died of third-degree burns over 70% of its body a few days later. Darius had poured lighter fluid all over the dog, then he and his criminal homies threw lighted cigarettes on it.

 

In arguing for a reduction of Darius's bail, one of the usual bullhorn-everybody's-a-racist protestors, Rebecca Williams, said, "Since when did a dog become more important than a boy's life?" Is she really serious? At 4 months old, that little puppy wanted nothing but a warm place to sleep, some food for his little belly, and a loving master. Instead, he had the misfortune to run into a monster. Darius is not a "boy" (and if I called him a boy I'd be called a racist, but they use that term when it's to their advantage); he's an 18-year-old man.

 

And Darius is certainly no saint. He is a high school dropout, a runaway, and a gang member. His Facebook page says he's a "pharmacist." It shows weapons, piles of money, and what appears to be illegal drugs. As a 14-year-old, he was placed on six months juvenile probation for assault. That turned in to four years because he couldn't stay out of trouble. His mama says her little angel didn't do it. If he didn't, why on earth did he go turn himself in for it? Darius's trial comes up in August. Let's hope he gets the maximum sentence of ten years. If he doesn't, it may be a human being he decides to set on fire next time.

 

"Bail cut for suspect in dog's death." The Dallas Morning News; May 19, 2012; p. 5B.

 



Aren't you glad the government is in the health care business?

 

Last October, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began fining more than 2,000 hospitals for excessive patient readmissions in three diagnostic categories: heart failure, pneumonia, and heart attack. That means if you have a heart attack and they send you home after a week or so, and you start having chest pains again, they'll have to pay a fine if they readmit you. Ditto for pneumonia -- if they send you home and you have a relapse, it's unlikely they'll put you back in the hospital where you belong.

 

Next year, they'll add a few more categories to the list: COPD, and hip and knee replacement surgeries. Federal health officials say the new fines are "triggering a noticeable reduction in readmissions." No fooling? Have we also noticed them triggering a noticeable increase in mortality rates? "We're hoping that the Affordable Care Act may already be making a difference in the quality of health care," said Niall Brennan of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Alas, I fear Niall has hit the nail on the head!

 

"Health law spurs hospitals to focus on cutting readmissions." The Dallas Morning News; June 12, 2013; p. 1A.

Reuben was lacking!

 

Reuben Lack was the Student Council president at Alpharetta High School in Georgia. Reuben filed a lawsuit against the school, because administrators kicked him off the council. He says it was because he advocated having two prom queens or two prom kings to accommodate queer students.

 

The judge rightly denied his request for an injunction and ruled that the school had a right to remove him from office. You see, Reuben seemed to be lacking. Administrators presented evidence that Reuben changed meeting times contrary to their instructions, that he arbitrarily ousted a student council member, that he failed to show up for student council events while insisting that other council members do so, and that he failed to exhibit the proper respect due to faculty members. Even one of his friends said he had trouble relating to the other students.

 

Just another ho-hum case of "If I can't do things the way I want to it must be because you're discriminating against me." Waaaaah! Waaaah! Waaaah!

 

"Georgia student sues school over prom clash." The Dallas Morning News; March 24, 2012; p. 9A.



The Centers for Gun Control

 

At Obama's request, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is making reports on gun control. I think I've written about this before. I suspect the whole reason is that Obama plans to make gun control a health issue and then he can outlaw guns under Obamacare.

 

At any rate, they want to deepen "evidence about the public health implication of guns through research." In other words, they already know the conclusion, they just need to come up with some facts to fill in.

 

But, the researchers say, their work is complicated by the lack of an official count on the number of guns Americans own. "Basic information about gun possession, distribution, ownership, acquisition and storage is lacking," the experts conclude. "Without good data, it is virtually impossible to answer fundamental questions" about gun violence. So there's the justification for coming into your home to inventory your firearms. But the premise that they can't answer questions about gun violence without knowing this information is just plain untrue. If they really believe what they're saying, I can help them out a little here.
 

 You investigate incidents of so-called "gun violence" by investigating the actual incidents of "gun violence." What people not involved in "gun violence" do with their guns is irrelevant. You don't investigate all cars when somebody commits a hit and run . . . or should we call it "car violence"? You don't call for a count of how many cars people have in their garages and research where they bought them. At any rate, "gun violence" is a misnomer. It's people violence. I've never seen a gun kill or wound a person all on its own.

