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A Further Perspective
God Wins — So Does the Devil
Last week, Chile proved to be an exception.
One of the Chilean miners, after he had stepped out of the rescue capsule the other day, declared of his experience, “I met God. I met the Devil. God won.” God won for him, his colleagues, Chile and the world.
Meanwhile, though, the Devil fared well in the United States last week. Consider this:
The Social Security Administration sent out $250 checks — $18 million in all — to 72,000 dead people.
Alan Hevesi, former Controller for New York State, who was the sole trustee for the state’s large public pension fund, pled guilty to a charge of receiving $1 million in gifts and contributions from a money manager for steering $250 million of investments his way.
California, all but bankrupt, reported that last year it spent $467 million in taxpayer funds on scholarships to students at four-year colleges who failed to return for a second year.
The U.S. Postal Service, losing millions of dollars a month, has been giving cushy, non-bid contracts to former USPS executives. The USPS Inspector General found 17 of these contracts were given to former postal executives within a year of their retirement. One person received a no-bid $260,000 “knowledge transfer” contract. The IG reported, “These contracts were put in place even though highly experienced postal executives filled the positions vacated by the former executives.” Depressed by this news? Cheer up (the Devil did), for the USPS will soon raise postage stamp rates — again.
AMTRAK took the easier way out: It got rid of its Inspector General (two decades on the job) after he uncovered waste and abuse in senior levels of the railroad company. Among other things, his office questioned what it called “excessive use” by AMTRAK of outside lawyers.
Seventy-three people, led by a man who lived in the former Soviet Union, were rounded up for defrauding Medicare of $35 million-plus through phony clinics and stolen doctor and patient identities. This coast-to-coast crime ring gave their invented clinics P.O. box addresses and filed fake claims. Medicare fell for it. No doubt the Devil made them do it and he made them spend it already. Perhaps Mr. Obama can find a way to recover it.
Thousands of Medicaid recipients in California were given debit cards with which to buy food. Instead, more than a few of them hied themselves to Las Vegas and ran up gambling losses on the debit cards. This brings to mind the periodic revelations in Washington that credit cards issued by federal government agencies have been used for — surprise — vacations, jewelry, expensive dinners, etc. The Devil made the credit card holders do it, too.
There is nothing new about venality and greed (check the Bible for early details). Widespread goodness, however, seems in shorter supply than it used to. The rescue of the Chilean miners gave the world a refreshing reminder that good will, determination, courage, ingenuity and faith in God are still out there.
About the Author
Peter Hannaford was closely associated for a number of years with the late President Reagan, beginning in the California Governor’s office. His latest book is Presidential Retreats.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (21) | Leave a comment
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Booger | 10.18.10 @ 6:15AM
News item: NASA designs rescue vehicle for Chilean mine rescue effort, special diet to protect miners' health during extraction, provides doctors to assist with treatment of rescued miners, and other assistance in unprecedented rescue of trapped miners.
From the desk of President B. Hussein Obama,
To: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
Dear Charlie,
Well, I suppose at this point you're expecting some sort of commendation for a job well done. Maybe you didn't get the memo, or maybe you just don't care. I'm really beginning to wonder about you. Quite frankly, I think what we have here is a failure to communicate.
So you rescued a bunch of miners who were stupid enough to get themselves stuck in a hole in the ground. First of all, let Me point out that when you insist on raping the Earth for human "needs" you should expect this sort of thing to happen. Have you stopped to think what might have happened if those miners had not been rescued? Maybe the greedy corporations that are destroying our planet would have a harder time recruiting more of the proletariat to go into a mine and pillage the Earth if those miners had died a slow, painful death. But no, you had to go and make a big deal out of helping to rescue them, and in so doing encourage people to think of them as "heroes" instead of the rapists and pillagers of Our Mother Earth that they really are.
Additionally, have I not made your primary mission clear to you? In what way did any of this business of rescuing trapped Chilean miners help build Muslim self-esteem? Chile isn't even a Muslim country! (Okay, that's on the plate for the future, but that's another point.) None of those miners were Muslims. In point of fact, they all seemed to be saying they were christians. Were any of the rescue crew you sent down there Muslims? If so, why haven't I heard about it? So here we are, wasting our precious resources to rescue a bunch of arrogant christians who are raping the Mother Earth. How does that bring glory to Allah and His Holy Prophet? How does that cause the Brotherhood of the True Faith to be exalted?
Look, I'm sick and tired of hearing from you about "space exploration" and "technology for a better life on Earth". At what point did I indicate that either of those ridiculous notions has anything to do with NASA's mission under this administration? And so help me, if I hear one word about "American exceptionalism" I'll have you, your entire family, and all of your friends facing IRS audits all the way back to 1968! If it doesn't help Muslims feel good about themselves, it's not part of your job. Get that through your head or I'll have to make an example of you.
