Compare Texas 1836 to Iraq 2006

I recently read an article that made me think of comparisons between a fledgling new Republic of Texas in 1836 and a fledgling new Republic of Iraq in 2006. In both cases these republics are supported by volunteers from the USA. Heroic men like Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie volunteered to fight to defend the right of Texans to live free and independent of a former tyrant. Heroic men like David Petraeus and Lt Gen. Odierno volunteered to fight to defend the right of Iraqis to live free and independent of a former tyrant.

From the Alamo, Colonel Travis wrote to his countrymen the following:

Fellow citizens and compatriots: I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna--I have sustained a continual bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a man--the enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison is to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken--I have answered the demands with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the wall --
I shall never surrender or retreat.

Then, I call on you in the name of liberty, of patriotism and of everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country--Victory or Death.

Now as I understand the letter was dispatched to the small settlement of Washington-on-the-Brazos. The aid with all dispatch did not arrive and the Mexicans with overwhelming force defeated the 80 Texans at the Alamo.

Now I worry today if General Petraeus writes a similar letter to a larger settlement of Washington DC what will the Democratically controlled Congress do? If I am to believe a recently passed non-binding resolution that was passed in the House and had 56 aye votes in the Senate then they are no more help for General Petraeus than the help that Colonel Travis received. Some people would say that while the Democratic party has the majority of seats in the House there are a lot of new members of the House who are Blue Dog Conservative Democrats. My reply to those people is every member of the House Democratic party voted aye to the resolution opposing sending additional reinforcement to General Petraeus. I think that there are many similarities, and I think we need to 'remember the Alamo' when we vote in 2008.

Democratoc House Circus is back

Yes the circus is back in town now that the Democrats are in control of Congress. So we grab our box of popcorn and beverage sit back and tune into C-SPAN to watch the show. Do we listen to the speeches about a new day dawning for bipartisanship partnership and get something done instead of do-nothing? Well it is entertaining to compare the words versus the actions. The actions so far have been anything but bipartisan. These actions include new House rules that are intended to jam through legislation. Pelosi decreed that none of the early legislation would go through the normal committee process, hoping to keep her party in lockstep to enact key agenda items and boost her own and the party's national image. This means no debate and vote in committees, no amendments allowed, no closed session for discussion of classified information, and limited time for debate on the floor. Apparently some of the new committee chairmen like Charlie Rangel are not happy with Nancy's decree. It is going to be entertaining to watch the Charlie & Nancy show. Another fact to watch as this process unfolds is the vote tally for these bills that are getting jammed through. If there are less than 291 aye votes in the House then there are an insufficient number to override a veto. Of the 4 bills that so far have passed 2 of them have more than 291 ayes and 2 of them do not. I think President Bush has also been watching this tally since indications are that the 2 with insufficient votes to override a veto will be vetoed by President Bush if they reach his desk.
There is also a more sobering less entertaining aspect to this Democratic House. Instead of acts of commission I am referring to acts of omission. Watch to see issues where no action by the House is taken. For example the House can refuse to send a Bill through to fund the war. A President can not use a veto pen unless there is a Bill to veto. The same thing can later be applied to taking no action to extend tax cuts. One fact that will be difficult for the Democrats to spin is that they take ownership now for anything that is done or left undone in the Congress. Just blaming President Bush and the GOP will not fly when you are the ones in the cockpit of the Democratic Congress.

Iran The Model ... not

Iran held a midterm election recently. YAWN. The structure of Iran clearly shows that there are no free choices of candidates for the people to vote for. The grand ayatollah, supreme leader, has control of the military and the courts. A Guardian Council selects the candidates who the electorate may choose between. They know this dictatorship is the only way for them to remain in power. Similar efforts are underway in other countries throughout the world to put the mullahs in charge. It is not just a problem for these countries. It is a big problem for Israel and its biggest supporter the USA.

There is a strategy these mullahs have adopted from a menace of the past Adolph Hitler. The strategy is to brainwash through propaganda the citizenry to believe that all of their problems and misfortunes and hardships are because of the JOOOOOOOOOS. Makes it easier to keep control when people are angry and blame somebody else for all their problems.

An Iraqi blogger has a good appraisal of this situation. The money quote from his blog entry “if dictatorship remained in power, political Islam would've kept growing stronger but if I accept it as a transitional element in an inevitable stage and allow it to practice governance then performance will be the judge and the decision of the people through elections will then decide who deserves the next chance.”

