The recent cables dumped by WikiLeaks have certainly embarrassed diplomats and high ranking officials in the United States Government. While they can’t deny that the embarrassing cables are true, they certainly have indicated that the actions of Julian Assange may be treasonous.
US Law regarding the matter, as determined by the Supreme Court in the Pentagon Papers Case, states that the individual who steals classified items have broken the law and committed a crime. However, the publisher of said information, if deemed in the public interest by the publisher, may print the classified information without breaking current US Law. So the same government that created Whistle-Blower protection legislation is now going to charge treason for revealing truths that embarrass said government? They have even gone so far as to collude with foreign governments to resurrect dismissed sexual charges in Sweden to accomplish extradition (like district 9?), and bully private companies to remove website funding.
Now, I realize what a degenerate Assange is, and I am no fan of anyone looking to create chaos. However, I am a fan of transparency, however it happens. We taxpayers fund the actions of officials and diplomats who act in our behave in the name of the United States. And the only people more embarrassed than the subjects of the leaked cables are the taxpayers who finally find out just how juvenile and inept our officials are. So inept in fact, that I doubt this governments ability to prosecute. Holder has proved he is no Elliot Ness, and Treason is a difficult charge to prove. The recent fiasco of civilian trials for terrorists is a good example. Just watch closely the whole ‘due process’ on this one. I’m just saying….
I resent the fact that this government forces me to have the same opinion on this issue as the anti-capitalist Michael Moore. I just don’t see the extensive damage this will do to our national security, certainly no more than what was gained in the name of transparency by the revelations provided. The astronomical price to taxpayers to send diplomats abroad to collect all these ‘secrets’, document them, lie to the public about the contents, fail to secure them, then hunt down and prosecute someone reporting the truth seems asinine. How much does this cost us? I’m sure the hawks, spooks and establishment may differ, but when the truth becomes treason, I am forced to take sides. Rise above the rhetoric and make your choice. I’ll take truth and transparency, thanks!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Public Sector vs. Private Sector
The U. S. Federal Government is spending 3.6 Trillion this year, and only taking in 2.4 Trillion in revenues, meaning the government is about 1/3 over budget. This kind of obscene spending has spanned multiple administrations, increasing over a period in which my 401K could have lost about one third of its value at any time. When my house lost a third of its value, and the company I work for had to lay off a third of our engineering department, etc. The private sector is forced to make tough cuts that our elected officials in the public sector do not.
Due to the magic of supply and demand, failing organizations get smaller and eventually disappear. Healthy organizations hire and expand. And when times do get tough, the American people make adjustments to their budgets to survive. Even worse than the historic deficits due to increased public sector spending, is how the money is being spent. I am amazed how government spending seems to favor the debters and defaulters in this culture, at the expense of the frugal and conservative. The compensation and benefits disparity with the private sector is staggering. So why is our failing government growing by one third while the rest of us sacrifice one third just to tread water?
There is a night and day difference on how the private sector and public sector do business. In the private sector, companies innovate to compete and bad companies get smaller and fail, not get bigger. Households must cut budgets to survive. In the public sector there seems to be a reverse relationship between efficiency and job security, bad government grows bigger, not smaller. When this congress finally gets around to their budget, you better believe it will set records.
Why should the public sector put up with this? I believe most Americans in the private sector are more than willing to pay their fair share of the federal budget associated with the enumerated federal powers. However, public and private sector economics must relate to each other in order to be representative. Spending money you don’t have is not representative. Re-distribution of earned wealth is not representative. Economic class warfare is not representative. Bailing out connected companies is definitely not representative. It’s NOT Monopoly money! The Federal Government cannot create wealth, only consume it, digested in fraud and corruption and vomited out to special interest cronies to buy votes and consolidate power.
It appears the private sector grows weary of the disparity as we approach the mid-term elections. Far from Democrat vs. Republican, or a referendum on Progressives or the current administration, this feels like a battle between two economic ideologies: The redistributive public sector with organized labor, and the private sector innovators with its business interests. A case may be made for both sides, and they are not mutually exclusive, but I like the way that these mid-terms are headed. It’s about time the tables were turned, and sometimes private sector economics resembles public sector politics. You can certainly vote with your dollars; don’t like the service at a restaurant, don’t go back. But sometimes you vote with your vote. And when the current public sector has failed the private sector, it’s time to make a change. It’s been too long, you went too far, the sleeper has awoken. There is no such thing as royalty in the United States of America. I’m not expecting a utopia, but maybe we could throw a monkey wrench into Washington machine and return the wake-up call.
