Conservative Observations

*On this Memorial Day we remember all those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, and for securing for us all the freedoms that we cherish. Sadly, not all of us feel the same way. A talk show host on MSNBC, Chris Hayes, in discussing our fallen heroes had this to say: "I feel...uncomfortable about the word hero because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war." (As reported by Foxnews.com, 5/28/12.) I'm sorry, but I'm going to say it: What a moron! We remember those who gave their lives for this country today; not the civilian policy makers who sent them to war. Is that such a difficult distinction for you, Mr. Hayes? It reminds me of comments from two earlier blogs. In the 12/12/09 posting (Fools, Liars & Thieves) I quoted former President Jimmy Carter: "War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good." In my 6/3/10 posting (Right vs. Left...) I quoted Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater: "War should always be a last resort, and I admit that I am somewhat ambivalent about even that choice." (I will not repeat at length here my comments on these last two quotes, but the posts are still on the blog where you can read my reactions.)

*Speaking of morons, Foxnews.com, on 5/28/12, reported on the reaction of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer to a story in the AP. The AP reported that families traveling by plane this summer may have to pay more to sit next to each other. Apparently, airlines do not cover the cost of a flight from the basic airfare alone. And now they have to deal with rising fuel costs. They had already started charging for checking barrage, watching TV, early boarding, and so on. Now, they are asking as much as $25.00 extra per seat for an aisle seat, a window seat, and a seat with more legroom. Said Senator Schumer: "Unnecessary airline fees shouldn't serve as a literal barrier between mother and child." And unnecessary senators should not be telling airlines how to run their businesses. Here's a shock - he's been a politician his entire adult life, running exactly the same number of businesses as has our President. NONE. And I would be willing to bet that he has no clue whether or not these fees are "unnecessary" for the continued functioning of any of the airlines that have instituted them.

*It gets better. In the town of Fort Lee, New Jersey, you can now be ticketed for careless or distracted walking, as reported by the USA Today, 5/16/12 edition. The fine will be $85.00. The Utah Transit Authority now has a $50.00 fine for distracted walking near trains. Of course, I would never suggest that governmental entities are looking for new and creative ways to take your money in these difficult economic times. (Not to mention yet another effort by government to control your behavior.) But, take the case of Russ and Pat Caswell, as reported in a column by George Will (5/20/12 Ventura County Star). It seems the Caswells had a motel that has not always had the finest clientele. About 30 customers have been arrested since 1994 on drug charges. That's 1.6 arrests per year. I suspect quite a few high schools have a worse arrest record. In any event, as Will tells it, the city of Tewksbury, Mass. is conspiring with the feds to take the property under civil forfeiture laws. And the feds share the money with the locals; with the sale of the motel expected to bring in $1.5 million. Of course, the 68 year old Mr. Caswell will no longer have his source of income, nor his retirement. Mr. Caswell has neither been charged with, nor convicted of, any crime. In fact, he had a history of cooperating with the local police in providing customer ID's and license plates. According to Will, a federal drug agent seeks out properties to steal (really, is there another word for it?) if the equity is at least $50,000. Government power, says Will quoting Madison, "is of an encroaching nature." Per Will: "If unresisted, it produces iniquitous sharing of other people's property."

*And speaking of government "taking," under Obamacare there will be a 2.3% tax on the gross revenue of medical device manufactures. You see, these evil companies make devices that save lives and improve the quality of many lives; but the government simply can't afford to have all these people around needing medical care. So, if we tax these evil-doers, we will get more revenue into government coffers, and hopefully put some of them out of business. Lost jobs? How many of you still think Obama was ever about jobs? If he was, tell me why with the worst economy since the Great Depression, he was focusing all of his time and energy on Obamacare during his first two years in office. According to George Will, in the 5/10/12 Investor's Business Daily, Cook Medical will no longer be opening a US factory this year. Boston Scientific? Built a $35 million research and development facility in Ireland, and is building a $150 million factory in China. Stryker Corp? Laid off 1000 employees. Zimmer? Laying off 450. Covidien? 200 lay-offs, and moving some production to Costa Rica and Mexico. Obama is motivated solely by ideology. You know, the "idea" of "equality." If thousands or millions lose their jobs, he will not lose one night's sleep over it. He and Michelle will just take another vacation.

