Conservative Wanderer

“A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and, above all, responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill.” — Ronald Wilson Reagan

Daily Archives: 12 January 2009

Bush Sets Sail

No, not Dubya, at least not for another week and a day… the U.S.S. George H. W. Bush, CVN-77. For those unfamiliar with Navy ship numbers, the Bush is the latest nuclear powered aircraft carrier (“bird farm” as my late Navy veteran father would have called it).

Over the weekend, the latest nuclear-powered supercarrier was officially commissioned into the United States Navy. CVN-77 was christened the “U.S.S. George H. W. Bush,” and, for the first time in history, the namesake of a carrier was on hand to see his legacy go on duty.

It was a remarkably moving ceremony. Both Presidents Bush were in attendance, and it was a reminder that our 41st president is, whatever else you may say about him, a genuine war hero.

George H. W. Bush signed up for the Navy on his 18th birthday, and served as a torpedo-bomber pilot in the war. He flew many missions, quite successfully, and was shot down once–but was rescued before being captured. By the end of the war, he had three Air Medals, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and a portion of a Presidential Unit Citation awarded to his ship, the light aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30).

May God protect the George H. W. Bush and all those who sail on her.

Why Not Treat Jews Like Muslims?

A very good question from a self-described conservative Jew:

I’m just wondering when someone is going to treat Jews like Muslims. Right now there are protests around the world against Israel’s defensive military action in occupied Gaza and without exception you will find the protesters attacking (verbally, though sometimes physically as well) Jews as part of the protests.

After the 9/11 terror attacks we were told that we must not condemn Islam and Muslims when we express our anger at the acts of terror. The government bent over backwards to call Islam a “religion of peace” and the media went so far as to embark on a multi-year, gratis public relations campaign to put a positive face on Islam and Muslims (see, e.g., the New York Times).

So I’m just waiting for all of these entities to condemn anyone who would say negative things about Jews in connection with protests against Israel.

Indeed.

Socialist Ties in the Obama Administration

This one pretty much speaks for itself:

Until last week, Carol M. Browner, President-elect Barack Obama’s pick as global warming czar, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group’s Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for “global governance” and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change.

By Thursday, Mrs. Browner’s name and biography had been removed from Socialist International’s Web page, though a photo of her speaking June 30 to the group’s congress in Greece was still available.

Yep, still using the old socialist trick of “disappearing” inconvenient facts.

Massachusetts Health Care: A Good Example Of The Failures Of Socialized Medicine

One refrain I hear often in my discussions/debates with lefties regarding socialized medicine is the idea that Canada and the UK aren’t adequate examples, because things are different in America.

Well, we now have the results of an American experiment with socialized medicine, and it’s really bad for the pro-socialism folks:

Just a year after the universal coverage law passed, The New York Times reported, state insurers were already jacking up rates to twice the national average. According to Dr. Paul Hsieh, a physician and founding member of Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine, 43 mandatory benefits — including those that many people did not want or need, such as invitro fertilization — raised the costs of coverage for  Massachusetts residents by as much as 56 percent, depending upon an individual’s income status. So much for “affordable” health care.

Small businesses with more than 10 employees were required to provide health insurance or pay an extra fee to subsidize uninsured low-income residents, yet the overall costs of the program increased more than $400 million — 85 percent higher than original projections. To make up the difference, payments to health care providers were slashed, so many doctors and dentists in Massachusetts began refusing to take on new patients. In the state with the highest physician/patient ratio in the nation, some people now have to wait more than a year for a simple physical exam.

And these folks think that this sort of program will work nationwide? Talk about wishful thinking.

Reid Finally Gets Wise; Accepts Burris Into Senate

Well, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has finally figured out that the Burris fiasco was only doing his party damage, and has relented:

The Roland Burris saga is over, as Democratic Senate leaders have accepted his credentials, clearing the way for him to be sworn in as the junior senator from Illinois by the end of this week.

The decision ends an embarrassing chapter in Democratic politics and allows the Senate to move on after the Burris spectacle dominated the opening week of the 111th Congress

In a statement issued after a 45-minute meeting between Senate officials and Burris’ lawyers, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Burris is the senator-designate from Illinois now that the secretary of the Senate has approved his latest credentials.

“Accordingly, barring objections from Senate Republicans, we expect Senator-designee Burris to be sworn in and formally seated later this week,” the statement said. “We are working with him and the office of the vice president to determine the date and time of the swearing-in.”

The statement marks a major departure for Democratic leaders, who reversed themselves and decided to take their lumps in the media for a short period of time, rather than allowing the issue to drag on indefinitely. After first saying they would never seat an appointee from the scandal-tarred Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Democrats relented and decided to lay out a three-step process to seat Burris.

And congrats to the Senate GOP, who successfully followed Napoleon’s dictum, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Hat Tip: AmSpecBlog