One inconvenient truth that all of the antiwar folks ignore is that while Saddam was not into Islamic extremism when he took power in 1978 he most definitely was into it after we defeated him in 1991. After that he had the Iraq’s flag changed to include Islam inscription. I hope we can succeed in Iraq to secure the country from the radical extremists who want to build another theocratic dictatorship like Iran in Iraq.

Remembering our fallen

This week I read accounts about red-haired lady from California , a young man from central Ohio , and another young man from Illinois . Their lives were cut short when a roadside bomb exploded near the truck they were riding in in Ramadi, Iraq on Wednesday 12/13/06. I have the utmost sympathy and prayers for the families and friends of these soldiers. I also have the utmost gratitude and appreciation for their service and sacrifice to the USA.

I don't know what happens next with respect to course change in Iraq. I hope and pray that President Bush will stand up and fight against the defeatists. Please Mr. President, don't let the ultimate sacrifice of soldiers like these be in vain.

My words on this subject are not so great. Michael Marks has written a poem that says it best for me at this time.

A Soldier's Christmas
By Michael Marks

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight;
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight;
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep
In perfect contentment or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear;
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near;
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold;
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light,
Then he sighed and he said "It's really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line
That separates you from the darkest of times;
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

"My Gramps died at 'Pearl' on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram' always remembers;
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

"I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile;"
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red white and blue ... an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone
Away from my family, my house and my home;
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

"I can carry the weight of killing another
Or lay down my life with my sisters and brothers
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To insure for all time that this flag will not fall.

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least
Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

"For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Michael Marks
December 7th, 2000

Jay Garner talks to Darth Vader in Iraq

So it's early Monday Morning and I am trying to get enough coffee drank to wake me up. I've C-SPAN turned on a few minutes before the Washington Journal program begins, and Brian Lamb is interviewing former Iraq administrator Jay Garner. The transcript of this interview can be found here
I hear Brian ask Jay

LAMB: What’s the Darth Vader story?

My eyebrows are raised as I turn to listen to this. I am not sure if I just heard Brian speaking about our Vice President or what.

GARNER: Darth Vader?

Malcolm MacPherson, who you may or may not know, Malcolm writes for ”Time,” and he’s written several books. He was over there, and I asked him one day, I said, ”Hey, you want to go with me?” And he said, ”Sure.”

So, we went down to Al Hillah. And in Al Hillah, I had a team down there under a retired brigadier general named Buck Walters, a great guy.

And so, we were down there looking at things, and Buck says, ”Hey, Jay. Before you go back, I need to take you to talk to Darth Vader, because he wants to talk to you.”

And I said, ”Who’s that?” And he said, ”Well, he’s a pretty powerful player we got here. He runs things, and I need you to talk to him.” I said, ”OK.”

I said, ”Why do you call him Darth Vader?” He said, ”You’ll understand that when you see him.”

So, we go to the mosque and walk in, and the lesser clerics bring us, and they bring us in the room to sit down. And then Darth Vader comes in.

Now, this guy’s about the size of Shaquille O’Neal. I mean, he’s a huge man. He’s got his big, black turban on.

And he shakes my hand and just - a big old hand just wraps up around my hand. And he says, ”Please sit down.”

And so, I sat down, and he said, ”I’m glad you came to see me.” He said, ”Do you have any questions?” I said, ”Yes, sir, I do.”

I'm not going to put any more of the transcript out on this diary. I highly recommend that you read it for yourself. I am not going to call Jay a liar. Time magazine could call him out on it if he lied. What I really think though is that this Darth Vader said some of the best stuff that I have heard from anyone with respect to rebuilding Iraq. I wish that Jay had told President Bush about this meeting. The Darth Vader dude went off the deep end a little at the end. Still it is one awesome story.

A Connecticutt Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

A Connecticutt Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Lately I have been thinking a lot about where US Presidents come from. I refer to both their birthplace and their political philosophy. I used Google and came up with this site. It revealed to me that President George W. Bush is the only US President who was born in Connecticutt.

There are some especially here at RS that prefer to associate President Bush with Texas. There is a wish, a strong desire I also have for this cowboy CINC to lead the way the Texans lead here . Unfortunately, this President does not have the breeding and genes of those Texans. I will accept that living in Texas for so many years maybe some of this spirit could have rubbed off onto President Bush.

