Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Just A Friendly Reminder

The Navy has added a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf. I am not really surprised given Iran's refusal to halt their Nuclear program and unwillingness to stop aiding insurgents in Iraq. Given the Navy's confrontation last week with small Iranian boats, it seems like the logical course of action. Iran is becoming more aggressive, and the time has come to confront the danger that they represent to the World. In "Too Great A Danger", I stated that a nuclear armed Iran is completely unacceptable. The rest of the Countries in the World will most likely not support us, and many will condemn us. Most of them know however, that Iran is a very big threat, but why should they stick their necks out when the good old USA will take care of it. Secretary Of Defense Robert Gates said "This deployment has been planned for a long time, "I don't think we'll have two carriers there for a protracted period of time. So I don't see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder." Gates refused further comment or explanation. Even though Gates denied that it was an escalation, I think the message is clear. Iran had better start to rethink it's policies. I remember the same cat an mouse games with Iraq for years before we went in, twice.

So It's Come To This?

Experts differ on what the impact of recent food shortages means for our Country and to the World. In fact, they can't even agree on whether or not there is really a food shortage of not. The rationing of rice, and is some cases oil and flour, at warehouse stores across the Country, is however, a grim reminder of our hard economic times. In "Pain At The Pump", I looked at the obvious and dramatic rise in fuel prices. Soaring food prices have us feeling the pain at the supermarket as well. While most of the experts agree that there will not be widespread food shortages in the U.S., they do believe that the cost of food will continue to rise. That is very bad for American working families, who will have to continue to struggle in this bad economy. What will become of the rest of the world, where in some Countries, food shortages are common as a rule. What will happen to those on the brink of starvation, in the grip of a world wide shortage of food? Some countries that normally export food, have slowed or halted exports altogether. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said; "We risk the spectre of wider-spread hunger, malnutrition and social unrest on an unprecedented scale". Our Country and the World for that matter, are in serious crisis. What are our elected officials in Washington doing? Nothing that really matters. They are all wealthy and do not have to be concerned with any of this. I guess we could all cut back a little more and tighten our belts. Just on the luxuries we can't afford. You know like fruits and vegetables.

Giving Credit Where Due

With the exception of one or two articles, I have been critical of Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. I say again that Obama's politics and my own are very different, but it is time to give credit where it is due. I thought that Obama's speech yesterday concerning Reverend Wright, though overdue, was absolutely courageous. My opinion of Obama has been in sharp decline in view of some of the Senator's own statements, and his associations with certain groups and people. After yesterdays speech, I am taking another look at the man and say that he has earned some of my respect back. Barack Obama said yesterday; "I cannot prevent him from continuing to make these outrageous remarks, but what I do want him to be very clear about...is that when I say I find these comments appalling, I mean it. It contradicts everything that I'm about and who I am." Obama's statement was a very strong, and finally a clear rebuke of Rev. Wright's outrageous comments. Obama went on to say; "Whatever relationship I had with Reverend Wright has changed as a consequence of this." For a Politician it does not get more direct that this. Senator Obama went even further than this, when perhaps he did not have to. Obama showed that he understands how the majority of the population feel about Rev. Wright's statements when he said; "His comments were not only divisive and destructive but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate." Some, including Rev. Wright himself, have suggested that Obama was pandering for the sake of votes in his strong denunciation of the Reverend. I do not think that is the case. Obama risks much by taking this stance. He risks alienating his base, of which many are inclined to support the Reverend Wright. Whatever his true reasons were, I think we should all take the high road and compliment Barack Obama for doing what politicians rarely do; take responsibility and tell the truth.

On Deadly Ground

I described the San Francisco Olympic Torch protesters who were herded into "free speech zones", in my article "1984", as an injustice. Looking back it seems like they were treated fairly when compared to how protesters are to be dealt with in Nepal. Nepal’s Home Ministry spokesman Modraj Dotel said that their police and soldiers, "have been given orders to stop any protest on the mountain using whatever means necessary, including use of weapons." To be fair, officials said that they will try to use non-violent means of getting the protesters to depart, but reserve the right to use deadly force. Chinese climbers will take the Olympic Torch to the peak of Mt. Everest. During that time, climbers will be prohibited from ascending to the higher elevations. Already, Pro-Tibet protesters in the Nepalese capital of Katmandu have been beaten by police. This story again reminds us of the plight of Tibet's people, and China's poor Human Rights record. It should also remind each and every American of the blessings of liberty. I think free speech zones are wrong, but they're allot better than bullets.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

We Did Not Have To Struggle Like You Do

All things considered, today was a very good day. I had the time to go and take a long visit with my Grandfather. In an earlier post "We Did Not Hate Our Country", I explained my original intentions and mindset when I created this Blog. To sum it up; I wanted to find a forum that would allow me to add my voice to the chorus of opinions on today's many important issues. I also desired to take look at current events from a different angle; through my Grandfather's eyes. So today Pop and I spent some time wondering if the Yankees young pitchers were going to get their game on track, and talking about the issues of the day. Pop reads the entire newspaper every day and watches a lot of television news (and Yankee games). So for 86 years old, he really has a handle on what is happening now. There is a lot of things going on right now, but one of the foremost on my mind is the rapidly rising price of food and fuel. I was discussing this with Pop, when he delivered the one sentence cuts to the heart of the matter and bridges the gap between his generation and mine. In fact it was Pop's unique way of doing this very thing, that gave me the idea for this Blog. Speaking about today's economy, Pop said; "we did not have to struggle like you do". He explained that in his time a man (one parent) could find a job that paid well enough to provide for his family. Pop went on to say that most in the neighborhood were not wealthy, but everyone had all the things that they needed. He told me that his job provided for all his family's needs and he had enough leftover for family vacations. Pop worked for 40+ years in a steel fabrication plant. He felt it was a shame to see guys like me work two jobs, or to have our wives work, leaving the children to daycare. When you hear Pop distill this complex social and economic American history lesson down into such a concise thought, it really speaks volumes about where we were, and where we are headed. One thing's for sure, we are not living in My Grandfather's America.

Al Qaeda Watches CNN Too

The freedom of the press is at the core of American values, but you have to wonder sometimes if our enemies greatest source of intelligence is the news. We broadcast everything including our military strategies, information about our weapons systems, and reaction to the war from the population back at home. While I am certain that a free press is essential to our American way of life, I am also sure that those who mean us harm are watching as well. The war on terrorism aside, I think our 24 hour news channels coverage of what would be considered benign issues, could have unintended consequences as well. That would mean that anybody with anti-American sentiments knows in full measure that our economy is on the skids and the price of oil is a big reason why. Our enemies would also know just how contentious our Primary Elections have been, and where the Candidates stand on the major issues. Senator and Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain said that he was concerned about terrorist groups trying to influence the election. McCain said "Yes, I worry about it, and I know they pay attention because of the intercepts we have of their communications". This is not the politics of fear, but rather an all too true reality. Remember the 2004 bombing in Madrid, Spain just before the Spanish elections? So our enemies know how to hurt us. They know about our economy and dependency on foreign oil. A free society like ours in a global economy leaves little room for secrets. Yeah, and there is that whole Internet thing. There is one thing we can control. Let's give our enemies a President in November that they do not want. The best person for that job is John McCain.

The Cat's Meow

Forget about global warming and pollution. Move over war and terrorism. Put aside rising fuel and food costs. Prepare to meet the America's greatest threat; Felis Catus, the domestic cat. Veterinary medicine researchers say that streets could soon be overrun with cats if we do not get a handle on growing feline populations. It is estimated that there are 88 million cats in our Country, that's about one cat for every 3.5 Americans. I am not awash with panic over the growing cat problem, but is is a tragedy that about 5 million cats are euthanized each year. The research also indicates that part of the problem is the multitude of people who feed stray cats. While this may be true, it is in our nature to be kind to small cuddly creatures. We may not kind to each other, but who does not love a cute little kitty-cat? Researchers agree that the answer is to spay/neuter our cats as the best way to control the population. I guess Bob Barker had it right all of this time.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Wright's New Diggs

Each and every American Citizen and organization has the right to do what they choose as long as it falls within the confines of law. There is another responsibility that should be borne by all people, not just those in power or the public eye. That is a moral responsibility, which varies depending on someones values. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. is moving on up to a brand new 1.6 million dollar home in a predominately white gated community. Rev. Wright burst onto the national stage following news coverage of his controversial comments such as "God Damn America", and in view of his relationship with Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. The Reverends house was a retirement gift from Trinity United Church where he was Pastor for more than three decades. It is also suspected that the Church gave Wright a 10 million dollar credit line, however exact details cannot be determined as the Church is not required to release those details because of their non profit status. I find it to be hypocritical that the Reverend who preached for so long in a poor neighborhood and spoke out against materialism, now lives a new luxurious lifestyle. I am sure that he has earned a decent retirement, but it just seems out of step with what he preached. Like I always believed, black and white are not the important colors. In America, it's the color green that really matters.

Hang Up If Clinton Answers At 3 A.M.

