Category: Politics Matters

The above title is from an article in the WSJ by Loraine Maguire.  The Little Sisters are in court to protest offering abortion benefits to their employees.  The Supreme Court asked the Order if there was a way to provide these benefits outside of the health plan of the Order.  The Order said yes.

Wow, a solution that both sides can accept.  Those who want the benefits can get them, the sisters don’t have to include them in their plan. But wait? The government, meaning the Obama administration, said NO WAY! In other words, you must fall in line with us or we will absolutely punish you. You must think like us, or else!

This is the epitome of arrogance and abuse of power. No wonder Congress is deadlocked.  The job of a leader is to bring opposing sides together, not actively separate them.  That is called totalitarianism, fascism, etc. I have the power, I will force you to fall in line even if there is a compromising solution available.

Pope Francis took time out of his trip to the U.S. to visit the facility of the Little Sisters of the Poor to commend their work. Maybe the Justice Department will take the hint?

Lord Acton, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely” 1887. Let’s not let absolute power happen. We are trending in that direction.

5/17/2016

The Supreme court has sent the case back down to the lower court, http://www.rollcall.com/news/policy/supreme-court-sends-birth-control-case-back-lower-courts?utm_name=newsletters&utm_source=rollcallnewsalerts&utm_medium=email.

According to the article, it appears that both sides are willing to reach an agreement. The LIttle Sisters won’t be fined, the government will accept a change in its’ position. I spoke too soon, sense has prevailed?

Israel. A nation created in 1947 by the winning allies of WW2. A “homeland” for the Jewish faith. Prior to this date “Zionists” had been moving into the area from various parts of the world as the Jews were ex-pulsed (Spain 1492), persecuted (Europe for hundreds of years), slaughtered (Germany, Russia), objects of prejudice (U.S., R.O.W.), etc. Theodor Henzi is credited with formalizing the “Zionist” movement in the late 19th century.

A democratic nation, with 80% of the population of the Jewish faith, elections are hotly contested.  The parliament flows between very conservative views to more liberal, peace with their Arab neighbors an elusive goal.

They have been attacked militarily numerous times, almost losing a couple of times. They continue to be attacked politically in the “United” (what a misnomer) “Nations” by Arab states and ankle biters, and increasingly in Europe by various groups. Antisemitism (another misnomer, Arabs are Semites also) is on the rise again.

Our current president has gone out of his way to weaken our relationship, maybe with good intent to improve our relationship with Arabic nations but with amazingly horrible results.

Israel’s foes are mostly totalitarian monarchies, many are theocracies that reject individual liberties, especially freedom of religion.

Has Israel done things that we should criticize, certainly. Settlements, guerrilla warfare, killing of innocents (Hotel David in 1946), etc.

But, should we as a country stand beside Israel?  My view is most assuredly. If a country refuses to acknowledge our right to exist, to publicly  say we should all be killed because of what we choose to believe would we rise up and resist, absolutely.

We must not be seen as supporting those who refuse to acknowledge the right for Israel to exist and call for its’ destruction.  By not vehemently opposing such a view in public, and by not imposing consequences on those who say such things, we leave Israel in the wind.

We knew about the death camps and did not act. We knew about the genocide in Rwanda and did not act. Until Pearl Harbor “America First” was the majority opinion. The KKK had millions of members at one time. Leaders are called upon to remind citizens of our moral compass. We currently lack such a leader.