Posted on 08/06/2003 6:34:28 PM PDT by Temple Owl
Editorial
Second Thoughts
By: William W. Lawrence
08/05/2003
There is an important undertaking going on in Marple and Newtown Townships. The Marine Corps League, American Legion and VFW have joined the Marple Parks Department and USPS for a flag depository project which brings five mailboxes to the Marple and Newtown communities.
The boxes sport handsome stars and stripes and the veterans' organization logos. They are marked "Flags Only" to discourage other items such as eyeglasses from being dropped in these special receptacles.
I would like to see this enterprise take wings and spread through the rest of Delaware County. Old Glory deserves all the respect we can give her.
***
A couple of decisions involving public schools has raised hackles and controversy.
Cleveland's WEWS-TV has reported that a group of parents said they will fight a possible decision to allow a white teacher to lead classes in black history at Oberlin (Ohio) High School. Phyllis Yarber Hogan, a member of the Oberlin Black Alliance for Progress, said a white teacher wouldn't be well suited to teaching students about subjects like slavery.
***
The New York Post reports that the Harvey Milk School, named after a murdered San Francisco city councilman who was openly gay, "officially opens as a stand-alone segregated public school with 100 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students in September." "Everybody feels that it's a good idea because some of the kids who are gays and lesbians have been constantly harassed and beaten in other schools and this . . . lets them get an education without having to worry."
***
School vouchers would permit parents to send their kids to any school they wished to be taught anything by anybody they wished in a safe environment. Sending our kids to private institutions would be a much more efficient and less expensive way to provide an education to our most valuable assets. We need school vouchers now! Too bad Sen. Arlen Specter doesn't understand this.
***
They now have authentic ghostwriters at the unbelievable New York Times. The paper ran a front-page obit on Bob Hope which carried the byline of Vincent Canby who died in 2000. It is a common practice for obits of the famous to be written long before the person dies, but there has to be a limit.
***
The Washington Times reports that the U.S. Navy is having some success in developing a new low-cost cruise missile named "The Affordable Weapon." Built completely with off-the-shelf technology, The Affordable Weapon costs about $50,000 apiece, compared with the $1.7 million cost of each of the Navy's current Tomahawk missiles. The new missile has a range of up to 600 miles and can deliver a 200-pound warhead with pinpoint accuracy. I like that.
***
Surprise! The Democrats are now the Party of the Rich.
Once you hit $100,000, the Democrats really begin to clean up. They hold a fundraising advantage that widens rapidly as the numbers get more stratospheric. In contributions of over $1 million, they outraise Republicans by 92 percent to 8 percent.
***
Sen. Joe Lieberman practically got down on his knees and kissed NAACP President ring while begging for forgiveness for missing the group's annual meeting. Lieberman hinted that he would tap Mfume, who never attended law school, for the Supreme Court if he were elected president.
I hear that Al Sharpton, not to be outdone, will pander for the Free Republic vote by saying he will nominate Ann Coulter, a bona fide attorney, for the U.S. Supreme Court. Sharpton has my vote.
And it would be a lot of fun watching her answer Teddy "Girls Don't Float" Kennedy's questions during the confirmation hearing. (Just kidding about the Al Sharpton bit.)
***
The centrist Democratic Leadership Council appears to be at variance with the rank and file's increasingly sour disposition. The New York Times recently reported on a DLC council confab in Philadelphia, where Howard Dean's popularity was a juicy topic.
"It is our belief that the Democratic Party has an important choice to make: Do we want to vent or do we want to govern?" said Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, chairman of the organization. "The administration is being run by the far right. The Democratic Party is in danger of being taken over by the far left."
When a reporter asked whether Democratic miseries were a result of Republican attacks or Democratic mistakes, Senator Bayh responded with a curt two-word answer - "Assisted suicide."
It was suggested, elsewhere, that if Dr. Dean becomes the Democratic nominee, he can make Dr. Kevorkian his running mate.
*** Off The Internet:
Things We Can Learn from a Dog:
1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4. When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
6. Take naps and stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you're not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
13. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
14. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
15. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
16. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
17. No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout . . . run right back and make friends.
18. Delight in the simple joys of a long walk.
I'm not entirely clear on the virtues of off-the-shelf technology which could allow Osamma's friends to make that sort of weapon. What is the endpoint on that trend--$500 cruise missiles at Walmart? We're gonna find ourselves addicted to GPS but forced to shut the satellites down, I'm afraid . . .
And it would be a lot of fun watching her answer Teddy "Girls Don't Float" Kennedy's questions during the confirmation hearing. (Just kidding about the Al Sharpton bit.)
Ann Coulter for Supreme Court Judge!
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