The Senate Demonstrates It'sEffectiveness (or not)

Our honorable representatives in Washington certainly have had a busy and important week. They have been trying desperately to solve the nations spending and debt crisis. Of course, there are those of us who feel that if they had been doing their jobs properly and passed a budget for 2011 when they were supposed too, and addressed the subject of spending beyond income back when the fresh batch of Republicans were first elected (partially because they promised to do just that) –well the whole crisis would have never been a crisis to start with. 

Nevertheless, I was impressed at how hard the people in Washington appeared to have been working. I was so impressed, and surprised, that I decided t take a quick look at just what it was they were doing and accomplishing in our Senate.

Here is what they did on just one day, Wednesday July 27th. They successfully passed S. Con. Res. 28: A concurrent resolution supporting the goals and ideals of the designation of the year of 2011 as the International Year for the People of African Descent; and S. Res. 240: A resolution condemning the horrific attacks on government buildings in Oslo, Norway; and S. 1188: All-American Flag Act. A bill to require the purchase of domestically made flags of the United States of America for use by the Federal Government.

All those important things considered and passed in just one day! I guess that explains why they were unable to reach and agreement and pass a bill to advert the looming debt crisis. I mean, what with so many important other things to do...  

When you see our Representatives turning out work like this and failing completely to resolve the truly important issues, well, it is not hard to understand why Congress has such a low approval rating among the American people. 

Live Long and Prosper....

Time to Talk….

Well, it looks as though we are going to have to suffer through another day of “Monkey Brain” – so just poor yourself a cup of coffee (fortified with a little Irish Whiskey works for me) and let’s see where it leads this time….

First up on my hit list today is a case of really, really bad taste out of our friends in the English isles. A British clothing label named 'Evil Twin' has come out with a very fashionable Parka, complete with plaid liner and epaulets. The only problem is what they named it - the “Belsen Was A Gas Military Parka”. It is named after a sardonic, shocking Sex Pistols song about the Belsen-Bergen concentration camp in northwestern Germany, where some 50,000 inmates (including Anne Frank) died during World War II.

I don’t know who the marketing guys are at Evil Twin, but producing a good product an then naming it after a Nazi Concentration Camp is –well, dumb. On the other hand, maybe it’s a brilliant way to raise sells ---in Gaza….

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The Heritage Foundation recently published a report that was remarkably critical of “poor” Americans who own refrigerators, microwaves and cell phones. The other night, Stephen Colbert both celebrated and ridiculed the conservative think tank report and Fox Business Network’s Stuart Varney for amplifying its seemingly insensitive position. Or as Colbert puts it, “if you have the strength to brush the flies off their eyeballs, then you really aren’t poor.”

I read that report and I have to say I was surprised at the insensitivity of it. They implied that America’s poor, including Senior and Disabled Citizens were actually very well off because so many had cars and microwaves –the implication, of course, being that they should not complain about cuts to Social Security, Medicare and other “entitlements”. 

Well, I have news for you. Social Security is not an entitlement. The people drawing Social Security (and, for many, those small checks are all the income they have) paid into the program their entire working lives. Every paycheck you get in this country has a deduction called “FICA”. That is governmenteze for Social Security Insurance and it runs about 4 1/2 % of the gross salary. The amount of the checks you receive when you retire are based upon how much you paid into the program over the years. It is not a freebee, a handout or an entitlement –it is something that we all bought (forced by law) and paid for. Cutting those benefits now is like cutting the warranty after the customer buys the car. It aint right and it should not be legal just because it is the government doing it. –And trying to justify it because these people are able to make those check stretch far enough to enjoy a few of the basics, like telephones and refrigerators, is dishonest and morally reprehensible.

Here endith today’s ranting….

Live Long and Prosper…..

Another Outrage from the Administration

I just do not understand why we put up with some things. Here is a true story (I say true because I found it hard to believe myself) about some nonsense happening at one of our National Cemeteries down in Texas.

Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) is calling for a congressional investigation of the Houston National Cemetery after he went undercover and determined that cemetery officials are still preventing Christian prayers at the funerals of military veterans.

“The Obama administration continues to try to prevent the word ‘God’ from being used at the funerals of our heroes,” said. Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas). “It’s unacceptable and I’m going to put a stop to it as fast as humanly possible,”

Culberson attended a burial service at the cemetery undercover on July 8, when he says he witnessed volunteer members of the honor guard from the Veterans of Foreign Wars being prohibited from using any references to God. “The Obama administration had told the nation and me they were not interfering with the prayer said over the graves of veterans,” he said. “And I went undercover to personally verify that claim.” VA officials have strongly denied they’ve banned any religious speech – and have offered support for Arleen Ocasio, the cemetery’s director.

“The idea that invoking the name of God or Jesus is banned at VA national cemeteries is blatantly false,” said VA Press Secretary Josh Taylor in a written statement. “The truth is, VA’s policy protects veterans’ families’ rights to pray however they choose at our national cemeteries.” Taylor declined to comment on the pending lawsuit or other ongoing legal proceedings, but did say, “No one should make judgments before all the facts are known.”

Culberson said the commander of the honor guard was told by cemetery officials to approach a grieving widow to reconfirm that she wanted the word God mentioned at her husband’s graveside service. “He quite correctly said as a Texan and a man of honor and integrity, ‘I’m not bothering that poor woman at this most terrible time of her life. We’re going to do the ritual,’” Culberson said. “Right in front of me, the VA directly and deliberately attempted to prevent the VFW from doing their magnificent, spiritual ritual over the grave of this fallen hero."

The cemetery is already the focus of a lawsuit filed on behalf of the VFW, an American Legion post and Houston’s National Memorial Ladies. They claim the VA banned members of the organizations from using the words “God” or “Jesus” at burial services. 

They also allege they were banned from reciting prayers or using religious language during services unless families approved the text in advance. Culberson, who oversees the sub-committee responsible for funding the cemetery, said that he wants the cemetery director fired – and he’s willing to do whatever possible to make sure that happens.

“The cemetery director has to leave,” he said. “I will zero out her salary. If she attempts to work for the VA anywhere in the state of Texas her salary will be zero. We’re going to fix this so that no Obama liberal bureaucrat will interfere with the funeral of a hero,” Culberson said.

