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The county commissioners are once again ready to address land use issues that will impact every person in the county. Don’t expect too much visibility on the issues as they proceed. Land use decisions are best made out of sight to avoid unfavorable reaction from those impacted.
JUST JACK
JUST JACK
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for a common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
JUST JACK
On May 30, 1868, at the direction of the commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the graves of federal soldiers who perished in the war between the states were to be decorated and appropriate services of remembrance conducted. Originally called Decoration Day, the national day of recognition for those who have gave their all in the service of our nation has been expanded to include all of our fallen heroes and renamed Memorial Day. The original date of May 30 has been changed to support the more politically correct and business friendly three-day weekend, but the meaning of the day and the seriousness of the honor we bestow on our national heroes should never change. I recall to this day the exceptional honor I felt as a young midshipman, when participating in Memorial Day ceremonies at the amphitheater at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Ceremony. The only way we can ever repay the debt we owe these heroes is to continue their mission to “protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic” every day of our lives.
JUST JACK
In a previous column, I made the point that health care was not a basic right. I received some pointed criticism for that position. The importance of the underlying precepts of “rights,” requires further consideration of the issue.
On May 1, I left the county to spend a couple of days with some of my U.S. Naval Academy classmates in Oregon. It always helps to get together with old friends and to re-zero the historical reference points in your life. For those of us in my generation, some of those points were the election and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War (and the loss of a number of friends and classmates), the Nixon resignation, the U.S. Embassy hostages in Iran and the failed rescue attempt, and the end of the Cold War. We lived through and participated in much of the history that is reflected in today’s political thought and rhetoric. Unfortunately, firsthand knowledge and experience are apparently no match for the revisionist history essential to assigning blame to the United States and to validate a continuing string of apologies to every country of the world for all the evil we have done.
While I compose this offering, the Legislature continues to struggle with an uncertain outcome for the biennium budget. What is certain is the absolute lack of fiscal constraint being exercised by the majority. It is apparent they have little concern that the youngsters who will shoulder the burden of their fiscal irresponsibility are the very same youngsters we would entrust with our future economic viability. Those youngsters are being buried in debt for political agendas that have no proven basis or actual lasting value. If there is any immediate or real future benefit in the current legislative packages for those who will have to pay the bills, I can’t find it. I think the majority is simply coloring those youngsters as “not significant.” I also think the majority is very wrong.
On Wednesday, April 15, taxpayers across the state gathered in large and small groups, tea parties, to openly express disfavor with government fiscal policies.
On the subject of “rights,” perhaps it is time to rediscover the difference between rights endowed in us by our creator and societal norms that we devise and impose upon ourselves. It may be worth while to also review the relationship between people and their governments and the issue of “rights.” This may be a reminder for many. Unfortunately, it may be an initial lesson in basic American principles for others. Stick with me, there is a reason for the discussion.
JUST JACK
Everywhere a person turns today the financial story appears to be one of near insurmountable crisis and doom. Never have so many owed so much to so many without hope of repayment. Governments are on the brink of bankruptcy.
Tomorrow, Kitsap County will take time out to show appreciation for our most valuable neighbors — our military families and friends. They are ours. They are that quiet, unnoticed part of the community and individual neighborhoods who disappear for long periods of time, who participate in and support everything, and who guarantee for us the very freedoms and liberty we take for granted. They are the men and women in uniform who we turn to with expectations of miracles every time we face danger in an uncertain world or when disaster strikes close to home. They deserve not only our personal appreciation, but our collective gratification that they chose to serve us before themselves.
