Well as you have noticed I really haven't posted anything in a little while. I have kinda had writter's block. I say kinda because there have been issues that I have seen in the news that I have had some comment or thought about and think that they are worthy of discussion, however, I just haven't had the passion to actually jump into the issues and sink my teeth into them. Maybe it is the mediocre presidential race that is dulling the rest of the news world with its lack luster canidates and shallow dialouge, if you can even call it that.
Earlier this month Gov. Richardson dropped out, probably the overall best canidate that we had running and I'm not sure that anyone noticed. Then this week Fred Thompson dropped out, again not a big surprise and not a big loss. Can anyone, who isn't a political journalist, even name all the canidates? There are no strong front runners, there is no big personality. You can claim Hillary or Obama, but they are spilting the primaries and neither has what it takes to be the president that I want running our nation; on the republican side you have a three way split between McCain, Romney and Huckabee and again none are who I want running our country.
Hillary is perfect politics.
Obama is perfect rhetoric.
McCain is perfect past.
Romeny is perfect bore.
Huckabee is perfect scare.
WOW, are you excited yet?
I'm not.
I keep trying but I just cannot get behind any canidate with any energy. I keep hoping that suddenly some miracle will happen and we will have sparks flying and energy flowing and there will be something to get excited about, but I must confess that I am not holding my breath for it.
I want a canidate with some depth, that is really willing to get their hands dirty by making a true effort to solve some of the problems that plague our nation without stripping away the things that make this nation great. This will not be an easy burden and the hardest part will be trying to get Congress to stop playing politics and do their duty to serve the people of this great nation, instead of serving themselves.
I think that Congress should not get another pay raise until they stop playing politics and start solving real issues. I do not think that it would be too demanding to ask that 10% of real issues in the country get resolved before Congress gets another pay raise. And special interest groups should be ban from gifting anything to any member of Congress, no dinners, no vacations (I'm sorry, they are fact finding trips), no scholoarships for kids, no jobs for spouses, no anything that will not hold up transparently for public review. Full disclosure should be made and members should have a three strikes you are out rule. If you fail to disclose gifts recieved 3 times then you are removed from office and not allowed to run again.
We have real social and econmic issues to remedy as well as foriegn policy and actions that need to be implemented. We need to demand that trivial items be left on the shelf to be dealt with when all other issues are solved. When the crime rate is minimal, the jobless rate is negligible, inflation is low, education is truly available to all, and basic needs are accessible to all then by all means feel free to regulate baseball or any sport for that matter or any other petty issue that is not truly impacting the security of the nation or population.
Once again though I find myself saying that it is OUR fault that we have the problems that we have with mediorce canidates running for our naiton's highest office and a congress that can't seem to even agree to disagree. As a public we are negligent in our responsibility of a government by the people, for the people, of the people. We have broken the system and until we get our own hands dirty and make the effort to fix the issues then we get the disaster that we have created by our own passiveness.
This past week Cuba held their parliamentary elections. They have ONE party and all canidates ran unopposed. In our eyes that means that they have NO choice. They had a 95% voter turn out. In Cuba where their vote doesn't matter, doesn't change the outcome, everyone votes. Here where your vote DOES matter, your DO have a choice and your vote DOES make a difference we had less than a 60% turn out in 2004 according to the Cenus Bureau. And then some of us spent 4 years complaining about the job being done in Washington. We have nothing to complain about, except our own complacency.
23 January 2008
11 January 2008
$3 quadrillion lawsuit.......
Some people have NO sense of personal responsibility and NO sense of personal culpability and absolutely NO common sense!!!!
The Army Corps of Engineers has received roughly 489,000 claims from victims of Hurricane Katrina. Of those, a couple hundred are for $1 billion and the top out is for $3 quadrillion. Now while I sympathize with the victims of Katrina and the loss and devastation that they endured the WHOLE area did not sustain a loss of $3 quadrillion.
It is a good thing, actually maybe it isn't, that I am not the one who will hear this claim. The first thing that I would demand of the plaintiff is for them to show to me that they even comprehend that number, that they can express that number with efficiently and in multiple forms to even validate that they are competent to receive anything. The second thing that I would require is documentation of all real losses sustained by the plaintiff. And they would not receive more than 3 times that amount. Then after the claim is settled I would disbar the lawyers who instigated this whole scam!!
The person whole filed the claim has no morals, no sense of right and wrong, no consciences and probably very little in the way of real loss. These stupid actions are why our court systems move at a snails pace. I believe in valid lawsuits, however, we as a society have become so greedy that we want someone to pay us for any and all negatives in our lives.
These claims are for the levees failure, yet very little uproar was made for the 50 years before Katrina that the levees were poorly designed. And I do not remember hearing about the residents of New Orleans stepping up to pay for the improvement of the levees. When you live near the coast you have to take into account the cons along with the pros. By choosing to live in New Orleans you accepted certain possibilities. When your house is below sea level you increase the possibilities of subcuming to certain natural disasters. There were precautions that could have been undertaken by the citizens of New Orleans and a much better job could have been done by local emergency management officials. And asking the US government to compensate you for your lack of common sense is STUPID!!!!!
There is a lot of blame to go around with the disaster and the aftermath but the blame starts at ground zero not on Capital Hill. I live in a hurricane prone area and have for a lot of my life, I accept the fact that if a storm surge of 10 feet or more hits my area more than likely I will be flooded out. I also understand that my residence was built before Andrew and is not upgraded to the new hurricane codes. I lived in Pensacola for Ivan as well as Katrina. Many homes in Pensacola were destroyed and even more were damaged. But no one in Pensacola filed such a claim. Ivan sent a 17 foot storm surge inland when it hit, so now all structures have to be 17 feet above sea level, that means that a lot of rebuilt homes are going up on stilts. Maybe New Orleans should have thought about that prior to the hurricane, Katrina was not the epiphany of where New Orleans was situated. At no point before Katrina did the government attempt to lead the people of New Orleans to believe that they were above sea level. At no point before Katrina did the government attempt to give the citizens of New Orleans a false sense of security. Hurricanes have been a part of the Gulf Coast for as long as the Gulf has existed.
