ObamaCare: Who Needs Surgery? Just Take A Pill*

*Video courtesy of YouTube.

The above video is very disturbing, if only for the fact that it underscores the argument that President Obama's plan for rationed, socialized healthcare will only place a dollars-and-cents value on individual American lives--and a cheap one, at that.

Interestingly enough, both the so-called Blue Dog Democrats and Republicans have each recently offered non-binding health insurance alternatives, though whether these are workable solutions to this odious healthcare catastrophe remains to be seen.

In the best event, Congress will not act on any comprehensive healthcare bill--or at least not anytime soon. Reasonable observers can usually agree upon the need for reform, perhaps even drastic change, but this pressing need doesn't mean that more government intrusion is the solution. In fact, as in so many scenarios, it is actually a compounding problem. And the current reform under consideration is just that--a hasty governmental fix to a complex issue profoundly affecting hundreds of millions of lives for years to come.

Healthcare decisions--and this includes those made in quality-of-life and end-of-life contexts--should most definitely not be made by bureaucrats and politicians pondering banal statistical extrapolations on the cost of providing adequate individual care for one procedure or another. People are not, and never have been, numbers. To the point, these issues should be handled by qualified medical professionals and specialists, patients, and in some cases, patient advocates such as loving, immediate family members if an individual cannot argue on their own behalf.

And whatever healthcare plan comes to the forefront, it is clear that it should include for patients more insurance coverage choices at reasonable rates, greater access to alternative treatment options supported by research, and an undeniable affirmation of their right to a respected voice in the specific treatment approaches applied to their own care.

In other words, both President Obama and Congress should simply show a genuine respect for human life.

IN OTHER NEWS: For better or worse--and really, it is the latter of the two--Sonia Sotomayor moves closer to confirmation as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Taking The Iranian Nuclear Threat Seriously*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

American interests in the Middle East can be protected from a nuclear Iran by a "defense umbrella," according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Come again?

Clinton's second hasty try, as cited in the article above, does deny any sort of "nuclear umbrella" to shield presumed protectorate countries from Iranian aggression. Yet as so many have noted of this sloppy remark--and she knows better as a vetted veteran of high-powered political maneuvering--the suggestion is that America will actually permit the development of such a pernicious danger towards vital friends like Israel.

Thankfully, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates appear to agree that this threat will not be tolerated ad infinitum--and perhaps of greater importance, that all deterrence options remain viable for just such a threat. To be sure, Israel will need these options as experience has shown that dictators tend to force the international community beyond all reasonable limits in the misguided pursuit of world-stage influence and irrational, nationalistic pride.

But allowing such sobering hypothetical scenarios, the question remaining can only be one of tolerance. With the middling support President Obama and others have shown Israel since his infamous Cairo speech, Iran will undoubtedly be given an unreasonably long tether to strain against. And this is unpleasant news indeed for those aware of the real dangers posed to Israel and other American allies in the Middle East.

Perhaps President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton will put aside their shared pursuit of legacy and popular image long enough to address some of the more challenging issues facing America at present. Doubtful, but one can always hope.

IN OTHER NEWS: It appears that Thomas Daniel--the independent investigator persistently lobbing obnoxious ethics complaints at Sarah Palin--is in fact a major contributor to the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, it seems no one noted his faithful personal contributions to this institution, or that peers in his law firm frequently serve as counsel of record for the party on the left, or that several lawyers he makes a living with recently represented President Obama in his bid for this country's highest office.

Minor details, we must suppose, when one is bent on the character assassination of perhaps one of the strongest threats to liberal ideology to come out of the Republican ranks in several years.

President Obama Loses Some Of His Luster*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

President Obama's catastrophic push for socialized healthcare reform is quickly deteriorating--mostly, as Charles Krauthammer puts it, because "[r]hetoric met reality." In other words, doctors, nurses, and regular Americans that use or will need to use our healthcare system in the near future realize that services will not get better. And they will cost far more than anyone will be willing to pay.

To the point, while the American Medical Association recently backed the President's plan, many of its members are jumping ship while noting the long lines, care rationing, and ultimately inferior quality of delivered services that are sure to result should the reform be rammed through Congress. And they are not alone. In a recent policy piece for the Mayo Clinic, it was noted that the reform will actually inflate patient costs while ensuring poorer care. Significantly, this comes from an institution seemingly committed to a drastic overhaul of modern medicine in America.

Without a doubt, many of those who actually remain committed to achieving quality care at reasonable fees view this bill as nothing other than idealistic or self-preening boilerplate aimed at an unprecedented reordering of American society that will do little to care for a growing and aging population.

