Dec 4, 2008 | 6:27 PM
Category:
Political
President Ronald Reagan came close to his goal in 1987, with 594 active duty ships. The rapid decline in 21 years is breathtaking.
Pardon me as I shed a tear or two for the USS Tarawa, LHA-1. I knew more about that ship than I cared to, but she served a mighty purpose, mainly the projection of the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).
Any idea how many ships the US Navy now has operational? As of today, not nearly enough. Goodbye, USS Tarawa. I’ll buy you from Gillette in a couple of years.
*Also, I would like to say Happy Saint Barbara's Day
to all of our current and former ordinance brothers and sisters (and you too, Dad - how is it that the Navy is not represented with this Order?).
Dec 4, 2008 | 5:28 PM
Category:
Political
I have not bought a new firearm in years. Hey, when something works you stick with it, and when you know how to take care of this type of product it will last indefinitely - certainly many years, probably several decades. However, it seems there may be a good reason to look into which type of gun I might want to complete my arsenal before the coming government gun-grab.
I have no idea if a President Obama might actually seek to ban such products, but I do not doubt the will of a Democratic Congress. I remember quite well what happened last time there was a Democrat president coupled with a Democrat Congress, and it was one of the major reasons that caused me to seek out the person challenging my (at the time) congressional representative, Lynn Schenck. I helped Brian Bilbray defeat her in 1994 by volunteering to do phone banks, install yard signs, and walk precincts. Actually, that last one probably had a negative affect, but he still defeated her.
If I could provide any advice to President-elect Obama, it would be to steer clear of this issue. If Congress bows to their agenda-setters, veto the resulting bill.
Knowing full well that President-elect Obama isn't seeking my advice, I will simply go the cautious route: Hmmm, do I want a shotgun or might I finally break down and buy a respectable 7.62 mm rifle? Aw, heck - maybe I’ll do both…
Dec 3, 2008 | 6:54 PM
Category:
Political
Pardon my crocodile tears over this. I am looking at more than a 35% loss for my 401K - you know, that device in which my retirement is coming from. Social Security has been a losing proposition for years and even Democrats know this. When the meltdown hit, I simply let my 401K ride as every economic adviser advised. I did not touch it.
I watched my retirement bottom line erode.
I am, thankfully, many years from retirement. I have the luxury of wading through the tough times. That is why I lost more than Harvard in terms of percentage…I am a bit more aggressive in my portfolio. Still, I am a bit mystified as to why Harvard is feeling any sort of pinch with $29 Billion in their endowment fund.
My prescription is simple: Since we have nationalized everything else, why not appropriate this endowment fund and give it to the UAW and the big three automakers? After all, given the track record of Ivy League college graduates who run this country we couldn’t do much worse. Actually, doing so would alleviate real taxpayers doing the ugly deed, and we can sit back and watch to see if either institution might regain common sense.
I’m being facetious of course...
A little,
maybe…
Dec 2, 2008 | 7:13 PM
Category:
Political
That statement above is similar to declaring “water is wet” or “Bill Clinton likes interns”…however, making the statement is necessary given the nature of this post. This post has a component of analysis that judges both right and left, and I happen to inhabit the somewhere veryright-of-center spectrum.
That said, I found this article by Stuart Rothenberg particularly interesting:
President-elect Barack Obama says he wants to bring America together. While that rallying cry sounds good to many people, it would require a Herculean task that may well be impossible.
We are currently in a media environment dominated by loud, often-nasty ideologues who care more about belittling and demonizing the opposition than promoting ideas and civility.
[…]
But unless our new president is smart enough and lucky enough to preside over the transformation of the American economy, and unless he places a higher priority on uniting the country, rather than pursing an ideological agenda, we are likely headed for more nastiness and division sooner or later.
Great last line, but let's dwell on the the rest. The question behind this is a good one. No, not the hyper-partisanship. That is to be expected. The question is, how do we reign in the political passions of people who have chosen a particular side? Indeed, most hyper-partisanship is shared by a relatively low number of citizens, and is likely equally represented (about 20 percent each of very active voters inhabit either side of the two ideological spectrum's - conservative/liberal - by my calculus).
The idea that is favored by certain Democrats in Congress (and at-large) seems to be the imposition of “fairness” upon talk radio. I oppose this idea because it has no Constitutional basis. It also lacks any basis in “fairness” since the imposition of such fairness excludes all other forms of media.
