Guilty By Association?

Two months after the death of Michael Jackson we are still beseiged by hype surrounding the "King of Pop". For that matter, "The King of Rock and Roll" still draws crowds thirty two years after his death. I can appreciate the kinship that fans both "Kings" feel. I can also understand how Elvis fans have accepted his self-destruction, but I can't understand the ease with which fans of Michael Jackson forgive his apparent pedophilia. By overlooking Jackson's penchant for exploiting children, are his fans guilty by association?

The Orange County Register recently published a great article by Mark Steyn that explores the same concept with regard to Teddy Kennedy. Steyn contemplates whether Americans became complicit with the death of Mary Jo Kopechne by not calling Teddy's bluff regarding Chappaquiddick. Steyn's article does a great job of pointing out how Kennedy apologists are more than ready to trade tales of his legacy for the life of a girl.

One of the online readers of Steyn's article pointed out a link to a 1969 article in Newsweek about Kennedy and Chappaquiddick. It is certainly worth a read, and is really interesting in retrospect. The article certainly supported the fact that the Kennedy machine was going to keep rolling forward, Mary Jo Kopechne or no.

By overlooking an individual's victimization of others, we denigrate the memory of those victims. We typically frown on the Nuremberg defense. If acting on unconscionable orders is distasteful, then how much worse is accepting the unconscionable acts of others? How can we not be guilty by association?

A Garage Sale Primer

Folks all around this great country of ours know that sometimes when the piggy bank gets a little too empty, it may just be time for a garage sale. I admit that I love a good garage sale. There is nothing quite as exhilarating as getting rid of some accumulated junk that you can live without that some schlub is eager to take off your hands at bargain prices. It can also be fun to search for treasures among someones junk. It can be a win win situation either way.

The Gubernator understands the value of a good garage sale. With California's piggy bank being depleted and then some, Arnold Schwarzenegger decided it was time for a garage sale. You have to hand it to Arnold, love him or hate him, he isn't afraid to do the unconventional. I'd like to deliver a message from Arnold. It is one that Arnold delivered at the Republican National Convention in 2004:



That's right, don't be "economic girlie men", or women for that matter. Assess the empty bank account, take charge, and have a garage sale.

Perhaps the federal government should take heed, after all, Arnold is practically a Kennedy. Besides, what more evidence do you need that it is time to act?



Obama has spoken, "We're out of money now." So, why not have a garage sale? Its not as if the federal government doesn't have enough useless junk laying around. When that useless junk is taking money out of my wallet, a garage sale sounds like a great idea.

If I was to organize a garage sale it would be hard to know where to start. The National Endowment for the Arts and Corporation for Public Broadcasting are two luxury items in the federal budget that come to mind. Tightening the belt sometimes means doing without. Perhaps somebody will stop by the garage sale who realizes the value of these two castoffs and supports them with their private dollars instead of my public dollars.

But those are small potatoes. We need something really big and juicy to get the passersby to pull up to the curb. I'm thinking about something that we can really live without. How about the Department of Education (DOE). Federal support of K-12 education has increased 138 percent since 1985, yet according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, U.S. secondary education is ranked 18th among 36 nations. I'm not suggesting that we scrap educational spending altogether. I'm just saying that the DOE, should be out on the driveway with the lava lamps.

Of course, occasionally when you put something out for sale, nobody wants to buy it. Maybe we could do what I do after the garage sale when there is something that nobody wants to buy. Slap a FREE sign on it, close the garage door and go inside. I guarantee that it will be gone by the next morning.

If the DOE were sold for cash, or just freed up some space in my wallet, it would still be a win win situation for me. It wouldn't fill up the piggy bank, but it might buy a few more necessities.

Better Start Posting Your Comments...

...Before Obama disconnects your internet connection.