In an earlier post called "We Need More Choices", I gave my reasons why it was important for our Nation to have a viable third party Presidential Candidate. I also said that I was not overwhelmed with joy at the prospect of voting for any of the three remaining Candidates. After all is said and done, I had decided to support McCain because his politics are closest to my own. That is not to say that McCain gets a free pass from my scrutiny. I slammed McCain's gas holiday leave from his senses in "Poly-Tics As Usual". In my thinking, it's undeniable that John McCain is the least of all evils. That is not exactly the best reason to vote for a candidate, however it is a safe choice. McCain has the experience and strength of character to lead us through this difficult period in history, and our enemies will not perceive him as soft. Barack Obama is too inexperienced and wants to "talk" with all of our enemies. Those with an anti-American agenda will surely take advantage of Obama's weaknesses. In my very last post, I also took a critical look at all of the other controversies surrounding Obama and his campaign. Of course, Hillary Clinton is such a caring, noble, and honest person. Alright, I was just kidding. Voting for Hillary Clinton would result in another four year extension of Bill Clinton's Presidency. Just take a look at Senator Clinton's say anything, dishonest campaign, and you are getting a preview of her Presidency. Hillary Clinton's statement a few weeks ago, calling on President Bush to boycott the Olympic opening ceremony, reminded me of something important. Where was Senator Clinton's concern about China when hubby Bill Clinton allowed the sale of sensitive advanced satellite technology to the Chinese Government over ten years ago? After an official of a Chinese aerospace company made a hefty donation to re-elect Bill Clinton, he approved the sale of the technology over the State Department's objections. Senator Clinton would sell out the people of Tibet and anybody for that matter, for a donation to her struggling campaign. Hillary is simply Bill repackaged in a pants suit.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Where There Is Smoke There Is Fire

I decided to take a look back at Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's campaign this year. I began the year without knowing all that much about the Senator, while at the same time being fond of this charismatic man. While I am not sure that I consider him to be elitist as he is so often charged, only a fool would not see the pattern that has emerged. Obama's supporters would have us believe that the events leading up to now are a series of unrelated coincidences, misunderstandings, and misrepresentations by the far right. First, there is Obama's very close relationship with to Rev. Wright who made the controversial remarks "God Damn America" among others. Then there are Obama's ties to home grown terrorist William Ayers, member of the infamous Weather Underground responsible for bombings on American soil. Of course there is also Obama's Wife Michelle, who has said that she has never been proud of her Country in her adult life. Barack Obama himself has drawn the ire of many for his suggestions about "bitter" people who "cling to guns and religion". Not to mention my personal favorite Obama comment; "typical white person". Where would John McCain be right now if he has said typical black person? I tell you where, off the campaign trail kissing Jesse Jackson's ass to earn enough public forgiveness just to retain his Senate seat. Of a somewhat more speculative nature, there is Obama's refusal to wear an his American Flag lapel pin and allegations that he does not put his had over his heart and make the Pledge Of Allegiance. What would a police detective searching for a motive amongst these clues conclude? I believe it shows a pattern of resentment towards America. Certainly in his supporters and people closest to him, and perhaps in Obama himself. If you are asking yourself is this possible, our Country does have a significant section of the population who blame America for a great deal of the world's problems, with some outright holding their Country in contempt. I do not want to give the whole "love it or leave it" speech, but if it were not that America was a great Country, why then do so many still come to live here. Here is a quote from the Great Martin Luther King; "And certainly, certainly, this is the glory of America, with all of its faults. This is the glory of our democracy. If we were incarcerated behind the iron curtains of a Communistic nation, we couldn't do this. If we were dropped in the dungeon of a totalitarian regime, we couldn't do this. But the great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right". King understood that America, while not perfect, was a great Country. A land that he loved and devoted his life to improving. Senator Obama's and his associates audacity has made me lose some of my hope.

Fly The Un-Friendly Skies

Warning: The following post contains some mature content that might not be suitable for everyone. Now with that out of the way, air travel these days really pisses me off. I completely understand the realities of the world in the post 911 era, but you can take anything too far. I don't mind the longer wait or having to take my shoes off. It's alright by me to be patted down by officers and have my belongings searched. I can even barely tolerate the silly carry-on restricted items such as nail clippers. I will give up some of my privacy rights and go through the nudie scanner that shows my kibbles and bits, but like all power and authority it will always be taken too far. A woman had an "incident" while trying to board a plane in Texas. She walked through the large metal detector without a problem, but caught the attention of a smaller metal detector in the hands of an security officer. The woman told the security officer that she had nipple piercings. Even though that is embarrassing enough, she voluntarily offered to show a female officer her nipple piercings in a private setting because they are difficult to remove. She was told by officers that her nipple piercings had to be removed before boarding the flight, and they provided her with a pair of pliers to assist in the job. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a Government Agency responsible for airport security, said in a statement, that in future cases passengers can either allow a visual inspection of their piercings, or remove them. Again, I am aware of the clear and present danger in our world today, but I feel that this is a violation of our civil rights. The virtual strip search cameras are go far enough in my opinion without having to bare all for security officers. What were they worried that she was going to take over a plane with just her nipple piercings? Stand back I know how to use these! It's just another day, and another one of our rights is going away.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Defending Mr. Peanut

After pounding former President Jimmy Carter is my article "Mr. Peanut", I can't believe that I am going to defend him now. We must play fair though, if we expect to be taken seriously. So although it is painful, here I go. Today Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillermanon, called former President Jimmy Carter "a bigot" for meeting with the leader of the terrorist group Hamas. The Israelis Ambassador called Carter's middle east trip; "a very sad episode in American history." OK, so I agree with the Ambassador on that point. I would add though that Carter's trip was a complete and utter failure, that only served the goals of the terrorist organization Hamas. I part company with the Ambassador when he said; " shame to see Carter, who had done good things as a former president, turn into what I believe to be a bigot." Jimmy Carter is a lot of things, (I am attempting to be nice by not saying exactly what things) but a "bigot" is not one of those things. Carter's trip to meet with Hamas was foolish, misguided, and perhaps born of his ego. Given the many threats that Israel faces, I can understand the sentiments expressed by the Ambassador. Calling Carter a "bigot" is going to far.

Death Of The Middle Class

A new report suggests that the gap between the very wealth and the poor is widening since the last recession. The report is based on U.S. Census Bureau data collected from 1987 through 2006. I don't think that this news is a big surprise to any of us, but it really hits home when you take a look at the numbers. The report breaks down State by State the average incomes of the bottom fifth and top fifth of the population in each State. I have included a link to the story at the bottom of this page. Middle class incomes have remained the same, with average incomes growing just 1.3% in nearly eight years. So the rich will get richer as they always do, and will hardly feel the effects of the difficult economic times upon us. The poor will get poorer, and that is an abomination in the worlds wealthiest Country. Another consideration is the increased amount of public aid that will have to be allocated for the poor. That public aid will be paid for by the taxpayer, further squeezing the middle class. The middle class is going to disappear as we have come to know it. With an average income increase of just 1.3% in the last 8 years, how will the middle class keep pace with expenses largely driven by rising fuel costs? More of the people I know and would consider middle class, are working two jobs provide for their families. If America is to become a Country of only the rich and poor with families working so hard just to survive, it amounts to the death of the American Dream. Today we are far from My Grandfather's America.

Read The Full Story

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Yo I Didn't Hear No Bell

Hillary Clinton won the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary yesterday by a 10 point margin. While the victory did not help her much as far as the delegate count, Clinton and her camp are attempting to spin her Pennsylvania victory into much more. Senator Clinton told her supporters "Some counted me out and said to drop out,"But the American people don't quit. And they deserve a president who doesn't quit, either." I congratulate Clinton on her Pennsylvania victory, especially because the Obama outspent her 3 to 1 on advertising leading up to the primary. The problem with the Senator's statement is that it IS over for her campaign. OK, true if you are a Clinton, it depends on what "is" means. It is virtually impossible for Senator Clinton to win enough delegates to best Senator Obama for the Democratic nomination. Well the Hill-in-ator is not going to let something like mere facts slow her down, she is going after the Democratic Party's Super Delegates. If she cannot win the nomination fair and square, it seems she is willing to kick sand in Obama's eyes and swipe the nomination while he is blinded. Clinton's case relies on the premise that she is more electable in the general election, and will fight the Republican nominee Senator John McCain harder than Obama. Clinton also claims that Obama can't win in important swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Senator Clinton is determined to fight to the bitter end. After all, a few weeks ago she compared herself to Rocky Balboa in a Pennsylvania campaign stop. She said "Let me tell you something, when it comes to finishing a fight, Rocky and I have a lot in common. I never quit. I never give up. A very interesting comparison for sure. In fact I do see some similarities between Clinton's campaign and the six Rocky films. Rocky I : Clinton falls behind in the delegate count and cannot win the nomination. Rocky II : Clinton pulls off a slight upset victory in one State, Pennsylvania. Rocky III : An over confident Clinton takes her victory and her opponent for granted and loses. Rocky IV : Clinton wraps herself in the Flag and transforms into Annie Oakley spurring a Pennsylvania Primary victory and sustains serious brain trauma in the attempt. Rocky V : Clinton tells Obama "Yo my ring is in the street" with a serious on very negative campaign ads. Rocky VI : Even though she has given her best, a tired old Clinton looses the younger Obama. For once one of Hillary Clinton's wacky statements has some truth to it.

