In the blue vs. red, my state of Pennsylvania has been Democratic liberal blue in the past 4 presidential elections. My hometown of Philadelphia and the term liberal Democrat are basically one and the same. My parents, siblings and closed relatives were and are 93% Democrats. I found out last year that my late paternal grandparents were registered Republicans. I currently suspect an uncle and a cousin who live in another part of the country are Republicans.
My sisters are so squarely Democrat. One of them teases me about being adopted because of some physical features that she does not share with me (one is the lighter brown eye color that I do share with a few relatives on my father’s side). But now, she really thinks I am adopted for going Republican and identifying with the conservative viewpoint, even though we were both raised on conservative principles.
I started paying attention to the liberal media bias charges back in the 80s and realized that I possibly was being influenced by how the news was being reported. But for the most part, I felt the conservative objections to news reports were a bit looney, especially anything with a black perspective. Back then, when I watched Jesse Jackson on a program such as Crossfire against a conservative, I would always think ‘he told him/her.’ Now watching Rev. Jackson is painful. His arguments are almost off the wall.
One liberal behavior that gnawed at me while a Democrat and a Christian, was the increased ridiculing and denunciation of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and Christians in general. I cannot believe how I tolerated that. I have watch more and more liberal minded people on TV say horrible things about The Lord and Christians. One that most comes to mind is Bill Maher, who considers himself a libertarian, but is very liberal in his thinking. He is so wicked. I know that there are critical conservative non believers, but the liberals seem to take the grand prize with the broadcasted nasty insults.
The weather in my neck of the woods has been seasonally hot and humid. I like to wear short sleeved long flowing dresses, or a short sleeved blouse or shirt with a long flowing skirt. You will not see me in jeans until September. Sometimes I wear capris and cargo Bermuda shorts. The only kinds of long pants I wear in the summer are made of light cotton and are loose fitting. When the temperature reaches the mid 90s, then it is strictly long flowing dresses and skirts.
Therefore, here is the annual summer question about some women that I see mostly in Philly: How can they stand it? Related:
There are a few conservatives and libertarians that still dare to speak out in favor of open borders. The influx of Latinos coming through our southern borders illegally is being likened to the German and the Irish immigrations in the 18th and 19th centuries by conservative author, Michael Barone. The popular view of walling up the southern border is being compared to the old Soviet Union approach to borders.
It is being said that illegals should be viewed as economic immigrants. Many liberatrians from the Cato think tank are behind the small government perspective. The U. S. should be letting the free market decide on the need for immigrants whether or not they are illegal.
According to Jason Riley of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, this country has jobs for legal immigrants. I think Mr. Riley is confusing legal with illegal immigrants. The opposition is to illegal immigrants, but then I guess if there are open borders, all those coming through will be legal. Read more here.
I personally do not have a problem with controlling the southern border even though when I first heard of the border wall idea, I too likened it to the Communist and East Germany. But that type of border control was to keep people from leaving East Germany. I am for the U. S. border control in order to keep totally undesirable people like escaping criminals and foreign agents (terrorists) who’s pure intent is to do harm to the U. S. from sneaking in. People from other countries seeking entry in to the U. S. must come in through the legal pathway. As for legal immigrants, the U. S. should make it easier for their family members and relatives to enter into this country.
This is the end of this special holiday weekend. I remember and honor all those who died while serving the United States in the armed forces. I thank those serving today and thank those who have and are living the rest of their lives with debilitating war injuries.
While I have had relatives, co-workers and church members serve in the military, I am currently not close to anyone serving today. This Memorial Day is particularly significant to me since reading about the growing attitude of a military career and family generational military service being a negative.
I have never lost anyone close to me in combat. In fact, the closest I have ever came to that was when a couple of neighborhood schoolmates lost their older brothers in Vietnam when we were in high school. In 1991, a co-worker who was in the National Guard was called in the Gulf war. A local Philly newspaper had front page picture of her young daughter hugging her when she was about to be deployed. She returned unharmed and we worked together for about another year.
When I think of those who have died in wars, I think of men (so do most people). With the combat in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Gulf war, we have a growing number of female casualities; thus, on this Memorial Day, I leave you with a video tribute to the women of the armed forces who are no longer with us.
Economist and Libertarian, Dr. Thomas Sowell expressed a little pessimism in his latest column at townhall.com. In reading Dr. Sowell, I had a few chuckles while agreeing to his points. I think a good portion of those voting for Senator John McCain are being convinced by the same two factors (the two Democratic presidential candidates) as Dr. Sowell. He thinks calls for a dialogue on race is coming from those who would really make it a monologue e.g. “You will listen while I wil tell you what you do not really know about us”? I personally think there is a little truth to the “Let me tell you what you do not really know about us” monologue, but not just coming from blacks but from all races. Read the entire column here.
