Senator George McGovern is on TV with a “public service” announcement condemning Cardcheck legislation, the odious attempt to remove the secret ballot from union organizing campaigns. The effort by arguably the nation’s most liberal politician and unabashed union supporter has sent shivers through the progressive community. And it got me to thinking about courage.
Like heroism, the appellation of courage has been grossly misapplied of late. Nancy Pelosi has been labeled courageous by progressives; likewise Limbaugh by right wing zealots. Balderdash! Leading a pack of sheep does not require courage.
Courage springs from agonizing and often painful decisions that can bring condemnation, vilification, or ostracism, not to mention risk to personal safety. Arlan Spector and Maine’s two Senators displayed courage by breaking with their party and voting for the Stimulus. You don’t have to agree with such decisions to recognize the courage involved in pursuing the unpopular. Folks quick to so label their favorite savants should spend a bit more time consulting Webster…..
#####
I am occasionally asked why I am a conservative (the unspoken thought from liberals being that “your knuckles don’t appear to drag the ground and your IQ doesn’t appear to rest in the low double digits, so how on earth can you claim the appellation). I have actually had liberal acquaintances express disbelief at how an apparently intelligent soul could embrace the unthinkable. The steel-trap closed mind at work.
Let me count the ways!
One inescapable rationale that springs immediately to mind is my skepticism of Big Government, honed during a decade of federal employment and another as a federal contractor.
There are myriad examples of government ineptitude, perhaps none more stark than the Securities and Exchange Commission. I know “they don’t have enough money” (the perennial progressive plaint – where spending cures all ills), nor “enough staff,” but as early as 1998, serious professionals warned of the Madoff ponzi scheme, handing the feds a clear cut case on a silver platter as it were, but our government was too busy rounding up taxi drivers who bought 100 Microsoft options based on “insider information,” i.e. something they heard a passenger say on the journey from JFK to Wall St.
Crowing press releases flow like Guinness on St. Paddy’s Day. “Look at us, look how we are protecting the investing public.” Right! And note that while it is now fashionable to lump all financial executives into a single “thieves and blaggards” category, not a single SEC bureaucrat has been singled out.
Then come the AIG bonuses. Someone (!) inserted language in the Stimulus legislation authorizing the payments (interesting when bedfellows fall out, and pointing fingers grow as Pinocchio’s nose). Then rather than admit a mistake, Congress rushed to pass a clearly unconstitutional remedy (I learned about ex-post facto laws in 7th grade Civics.) Our President courageously accepted responsibility, but in the next breath (as he will forevermore) claimed it really wasn’t his fault because all planetary evil was created in the decade before his arrival. “Je suis coupable, mais c’est pas ma faute.”
And now as the size of government is poised to expand by 25%, we are destined to be treated to more of the same. I can’t wait. Government everywhere is the poster child for the absence of individual responsibility – the cloak of invisibility that permits limitless culpability sans accountability. “Je suis coupable..."
#####
I received an e-mail the other day offering me a “complimentary colon cleanse.” It’s not the first time that someone has offered to resurface that section of my anatomy, but never via the Internet. And I thought the nadir arrived the day I received simultaneous solicitations for breast enhancement and reduction of same. Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house…
#####
In 1919 Robert Goddard published his theories of rocket flight which postulated that man (and woman) might one day reach the moon. The treatise was ridiculed in a New York Times editorial that sniffed "Dr. Goddard seems to lack the knowledge of physics that is ladled out daily in high schools." Despite this unambiguous condemnation from the editorial geniuses of Manhattan, NASA named its legendary flight center in Goddard’s honor. Our self-proclaimed “paper of record” does seem to have a knack…
#####
I have never before had the opportunity to take advantage of spring skiing. I love the warmth but not the ice nor spring break crowds, where it seems the overwhelming majority are first-timers wooed to intermediate slopes that seem virtually flat from below and precipitous from above. When time on the lift is equally divided between riding and sitting motionless, it’s time to hit the pub.
And just when I thought I had sufficiently suppressed the voices, they have resurfaced with strains of “Natasha,” “Sonny” (Bono), and “Michael” (Kennedy). When I began the sport, only professional racers donned “brain buckets,” and not all of them. Perhaps it’s time…
#####
Just as Craigslist presented me with a plethora of short term accommodation options (Las Cruces, NM was a leading candidate), I have been informed that the long-time summer tenant scheduled to displace me come May will be a no-show this year, affording the possibility of extending my current lodging. Decisions, decisions. But on my walk today up Guanella Pass, a cerulean sky and dazzling sunlight reflecting off a thousand vertical foot of crag, seemed to be inviting me to stay on a bit. And because the Red Ram will, for the moment dodge foreclosure by operating in bankruptcy, Killians will continue to flow at Happy Hour. Another compelling reason.
