Thursday, March 28, 2013

Quote of the Day - Conservative Girl Edition Part 2


Last night during dinner I was talking to a young woman who will have her hours cut to 29 hours per week.  Another person who was having dinner with us couldn't understand the rationale for her loss of hours.  My response:
Welcome to Obamacare, but hey her birth control is free.  

Monday, March 25, 2013

Photo of the Day - Starbucks Edition


For those that have not heard, Starbucks CEO has decided that if you believe in traditional marriage you can just sell your shares.  Not that he has said it exactly, but I guess you don't need to buy their products either.  Perfectly fine with me.  I don't need your overpriced drinks and sandwiches anyway.  

Apparently in the name of tolerance and diversity, your views aren't welcome.  

starbucks

Friday, March 22, 2013

Everybody Gets a Pony - Honors Ceremony Cancelled to Celebrate Mediocrity


Ipswich Middle School in Massachusetts has decided in their infinite wisdom that honors ceremonies are just too harmful to the kids who didn't make the cut.  I mean feelings being important as they are these days, it all makes sense right?  After all, why would we want children who didn't do their homework on time, didn't study for their tests, or not pay attention in class to feel badly right?  That just isn't "fair".  Fairness being the new buzz word of late and all, so I guess it has to filter down to our students.

The statement reads in part:
“The Honors Night, which can be a great sense of pride for the recipients’ families, can also be devastating to a child who has worked extremely hard in a difficult class but who, despite growth, has not been able to maintain a high grade point average,”
I fully understand that some children, no matter how hard they work, will not make the cut.  This can happen for a variety of reasons, especially when you start introducing standardized multiple choice tests into the equation.  I am a person who doesn't do well on multiple choice tests.  In college I explained this to my professors and most allowed me to answer questions that I didn't quite comprehend in a written format.  So I get it.

What I don't get is that why are we asking those that did work hard and were able to maintain their GPA's to suffer?  What we are actually telling these children is that a strangers feelings are more important than your hard work.  This isn't how the real world works.  In the real world you are judged based on your own performance.  Does this principal believe that when these children get out into a working environment that they won't be viewed based on their own performance?  Look, it is very possible in a work environment that someone tries and works hard, but is just unable to perform the necessary tasks that the job requires, and will eventually lose that job.  What this man is doing is setting up unrealistic expectations of what faces these children as they grow into mature adults.  The world isn't fair.  Bad things happen to good people.  Good things happen to bad people.  That is life.  What you do is keep your own sense of integrity and morality, and work as hard as you can.  Some of the best things that come in life are the things that happen to you after you fail at something.  Those failures and how you handle them become the very essence of the person that you are.  This principal is cheating these kids of that experience at a young age.  That of course makes it harder for them to learn that lesson as they grow older.

Parents in this school must stand up to this man and demand that their children be taught the hard lessons in life.  You will not always get your way, you will not always succeed the first time at everything you try.  The rewards that come in life normally come to those who work hardest for them.  It is about time that we, as a society, stop giving these children the idea that everyone gets a pony simply because they exist.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Video of the Day - Wife of a Cheating Husband Edition

Not sure I would handle it this way, matter of fact I know I wouldn't, but to each their own.  

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Lifetime's The Preachers' Daughters


Lifetime Network aired a new "reality" series with the theme of what it is like to be the daughter of a preacher.  Of course they are all Christian's.  We have different sects within Christianity being immortalized.

All of these young woman are 18 or younger and are living with a preacher.  One daughter, Colby, the youngest of the group has to deal with both parents being preachers.  Although the parents are divorced.  She is 16 and is looking to start dating.  This is a conversation that virtually all parents have and agonize over.  What is the right age to allow your children to date?  I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer as every child is different and their levels of maturity will part of the decision.

I know an Indian family that has yet to allow their daughter to date and she is in sophomore year of college.  They are big believers in her getting her education and want her to concentrate on that.  I know parents who let their 13-year-old daughter go out on group dates.  So I think not just your religious beliefs come into play when making these decisions.