Controversy first surfaced nationally at the cemetery during a Memorial Day event when a Houston pastor was ordered by the VA to remove the name of Jesus from his prayer.Culberson said he hopes to hold hearings on the cemetery in the fall. “They will bury 10 to 20 American heroes today and the Obama administration is preventing prayers from being said over their gravesites – today, ” Culberson said.

I don’t know about you but the idea that a person in authority, representing the power and majesty of the government of the United States, would purposefully try to restrict reference to God at a funeral is ludicrous. It’s insane. Hell yes, the Cemetery Director should be fired – and hell yes, they should hold a Congressional Investigation to find out just where this “policy” came from. If it came from higher up in the VA or any other governmental agency, then the people responsible should be fired as well. This kind of thing is just not even remotely acceptable behavior. Personally, since it is a clear and flagrant violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution, I hope the jury in the law suit sticks these people --with a huge punitive fine –and maybe hanging…. No, I guess that might be a bit too much, but you get the idea.

Live Long and Prosper....

Japanese Tea Ceremony on the USS Arizona Memorial

Here is a story that left me thinking. 

Symbolizing how far the two countries have come, U.S. organizers hosted an ancient and ritualistic Japanese tea ceremony steeped in tradition at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Organizers hoped the ritual will promote world peace and reconciliation between the U.S. and Japan, which were enemies but have been strong allies for more than 50 years. The purpose of the ceremony was to encourage contemplation, reflection and respect for others. The Tea Ceremonies have always been considered events of peace: samurai in medieval Japanese times would remove their swords and place them outside before entering a tea room (one of the very few times a samurai would leave his weapons).

I had the privilege of attending a Tea Ceremony many years ago. It is a beautiful, highly choreographed and ritualized event. I remember coming away from it with a sense of admiration and respect for this ancient ceremony. Holding this in the name of peace and as a symbol of renewed unity between Japan and the United States was a very good idea.

That said, I have to question the wisdom of holding it at that particular site. You have to remember that the USS Arizona is a battleship which was blown up and sunk during a sneak attack by Japanese planes -and taking over a thousand sailors and marines down with her. Those men are still entombed in the ship which rests just under the waves directly below the Memorial. Regardless if the symbolism and the intention to promote peace and reconciliation, I can not help but think that those sailors and marines, killed without warning that Sunday morning in 1941, whose final resting place was used for the ceremony, would not have approved.

If the ceremony had been held at the Memorial Center (just across the bay) or on the USS Missouri (a battleship on which the Japanese surrendered at the end of World War II, now permanently moored next to the USS Arizona) I doubt if would have had any objections. In fact I would probably have thought this was a “nice thing to do”. But, holding it on the Memorial itself, a gleaming white, open-air memorial sitting on top of the Arizona's sunken hull, which still holds the bodies of more than 900 of the 1,177 men who died on the battleship (in all, some 2,400 Sailors, Marines and Soldiers were killed in the attack), no, I am sorry, I find that just too disrespectful of those who died so suddenly and without warning.

I can not help but draw a comparison between holding this ceremony on the Memorial and the building of a Mosque at the site of the World Trade Center in New York. In both cases there is no question about the right to do it –but having the right simply does not make it the right thing to do. Building the Mosque just a few blocks further away would show respect for those who died that morning of September 11th, 2001, and holding the Tea Ceremony anywhere except on the Memorial itself would have shown respect for those who died the morning of December 7th, 1941. In fact, holding it just a few yards away, on the USS Missouri, where the surrender ceremony ending the war took place, would probably have been a far better choice to promote peace and unity.

Live Long and Prosper.....

Hey, I’m Talking Here….

I really, really hate seeing stories like this one: An 8 year-old boy was hanged by militants in Afghanistan's Helmand province after the boy's father -- a police officer in the southern city of Gereshk -- refused to comply with militants' demands to provide them with a police vehicle.

Hell can not burn hot enough for the souls of people who would kidnap and hang an 8 year old. I am sorry but explaining this behavior by saying these militants were “fanatics” just does not cover it. To kidnap and then hang an innocent 8 year old requires a certain amount of cruelty and pure evil. It is why in the end the ‘terrorists’ will fail. They can bully people into behaving the way they want but they will be hated for it and when the people have an opportunity they will rise up and destroy the bullies. You can bet that the father, family and friends of this little 8 year old have taken a step away from ever supporting the Taliban.

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I watched Michelle Bachmann being interviewed on FOX News. She was asked some very good and some rather hard questions but she simply side stepped them and just kept repeating her talking points. For example, when the interviewer pointed out that many feel President Obama’s lack of executive experience was hurting him and asked her what experience she has that would keep her from making similar mistakes, she said she has been spending her time in Congress fighting the Democrat agenda by voting no on the stimulus, TARP, ObamaCare and raising the debt ceiling (which she says is part of that agenda). –Not exactly an answer to the question.

I am sorry but I did not like her answers at all. I wanted to hear direct and honest answers, not talking points. Her “my way or the highway” attitude is just too hard line and far right for me. I am convinced that if she manages to get on the Republican ticket for 2012 (and that is a real possibility) the independents and moderates will flock to Obama and the Democrats again and the Republicans will not make the gains many people are actually hoping for. A Republican ticket with an extreme right-winger will not only hurt their chances in the Presidential bid, it will hurt them in all the races and will prevent them from taking the majority back in the Senate.

Live Long and Prosper.....

The Debt Crisis – We’ve been here before

The party’s are split with ideological differences causing a paralysis in Washington. The Federal government is reeling from deficit spending and skyrocketing debt. Corrupt lenders foreclose on people's homes and a vicious recession sweeps across the country. No, not the battle being waged in Washington this week, I am talking, of course, about the great debt standoff of 1786: Shays' Rebellion.

While we nervously watch the upcoming August 2 deadline for raising the debt ceiling and are being told that America is entering uncharted territory, history tells us we've seen this movie before. Many of the same issues driving this modern-day standoff -- disagreement on how to handle the national debt, ineffective government and a populist citizen's revolt -- drove the 18th-century uprising that's been called America's first civil war.

There is a hard lesson to be drawn from Shays' Rebellion and other transformative events in U.S. history: Protracted political gridlock is seldom resolved through compromise. It comes when one political party finally beats the other down. Most of us have told pollsters that we want the political parties to work together to solve the debt ceiling crisis. But history tells us that political stability doesn't always come through give-and-take.