If you are not responsible enough to take precautions to limit your losses in a natural disaster why should the government compensate you for being lazy!!! And what makes you think that you and your loss is worth more than 22 times the GNP of the US for 2007!!
The Army Corps of Engineers will only give the zip codes of the locations of the claimants, this one listing a Baker, LA zip code. I think if this claimant thinks that their claim is honest and valid they should come forward and make themselves public and accept the scrutiny of the citizens of this country, who ultimately will be paying the tab for whatever amount is agreed upon.
The Army Corps of Engineers has received roughly 489,000 claims from victims of Hurricane Katrina. Of those, a couple hundred are for $1 billion and the top out is for $3 quadrillion. Now while I sympathize with the victims of Katrina and the loss and devastation that they endured the WHOLE area did not sustain a loss of $3 quadrillion.
It is a good thing, actually maybe it isn't, that I am not the one who will hear this claim. The first thing that I would demand of the plaintiff is for them to show to me that they even comprehend that number, that they can express that number with efficiently and in multiple forms to even validate that they are competent to receive anything. The second thing that I would require is documentation of all real losses sustained by the plaintiff. And they would not receive more than 3 times that amount. Then after the claim is settled I would disbar the lawyers who instigated this whole scam!!
The person whole filed the claim has no morals, no sense of right and wrong, no consciences and probably very little in the way of real loss. These stupid actions are why our court systems move at a snails pace. I believe in valid lawsuits, however, we as a society have become so greedy that we want someone to pay us for any and all negatives in our lives.
These claims are for the levees failure, yet very little uproar was made for the 50 years before Katrina that the levees were poorly designed. And I do not remember hearing about the residents of New Orleans stepping up to pay for the improvement of the levees. When you live near the coast you have to take into account the cons along with the pros. By choosing to live in New Orleans you accepted certain possibilities. When your house is below sea level you increase the possibilities of subcuming to certain natural disasters. There were precautions that could have been undertaken by the citizens of New Orleans and a much better job could have been done by local emergency management officials. And asking the US government to compensate you for your lack of common sense is STUPID!!!!!
There is a lot of blame to go around with the disaster and the aftermath but the blame starts at ground zero not on Capital Hill. I live in a hurricane prone area and have for a lot of my life, I accept the fact that if a storm surge of 10 feet or more hits my area more than likely I will be flooded out. I also understand that my residence was built before Andrew and is not upgraded to the new hurricane codes. I lived in Pensacola for Ivan as well as Katrina. Many homes in Pensacola were destroyed and even more were damaged. But no one in Pensacola filed such a claim. Ivan sent a 17 foot storm surge inland when it hit, so now all structures have to be 17 feet above sea level, that means that a lot of rebuilt homes are going up on stilts. Maybe New Orleans should have thought about that prior to the hurricane, Katrina was not the epiphany of where New Orleans was situated. At no point before Katrina did the government attempt to lead the people of New Orleans to believe that they were above sea level. At no point before Katrina did the government attempt to give the citizens of New Orleans a false sense of security. Hurricanes have been a part of the Gulf Coast for as long as the Gulf has existed.
If you are not responsible enough to take precautions to limit your losses in a natural disaster why should the government compensate you for being lazy!!! And what makes you think that you and your loss is worth more than 22 times the GNP of the US for 2007!!
The Army Corps of Engineers will only give the zip codes of the locations of the claimants, this one listing a Baker, LA zip code. I think if this claimant thinks that their claim is honest and valid they should come forward and make themselves public and accept the scrutiny of the citizens of this country, who ultimately will be paying the tab for whatever amount is agreed upon.
09 January 2008
Answer in one sentence.......
What is the Office of the President of the United States of America?
I propose that this question be asked of all candidates seeking the office. And if they cannot answer it and do so in one sentence then they should not be able to run for the office. And I think that it would add some humor into this lack-luster campaign season. However, if candidates ran for the office based on carrying out the true job of the office then all Presidential elections would be incredibly boring. That in itself would make the politics more interesting, but that is another blog for another day.
I have always wanted a candidate to step forward and say that their platform for office is to work with congress to see that the laws passed are fair, constitutional, based on the analysis of the Supreme Court, in the best interest of the citizens of this great nation and to execute said laws justly and efficiently. Any candidate that ran on that platform would have my vote.
Again we have the type of politics that we have with all the mud-slinging and empty promise making because candidates run on platforms that are not within the bounds of the Office of the President as laid out in the constitution. It is really simple -- we have 3 branches of government that are equal but separate. We have the legislative branch or congress, which has the task of making the laws of the land, second we have the judicial branch or supreme court, which ensures that the laws passed are fair and constitutional, and lastly we have the executive branch or the president, whose job it is to run the government under the dictates of the other two branches. That is the basic layout of how things are suppose to work. Are there more details to it; yes, but this is the foundation of our government.
It is not up to the President to promise not to raise taxes, that is up to congress. It is not up to the president to make laws, that too is up to congress. It is not the president who decides if a law is constitutional, that is the supreme court's job. Can the president suggest laws that congress take under consideration, yes. Can the president ask the supreme court if a law is constitutional, yes. Does the president provide information to assist congress and or the supreme court in their decision making, yes.
If we are serious about taking the corruption out of politics then we as citizens need to demand that our public officials do the job that our constitution lays out for them. We as the voting public need to know what their jobs are and we need to stop the candidates when they start down the campaign promise roads that do not follow the paths of the office that they seek. As long as we are ignorant to the actual jobs that public officials are to do then we cannot complain that our elected leaders are dishonest, corrupt, misleading, power hungry individuals with their own agendas. Because they are and we allowed it by listening to them and supporting them and not keeping them in line from the start.