 

So don't be surprised when the CDC reaches its "conclusion" that guns are a health hazard and should be banned.

 

"Gun research urged." The Dallas Morning News; June 6, 2013; p. 4A.

 

 



Here's why we're in trouble.

 

The New York Times reports that as Supreme Court justices "consider two major cases on same-sex marriage, with decisions expected this month, they are, of course, focused on legal issues. But students of the court say other factors may also play a role."

 

They shouldn't. The only issue should be constitutionality. David Codell, a former law clerk to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said, ". . .the justices undoubtedly will reflect upon their real-world experiences of getting to know and to understand lesbian and gay people as individuals and as members of families."

 

Does that mean if a Justice knows a murdering rapist as an individual and a member of a family that he should set aside constitutional issues that might arise in any case concerning murder and rape?

 

"Court's climate a factor." The Dallas Morning News; June 9, 2013; p. 4A.

Great point, Bonnie!

 

Bonnie Jonas-Boggioni makes a great point. She asks, "If the National Security Agency wants to know how often I call or text our children and grandchildren (and I assume they know when they call or text me), how come the Feds can't track the sources of all the robocalls I receive and stop them?"

 

"Hack robocalls, please." The Dallas Morning News; June 9, 2013; p. 2P.

Why stop with plastic bags?

 

Dallas City Council member Dwane Caraway is on a tear. He wants to ban plastic bags. I guess he doesn't think Dallas has enough problems without creating one.

 

At any rate, Dwane says, "The bags collecting on the trees and in the Trinity River and White Rock Lake and Bachman Lake, somebody's going to have to clean it up someday. Might as well start now."

 

Sounds good -- but are we going to ban automobile tires, too? I've seen creek beds with enough rubber in them to make a 50 foot Super Ball. How about refrigerators and stoves? I've seen quite a few of those tossed away as well. Aluminum cans and plastic bottles? I see more of those than I do plastic bags. And cigarette butts -- nothing more disgusting unless you consider the morons who leave poopy diapers on parking lots. So let's ban diapers.

 

Dwane's problem is one that plagues many liberals. Rather than calling for strict enforcement of the laws on the books (littering), they prefer to punish all the law abiding people by taking away their conveniences. I know many people who recycle those plastic bags by using them to dispose of their pets' waste. Which would you rather step on -- a plastic bag or a pile of doggie doo? I use them as bathroom trash liners. I also keep a supply in the trunk of my car, and they've come in handy quite often for sacking muddy items or disposing of trash. Scot Wisner weighed in on the subject. He says, "Spend a few buck on an assortment of reusable fabric bags and change your habits." Do you really want to put dog feces in a fabric bag? And if you do, do you really want to reuse it? I guess Scot is unaware of the studies that show fabric bags can be repositories of some pretty nasty bacterial growth just from carrying fresh meat from the grocery store in them.

 

And those reusable and paper bags? They eventually wear out, and guess where they'll probably end up. By the way, I haven't even touched on how much the plastic bag ban will cause the price of groceries, etc. to rise. So my advice to you, Dwane, is to MYOB. If you don't like plastic bags, don't use them, but leave the rest of us alone.

 

"Talking Points." The Dallas Morning News; June 9, 2013; p. 1P.

"Change bag habits." The Dallas Morning News; June 13, 2013; p. 14A.

Maybe if he hadn't been on PCP . . .

 

Collette Flanagan has joined the ranks of those who think it makes them look important to parade around a courthouse with a bullhorn shouting, "No justice, no peace," or some similar inane chant. She had a dozen or so protestors with her -- I would imagine the same dozen or so that show up every time the DPD shoots or has to wrestle a black criminal.

 

Collette's cause is her son. He was shot by a Dallas Police officer making a domestic violence call. It seems Clinton Allen was threatening to kick in the door of a woman (his girlfriend?) in Oak Cliff. When the officers arrived, he grabbed one of them and began to choke him. When the taser didn't work (which I've heard sometimes happens when a suspect is high on PCP), the officer shot him. Clinton did have marijuana and PCP in his system according to the medical examiner. His family says he didn't. Hmmmm - I wonder who performed the autopsy they're basing their information on?