*And in what may be the most telling phone call to a talk radio show that I will ever hear, a woman called up to Dennis Prager to disagree with a generalization he had made. In the process, she mentioned that she was Jewish and that her father (mid 80's) also listened to Prager and virtually always agreed with him. Then, the question by Prager - did her father ever vote for a Republican? Being a Jewish Republican, I did not need to actually hear the answer. Of course he never did. Prager's explanation was that the Left had done such a good job of demonizing the right that it would never occur to this man (and others like him) to actually vote for the party which had policies with which he agreed. I agree with that assessment, and have mentioned it on numerous occasions in prior postings. In fact, one time a liberal Jew with whom I was speaking was complaining of some of the high taxes in her city. When I said: "Congratulations, when did you become a Republican?", the reply was: Oh G-d forbid!" Many of my fellow Jews cannot even acknowledge that some of the positions that they hold are Republican positions. Even if they worked hard for everything they got in life, with no handouts, they do not believe others are capable of accomplishing the same things; whether it be a good education, a good job, or financial success. They believe the lie of the Left that every left-wing interest group is made up of "victims" of something or other, and only the government can right the perceived wrongs.

Ask them what President said: "This administration pledged itself...to an across-the-board, top-to-bottom cut in personal and corporate income taxes" because "the accumulated evidence of the last five years is that our present tax system...exerts too heavy a drag on growth in peace time; ...it siphons out of the private economy too large a share of personal and business purchasing power;...it reduces the financial incentives for personal effort, investment and risk taking." Okay, we know Obama would never say such a thing; but it was a democrat. JFK said it. Tell that to a liberal democrat today and then get back to me with all the excuses they make for the difference between then and now. You see, they do not even recognize how far to the left they, and their party, have moved. Kennedy was a "traditional" liberal democrat: low taxes, personal responsibility, and a strong military to defend the country. As I say near the top left of my postings when you access the site, I left the party, in part, because it left me.

*Let's hear it for the State of New Jersey! The state Attorney General determined that no laws were violated when the NYPD conducted surveillance of Muslim businesses, mosques and student groups within New Jersey, without giving advance notification to New Jersey authorities. Not surprisingly, Muslim leaders are upset, and are considering the filing of a federal civil rights action. You know what I'm upset by? Three thousand fellow Americans, including one with whom I attended all of public school, being murdered on 9/11. The NYPD's Intelligence Division has people assigned to Scotland Yard, as well as police headquarters in 10 other foreign cities. You see, the war on radical islam is far from being over; and the NYPD has done an incredible job in helping to stop numerous planned attacks.

*In a related story, the city of Leicester, England, with a Muslim population of 30-40,000, just elected their first Muslim mayor. According to a story in the 5/24/12 Jewish Press online, the most influential Muslim in Leicester is one Shayk Abu Yusuf Riyadh Ul-Haq. In one of his sermons, Ul-Haq said that having a friendship with a Christian or Jew makes "a mockery of Allah's religion." He also discussed the "evil influence" of Western culture. The article notes that "Leicester has been plagued by forced marriages, kidnappings, physical and mental abuse of women, and other honor-based crimes against those who have not, according to family and local community members, conformed to religious or cultural expectations." Well it's sure comforting to know that they have avoided the "evil influence" of Western culture.

Not surprisingly, Ul-Haq also gave a sermon on the Jews. He had this to say: "They're all the same...It doesn't matter whether they're in New York, Houston, St. Louis, London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester. They're all the same. They've monopolized everything: the Holocaust, G-d, money, interest, usury, the world economy, the media, political institutions...they monopolized tyranny and oppression as well. And injustice." I'm impressed; less than than two tenths of one percent of the world's population and we control the world economy, the media and all political institutions. Seriously, though, if these kinds of comments, along with the ongoing efforts to commit terror attacks on US soil, does not convince you of the need for the type of surveillance being conducted by the NYPD, then you probably need to spend a year in, say, Saudi Arabia. But good luck in finding a Church or Synagogue to attend.