Perhaps you saw this item go up on The Drudge Report today. If not, it refers to a bill that popped up this spring in the Senate that would grant the President the authority to "disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet." Perhaps I'm missing something here, but that sounds like quite a power grab. Would Obama the Senator have approved of George W. Bush having such power?

In an update to the above article, Jena Longo, deputy communications director for the Senate Commerce committee, is quoted as saying, "the Rockefeller-Snowe bill will not empower a 'government shutdown or takeover of the Internet' and any suggestion otherwise is misleading and false." Fine. Whatever you say. Although it seems to me we were not supposed to be so trusting when the aforementioned Bush wanted to wiretap calls being made to suspected terrorists overseas. This would give Obama control over every personal computer in America.

I wonder...can I say, "I do not trust President Barack Obama," or will that just open the door to progressives calling me a stupid racist?

Aw, what the heck. I do not trust President Barack Obama.

Kennedy Fatigue

No offense to the late, liberal lion, but I was seriously beginning to experience Ted Kennedy fatigue Thursday afternoon on Fox News. Yes, that's right - for those of you who believe Fox News is the right arm of the Republicans, they covered Kennedy ad nauseam on Thursday.

Do we really need to watch a half hour of people in black clothes milling around black cars figuring out who is supposed to ride in which Escalade? Apparently I did. I was seriously at the point where I would have rather watched Ben Stiller explain to Mickey Rooney what Twitter is.

Heroes

Edward M. "Teddy" Kennedy died yesterday, and as one might suspect with the passing of a legendary politician, the media has been awash in reports both extolling his legacy and tempering his praise. Many of the MSM reports that I have seen have reported that Teddy was a hero to the political left. Coincidentally, I received an invitation tonight to join the Facebook (FB) group petitioning to remove at least one of several Soldiers Are Not Heroes groups on FB.

Being a FB newbie, I found this fascinating. Being a veteran myself, I thought I would check out some of the pro and anti soldiers are heroes FB sites. I was not too surprised when I discovered that by in large most of the pro-hero sites were staunch military supporters, and most of the anti-hero sites were strongly opposed to the military in general.

From my military experience, I would not classify all soldiers as heroes. But then, what group that traditionally exhibits heroic behavior is entirely comprised of heroes. For example, many cops are considered heroic, but there are always exceptions to the rule. I think that most cops take the motto "to protect and to serve" seriously.

By the same token, I think that most soldiers take serving their country very seriously, especially today. I enlisted toward the end of the Cold War, and while there was no active fighting going on at that time, I understood that I was always one bullet away from being in active combat. Except for the most obtuse enlistee, every soldier today with an ounce of brains knows that they have a good chance of being in harms way. Yet they still enlist.

To me a hero is someone that serves others without thinking about any potential harm to themselves. I think most soldiers fall into that category, and that the average soldier is serving his or her country because that is what they believe in . That most of the anti-hero proponents seem to consider soldiers as misguided, unthinking, imperialist pawns, makes no difference. The soldier still serves his or her country, and puts their life on the line, whether civilians support them or not.

The anti-hero sites were largely filled with things the authors could not stand about the military, soldiers, and the government that put them there. If there was a common thread as to what they did stand for, it was peace. I have to laugh when I consider that. Don't these people think that most soldiers would prefer peace as well. Even so, they serve.

Another thing that was commonly pointed out was the atrocities that soldiers had committed. I am not an apologist for those occurrences, as they demean soldiers as a whole and humanity itself. Still, I believe that these occurrences are aberrations, and not indicative of the whole. Things happen in war that no one should have to experience, and unfortunately no one knows how they are going to react. I recall talking to a retired San Diego cop that I worked with some time ago. He told me he had been, "spit on, puked on, pissed on, shit on, bled on, and seen all kinds of things no one should ever have to see." The war on crime is, it seems, the same as all wars in that respect. Some cops break under this constant negativity, as do some soldiers. That does not mean that cops or soldiers as a whole don't deserve our respect.