We Did A Little More

I figured that I would do an Earth Day wrap-up since all of yesterday's posts and many of my latest, have been on environmental issues. I have also been mentioning what my family and I have done leading up to and on Earth Day. Yesterday we went to our local warehouse club, and picked up another 8-pack of the energy efficient CFL light bulbs. I have heard a lot of talk about how expensive the CFL bulbs are. While it is true they are more expensive than traditional light bulbs, it's not that much more. Besides, they are supposed to last up to 8 times longer than regular light bulbs and they will also save you money each month on your electric bill. In reality, we only paid $10.62 for 8 light bulbs. That's not all that bad. We have now replaced all of our traditional light bulbs with the energy efficient CFL bulbs except for one decorative chandelier that requires special bulbs. We have a half dozen of the reusable supermarket bags made from recycled materials. We only use the plastic bags for meat that we purchase at the supermarket. My family have been avid recyclers for some time. We now make sure to recycle other items outside the normal paper, plastic, glass, etc. When we purchased our new cell plan a few weeks ago, we were sure to recycle the old phones. In addition we recycle our printer's ink cartridges and batteries. It's easier to throw these things away sure, but it is much more important to keep these items out of landfills. It's only a start but you have to begin somewhere.

Here is a link to a good Earth Day Website

Sign this petition and tell Congress to lower greenhouse gas emissions

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Save Our Park

I have hesitated in writing about any local issues for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I realized that if your potential audience is the entire Country, or even the world, people might not be interested. Also, my intention in creating this blog, was to write about National and Global issues. After all, the blog's title is My Grandfathers America. In this case I will make an exception because I believe this story could have a National implications. The Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine (D), has slated 9 of our State Parks to close or reduce their services, as part of his State Budget cuts. While I am mad enough to chew through steel, I am also deeply sad and consumed with a sense of helplessness. Seeing what is taking place in my State and Country, has me gravely concerned for our future. Of course your now thinking, all of this over a couple of State Parks? That would be a fair question so allow me to explain. First the obvious: The budget cuts will leave the millions of park visitors with no park. Today being Earth Day, we must understand that if you want people to appreciate and respect nature, then they must have access to it. Also, 80 park workers will lose their jobs. Now the ridiculous: The State Park closings will save New Jersey about 4.5 million dollars next year. The State Budget will be at least 33 Billion dollars! The State Park's closing will only save a mere drop in the fiscal budget. The savings is negated by the impact on the laid off workers and our quality of life. Lastly the National tragedy: Among the State Parks slated to close, there are a few that are built around historic sites. The most tragic target on Governor Corzine's hit list is Monmouth Battlefield State Park. I am a frequent visitor to this beautiful park, set on the site of The Battle of Monmouth that took place during the American Revolutionary War. I have always wondered, given the importance of this land, why Monmouth Battlefield was not part of our National Park System. It should be after all, the Battle of Monmouth was one of the most important and pivotal of the Revolution.
I have signed the petition circulating to save the park and many concerned New Jersey residents have joined the effort. My opinion of Governor Corzine was not very high to begin with, but this act is unforgivable. The Governor is filthy rich (like most of our elected officials) and does not care if the peasants have their park. This is what I can not get my mind around. How can you even think about closing this park? If I were President I would land my helicopter Marine 1, right inside the park and Federalize the land. That land has been paid for with the blood of our forefathers and belongs to the people. What does all of this say about our Government? Could it happen in your State? What would George Washington, the Father of our Country say?

2025, A Bush Odyssey

While I do not think that his Presidency has been a resounding success, I am far from a Bush hater. One of President Bush's weakest areas though, has been in addressing environmental issues. I would sum up his speech last week on the environment as too little too late. I watched the entire speech and it was really President Bush at his worst. I have noticed that for the last few months the President has looked drawn and exhausted. I would not be at all surprised if the last 8 years of challenges, catastrophes, and criticisms have indeed taken their toll on the man. In his speech, the President seemed to ramble on without a clearly defined environmental goal, or any concrete proposals on how we are going to achieve them. President Bush said; “To reach our 2025 goal, we will need to more rapidly slow the growth of power sector greenhouse gas emissions so that they peak within 10 to 15 years and decline thereafter.” This was very disappointing given what the opinion of scientists working for the United Nations recommend. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in a series of reports, warned that the rise in global emissions should be halted by 2015 to prevent global warming’s worst consequences. Bush's plan looks to at least the year 2025 for emissions to peak, and then perhaps another 15 years before they decline. Perhaps the worst part of Bush's proposal, was that he did not clearly define how we would even hit the targets that he just laid out on emissions. A failure to plan is a plan that will fail. It just seems like more Washington lip service.

The Odd Couple

With today being Earth Day 2008, I thought that it would be fun to take sort of a light hearted look at some of the events surrounding this important occasion. Last week I saw a TV commercial for Al Gore's green organization, the Alliance for Climate Protection. The commercial featured the Reverends Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson sitting together on a sofa on the beach. The pair exchanged some comical banter and sent us a message. Politically, Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Robertson represent opposite ends of the spectrum. The message they are sending is that although we may disagree on other issues, we can come together for our environmental concerns. I thought it was terrific. It has been reported that more commercials are planned featuring other "Odd Couples". I would have liked to ended this article right here but I tripped over something very disturbing today. I realize that there is a segment of the population that feels global warming is a myth and that's fine if you really believe that. What is not fine is the multitude of sharp criticisms of this commercial and the cause it represents. Some have labeled environmental issues as silly, overrated, and straight out lies. Many other people believe that Global warming is just a natural Earth phase. It may be however, just a phase that we do not live through. Do we want to take a chance like that? Even if you are not so hot on Global Warming, what is wrong with supporting other environmental issues like recycling, conservation, or reduction of pollutants? Perhaps there is a little "The sky is falling" attitude amongst environmentalists. I say let's err on the side of caution. Whats the worst that can happen; we wind up with a cleaner planet? Listen people, you do not want to be on the wrong side of history on these issues.

Earth Day 2008

Today is Earth Day. I am happy to see that this year Earth Day appears to be a little more mainstream. I can remember a time, not that long ago, when the day would come to pass without much notice. More than ever, it is really important for each and every person to join in the efforts of conservation and environmental protection. On the History Channel there is a documentary about the world's oil supply. According to researchers, the peak oil production has probably already been reached. So it's downhill from here. Some estimates predict a critical world oil shortage in as soon as 15-40 years. Just take a look at gas prices right now. What happens to the price of gas as demand increases and supply dwindles? The same can be said of all of our natural resources. Today is Earth Day but people should not be stirred in to a frenzy, however it is time for environmental issues and awareness to become a focus in our every day lives. If we don't do it for ourselves, then we should do it for our posterity. Have a safe and happy Earth Day.
Here is a great Earth Day Website; be sure to sign the petition.

Here are some links to recent environmental articles:

Finally We Will Get Some Action

Iceberg Dead Ahead!

A Rose By Any Other Name

Doing A Little More

The Human Footprint

Monday, April 21, 2008

Pain At The Pump

Is the price of gas killing you too? It's absolutely maddening. Locally, gas prices have been rising by 8-10 cents overnight, every night for the last few days. Where I live we are close to the $3.50 dollar mark for a gallon of regular gas. Where the hell is the Federal Government on gas prices? All I can hear is crickets in Washington. I Googled to find news on the gas issue and what our elected officials are working on to help us, and guess what I found; nothing. The only thing that did turn up was Senator McCain's ill conceived "Gas Tax Holiday" that I discussed in my article "Poly-Tics As Usual". I suppose to the wealthy, even a dollar a gallon increase in gas prices does not seem like all that much. Since most if not all of our elected officials are very wealthy, I think that they really do not understand what high gas prices are doing to the working class. The price at the pump is only half of the picture. Rising fuel costs have also lead to the rising cost of most goods and services. When you hear those crickets in Washington, it's the sound of an out of touch group of lawmakers who just do not understand what it's like to be you or me. It would be nice to see some "working class people" in Washington. The problem is we simply can't afford to buy an election......or the gas to drive there.

Obama Takes A Page From Clinton's Book

I have questioned Democratic Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama's connections to certain people and groups. I have even questioned if his experience is extensive enough to be President. I have not really questioned his honesty, until now. In what seems like a classic Clinton deception, Obama has stated repeatedly that most of his campaign money has come from small mom and pop donations of $25 to $50 dollars. Well that's not exactly true Senator. In fact many wealthy individuals have contributed small fortunes to Obama's record breaking fundraising efforts. Seventy-nine Bundlers (one donor who gathers donations from many different individuals in an organization or community and presents the sum to a campaign) have given Obama at least 200k each. In all more than 27,000 donors wrote checks for $2,300 dollars, the maximum allowed. Donors who gave more than $200 dollars account for about half of Obama's total, which is almost $240 million. The "Bundlers" represent special interest organizations. Obama has said that small donors "will have as much access and influence over the course and direction of our campaign that has traditionally been reserved for the wealthy and the powerful." So what is he going to tell the big money special interest donors? Thanks for the dough, now go suck an egg? I think not. It's politics as usual and "hope" is just a veil to conceal that truth.

