In the history of football, has there ever been an instance where two teams took to the field, then had the referee call the game ten seconds later and award the victory to one of the teams based on which quarterback looked stronger? NOT!
What kind of an idiot referee would call the game and award the victory like this? A crooked one who would be torn limb from limb by the other team and their fans, that's who. Politicians in the global warming controversy are just like that referee; in this case, they've tried to call the game on the climate change debate without taking other things into consideration.
President Bush recently surrendered his position on the global warming "science" (which totally ignores everything that happened more than 25,000 years ago) and joined other misinformed leaders that the "science" was "settled." Nonsense! The political interpretation may be settled, but the politicians are badly misinterpreting the data, which is incomplete.
Global warming is a naturally occurring phenomenon, first and foremost. Man has greatly accelerated this process and amplified it due to it's greenhouse gas emissions. That's the actual science right there.
The political "science" says that global warming is caused by man and we have only a few years left to "save the planet" and "avoid the worst of the consequences."
It sounds like the politicians spent a little too much time watching "Captain Planet" on TBS. Perhaps a little remedial Earth Science with a focus on Earth's weather patterns and the effect that sunspot activity has on Earth's temperature would be useful in getting this garbage out of their heads and refocused on the problem.
Global warming has happened many times over Earth's history. The global warming crowd's own research (as narrow in scope as it is) proves it. And the research that they want to ignore shows it even more.
So, reducing greenhouse gases is a good thing; but I don't buy the Captain Planet nonsense at all. The plain and simple truth is that the planet doesn't need saving; WE DO. The government and the global warming crowd need to quit wasting time and start planning for the future. Will we retreat from the coastlines? Or will we get our act together and build defenses to keep the oceans out of our coastal cities?
Every seaside nation on Earth will be affected by a rise in ocean levels, so millions of people will need to migrate inland. That definitely won't happen overnight.
Instead of saving the planet, which doesn't need our help, we should be focused on what we need to do to save people from the coastal flooding that is sure to come. The flooding will change our coastlines permanently. Levees need to be built; New York City will either need to be reinforced, modified, or evacuated. So will dozens of other U.S. cities and towns along the coast. Here's an adjustable flood map, showing the effect of an ocean rise from 0 to 14 meters above current levels (the hybrid maps give greater detail.)
It may be that we have many years to prepare--and we may not see any of this in our lifetimes--but in all likelihood, it will take more time than we have to relocate millions of people, move parts of our nation's capitol, move our financial institutions that will be affected in New York and elsewhere, reconfigure or move our seaports, and who knows what else.
Global warming is inevitable. It's utter human arrogance and folly that says we can stop global warming.
But we ARE in the process of kicking ourselves in our collective asses not once, but twice: the first kick is from our wasting time on how we "stop" global warming; the second kick is from our politicians and environmentalists not shifting gears and taking steps to combat the changes that are definitely on the way.
Get it in gear, folks.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Passport Debate is Meaningless and Stupid; They're Targeting People Who Are Obeying the Law While Ignoring the Southern Border
Congress has been questioning the State Department about a huge backlog in processing of passport requests, since it became known that they would be required for Americans attempting to re-enter the country by air.
Some sixteen million people have filed paperwork for passports; the number was higher than anticipated and the State Department didn't have enough resources available to help with the increased workload. They also came close to running out of passports.
Some in Congress were urging the new requirements be delayed until the backlog was dealt with; Homeland Security objected. It's actually a stupid debate.
The problem on 9/11 was not Americans attempting to return to the U.S. from Mexico or Canada by air. It was foreign nationals on Visas who carried out the 9/11 attacks. Not one of them was American.
They should straighten out the Visa mess first. Then they need to deal with the other major threat--the unsecured southern U.S. border, where illegals come in whenever they want.
Until the rest of the picture gets straightened out, it seems kind of a waste of time to deal with the passport issue. Forget about delaying the new passport rules until September, delay it even longer. They need to get this right.
Some sixteen million people have filed paperwork for passports; the number was higher than anticipated and the State Department didn't have enough resources available to help with the increased workload. They also came close to running out of passports.
Some in Congress were urging the new requirements be delayed until the backlog was dealt with; Homeland Security objected. It's actually a stupid debate.
The problem on 9/11 was not Americans attempting to return to the U.S. from Mexico or Canada by air. It was foreign nationals on Visas who carried out the 9/11 attacks. Not one of them was American.
They should straighten out the Visa mess first. Then they need to deal with the other major threat--the unsecured southern U.S. border, where illegals come in whenever they want.
Until the rest of the picture gets straightened out, it seems kind of a waste of time to deal with the passport issue. Forget about delaying the new passport rules until September, delay it even longer. They need to get this right.
Gallup Poll Shows Congressional Job Approval Rating Falling to 14%; President Bush's is at 25%: Who's the Lame Duck Now?
Congress's job approval rating continues to slide, and has fallen below President Bush's record low approval rating, 14% vs. 25% respectively. And the mainstream media continues to ignore the shockingly low approval numbers for Congress, while blasting President Bush over his low standing.
Big deal. The media's approval rating (according to the same Gallup Poll) is at 23%, which is also lower than President Bush's, so they're a bunch of hypocrites too.
According to the same poll, public schools stand at 33%, the Supreme Court is at 34%, banks are at 41%, religion is at 46%, the police are at 54%, and the military is at 69%.
How the mighty have fallen.
Big deal. The media's approval rating (according to the same Gallup Poll) is at 23%, which is also lower than President Bush's, so they're a bunch of hypocrites too.
According to the same poll, public schools stand at 33%, the Supreme Court is at 34%, banks are at 41%, religion is at 46%, the police are at 54%, and the military is at 69%.
How the mighty have fallen.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Palestinian Civil War Breaks Out: Fatah Gets Creamed By Hamas in Gaza
Hamas launched a full-scale attack on the Fatah political and security apparatus, defeating Fatah in several battles and then executing the surviving Fatah fighters. Noncombatants were caught in the crossfire for hours as Fatah and Hamas threw everything that they had at each other.
Hamas won and captured most of the Gaza Strip.
Fatah members of the government fled to the West Bank, including Prime Minister Abbas, who dissolved the Hamas-lead government. Hamas said "hooey" to that, of course, and pressed their attacks.
There will be no real winners in this civil war. Hamas and Fatah are both terrorist organizations, and now the Palestinian people are paying a terrible price for their decision to elect a government that was going to stand up to Israel on their behalf.
Instead, it's brought ruin down on their heads.
Hamas won and captured most of the Gaza Strip.
Fatah members of the government fled to the West Bank, including Prime Minister Abbas, who dissolved the Hamas-lead government. Hamas said "hooey" to that, of course, and pressed their attacks.
There will be no real winners in this civil war. Hamas and Fatah are both terrorist organizations, and now the Palestinian people are paying a terrible price for their decision to elect a government that was going to stand up to Israel on their behalf.
Instead, it's brought ruin down on their heads.
Celebrity Fame is No Excuse for Rampant Alcoholism or Drug Abuse: Many Blame their Fame or Others Instead of Themselves and Delay their Recovery
There have been a slew of celebrities who have drawn a lot of unwelcome attention upon themselves because of their very public meltdowns. And it's surprising the excuses that some of them are coming up with, and the support those excuses are getting from the Hollywood media.
Paris Hilton was totally humiliated with her recent jail odyssey. She cried her way out of serving the rest of her sentence in jail; she cried and shrieked her way right back in the very next day.
Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have had major problems with alcohol. See their very unflattering photos (yuck) elsewhere.
David Hasselhoff (of Knight Rider and Baywatch fame) was humiliated when someone released a tape of him interacting with his daughter in a drunken stupor.
Mel Gibson had a spectacular run-in with the police, who pulled him over for erratic driving. He ran for it, got collared within seconds, then launched into an anti-Jewish rant, among other things.
There are dozens of others.
Alcoholism turns people into shadows of what they were before. And the Hollywood media is all too willing to place blame on someone or something else, but not directly on the celebrity who is struggling with alcohol or drug abuse. The exception seems to be Britney Spears; they ran out of excuses for her.
I object to people placing all the blame for their problem on someone or something else. It's that person's weakness that caused them to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. One of the major steps to recovery is taking responsibility for one's own life, as well as for what's happened. That means that scapegoats are OUT.
It's sad to see all of these people go through stuff like this, then delay their recovery by releasing statements to the media blaming something else for their problem. I hope they all recover and get well soon.
Paris Hilton was totally humiliated with her recent jail odyssey. She cried her way out of serving the rest of her sentence in jail; she cried and shrieked her way right back in the very next day.
Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have had major problems with alcohol. See their very unflattering photos (yuck) elsewhere.
David Hasselhoff (of Knight Rider and Baywatch fame) was humiliated when someone released a tape of him interacting with his daughter in a drunken stupor.
Mel Gibson had a spectacular run-in with the police, who pulled him over for erratic driving. He ran for it, got collared within seconds, then launched into an anti-Jewish rant, among other things.
There are dozens of others.
Alcoholism turns people into shadows of what they were before. And the Hollywood media is all too willing to place blame on someone or something else, but not directly on the celebrity who is struggling with alcohol or drug abuse. The exception seems to be Britney Spears; they ran out of excuses for her.
I object to people placing all the blame for their problem on someone or something else. It's that person's weakness that caused them to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. One of the major steps to recovery is taking responsibility for one's own life, as well as for what's happened. That means that scapegoats are OUT.
It's sad to see all of these people go through stuff like this, then delay their recovery by releasing statements to the media blaming something else for their problem. I hope they all recover and get well soon.
Immigration Bill's Failure Proves We Have a Lame-Duck President AND Congress: This is a Caretaker Government Until the Next Election
It's become clear that we have a caretaker government filled with placeholders who are awaiting the next election.
Both parties are badly splintered; both are split on the Iraq War and immigration. An up-or-down vote of no-confidence on Alberto Gonzales' leadership of the Justice Department died on the Senate floor. Congress members have been reduced to threatening to kill one another's pork projects in appropriations bills.
I think I would prefer it if this Congress and President stuck to naming federal buildings, handing out medals, and the like. They are clearly out to do their own business and not the business of the American people.
Immigration reform? Not with this crowd. No way. They all but gave away our southern border with their last attempt at immigration reform.
Resolving the Iraq War? Forget it. Hopefully the generals or Iraq's government tell President Bush that it's time for American forces to leave, and he listens to them, regardless of what this Congress is doing.
Gonzales? Nope.
Dealing with Iran? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
President Bush is fighting both Democrats and Republicans and achieved a stalemate with the Democrats...and with his own party.
And the Democrats are blowing it BIG time. Their control of Congress is a joke; and news came this week that their approval rating has dropped to 29%, which is lower than President Bush's 33% approval rating. One commenter has observed that Congressional approval ratings have returned to 2006 pre-election levels.
This is really the party that swept back into power last November?
Both parties are badly splintered; both are split on the Iraq War and immigration. An up-or-down vote of no-confidence on Alberto Gonzales' leadership of the Justice Department died on the Senate floor. Congress members have been reduced to threatening to kill one another's pork projects in appropriations bills.
I think I would prefer it if this Congress and President stuck to naming federal buildings, handing out medals, and the like. They are clearly out to do their own business and not the business of the American people.
Immigration reform? Not with this crowd. No way. They all but gave away our southern border with their last attempt at immigration reform.
Resolving the Iraq War? Forget it. Hopefully the generals or Iraq's government tell President Bush that it's time for American forces to leave, and he listens to them, regardless of what this Congress is doing.
Gonzales? Nope.
Dealing with Iran? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
President Bush is fighting both Democrats and Republicans and achieved a stalemate with the Democrats...and with his own party.
And the Democrats are blowing it BIG time. Their control of Congress is a joke; and news came this week that their approval rating has dropped to 29%, which is lower than President Bush's 33% approval rating. One commenter has observed that Congressional approval ratings have returned to 2006 pre-election levels.
This is really the party that swept back into power last November?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Howard Dean is Reading the Signs Correctly; If Democrats Don't Get Their Act Together, They'll Lose Control of Congress
Howard Dean is reading warning signs in the American voting public correctly. If Democrats don't end their divisions over the Iraq War and put an end to it, the voting public will end Democratic control of Congress. Left unsaid was that that it is very likely that control of one or both houses will likely go back and forth for at least the next several elections.
Dean used the Democratic radio address to send out his warning to Congressional Democrats to do what the American people elected them to do, or risk being run out of Congress.
I think he's right in this instance. 79% of voters in a recent poll indicated that they felt the Democrats had already turned their backs on the voters that helped to get them elected. And Congress's approval numbers (39%) are only marginally better than President Bush's (35%).
The Democrats are already in big trouble, and Dean sees the writing on the wall, while his Congressional colleagues don't. They will, soon enough.
Dean used the Democratic radio address to send out his warning to Congressional Democrats to do what the American people elected them to do, or risk being run out of Congress.
I think he's right in this instance. 79% of voters in a recent poll indicated that they felt the Democrats had already turned their backs on the voters that helped to get them elected. And Congress's approval numbers (39%) are only marginally better than President Bush's (35%).
The Democrats are already in big trouble, and Dean sees the writing on the wall, while his Congressional colleagues don't. They will, soon enough.
U.S. Doesn't Need Chinese Ingredients or Slave Labor to Make Food Products, Toothpaste or Pet Food: We Can Manufacture All Those Products Here
Why are we exporting OUR food production capability to China, which has a very checkered history of food contamination in recent memory?
We should be growing, producing and making our own foods, pet foods, and toothpaste HERE, regardless of other issues. This is a MAJOR national security problem that needs to be at the top of federal government's priority list. What good is securing our borders if our food supply is compromised and millions of people get sick?
Look at what's happened already.
Thousands of brands of pet foods were contaminated by something in Chinese wheat gluten. As a result, thousands of cats and hundreds of dogs got sick and DIED. Now discount store toothpaste has been contaminated by diethyl glycol (DEG), which is a poison that can cause kidney failure in humans if ingested. The discount store toothpaste was also produced in China.
It's apparent that we should be manufacturing these kinds of products here in the U.S., where our labs have quick and unfettered access to production facilities should a problem arise. China's been stalling on access to it's production facilities for weeks. Our own food production system is not perfect either, but at least our government and companies recall their products if there's a problem. All China's government did was deny the problems, or told the U.S. government that it was overreacting. Hooey!
Control of our food supply should not be internationalized for cost-cutting reasons. Corporations should keep their production facilities here, and not transfer them to China or India--for any reason.
There's a reason that certain pesticides were banned in the U.S.
It's because they were harmful to humans, but nations like China still continue to use them. I think these corporations should get their supplies from U.S. farmers and keep their business here. The food supply will be much safer, and we'll have answers much quicker should a malfunction occur during the manufacture of these products.
