A Bi-product of "Fairness":

"Progressive."

"She insisted there was "nothing wrong" with people being helped to die for the sake of their loved ones or society. The 84-year-old added that she hoped people will soon be "licensed to put others down" if they are unable to look after themselves."

Be it intended or unintended, the above story is yet another example of the consequences of socialized medicine.  We have seen it before.  We've seen the push to have smokers be prevented from medical care in Britain.  Now, we are seeing a push by some to have others "put down" to prevent them from being a burden on National Health Services.  

These sorts of attitudes are not rare:

"Singer's response came to Dublin reader Karen Meade's question: 'Would you kill a disabled baby?  Yes, if that was in the best interests of the baby and of the family as a whole. Many people find this shocking, yet they support a woman's right to have an abortion,' he said."

We can also see this intense disrespect for life in Barack Obama's opposition to bills that would protect babies from being left to lay and die after their birth.  Herein lies the deception that the left perpetrates everyday.  Often the liberals tell us that they are the bastion of equal opportunity; that they are the arbiters of equivalence for all peoples.  

Wrong.  Equality is reserved for the few.  The elderly, the sick, the smokers, and the disabled (90% of Down Syndrome babies are aborted) have no equality in this modern "Aryan race," so to speak.  The similarities between modern, leftist eugenics and Hitler's purification plan are quite alarming when all is considered.  

It is a common theme in the behavior of the left.  Freedom of speech is reserved for liberals.  Conservatives do not, and in their minds, should not enjoy any freedom of speech.  

In their hearts of hearts, liberals do not seriously entertain this notion of equality of all people.  This is becoming abundantly clear.

Cancer's Lesson

The world has lost an incredibly talented, multi-faceted human being today.  Tony Snow, author, radio host, T.V. host, musician, and press secretary for the Bush administration passed away last night due to complications from colon cancer.

What is there to say?  What a light.  What a bright, shining light.  What a talented man, who played the instruments of flute, guitar, and saxophone quite exceptionally.  What a gem.  What a diamond in the beltway rough.  

I have learned so much from Tony Snow.  His struggles have been a constant reminder of how to properly live my life.  I have to admit that I am quite stressed.  I stress about the world.  I stress about a world gone mad, and the little things in my life.  They eat away at me.  The small things too often molest my peace of mind, and tear me from the inside out. If only my outlook were more analogous to his, I would like to think I'd be in a better mental place right now.

I watched Tony grow and accomplish things over the years.  His voice was comforting on the AM dial.  His command of Helen Thomas during press briefings at the White House was always humorous, and he always did such a great job on Fox News Sunday, or filling for Bill O'Reilly.  I will most certainly, with a soreness uncanny, miss Tony's voice, his smirk, and his intelligence.  

As a stressed out, angsty 20-year old, I have learned so much from Tony's suffering.  When his diagnosis of colon cancer was announced, I brushed it off, figuring he had the best care available, and would be good to go in a short time.  When he was thought to have beaten the disease, my soul leaped with felicity.  What great news.  

However, the scourge of cancer reared its ugly head and returned.  It began to devour his colon, and eventually moved to his liver.  I saw him appear on television.  The graying of his hair, the hollowing of his eyes, and the paling of his skin all pointed in a very unwelcome and unwanted direction: death.  I saw death in his face.  

How could a man remain upbeat in the face of such insurmountable odds?  Death is so frightening.  The dark unknown is enough to put one's heart into palpitations.  Can someone really be a beacon of bravery in defiance of death's inevitable calling?  Death has it's tax collector, and he is always looking for more.  

Snow's positive attitude, in defiance of death has shown me how to live.  Instead of worrying about money, relationships, work, and whatever else that plagues me, I should live for the moment.  I should live for the people that I love, and who love me.  To stay focused on the small things that bite away at one in life is to be ungrateful for the very life you have been blessed with.

Make it count:

Life is a blur.  As my father says, tomorrow, I am going to wake up and be forty.  The day after that, he will be gone into the vast darkness of the universe and I will be an old man myself.  It is so fast.  The speed of light has NOTHING on the speed in which a man's life can transpire.  Tony Snow's death has shown me that I need to make it count.  I cannot waste my time being angry.  I need to make it worthwhile.  I cannot throw the gift of life away.

Tony's long bout with cancer has taught me so many lessons that I have decided to take seriously.  I cannot worry about minute things in my life.  I will literally kill myself doing so.  Money, relationships, and other stupid things can go to hell.  I'm going to live my life and make it fucking count.  Make it fucking count.

I leave you with some audio words of Tony's from when he discovered he had stage four cancer:

"Tony Snow Has Stage Four Cancer, Says He's Feeling Great!"

