From the fact that people are very different it follows that, if we treat them equally, the result must be inequality in their actual position, and that the only way to place them in an equal position would be to treat them differently. Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict with each other; and we can achieve either one or the other, but not both at the same time
Sara was talking to her liberal friend's 9-year-old daughter. When the young girl said she wanted to be President of the United States, Sara asked, "If you were to be the President, what would be the first thing you would do?'
The young girl replied, 'I'd give food to all the homeless people."
"Wow, that's a worthy goal." Said Sara. "But you don't have to wait until you're President to take care of the homeless. Why don't you can come over to my house tomorrow and mow the lawn, pull the weeds, and sweep my driveway for which I'll pay you $50? Then I'll take you over to the corner where the homeless guys hang out. You can give him the $50 to buy food."
The daughter thought this over and, while the Mom glared at Sara, the girl asked, "Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work himself, and you could pay him the $50 directly?"
Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae's former chief executive officer, OFHEO's report shows that over half of Mr. Raines' compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac. The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform. For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs–and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay. I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole. I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation.
The legislation was blocked by a Democrat filibuster.
I'll get right to the point: You are in danger of squandering an election most of us thought was unlosable. The reason is simple: on the electorate's most important concern – the economy -- you have no clear message, and John McCain has filled the void with his own.
What's interesting about this letter is that it appears in the Democratic Strategist. For those of you unfamiliar with this publication, here is their quoted Editorial Policy:
The Democratic Strategist will be clearly focused on developing political strategies for promoting Democratic candidates and issues. It will be proudly and avowedly partisan, aimed at achieving an enduring Democratic majority.
The Democratic Strategist will be firmly and insistently based on facts and data. It will seek strategies rooted in empirical research from the fields of public opinion research, political demography and other social sciences and will avoid empty rhetoric and abstract theorizing.
Senator Hillary Clinton withdrew her acceptance to a Jewish protest of the latest Ahmadinejad visit to the U.N. The reason: Because Sara Palin is also on the agenda to speak. Evidently, Senator Clinton...
...pulled out of a Jewish-sponsored rally against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad upon learning that Sarah Palin would participate.
Organizers announced Tuesday that Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate and Alaska governor, will speak at the Sept. 22 rally organized by several Jewish groups to protest the Iranian president at the United Nations.
When Clinton aides were informed by reporters that Palin also would be participating, they became angry and said the New York senator would not participate, The Associated Press reported.
According to Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines
"Her attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event. Sen. Clinton will therefore not be attending."
The message of the protest was weakened in favor of the very thing that the Democrats decry, i.e., petty partisanship. Clearly, Clinton is using partisanship as an excuse for avoiding appearing with Palin. How nice would it have been to see strong representatives from each political party protesting the looming disaster that is Iran and its U.N. enablers.
Here's as good a summary of how AIG got into trouble as I've read:
AIG also wrote insurance policies for subprime mortgages and mortgage-backed securities for the banking community. What were they insuring? They were offering insurance against the possibility that the holders of those mortgages would default. Which as you know by now, they have. Selling such policies turned out be a very poor business decision.
...wasn't because a lot of consumers would have lost their homeowners' policies or life insurance. If AIG had gone under, those profitable parts of AG's business portfolio would have been scarfed up by eager third parties before sundown. To give you ... the Reader's Digest version of things, the parts of AIG that write consumer policies are essentially a separate company from the part that's in trouble.
Even tho' Barnett's article is about Obama's manifest ignorance of financial markets, you should read this for the excellent summary of AIG's mismanagement.
... Probably. The good news is that the race is too close to call but, looking at the trajectory of the polls, McCain's is trending positive, Obama's negative. For more details, check out Richard Baehr's really great analysis over at American Thinker.
"Each class or course in comprehensive sex education in any of grades K through 12 shall include instruction on the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including the prevention, transmission and spread of HIV."
Obama's explanation is that he supported this bill because it addressed the problem of inappropriate touching of children in Kindergarten through 6th grade. Giving Obama the benefit of the doubt, perhaps this is what he thought the bill accomplished, but the fact remains that the bill's intention was to mandate sex education, especially concerning contraception and the prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases, for children before the sixth grade and as early as kindergarten.
As sex goes up in social estimation, love goes down. The trouble with love is that it narrows your options and endangers your independence. If you loved a man, you might actually want to put up with, or even admire, his ways. You may be sure that I am not the first one to notice that feminist women are unerotic.