We should be growing, producing and making our own foods, pet foods, and toothpaste HERE, regardless of other issues. This is a MAJOR national security problem that needs to be at the top of federal government's priority list. What good is securing our borders if our food supply is compromised and millions of people get sick?
Look at what's happened already.
Thousands of brands of pet foods were contaminated by something in Chinese wheat gluten. As a result, thousands of cats and hundreds of dogs got sick and DIED. Now discount store toothpaste has been contaminated by diethyl glycol (DEG), which is a poison that can cause kidney failure in humans if ingested. The discount store toothpaste was also produced in China.
It's apparent that we should be manufacturing these kinds of products here in the U.S., where our labs have quick and unfettered access to production facilities should a problem arise. China's been stalling on access to it's production facilities for weeks. Our own food production system is not perfect either, but at least our government and companies recall their products if there's a problem. All China's government did was deny the problems, or told the U.S. government that it was overreacting. Hooey!
Control of our food supply should not be internationalized for cost-cutting reasons. Corporations should keep their production facilities here, and not transfer them to China or India--for any reason.
There's a reason that certain pesticides were banned in the U.S.
It's because they were harmful to humans, but nations like China still continue to use them. I think these corporations should get their supplies from U.S. farmers and keep their business here. The food supply will be much safer, and we'll have answers much quicker should a malfunction occur during the manufacture of these products.
Russian Rhetoric Over Proposed Missile Shield is Nothing But Paranoia: No Ten Missiles Ever Built Could Stop a Massive Russian Nuclear Attack
Russian President Vladimir Putin managed to turn the G-8 conference on it's head with his Cold War-style comments on the proposed U.S. missile shield that will have elements in Eastern Europe.
I think he's trying to restart the Cold War and is using the missile shield to do it. There will be elements of the shield in Poland and in the Czech Republic; Putin threatened to target the sites with Russian nuclear weapons.
This is Russian paranoia.
The proof is in the number of intercept missiles that will be based in Poland--a grand total of ten--and the fact that Russia has many times that number of missiles in the form of ICBMs, and technology that allows each ICBM to carry more than one nuclear warhead (anywhere from three to fourteen nuclear warheads).
Look at it this way: if the American system were targeted on Russia, it would destroy the first ten nuclear missiles that Russia launched, leaving the rest of the Russian ICBMs free to launch and to presumably destroy their targets anywhere in the world. And that's IF the American system worked perfectly, which it really hasn't yet.
This missile intercept system should be a non-issue to Russia, but Putin is using it to his advantage to stay in power.
If the Russians don't want this system to be deployed, perhaps they should reign in their pals North Korea and Iran, whose ability to make trouble is unparalleled in the modern age. Or offer to host the system on Russian soil.
In any case, Russia's stirring the pot for Putin's benefit, and no one else's.
I think he's trying to restart the Cold War and is using the missile shield to do it. There will be elements of the shield in Poland and in the Czech Republic; Putin threatened to target the sites with Russian nuclear weapons.
This is Russian paranoia.
The proof is in the number of intercept missiles that will be based in Poland--a grand total of ten--and the fact that Russia has many times that number of missiles in the form of ICBMs, and technology that allows each ICBM to carry more than one nuclear warhead (anywhere from three to fourteen nuclear warheads).
Look at it this way: if the American system were targeted on Russia, it would destroy the first ten nuclear missiles that Russia launched, leaving the rest of the Russian ICBMs free to launch and to presumably destroy their targets anywhere in the world. And that's IF the American system worked perfectly, which it really hasn't yet.
This missile intercept system should be a non-issue to Russia, but Putin is using it to his advantage to stay in power.
If the Russians don't want this system to be deployed, perhaps they should reign in their pals North Korea and Iran, whose ability to make trouble is unparalleled in the modern age. Or offer to host the system on Russian soil.
In any case, Russia's stirring the pot for Putin's benefit, and no one else's.
California Town's Example of Declaring Itself a "Safe Haven" for Illegal Aliens is an Example of What NOT to Do: Rule of Law Get Chucked
A California town is taking sides in the immigration debate in a big way--it's declared itself a safe haven for illegals and taken some really stupid steps to guarantee it.
One of the first things that it did was eliminate safety checkpoints, which are designed to help police get drunk, unsafe, or unlicensed drivers off the road. As most people know, it's standard procedure for police officers to ask for a driver's license and registration during a stop.
At these checkpoints, they would discover many drivers operating a vehicle without a valid California driver's license or registration. Upon further investigation, they would discover that the driver was also in the country illegally. The cars would be impounded.
California law also gives drivers 30 days to pay off impound fees, and to get a valid license and registration to get their cars back. But many illegals chose not to.
The other boneheaded move the city council made was it eliminated the traffic division of their police department because it was determined that they were giving too many tickets to illegals. So they can't pull over a reckless driver who clearly doesn't know what he/she is doing behind the wheel, can't read the signs, and is a disaster waiting to happen.
Illegal immigrants are already in violation of our laws; when a municipal government chooses to disregard state and national laws regarding the disposition of illegals, they have to dismantle other common law enforcement practices to make their illegal and unwise political move a reality.
It's unsafe; and it's astonishing that a town could make such dangerous decisions like this.
All it's going to take is one person getting killed by a drunk on a street where there were once safety checkpoints in operation--but no longer--and it will probably be a Latino member of the community (since 97% of the town is Latino) who dies--to convince these idiots that they've gone too far.
And it will be too late to do anything about it.
One of the first things that it did was eliminate safety checkpoints, which are designed to help police get drunk, unsafe, or unlicensed drivers off the road. As most people know, it's standard procedure for police officers to ask for a driver's license and registration during a stop.
At these checkpoints, they would discover many drivers operating a vehicle without a valid California driver's license or registration. Upon further investigation, they would discover that the driver was also in the country illegally. The cars would be impounded.
California law also gives drivers 30 days to pay off impound fees, and to get a valid license and registration to get their cars back. But many illegals chose not to.
The other boneheaded move the city council made was it eliminated the traffic division of their police department because it was determined that they were giving too many tickets to illegals. So they can't pull over a reckless driver who clearly doesn't know what he/she is doing behind the wheel, can't read the signs, and is a disaster waiting to happen.
Illegal immigrants are already in violation of our laws; when a municipal government chooses to disregard state and national laws regarding the disposition of illegals, they have to dismantle other common law enforcement practices to make their illegal and unwise political move a reality.
It's unsafe; and it's astonishing that a town could make such dangerous decisions like this.
All it's going to take is one person getting killed by a drunk on a street where there were once safety checkpoints in operation--but no longer--and it will probably be a Latino member of the community (since 97% of the town is Latino) who dies--to convince these idiots that they've gone too far.
And it will be too late to do anything about it.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Sheehan Quits Anti-War Movement: It Was Bound to Happen Since Anti-War Coalitions Have No Unity
The Democratic cave-in on Iraq War funding deadlines has claimed another one of their former allies: anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan, who grabbed headlines over her protests at President Bush's Texas ranch, quit the anti-war movement and left the Democratic Party.
Some were leaping for joy at news of her packing it in; I was not among them. All I feel is sadness.
She was not in good health to begin with--after all, she had lost her son Casey in Iraq--plus her marriage broke apart, her relationship with her surviving children was on the ropes, and her finances were melting down. These were statements from Sheehan herself in her letter of farewell.
And she was egged on by the Democrats, who attended her rallies and sang her praises. But when she began criticizing them for the same things that she was criticizing the Bush Administration for--namely ending the war--they tossed her over their shoulders like an empty beer can. Goodbye. The end.
I criticized her for going beyond the scope of the anti-war movement and joining the liberal "I hate George Bush" crowd and meeting with Venezuela's communist president and other left-wing thugs. She became a side-show and severely undermined her own message to the point that she lost major credibility with those who might have supported her, had she stayed on topic.
I feel sad for her; she made some very bad decisions based on her anger and it's visibly taken a toll over the last two years. I hope she recovers her health and gets her personal life back on track.
Some were leaping for joy at news of her packing it in; I was not among them. All I feel is sadness.
She was not in good health to begin with--after all, she had lost her son Casey in Iraq--plus her marriage broke apart, her relationship with her surviving children was on the ropes, and her finances were melting down. These were statements from Sheehan herself in her letter of farewell.
And she was egged on by the Democrats, who attended her rallies and sang her praises. But when she began criticizing them for the same things that she was criticizing the Bush Administration for--namely ending the war--they tossed her over their shoulders like an empty beer can. Goodbye. The end.
I criticized her for going beyond the scope of the anti-war movement and joining the liberal "I hate George Bush" crowd and meeting with Venezuela's communist president and other left-wing thugs. She became a side-show and severely undermined her own message to the point that she lost major credibility with those who might have supported her, had she stayed on topic.
I feel sad for her; she made some very bad decisions based on her anger and it's visibly taken a toll over the last two years. I hope she recovers her health and gets her personal life back on track.
Many Businesses Violate Mastercard/VISA Rules Governing Establishment of Minimum Amount for Debit/Credit Card Transactions
Have you ever gone into a business and noticed a little sign by the cash register that says something to the effect of "$5.00 minimum purchase for Debit/Credit Cards"?
Did you know that the business cannot do that? It's a major violation of a Mastercard/VISA agreement which the business is required to sign, which also allows for fees/fines and other sanctions if the rules are violated. Basically, if a business displays a Mastercard/VISA logo, it's an acceptance of ALL the rules that go along with it.
The rule is found in Section 1.8--"Honoring Cards" of the Mastercard and VISA Acceptance portion of the Merchant Processing Agreement. It reads:
Did you know that the business cannot do that? It's a major violation of a Mastercard/VISA agreement which the business is required to sign, which also allows for fees/fines and other sanctions if the rules are violated. Basically, if a business displays a Mastercard/VISA logo, it's an acceptance of ALL the rules that go along with it.
The rule is found in Section 1.8--"Honoring Cards" of the Mastercard and VISA Acceptance portion of the Merchant Processing Agreement. It reads:
1.8 Honoring Cards--
You cannot establish minimum or maximum amounts as a condition for accepting a Card.
I recently got into it with a business down here that had a $10 minimum amount. I intended to purchase $5.30 worth of stuff with my debit card and ran afoul of that company's policy. They let me do the $5.30 purchase after I threatened to leave and call Mastercard immediately to report them. As I was leaving, I saw them take down their $10 minimum sign.
Yesterday, I went back in and noticed that they had put the sign back up. So I'm debating whether to call Mastercard and carry out my original threat. I probably should.
Here's how the system works from the business side:
If a customer uses a credit card, the merchant pays a small fee for that transaction.
If a customer uses a debit card, the merchant doesn't have a fee. So merchants LIKE debit cards because it doesn't cost them anything extra.
The establishment where I work has no minimum or maximum amount because the owner read the entire agreement and accepts the fees as part of the cost of doing business. All businesses should have that same attitude.
You cannot establish minimum or maximum amounts as a condition for accepting a Card.
I recently got into it with a business down here that had a $10 minimum amount. I intended to purchase $5.30 worth of stuff with my debit card and ran afoul of that company's policy. They let me do the $5.30 purchase after I threatened to leave and call Mastercard immediately to report them. As I was leaving, I saw them take down their $10 minimum sign.
Yesterday, I went back in and noticed that they had put the sign back up. So I'm debating whether to call Mastercard and carry out my original threat. I probably should.
Here's how the system works from the business side:
If a customer uses a credit card, the merchant pays a small fee for that transaction.
If a customer uses a debit card, the merchant doesn't have a fee. So merchants LIKE debit cards because it doesn't cost them anything extra.
The establishment where I work has no minimum or maximum amount because the owner read the entire agreement and accepts the fees as part of the cost of doing business. All businesses should have that same attitude.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Pelosi Threatens to Sue President Over War Funding Bill if He Vetoes It Again: Congress Will Get It's Clock Cleaned if She Does
Here we go again.
President Bush has been threatening to veto a two-month war spending bill that Congress is floating around to members, and House Speaker Pelosi is threatening to take him to court over it, saying the President is overstepping the separation of powers.
I hope she does, because she will find out that it is Congress that is violating the separation of powers in this instance.
This is an attempt by Pelosi to violate Constitutional procedures by denying the President the right to veto the bill, and her own failure to get enough members of the House to override the Presidential veto.
She will ultimately fail to override the nuts and bolts of the Constitution.
President Bush has been threatening to veto a two-month war spending bill that Congress is floating around to members, and House Speaker Pelosi is threatening to take him to court over it, saying the President is overstepping the separation of powers.
I hope she does, because she will find out that it is Congress that is violating the separation of powers in this instance.
This is an attempt by Pelosi to violate Constitutional procedures by denying the President the right to veto the bill, and her own failure to get enough members of the House to override the Presidential veto.
She will ultimately fail to override the nuts and bolts of the Constitution.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Looking Forward: Pentagon Needs to Carefully Plan Withdrawal of U.S. Forces, or We'll Lose a Ton of People on the Last Day
The recent clashes between Congress and the White House over withdrawal dates for U.S. forces from Iraq have me worried that the government may err on how they go about actually doing it, when the time comes to leave Iraq.
One nightmare scenario that I can see happening is that the U.S. military will be on the move under cover of darkness to their pre-invasion positions in Kuwait, as well as heading for Saudi Arabia. No one will realize what exactly is going on, until one of the networks put two and two together and announce that the U.S. pull-out is underway.
When it goes on the air, you can bet that al-Qaeda and many insurgent groups will head to the American withdrawal routes and start staging ambushes.
The same kind of thing happened to the Soviets when they withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989; they lost a lot of soldiers to snipers and ambushes; Soviet President Gorbachev bitterly complained that they were leaving and they shouldn't be shot at, but the mujahideen didn't care. Bullets and bombs continued to hit the Red Army as they headed back into Soviet territory.
Hopefully the Pentagon is looking at this carefully and determining how they will get our troops out. I think a gradual quiet withdrawal is the way to go, instead of having tens of thousands of vehicles and 140,000 troops on the move at the same time. That's a disaster waiting to happen.
We don't need tons of casualties on the last day simply because the withdrawal of troops from Iraq was planned in the same way as the occupation was. We don't need to go there.
One nightmare scenario that I can see happening is that the U.S. military will be on the move under cover of darkness to their pre-invasion positions in Kuwait, as well as heading for Saudi Arabia. No one will realize what exactly is going on, until one of the networks put two and two together and announce that the U.S. pull-out is underway.
When it goes on the air, you can bet that al-Qaeda and many insurgent groups will head to the American withdrawal routes and start staging ambushes.
The same kind of thing happened to the Soviets when they withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989; they lost a lot of soldiers to snipers and ambushes; Soviet President Gorbachev bitterly complained that they were leaving and they shouldn't be shot at, but the mujahideen didn't care. Bullets and bombs continued to hit the Red Army as they headed back into Soviet territory.