I propose that this question be asked of all candidates seeking the office. And if they cannot answer it and do so in one sentence then they should not be able to run for the office. And I think that it would add some humor into this lack-luster campaign season. However, if candidates ran for the office based on carrying out the true job of the office then all Presidential elections would be incredibly boring. That in itself would make the politics more interesting, but that is another blog for another day.
I have always wanted a candidate to step forward and say that their platform for office is to work with congress to see that the laws passed are fair, constitutional, based on the analysis of the Supreme Court, in the best interest of the citizens of this great nation and to execute said laws justly and efficiently. Any candidate that ran on that platform would have my vote.
Again we have the type of politics that we have with all the mud-slinging and empty promise making because candidates run on platforms that are not within the bounds of the Office of the President as laid out in the constitution. It is really simple -- we have 3 branches of government that are equal but separate. We have the legislative branch or congress, which has the task of making the laws of the land, second we have the judicial branch or supreme court, which ensures that the laws passed are fair and constitutional, and lastly we have the executive branch or the president, whose job it is to run the government under the dictates of the other two branches. That is the basic layout of how things are suppose to work. Are there more details to it; yes, but this is the foundation of our government.
It is not up to the President to promise not to raise taxes, that is up to congress. It is not up to the president to make laws, that too is up to congress. It is not the president who decides if a law is constitutional, that is the supreme court's job. Can the president suggest laws that congress take under consideration, yes. Can the president ask the supreme court if a law is constitutional, yes. Does the president provide information to assist congress and or the supreme court in their decision making, yes.
If we are serious about taking the corruption out of politics then we as citizens need to demand that our public officials do the job that our constitution lays out for them. We as the voting public need to know what their jobs are and we need to stop the candidates when they start down the campaign promise roads that do not follow the paths of the office that they seek. As long as we are ignorant to the actual jobs that public officials are to do then we cannot complain that our elected leaders are dishonest, corrupt, misleading, power hungry individuals with their own agendas. Because they are and we allowed it by listening to them and supporting them and not keeping them in line from the start.
19 December 2007
This Is Why Public Schools Get Ridicule......
I was reading the headlines on Fox yesterday and came across a headline that caught my eye; Girl, 10, Arrested for using knife to cut food at school. So wondering if the headline was just to grab your attention or if there really was something to this, I went to the article and read the story. I only have one word, well two actually, that comes to mind...... *&$*# STUPID!!!!!!
This article is a prime example why our kids do not get a quality education in the public schools of this country. If the teachers and administrators put as much effort into teaching as they do into stupid stuff like making sure that a 10 year old little girl gets arrested for having good table manners then we would be the best educated population in the world. When I was a student in the public school system, teachers taught. Teachers knew their course of study and they were capable of teaching it. Yes there were some teachers that had not kept up with their field and their were some teachers that while very well versed in their areas were not proficient at decimating that information to their students. But I think the biggest difference was that if a student misbehaved in class the teacher put an end to it right then and there. Teachers controlled their classrooms, but also used common sense and good judgment. Teachers were not afraid to interact with their students nor were they afraid to discipline them either.
When kids got in a fight, their lives were not ruined by calling the cops and having them arrested and charged with assault and or aggravated battery. The teachers or the football coach got a hold of them, even if that meant physically intervening and then either just sent them on their way or isolated them until tensions had eased and in extreme cases the individuals involved might actually be punished by having to run laps or write sentences (neither of which, by the way, injures the child). Also, when I was a student it was no big deal, especially in high school, for you to have aspirin or Tylenol in your book-bag and even share it with a friend or teacher in need. Nor was it an issue to ask your teacher if they had aspirin or Tylenol. No one was going to be expelled for being in possession of drugs or arrested for distribution.
So here is the newest show of just how far down our public schools have gone. If you didn't read the afore mentioned story, a little girl had a packed lunch, which was steak, and included (this was probably a parent with common sense) in the lunch box was a steak knife to cut the steak up with. The little girl used the knife for its intended purpose, that of cutting up her food and was subsequently arrested by the police (I hope they feel really stupid, because if the support their actions then that is a whole other blog) and taken to the juvenile detention center and was charged with a felony possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds (Let me show you what I can do with a school chair).
Now I have to say that if this case goes any further, than the already ridiculously stupid path that it has taken, every resident of Ocala, Florida needs to think long and hard about their elected officials and their priorities in upholding the laws.
This article is a prime example why our kids do not get a quality education in the public schools of this country. If the teachers and administrators put as much effort into teaching as they do into stupid stuff like making sure that a 10 year old little girl gets arrested for having good table manners then we would be the best educated population in the world. When I was a student in the public school system, teachers taught. Teachers knew their course of study and they were capable of teaching it. Yes there were some teachers that had not kept up with their field and their were some teachers that while very well versed in their areas were not proficient at decimating that information to their students. But I think the biggest difference was that if a student misbehaved in class the teacher put an end to it right then and there. Teachers controlled their classrooms, but also used common sense and good judgment. Teachers were not afraid to interact with their students nor were they afraid to discipline them either.
When kids got in a fight, their lives were not ruined by calling the cops and having them arrested and charged with assault and or aggravated battery. The teachers or the football coach got a hold of them, even if that meant physically intervening and then either just sent them on their way or isolated them until tensions had eased and in extreme cases the individuals involved might actually be punished by having to run laps or write sentences (neither of which, by the way, injures the child). Also, when I was a student it was no big deal, especially in high school, for you to have aspirin or Tylenol in your book-bag and even share it with a friend or teacher in need. Nor was it an issue to ask your teacher if they had aspirin or Tylenol. No one was going to be expelled for being in possession of drugs or arrested for distribution.
So here is the newest show of just how far down our public schools have gone. If you didn't read the afore mentioned story, a little girl had a packed lunch, which was steak, and included (this was probably a parent with common sense) in the lunch box was a steak knife to cut the steak up with. The little girl used the knife for its intended purpose, that of cutting up her food and was subsequently arrested by the police (I hope they feel really stupid, because if the support their actions then that is a whole other blog) and taken to the juvenile detention center and was charged with a felony possession of a deadly weapon on school grounds (Let me show you what I can do with a school chair).