Finally We Will Get Some Action

Beer drinkers of the World unite! Researchers at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand say Global Warming may threaten beer. Now Global Warming has gone too far and we are sure to see support for environmental issues on an unprecedented scale. Scientists say climate change may affect the production of malting barley, which as we all know, is a key ingredient in making beer. The study focused on Australia and New Zealand, but the researchers feel the problem will likely be global. So I implore all of the beer lovers across the world to come together and support environmental issues in celebration of Earth Day 2008 this Tuesday. Like Ben Franklin said; "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy". We would not want to disappoint God after all.

Don't Make McCain Angry

You won't like him when he's angry. They make John McCain sound like The Incredible Hulk. Today I saw yet another news story that examined Senator and Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain's infamous temper. So I did a little research and to the best of my knowledge McCain never turned green and grew so much that his clothes ripped off. Senator McCain has earned a well deserved reputation as someone who pumps his fist and shouts in heated arguments. Depending on which side of the aisle you are on, that either makes him a hot head or passionate about what he believes in. The worst example of McCain's temper that I could find was in a 1992 meeting where he and another senator got into a shouting match and perhaps there was some pushing. The meeting was concerning whether any American servicemen were still being held by the Vietnamese. Given what McCain had been through in Vietnam, it's not all that surprising. Of all of the "non-issues" being raised about the Candidates, this is the most trivial. Exactly what is everybody so worried about? Do people think that as President, McCain would get some foreign dignitary in a head-lock? And why is it that the Hulk's shorts never ripped? I suppose even the Hulk had some sense of decency.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

The Secret Life Of Hillary Clinton Part III

Presto-change-o, poof! I am the reinvented Hillary Clinton. Or should I say Super Hillary Clinton, able to dodge Bosnian bullets and make peace in United Kingdom in a single bound? Faster than a speeding bullet, fired from her own gun now that she has become Annie Oakley. More powerful than her husband's judgement on NAFTA. Friend to all Union Workers everywhere. The device to measure how full of bull Senator Clinton is, has yet to be invented. (Depending on what "is" means of course) Last week Senator and Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, announced that she would correct her husband's (Former President Bill Clinton) NAFTA mistakes. NAFTA has been blamed for the loss of many U.S. jobs. Furthermore, she asserts that she has long opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) when if fact the opposite is true. During her husband's Presidency, Clinton was a strong advocate of NAFTA . In her time since in the Senate she has not introduced, nor supported, any legislation to revise NAFTA. So in essence, it is yet another of Senator Clinton's complete fabrications. I wonder if all of Clinton's Union friends have forgiven her for the 6 years she spent on wal-mart's board?


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Hillary Get Your Gun

The Secret Life Of The Evil Empire

The Secret Life Of Hillary Clinton

The Secret Life Of Hillary Clinton Redux

Everybody Must Get Stoned

I really do not like to be placed into any category, but if I had to say, I would consider myself a Conservative. It's not that all of my views are, however that would be the group that I most closely identify with. But not in this case. Apparently today is National Stoner Day, dedicated to pot heads everywhere. Thousands will take to the streets to rally in support of legalizing marijuana. Although I do not smoke, I agree with them. I will lay out my case starting with the fact that enforcement has completely failed. The Federal Government should take the money used for enforcement, along with the new taxes it will receive from marijuana sales and put it to better use. We could use those funds to enforce the laws on other illegal drugs and conduct more education in our schools. My personal favorite would be a big fat tax break for working Americans. We have all heard of the threat that pot smokers pose to society. I am not using science here, but instead I will apply a lifetime of experience and observation when I say that pot smokers are not any worse than people who consume legal alcohol. In fact I prefer stoners to drunks. While I have witnessed many angry and violent drunks, I have only encountered one angry stoner. All he did was sit on the floor and mumble something unintelligible. One of the most powerful arguments against legalized marijuana is that it is thought to be a "gateway drug", meaning it is the first step that leads to the use of "harder" drugs especially amongst our youth. Again, drawing on a lifetime of experience I must disagree. Most of the pot smokers I have ever seen, have been, and will always be loyal to the gange. In addition, the White House Drug office said that marijuana use has declined about 25 percent in recent years among teens 12 to 17. Alcohol is legal and regulated, and so has the time come for marijuana to be the same. If you have doubts, just pull out a history book and see how well prohibition worked.

He's Not "The Boss" Of Me

Celebrity endorsements of Presidential Candidates have plunged me into the newly discovered tenth circle of my personal hell. Many times I have made the case that celebrities should stay out of the political arena, and if you are swayed by their opinion, you are an idiot. That is harsh and I am sorry, but if your political opinion is in any part formed by what Elton John thinks, then the aforementioned applies. Speaking of Sir Elton, last week in the article "Madman Across The Water", I pummeled the artist for his benefit concert for, and public endorsement of, Senator Hillary Clinton for President. I also made it clear that Elton John was one of my all time favorite musical artists and that has not changed. My absolute favorite music artist has been and always will be Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen is a fellow New Jerseyian and I have always felt his music was the soundtrack of my life. That is why I am so disappointed at his very public endorsement of Senator Barack Obama. Springsteen has become increasingly and openly political in recent years, appearing with Candidate John Kerry back in 2004. As a veteran of many fantastic Springsteen live concerts, I have always been aware that political issues are not far from Bruce's mind. In the past he would express his political point of view through song. Though different than my own, Springsteen's political views were powerful when weaved into his brilliant songs. I have always took notice and respected them. At times, his songs even forced me to contemplate my position. Bruce, one Jersey Guy to another; your power to change the world is most effectively expressed by your music. All of these celebrity endorsements are making me feel uncomfortable in my American Skin.

Be Nice To The Pope

I believe strongly in the First Amendment of our Constitution which guarantees us the right of free speech. While I have written many articles in support of this belief, I have also at times, been deeply critical of what somebody else had to say. When making a criticism, I endeavor to avoid personal attacks and name calling. In general, I try to make the argument based upon fact, and avoid being nasty or hateful. You see that's how it's supposed to work. The Government makes no attempt to censor speech, and we ourselves abide by our manners and common sense. The only problem is that today it seems an ounce of common sense would sell for more than a barrel of oil. The Pope has come to visit our County this week. It does not matter what religion (if any) you practice, the Pope should be afforded the respect due any foreign dignitary. For example if you have criticism of the Pope over the Catholic Church's Sex scandals, make your remarks directly but avoid being disrespectful. This week Bill Maher, comedian and host of HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher, said that the Pope used to be a Nazi. Maher went on to compare the Catholic Church to the polygamist compound in Texas. I happen to agree that the Pope did not do enough to address the Church's many cases of child abuse by it's priests, but I do not make my point by name calling or drawing unfair comparisons. The Catholic Church can be, and is much criticized, but by and large the body of their work in the world is good. Bill Mayer has a distinguished history of making shameful comments. Among these were referring to American Soldiers as cowards, and suggesting that he was sorry that an assignation plot on Vice President Cheney had failed. Maher is an intelligent man who should realize that this method of getting his point across is counterproductive. Despite this, I am reminded of what my Uncle, a Korean War Veteran, used to tell me. He would say; "I may not agree with what they said, but I would, and almost did give my life for their right to say it". Mr. Maher, now that's American courage.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Iceberg Dead Ahead!

Satellite images show that a large piece of Antarctica’s Wilkins Ice Shelf has collapsed. The Wilkins Ice Shelf is an area of thick ice on the southwest Of Antarctica. Scientists say a huge iceberg measuring 25 miles by 1.5 miles broke away from the ice shelf. Researchers add that it looks like the entire ice shelf, about 6,180 square miles was at risk of collapsing. Back in 1993, researchers concluded that the Wilkins Ice Shelf would be at risk in about 30 years. In only half that time, a huge chunk has broken away and the rest is in jeopardy. OK, so who cares if it is due to human activity or not. Global warming is real. With Earth Day less than two days away, I implore everyone to do a little more to protect our planet. Even if that effort only involves something small, if we multiply that by the 6 billion humans on the planet, it adds up. The most frightening prospect to me is the human element. The World's Governments, now consumed by it's differences and squabbles, will have to come together soon to confront Global Warming. Even then, I pray we still have the time.

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A Rose By Any Other Name

Doing A Little More

The Human Footprint

Earth Day 2008: Time To Do A Little More

Who's Your Daddy?

