Let loose the dogs of therapy

Let loose the dogs of therapy

Reading and listening to the reactions across the country since the election is, if nothing else, an interesting and somewhat entertaining exercise. There is certainly rich fodder for articles and posts in the overreactions in some quarters, most notably the left. Strident calls for this and that permeate the reactions, like demands for electors to change their votes to Clinton. Perhaps nowhere else is reaction more absurd and downright silly than on college and university campuses. Let loose the dogs of therapy I say. Fill the crying rooms to the maximum. Provide huggers at every building entrance and exit. Open the gates for protests. Cancel classes and exams. Build entire safe space buildings instead of football stadiums.  

For the most part, conservatives tolerantly stand aside and watch, stifling the urge to rant and rail at the ridiculous. Why? Because conservatives are, by nature, tolerant.

Central to the conservative approach to life is tolerance. As long as others obey the laws, all laws, and respect others, conservatives are tolerant of their personal decisions, actions, and views. Conservatives may not agree with those decisions, actions, and views, but normally remain tolerant of them. It is when others demand conservatives accept, agree with, and even actively support decisions, actions, and views with which they disagree that the fat is in the fire, as the saying goes.

Ironically, in the aftermath of the election liberals and progressives continue demonstrating their lack of tolerance, a hallmark to their approach to life.  Dogmatic statements abound, underscoring the liberal/progressive stance. Intolerance abounds, as they make claim after claim, demand change after change, and attempt to repudiate the election results. So be it. 

But there are times when conservatives must react as liberals cross a bright and shining line.  One such crossing occurred at Amherst College when first the American flag was lowered inappropriately by the campus administration to half-staff after the election.  Then a student took down the flag and burned it.  Then the administration put a flag up, again at half-staff.  Then, in a final insult, decided not to fly the American flag at all.  Such action requires a reaction.

The reaction occurred over the weekend when hundreds of veterans and others protested at the college by bringing and waving hundreds of American flags.

Amherst College President Lash should be ashamed of the message he sends.  He should be fired for insinuating all forms of hate to the American flag, under which millions of men and women have served.  The federal government should immediately place a hold on all federal funding awarded the school (except individual student federal financial aid) until the flag is once again flown at full staff.

If he wants to provide therapy dogs, hugs, crying rooms, safe spaces, and the like, so be it.  I disagree, but will tolerate his actions.

But do not expect me to tolerate the disrespect he shows our American flag.

Giving to their community

As the nation digests the election results, life goes on.  The sun came up on the morning of 9 November and each day since.

One of those days was Saturday 12 November, characteristically sunny and warm in San Diego.  A large group of bikers, many of them veterans, didn't take advantage of the day to go to the beach, play golf, watch college football on TV, or simply laze around the house.  They set out to give back to their community and more.

After breakfast at the El Cajon Harley Davidson dealership, they rode in four groups to the Miramar National Cemetery, where they stopped to honor those laid to rest there.

Their next stop was the Marine Corps Reserve Center & Headquarters of the 4th Tank Battalion, where the bikers dropped off the hundreds of toys they had collected for the Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots Program.  A small dent in the overall goal of 58,000 toys for children in the San Diego region, but a dent nonetheless.

Before returning to the Harley dealership for lunch, at the request of Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant Castillo, the bikers did a surprise slow ride by the home of the father of a fallen Marine.  By their action, the bikers were saying to this Gold Star family that the loss of their son and their sacrifice are not forgotten.

Unlike some who were protesting the election results in parts of the country, these bikers, veterans, and patriots came together for a purpose bigger than themselves, giving back to the community and a Gold Star parent.

Come Wednesday morning, one thing is certain

Come Wednesday morning, one thing is certain.

Half the country will be angry, disappointed, and genuinely concerned.

And what will that anger, disappointment, and genuine concern portend?

The divisiveness building over the past two presidential administrations will rise to extraordinary levels.  Arguably much, much worse than those fed by the machinations over the past nearly eight years.  

To study an ineffective Congress, one merely needs to look at how Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker of the House Pelosi colluded to deliberately withheld votes and changed long, honored procedures to ram through some bills, while intentionally letting contentious, though important bills lay dormant.  At a time the Democrats held both chambers, major problems (national debt, immigration, and tax reform to name a few) requiring Congressional action remained unaddressed.  Likewise, when Republicans held majorities in both chambers, Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Speakers of the House Boehner and Ryan did not force matters with the President by crafting and sending legislation to floors votes and eventually the President.  The floor votes and potential presidential vetoes would have irrefutably demonstrated to the electorate which party really supported the interests of the nation and which was obstructionist.  As a result, the Republican majorities in both chambers failed to take up the fight to rein in a lawless president and the nation suffered.

