Law Stands Above Religion

I saw the interview of Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence on Hardball. It is accurate to say that Chris Matthews was not the deferential Catholic. Mr. Matthews clearly disagrees with Catholic teachings. That aside the Bishop said something that was truly disturbing to me. He said of an elected official “His first commitment has to be to his faith. … No commitment is more important than your commitment to your faith.” He repeated that second sentence twice saying the words precisely the same. In other words your religious beliefs takes a higher priority than faith to the laws of the country.

How does this philosophy differ from Jihadists and others holding extreme religious views? This bishop would make an excellent witness for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Maj. Nidal Hasan. I believe that the United States cannot survive as created by its founding fathers if we accept religious beliefs to hold a higher authority than the laws of our nation. Apparently I am not alone in this view. Chris Matthews is at least one other voice that believes law stands above belief.

Early Signs of Rationing Health Care

First it was a government panel saying that mammograms are not necessary before the age of 50 and every other year is sufficient. Advice to women not to do self examinations because it might lead to false positives goes against years of encouragement to check yourself. Now it’s Pap Smear every other year. Of course those opposed to health care reform will grab these two declarations as proof of health care rationing.

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test does result in many false positives. This could be another test a government agency will say is not reliable and so won’t be recommended at all or not so often.

Let’s be honest here. Every test that can be delayed another year means more money in the pockets of the insurance companies. Kaiser Permanente gives a Sigmoidoscopy every 5 year to its senior patients. A Colonoscopy (a very unpleasant procedure) every 10 years unless there is indications that closer monitoring is appropriate. Is this a form of rationing or is it sensible health care?

Annual physical exams seem to rarely detect an issue. Perhaps every other year is sufficient. After all the determination that I had a hernia was not made as the result of an annual exam. For that matter most health problems I have ever had were not determined at an annual physical.

We already have health care rationing but aren’t willing to admit it.

War Criminals are not Civil Criminals

“We the people of the United States” are the first words of the Constitution. The basic law of this country was not meant to be the basic law of the world. Now strangely the Attorney General wants to bring Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who is part of a sworn enemy of this nation to New York City for a trial. He was captured in Pakistan. Attorney General Holder argues, along with others that support his views, is that this trial will send a message to the rest of the world that we treat everyone the same. The argument is both flawed and erroneous.

First, the United States has never treated enemy combatants as law breakers. No enemies from other wars have ever been put on trial as law breakers. Those Prosecuted for war crimes have been convicted in military trials. Nuremberg felons are the leading example.

Second, the calls for dismissal of charges against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will be based upon the fact that he was not read his Miranda rights, was not charged with any crimes in a reasonable period of time, and was the victim of torture while held in a prison for more than five years. I am not a lawyer and I understand these realities. It is not hard to imagine that a lawyer will have many other reasons to move for dismissal of this case.

Third, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has admitted guilt and under American civil law those pleading guilty are not put on trial. There is not presentation of evidence in cases where the accused pleads guilty. A judge issues a sentence.

For those who would argue that there is no war I ask: if there is no war why has the United States placed over 100,000 troops in Iraq and another 68,000 troops in Afghanistan?

HUBRIS – Part 2

Talk show hosts on both radio and television suffer with a condition called hubris. The definition is “exaggerated pride or self-confidence.”

Lou Dobbs quit his job on CNN to pursue “new opportunities.” He seems like Mr. Bluster to me (remember Howdy Doody?). Despite his denials, I believe he was terminated. Sudden departures are the result of a firing (recently that was the situation for the studio boss at Disney). Chris Matthews on MSNBC has the bad habit of not letting his guests speak after asking them a question. Why does he bother having guests when he believes he knows all the answers? Sean Hannity speaks with authority on all subjects. He rarely has guests who will offer any opinion that differs with his pre-conceived ideas.

Most of the radio talk show hosts are no better than these three. A special comment about Mark Levin is appropriate. He is always angry at the world and tells everyone listening that he knows all and any one who disagrees with him is a fool or a “left wing liberal.”

There have been others that suffered with hubris. George W. Bush comes to mind as the president who never made a mistake. Al Gore’s views on global warning appear to have taken on a life of their own.

Some well known entertainers are also suffering from hubris. Some of the deceased entertainers as well. The names Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Frank Sinatra come to mind.

Clearly Bernie Madoff, Maurice ‘”Hank” Greenberg former the former CEO of AIG, and General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner are just three of the many “titans” of business that suffered with this same disease.

The solution? Come to my house and you will learn how “average people” live. Stand in line at the EDD and you will know the meaning of unemployment. Ride a bus or subway in any city and watch the people riding in that vehicle.

What Price Diversity?

