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04/22/2003 Archived Entry: "Scoop on Martha Burk"
Yesterday, a friend forwarded a message she had received from the President of the Heritage Foundation with some interesting inside info on how Burk is conducting the protest against the male-members only policy of the Augusta National Golf Club. The message follows...
"Last weekend at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, Martha Burk-who has been leading the charge for women members of the Augusta National golf club-blamed us for the fact that she held a protest and nobody came. It seems that the massive protest Ms. Burk promised against the membership policies of the private golf club, failed to materialize. Desperately looking for someone to blame, according to the Washington Post she, 'accused a Washington-based conservative group, The Heritage Foundation, of spending thousands of dollars to buy up seats on her protest buses to reduce the turnout.' That charge, of course, is ridiculous. But even if Heritage had done this, my question is this: If Martha Burk thought she had sold all the seats on her bus because of supposed action by Heritage, why didn't she rent a second bus?" signed Ed Feulner BTW, I note that Jesse Jackson did not attend the Augusta protests, as he had announced he would, but wisely chose to distance himself from the increasingly bizarre Burk. I mean...what was with her accusation that a simile used by the Hootie-crew put her in fear for her life? ANGC's PR people used the phrase "drive-by shooter" to describe Burk's tactics and she yelled "Violence Against Women!" Has the woman ever experienced anything more dangerous than a chipped nail? She cheapens and trivializes the pain of every woman who has actually been threatened with physical harm.
The individual states are using predictable means to hold back the spectre of bankruptcy that looms due to the sagging economy, the cost of war, and the massive spending mandated by Homeland Security plans. Again, it is the working guy and gal who, at every turn, will find they have less money for their children, their retirement and for the small luxuries of life so important to its enjoyment -- like music or an evening of live theatre. The favored measure is and will continue to be the imposition of a four-letter word beginning with "F" -- "fees" -- which governments wield in the same manner and for the same purpose as taxes. Only fees are much easer to get through the legislature -- (taxes must be referred to the public for a vote). Just two examples of this taxation through the back door.... Colorado is solving its approx. $1 billion budget deficit for 2003-04 by raising user fees on a broad base of "licenses," such as car plates and permission to drill a well, and governmental "services" such as inspecting farmer's eggs and certifying nursing homes. Meanwhile, in California... Bob Salladay of the San Francisco Chroncile does a great job of tallying up many of the $28 billion in potential fees and charges proposed in 117 bills pending in the Legislature. A partial list of items to be assessed: lightbulbs, beer, diapers, bullets, airplanes, bottled water, guns, dry cleaning, cigarettes, medical licenses, earthquake insurance, oil, hunting and fishing licenses, marriage counselors, nursing homes, imported electricity, public colleges, mercury lamps, cell phones, satellite TVs, library books, landscaping, court documents, lumber and delinted cottonseed. This is the face of the future: no rise in taxes, just govenrment fees everywhere you turn, look, move for anything you say, do, or consume. It makes you want to spit but I'm sure there is now a user fee for cleaning up the sidewalk.
On the Personal Front:
My good bud Gordon P. offers this review of the movie DareDevil: "Absolutely =STUNNING=, visually --- if anything, it was even more spectacular than either _Spider-man_ or _The Matrix_. But the storyline is VERY dark, and UTTERLY heartbreaking... :'-( My advice is, see it --- but =NOT= if you're in a bad mood --- and have something lighter queued up to watch afterward as a "chaser"..."
Two quick thank yous....Thanks to Lee K. for forwarding a fascinating article on the "Pro-US Arabic-language news network to be launched in Middle East," financed by US$30.5m that was part of the supplemental appropriations request to pay for the war and homeland security. We'll be "discovering" expenditure items that were buried in the appropriations for months to come. Thanks also to David Theroux of the Independent Institute for forwarding three articles on the Soviet-style airports ushered in by the utterly absurd, obscene, useless, and criminal measures imposed there by Homeland Security. #1, Roger Roots' "Terrorized into Absurdity: The Creation of the Transportation Security Administration"; #2, Michelle Delio's "Travelling? Take big Brother Along"; and, #3, Robert Higgs' "Don't Federalize Airport Security."
Best to all,
mac