Schiavo-Crouch-and-Monk

Saving Schiavo

It is absolutely astounding to watch congressional Democrats' new found awareness of what is the proper scope of the national legislature. After decades upon decades of abusing the Interstate Commerce Clause of the US Constitution to cram thinly disguised socialism down our throats, now the democrats have decided it is time to revisit the proper scope of the federal legislature. It really is a little more than a little disingenuous. All weekend, the nation has been subjected to a parade of democrats denouncing the actions intended to give Terri Schiavo the same access to the federal courts that your average child-molester-serial-killer-dregs-of-society gets, and they have their fur all up about it. Accusing Tom Delay and others in the congressional leadership of pandering to the culture of life.

So what if they are?

Then isn't it fair to assume that the democrats, by deduced reasoning, oppose life?

What is utterly breath-taking in its audacity is to watch the democrats bleat and warble about the improper scope of congress in this exercise in human decency. Yes, it clearly interferes with properly inane congressional pursuits (at least to the democratic way of thinking) such as setting speed limits for the 50 states, paying farmers not to grow certain crops, and paving every last square inch of West Virginia, then naming it the Robert Byrd memorial Freeway/Parking lot.

Where was all this concern about proper congressional scope and limitations while congress was busy limiting free speech with McCain/Feingold?

Where was all the institutional handwringing about congress' poorly conceived efforts to diminish the second amendment protections of Amercian citizens?

Where is all the concern about the improper nature of the federal legislature continuing to dictate a farce of a mandatory retirement program?

I could go on and on with examples until your eyes bled, now that the congress has acted to extend some measure of access to a tragically sick woman, the democrats are upset about proper congressional scope. Amazing. Perhaps if they had legislated an outcome, that would better please the pseudo-socialistic aestheic of congressional democrats. What is even more stunning is how this shrieking illustrates their political tone deafness. They would be far better served to just be quiet. They should just put tape over their own mouths and be quiet, like the protesters in Florida are doing so effectively in Mrs. Schiavos behalf.

The congress sits by for a little over two hundred years since Marbury v Madison, and watches as the courts continue to usurp their legislative power, I'm speaking of both parties generally; while the democrats actively pursue such a strategy. Ironically, now the democrats are all about limited federal power.

Since when?

I have blogged about this before. One thing that absolutely would be within their scope (unlike the spotted-snail-darter-whatever, or the 55 mph speed limit) would be to reign in out of control federal courts, like the ninth circuit. Let's watch now and see if they summon the courage and gumption to do that. Republicans and Democrats alike. I'm not going to hold my breath.

Stanley Crouch and SpinDaddy

Probably don't agree too often politically. I've never had the opportunity to meet him, but now I know there are at least two things we agree on. He has an op-ed piece today in the New York Daily News, where he echoes, in a sense, my Three Opportunities post of 16MAR05 , in the energy and environment section. Crouch calls for a renewed look at Nuclear energy. Read the whole thing as he makes some excellent points.

" ... It is time to recognize what even France understands, which is that nuclear energy is the cleanest, safest and least expensive way to get beyond oil dependency..."

This is a point very well taken and worthy of a little speculation about how much better off our economy would be today if we had not cowered before the environmental-anti-capitalism cabal since three-mile island.
TMI was not proof that the system writ large that we know as the nuclear power industry is flawed; but rather it was proof of just the opposite. The systems and designs work, and safeguards worked as intended.

Of course there were missteps or there would not have been an incident, but look at our exposure today to the whims of various Mideastern, and South American regimes. Weak and sympathetic Democratic leaders in congress at the time buckled under pressure from the environmental lobby and virtually shut down any further development of nuclear power. Such exposure to these whims is unacceptable, and should be corrected immediately, the irrational fears of Jane Fonda and the no-Nukes crowd notwithstanding. I believe Crouch is on to something when he says

"...We are due for a major reconstruction of our thinking about nuclear power... "

Right on. Newer technologies in construction and containment would yield bountiful, cheap, and clean energy. Continuing to bow and scrape before the environmental lobby is not only damaging our economic well being by making us too dependent on unstable foreign energy sources, but also endangers our national security. We need to start now correcting this. It will probably take a good twenty years to restart our nuclear energy industry.

This shameful cowering by those in power also puts our domestic safety at risk, as the plants we have now age and become outmoded for lack of a suitable replacement regime, they will incur more risk as they continue to operate beyond their optimal lifespan. As these plants age excessively and are not replaced, they will begin to have problems, thus becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy for the environmental-chicken-littles. In 1935 when Social Security was started, the Douglas DC-3 was a state of the art airliner. You can "safely" operate a Douglas DC-3 today as a trunk airliner, but nobody does.

Why?

Because the load efficiencies are not there and the maintenance requirements too high per seat mile. Steam locomotives were done in for the same economically rational reasons, regardless of their romantic majesty, they are impractical to operate today. Current nuclear power plants face the same fate. Continuing to take incidents such as three-mile island and blow them out of proportion to justify not pursuing an updated nuclear power system is the height of foolishness. That would be like abandoning rail service after Casy Jones' crash. The political barriers to restarting our nuclear power industry on a large scale are the result of an artificial construct on the part of these environmentalist Luddites , and we should tolerate it no longer. There have been some unsafe incidents, but generally speaking, the nuclear power industry has a tremendous safety record.

Oh yeah, what is the other thing Stanley Crouch and I have in common? An intense and deep love of Jazz music. I know he would very much like the Thelonious Monk album I am listening to as I write this. The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall. I give it my highest reccomendation. I'm quite sure Stanley would agree. -SpinDaddy