I apologize in advance for berating the recently departed, but how is it that Teddy Kennedy is hailed as a hero and soldiers are not heroes? Teddy is commonly associated with drunkenness, womanizing, and manslaughter (to be kind) among other unpleasantries. I guess one could argue that Kennedy served his country in the Senate, and during the two year stint as a private (reduced from four years with his father's influence and served in Europe while the Korean War was being fought). Yet, I wonder if he sacrificed anything close to what the common soldier does, and especially the combat soldier. Assuming that Teddy is a hero, given all his misconduct, how can anyone in good conscience say that soldiers are not heroes?

Culture Yes, Multiculturalism No

Multiculturism may be the death of me yet... literally. I think everyone should be proud of their culture. In America, all citizens should be entitled to practice their culture, unless that culture threatens or endangers other citizens. In fact, everyone in America should practice the hell out of their culture to the extent that domestic tranquility, the common defense, the general welfare, and the blessings of liberty are maintained. No matter what culture you embrace in this country, you have to love that Constitution.

So practicing cannibals are out in my book, as are any cultures that practice human sacrifice. Although I am not saying it should be banned, I have to admit that Islam makes me nervous. It is not the practitioners of Islam that I never hear about that bother me (i.e. the so called peaceful majority). It is the practitioners of this religion that believe that I am an infidel because I do not subscribe to Islam that concern me. Any culture, or sub-set of a larger culture, that wants me to convert or die just doesn't sit well with me. Call it a personal bias.

The last week has gone a long way to reinforcing my doubts. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi's "compassionate release" from a Scottish prison, after serving 8 years of a life sentence for his part in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103, was hard to watch. Al Megrahi was treated like a hero, even though he was convicted of killing 270 human beings. I don't believe that it mattered to the crowd in Libya whether he was guilty or not. If Al Megrahi had died in prison I suppose he would have been considered a martyr. The fact that Muammar al-Gaddafi was signing his praises only reinforced my disbelief and anger.

Closer to home, Ohio runaway Rifqa Bary, was claiming that she feared being killed by her parents because she had converted to Christianity. I admit the possibility that this controversy had more to do with teen rebellion than self-preservation, but all things being equal, Florida had to err on the side of caution. The U.N. has estimated that as many as 5,000 women around the world are murdered annually by honor killings. Ultimately, honor killings are meant to preserve the family's honor from some perceived slight, typically by a woman. The amazing thing to me is that the U.S. is not immune. Recently, Sandeela Kanwal was strangled by her father after filing for divorce from her cousin (pursuant to an arranged marriage). On New years Day, Yaser Abdel Said shot and killed both his teenage daughters for dating boys. There are other examples, but all suggest that it is a good idea to take Bary seriously.

Saturday's L.A. Times included a story about a man and his daughter that had converted from Islam to Coptic Christianity. The Coptic church is among the oldest Christian churches in the world, and dates back to the first century. While Copts have maintained a continual presence in Egypt, and religious freedom is guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution, things are not easy. The article states that the family continues to receive death threats due to their conversion and moves often to try and remain safe. Lets just say that 14 centuries after Muslims took control in Egypt, things have not gotten any easier for Coptic Christians.

Finally, thanks to americanthinker.com, I learned about what our State Department is doing. I had seen Obama's Ramadan speech, but I had no idea that we were now becoming ambassadors for Islam. The State Department's publications about Islam are presumably geared toward quelling our fears, probably some of the same fears that I have. Try as I might, I can't see the State Department putting out brochures on Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. Where is the separation of church and state that we hear so much about?

The Quran (5:45) allows an eye for an eye, but encourages forgiveness for Muslim transgressors. The Quran also allows the death penalty for murder, as long as the victim is Muslim. The Quran includes support for honor killings. The Quran also arguably allows for killing non-believers.

