News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 10-18-14
The Pennsylvania Legislature passed SB 1180, Oct. 16, putting it on Gov. Corbett’s desk for his expected signature.
Senate Bill 1180 creates a statewide database of certain prescription medication records says State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).
The database — maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Health — would collect Pennsylvanian ’ prescription records for substances on Schedules II-V of the federal Controlled Substances Act. These medications include OxyContin, Tylenol with codeine and Valium.
Medical practitioners and pharmacists would have access to this database. Patients would be able to obtain prescription records at no charge once a year.
The database would alert practitioners to patients who may be “doctor or pharmacy shopping” to feed an addiction, Cox said.
Law enforcement would only be able to access the database through the state Office of Attorney General if relevant to an active investigation, Cox said.
Jerry Seinfeld to priest in confessional: Well, I should tell you that I’m Jewish.
Father: That’s no sin.
Jerry: Oh good. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about Dr. Whatley. I have a suspicion that he’s converted to Judaism just for the jokes.
Father: And this offends you as a Jewish person.
Jerry: No, it offends me as a comedian.
After watching ABC’s new “black-sitcom” “Black-ish,” a Seinfeld-ism must be invoked. I was offended — not because I’m white, but because it wasn’t funny.
* * *
Is it offensive that a show openly touts race in both its title and content? Not at all. Or at least it shouldn’t be.
We’re supposed to be grown-ups. We can change the channel if something doesn’t meet out tastes.
That’s called live and let live, where people don’t have to scream in righteous protest over every single thing they dislike. But that type of tolerance is in increasingly short supply, replaced by double standards that inflame tensions and needlessly generate intense resentment between races.
Could you imagine the backlash if a network tried to air “White-ish?” Producers would get fired, actors blackballed and the network would spend countless hours issuing nauseating apologies and mandating racial-sensitivity training.
But it will never happen. Just as there will never be a White Caucus in a legislature or White Entertainment Television.
And that is where our system breaks down.
The issue isn’t the racially descriptive entity, but the increasing resentment among white Americans who, as the oddballs, are not allowed to do likewise. Their perception, not without merit, is that they have become the only race without the same rights as everyone else.
White comedians get censured for saying the same things as their black counterparts. Black politicians openly advocate the election of black mayors. Whites lose out on job opportunities and college admissions in the name of “diversity.”
Racial discrimination, in all its forms, must be battled. And that includes reverse discrimination.
But unfortunately, selective discrimination has been deemed acceptable, even trendy, in today’s America. Far from creating racial harmony, as its advocates naively believe, reverse discrimination is quickly becoming the flashpoint in the powder keg of America’s race relations.
Nowhere is that more on display than in Missouri.
First, in Ferguson, 6-foot-4, 300-pound, 18-year-old Michael Brown, who had allegedly just committed a felony, was shot after disobeying, then physically engaging a police officer.
It should have made no difference that the officer was white and the shooting victim black, since, until it was unquestionably proven otherwise, race played no part in the shooting. But that became the headline and riots and violent protests ensued, facts be damned. Black anger erupted nationwide, directed at both whites and the police.
Now, it’s Round 2, as an off-duty police officer working as a security guard shot and killed a man near St. Louis who police say engaged him in a gunfight.
Large protests were organized as people were bused in from near and far. The heart of the protests was, of course, “racism,” since the officer was white and the shooting victim black. But no one has the guts, on either side, to ask the most important question: “So what?”
Lost on the protestors, a smorgasbord that grew to include the Occupy movement, unions, gay-rights activists and those protesting the Palestinian-Israeli conflict (must have been a boring weekend for a lot of people), were the pertinent facts that A.) The victim was wearing an ankle bracelet at the time he died, a court-ordered monitoring system as a condition of bail in a gun case, and B.) The police claim that he fired several rounds at the officer and was attempting to shoot more when his gun jammed.
The deceased’s family says he was unarmed, carrying only a sandwich. So either turkey clubs have become the new gun of choice, or he was, in fact, armed when he shouldn’t have been. Whether excessive force was used and whether the shooting was even justified remain questions that will be answered only after a thorough, impartial discovery process.
That’s why God made investigations. And in this case, it will be immeasurably easier than the Ferguson shooting to determine the truth.
So, to automatically assume “race” is simply wrong.
Does anyone of sound mind really believe that, in this day and age and in light of recent events, a white officer is going to deliberately seek out and shoot a young black man “for no reason?” Not only would his freedom be in jeopardy, but his life. That’s not to say it couldn’t happen, but a long list of other possibilities must be exhausted before coming to that conclusion.
Yet, inciting and woefully inaccurate statements, from the victims being “executed” to leaders stating they were both shot from behind (medical examiners determined neither were), serve only to push race relations closer to the edge. Sooner or later, when we go over the cliff, there will be a backlash of epic proportions, which could make the riots of the 1960s look tame.