If none of what I am saying were true, feminists would be welcoming Sarah Palin with embraces as warm as they are capable of. They should be happy that their cause has spread to conservatives and become bipartisan. In fact, they see the Palin choice as a gross deceit, and their response is close to fury. Doesn't this suggest that feminism is not in behalf of the women's movement--but rather to promote radical adventures above and beyond its concern for women?
Recall how Sara Palin was asked to explain her "God on our side" statement. Her answer was that, like President Lincoln before her, she was praying/hoping that God was on our side -- not, as a plain understanding of her words revealed, an assertion that God was on our side [in the war in Iraq].
On the other hand, there is this exchange over at Belief.net:
Q: Is it difficult in the rough and tumble of campaign politics to stick to that, to live out your faith? And can you talk about whether you have a favorite prayer or what you pray about?
Obama: The prayer that I tell myself every night is a fairly simple one: I ask in the name of Jesus Christ that my sins are forgiven, that my family is protected and that I am an instrument of God's will. I'm constantly trying to align myself to what I think he calls on me to do. And sometimes you hear it strongly and sometimes that voice is more muted.
What if Palin had said she was an instrument of God's will? The truth is that neither Palin's nor Obama's understanding of God's will is inconsistent with the Judeo-Christian concept of doing God's will. But, in the sweaty humidity of the lefty fever swamps, Palin's is evidence of a dark heart.
"You can argue that nobody is ready to be president. You can argue that even if you've been vice president for eight years, that no one can be fully ready for the pressures of the office." -- Bill Clinton
This Too Will Pass -- The Investor's Business Daily has a thoughtful piece on what happens when big-name investment banks and/or brokerages go under. That's right, this has happened before and history should be our guide. According to the editorial,
...what's happening now is quite normal in a financial system characterized by booms that lead to excesses that then require corrections before any renewal takes place. We'd be hard-pressed to remember a bear market when one or more financial firms didn't go out of business.
As for my own thoughts, Gibson's understanding of the Bush Doctrine is that America has a right to pre-emptive self-defense. Bush Doctrine? I'm sorry, but every sovereign nation that has ever existed claims this doctrine as a sovereign right. How can this be the "Bush Doctrine"? Anyway, read Prager's and Krauthammer's thoughts.
Vox's HollywoodTrenches's blog has an interesting take on how [news] directors (such as those at ABC, etc.,) set up their camera angles to emphasize relationships between the actors and/or participants.
McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain's encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He's an avid fan - Ted Williams is his hero - but he can't raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball.
"Our economy wouldn't survive without the Internet, and cyber-security continues to represent one our most serious national security threats," [Obama spokesman Dan] Pfeiffer said. "It's extraordinary that someone who wants to be our president and our commander in chief doesn't know how to send an e-mail."
The controversy surrounding McCain's computer illiteracy arose from an Obama Ad Mocking John McCains Age and lack of technical know-how
Gas Pricing For Idiots
Gas prices are spiking through the roof due to shortages caused first by Gustav and now Ike. In Atlanta, gas prices have shot to almost $6.00 per gallon! Of course, politicians are already calling for investigations into price gouging. Republicans (who should know better) and Democrats (most of whom choose to remain ignorant) are complicit. Well, here's the chance for you to elevate your understanding above that of the political class. Gas pricing is beautifully and elegantly explained over at Shots Across The Bow.
The End of Partisanship or "Yeah, What He Said"
"A small town mayor has very great responsibilities," McCain said. "Have responsibility for the budget. They have hiring and firing of people. They have great responsibilities. They have to stand for election. I admire mayors. Listen, mayors have the toughest job ... in America. It's easy for me to go to Washington and, frankly, be somewhat divorced from the day-to-day challenges people have. So, I admire mayors. I admire anyone who is willing to serve their community and their country."
-- John McCain
"We've had an awful lot of small town mayors at the Democratic Convention, I assure you," Obama said. "I meet them all the time. The mayors have some of the toughest jobs in the country because that's where the rubber hits the road. You know, we yak in the Senate. They actually have to fill potholes and trim trees and make sure the garbage is taken away."
Sara Palin's response to the question of whether she was ready to be Vice President. This, I think, may be a quintessential teaching moment because her answer highlights a fundamental difference between the left and conservativism. For the liberal, blinking is a sign of wisdom. For the conservative not blinking is a sign of resolve. Or so writes E.L. Burton in the American Thinker.
