Some cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go.
Oscar Wilde
Hero Temar Boggs
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| Rescued kidnapping victim 5-year-old Jocelyn Rojas See also here |
[15-year-old high school freshman] Boggs met the girl's family Thursday evening, after he told police his story.
The girl's family members "were just saying that I was a hero, that I was a guardian angel and that it was amazing that I was there and was able to find the girl," he said.
Boggs doesn't see himself as a hero.
"I'm just a normal person who did a thing that anybody else would do," he said.
He described himself as a typical kid.
His mother, Tamika Boggs, said she's proud of her son.
"You just hope you raise your child the right way. ... He's learning what I tell him, to help others," she said.The abductor lured the little girl with ice cream. Temar and a friend on bikes spotted a suspicious vehicle with the scared little girl inside and gave chase. The abductor let Jocelyn out of the car; Jocelyn ran to the safety of Temar's arms. He brought her to law enforcement, whom delivered her to her mom. As I write, the abductor remains a fugitive. I have a zero-tolerance policy on crimes against children.
Outstanding young men like Temar Boggs give me hope in America's future, and mothers (and fathers) who raise their children with the right virtues, values, and discipline like Tamika Boggs, are critical.
Guest Blog Quote of the Day
African-Americans constitute about 13% of the population, yet between 1976 and 2005 blacks committed more than half of all murders in the U.S. The homicide rate claiming black victims today is seven times that of whites, and the George Zimmermans of the world are not the reason. Some 90% of black murder victims are killed by other blacks."Do you know that Negroes are 10 percent of the population of St. Louis and are responsible for 58% of its crimes? We've got to face that. And we've got to do something about our moral standards," Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told a congregation in 1961. - Jason Riley, WSJDr. King honestly addressed a problem unlike his alleged successor "reverends" like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton whom, in my opinion, have spent careers personally, politically and professionally exploiting the civil rights movement and seizing every opportunity, like the Trayvon Martin tragedy, to sustain their power base, even as people of color are regularly elected to public office even in the Old South, are represented across occupations, entertainment and academia and in corporate leadership positions. This progress is irreversible; we no longer need "training wheels" programs, but if you listen to the race agenda propagandists, we are one SCOTUS decision away from the reintroduction of Jim Crow laws. This is pseudo-intellectual race-based demagoguery and fear-mongering. What's worse is that this special-interest group is allied with other "progressive" interests to promote an entitlement/dependency on statist policies, rather than individual liberty and responsibility. The video clip below starts off with one of those dime-a-dozen rants which still sound similar to the same political crap I've heard since at least the seventies and I referenced in a recent one-off rant.
What we've seen is decades of failed "progressive" policy, despite throwing huge amounts of money at public education and other domestic policies that are morally hazardous and ineffective. The solution is not to be found in "more of the same" policies that have failed, and it requires more than changing the skin color of the next self-serving mayor, Congressman or President. The black community needs to step up and take charge and stop believing that remote professional politicians and bureaucrats are finally going to figure out how to solve intractable problems.
We need to reaffirm traditional values of marriage and family, teaching of individual virtues, reject the coarse sexually-obsessed culture, and reset unrealistic expectations of viable sports or entertainment careers.
Public policy? A good start: decriminalize the underground drug economy; increase competition to the public education monopoly; streamline occupational licensing. We need to restore the free market, eliminate government barriers to new businesses and improve employment opportunities for young people (e.g., eliminate the minimum wage).
Are the young victims of far more prevalent black-on-black violence less worthy than Trayvon Martin? Why have we seen so disproportionate coverage and breast-beating over the passing of Martin? Why do people of color listen to the divisive rhetoric of Obama and Holder? What have they done to reduce black-on-black crime? This is like one big bait-and-switch--one inept Latino neighborhood watch captain who somehow blundered his way into getting beaten up by a 17-year-old kid somehow becomes the poster boy of violence on blacks; forget those kids getting killed in cities like Chicago over a weekend and barely make mention in the obituary sections of newspapers. Obama and Holder have a vested interest in promoting their relevance, but this problem is bigger than dependence on clueless statists. It starts with the individual, family, church and community stepping up.
Image of the Day
Generally speaking, I oppose watering down Senate minority filibuster rights. I'm more concerned over the loss over legislation versus appointments and judicial nominations; I'm generally inclined towards Presidential discretion on the latter 2 categories, which I also held in 2005. I find it blatantly hypocritical that Reid and other Dems have flipped their position on the so-called nuclear option (i.e., use a simple majority vote to change filibuster rules) since when Bill Frist threatened it with the Dems using the filibuster as standard operating procedure to block floor votes on a large percentage of Bush appointments and nominees. As the saying goes, payback is a bitch, isn't it? I can understand why the GOP is concerned; we have a hyper-partisan President whom only wants to have to play for approval from his own caucus, e.g., nominating hardcore "progressives". I would like to see a compromise where the minority is allowed a certain number of challenges and/or a new Gang of 14. Reid should tread very carefully, because the GOP does have a shot of regaining control of the Senate next year.
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| Via The Hill |
This blog is not big on endorsements; I'm only nominally registered as Republican to have a voice in selecting preferably libertarian-conservative candidates. (I've described myself as more a "free federalist"--the old Federalist Party was nationalist, pro-tariff; I'm more interested in the principle of federalism with respect to minimal public policy. Jefferson must be turning over in his grave over how his original party has morphed into a central-planning vortex, a black hole, if you will, sucking up all free market resources within its gravitational pull.) I think last year I endorsed Jeff Flake for Arizona, Dan Bongino of Maryland for US Senate and Mitt Romney for President. (I generally supported more conservative candidates, which generally translates into GOP candidates, because there is no such thing as a legitimate centrist/moderate Democrat.)
Liz Cheney is trying to make Enzi, with a 90-plus ACU lifetime rating, out as a Democrat collaborator. The idea that inexperienced Lucy Skywalker, progeny of the GOP's version of Darth Vader, is trying to take the seat of a popular, dependable Senator, is hubris. I don't think for all the time I've heard her talk about anything on FNC, I've ever found anything worthy enough to reference in my blog. Even the idea she'll bring her father's incompetent military and foreign policy views to the Senate repulses me.Wyoming deserves a dependable voice in the Senate; don't gamble on a shrill political novice.
Fair-Trade Coffee?
Professor Colleen Haight gives an interesting presentation, but buying premium beans is not unlike encouraging car buyers to purchase a luxury car because automakers can afford to pay their assembly workers higher. I know the labeling works because I was once in a Sam's Club when an older black couple asked about the brand. As for me, I'm skeptical of politically correct branding or the countless "we'll pay a percent of our proceeds for such-and-such charity". I feel you're better off donating to a chosen charity, and buying a product for intrinsic purposes. There are jobs in terms of harvesting Folgers coffee beans; I'm less inclined to pay a huge price premium for Starbucks or "Fair Share" (or non-GMO foods, etc.)
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Henry Payne and Townhall |
The Beatles, "Nowhere Man". Dedicated to The (Incompetent) One, professional politicians, and government bureaucrats everywhere.