Connecticutt reminds me of a wonderful Mark Twain novel . This satire while a work of fiction is very much a reminder of the real problems that humanity faces. The novel reminds me of the similarities between the good intentions. One section of analysis of Mark Twain’s work that especially seems apropos to President Bush is this”

“Training v. Nature: A theme central to all of Twain's satires is the question of the power of training against an inherent human nature. On most levels, Hank Morgan believes that training and influence determine the good or bad outcome of a society; his project of civilization is based on the belief that he can train the English people to think and thus, live differently. But he is at a loss to explain why, despite training, people revert to foolish and destructive practices.. Even after giving them a new world of technological and economic improvement, Hank finds that this is insufficient to keep them from abandoning his system for the Church's favor.”

If you replace Hank Morgan with President George W. Bush, and English with Iraqi I think you have described the current circumstance that we have in Iraq.

I searched some more with Google about historical rankings of US Presidents . The number 1 is Abraham Lincoln, the only President born in Kentucky. Therefore being the only one from any particular state can sometimes work out quite well for us. Nobody knows the future, but if the 2008 election is between Obama and McCain we will have elected either the first President from Hawaii, (Obama), or the first president born in the Panama Canal zone, (McCain). There is still 2 years to go, and hopefully some better choices for the US between now and then.

A 9-10-01 State of Mind

In recent days when I surf the web at Lucianne or Red State I feel like the majority of the topics of discussion are 9-10-01 types of things. There is a lot of talk about Walmart and JonBenet Ramsey. There are new developments in Iran and Syria that I haven't seen enough disccusion about. On July 24, 2006 an article was published pooh-poohing people for being islamophobes. Thankfully today another article appeared, and it does an excellent job of 'fisking' the other article. One of the money quotes from the fisking article follows:

"Mr. Walker's essay belongs to that large and growing genre of fiction, the political fairytale. The aim of such works is not to put its readers to sleep, but to soothe them into acquiescence. This it does in two ways. First, it tells people what they want to hear--the threat of radical Islam is overstated by irresponsible purveyors of hysteria. Second, it flatters their moral vanity: you, Dear Reader, are a good liberal and know that there is no political problem that cannot be solved by good will and a willingness to negotiate and see the other chap's point of view.
But wait: What is the other chap's point of view? I have always admired this frank observation by Hussein Massawi, a former Hezbollah leader: "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something, We are fighting to eliminate you." Point noted. "

I hope that we do not get complacent and lose our focus on what is really important. It is an election year, and there will be all kinds of attempts by the msm to frame the news that we get in the hopes getting the election results the msm wants. Please let's not be lulled to sleep. Now, especially now we need to remain focussed.

Who Do You Trust?

The people who are supporting the nominee Ned Lamont have made their feelings known with the pictures. Am I the only person who thinks that this is way outside the bound of decency? I do not live in Connecticutt. I do not have a dog in this fight. If the people of Connecticutt truly approve of the demonizing that is done to their Senator, then I am speechless. I do not know what I can say.

Bodyguard of Lies

BODYGUARD OF LIES

The recent front page stories of the NY Times, LA Times, Wall St Journal remind me of this book that I read a while back. The author published this book in 1975, 30 years after WWII. It is a very fine book, and I hightly recommend it. However, it would have been terrible if it had been written in 1944. That is my outrage with today's crop of news journalists. Today the newspapers in the USA do not have an ounce of respect for the US government. They are more interested in high-5 ing each other about their Pulitzer prizes than they are in showing any respect for the country that they live in that affords them the opportunities and benefits that they so richly do NOT deserve. If somebody writes an article or a book 30 years after the war with the jihadists is over that describes the deceptions etc, then I do not have any problem with that writer whatsoever. However if that writer is putting his article in a newspaper while we are still fighting then I have a lot of problems with that. I do not have a solution in mind that I think is really going to change anything. I do not expect these newspapers to shame themselves into showing any respect. I do not expect to see the US government come down on these newspapers like a ton of bricks. I do have a faint glimmer of hope that the patriots in the USA who still have respect for this country will simply stop advertising in these papers and buying these papers. If the financial markets come down on these newspapers like a ton of bricks, then that will be more effective than any nonbinding resolution from the Congress or statement from the White House.