Due to the magic of supply and demand, failing organizations get smaller and eventually disappear. Healthy organizations hire and expand. And when times do get tough, the American people make adjustments to their budgets to survive. Even worse than the historic deficits due to increased public sector spending, is how the money is being spent. I am amazed how government spending seems to favor the debters and defaulters in this culture, at the expense of the frugal and conservative. The compensation and benefits disparity with the private sector is staggering. So why is our failing government growing by one third while the rest of us sacrifice one third just to tread water?
There is a night and day difference on how the private sector and public sector do business. In the private sector, companies innovate to compete and bad companies get smaller and fail, not get bigger. Households must cut budgets to survive. In the public sector there seems to be a reverse relationship between efficiency and job security, bad government grows bigger, not smaller. When this congress finally gets around to their budget, you better believe it will set records.
Why should the public sector put up with this? I believe most Americans in the private sector are more than willing to pay their fair share of the federal budget associated with the enumerated federal powers. However, public and private sector economics must relate to each other in order to be representative. Spending money you don’t have is not representative. Re-distribution of earned wealth is not representative. Economic class warfare is not representative. Bailing out connected companies is definitely not representative. It’s NOT Monopoly money! The Federal Government cannot create wealth, only consume it, digested in fraud and corruption and vomited out to special interest cronies to buy votes and consolidate power.
It appears the private sector grows weary of the disparity as we approach the mid-term elections. Far from Democrat vs. Republican, or a referendum on Progressives or the current administration, this feels like a battle between two economic ideologies: The redistributive public sector with organized labor, and the private sector innovators with its business interests. A case may be made for both sides, and they are not mutually exclusive, but I like the way that these mid-terms are headed. It’s about time the tables were turned, and sometimes private sector economics resembles public sector politics. You can certainly vote with your dollars; don’t like the service at a restaurant, don’t go back. But sometimes you vote with your vote. And when the current public sector has failed the private sector, it’s time to make a change. It’s been too long, you went too far, the sleeper has awoken. There is no such thing as royalty in the United States of America. I’m not expecting a utopia, but maybe we could throw a monkey wrench into Washington machine and return the wake-up call.
Friday, October 1, 2010
A Decade of Rhetoric
Most economists agree, taxes are detrimental to a recovery, and there are folks on both sides of the aisle looking to stimulate the economy as this is an election year. Yet the Obama/Pelosi gang insists on waging some asinine class warfare policy of refusing to extend the Bush tax rates for the top 3% of wage earners. They sure want to extent the tax cuts for the middle class, but wait….
Wouldn’t that be an admission of the obvious? It contradicts a decade of rhetoric about the Bush tax rates benefiting only the rich millionaires and billionaires in this country. On top of that, they want to extent the majority of the tax cuts, and rename them: “The Obama Tax Cuts for the Middle Class”. How insulting. I assure you, NOBODY is getting a tax cut, NOBODY! The most you could hope for with this extension would be to keep your taxes at the current rate, there is NO tax CUTS here, people.
Pelosi sure did squawk about how this extension would be voted “without a doubt” before the mid-term recess, assuring us all that she had this covered. Boehner called her bluff as he gained 39 or so blue dog Dem votes to extend ALL tax rates, and Pelosi caved. So now, congress has recessed early to campaign to save their political lives without the extension for any of us. Leaving something like this to the lame duck session is extremely risky. If for some reason the extension is not passed, either procedurally, or to punish the “rich”, and the largest tax hike in US history is exacted on this struggling economy, it would amount to political suicide.
So here is a decade of rhetoric of my own: STOP THE SPENDING! Cut the corporate tax rate, capital gains, extend the current rates for everyone PERMENENTLY and for heaven’s sake stop referring to people making over 200K a year “millionaires”. I am convinced that a few small measure such as these would remove the majority of the uncertainty that is handcuffing our economic outlook. Put the people’s concerns above the unpopular redistributive policy and you might save yourself from the indignity of being viewed as the worst POTUS in history.