If we ever hope to eradicate racial tensions, we need strong leaders of all races to unite and demand colorblindness for America, from police to entertainment to the workplace. “Equal opportunity for all, special treatment for none” should be our motto, where race should be an afterthought.
America’s uniqueness makes it the envy of the world, where even its most downtrodden can overcome adversity to become extremely successful.
But that rise must never come because, or at the expense, of race. When it does, we all lose a part of what makes us so special, our common bond: being Americans, and ultimately, members of the only “race” that matters: The human race.
The Oct. 20 Sports Illustrated reports that in 2012-13 the U.S. Department of Education documented more than 1.2 million homeless students in the nation’s public elementary, middle and high schools.
This represents a 58 percent increase since 2008.
Department of Education defines homelessness as “the lack of a fixed, regular and adequate night-time residence.”
About 900,000 of the students “double up” residing with relatives or friends.
It can be found on page 54 in a story about homeless high school athletes.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 10-17-14
Ring. Ring.
“Hello? CDC? Yeah. Quick question. I just took care of a guy with Ebola. Maybe you heard of that virus. Anyway, I was wondering — should I fly on a commercial airplane? And I should let you know that I have a fever.”
CDC: “Oh, fever, schmever. Sure. Why not? Enjoy the friendly skies. What’s the big deal?”
* * *
This conversation is obviously a parody of the real call that took place between a nurse that had direct contact with Ebola patient Thomas Duncan, and the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
Unfathomably, the CDC, did, in fact, give the thumbs up to Amber Vinson to fly commercially, despite having full knowledge that A.) she had been caring for an Ebola patient, B.) her colleague, nurse Nina Pham, had already contracted Ebola from Duncan, even though she had worn protective gear, and C.) Vinson had a fever — a symptom of the disease.
How is that possible? It is so immensely stupefying that, for once, this writer is at a loss for words, except to say that the American government is, undeniably, broken.
Its handling of the Ebola crisis — or, more accurately, the lack thereof — was, and remains, pathetic. Despite knowing that this Ebola outbreak, which began almost a year ago, was bound to come to America, the CDC made mistake after inexcusable mistake. One would think the “pregame” jitters would have subsided by now, and with it, the incompetence.
But it hasn’t.
In fact, the Dumb And Dumber show continues unabated.
* * *
The problem isn’t just with the CDC. And it’s not just the Obama Administration and Congress. It’s the entire government, at all levels.
Once upon a time, America solved its problems by rolling up its sleeves and getting the job done. From putting a man on the moon to foiling the Soviets during the Cold War, and from passing Civil Rights legislation to building a world-class transportation infrastructure, our leaders used common sense and an iron will to keep America moving forward.
But that has changed.
Somewhere along the way, we fell, and are now stuck in a malaise of stagnation, with far too many comfortable with mediocrity. Gone is the pioneering spirit that embodied what America was — a nation with an unbreakable self-confidence, and a people who innately understood that with a bold vision, and the courage to see it through, nothing was impossible. Whereas once we would never settle for second-best, now we are content with simply being “better than most.”
Which, as this writer has pointed out many times, is like being valedictorian of summer school.
Nowhere is that more apparent than the government’s failures. And before the partisan barbs fly, let’s not forget that it isn’t Obama’s government, nor was it Bush’s. It’s ours. We alone are responsible for picking the captain of our ship, and have no one to blame but ourselves for the course we have taken.
From the DMV to the White House, the failures of government have taken a serious toll on Americans’ optimism, the hallmark that, above all, has set us apart from every other nation.
Common sense has gone out the window. It has been replaced by politicians jockeying for the 30-second sound bite to gain cheap points and throw red-meat to their bases, with zero regard for actually coming up with a real solution.
The result is an America that either charges headlong into a situation before considering the ramifications, or, on the opposite end, sits idle and does nothing, paralyzed to act. When we do emerge from the fog, the crisis is already upon us, forcing us more often than not to make ill-fated decisions.
Consider:
–America ended its space shuttle program despite having no replacement; now, we must rely solely on the Russians to ferry us to our space station.
–Educational achievement levels continue to decline, yet no innovative solutions are offered; instead, we throw more money at the problem, despite knowing it won’t fix anything.
–We invade country after country with absolutely no clue about how to proceed once regime change is achieved; the results speak for themselves.
— Both Parties talk incessantly about reforming immigration, yet neither has any interest in doing so, creating a huge crisis on the southern border.
–Our onerous tax structure and unfavorable trade policies harm America’s companies, while foreign competitors continue to woo American jobs overseas.
— Despite full knowledge that America’s health care system was not equipped, let alone trained, to deal with the Ebola crisis, the government continues to drop the ball. Now, Americans routinely reject government reassurances that all will be okay. Instead, panic has set in, causing major volatility in the markets.