 

Clinton has had multiple arrests for assault causing bodily injury and marijuana, yet his family says the media is just trying to portray him as a thug. "I have to visit my son at the grave every morning," she said. Better you than the officer's widow, Collette.

 

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20130426-family-of-man-killed-in-dallas-police-shooting-calls-for-officers-suspension.ece

 

"Mom of man killed by police officer leads protest." The Dallas Morning News; June 11, 2013; p. 8B.

 

 

Cheerios makes a social statement.

 

Cheerios is my favorite cereal. General Mills has a long-standing winner with it. But General Mills needs a new ad agency.

 

I'm sure you've seen the new commercial with the mixed race family. A lot of people have been upset by it. Nan Tolson of McKinney is one of the enlightened ones who thinks the commercial is just hunky-dory.

 

"If we truly lived in a post-racial America, the commercial would've been viewed as a cereal advertisement -- nothing else."

 

Ah -- but if they were just advertising their cereal and not trying to make a statement, they would have done it with a non-controversial family.

Cheerios' Vice President of Marketing Camille Gibson said they weren't trying to make a social statement. They just wanted to show a family. And Eric Holder didn't know anything about getting James Rosen's private phone records. And Lois Lerner didn't know anything about the illegal scrutiny of conservative groups. And Susan Rice really thought Benghazi was all because of a video. And the NSA chief "inadvertently" collected our phone records.

There is one way to know whether or not Gibson is telling the truth. Let's ask GM to release the casting call for that commercial. Did they cast for "a family," or did they cast for "a bi-racial family"? If she's telling the truth, no mention of race was made in the casting call. And if race was mentioned, maybe the racist is the one in the cereal business.

"Racism just more subtle now." The Dallas Morning News; June 7, 2013; p. 20A.

Maybe they were talking about character and intelligence.

 

Lawsuits against the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife allege racial discrimination. The department isn't "recruiting" enough minorities, plaintiffs charge.

 

Well, excuse me, but do they run ads only in "white" newspapers? Do they distribute brochures to "whites only"? In today's economy, most people don't wait to be "recruited." They're out there pounding the pavement, reading the newspapers, applying online, networking, and doing whatever else they need to do to find a job.

 

It is also alleged that blacks are isolated and evaluated more harshly than whites. Brukendra Jackson says she was given one chance to master a swimming survival exercise while white cadets were given more chances. She says she was also chastised about a small tattoo concealed with makeup while a white cadet arrived at the academy with body ink covering the length of his arm.

 

We may assume that Brukendra didn't pass the swimming survival exercise. Perhaps she wasn't given another chance because she failed so miserably there was no point. Maybe one of the instructors or one of the other cadets had to endanger his own life to jump in and save hers. Without more information, we can't say this was discrimination.

 

About the tattoo -- what exactly was her tattoo? She says the other cadet "arrived at the academy with his." Did she get hers after she arrived at the academy? If so, perhaps there was a provision for existing tattoos, but getting one after being in the program was a no-no. Maybe it was more a matter of what the tattoo depicted than that she had one. For example, if it was an obscenity, I would pretty much say that was unacceptable. If it was something sexual, I would pretty much say that was unacceptable. And as every lady knows, makeup tends to disappear when you sweat. Maybe the cadet who "arrived with ink" agreed to wear long-sleeved shirts. Maybe he was having his "ink" removed. Again, without more information, we cannot say this was discrimination.

 

 

Brukendra (I wouldn't hire her just because of that name), says, "They told me that I had traits inside me that I couldn't overcome, that I just needed to leave and quit." She said the instructor did not explain what he meant by "traits," but "I just assumed he meant me being a black female." I would assume he meant that she was a whiner looking for a pass on the race card.

 

What it boils down to, Brukendra, is that as a prospective law enforcement officer, if you weren't smart enough to ask him what he meant, you're not smart enough to be a game warden, and I think he made the right call.

 

"Racial bias alleged in parks hiring." The Dallas Morning News; June 7, 2013; p. 1A.

A Different Perspective

 

Maybe the social gap in our country is not so much between the haves and the have-nots as it is between the dids and the did-nots.

These hospitals?

 

Phyllis Guest takes the churches to task for building church buildings instead of hospitals. She says that churches are not stepping up, they're not doing their share.