Wouldn’t that be an admission of the obvious? It contradicts a decade of rhetoric about the Bush tax rates benefiting only the rich millionaires and billionaires in this country. On top of that, they want to extent the majority of the tax cuts, and rename them: “The Obama Tax Cuts for the Middle Class”. How insulting. I assure you, NOBODY is getting a tax cut, NOBODY! The most you could hope for with this extension would be to keep your taxes at the current rate, there is NO tax CUTS here, people.
Pelosi sure did squawk about how this extension would be voted “without a doubt” before the mid-term recess, assuring us all that she had this covered. Boehner called her bluff as he gained 39 or so blue dog Dem votes to extend ALL tax rates, and Pelosi caved. So now, congress has recessed early to campaign to save their political lives without the extension for any of us. Leaving something like this to the lame duck session is extremely risky. If for some reason the extension is not passed, either procedurally, or to punish the “rich”, and the largest tax hike in US history is exacted on this struggling economy, it would amount to political suicide.
So here is a decade of rhetoric of my own: STOP THE SPENDING! Cut the corporate tax rate, capital gains, extend the current rates for everyone PERMENENTLY and for heaven’s sake stop referring to people making over 200K a year “millionaires”. I am convinced that a few small measure such as these would remove the majority of the uncertainty that is handcuffing our economic outlook. Put the people’s concerns above the unpopular redistributive policy and you might save yourself from the indignity of being viewed as the worst POTUS in history.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Killing The Host Organisim
So it turns out we have racked up more national debt in the last 18 months than we did from George Washington to Ronald Reagan COMBINED! What will it take for this big governmental parasite to realize it’s killing the host organism? The spendulous package has predictably failed, and this administration’s big effing deal has turned into a raw deal for taxpayers and future generations. The ‘Summer of Recovery’ plan has stalled out, and turned into a choice between a double dip or dismally slow recovery with chronic employment figures. Neither one I suspect, will make THIS hard working taxpayers 401K any better, much less representative of my efforts. In fact, it’s starting to feel personal. No wonder small business has taken to a ‘Capital Freeze’, keeping expanding or hiring on the sidelines. Mostly due to uncertainty I’m sure, but I wonder how much of that is a simple boycott of the current conditions in Washington?
The economic situation is festering, Keynesian economics are dead, and difficult decisions will have to be made. What we need is austerity, NOW! It’s going to have to happen eventually, and the sooner the better. Extending the Bush tax cuts and/or Obama’s small business stimulus plan is low hanging fruit. I suggest the current situation warrants more profound approaches, and am curious if the upcoming elections will embolden congress to take on these politically unpopular measures. Measures such as cutting entitlements by 20%, forcing all federal departments to run a balanced budget, raising the retirement age, lower the corporate tax rates, domestic energy for jobs, regulatory reduction and for heaven’s sake stop bailing out big banks and organized labor with our tax dollars!
These self induced austerity measures will show the world we are serious about the economic realities. America would not only improve her own financial outlook, but also resume her lead in the world as the shining example of Capitalism in the global marketplace.
The economic situation is festering, Keynesian economics are dead, and difficult decisions will have to be made. What we need is austerity, NOW! It’s going to have to happen eventually, and the sooner the better. Extending the Bush tax cuts and/or Obama’s small business stimulus plan is low hanging fruit. I suggest the current situation warrants more profound approaches, and am curious if the upcoming elections will embolden congress to take on these politically unpopular measures. Measures such as cutting entitlements by 20%, forcing all federal departments to run a balanced budget, raising the retirement age, lower the corporate tax rates, domestic energy for jobs, regulatory reduction and for heaven’s sake stop bailing out big banks and organized labor with our tax dollars!
These self induced austerity measures will show the world we are serious about the economic realities. America would not only improve her own financial outlook, but also resume her lead in the world as the shining example of Capitalism in the global marketplace.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Boom Goes The Tannerite!
A good friend of mine Mike recently bought a new Springfield XD 9mm, so a bunch of us gathered up our favorite guns and headed up north to Flagstaff to go shooting. Sam has a great place to shoot close to his house, in an abandoned mining pit right across the highway. It really is a fun ride up there, and it got noticeably cooler as we climbed elevation. We were hauling up the mountain in my GTO, and registered a 480ft. per minute climb rate at one point on my skydiving altimeter! Woohooo!!
