AIRLINE PRACTICES GROSS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST TALL PEOPLE: DON'T FLY THE CRAMPED AND CROWDED SKIES OF UNITED!

At 6'4" and with a 36" inseam, airline travel has always been a challenge for me.  Nevertheless, 30 or 40 years ago, flying wasn't such an unbearable chore.  I well remember traveling on Delta when the steward or stewardess - the neutered term "flight attendant" was not in vogue at that time - would take one's suit coat on entering the plane and stow it in the closet, cheerily assuring the passenger that it would be brought to one upon landing.  Now, given the cattle-car nature of airline seating, one would have to be addled to even think of flying in a suit and tie.

There was a time, too, when flight crews went out of their way to enhance passenger comfort.  It happened frequently that I was asked if I would like to move to a more comfortable location.  Occasionally, a stewardess would take one look at my long legs and even ask if I would care to be upgraded - at no additional charge - to first class.

For several years I flew Continental's 50-passenger jets from Brownsville to Leon in Mexico.  The Mexican leg from Houston to Leon in Mexico was a decent flight, and it was possible for tall people to sit at the emergency exits without paying a surcharge. Continental made the flights somewhat enjoyable, with box lunches served to all passengers.  But no more!  Since United took over, the flights are cramped, crowded and often staffed by discourteous stewards and stewardesses who are anything but attentive to their passengers' comfort.  On a recent Brownsville to Houston flight I was treated with disdain by perhaps the most rude stewardess encountered over 50 years of flying.

The robber barons who now control United Airlines seek to turn profit at every corner.  If you are tall, suck it up and endure your knees practically sticking up to your ears;  or, you can lay out some extra dollars to gain a few extra inches at the emergency exits.  And don't even think about pretzels or peanuts any more. They departed soon after the box lunches.

United has already decreased leg-room from 33" to 31"  on their 50-passenger jets.  And they are considering means to further decrease the space, in order to squeeze in a few more seats for increased profits.  And so it goes:  airlines charge for whatever they can rationalize and do virtually whatever it takes for a few more bucks.  And passengers get squeezed in more ways than one.

As I write this post, I am lecturing in Mexico's beautiful Bajio region.  I am enjoying my stay; but, at the same time, am more than a little apprehensive over the prospect of my return flight to Texas.  After United had unloaded me at the Leon Airport last Monday it took me all of another day to get myself back on track.  With United Airlines, what once was almost an enjoyable experience with Continental now fills my mind with dread.  The skies of United are no longer so friendly, and their flights have become arduous events to avoid if at all possible.

Deo Vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

LET US NOT FORGET ASIA BIBI AND THE HEINOUS PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS BY ISLAM!

It will soon be going on five years that Asia Bibi has been incarcerated in the Muslim nation of Pakistan, awaiting her fate after having been convicted in a Pakstani court for the crime of "blasphemy."  If you feel that the word blasphemy has an antiquated ring to it, you may not be far off the mark.

It was during 1983, while walking down a street in downtown Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that it dawned on me that I was living in a 15th century environment.  Indeed, to give the reader an idea as we start off the year 2014, the corresponding date by the Islamic calendar would be the year 1435.  If we compare the Christian world view of 2014 to the Muslim world of 1435, archaic is another word which would likely come to mind.

While doing farm work in 2009, Asia Bibi was set upon by fellow workers, who claimed that she insulted the Prophet Mohamed.  Asia was dragged through the streets of her village by fanatical Muslims and ultimately charged with blasphemy.

The governor of Punjab province in Pakistan took a calculated risk when he spoke out against religious intolerance and opined that Asia should be freed from prison and that the charges against her should be

ASIA'S FAMILY

discarded.  Symptomatic of the Islamic bigotry that prevails in Pakistan, the outspoken governor, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by his own security detail.

Even Pakistan's minority affairs minister, Shabaz Bhatti, was shot down and killed by Muslim thugs determined to silence anyone speaking out for toleration in Pakistan.

In the meantime, Asia Bibi languishes in a squalid prison cell, subject to the barbarities of her Muslim captors.  A mother of 5 under sentence of death, Asia has kept up a strong affirmation of her faith while proclaiming that in no way did she blaspheme Mohamed.  Her family, which had frequently visited her, has now reportedly gone into hiding.  In prison, Asia has been assaulted by the police and is very much aware that other Christians  imprisoned for their beliefs in Pakistan have mysteriously died.