 

Just FYI, Phyllis, there are at least 600 Catholic hospitals in the U.S. That doesn't count the ones outside our borders. There are at least 49 Methodist hospitals in the U.S. That doesn't count the ones outside our borders. I couldn't get a count on the Baptist hospitals, but it appears there is at least one in every state and several in some states. That doesn't count the ones outside our borders. I couldn't find a comprehensive count on Presybterian hospitals, either, but I found plenty of Google listings for them. There are at least 25 or 30 in Texas alone. Most of the Jewish hospitals have been sold off, but the proceeds from the sales went into charitable foundations to aid the poor.

 

Those are just a few of the mainline denominations I checked. There are Lutheran, 7th Day Adventist, and any number of other denominational hospitals. Now, Phyllis, what are you doing to help?

 

"Dog-eat-dog isn't human." The Dallas Morning News; June 5, 2013; p. 18A.

Could it be that they are arrested more because they break the law more?

 

The ACLU is indignant: Blacks are arrested for pot more than whites.

 

They say that the arrest rates are higher for blacks even though use is the same. Yet the only evidence they can cite that the use is the same is a self-reporting survey by the National Drug Health Survey. The survey shows that 14% of blacks and 12% of whites reported in 2010 that they had used marijuana during the previous year.

 

I suspect that not only more blacks use marijuana, but more blacks also lie about it.

 

"ACLU: Blacks arrested for pot more than whites." The Dallas Morning News; June 5, 2013; p. 4A.

 



Where would you draw the line?

 

I probably ticked a lot of people off with yesterday's post, so I might as well continue the trend with this one.

 

Ohio State Representative John Barnes, Jr. introduced a Survivors of Abduction Act that would provide Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight with at least $25,000 annually in reparations for the years that sicko in Cleveland held them captive. In addition they would receive tuition, fees, and living expenses at a public college.

 

I have as much sympathy for these poor girls as anyone else does. And if a private charity or foundation wants to help them, I'd probably donate. But the hell they experienced doesn't rest upon the taxpayers. And what about all the other victims out there? Should they not be compensated at taxpayer expense for the wrongs they have suffered? And where is the line drawn? Do we compensate the merchant whose business was burned down by an arsonist? Do we compensate the bank teller who suffers PTSD from a hold-up? Do we compensate the rape victim? Do we compensate the victim of a dog attack because the dog owner was irresponsible? Do we compensate the hit and run victim? Where would you draw the line?

 

Aside from all that, it seems to me that the first reaction from people when misfortune falls is to want to throw money at it even before the needs are known. I have to wonder if the motivation is about helping someone in need or more about making myself feel better.

 

"Law would aid 3 abducted in Cleveland." The Dallas Morning News; June 5, 2013; p. 4A.

 

 

And that's the problem.

 

I know this post will be taken in the wrong way, so let me head it off here by saying up front that sexual assault is never OK. It is always a crime, and those who are guilty of it should be punished. And to the women who serve in our military, you have my gratitude, but I don't think you should be shouldering the responsibility of direct combat.

 

The military right now is beset with criticism and questions over the sharp rise in sexual assaults in our armed forces and training academies. Senators, combat veterans, and others insist that sexual assault in the ranks has "cost the services the trust and respect of the American people as well as the nation's men and women in uniform."

 

Should our military have to take time out from protecting our shores in these perilous times to deal with rape and sexual harassment? To put it more bluntly, would this even be an issue if we hadn't allowed homosexuals and women to serve in the same capacities as men? I'm just old-fashioned enough to think there are military jobs for which women are not suited, and that there are role differences between the genders. And I'm enough of a moralist to believe that homosexuals shouldn't be in the military at all. We have allowed a PC policy and a minority of criminals to cast a pall upon the respect and trust the vast majority of our servicemen deserve. And that's a crying shame.

 

"Chiefs try to salvage commanders' authority in cases." The Dallas Morning News; June 5, 2013; p. 1A.

How far will we let this murdering terrorist go?

 

I don't know about you, but I am sick to death of the mollycoddling going on with Nidal Hasan who went on a shooting rampage at Ft. Hood in the name of Allah.

 

Why is he still being paid his salary? Why is he allowed to keep his beard despite the regulation that says he may not? Why is he not called what he is -- a terrorist -- so that his victims can get the benefits due them? Isn't it ironic that we're paying him, but we're not paying his victims?