Thank goodness Americans at least have a reprieve from this legislation as it is likely to be postponed past Obama's arbitrary August deadline. Perhaps by then, Republicans and Democrats will come together in a commitment to meaningful and effective healthcare reform that puts more choices in the hands of the people.

IN OTHER NEWS: President Obama shows his undying friendship to radicalism by involving himself in a local Cambridge matter to defend his friend Henry Louis Gates Jr., a leading light in the academic pantheon of politically correct race relations. All this, of course, because one Police Sgt. James Crowley Jr. had the nerve to investigate a possible break-in at a previously burglarized home only to discover Mr. Gates trying to enter and refusing to identify himself. While Gates did eventually provide identification, he also threw a tantrum and flatly accused the officer of racism--a claim echoed by that darling of the Democrats with the statement that Sgt. Crowley "acted stupidly," as quoted in the linked article above.

Unfortunately, such is to be expected as President Obama claims Mr. Gates as a personal friend, and he is undoubtedly all about the payback expected in personal, Chicago-style politics. Of course, one might also note that our leader runs with a very nasty group of egotistical people.

The Rape Of Iran's Women*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

"The Jerusalem Post" is currently carrying an interview with a serving member of the Basij militia in Iran. And it is horrifying.

The interview itself was obtained by telephone after this married man with his own children served a period in jail for showing some humanity to two Iranian teenagers; apparently his error was in allowing them to escape imprisonment, an undeniable hell for those forced to experience such a place. And this, unfortunately, is the one encouraging point delineated throughout the course of the conversation.

The Basij militia member interviewed eventually details his so-called honor to marry virgins the night just prior to their own executions. As Iranian law under Ali Khamenei forbids the execution of virgins for whatever crime, this man would then be joined to these tortured individuals in an obviously forced ceremony, see to their drugging to ease any struggle, and then rape them--a legal right that he admits caused more anxiety and suffering in these young girls than the executions that followed.

Apparently his experience is not unusual.

Oddly enough, it needs to be said here that any regime torturing and murdering its own citizens is depraved--and such a fact should draw reasonable minds together with the aim of its overthrow. But any culture that routinely sanctions the legal rape, torture, and murder of women and children is playing with the blackest sort of sin--and that kind of tyranny deserves not only the harshest condemnation in words, but also utter annihilation by whatever violence justifiable within moral limits, either by their own freedom-seeking citizens or by a nation such as America that holds the moral and historical imperative to act.

Without a doubt, Iranians have the right to freedom. Their men have a right to dignity and the honorable pursuit of any worthwhile profession. Their women have a right to speak, to live their lives unmolested, and to be free of the fear attached to indiscriminate execution. And their children have the same rights in fully realizing their own potentials, along with a supreme right to innocence as they grow toward maturity.

President Obama knows this. He has known this long before he ascended to the Presidency. And he has no excuse to remain silent concerning the atrocities being carried out right now with such terrifying brutality in Iran. Consequently, both Democrats and Republicans should join together in condemning his appalling lack of action, his inexcusable lack of courage, and his inscrutable lack of support for Iranian freedom.

After all, there is enough complicity in these horrific crimes as it is.

Iran's Struggle For Freedom Continues*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Contrary to the fashionable and yet damning mutism presented by the White House concerning pervasive human rights abuses in Iran, citizens of that troubled country continue to protest courageously for their own liberties.

Significantly, tens of thousands crammed into Iran's primary prayer service on Friday as the cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called for "action to remove this doubt" stemming from Ahmadinejad's rigged election. And this after so many days of falling behind in the headlines. Tellingly, those attempting to attend the sermon received a government dose of tear gas before, during, and after services for their efforts.

Another less than pleasant vignette serves to illustrate what the average Iranian protester has to look forward to on any given day: human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr was kidnapped and beaten on her way to Friday prayers with friends, a practice apparently intensifying with Iran's repressive regime in recent days. Significantly, Sadr requires medical attention and was scheduled for an operation in the coming week--an appointment she is unlikely to meet while being relentlessly interrogated and beaten in prison for her pains in supporting the radical idea that all men, women, and children might in fact have God-given liberties. She joins a growing group of as many as 2,000 individuals that have been scooped up and arrested since the election protests began.

Hopefully, Iranians understand that American prayers are surely with them as they continue to fight the tyranny of their own government with commendable courage, even if our politicians are not. With this in mind, President Obama should not place his confidence in their kind feelings should they succeed in what is clearly a just revolution for freedom.