Mike, Ben and I met Sam and his wife Tia, loaded up and headed to the pit to set up tables, targets and such. We had a couple of ARs, a semi-auto shotty, a .22 or two, Ben brought his cool Sig .223 pistol and we had a plethora of handguns to choose from. We certainly had paper targets, and brought a bunch of clays to shoot at, but the coolest targets of all is the Tannerite! Tannerite is a perfectly legal explosive target that will make a BANG and a puff of smoke when you hit them with a rifle round. It is shipped in a plastic jar of foam pellets with the grey/blue powder propellant in a separate bag. Once mixed up and shaken thoroughly, they make great targets at about 100 to 125 yards. We only had one 1lb boomer (large Tannerite) that day, and set up the jar in a purposely difficult long shot under half a steel oil drum, and got started.
Mike looked VERY comfortable with his new XD, and was shooting impressively by the time we wrapped up for the day. We were taking turns with each other’s guns and having a great time, but I really wanted to concentrate on dialing in my iron sights on my Ruger SR-556 prior to making a decision on optics. Ben and Sam helped with a final adjustment on my front post and BINGO! Man was I dialed in! I was dealing deadly damage to the clays way out past 100 yards, even with my ‘old man eyes”! I was so impressed that I handed my rifle to Sam and asked him to verify how straight this thing was shooting. Well he grabbed the rifle, took a knee and hit the shot of the day by hitting the difficult Tannerite target FIRST SHOT!! Boom goes the Tannerite, Baby! The oil drum went flying up about 30-40ft in the air, and traveled to the right even more than that. Awesome!
Another great day of shooting, Mike did really good and my iron sights are definitely dialed in. I am ready to start thinking about optics, and want to thank Sam and Tia for the hospitality. Sam wins the blog ‘shout out’ for shot of the day, and Tia’s soundtrack was awesome! I highly recommend that shooters check out the Tannerite, simply Google it (and then look it up on the computer) and impress your friends with how fun it makes your next outing. Always remember to be safe and responsible out there, we need you guys for the revolution!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Shedding some light on Dark Theories
Scientists often describe things they don’t understand as “dark”, such as Dark Matter and Dark Energy. The both describe measurable phenomenon that has cosmologists and theoretical physicists alike racing for answers.
Dark Matter, Einstein’s cosmological constant. The only way for Einstein to describe accurately how stars in the outer edges of galaxies move and the way galaxies interact gravitationally with each other was to introduce a constant source of ‘additional gravity’ to the equations. This was justified decades later when we discovered that mathematically, most of our universe was missing. There simply wasn’t enough detectable matter in the universe, enter Einstein’s constant, now called Dark Matter. It is believed to be very dense matter that does not reflect light or interact with visible matter so is difficult to detect. Difficult, but not impossible. It is real, and it does matter. Dark Matter is important because we believe it makes up the vast majority of the detectible mass in our universe. I like to think of it as the reason galaxies don’t fly apart and why the universe doesn’t collapse in on itself.
The static universe vs. big bang theory battle was all but decided by the discovery that the universe was indeed expanding. Since the universe was expanding, we could theoretically reverse time and expect the universe to have both a beginning such as a the big bang, and also insinuated an end of the universe as well. I would be intuitive at this point to expect the expanding universe to be slowing down. However, subsequent measurements have concluded that not only is the universe expanding, but it is ACCELERATING as well. The reason for this acceleration is currently unknown, hence the term Dark Energy. Dark Energy is important because it conflicts with the intuitive counter to the big bang beginning of our universe, the big crunch end of the universe when the expanding universe would be gravitationally pulled back to the big bang singularity. Dark Energy will therefore play a profound role in the theory of how the universe will ultimately end.
Much will be learned about Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the next few years as the activity ramps up a the new Large Hadron Collider build by CERN straddling the Swiss French border. After a rocky start, the collider is poised to provide answers to the burning questions about the functionality and history of our fascinating universe.
Dark Matter, Einstein’s cosmological constant. The only way for Einstein to describe accurately how stars in the outer edges of galaxies move and the way galaxies interact gravitationally with each other was to introduce a constant source of ‘additional gravity’ to the equations. This was justified decades later when we discovered that mathematically, most of our universe was missing. There simply wasn’t enough detectable matter in the universe, enter Einstein’s constant, now called Dark Matter. It is believed to be very dense matter that does not reflect light or interact with visible matter so is difficult to detect. Difficult, but not impossible. It is real, and it does matter. Dark Matter is important because we believe it makes up the vast majority of the detectible mass in our universe. I like to think of it as the reason galaxies don’t fly apart and why the universe doesn’t collapse in on itself.