Now I have to say that if this case goes any further, than the already ridiculously stupid path that it has taken, every resident of Ocala, Florida needs to think long and hard about their elected officials and their priorities in upholding the laws.
11 December 2007
Putin Solidifies Power and Moves Forward
Well last week Putin led his United Russia to a landslide victory in the Parliamentary elections. And since then there has been even more whispering and wondering and chatter about whether he will try to run again in March or if he would name a successor. The name of a successor was ushered from Putin's lips yesterday and I can't say that I am very surprised by the choice.
World I would like to introduce the next President of Russia...........................................
Dmitri Medvedev.
Feeling a little lost? Not sure who this new leader is? Unless you have been following Russian politics and economics you are probably not familiar with this long time Putin aide and chairman of Russian energy giant Gazprom. Medvedev is from St. Petersburg and was a law professor and has been a Putin aide for many years. He has no real Kremlin support of his own and is not a big player in the power circle of Moscow.
In the last day there was some talk as to what naming such a weak successor meant for Putin's future, as well as Russia's, and there were some that even said that Putin wanted to leave all the power behind. Not sure how these experts got from all Putin's recent moves to him leaving public life. I have to say that I have seen nothing by Putin for the last 3 years that has signaled anything other than solidifying HIS power and increasing HIS control of the central government. Being a much classier and intelligent leader than Chavez, he doesn't appear to be making a move to change the country's constitution which bans him from running for a third term. However, he appears to have found a way around that obstacle, today the wires ran that Medvedev has asked that Putin serve as his Prime Minister.
Now if you didn't see that one coming, PLEASE don't call yourself an expert on Russia or her politics. I am NO expert and I have seen that coming for years not exactaly how it has played out, but I knew that Putin would not quietly retire from power. He has put too much into his goal of reclaiming Russia's past glory and expanding on it, to just hand her over to anyone without insuring that HIS path would be followed.
So the future of Russia after the March elections will have a solid United Russia power base in parliament with a new weak president in Medvedev and the ever strong and ever present Putin there in the fore-front as Prime Minister. And look for the roles of a strong president and weak premier to flip. And don't be surprised if that doesn't become the permanent face of Russia. A weak hand picked president by Putin with Putin running the show as Premier. Putin is determined to see Russia as the super-power that she was and he will not step out of public life until he is sure that her position in the world is secured to his liking.
World I would like to introduce the next President of Russia...........................................
Dmitri Medvedev.
Feeling a little lost? Not sure who this new leader is? Unless you have been following Russian politics and economics you are probably not familiar with this long time Putin aide and chairman of Russian energy giant Gazprom. Medvedev is from St. Petersburg and was a law professor and has been a Putin aide for many years. He has no real Kremlin support of his own and is not a big player in the power circle of Moscow.
In the last day there was some talk as to what naming such a weak successor meant for Putin's future, as well as Russia's, and there were some that even said that Putin wanted to leave all the power behind. Not sure how these experts got from all Putin's recent moves to him leaving public life. I have to say that I have seen nothing by Putin for the last 3 years that has signaled anything other than solidifying HIS power and increasing HIS control of the central government. Being a much classier and intelligent leader than Chavez, he doesn't appear to be making a move to change the country's constitution which bans him from running for a third term. However, he appears to have found a way around that obstacle, today the wires ran that Medvedev has asked that Putin serve as his Prime Minister.
Now if you didn't see that one coming, PLEASE don't call yourself an expert on Russia or her politics. I am NO expert and I have seen that coming for years not exactaly how it has played out, but I knew that Putin would not quietly retire from power. He has put too much into his goal of reclaiming Russia's past glory and expanding on it, to just hand her over to anyone without insuring that HIS path would be followed.
So the future of Russia after the March elections will have a solid United Russia power base in parliament with a new weak president in Medvedev and the ever strong and ever present Putin there in the fore-front as Prime Minister. And look for the roles of a strong president and weak premier to flip. And don't be surprised if that doesn't become the permanent face of Russia. A weak hand picked president by Putin with Putin running the show as Premier. Putin is determined to see Russia as the super-power that she was and he will not step out of public life until he is sure that her position in the world is secured to his liking.
08 December 2007
Ex-wives usually know (them) best
Ex-wives usually get a bad wrap. They are called not-so-nice names and considered to be vindictive and irrational. Then again those claims are made by the men who screwed them over. I think ex-wives can be a good source of information about their ex-husbands. In the process of going through a divorce, as well as, having spent considerable time with the person prior to the divorce (unless you are Britney Spears) most ex-wives get to see ALL sides of the man.
And in the latest case, Marisabel Rodriguez is speaking out against Hugo Chavez's push to make Venezuela "more socialist," which she sees as a "road straight to totalitarianism."
Rodriguez has the intelligence to be concerned about one person being in control for such a long time. And she should be, as we all should be, no mater where we live or whom the person is. There is too much at stake to allow one person to be in control for a very long term. The risk is there that the power will corrupt them and that with this will arise a greed and hunger that will restrict and limit the freedoms and power of the people. The very real danger of this happening was present in Venezuela last week with the referendum vote on the Constitution. Some of the resolutions that were on the ballot would have given and extraordinary amount of power to an elected official.
Rodriguez is also proposing to shorten presidential terms. Something that she helped to put in place as first lady and part of the draft assembly. Stating that Chavez has been in office too long. She is not the only former ally to change their stance, former Defense Minister Raul Baduel rallied the former pro-Chavez party Podemos to vote NO. And a new group has entered the political scene, university students. All this will help change the dynamics of the political power in Venezuela and if successful there it may flow into other Latin American countries.
And in the latest case, Marisabel Rodriguez is speaking out against Hugo Chavez's push to make Venezuela "more socialist," which she sees as a "road straight to totalitarianism."