Hopefully the Pentagon is looking at this carefully and determining how they will get our troops out. I think a gradual quiet withdrawal is the way to go, instead of having tens of thousands of vehicles and 140,000 troops on the move at the same time. That's a disaster waiting to happen.
We don't need tons of casualties on the last day simply because the withdrawal of troops from Iraq was planned in the same way as the occupation was. We don't need to go there.
Now that the "Emergency" Military Bill is Dead, Can They Please Dispense With the Nonsense and Pass a Funding Bill?
Congress and President Bush both got their two cents in when Congress passed a doomed "emergency" spending bill on the military and their pork projects, and President Bush vetoed it.
Now that the hubris from Round 1 is done, will they please get off their lazy fat asses and pass the original bill as it was written, and without non-military not-emergency earmarks that Pelosi & company used to bribe members of their own party?
The House in particular had better get a move on; their job approval ratings are virtually the same as President Bush's, and every House seat is in play in 2008. Thirty-three Class II U.S. Senate seats are also up for grabs. If they don't do their jobs, they'll be joining President Bush in looking at new career options after 2008.
The military has already begun to make cuts in their equipment maintenance and repair apparatus; this is impacting how quickly used and battle-damaged equipment makes it back onto the battlefield. The troops are relying on this hardware to complete their missions and to keep them alive.
Thousands of the new family of mine & IED-resistant armored vehicles (MRAP) have not been shipped over yet either; many more are halted on the production lines because the funding is part of this hot-potato spending bill.
A mine-resistant Cougar vehicle being tested.
Congress and the President must make haste and table everything else for another time. They shouldn't allow the military to run out of money and not provide the troops with the tools that they need.
Get it done, NOW.
Now that the hubris from Round 1 is done, will they please get off their lazy fat asses and pass the original bill as it was written, and without non-military not-emergency earmarks that Pelosi & company used to bribe members of their own party?
The House in particular had better get a move on; their job approval ratings are virtually the same as President Bush's, and every House seat is in play in 2008. Thirty-three Class II U.S. Senate seats are also up for grabs. If they don't do their jobs, they'll be joining President Bush in looking at new career options after 2008.
The military has already begun to make cuts in their equipment maintenance and repair apparatus; this is impacting how quickly used and battle-damaged equipment makes it back onto the battlefield. The troops are relying on this hardware to complete their missions and to keep them alive.
Thousands of the new family of mine & IED-resistant armored vehicles (MRAP) have not been shipped over yet either; many more are halted on the production lines because the funding is part of this hot-potato spending bill.
A mine-resistant Cougar vehicle being tested.Congress and the President must make haste and table everything else for another time. They shouldn't allow the military to run out of money and not provide the troops with the tools that they need.
Get it done, NOW.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Tenet's New Book: Telling Everyone What He Should Have Said When He Was CIA Director
Former CIA Director George Tenet went on a media blitz over the weekend, promoting his new book which blasts the Bush Administration of how it handled 9/11, and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
It looks like an exercise in shifting blame to others; most notably Vice-President Cheney.
For instance, he was very aggressive in his book and on his media blitz about his "slam dunk" comment being taken out of context with regards to Saddam Hussein's possessing chemical and biological weapons.
For someone in such an important position, such as the directorship of the Central Intelligence Agency, he should have been very wary about using a term like "slam dunk" in ANY context.
He had the ear of the President from 9/11 to the end of his tenure at CIA, and he should have gone after the incorrect political interpretation of his agency's intelligence data. But instead he played it safe and went with the flow, which helped to lock our nation's future with an Iraq that may not hold together. And by saying "went with the flow" I meant he didn't do enough to get around administrative roadblocks that were there.
And now he has a book deal, and is telling everyone what he should have been SCREAMING at Cheney, Rove, and the other hawks during those meetings. Too little, too late.
What a shame.
It looks like an exercise in shifting blame to others; most notably Vice-President Cheney.
For instance, he was very aggressive in his book and on his media blitz about his "slam dunk" comment being taken out of context with regards to Saddam Hussein's possessing chemical and biological weapons.
For someone in such an important position, such as the directorship of the Central Intelligence Agency, he should have been very wary about using a term like "slam dunk" in ANY context.
He had the ear of the President from 9/11 to the end of his tenure at CIA, and he should have gone after the incorrect political interpretation of his agency's intelligence data. But instead he played it safe and went with the flow, which helped to lock our nation's future with an Iraq that may not hold together. And by saying "went with the flow" I meant he didn't do enough to get around administrative roadblocks that were there.
And now he has a book deal, and is telling everyone what he should have been SCREAMING at Cheney, Rove, and the other hawks during those meetings. Too little, too late.
What a shame.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Dog Food Recall Goes International: 5,000+ Brands of Pet Food Now Affected
The pet food recall nightmare is continuing to unfold, and it has gotten worse and worse.
A careful review of all the current brands under recall at the FDA web site shows that over 5,000 individual brands of pet food have been recalled.
Now word is getting out that other countries have the same problem that we do: contaminated wheat gluten was exported overseas; it may have been fed to other animals, such as pigs, cows and other farm animals, which made it possible for contagions to enter into the human food chain as well.
The Chinese clearly aren't up to manufacturing food products for export; our FDA also isn't up to intercepting inbound poisons that made their way into the food chain from countries like China.
I think this shows that while we should be concerned about avian flu, we should be more worried about contaminated food, which has the ability to knock down many more people than bird flu would/does...and much faster too.
This definitely needs more attention from the government.
A careful review of all the current brands under recall at the FDA web site shows that over 5,000 individual brands of pet food have been recalled.
Now word is getting out that other countries have the same problem that we do: contaminated wheat gluten was exported overseas; it may have been fed to other animals, such as pigs, cows and other farm animals, which made it possible for contagions to enter into the human food chain as well.
The Chinese clearly aren't up to manufacturing food products for export; our FDA also isn't up to intercepting inbound poisons that made their way into the food chain from countries like China.
I think this shows that while we should be concerned about avian flu, we should be more worried about contaminated food, which has the ability to knock down many more people than bird flu would/does...and much faster too.
This definitely needs more attention from the government.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Airing of Killer's Rants Leads to Backlash Against Media
The Virginia Tech community reacted with outrage at the airing of a series of disturbing videos, photos and writings of the perpetrator of Monday's massacre on the VT campus. Some families pulled out of appearing on the Today Show to protest the callous airing of the rant.
And ALL the news organizations played parts of the video; shame on ALL of them for giving this killer air time.
I'm in total agreement with Dr. Michael Warner, who said in an interview "...just listen, if you can take Imus off the air, you can certainly keep [Cho] from having his own morning show."
All these analysts should close their mouths and quit trying to analyze this lunatic killer. They're just adding insult to injury when they play back parts of the trash he mailed to the media to help explain why this evil human being did what he did.
This really sucks.
And ALL the news organizations played parts of the video; shame on ALL of them for giving this killer air time.
I'm in total agreement with Dr. Michael Warner, who said in an interview "...just listen, if you can take Imus off the air, you can certainly keep [Cho] from having his own morning show."
All these analysts should close their mouths and quit trying to analyze this lunatic killer. They're just adding insult to injury when they play back parts of the trash he mailed to the media to help explain why this evil human being did what he did.
This really sucks.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Virginia Tech Massacre: Remembering the Lost and the Injured
Memorial services were held today for students and professors who lost their lives in yesterday's mind-blowing and horrific attack on the Virginia Tech community.
All of this brings memories of Columbine back anew.
It's all so sad and meaningless. Thirty-two people were murdered by a madman; it emerged that a fellow Virginia Tech student was responsible for the heavy loss of life.
Thinking of all the victims and their families, as well as everyone at VT. May God be with them all.
All of this brings memories of Columbine back anew.
It's all so sad and meaningless. Thirty-two people were murdered by a madman; it emerged that a fellow Virginia Tech student was responsible for the heavy loss of life.
Thinking of all the victims and their families, as well as everyone at VT. May God be with them all.
Friday, April 13, 2007
USS Pueblo Still Intact and Being Used By North Korea for Anti-American Propaganda Purposes
North Korean officials took a surprised U.S. delegation aboard a captured U.S. Navy spy ship on Monday, saying it represented "...continued U.S. aggression against North Korea."Governor Bill Richardson said it was a pure propaganda move on the part of the North Koreans.
The USS Pueblo was captured in January 1968; it's crew was held for eleven months before being released by North Korea. They kept the ship and have used it for "anti-American education" ever since.
North Korea has dangled returning the ship to the U.S. Navy in exchange for a high-level visit from the U.S. Secretary of State, but that has been flatly refused by the U.S. government. The U.S. Navy still has the Pueblo on the books as an active unit, and does want it back, but the current level of tension between the U.S. and North Korea has made it impossible to facilitate a transfer.
The Pueblo is the only U.S. warship under the control of a foreign power, and was the first ship to be captured since 1941, when invading Japanese forces captured the USS Wake in Shanghai's harbor.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Duke Rape Case Dropped: Critical Mistakes by Former Prosecutor Plus Witness Changing Story Guaranteed This Outcome
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
The Duke lacrosse rape case totally (and finally) collapsed today when the North Carolina Attorney General dropped all charges against three lacrosse players from Duke University, clearing the way for the formerly accused to get their lives back on track.
This case should never have been brought.
The former prosecutor didn't interview the "victim", released statements to the media which looked like he was prosecuting the case on TV, violated police line-up procedures, ignored DNA evidence which pointed away from the accused players, and ignored the victim changing her story repeatedly.
The former prosecutor is facing disciplinary action from the state bar related to his conduct during this case. They need to make an example out of him to discourage other "borderline" prosecutors from this kind of conduct.
Prosecuting someone for political gain and not for breaking the law is a terrible abuse of power.
The Duke lacrosse rape case totally (and finally) collapsed today when the North Carolina Attorney General dropped all charges against three lacrosse players from Duke University, clearing the way for the formerly accused to get their lives back on track.
This case should never have been brought.
The former prosecutor didn't interview the "victim", released statements to the media which looked like he was prosecuting the case on TV, violated police line-up procedures, ignored DNA evidence which pointed away from the accused players, and ignored the victim changing her story repeatedly.
The former prosecutor is facing disciplinary action from the state bar related to his conduct during this case. They need to make an example out of him to discourage other "borderline" prosecutors from this kind of conduct.
Prosecuting someone for political gain and not for breaking the law is a terrible abuse of power.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Powers That Be Announce That Gas Will Be $2.75 Per Gallon Over Summer: THANKS FOR NOTHING!
The powers that be in the oil industry have delivered news from on high that gas prices will be $2.75 per gallon over the summer. Some are saying it will be much higher than that.
Oh, joy of joys.
Oh, joy of joys.
39,000 Pets Get Sick or Die From Food Contamination
It's much worse than many thought.
According to a major chain of veterinary clinics, some 39,000 dogs and cats have gotten sick or died from eating recalled pet foods across the nation.
And every day, it seems like there are updates on the FDA and Menu Foods web sites announcing more and more recalls.
The latest expansion of the recall was announced just before Easter; contaminated wheat gluten is suspected of being the culprit. It's hard to believe that this recall has affected over a hundred brands of pet food; that it's taken this long for these companies to react to a critical situation isn't helping at all.
This has been going on for over a friggin' month now. And there are STILL no answers. China announced that it was looking into the contamination on it's end, but the damage is already done, leaving families heartbroken.
Too little, too late.
According to a major chain of veterinary clinics, some 39,000 dogs and cats have gotten sick or died from eating recalled pet foods across the nation.
And every day, it seems like there are updates on the FDA and Menu Foods web sites announcing more and more recalls.
The latest expansion of the recall was announced just before Easter; contaminated wheat gluten is suspected of being the culprit. It's hard to believe that this recall has affected over a hundred brands of pet food; that it's taken this long for these companies to react to a critical situation isn't helping at all.
This has been going on for over a friggin' month now. And there are STILL no answers. China announced that it was looking into the contamination on it's end, but the damage is already done, leaving families heartbroken.
Too little, too late.
MSNBC's Don Imus in Big Trouble: So What Else is New?
Many of the news channels have been following the antics of Don Imus today, for calling a women's basketball team a racist term, which I will not post here.
CBS and MSNBC announced that they were suspending the Imus show for two weeks as a disciplinary action.
I have a question...why did CBS and MSNBC have this man on the air at all, given his prior controversies? He's been referred to as the "Howard Stern of intelligent people," though he's had a public feud with Stern for years--in particular a vicious exchange on the air in 2003.
The man is a lightning rod for controversy.
Yet the two companies had him on both radio and on TV in simulcast.
Imus went on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio program this morning (a huge mistake), but made little headway in calming the raging inferno, as Sharpton's thirst for revenge neutralized his efforts. Sharpton's now calling for a boycott of all advertisers who advertise on the Imus show.
Later on in the day, the networks suspended Imus.
Imus's comments WERE way over the line, but Sharpton's handling of the situation on his show made the situation worse; what happened to forgiveness of others?
All Sharpton wanted was to get Imus fired, or better yet, to have Imus sign a resignation letter in his presence and on the air. It didn't happen, so he decided to add his two cents (and more) to the controversy.
There's no winner in this controversy; not CBS, MSNBC, Imus, Sharpton, or the people who were insulted by the racist comments that Imus made.
CBS and MSNBC announced that they were suspending the Imus show for two weeks as a disciplinary action.
I have a question...why did CBS and MSNBC have this man on the air at all, given his prior controversies? He's been referred to as the "Howard Stern of intelligent people," though he's had a public feud with Stern for years--in particular a vicious exchange on the air in 2003.
The man is a lightning rod for controversy.
Yet the two companies had him on both radio and on TV in simulcast.
Imus went on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio program this morning (a huge mistake), but made little headway in calming the raging inferno, as Sharpton's thirst for revenge neutralized his efforts. Sharpton's now calling for a boycott of all advertisers who advertise on the Imus show.
Later on in the day, the networks suspended Imus.
Imus's comments WERE way over the line, but Sharpton's handling of the situation on his show made the situation worse; what happened to forgiveness of others?
All Sharpton wanted was to get Imus fired, or better yet, to have Imus sign a resignation letter in his presence and on the air. It didn't happen, so he decided to add his two cents (and more) to the controversy.
There's no winner in this controversy; not CBS, MSNBC, Imus, Sharpton, or the people who were insulted by the racist comments that Imus made.
Congress Keeps Overstepping It's Constitutional Boundaries: Pelosi Trip Was Most Recent Example
The shredding of the Constitution continues.
Now that the Bush Administration has been forced to stop doing it, Congress has started doing it themselves.
Congress needs to be reminded that the White House is in charge of day-to-day diplomacy with foreign nations. There is one branch of government that carries on diplomacy with other nations--not two with 536 Presidents (535 in Congress plus the real one in the White House).
Congress can ratify or reject treaties, vote on foreign aid appropriations and regulate commerce with other governments. There is no provision in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution for Congress to conduct foreign relations.