President Reagan's unfinished business

President Reagan's unfinished business

I highly recommend reading this article of a speech President Reagan gave after he had left office. Almost 15 years later it is just as accurate if not even more so than when he delivered it. Everyone likes to talk about term limits or abolishing the Electoral College. Some people like to talk about new campaign finance reform regulations. All of this talk is a smokescreen pile of hooey. What we really need is a Constitutional amendment that calls for the U.S. Congress to balanced budget spending limits. What we need is a BRAC like program to take politics out of the equation and create Congressional districts from computer models that reflect populations. Don't allow the computer models to take party affiliation, religious affiliation, or ethnic affiliation into consideration. Just make the districts equal to groups of people who live next to each other. President Reagan is my personal hero and most favorite President. It is very unfortunate for the USA that he was not able to live to see the changes made. Sadly I do not see anyone in the current crop of politicians to grab this baton and run with it.

My Vote Counts

My Vote Counts

Well, it’s time for mid term elections again. Once again I feel like Charlie Brown preparing to kick the ball that Lucy is holding in place. I can rationalize my vote decision and once again fall flat on my back when the “Lucy” politician pulls the ball back. Or I can vote for the outsider. I read all kinds of article where people opine that we need to vote for the lesser of 2 evils. I understand what they are selling, and I am not buying it anymore. I don’t claim to be the sharpest tool on the shelf, but I have found a pretty good road map here. These are bought and paid for by Soros. I do not vote for them. I also look at this , this , this , this , and this site for information about any additional politicians who are not listed on the first web site. I hope that I can be a better person than my liberal acquaintances if the conservatives are removed from power. I do not understand a mindset that puts party politics ahead of love of country. There are liberals who simply are opposed to everything that conservatives do. There is not even a consideration about what is being done. All of the energy and hate is just about who is doing it. For that reason I do not want to whine about any hypocrisy. If they do think and act in a matter that is a benefit to my country while their guy is in power, then I am OK with that type of hypocrisy. Happy Easter and God Bless America.

Immigration or 'Wetback Go Home'

Immigration or Wetbacks Go Home

Let’s talk about it already. Lately there is so much hyperventilating and bloviating on this topic. If we could bottle up the bilge and bile we would solve our energy problems. Let me try to sort out the truth and the bullshit.

1. The problem with these people is a national security problem worse than what happened on September 11, 2001.

This is bullshit. These people are not coming to the United States because they are terrorists. The terrorists do not come from this sociological set of folks. These people are just looking to live a better life.

2. The problem with these people is a national economy problem. Our economy depends on these people doing jobs for less money than anybody. We can’t afford to lose the cheap labor.

There is some truth in that the problem is about the economy instead of national security. However, there can be an immigration plan implemented to allow people to legally immigrate to America. If businesses can implement plans to safeguard bank accounts for people, then I am sure the businesses can implement plans to safeguard jobs for people.

3: The problem with these people is that we need to build a wall on the border to keep them out. We need to put a gate in this wall to allow guest workers to pass through it.

This is bullshit. Building a wall is one gigantic waste of taxpayer money. A wall will not stop people. Requiring employers to safeguard jobs will stop people. If they can not make any more money until they are documented then it will slow down the number of people sneaking into the country. I don’t like the idea of guest worker because of the problems it causes with loyalty and patriotism. Let’s say they don’t want to immigrate to America because they are still loyal and patriotic to their country. Fine. Stay home and make your country a better country. If there is one thing this country does not need it is any more people living here that have no loyalty or patriotic national pride for the USA.

4. The problem with these people is that there are already over 11 million of them that are in the USA. We can not round up this many people and deport them.

This is true, but so what!! We don’t need to hunt them down, round them up, and ship them out of here. They got here and they will find a way out of here. We have history of ‘Trail of Tears’ marches that we absolutely do not need to repeat.

These are my opinions. I love immigrants. I want my country to run an immigration program like an efficient business. Right now this country runs the immigration program horribly. Then we have “reformers” politicians that want to make every person who tries to get a legal immigration visa feel like a chump. America, we can do better.

Madrassa USA

Madrassa USA

It’s getting real interesting lately in the news. There is a lot of hate speech against President Bush. I wonder if anyone sees the irony of haters using the same tactics to promote their hatred that arabs use in their madrassas.
Here is a report about an arab madrassa in Virginia. Islamic Saudi Academy is located in Fairfax County's old Mt. Vernon High School, named for George Washington's home but now owned by Saudis. The Washington Post recently reported on ISA. Although reporters were not allowed to attend classes they did manage to interview some students. Several students of different ages, all of whom asked not to be identified, said that in Islamic studies, they are taught that it is better to shun and even to dislike Christians, Jews and Shiite Muslims.
Some teachers "focus more on hatred" said one teenager, who recited by memory the signs of the coming Day of Judgment [when Jesus will return to lead Muslims in killing all Jews, according to Islam]. "They teach students that whatever is kuffar [non-Muslim], it is okay for you" to hurt or steal from that person.
Here is a report about a public high school in Colorada. Controversy over a high school teacher's comparison of President Bush to Adolf Hitler erupted into a day of turmoil Thursday — with a student protest, a threatened lawsuit and dueling talk shows.
At the center of the storm was Overland High School teacher Jay Bennish, whose lecture in a world geography class last month also included harsh words about capitalism, U.S. foreign policy and the invasion of Iraq.