Rodriguez has the intelligence to be concerned about one person being in control for such a long time. And she should be, as we all should be, no mater where we live or whom the person is. There is too much at stake to allow one person to be in control for a very long term. The risk is there that the power will corrupt them and that with this will arise a greed and hunger that will restrict and limit the freedoms and power of the people. The very real danger of this happening was present in Venezuela last week with the referendum vote on the Constitution. Some of the resolutions that were on the ballot would have given and extraordinary amount of power to an elected official.
Rodriguez is also proposing to shorten presidential terms. Something that she helped to put in place as first lady and part of the draft assembly. Stating that Chavez has been in office too long. She is not the only former ally to change their stance, former Defense Minister Raul Baduel rallied the former pro-Chavez party Podemos to vote NO. And a new group has entered the political scene, university students. All this will help change the dynamics of the political power in Venezuela and if successful there it may flow into other Latin American countries.
Iran is not nuclear free
The NIE came out this week and the mainstream media jumped on an out of context line and went full-steam ahead with it.
All the headlines read that Iran abandon nuclear program in 2003. Just another attempt to say that the current administration lied about intelligent reports just to suit their policy. Here are a couple little know facts about the NIE. First the NIE was written by policy makers and not analysts. Second the report states that one program, that of trying to develop a nuclear warhead for their missiles, seems to have been abandon. These two points reflect the media's refusal to tell the complete story.
If the Bush Administration were trying to lie about intelligent then why didn't the policy makers that wrote report toe the line? Now the Bush bashers, if so inclined, could read the whole report, with an open mind, and come out and say that in it totality the NIE states that we need to keep a close eye on Iran and that other programs are just covers for a covert Iranian nuclear weapons program. Now you have ammo that the Bush Administration is trying to push policy. Because you are so convinced that Bush is so wrong about everything. And lies about everything. Please look past your anger and hatred for Bush and look at Iran's history. Iran has a standing policy of being anti-American and anti-Israel and sees both as being the same entity. Iran wants to be a major player in the Middle East and the World, being a nuclear power would grant them that.
Does abandoning one program or goal, that of arming their missiles with nuclear warheads, mean that Iran has ceased its nuclear intentions or desires? Absolutely not. They are still enriching uranium that can be used for both peaceful and military purposes. And in today's world and political climate it is easier and cheaper for them to purchase the technology and weapons than to try to adapt current armament and develop technology on their own.
Do not think that China or Russia would not sell them the technology and resources that they would need. And making Iran a nuclear power would actually benefit both countries. And then you have the other angles to contend with if we turn our attention away from Iran and her intentions. If Iran becomes a nuclear power while Chavez is in power, you can bet that we would have another nuclear power to contend with.
So while you may not like Bush or some of his policies, keep in mind that there are power players in the rest of the world that are using the political division here to their advantage and if we blindly look at everything as a Bush conspiracy then we are giving countries like Iran carte blanche.
All the headlines read that Iran abandon nuclear program in 2003. Just another attempt to say that the current administration lied about intelligent reports just to suit their policy. Here are a couple little know facts about the NIE. First the NIE was written by policy makers and not analysts. Second the report states that one program, that of trying to develop a nuclear warhead for their missiles, seems to have been abandon. These two points reflect the media's refusal to tell the complete story.
If the Bush Administration were trying to lie about intelligent then why didn't the policy makers that wrote report toe the line? Now the Bush bashers, if so inclined, could read the whole report, with an open mind, and come out and say that in it totality the NIE states that we need to keep a close eye on Iran and that other programs are just covers for a covert Iranian nuclear weapons program. Now you have ammo that the Bush Administration is trying to push policy. Because you are so convinced that Bush is so wrong about everything. And lies about everything. Please look past your anger and hatred for Bush and look at Iran's history. Iran has a standing policy of being anti-American and anti-Israel and sees both as being the same entity. Iran wants to be a major player in the Middle East and the World, being a nuclear power would grant them that.
Does abandoning one program or goal, that of arming their missiles with nuclear warheads, mean that Iran has ceased its nuclear intentions or desires? Absolutely not. They are still enriching uranium that can be used for both peaceful and military purposes. And in today's world and political climate it is easier and cheaper for them to purchase the technology and weapons than to try to adapt current armament and develop technology on their own.
Do not think that China or Russia would not sell them the technology and resources that they would need. And making Iran a nuclear power would actually benefit both countries. And then you have the other angles to contend with if we turn our attention away from Iran and her intentions. If Iran becomes a nuclear power while Chavez is in power, you can bet that we would have another nuclear power to contend with.
So while you may not like Bush or some of his policies, keep in mind that there are power players in the rest of the world that are using the political division here to their advantage and if we blindly look at everything as a Bush conspiracy then we are giving countries like Iran carte blanche.
04 December 2007
One Defeat is all you need when it Counts
YES!!!!!
I have been hoping for it and it finally came and it came when it mattered most. Way to go university students of Venezuela!!! They looked at the issues and decided that they opposed handing more power over to Chavez. Good on them for sticking to his preaching of democracy and giving it back to him in the ballot box. The results were close, 51% to 49%, but the opposition won. This was the first defeat that Chavez has suffered since taking the Presidency in 1998.
Many of the constitutional reforms that were part of the national referendum would have given Chavez power verging on dictatorship. Some of the most disturbing parts of the reforms including the appointment of governors and mayors as well as bringing the Central Bank under the control of the President. These are issues that caused Chavez dissent even among his most ardent supporters, including his former Defense Minister, Raul Baduel.
This single act by the voters of Venezuela may prove to the rest of Latin America that democracy is and can be alive and well. And one day later the fact that Chavez for the moment is accepting the defeat, at least until he can figure away around it, also gives rise to the belief that this may well be the century of the Americas.