So for Mr. Rothenberg, I applaud him for bringing up the fact that politics has become histrionics played out in the media. However, I also know when I watch MSNBC and FOX (the latter excepted when Sheppard Smith is on) I am not viewing news, I am either foaming at the mouth disagreeing or bobbing my head in agreement. Agreement feels better, so a partisan probably watches/listens to/reads what they feel more comfortable with.
Unless all news outlets are regulated (goes against the First Amendment), government cannot selectively regulate only one. Never mind that any regulation pertaining to press runs afoul of the First Amendment.
BTW - decency was never a question for the press long ago. Then again, neither was real reporting.
Dec 1, 2008 | 8:34 PM
Category:
Political
Pardon me while I LMAO over this.
The Left has yet to reconcile the time they have with the time they think they have. Sheesh, even I was not so rooted to ideology so early...
Dec 1, 2008 | 6:50 PM
Category:
Political
Looking at President-elect Obama’s foreign policy team unveiled today, I am reminded that the world remains a dangerous place, and not just in the financial sector…
In choosing to retain Defense Secretary Robert Gates, it is an obvious bow to Secretary Gates’ competence in that post. Further, it would not be surprising if Mr. Gates had obtained assurances regarding Iraq and Afghanistan, the only two issues that remain front-and-center for the Pentagon chief, before Mr. Gates agreed to stay on during this “transition” period. How long he lasts will be predicated upon the veracity of the assurances he obtained.
What really strikes me is the Senator Hillary Clinton Secretary of State nomination. I get the media-driven talk of “a team of rivals”…the media needs something to talk about. However, nobody is talking about how Machiavellian Obama is actually acting.
First: Machiavellian.
This is cunning to the extreme. To install his former rival, Obama has virtually guaranteed her fall. Remember, Hillary’s most effective advertisement during the primary was the “3 AM” phone call. That advertisement led to Obama losing most of the remaining primary states (though Obama had wrapped up the nomination through his “Deaniac” 50-state strategy of winning the caucus states in overwhelming fashion).
In basic terms, Mrs. Clinton has given voters her credentials and voters likely believe her to be capable to do the job. When she takes the stage as Secretary of State, she will have a host of issues to deal with. She will be taking orders from President Obama. One slip-up and she is out - regardless of whether she followed President Obama‘s script. So who will be next in line (obviously assuming Mrs. Clinton fails in some glaring regard - helped by the Obama media I would suspect)? Hmmm...Oh, duh!
All it takes is a short look back to the Clinton Administration. Warren Christopher (a President Carter retread) was Bill Clinton’s Secretary of State during his first term. He was promptly booted for UN Ambassador Madeline Albright when President Clinton won reelection.
Weirdly, Hillary is about to find out that Obama foreign policy will come from the United Nations, as will her future replacement - in the form of Ms. Susan Rice. Senator/Secretary Clinton is about to suffer the same embarrassment she suffered in the primary - she will be out-Clintoned by Obama.
Nov 25, 2008 | 7:17 PM
Category:
Political
Just how far should government go in “rescuing” the economy? Well, so far we are trending toward at least a $1 Trillion deficit for this fiscal year. Come January, President Obama might increase that by another $800 Billion with a new “stimulus” package from Congress. I have never heard of a country borrowing-and-spending it’s way into prosperity, never mind taxing. Pardon me as I consult with my astrologer…
Look, there are two things certain in life: Death and Taxes. Both are inevitable for those currently breathing. Indeed, the latter is even possible for those who performed the former. Pardon me as I do a bonus consult with my medium…
Okay, that is not my purpose in this post - both my medium and my astrologer earn their pay.
Where I draw the line is outright government takeover of industry. In many ways, the current bailout avoids such language as “nationalization” or even “government industries” - but we are a toe-hold away from Argentina. We are not quite Hugo Chavez-style nationalization. We are quite close, anyhow.
Perhaps even a semantics argument away…
Nov 24, 2008 | 7:06 PM
Category:
Political
It ain't real money anyway...
That the government bailouts currently undertaken by the Bush administration are unconstitutional is a given. Indeed, such actions by government are tantamount to the grating and discordant sound of fingernails being dragged across a chalkboard as far as conservatives are concerned. That Bush might be one of said conservatives is indeed debatable.
