Where are the demonstrations?

Have I missed them? All the white folks demonstrating?

October 14, Cardan Spencer, a black policeman, shot Bobby Gerald Bennett, a white man. Bennett's mother had called for help in getting the mentally ill man under control.

Do you think we would be seeing some demonstrations had the races been reversed?

"Officer fired in man's shooting." The Dallas Morning News; October 25, 2013; p. 1A.

Shouldn't we tell them what causes babies?

During the recent government shutdown, people on WIC were worried they'd be cut off from their freebies.

Patricia Jones of Newark, NJ, was pictured with the children she feeds through WIC. There were three children in the photo, the oldest one obviously with some sort of disability. The youngest one appeared to be about 2 years old. She has two other children who weren't in the photo.  Cierra Schoeneberger, an unemployed mother of three laments that it costs her $40 a week for formula. Without her WIC voucher, "Am I going to have to feed him regular milk, or am I going to have to scrounge up the little bit of change I do have for formula or even baby food?"

Maybe we should use some of that WIC money to tell Patricia and Cierra where those babies are coming from. If you're a single mother with a disabled child you can't afford to feed, why on earth would you have four more? If all you have is change, why would you have a another baby. Where are the fathers of these children? Can't they "scrounge up some change"? Patricia said of the shutdown, "You're affecting families that haven't done anything to you." I beg to differ -- you're taking my money, Patricia, to support your profligate lifestyle.

The article accompanying the photo detailed other problems caused by the shutdown. A Wisconsin farmer who couldn't cash a check for a cow he sold, Indians who aren't getting their nutrition programs and financial assistance, and other sob stories. If people's lives were really that disrupted because of a couple of weeks of government shutdown, then perhaps the lesson we should be learning here is that government has its fingers in too many pies, and we have become a nation of dependents. It's time to man up and restrict government to its constitutional mandates!

"Effects hitting home." The Dallas Morning News; October 4, 2013; p. 9A.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/shutdown-jeopardizes-nutrition-program-poor

Why didn't she decline the nomination?

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, who attended Harvard University and served as law dean there, says that the Supreme Court is too heavily dominated by lawyers from elite law schools. If she really believes that, I wonder why she didn't turn down her nomination and ask that a graduate of Liberty University Law School be nominated instead.

She decries the lack of diversity on the court which includes a black man and three women, one of whom is Hispanic. If she really believes that, I wonder why she didn't turn down her nomination and ask that a half-black half-Hispanic transsexual be nominated instead.

Words mean things, Justice Kagan. But actions speak louder.

"Kagan says confirmation system is 'sort of broken.'" The Dallas Morning News; October 5, 2013; p. 10A.

Obama: "You can keep your doctor!"

Remember when Obama said the Republicans were just trying to scare you about Obamacare . . . that you could absolutely keep your doctor?

We now find that many insurers are "significantly limiting" your choice of doctors and hospitals. Insurers say they are forced into holding down costs, and the only way they can do that is to create smaller networks of doctors and hospitals who will accept less than others. Adam Linker, a health policy analyst at the North Carolina Justice Center, said consumers should be prepared for "much tighter, narrower networks" of doctors and hospitals.

Insurers say that having an insurance card does not guarantee access to specialists or other providers. The Health Research Institute of PricewaterhouseCoopers said that "insurers passed over major medical centers" when selecting providers in some states. In New Hampshire, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the only provider in New Hampshire offering plans on the Obamacare exchange, excludes 10 of the state's 26 hospitals.

But you can absolutely keep your doctor!

"Insurers starting to limit choice." The Dallas Morning News; September 23, 2013; p. 1A.

You're Fired!

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at one of those efficient Obamacare call centers that she doesn't work for us. “The majority of people calling for me to resign, I would say, are people I don’t work for . . ."

Hmmmm - if she doesn't work for us, perhaps WE should stop paying HER salary.

Don't confuse the issue with the facts!

According to scientists, the heating of Earth's surface appears to have slowed in the past 15 years even though greenhouse gas emissions have kept rising. This is causing a big problem for scientists working for the U.N. on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 

They say that if they don't include this data, the global warming skeptics will point out that they didn't mention it. Well Duh! But if they do report it, it sort of undermines the report they plan to issue which will say that global warming is continuing and they're more certain than ever that it's linked to human activity.

I thought scientists were supposed to be objective. I thought they were supposed to report their research data in an unbiased manner. Looks like that applies only if you think global warming is a liberal political scam.

"Temperature data clouds report." The Dallas Morning News; September 30, 2013; p. 12A.

We enforce only those laws we like.