The static universe vs. big bang theory battle was all but decided by the discovery that the universe was indeed expanding. Since the universe was expanding, we could theoretically reverse time and expect the universe to have both a beginning such as a the big bang, and also insinuated an end of the universe as well. I would be intuitive at this point to expect the expanding universe to be slowing down. However, subsequent measurements have concluded that not only is the universe expanding, but it is ACCELERATING as well. The reason for this acceleration is currently unknown, hence the term Dark Energy. Dark Energy is important because it conflicts with the intuitive counter to the big bang beginning of our universe, the big crunch end of the universe when the expanding universe would be gravitationally pulled back to the big bang singularity. Dark Energy will therefore play a profound role in the theory of how the universe will ultimately end.
Much will be learned about Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the next few years as the activity ramps up a the new Large Hadron Collider build by CERN straddling the Swiss French border. After a rocky start, the collider is poised to provide answers to the burning questions about the functionality and history of our fascinating universe.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Thou Doth Protest Too Much...
The new AZ Immigration Bill has caused a political tsunami regarding potential civil rights violations by law enforcement officials in the state of Arizona. The truth is: there is NO new requirements for citizens, legal or otherwise, in this law whatsoever. This bill has been cleverly crafted to mimic federal law which already requires citizens to carry proof of citizenship, visa, green card and the like. Just like American citizens are required to carry paperwork when visiting foreign countries. It also specifically prohibits profiling by requiring law enforcement officials to already be involved in lawful contact with suspects. Look, it was unlawful to sneak into this country before this new law, and it was also unlawful to profile the public by law enforcement officials. The only thing that this new law does is make the federal law = state law as well, so that SOMEONE might finally enforce it.
So why all the fury? Stop the hate? Racists? Boycotts? Refried beans swastikas and civil disobedience and attacks on law enforcement officers? Me thinks thou doth protest too much. We have an approximate 360,000 person illegal alien problem in this state which is immediate and real. How long are we to put this issue on the back burner to protect against a POTENTIAL civil rights violation? I honestly don’t see much difference between being asked for proof of citizenship verses being asked to provide proof of mandated health care insurance. The opposition should put this issue into perspective and ramp down the rhetoric a bit. I see the level of hysteria as an indication of how effective the opposition feels that this new law will actually work.
Which brings me to my last point, the laws purpose and effectiveness. I appreciate the renewed attention that border security is receiving at this point, but I also consider this new law as a band-aid expression of frustration from Arizona lawmakers. I feel that border security and national security ultimately are a federal issue, not the states. We don’t want inconsistencies from state to state in immigration and security laws, and whatever issues are felt at our southern border are surely a concern on our northern border as well. It is a national issue that warrants the appropriate action at the federal level via the enumerated powers granted the fed by the states. The separation of powers is a two way street.
It is for this reason I find myself at odds with the recent polls that show the majority of Arizonans favoring this new law. We don’t need divisive new state laws to see this issue through, we need to force the federal government to fulfill its obligations on the border. If this new law accomplishes this, great! But hopefully someday it can be struck down as being redundant and obsolete.
So why all the fury? Stop the hate? Racists? Boycotts? Refried beans swastikas and civil disobedience and attacks on law enforcement officers? Me thinks thou doth protest too much. We have an approximate 360,000 person illegal alien problem in this state which is immediate and real. How long are we to put this issue on the back burner to protect against a POTENTIAL civil rights violation? I honestly don’t see much difference between being asked for proof of citizenship verses being asked to provide proof of mandated health care insurance. The opposition should put this issue into perspective and ramp down the rhetoric a bit. I see the level of hysteria as an indication of how effective the opposition feels that this new law will actually work.
Which brings me to my last point, the laws purpose and effectiveness. I appreciate the renewed attention that border security is receiving at this point, but I also consider this new law as a band-aid expression of frustration from Arizona lawmakers. I feel that border security and national security ultimately are a federal issue, not the states. We don’t want inconsistencies from state to state in immigration and security laws, and whatever issues are felt at our southern border are surely a concern on our northern border as well. It is a national issue that warrants the appropriate action at the federal level via the enumerated powers granted the fed by the states. The separation of powers is a two way street.