There is quite a mess unfolding in Texas in wake of the raid on the polygamist compound. Now over four hundred children are in the protective custody of the State, and the court is besieged by a multitude of lawyers and witnesses. Today, the presiding judge ruled that all of the children would remain in the State's custody and ordered DNA testing of the fathers and mothers to establish relations. It has been reported that the parents have been evasive in identifying their own children, and at times giving false names. This is not very surprising when you consider it is a crime in Texas to have sex with girls under the age of 17. As I stated in "It's Just An Excuse" , one of the primary reasons this whole religious sect exists is to allow older men to have sex with young girls. In testimony today, it was stated that over 20 girls sixteen and under had either given birth or conceived a child. It has also been reported that girls as young as 13 or sometimes younger are married to much older men. In my personal opinion, Government has been encroaching too much on the rights of the individual. If all in this polygamy compound were of the age of consent, then have yourselves a good time (and eighty wives). If you are having sex with minors you are a criminal, no matter what religion you hide behind. And they know it too.

Friday, April 18, 2008

A Rose By Any Other Name

Would have no scent? A new study by the University of Virginia suggests that flowers are losing their smell. Guess who is to blame; that's right, people. Their research would explain the reported fact that some populations of bees are declining in parts of the world. Warning Science Content: It's basically like this, human activity has caused a lot of pollutants such as ozone. Microscopic scent molecules from flowers are attracted to and bond with pollutants easily, thus destroying the aroma. Flower scent is estimated to only have the ability to travel less than a quarter of the distance it did one hundred years ago. In my life, I have always shared a great concern for the environment. Global warming, polar ice melting, ozone layer depletion, and the destruction of the rain forests, are all serious environmental issues that we have heard about many times before. While not as dramatic, the world's flowers losing their scent seems to really strike a chord. If we are responsible for this, what will be the next unintended consequence of our human activities? Earth Day is next week and it's time to give a damn.

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The Human Footprint

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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Sanctuary Policy Kills American

There is a tragic story from last month about a 17 year old young man from Los Angeles, who was allegedly gunned down by an illegal alien? He was walking home on March 2 when gang members pulled up in a car and asked him about his gang affiliation, then allegedly shot him because he was not a gang member. This is another compelling reason to get our arms around the Nation's immigration problem. The City Of Los Angeles is also responsible for the death of this young man. A 1979 police order bars officers from enforcing federal immigration laws. The illegal alien suspect was released from jail without authorities questioning his citizenship on March 1, the day before he allegedly murdered the Los Angeles teen. All Americans should be outraged at this event and the "Sanctuary Cities" across the United States. The Federal Government needs to assert it's authority over these "Sanctuary Cities" immediately.

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Reading, Writing, Murder?

On March 28, school officials at an elementary school in Georgia thwarted a plot to murder a teacher. They were only third-graders, 8 to 9 year old children! Police said as many as 9 students were involved in the plot to kill their teacher. Now if you think this is being blown out of proportion, the students brought to school a steak knife, a roll of duct tape, handcuffs, ribbon and a crystal paperweight. The town Police Chief said; "We did not hear anybody say they intended to kill her, but could they have accidentally killed her? Absolutely," Tanner said. "We feel like if they weren't interrupted, there would have been an attempt. Would they have been successful? We don't know." The students were reportedly angered by the fact that the teacher had scolded one of them for standing on a chair. The question is how could children so young have such a serious intention to do something so horrible? I am certain that many are of the opinion that our violent society is to blame. Video games, movies, and TV their number one offenders. I can't completely dismiss their argument, however my belief is that it has more to do with the breakdown of the American family. With more of both parents working, and the divorce rate so high, I think that there is less family structure in place to reinforce values. Also, whether we realize it or not parental authority is diminished. I have heard first hand accounts from parents who's children have threatened to call family services if they received corporal punishment. There are even efforts underway to remove the rights parents to do any form of physical discipline. My father was on the fence about giving me a spanking if I brought home a "B". If I threatened him with calling someone, I would have been in a lot of trouble. If I hatched a plot to kill my teacher, you probably would not be reading this now. Yeah, he was rough but you know what, I needed it.

Mr. Peanut

Well he has gone nuts this time for sure. Yesterday Former President Jimmy Carter, arrived in Egypt in preparation for his meeting today with Hamas leaders. You know Hamas, the militant terrorist group responsible for the death of countless innocent people including Americans. I was young when Carter was President, so I learned about his four years in office as recent history. What I do remember clearly was how much my family disliked him, and how elated they were when Reagan was elected. Perhaps it had something to do with the hostages, gas lines, and double digit inflation, just a few of the highlights of his Presidency. There were widespread objections to the former President's trip to meet with Hamas leaders. 50 members of Congress wrote to Carter asking him not to undertake this trip, not to mention the Israelis, whom were deeply distressed over the meeting. In fact most Israelis leaders would not agree to meet with Carter when he landed in Israel. Even Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, spoke out against Carter's trip. The bottom line is that you just do not negotiate with terrorist organizations for some very good reasons. Think about it, if terrorist organizations can achieve their goals through the murdering of innocent people, you will have created a sustained purpose for terrorism; in effect legitimizing terrorism as a negotiation tool. Already, Hamas leaders have boasted that Carters trip gives their terrorist group "legitimacy". I admire President Carter for his good work with Habitat For Humanity, but his ego is the only reason to undertake such a voyage. I think that Nobel Prize went to his head.

Someone To Watch Over Me

If you have ever been hospitalized for any reason then you are aware that in reality, it is nothing like the popular medical TV shows portray. The actual level of care and concern is far from what Hollywood depicts. I have had more than a few close friends and relatives over the years whom have had extended hospital stays. You really need to have a friend or relative close by to watch over you, especially if you are seriously ill or only semi-conscious. The worst thing I ever personally witnessed was my Grandmother being send down for an catscan that was not necessary. It does get you thinking about what could happen. We have all heard of patients having the wrong operation performed on them and other hospital mistakes. To be fair, where there are humans there will always be mistakes. I recently came across an article that blew me away. This is an excerpt from the MSNBC article: "For the fifth straight year, an analysis of errors in the nation’s hospitals found that the most reported patient safety risk is a little-known but always-fatal problem called “failure to rescue.” The term refers to cases where caregivers fail to notice or respond when a patient is dying of preventable complications in a hospital." What is really an amazing statistic is that in just the 2004-2006 period, "failure to rescue" was responsible for more than 188,000 deaths. Like I said we have to allow for human error even in a hospital, but these statistics point to something else.

Read The Whole Story Here

Doing A Little More

Earth Day 2008 will be here next week and it is time to take stock of our individual efforts with regard to conservation and the environment. Sunday I saw a show in the National Geographic Channel, which will be repeated tonight. It was called "The Human Footprint". This link will take you to an article I wrote describing the show. In sum, they laid out visually the impact that a human has over a lifetime on the environment from birth to death. In the article "Earth Day 2008: Time To Do More", I explained a few simple things that my family was doing to make a small difference. Since then, we have purchased another multi-pack of CFC light bulbs and replaced over 50% of them in our house. We have also purchased the reusable supermarket bags made from recycled materials, in order to save regular supermarket plastic bags. In the big picture it's not all that much, but it is a start. Talk to your kids too. I have found mine to be more receptive and helpful than I imagined. You don't have to be a "tree hugger" to recognize your responsibility to join the effort to improve our planet. After all, it's the only one we have.

Hillary Get Your Gun

Senator Obama I am giving you a cyber high five. Kudos to you sir for firing back at Hillary Clinton. Clinton has been pummeling Obama over his recent "small town" remarks calling them "elitist and divisive". Barack Obama called her on it in a big way, and it still has me giggling. After all lets face it, there is nobody more full of Bologna than Hillary Clinton. Giver her a rope and she would swear that shes always been a cowboy. Here is what Obama had to say: "She knows better. Shame on her. Shame on her." "She is running around talking about how this is an insult to sportsman, how she values the second amendment. She's talking like she's Annie Oakley,""Hillary Clinton is out there like she's on the duck blind every Sunday. She's packing a six-shooter. Come on, she knows better. That's some politics being played by Hillary Clinton." (Pause for laughter) I can not say for sure if Obama would pass a polygraph test, but Clinton would melt the machine; Hillary and Bill.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

I Was Born In A Small Town

OK, I misspoke. I was actually born in a large city but that's besides the point. However I am working class, so am I also bitter? Before I slam the Senator and Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, lets take a look at his comments from a few days ago: "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothings replaced them.And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not."
"And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." I am not going to jump on Senator Obama about this. I am far more concerned about his close ties to domestic terrorists, special interest big money, and people who hate America. I believe that Obama truly did misspeak when he said; "they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." When I take it in the context of his entire speech, I do not think that he meant to offend, or is "elitist" as Senator Clinton has suggested. Obama's comments do reveal a few unsurprising things. He is a Liberal Democrat and what you can expect from him is higher taxes, more Government spending, liberal immigration policies, opposition to the provisions of the Second Amendment, and a Secular Progressives agenda in terms of religion. I do not think anybody should be offended by Obama's comments. If his politics offend you, then don't vote for him. Now if you will excuse me, I have to grab my gun because I am headed to church. Just kidding.

