America Is on Life Alert
As I sit here, apparently everyone in Washington, D.C. is mulling over what to do about Syria. For my part, I’m mulling over what to do about Washington, D.C. It just seems to me that America has fallen and can’t get up. I know that I am expected to be up in arms over chemical weapons being employed by Bashar al-Assad, assuming that the intelligence is better now than it was prior to the Iraq invasion. But I have never understood the moral outrage connected to weaponry. Neither have I ever grasped the lunacy of war being waged according to some grotesque version of Marquis of Queensbury rules. As I see it, wars are fought in order to defeat one’s enemy before he has a chance to defeat you. And the faster you do it, the better.
As I sit here, apparently everyone in Washington, D.C. is mulling over what to do about Syria. For my part, I’m mulling over what to do about Washington, D.C. It just seems to me that America has fallen and can’t get up.
I know that I am expected to be up in arms over chemical weapons being employed by Bashar al-Assad, assuming that the intelligence is better now than it was prior to the Iraq invasion. But I have never understood the moral outrage connected to weaponry. Neither have I ever grasped the lunacy of war being waged according to some grotesque version of Marquis of Queensbury rules. As I see it, wars are fought in order to defeat one’s enemy before he has a chance to defeat you. And the faster you do it, the better.
I understand that chemical weapons are supposed to be beyond the pale, and that civilized people are expected to rail against their use. But am I the only person who finds it absurd that a few hundred people being murdered by poison gas is supposed to trump the 120,000 who have been killed by bombs and bullets in Syria?
If you’re out to kill people, I don’t think the means make all that much difference. I always thought the flamethrowers we used in the South Pacific during WWII were pretty horrific, but they make a lot of sense when you’re engaged in jungle warfare.
As you probably know, I have not chosen sides when it comes to Syria. I suppose if I were compelled to side with one group, it would be the anti-Assad forces simply because he’s allied with Russia and Iran, not because I see any real difference between those lined up against him and the Islamic vermin we’ve spent the past decade fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Speaking of the Middle East, why is Fox correspondent Leland Vittert reporting on Egypt and Syria from Jerusalem? I’m not saying I blame him. I wouldn’t want to be risking life and limb just to give eye witness reports from those hot spots, either. But why not let him report from New York or Omaha or wherever he happens to live? I just know that I wince every time he goes into his drama queen act, pretending he’s ducking bullets and scud missiles, when I know he’s miles away from where the action is, assuming you’re not referring to Israeli nightclubs.
Madness also reigns closer to home. For instance, we have New York City, where the cost of keeping a perp in jail now runs $167,000-a-year, and California, where the state legislators are anxiously waiting for Jerry Brown to sign a bill that would allow non-citizens to sit on juries. It’s hard to believe, but the people responsible for such lunacies weren’t just handed their jobs. They didn’t inherit them. They were all duly-elected by the very saps who have to pay their salaries.
It seems that the Veterans Administration is such a mess that injured warriors are waiting months, sometimes years, before they can expect to start receiving disability checks. And these guys probably thought the Taliban scumballs were ruthless. But, like all federal agencies, the folks at the VA reside in a parallel universe where incompetence is awarded. The agency recently announced that it was handing out $5.5 million in bonuses to its employees. But, at least so far as we know, no Purple Hearts will be awarded these dedicated bureaucrats.
We keep being told by Democrats that photo IDS are discriminatory to minorities and the elderly. Being a 73-year-old Jew, you would think by now I would be aware of the fact I am being systematically deprived of my vote. Well, in a sense, being a conservative in California, I suppose I am. After all, no matter how often I vote against Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein and Brad Sherman, those mooks keep winning.
But at least I get to cast my meaningless vote. So I have to wonder, who are these millions of people who have been disenfranchised? I’m also wondering why it’s only their inability to vote every few years that seems to trouble Eric Holder. Why isn’t he complaining that all these blacks, Latinos and seniors, can’t buy beer or cigarettes; board an airplane; drive a car; enter a courthouse or a federal building, including the House. Senate and his own Department of Justice; or, for that matter, attend one of Obama’s speeches or even show up for one of Mrs. Obama’s occasional lectures?
Finally, we are told that by 2020, thanks to older doctors retiring and younger doctors opting to go into research rather than deal with ObamaCare, America will have 90,000 fewer doctors than we’ll need.
It’s only a rumor at this point, but, according to someone high up at the Department of Health and Human Services, it seems that between now and 2020 Doc Gooden, Neil “Doc” Simon, Doc Severinsen and Dr. Seuss, will all be opening offices to help take up the slack.
Author’s Note: Although I’m still seeking sponsors, my online radio show is on the air, every Wednesday, at 1 p.m. That’s L.A. time. Access www.latalkradio.com, channel 1, and click on Listen Live. You can also download to your iPhone or Android apps. The call-in number is (323)203-0815. I’d like to hear your questions and comments, pro or con. Especially pro.