* * *
Whether it’s the miles of red tape, unaccountable bureaucrats, the bowing to political correctness, an overall aloofness to the concerns of Main Street USA — or all of the above — the causes for Americans’ growing pessimism must be addressed. Quickly.
The alternative is ever so bleak.
Hunter Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, has been given the boot from the Navy after testing positive for cocaine The Wall Street Journal is reporting.
Biden, 44, a lawyer, was commissioned an ensign in the Navy Reserve in 2013 after decided to join as a public affairs officer.
He was given a drug test upon reporting to his unit at Navy Public Affairs Support Element East in Norfolk, Va. and tested positive for cocaine.
Don’t weep for Hunter too much. He, is a board member of Burisma Holdings, which is Ukraine’s largest private gas producer and is owned by Nikolai Zlochevsky, who was allied the Ukraine’s with Russian-puppet Viktor Yanukovych before the people threw him out in February.
Did you know that Sarah Palin’s son Track served in the military as well?
About 100 persons spent two hours on a Thursday night hearing Springfield School District (Pa) officials detail plans concerning the fate of the high school.
Considering the questions asked, the consensus of the crowd in the auditorium on Leamy Avenue seemed to be “please don’t raise our taxes, we can’t take any more. ”
The officials led by School Director Doug Carney described the current state of things and went through four scenarios as to what to do about it. They were extending the life of the existing building via necessary maintenance, renovating the building, putting a new one at the intersection of Leamy and Rolling Roads, and putting a new one adjacent to the Saint Francis property on Saxer Avenue.
Carney noted the maintenance work to extend the life of the building would be far more expensive than most understood due to the asbestos roof, the ancient low-pressure steam heating system and pipes, and the simple pane windows that date to the 1950s.
The discussion was organized to clearly point to the district’s preference of a new high school behind Saint Francis Church, that would have more community athletic fields, parking and better traffic patterns.
It was noted that the building would be smaller than the existing one — the existing one is underused –and have geothermal heat.
Quite a bit of volunteer labor went into the study. The logic behind it is sound and those who did it deserve respect and praise.
However, the plea “we can’t take any more” trumps all.
The costliest of the plans was the one for a new Leamy Avenue building coming in at $150 million, followed by the one for renovating the old high school.
The new school near Saxer Avenue was pegged at $144 million, and the life-extension maintenance at $110 million.
This is a little lower than the costs initially presented in May.
For the most likely plans this translates to an ultimate tax increase of $171 per $100,000 assessed for the necessary maintenance one which would mean $250 per year more for a home assessed at the district average of $146,000; and $273 per $100,000 assessed for the Saxer Avenue one or $398 per year for a home assessed at the district average.
Note the tax will not be implemented all at once but in frog boiling increments — now estimated at between $26-$46 — over nine years until the max is reached.
In the question period, Carney said in response to rumors about the school district seeking to buy Saint Francis, that the only contact it has had with the Archdiocese was a plan related to straightening Speakman Avenue, which the Archdiocese rejected.
He also noted that the district is considering unprecedented ways of raising revenue including selling naming rights to the school.
An amendment to a school emergency allergy bill, (HB 803) instituting “paycheck protection” was defeated 28-20, yesterday, Oct. 15.
All Democrats voted nay excepted for LeAnna Washington who didn’t vote. They were joined by Republicans Pat Browne, Stewart Greenleaf, Bob Mensch, John Rafferty, Tommy Tomlinson and Eric Erickson.
Erickson represents the 26th District in Delaware County. There is no point in giving him grief, though, as he vacates his seat this December. We are disappointed it should be noted. He has indicated paycheck protection is not something he opposed.
The others, except for Browne who represents Lehigh County, also represent the Philadelphia suburbs.
Paycheck protection would end the almost universal Pennsylvania practice of union dues, fees and political contributions being automatically deducted from the paychecks of government employees including those in the public schools.
This would require supporters of those causes to write checks or make other arrangements to transfer the money, just like, well, the rest of us do.
In places where this was implemented the money for leftist “progressive” groups dried up. They are apparently not so popular that their flock won’t stop the tithes when given the chance.
The amendment was introduced by Scott Wagner of the 28th District who is starting to look heroic.
While there is no point in giving grief to Erickson one might want to send a nod of thanks to embattled Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi of the 9th District who voted aye and represents most of the rest of Delaware County.
But also give a nod of thanks to Wagner and the others who are battling him.
The first Town Hall Community Meeting to discuss the Master Plan for Springfield High Schooll is 7 tonight, Oct. 16, in the Springfield High School Auditorium at the school, 49 W. Leamy Ave., Springfield Pa. 19046.
The cost of the project is an estimated $150 million.
The meeting will start with a presentation of the overall plan and options, followed by a question and answer period.
It will be broadcast live on SETV which is Ch. 11 Comcast or Ch. 29 Fios.
This is the first of six planned Town Hall meetings. A schedule can be found here.
Hat tip Regina Scheerer