It may well be true that the practitioners of Islam that interpret the Quran as described above, are in the minority. The problem in my mind is that multiculturalism tells us to look at all practitioners in the same light, and our beliefs are no better than theirs. So it concerns me that immigrants to this country seem to no longer be required to become American's. I have seen the problems being experienced in Europe where Islamic immigrants are basically sovereign enclaves. When one culture believes that you have to believe what they do, possibly upon pain of death, something is wrong with that picture. The State Department's seems to be geared to selling us on Islam. If it weren't for the bombings, honor killings, and so on, such salesmanship would not be required.

There was a time when everyone who came to America wanted to become an American. I am reminded of Mel Gibson's character, Lt. Colonel Hal Moore, in We Were Soldiers. Before battle Moore speaks to his troops saying:

"We've got Japanese, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indians. Jews and Gentiles. All Americans. Now here in the states, some of you in this unit may have experienced discrimination because of race or creed. But for you and me now, all that is gone. We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death, where you will watch the back of the man next to you, as he will watch yours. And you won't care what color he is, or by what name he calls God."

That is the American utopia, recognizing and embracing our differences with a common outlook on life. That is how it should be. Multiculturalism moves us farther and farther from that ideal.

"An intoxicated Joe Biden boggles the mind."

You'll probably be seeing me link to Thomas Sowell extensively if you continue to follow Regular Bros, well, regularly. And why, might I ask, wouldn't you?

The man is really brilliant. I first learned who he was when I was living in southern California and listening to The Larry Elder Show on a regular basis. Then I read Applied Economics and realized just how smart this dude really was. He doesn't just speak an opinion - he has miles of data to back up his arguments.

To put a smile on your face this Thursday morning, take a look at his recent Random Thoughts column. For more Sowell goodness, check out his complete roster of columns here.

Exciting Times!

The Washington Post has an interesting piece about the genius that is cash for clunkers. If they can do wonders like this with cars, I can't wait until they have their hands in healthcare and can start do wonders for little things like my pancreas.

I'm a PC, I guess

We've all seen the Microsoft's commercials where people of all ages and backgrounds claim to be "a PC". It is a very inclusive ad, and speaks to the shy outsider in us who doesn't want to be on the outside looking in. On the other hand, Apple's PC/Mac commercials reinforce the notion that Macs are much cooler than plain old PC's. The unspoken message is that in owning a Mac you have joined the intelligentsia. Its all about image,and in my opinion, elitism.

Last year's election was supposed to usher in the "change that America needs." Now that is some fantastic imagery. It reeks of hope for the future, and the dawn of a new era. Apparently it was not to be an era of hope and civility for all, at least not for the regular guy or gal.

We got a taste of things to come during the presidential campaign. On April 6, 2008, then candidate Obama broadly described regular folks in job depressed areas of Pennsylvania and the Midwest, saying, "it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment". I suppose candidate Obama wanted the gun toting, religious, ignorant bigots to know how great it would be when he got them some jobs. I recall noticing that Candidate Obama didn't specify if he was talking only about the liberal gun toting, religious, ignorant bigots, or whether he would include the conservative ones as well.

Later in the campaign, Candidate Obama's infamous "lipstick on a pig" comment may or may not have been an indictment of hockey moms everywhere. This apparent gaffe was reminiscent of Secretary of State to be Hillary Clinton's infamous comment, "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas", which many perceived as a slight on the average American mom.

Not to be outdone, Harry Reid was keeping things real on the Hill. You may have heard his comments on the stench of his fellow Americans as they braved the heat and long lines to visit the Capitol. Apparently Harry is not a fan of the unwashed masses, although some in the odoriferous crowd were doubtless Harry's constituents.

The rhetoric has continued since the installation of the new administration. and crescendoed in recent weeks. I was very encouraged about seeing what I perceived to be a number of primarily middle aged and seasoned Americans publicly voicing their concerns on health care. I was hopeful that perhaps this was a reawakening of the previously silent majority. Several Democratic politicians were not so complimentary.