"There are times when only the outright defeat of political enemies can bring about needed reform," says Richard Striner, a history professor at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. "It was only by confronting and defeating the aggressive leadership of the slave states that Lincoln and the Civil War Republicans rid the nation of slavery."

Shays' Rebellion was such a crisis. Rooted in economic anxiety and political turmoil, it even involved a leader of a tea party. The country had incurred massive debt during the Revolutionary War. But it couldn't pay it off because the Colonists, distrusting "big government," had created the Articles of Confederation to run the country, which weakened the authority of a central government. -The result was anarchy.

The federal government wasn't allowed to raise taxes to pay off war debts. Various states responded with crushing taxes. Shady bankers in states such as Massachusetts foreclosed on farmers' homes and threw people in debtors' prison. Some thought the country would dissolve.

The political leaders in Massachusetts, though, didn't seem to care, says Daniel Klinghard, author of "The Nationalization of American Political Parties, 1880-1896." "The state Legislature was completely out of touch with the excruciating economic difficulties that people were going through," Klinghard says.

That's when Daniel Shays entered the picture. The Massachusetts farmer had fought in the Revolutionary War, only to return home and find himself -- like many fellow citizens -- facing foreclosure. He decided to fight back.

In 1786, he raised a private citizens' army called the "Shaysites." They marched on and shut down a debtors' court in Massachusetts and tried to storm a state arsenal. Samuel Adams, one of the Founding Fathers who had planned the Boston Tea Party, called for their capture and death.

Adams got his wish. The rebel army was routed by a state militia, and some of its leaders were hanged. Shays was arrested and later pardoned. His uprising, though, helped settle a paralyzing political question. The country was stuck between two competing views of government. Federalists such as Alexander Hamilton wanted a strong national government and president. Anti-federalists such as Thomas Jefferson wanted more state power.

Those competing views of government are being played out in Washington today. The political leaders negotiating the debt crisis face the same question that Shays' Rebellion provoked: How big should the federal government be and how much power should it have?

"It was a conflict over the nature of what the new republic would look like," Klinghard says of the rebellion. "Shays wanted this simple, agrarian existence while people like Hamilton wanted a robust government."

Shays' Rebellion frightened so many of the nation's leaders that they opted for robust national government. They met a year after the rebellion and drafted the Constitution, which gave the federal government and president more powers -- including the ability to quash "domestic disturbances."

Shays' Rebellion followed a script that would be repeated in American history, especially during the lead-up to the Civil War. President Barack Obama and others issue warnings about not kicking the debt issue down the road. Their predecessors in the 18th and 19th centuries passed the issue of slavery down to one another like it was a dinner bill no one wanted to pay. They compromised so much that it took the Civil War to abolish slavery.

"It didn't represent a momentary crisis," Klinghard says of issues such as slavery "but the culmination of years, decades of disputes during which a series of compromises results in an incoherent national policy and, despite compromise, the disputes continue to harden to the point that compromise becomes politically impossible."

Shays' Rebellion also offers another lesson for today's debt ceiling standoff. Forget all that talk about reaching across the aisle: Politicians operate like a pride of lions, and there can only be one alpha leader.

George Washington fulfilled that role after Shays' Rebellion. He abandoned retirement to become the nation's first president. His stature ensured that the president wouldn't be a token figure who deferred to state's powers.

Other periods of dangerous political gridlock in American history were resolved by alpha presidents, who had to possess a ruthless, and even deceitful, side. Consider President Abraham Lincoln, or Honest Abe. He's now known as the magnanimous president with the grandfatherly smile. He forgave personal insults and reached out to his enemies.

Yet Lincoln was also a political version of a cage fighter -- he could fight dirty. Lincoln had long wanted to abolish slavery before he became president. But after he was elected, he wrote a now-famous public letter in 1862 saying he wouldn't free slaves if their enslavement would preserve the Union. That was baloney. He was being deceptive to allay white supremacist resistance to emancipation.

Today's political leaders could learn something from Lincoln. Lincoln should be understood as a fervent anti-slavery idealist who was also a consummate Machiavellian power artist. It was this combination of qualities that meted out the death blow to American slavery. He was a moral visionary with street smarts.

A leader also has to be able to go to the people to break political gridlock.

President Franklin Roosevelt was a master of appeal during the Great Depression. He helped settle a jittery nation's nerves through his fireside chats by explaining in concrete terms why New Deal legislation was necessary.

Obama hasn't used the powers of the presidency to break through the debt ceiling gridlock by talking directly to the American people about the stakes involved. For all of his presidency, he has never given evidence that he trusted the people to consistently bring them into his confidence and explain the connections He's never gone to the people and said, 'I need your help.' It's a huge, missed opportunity on his part.

Polls show Americans are in need of reassurance. Eighty percent are dissatisfied with the federal government, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll. The daily media are full of editorials blasting both Republican and Democratic leaders.

Despite the anxiety, few are talking about the end of democracy. Many Americans may regard our current system of government as perpetual. We'll always have a democracy, right? But history shows that too many internal divisions can doom a democracy. The political leaders who put down Shays' Rebellion feared this fate. They also knew from history that the world's first democratic experiment collapsed because of poor leadership. The golden age of Athens evaporated with the death of Pericles, one of its greatest leaders. After Pericles, the Athenian assembly degenerated into chaos: bickering by demagogues, the launching of ill-thought-out military campaigns and the eventual overthrow of Athens by the Spartans, who abolished democracy.

The death of Pericles left no one to master the squabbling and bickering factions. The confusion and division in Athens played into the hands of the conquering Spartans.

Sparta isn't massing at Washington's city limits if the debt negotiations fail, but the seeds of our potential collapse are still there. The internal divisions that propelled Shays' Rebellion remain a part of America's political DNA. It won't end with the resolution of the debt ceiling standoff. It is a permanent fixture in American political culture, even though its influence rises and falls.

What America needs now is a strong Alpha Leader, like Washington or Lincoln. President Obama, for all his charisma and charm, just is not that leader. The current crisis will subside but it will not end until one side or the other finds that leader and the other side is forced to capitulate.

Live Long and Prosper.....

The Greatest Threat to Peace in Our Time

In my humble view (which is shared by a great many people) the most dangerous threat to world peace is Iran’s Nuclear Weapons program. If the Iranian Islamic Theocratic Government is successful in producing nuclear weapons there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that those weapons will be used against Israeli and/or Western targets. Millions will die in the holocaust and chaos which will result.