I am not politically correct!

General George Casey is!

I resent terms like “African-American”, Jewish-American”, and “Mexican-American” because those hyphenated groups balkanize our nation. My view is that if you are a citizen of the United States you are an American. We need to be blind to ethnic, racial, and gender identity. Of course that is difficult to do if you are Black or Oriental (oops, I am not supposed to use that word) or Indian. So at least try.

Army Chief of Staff General George Casey appeared on Meet the Press today talking about the massacre at Fort Hood. This is part of his interview with David Gregory. I have underlined in bold the sentences that really upset me.

GREGORY: What about your concerns about backlash against our Muslim soldiers who are in the Army, as a result of this incident?

GEN. CASEY: Yeah. I think those concerns are real and I, and I will tell you, David, that they’re, they’re fueled partially, at least, by the speculation about–based on anecdotal evidence that people are presenting. I think we have to be very careful with that. Our diversity not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.

GREGORY: Do you have any reason to believe that having Muslims in the Army puts them in a very difficult position and makes the more conflicted fighting a war against Muslims in Afghanistan or Iraq?

GEN. CASEY: I think that’s something that they have to look at on an individual basis. But I think we as an Army have to be broad enough to bring in people from all walks of life.

In other words the loss of 13 lives and the maiming of 31 other people is not as consequential as diversity. What happened to our duty as Americans to protect American lives? Why is diversity so all important? General Casey is responsible for protecting all of his people. He failed.

Our war with terrorists is a fight to protect our nation from those who want to destroy the American way of life. For those who do not like the way we live there are many other nations to call home.

Gold is not so Valuable

The price of gold has risen substantially in recent weeks. It was hovering in the mid $900 range for quite long time but now has reached $1,100 per ounce. The increase has occurred in a rather short time. I then checked Morningstar premium service and Eric Tyson’s web site. Both of them DO NOT recommend buying gold.

Eric Tyson says “gold is a dismal long-term investment.” Morningstar points out that “the sharp gain should only remind them of how volatile this sector is because it follows a painful 23.8% decline in 2008.”

Both of these web sites suggest alternate investments. Unless you are really convinced that the United States government is going bankrupt, you will be better off investing in inflation protected securities or perhaps the S&P 500.

NO to California Water Bonds Totaling $11 Billion

Of course we want to ensure our water supply and at the same time protect our environment. So every few years and sometimes more often the California legislature proposes more money to maintain the water supply. Unfortunately the actual amount of available water has declined. Many reservoirs are well below their capacity. Rationing of water has become a state wide fact. This would certainly be a time when Californians would approve a bond measure to improve the system.

Is that how the legislature decided on a $11.1 billion bond proposal? Apparently the answer is yes. The problem is that this bill appears to be more about building water projects we do not need rather than addressing the issue of water distribution. If passed, this bond issue will provide money for lots of contractors and $10 million for a Sacramento center for social tolerance that has nothing to do with water. This fact was exposed by Sacramento Bee reporter and columnist Dan Walters. Mr. Walters says this bond issue doesn’t address the issues. Traci Sheehan on the California Progress Report web site has identified other newspapers that oppose this waste of money.

Here is a list voter approved water projects from just this past decade I found on the internet.

Proposition 13. In March 2000, California voters approved Proposition 13 (2000 Water Bond), which authorizes the State of California to sell $1.97 billion in general obligation bonds to support safe drinking, water quality, flood protection and water reliability projects throughout the State.

Proposition 40. In March 2002, California voters approved Proposition 40, a $2.6 billion state bond measure for conservation, neighborhood parks, and coastline and watershed protection. Proposition 40 was the largest conservation bond measure ever approved in California.

Proposition 50. In November 2002, the $3.4 billion water bond measure, the largest in California history, was approved by voters. It provides $825 million in funding for CALFED for a variety of programs, including surface water storage studies, water conveyance facilities, levee improvements, water supply reliability projects, ecosystem restoration, watershed programs, conservation and water recycling. More on Proposition 50 is available at www.water.ca.gov/grants-loans.

Proposition 84. In November 2006 California voters approved this measure that will fund water, flood control, natural resources, park and conservation projects by authorizing $5,388,000,000 in general obligation bonds. The bonds will be used to fund various projects aimed at (1) improving drinking and agricultural water quality and management; (2) preserving, restoring and increasing public access to rivers and beaches; (3) improving flood control. See details of the law at http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/1008/files/prop_84_text.pdf.

My calculator says these propositions spent more than $13 billion. The cost to pay back those bonds with interest will most likely be double that amount. Unless I hear some startling reason for this waste of tax dollars we should all vote NO to this give away of another $11 billion.