"When all is said and done in this life, it doesn't matter what you do, the question is, who did you touch?  Who did you love?  What difference did you make?  I don't know what difference I've made, but I'll tell you, a lot of you have made a difference in my life.  It has made it better, and wonderful, and richer, and happier.  So when people ask me how I'm doin', I'm tellin' ya I'm doing great.  My voice is a little raspy today, but I've been through cancer!  I'm doing great!"

Please read his article here in Christianity Today.

I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is—a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.
But despite this—because of it—God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.
To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life—and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many nonbelieving hearts—an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live—fully, richly, exuberantly—no matter how their days may be numbered.

Rest in sweet, everlasting peace, Tony Snow.  I will miss you.

"Is that what you call tact? You're as subtle as a brick in the small of my back..."

Brand New says it best.  

Yesterday was my first day working at the beach for the 2008 summer season.  I had the pleasure of working with Gena G., sitting, eating, talking, and teasing the cars that entered the beach.  It sure beats the past six summers I've spent laboring at various fish markets.  Hoooly cow.

Anywho.  Around two o'clock, a man in his 60's entered the beach driving a small four-door gray sedan.  At our beach, you can only be given a sticker for entry if you live in Cutchogue or New-Suffolk.  He claimed he owned property in Cutchogue, but provided me with no validation.  He also threw in the fact he was ex-law enforcement, perhaps in an attempt to guilt me into initially refusing to give him an entrance sticker.  The man was also a professor at C.W. Post.

After giving him his sticker, the man went about his business to drink his coffee and have his lunch.  About an hour later, he came by to speak to us before he drove off.  Somehow, he ended up going on a tangent about global warming and finished his monologue with the following:

"But the government won't do anything about it (global warming).  Bush is too busy sitting in his air conditioned office.  The fool."

Why are liberals so tactless?  Why are they so tasteless?  

I love politics.  People know this.  However, I have the maturity to know that is one thing you don't bring up in a cavalier manner, especially to those who you do not know.  Despite this unwritten law, I have noticed throughout my existence that those on the left really do not know, or if they know, do not adhere to this reasonable rule.

Last week, I attended a friends 21st birthday party, when I was cornered about who I planned on voting for.  I politely informed everyone that politics is not something to discuss at a party.  My father has had problems like this as well, as he has been badgered by a family of leftists at various social functions, parties, and bar-be-ques.  

Every time someone starts foaming at the mouth about politics in a situation where politics should not be discussed, I have found that the person partaking in such stupidity is always a liberal.  Be it the liberals in my family, my circle of friends, or the liberals I meet in my working circles, they all decide to bring politics to the forefront of the discussion.

Bringing politics to the forefront of a discussion in a place where politics should not be discussed always bears disastrous results.

The Great Gambino

At work this evening, we had a table of fifteen, who were in the midst of morning the loss of "Mr. Gambino."  To be frank, I have no idea who this man was or who he wasn't.  I had never heard of him until I heard of his passing.  Anywho, the tidbits I did hear about him were positive, filled with praise and filled with nothing but good words.  

Later tonight, a group of four elderly people came in.  They were the last table.  I groaned, feeling sympathy for my fellow bus kid, knowing she would have to stay longer.  I wondered to myself, "what could four OLD people possibly be doing out at 930 at night?!"

My boss informed me that they were four of Mr. Gambino's friends, and proceeded to tell me how many friends the man had, and how many loved him.  I softened my hard stance on the "four OLD people" that had decided to come into the restaurant at this ridiculous time.  

So many people out there just float off into whatever transient existence there may be.  No one knows, and no one cares, and whatever space they are tumbling through, they started their journey alone.  I can only hope that when my time comes (later is more preferable), I will enter whatever transient existence (if any), knowing I have left behind a cadre of friends and loved ones who will continue to relish in the memories we made until they all fade.

Hats off, Gambino.

An Eye-Opening Book:

I don't read books often.  I start some, but fail to finish them due to other obligations such as skrewel (school) and work.  However, for the first time in quite a while, I have finished a book. This book has been so completely eye-opening.

The masterpiece that I finished this afternoon is written by Islamic theologian Robert Spencer. The title of the book is "Religion of Peace?  Why Christianity is and Islam Isn't."  

In the West, it is customary for many liberals and conservatives to create parallels between the dangers of Christianity and Islam.  The left generally demeans the Judeo-Christian foundations of Western civilization and society.  Folks like Rosie O'Donnell, Dinesh D'Souza, Ralph Peters, and various other left and right wingers try to make equivocations between the two religions.  However, this is not possible.  

