Saturday errands: library, garden stand, and then a good lunch

I went to the library and renewed "Premonition" about a modern Jewish couple who accidentally time travels to Jerusalem in AD 57. So, they know what is going to happen ... to Stephen, to the Temple ... and wrestle with ethics of, should they tell? Also, the latest from No. 1 Detective Agency, "Tea Time for Traditionally Built." LOL, I'd get it for the title alone.

I am sauteing some fresh veggies from the farm stand and will have that for lunch along with cantaloupe. I plan to read this afternoon, and then later, study up on two curricula. One of them is my Good News Club lesson. We plan to start the Club this Monday. Good News Club is an after-school club in the schools where children (with parental permission) come weekly to learn bible stories. This semester's lesson is Genesis, the Creation. LOL, I get to teach creation in the public schools! The second curriculum is the Wednesday night church lesson for kids. We are doing Pioneer Club. This is a midweek club program to evangelize and disciple children and teens from 2 to 18. I have the 6 and 7 year olds this year. So I need to prepare for these two lessons especially since both are the kickoff lesson and there will be a lot going on, such as new kids coming, learning names, and establishing routines..

You know, I listened to a few minutes of Hannity last night. Not a lot, I can't take news by the time Friday night comes, too brash and grating on my ears, which by that time, is lonign for peace and quiet. But I did hear a few minutes and it was a good few minutes. Ann Coulter was talking about the Joe Wilson 'You lie!" outburst. (link is to video, skip to 6:00) She said that originally when the President spoke to both houses of Congress, there was NO reaction from the Congressmen when listening to the President. No applause, no standing ovations, no shouting or yelling praise OR condemnation. Zip. Nada. You sat there, you listened, you applauded politely at the conclusion, and then you left.

Her point was not to say specifically that yelling "you lie" is a good thing, but that if the Democrats are allowed emotional reactions that interrupt the president, such as lengthy applause and standing ovations, do they expect the Republicans therefore to sit there mutely? With no reactions of their own? "You shouldn't have an audience where only one side is allowed a response." Hmmm. I think that is a double standard.

So, my veggies are done and I am going to eat and read and then study. Sounds like a good day to me!

Joe Wilson, not a hero, just emotional

During the President's speech to both houses of Congress last night, at one point, when the President said that the health care bill would not cover illegal immigrants, Rep. Joe Wilson of SC shouted, "You lie!"

I believe President Obama is a liar and the father of lies. I think he has lied for so long he wouldn't know the truth if it hit him upside the head. I believe that there were lies in the Health Care speech and that Obama is happiest when he is lying.

The issue that Rep. Wilson (R-SC) shouted out to Obama over, at the moment in the speech where Obama said, "The reforms I am proposing would not apply to those not born in America," Joe Wilson is actually correct, that is a lie. Information here.

I can understand the frustration of a representative seeing the corruption from the inside, and the horror of living with the un-American machinations between and among fellow politicians, lobbyists, and corporations. I can imagine the turmoil of listening to an un-American President proposing decidedly un-American ideas. However, shouting epithets in the (once) hallowed halls of Congress is uncivil. The halls of Congress have an institutional decorum that has always been respected, and should be respected, no matter what.

FITS News of South Carolina, who is harder than anyone on their politicians, wrote that in finding his lungs, Joe revealed himself to be an unmitigated moron. From a political standpoint, FITS wrote, that with Obama’s poll tanking lately, the old adage that “Not interrupting your opponent when they are making a mistake” is a lesson Joe should have applied. I say that from a moral standpoint, it was not the time and it wasn't the way for Joe to make himself heard. Joe isn't a "hero" and he isn't "brave." And sinking to his opponent's level is never good.

Should Joe resign, be excoriated, called a moron? His wikipedia page was vandalized and his website crashed moments after the outburst. His home phone number was published on Twitter with commands to harass him at his home (which was terribly wrong since Joe is in DC and his family is at home). But no, Joe just made a mistake. It was not a months long purposeful "mistake" like SC Governor Mark Sanford's affair. It was not a years-long "mistake"(rape) of the American people a la Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank. It was not a decades-long trashing of the system for personal gain a la Gov. Rod Blagojevich. It was one emotional outburst in one moment of time. Immediately, the Congressman issued an apology:

"This evening I let my emotions get the best of me. While I disagree with the president's statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility."

Joe also called the White House and spoke with Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel to personally apologize. As he should.

Now it's over. Let it go.

PS: here is the look that Biden, Pelosi and Obama gave to Joe, LOL!:

Congressman calls Obama a liar

At the point where Obama said "The reforms I am proposing would not apply to those not born in America," and Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouted, "YOU LIE!" LOL!

more here

and here

Update: within an hour, Joe Wilson is the #1 trending topic on Twitter, his website is down, John McCain has called for Joe to apologize, and Joe's Wikipedia page was vandalized, fixed, then locked.



So. Is it true? Will the bill cover illegals? Is Wilson correct to call Obama a liar? Democrats keep saying not. But their actions speak louder than their words. Following is by Ann Coulter:

"On July 30 of this year, a House committee voted against a Republican amendment offered by Rep. Nathan Deal that would have required health care providers to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program to prevent illegal aliens from receiving government health care services. All Republicans and five Democrats voted for it, but 29 Democrats voted against it, killing the amendment."

"On the same day, the committee voted 30-29 against an amendment offered by Republican Joe Pitts explicitly stating that government health care would not cover abortions. Zealous abortion supporter Henry Waxman originally voted in favor of the Pitts amendment because that allowed him, in a sleazy parliamentary trick, to bring the amendment up for reconsideration later. Which he did -- as soon as he had enough Democrats in the hearing room to safely reject it."

"If any liberal sincerely believes that national health care will not cover illegals and abortion, how do they explain the Democrats frantically opposing amendments that would make this explicit?"

Second Update: is it true? Will the bill cover illegals?

From Newsmax:

"Take for instance Section 152, Prohibiting Discrimination in Healthcare, which in part reads that all healthcare “shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality healthcare or related services.” In legislative jargon, “shall” means “must”. Proponents of the bill claim that Section 152 means that insurance companies cannot discriminate against anyone. Those who have actually read the bill say that it means even foreign nationals in the United States illegally “shall” be covered by the bill and “shall” be entitled to all benefits thereof."

From the Center for Immigration Studies:

Does the Health Care Bill Bar Illegal Aliens from Taxpayer Funds? Not Really

Supporters of the bill claim that it would not benefit illegal aliens, something emphasized just yesterday by President Obama. But the bill gives no direction on how administrators should determine whether an individual is a qualified recipient or an unqualified illegal alien. In fact, lawmakers have blocked language specifically designed to ensure illegal aliens could not access the proposed health care system.

Unless changes are made, some percentage of illegal aliens will likely receive taxpayer-subsidized benefits under the proposed health care legislation.