A part of this show was about Colby's parents dealing with her desire to date.  By the end of the show we meet the boy she wants to date and he is also a child of a preacher.  Part of her mother's job at her church is to talk to the teenage members of the church about sex, and we get to see her sex talk.  Which of course was quite interesting, but very honest.  She talked about STD's, AIDS, and what can happen to you if you get pregnant outside of marriage.  She very specifically talks about how sex is a wonderful thing, inside of marriage.

Another one of these young girls has already had a child and we find out that she isn't sure who the father is.  A paternity test will be part of an upcoming show.  In this episode she has to tell her parents that she is unsure who the father is.  She is the youngest child and admittedly had a very wild year for her senior year of high school, drugs, sex and rock & roll.  What I found so amusing about this particular girl is that she was constantly being shown breast-feeding this baby.  It seems that is what the producers wanted to focus on with this particular girl.

Taylor, a 17-year-old, is by far the wild child of the group.  She has fantasies of being in the porn industry.  She feels that strippers and porn stars have more freedom.  Her father is very strict, some may say overly strict.

Every parent has to try to walk a fine line between trying to protect their children and being so restrictive with them that they go wild when they get even a little bit of freedom.  It must be even harder when you are a person of God.  That microscope that you and your family are put under must be difficult to live with.  People have this need to call any person who calls themselves a Christian a hypocrite any time they make a mistake.  No Christian tries to say that they are perfect, every human is flawed and makes mistakes.  What a true Christian tries to do is live a worthy life, but accepts the reality that they fall short.  The goal being not to continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

I admit I went into watching this thinking it would be worse than it was and really pushing the point that all children of preacher's are just bad seeds and the parents push their children into wild behavior.  There is some of that, but not as much as I thought.  So I give Lifetime a bit of credit for that.  But this is a theme that will be pushed as the season progresses.

My personal experience with children of preachers is kind of mixed.  My pastor's children are great kids.  Someone that I knew growing up was a lunatic; drugs, sex, and physical abuse towards women.  Some famous children of pastor's include Katy Perry and Toni Braxton.  So this show just may showing how things really are.  I do question why the preacher's agreed to this and what their motives are.

See I watch this crap so you don't have to.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Won't You Go Home Bill Bolling


Well the truth is that Lt. Governor Bill Bolling did decide today not to make an independent run for the governor of Virginia.  The talk that he may seek an independent bid has been going on for several months now, since he decided to forgo a run for the GOP nomination.  
“Based on my discussions with key donors over the past three weeks, I was confident I could raise enough money to run a competitive campaign, but I was not confident I could raise enough money to run a winning campaign,” Bolling said. “Running as an Independent candidate would have required me to sever my longstanding relationship with the Republican Party. While I am very concerned about the current direction of the Republican Party, I still have many dear friends in the Republican Party, people who have been incredibly supportive of me over the years.”
Now, I want to make perfectly clear that I had intended to support Bolling at the upcoming convention in May.  So I am not some huge AG Cuccinelli supporter.  I have some issues with Ken; issues that are primarily based on some inside info that I know about and will not go into in this public forum.  But, suffice it to say, I will still be supporting Ken in the primary election.  His the ideal candidate to me?  No, but he is a far cry better than Terry McAuliffe.  

For those that may need some background, Bill Bolling is serving his second four-year term as Lt. Governor.  Four years ago he made a half-hearted attempt at running for governor, and rightly decided that he wouldn't try to get the nomination.  Now many say he gave up his own ambition because it was right for the party.  Maybe.  But, the truth is that he didn't have a chance to get the nomination in a head to head race with now Gov. Bob McDonnell. Many say that he is somehow owed this nomination due to that.  
Seriously?  C'mon folks.  The nomination isn't due to anyone.  I can't stand this whole he is next line thinking that the GOP has been employing for years and years.  What exactly has that thinking gotten us?  I will tell you what it got us, John McCain and Mitt Romney going against Obama.  Now I will be willing to admit that Romney would have a much better chance to going against Obama in 08 then he did in 12.   There was no way to deny how much trouble the economy was in four years ago.  There were ways to do that last year.  

