Is Honesty the Best Policy?

I’m still disappointed in the way the al-Megrahi release was handled by the Scottish legal system with the tacit approval of the British government. I believe that I would have been able to accept a more honest comment from these folks, simply stating that this release was being made to improve or solidify their relationship with Libya.

As Americans, we have already lost our innocence concerning matters like these and, in today’s world, Commerce seems to always “trump” National Honor. This has been proven in numerous events that have taken place and will continue to take place here in the States.

How can we condemn other countries for these strategies while currently families and government officials are still trying to locate the remains of military personnel still missing from the Viet Nam war while, at the same time, we are actively importing merchandise from that one-time enemy? My family just bought a nifty little table from a local shop that, when we got it home, "Made in Viet Nam" was shown as the country of orgin.

There will be one event that will disprove my suspicions about the release of al-Megrahi. If he will hurry up and DIE in a timely fashion, I'll have a nice lunch of crow and move on.

Unfortunately my wife and I saw Humanitarian Release abused first-hand when we were volunteers at the federal prison in Ft. Worth, Texas. Some years ago, a convicted swindler apparently found a doctor that would certify that the prisoner was in the final stages of cancer and would die soon. The prisoner was released, with his predicted death a few months in the future, but to this day, some 5 years later, he is still functioning fully.

Another thing is causing my stomach to churn. As a dues paying member of AARP, I receive a periodical called the AARP Bulletin. I just received the September issue where its headline reads THE HYPE, THE LIES, AND THE FACTS.

This issue purports to “Tune out the fear-mongering and misinformation and make sense of the health care reform debate".

I’m still in the process of reviewing what this Obama-favoring publication has to say, but I was struck by the statement signed by the CEO and the President that “THE COST OF DOING NOTHING IS UNACCEPTABLE. WITHOUT REFORM, A FAMLY’S PREMIUMS FOR HEALTH INSURANCE WILL ALMOST DOUBLE BY 2016 TO OVER $24,000!

I can only believe that the $24,000 is in Obama Dollars (current dollars adjusted for Runaway Inflation). Till next time.