It is for this reason I find myself at odds with the recent polls that show the majority of Arizonans favoring this new law. We don’t need divisive new state laws to see this issue through, we need to force the federal government to fulfill its obligations on the border. If this new law accomplishes this, great! But hopefully someday it can be struck down as being redundant and obsolete.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Golden Touch
“The world’s most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money”. That includes the recent sub-prime mortgage crisis, to the tune of $3.4 Billion profits last year betting against the mortgage bundles they were peddling. Infuriating, no doubt, but bear in mind they profited from the crisis, NOT caused it.
Current plans for finance reform have Goldman Sachs in the hot seat, but fail to address the root issues stemming from the lending practices of Fannie and Freddie. And the consumer protection clauses are particularly troubling. Take the populist anti-profit view and get the ‘fat cats’ if you must, but unintended consequences of this proposed legislation ultimately adversely affect small business when they need it the least. Besides, some investors actually want to partake in riskier investments to reap the potentially larger rewards. Unlike us taxpayers who were roped into investing in GM without our consent.
If Goldman Sachs broke laws, they should be held accountable. I’m just not buying that every “reform bill” this congress touches will return taxpayer gold….
Current plans for finance reform have Goldman Sachs in the hot seat, but fail to address the root issues stemming from the lending practices of Fannie and Freddie. And the consumer protection clauses are particularly troubling. Take the populist anti-profit view and get the ‘fat cats’ if you must, but unintended consequences of this proposed legislation ultimately adversely affect small business when they need it the least. Besides, some investors actually want to partake in riskier investments to reap the potentially larger rewards. Unlike us taxpayers who were roped into investing in GM without our consent.
If Goldman Sachs broke laws, they should be held accountable. I’m just not buying that every “reform bill” this congress touches will return taxpayer gold….
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Trivial if true
A daring operation in which a prominent Al Qaeda operative was captured has resulted in unfortunate Court Martial proceedings for three brave young Navy Seals. This suspect was believed to be behind the brutal deaths of four Americans in which the burned bodies were dragged behind cars and cheering crowds before being hung from a local bridge and celebrated. Witness claim the three Seals roughed up the suspect while detaining him, resulting in what has been described as a "bloodied nose" and "punch to the gut". Gen. Cleveland has, I am sure based on advice from legal counsel, proceeded with the Court Martials.
It just seems a shame to me that this incident could'nt have been put in perspective a bit and spared the careers of these extremely talented and brave Americans. Far from elimination orders, these guys risked their lives in an extraodinary effort to capture this individual in the most hostile environment possible. The roughing up of this operative happened at the emotional endgame of a profoundly dangerous mission most could not even imagine. I'm not saying what they did was right, just trivial if true.
This administration appears to want to treat these combatants as criminals and we are not in the habit here at home to prosecute law enforcement officers who tackle a fleeing bank robber and bloody his nose. I realize it's not entirely fair comparison, but I do believe that this could have been handled with a verbal or letter of reprimand, and does not warrant the destruction of these hero's careers, which is bound to happen if convicted.
Recently five additional sailors have been granted immunity in the case who apparently can discredit the prosecutions witness, and there is still time for Gen. Cleveland to have a change of heart and end these unfortunate proceedings. Hey, why don't we just take 20yrs off this violent loosers death sentance and call it even?
It just seems a shame to me that this incident could'nt have been put in perspective a bit and spared the careers of these extremely talented and brave Americans. Far from elimination orders, these guys risked their lives in an extraodinary effort to capture this individual in the most hostile environment possible. The roughing up of this operative happened at the emotional endgame of a profoundly dangerous mission most could not even imagine. I'm not saying what they did was right, just trivial if true.
This administration appears to want to treat these combatants as criminals and we are not in the habit here at home to prosecute law enforcement officers who tackle a fleeing bank robber and bloody his nose. I realize it's not entirely fair comparison, but I do believe that this could have been handled with a verbal or letter of reprimand, and does not warrant the destruction of these hero's careers, which is bound to happen if convicted.
Recently five additional sailors have been granted immunity in the case who apparently can discredit the prosecutions witness, and there is still time for Gen. Cleveland to have a change of heart and end these unfortunate proceedings. Hey, why don't we just take 20yrs off this violent loosers death sentance and call it even?