I have been hoping for it and it finally came and it came when it mattered most. Way to go university students of Venezuela!!! They looked at the issues and decided that they opposed handing more power over to Chavez. Good on them for sticking to his preaching of democracy and giving it back to him in the ballot box. The results were close, 51% to 49%, but the opposition won. This was the first defeat that Chavez has suffered since taking the Presidency in 1998.
Many of the constitutional reforms that were part of the national referendum would have given Chavez power verging on dictatorship. Some of the most disturbing parts of the reforms including the appointment of governors and mayors as well as bringing the Central Bank under the control of the President. These are issues that caused Chavez dissent even among his most ardent supporters, including his former Defense Minister, Raul Baduel.
This single act by the voters of Venezuela may prove to the rest of Latin America that democracy is and can be alive and well. And one day later the fact that Chavez for the moment is accepting the defeat, at least until he can figure away around it, also gives rise to the belief that this may well be the century of the Americas.
02 December 2007
Today In History---Cuba became communist
On this day in 1961 Fidel Castro announced that he was a Marxist-Leninist and than under his leadership Cuba would become a communist country. This statement came after the Bay of Pigs disaster, when the CIA did not follow through on their promises to support the loyalists. That would not be the last time that the US promised to support revolutionists or pro-American dissidents and then hung them out to dry. Then we shake our head and wonder why people in the world hate us.
After Castro declared Cuba communist it became a key pawn in the cold-war. The Soviet Union coddled the small island nation to attempt to place missiles within 90 miles of American soil. This stare down between the US and USSR was the closest that we came to a nuclear war. Most people do not remember the Cuban Missile Crisis or the 13 days in October 1962, when thousands of Americans held their breaths wondering if Kennedy could get us out of a nuclear confrontation.
On 28 October 1962 both the US and USSR agreed to remove missile bases that were close to the other's land mass. That was our bases in Turkey and their bases in Cuba. And so the cold-war continued until the Wall opened in 1989. With the end of the cold-war most people assumed that all communist countries would follow suit. That didn't happen, China saw the chance to become a big player on the world scene and step up to the plate. In it's shadow remain Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba.
Cuba is still only 90 miles from our shores and still communists. Being from South Florida I am a little more aware of Cuba's presence than most Americans and we also get more Cuban news here than the rest of the country. Cuban Americans here in South Florida have been holding their breath for months now hoping to hear the news that Fidel has passed. They believe that with Fidel out of the picture that Cuba will gain the real chance to be free and independent. I hope that they are right.
It will be a long road if they chose to take it. One of the things that most Americans don't realize about other countries around the world is that most don't allow their citizens access to a lot of the resources that we take for granted. Their text books are written differently and they view the world with certain taught basis. Just like we do. The difference is that we can make the effort to seek out different points of view and new information so that we may make informed decisions and create informed opinions about the world around us. So when the uncensored doors of the world are opened to the Cuban people they may find some things strange and even troubling, it may be easier to go back to the old ways if for no other reason than the comfort of familiarity. Venturing into the unknown can be a wonderfully scary thing to do and is not for the faint of heart. I happen to believe that the Cuban people are ready and willing and very capable to make this journey and we need to be open to helping them without pressure or influence.
After Castro declared Cuba communist it became a key pawn in the cold-war. The Soviet Union coddled the small island nation to attempt to place missiles within 90 miles of American soil. This stare down between the US and USSR was the closest that we came to a nuclear war. Most people do not remember the Cuban Missile Crisis or the 13 days in October 1962, when thousands of Americans held their breaths wondering if Kennedy could get us out of a nuclear confrontation.
On 28 October 1962 both the US and USSR agreed to remove missile bases that were close to the other's land mass. That was our bases in Turkey and their bases in Cuba. And so the cold-war continued until the Wall opened in 1989. With the end of the cold-war most people assumed that all communist countries would follow suit. That didn't happen, China saw the chance to become a big player on the world scene and step up to the plate. In it's shadow remain Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba.
Cuba is still only 90 miles from our shores and still communists. Being from South Florida I am a little more aware of Cuba's presence than most Americans and we also get more Cuban news here than the rest of the country. Cuban Americans here in South Florida have been holding their breath for months now hoping to hear the news that Fidel has passed. They believe that with Fidel out of the picture that Cuba will gain the real chance to be free and independent. I hope that they are right.
It will be a long road if they chose to take it. One of the things that most Americans don't realize about other countries around the world is that most don't allow their citizens access to a lot of the resources that we take for granted. Their text books are written differently and they view the world with certain taught basis. Just like we do. The difference is that we can make the effort to seek out different points of view and new information so that we may make informed decisions and create informed opinions about the world around us. So when the uncensored doors of the world are opened to the Cuban people they may find some things strange and even troubling, it may be easier to go back to the old ways if for no other reason than the comfort of familiarity. Venturing into the unknown can be a wonderfully scary thing to do and is not for the faint of heart. I happen to believe that the Cuban people are ready and willing and very capable to make this journey and we need to be open to helping them without pressure or influence.
30 November 2007
Putin Check Mates Kasparov
In an anti-government rally in Moscow the police swarmed in and put their sights on Kasparov. Kasparov is famous enough as an international chess champion that he is seen as a major target by Putin's government. I think that with this election will show just how calculating and thought out Putin has been in trying to return Russia to the Soviet Union. This is an election that most Americans do not even know is taking place much less paying any attention to, however this election will have broad implications for the United States and her interests globally.
We sit here and rant about the bickering between our candidates, as well we should but we need to be aware of the politics of other countries as well. And right now the political events in Pakistan and Russia are just as important as our own. What happens in the upcoming election in Russia may well set the stage for some challenges in our own political future.
Putin has been strategically aligning himself against us without creating too much friction and he has been able to do this because for the most part the mainstream media here in the US does not support the current administration and therefore does not blast any head of state when they speak out against our government. When reports make it to the headlines about other heads of states speaking against our own it is presented more as a see how wrong you are report against our government instead of as offense against all Americans.