While Christianity, and its crux, the New Testament, preaches tolerance towards others, the separation of divine and secular law, the partnership with one wife, and general peace with those who do not believe as you do, Islam preaches intolerance and subjugation upon those who do not believe as Muslims do, the idea of Islam being not only a religious guideline for a civilization, but a political one as well, polygamy and pedophilia, and waging war against those who do not agree to submit to Islam, or to pay the Jizya tax that unbelievers pay under Islamic subjugation.  

The book also covers various myths propagated by various leftists (mostly), and some conservative commentators.  They range from accusing Christian leaders in this country of attempting to establish theocracies equal to that of Iran or Saudi Arabia, claiming Christianity is just as violent, that its history is just as checkered, or that Islam is indeed a religion of peace, a bastion of feminist benevolence, while Christianity isn't.  There is also the oft-repeated lie that while Christian civilization produced nothing in the fields of science or technology, Islam was a fortress of progression.  This is only the tip of the ignorance iceberg.  

This defense of Western, Judeo-Christian civilization is so well thought out, so well documented, and so clear and easily digestible, I could not put it down.  

For example, we often hear the liberal complaint that Christianity aims to put women "back in the kitchen, barefoot, and around for the sole purpose of bearing children."  We hear that the "Religious Right" in this country is hell-bent (excuse the pun) on establishing theocracy.  Despite the best efforts of leading Christian leaders, proclaiming that they are not interested in such actions, they are often ignored by leftists who dislike Judeo-Christian tradition.  What is paradoxical, is that when folks point out those in the Islamic world who proactively encourage and proclaim efforts to establish Islamic theocracy worldwide, through violent and societal means, those folks are lambasted as racists, Islamophobes, and all-around haters. This is hypocritical and moronic.  

Again, leftist feminists in this country do nothing but complain about the alleged misogynistic aims of the Christian right, while remaining silent, or criticizing those who speak out about the real women's rights abuses in the Islamic world, ranging from polygamy to pedophilia, from beating wives to penalizing women for suffering rape.  The double standards and hypocrisy are stunning, unbelievable, and certainly disheartening.  Despite the lies perpetrated by Islamists and their Western apologists, the Islamic world is not a bastion of feminist freedom,  but an abyss of abuse of femininity.  

Spencer's book is not a crock.  It is well documented, and founded completely in Islamic theology, scripture, comment, and the statements of contemporary leading Islamic leaders.  It is a riveting defense of Western Judeo-Christian civilization.  People are unable to deny what this man says, as it is INSIDE of Islam itself.  

As Spencer eloquently says:

"Whether one believes in Christianity or not, it is necessary now for all lovers of authentic freedom to acknowledge their debt to the Judeo-Christian West, to the Judeo-Christian assumptions that built Europe and the United States, and to acknowledge that this great civilization is imperiled and worth defending.

On that first step, everything else depends."

Summer So Far

Two words:

"This," and "blows."  This summer is a complete bust.  "Epic Phail."  PHAIL.

I've been relaxing.  That is well and good.  Other than that, things have not been meeting the par that I set prior to finishing my finals this past semester.  Certain strained relationships, and complete lack of others has put a real damper on the "vaca" so far.  I am getting tired of being home already, as the discord between myself and my family has been at a recent high.  The need to get out of here is building.  

Certain friends of mine are either completely absent, or completely shutting me out of their newly formed groups.  

This is not to say there have not been moments of fun; shooting with my dad, going to the beach with Moke and Spath, etc., etc.  There has been a great deal to be satisfied with.  However, I can't help but feel that somehow summer is falling short.  

Something has got to give.  

Reflections on Tim Russert

After watching today's broadcast of Meet the Press, and the warm remembrances during it, I stood in the kitchen reflecting on a man that I never knew.

Tim Russert, as Rush Limbaugh properly put it, was one of the few examples of journalistic objectivity in the media.  That was a paraphrase of Rush; I can't remember his exact words.  

I watched "Meet the Press" nearly every Sunday with my father.  Although I was generally dismayed at the leftward tilt of the panels Russert had on his show, he himself was generally as objective as he could be, and I appreciated that.  Despite whatever beliefs he held (and I do not know what they were), professionalism and objectivity came first.  

In a world full of self-aggrandizing "journalists," who pat themselves on the back, while simultaneously bashing conservatism, Russert set himself apart as someone who was really objective.  

As a man who authored books on the relationship between father and son, Tim Russert held a place in my mind as something only found in the relationship between me and my dad.  The sound of Russert's voice will always take me back to my home, on a Sunday morning.  Those mornings spent with dad, watching the "Talking heads."

R.I.P.