Christians in Pakistan, as is true for Christians in other Muslim countries, are openly discriminated against, denied decent employment opportunities and risk death for merely worshiping together.  Muslim clerics in Pakistan frequently place bounties on the heads of Christians who, for one reason or another, are considered to have disrespected Islam.

During 2013, more than 2,200 Christians were martyred, most of them at the hands of Muslim persecutors.  The persecution continues throughout the world, and Christians continue to suffer on many fronts.  Despite that, our own government continues in actively supporting authoritarian Muslim regimes.  Pakistan, for example, received more than 1.6 billion in aid during 2013 from the U.S., most of it in the form of military aid.  U.S. Christians should be asking just how much of that sum is going to support the persecution of their coreligionists.

Asia Bibi is a symbol of Christian fortitude and devotion, and we must nor forget her.  The least we can do is continue to call her plight to the attention of our own government and to bring pressure on the renegade Muslim government of Pakistan.

The email address of the Pakistani embassy in Washington is:  info@embassyofpakistanusa.org

Let us pray for Asia!

Deo Vindice!

God bless Texas and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

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OF COURSE, IT MUST BE TRUE, JEWISH HISTORY AND THE NATION OF ISRAEL ONLY BEGAN IN THE MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY!

The widespread ignorance of history is appalling; but, even more deplorable, are efforts to rewrite history in pursuit of political goals, seeking to prey upon that ignorance

A prime example of such endeavors occurred last week, when the Arab League threw its considerable weight around to  suppress a UNESCO-sanctioned exhibit in Los Angeles.  The display, "People, Book, Land - The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel,"  was set to open tomorrow, January 20.  The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles partnered with UNESCO to make the event possible. Israel, Canada and Montenegro had signed on as co-sponsors.  However, at the last minute, the Arab League used its influence in the U.N. to nix the exhibit, loudly proclaiming that it was a travesty of history.

That the Jewish exodus from Egypt began in the 14th century B.C. is usually not contested by sane people. Running on through history, the long-running process of the diaspora is generally viewed as beginning with the Babylonian Captivity in the 6th century B.C. , with the Jewish people being dispersed throughout the Middle East, Judea and Babylon.  By 63 B.C., Israel had become a Roman protectorate.  The revolt against Rome in 66 A.D. resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem. which eventually led to the Emperor Hadrian declaring Israel to be part of "Syria-Palestine" in 135 A.D..

Despite the diaspora, there continued to be a Jewish presence from the time of the Crusader states, running through centuries of Turkish rule, which ended with the First World War, when the Jewish population amounted to approximately 100,000.  The Jewish population was augmented during the British mandate (1917 - 1947) and after World War II, when Jewish refugees arrived from Europe and other war-torn areas of the world.  By 1947, the United Nations had given its approval to the nation of Israel, which was recognized by the U.S. in 1948.  Thus, to deny a Jewish presence in the area which comprises the nation of Israel in 2014 for a space of 3,500 years is nothing short of unhistorical.

The revision of history for political purposes is nothing new.  Not only have crank historians sought to deny the Jewish Holocaust, similar efforts, with the sanction of law, have been undertaken to blot from memory the slaughter of Christian Armenians in Turkey.  In Turkey, journalists and historians who have sought to raise the national consciousness of the Armenian holocaust  have fallen upon Turkish law, which bans any public mention of officially carried out atrocities against Armenians as an "insult against Turkishness."

Efforts to falsify history were well known in the former Soviet Union; and, today, Muslim nations such as Pakistan go all out to "Islamify" history while reviling perceived enemies such as India.  And even in 21st century France, official history is not without an effort to put a positive spin on French colonialism.

It goes without saying that George Orwell had it right:  "The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history."  Given the authoritarian nature of the regimes making up the Arab League, I am not surprised that this group would seek to quash any attempt of expression contrary to their official line.  What is surprising, though, is that there has been nary a peep of official disgust from our own government in the U.S.  Servants of Clio must redouble their efforts in serving their mistress.

Deo Vindice!

May God less Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

AMERICA: IS OUR COLLAPSE IMMINENT?