Let me paraphrase… Several Colorado student, all of whom asked not to be identified, said that in high school teacher Bennish’s classroom, they are taught that it is better to shun and even to dislike Republicans.

Jay Bennish “focuses more on hatred” said Sean Allen, who tape recorded the teacher’s rant about the President State of the Union speech. He teaches students that whatever is Republican, it is okay for you to hurt or steal from that person.

Teach! Don’t Preach! or Free Speech!

I hope that enough wise people in the USA listen and read carefully news as we get more and more wrapped up in upcoming elections for 2006 and 2008.

The world is a global village

The world is a global village

It is interesting to read news articles from around the world, and discover similar patterns of human behavior by different countries, cultures, and societies. For example, in September of 2005 a newspaper in Denmark published cartoons that muslims think are offensive. In October of 2005 a US board approved a business deal that involved US port terminal management by a British company selling their business to a United Arab Emirate company. The interesting similarity is that in both of these cases widespread protests and hysteria did not happen for 4 or 5 months! I think politics are the engine that drives and manufacture all of this protest and hysteria.

I have read news analysis that suggests Osama Bin Laden became incensed when McDonald’s brought their restaurant franchise to Saudi Arabia. There are a lot of news articles where US politicians are incensed about foreigners from arab countries doing business in the USA. And the difference in Bin Laden and Hillary Clinton is……..

I do not agree with my president on everything. I hope that the road he has been leading us down, ie bringing democracy to the arab world, does not lead us off of a cliff. I worry that Mark Steyn is right, and we will have a new world global village that is muslim. Time will tell.

Not Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Mark Steyn
for one makes a very compelling analysis how 'Stuck on Stupid' western liberal progressive people have become. Here are just a couple of excerpts...
"There are many trouble spots around the world, but as a general rule, it's easy to make an educated guess at one of the participants: Muslims vs. Jews in "Palestine," Muslims vs. Hindus in Kashmir, Muslims vs. Christians in Africa, Muslims vs. Buddhists in Thailand, Muslims vs. Russians in the Caucasus, Muslims vs. backpacking tourists in Bali. Like the environmentalists, these guys think globally but act locally."

"The jihad has held out a long time against very tough enemies. If you're not shy about taking on the Israelis, the Russians, the Indians and the Nigerians, why wouldn't you fancy your chances against the Belgians and Danes and New Zealanders?

"So the jihadists are for the most part doing no more than giving us a prod in the rear as we sleepwalk to the cliff. When I say "sleepwalk," it's not because we're a blasé culture. On the contrary, one of the clearest signs of our decline is the way we expend so much energy worrying about the wrong things. If you've read Jared Diamond's bestselling book "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed," you'll know it goes into a lot of detail about Easter Island going belly up because they chopped down all their trees. Apparently that's why they're not a G-8 member or on the U.N. Security Council. Same with the Greenlanders and the Mayans and Diamond's other curious choices of "societies." Indeed, as the author sees it, pretty much every society collapses because it chops down its trees.

Poor old Diamond can't see the forest because of his obsession with the trees. (Russia's collapsing even as it's undergoing reforestation.) One way "societies choose to fail or succeed" is by choosing what to worry about."

Jonah Goldberg
for another example of how 'Stuck on Stupid' the US political wonks have become. Please God, save America from all of the misguided reformers. Here is an excerpt...

"There’s an ancient cliché in Washington that the real crime isn’t what’s illegal but what’s legal. Campaign-finance “reform” is usually the most fertile soil for this cliché. Politicians complain that focusing on enforcement of existing laws misses the “big picture.” The whole “system” is corrupt.

And they are largely correct. Not just on campaign finance, but in terms of corporate involvement in politics across the board. The problem is that liberals and others wearing the “reformer” label consistently offer the wrong remedy for the right diagnosis. They want more regulation, more oversight, more government. This has it backwards.