Article 2 Section 3 of the Constitution provides for the President to receive Ambassadors of foreign nations (and to conduct diplomacy) on behalf of the entire nation.
Pelosi's trip violated the spirit of the Constitution; but all it really did was showcase her grandstanding. If the Democrats want their foreign policy to be paramount, they have to win the Presidency in an election first. Not before.
Now that the Bush Administration has been forced to stop doing it, Congress has started doing it themselves.
Congress needs to be reminded that the White House is in charge of day-to-day diplomacy with foreign nations. There is one branch of government that carries on diplomacy with other nations--not two with 536 Presidents (535 in Congress plus the real one in the White House).
Congress can ratify or reject treaties, vote on foreign aid appropriations and regulate commerce with other governments. There is no provision in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution for Congress to conduct foreign relations.
Article 2 Section 3 of the Constitution provides for the President to receive Ambassadors of foreign nations (and to conduct diplomacy) on behalf of the entire nation.
Pelosi's trip violated the spirit of the Constitution; but all it really did was showcase her grandstanding. If the Democrats want their foreign policy to be paramount, they have to win the Presidency in an election first. Not before.
Pelosi Made a Fool Out of Herself on Her Mideast Trip: Her Lack of Understanding of Israeli/Syrian Relations Really Showed
I am of the opinion that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent trip to the Middle East was a unmitigated fiasco.
House Speaker Pelosi not only carried our nasty internal politics onto the world stage for all to see, but her short-lived foray into international relations proved that she needs to practice her listening skills, her sensitivity to the needs of our allies, and the way she expresses her views to foreign leaders.
Not only did she misunderstand Israel's point of view, but she didn't listen to them, then misrepresented their views (publicly) to the Syrian government. She did make a clarification later on, but it was too little, too late.
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert issued a statement and corrected our wayward goodwill ambassador.
Nice going, Speaker Pelosi. Next time, stay home and run the House--as you were elected to do. And that goes for Congressional Republicans, too, who have met with Syria's leadership on less-publicized trips recently.
House Speaker Pelosi not only carried our nasty internal politics onto the world stage for all to see, but her short-lived foray into international relations proved that she needs to practice her listening skills, her sensitivity to the needs of our allies, and the way she expresses her views to foreign leaders.
Not only did she misunderstand Israel's point of view, but she didn't listen to them, then misrepresented their views (publicly) to the Syrian government. She did make a clarification later on, but it was too little, too late.
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert issued a statement and corrected our wayward goodwill ambassador.
Nice going, Speaker Pelosi. Next time, stay home and run the House--as you were elected to do. And that goes for Congressional Republicans, too, who have met with Syria's leadership on less-publicized trips recently.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
O'Reilly and Rivera GO AT IT Over Illegal Immigration and Drunk Driving
WOW!!
Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera really went at it on the O'Reilly Factor during Thursday's edition. Rivera was insisting that the story at hand was about drunk driving, while O'Reilly felt that the subject was illegal aliens breaking laws.
It turned into an all-out SCREAMING match. Both feel very strongly about their positions, and both said that there were no hard feelings afterward.
Spectacular, and sad.
I do think that Rivera was more correct about it being a drunk driving case, though O'Reilly's position on illegal aliens breaking laws and officials turning a blind eye was also valid.
Drunk driving cuts across all ethnic lines, and two teenagers are dead because someone (who happened to be a drunk illegal alien) got behind the wheel of a car who had no business doing so. What a mess.
Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera really went at it on the O'Reilly Factor during Thursday's edition. Rivera was insisting that the story at hand was about drunk driving, while O'Reilly felt that the subject was illegal aliens breaking laws.
It turned into an all-out SCREAMING match. Both feel very strongly about their positions, and both said that there were no hard feelings afterward.
Spectacular, and sad.
I do think that Rivera was more correct about it being a drunk driving case, though O'Reilly's position on illegal aliens breaking laws and officials turning a blind eye was also valid.
Drunk driving cuts across all ethnic lines, and two teenagers are dead because someone (who happened to be a drunk illegal alien) got behind the wheel of a car who had no business doing so. What a mess.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Iranian President Should Have Apologized to British Navy Members For Waylaying Them, Not The Other Way Around: SICKENING
News hit this morning that Iran was releasing it's hostages that it had taken nearly two weeks ago in the Persian Gulf, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was shown receiving the gratitude of the captive British sailors and marines, one at a time. It was a SICKENING display of manipulation on international television.
Ahmadinejad should have been the one apologizing for invading Iraqi waters and waylaying a British boarding party that was doing it's job under a United Nations mandate.
Sick and wrong.
Ahmadinejad should have been the one apologizing for invading Iraqi waters and waylaying a British boarding party that was doing it's job under a United Nations mandate.
Sick and wrong.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
British/Iranian Crisis is Latest Excuse for Oil Prices to Increase: Oil Speculators At It Again
Let's see where increased oil prices fit into this latest Persian Gulf controversy:
Has the Strait of Hormuz been closed to international shipping? NOPE.
Has the Strait been mined? NOPE.
Has Iran threatened to sink any tankers? NOPE.
Any refineries set ablaze? NOPE.
Any oil production facilities damaged or destroyed, leading to a drop in oil production? NOPE.
Any net effect whatsoever on the available oil supply? NONE.
Any tidal waves, hurricanes, tornadoes, or other natural disasters that could explain the price increases? NOPE.
Hmmm....
Are the oil speculators worried? Yep.
So, in spite of the fact that there is no decrease in oil output from the ongoing feud between Britain and Iran, and the oil supply is unaffected, the price for a barrel of oil has gone way up again.
The oil speculators and oil companies should pay for the artificial increases that they've created WITHOUT charging more at the pump. The British/Iranian issues are irrelevant to the cost of a barrel of oil, unless the missiles start to fly. Enough of the excuses, already!
- British Navy intercepts cargo ship to inspect it in disputed Iraqi/Iranian waters...
- Iran seizes 15 British sailors and marines who were the boarding party and take them to Tehran for questioning....
- Britain and Iran exchange angry words....
- Reports of U.S. and Iranian troops exchanging fire inside Iraqi territory. U.S. troops retreat out of fear of being taken hostage....
- Iran is isolated from the international community...again.
- Bush, Blair and Iran's terrorist president start the blame game anew.
Has the Strait of Hormuz been closed to international shipping? NOPE.
Has the Strait been mined? NOPE.
Has Iran threatened to sink any tankers? NOPE.
Any refineries set ablaze? NOPE.
Any oil production facilities damaged or destroyed, leading to a drop in oil production? NOPE.
Any net effect whatsoever on the available oil supply? NONE.
Any tidal waves, hurricanes, tornadoes, or other natural disasters that could explain the price increases? NOPE.
Hmmm....
Are the oil speculators worried? Yep.
So, in spite of the fact that there is no decrease in oil output from the ongoing feud between Britain and Iran, and the oil supply is unaffected, the price for a barrel of oil has gone way up again.
The oil speculators and oil companies should pay for the artificial increases that they've created WITHOUT charging more at the pump. The British/Iranian issues are irrelevant to the cost of a barrel of oil, unless the missiles start to fly. Enough of the excuses, already!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Pet Food Recall News: Web Site Reports Nearly 2,000 Dogs and Cats Die From Contaminated Pet Food
Menu Foods is reporting the deaths of sixteen pets from contaminated pet food that was recalled on March 16th, but this number may be vastly under-reported.
One web site is reporting that nearly 2,000 pets are now deceased and base that number on the number of people who have registered with their web site and who have filed complaints with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Another report said 845 pets were deceased and over a thousand were sickened.
I'm sensing a cover-up here. If it isn't a cover-up, it's a severe misunderstanding of what's really going on in the veterinary clinics and animal hospitals on the part of Menu Foods.
My dad's neighbor up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula just lost his beloved dog after feeding it a can of Science Diet dog food, which he didn't realize was under recall. The dog suffered apparent kidney and pancreatic failure and died overnight while under the care of the vet.
The vet reported that there may have been another issue going on, but the timing between the dog eating the can of recalled dog food and it's death within 48 hours was too strange to be something else. It's possible, but the timing is highly suspicious.
Someone at Menu Foods needs to get out in front and take charge. And why the hell didn't their own chemists and scientists pinpoint the cause of the deaths before New York health officials did??! They should have lead the charge, instead of issuing this idiotic statement expressing relief that New York health officials had done Menu Foods' J-O-B in discovering why their product was killing dogs and cats! MORONS!
One web site is reporting that nearly 2,000 pets are now deceased and base that number on the number of people who have registered with their web site and who have filed complaints with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Another report said 845 pets were deceased and over a thousand were sickened.
I'm sensing a cover-up here. If it isn't a cover-up, it's a severe misunderstanding of what's really going on in the veterinary clinics and animal hospitals on the part of Menu Foods.
My dad's neighbor up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula just lost his beloved dog after feeding it a can of Science Diet dog food, which he didn't realize was under recall. The dog suffered apparent kidney and pancreatic failure and died overnight while under the care of the vet.
The vet reported that there may have been another issue going on, but the timing between the dog eating the can of recalled dog food and it's death within 48 hours was too strange to be something else. It's possible, but the timing is highly suspicious.
Someone at Menu Foods needs to get out in front and take charge. And why the hell didn't their own chemists and scientists pinpoint the cause of the deaths before New York health officials did??! They should have lead the charge, instead of issuing this idiotic statement expressing relief that New York health officials had done Menu Foods' J-O-B in discovering why their product was killing dogs and cats! MORONS!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Menu Foods Recall is Troubling: Rat Poison Discovered in Wet Dog and Cat Foods
The Menu Foods recall of dozens of varieties of cat and dog food is very troubling. Rat poison contamination of pet food was discovered as the culprit in the deaths of an unknown number of cats and dogs.
Of particular concern to me is the recall of several types of Nutro dog food, specifically. I feed my dog Nutro Natural Choices Lamb Meal with Rice Formula, which he enjoys a great deal. It's a dry dog food, which are not part of this recall.
But it hasn't stopped me from checking the Menu Foods web site daily, to see if this problem gets any worse. They've recalled several varieties of the wet version of my dog's food.
I've already had a scare with the Diamond dog food recall, which was more than a little responsible for my switching my Jack Russell Terrier over to Nutro. They initially recalled Diamond dog foods in Michigan as well but later canceled it upon finding out where the foods from the affected plants were sent.
Upon hearing about the Diamond recall at work, I hurried home and checked the label to see if the bag was under recall--(it wasn't).
Now Nutro is under a cloud. Though this recall doesn't affect my dog's food (yet), I'm not a happy camper.
Of particular concern to me is the recall of several types of Nutro dog food, specifically. I feed my dog Nutro Natural Choices Lamb Meal with Rice Formula, which he enjoys a great deal. It's a dry dog food, which are not part of this recall.
But it hasn't stopped me from checking the Menu Foods web site daily, to see if this problem gets any worse. They've recalled several varieties of the wet version of my dog's food.
I've already had a scare with the Diamond dog food recall, which was more than a little responsible for my switching my Jack Russell Terrier over to Nutro. They initially recalled Diamond dog foods in Michigan as well but later canceled it upon finding out where the foods from the affected plants were sent.
Upon hearing about the Diamond recall at work, I hurried home and checked the label to see if the bag was under recall--(it wasn't).
Now Nutro is under a cloud. Though this recall doesn't affect my dog's food (yet), I'm not a happy camper.
Iranian Capture of 15 British Troops is a Repeated Violation of the Iraqi Border: Iranian Troops Captured in Recent Months Were in Iraqi Territory Too
A lot of people are waiting for the British Navy to sink the entire Iranian Navy in reprisal for the seizure of 15 British sailors and marines in Iraqi waters by the Iranian Navy.
They apparently roared in on their gunboats and took an entire British boarding party prisoner while still on the Iraqi side of the maritime border.
The British were carrying out a U.N.-mandated inspection of a seagoing vessel when they were captured.
Iran apparently has a great deal of trouble determining where the Iran/Iraq border actually is. Members of their Revolutionary Guard have been caught aiding insurgents on the Iraqi side of the border--some of them as far into Iraq as Baghdad itself.
So it should come as no surprise that Iran is continuing to violate the sovereignty of Iraq's borders. But this hostage-taking maneuver is highly unusual. They were probably hoping that the men (and woman) that they seized were Americans to put pressure on Washington to release Iranian terror operatives who were captured in Iraq or "disappeared" while in third countries.
Should be interesting to see what comes of this.
They apparently roared in on their gunboats and took an entire British boarding party prisoner while still on the Iraqi side of the maritime border.
The British were carrying out a U.N.-mandated inspection of a seagoing vessel when they were captured.
Iran apparently has a great deal of trouble determining where the Iran/Iraq border actually is. Members of their Revolutionary Guard have been caught aiding insurgents on the Iraqi side of the border--some of them as far into Iraq as Baghdad itself.
So it should come as no surprise that Iran is continuing to violate the sovereignty of Iraq's borders. But this hostage-taking maneuver is highly unusual. They were probably hoping that the men (and woman) that they seized were Americans to put pressure on Washington to release Iranian terror operatives who were captured in Iraq or "disappeared" while in third countries.
Should be interesting to see what comes of this.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Al Gore Just Doesn't Get It: His Climate Models Are All Wrong
Al Gore testified before Congress this morning, and continued to pretend that global warming never happened in the past. He's also ignoring billions of years of additional climate modeling which show that cold periods and warm periods in the Earth's past come and go; here's a sample of the research that he is wishing would go away.
And this was LONG before humanity came along, too.
Gore needs to shift gears and start talking about what we should be doing to prepare for the changes that will come with a warming period, and quit trying to defeat Mother Nature. She'll win, EVERY single time.
Gore fails to mention that climate change is going to happen even if we eliminated ALL sources of pollution and greenhouse gases immediately. His pretentious assertion that we can "stop" global warming is a boatload of crap.
And this was LONG before humanity came along, too.
Gore needs to shift gears and start talking about what we should be doing to prepare for the changes that will come with a warming period, and quit trying to defeat Mother Nature. She'll win, EVERY single time.
Gore fails to mention that climate change is going to happen even if we eliminated ALL sources of pollution and greenhouse gases immediately. His pretentious assertion that we can "stop" global warming is a boatload of crap.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Great News: Missing North Carolina Boy Scout Found After Three Days in the Wilderness
A story that had gripped not only the Scouting community but the nation came to a happy ending this morning when searchers found a missing 12-year-old Boy Scout in the mountains of North Carolina. He went missing three days ago and a massive search had been underway since Saturday afternoon.
Finally, some happy news on a disappearance. It appears that his Boy Scout wilderness survival training helped to save his life.
It all boiled down to a lot of prayers, hundreds of searchers, and a tracking dog named Gandalf. Thanks be to God for all of them.
