April 28, 2004 -

TEDIOUS TOSSOGRAPHY!

---

What did John throw, and when did he throw it?

---

That, and more. Now, the details...

I was one of maybe 300 people watching the end of the CBS (de)"Face The Nation" on Sunday when host Bob Schieffer unlimbered what he apparently believes is sound political philosophy. Schieffer said the only reason for government to exist is to "improve the lives of the governed." That seems benign enough, until a moment of thought. But shouldn't government exist only to meet the genuine needs of the governed? And to allow a climate in which the "governed" can improve their own lives?

My bright friend J.R. Wilson quotes his favorite President, Thomas Jefferson on the matter. Jefferson wrote: " The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors."

Jefferson went on to quote Benjamin Franklin, who wrote: "In free governments the rulers are the servants and the people their superiors and sovereigns."

Jefferson concluded: " The ultimate powers in a society, therefore, rest in the people themselves, and they should exercise those powers, either directly or through representatives, in every way they are competent and that is practicable."

I think I'll stick with TJ. Democrats can go with BS. (Oh, that's Bob Schieffer, of course...)

Speaking of Democrats, my head is spinning from trying to figure out what war hero John Kerry did with his multifarious medals – back when he was a war protester during the Vietnam daze. It is unchallenged that Hero John tossed something over the fence at the White House, in protest of the war that Kerry now proudly proclaims his service in. Did Hero John toss his very own medals? He has said he did. But he has said he didn't, either. He also has said he tossed somebody else's medals over the fence. And he said he tossed his ribbons – not his medals. And Hero John says ribbons and medals are the same thing. Well, Hero John got a Bronze Star, a Silver Star and three purple hearts in his four or five months in ‘Nam, and those beat the stuffing out of my one Army Commendation Medal. But, last time I checked, I wasn't running to be the most powerful man in the world. But medals and ribbons are different. Even non-heroes know that.

So, what did Hero/Protester John toss over the fence – if not his medals? Could it have been his first wife? I think not, since he tossed that mere multimillionairess and then married the lovely Teresa – who beats the first Mrs. Kerry by about a quarter of a billion. Or maybe it was his media guy/gal/thing who went over the fence. You know. The dolt who scheduled Kerry to be humiliated by Charles Gibson on ABC-TV, asking about just what got tossed in those heady days of Vietnam War protest by a guy who now can't give his home address without adding, "While serving in Vietnam..."

Kerry is an athletic fellow, but he couldn't have tossed Teresa's SUV over the fence. His long-haired, Vietnam protester days were, after all, back in the early days of SUVs. But Kerry has a problem with SUVs. He says he doesn't own one – but "the family" does. Problem is that the only "family" environmentalist John could be talking about is Teresa – who indeed owns an SUV or two. John and Teresa are Democrat environmentalists, but are they supposed to ride donkeys to board Teresa's private jet? It just wouldn't be dignified.

I hear that Democrat strategists have been told to refrain from using the phrase "soak the rich" in Senator Ted Kennedy's presence. They're afraid Ted might think they want him to take Teresa Heinz Kerry for a midnight ride at Chappaquiddick. (How long can Ted's SUV stay afloat, anyway?)

And in Austin, Republican Gov. Rick Perry polished his Aggie credentials by proposing to fund education by putting a $5 tax on people going into topless bars. Would this be a tax on boobs, about boobs, and in favor of young boobs?

If you have ever wondered what the phrase "beneath contempt" really means, the hard-left "Independent Media Center" in Portland, Oregon should serve as exemplar. You see, the Independent Media Center put a headline on a story about the death of former pro football player turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman that tells it all. The headline: "Dumb Jock Killed in Afghanistan."

I read of the death of Tillman, who turned down a multimillion dollar NFL contract to become an $18,000 a year Army Ranger. I had not followed his college career, but the man was a brilliant student. He was an over-achiever in normal life, and on the football field. He gave up millions as a defensive standout with the Arizona Cardinals to serve as a Ranger in Afghanistan. I thought, "How in the world do we create young men like this? And what can we do to prove we deserve them?" I'm still pondering those questions. I am also wondering if the gene pool can survive with people who think Pat Tillman was a "dumb jock."

QUESTION FOR THE DAY: Is it possible that John Kerry tossed his good sense over the White House fence back when he was a Vietnam protester – before he became a Vietnam war hero?