 

And now the latest absurdity -- he is being allowed to represent himself which means that we must pay for him to have an office and a staff. And the defense he plans to use? He was protecting others when he shot all those people, because his victims posed an "imminent danger to Taliban fighters."

 

In any sane society, that defense is called aiding and abetting the enemy. Alas, our society no longer qualifies as sane.

 

On the other hand, maybe we should let him prove that he was protecting the Taliban and find him "not guilty" of murder and attempted murder. Instead we can find that he convicted himself of treason. Then we can hang him for a crime to which he confessed.

 

"Taliban were in danger, Hasan says." The Dallas Morning News; June 5, 2013; p. 1A.

The Intention of the Founders

 

Laurry Michlin of Dallas confidently asserts that the Founding Fathers intended to remove God from schools and government.

 

No, Laurry, that is not what the Founding Fathers intended. The Founding Fathers intended to remove government from the free exercise of religion -- whether one wishes to pray aloud at school or in the courthouse or in the statehouse, they protected his right to do so:

 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

 

What that tells me is that Congress cannot pass a law prohibiting prayer anywhere. Congress cannot pass a law that says cheerleaders can't put Bible verses on football banners. Congress cannot pass a law that says pastors who preach against homosexuality are guilty of hate speech.

 

Thomas Jefferson spelled it out pretty well:

 

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."

 

Do you think our third President is reeling in his grave over the current disregard in the Obama administration for these God-given liberties? I certainly do.

 

And here's just one more thought -- IRS malfeasance, DOJ malfeasance, NSA violations of privacy, and Benghazi cover-ups are just the scandals we know about. What other secrets are hiding at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

 

"Pray anywhere - quietly." The Dallas Morning News; June 1, 2013; p. 16A. 

The islamist radicals aren't the only ones who are nuts!

 

I came across some very disturbing information the other day. It makes me fearful of and for the generation charged with caring for those of us who are Baby Boomers when we are no longer able to care for ourselves.

 

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber, has a bunch of groupies. And I'm not talking about brainwashed muslim girls. I'm talking about ordinary all-American girls. They call him Jahar and have started websites, petitions, etc. to "Free Jahar." What could they possibly be thinking? They want to free the man who did this?

 

 

And this?

 

And this?



And killed this little boy?

And took the leg from his little sister, the Irish dancer? And took the sight from one of his mother's eyes? And permanently damaged his father's hearing?

Believe me, I haven't included the most graphic pictures. They are nauseating. Those poor people were out enjoying a good time together -- they weren't bothering anybody. And many of them went home maimed for life and emotionally scarred, and some of them didn't go home at all.

And the idiots want to "free Jahar"? They accuse the police of being "mean" when they fired on the boat where he was found hiding. Really? And they don't think what this terrorist did was "mean"? But, they say, he has "Bambi eyes" and he's cute. Look again at that little boy he slaughtered. Google "Boston Marathon Victims" images. Do those look "cute" to you? Does being "cute" now get you a free pass to commit such carnage and mass murder?

One clueless 18-year-old says she's going to have Dzhokhar's last tweet before the bombing tattooed onto her arm: "If you have the knowledge and the inspiration all that's left is to take action." Perhaps she should be investigated as a possible threat. If she's that stupid, he might inspire her to take action.

A Mother's Day message on one of the "Free Jahar" websites said, "Let your next prayers go out for a young man sitting alone in his prison cell with nothing but himself and his sorrows, who doesn't get the opportunity to see his mother." Well, now, let's think about that. Bambi Eyes is there by the choice he made to kill and maim a bunch of innocent people. How many mothers and children did he leave sorrowing on Mother's Day? I'm sure the mother of that little boy would have liked to celebrate Mother's Day with her son, but she can't do that. My tears are for her -- not for an unrepentant terrorist and his moronic groupies.

"Dzhokhar's fangirls." The Dallas Morning News; May 24, 2013; p. 21A.





 

Public housing sure isn't what it used to be!

 

They had a big celebration and ribbon-cutting for the Dallas Housing Authority's Roseland housing project recently. It cost $100 million for 85 units. If I count my zeroes correctly, that comes out to $1,176,470.59 per unit. The units have wood floors, crown molding, and large windows with picturesque views.