Finally, some happy news on a disappearance. It appears that his Boy Scout wilderness survival training helped to save his life.
It all boiled down to a lot of prayers, hundreds of searchers, and a tracking dog named Gandalf. Thanks be to God for all of them.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is Reckless
I did not realize the tactics that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society employed when I wrote about their acid attack on a Japanese whaler earlier this evening.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on here. Their web site is full of news stories of their aggressiveness on the high seas--aggressive even to the point of hazarding both their ships and the Japanese whaling fleet during their confrontations. And hazarding dozens of human lives as well. And they openly admit to ramming whalers in the past to stop them.
I'm no fan of whaling, but for a group to take to causing accidents on the high seas and endangering human lives to disrupt an activity they don't like is more unacceptable than their opponents killing a FISH.
There are much better ways to deal with Japanese violations of international whaling law than engaging in eco-terrorism. The SSCS is no better than Earth First! blowing up buildings, cars and people.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on here. Their web site is full of news stories of their aggressiveness on the high seas--aggressive even to the point of hazarding both their ships and the Japanese whaling fleet during their confrontations. And hazarding dozens of human lives as well. And they openly admit to ramming whalers in the past to stop them.
I'm no fan of whaling, but for a group to take to causing accidents on the high seas and endangering human lives to disrupt an activity they don't like is more unacceptable than their opponents killing a FISH.
There are much better ways to deal with Japanese violations of international whaling law than engaging in eco-terrorism. The SSCS is no better than Earth First! blowing up buildings, cars and people.
Ingrates: Protestors Launch Acid Attack on Japanese Vessel That Rescued Them
Talk about no decency.
Two anti-whaling activists planned to disrupt a Japanese whaling ship in the Ross Sea by throwing glass bottles full of acid onto the ship's deck last month. But instead, they got lost in fog and bad weather that rolled in. They were forced to await rescue.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which the protesters were a part of, sent out a mayday on their behalf after they failed to return to their command ship on time, and vessels all over the region joined in the search for the missing protesters, including the Japanese whaler.
The whaler ended up spotting them and rescued them, providing them with warmth, food and shelter (according to one account). After a time, the protesters returned to their dinghy and went on their "way."
They began pursuing the vessel that had just rescued them, and proceeded to throw bottles of acid onto the deck of the whaler. Two Japanese nationals were injured in the attack.
The Japanese obeyed the law of the sea and provided humanitarian assistance to the distressed protesters. And their act of kindness and mercy was rewarded with an acid attack by the same people that they had just rescued.
No arrests were made.
If the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society doesn't denounce tactics like this, they should be added to the nation's foreign terrorist organization list. Some of their members are clearly out of control and willing to use extraordinary means to achieve their goals. Check out the criteria pertaining to what constitutes a terrorist act and the means of carrying them out after the list of current terror groups (Items III and V).
I don't like whaling, but I like terrorism even less. And I especially don't like it when someone goes out of their way to help a stranger and then gets hurt by the stranger who USES ACID on their rescuers. It doesn't matter how weak the acid was; people got hurt for no good reason.
Two anti-whaling activists planned to disrupt a Japanese whaling ship in the Ross Sea by throwing glass bottles full of acid onto the ship's deck last month. But instead, they got lost in fog and bad weather that rolled in. They were forced to await rescue.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which the protesters were a part of, sent out a mayday on their behalf after they failed to return to their command ship on time, and vessels all over the region joined in the search for the missing protesters, including the Japanese whaler.
The whaler ended up spotting them and rescued them, providing them with warmth, food and shelter (according to one account). After a time, the protesters returned to their dinghy and went on their "way."
They began pursuing the vessel that had just rescued them, and proceeded to throw bottles of acid onto the deck of the whaler. Two Japanese nationals were injured in the attack.
The Japanese obeyed the law of the sea and provided humanitarian assistance to the distressed protesters. And their act of kindness and mercy was rewarded with an acid attack by the same people that they had just rescued.
No arrests were made.
If the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society doesn't denounce tactics like this, they should be added to the nation's foreign terrorist organization list. Some of their members are clearly out of control and willing to use extraordinary means to achieve their goals. Check out the criteria pertaining to what constitutes a terrorist act and the means of carrying them out after the list of current terror groups (Items III and V).
I don't like whaling, but I like terrorism even less. And I especially don't like it when someone goes out of their way to help a stranger and then gets hurt by the stranger who USES ACID on their rescuers. It doesn't matter how weak the acid was; people got hurt for no good reason.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Hooplah Over Federal Attorney Firings is Nonsense: EVERY President Has Dismissed Prosecutors so Why is This Time Any Different?
A political "firestorm" has erupted over the firings of eight federal prosecutors by the Bush Administration.
It's all over nothing.
The reason that the Democrats are making a stink out of this is that they've (finally) discovered that there is no unity in their own party over what to do about Iraq. This new issue has brought about a sense of unity of purpose in the Democratic ranks. (It won't last---there's too many divisions, interests and overriding issues at play).
And the Republicans seem to think that the situation was mishandled. Yet they didn't say anything when President Clinton fired all the attorneys to in his first term; nor did they say anything when George W. Bush fired all of Clinton's people at the start of his first term.
Those federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the President. He chose to fire eight of them. End of story.
And Alberto Gonzales is out to save his job. His credibility was stretched beyond belief long before this food fight started. He's been ordered to "patch things up" with Congress, but I don't think he can do it.
The bigger issue is the rampant FBI abuse of the Patriot Act. This other idiocy can wait.
It's all over nothing.
The reason that the Democrats are making a stink out of this is that they've (finally) discovered that there is no unity in their own party over what to do about Iraq. This new issue has brought about a sense of unity of purpose in the Democratic ranks. (It won't last---there's too many divisions, interests and overriding issues at play).
And the Republicans seem to think that the situation was mishandled. Yet they didn't say anything when President Clinton fired all the attorneys to in his first term; nor did they say anything when George W. Bush fired all of Clinton's people at the start of his first term.
Those federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the President. He chose to fire eight of them. End of story.
And Alberto Gonzales is out to save his job. His credibility was stretched beyond belief long before this food fight started. He's been ordered to "patch things up" with Congress, but I don't think he can do it.
The bigger issue is the rampant FBI abuse of the Patriot Act. This other idiocy can wait.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The Hogs Are At the Trough Again: Congress Adds $20 Billion in Pork to Military Emergency Supplemental Bill
Why the &^%# do spinach farmers, peanut storage facilities, and lawmakers who are looking for more office space in Washington, DC, need emergency MILITARY money for??!
Congress has added $20 billion in pork spending to the $105 billion military supplemental bill for DEFINITE non-military uses.
What, is there a new type of peanut-based ammunition that is under development for the military? Spinach for Popeye the United States Marine?
ALL non-military pork should be removed from this bill immediately, and those Congress people who did this should be ashamed of themselves.
Katrina relief, port security, Veterans Administration affairs, national disaster preparedness, avian flu preparation and other important national issues DO deserve to be discussed and financed, but NOT as part of this military bill. They should be discussed under their OWN bills and free of additional non-related pork.
OINK!! OINK!! OINK!!
Congress has added $20 billion in pork spending to the $105 billion military supplemental bill for DEFINITE non-military uses.
What, is there a new type of peanut-based ammunition that is under development for the military? Spinach for Popeye the United States Marine?
ALL non-military pork should be removed from this bill immediately, and those Congress people who did this should be ashamed of themselves.
Katrina relief, port security, Veterans Administration affairs, national disaster preparedness, avian flu preparation and other important national issues DO deserve to be discussed and financed, but NOT as part of this military bill. They should be discussed under their OWN bills and free of additional non-related pork.
OINK!! OINK!! OINK!!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Viacom Sues Google/YouTube for $1 Billion for Copyright Infringement: Who is This Lawsuit Really Aimed At?
Viacom filed a lawsuit against Google and YouTube for $1 billion, claiming that some 160,000 pieces of their protected material ended up on the popular video website, and that Google/YouTube hasn't done anything fast enough to address their demands.
But who is this lawsuit really directed at? YouTube, for not removing the videos fast enough, or the people who posted the videos in the first place and actually broke copyright infringement laws while doing so?
I am of the opinion that it was filed to serve as a warning to the posters as well as YouTube. Viacom is notorious for suing everyone in sight for daring to tread on their copyrights.
Should be interesting to see if YouTube is the anchor that will weigh down Google as many experts predicted after Google bought YouTube.
But who is this lawsuit really directed at? YouTube, for not removing the videos fast enough, or the people who posted the videos in the first place and actually broke copyright infringement laws while doing so?
I am of the opinion that it was filed to serve as a warning to the posters as well as YouTube. Viacom is notorious for suing everyone in sight for daring to tread on their copyrights.
Should be interesting to see if YouTube is the anchor that will weigh down Google as many experts predicted after Google bought YouTube.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
French President Chirac Announces He Will Not Run For Re-Election: The Sooner This Man Leaves, the Better
French President Chirac announced that he won't be running for re-election.
GOOD RIDDANCE!
It takes two to make an argument, and he did more than his fair share of damage to U.S.-French relations during his tenure.
To disagree about ideas in the international community is a hallmark of U.S.-French relations, but Chirac's haughtiness and ill-tempered approach to dealing with President Bush made him a hypocrite (another one).
To hear him talk about U.S. arrogance was ridiculous, considering his own attitude.
Hopefully the next French President won't have the same corruption baggage and impulse control problems that Chirac had in dealing with people.
Bye bye, President Chirac.
GOOD RIDDANCE!
It takes two to make an argument, and he did more than his fair share of damage to U.S.-French relations during his tenure.
To disagree about ideas in the international community is a hallmark of U.S.-French relations, but Chirac's haughtiness and ill-tempered approach to dealing with President Bush made him a hypocrite (another one).
To hear him talk about U.S. arrogance was ridiculous, considering his own attitude.
Hopefully the next French President won't have the same corruption baggage and impulse control problems that Chirac had in dealing with people.
Bye bye, President Chirac.
Friday, March 09, 2007
FBI Admits Violating Patriot Act: A Blind Man Could Have Seen This Coming
The FBI has been caught violating the Patriot Act as was predicted.
Whenever you give unlimited power to any person or agency, unlimited abuses will follow. And that's exactly what's happened when the FBI got caught with its hand in the cookie jar by an audit.
"I told you so" doesn't seem to cover it. See my rants throughout 2005 and 2006 on the Patriot Act. I had dropped my overall opposition to the Act in December 2005, but warned that concerns remained about abuses of power.
The question now becomes: how many other agencies have done this too?
Time to start marking up the Patriot Act. It's overdue.
And they had better not think the bad publicity will go away if the FBI director resigns, either. It's going to make the FBI look even worse than it already does.
Whenever you give unlimited power to any person or agency, unlimited abuses will follow. And that's exactly what's happened when the FBI got caught with its hand in the cookie jar by an audit.
"I told you so" doesn't seem to cover it. See my rants throughout 2005 and 2006 on the Patriot Act. I had dropped my overall opposition to the Act in December 2005, but warned that concerns remained about abuses of power.
The question now becomes: how many other agencies have done this too?
Time to start marking up the Patriot Act. It's overdue.
And they had better not think the bad publicity will go away if the FBI director resigns, either. It's going to make the FBI look even worse than it already does.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
All This Talk of Sympathy for Libby in Jury Guarantees Some of the Convictions Will Be Overturned on Appeal
Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted on four of five counts against him, and a food fight has broken out between the left and right on whether or not he should be granted a Presidential pardon.
I have doubts it will get that far.
A number of the jurors who convicted Libby have virtually guaranteed that Libby will get an appeal. I predict that at least two of the convictions will be overturned; the reason why is that jurors have been expressing sympathy for Libby, saying that the convictions had nothing to do with the crime that started all of this: who outed the CIA operative?
One went on MSNBC and said "Pardon Libby."
That doesn't sound like a unanimous vote in the jury room to me. The defense will grab onto what's been said after the fact, and try to illustrate that there was confusion in that jury room.
The talk of a pardon is premature. The legal process needs time to sort all of this out.
I have doubts it will get that far.
A number of the jurors who convicted Libby have virtually guaranteed that Libby will get an appeal. I predict that at least two of the convictions will be overturned; the reason why is that jurors have been expressing sympathy for Libby, saying that the convictions had nothing to do with the crime that started all of this: who outed the CIA operative?
One went on MSNBC and said "Pardon Libby."
That doesn't sound like a unanimous vote in the jury room to me. The defense will grab onto what's been said after the fact, and try to illustrate that there was confusion in that jury room.
The talk of a pardon is premature. The legal process needs time to sort all of this out.
NASA Relieves Astronaut of Duty and Transfers Her Back to Navy in Wake of Love Triangle Scandal
Astronaut Lisa Nowak was relieved of her duties at NASA and transferred back to the U.S. Navy following her arrest in Florida.
She had been accused of taking part in a love triangle, which lead her to stalk and threaten the other woman. Authorities charged her with attempted kidnapping.
NASA has no policy on what to do in the event of a case like this, so they transferred her back to the Navy, which deals with this kind of stuff on a more regular basis. In effect, they canned her.
She will be facing charges in a civilian court and probably in a JAG court too.
Hopefully NASA will develop policies to deal with stuff like this; it probably will happen again. While they've dealt with the current situation, what happens when something like this happens between civilian workers, and not military ones?
She had been accused of taking part in a love triangle, which lead her to stalk and threaten the other woman. Authorities charged her with attempted kidnapping.
NASA has no policy on what to do in the event of a case like this, so they transferred her back to the Navy, which deals with this kind of stuff on a more regular basis. In effect, they canned her.
She will be facing charges in a civilian court and probably in a JAG court too.
Hopefully NASA will develop policies to deal with stuff like this; it probably will happen again. While they've dealt with the current situation, what happens when something like this happens between civilian workers, and not military ones?
Government Seizes Four Retired F-14 Tomcats To Prevent Iran From Getting Its Hands on Spare Parts
The government seized four retired F-14 Tomcats today that were insufficiently prepared to be put on display this morning. Under the law, all military aircraft need to be demilitarized and be made incapable of flight. Apparently these four aircraft were not sufficiently dismantled enough.
One of the fighters was used as a prop for USA Network's popular "JAG" series. Another was said to still have military grade afterburners.
Iran is the only nation on earth that flies the F-14 as part of it's air force now; the U.S. retired it's entire fleet of F-14s last year due to the cost of operating them and the amount of time needed on the ground to keep them in the air. Government officials were worried that Iranian agents could acquire needed parts from the retired aircraft to service their F-14s.
Iran is scouring the globe for parts for the fighter; many are not airworthy anymore, and those that are need a lot of work. The U.S. recently banned selling of F-14 parts worldwide, partly out of concern that the parts could be transferred to Iran.
The four F-14s seized were at airports in California.
