Yesterday marked 72 years since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. This man, Ewalt Shatz, was 18 years old at the time, and is credited with shooting down an enemy plane. He was on a plane bound for Hawaii for a memorial service when United Airlines removed him and several others. Not only does this reflect poorly on United Airlines but what about the airplane passengers who didn’t give up a seat for him?
Former South African President and ender of Apartheid, Nelson Mandela passed today at the age of 95. During the 27 years he spent in prison, he kept the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley on a scrap of paper. Here are the powerful lines:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Just like retail craft store giant Hobby Lobby, Liberty University had a lawsuit against ObamaCare. The issue was in regard to the contraception mandate, which the school believes is a violation of its religious stance. The high court denied hearing the challenge and left it up to a federal appeals court which dismissed it.
I listened to this segment on NPR a few weeks ago and just started thinking about it again. German citizen Jens Soering was a UVA student convicted of murdering his girlfriend’s parents in 1985. He has been in prison in the US since 1990 and many in Germany would like him to be returned, where he would most likely be released. Former Governor Tim Kaine was going to go through with this deal but it was blocked when Bob McDonnel was elected. With German relations being dicey right now it would seem that the Democrats would return the murderer, but so far nothing has surfaced. Read the article. It’s good.
Guys, this is really stupid and not worth reading…but I did. It is kind of interesting, however, to see how much pointless stuff our presidents have to go through on a daily basis. An even bigger waste of time in this Washington Post article was reading the PETA-esque posts in the comments section.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is making some peculiar decisions as of late. Contrary to the will of his people, he has refused to sign a pact that would keep a small NATO peacekeeping force in Afghanistan beyond 2014. This task force would help train the fragile Afghani military and Security Forces. Karzai has also thrown out an array of interesting demands
“Nah guys. I can’t do that. I don’t have health insurance.”
This has been my golden excuse for years now. It’s gotten me out of a ton of dares and stupid stunts. These reliable lines have surely saved my life and limb on many occasions.
Next year the jig is up. Like many others, I’m being herded into the uncertainty that is the health insurance marketplace/stockyards. President Obama and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius have me in their crosshairs. They want my fellow young invincibles and I to join the regime and climb aboard the sinking ship. But first the vessel has to leave port and become a functional website.
Old Maude Billingsly(made-up grandma name) and her hags at the Bingo Hall who’ve smoked 2 packs a day since they were 16 need us now more than ever. So do all the societal leeches and illegal immigrants. It takes a group effort for socialism to work.
So here are our 2 options: Get the “minimum essential coverage” and face crushing monthly premiums or PAY TO LIVE DANGEROUSLY. Here’s the breakdown of fines for the next 3 years that the thought criminals face(whichever is more):
2014: $95 or 1% of household income
2015: $325 or 2% of household income
2016: $695 or %2.5 of household income
The good news is that we can now procrastinate until March 31st of 2014. If we’re not locked into something by April, we face fines the following year. Usually when I think of fines, I picture a a villainous mustached gentleman in a black trench coat and top hat knocking on my door with a cane, but that’s not how it’s going to work. When you go to file your 2014 federal income tax return, you’ll have to provide information about your health coverage. If it’s insufficient or nonexistent, it will be zapped out of your return.
If you’re a hooligan younger than 30 like me, you may consider purchasing a “catastrophic” health plan. These usually carry a lower premium but only apply if you get really messed up. The only problem is that if I give in to a plan like that, my friends are going to start expecting me to pull some crazy stunts. We’ll see what happens.
If you’re a jailbird or an illegal immigrant, please disregard these steps. You’re still okay. But for those of us being forced into the sketchy new healthcare system next year, start doing your research. Are you going to pay the fine? or foot the bill for the hypochondriacs?
That’s the order of famous deaths that occurred on November 22, 1963, fifty years ago yesterday. The young US President took top billing in the headlines, but the other two men were immensely popular British writers. This article contains a video interview of a Secret Service agent from the day of the assassination. The text, however, relates to the son of C.S Lewis.
This brief article sheds a little light on where the US and Afghani government stand on future plans. A Loya Jirga, or tribal council, is in charge of making the first decision for what’s best for the country.
the chair force 