BENEDETTO CROCE

All history is contemporary history.
         Benedetto Croce

The debt owed by the United States to China has now topped 1.3 trillion dollars. Money to service that debt amounts to tens of billions each year. That money, if left in the American economy, could be used to spur growth.  If China even hints at a lack of confidence in the ability of the U.S. to pay what is owed, interest rates rise and all Americans are affected.  Predictions are that the Chinese economy will surpass the American economy within a generation, and history shows that economic strength begets political power.

Perhaps the Chinese are much more patient in playing their waiting game than Americans would be; after all, Chinese history is replete with at least 24 dynasties dating back to before 2,000 B.C.  And, if history is a cyclical process, then the U.S. is very much a johnny-come-lately.

Just 4 years ago, Russian economist Igor Panarin was predicting the approaching fragmentation and break-up of the U.S.  The dollar, said Panarin, was based on nothing of substance.  Furthermore, American debt was picking up speed like an avalanche.  Such insane policies would see the demise of America as a great power, whose portion of time wielding global strength represents merely a tiny blip on the continuum of history

Benedetto Croce (1866 - 1952) was an Italian philosopher of the first-rank.  Croce proffered that all history was dependent on previous history; and, drawing on the 16th and 17th century historian Gianbattista Vico, concluded that human history was cyclical in nature.  That is to say that all of the major impulses that influence human endeavors run and return in inevitable cycles.

JARED DIAMOND

Examining failed societies in his COLLAPSE:  HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL OR SUCCEED, UCLA professor Jared Diamond (1937 - ) looks at environmental factors, including environmental problems that are affecting present day human beings.  But, underlying all of the negative elements affecting societies, there is the human factor and how humans choose to address the problems they face.  For, when all is said and done, decisions determine outcomes and, ultimately, survival.

ARNOLD TOYNBEE

Much earlier, British historian Arnold Toynbee (1889 - 1975) published a multi-volume work, A STUDY OF HISTORY.  In arriving at his thesis, Toynbee expanded on the premises of German historian Otto Spengler, which saw history as a stair-step process, where progress is based on innovation and struggle. In this light, societies are like human organisms.  They go through life processes that may be likened to birth, childhood, adolescence, maturity, decline and obsolescence or death.  The key to remaining vibrant is the ability to meet new challenges with new solutions.  When societies habitually offer up old solutions to new challenges, then the road to ultimate  decline is embarked upon.

As we consider the present American state of affairs, it might be well to ponder as well our present leadership and in what direction our nation is going.  Are we truly being innovative in dealing with the challenges with which we are faced?  Is it true that innovation may delay any cyclical process leading to decline?  Are the decisions being made in our behalf arrived at after due consideration of all factors and undertaken with the best possible outcomes in mind?

Regrettably, I must conclude that those who now plot our course do so with old, drab and failed solutions and schemes.  Wherever we look in Europe, statism has failed.  Those societies which have limited freedom and liberty in behalf of bogus equality now reside in the dustbin of history.  We are the solution.  If we settle for leadership selling the snake-oil of failure, then we, in turn, receive the government and the leadership we deserve.  Is it possible for us  to determine to reverse our present disastrous course?  Or shall we conclude, as did Will and Ariel Durant, that the main thing we learn from history is that we don't learn very much from history?

Deo Vindice!

May God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

THE FRENCH TRIANGLE: IS IT REALLY SUCH A BIG DEAL?

THE FRENCH TRIANGLE

It sounds as though French president Francois Hollande has gotten himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place.  With a pregnant girlfriend and a hospitalized mistress., it is said that Monsieur Hollande will soon be making a decision as to which of the two ladies his heart belongs.

The interesting thing about the situation is that it is not getting that much attention on Hollande's home front, as the French are somewhat more casual about such circumstances.  Generally not known for prudishness, the French do have an established reputation for sexual laissez-faire. 

When I read of President Hollande's dilemma, I could not help but think there would be far more curiosity in the U.S. concerning the story.  Somehow, in the U.S., our so-called public-servants can remain credible despite serious shortcomings in all areas of life except marital and sexual fidelity.

Certainly, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky  come to mind.  Their sad affair of infidelity had such a paralyzing effect that it succeeded in totally diverting attention from what should have been the great issues of the day and resulted in a disproportionate amount of time and energy being invested in the impeachment process. Could it be that our traditional Anglo-Saxon primness has led us to judge politicians based on fidelity, or the lack thereof?