Death of a Comics Hero: Captain America Killed by Sniper in Today's Issue of "Captain America"
I'm going to take a little bit of time with this one.Marvel Comics killed off one of their longest lasting icons in the final core issue of their controversial "Civil War" series.
Captain America bought the farm, felled by an assassin's bullets.
In 2006, the Civil War storyline opened in the Marvel Universe and took in many of the superheros, including Captain America, Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Punisher, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and dozens of others.
In the first issue, a team of superheroes battles a group of villains and things go very badly. One of the villains blows apart and six hundred innocent lives--including many children--are lost in the explosion. The public demands the U.S. government take action.
In response, the government requires all superhumans to unmask and register with the government. The superheros break into two camps: one that supports the Superhuman Registration Act lead by Iron Man, and those who support civil liberties--lead by Captain America. All who refuse to unmask and register are declared fugitives by the U.S. government.
Many superhumans--some of them bad guys-- join Iron Man's side with promises of government pardons for their prior actions.
Spider-Man unmasks at a press conference to show his support for the Act; the shockwaves from that were/are still reverberating in the Marvel Universe. He eventually changed sides and was declared a renegade.
Several major battles between Iron Man's government faction and Captain America's Secret Avengers took place; casualties were taken by both sides. In the final issue, a hunted Captain America surrendered to Iron Man, throwing his mask to the ground--which the Punisher picked up. He ordered his troops to surrender, and is assassinated as he is brought in handcuffs to the courthouse.
The allegories to our post-9/11 world are unmistakable. The loss of civil liberties in exchange for security, an unpopular war--fought on our own soil in Marvel's case--in progress that kills as many civilians as it does combatants, the Patriot Act superseding (and duplicating) laws already on the books, secret trials, attacks on superhumans by ordinary citizens which mirror the unfortunate revenge attacks carried out on Muslims in the days following 9/11, superhumans being locked away without cause or trial, and many other reflections--of us.
Fortunately, many comic book heroes have this knack for surviving--even as they appear to die. The Death of Superman by DC Comics in 1993 was a classic example. It's unlikely that Marvel would kill off one of their most beloved comic characters for long--especially since he's still making money for them.
This has been one of Marvel's more fascinating storylines in recent memory.
More Political Hypocrisy: Critics Slam Coulter for Calling Edwards a Gay Slur, But It's OK for Them to Call Their Rivals "Nazis"
Mr. Pot, leave Mr. Kettle alone.
Ann Coulter turned a lot of heads by referring to John Edwards as a "faggot" and then followed up her remarks by saying she wouldn't denigrate gays by comparing them to John Edwards.
Demands from various individuals and groups have been for her to apologize for her remarks.
I don't think she should. Not until some others do first.
After all, some of these SAME people have nothing to say when THEY refer to their political opponents (or the U.S. military--SENATOR DURBIN) as "Nazis" or other foul expressions.
It's opposite sides of the same coin. Throw the thing out.
But these people shouldn't go crying foul while overlooking the use of the Nazi label against the other side. "Nazi" hurts just as much as the aforementioned gay slur.
It's just more of the "I'm going to hit you. Don't hit me back" routine.
Ann Coulter turned a lot of heads by referring to John Edwards as a "faggot" and then followed up her remarks by saying she wouldn't denigrate gays by comparing them to John Edwards.
Demands from various individuals and groups have been for her to apologize for her remarks.
I don't think she should. Not until some others do first.
After all, some of these SAME people have nothing to say when THEY refer to their political opponents (or the U.S. military--SENATOR DURBIN) as "Nazis" or other foul expressions.
It's opposite sides of the same coin. Throw the thing out.
But these people shouldn't go crying foul while overlooking the use of the Nazi label against the other side. "Nazi" hurts just as much as the aforementioned gay slur.
It's just more of the "I'm going to hit you. Don't hit me back" routine.
California Town to Use Birth Control to Limit....SQUIRREL POPULATION??!
Only in California...
A California town council is concerned about a large squirrel population in a park and is going to use birth control to try and reduce their numbers.
SQUIRREL BIRTH CONTROL??!
Why don't they reduce the surplus animal-activist population first? They'll have to be shot, of course. (I'M KIDDING!!)
This is what happens when activists have more of a say than common-sense people do. Just declare a hunting season with bounties to be paid for each squirrel carcass and be done with it!
Squirrel birth control. Ay yi yi.
A California town council is concerned about a large squirrel population in a park and is going to use birth control to try and reduce their numbers.
SQUIRREL BIRTH CONTROL??!
Why don't they reduce the surplus animal-activist population first? They'll have to be shot, of course. (I'M KIDDING!!)
This is what happens when activists have more of a say than common-sense people do. Just declare a hunting season with bounties to be paid for each squirrel carcass and be done with it!
Squirrel birth control. Ay yi yi.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Is Alan Greenspan Retired, or Isn't He?
Stocks took a tumble late last week and early this week partly because former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan told a financial newspaper that there was a "one in three chance of the U.S. economy slipping into a recession" in 2007.
Investors keep a close eye and ear out for any bad news whatsoever, and Greenspan still wields considerable influence over stock market happenings, though he retired from his old job.
Is Mr. Greenspan retired or not? His remarks are clearly undermining the current chair, which could adversely affect the markets.
Those two had better put their heads together.
Investors keep a close eye and ear out for any bad news whatsoever, and Greenspan still wields considerable influence over stock market happenings, though he retired from his old job.
Is Mr. Greenspan retired or not? His remarks are clearly undermining the current chair, which could adversely affect the markets.
Those two had better put their heads together.
Bush Administration Chooses New Nuclear Warhead Design; Critics Charge Hypocrisy in Move As Negotiations With North Korea and Iran Continue
The Bush Administration has chosen a new nuclear warhead design to replace aging warheads sitting atop ICBMs for more than twenty years.
The move is to match
With nuclear negotiations ongoing with
There is a very fine line that Washington needs to walk at this moment, and announcing a new nuclear warhead design and plans to replace obsolete ICBMs with state-of-the-art ones isn’t a real smart idea.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Walter Reed Army Hospital Problems are Tip of Iceberg: Government is Really Screwing Up
The brew-ha-ha over the poor condition of Walter Reed Army Medical Center seems to have raised the public consciousness over the very bad condition that parts of the facility are in.
Defense Secretary Gates is angry; the Army secretary and the commanding officer of Walter Reed were sacked, and repairs are seemingly underway.
Big whoop. The resignations and firings are meaningless, unless something positive results.
Walter Reed Army Hospital is slated for closure, and a new Walter Reed hospital complex is to be built. There was a reason for the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) folks to do this. They said in their report that wounded soldiers and their families deserved a state-of-the-art 21st Century facility and that the current facility wasn't up to the task. It also said it would cost too much to repair the existing facility.
Instead of pumping millions into Walter Reed's highly publicized problem areas, why don't they close down Building 18, where the attention is focused? They're already renting hotel rooms or bed space at other hospitals for wounded and injured soldiers; they can handle doing that for the occupants of Building 18, too, until the new facilities are ready.
These soldiers were sent into hell to begin with; why are they going through hell back over here, too, in their own country? They don't deserve this.
Congress needs to make sure that all military medical facilities have the funding that they need; that includes access to mental health care and whatever else the soldier needs to recover, and banning medical co-pays for veterans wounded in combat.
Our government sent them there; it should be on the government's dime. Not one penny should be coming out of the pockets of the soldier or his/her family. Nightmare stories have been coming out about this for quite some time; soldiers are paying for government screw ups.
The soldier and the soldier's family should not see one page of paperwork; most are inundated with complex paperwork which, if not filled out properly, can deny the soldier his/her earned benefits.
The government needs to get this right, and soon. To allow this to happen is unthinkable.
Defense Secretary Gates is angry; the Army secretary and the commanding officer of Walter Reed were sacked, and repairs are seemingly underway.
Big whoop. The resignations and firings are meaningless, unless something positive results.
Walter Reed Army Hospital is slated for closure, and a new Walter Reed hospital complex is to be built. There was a reason for the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) folks to do this. They said in their report that wounded soldiers and their families deserved a state-of-the-art 21st Century facility and that the current facility wasn't up to the task. It also said it would cost too much to repair the existing facility.
Instead of pumping millions into Walter Reed's highly publicized problem areas, why don't they close down Building 18, where the attention is focused? They're already renting hotel rooms or bed space at other hospitals for wounded and injured soldiers; they can handle doing that for the occupants of Building 18, too, until the new facilities are ready.
These soldiers were sent into hell to begin with; why are they going through hell back over here, too, in their own country? They don't deserve this.
Congress needs to make sure that all military medical facilities have the funding that they need; that includes access to mental health care and whatever else the soldier needs to recover, and banning medical co-pays for veterans wounded in combat.
Our government sent them there; it should be on the government's dime. Not one penny should be coming out of the pockets of the soldier or his/her family. Nightmare stories have been coming out about this for quite some time; soldiers are paying for government screw ups.
The soldier and the soldier's family should not see one page of paperwork; most are inundated with complex paperwork which, if not filled out properly, can deny the soldier his/her earned benefits.
The government needs to get this right, and soon. To allow this to happen is unthinkable.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Kerry Attacks Ambassadorial Nominee for Supporting Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in 2004 Election: Sore Loser
Senator Kerry went after Ambassador to Belgium-nominee Sam Fox for his support of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group in his confirmation hearings yesterday.
That group went after Kerry's war record during the 2004 Presidential Elections after allegations arose that Kerry was distorting his military record and that he had refused to sign a Form 180 privacy waiver which would have allowed the Navy to release all of his records.
Kerry finally did sign the form in 2005, months after losing the Presidential Election. We'll skip his excuse for not signing the form earlier, but it is in the linked article.
He may have released the information in 2005 to avoid being attacked on the same issue if he decided to run for President in 2008 (he decided against running for now).
The records contained nothing new or explosive as some of the hard-core Swift Boat Veterans had been expecting. After-action reports of the battles that Kerry got decorated for are still missing, so the Swift Boat Veterans will continue to be a force to be considered.
Enter Sam Fox. Fox is a conservative St. Louis businessman who gave the Swift Boat Veterans $50,000 in 2004, during the height of the Kerry-Swift Boat Veterans fight. Kerry challenged Fox in the hearing, saying that Fox's decision makes him unfit to be a United States Ambassador.
I don't care about the Ambassadorship or who has it.
I'm not happy that Kerry is attacking Fox for supporting a conservative group and exercising his freedom of association, which is derived from the freedom of assembly clause and right to petition the government to redress grievances.
If we applied the same standard to Kerry that Kerry is applying to Fox, Kerry's membership in the Skull and Bones secret society would make him unfit to be a United States Senator.
The difference is that the Swift Boat for Veterans group operates in the open, where everyone can see them and what they're doing; S&B does not.
So who's more suspect: a businessman who gives $50,000 to a conservative group who wants to be an Ambassador, or a United States Senator who joined an elite secret society, wants everything both ways, engages in deception throughout the Presidential campaign, and refuses to allow the Navy to let his official military record to be released to the media--even thought the release would have helped his campaign against the Swift Boat Vets?
Senator Kerry ought to get over it.
That group went after Kerry's war record during the 2004 Presidential Elections after allegations arose that Kerry was distorting his military record and that he had refused to sign a Form 180 privacy waiver which would have allowed the Navy to release all of his records.
Kerry finally did sign the form in 2005, months after losing the Presidential Election. We'll skip his excuse for not signing the form earlier, but it is in the linked article.
He may have released the information in 2005 to avoid being attacked on the same issue if he decided to run for President in 2008 (he decided against running for now).
The records contained nothing new or explosive as some of the hard-core Swift Boat Veterans had been expecting. After-action reports of the battles that Kerry got decorated for are still missing, so the Swift Boat Veterans will continue to be a force to be considered.
Enter Sam Fox. Fox is a conservative St. Louis businessman who gave the Swift Boat Veterans $50,000 in 2004, during the height of the Kerry-Swift Boat Veterans fight. Kerry challenged Fox in the hearing, saying that Fox's decision makes him unfit to be a United States Ambassador.
I don't care about the Ambassadorship or who has it.
I'm not happy that Kerry is attacking Fox for supporting a conservative group and exercising his freedom of association, which is derived from the freedom of assembly clause and right to petition the government to redress grievances.
If we applied the same standard to Kerry that Kerry is applying to Fox, Kerry's membership in the Skull and Bones secret society would make him unfit to be a United States Senator.
The difference is that the Swift Boat for Veterans group operates in the open, where everyone can see them and what they're doing; S&B does not.
So who's more suspect: a businessman who gives $50,000 to a conservative group who wants to be an Ambassador, or a United States Senator who joined an elite secret society, wants everything both ways, engages in deception throughout the Presidential campaign, and refuses to allow the Navy to let his official military record to be released to the media--even thought the release would have helped his campaign against the Swift Boat Vets?
Senator Kerry ought to get over it.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
One of Life's Mysteries: Father Who Lost 3 Daughters in 2004 Tsunami is Now Proud Father of Three Triplet Daughters
A policeman from Indonesia who lost all three of his daughters and his wife during the 2004 tsunami (which ravaged Indonesia and ten other nations in the region) experienced a miracle when his new wife gave birth to triplets in Banda Aceh--all daughters.
I hope they all survive too.
Even though it's out of the international news for the most part, vast areas of Southeast Asia remain devastated; the people there are still suffering from lack of basic necessities and mourning their dead, so it's encouraging when news like this comes out of the disaster area.
I hope they all survive too.
Even though it's out of the international news for the most part, vast areas of Southeast Asia remain devastated; the people there are still suffering from lack of basic necessities and mourning their dead, so it's encouraging when news like this comes out of the disaster area.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Al Gore Needs to Practice What He Preaches: His Energy Use is Off the Scale
How's this for an inconvenient truth (about Al Gore)?
He's the undisputed King of Hypocrisy and hubris! And yet, the press is totally ignoring Mr. panic monger's using more energy and gas in one month than "...an average American family does...in one year."
Oink!! Oink!!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Democrats Shouldn't Limit U.S. Military Mission in Iraq: Very Bad Move in the Making
The latest Democratic proposal for Iraq has the scope of the U.S. military's role reduced to fighting al-Qaeda terrorists, training the Iraqi security forces, and helping Iraq to secure it's borders.
A question for the Democratic brain trusts in Washington before they even think of moving forward on this legislation:
How does one identify an al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) member? They won't be wearing name badges or wearing black t-shirts with big lettering that identify them as a member of that particular group. Last time anyone checked, they wear civilian clothing.
If they limit the U.S. military to fighting AQI alone, what about Ansar al-Islam, the Mahdi Army, the Tawhad and Khalid bin Al Walid Brigade, Al-Istikhbarat al-Askariyya, Fedayeen Saddam, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Forces/Hamas members, plus the dozens of local insurgent groups who are striking at U.S. targets in Iraq?