Representative Baird called the protesters "brown shirts", a common description of the Nazi stormtroopers. Speaker Pelosi recently called the same protesters Un-American, and suggested they were displaying swastikas. As reported by REDSTATE, Nancy used to believe that such protests were very American. I have to cringe when politicians shrink to the level of name calling, and that is especially true when concerned American citizens are equated with the national socialist movement in Germany that tried to bend the world to its warped ideals.

Senator Durbin joined the fray by referring to the health care protesters as, "the tea baggers and the birthers". Durbin's pejorative references relate to the Tea Party tax protest movement and pro-lifers. I would like to maintain a G or at least a PG rating here, so I will not go into details regarding the lewdness of Durbin's insults.

Finally in the the most heinous insult of all, Senator Boxer stated that the protesters were (gasp) too well dressed. That is literally shocking. I think maybe these protesters could do a little better if they knew how protesters are really supposed to behave.

I'm sure someone will come to the defense of the President, Vice president, and legislators described above, and ask why Rush Limbaugh's Nazi name calling isn't included here. Simply put, Limbaugh is not a publicly elected official. I don't pay his salary unless I listen to his program, buy his products, or support his sponsors. I don't have that freedom with my elected or appointed federal officials.

The federal government seems more and more out of touch with the backbone of America. Like Apple, the current administration and ruling party on Capitol Hill appeal to elitists. These elitists know what is good for regular folks, and they aren't afraid to insult regular folks for expressing their disagreement with the government. Maybe that is what the supporters of these elitists want or expect.

So what is a gun toting, religious, ignorant, bigoted, Un-American, smelly, well dressed, brownsirted, birther or tea bagger to do? I've decided that I'm going to be a PC. That's "political conservative" to you.

This is gonna take crackerjack timing, Bro.

This blog could be my Jack Burton moment - a shoot from the hip, will over skill, damn the torpedos and full speed ahead kinda deal. As a late, great, fictional newsman once said, I'm mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore.

But more on that in awhile - allow me to begin with some words from one my favorite Streets of Life philosophers, one Robert "Rocky" Balboa...

That about nails my political philosophy, but let me try to expand on things a bit.

Watching all the recent footage of citizens making their voices heard at townhalls across the country, I keep thinking about this scene from Rocky Balboa. "Un-American," you say, Speaker Pelosi? What could be more American than knowing you can show up in a public forum and read a figure of political leadership the riot act and know you will be able to exit the proceeding with your head still attached to the rest of your body? Our elected leaders are there to help, not hinder; to protect, not proselytize.

I believe that most Americans possess very similar values and are essentially Regular Bros, just like us. Yet an elitist, liberal fringe would like to characterize those of us with traditional, conservative values as uninformed beasts on a dwarfed branch on the tree of evolution. Well, thanks for your pity, but I've reached my conclusions through the power rational and intelligent deductions.

This liberal fringe has been very effective at labeling PC's like the Regular Bros as lacking compassion and understanding in their quest to redefine the way we view equality. As Alexis de Toqueville wrote, "Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude." Equality of opportunity and equality of condition are two very different things.

It's time to stand up and not be frightened by having pride in our own values. Now is the time to be vocal. The President might not want me to "do a lot of talking," but Sir, I will do no such thing. This country did not become a shining beacon on a hill because people shut up and got out the way. You once said, "Together, we can." Well, together, two Regular Bros are gonna stand up and voice our value and beliefs.

I believe we can take this country back from those who wish to shape it into something it was never intended to be. I think those of us who are tired of being belittled because of our conservative ideals can take control of our identity and shift the momentum to our direction. Perhaps we'll have some stones thrown our way, but we can take it. Cause it's like Jack Burton always says at a time like this: "What the hell."

"Okay. You people sit tight, hold the fort and keep the home fires burning. And if we're not back by dawn... call the president." - Jack Burton with The Pork Chop Express, talking to whoever's listening out there...