Must Listen to the Minority Voice

Where is the ACLU? Why are they not protecting the right of one family that wants a book banned? For years there has been a battle in this country about references to God. A very small minority (in some cases one person) has been fighting to remove God from our money and our pledge. There is an ongoing battle to remove a Cross from a veteran’s memorial because one guy does not like it. In these instances, the ACLU is firmly behind those who would take away American heritage.

In Wisconsin, a family has asked that Maya Angelou’s autobiography be removed from the high school curriculum. They do not like the description of her rape and subsequent (unwanted) pregnancy that is described in the book. Where are all the “civil” groups on this one? Why is the ACLU not in there fighting to have this book removed from the school? It does not matter if the book has been used for the last decade, it offends someone. The amount of time God has been on money or in the pledge or the amount of time Crosses and the Ten Commandments have been displayed has never stopped them from stepping in to deny people their rights.

Perhaps it is because Maya Angelou is a liberal who spoke at Clinton’s inauguration. Perhaps it is because she is a black woman and they do not want to deny her. Whatever the reason, this is just another example of how the ACLU and other organizations are selective in applying civil rights.

I personally think they should leave the book in school. I think the Bible, Koran, and any work of history should be available in a school library. I do not think books should be banned because they contain the word “nigger” and I do not think books should be banned because they refer to God or have religious themes. The only books that do not belong in school libraries are ones that contain pornography. Teachers should select books for assignment that are based on general items that deal with specific topics but the other books should be available for any student who wants to read them. How I feel is not the issue though.

If this family feels the book is offensive they deserve the same consideration that someone who complains about a Cross would get.

Source:
Fond du Lac Reporter

Laying it Out in Black and White

The President of the College Republicans at Boston University has stirred up a hornet’s nest because his group is offering a “Whites Only” scholarship. Joe Mroszczyk admits that he did this to stir up controversy but did not anticipate how big it would really be. The idea behind the scholarship was to show how such items, based upon race, are wrong and since every other group in the world gets a scholarship based on race, Mroszczyk decided to include white people. This has not been well received by those groups who already have scholarships based on their race.

“It’s a poor way to talk about affirmative action,” said David Coreas, the 21-year-old senior who is president of the Latino fraternity Phi Iota Alpha at BU. “If they want to have a scholarship, then let them have a scholarship, but they’re stirring up controversy in the wrong way.”

Coreas said he believes that racially based scholarships are necessary to level a very uneven academic playing field.

“We have to look at the situation honestly,” he said. “Caucasians tend to have a higher per capita income than Latinos and other minorities. We have to have scholarships to survive.”

This is, of course, mindless prattle. The fact that this guy says that minorities need help relegates them to less than equal status and shows that minorities are not as good as whites. This is not true but by saying you need help and that whites do not, you are basically saying you are not on equal footing. The claim that whites have a higher per capita income is a red herring. The idea is that scholarships should be based on individual need and not based on a comparison of race as a group. There are plenty of poor white kids who can not get into college but who are smart enough and meet all the other qualifications. They are discriminated against because they are white. The article also points out that there is a scholarship for Latinos:

At BU, for example, students who are at least one-quarter Hispanic can apply for a National Hispanic Recognition Scholarship.

I am willing to bet that this particular scholarship does not check immigration status either. All over this country, colleges are handing out scholarships to people based on the color of their skin, unless they are white. This is discrimination at its ugliest and it shows that in America we tolerate racism, as long as it is directed at white people. I applaud the College Republicans at BU for exposing the ugliness of the institutional racism against white people. I also rebuff David Coreas’ comment that they (the College Republicans) are stirring up controversy the wrong way.

The College Republicans have addressed this peacefully and in a manner that exposes the ugliness of the system. Unlike other groups that resort to protests and illegal acts, like say, ILLEGAL Latinos who protest in American streets because they do not like our immigration laws. Mr. Coreas would do well to ensure his demographic addresses issues with the same professionalism as the College Republicans.

This has generated interest not because of the whites only issue but because it exposes the blatant racism against whites. People do not like to be told that their baby is ugly and this program shows just how ugly the baby really is.

Source:
ABC News

Trackback:
Stop the ACLU

Gifts For Soldier’s Children Stolen

Operation Second Chance is an organization that buys gifts for the children of wounded soldiers. They exist to provide some happiness in lives marred by the reality of war and they are selfless in that endeavor. Cindy McCrew, who works for this group went shopping at the Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg Maryland and she purchased an X-Box 360 and a PlayStation portable for the children of one of our wounded heroes.

While Cindy was on her way to her car she did not notice that she was being followed. When she opened her vehicle, one of two men pushed her and they stole the items she had purchased. Cindy chased them but they got away. It is terrible that there are people who would even think of stealing from others. The idea that the Commandment “Thou Shalt not steal” is so openly broken is appalling and the fact that this time, gifts for a soldier’s child were taken, is so vile it makes me ask why so many in the judicial system are so lenient on criminals. Cindy was only slightly injured and is thankful for that but you can bet her heart is broken.