To attempt to bind the hands of our troops is a very bad idea. That has already happened through political mismanagement of the war through November of last year; this would be an even bigger mistake.
That's not even bringing up the constitutional issues that will arise between Congress and the White House if Congress attempts to circumvent Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution.
If they want to revise their 2002 vote on the war, they can have at it.
But attempting to micromanage the war by binding the hands of the military in what it can and cannot do in Iraq is an overreach of Congress on one hand, and a grave mistake on the other.
A question for the Democratic brain trusts in Washington before they even think of moving forward on this legislation:
How does one identify an al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) member? They won't be wearing name badges or wearing black t-shirts with big lettering that identify them as a member of that particular group. Last time anyone checked, they wear civilian clothing.
If they limit the U.S. military to fighting AQI alone, what about Ansar al-Islam, the Mahdi Army, the Tawhad and Khalid bin Al Walid Brigade, Al-Istikhbarat al-Askariyya, Fedayeen Saddam, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Forces/Hamas members, plus the dozens of local insurgent groups who are striking at U.S. targets in Iraq?
To attempt to bind the hands of our troops is a very bad idea. That has already happened through political mismanagement of the war through November of last year; this would be an even bigger mistake.
That's not even bringing up the constitutional issues that will arise between Congress and the White House if Congress attempts to circumvent Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution.
If they want to revise their 2002 vote on the war, they can have at it.
But attempting to micromanage the war by binding the hands of the military in what it can and cannot do in Iraq is an overreach of Congress on one hand, and a grave mistake on the other.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Polls Find Adults are Scaring Young Kids About Global Warming
A recent poll in the UK has found that 50% of kids aged 7-11 are losing sleep over global warming concerns.
The article takes the side of the global warming crowd, while ignoring the detrimental effect that unfounded worries are taking on kids, if the poll is correct.
Adults need to moderate their global warming rhetoric when explaining it to elementary aged children. If these kids are losing sleep over something as politicized and misrepresented as global warming is, then the adults who are teaching these kids about global warming have gone way over the line and contributed to childhood anxiety over a naturally occurring process with a human (and COW) component.
The more brainwashing that global warming people do to children at a young age, the less likely they will be able to absorb new information about global warming once we do (finally) get rock-hard evidence that will directly contradict parts of current global warming propaganda.
These children won't believe it because they've been politicized and brainwashed into believing the propaganda from the get-go. That's wrong, and very dangerous.
People who believe global warming can be stopped are hopelessly stupid. Save the planet, my afterburner. But a seven-year-old can't tell the fact from the stupidity. Shame, shame, shame.
The article takes the side of the global warming crowd, while ignoring the detrimental effect that unfounded worries are taking on kids, if the poll is correct.
Adults need to moderate their global warming rhetoric when explaining it to elementary aged children. If these kids are losing sleep over something as politicized and misrepresented as global warming is, then the adults who are teaching these kids about global warming have gone way over the line and contributed to childhood anxiety over a naturally occurring process with a human (and COW) component.
The more brainwashing that global warming people do to children at a young age, the less likely they will be able to absorb new information about global warming once we do (finally) get rock-hard evidence that will directly contradict parts of current global warming propaganda.
These children won't believe it because they've been politicized and brainwashed into believing the propaganda from the get-go. That's wrong, and very dangerous.
People who believe global warming can be stopped are hopelessly stupid. Save the planet, my afterburner. But a seven-year-old can't tell the fact from the stupidity. Shame, shame, shame.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
British Begin Pullout as Shiite Civil War Rages in Southern Iraq: If That's the New Measure of Success, We Should Pull Out of Baghdad Immediately
British Prime Minister Tony Blair went on British national TV and announced that 1,600 British soldiers will be out of Iraq by the end of summer. Blair and the White House said separately that success was the main reason that the British were able to begin pulling their army out.
Success?
Last time anyone looked, there was a full-scale Shiite civil war raging all around the British sector, which is centered around Basra. The Mahdi Army is trying to conquer the area for Muqtada al-Sadr and the British are claiming success?
If a civil war is the new measure of success, then why are we sending more troops to Baghdad while the British are beginning to pull out of southern Iraq? What??! What??! Baghdad isn't screwed up enough yet??! Oh. OK.
This war is getting stranger and stranger every day. Now utter disasters are being claimed as successes.
Success?
Last time anyone looked, there was a full-scale Shiite civil war raging all around the British sector, which is centered around Basra. The Mahdi Army is trying to conquer the area for Muqtada al-Sadr and the British are claiming success?
If a civil war is the new measure of success, then why are we sending more troops to Baghdad while the British are beginning to pull out of southern Iraq? What??! What??! Baghdad isn't screwed up enough yet??! Oh. OK.
This war is getting stranger and stranger every day. Now utter disasters are being claimed as successes.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Murtha's Proposal Intrudes on Separation of Powers; The President in CinC, Not Murtha and Not Congress
Congressman Jack Murtha is announcing plans to put all kinds of conditions on what the military must do in order to get money that's been allocated to waging war in Iraq.
They include: one year of training for any soldier designated for a combat tour in Iraq, one year time limit in Iraq with no extensions, no soldier goes to Iraq unless fully trained and fully equipped, and one year between combat tours.
These are great ideas, but there's only one problem. These ideas should be coming from the Constitutionally recognized Commander in Chief.
That's not Jack Murtha; nor is it any of his colleagues in Congress. It's the President of the United States.
Congress does have the power of the purse, but only to the point of a "yes" or "no" vote to spending bills of their or the President's creation. That means if the majority of Congress wants to pass a spending bill that funds the military but ends funding for the Iraq War, they can do so at will.
But these conditions (which I do like) cannot be made by Congress as to how the war is waged and how military personnel are moved around. That falls into the President's jurisdiction.
Murtha ought to push for President Bush to adopt these "suggestions" as military policy, and get to the main event of the Democratic agenda that they keep denying: their intent to de-fund the war itself (which I think is unwise at this point).
There's got to be a better way to expressing displeasure with the President than feeding parts of the Constitution into a paper shredder. Bush did it first (equal protection), now Congress wants to do it too.
THROW THEM ALL OUT OF OFFICE!
They include: one year of training for any soldier designated for a combat tour in Iraq, one year time limit in Iraq with no extensions, no soldier goes to Iraq unless fully trained and fully equipped, and one year between combat tours.
These are great ideas, but there's only one problem. These ideas should be coming from the Constitutionally recognized Commander in Chief.
That's not Jack Murtha; nor is it any of his colleagues in Congress. It's the President of the United States.
Congress does have the power of the purse, but only to the point of a "yes" or "no" vote to spending bills of their or the President's creation. That means if the majority of Congress wants to pass a spending bill that funds the military but ends funding for the Iraq War, they can do so at will.
But these conditions (which I do like) cannot be made by Congress as to how the war is waged and how military personnel are moved around. That falls into the President's jurisdiction.
Murtha ought to push for President Bush to adopt these "suggestions" as military policy, and get to the main event of the Democratic agenda that they keep denying: their intent to de-fund the war itself (which I think is unwise at this point).
There's got to be a better way to expressing displeasure with the President than feeding parts of the Constitution into a paper shredder. Bush did it first (equal protection), now Congress wants to do it too.
THROW THEM ALL OUT OF OFFICE!
Sunni Terror Groups Strike At Iranian Government: Islamic Press Claims Bombs Were Manufactured in U.S.
A radical Sunni terror group launched a series of terror attacks in and around the city of Zahedan, Iran, over the last week, killing Revolutionary Guard militia members and prompting the Islamic press to claim that the bombs were American built.
That idea is ludicrous as Iran makes it's own bombs and has a black market for those Iranian bombs. It's more likely that they were Iranian-built bombs bought on Iran's black market, which has also supplied weapons to Iraqi insurgents too.
This is the Iranian press and government trying to blame their terrorist problems on other governments, despite Tehran's probable involvement in training these terrorists for action in Iraq. They didn't take into account the possibility that their terror trainees were going to take their weapons and use them on the people who are their real enemies--the Iranian military.
That's as good an explanation as Iran's, and probably not far off the mark either.
In any case, Iran should go bark up it's own tree.
That idea is ludicrous as Iran makes it's own bombs and has a black market for those Iranian bombs. It's more likely that they were Iranian-built bombs bought on Iran's black market, which has also supplied weapons to Iraqi insurgents too.
This is the Iranian press and government trying to blame their terrorist problems on other governments, despite Tehran's probable involvement in training these terrorists for action in Iraq. They didn't take into account the possibility that their terror trainees were going to take their weapons and use them on the people who are their real enemies--the Iranian military.
That's as good an explanation as Iran's, and probably not far off the mark either.
In any case, Iran should go bark up it's own tree.
Practice of Extending Tours of Duty in War Zones Must End: It's Not Helping Military Families That Are on Verge of Breaking Apart
Every time a military unit is sent into a war zone, there is a spike in the number of divorces in the unit, or problems at home involving children get worse. Extensions of these tours of duty make bad situations even worse and push borderline families over the edge. It has to stop.
Military families are suffering already; some of these soldiers need to get home immediately and get their kids and families back on an even keel. And they need to see to their own physical and mental health too.
Extending tours is not good policy; and while some of the soldiers may not mind it, their families certainly do.
If we are sending these troops to Iraq or Afghanistan for one year, then they should go for one year and then come back, regardless of the security situation. If anything, we should be shortening their stays---sending them over for one year, then bringing them back ahead of schedule.
That plan wouldn't work with the current rotation plan and troop levels, but it's something they really ought to look at and make alterations to accommodate it. And if that means pulling out 60,000 troops this year to increase the size of the soldier pool available for future rotations, then they should do it.
Something has to change, and soon.
Military families are suffering already; some of these soldiers need to get home immediately and get their kids and families back on an even keel. And they need to see to their own physical and mental health too.
Extending tours is not good policy; and while some of the soldiers may not mind it, their families certainly do.
If we are sending these troops to Iraq or Afghanistan for one year, then they should go for one year and then come back, regardless of the security situation. If anything, we should be shortening their stays---sending them over for one year, then bringing them back ahead of schedule.
That plan wouldn't work with the current rotation plan and troop levels, but it's something they really ought to look at and make alterations to accommodate it. And if that means pulling out 60,000 troops this year to increase the size of the soldier pool available for future rotations, then they should do it.
Something has to change, and soon.
JetBlue Incident Shows (Again) That a "Passenger Bill of Rights" is Needed When Bad Weather Shuts Down Airports
Last week's monster snow and ice storm exposed a glaring weakness in the airline industry that should have been dealt with already, but hasn't been.
Passengers aboard some JetBlue Airways jets were forced to sit for close to ten hours in jets that couldn't take off as the storm shut down JFK International Airport. The aircraft were parked on the taxiway waiting for clearance to take off and hours went by.
Many of the aircraft didn't have food or water on board and the doors had to be opened every ten minutes to let fresh air into the passenger cabins. Still more hours went by. Finally buses arrived to take the passengers off the planes and return them to the terminal, which should have happened hours before. I can't imagine waiting ten hours for a plane to take off.
JetBlue offered free tickets, discounts and other bonuses to their captive passengers once they were back in the terminal. Analysts called the move "smart." JetBlue also announced that they were introducing a passenger bill of rights on their own.
Other airlines are refusing to do so; they would rather have dissatisfied customers vote with their feet, which leaves them free to take their passengers hostage in the meantime. They shouldn't be waylaying people like that.
It's a wonder that the passengers didn't try to seize control of the jet in their frustration.
Passengers aboard some JetBlue Airways jets were forced to sit for close to ten hours in jets that couldn't take off as the storm shut down JFK International Airport. The aircraft were parked on the taxiway waiting for clearance to take off and hours went by.
Many of the aircraft didn't have food or water on board and the doors had to be opened every ten minutes to let fresh air into the passenger cabins. Still more hours went by. Finally buses arrived to take the passengers off the planes and return them to the terminal, which should have happened hours before. I can't imagine waiting ten hours for a plane to take off.
JetBlue offered free tickets, discounts and other bonuses to their captive passengers once they were back in the terminal. Analysts called the move "smart." JetBlue also announced that they were introducing a passenger bill of rights on their own.
Other airlines are refusing to do so; they would rather have dissatisfied customers vote with their feet, which leaves them free to take their passengers hostage in the meantime. They shouldn't be waylaying people like that.
It's a wonder that the passengers didn't try to seize control of the jet in their frustration.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Judge in Anna Nicole Smith Case Needs to Be Replaced Immediately: He's Worse than the OJ Simpson Judge
The judge in Florida who is in charge of handling where Anna Nicole Smith is buried is a cowboy and needs to be replaced.
CourtTV was shaking it's head in confusion this morning over what the judge was allowing the attorneys to say, and refusing to rule on a single objection that was raised as the various motions were filed. He's also talking more about himself than he is the case. Who cares about his college career and his job as a substitute teacher?
It's not his job to educate the TV audience in the finer points of Florida custody law; he knows what the law is; the attorneys do too; that is his audience.
His sole job is to rule on where Anna Nicole is buried; the paternity issue for Smith's infant daughter is being handled by another court but he wants to rule on that too and attempted to take jurisdiction over the California case, setting up a jurisdiction battle with the court in California.
In my opinion, this type of showboating hasn't been seen since Judge Ito's clumsy handling of the OJ Simpson murder trial in California.
Someone needs to take charge in that Florida court room; the judge sure isn't.
CourtTV was shaking it's head in confusion this morning over what the judge was allowing the attorneys to say, and refusing to rule on a single objection that was raised as the various motions were filed. He's also talking more about himself than he is the case. Who cares about his college career and his job as a substitute teacher?
It's not his job to educate the TV audience in the finer points of Florida custody law; he knows what the law is; the attorneys do too; that is his audience.
His sole job is to rule on where Anna Nicole is buried; the paternity issue for Smith's infant daughter is being handled by another court but he wants to rule on that too and attempted to take jurisdiction over the California case, setting up a jurisdiction battle with the court in California.
In my opinion, this type of showboating hasn't been seen since Judge Ito's clumsy handling of the OJ Simpson murder trial in California.
Someone needs to take charge in that Florida court room; the judge sure isn't.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Anna Nicole Smith Nightmare: An Example of an Estate Fight
The Anna Nicole Smith case that is currently raging in courtrooms in Los Angeles, Florida, and in the Bahamas are examples of why everyone who has underage children, or any assets, or wishes regarding where they are buried should be spelled out in precise detail in a current will.
Granted, the Smith case(s) are an extreme example of why this is a good idea.
I don't even want to talk about all the people coming out of the woodwork claiming to be the father of Smith's infant daughter, other than to say that it's disgusting, or Anna Nicole's occupation or life choices in becoming the type of star that she was.
But there definitely are lessons to be drawn out of this.
The Smith case has been turned on it's head due to an outdated will which names her deceased twenty-year-old son as the sole beneficiary, while not mentioning her new daughter (or husband/boyfriend/whatever) at all. It did not specify where she was to be buried. It was not filed in court, which the lawyers immediately attacked.