IN OTHER NEWS: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli populace in general buck some of the ridiculous strictures insisted upon by the international community by allowing a construction project in East Jerusalem to move forward. And just as a matter of record, it should be noted that there are those that popularly believe any such activity on this side of the city is a settlement, and therefore an obstacle to peace in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, there is no word yet as to whether or not any descendants of the axis of aggression serving as the catalyst for the Six-Day War in June 1967 have finally recognized the depressing consequences of their own hubris. Then again, expecting such an admission would be paramount to suggesting that Israel has the right to both existence and natural growth--even in East Jerusalem.

Minority Rule*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

It seems that Sonia Sotomayor has mustered enough colonic fortitude to muddle through the Judiciary Committee hearing on her Supreme Court nomination and confirmation without actually betraying how her racially-driven philosophy of the law and even the world will affect her judgments.

But as Louis Michael Seidman has carefully pointed out in the third installment of a recent debate over her future role on the Supreme Court, Sotomayor "very substantially misrepresented her own views" during the hearing. Clearly. And so it is that many continue to wonder just how she will perform once installed on America's highest judiciary body--as a Justice cautiously and yet firmly applying the fundamental principles of our Constitution, or simply as a predictable liberal ideologue dabbling in the legislation of divisive race politics.

Given these lingering doubts, Sotomayor will undoubtedly find her seat as Associate Justice. But even with those crucial 60 votes in pocket, it is absolutely appropriate that nominees thrust forward to potentially fill what is ostensibly a life-long position safeguarding our fundamental law be given a thorough and challenging test concerning their past decisions and writings, their current attitudes towards the law and their role in administering it, and their outlooks on the future of our nation's legal system.

To this end, reasonable observers might understandably conclude that Sotomayor got off easy given her previous statements showing obvious racial preferences and the "disheartening" campaign of late to smear firefighter Frank Ricci. And for the most part, these same bystanders would be correct, though a caution against the temptation of character assassination also bears some consideration here--after all, destroying a candidate for lofty office is much different than simply rejecting the same.

And for this very reason, the role of party politics should not be overlooked in this critical vetting process. Notably, Patrick Leahy's shameless exercise in keepsake photography does little to help Democrats seem impartial. In fact, the undiluted lovefest pursued by the majority party should give even casual observers pangs of embarrassment not easily dispelled in the near future. Conversely, the Republicans thankfully included in this hearing generally asked appropriately pointed questions, though without any regrettable hint of hysteria. To be sure, the ambiguity so many Americans are feeling towards an arguably hypocritical nominee were adequately presented without the questioners coming off as the sniveling minority party--a right not held by any group of elected officials.

Yet only time will tell if our nation and history itself can treat Sotomayor's obvious deficits with the same magnanimity and forbearance, especially as we have yet to see what challenges she will face on the bench. Whatever the case may be, Americans should be deeply grateful for a solid and at times majestic system of law that generously permits so many missteps and downright mistakes.

IN OTHER NEWS: Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf concludes that the Obamacare bills currently on the table would drive both government spending and healthcare costs through the roof. Will this warning be enough to stop the asinine socialization of our healthcare system? Probably not. Or at the very least, it won't be enough to stop the misguided effort. And that should be enough to disturb anyone planning on medical care in the foreseeable future.

The Price Of Pelosi's Career*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

It seems there is nothing Democrats will not do to save Nancy Pelosi's career.

First it was the push to label the CIA as a den of liars for failing to brief her on waterboarding. As it turns out, she was briefed along with everyone else in Congress that cared to listen.

And then she asserted that the CIA lied to Congress about a covert operations program that never got off the ground, though this seems an asinine point as these efforts were reportedly aimed at counterterrorism. Truth be told, Congress was actually briefed and Director Panetta has also posited that nothing illegal was done.

How many lies will be told to cover up earlier lies? No one knows, but it should be obvious by now that the Democrat's push to target publicly the intelligence agency charged with protecting American lives is despicable.

IN OTHER NEWS: Kim Jong Il apparently has pancreatic cancer. Thank heaven for simple mercies.

Obama, Israel, And Self-Loathing*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

In a troubling opinion piece for "The Wall Street Journal" that can only be described as a fantastic foray into the depraved depths of unmitigated self-flagellation, Alan Dershowitz has attempted to make the nearly untenable case for President Obama being a true friend to both American Jewry and the state of Israel.

To the point, his apologetics conveniently begin with the statement that Obama's stance on settlements nearly matches that of his predecessor, though with the bizarre caveat that development must logically be vertical for peace to become attainable--and this with no aforethought as to just what kind of tempting targets these miraculously funded and constructed apartment towers must present to rocket-toting terrorists.