Police are looking at video to see if they can identify the criminals. If you were at the mall and witnessed the crime or know who did this please call the Gaithersburg police. If you are feeling generous this holiday season please visit the Operation Second Chance web site and consider donating so that they can replace the stolen gifts.

Cindy was on WBAL radio this morning and said that her soldiers told her that she is not allowed to go shopping any more without one of them to guard her. They were genuinely concerned for her well being and thankful she was not seriously hurt. She said that they told her it does not matter what their injuries they have, they will do what ever it takes to keep her safe. At home and abroad, regardless of their condition, our men and women in uniform are top notch and always there to protect us.

Trackbacks:
Stop the ACLU | Embracing Momminess

Oil DOWN to $55 a Barrel

I guess all the accusations that oil companies deliberately lowered the price of oil (and thereby gas) prior to the election to help George Bush and the Republicans gain reelection have turned out to be hollow. The price of oil is around $55 a barrel today and it is more than a week after the elections. I stated before that I heard many political types make these ridiculous claims prior to the elections. To be fair, one of the guys I heard is not a rapid Democrat (though he is one who was screwed by his party).

Oil is down because of a few things. So far the weather has been mild, though it is only fall. People are driving less because the vacation season is over for most people and their kids are back to school. This is all about supply and demand but I doubt I will ever see the same idiots in Congress who stood in front of gas stations complaining about $3 gas get in front of cameras applauding the lower prices. Though every one of them blamed George Bush for high gas prices, I know I will never see any of them give him credit now that prices are lower.

Economists had earlier predicted that gas could be well below $2 around thanksgiving. I do not think that will be the case though Thanksgiving is 5 days away and I paid $2.09 a gallon yesterday. That is a reasonable price and should make many people happy.

The idea that oil companies control the price is silly. oil is a world wide product and the global economy regulates the price. However, if I were an oil executive and could regulate prices, I would raise them the day after the Democrats take office so that all the Republicans in the minority could stand in front of gas stations and accuse the majority of allowing it to happen. That would only happen in a perfect world….

Source:
al-Reuters

Who Didn’t See This Coming?

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney had this wonderful idea to provide health care for everyone. The law that he enacted would require everyone in Massachusetts to have health care. People with work health plans had to sign up and those who did not have health care would sign up for government sponsored health care. Of course, the burden of paying for it fell on business and taxpayers. The increase was only supposed to be minimal (as if any program that costs millions of dollars can be minimal)and everyone would be happy.

Unfortunately, the program will cost a lot more than originally predicted. Once again, a government sponsored program costs a lot more money than what people were told. How many times are people going to be sold a bill of goods before they wise up? According to medilexicon:

Officials of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s (R) administration are “now telling Wall Street that they expect” the state’s new law requiring all residents to obtain health insurance by July 1, 2007, “to be quite expensive,” even though “supporters promised that health insurance could be provided with only a slight increase in expenditures,” Sally Pipes, president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, writes in a Washington Times opinion piece. According to Pipes, officials now say “the new plan will increase Massachusetts government health spending by $276.4 million in 2007” — a $151 million increase “over what the public was told the plan would cost as recently as April.”
~snip~
“Although federal taxpayers are expected to pick up some of this tab, the majority of it will fall on Bay State taxpayers.” She notes that some families will be expected to pay up to 7.7% of their annual income on subsidized health insurance, making it “hard to see how the state will get even close to the 100% participation rate.” In addition, the $295 per employee contribution “ceiling” being imposed on employers to help fund the plan will likely “prove to be a floor” because “the extra money must come from somewhere,” and “[s]tate activists, legislat[ors] and the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful are already grumbling that businesses need to pay more,” according to Pipes (Pipes, Washington Times, 11/5).

This is a perfect example of why the government does not belong in things that should be taken care of by the free market. There are uninsured people and some of those are the young who choose not to have money taken out of their pay because they feel they are young and healthy. There are others who just do not want to pay for it and then there are those who are indigent and can not afford it. In reality, no one will go without health care because those who do not have it use the emergency room as their primary care. This is not right but it is also not right to say people can not get care.

With the Democrats in charge again universal health care will be making a resurgence and this plan is one they have lauded as a good one. They are unconvinced that social medicine programs do not work. Despite the fact that they are terrible in countries that implement social medicine, the Democrats are convinced that they can do it right. No matter what plan they come up with, it will be terribly run, overstaffed with bureaucrats and inefficient. No government program ever runs efficiently.

The cost of health care would decline of the lawsuits declined. Companies must charge a fortune for medications to recoup the R&D costs and to cover litigation. Doctors are being sued all the time and juries dole out extraordinarily high monetary damage awards. We need tort reform and we need ordinary citizens to be able to group together to get lower group rates for insurance. Small businesses should be able to go in together as a group to get rates that larger companies get.

We could, however put a dent in the cost of health care for people by making politicians spend half of their campaign money on it. They spent 2,8 billion dollars on the last election. Forcing them to pay half would put 1.4 billion dollars in health care. They won’t do that because they do not want to spend their money on things, just yours and mine.

[tags]Health care,Massachusetts,uninsured,doctors, nurses,taxes,Big Dog[/tags]