Another thing I found very comical about all the going back and forth over the past few months is the fact that very same people who were supporting Bolling's indie run were the same people who said I "had" to vote for Romney and put my principles aside.  It was the "right" thing to do.  I was supporting the party.  The very same party that has time and time again pushed against my belief system and consistently raised taxes and increased spending, even on a state level.  The last session of the Virginia legislator just recently raised taxes in what is said to be the largest tax increase in Commonwealth history.  It is also raised taxes in an inconsistent basis.  Some counties will have to pay higher taxes than others.  Which seems not to hold the muster by the Virginia Constitution.  
Moreover, simply calling a measure a “regional congestion-relief fee” doesn’t change the reality that this is really a tax on real estate. Proponents of the deal will reject that, saying it is a transaction fee. But it is not a flat fee. Instead, the amount paid is tied to the price of the land — reflecting real estate conditions, the surrounding neighborhood and more. That’s a tax, and the state Supreme Court ruled as much in 2008, when it struck down the General Assembly’s previous attempt to impose a regional congestion fee.
These are the people who I am supposed to support?  Look, I get that transportation issues in the state have to be addressed, especially in the Northern Virginia area, but that doesn't mean that this tax hike is going to solve the problem.  A big part of the problem is the cronyism that goes on within the Virginia Department of Transportation, which of course increases costs.   So much of the budget is wasted.   I lived there for 17 years, and I would watch them tear up a road, pave it, then tear it up again.  I am supposed to pay higher taxes simply because the people who are hired can't do the job properly the first time?  

I am sure that many are crying in their milk today that Bolling has deciding to take his ball and go home.  My question to them is that if a more conservative candidate toys with the idea of running an independent bid will be as open-minded to it?   Somehow I don't think so.  During the past few months I have been called a bully.  Really?  Me, a bully?  Hardly.  I have been writing this blog for close to four years, how often have you heard me call people names?  I don't do that nor do I like when others do.  I see that as unproductive and childish.   Another thing that those pushing this run seem to fail to mention are a few facts.  Ken Cuccinelli got a larger percentage of the vote four years ago then the governor did.  Ken Cuccinelli also ran and won in Fairfax County, VA when he was serving in the state legislator.  For those that don't know, Fairfax County is one of the bluest counties in the state.  Every credible poll puts this a very tight race, one that Ken could easily win.  

So, for the people who are all upset about Bill Bolling, it is time to dry your tears and get on board.  That is what you told me a year ago.  

Friday, March 8, 2013

Hey New Yorkers, Here's Dunkin Doughnuts New Coffee Rules

Yep, this is really happening in the United States.  I don't feel sorry for the people who live there, they did this to themselves.  But the many tourists shouldn't be made to deal with this insanity.  


BB Guns, Cupcakes, and Toy Soldiers Oh My


A mom in Michigan made 30 chocolate cupcakes for her son Hunter's class birthday party.  She brought the cupcakes to the office so that they could bring them to the classroom, which they accepted.  Within 15 minutes of dropping off her cupcakes, she received a phone call about said cupcakes to tell her that they couldn't be served.

You see Hunter helped his mom decorate the cupcakes and used toy soldiers to do so.  These soldiers were replicas of those who served in WWII.  The school, in their infinite wisdom, decided that those soldiers were upsetting to the children and "insensitive".    The school has doubled down and defended this action:
“These are toys that were commonplace in the past,” she wrote. “However, some parents prohibit all guns as toys. In light of that difference, the school offered to replace the soldiers with another item and the soldiers were returned home with the student.”
“Living in a democratic society entails respect for opposing opinions,” she stated. “In the climate of recent events in schools we walk a delicate balance in teaching non-violence in our buildings and trying to ensure a safe, peaceful atmosphere.”
First, one would think that someone with the education she must have she would understand that do not live in a democracy, we live in a Constitutional Republic.  Look, I understand that there are many parents who do not give their children guns to play with, I respect that.  But I don't see how exposing our children to WWII soldiers is really giving them guns to play with.  These soldiers have been rightly labeled "The Greatest Generation", have we forgotten how much they sacrificed in order to keep the American way of life?  This isn't hyperbole, fascism and totalitarism was on the march and those soldiers gave their lives so it wouldn't reach our shores.