Last month, "The Obama administration . . . ordered prosecutors to refile charges against defendants in pending cases and strip out any references to specific quantities of illicit substances that would trigger mandatory minimum sentencing laws."

When did Obama become King Barak I? Perhaps some of you can point out his Constitutional authority to unilaterally bypass a law passed by Congress, but I've read the Constitution all the way through, and I don't see it.

"Effort to trim sentences expanded." The Dallas Morning News; September 20, 2013; p. 4A.

Do the math.

The airlines are squeezing in more seats and trying to make us think they're doing us a favor. They say we won't notice the difference. Maybe we won't since they already pack us in like sardines.

United is adding a row of six seats. They brag that the smaller seats cut the weight on the plane by 1,200 pounds, translating to about $10 million per year in fuel savings.

But wait -- if we're adding six passengers at an average 150 pounds each, and if we're adding luggage for those six passengers at 40 pounds per checked bag and maybe an average of 10 pounds per carry-on, doesn't that add back that 1,200 pounds? Does the fuel know whether the weight comes from the seats or from the passengers and cargo?

I think we've just been sold the new 1/2 gallon ice cream in the 3 pint convenience pack.

"More seats in coach, less space for you." The Dallas Morning News; October 16, 2013; p. 1A.

Barack Obama quote

Stephen Matthews of Bedford thinks Ted Cruz is about "to crash." He says that he  doesn't understand what our Founding Fathers understood -- "compromise is the foundation of governance."

"Absolutely I will not negotiate." ~Barack Obama

"Crash is coming for Cruz." The Dallas Morning News; October 3, 2013; p. 14A.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/01/227923812/obama-perpetual-cycle-of-brinksmanship-has-to-end

We don't need it.

John Vehon of Dallas opines, "Why wasn't there a Bushcare, back when the Republicans controlled everything? Then we never would have needed Obamacare."

There wasn't a Bushcare because we didn't need it anymore than we now need Obamacare. Is that simple enough for you, Mr. Vehon?

And just to set the record straight, the Republicans never "controlled everything" during either Bush Presidency.

"Never an issue for Bush." The Dallas Morning News; October 3, 2013; p. 14A.

Are you confident in Obamacare yet?

Obama and his cohorts say that the wait for help on the Obamacare lines and internet sites is a good thing. Just look at all the people who want to sign up. However, they won't tell us how many people are actually signing up, and they say they won't release that number until November. Think about it -- if thousands and thousands were signing up, don't you think Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and Obammy would all be hogging the cameras saying, "We told you so"?

At any rate, I saw some interesting quotes and justifications for the "glitches" the system is experiencing. I especially like this one:

"It's like building a bridge from two sides of the river; you just hope it comes out in the middle. Usually you do a lot more testing than we've had time to do." Do engineers really build bridges that way? I thought there was a lot more precision to it than that. I'm not sure I feel real good about driving my car over a bridge that's been constructed by eyeballing it. They haven't had time to do testing? Haven't they known for three years this was going to happen? How much time do they need?

Tim McKinney, the president and chief executive of United Way of Tarrant County has one of the nation's biggest teams of enrollment counselors. Of the first and second days of enrollment, he said, "We haven't gotten anyone all the way through the process." Total number who signed up for Obamacare with one of the largest enrollment teams? Zero.

So, when it comes time for Obamacare to approve your next surgery, are you confident the "glitches" will be gone?

"Officials working on kinks in system." The Dallas Morning News;
October 3, 2013; p. 1A.

Well bless his heart! I feel so sorry for him.

I'm sure you've all seen the video of the motorcycle gang that assaulted a man who was minding his own business driving down the highway with his wife and toddler daughter. In trying to escape the mob, he ran over, Edwin Mieses, one of the bikers who, his family says, is paralyzed. "He'll never get to walk our daughter down the aisle," his wife laments. Was the SUV driver at fault for what happened? What would you do if you saw this in your rearview mirror? Look behind the SUV -- does that look like normal highway traffic to you?

I think I'd get the h-e-double hockey sticks out of there! So what about Mieses? Do you suppose that if he had been at home being a dad to this daughter he'll never walk down the aisle instead of out raising Cain and assaulting innocent people he'd not be paralyzed now? The man who ran over him doesn't have even a blemish on his record, but Mieses is a different story:

He has a six-page criminal record that began at age 12. He's served jail time for drugs, guns, resisting arrest and other crimes -- 15 convictions that include distribution of cocaine, receiving stolen property, and destruction of property. He does not have a drivers license and has been cited numerous times for that.

Don't you feel sorry for him?

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/10/run_over_mass_biker_has_long_criminal_record#sthash.i61HvUl5.dpuf

Maybe it's just me . . .

