SUNDAY RESPITE-Favorite Song of All-Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

SAT. SATIRE - Tim Hawkins - The Government Can

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Braulio Castillo claimed disability based on an injury he sustained at the U.S. Military Preparatory School nearly 30 years ago. The Times reports that Castillo broke his foot (the record actually indicates that he twisted his ankle) at the prep school, but went on to play football in college.

Castillo, president and CEO of an IT company called Strong Castle, reported a foot injury he sustained in 1984 at the U.S Military Academy Preparatory School, according to a report released by the committee. He was honorably discharged in his first year at the school, and later went on to play football at the University of San Diego as quarterback and linebacker.

Seeking to acquire a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business credential–designed by the Small Business Administration to help veterans apply for federal contracts–he listed his injury as his qualification. After reporting ongoing pain and treatment for his foot, Castillo was granted a 30% disability rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The highest rating for injuries below the knee that department can offer is a 40% disability.

Asked Castillo some questions about his "disability." He dipped and dodged, but ultimately had to own up to receiving the 30% disability so he could get the credential he needed to apply for his federal contract.

Turns out he might re-think his application after being questioned by Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).
See, she lost her legs and use of her right arm when she served in Iraq. She is only afforded a 20% disability by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I neither know about, nor have I researched Representative Duckworth's (D-Ill.) politics. But in this case I say to her, "Well done!"

THE DEAN OF THE SOUTH

Let me state at the start that I do not condone Paula Dean's alleged use of "the N word." I do not condone it's use because it is impolite in civil conversation, not because it has any intrinsic evil about it.

As we all know, I guess, the "N" in "the N word" stands for Nigger, an offensive term when used by anyone except a black person about another black person.

If I had ever used the term when I was growing up, my parents (who were both racists in their own way) would have whipped me to within an inch of my life. That's a literary way of saying "spanked." They never beat me. They did spank me...three times that I remember.

Although they were racists, they were also people who believed strongly in civility. There were certain words and phrases that were indicative of ignorance, vulgarity (in the "common" sense of the word), impoliteness, and low class. "Nigger" was one of those words.

Unfortunately, the language has "evolved" to the point that words that used to be "forbidden" are now considered acceptable "Jesus Christ almighty!" as a phrase for swearing is one example. "God damn," or "goddamn," or however you choose to say it is another.

Vulgarities revolving around the product of bodily functions, the reference to private body parts, the wishing of rape upon another and calling another's mother a female dog are others.

In the name of "free speech," these words and phrases have become acceptable and woe be to the one who tries to keep someone from using them.

"Nigger," on the other hand, is not afforded the same free speech rights as other words. It is offensive, and offensiveness is forbidden.Unless, of course, the offensiveness you are trying to forbid happens to be associated with Christianity. Then it is OK to offend.

So, it is OK to offend some groups, but not others. Hmmm.

Is there no one in the liberal community who can see the inconsistency of that thought process? How dense can you get?

It would really be a good thing if society would just learn to be polite. That's all. Just be polite.

Name me ten things that are wrong with being polite. Go on...I'm waiting.

Shame on Paula Dean for seeming to be racist. Shame!

While the Food Network has the absolute right to hire and fire whomever it pleases, shame on them for making Paula Dean the focus of an unnecessary controversy. A good warning and/or lecture in being polite would have been more than adequate.

I, for one, will never watch the Food Network again. Neither will I knowingly frequent a restaurant whose chef is featured on their network. To the best of my ability, I will never purchase a product that advertises on the Food Network (Given my propensity for eating, that might be a hard one).

I'm sure the executives of the Food Network will cry all the way to the bank over my one person boycott. But that is the consequence they must suffer for offending my sense of justice so badly.

Meanwhile, I hope Paula Dean will begin a regimen that will result in her learning to be polite in all circumstances. But then I wish the rest of the world would, too...including both liberals and conservatives.

In the words of a self-described victim of society, "Can't we all just learn to get along?"

Probably not.

A MAN WHO UNDERSTANDS LIBERTY

WE'RE AMERICANS AND WE SHOULDN'T KNOW

NSA

We are Americans and we should not know!

We should not know that agencies of our government have the capability to snoop on our phone calls, our E-Mails, our Internet visits and our comings and goings.

Get them conservatives!

We are Americans and we should not know!

We should not know that the IRS sets out to specifically target certain groups for harassment and that those groups are suspected of nefarious activities because of their request for tax-exempt status.

We are Americans and we should not know!

We should not know that weapons sold to Mexicans found their way back to the United States to be used by those Mexicans against Americans.

We are Americans and we should not know!

We should not know where President Obama (the amateur president) was the night of the Benghazi attacks on the American Consulate there.

We are Americans and we should not know!

We should not know that military help was only minutes away, not hours, as previously reported.



We should not know that hundreds of thousands of ObamaPhones were given to people so they could sell them and use the money for drugs.

It would be so much easier on Washington, the president, the Senate and the Congress if we just didn't know what was going on.

Think of it. If we hadn't known these things (and others) our “leaders” could have gotten away with so much more!

Why if we didn't know, they could actually take us over completely and we’d never notice.

After all, we are Americans and we should not know!

(Thanks to  Edward Snowden for portions of the above revelations.)

SUNDAY RESPITE-Your Great Name-Paul Wilbur