Hunter's dad has had this to say:
Fountain said it was beyond outrageous to compare American soldiers to deranged mass murderers.
“In our politically correct society they can’t separate the good from the bad,” he said. ”I’m sure hammers are allowed in schools — although a lot of people are killed by hammers.”
We have become so politically correct in our society that we can't see the forest thru the trees.
Another similar incident is making some news as well.

Do you remember the Denise's husband Martin from the Cosby Show?  His real name is Joseph C. Phillips, he is married with children and living in the Los Angeles area.  His son is 15 years old.  He used his own money to buy himself one of those air BB  guns.  He was very proud of his purchase, I am sure that he used money he earned at his dad's restaurant was part of that pride.  His son was showing a picture (yes, you read that correctly) on his phone to his friends.  A teacher happened to be walking by.  The teacher not only confiscated the phone, he also questioned the boy's mental state.  To make matters worse, his parents were not contacted by the school.  His son finally told him about the incident days after it happened.  Phillips (a Facebook friend of mine) was furious.  Part of the letter he sent to the school:
It may come as a shock to Mr. DeLarme, It may even be news to you, but my son is not the only boy in Woodland Hills with a BB gun. There are quite a few boys attending your school who not only own BB guns, but own real guns as well. (Some of them play air soft with my son!) Their fathers, mothers, and brothers also own guns and shoot regularly. Owning a gun is NOT a sign of mental illness. Owning a BB gun is NOT an indication of mental instability! Certainly, showing friends a photograph of a gun is NOT a warning sign that a student is a potential danger to his classmates! I object, in the strongest of terms, to my son being treated as a potential danger and to his being threatened with law enforcement. I further object to not being notified! If Mr. DeLarme truly believed my son presented a danger, both my wife and I should have been notified immediately!
Turns out this teacher is a strong advocate of gun control.  Shocker!!!
 "…our country's position on gun control and violence is what makes such situations probable."
It is not only acceptable, but preferable, that a teacher reach out about a student that they feel is mentally unstable and who could potentially cause harm to others.  But that doesn't mean that every 15-year-old who shoots air guns is that danger.  Plenty of children play with air guns or paint guns.  My nephew used to love to play with paint guns when he was younger.  It was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  He is all grown and has never shot anyone.  As far as I know, he doesn't even own a gun today.  But the most reprehensible part of this story is that they were threatening this child with law enforcement without contacting his parents.  This is a minor we are talking about here.  A parent has the right to know that his child is being looked at as a danger to others.

We have gone way too far.  Schools have a responsibility to protect their students to the best of their abilities.  That doesn't give them the right to treat children who are interested in WWII soldiers and BB Guns as criminals and a danger to society. 

Photo of the Day - Rand Paul Filibuster Word Cloud

This was done by New York Magazine.  I thought it was kind of interesting.  I am suprised the word "Cafe" didn't make it to the top.


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Chavez - A Champion for the Poor?



This from 2010:

Analyst estimates Chávez’s family fortune at around $2 billion

Criminal Justice International Associates (CJIA), a risk assessment and global analysis firm in Miami, estimated in a recent report that the Chávez Frías family in Venezuela has “amassed a fortune” similar to that of the Castro brothers in Cuba.
According to Jerry Brewer, president of CJIA, “the personal fortune of the Castro brothers has been estimated at a combined value of around $2 billion.”
“The Chávez Frías family in Venezuela has amassed a fortune of a similar scale since the arrival of Chávez to the presidency in 1999,” said Brewer in an analysis published in their website.
Brewer said that Cuba is receiving about $5 billion per year from the Venezuelan treasury and in oil shipments and other resources.
We believe that organized bolivarian criminal groups within the Chávez administration have subtracted around $100 billion out of the nearly $1 trillion in oil income made by PDVSA since 1999.”
From ABC News Jan 2013:
1. Venezuela has gone from being dependent on oil to being extremely dependent on oil.
Former minister Gerver Torres points out that in 1998 oil represented 77 percent of Venezuela's exports but by 2011 oil represented 96 percent of exports. That means today only around 4 percent of the goods that Venezuela exports are non-oil products! The Venezuelan economy relies almost exclusively on the price of oil and the ability of the government to spend oil revenues. This will take years to reverse because of item two below.
2. The Chavez government has crippled private businesses and national industry through expropriations and nationalizations.
The Chavez government has expropriated or nationalized numerous companies (no one seems to be able to count them all) involved in various sectors including aluminum, cement, gold, iron, steel, farming, transportation, electricity, food production, banking, paper and the media. The number of private companies in industry has dropped from 14,000 in 1998 to only 9,000 in 2011, according to Torres.
Companies need investment to grow and hire new workers. One of the biggest failures of the Chavez government has been to drive away both domestic and foreign investors. In 2011 Latin America enjoyed a record of more than $150 billion in foreign investment with Brazil receiving $67 billion. Venezuela's neighbor Colombia received $13 billion while Venezuela received only $5 billion. To avoid expropriation and find investment a number of Venezuelan companies have moved to Colombia, Panama and the United States.
3. The Venezuelan currency is a mess.
The new currency, the Bolivar fuerte, is anything but strong. The Bolivar fuerte has lost nearly two-thirds of its value since it was launched in 2008. Many analysts expect Venezuela will have to go through a painful devaluation sometime this year or next. This will further reduce the value of wages and sharply increase the costs of imports of basic staple goods. Life will get tougher for most Venezuelans but Chavez probably won't be around to see it.
4. Prices in Venezuela have gone up by 23 percent a year for more than ten years.
Inflation in Venezuela has averaged 23 percent during 1999-2011 compared to a Latin American average of 4.6 percent. Imagine what life would be like if the price of groceries went up 23 percent every year. This craziness combined with stringent price controls has completely distorted the economy, creating black markets and shortages. In 2012 Venezuela will again have one of the highest inflation rates in the world.
5.Under Chavez Venezuela has become one of the most violent countries on the planet.
The murder rate per 100,000 citizens has risen from 25 in 1999 to 45.1 in 2011. This is not an economic stat per se but violence has an economic impact. It is more challenging and dangerous than ever to do business and go to work in Venezuela. When you consider these points, it's hard to call the economic legacy of Chavez and his band of 21st Century Socialists a good one.
From Amnesty International:

Police and security forces

Public security remained a major concern and, according to latest figures released by the Institute of National Statistics, more than 21,000 people were killed nationwide in 2009. There were allegations of police involvement in killings and enforced disappearances.
  • In September, Wilmer José Flores Barrios became the sixth member of the Barrios family to be killed in circumstances suggesting the involvement of members of the Aragua State Police. At the end of the year, Venezuela had not adopted measures to protect the family, nor had it ordered an effective investigation into these crimes.
  • In March, eyewitnesses saw three labourers – Gabriel Antonio Ramírez, José Leonardo Ramírez and Nedfrank Xavier Cona – being bundled into an unmarked car by a group of between 17 and 20 police officers in the city of Barcelona, Anzoátegui State. At the end of the year, the whereabouts of the men remained unknown. Six police officers were under arrest at the end of 2010 in connection with the incident; a higher-ranking officer remained at liberty.