 

Terdema Ussery, chairman of the DHA board, said he hopes the nicer apartments and homes will make the community more accepting of "low-income" housing. Low-income housing at more than a million dollars a pop? Ussery continued, "People have ancient stereotypes, but everybody wants the same thing. They want safe homes, good education and nice neighborhoods." I think back to what Abraham Lincoln once said: "Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built."

 

Yes, some of us pay for our own. And if you want to see what low-income housing does for a neighborhood, just drive through some of the old neighborhoods that were once nicely kept but are now full of Section 8 houses and drug dealers.

 

I can agree with one of the tenants, though. Flora Daniels says, "Oh, how it's changed!" Amen, Flora!

 

"It's a whole new day here." The Dallas Morning News; May 31, 2013; p. 1A.

Cue that little violin again!

 

Brian Baldwin says the notion that gays are immoral is perverse. Reminds me of that scripture about calling good evil and evil good.

 

Brian says, "Like all gay men, women and children, every time I hear or read such words reported as if they are valid, a little part of me dies and feels peeled away like the shore around the roots of a tree trying to survive on a hostile river bank. Eventually it falls, leaving barren a place on the shore where once stood a proud, full tree."

 

Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton himself couldn't have done a better job! If you don't know who he is, Google him some dark and stormy night.

Who will win this war?

 

"We must define our effort not as a boundless global war on terror, but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America."

~Barak Obama

 

"We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you."

~One of the men who recently hacked a British soldier to death on a London Street

 

Do you think the one who refuses to fight a global war on terror will win, or do you think the one who swears he will never stop fighting will win?

And if these are "targeted efforts," why is Obama collecting and storing all of our private information? Does he really think that 300,000,000 Americans are involved in "specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America"? Under Obama's ideology, I'm afraid we've lost not only the war on terror, but our Constitutionally guaranteed personal liberties as well.

Is it wrong or not?

 

I am a bit confused by the recent Boy Scout reversal of policy allowing homosexual boys to join the Scouts.

 

If homosexual behavior is OK, then why are homosexual adults still precluded as leaders?

 

If homosexual behavior is not OK, then why are homosexual boys allowed to take the membership oath to honor God when they obviously don't mean it?

 

I'm just looking for some consistency. Does the BSA approve of homosexuals or not?

Give in an inch . . .

 

Remember some years ago when the homosexual mantra was, "We only want tolerance"? Many people of orthodox thought predicted that tolerance was only step one. And, boy, were they right!

 

Jimmy Smith of Jefferson doesn't like Governor Perry's use of the word "tolerance." He says when he uses "tolerance" instead of "acceptance," it exposes his "underlying bias and prejudice." Poor Jimmy finds this "insulting, debasing and just plain wrong." As one of my favorite people, Michelle Malkin says, "Waaaa! Waaaa! Waaaa! Cue the world's smallest violin!"

 

Judy Shepard says, "We need more acceptance now. We need to move away from tolerance and towards acceptance because you don’t tolerate people, you accept them. You tolerate a bad hair day."

 

Judy may have a point. Perhaps we do need to move away from tolerance . . . and shove them all back in the closet where they belong!

 

By the way, when I googled for Judy's quote and clicked on the website, it immediately popped up an ad for a perverted porn website. So I would advise extreme caution in clicking on the reference link!

 

"Gay slurs aren't funny." The Dallas Morning News; April 1, 2012; p. 2P.

http://www.matthewshepard.org/new/moving-from-tolerance-to-acceptance

How about incest, Rich?

 

Rich Latta says that the Bible is outdated and of no use to us in these enlightened times. He says we can't trust it to inform us on issues such as homosexuality. He accuses Christians of picking and choosing the parts of the Bible that serve their own personal agendas. He sums up by saying that we can "safely discard the false notion that homosexuality is an evil abomination worthy of death."

 

So, Rich, what is your opinion on incest between consenting adults? Can we safely discard that prohibition as well? Or do you "choose" to toss out the homosexual thing while "picking" the incest thing to stay?

 

"Anti-gay but pro-slavery?" The Dallas Morning News; May 30, 2013; p. 12A.

I'm appalled, too!