I have read one book by Dr. Sowell and plan to read two more. The two are both on economics and how the U.S. is affected by our mixed economy of capitalism and socialism. Of course, Dr. Sowell is pro capitalism does not want socialism in the economy. The books will eventually be in my recommended sticky post.
Dr. Sowell is very fascinating from different perspectives. Certain family members and friends are fascinated with him in a negative way; in that he has forgotten where he came from. They want to know what makes him tick in a way that has him critical to blacks. I find him positively fascinating with his “stop complaining and go and do it” attitude. He never let race get in his way. He believes (with no but this or but that) that race is no excuse in today’s world for not getting a head.
Back in early 2004, a ten year old boy was shot and killed in a school yard while playing as he awaited for the school bell to ring to line up to go to his classroom and start his school day. The young boy and a crossing guard were caught in gun fire between drug dealers. The crossing guard’s caught a bullet in her foot. I was working at a North Philly childcare center 6 blocks away. Some of the center’s school-age children also attended that school. When description of the young boy came over the radio, I thought it was someone who attended my school-age program. It turned out that child from my center was very close the victim playing in the school yard and saw him shot and falling down.
During the 2006 trial of the suspects in the murder of the young boy, an older teenage female eyewitness to the shooting who had previously cooperated fully with the prosecution, refused to identify them in the court trial. As she was being called to testify, her father in the courtroom boldly told her to say that she could not remember. He told her not to snitch. The other eyewitnesses also recanted in court. Despite all the recantations, the suspects did receive a guilty verdict.
Devonso Lawson, the father of the teenage girl was brought up on charges of hindering the prosecution, obstruction of justice, and witness intimidation. Last week he was found not guilty on the hindering and obstruction of justice. The jury deadlocked on the witness intimidation charge.
Now we can all understand Mr. Lawson wanting to protect his daughter, but he should have been sited in some way for hindering the prosecution. I do not think it should be any kind of a jail term, but a very long community service assignment dealing with crime victims and their love ones and a stiff fine.
It appears the jury was in full sympathy with Mr. Lawson, but this jury verdict strengthens what the Philadelphia Daily News editorial calls, “a culture of zipped lips”. This jury verdict sends out the message that is okay not to snitch. But what happens when the drug criminals go free, because people are afraid to tell the truth and testify against them? Well, these freed drug criminals are out and about in their shooting drug wars, continuing to kill innocent people caught in the drug war crossfire. The next innocent victim could be a family member of a non snitching proponent.
In other news (I guess you can tell I did not go to work today), the City Council of Berkeley has changed their stance on Marine recruiters. Two weeks ago, council members stood in opposition to the Marines’ downtown recruitment station and decided to send a letter informing them that they were not welcome and should leave. Off course there was uproar; therefore, the city council decided against sending the “Leave…You’re not welcome” letter. The city council members have moderated their stance and are now saying they are against the war in Iraq and the recruitment of young people for that war, but they support the troops. Read all about it here.
Is there confusion between recruitment and the draft? Recruitment is not forced; it is one’s free will to join after he/she has been told the particulars. The Berkley City Council had no right to stop the recruiting. No one is making men and women join the Marines.
Rudy Giuliani may be dropping out. Even if Florida is another lost for him, I thought he might hang around to see what would happen on February 5th‘s Super Tuesday. Well as you know, he is not the One, as far as I am concerned. I like Mike Huckabee, but I do not think he is going to make it either. Ron Paul has his supporters, but he is not in the picture.
It looks like it is coming down to Mitt Romney and the surprise of John McCain. Senator McCain’s resurgence is due to open primary and caucus states. He is getting a lot of independent and democratic votes. The traditional conservative establishment does not like him at all. I am reading in conservative forums of people doing a write-in candidate, if Sen. McCain gets the Republican presidential nomination. Well, if they go through with the write-in idea against Sen. McCain, they will really be helping to elect the Democratic presidential nominee.
Update Jan. 29, 2008: Here is another link on Rudy Giuliani possibly dropping out. Here is a piece in opposition to voting for whoever becomes the Republican presidential nominee. He does not like Rudy Giuliani like me, but also does not like Sen. McCain, who could get my vote.
Learning your cultural heritage is fine, but learn it along with, and not at the expense of learning what equips you for today and the future in this world
In the blue vs. red, my state of Pennsylvania has been Democratic liberal blue in the past 4 presidential elections. My hometown of Philadelphia and the term liberal Democrat are basically one and the same. My parents, siblings and closed relatives were and are 93% Democrats. I found out last year that my late paternal grandparents were registered Republicans. I currently suspect an uncle and a cousin who live in another part of the country are Republicans. 