One of the things that we have to realize as Americans is that our opponents look at us collectively and put us all in the same stereo-type, unlike us where we separate the government from the people. When our enemies attack us they do not concern themselves with the collateral damage that they may cause, the ends always justifies the means. So we need to keep that in mind when we see and hear the opposition speak against us.
We need to look at the larger pictures sometimes before we take hard fast stands based on 2 minute sound-bites. We are a global power living in an international environment, we cannot be an isolationist nation it will not work and it will most definitely not improve our security.
We sit here and rant about the bickering between our candidates, as well we should but we need to be aware of the politics of other countries as well. And right now the political events in Pakistan and Russia are just as important as our own. What happens in the upcoming election in Russia may well set the stage for some challenges in our own political future.
Putin has been strategically aligning himself against us without creating too much friction and he has been able to do this because for the most part the mainstream media here in the US does not support the current administration and therefore does not blast any head of state when they speak out against our government. When reports make it to the headlines about other heads of states speaking against our own it is presented more as a see how wrong you are report against our government instead of as offense against all Americans.
One of the things that we have to realize as Americans is that our opponents look at us collectively and put us all in the same stereo-type, unlike us where we separate the government from the people. When our enemies attack us they do not concern themselves with the collateral damage that they may cause, the ends always justifies the means. So we need to keep that in mind when we see and hear the opposition speak against us.
We need to look at the larger pictures sometimes before we take hard fast stands based on 2 minute sound-bites. We are a global power living in an international environment, we cannot be an isolationist nation it will not work and it will most definitely not improve our security.
26 November 2007
And you call Bush stupid........
2 April 2007
What happened to the days when elected officials considered it a duty and honor to SERVE society? When you were elected to an office because you were respected and trusted? When you didn't worry about re-election and always did your best to do what was right? When being a politician was in addition to your career or profession or job? When you didn't do the job for power or money or a stepping-stone? Where have all the TRUE heroes gone? Where have all the GREAT role models gone? Where have leaders with morals gone? Why is it that our best people are not on Capitol Hill? Why is it that as citizens and voters we do not demand better from our lawmakers? Why did we allow peace to make us soft? Why did we allow prosperity to make us lazy? Why are we not concerned about the citizens of the world? When did we change our perspective from the world beginning at the end of our nose to the world ending at the end of our nose?
"It makes no sense for politicians in Washington, D.C., to be dictating arbitrary timelines for our military commanders in a war zone 6,000 miles away," Bush said.
The above statement is very accurate, however politicians are so power hungry and greedy that they do not concern themselves with petty issues like reality.
If the bill becomes law, "our enemies in Iraq would simply have to mark their calendars," Bush said.
This statement seems to be very out of the realm of comprehension of the minds of Congress. It must be nice to live in such a fantasyland. Where you can play with people's lives without the ramifications of dealing with the consequences of your actions. Hey, here is one that we should think about—wonder if the politicians would be so keen to set a pull-out date if after said date, we divided Iraq into geographic sections and assigned one of the supporters of the troop pull-out to each section and every time that someone in that section was killed or injured by insurgents then the assigned politician would loose the same number of persons from their family/friend circle. By the way their family/friend circle would also include their biggest financial supporters, as we really want them to feel some pain. Wonder if even the mere thought of possibly losing members of these lists would give them the incentive to be more realistic in their assessment of how and when our troops leave Iraq. It would certainly show which ones even have a shadow of a heart within their breasts. Then we could tell them every time that they loose someone that we support their job as politician, we just don't support their decision for a troop pullout, because as they say they support the troops just not the war. Somehow I don't think that they would buy our support, do you? But we could tell them that our support for them is just as real as their support for our troops; nothing like salting a wound when it is fresh and bleeding.
What happened to the days when elected officials considered it a duty and honor to SERVE society? When you were elected to an office because you were respected and trusted? When you didn't worry about re-election and always did your best to do what was right? When being a politician was in addition to your career or profession or job? When you didn't do the job for power or money or a stepping-stone? Where have all the TRUE heroes gone? Where have all the GREAT role models gone? Where have leaders with morals gone? Why is it that our best people are not on Capitol Hill? Why is it that as citizens and voters we do not demand better from our lawmakers? Why did we allow peace to make us soft? Why did we allow prosperity to make us lazy? Why are we not concerned about the citizens of the world? When did we change our perspective from the world beginning at the end of our nose to the world ending at the end of our nose?
Deadly Day in South Florida
14 September 2007
Yesterday was not a good day in South Florida.
We had 4 law enforcement officers shot here. That brings the total in the last 10 weeks to 6 locally and at least 7 statewide. According to the Department of Justice more law enforcement officers were shot in the first 6 months of this year than in all last year. (There were 48 officers killed in the line of duty in 2006. That was 7 fewer than in 2005.)
It has been a rough summer for the boys in blue here in paradise. Broward County had two deputies shot in less than 10 days, one fatally and the other still hospitalized with a severe head injury. Then right on the heels of these events a deputy was shot in the Tampa area.
But yesterday was the worst day since 1976, 4 Miami-Dade officers were shot making a traffic stop while working a burgalry detail. The suspect, Shawn Labeet exited his vehicle and fired his AK-47 multiple times, hitting all 4 officers. One officer was fatally wounded, one seriously wounded and the other two were treated and released.
As can be expected the incident and ensuing manhunt was the focus of all of South Florida yesterday. The media was sent chasing leads and stories across two counties, in the end there would be 5 crime scenes and another shoot-out. Late last night law enforcement cornered Labeet in a Pembrook Pines apartment complex. A shoot-out ensued that left Labeet fatally wounded. While the result is a victory for law enforcement it will bring little relief to the families left behind.
All three shootings here in South Florida were law enforcement officers doing routine duties, stopping a driver running red lights/stop signs, approaching a vehicle in a drug store parking lot, and stopping a vehicle that was driving erraticately. This series of recent events highlights that even the most routine events in law enforcement can be deadly. But the more pressing issue is the complete disregard for peace officers and law that these individuals displayed.
