Gangsta Guvmint and Terrorist-Defenders

Solicitor General Neal Katyal, appointed to replace Justice Elena Kagan after her elevation to the US Supreme Court, is "directing" the Supreme Court NOT to fast-track the legal challenges to Obamacare, saying that it does not merit the immediate attention of the SCOTUS. Why is this important? Here is a little context for you...

He works directly for Attorney General Eric Holder, who has refused to prosecute a case of voter intimidation by the New Black Panthers because they are [in his words] "my people." He also worked for Holder in the DOJ from 1997-99. Why is this important?

His claim to fame is the successful defense of Osama bin Laden's chaffeur, Salim Hamdan, before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006. The legal ramifications of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld are still resonating throughout the legal and policy world, and forced Congress to craft an alternative plan to the military commissions system.

At one point, [Osama's chauffeur] Hamdan asked Katyal why he was spending so much time defending a Yemeni man who was awaiting a hearing before a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay. Katyal's response? “I said that my parents had come from India. They thought America was a place where people were treated equally and their kids would have an amazing life. What’s happening in Guantanamo is fundamentally inconsistent with the tenets of being an American. These are the first military trials to single out foreigners. We are supposed to have equal protection under the law.”

Well, Mr. Katyal, I ain't no high-faluting lawyer type like you, but it seems to me that your client Hamdal had never set foot on American soil and therefore isn't eligible for quote-unquote equal protection under American Law.

CANs vs CAN'Ts

I recently crossed paths with an old high school classmate of mine, daughter of one of the teachers. We both attended the same Department of Defense High School in Vicenza, Italy, but pur individual paths since have been in wildly differing directions. She is now one of the hypereducated elite, a product of the liberal higher education system. Me? A retired veteran of the US Navy, student of history and part-time blogger.

She is an ardent Progressive, and her organization's goal is to "promote human, civil, workers' and reproductive rights, as well as environmental protection and government reform, via 'education' and 'action'". I am not sure what the education portion entails, but according to the uber-liberal Daily Kos, the "action" portion of their agenda can best be summed up as "Tweet, Beat & Repeat". Much like the Wisconsin protests, it entails childish chanting and banging on drums in an attempt to subvert the governing process.

Their current focus is on a "MORAL BUDGET" in South Carolina, which is currently facing a $700 million immediate budget shortfall, and a $14 billion unfunded liability in the retirement system. So, what exactly IS a moral budget, and WHOSE morals are you basing your focus on? Planned Parenthood's? Charlie Sheen's?

The current theme from the Daily Kos: "Teachers have become scapegoats for the current budget crises of many states in America. This [video link removed] was created by teachers in defense of who we are and what we do. Please contact your state government and tell them to stop this assault on teachers and other public workers!"

As usual, they either mistake the symptom for the problem or deflect from it by using generalities in the abstract. No one is blaming the teachers, or the bus drivers, or the cops or firemen for the budget deficits. It is neither a Republican nor a Democrat issue, because I'm sure that politicians from BOTH sides of the aisle have cut deals with the union bosses in order to keep their minions happy. And therein lies the problem...the UNIONS.

The reality of the problem has come home to roost...in order to keep the promises that have been made in the past, cuts in spending need to be made NOW. Taxing the rich doesn't work, because at some point in time this minority that pays the majority of the bills will just pack up and go elsewhere. Kicking granny off Medicare in order to pay today's union bosses is not an option either.

The 2010 mid-term elections came with a message from the taxpaying majority of non-hyphenated Americans--it is time to QUIT PLAYING GAMES and get the job done. As I have said before, those who can, DO...those who CAN'T, organize more of those who CAN'T to disrupt those that were elected to DO. The message from the latter comes from The Freak Brothers..."While you're out there smashing the state, don't forget to keep a smile on your lips and a song in your heart!"

God Bless the First Amendment...