John Stossel on Government

The Sham of Senate Civility

After the attempted assassination of former Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ 8th), there were calls for civility in political discourse.  In the aftermath of the Tucson shooting,Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said:

Being more mindful of the weight of our words always helps. We have much more to gain than to lose from civility and discretion. …

Some may be inspired by the town halls of two Augusts ago. Others by the heated election debates. Some may be motivated by the conversation that started after Arizona. And many will seek more civility simply because it’s the right thing to do. Whatever the reason, I hope the turn to more responsible rhetoric is more than empty rhetoric. I intend to do my part.

But what Democrats really meant by civility seems to be to silence their ideological opponents with the cudgel of civility via the Lamestream Media without moderating their raucous rhetoric or correcting their faux pas. 

A recent example of this incongruity between rhetoric and reality was Senator Reid's recent call for civil discourse on the Senate floor.  The Senate Democrat Majority Leader had called House Speaker John Boehner a coward for not standing up to anarchists in his own party who Reid implied precipitated the Federal Government shutdown.   Reid also derided his colleague Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) as the "very junior Senator from Texas"  who was acting as the "Joint House Speaker."

Yet Senator Reid lectured the Senate about decorum:

We all have to understand that these rules create a little bit of distance so senators are more likely to debate ideas and less likely to talk about personalities. And if we do that, we maintain a more civil decorum as a result. So I bring this matter to the attention of senators because we've fallen out of this habit. It's gotten worse the last month or so.
 

To be fair, Senator Reid kind of apologized for his harsh words by intoning:  "Some recent stories have even suggested that the speaker is keeping the government shut down because I hurt his feelings. If that's true, I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings."  

So it's OK to capture headlines and slander your opponents, and then give a tentative mea culpa "if I hurt your feelings"?  Where does someone go to get their reputation back?

Reid advocated not mentioning other Senators by their first names and addressing their colleagues in the third person.  This Senate Speak, a District of Calamity (sic) patois which Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has mastered  forces the speaker to call enemies "My Friends" before rhetorically excoriating them.  No wonder why so many ordinary people are turned off by politics. 

Senator Cruz has been the target of Democrats derision in the Federal Government Shutdown fight.  Cruz gave a short floor speech which exposed this Sham of Senate Civility to conceal political perfidy.

There has been a concerted effort in the Lamestream Media to discredit Ted Cruz as just advancing his own presidential ambitions by prominently fighting for defunding Obamacare.  This scathing critique comes from Democrats as well as Cocktail Party Republicans who understand the earnestness of Tea Party conservatives who threaten their cushy situations.  Establishment Republicans are content to go along to get along, cast symbolic votes which they can sell to their primary voters but do not mean anything.

While Cruz may leverage his prominence in the Shutdown fight for the 2016 Presidential race, he is also living up to his role to represent constituents who are fed up with the status quo and the meaningless games politicos in Washington play rather than fight for their ideals. Civilly telling the truth is a rarity between the beltways these days. 

It is beyond the pale of propriety to characterize Tea Party types like Senator Cruz as anarchists for standing up for the Constitution. But the hostility towards such honest oratory from Tea Party politicians is revealing.  

 In the face of totalitarian influences across the globe, George Orwell opined:  "The further a society drifts away from the truth,  the more it will hate those that speak it."  In a similar vein, the author of 1984 also  wrote: "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." 

Maybe Senator Reid's crie-de-coeur will be heard on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, where outrageous Obama incivility now seems to be an everyday occurrence 

Despicable Reid

As the House and the Senate wrangle about funding for government programs after the Continuing Resolution which also defunded Obamacare failed to pass, there has been lots of politicking.

House Republicans compromised and had a C.R. which asked for a one year delay in Obamacare individual implementation and a repeal of the unpopular 2.3% medical device tax, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) lead that to a 54-46 party line vote rejecting it.

The House then passed a Continuing Resolution which ensured that Congress got no special carve outs or privileges regarding Obamacare.  That too was rejected.

President Obama listed the many programs which would be curtailed by the furlough.  This included closing National Parks and stopping NIH funding.  The Democrats hoped to use a group of 25 children with cancer as political pawns to illustrate their point about the evil shutdown (which they want to pin on Tea Party Republicans).

Well, the House passed individual funding bills for the National Park Service and the NIH in response to the rhetoric.  But Senate Democrats and President Obama are intractably inflexible on finding compromise and passing these particular funding bills.

Part of proficient progressive propaganda is having a compliant press which plays along with the predilections of the partisans.  That's why Senator Harry Reid was surprised on Wednesday during a press availability asked a tough question by CNN's Dana Bash about helping one child with cancer.

In the past, partisan pan the Senate Majority Leader as "Dirty Harry" Reid.  It seems that a more apt analogy is Gru from Despicable Me.

Some Mass Disruption Due to Partial Government Shutdown

Military Chaplain Fr. Tyson Wood celebrating Mass in Iraq in 2011

Chapel at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Woodbridge, VA

Military members stationed at  Marine Corps Base Quantico near Woodbridge, Virginia will not be able to celebrate Mass on base on Sunday due to the partial Federal government shutdown.  Due to the shortage of active duty military chaplains , the Quantico chaplain has on outside priest who presides over the weekly Mass, which creates a dilemma.

 John Schageter, an attorney for  for the Archiocese of the Military warned that contract priests on military bases are not permitted to work, or even to volunteer during the shut down.  This furlough affects 234 non active duty and contract priests.  Schlauter warned: "During the shutdown, it is illegal for them to minister on base and they risk being arrested if they attempt to do so."

Interpretation of the partial Shutdown and enforcement of its provisions forces affected faithful to scramble to find non GS priest or go off base to practice their Fundamental Freedom of the Free Exercise of Religion.

The Deparment of Defense is making it more and more difficult for traditional faith Chaplains to minister to the troops.  Chaplains were told to accept same sex so called marriage or get out of the service.  Last year, there was controvery when US Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio wrote an open letter to be read at all Masses indicating that "[w]e cannot -- we will not-- comply with this unjust law" in reference to Obamacare.   Now, they can not licitly minister unless they are paid by the government. 

It is sad to see how the shutdown is being applied to punish people.  Those serving in the military may be more in need of ministers than most.  It is insane that priests can not even VOLUNTEER to minister to their flock if they are on a government contract. 

POST SCRIPTUS-- 10/04/2013 8:00 PM
The National Catholic Register notes that some affected chapels have been able to find alternate Presiders for Mass.  There was a report on Friday that the Quantico Chapel will hold Mass on Sunday.  It is unclear if this is due to their contract or the powers that are turning a blind eye to the letter of the furlough regulations to get rid of a black eye to Uncle Sam.