That mankind can measurably effect Global Warming (aka Climate Change) by controlling CO2 emissions has not been empirically shown. Indeed, the concentration of anthropogenic CO2 (and therefore its climate changing ability) is insignificant compared to the effect of water vapor.
However, an empirical argument for the influence of CO2 has been advanced that, based on ice-core data, seem to show a correlation between CO2 concentrations from ice cores and subsequent temperature increase. Al Gore presents data from these researchers that are thought to demonstrate the effect of recent human activity to a rise in dissolved CO2 and a concommitant rise in global temperature.
A number of climate scientists dispute these conclusions and, in the video below, these scientists dispute the claims made by Al Gore.
THEN OPINION The conclusion that temperature change precedes a corresponding CO2 concentration change contradicts the argument that changes in anthropogenic CO2 concentration lead to changes in climate.
The Global Warming (now called "Climate Change") debate centers on the question of whether anthropogenic CO2 (i.e., CO2 produced by humans) exerts a measureable change in climate. CO2 is a green-house gas (GHG), so called because CO2 molecules trap heat in the atmosphere, much like a blanket traps heat when wrapped around a baby in a crib.
Of the GHGs, the most significant is water vapor constituting about 95% of the total GHG concentration in the earth's atmosphere. CO2 is the next most concentrated GHG at about 3.6% of all GHGs. The other GHGs (e.g., methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorocarbons) make up the rest.
The contribution of the various GHGs is shown pictorally in the bar graph to the left.
95% is due to water vapor. Virtually 100% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is naturally produced.
Anthropogenic CO2, constituting 3.6% of all GHGs, contributes approximately 0.117% to green-house effect.
The total human contribution to the green-house effect is approximately 0.28%.
As shown in the graph above, the effect of GHGs on climate change is principally due to water vapor. In fact, the effect of water vapor is so profound that the ability of humans to influence the effect of greenhouse gases by controlling CO2 emissions is negligible.
THEN OPINION Individuals and groups whose agenda is based on the supposition that human activity is the cause of climate change must discount or ignore the effects of water vapor to preserve their arguments. Every empirical study I've looked purporting to show anthropogenic CO2 as the driving force behind climate change invariably ignores (or omits) the effect of water vapor.
If you're serious about participating in the climate change debate in an honest attempt to get at the truth, then do not believe in any research that ignores the effect of water vapor.
Controversy continues to engulf the McCain campaign in the wake of revelations that VP candidate Sarah Palin's 17-year old unwed daughter is pregnant. Will Bristol's bastard bun-in-the-oven sink McCain's moose-murdering MILF -- and his campaign along with it? To find out, we asked a random cross section of American voters.
Politico.com continues to advance the most balanced political thinking on the net (IMHO). In today's Arena they are discussing the question:
Why does the press cover seemingly trivial matters like the "lipstick on a pig uproar?" Is the press complicit -- or even the principal engine -- in making politics so conflict-driven and superficial.
The Arena is a new feature on politico.com consisting of short pieces from thoughtful pundits on both sides of the political divide. For example, here's Larry Lessig, Stanford professor of law, who argues that somehow we need to elevate the idea that truth is a complete defense to the charge of bias... (more)
Obama and 9/11
The Anniversary: Eight days after terrorism declared war on America, a young state senator blamed it on "a failure of empathy" — yet another reason why Barack Obama should never be commander in chief.
David Kuhn and Bill Nichols over at Politico have a great article enumerating the worries among a number of Democrat campaign leaders that they are genuinely concerned. A good article, devoid of partisanship.
The Sex-Education Controversy
Did Obama support sex-education for Kindergartners? New information suggests that indeed, Obama's support went far beyond helping children distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
People Believe What They're Told
Most Americans, when asked, say the economy is tanking. A balanced look at the historical unemployment and employment rates since 1992 suggest that this is a false perception. More interestingly, these data suggest that having a Democrat-controlled congress might be a recipe for disaster.
So, just what is a red-state feminist?
...central to Palin's red-state appeal is her earthy embrace of motherhood. She differs from mainstream feminists in that her sexuality and fecundity are not in tension with her achievement and power. If anything, they rise out of them. Instead of holding her back, her five children embody her energy, competence, authority, and optimism. Maybe she's annoyed at the way the First Dude, as her husband calls himself, forgets to fold the laundry or call the pediatrician, but she's not going to make a federal case-make that an Alaskan state case-out of it.