What is also uncertain (not to mention the direction of Wall Street and other world markets) is how this current boom in confidence toward governmental economic competence will last. George Will provides a great point of reference for any future prognostication:
When prices are arbitrary, which they must be when not set by markets, you have the essence of socialism. The results must be irrationality and, eventually, corruption. Socialism is not merely susceptible to corruption; it is corruption—the allocation of wealth and opportunity by political favoritism. Under democratic socialism, such favoritism is then rewarded by financial support, by those favored, of the dispensers of favors. [Emphasis mine]
As I said not too many blog topics ago, the Democrats are in charge and their overreach is inevitable. What Mr. Will points out is that the loyal opposition has yet to find a coherent voice, a fact that will also play into how long we Republicans find ourselves in the wilderness. So far, we seem outmatched in the quarterback position.
Nov 23, 2008 | 7:49 PM
Category:
Entertainment
Marks Note: This post may be disturbing for various reasons, but that never stopped me from posting before.
Had another good day of golf today, this after finally shrugging off the last vestiges of a nasty 48-hour stomach flu. I had two highlights to my time on the course today, number one being Birdie on the number one hole (after my very effective center line drive on the second I went downhill quick).
The second highlight came on the Par 5 thirteenth, where I hit a drive over the right bunker and my golf ball took a sharp bounce to the right toward the trees. My point with this post has little to do with that other than following the path I was led upon.
Next to a bramble I found my golf ball. It was adjacent to a fully extended 5 foot Texas Rat Snake. I am quite familiar with reptiles of all sorts, and recognized the telling signs of a harmless North American indigenous snake (head nearly amorphous to neck plus large-ish size). Since I know the value of having such a rodent-reducer in the neighborhood, I used my gloved hand to grab its neck (were it to bite me it would hurt, but less so on leather) and my right hand to grasp the body, relocating it closer to the creek and around the bramble.
Most venomous snakes found in North America are pit vipers, which have a head distinctive from the neck in the form of an equilateral triangle. The distinction can be lost if the person happening upon the poor snake might not know such minutiae. It gets further muddled when said person runs screaming from the sight.
Be that as it is, my advice if you stumble upon a snake while golfing:
If it is coiled and you cannot ascertain what length it is (never mind the size of the head), take the drop after walking two (or running while screaming several) paces.
If it has bright red and yellow stripes, take the drop (however, this type of snake would literally have to chew through your glove and/or epidermis before you might be poisoned).
If there is nobody to help and/or you are in a group of helpless people, decide amongst yourselves where the hazard is alleviated. I’m not sure there is anything in the rules covering such live hazards, but again I am a bit fuzzy on golf rules to begin with…
My point is, please leave the wildlife where it is unless you know what you are doing. If you don’t know whether the snake is poisonous, don’t kill it. Even if you do know whether it is poisonous, I would argue you still not kill it.
There is not a single snake species I can identify that has a primary purpose of killing you in this hemisphere.
Take the dang drop. One stroke penalties mean something in competition. Leave it up to the judges if that is the case…
Nov 20, 2008 | 10:22 PM
Category:
Political
Why am I not surprised:
Investigators weren't able to determine whether the searches were politically motivated, the report said.
Gov. Ted Strickland suspended the agency director, Helen Jones-Kelley, for a month without pay after reviewing the findings. He rejected a request to fire her.
“Rejected a request” to fire the official responsible for the agency that conducted an irresponsible search upon one of their citizens. I truly hope “Joe the Plumber” files suit against the good Governor Strickland.
You don’t get something for nothing, and obviously the agency director failed to dredge up anything. Helen Jones-Kelley failed in her bid to sully Joe, so she got suspended. If I were living in Ohio I would be wondering how this governor allowed this to happen, and rewarded his appointee with a suspension.
Nov 19, 2008 | 7:25 PM
Category:
Political
Kathleen Parker (a Republican-ish columnist) created some waves during the general campaign by advocating for Republican Vice-Presidential Governor Sarah Palin to call it quits:
Only Palin can save McCain, her party and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.
Not content to infuriate Palin supporters, Kathleen now decides to toss a hand grenade into the party tent:
To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh. […]
Given those facts, the future of the GOP looks dim and dimmer if it stays the present course. Either the Republican Party needs a new base -- or the nation may need a new party.
I’ve been critical of this party for some time. However, common sense dictates a bit of reason be injected before surreptitiously throwing out planks from the platform. Abortion and gay marriage remain important policy and social positions for the Republican party. They do not superimpose with the planks in the Democrat planks.
While I am a bit nuanced in my views on both of those subjects (my stances regarding both put me at odds with supporters of granting full rights to said positions - to say the least) many Republicans do have an all-or-nothing attitude regarding such issues. Fine with me. Equally fine are views that don’t care. I like asparagus, others like broccoli. Great! People have different preferences!