Another assertion--really a belief, and a laughable one at that--is that President Obama is seriously committed to an Iran free of nuclear weapons and that his appeasement-minded administration does not actually claim a link between Israel's settlements and that other regime's aggression. Clearly, this is a convenient bit of political arithmetic, ignoring the fact that mainstream liberals increasingly root almost every conceivable dilemma in the Middle East somewhere in the establishment or continuing growth of Israel. President Obama is no exception.

And finally, the right of the IDF "to prevent and deter rocket fire" sounds laudable coming from Dershowitz, but no mention is made of the ethical choice to preserve Israeli lives and freedoms by targeting the homes and operations of terrorists. In fact, little is suggested for the preservation of innocent Israelis other than maintaining the status quo--a losing proposition, to be sure.

In other words, Dershowitz ultimately remains completely unwilling to admit that President Obama harbors some very troubling and apparently persistent grudges against Israel, and that this very attitude will in fact cost Israeli lives and further stir up anti-Semitism throughout the world to the point where this valuable ally may actually cease to exist.

Apparently, these are the petty details lost in the historic nature of a White House that makes grand, sweeping plans with absolutely unimpeachable wisdom. And as Melanie Phillips so aptly describes in her showdown with Dershowitz, this is also the aggravating nature of our current cult of personality--a phenomenon strangely present not just with so many average Americans, but even more so with the vast majority of the American Jewish population long and unreasonably in the pocket of the Democrats.

But blessedly, pressure does matter, as does calling President Obama on his explicit bias. What else could explain his desperate attempt of late to woo Jewish leaders and convince them that he really wishes to foster only the truest of friendships with them and their voting congregations?

Perhaps the only question now is how much self-loathing this vital community will take before it's realized that an enemy to Israel's safety and future success cannot be a true friend to Jews anywhere.

Zelaya Was Legally Removed From The Presidency In Honduras*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

As mentioned earlier in this venue, the so-called coup declaring Roberto Micheletti (pictured above) the interim president of Honduras was entirely legal and sanctioned by the Constitution, Supreme Court, and Attorney General of that land.

And this is a fact most journalists and world leaders should be able to discern as that country's most basic law explicitly forbids the lengthening of any presidential term--or even proposing it, as did Zelaya.

Making Sense Of Sarah Palin's Resignation*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Is it too presumptuous to assert that the ubiquitous interpretations of Sarah Palin's recent resignation by supposedly objective journalists, undeniably extreme Democrats, and unnecessarily weakened Republicans have all been farcockt? After all, these professional commentators and politicians are guessing at her political future just like everyone else. What they come up with could be just as overblown as any other speculation built up without hard facts.

But even a casual sampling of analyses by the so-called experts has been very telling of the deep bias against her not only as a politician, but also as a person: a characteristically unruffled Charles Krauthammer called her "delusional" and her resignation "a quitting"; Michael Barone, usually very astute, claimed complete shock and dismay at what he very much doubts is a political "masterstroke"; a smirking Keith Olbermann overtly suggested that politics were "just too complicated for her"; and Rick Sanchez at CNN even questioned whether or not their might be a pregnancy involved.

Wow. For a political figure that supposedly has laughable relevance in the current political climate and very little sway with reasonable thinkers, there exists an almost hysterical rush to wholesale judgment and overly grateful political eulogy here.

But as Chris Stigall over at "Big Hollywood" has thankfully pointed out, increasingly socialistic Democrats need someone to sneer at as their social programs bankrupt the country and painfully ineffective Republicans need a real conservative to salvage an admittedly damaged party image. In other words, Palin remains a potential threat to both those unwilling to grapple with the reality of our country's problems and those unable to translate conservative principles into effective action with any sort of consistency. And this means that politicians and journalists unsympathetic to her unconventional rise to power act as if they would just rather that she disappeared from the political stage altogether--no Palin, no problem.

Political machinations aside, what is clear is that Palin is now largely free from asinine legal attacks predictably hidden under a pressing need for transparent governance and the inappropriate smears against her children aimed at hobbling her power as an advocate for traditional values. So whether or not her resignation precludes a presidential run in 2012--and that outcome seems dim mostly due to the vociferous pontifications from her naysayers rather than as a reflection of her actual chances--Palin can marshal her tremendous ingenuity and personal courage to provide the kind of common sense leadership so desperately needed right now in America.

And that's just what she's been trying to do since she was pushed onto the national stage just a handful of months ago.

IN OTHER NEWS: Thousands of freedom seekers of all ages again protest in Tehran while shouting "death to the dictator." The usual harsh reprisals--including the lock down of mobile phone services, arrests, tear gassings, beatings, and killings--were issued from the tyrannical Iranian government without the least indication of hesitation, but the movement for Iranian freedom undeniably lives on. And as the Western world still owes these protesters a firm and genuine show of support, one wonders how many protests are needed for the White House to take notice--officially speaking, of course.