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Reached My Limit

"Poly-Tics" As Usual

I think famous entertainer and former Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Kinky Friedman, hit the nail on the head. In a March 31 interview on the O'Rielly Factor he said; "It's politics, Bill. Poly, more than one, tics, blood sucking parasites. That's what politics is." Politicians will say absolutely anything, without any regard for whether or not what they have said is based upon any fact or truth. Especially with so much 24 hour news media today, the stories of the Presidential Candidates "Mis-speaking" and other blunders get plenty of coverage. Let's face it though, we have become indifferent to it. I think we have even come to expect it. The Clinton's(I could almost just end it here), Barack Obama, and John McCain, are full of bull! McCain today urged Congress to legislate a "gas-tax holiday" by suspending the 18.4 cent federal gas tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Estimates put the loss of tax revenue to the Federal Government at 10 Billion Dollars. Revenue from that tax, funds highway repairs and construction in all over the U.S. To be fair, McCain also proposed to stop adding to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Look, I certainly do not hold an advanced degree in economics, but even I can see the forest through the trees. For the approximately 20 cents you would save on a gallon of gas, we have to examine what we would lose. I mean the 10 Billion for the highways have to come from some where right? What about the construction jobs lost if we suspend highway repairs? What happens to the condition of our highway infrastructure? What happens after Labor Day; do we all stop driving? What tax would have to be raised to make up for the revenue lost? These are all good questions that will go unanswered because McCain's plan is not the long term solution we need to fix the issue of runaway fuel costs. I am all for lower taxes, but they have to make sense, be a result of spending cuts, and last for more than one summer Senator. His plan is just an empty election year promise meant to show that he is concerned about the plight of the common man. But then again, that's just what we have come to expect.

National Day Of Mourning

A movement of silence please. It's April 15; Tax Day. Come on people, there has to be a better way. It all just seems a little unnecessary. We live in an age of technology that should be able to deliver us from this annual nightmare. Tax season has spawned a whole industry of software sales and tax preparers, not to mention a huge Government Bureaucracy. While I do not think it is as simple as the idea of a "flat tax", I do not think that it has to be so complicated. The IRS will still exist and accountants will always be needed for tax applications related to businesses. So what about the rest of us? There has to be an easier way to account for events in our lives that affect our tax status like marriage, a home purchase, the birth of a child. Even though I have some little lovely young deductions of my own, maybe some sort of flat tax would be simpler and even more fair. Why should those who have not reproduced be entitled to less of a refund than I? When it comes to taxes get it right the first time and trim some of the IRS budget. Then Uncle Sam could pass along the savings to all of us. I won't hold my breath.

The Secret Life Of The Evil Empire

Wow. That's' the best description of my reaction that I could muster. My jaw actually fell open when I tripped over the fact that Hillary Clinton served on the wal-mart board for 6 years. Here is an excerpt of an article from the Huffington Post: "And the board Hillary Clinton sat on was rabidly anti-union, was exploiting sweatshop labor around the world, discriminating against women workers, forcing workers to labor off the clock and destroying communities that did not want them. This should not be a shock: Clinton was a partner in the Rose law firm, one of the most active anti-union law firms in the country" Several questions come into my mind. How has Clinton managed Union support despite being a Democrat? I have close friends whom are Union Officers and to even mention wal-mart is as if you uttered a profanity. Core Clinton issues like women's equality and health care are at odds with her past association of wal-mart. How does she explain this? I don't even know if it's been made an issue which I find hard to believe. I have not seen anything on the news and I have always watched regularly. This issue would be sure to surface in a general election if Clinton makes it that far. We had better prepare ourselves for the truckload of fertilizer she will unload explaining this one.

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Monday, April 14, 2008

Love And Marriage

A 76 year old Serbian farmer and his wife of 45 years were recently divorced and the court ordered that the man had to part with half his assets. At home here in America or in other Countries abroad, this is a common and fair award by the court. After all, they were married for 45 years. So he gave her half of everything...literally. Apparently upset that he had to part with half of his farm machinery too, he did what any one of us would do when faced with such an unfair ruling. He used a grinder to cut the farm machines in half. I grant you that his actions were a little extreme, but on a serious note, it does remind me of some other unfair property settlements my friends and family have endured over the years. In my own divorce there were elements of the property settlement that I considered grossly unfair. Of course when all is said and done in the court of law, somebody is sure to feel slighted. That said, I think the laws concerning property and divorce in the U.S. could stand a little review and modification. After all, what is this Serbian farmer without his farming equipment? A little bitter here is what the man had to say; "I still haven't decided how to split the cow," she should just say what she wants the part with the horns or the part with the tail." If your ever in the U.S. I want to buy you a beer my Serbian friend. Makes you wonder what happened to cause the split. I would wager there that is a good story as well.

Do Not Throw Stones If...

Did you ever think you heard something but you could not be absolutely certain? I was making a sandwich and had the news on in another room a few weeks ago, and thought I heard something fascinating about Mexico's immigration laws. With life moving at it's hurried pace, and all of the other things to blog about, I just got the chance today to do some follow up research on what I had heard. Here is just a summary of Mexico's laws with regards to immigrants and those who become Mexican Citizens.
Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:
-in the country legally;
-have the means to sustain themselves economically;
-not destined to be burdens on society;
-of economic and social benefit to society;
-of good character and have no criminal records; and
-contributors to the general well-being of the nation.
The law also ensures that:
-immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;
-foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;
-foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country’s internal politics;
-foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported;
-foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported;
-those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison.

It makes me cringe when I hear officials from the Mexican Government criticize U.S. immigration policies. Perhaps we should create and enforce our laws with the same vigor as Mexico.

The Secret Life Of Hillary Clinton Redux

The Clinton's must be attempting to use the Jedi mind trick on us. If they payed close attention to the Star Wars saga, they would have realized that it only works on the weak-minded. Perhaps that's just what they are hoping for. Last week former President Bill Clinton (A Jedi Master in the art of BS) was out campaigning for his wife Senator and Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. The former Pres chastised the way the press went after Senator Clinton when the whole Bosnia story broke a couple of weeks ago. You can see more details on the Bosnia story in my article "The Secret Life Of Hillary Clinton". In quick summary, the Senator and former First Lady claimed that in a 1996 visit to Bosnia, her plane landed amidst a hail of gunfire. Video footage of her arrival that day bore no evidence of Clinton's claims. Although this incident was only one example of the Senator's wild exaggerations, she defended her statement explaining that it was late and she "misspoke". Amazingly former President Clinton stated that the press attacked his wife over the 1995 trip unfairly because it was late and she was tired when she made those comments. He went on to add that his wife as the only First Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt to enter a combat zone. Let me just run that through my Clinton-to-truth dictionary and see....OK now for the truth: Senator Clinton did not just once misspeak late at night about the Bosnia story; she did it numerous times, and not just at night. Her trip to Bosnia took place in 1996, not 1995. Hillary Clinton was not the only first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt to visit a combat zone; Pat Nixon went to Saigon in 1969. In fairness to our former Commander In Chief, I guess it depends on what the meaning of the word "is" means. (Simply the greatest load in the history of BS).

Sunday, April 13, 2008

The Human Footprint

While sitting at the computer working on my next article, a show on National Geographic Channel called "The Human Footprint" has got my attention. It is staggering to realize just how much of the Earth's resources each and every one of us consumes over the average lifetime. We have all heard little factoids like the average person uses 80 gallons of water a day. Hard to believe yes, but think about it. A Shave, shower, and then you brush your teeth just to begin an average day, it adds up quickly. However this show, "The Human Footprint" really illustrates our human consumption. They laid out the items we use everyday multiplied by an average human lifetime of 77.9 years to create one amazing visual effect. For example, they filled a room with over 5,000 bananas that a person will consume over the average lifetime. It was astounding to see this and other visual representations like the amount of carbon our car releases into the atmosphere over our lifetime. It was enough to fill a coal yard. The narrator was quick to point out the big difference that a few little changes would make. Just the savings in energy form replacing one standard bulb with an energy efficient CFC bulb is staggering. With Earth Day 2008 fast approaching, it's time for all of us to get on board an help to reduce our Human Footprint.

Earth Day Time To Do A Little More

Reached My Limit

As I have stated in previous articles, I have tried to maintain an open mind with regard to Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. I genuinely like the man, although our politics and beliefs are too different to obtain my vote. That said, I did not slam him about Reverend Wright's controversial comments or some of his wife's statements. I did not take the cheap shot at the Senator over his "typical white person" comment even though I realize how differently the situation would have been if roles were reversed. I only struck a glancing blow when Hanoi Jane Fonda endorsed him. I realize that by and large the media has hit him with "soft punches". All of my restraint was due to the my belief that enough forces would be working against the man just because of what he represents. And like I said, I like the man. The gloves have to come off now. Obama's connection with William Ayers who was once a member of the Weather Underground, a terrorist group that bombed the Capitol, the Pentagon and the State Department in the 1970s has raised some serious concerns. In the interest of fairness, Ayers was never convicted due to the technicality of the FBI mishandling evidence.
Ayers has said publicly; “People ask, ‘Do you regret anything you did against the government in those days?’ And my answer is: no, I don’t.” I think that pretty much sums up what kind of man he is. At this time I will not examine the argument surrounding just how involved Obama has been with regard to Ayers, for I am more concerned about the emerging pattern. Obama it seems, keeps the company of those who hate their Country and his many explanations to this fact fall short. If you really expect us to believe you had no idea about their beliefs, feelings, or politics after so much time, then Sir you are not fit to be our President.