It's clear I made a mistake when I appointed you to this position. I saw "African-American" on the file Rahm handed me and just figured you would know how to take orders from Me. But now that I've reviewed your file, I see that you used to be a US Marine. And not only that, you actually took part in the illegal war against the peace-loving people of North Viet-Nam. So, how many babies did you kill, anyway? I am getting completely sick and tired of the attitude you and your pathetic marine buddies are always showing. Always thinking you and America are better than everybody else. It's about time you learned you aren't, and I guess I'll have to be the one to teach you a lesson on that.
You can count yourself lucky for the minute, since so many of the pathetic tea-bagger rednecks in this country think you're some kind of hero right now. But there's a lot of people calling for cut-backs in the federal budget, and I think I just found an agency we can afford to get rid of. Just remember, it's nobody's fault but your own. All you had to do was glorify True Islam, and like a typical infidel, you blew it.
Your President for Life,
B. Hussein Obama
the permanent newbie| 10.18.10 @ 9:10AM
Booger, you're a precious resource, and are starting to give the immortal Iowahawk some serious competition. When are you going to set up your own site to give us our regular satire fixes? I'll be there every day!
Booger | 10.18.10 @ 9:34AM
Thanks for the encouragement. You can click on my name here, or the link is: http://beautifulletters-bls.blogspot.com/
There is some material there in addition to what I write here, including an as-yet unpublished, "extra-special" letter from Bahney Fwank.
Cordially,
Booger
Margie| 10.18.10 @ 1:17PM
Bravo to the Booger!
Can I post this at NYMag online? It's been awhile but I used to post there regularly under the name WARFORPEACE and drive them nuts. It'd be fun to revisit. I just love the smell of smoldering Liberals in the morning.
wodiej| 10.18.10 @ 5:07PM
thanks....your website will be a daily read!
Tenn Slim| 10.18.10 @ 9:25AM
Seldom do I respond to a Poster.
BUT. This one requires a comment.
HOO RAH>
end
Semper FI
Booger| 10.18.10 @ 9:31AM
Many thanks. It brightens my day a little to write these, if it brightens yours to read them all the better.
Cordially,
Booger
Mimi| 10.18.10 @ 12:10PM
OMG Booger...This one was priceless.!!!
WGMOW| 10.18.10 @ 4:25PM
He, he, he! The American Spectator ought to give you your own column. Well done, sir!
wodiej| 10.18.10 @ 5:01PM
love your posts! lol....
ShortNSweet| 10.18.10 @ 5:12PM
Booger! You're the Man!!! Keep writing, it makes my day!
Appleby| 10.18.10 @ 7:02AM
The war between God and Satan is heating up, but the Devils Brigade have made the mistake of believing that they are working in Canada, where there IS a proletariat and it merely shrugs and whines *What can you d0000000000000?* when such revelations are made. Americans take these things far more seriously, worse luck for the Old Scratch.
albert constantine jr.| 10.18.10 @ 8:57AM
It has often been said that the biggest trick the Devil pulled off was convincing people he didn't exist. Trick number 2 would be to convince folks that even if he did exist, there'd be nothing you could do about it, as your post illustrates.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 10.18.10 @ 9:08AM
Here's another the Devil made me do it.
While Obama and his socialist cohorts extol the savings of Obamacare, a report in News Week showed that Medicare fraud amounted to 60 billion dollars, more then the profits of 14 health insurance companies listed on the Fortune 500.
Tenn Slim| 10.18.10 @ 9:21AM
"that good will, determination, courage, ingenuity and faith in God are still out there."
Hoo Rah for the Faith of the Chilean Miners.
That same level of Faith resides in the USA Electorate. Quiet, determined, able, dedicated. We will Prevail
end
Mimi| 10.18.10 @ 12:26PM
Hooray...To those miners...They came out of a WOMB LIKE-TOMB...Through a narrow passage to LIFE. It is the best PRO-LIFE story on display for all the world to see...To me a RE-BIRTH, with Joy all over the earth....Remarkable!! A great display of "humility" of men,...President, and people of CHILE. Their was a tear in every HUMANS eye that watched and a quiet message from on HIGH " I AM GOD, WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD AND IT WILL BE GOOD!!!"
wodiej| 10.18.10 @ 5:08PM
Everyone has a choice-good or evil.
With all the current waste and fraud in medicare, can you imagine how it will skyrocket under Obama"care"??
Lepa10 | 10.18.10 @ 11:58PM
"Good will, determination, courage, ingenuity and faith in God are still out there." I like this sentence. I believe that God always wins. The glory belongs to Him.
C. Smith| 10.20.10 @ 1:59AM
And the Man of God Wept
On the day after the first Tuesday in November[2008], the reality is becoming clear. Our defenses are to be destroyed, our young men who guard them, little more than fuel for the fire, and our little ones, ripped from their mothers and dashed to the ground:
"And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath showed me that he shall surely die. And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath showed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover. And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead" (2 Kings 8: 7-15).
http://popularapostasy.blogspo.....-wept.html