Things like this keep crossing my mind:

Have we surrendered America to the the whiners and to the unfortunate? When did this nation decide it was is created to fall to its knees and worship people because they have managed to get sick? Or because in a land where we spend immense fortunes on schools they have remained ignorant and indolent?

This is a place and a culture of compassion and aways has been. From colonial days most American people have given time and treasure to the churches and to the secular helping organizations. Hardly ever did we demand that people we help lead perfect lives. Someone was always there, voluntarily, for the drunks, the addicts, the sick, and most varieties of the merely poor.

When did we decide this marginal section of the population, by their very deficiencies, owned the right to dictate national policy?

PDB is not one of the Americans who looks at the Sunday massacre of the American future and decides to grin and bear it.

(HT Roberta)

Priorities

Perhaps the first administrative rule to be written should criminalize homosexual conduct because it is a primary HIV transmitter, and HIV is one of the most expensive diseases the taxpayers are now obligated to treat. Run the idea past Barney Frank.

Roy Steinfort of the Associated Press. RIP

I learn today that I have just lost this old friend, mentor, and boss. In the world of news he owned a broad reputation as a very nice guy and a crack newsman and businessman.

Among all the rest he was a combat medic on Iwo Jima. One of his prized possessions was a print of Joe Rosenthal's classic Suribachi flag raising shot inscribed, "For Roy, Who was There. Joe."