AND FINALLY: Kim Jong Il's regime continues its belligerence with a round of cyberattacks aimed at both South Korea and America. No word yet on whether the Obama administration will get up the guts to challenge this increasingly arrogant form of North Korean despotism springing from that supposedly soft, innocuous matrix called Communism.

The Ongoing Crises Presented By The Axis Of Evil*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

In case you missed it, North Korea's Dear Supreme Leader and Wacko For Life decided to mark our American Independence Day with seven missile launches of noticeably increased sophistication. Here, one wonders what sort of appeasement President Obama might quickly foist upon the increasingly edgy and disinterested dictator as quaint places such as South Korea, Japan, and oh, perhaps the United States wait to see if they will become needless victims of his irrational aggression.

By now, this appeasement approach should be seen for what it is--a cowardly and ineffective excuse for real leadership and deterrence in very precarious times. Kim Jong Il, for one, certainly understands that Democrats in Congress and President Obama's administration will do little to threaten, much less act against, a repressive regime bent on turning dissenters and avowed enemies into piles of ash.

Sidestepping this threat tempts one to believe that President Obama is either arrogant towards those who oppose his soft worldview or ignorant concerning the true nature of the threats we face. Worse yet, perhaps it is really both.

In either case, President Obama's unbecoming and unreasonable gentleness with tyrannical murderers was also on display in the recent rejection of Ahmadinejad's reelection by a prominent organization of Iranian clerics. Apparently, The Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qom has labeled those Iranian citizens killed in election protests as martyrs and has also called for opposition to the government. In addition, Ali Reza Beheshti--son of a prominent Revolution leader--has called for the election results to be nullified, according to the Fox News article linked above.

Clearly, it seems that this new revolution is continuing forward, with or without our help and apparently underground, though it could come at a much reduced cost in Iranian blood if we were to show anything even resembling support. To be sure, even a direct, simple statement affirming the overwhelming American feeling of empathy for Iranians would do much to reverse the devastating effects of so much apathy falsely paraded about as wise restraint.

And where, reasonable critics might ask, was President Obama on both of these events as we marked the birth of our free nation? Pushing his domestic agenda while the likes of failed Republican presidential candidate John McCain at the very least called for support of Iranian protesters and the official denouncement of Ahmadinejad's government, all on moral grounds.

How utterly depressing for a nation formed and preserved through the actions of brave men and women willing to sacrifice their reputations and even lives in the cause of freedom. One could guess--and likely be correct--that history will not treat President Obama's cowardly denial of support for Iranians or his nonexistent condemnation of erratic North Korean actions with any sort of kindness.

IN OTHER NEWS: Vice President Biden supports Israeli military strikes against Iranian nuclear ambitions. Really? Is this another gaffe? Another way to escape responsibility in dealing with the problem of Iran? We'll know when the White House babysitters allege that Biden misspoke, or didn't know what he was talking about, or simply throw their hands up and feign audacious journalistic malfeasance on the part of Fox News.

UPDATE: The State Department puts the kibosh on Biden, denying any "green light" for Israel to strike Iran.

Sarah Palin Steps Down*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

Effective at the end of this month, Sarah Palin will step down as Governor of Alaska, presumably to pursue the Presidency in 2012. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will then take power in Alaska.

Republicans should rejoice at this unexpected news as she represents a firm commitment to conservative ideals. And so should the average American suffering through the skewed liberal policies of the Obama presidency as she also stands for a return to traditional, tried and true government roles. Details will undoubtedly follow in the coming months as Palin makes her run official.

IN OTHER NEWS: "By God, if I had such weapons, I would have used them in the fight against the United States." So said Saddam Hussein of the weapons of mass destruction bluff he pulled off in an effort mostly to deter his enemies in Iran, according to reporting on a recently obtained FBI document provided by FoxNews. There is, of course, a lesson here for both liberal extremists and the rest of the world--we will take threats seriously and punish nations accordingly. Or at least we will when we have a courageous President in office.

AND FINALLY: The hype over the coup in Honduras shouldn't be believed. President Manuel Zelaya was ousted as he tried to make a power grab, hoping to ignore the constitutional restriction on term limits with a referendum that was not sanctioned by Honduran congressional leaders or their Supreme Court. Add in the attempted and inappropriate removal of the military chief, some very close ties to Hugo Chavez, and an unapologetic drive towards socialism, and it's little wonder he now finds himself out of a job. And in case anyone was wondering, his removal was indeed legal and appropriate in upholding democratic institutions and virtues. Perhaps President Obama and his ilk might do well to remember this.