I know that is an extremely harsh statement which is very hard for some people to swallow. But it is a hard truth which must be faced if there is any chance of avoiding the nightmare of mushroom clouds appearing over Tel Aviv or Washington or Paris or London or somewhere else in the world and the savagery of the revenge taken against Muslims everywhere as a result.

I have not spoken with a single person, including Muslims, who do not admit to the likelihood that nuclear weapons in the hands of the clerics controlling Iran would be used either by Iran or would find their way into the hands of terrorists who would use them. That being the case, I fail to understand why Iran is being allowed to continue it’s attempts to get these weapons. I can not comprehend why the American Government continues to place it’s faith in sanctions which, after decades of use, have failed to stop Iran’s progress. It may be that the subject is simply politically incorrect and therefore taboo to our politicians, especially the liberals in our government. It may be that the consequences are so terrible to contemplate and are therefore easier to ignore in the hope that the whole issue will just go away. It could also be that there are still those who just do not believe that there are people and governments in the world capable of using nuclear weapons against human beings in the name of ideology.

I believe the real reason is that the steps required to stop Iran are severe ones and can easily have severe consequences of their own –and no politician wants to take on that responsibility. But the failure to act, even when you know that the failure will result in massive destruction and countless deaths, will mean that those same politicians will have to share the responsibility for the consequences of that failure.

If you prefer to believe the Iranian line that they are developing nuclear power for peaceful purposes and have no desire to make weapons, you are purposefully fooling yourself and completely ignoring the evidence. In an intelligence assessment shared with The Associated Press from a nation with traditionally reliable intelligence from the region, Iran's President Ahmadinejad wants to shed the nation's secrecy and forge ahead openly with developing nuclear weapons but is opposed by the clerical leadership, which is worried about international reaction to such a move. The plain truth is that, regardless of the “secrecy”, regardless of their admitting it openly or not, Iran is enriching uranium to weapons grade for only one purpose –to build bombs. That truth must be faced and the Iranian program must be stopped. However hard that is to do now is nothing compared to the price the world will pay if they are not stopped.

Live Long and Prosper....

Sit Down. We have News to Discuss.

My first comment about the day’s goings on is aimed at our National Football League. As you may know, I am a Football fan. I love sitting back, grabbing a beer and spending a Sunday afternoon watching a good game. –Oh, by-the-way, that’s American Football, not the European football we call soccer. I know there are those who say football is too violent and we only watch it for the blood. That is just not true. We fans enjoy watching the skill of the players, anticipating the moves and the tactics and seeing the display of athletic ability -the blood and violence are just a little bonus...

This year the players and the owners have been in contract negotiations which resulted in a lockout and there were rumors that there would be a shortened season, or possibly even no season at all this year. I have tried several times to understand the arguments and to see it from both sides, but I have been unable to form any good opinions or take sides. The players have some legitimate complaints but it is hard for me to relate when they are demanding such a big piece of the profits and salaries are so very high already…. That said, I was very happy last week when the NFL released a schedule for the coming season with pre-season play starting in August. Unfortunately, my happiness may have been premature. Apparently negotiations are still underway and they have not reached an agreement yet. If they do not settle soon the season may still be cancelled. That would mean no money for either side –but the real tragedy in all of this is that I would be forced to watch “round ball” sports like baseball and basketball on Sundays. That could result in major anxiety attacks, withdrawals and may even make my eyes bleed. They just have no consideration for us poor fans…..

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There is another report this morning that Lindsay Lohan is in trouble with the judge –again. It seems she is claiming poverty and says that because of her legal problems she has been unable to work the past year and now can not afford the psychological counseling ordered as part of her sentence.  

Sorry guys, I’m not buying that one. It sounds like just another attempt to escape taking responsibility -again…. The judge was not buying it either and noted that she has only completed 33 of the 480 hours of community service ordered. The judge told Lohan’s lawyer that if Lindsey does not complete the terms of her probation then jail is in her future.  

Good! I for one am sick and tired of special treatment for celebrities. Equal treatment under the law is a corner stone of our legal system and that applies to these party girls as much as anyone else. In fact, considering that so many teenage girls look to these “celebrities” as role models, maybe a mandatory and lengthy jail sentence for steeling a necklace would have been better?

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Here is a blood-curdling story out of Mexico. A trial has begun for a professional hit man who is accused of killing at least 4 people. In a video taped interrogation he was asked how he killed his victims and he calmly answered that he slit their throats -and then beheaded them.

Now, as bad as that sounds, we hear this kind of stuff pretty regularly in Mexico these days. The thing that makes this case so different is that the hit man is a 14 year old American citizen from San Diego! 

And I wonder why some mornings I just can not bring myself to read another headline or news story…..

Live Long and Prosper….

General Generalities….

In yet another set back in U.S.-Pakistani relations, the FBI has arrested an agent of Pakistan's official state intelligence service, accusing him of making thousands of dollars in political contributions in the United States without disclosing his connections to the Pakistani government. He's not charged with being a spy. But he is charged with being an unregistered agent or lobbyist of the Pakistani government.

He's the executive director of a group called the Kashmiri American Council and he has given tens of thousands of dollars to congressional candidates and party organizations (mostly Democrats). U.S. officials say there's no reason to believe that members of Congress or other organizations that received his contributions were aware of his government connections –which only serves to show that our honorable money grubbing elected officials and candidates do not ask enough questions about where the money is coming from. They are far more interested in getting elected than looking out for the country’s best interests.

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Speaking of money, are you all getting as tired about hearing the bickering in Washington over the deficit as I am? They know they need to raise the debt limit and cut spending…. So stop the political maneuvering and posturing already, get on with it! 

I kind of liked the latest proposal from the "Gang of 6” even though it has not got the slightest chance of passing in the Senate or escaping a Presidential Veto. One thing about it shows that even they still do not get it. They propose raising revenue, not by increasing taxes but by closing tax loop holes. Good idea, right? Well, not exactly. The loop holes they want to close are the deductions the average citizen claims on their personal taxes –not one of them makes the big corporations (hello General Electric) pay an extra dime in tax. You don’t suppose they are looking out for their major contributors instead of us little guys, do you? No, couldn’t be….