Please also read: "We Did Not Hate Our Country"

Spirit Of The Law

Today I saw an interview on cable news with a teenage boy and his mother. This Texas high school student was suspended when he answered his cell phone in class. His dad was calling him.....from Iraq. Dad is a Master Sargent in the U.S. Army currently serving in Iraq. The high school has a "no cell phone" rule for students, like I am sure most schools do. When it comes to rules, policies, or laws I have argued in the past that they should be evenly applied. I still believe that they should be applied evenly, but not absolutely. In court it is a well established custom to consider the "spirit of the law". In other words, the intention and goal the creator of the law had in mind or was attempting to achieve. It is fairly transparent that the intention of a cell phone policy in a school is to prevent students from needlessly chatting, thus disturbing class. The intention was not to deny a boy from speaking to his father serving in a war zone. I am sure that the Sargent has very limited calling opportunities, and besides dad was responding to a message he received that his son had some problems that he needed to discuss. Put yourself in either role. Think about it, you need your father and he is far away, his life in danger every day. Or the reverse, your son needs you and the only thing that you can do is call at your earliest opportunity. Would you make or accept the call? I would. To make matters worse, nearly half of the students at this Texas high school have at least one parent deployed on active duty. Why was that not taken into consideration as a circumstance special to this particular school? The icing on the cake has to be that the boy's father spoke about this possibility with the school's Assistant Principal before he left for duty. Lately, I have been slamming our "anything goes" society when it comes to social customs and the law, but if we opt for "doing what is right", we will be guided to the right path most of the time.

Here's Johnny

Last week's American Idol had a few extra surprises. Each of the remaining Presidential Candidates Clinton, Obama, and McCain gave a little blurb during the show. The shows theme was "giving back", something Idol does annually, a charity fundraiser. While Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama stayed with the script, John McCain tried out his stand-up comedy routine. McCain said; "American Idol is a lot like a presidential primary election. Except for people who live in Michigan and Florida. Their votes actually count." McCain was referring to the two states whose Democratic Primary votes were disallowed due to their changing of the State's primary date in violation of DNC rules. Like any other good comedian, McCain had a good closing joke. He said; "As for me, it's back to work on my new immigrant plan. Watch your back Simon ." The Senator was referring to the shows colorful judge Simon Cowell. Bravo, Senator McCain, you showed a lighter side and your jokes were clever and harmless. The voting counting joke was kind of a zinger to the Dem's, but they created that mess for themselves.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

If We Will Not Lead, Then Follow

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that he will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Although it was reported that Brown never planned to attend, he now joins German Chancellor Angela Merkel in boycotting the opening ceremony of the Olympic games hosted by China. This boycott is a protest for China's crackdown on Tibet as well as their overall poor record on human rights. In my article "Vive La France" I examined French President Nicolas Sarkozy's contemplation of a Boycott of the opening ceremonies. So where does the world's beacon of Freedom and Democracy stand on this? Speaker Pelosi and Senator Clinton have urged President Bush publicly to boycott the opening ceremony. In spite of this and the feelings of many ordinary citizens, The President says that he still plans to attend. After all, it's not like he is running for office this year.

Higher Education

Who didn't love a field trip during our school years? Students from Randolph College in Lynchburg, Va., have me thinking about going back for some extra credits. Their latest class trip was to the Chicken Ranch. Were the studying live stock management? Oh no. The Chicken Ranch is a legal brothel located about 60 miles outside of Las Vegas Nevada. The students trip was related to their class called "American consumption." MSNBC reported; "Each semester the course examines a strain of American culture and ends with a class trip. Past destinations included post-Katrina New Orleans, Walt Disney World and the Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Ala." Well obviously a brothel is the next logical trip, Duh! Every time I lift my head up in the morning, the world seems crazier that the day before. When the space ship finally lands, I am getting right on board with no questions asked. The students did get to take home gift bags containing a menu of services, a Chicken Ranch key chain, and a brochure. Look mom, I brought you a souvenir.

Madman Across The Water

The Blog that I created to share my views on important issues and relieve some stress is giving me high blood pressure. I am nothing less than outraged over stories like this one. Legendary singer Elton John gave a concert last week and raised 2.5 million dollars for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign. In addition, Sir Elton enlightened us with his thoughts on American politics; “I’ve always been a Hillary supporter. There is no-one more qualified to lead America”. Now Sir Elton scolds us; “I’m amazed by the misogynistic attitudes of some of the people in this country. And I say to hell with them." I explained my contempt for celebrity endorsements in my article "Hanoi Jane Endorses Obama", but Elton's comments were "too low for zero". Celebrity or not, Elton John is not even an American Citizen. So Shut the hell up and sing those "sad songs that say so much", because the First Amendment does not apply to you. Was the "bitch is back" on the set list? In Elton John's defense, I love him. I have 35-40 of his Cd's. His music has been an important part of my life since I was young, and I consider him to be one of my three favorite artists. The true blame lies with a society that gives celebrities like Elton the motivation to stick their "big duck-suited bills" into politics. They would not be as likely to speak if no one was listening. Going to see an Elton John concert is cool, but if he is influencing your vote, you're an idiot. I guess that's why they call it the blues. God Bless you Reg.

Safety First?

Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen a lot of Internet "buzz" about traffic light cameras. I have already written a few articles about issues concerning "Big Brother" and the continuing erosion of our Constitutional rights already this month, but this one takes the cake. Many City Governments across our Nation have installed cameras atop traffic lights under the guise of safety, when in reality, they were meant for profit. Even if that were the entire story, some people (like me) would still object to yet another intrusion from Big Brother into our lives. The story does not end there. As it turns out there is evidence to support that the traffic cameras have improved safety at those intersections where they have been installed. This fact makes my argument against them more untenable. So why are so many City Governments shortening the "yellow light" or removing the cameras altogether? The answer is simple; because they were working......too well. This is proof that the original motive of installing the traffic cameras was for profit, not safety. While that fact may be all well and good, to say the hell with safety when the cameras were working over profit, is quite another story. This quote from the Dallas City manager sums it up; "Red light cameras do reduce accidents. That is a good thing ... But they do it by reducing red light violations, by as much as 29 percent from month to month at particularly busy Dallas intersections. ... City Manager Mary Suhm estimated last week that the city would fall short by more than $4 million. So last week, the city turned off about a quarter of the least profitable cameras, saying it couldn't’t justify the cost of running them." Many City Officials have openly admitted the same for one simple reason; no repercussions. We are living is an ever increasingly consequence free society where anything goes. It seems politicians don't even have to take the trouble to lie to us anymore.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Federal Govenment's Responsibility

Our founding fathers recognized the importance of the individual State's rights as well as the importance of a strong central or Federal Government. Ultimately if there is a conflict, the Federal law supersedes State law. Therefore it is the Federal Government's responsibility to enforce Federal law. Seems simple enough. It seems puzzling that so called "Sanctuary Cities" have been permitted to exist from coast to coast. The Wikipedia definition is : "A sanctuary city is a term given to a city in the United States that follows certain practices that protect illegal immigrants. These practices can be explicit (de jure) or they can be implicit (de facto). The term generally applies to cities that do not allow municipal funds or resources to be used to enforce federal immigration laws, usually by not allowing police or municipal employees to inquire about ones immigration status." The key words here are "protect illegal" and "do not allow...enforce federal immigration laws". We are not even speaking of a State's rights VS. The Federal Government, these are individual Cities circumventing Federal authority. San Francisco has taken this idea even further. The City has just started an advertising campaign using billboards, TV ads, Radio spots, and printed brochures to announce it's status as a Sanctuary City for illegal aliens. The most egregious fact of this campaign is that it being funded by taxpayers money. So in sum, public funds are being used to publicize and protect lawbreaking, non-citizens in defiance of Federal Law. WOW!!! The Federal Government must seize control of San Francisco and arrest it's Mayor Gavin Newsom. The euphemism for this activity is "Sanctuary City" and Americans ultimately will not be fooled by word games. An "undocumented worker" is really an illegal alien and a "Free Speech Zone" is an attack on your First Amendment rights. In 1957 when the governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, sent in the Arkansas National Guard to "maintain law and order" by keeping the black students out of school, President Eisenhower Federalized the Arkansas Guard and sent in Federal Troops to restore the student's rights and the rule of Federal Law. I know we will not even get anything close to that kind of action today unless citizens begin to put the "We" back into "We The People".