 

Elizabeth Walley of Mesquite is appalled! She could not believe that Congressman Pete Sessions said that people are buying guns and ammunition because they are afraid of their government and they should be. She says he said that people are afraid that Obama will take away their guns. Mind you, she says, she doesn't for a minute think Pete Sessions believes any of this, and that he was irresponsible for even saying it. She says she hopes it was just a slip and he won't let it happen again.

 

Well, I'm appalled, too, Elizabeth -- appalled that you would deny Congressman Sessions his First Amendment right to stand up for the Second Amendment. I hope that was just a slip, and that you won't let it happen again.

 

Incidentally, given that the IRS is circumventing conservative groups and the Department of Justice is spying on reporters and the State Department is being extremely secretive about Benghazi, I don't think Congressman Sessions is off the mark at all. Another point you might want to consider, Elizabeth. NBC, hardly a bastion of conservatism says, ". . .gun sales have skyrocketed on fears about new restrictions . . . Demand for firearms has been so strong over the past year that manufacturers have been running their plants at near capacity to keep up." And here's an analysis from someone in the business: "'The biggest push in sales is coming from panic buying because gun owners are fearful of potential government legislation,' said Rex Gore, owner of Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware."

 

It is what it is, Elizabeth, and it's never irresponsible to speak the truth.

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/gun-sales-still-surging-gun-company-stocks-languish-6C9756583

 

"Stay calm and stop inciting." The Dallas Morning News; May 30, 2013; p. 12A.

Is it just me, or are these dumb questions?

 

It seems as if in today's society, there must be someone to blame for everything that happens. Even an act of nature spurs calls for investigations and finger pointing. And the cry is usually for the government to "do something."

 

Kurt Hochenauer takes that attitude with the recent devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma. He thinks every structure in the state should be required to have an underground storm shelter. He thinks there should be more public and community shelters. Sounds like a great idea, but who will pay for them? Some of those citizens, probably even some of them who lost their homes in the recent storms, will probably balk at a tax hike. U.S. taxpayers have already paid for 500 Oklahomans to build storm shelters at their homes. You know what? We have tornadoes where I live, too, but the government didn't offer to build me a shelter. Additionally, money was held out of my paycheck to pay for shelters for someone else, so that left me fewer discretionary dollars to maybe build my own shelter.

 

Kurt wants to know why we don't build our schools with stronger materials. Well, Kurt, it really doesn't matter how strong the materials are. When an EF5 tornado passes through, the building is probably going to get blown away.

 

Kurt says that people should be able to afford shelters. It's not that expensive, he argues. Construction of an 8 foot x 8 foot safe room ranges from $6,600 to $8,700. Is that too high a price to pay for lives, he asks. Well, Kurt, it's not; however, some people just simply do not have $6,600 to $8,700 lying around. And I'm sure that estimate is for new construction -- I feel sure it would cost more to incorporate a safe room into an existing structure. In fact, I recently saw an article about a company who does safe rooms, and they said they range up to $15,000 or more

 

Kurt wants improvements to our warning systems. If the people in Moore didn't know a tornado was coming, they must have been deaf and blind. The National Weather Service had been predicting and warning for days that the potential for extremely violent storms was there. They encouraged people to keep an eye on the weather and the media. They issued a tornado warning that included the probable path and time estimates 16 minutes before the tornado hit. Sixteen minutes is not long, but if the residents were monitoring conditions, which they should have been if they were heeding the warnings of several days, 16 minutes should have been sufficient to take cover. If the local TV stations there are like they are here, I'm sure there was non-stop coverage of the weather situation. Many people have weather apps on their iPhones. The outdoor sirens wailed.

 

Kurt wants to know if the tornado's strength was related to global warming. I doubt it, Kurt. Sometimes, big tornadoes form and hit. They've been doing it for millennia. And they will continue to do it until Jesus comes back. Man should not be so arrogant as to think he can somehow control the weather.

 

Kurt wants to know why so many homes have been rebuilt in an area known for destructive tornadoes. Well, Kurt, for the same reasons homes are built on the coasts and homes are built in the far north and homes are built in California. People have a reason to be in that part of the country, and they have to have a place to live. How about some lessons from NOAA, Kurt?