Maybe it's just me, but I think that if were undergoing chemotherapy for Lupus, and I had a child with a rare epileptic disorder, getting a tattoo would be the last thing on my mind.

But, lo and behold, down at the tattoo parlor we run into Angie Proffer Andrew getting "a meaningful tattoo to support her daughter." Maybe it's just me, but if I'm taking chemo, and someone asks me what they can do to help me, I'll just bet I can come up with a more constructive avenue of support than telling them to get a "meaningful" tattoo. On the other hand, maybe the child made a miraculous recovery when her little 13-month-old eyes beheld her mama's ink.

"Ink links faith, hope and girl's future." The Paris News; September 15, 2013; p. 1A.

From the WIST File

"Perhaps if we had more 'pursed lips and judgmental attitudes,' young girls might avoid pregnancies and a social stigma that went with it."

~Ernest Morrison, Frisco

 

Ernest's comment is in response to a letter taking people to task for the "pursed lips and judgmental attitudes" that cause unwed mothers to carry a social stigma. 

But who loses?

The Dallas Independent School District just announced that all students will receive free lunches and free breakfasts. That's 159,000 kids to feed every day.

"It's a wonderful benefit," said Dora Rivas, DISD's executive director of food and child nutrition services. "I think the biggest winners in this are going to be students." But guess who loses? All the taxpayers -- and not just the DISD ones. All of us paying federal taxes are footing the bill for this big giveaway.

I don't know, but it sort of galls me to be paying for meals for kids whose parents can afford to feed their own kids. It also galls me to pay for meals for kids whose parents are already drawing food stamps to feed them. Feels like double-dipping.

Rivas says she hopes the new program eliminates the stigma students feel when they eat for free or cheaper than others. Maybe a good dose of stigma is what they need to keep from falling into the entitlement attitudes their parents have.

"Now everyone will go through the line and students won't think he has money and I don't," Rivas exults. Really, Ms. Rivas? Do you think free lunch is the only difference there is in the kids on the dole and the kids paying their own way?

District officials say they now hope that students will have more money for snacks. Really? If they have money for snacks, don't you think they could pay for their own lunches?

District officials also are glad that this program will "relieve a burden on parents, who have applied each year for subsidized meals." Now they won't have to fill out that pesky paperwork. I am elated -- we must make it easy and convenient for them to stick their hands into other people's pockets!

"District announces switch to free meals for all students." The Dallas Morning News; Octobr 2, 2013; p. 1A.

I do not like it, Barack Obam!

Tony Foster of Amarillo makes fun of Ted Cruz for reading Green Eggs and Ham during his filibuster. Foster says that Ted doesn't get the whole message of Green Eggs. He says the whole point of the book is that we should try something before we judge it.

There is a big difference in Green Eggs and Ham and Obamacare. Some people might, indeed, have a liking for the off-colored eggs and ham, and they'll never know unless they try it. But we don't have to try everything to know whether or not it's good for us. We don't have to drink ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) to know it will kill us, or at the least make us very sick. We don't have to drink sour milk to know that it's not palatable. Try scrambling up a rotten egg and, if you can stay in the kitchen, try getting it past your lips. Similarly, we don't have to try Obamacare to know that stinks -- anyone with a logical brain can tell you that.

"Did Cruz get 'Green Eggs'? The Dallas Morning News;  September 30, 2013; p. 12A.

Such a Sad, Sad, Story

Rebecca Sedwick was 12 years old. She had been suspended from school once for fighting with another girl over a boy. After other girls ganged up on her on the internet, she was hospitalized for slitting her wrists. She withdrew from school after another incident where she said a girl pushed her and tried to get her to fight. She was enrolled in a different school, one that she liked, this fall. But the cyber-bullying continued -- until Rebecca went to an abandoned cement plant, climbed a tower, and jumped to her death.

The police say Rebecca's computer revealed search queries for how to get blades out of razors and how many over-the-counter drugs it takes to kill a person. One of her screensavers shows her with her head resting on a railroad track. She had an online friend she had met at an airport, and she told him she planned to jump, yet he told no one.

My question -- why weren't the parents monitoring her more closely after at least one suicide attempt? Why didn't they take away her internet access to stop the effects of the bullying? A child can't be cyber-bullied if she doesn't read what's being said. Did the parents know about this friend she met at an airport? Did the parents never look at her computer or her phone? How did a 12-year-old get to an abandoned cement plant by herself? 

I know this is Monday-morning quarterbacking, but it seems to me that someone wasn't watching closely enough this obviously deeply-troubled little girl.

"Online bullying drove girl to suicide, officials say." The Dallas Morning News; September 14, 2013; p. 6A.