Friday, March 26, 2010
My First Track Day
One day a couple of years ago, Robert and I were on our way to Eloy to Skydive, and we saw some people racing sporbikes around a road course at Firebird Raceway just south of Phoenix. I was thinking how much fun that would be, and even bought a racy looking sportbike to learn how to ride. I took all the riding courses and learned to ride on the twisty canyon roads outside of town. The twisties were so fun (and I am so lazy), that I never did get down to Firebird to run on the track. Probably never would have, but Robert bought a georgous Ducati and started riding with me on the weekends.
Well, last weekend, Robert and I fianlly did our first Track Day at Firebird, and WOW was it fun! Robert and I rode our bikes to the track, and Robert's wife Lynn drove the SUV packed with all the luxuries one comes to expect from the Jones familly. EZ-Up awning, chairs, cooler stuffed with drinks and the such. The first thing we had to do was register and get our wrist band, then prep the bikes and get through TECH inspection. The mirrors had to be removed and the lights, turn signals and reflectors taped up so as not to be a distraction to the other riders. Protective clothing is also a requirement, and I had a hell of a time finding rental leathers that would fit. They must think all sportbike riders are fit 18 year olds, my fat gut and skinny legs made it difficult. Finally squeezed into the biggest, nastiest size 54 they had and was done with it!
Being first timers, we registered in the Beginning Group, which is a relaxed pace and prohibits passing in the corners. It wasn't long before our group was called over the PA to stage up for our first of four 15 minute sessions. Once out there, Robert and I stayed close and set our own pace, following other riders and learning the course. It seemed entirely too soon when I saw the checkered flag ending our session. Lots of smiles and high-fives back in the pits! The next session started the conservative passing, then we streached our legs so to speak. By the third and fourth session, Robert and I were running quite hard, and having an absolute BLAST!!
The experience kinda reminded me of my first Skydive. I just could not stop thinking about my first track day, and the "buzz" lasted an entire week! Profoundly fun, and we are already thinking about another track day in April. Robert did such a great job, even scraping off some of his boot sole on the track, and the pics we got are awesome! Thanks for draggin me down there, buddy! I will never forget it!
Woohooooo!!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The dog doesn't like the food!
This week we will witness the potential endgame in the year long battle for Healthcare reform. And what a year it has been. Particularly interesting has been the constantly sliding poll numbers since last summer's town hall meetings, and the suprising results of the Massachusetts special election, in which Scott Brown ran on the platform of being the 41st vote in the Senate to break the Democrat's fillibuster proof supermajority.
That special election result put a spotlight on the publics response to the current legislation, and caused both the Obama administration and congressional leaders on Capital Hill to hunker down and re-assess the growing opposition. The bunker down mentallity of a tight core group of presidential advisers obviously did not include additional input, and appears to have resulted in a "group think" mindset that has mis-diagonosed the proceedure vs. policy. Unable (or unwilling) to accurately read the T.E.A. leaves and opinion polls, the POTUS has focused squarely on the public's disgust of the special deals and closed door meetings, read: THE PROCEEDURE. While correct, he neglected the more important of the two issues, read THE POLICY.
The dog doesn't like the food. The American people do not like the current policy. You can certainly try putting the dog food in a different bowl, or try parlimentary proceedures like reconciliation, but the dog STILL doesn't like the food! It's not like were not hungry, Americans want healthcare reform, just not this current 2,700 page progressive redistributive deficit busting spending monstrosity. It's about reforming healthcare costs, not an oportuinity to expand coverage. I believe that common sense reforms to reduce costs by increasing competion and tort reform would expand coverage simply by making insurance more afordable to those who choose to participate, and would spare the American people the draconian manditory measures and resulting bloated bureaucracy.
That special election result put a spotlight on the publics response to the current legislation, and caused both the Obama administration and congressional leaders on Capital Hill to hunker down and re-assess the growing opposition. The bunker down mentallity of a tight core group of presidential advisers obviously did not include additional input, and appears to have resulted in a "group think" mindset that has mis-diagonosed the proceedure vs. policy. Unable (or unwilling) to accurately read the T.E.A. leaves and opinion polls, the POTUS has focused squarely on the public's disgust of the special deals and closed door meetings, read: THE PROCEEDURE. While correct, he neglected the more important of the two issues, read THE POLICY.
