Catch up

This is all you really need to know about the U.N. The U.N. flag in front of the U.N. building in New York was flown at half-mast for the death of Arafat, but not for the death of Ronald Reagan.

Guess who said this?

"[I will] never submit to fight beneath that banner [the American flag] with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."

He was seen on the Senate Floor the other day railing about the honesty, integrity and capacity of Dr. Rice as Secretary of State. And the MSM never seems able to point out that he was once a valued member and leader of the KKK.

But let's not ever, ever forget - or allow the media to ignore (as we know they wouldn't if the party labels were reversed) - that this man, lauded as the "Conscience of the Senate" by his fellow Democrats, filibustered the Civil Rights Act, voted against both black Justices nominated to the Supreme Court.

From Mullins

v There was once a time when the whole business of foreign policy was treated with a depth and dignity essential to making certain our foes didn't underestimate America's resolve.

v Senate Democrats, through their political arm the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, showing they are perfectly happy to squat in the shallow end of the kiddy pool, issued a fund raising letter signed by Barbara Boxer which stated:
"[I]n order to put the brakes on four more years of misdirection in Iraq and reckless policies at home, we need to elect more Democrats to the Senate during the 2006 midterm elections."

v According to Anne Gearan's Associated Press piece on the issue, the Democrats' deeply felt, well-reasoned, clearly stated essay ended with the patriotic plea: "Click here to contribute to the DSCC today."

v The leadership of the DSCC should be flogged.

v Senator Edward Kennedy is the child of one of the great family fortunes in American history. True, it was a fortune founded on rum-running, but when you make enough money, how you made it is often overlooked.

v Kennedy has never been a paragon of virtue. Take, for instance, his college career. Here's a teeny glimpse:
"Like his brothers, Ted attended Harvard College. While there, he arranged for a friend to take a Spanish exam for him, an incident he later had to own up to before taking public office."

v That academic malfunction was not quoted from a right-wing blog. It was from the Public Broadcasting System's website. PBS, ladies and gentleman.

v The PBS bio goes on to describe the unpleasantness at Chappaquiddick following which, again according to PBS, "Kennedy did not report the incident immediately. Later, he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident."

v Dr. Rice, on the other hand was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1954 in the days when being a Black girl was not exactly a guaranteed rocket ride to high status.

v According to her biography, she
"… earned her bachelor's degree in political science, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Denver in 1974; her master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981."

v Well. Isn't this interesting? It seems that Senator Kennedy - who was caught cheating in college and who tried desperately to dodge responsibility in the accident which caused the death of a young woman - may not be the very best person to challenge the sincerity and honesty of Dr. Rice's positions.

v Iraq was released from the strangle hold of the Saddam regime in less than a month. Iraq's sovereignty was returned in sixteen months. Iraq is less than a week away from holding its first free and open elections in more than three decades.

v Just as a point of interest, do you know when Germany was granted its full sovereignty following World War II?

v 1955. Ten years after the end of the war.

v One can only wonder what level of projectile sweat today's Senate Democrats would have exhibited following the end of the Second World War with the abysmal failure of the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations to bring stability to post-war Germany.

v Dr. Rice will be confirmed today. She will be a great Secretary of State.

v The Senate Democrats should be ashamed of themselves.

Is There a Social Security 'Crisis'?

Is there a Social Security “crisis”? Take this simple test. (Answers given at end.)

1. Astronomers discover that a small asteroid is on a course that will cause it to smash into the earth in 2018, killing millions of people. This is:

A. A crisis.

B. A problem.

C. George Bush’s fault because of his “tax cuts for the rich”.

2. Astronomers discover that a huge asteroid is on a course that will cause it to smash into the earth in 2042, killing everything including the cockroaches. This is:

A. A crisis.

B. A problem.

C. George Bush’s fault because of his “tax cuts for the rich”.

Our present situation regarding Social Security is analogous to the challenge posed by an asteroid on a collision course with earth. If we acted immediately, while the asteroid was still far out in space, a small “nudge” would be enough to cause it to miss our world. The longer we waited, the more force would be required to produce the needed alteration in trajectory. If we waited too long, the situation would become impossible.

The same principle applies to Social Security. The reason to act now is because we have attractive options available (including moving to a system including Personal Accounts) that won’t have nearly the same impact if we wait.

I suggest that all the enemies of social security privatization be asked two questions:

1. Do you have a 401K or IRA account?

2. Why?

Given the worthlessness of such accounts -- the high risks, enormous administrative costs, etc. -- that these people are repeatedly warning us about, I wonder what their answer would be... since both of us know that every single one of them has one of these accounts.

Checkmate.

FREAKY!!!

Somebody tell me how this thing works.