And what will the post election anger, disappointment, and genuine concern portend? 

Regardless of which candidate claims victory, it is unlikely there will a mandate voted into either or both chambers of Congress.  Majorities (if any) will remain relatively slim, with the Senate majority currently up for grabs.  So the ineffectiveness defining recent Congresses will continue.  If anything, due to the unprecedented nature of the 2016 election, even further retrenchment is highly likely.  Ideologues from both parties will fire off combative and conflicting statements of blame.  Unsubstantiated assertions and allegations will flood the media.  All the while, important matters (national debt, immigration, tax reform, national security, education) will get no better and may even become worse.

And half of the nation will continue to be angry, disappointed, and genuinely concerned. 

Once in office, the newly elected president may continue to unlawfully expand employment of executive orders as a form of governance.  Whether Congress or the courts will rein in  such lawlessness is doubtful based on recent history.  And with an eight member Supreme Court, contentious judicial nominations will become major illustrations of government dysfunction.

Legal challenges of all sorts will be levied, again, regardless of who claims victory.  Hearings, lawsuits, FOIA requests, etc. will proliferate.

All the while, half of the electorate will be angry, disappointed, and genuinely concerned.

Perhaps, just perhaps, a shift will occur because of this anger, disappointment, and concern.  Maybe some elected officials will look to the 2016 election and see that it as a wake up signal, regardless of political leanings.  It is possible the enough elected officials may wake up and recognize that they must tackle, by some form of of compromise, the serious matters facing our country.  One good start: instead of omnibus appropriation and spending bills, separate bills (as intended) will be legislated and sent to the president for signature.  Maybe enough elected officials will see the need to remove riders and amendments, so that basic matters can be addressed.  Maybe enough elected officials will recognize the time is right to once and for all tackle wasteful pork in the national budget.   Maybe, just maybe, the word compromise will enter the daily vocabulary.

If not, by then the entire electorate will be justifiably angry, disappointed, and genuinely concerned.  And that would portend a legitimate national crisis.     

        

National health care

For those advocating a "single payer" or national health care system to replace Obamacare, they should read this piece from the Washington Post about the Veterans Health Administration, the largest health care system in the nation.

Do we really want something so inefficient?

The Veterans Health Administration is a mature system, with hundreds of treatment locations around the nation, employing thousands of heath care personnel.  If, with all these resources, the government can not provide timely and quality care to a small percentage of the population, there is no reason whatsoever to believe the government will be able to provide timely and quality care to more than 300,000,000 citizens.

Big government is not the answer.  
 

Veterans Day 2016 approaches

Veterans Day 2016 approaches.  

On 1 November, veterans came together to honor the latest serviceman killed in Iraq, Chief Petty Officer Jason Finan, United States Navy.  

Noting the flying American flags, cannot help but think of the controversial act of kneeling during the National Anthem.

Those choosing this form of public protest most likely have no military experience, personal or family, and do not understand the impact on veterans.  Though this veteran and those with whom I associate are incensed by the disrespectful act, we also (to a man) recognize and defend the right of the protestors to do so.  It is one of the rights we, not they, served to support and defend.

November is also the month of the Military Family.  Military families serve, often times without public recognition for their sacrifices, in ways most Americans do not understand.  As less that one-half of one percent serve on active duty, the relative numbers of military families are very small.  Yet their sacrifices are far out of proportion to their numbers.  Ask the wife who gives birth to her first child, while her husband is overseas, as did my wife over four decades ago.  Ask the wife who receives the news of her husband's death in some far flung place, as did the wife of CPO Finan.  Ask the children who do not see their fathers for months or years during their upbringing, as the servicemen are deployed around the world and at sea.  Ask the family of the E-2 struggling to make ends meet on a level of pay that meets HUD definition of low income.  So as Veterans Day approaches, let us also keep our military families in mind. 

As November 11 approaches, it follows two key dates.  Election Day on 8 November and the Marine Corps Birthday on 10 November.  One date marks a particularly ugly chapter in our nation's history.  The other marks the birth of the world's greatest fighting force.  One date conjures up disturbing images, memories, and scenes of disrespectful, deceitful, corrupt, illegal, selfish, unethical, and insulting pursuit of the presidency.  The other conjures up admirable images, memories, and scenes of sacrifice, heroism, service, and patriotism.

On this Veterans Day, in particular, the nation should pause for a moment to recognize the contributions our veterans made while in uniform and then out of uniform once they returned to broader society.  They continue to serve, young and old, in all sectors of our country.  They came home from World War II and Iraq and Afghanistan to become role models for their fellow citizens.

God bless our veterans and military families.