Dogs are loyal

Loyalty in the Senate:
Senator Frist may have expected that he could rely on his friends in the Senate to stick by him in a showdown over the filibuster. But Harry Truman once said that, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.

quote from Thomas Sowell.

The Death of Archimedes

I remembered seeing this picture many years ago in a book and was able to find it again with Google. 

Archimedes was Known to the Romans

The Death of Archimedes:
The Roman general Marcellus invaded Sicily and the city of Syracuse in 212BC. Archimedes was one of the great scientists of the ancient world. Marcellus was aware of the talents of Archimedes and wanted him captured alive. The following is from the Roman records.

The city was turned over to the troops to pillage as they pleased, after guards had been set at the houses of the exiles who had been in the Roman lines. Many brutalities were committed in hot blood and the greed of gain, and it is on record that Archimedes, while intent upon figures which he had traced in the dust, and regardless of the hideous uproar of an army let loose to ravage and despoil a captured city, was killed by a soldier who did not know who he was. Marcellus was distressed by this; he had him properly buried and his relatives inquired for—to whom the name and memory of Archimedes were an honour.

The filibuster debate:
The Senate filibuster is used when you want to prevent a vote. If your opponents will have 51 votes on an issue you can stop the vote by endlessly talking and not yielding the floor. To override a filibuster takes 60 votes.


Suppose that when you go to vote next November a group of protesters block the door at your precinct. The protesters say that polls show their candidate will lose if the election is allowed to proceed. You complain but are told officially that the protesters have a right to do it and it is called a filibuster. Is this democracy?

Is the constant drumbeat of bad news in the media wearing us down? The national news is a litany of grim and disturbing crime stories, bad economic news, political criticism and disasters. I know it is the nature of the news to focus on the negative. The airplane that did not crash is not news nor is the CEO that does not steal, the company that is not downsizing, the postal employee who goes to work peacefully, or juveniles who are not involved in drugs or gangs. On the local level I think the H-T does a good job of putting out positive reports on community activities and development. However, I admit that I usually read the crime reports first each day.

In a nation of 300 million there is always something bad happening somewhere. If you look for it you will find it. Time for a reality check… most people want to do the right thing, crime statistics have actually improved, our government is not as bad as critics say and Americans have a good standard of living. Is there a country anywhere in the world without problems and citizens who complain? Try to remember these things. Lighten up!

Ltr to H-T op-ed

The late Johnny Carson

I laughed when Johnny would remark something like "It was hot today." Then Ed McMahan would ask Johnny "So, how hot was it?" An Johnny would make a joke. 

It's been a nice spring here in Indiana. Birds, flowers, other stuff (hey, I'm old but not dead!) 

The Holocaust:

I read a theory that if Jews and other civilian victims in Germany and Europe had guns and resisted the Nazis who rounded them up the cost to the Nazis would have been so high they would have had to halt the process. The lengthy and costly fight in the Warsaw ghetto is an example of where victims fought. The Nazis continued to locate and herd victims to the camps even as the Allies were closing in during the late stages of the war. It has been said that the manpower and rail assets used for this hurt the German war effort significantly but were continued nonetheless. It's estimated six million Jews and another six million non-Jews, including many Polish people, perished in these camps.

Details of the camp system and genocide were kept secret even from the German public. At the time of arrest, victims were led to believe they would survive the camp experience. Human nature worked in the Nazi's favor. Imagine a scene where some want to fight the heavily armed SS and Gestapo forces. Others would point out how dangerous this would be and how it would endanger the lives of women, children, elderly and so on. These cooler heads would prevail. After all, why risk death when you have a chance to survive by cooperating? Can we fault civilized people for this reasoning? The diabolical Nazi's held out (false) hope knowing this would occur. Another tactic was to have victims make detailed lists of their personal property, allegedly so they could recover it later. At the camp entrance a large sign stated "Arbieten Macht Frei" (Work will make you free). The Nazis were cruelly clever in these tricks that greatly reduced the victim's resistance.

Today we are accustomed to total news coverage of world events but imagine the plight of civilians and refugees in WWII Europe...No reliable information of what is happening, rumors spreading like wildfire, Official sources spreading lies and propaganda. Imagine yourself, perhaps with a family to care for, trying to find out what is really going on. Should you stay where you are, move, hide or follow others? Where will you find food and shelter? There are stories of small groups leaving their homes and possessions and making their way over arduous and risky territory and through knowledge or luck they found safety. With hindsight we also know many refugees would have been better off staying in their homes. But at the time, they had no way of knowing. When civilization collapses who do you turn to?

Another incident that is not as well known is the murder of 30,000 Polish army officers by the Soviets. WWII started when the Nazis invaded Poland. Prior to this they had made a secret deal with the Soviets so that Russia invaded eastern Poland at the same time. Later, of course Germany reneged and attacked Russia as well. But in the meantime solid evidence has come out that Russia took Polish officers (POWs) and murdered them. Their bodies have been discovered in a Polish forest. Did these victims know what the communists were planning? Were they perhaps led to believe they would be released? These officers, representing some of the best of Polish society, would be viewed by Marxists as bourgeois and a threat to socialism. Communists eliminate this class by eliminating the people in that class.

First amendment Sleaze:
The founding fathers were very concerned that political discussion or criticism of the government not be restricted and our constitution reflects this. But every time the subject of censorship or decency on TV comes up it involves either violence or sex. I have never heard of a case where political speech was at issue.

So despite the high blown talk about first amendment rights and freedom of the press it really comes down to networks and stations wanting to make more money by adding violence and sex to TV programming. After all, the TV executive's salary and bonus depend on ratings and they are desparate to get those ratings. If you will think about it, sex, violence and cursing on TV have increased dramatically in the last few years.

Did anyone see the super bowl ABC ad with the blond dropping her towel for the football player?

I read that the club Fed in upstate NY is full of Wall Steet crooks doing easy time...mowing the golf course, etc.