If you think someone is hugging you too hard, what do you do? You push him away. You don’t hug him back. And yet, it is considered the height of enlightened policymaking to say that, in answer to corporate America’s bear hug, Washington should hug back twice as hard.

If you want to know why business takes such an interest in Washington, the answer can be found in your low-flow toilet, in the warning labels adorning your cars, in your 8 zillion page tax returns. It can be found while you wait on hold trying to get a human to answer your questions about your health insurance. And the answer is most certainly somewhere in your box of cereal, made with grains subsidized by Uncle Sam and coated in sugar that has no business being grown in the United States of America. Corporations meddle in Washington because Washington meddles with them.

It is simply naive to believe that a businessman will have no interest in politics when politicians have taken a great interest in him. And it is grotesquely unfair to assume that businesspeople are corrupt simply because they want to support politicians less inclined to hurt them.

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates used to brag that he barely spent a dime on lobbying — “I live in the other Washington,” he liked to say. But the very moment that government — federal and state — tried to tear apart his company, Gates abandoned his view that the New Economy could ignore the Old Politics. Now D.C. is awash in Microsoft lobbyists. Wal-Mart is only now learning the same lesson. If you don’t get in the game, you might be regulated out of it.

Of course, not all businesses that support politicians of either party are doing it out of self-protection. Some are merely rent-seeking opportunists. Some are both. Sugar growers, for example, have ripped off taxpayers and consumers to the tune of billions. If government stopped protecting the industry from competition, it would mostly disappear and stop gouging us at the same time.

Liberals think Republicans are living up to their principles when they get cozy with fat cats. The reality is that Republicans betray their principles when they give fat cats a reason to come to Washington to begin with."

Peace on Earth

Merry Christmas to all. This is especially a difficult phrase for me to say this year when I have politics on my mind. This is why I chose to place the Peanuts comic strip of Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the football. Charlie Brown represents We, The People, and Lucy represents Them, the politicians. The football represents the hopes and dreams of all the years. We the People think that our hopes and dreams will be achieved, Them the politicians then take that football away from us. I believe there are differences between liberals and conservatives. I believe there is not a dime's worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats. They are all suckling from the same BIG MONEY tit of lobbyists. There needs to be a change of rules in the legislative branch of the US government. I do not want term limits for Senators and Congressmen. I want the rules they are working under to change so much that people will only want to serve in Congress for a short time. How can this be done you might ask. Well, for one thing all of these Congress critters and their staff could be limited to receiving money only for the periods of time that they are in legislative session. Second, run a tight schedule, and keep a fixed time for legislative sessions. Third, appeal the 1989 ethics rule that prohibits these congress critters from working in an honest job earning an honest wage. Fourth, consider adding congress critters to the House of Representatives to reflect a fairer ratio of population the congress critter. I do not think it is a good news to know that there are more K Street Republicans in Washington DC. I would prefer to see more 'For Rent' and For Sale' signs on K Street. I am not a Scrooge. I love my country, and I support every man, woman, and child who are freely pursuing an honest life and happiness. I want a small government that protects the freedom of its people. I don't want a big government that operates a giant Corporate Welfare operation. My problem with Corporate Welfare operations is not based on the US taxes. My problems with the Corporate Welfare operation are based on the entitlement subsidies for everything under the sun. This is why I think if the Democrats get back in charge things will basically remain the same. Nobody will change the Corporate
Welfare subsides operations. Anyway, I want to close wishing a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

To Serve and Protect

It’s Veteran’s Day, and it is autumn in the circle city. This is a time to reflect on veterans and the turning of the leaves. I also can sense a ‘turning’ in the body politic in the USA. Next year is a mid-term election. There are many who are very excited, and I am not one of them. I do not get excited about whether the ‘donkeys’ or the ‘elephants’ win elections just for winnings sake. When I opine I believe in what I am writing, and to me the ideas are more important than anything else. Some people seem to think that winning and getting the power is more important than holding firm ideas and convictions. I disagree with them. I am a ‘small government’ kind of guy, and I expect only for the government to serve and protect me. I do not expect the government to support me from cradle to grave. I do not expect the government to provide me with food, clothes, a car, a house, art, entertainment, energy, medicine, and education. These are things that a parent is expected to provide their children. I am an adult, and I have the liberty and freedom to work and earn money that will provide me with my needs. There are other countries in the world like Cuba where the government is the provider for the people. I do not want to see my country become like Cuba. There is a big hatred for the conservatives right now in the USA. I am afraid that many of the conservative beliefs such as an ‘ownership society’ and ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ are going to be put down. The USA is going to become more like Cuba and Spain, and less like Australia and Japan. I hope I am wrong, and I fear that I am right.

