What Must Our Wounded Warriors Be Thinking?

Tuesday marked the 10th anniversary of start of the Iraq War and this morning as I was checking out MSN.com, I stumbled across a story about botched celebrity plastic surgeries.  Actually it was a link to a story on a Hollywood Tabloid site. It showed pictures of 23 celebrities (movie stars, singers, athletes, etc.) - people like Mickey Rourke, Carrot Top, Tara Reid, Joan Rivers, Donatella Versace, Bruce Jenner, and Lisa Rinna who had plastic surgery that went wrong. It showed the before and after pictures but for the most part, these people aren't disfigured, they are now just odd looking.

The anniversary of the war and this site made me think about all our servicemen and women who have required plastic surgery to repair horrific burns and other injuries they received during combat and how their before and after photographs differ so dramatically from those of the celebrities.  Most of the military folks were average Americans - not the "beautiful people" from stage and screen. And unlike the celebrities, many of our wounded warriors will bear physical scars for the rest of their lives despite the best efforts of our government to repair the damage.

What must it be like to be one of these heroes, see these "beautiful people" and know that they did this to themselves? I would imagine that the celebrities are very distraught over the poor results of their surgeries. However, compared to the injured Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, how fortunate these Hollywood-types are.

Many of the Hollywood left were very critical of the war especially during the Bush presidency. They were careful to not appear to be unsupportive of the Troops but I personally can't help but wonder if, with their deep seated rage over the war, some of their anger transfers over to those who served? When the lefties in LA and New York see those injured, do they say to themselves, "You volunteered. You were enabling that illegal war. You got what you deserve." I know that statement is going to make some angry but I think if you are honest with yourself, you would have to at least admit to the possibility.

From what I have seen, most of our wounded appear to be dealing with their situation with a great deal of grace and dignity. There doesn't seem to be a lot of room in their lives for self-pity. If they are feeling pity for anyone, odds are it is when they see these vain, shallow and self-absorbed celebrities and their botched surgeries. They have to be thinking, "I can't believe these attractive people did that to themselves." and then the pity they feel for them must be on many levels.

You Can Be Sure Congressional Liberals Are Watching Cyprus

Over the weekend, the Cypriot Parliament announced it was considering imposing a 10% tax on all bank deposits held in that nation's banks as part of an agreement for an EU and IMF-backed bailout plan. The panic that ensued sent shock waves through European financial markets and led to a run on banks forcing the country to impose a bank closure to prevent the further withdraw of deposits. The banks remain closed. It now looks as if the proposal has been rejected but this is an ominous precedent especially since we know American liberals love to look to Europe as a source for "good" ideas.

To borrow from my Navy past, Cyprus finds herself "In Extremis" which is a term that means in grave circumstances that require significant action to avert disaster - with ships this refers to a collision at sea. When collisions occur, the accident investigations almost always find that the captains of the two vessels fail to recognize (or deny) the danger, make a series of small course and speed corrections that don't change the eventual outcome, and ultimately are forced to take drastic steps in their futile effort to avoid calamity. Sound familiar?

Deny: "There's no immediate debt crisis." - Pres. Barack Obama and Speaker John Boehner

A series of small course and speed corrections: Continuing Resolutions, Debt Ceiling increases, and sequestration.

In Extremis maneuver: Seizing assets from private citizens.

That would never happen here you say? I wouldn't be so sure.

With our out of control government's insatiable appetite for revenues and seemingly endless ability to squander money, Congressional liberals might consider a European-style levy, penalty or tax on bank assets a "good" idea when facing a fiscal In Extremis situation. Even though their Cypriot counterparts came to their senses and rejected the idea, are you confident our Congress would? Cypriot citizens even rejected their Parliament's counter proposal to only impose the tax on "the rich". What would our current "Politics of Envy" generation Americans do? The answers to these questions are anything but certain.

Will Biden Lecture Pope Francis?

I saw where Vice President Biden just arrived in Rome for Pope Francis' inaugural Mass. My guess is he will get an audience with the new pontiff. Knowing the hubris of the Obama Administration and Democrat leadership, I'm sure he will feel compelled to lecture the Pope on Church doctrine and argue for a change in the Church's position on gay marriage, abortion, and ordaining women as priests. He needs to be careful however, since this didn't go very well for Nancy Peloci when, as House Speaker, she attempted to lecture Pope Benedict. Rumor has it that Benedict gave her "what fer." I wonder if VP Biden is capable of benefitting from her experience. Learning from the past would be a first.

Under Martin O'Malley, Maryland Open for Business to Violent Criminals

With only 5 criminals currently on Maryland's death row and the last execution back in 2005, Governor O'Malley intends to sign into law the repeal of the State's death penalty law which was recently approved by the State Senate and General Assembly. O'Malley has also been pushing stricter  gun control laws in the State. If history is any indication, these measures won't have the intended effect.

What is clear is that since the District of Columbia's strict gun laws that infrindged upon law abiding citizens' right to keep and bear arms was overturned in the Heller decision, violent crime in DC has gone down, not up like liberals predicted.

My prediction is given the choice between plying their trade in Virginia where the people can defend themselves and convicted murders face the real possibility of a death sentence,  DC where the citizens at least can lawfully bear arms or Maryland where the people can't defend themselves and if convicted, murderers won't face the executioner, violent criminals will choose Maryland.

Under Gov. Martin O'Malley and the State's liberal legislature, Maryland is open for business for violent criminals from Virginia and DC.

'Calling' All Liberals: Explain The Government Lifeline 'Obama Phone' Program to Me

So on the eve of the sequestration, can a liberal please explain to me how it makes sense to require thousands of government employees to take one unpaid Friday off per pay period but continue to fund what we Conservatives call the Obama Phone program? In what 'Fringe' alternative universe does that even compute?

For those unfamiliar with this program, the Lifeline Program provides free cell phones and 250 free minutes of service to the poor. What began under President Reagan as a small program to provide landline phone service to the poor living in rural areas has exploded under President Obama to a program that provides 4G cell phones and now costs the American taxpayers $1.6 billion a year. No proof of eligibility is required and one doesn't even have to be a U.S. citizen: even illegal aliens can get one of these phones. Is it any wonder that average citizens like myself who pay $100 a month for our 3G phones and cellular phone service are upset that there are some in this country who receive a better phone and service for free? Is that fair?

President Obama has spent the last week out on the road telling the country of all the terrible cuts that will have to be made as a result of the sequestration. He talked about teachers, firefighters, military service members and police officers getting 'pink slips' and as president, him having to chose between cuts to programs for poor kids or disabled kids. Military readiness, border security, air travel safety, food safety, healthcare, etc will all be severely impacted.

How can free cell phones for anyone who wants one, including non-US citizens, be such a high priority for our government that it can't be cut - at least some? I could certainly use the help of a liberal to explain how this makes sense.