Repression of dissent

Those critical of the government were prosecuted on politically motivated charges in what appeared to be an attempt to silence them.
  • In March, Oswaldo Álvarez Paz, a member of an opposition party and ex-governor of the Zulia State; Guillermo Zuloaga, owner of TV station Globovisión; and Wilmer Azuaje, an opposition candidate for the governorship of Barinas State, were detained for several days on spurious charges. The charges remained pending at the end of the year.
  • Richard Blanco, Prefect of Caracas, was released in April, after four months in prison, but continued to face unsubstantiated charges of inciting violence and injuring a police officer during a demonstration against an education law in 2009.
  • In November, the trial began of trade unionist Rubén González, general secretary of Sintraferrominera, the union representing workers at the state-run iron mine CVG Ferrominera Orinoco in Bolivar State. He was charged with inciting a crime, curtailing people’s freedom to work, and violating a security zone following his participation in a strike in 2009. He had been in pre-trial detention for over a year and the charges against him appeared to be disproportionate.
People boast on how he was "democratically elected":
He cemented his rule by rewarding allies. Opportunists, notably senior military officers and the tycoons known as “boligarchs”, got rich manipulating government contracts. Civilian ideologues and Cuba got power and influence. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people got jobs in a bloated bureaucracy. And millions of the poor got social services, scholarships and handouts, notably fridges, tumble dryers and washing machines. Those who voted against him were often barred from government jobs and benefits.
Other Latin American governments knew of the abuses, that elections were free though not fair, but stayed silent. Venezuela’s hollowed economy required huge imports from its neighbours to keep shelves stocked. Why risk the bonanza? Plus Chávez offered discounted oil, called time on Yankee meddling and told the IMF to stuff itself.
And:
Venezuela hasn’t invited international observers to watch its elections since 2006, although it does allow “witnesses” to the process

Somehow this man is a hero to the left:
Hollywood liberals Sean PennMichael Moore and Oliver Stone have paid tribute to Venezuelan president Hugo Chávezwho died on 5 Marchafter a long battle with cancer, at the age of 58.
Penn, who first met Chávez in Venezuela in 2007 and attended a candlelit vigil for the stricken firebrand in Bolivia in December, bemoaned the politician's lack of credibility in North America. "Today the people of the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor people around the world lost a champion," he said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. "I lost a friend I was blessed to have. My thoughts are with the family of President Chávez and the people of Venezuela." Penn added: "Venezuela and its revolution will endure under the proven leadership of vice president [Nicolas] Maduro."
Oliver Stone, who celebrated Chávez's presidency and the successes of left wing politicians across South America in his 2009 documentarySouth of the Border, said the Venezuelan leader would be remembered fondly by historians as a champion of the poor. "I mourn a great hero to the majority of his people and those who struggle throughout the world for a place," he said in a statement. "Hated by the entrenched classes, Hugo Chávez will live forever in history. My friend, rest finally in a peace long earned."
Michael Moore, who met Chávez at the Venice film festival in 2009 and posted pictures of himself with the president, tweeted: "Hugo Chávez declared the oil belonged 2 the ppl. He used the oil $ 2 eliminate 75% of extreme poverty, provide free health & education 4 all. That made him dangerous. US approved of a coup to overthrow him even though he was a democratically-elected president."
If this is a hero, what does a villain look like?  Oh yeah, I forgot George W. Bush.