The World is moving FAST

The world just keeps moving so fast. I have got some catching up to do since I last posted on September 21st. Since that time there have been all kinds of political firestorms brewing over Scooter Libby, Harriet Miers, Valerie Plame, a referendum over an Iraq constitution, Sam Alito, Latin America free trade, and blazing cities in France. Throughout the course of all of these events it is almost breathtaking for me to read how completely unhinged and over the top are some of the reactions to this news. Let’s just all take a collective deep breath and slowly exhale. Feel better now? OK, let’s first come to terms with war.
1) The United States is currently not at war with any other country in the world. We are not at war with Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, or North Korea.
2) We do have an ongoing war against criminals led by a group called Al Quaeda. This group once upon a time had a country that they could use as a base of operations, Afghanistan.
3) President Bush does not want to see this group of criminals acquire a country that they can rely on as a base of operations. This is why the commander-in-chief has deployed the troops into Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and along the border between North and South Korea.
4) All of the unhinged pundits who are screaming for Bush to bring our troops home are in effect cheering for Al Quaeda and the criminals to win the war.

I have a great deal of respect for people who are critical for how the Bush administration has waged war against Al Quaeda criminals. I have absolutely no respect for anyone who thinks the war should not be waged at all, and that we simply should leave Al Quaeda alone. Al Quaeda and their minions are currently in Iraq, Spain, France, England, Holland, Somalia, the Sudan, the Phillipines, and Indonesia. They have this Hitler-like frame of mind that the Jew must be wiped off the face of the earth, and the Arabs are the Master Race that must have a Caliphate ruling over the entire planet.

Laying out my sentiments about the war is the most important to me. I have a few thoughts about Harriet Miers and Sam Alito and Latin American free trade agreements, and I am less strident in my opinions. On the supreme nominations I think that President Bush first tried to thread the needle between the liberals and the conservative sides. I think that elections matter, and I expect a liberal president will appoint a liberal judge, and a conservative president will appoint a conservative judge. The country has become very polarized between the liberals and the conservatives, and now that the genie is out of the bottle the fight can not be avoided. On the Latin America free trade I very much support President Bush’s approach to be polite instead of confrontational. It really is a choice of ideology versus business. If you are confrontational then the ideology is the matter that is paid close attention. If you are simply polite, then the common sense business is paid close attention.

I will try to post more often, and meanwhile I wish that the world could become a little more calm and move a little slower.

LEADERSHIP

I have read and appreciated the book by Irving Stone, Men To Match My Mountains. I have never read the book by I. Peter, The Peter Principle, but I understand the feelings some people have that this principle is in effect. In these early days of this 21^st century the USA has experienced disasters from terrorists and Mother Nature of epic proportions. What really troubles me about this is that too many people are merely reacting and commenting about who should be at fault and what should be done after a catastrophe has occurred. I wish that there would be more attention paid to electing mayors and Governors and a President who are wealthy with leadership preparedness before any kind of catastrophe occurs. I wish that we could be as knowledgeable when we vote as we are when we buy a vehicle. Before we buy the vehicle the vehicle had to be tested and reports are available on how well the vehicle performed in the tests. Why can’t men and women who are candidates for mayor, Governor, or President be tested? I understand there could be National Security issues with full disclosure of each man and woman’s performance, but why can’t we know if they participated in the tests or not? I don’t think that it is too much to ask people who want to be elected to positions of executive power to spend some time being tested in a simulation of a crisis. If we can elect people into these offices who have a wealth of leadership in communications, command and control many lives could be saved that may otherwise be lost immediately after the catastrphe hits.

The War in Iraq

The War in Iraq

It’s All About Oil?

It’s All About Religion?

My country, the United States of America, is fighting a war in Iraq. The Congress voted to go to war. Now approximately 2,000 men and women have died in this war. Some Americans are starting to protest against our continuing to wage war.

One argument that does not sound very convincing to me is that President Bush lied to the Congress about Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction that would result in a clear and present danger to the USA. I am not convinced by this argument because almost everyone in the world thought that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Are they trying to tell me that President Bush is more intelligent than almost everyone else on the planet, and he knew that Saddam did not have any weapons, and he lied to Congress about this? I don’t think so.