#####
Just as the Adventure was resigned to morphing into spring, the “high country” is poised to receive perhaps the heaviest snow of the season. Dancing with Mother Nature is always a treat…
.
.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
2009-07 GEORGETOWN
A truly depressing weekend spent with C-SPAN. After several well reasoned and upbeat presentations at CPAC – the Conservative Political Action Committee, came Rush Limbaugh who gathered riotous applause by asking those assembled to pray for the failure of the Obama Administration. Well, he claimed afterward that he only wished for Obama’s policies to fail. No matter. For the moment Obama’s policies are America’s policies, and to petition for their failure fits nicely with the "General Betrayus" mindset.
Now LMBC and MNM, I have deep concern over the new Administration’s ambitious plans to expand Government, and particularly the Pelosi effort to advance a social agenda under the guise of economic stimulus, but I must accept that those who professed to advance conservative principles this past decade spiraled miserably off the mark, and there is always (or should be) a price to pay for failure.
Democrats are giddy over their good fortune. Rahm Emanual bestowed “defacto leader of the Republican party” upon Limbaugh, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele didn’t help when he condemned the speech then quickly apologized.
Depressing indeed, and moreso as malevolence from the left seems to vanish with the speed of light while that from the right hangs long and low, as grey smoke from a long extinguished campfire.
#####
The remainder of the weekend was consumed by coverage of Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union. I learned that two centuries of evil are about to be replaced by an enlightened era of color. The unspeakable atrocities committed by those hitherto in charge will now be replaced by peace and love, and of course retribution against past malefactors.
#####
It should come as no surprise that one of the first forays of the tax scofflaw Treasury Secretary is to go after – you got it, tax scofflaws. But in the way that politicians can carry hypocrisy to insane levels, he has promised House and Senate committees that exposed perps will be subject to “appropriate punishment,” widely interpreted to mean jail time for serious offenders. Do as I say…
Can we now put to rest the aspect of “change” that promised to expunge (Republican) corruption and usher in a new area of transparency and fairness. Let he without sin…
#####
Last week while the U. S. east coast was pummeled by 6-12”, here in the Rocky Mountain west there was recorded a record temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Mother Nature has a truly bizarre sense of humor. And yet the locals remember 2003 when March came in like a lamb and several weeks later there was a record 7’ (yes, 84”) snowfall.
#####
One certain predictor of aging (in addition to wrinkles, liver spots, and multiple trips to the loo in the night), is a distain for innovation. As a self-styled techno-junkie I didn‘t believe I would fall victim to the hi-tech iteration of this malady. Yet now comes Twitter, which Wikipedia tells me is a “social networking” service that allows users to send and read other users' updates on their current activities (known as “tweets”) -- texts limited to 140 characters in length. I gather this means that when one prepares to cut toenails, defrost the fridge, or take Fido for his annual toilletage, we can so inform close friends and miscellaneous acquaintances.
Now I do understand that after the gas explosion that leveled (among others) the Rocking-R-Bar and Boodles restaurant in Bozeman, MT (two establishments where I have taken my custom while residing in that fair city) – “tweets” were used by locals to let friends and family know they had escaped the carnage. A great idea, and proof that even within (most) idiocy there exists a kernel of redeeming social value.
I have grave reservations as to whether anyone on this planet gives a damn about the BLOGS I periodically inflict on mankind, but I know with metaphysical certitude that no one has even miniscule curiosity about my flossing, preening, or evacuating. Could it be that those who Twitter are known as “twits.”
#####
It is commonly accepted that politicians of every stripe make promises that are routinely bent, broken, or simply ignored. And yet when a new paradigm is invoked vowing to change all that, I think it not unrealistic to hold the invokers to a higher standard.
My new President has promised so much to so many, with words so un-minced as to be electric in their delivery. Two passages quoted directly from his address to the Joint Session of Congress are illustrative and deserve to be placed in a four-year time capsule, to be later retrieved and re-examined.
“And yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office.”
“If your family earns less than $250,000 a year -- a quarter million dollars a year -- you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: Not one single dime. Not a dime.”
Now these are unequivocal statements, bold and concrete promises. I suggest that delivery on these and others will (and should) guarantee a second term for the President. And while failure might not be a deal-breaker, it will be interesting to see whether in that event he faces the American people in 4-year’s time with the same candor he now displays, or whether he will revert to the time-honored plaint of politicians everywhere, as in the words of the French Culture Minister, “Je suis coupable, mais c’est pas ma faute.”
But the beauty of politics is that all involved are endowed with an infinite number of “Get out of Jail Free” cards. Even the White House admits that the “Cap and Trade” energy tax will cost all Americans in the future, but they respond that it’s not exactly a “tax,” and so I guess the Administration can slide here on a technicality.