The dog doesn't like the food. The American people do not like the current policy. You can certainly try putting the dog food in a different bowl, or try parlimentary proceedures like reconciliation, but the dog STILL doesn't like the food! It's not like were not hungry, Americans want healthcare reform, just not this current 2,700 page progressive redistributive deficit busting spending monstrosity. It's about reforming healthcare costs, not an oportuinity to expand coverage. I believe that common sense reforms to reduce costs by increasing competion and tort reform would expand coverage simply by making insurance more afordable to those who choose to participate, and would spare the American people the draconian manditory measures and resulting bloated bureaucracy.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Fuzzy War?
After much consternation, General McCrystal is finally getting the troops into Afganistan he requested from the Obama administration. This will constitute the backbone of General McCrystals new strategy to counter a resurgent Taliban influence in the complicated conflict in Afganistan. Their new rules of engagement on the battlefield, however have caused some anxiety.
Counter-intuitive as it first seemed to an admitted hawk like myself, I now have high hopes for the strategy. The new rules of engagement tighten the reigns of the use of leathal force by soldiers to reduce civilian casualties, and means to demostrate the ability of the goverment to provide basic services and securtity. No doubt that the restrictive rules put our soldiers at increased risk, even more so when the enemy will use our rules of engagement against them. Taliban combantants will drop thier weapons and taunt allied troops, and hide behind civilians to harrass our troops and store their supplies. Allied air power and artillary have been curtailed to prevent collateral damage, and advance warnings remove the element of surprise. As fustrating as this must be, it may proove worth the risk. It appears that the fight really is for the hearts and minds of the Afganistan people now, and it may already be paying dividends. The ongoing operation in Marja was aided by civilian intel describing opposing force stregnth and location of mines and deadly IEDs. There is no arguing that this saved lives. Although modeled after successfull strategy in Iraq to engage support from tribal leaders, and early results have been encouraging, it is no garranty of long term success here, as the recent gains are only half of the strategy. The apparently corrupt government in Kabul still needs to demostrate its ability to fill a power vacume created by the removal of the Taliban and forfill its obligations to its citizens with basic services and secruity, the REAL measure of success for the Afgan people.
As the millitary portion of the strategy moves on with advance warnings to the residents of Kandahar, all eyes will be on the governments efforts in Marja. This long war may hinge on the efforts to gain the support of the tribal population outside of the major poplulation centers. The new stratagy in Afganistan, along with the increased use of drones and non-conventional special forces raids in Pakistan and Keyna certainly reduce our footprint, but in my mind create a "fuzzy War" strategy that will be difficult for the guage due to the secrecy surrounding the non-coventional tactics. However, the Obama admisitration should be commended over the din of his party's pressure, as this strategy just may prove to get the results we need to eventually hand over the reigns and get our troops home.
Counter-intuitive as it first seemed to an admitted hawk like myself, I now have high hopes for the strategy. The new rules of engagement tighten the reigns of the use of leathal force by soldiers to reduce civilian casualties, and means to demostrate the ability of the goverment to provide basic services and securtity. No doubt that the restrictive rules put our soldiers at increased risk, even more so when the enemy will use our rules of engagement against them. Taliban combantants will drop thier weapons and taunt allied troops, and hide behind civilians to harrass our troops and store their supplies. Allied air power and artillary have been curtailed to prevent collateral damage, and advance warnings remove the element of surprise. As fustrating as this must be, it may proove worth the risk. It appears that the fight really is for the hearts and minds of the Afganistan people now, and it may already be paying dividends. The ongoing operation in Marja was aided by civilian intel describing opposing force stregnth and location of mines and deadly IEDs. There is no arguing that this saved lives. Although modeled after successfull strategy in Iraq to engage support from tribal leaders, and early results have been encouraging, it is no garranty of long term success here, as the recent gains are only half of the strategy. The apparently corrupt government in Kabul still needs to demostrate its ability to fill a power vacume created by the removal of the Taliban and forfill its obligations to its citizens with basic services and secruity, the REAL measure of success for the Afgan people.
As the millitary portion of the strategy moves on with advance warnings to the residents of Kandahar, all eyes will be on the governments efforts in Marja. This long war may hinge on the efforts to gain the support of the tribal population outside of the major poplulation centers. The new stratagy in Afganistan, along with the increased use of drones and non-conventional special forces raids in Pakistan and Keyna certainly reduce our footprint, but in my mind create a "fuzzy War" strategy that will be difficult for the guage due to the secrecy surrounding the non-coventional tactics. However, the Obama admisitration should be commended over the din of his party's pressure, as this strategy just may prove to get the results we need to eventually hand over the reigns and get our troops home.
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