When John McCain became the Republican nominee, his win was greeted in much the same way as the present financial crisis - it did not meet with much enthusiasm from anyone. Well, maybe that excludes Democrats who gleefully met both with high expectations for the election of presidential nominee Barack Obama. In order to counter the enthusiasm Obama generated (not to mention the huge financial disparity from Obama’s reversal - also called “flip-flop” - of accepting a publicly-funded campaign while McCain stuck to his promise for such) McCain had to offer something different from his personal resume.
Governor Sarah Palin was a smart pick. Her handlers on McCain's team thought otherwise, and for weeks we were stuck with mum from her. The only information we obtained was under the cognizance of a media in the tank for Democrat Obama. This is where Ms. Parker screwed the pooch. She bought into the narrative created by both the silence of the lambs in the McCain camp and the shrill voice of the Obama media shilling.
Whether we need a new party is simply not the issue. The question is, will our elected representatives continue to misrepresent our views? If Ms. Parker has lost hers (presumably she had no problem with the party several years past), perhaps it is best for her to search for a different party - or even no party. Honestly, I don’t care. Ms. Parker might chose to vote Wiccan (not implying she is a witch - just making a parallel argument).
That Republicans failed to usher in my foolish fantasy of limited government, lower taxes, reduced spending, - AND ABOVE ALL ZERO NATIONAL DEBT (or at minimum zero yearly deficits) are the reasons Republicans failed. Promises mean something to the Republican base. They apparently mean little to the Republican elected class, and perhaps the pundit class...
Nov 18, 2008 | 9:07 PM
Category:
Entertainment
Lost, you are an idiot. Good riddance...
Is my post personal? Much like your
McKinneyKev post is...
Just sayin'...
Nov 17, 2008 | 9:39 PM
Category:
Sports
I have been "practicing" (a loosely used term given my short time on the subject) the sport of golf since June, and still find it entertaining and challenging. Particularly the "challenging" part. After many hours on the driving range (and some serious dollars handed to a golf professional who wrongly presumed I could be taught which end of the club to swing), it seems obvious I will not shed my beginner status any time soon. I am neither surprised nor disappointed, since I do happen to be an over-the-hill kinda guy.
Still, I will celebrate milestones in my learning. This past weekend I had my best game ever. 8 out of 18 holes completed with bogey or less (alas, only one birdie) - however this was done on one of the easier courses around. The Old Course at Firewheel is quite forgiving. Nothing like the Lakes Course at the same place...
Speaking of milestones, I finished with the same golf ball I started with. For me, that is a milestone worthy of repeating.
I spent some quality time at the driving range today, and will challenge the Old Course (or even the Lakes) again soon. Here's to trying...
Nov 15, 2008 | 8:35 PM
Category:
Political
Why bother with distinctions? We should all be equal. At least, that is what we are being force-fed in today’s media hype.
I am not against same-sex unions that have every “benefit” that marriage has, I am simply against calling it marriage. Is that fair? Sure seems fair to me…
My ultimate rebuttal to the “fairness” argument by gay marriage supporters is this: Will religions who don’t condone gays be forced to perform the ceremony? Will they lose their tax-exempt status because they are “injecting” themselves into politics by refusing to adhere to federal rules requiring the performance of marriage rites to any and all who request said rites?
The government can do what they want with respect to parallel laws. However, the First Amendment should remain inviolate. Speech and religion should remain separate from governmental regulations - absent true human-rights violations (ever read the Koran and seen it applied?)…
Just to place things into context, President-elect Obama is ready to take the reigns of executive office. He lacks executive experience, but the Constitution requires the election scheme be adhered to. Fully 46% of voters felt he is not qualified to be commander-in-chief based on the popular vote, but 53% find him acceptable. Seems clear-cut to me. Obama is my president.
If he fails to adhere to the vote of 52% of Californians, how would he really govern? Oh, my…
Nov 12, 2008 | 7:45 PM
Category:
Political
Bias:
n.
a. A preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment.
b. An unfair act or policy stemming from prejudice.
Welcome to your “new” media - you know, the one that reported President-elect Obama’s leftist proclivities…Oh, sorry - I had a momentary lapse in factualism.
Anyway, knowing the media is biased does not mean we can identify every type. However, I think we have the least credible headline ever in an actual non-opinion news story:
Whales lose as top US court says Navy can keep sonar
Oh my God! The whales lost??? It wasn’t the whales that brought suit, it was leftist lawyers who figured they had plenty of donors giving them money, so they had to use those funds. They lost. Not the whales…