It does give Howard K. Stern, the legal father of Anna Nicole's infant daughter and executor of the will, power to settle some of these issues pending legal challenges.
Then there are the attorneys: Anna Nicole's mom has one, Howard K. Stern has at least one and IS one, all the prospective fathers (sickening) who are seeking custody of the infant, the prosecuting attorneys in at least two jurisdictions who are conducting criminal investigations, all in court arguing with the judge. It's mass confusion.
It's really sad to see a situation this bad played out on CourtTV and on E! and all the networks, but hopefully it causes at least one family that hasn't planned anything to get started and to maintain their plans with their changing life situations. The Anna Nicole situation is sad, and rotten to the core, but some lessons from this spectacle can be taken from it.
Estate fights can get as nasty as this one, especially when an entire legion of competing attorneys get involved, and vast fortunes are involved, or custody of wealthy heirs are in question, or there's any question of custody at all.
That's why families should spend some time getting end-of-life issues resolved before it is a problem. That's the most valuable lesson to be taken from this celebrity situation.
Ugly, ugly, ugly.
Granted, the Smith case(s) are an extreme example of why this is a good idea.
I don't even want to talk about all the people coming out of the woodwork claiming to be the father of Smith's infant daughter, other than to say that it's disgusting, or Anna Nicole's occupation or life choices in becoming the type of star that she was.
But there definitely are lessons to be drawn out of this.
The Smith case has been turned on it's head due to an outdated will which names her deceased twenty-year-old son as the sole beneficiary, while not mentioning her new daughter (or husband/boyfriend/whatever) at all. It did not specify where she was to be buried. It was not filed in court, which the lawyers immediately attacked.
It does give Howard K. Stern, the legal father of Anna Nicole's infant daughter and executor of the will, power to settle some of these issues pending legal challenges.
Then there are the attorneys: Anna Nicole's mom has one, Howard K. Stern has at least one and IS one, all the prospective fathers (sickening) who are seeking custody of the infant, the prosecuting attorneys in at least two jurisdictions who are conducting criminal investigations, all in court arguing with the judge. It's mass confusion.
It's really sad to see a situation this bad played out on CourtTV and on E! and all the networks, but hopefully it causes at least one family that hasn't planned anything to get started and to maintain their plans with their changing life situations. The Anna Nicole situation is sad, and rotten to the core, but some lessons from this spectacle can be taken from it.
Estate fights can get as nasty as this one, especially when an entire legion of competing attorneys get involved, and vast fortunes are involved, or custody of wealthy heirs are in question, or there's any question of custody at all.
That's why families should spend some time getting end-of-life issues resolved before it is a problem. That's the most valuable lesson to be taken from this celebrity situation.
Ugly, ugly, ugly.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Democrats Rule By Opinion Poll: This is Worse Than Trying to Replace Something With Nothing
The Democrats appear to be heading in an unprecedented direction in their control of both houses of Congress. And many Republicans are following their example. And it's going to come around and bite them when they least expect it.
I speak of opinion polls. Many in Congress are bending like reeds in the wind when they hear what the latest opinion polls are. John Kerry was notorious for this during the 2004 Presidential election, refusing to say where he stood on issues until he saw which direction the wind was blowing first.
Many other Democrats did this too, refusing to say where they stood until they figured out which direction their voters were leaning, then all of a sudden coming up with all kinds of sound bites that their people wanted to hear.
Politicians are well aware of this, but the public needs to learn that opinion polls reflect the feelings of people based on the information that they've been made aware of. In other words, it's stuff on the surface. Imagine a lake:
Nice and calm on the surface. Just what we like to see.
But when it gets nasty, this is all that we see:
Waves, turbulence, and uncertainty.
Yet look at what's happening underneath the surface:
My point is that information coming out of Iraq is like a lake. We don't see everything except what is presented to us by the media (the surface information). We don't hear stories of what's happening in other parts of Iraq where there is no insurgency, or the situation is vastly different (the information underneath the surface) than Baghdad or the Anbar province, where most of our casualties have happened.
It's a vicious cycle. The Democrats came to power with help from the liberal-media complex that steered the conversation toward what was happening in four of eighteen Iraqi provinces. They don't dare go into any depth on the rest of Iraq that returning soldiers continue to tell stories about. Good news in Iraq is bad for the anti-war people in Congress.
Leaders should develop their platforms based on their beliefs, then lead the nation in that direction, not base their leadership decisions on opinion polls that are reflective of the surface situation that any idiot with a TV set can see. Leaders should LEAD.
And sooner or later, politicians who don't lead will be Kerry-ized, with the same result as the Bush-Kerry campaign. Based on that point, I don't think we've seen the end of tumultuous turnovers in Congressional power. I think power in Congress is going to change hands a lot in the future.
I speak of opinion polls. Many in Congress are bending like reeds in the wind when they hear what the latest opinion polls are. John Kerry was notorious for this during the 2004 Presidential election, refusing to say where he stood on issues until he saw which direction the wind was blowing first.
Many other Democrats did this too, refusing to say where they stood until they figured out which direction their voters were leaning, then all of a sudden coming up with all kinds of sound bites that their people wanted to hear.
Politicians are well aware of this, but the public needs to learn that opinion polls reflect the feelings of people based on the information that they've been made aware of. In other words, it's stuff on the surface. Imagine a lake:
Nice and calm on the surface. Just what we like to see.But when it gets nasty, this is all that we see:
Waves, turbulence, and uncertainty.Yet look at what's happening underneath the surface:
My point is that information coming out of Iraq is like a lake. We don't see everything except what is presented to us by the media (the surface information). We don't hear stories of what's happening in other parts of Iraq where there is no insurgency, or the situation is vastly different (the information underneath the surface) than Baghdad or the Anbar province, where most of our casualties have happened.It's a vicious cycle. The Democrats came to power with help from the liberal-media complex that steered the conversation toward what was happening in four of eighteen Iraqi provinces. They don't dare go into any depth on the rest of Iraq that returning soldiers continue to tell stories about. Good news in Iraq is bad for the anti-war people in Congress.
Leaders should develop their platforms based on their beliefs, then lead the nation in that direction, not base their leadership decisions on opinion polls that are reflective of the surface situation that any idiot with a TV set can see. Leaders should LEAD.
And sooner or later, politicians who don't lead will be Kerry-ized, with the same result as the Bush-Kerry campaign. Based on that point, I don't think we've seen the end of tumultuous turnovers in Congressional power. I think power in Congress is going to change hands a lot in the future.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Debate Rages Over Use of "Articulate" to Describe Senator Obama: Severe Overreaction in Progress
Prominent African Americans have been going on TV lately, criticizing the use of certain words to describe Senator Obama. Some criticisms of some of the words are acceptable, but others are way off the mark.
Senator Biden got in trouble for describing Obama as the first "mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy..." Biden ended up apologizing for the remarks, which Rev. Jesse Jackson said were "highly suggestive, but not off-color." Biden realized that he royally screwed up and mended the fences with Obama, which was the right thing to do.
But the debate raged on over the use of the word "articulate" (separate from Senator Biden's unfortunate remarks) which, to some, smacked of condescension. Some have severely overreacted to this word and took to the airwaves last night on FOX News and on CNN. They were angry, and unwilling to listen to other points of view.
If someone says one is very articulate, the proper response is "thank you." It's a compliment, and Senator Obama's speaking style is superior and better versed than many of his fellow politicians, as well as many in the general public for that matter. He's an outstanding public speaker.
But if "articulate" is good enough to describe you, or me, it should be good enough for Senator Obama and the talking heads on TV too.
Senator Biden got in trouble for describing Obama as the first "mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy..." Biden ended up apologizing for the remarks, which Rev. Jesse Jackson said were "highly suggestive, but not off-color." Biden realized that he royally screwed up and mended the fences with Obama, which was the right thing to do.
But the debate raged on over the use of the word "articulate" (separate from Senator Biden's unfortunate remarks) which, to some, smacked of condescension. Some have severely overreacted to this word and took to the airwaves last night on FOX News and on CNN. They were angry, and unwilling to listen to other points of view.
If someone says one is very articulate, the proper response is "thank you." It's a compliment, and Senator Obama's speaking style is superior and better versed than many of his fellow politicians, as well as many in the general public for that matter. He's an outstanding public speaker.
But if "articulate" is good enough to describe you, or me, it should be good enough for Senator Obama and the talking heads on TV too.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Congress Questions Sending Billions in Cash to Iraq: Vast Sums Missing, But Whose Money Was It?
The Senate questioned former Coalition Provisional Authority governor L. Paul Bremer about a huge amount of money that was sent to the Iraqi capitol prior to the end of the formal occupation and the handover of power to the Iraqi government.
And I'm questioning why the Senate is wasting time on this particular question.
The funds belonged to Iraq and came from Iraq's oil sales and were assets of former President Saddam Hussein's government which were seized following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The legitimate government of Iraq requested the funds be unfrozen and sent over in cash so that they could pay their bills and pay their employees.
The question of how these particular funds were used are an Iraqi problem, not an American one. There are more important matters for our elected officials to focus on.
And I'm questioning why the Senate is wasting time on this particular question.
The funds belonged to Iraq and came from Iraq's oil sales and were assets of former President Saddam Hussein's government which were seized following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The legitimate government of Iraq requested the funds be unfrozen and sent over in cash so that they could pay their bills and pay their employees.
The question of how these particular funds were used are an Iraqi problem, not an American one. There are more important matters for our elected officials to focus on.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Iraqi Government Says One Thousand People Died in Last Week: They Need to Get in Gear
A major crackdown from the Iraqi government cannot come soon enough, as the government there announced 1,000 people died in the last week alone.
That's WITH Iraqi and U.S. military forces in action, with an operational Iraqi government and a supportive U.S. government pushing for the Iraqis to do more to stabilize their country.
It's hard to imagine how bad things would get if U.S. and coalition troops pulled out immediately as some are suggesting.
It might make the slaughter in Rwanda and Darfur look tame by comparison.
"Peace at any cost" is a popular mantra of the anti-war movement, but the cost could be much worse than anyone thinks.
Sunni governments would begin mass shipments of weapons to the Sunni side to help them (as Saudi Arabia has already promised to do if the U.S. leaves too early) kill the Shiites, who vastly outnumber the Sunnis. Iran would support the other side. Both sides would be much more heavily armed than they are now, and more than one nation would send troops in to support their side.
There would be no peace at too high a price if things aren't carefully thought out. But one thing is absolutely certain:
The Iraqi government needs to get in gear and MOVE IT.
That's WITH Iraqi and U.S. military forces in action, with an operational Iraqi government and a supportive U.S. government pushing for the Iraqis to do more to stabilize their country.
It's hard to imagine how bad things would get if U.S. and coalition troops pulled out immediately as some are suggesting.
It might make the slaughter in Rwanda and Darfur look tame by comparison.
"Peace at any cost" is a popular mantra of the anti-war movement, but the cost could be much worse than anyone thinks.
Sunni governments would begin mass shipments of weapons to the Sunni side to help them (as Saudi Arabia has already promised to do if the U.S. leaves too early) kill the Shiites, who vastly outnumber the Sunnis. Iran would support the other side. Both sides would be much more heavily armed than they are now, and more than one nation would send troops in to support their side.
There would be no peace at too high a price if things aren't carefully thought out. But one thing is absolutely certain:
The Iraqi government needs to get in gear and MOVE IT.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
World Appears Headed for Major Bird Flu Incidents: How Far Away Can Mutation Be?
A UK newspaper is reporting that officials are preparing for massive outbreaks of the bird flu in bird populations around the world this season. It makes one wonder how far down the road a mutation is, which would enable the virus to jump from avians into humans.
The story was sparked by an outbreak in Great Britain, where some 150,000+ turkeys are in the process of being slaughtered and the farm where they were at being quarantined by British health authorities.
Nations are being encouraged to prepare for a widespread outbreak of human avian flu, which could cause major disruptions. Every time a human becomes contaminated, the chance of a mutation occurring increases substantially.
The World Organization for Animal Health is monitoring the situation globally, as well as outbreaks of other animal diseases. Their web site is pretty extensive.
The U.S. government has put together it's own web site which is quite good too. It provides links to every state's plans for dealing with an outbreak.
Michigan's plan is here (pdf format). It calls for health screenings at airports for all outbound travelers, isolating all inbound sick travelers, closing public gathering places, limiting non-essential travel and other measures, depending on the severity of an outbreak.
Scary stuff, but it's data everyone should be aware of if there is a pandemic, or a lesser type of outbreak, to prevent a panic.
The story was sparked by an outbreak in Great Britain, where some 150,000+ turkeys are in the process of being slaughtered and the farm where they were at being quarantined by British health authorities.
Nations are being encouraged to prepare for a widespread outbreak of human avian flu, which could cause major disruptions. Every time a human becomes contaminated, the chance of a mutation occurring increases substantially.
The World Organization for Animal Health is monitoring the situation globally, as well as outbreaks of other animal diseases. Their web site is pretty extensive.
The U.S. government has put together it's own web site which is quite good too. It provides links to every state's plans for dealing with an outbreak.
Michigan's plan is here (pdf format). It calls for health screenings at airports for all outbound travelers, isolating all inbound sick travelers, closing public gathering places, limiting non-essential travel and other measures, depending on the severity of an outbreak.
Scary stuff, but it's data everyone should be aware of if there is a pandemic, or a lesser type of outbreak, to prevent a panic.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Republicans Are Learning a Lesson on What Happens When Majority Party Tries to Ban Minority Party Tactics
I seem to recall criticizing the Republican majority for trying to do away with the filibuster and other minority-party rights as the (then) minority Democrats were obstructing several Republican measures and votes on Presidential choices for federal judges.
They're paying for their arrogance as they are now in the minority and the Democrats are stomping all over them. And the only thing the Republicans can do is cry about not having a voice in much of the new legislation that is being ram-rodded through Congress.
Take your medicine, GOP, and learn from your very costly mistakes.
Hopefully if they regain their majority they will remember that they might need the very political weapons that they tried to ban if there's a repeat of the 2006 mid-term elections.
They got thumped on Election Day, and they've been getting thumped by the Democrats who are using Republican tactics to get their way ever since.
Political OWNAGE!!
They're paying for their arrogance as they are now in the minority and the Democrats are stomping all over them. And the only thing the Republicans can do is cry about not having a voice in much of the new legislation that is being ram-rodded through Congress.
Take your medicine, GOP, and learn from your very costly mistakes.
Hopefully if they regain their majority they will remember that they might need the very political weapons that they tried to ban if there's a repeat of the 2006 mid-term elections.
They got thumped on Election Day, and they've been getting thumped by the Democrats who are using Republican tactics to get their way ever since.
Political OWNAGE!!
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