 

• Tornadoes are not limited to any specific geographic location. In fact, tornadoes have been documented in every state of the United States, and on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica (even there, a tornado occurrence is not impossible).
• The U.S. has an average of 1000 tornadoes each year -- 62 of those occur in Oklahoma.
• Overall, most tornadoes (around 77 percent) in the U.S. are considered weak (EF0 or EF1) and about 95 percent of all U.S. tornadoes are below EF3 intensity. The remaining small percentage of tornadoes are categorized as violent (EF3 and above). Of these violent twisters, only a few (0.1 percent of all tornadoes) achieve EF5 status.

So, Kurt, when you can nail down exactly where and when that next EF5 is going to hit, maybe we won't let people build houses there anymore.

 

Kurt says that climate change might have played a role in the extreme weather in the Plains over the last few years. Interestingly, I heard a meteorologist on TV recently say that we've not had more extremes -- we've had better reporting, better media coverage, and better weather forecasting tools. The extremes have always occurred -- we just weren't as aware of them as we are now.

 

"Underground shelters should be a priority." The Dallas Morning News; May 28, 2013; p. 15a.

 



Let us give you some money!

 

I wrote yesterday about the unlimited nature of food stamp dollars and how out of control the spending is. Here's what really takes the cake -- the government is out there trying to round up even more people to sign up for food stamps.

 

Dillie Nerios is one of the food stamp recruiters. It is her job to enroll at least 150 seniors in the food stamp program each month. She says she needs to be "liked," so she carries gift bags with pet toys, cookies, fruit, and croissants to hand out. Forgive me for being a bit cynical, but if someone can afford to feed a pet, shouldn't he be able to feed himself first? On one day, she set up at the Spanish Lakes retirement community in Florida. "She watched as a few golf carts and motorized scooters drove toward her . . . passing signs that read 'We Love Living Here!' and 'Great Lifestyle!'" Does it really sound like these folks can't afford to eat? Dillie's line usually goes something like this: "You deserve it." I am so sick of hearing that! No, they don't deserve it. "If any would not work, neither should he eat." And if they can afford a nice lifestyle, then surely they can afford some beans and potatoes.

 

I'll just bet you didn't know that it is your patriotic duty to sign up for food stamps. Alabama hands out fliers that read: "Be a patriot, Bring your food stamp money home." Other states have food stamp parties and bingo games. The theory is that every $5 in SNAP generates $9.20 for the local economy. But the fallacy there is that that $5 in SNAP money was taken from some other local economy where it would have generated the $9.20 or more. Remember, the federal government has no money other than what it takes from its citizens. It does not create wealth -- it only redistributes it. And since it's your money they're giving to someone else, they don't care how much it costs you to buy a few votes for themselves.

 

"Selling seniors on food stamps." The Dallas Morning News; May 19, 2013; p. 23A.

If only I could do that!

 

Did you know that the government never "runs out of money" for food stamps? Federal dollars for the SNAP program are unlimited. As long as recipients qualify, they get the money. The program cost 78 billion of your dollars last year -- more than twice what it cost in 2008. Perhaps it would be a good idea to start with this program in reducing the deficit.

 

"Senate rejects letting states run food stamps." The Dallas Morning News; May 23, 2013; p. 6A.

It's still statutory rape.

 

An 18-year-old Florida cheerleader, Kaitlyn Hunt, is being prosecuted for sexual contact with a 14-year-old. But the queers are upset, because both are female. They say Kaitlyn is being unfairly singled out because she's gay.

 

No, Kaitlyn is being singled out because she committed statutory rape. Kaitlyn's mother says the relationship was consensual. Kaitlyn's mother better go check the law books. According to the law, a 14-year-old cannot grant consent, so her daughter is guilty of, at the least, child molesting.

 

"Gay teen charged over underage girlfriend." The Dallas Morning News; May 22, 2013; p. 6A.

How's that again?

 

Jim Salsbury of Garland says in his 45 years of work in the business community, he's never seen an employer hire because of a good economy. He says the only reason employers hire is because they have more work than can be done with their current employees.

 

How's that again, Jim? You don't think a good economy has anything to do with employers having "more work than can be done with their current employees"? You think someone never starts a new business unless he already has a bunch of orders for goods or services? You think a successful businessman never looks at a neighboring community and thinks to himself that he just might open a store there because the people seem to be prospering?

 

Well, Jim, all I can say about your 45 years in the business world is that you've not been very observant.

 

"Hiring, economy not linked." The Dallas Morning News; November 29, 2012; p. 14A.