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President Obama has been caught “stretching the truth” again when he was pushing Obamacare through Congress. I am sure you remember this: “I will never forget my own mother, as she fought cancer in her final months, having to worry about whether her insurance would refuse to pay for her treatment,” Obama told an August 11, 2009 town hall meeting in New Hampshire (and repeated the story many times in other talks).

But an undisputed account, drawn from a review of Ms. Dunham’s correspondence with the insurance company has been published: “Ann’s compensation for her job in Jakarta had included health insurance, which covered most of the costs of her medical treatment. Once she was back in Hawaii, the hospital billed her insurance company directly, leaving Ann only to pay the deductible and any uncovered expenses, which, she said, came to several hundred dollars a month.”

But hell, no problem. He was only doing it to help pass ObamaCare –and that was for our own good, even if most of us don’t think so….right? No?

Live Long and Prosper....

A Bad Day for the President

A few days ago I started my usual skimming of the headlines and noticed that poor President Obama was having a really rough day.

First there was a headline that Goldman Sachs (the huge financial institution which has traditionally been a staunch supporter of the Democrats) issued a report with a fairly dismal appraisal of the President’s efforts to put the country into recovery. Here is part of what they said:

Following another week of weak economic data, we have cut our estimates for real GDP growth in the second and third quarter of 2011 to 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively, from 2% and 3.25%. Our forecasts for Q4 and 2012 are under review, but even excluding any further changes we now expect the unemployment rate to come down only modestly to 8¾% at the end of 2012...

But the slowdown of recent months goes well beyond what can be explained with these temporary effects. … final demand growth has slowed to a pace that is typically only seen in recessions. .. Moreover, if the economy returns to recession—not our forecast, but clearly a possibility given the recent numbers …

The very next story was talking about how the CBO (the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office) released a report slamming the President’s only budget proposal for 2011. the CBO says his budget would not only fail to reduce the deficit, it would actually add to it. That is not what the American public wanted to hear right now and has got to be an embarrassment for the current occupant of the White House.

Then I read a report that, in an example of incredibly bad timing, the President has announced he is having a big bash to celebrate his 50th birthday –and it is scheduled for 3 August, the day the country will go into default if they do not raise the debt ceiling and the mailing date for the Social Security, Disability and Veterans Benefits checks that the President hinted may not be sent out. And, to add insult to injury, President Obama has decided to combine his Birthday Celebration with a reelection fund raiser so tickets to the party are selling for up to $35,800 each. You can bet the Republicans will seize upon this and use it as proof of Mr. Obama’s insensitivity and arrogance.

O.K., here is a clip of a song I loved when I was so young I was still wearing a coonskin cap and believed in Santa Claus...

Live Long and Prosper....

The Civil War 150 Year Ago Today: The Battle of Bull Run

The Battle of Bull Run
(also known as First Manassas) July 21, 1861

The Civil War began in earnest at the Battle of Bull Run, fought in Virginia just miles from Washington DC, on July 21, 1861. Popular enthusiasm led President Lincoln to push a cautious Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, commander of the Union army in Northern Virginia, to attack the Confederate forces commanded by Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard. The Confederates held a relatively strong position along Bull Run, just northeast of Manassas Junction. The goal was to make quick work of the bulk of the Confederate army, open the way to Richmond, the Confederate capital, and end the war.

The two generals both planned to outflank their opponent’s left. Hindering the success of the Confederate plan were several communication failures and general lack of coordination between units. McDowell’s forces, on the other had, were hampered by an overly complicated plan that required complex synchronization. Constant and repeated delays on the march and effective scouting by the Confederates gave his movements away, and, worst of all Patterson failed to occupy Johnston’s Confederate forces attention in the west. McDowell’s forces began by shelling the Confederates across Bull Run. Others crossed at Sudley Ford and slowly made their way to attack the Confederate left flank. At the same time as Beauregard sent small detachments to handle what he thought was only a distraction, he also sent a larger contingent to execute flanking a flanking movement of his own on the Union left.

Fighting raged throughout the day as Confederate forces were driven back, despite impressive efforts by Colonel Thomas Jackson to hold important high ground at Henry House Hill, earning him the nom de guerre “Stonewall.” Late in the afternoon, Confederate reinforcements including those arriving by rail from the Shenandoah Valley extended the Confederate line and succeeded in breaking the Union right flank. At the battle’s climax Virginia cavalry under Colonel James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart arrived on the field and charged into a confused mass of New Yorkers, sending them fleetly to the rear. The Federal retreat rapidly deteriorated as narrow bridges, overturned wagons, and heavy artillery fire added to the confusion. The calamitous retreat was further impeded by the hordes of fleeing onlookers who had come down from Washington to enjoy the spectacle. Although victorious, Confederate forces were too disorganized to pursue. By July 22, the shattered Union army reached the safety of Washington. The Battle of Bull Run convinced the Lincoln administration and the North that the Civil War would be a long and costly affair. McDowell was relieved of command of the Union army and replaced by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, who set about reorganizing and training the troops.

Miscellaneous Mumbo Jumbo

That’s right, boys and girls; Gary is having another ‘Monkey Brain’ morning. The best thing to do when that happens is –Escape while there is still time! The second best thing is to be like the business man who found himself in the strip lounge –don’t ask how we got here, just sit back and enjoy what comes off….

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Here is a good news economic story out of Georgia. It turns out people in China are eating with chopsticks that are made in America and China is apparently eager to boost America’s exports as they load up on these American-made chopsticks.

The Georgia based company has significantly benefited the local economy by creating fifty new jobs. The future seems bright for this company since rumor has it China has a lot of people. –And, personally, I get kind of a kick thinking about all those chopsticks with little tiny “Made in USA” stickers on them….

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In Tennessee some of the local folks are upset and trying to block the construction of a Mosque and Islamic Center. It seems the objections arise because the people building the Center claim that Sharia Law will be enforced on their property and for their congregation. Oops, sorry guys, no can do. In America we have a clear separation of church and state. The law is enforced by the state, not the church –and we only have one set of laws for everyone. I think they need to remember where they are and re-think this idea…..

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Apparently some of the papers seized during the rid that killed Osama bin Laden showed that he was trying to put together an attack on Air Force One or Marine One in an effort to kill President Obama on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. Bin Laden allegedly wanted to shoot the president's aircraft right out of the sky. The former al Qaeda leader also hoped to kill General David Petraeus.