I would like to give Kudos to Think Progress of all sources.  They had the balls to stand up to the crazies on the left:
Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-NY) released a statement today praising former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, despite the latter’s record of harsh crackdowns on his political opponents and state-sanctioned persecution against Venezuela’s Jewish population. Serranotweeted a statement praising Chavez as an a champion of the oppressed, writing that “Hugo Chavez was a leader that understood the needs of the poor. He was committed to empowering the powerless. R.I.P. Mr. President.” Serrano’s office later released a statement expanding on the tweet:
President Chavez was a controversial leader. But at his core he was a man who came from very little and used his unique talents and gifts to try to lift up the people and the communities that reflected his impoverished roots. He believed that the government of the country should be used to empower the masses, not the few. He understood democracy and basic human desires for a dignified life. His legacy in his nation, and in the hemisphere, will be assured as the people he inspired continue to strive for a better life for the poor and downtrodden.
While even Chavez’s critics admit that he did attempt to address the plight of Venezuela’s poorest, the decline in economic inequality in Venezuela reflected a broader egalitarian trend in Latin America, and can’t be fully credited to Chavez’s policies. However, Chavez’ policies harmed Venezuela’s poorest in other ways: the value of the Venezuelan currency dropped while prices soared, making it harder for people to buy basic necessities, and crime skyrocketed.
Moreover, Chavez hurt the vulnerable in Venezuela in other ways. Chavez’s state-run media hounded Venezuela’s small, beleaguered Jewish population — he himself once said “Don’t let yourselves be poisoned by those wandering Jews.” A study released by the Kantor Center at Tel Aviv University found that Chavez’s rule “witnessed a rise in antisemitic manifestations, including vandalism, media attacks, caricatures, and physical attacks on Venezuelan Jewish institutions.” Indeed, roughly half of Venezuelan Jews fled the country because of “the social and economic chaos that the president has unleashed and from the uncomfortable feeling that they were being specifically targeted by the regime.”
Chavez also attacked Venezuela’s democratic political system. Human Rights Watch reported in 2012 that “the accumulation of power in the executive and the erosion of human rights protections have allowed the Chávez government to intimidate, censor, and prosecute critics and perceived opponents in a wide range of cases involving the judiciary, the media, and civil society.” Contra Serrano, Venezuela’s elections were not certified as “free and fair” by international monitors of late: Chavez had not allowed international election monitors to observe Venezuelan elections since 2006.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Here's a Nursing Home I Don't Want to be a Resident Of


Glenwood Gardens in Bakersfield, CA has a "policy" of not allowing their staff of not performing CPR.  That is not a typo.  87-year-old Lorraine Bayless was allowed to die while waiting for medics to arrive.  9-1-1 was on the phone with a nurse after the woman collapsed:
In the seven-minute, 16-second recording, the nurse told the dispatcher it was against the facility's policy for employees to perform CPR on residents.
With every passing second, Bayless' chances of survival were diminishing. The dispatcher's tone turned desperate.
"Anybody there can do CPR. Give them the phone please. I understand if your facility is not willing to do that. Give the phone to that passerby," the dispatcher said. "This woman is not breathing enough. She is going to die if we don't get this started."
I am not going to take the tack that this has something to do with Obamacare, as it clearly does not.  But it does go to the fact that as a society we are getting closer and closer to saying that the elderly, the sick, and the disabled are disposable.

This is part and parcel of the violence we see in this country.  Human life is no longer considered valuable.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Twitter Fun - You Might Be A Dictator Edition


#YouMightBeADictator If you updated the bios of our former Presidents on the White House website to insert yourself and promote your agenda

#YouMightBeADictator if your supporters can't come up with a competing Twitter meme to defend your honor - or you don't have any to defend

#YouMightBeADictator if you say 'with or without Congress'

#YouMightBeADictator if you jet about the country speechifying in lieu of, you know, Doing. Your. Godforsaken. Job.

#YouMightBeADictator if your domestic terrorist list contains veterans and people who fly the Gadsden flag.”

#YouMightBeADictator If you can have your entire life's records sealed so no one can find out a thing about you.

If you every feel the slightest twinge of need to utter the statement#IAmNotADictator, then, #YouMightBeADictator.

If you believe you can spend your way out of debt using the people's money #YouMightBeADictator

#YouMightBeADictator if you let the black panthers assault voters on election day

#YouMightBeADictator if you arm drug cartels in another country

#YouMightBeADictator if you think "compromise" means "my way or the highway"."

Friday, March 1, 2013

Memories


Today is the one year anniversary of the passing of Andrew Breitbart.  

This morning I was thinking about when I last saw him.  Last year at CPAC you may remember the occupy movement promised to come and protest.  So they did.  I was outside with my video camera marching around with them.  Shortly thereafter Andrew Breitbart made his way out. He of course wanted to mix it up, but the police were a little worried about violence, so they made the CPAC attendees get closer to the hotel while the protestors were down in the street.  So I got the chance to hang out with Breitbart for a short time.  We were mixing up with the protestors.  It was a very good time.  

Good times.............bittersweet memories.
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