Speaking of Cap & Trade, does it seem a bit disingenuous that the environmental guru Al Gore can now continue to use his private jet simply by paying for the extra carbon he spews across the planet? Isn’t that what the Robber Barons of old (and successful businessfolk that followed) have been accused of – using their wealth to pollute and defile?
#####
The Adventure suffers a bit from cabin fever, but ambles along…
.
.
Now LMBC and MNM, I have deep concern over the new Administration’s ambitious plans to expand Government, and particularly the Pelosi effort to advance a social agenda under the guise of economic stimulus, but I must accept that those who professed to advance conservative principles this past decade spiraled miserably off the mark, and there is always (or should be) a price to pay for failure.
Democrats are giddy over their good fortune. Rahm Emanual bestowed “defacto leader of the Republican party” upon Limbaugh, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele didn’t help when he condemned the speech then quickly apologized.
Depressing indeed, and moreso as malevolence from the left seems to vanish with the speed of light while that from the right hangs long and low, as grey smoke from a long extinguished campfire.
#####
The remainder of the weekend was consumed by coverage of Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union. I learned that two centuries of evil are about to be replaced by an enlightened era of color. The unspeakable atrocities committed by those hitherto in charge will now be replaced by peace and love, and of course retribution against past malefactors.
#####
It should come as no surprise that one of the first forays of the tax scofflaw Treasury Secretary is to go after – you got it, tax scofflaws. But in the way that politicians can carry hypocrisy to insane levels, he has promised House and Senate committees that exposed perps will be subject to “appropriate punishment,” widely interpreted to mean jail time for serious offenders. Do as I say…
Can we now put to rest the aspect of “change” that promised to expunge (Republican) corruption and usher in a new area of transparency and fairness. Let he without sin…
#####
Last week while the U. S. east coast was pummeled by 6-12”, here in the Rocky Mountain west there was recorded a record temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Mother Nature has a truly bizarre sense of humor. And yet the locals remember 2003 when March came in like a lamb and several weeks later there was a record 7’ (yes, 84”) snowfall.
#####
One certain predictor of aging (in addition to wrinkles, liver spots, and multiple trips to the loo in the night), is a distain for innovation. As a self-styled techno-junkie I didn‘t believe I would fall victim to the hi-tech iteration of this malady. Yet now comes Twitter, which Wikipedia tells me is a “social networking” service that allows users to send and read other users' updates on their current activities (known as “tweets”) -- texts limited to 140 characters in length. I gather this means that when one prepares to cut toenails, defrost the fridge, or take Fido for his annual toilletage, we can so inform close friends and miscellaneous acquaintances.
Now I do understand that after the gas explosion that leveled (among others) the Rocking-R-Bar and Boodles restaurant in Bozeman, MT (two establishments where I have taken my custom while residing in that fair city) – “tweets” were used by locals to let friends and family know they had escaped the carnage. A great idea, and proof that even within (most) idiocy there exists a kernel of redeeming social value.
I have grave reservations as to whether anyone on this planet gives a damn about the BLOGS I periodically inflict on mankind, but I know with metaphysical certitude that no one has even miniscule curiosity about my flossing, preening, or evacuating. Could it be that those who Twitter are known as “twits.”
#####
It is commonly accepted that politicians of every stripe make promises that are routinely bent, broken, or simply ignored. And yet when a new paradigm is invoked vowing to change all that, I think it not unrealistic to hold the invokers to a higher standard.
My new President has promised so much to so many, with words so un-minced as to be electric in their delivery. Two passages quoted directly from his address to the Joint Session of Congress are illustrative and deserve to be placed in a four-year time capsule, to be later retrieved and re-examined.
“And yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office.”
“If your family earns less than $250,000 a year -- a quarter million dollars a year -- you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: Not one single dime. Not a dime.”
Now these are unequivocal statements, bold and concrete promises. I suggest that delivery on these and others will (and should) guarantee a second term for the President. And while failure might not be a deal-breaker, it will be interesting to see whether in that event he faces the American people in 4-year’s time with the same candor he now displays, or whether he will revert to the time-honored plaint of politicians everywhere, as in the words of the French Culture Minister, “Je suis coupable, mais c’est pas ma faute.”
But the beauty of politics is that all involved are endowed with an infinite number of “Get out of Jail Free” cards. Even the White House admits that the “Cap and Trade” energy tax will cost all Americans in the future, but they respond that it’s not exactly a “tax,” and so I guess the Administration can slide here on a technicality.
Speaking of Cap & Trade, does it seem a bit disingenuous that the environmental guru Al Gore can now continue to use his private jet simply by paying for the extra carbon he spews across the planet? Isn’t that what the Robber Barons of old (and successful businessfolk that followed) have been accused of – using their wealth to pollute and defile?
#####
The Adventure suffers a bit from cabin fever, but ambles along…
.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