That is no big surprise but it got me wondering how the country would react to such an assassination or even to an attempt like that. I am quite certain the country would unite in outrage, that is not the question. The thing that makes me wonder is how that would affect the war in Afghanistan. Public support for the war is on a steady and significant decline, with a slight majority of Americans now favoring our withdrawal. A direct attack on the President would very likely change that. Americans, anxious for revenge, would very likely throw enough support behind the war to reverse the withdrawal of troops and actually result in sending another “surge”. That, in turn would create a riff between al Qaeda and the Taliban. The Taliban sees our withdrawal as a sort of victory for them and as providing an opportunity to return to political power in Afghanistan –in other words they like seeing us leave. Al Qaeda, on the other hand, likes seeing us entangled in the Middle East, spending money, exposing our people to attack, spending huge sums of money and alienating enough Muslims to provide them with a healthy recruiting environment. While they say they want “western” troops off Muslim soil, in truth that is the last thing they are anxious to see.

Well, Bin Laden is dead and the attacks did not get to the operational stage or all this is just speculation –but it is something interesting to think about. I mean, it’s not like there is much else to worry over –like the economy, jobs, the Presidential elections, gas prices and stuff….

Live Long and Prosper.....

The National Guard Embarrassed by Scandal and Abuse

I have a somewhat upsetting story to report today. It seems that the California National Guard is under multiple investigations alleging that massive amounts of state and federal funds have been misappropriated or fraudulently distributed.

For my friends outside the United States who may not be familiar with our National Guard, let me take a quick moment to tell you just who they are. Each state and territory in the United States is authorized to form it’s own National Guard units. These units train and behave almost identically to Army and Air Force Reserve units. In fact they are trained and equipped by the Army and Air Force and deploy overseas and serve with those units in time of war. Many National Guards units are serving active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. The major difference between them and reserve units is that when they are not actively deployed with the Army or Air Force they are exclusively under each states individual control with an individual command structure which answers directly to the state or territory Governor. Their primary purpose is to assist the state in times of emergency such as disaster relief or civil unrest (rioting).

Last October, the Sacramento Bee began a series of stories by investigative journalist Charles Piller. He reported that several whistleblowers within or affiliated with the CalGuard (California National Guard) alleged that recruiting and retention incentive programs (primarily in the form of cash bonuses and student loan repayments) were being improperly awarded in great amounts. The allegations suggested that as much as $100 million in federal funds had been wasted, or perhaps fraudulently distributed, over the preceding decade. Before long, more whistleblowers were coming out of the woodwork with new, different allegations, leading to more news stories. In November 2010, the Senate and Assembly Veterans' Affairs committees launched a series of oversight hearings.

Word has now come out that multiple federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, and U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, may be conducting a joint investigation.

The two initial whistleblowers were full-time uniformed employees. These two sergeants inherited responsibility for Army Guard incentive programs in late 2009, following the retirement of a predecessor now implicated in the alleged wrongdoing.

After weeks of reviewing their predecessor's questionable records, the whistleblowers contacted an external federal military auditor, whose job entails overseeing federal funds spent by state Guard organizations.

The auditor soon uncovered more problems, including what appeared to be improper activity by commissioned officers. When CalGuard leaders failed to respond to the whistleblowers' allegations, the auditor contacted several federal agencies. In the summer of 2010, those agencies launched their criminal probes.

Some reports estimate that hundreds of commissioned officers and thousands of enlisted CalGuard troops wrongly received bonuses and student loan payoffs. It is likely that most enlisted Guard members trusted program managers and did not realize that they were ineligible to receive the payments; nevertheless, many may yet be required to pay back all or part of the overpayments.

The probability is much higher that at least some of the commissioned officers who received improper payments were aware of the impropriety. For example, one officer, a major ineligible for any such bonus, received twenty-one $3,000 checks in a single calendar day. Another officer ineligible to receive the bonus allegedly had $10,000 wired to a credit card account.

In December 2010, Bee reporter Piller reported that a number of pilots with the Air Guard's 144 th Fighter Wing (located at the Fresno Air National Guard Base) had engaged in a form of double-dipping on military pay.

After earning a legal day's pay flying their F-16 jet fighters, these pilots allegedly pulled a second shift - again at full pay - in or near an "alert" ready room on "on-call" status. The alert status is justified by strategic national security requirement that some scramble-ready assets must be available on short notice to intercept air intrusions by hostile nations or 9/11 style terrorist attacks.

According to news reports, a federal audit determined that the practice goes back to 2008, perhaps farther - and violates federal law and military regulations against earning more than one payday on a single calendar day. Reportedly, the audit also found that some pilots earned full pay for standby shifts spent at home, sleeping in their own beds, or while off on vacation so long as they could physically report to the base within 12 hours.

Guardsmen cynically refer to the program as "Dozing for Dollars."

In one case, Air Guard pilots allegedly drew pay for being on alert status in Fresno, while they were actually in Tokyo, Japan flying for their civilian employer. Several Air National Guard pilots reportedly received in excess of $400,000.

I should probably point out that these are allegations and that no one has yet been charged with a crime. That said, my guess is that there will be a whole lot of heads rolling, resignations and criminal charges in the coming days.

This will reflect very badly on the National Guard and the military in general and will put a stain on the important contributions and honorable service of the many who have served in these units over the years. This kind of abuse of the taxpayers dollars is inexcusable -especially in light of the current fiscal conditions. These crimes (and if the allegations are true, they are definitely crimes) drain the public coffers and force our politicians to raise our taxes to cover these expenses.

I hope that any of the allegations are proved the responsible people are prosecuted and forced to make restitution. It would be disappointing and unacceptable to see some politicians trying to sweep this mess under the table with a few resignations and hand slapping. I have always held that anyone in the public trust, accepting tax dollars for their services, should be held to a higher standard with mandatory jail sentences a part of their punishment. That includes Guardsmen to whom we look for protection and rescue in times of need. Their honor (and our trust in them) can only be restored by weeding out and severely punishing the abusers.

Live Long and Prosper…..

A “Generic” Republican Challenger

Several of the conservative newsletters are carrying an article this morning touting a resent poll which shows that a “generic” Republican candidate would handily beat President Obama if the 2012 election were to be held now. Personally I find that argument a sign that they are already getting worried.