Any number of completely incompetent buffoons may be singled out in Washington.  They are essentially do-nothings who enrich themselves at the cost of the taxpayers, while picking the pockets of various interest groups.  But they are not known to be philanderers, or, at least, they have yet to be caught in the act.

Oh, the marvelous things that our public servants in Congress can do with their PAC's!  All sorts of personal expenses may be written off to a PAC, and there are always official junkets and also special goodies and hand-outs from the lobbyists to be looked forward to.  Then one can always craft bills that will keep those funds flowing from all sorts of interest groups and lobbies.

When it comes to family, life in D.C. is nothing if it is not a family affair.  There are always the ways and means of getting parents, spouses, siblings, children and even cousins on any number of payrolls, if not directly paid for by the public servant, then paid by campaign committees and from family services rendered to special interests.

It must be admitted that, if a politician cannot keep his pants zippered, then that politician should not be applauded; however, I am of the opinion that genuine service and commitment to constituents and to the country should be judged as far more important than personal shortcomings, flings and pecodillos.

If impeachment proceedings were to be considered against a public figure, surely it would make better sense to base any such charges on actions that unreasonably endangered the lives of one's countrymen, that abused  power by unleashing the divisions of government against its citizens, that lessened the ability of the nation to defend itself and that permanently bound future generations to debt and national penury.  As citizens, let's focus on the real essence of public service and leave the other matters to the cerebrally-challenged who are drawn to the pages of National Enquirer and The Globe.

Deo Vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

DECEPTION, INVEIGLING AND OBFUSCATION CONTINUE

Despite an anemic public opinion standing and growing distrust of presidential "promises," the administration in Washington continues on its merry way,  doing its best to ensnare as many Americans as possible in a growing web of government control.

Concerning the grotesquely  named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the anticipated numbers of young people signing up have not materialized.  With the whole apparatus of O'Care hinging on legions of young and healthy people paying the way for the old and sick, the program is looking shakier and shakier.  Then, too, those who have enrolled are reportedly slow on the draw with payments.  But maybe that's the way this monstrosity was designed in the first place.

If insurance companies are left holding the bag on this scam, certain events will surely follow:

1.  The government will have to bail out the insurance companies.

2.  Taxes will be raised to facilitate the bailout.

3.  The cost of insurance will rise.

4.  Government, through another executive decree, will convert O'Care to a single-payer, government system, and our dear old government will just keep growing.  And, possibly, that was the desired outcome all along.

That's a scary outcome to ponder, isn't it?

From the Department of Justice comes word that a "non-partisan" investigator is set to dig into the IRS efforts to undermine conservative political groups.  The person chosen to carry out the inquiry is Ms. Barbara Bosserman, a DOJ trial attorney.  In addition to working at the DOJ, Ms. Bosserman is well known as an active Democrat, in fact one who has donated $6,500 to the campaigns of one Barack Hussein Obama.

Talk about the foxes guarding the hen-house, this must stand as a prime example.  If the stink of Washington corruption was not strong enough to be detected beyond the Potomac River, the Bosserman appointment will surely succeed in spreading the odor.

News has also finally gotten out that the president knew at the same time as the attack at Benghazi was taking place that the violent action which  was raging was, indeed,  an instance of well-planned terrorism.  Instead of authorizing immediate retaliatory action which might have saved the ill-fated Americans who would die there, the canard of an out-of-control demonstration was conceived. and a cover-up that included the American ambassador to the United Nations spreading the lie on national TV was commenced.  For sure, we have not seen the last of this deceptive episode; and, hopefully, if Congress can resurrect its intestinal fortitude and oppose the presidential assault on its prerogatives, we might have a chance of finally seeing the blame for this tragedy satisfactorily appropriated.

And, finally, as all of the propaganda about income inequality gets going, it might be well to remind our 44th president that a blow against the crony-capitalism that has spread throughout his administration would be a great equalizer as far as income is concerned.  But, apparently, that is not a part of the presidential plan.  A look backward in history reveals that, of those ideologies basing their actions on equalizing social and income status, there were always elites whose standing was in no way affected downward, while the great mass of the population experienced an equality of poverty, drabness, misery and fear.  As Will and Ariel Durant noted in THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION, the main thing that we learn from history is that we do not learn very much from history.

Deo Vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!