Two of the shooters had extensive records, one that while showed a total disregard for authority did not show violent behavior. The other was wanted on an outstanding warrant for aggravated assualt with a deadly weapon. And the third suspect is an unknown.
How did this happen? Why were these persons on the street to begin with? It is my opinion that the courts are to blame. There is way too much poliltics in the court room. If you commit a crime, especially a violent one, like aggravated assualt with a deadly weapon, you should not be walking the streets. And before the excuse of over crowded jails is brought up--which is a whole other blog topic--put them on house arrest then, but keep them off the streets. Violent offenders should not be out on the streets they should be detained by any means available till their court date. And we as citzens need to support our law enforcement agencies by demanding that the courts get tougher on violent offenders.
Let that be the legacy that these fallen officers leave behind.
Yesterday was not a good day in South Florida.
We had 4 law enforcement officers shot here. That brings the total in the last 10 weeks to 6 locally and at least 7 statewide. According to the Department of Justice more law enforcement officers were shot in the first 6 months of this year than in all last year. (There were 48 officers killed in the line of duty in 2006. That was 7 fewer than in 2005.)
It has been a rough summer for the boys in blue here in paradise. Broward County had two deputies shot in less than 10 days, one fatally and the other still hospitalized with a severe head injury. Then right on the heels of these events a deputy was shot in the Tampa area.
But yesterday was the worst day since 1976, 4 Miami-Dade officers were shot making a traffic stop while working a burgalry detail. The suspect, Shawn Labeet exited his vehicle and fired his AK-47 multiple times, hitting all 4 officers. One officer was fatally wounded, one seriously wounded and the other two were treated and released.
As can be expected the incident and ensuing manhunt was the focus of all of South Florida yesterday. The media was sent chasing leads and stories across two counties, in the end there would be 5 crime scenes and another shoot-out. Late last night law enforcement cornered Labeet in a Pembrook Pines apartment complex. A shoot-out ensued that left Labeet fatally wounded. While the result is a victory for law enforcement it will bring little relief to the families left behind.
All three shootings here in South Florida were law enforcement officers doing routine duties, stopping a driver running red lights/stop signs, approaching a vehicle in a drug store parking lot, and stopping a vehicle that was driving erraticately. This series of recent events highlights that even the most routine events in law enforcement can be deadly. But the more pressing issue is the complete disregard for peace officers and law that these individuals displayed.
Two of the shooters had extensive records, one that while showed a total disregard for authority did not show violent behavior. The other was wanted on an outstanding warrant for aggravated assualt with a deadly weapon. And the third suspect is an unknown.
How did this happen? Why were these persons on the street to begin with? It is my opinion that the courts are to blame. There is way too much poliltics in the court room. If you commit a crime, especially a violent one, like aggravated assualt with a deadly weapon, you should not be walking the streets. And before the excuse of over crowded jails is brought up--which is a whole other blog topic--put them on house arrest then, but keep them off the streets. Violent offenders should not be out on the streets they should be detained by any means available till their court date. And we as citzens need to support our law enforcement agencies by demanding that the courts get tougher on violent offenders.
Let that be the legacy that these fallen officers leave behind.
Who is held to higher standards?
27 August 2007
Well the breaking news right now is that Gonzales is resigning.........
And the big deal is that less than 10 federal prosecutors may have been fired for political reasons. Oh, BOO HOO!!!! I got news for you that is what happens when you work for elected officals. It might suck, it might be wrong, but it is the way politics works and until the American society decides that this is wrong it is acceptable.
Hum, didnt Clinton fire almost 200 federal prosecutors? Which top offical resigned over that? Better yet who screamed foul in that political move?
And when faced with this comparison, then you hear that Gonzales might have misled Congress when he testified about the firings and other issues.
Hum, what was it that then President Clinton said on national TV and again in a sworn deposition in a CRIMINAL investigation (not a Congressional fact finding probe)? Oh yeah, I didnt have sexual relations with that woman!!! He sat in the same chair that the acts occured in and didnt even have the balls to name Monica by name (because as a politican and lawyer he knows that if you give her a name then you make her a person and invoke feelings).
I missed Clinton's resignation, oh yeah that is right he didnt resign!!!!!!!!
Dont get me wrong I think that most of our politicians dont deserve our trust.
But wrong is wrong regardless of which political party you belong to. But it is amazing how the democratic slant of the media makes it a haven for misdeeds by those members of the democratic party and turns into the Spanish Inquistition for any perceived wrong doing by a member of the republican party.
So much for journalism bringing truth to the American people and holding the government accountable for the actions of ALL its members.
Well the breaking news right now is that Gonzales is resigning.........
And the big deal is that less than 10 federal prosecutors may have been fired for political reasons. Oh, BOO HOO!!!! I got news for you that is what happens when you work for elected officals. It might suck, it might be wrong, but it is the way politics works and until the American society decides that this is wrong it is acceptable.
Hum, didnt Clinton fire almost 200 federal prosecutors? Which top offical resigned over that? Better yet who screamed foul in that political move?
And when faced with this comparison, then you hear that Gonzales might have misled Congress when he testified about the firings and other issues.
Hum, what was it that then President Clinton said on national TV and again in a sworn deposition in a CRIMINAL investigation (not a Congressional fact finding probe)? Oh yeah, I didnt have sexual relations with that woman!!! He sat in the same chair that the acts occured in and didnt even have the balls to name Monica by name (because as a politican and lawyer he knows that if you give her a name then you make her a person and invoke feelings).
I missed Clinton's resignation, oh yeah that is right he didnt resign!!!!!!!!
Dont get me wrong I think that most of our politicians dont deserve our trust.
But wrong is wrong regardless of which political party you belong to. But it is amazing how the democratic slant of the media makes it a haven for misdeeds by those members of the democratic party and turns into the Spanish Inquistition for any perceived wrong doing by a member of the republican party.
So much for journalism bringing truth to the American people and holding the government accountable for the actions of ALL its members.
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