Some links to other related articles on immigration and our Constitutional rights:

"Hide And Go Seek" "1984"
"Champion Of The Second Amendment"
"Immigration: Losing The Middle Ground"

Hot For Teacher

After completing a little over two years of her house arrest sentence, a judge decided Tuesday that Debra Lafave will be released from house arrest on July 11. Lafave was a middle school teacher who was arrested back in 2004 for having sex with one of her 14 year old students. She will now be on regular probation. Hearing the news reminded me of a few years ago when this all took place and the double standard this case represented. With respect to the fact that the victims family refused to have their son testify, Lafave's sentence was merely a slap on the wrist. Now 27, she is and was a very attractive MARRIED woman. For her to seek the affections of a 14 year old boy shows a deep mental disturbance and the need for ongoing medical treatment ordered by the court at the very least. Lafave later admitted to having bipolar disorder. I am sure of two things. If this had been a male teacher with a female victim, there would have been a prison sentence and more of a public outcry. At the time, I remember the running joke was that the kid was lucky and some wished that it had happened to them in school. To be fair I am sure that many people were properly outraged, but even when we do not have a "typical"victim, the law and reaction of society should be applied equally.

Our Lips Are Sealed

I have been rolling this story around in my head for a little over a week. Last week the American Heart Association said that just using your hands only for CPR will be sufficient until help arrives. This consists of rapid, deep presses on the victim’s chest without the standard mouth-to-mouth breathing for cardiac arrest. What I have been trying to wrap my brain around for the last ten days is this quote from the Associated Press story: "Experts hope bystanders will now be more willing to jump in and help if they see someone suddenly collapse. Hands-only CPR is simpler and easier to remember and removes a big barrier for people skittish about the mouth-to-mouth breathing". Do people really think this way in an emergency? Well dear I would have saved the man, but he ordered the garlic linguine so mouth-to-mouth was out of the question. I confess that I have always wanted to learn CPR but like so many other things, never got around to it. While I do not necessarily relish the fact of wrapping my lips around most strangers, mouth-to-mouth was not a factor for me in the past, nor would it's absence from the technique motivate me more in the present. Are we really that superficial? What's next, the new Heimlich Maneuver? You don't actually touch the person. You just stand close by and shout words of encouragement.


I included a Link To The Story Here. Check out the guy's faces in the AP photo. The caption should have been: Glad I did not have to suck face with that guy!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Let's Give Him A Second Chance

According to reports on Tuesday, Michael Vick is playing football on new team; his prison team. The three time Pro Bowl quarterback has traded his NFL uniform for prison stripes. Vick, now serving a two year lockup for his involvement in a dog-fighting ring, took a lot of heat in the press and the court of public opinion, in addition to his sentence. While I do not condone the cruel treatment of animals, I must point out that Vick's biggest offenses were his arrogance and stupidity. He was arrogant enough to feel that his stardom would protect him, and stupid to think his involvement could be kept secret, given his very high profile. That said, I hope that people and the NFL give Michael Vick a second chance. His offense was not so egregious as to stand in the way of his redemption. Besides, losing your 130 million dollar contract (plus endorsements) and not to mention your freedom, teaches one hell of a lesson. When Vick emerges from prison, he should again ask for forgiveness and pledge to help organizations that work to prevent cruelty to animals. After her 2004 prison term, Martha Stewart's business by most accounts, is better then ever. Michael Vick deserves that same chance. It would be a shame to deny this man his fair shot at redemption and to earn a living with his god given talents.

It's Just An Excuse

The media coverage of the ATF raid on the polygamist compound in Eldorado, Texas, has been difficult to miss. The sensational stories of the many abuses that have taken place there are featured at the top and bottom of every news hour. When I first learned of this story, images of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians immediately came to mind. I am referring to the tragedy in Waco, Texas back in 1993 where many in the religious cult lost their lives in gun battles with Federal Agents and subsequent fire at the compound. I came to the realization that these polygamist religious cults are little more than a vehicle to allow grown men to have sex with young girls. Personally, I have no problem with the polygamist lifestyle if all involved are adults. Having lived a life of serial monogamy, I feel that if a man wants to have many wives then we should let him. With all due respect to the institution of marriage, I have found one wife at any given time to be quite sufficient for me. As the circumstances surrounding this event unfold, we are learning that many of the over four hundred children evacuated from the complex are pregnant. Authorities also found beds allegedly used by the older men, after they married underage girls on the top floor of the temple. In my house of worship there is no bed on which to immediately consummate the marriage. It is clear that these groups are using religion as a cover for and sanctioning of their desire to have sex with children. They are not polygamists they are pedophiles plain and simple.

Hide And Go Seek

If you're going to San Francisco be sure to count to 100 while your there. If you're going to San Francisco you're gonna meet some people with no First Amendment rights there. Isn't that how the song goes? I think San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom re-wrote the lyrics yesterday when he rerouted the Olympic Torch away from well....everyone. At first the City established "Free Speech Zones along the torch route, an abomination that I examined in the article "1984". The Olympic Torch was redirected away from where protesters and spectators alike were gathered. The Torch would appear for a short time, then officials would whisk it away into hiding spots like a warehouse, for one example. Throughout the afternoon, the torch would appear only to be secretly driven miles away to a new location. The closing ceremonies were cancelled altogether, much to the dismay of the waiting crowd. In taking stock of the day, it appears that nobody benefited. The Pro-Tibet protesters, Pro-China demonstrators, press, relay runners, and the ordinary people with kids who just wanted to view the historic event, all lost. The biggest casualty of the day was our National pride. I bet officials in China and all over the world are laughing at the Great American Democracy and it's Free Speech principals. Ordinary Americans
must become more active in confronting some of the disturbing trends developing in our Country or we risk the continuing erosion of what it means to be an American. I hope that I made these comments in a "Free Speech Zone".


Read More About This Story Here

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

1984

No, not the Van Hallen album and certainly no reason to "Jump". I am referring to the book most of us read in high school written by George Orwell. (Ironically I may have actually read the book in 1984.) The fictional tale is of a future world ruled by the totalitarian government of Oceania, that at the time seemed to be a little silly to me. After all we live in the land of freedom, the good ole USA. In the time since, I have grown up and watched many disturbing trends and also infringements of our Constitutional rights. Police checkpoints, cameras on top of traffic lights, and Government wiretaps give me the real sense that "big brother" is watching. I was once stopped by a police officer only for him to ask me "where are you going". With the Olympic Torch arriving yesterday in San Francisco, my thoughts again turned to our rights, as well as the struggle in Tibet. The City is setting up "Free Speech Zones", where officials plan to herd any protesters behind barricades away from the Torch relays. The use by authorities of "Free Speech Zones" around important events has been increasing rapidly in the last decade. Silly me, I always thought of my Country as one big Free Speech Zone. "Free Speech Zone" sounds disturbingly like a euphemism for "silence you by putting you far out of the way behind a wall zone." Here is how our Founding Fathers saw it " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. " They thought it was an important enough to make it the First Amendment. While I understand the need for security in the age we live in, I also recognize that as a free society we cannot have perfect of invasive security. These are the risks that a free society must accept to preserve that freedom. In my lifetime, I have seen a trend towards the erosion of our liberties that has me considering Orwell's "thought police". In my recent article "Champion Of The Second Amendment" , I examine the clear language of The Constitution as it pertains to the rights concerning firearms. After these recent examinations of our Constitution, I am left with only one question. What part of "shall not be infringed" or "right of the people peaceably to assemble" do we all seem to not understand?

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Too Great A Danger

The war in Iraq is a complex issue to debate in all of it's aspects. Should we have gone in, stayed, and how to exit properly. Putting the Iraq issue aside for the moment, I am sure of one thing. We should have gone into Iran and will probably be forced to at some point in the future. Iran has been, and now more than ever is a greater danger to our security. Iran does have in common with pre war Iraq the fact that they defied the World and the United Nations repeatedly. Both had ample opportunities to find peaceful solutions. Iran openly hates the United States, sponsors terrorism, and has nuclear ambition. Today Iran announced that they have begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges at their uranium enrichment plant despite UN Security Council objections. Simply stated, WE MUST NOT LET IRAN HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS. A nuclear armed Iran is literally something we cannot live with.

Condi, What If We Say Pretty Please

Today Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice said that she was not interested in running on the Republican ticket this fall for Vice President. Secretary Rice is the latest in a string of high profile candidates to express their disinterest in running for VP. You can take a look at my tongue-in-cheek article about why nobody wants Vice President's job in: Jobs Americans Will Not Do. Secretary Rice has repeatedly said that she does not seek any elected office and wishes to return to her position as Professor at Stanford University. Personally, I hope that Secretary Rice reconsiders her decision. Of the 8 or so potential VP picks on the Republican side, Dr. Rice is one of the most qualified. She is extremely well educated, articulate, charming, and experienced. Dr. Rice's experience first as National Security Advisor, and then as Secretary Of State, gives her two of the most important qualities we will need in Washington for the foreseeable future. Those qualities are extensive diplomatic experience and a solid knowledge of Defense. Ultimately of course, we will respect Dr Rice's decision. If that means returning to Stanford, then good luck and thank you for your service. I am sure that I am not alone in asking you to please reconsider Dr. Rice. Since it is unlikely that The Secretary will ever read this, I am compelled to ask; is it just me or is Condi kinda hot? Absolutely no disrespect intended, but yeah, Hot.