The next argument is that this war is all about oil. The businessmen in multinational oil companies are roundly vilified as being personally responsible for getting the US in a war in Iraq so that they could make huge profits from Iraqi oil. I am also having some trouble connecting the dots on this explanation. How do these businessmen know how this is going to end? War is Hell. Bad things can happen in wars including destruction of oil fields. Remember Kuwait?

The next argument is that this war is all about religion. It seems like these days that it is extremely popular to take swipes at politicians and leaders who are openly religious. I can understand a resentment for some of the things that this guy and this guy say and do. However, I do not blame the religion. Remember that Jesus, Allah, Jehovah, or Bhudda are not saying or doing these things that are bad. People are saying and doing bad things in the Name of Jesus, Allah, Jehovah, or Bhudda. That is a BIG difference. The other important thing to remember is that there have been wars fought around the Mesopotamia region of the world before the religion of Christianity, ISLAM, and Bhuddism were practiced.

My argument for why we are fighting a war over there is that we need to keep the evil jihadist terrorists from ever again getting as powerful as they most recently were. I do not want the Taliban to return to power in Afghanistan or take over the power that is up for grabs in Iraq with the toppling of Saddam. The USA is the most powerful nation in the world, and no other country can do as much as we can to prevent the evil jihadist from grabbing power. Also a victory in the Mesopotamia for the USA will reverberate out of Iraq to the neighboring countries and even Africa. I do not like war, but this is a war that we have to win. The consequences of losing this war are just too unacceptable to consider.

You can get some pretty good historical information about the Mesopotamian region here. This is an exerpt from this web site:

It was therefore over a crippled and impoverished land that Osee ruled as a vassal-King. For relief from this galling pressure he turned to Egypt, the only nation that could then pretend to cope with Assyria. He ceased paying the annual tribute and allied himself with Sua (So), a ruler of Lower Egypt, and Hanan, a Philistine prince of Gaza. The expedient was a ruinous failure; Egypt, always a false friend of Israel, deserted Osee. Tiglath-pileser's successor, Shalmaneser (the fourth of the name), having learned of this conspiracy, came down upon the Kingdom of Israel and made Osee a prisoner. But the patriotic revolt was a national one and survived the king's capture. Samaria, the capital, held out desperately against a besieging Assyrian army for three years, and was not taken till 722 B.C., Sargon II having meanwhile succeeded Shalmaneser. It was the death-blow of the Kingdom of Israel. An Assyrian inscription found in the ruins of Sargon's palace at Nineveh informs us that he carried away 27,290 of the people. War, famine, and earlier deportations must have much reduced the population. To fill the place of the dead and exiled Israelites, Sargon brought in among the remnant Babylonians and other pagan peoples from conquered lands. The Northern Kingdom became the Assyrian province of Samaria, and from the intermarriage of its various races arose the Samaritans. Out the depopulation of the former kingdom of its natives was far from complete. The bulk of the populace, composed of the poorer and least influential inhabitants, was allowed to remain, so that we read in the Assyrian monuments of a later futile effort of Hamath, Arpad, Simnira, Damascus, and "Samarina", i.e. samaria, to shake off the lordship of Sargon. (Schrader, keilinschriftliche Bibliothek, II, 56, 57.) But the Israelitic stock left in the land was gradually merged into the composite race of Samaritans.

(2) The Ten Tribes in Exile

The exiles were settled by their conquerors "in Halah and Habor [a river] by the river of Gozan, in the cities of the Medes". Their colonies were therefore in the heart of Northern Mesopotamia and in Western Persia, then subject to Assyria. In Mesopotamia, or Assyria proper, the Israelites were assigned to the region centring about the city of Nisibis, which is mentioned by Josephus as their leading settlement. The exiled of the Ten Tribes remained and multiplied, never returning to Palestine. (See authorities cited by Schurer in art. "Diaspora" in sup. vol. of Hastings' Bib. Dict., 92.) Wellhausen and others who assume that the banished Israelites of the Northern Kingdom lost their identity and disappeared in the surrounding population regard the explicit testimony to the contrary of Josephus in his "Antiquities": "the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates until now, and are an immense multitude [myriades apeiroi), not to be estimated by members." We may well believe that the swarming Hebrew population of Southern Russia is composed in large part of descendants of the Israelites expatriated in Northern Assyria and the regions south of the Caspian. No particulars of the lot of these transplanted inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom have reached us. We may only surmise from the manner in which they multiplied that their situation was at least a tolerable one.