When you read that poll it also shows how the main Republican candidates currently in the race would do against el Presidente --and not one of them beats him! The reason is simple. All of the Republicans with the strongest showings, except Mitt Romney, are “very” conservative right wing people and that means very right wing on both fiscal and social issues. They are drawing a major part of their support from various elements of the Tea Party organizations around the country. While the Tea Party is definitely a new political force to be reckoned with, they are still a minority (no more than 20-24% of registered voters identify with the Tea Party). They also represent an ideology which is just too conservative and too far to the right for many Americans.

What we are seeing in the polls is a general dissatisfaction with the current Administration and a sincere desire to see a significant change. When asked if they would vote for Obama or a “generic” Republican candidate, those polled choose the Republican –but when asked if they would vote for a specific Republican many of those same voters find the current batch just too conservative for their tastes (especially on social, not fiscal, issues).

As I have pointed out many time before, the key voting block in America are the independent voters who always, always, swing between candidates who are neither extreme left nor extreme right but are closest to the middle. When Obama swept into office he was seen by this group as being closer to the middle than McCain (who did not appear to represent a significant “change” from George Bush). After getting into office, President Obama and his administration was seen as being very left wing. That resulted in a swing by independent voters back to the Republicans and we saw significant Republican victories in the 2010 mid-term elections.

If the Republicans want to beat Obama in 2012, they will have to field a candidate who can gain the support of the independent voters. It is just that simple. The problem for Republicans is that, in order to secure the nomination of the Republican Party, they will need the support of the Tea Party –and that means taking positions which are too conservative for the independents. This will represent a real dilemma for anyone wanting to present a viable challenge to the President.

It is still early and we have yet to see how the field of challengers to President Obama’s reelection bid will shape up. The one who has the best chance of beating him will be the one who can walk the razors edge and be just acceptable enough to both Tea Partiers and Independents –That means fiscally conservative and socially moderate. The only candidate that comes close to that description so far is Mitt Romney and he has other issues to overcome before he can get the Republican nomination. 


--And just to change the subject and put a smile on, here is a great You Tube clip of a dog biting a shark!



Live Long and Prosper.....

Political Observations and Mutterings…

President Obama did something very disappointing this week. He played the “Fear Card” by suggesting that Social Security, Disability and Veteran Benefits recipients may not get their checks next month if the debt ceiling is not raised. That has caused a lot of anxiety in many of my friends who rely on those (small) checks as their sole or primary source of income. That, of course, was his intention. This is really reprehensible for several reasons. First of all, it is simply not true. Before they fail to send out those checks we would stop foreign aid and shut down whole departments of the Federal Government, including things like the Education Department and the National Parks. Second, even if the country goes into default, there is still plenty of revenue to send those checks to the 70 million people who need them to pay for food and rent. Third, scaring people, especially the elderly, just to make a political point is not very “Presidential”. As much as I disagree with many of his policies, he has never done anything I find so inappropriate and underhanded.


I have been asked a lot lately who I will support in the next Presidential election. My answer is: Really? Are you guys kidding? We don’t even know yet who all is running and it is way too early to have done a lot of studying of the main players. 

I can tell you, however, that I know one person I will not support. This may surprise you but Michelle Bachman just made that list. Many of my friends seem to like her and have said some very nice things about her so I was seriously considering her until I found out some interesting things. First, it turns out that the company she likes to brag about starting and running with her husband (and where she gets her "executive experience") is a religious counseling service, not exactly the kind of high pressure corporation she had hinted at. It also turns out that this counseling service claims to be able to “cure homosexuality” through prayer therapy. When her husband was asked last week if he really believed being gay was something that could be prayed away, he said, and I quote: “Barbarians need education and discipline”. –Are you frigging kidding me? Gay people are “barbarians”? No, I am sorry but this family has no place anywhere near the White House. –‘nough said on that.

Not that you asked but here is my humble opinion about raising the Debt Ceiling. Let’s stop the political maneuvering and the ideological mumbo jumbo. The country can not be allowed to go into default --so lets just do it. Cut some of the excessive spending (like $1.6 billion a year in military aid to Pakistan), redefine “wealthy” as those whose income is over a million dollars a year and raise their income tax a couple of points, close some tax loop holes (so General Electric actually pays tax) and raise the darned thing already...


Well, I think I have probably irritated enough people for one blog. I’ll try to push some more buttons tomorrow. So I’ll sign off now and wait for the hate email. Until then, may the Good Lord hold you safe in the palm of his hand….

Live Long and Prosper....

The First Lady’s Reputation Saved by Diet Coke, or not…

The First Lady’s crusade to get (force) us all to eat healthy took a black-eye the other day when she went off reservation at a hamburger joint. The Washington Post reports:

"Michelle Obama ordered a whopper of a meal at the newly opened Washington diner Shake Shack during lunch on Monday. A Washington Post journalist on the scene confirmed the first lady, who's made a cause out of child nutrition, ordered a ShackBurger, fries, chocolate shake and a Diet Coke while the street and sidewalk in front of the usually-packed Shake Shack were closed by security during her visit. According to nutritional information on Shake Shack's Web site, the meal amounted to 1,700 calories."

Actually, that meal sounds pretty good, but for a person who has undermined the joy of fast food for us common folk and our youth and lectures us regularly on our horrible, calorie and cholesterol filled diets, the hypocrisy of her very public lunch break can not be escaped. 

That said, I could not help but noticed that she neutralized the bad effects of her ShackBurger, French fries and chocolate milk shake by washing it down with a Diet Coke. -That is kind of like saying that you can eat Oreo Cookies as long as you drink milk with them.

Well, Mrs. Obama certainly has the right to eat whatever she wants, whenever she wants (in spite of the obvious “do as I say, not as I do” attitude). And as long as she does, we have the right to laugh and mock her for it. As much fun as all this is, I just wish these people would stop trying to tell us how to live our lives. 

What they really need to do is learn to kick back, relax and enjoy a good burger, fries and chocolate shake –and stop crying because some of the people doing the same thing are a little over-weight.

Live Long and Prosper…..

Holder Caught Lying to Congress

If you have been following my blogs you probably know I am not a fan of our attorney General. I believe him t0 be a political boot lick for the President and incompetent to run any Federal Department. So it will come as no surprise when I take pleasure in reporting that the Attorney General of the United States has been caught lying to Congress.

