My mind is wandering here and there today. Mostly I am disturbed by the situation between the Mexican government and our border state, Texas. I was watching on the news this morning confirmation of a story I began reading about yesterday. It involves 3 military style Hummers, not the current SUV knock-offs used in suburbia, roaring across the border into Texas, escorted by Mexican military personnel. Eventually they were turned back by our American border patrol, after travelling more than 12 miles into Texas. Rather than turning over assets to the border patrol, the Mexicans set one of the humvees, carrying more than 1400 lbs. of marijuana, on fire. The Mexicans were armed with assault weapons and handled them with the ease of professionals. So, our country was invaded by a neighboring country using the neighboring country's militia, endangering the lives of the border patrol, and the director of Homeland Security claims it was only a "navigation error". This is why Republicans initially opposed the formation of a Dept of Homeland Security. Republicans knew it would be just another government bureaucracy not a part of the solution, but an added part of the problem. Big surprise.
Time to finish building the big ole fence sealing off the southern border with Mexico.
Yesterday Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gave a speech about the NSA's terrorist surveillance program. To disrupt the speech, several Georgetown University students held up a protest banner. The banner read: "Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither". The quote was attributed to Ben Franklin. OK, so they wanted to be rude to the Attorney General and disrupt his speech because we know free speech only applies to those who agree with you, but the really disturbing part is that the quote is incorrect. These students at an elite institute of higher learning got the quote wrong. The correct quote is: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve niether Liberty nor Safety". Kind of brings a new meaning to the quote, doesn't it. I don't think Ben Franklin would have a problem with long term national security.
As Michelle Malkin p0ints out in her blog, another version of the quote appears on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little safety deserve neither liberty nor safety".
Helen Thomas needs to be denied access to White House briefings/press conferences with Scott McClelland. She contines to embarrass herself by not being embarrassed about her clueless questions. I read her autobiography several years ago so I know she is a proud liberal, of Middle Eastern descent, so no big deal. But after 100 years as a White House reporter for newspapers, she is now an opinion columnist. I think that it is more important to have "real" journalists for print and tv asking questions of the press secretary. You don't see Maureen Dowd or Ellen Goodman in there.
My husband smokes cigars. Yes, it is disgusting. I was reading the tins he brought back from his recent trip out of the country. The anti-smoking warnings are really in your face, as opposed to the timid, I- don't- want- to- offend- you, warnings on packaging here in this country. Examples: Smoking kills. Smoking causes ageing of the skin (OK so they misspelled). Smoking seriously harms you and others around you. And my favorite: Smoking may reduce the blood flow and causes impotence. Wowzers! That ought to get the attention of every male of earth.
"Good and evil do not befall men without reason. Heaven sends them happiness or misery according to their conduct". - Confucius
2 comments:
Sometimes I wonder if reporters are just dumb or just want to act so dumb with their questions that they get noticed. How they can give information in a news conference about anything... white house, mine disasters, airplane crashes, you name it....and then a reporter will ask a question the answer to which was already given. Please don't waste these people's time!
You'd think men would stop with the cigars on basis of the threat of impotence alone, never mind that they will likely die a horrible death from lung cancer or suffocate from fibrosis of their lungs that are black, stiff and have large emphysematous holes in them.
I'd like to see CNN do a story on the real quote. ;)
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