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Yesterday’s murder of George Tiller (photo at left) a Kansas physician who notoriously provided late-term abortions, has justly provoked a torrent of outrage and denunciation.  Hugh Hewitt said it well, and concisely:

“[E]ach time [an anti-abortion extremist commits such a murder] the pro-life movement grieves for the victim and the family of the victim, and for the cause of the unborn which is deeply damaged by violence of any sort, but especially of the worst sort.  Christians especially must forcefully condemn that which Christ would certainly denounce.”

We live in a nation of laws.  Period.  If we do not respect the law in our efforts to bring change, we are sowing the seeds of our own destruction.  In that regard, I’ve always loved this clip from A Man for All Seasons.  It’s worth the three minutes needed to watch it: Click continue reading for viewing.

We Couldn’t Resist . . . .

These reams of paper featured on our page today are the actual pages of the General Motors-United Auto Workers labor contract.  In 2007, contract negotiations between the two resulted in an unprecedented $50 billion millstone around the corporate neck of General Motors.  The $50 billion price tag covered GM’s responsibility to retirees only, consisting mainly of health benefits.

Every so often The New York Times does something right, and today the newspaper has a superb question and answer article that is essentially “the General Motors bankruptcy made simple!”

If you own an American-made car, or are planning on buying one from GM, you’ll want to read it.

This late find…On October 27, 2007, The Washington Post reported the following deal between the General Motors and the United Auto Workers.  The devil is in the details:

“At the core of the new deal is the transfer of retiree health-care payments from GM to the UAW. GM will pay an estimated $35 billion into a trust designed to appreciate in value and pay health-care benefits for retired workers for at least the next 80 years, the union estimated. In return, GM is able to unload a $51 billion burden in retiree health-care obligations from its books, enabling the troubled company to borrow money more easily and move more nimbly against competitors. GM’s health-care liability is more than twice the company’s $21 billion market capitalization.”

Somehow General Motors management was more intent on keeping the corporation afloat in the moment, rather than in the future.

Another indicator of GM’s lack of vision?  The automaker’s top-selling vehicle?  The  The Chevy Silverado.  It’s biggest, gas-guzzling, pick-up truck.