Last May, Eric Holder testified before House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa's committee that he only learned about the government's sale of weapons to Mexican drug cartels "in the last few weeks."

But there is a 2009 speech by Holder on the Department of Justice's own website that proves the attorney general was well aware of Operation Gunrunner back in 2009: At the arms trafficking conference in Cuernavaca, Holder not only acknowledged the program, he bragged that he was in the process of expanding it:

"Last week, our administration launched a major new effort to break the backs of the cartels. My department is committing 100 new ATF personnel to the Southwest border in the next 100 days to supplement our ongoing Project Gunrunner, DEA is adding 16 new positions on the border, as well as mobile enforcement teams, and the FBI is creating a new intelligence group focusing on kidnapping and extortion. DHS is making similar commitments, as Secretary Napolitano will detail."

I do not know what Darrell Issa is going to do about this when it is brought to his attention, but I sincerely hope it is swift and decisive. If you or I had told a lie to a Congressional Committee, we would be prosecuted in Federal Court for perjury (just ask a couple of sports stars currently facing that fate). While the Attorney General, the head of our Justice Department, should be held to a much higher standard (I think jail time should be mandatory), the reality of Washington Politics is that I doubt he has that experience to worry about. He may, however, be forced to resign in a cloud of scandal. If that happens, I will at least me happy to see an end of him politically. Justice should be blind –and that means blind to political influence as much as anything else. Eric Holder has lead our Justice Department on one political witch hunt after another ever since he was sworn in. This is a clear opportunity to put a stop to his nonsense. I think Darrell Issa just may be the man to do it. We’ll be watching this story closely. 

Live Long and Prosper....

Iranian Secret Mass Executions

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reports that 25 prisoners were hanged in a secret group execution inside Ghezel Hessar Prison in Karaj. According to these sources, on Sunday, 3 July, 25 prisoners most of whom had drug trafficking charges were executed en mass inside the Ghezel Hessar Prison. Demands have been made for the Iranian Judiciary to provide information about all executions at this prison complex and particularly those carried out on 3 July, and to end its practice of covering up group executions.

These executions were carried out in the same way that the previously reported secret executions in Mashad and Birjand took place, where the executions took place without the knowledge and presence of families and lawyers of the death row prisoners. According to Iranian laws, families and lawyers of the inmates must be informed about the time and date of executions and be allowed to be present at the execution location.

During the past two years, “dozens of prisoners” have been executed in the same way at this prison facility and news about those executions have never been formally announced. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has repeatedly warned about secret executions inside Mashad’s Vakilabad Prison, Birjand Prison, Taybad Prison, Karoon Prison in Ahvaz, and Orumiyeh Prison.

Iran has seen widespread executions in its prisons. Not only have the statistics for announced executions increased, but secret unannounced executions have also been on the rise. According to reports made available, on some weeks the number of unannounced executions are several times more than the announced numbers.

According to Gholamhossein Esmaili, Head of the Iranian Prisons Organization, the Ghezel Hessar Prison in Karaj is the most crowded prison in the country. Esmaili said at a press conference that Ghezel Hessar holds up to three times more prisoners than its capacity. Some sources claim that the number of prisoners at this facility exceeds 30,000. Iranian Judiciary authorities have so far refrained from announcing the exact number of inmates and those on death row at Ghezel Hessar Prison.

On 25 May there were media reports of a group execution of 10 inmates inside this facility. Iranian judicial authorities have so far maintained silence about secret executions at Ghezel Hessar Prison.

Once again I remind you that these guys are getting closer every day to getting their blood soaked hands on nuclear weapons. We seem to be so caught up in our economic problems we have not been paying attention. If I ran gets nuclear capability the inevitable result will be millions of deaths. Stopping them gets harder with every passing minute. President Obama must stop avoiding this issue and act. We must demand action now or we will be very sorry later. 

Live Long and Prosper....

Pakistanis Kill 85 of their own

Pakistani children mourn during a funeral procession in Karachi

While skimming through the headlines and intelligence bulletins this morning I noticed a report on CNN that said at least 85 people died in Pakistan the other day. Well, I almost skipped the article because I assumed it was the Taliban acting out again in some internal act of terrorism inspired by their peculiar brand of religious fervor. Upon closer reading, however, I was surprised to find out that these deaths had nothing to do with religious conflicts. It apparently was political disagreements that lead to the killings.




From the CNN Report:

“The clashes have been blamed on a bitter rivalry between two political parties -- the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement mostly represents Urdu-speaking people who migrated to Pakistan from India during partition in 1947, while the Awami National Party represents Pashto speakers, more of whom are moving to Karachi from northwest Pakistan in search of jobs.

Violence between supporters of the two parties and other turf wars in Karachi have killed hundreds in recent years.”

I am afraid I just do not (and probably never will) understand why people are so willing to kill over politics. We see death and destruction every day, especially in the Middle East, over religious conflict. While I do not approve of it, at least I can understand how religious fanaticism can lead conflict with deadly results.

The concept has been with us historically for as long as man has had religion. One group of people believe that their God or gods approve of their killing of non-believers. Some actually believe it is not only justified but is required. The Spanish and Portuguese Catholics used the excuse to conquer South and Central America. Muslims used it as an excuse to conquer Spain. The crusaders said God wanted them to kill Muslims and conquer the “holy land”. Europe was torn apart for hundreds of years fighting wars based on religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. The Old Testament even tells us that the Jews used it as an excuse to take the ‘promised land”, killing every man, woman, child and animal in whole cities along the way.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not, for a moment, approve of killing, even in the name of religion. The logical side of me tells me that if God really favored one religion over another and wanted one form of worship, he would have seen to it long before this. My more religious friends will naturally disagree but their arguments will be emotional, not logical –and therein lays the primary cause of such violent conflict, emotional response often overrides common sense.

In Pakistan we see a society that has experienced so much religious violence it literally spills over into non-religious politics. The use of violence and deadly force as a means of winning an argument is not only tolerated, it is accepted. While Pakistan is certainly not the only place where this happens, it is a prime example of it. 

Until the acceptance of violence as a tool for winning an argument and until religious leaders begin teaching tolerance and non-violence, people will continue to die, simply because they disagree –and that is a true tragedy.

Live Long and Prosper....