Obama's supporters (and Obama's campaign coordinators) have objected to the McCain political advertisement accusing Obama of advocating explicit sex-eduction to Kindergartners. Here is the video:
Obama's response has been to claim that the law he supported restricted sex-education helping young children distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate touching. Well, Jim Geraghty has now researched the law in question (and its legislative history including amendments). He presents the case, once again, that Obama's claims to the contrary, the law supports explict sex education justified by the need to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
First the Truth... The historical unemployment rates during the Clinton and Bush presidencies are shown to the left. Note that the unemployment rate throughout Clinton's presidency drops precipitously from 1992 to 2000. During this period the government was administered by a moderate Democrat (Clinton) and a split congress (Republican House, Democrat Senate).
The data show that In 2000, a full year before Bush takes office, the unemployment rate begins to rise sharply (not due to any policy failure on the part of President Clinton or Congress but more likely attributable to the dotcom meltdown). No matter what the cause, that the rise in unemployment occurred on President Clinton's watch is inarguable.
The data then show that shortly after the Bush administration took office, the increase in unemployment rate was reversed. The reverse coincides precisely to the enactment of the Bush administration's [temporary] tax cuts. Finally, the data show that shortly after the Democrats took over both houses of congress (2006) the decline in unemployment rate flattens then begins to climb steeply upward. The unemployment rate today stands at 6.1%.
Next, look at employment. Like the unemployment rate above, the employment data show a similar profile. In the year 2000, one year before the Bush administration takes office, the employment rate begins to fall precipitously. And, like the unemployment rate, this is most likely attributable to the bursting of the dotcom bubble. Its nadir occurs around 2002 and begins to rise. As with unemployment, the rise in employment follows closely on the heels of the Bush tax cuts.
In 2005, employment peaks and then, in 2006 begins to decline rapidly.
What are we to make of these data?
...Then Opinion:To the extent that [un]employment statistics are a harbinger of recession, the Bush administration can not be held responsible for the economic downturn that began in [March of] 2000 and plagued much of the Bush administration's first term.
If anything, these data suggest that the economy does best when each house of congress is controlled by an opposing party, i.e., a split-congress. Indeed, the rapid rise in unemployment and decrease in employment seen when Democrats gained both houses of congress in 2006 should give us all pause.
I am not among those conservatives who believe Barack Obama deliberately meant to say that Sara Palin is a pig. I do, however, believe that his statement belies the common wisdom that Barack Obama is an eloquent speaker. Here's why:
First, the lipstick<->pig analogy is identical to the silk purse<->sow's ear. The clear meaning of the text is that Obama was simply arguing that the policies advanced by the McCain campaign can not be covered up by a turn-of-phrase.
To see why, here's what McCain said about Hillary Clinton's health plan in 2007
"I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig,"
(From a Chicago Tribune article published in 2007, although I could not find a link to the actual article). No one believed he was talking about Hillary Clinton. They knew he was talking about the Health Plan and the Democrats attempt to cover over its many flaws.
However...
Suppose my opinion is the correct one. Suppose, as do I, that Obama did not believe he was calling Palin a pig. What does this say about his eloquence? To the extent that speakers are in touch with their audience reactions, Obama is a rather poor speaker. When he said the word "lipstick" but before he completed the analogy, his audience erupted in laughter. His audience assumed what was coming was some statement about Sara Palin. At that point, a good speaker would see where the audience thought he was going with the lipstick analogy and realizing the horrible mistake such a statement would be, would have pivoted away from 'pig' and restarted the phrase with, say, the sow's ear idiom.
Finally, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, please never attribute maliciousness to that which can be attributed to incompetence. Please!!!!
Hmmmm, The Experience Issue?
In early September, Obama cites his experience in running his presidential campaign as worthy of consideration for the Presidency. What then are we to make of this statement made on monday,
"But look, the Republicans can't govern but they run smart campaigns."
How Obama Lost The Election
This article in the Asia Times is a must read for anyone interested in how the character of Obama and the external forces in his life have preordained his defeat.
ASIDE: Please, please make an effort to read Spengler's columns whenever your time and inclination permits (he writes a blog called The Complete Spengler for the Asia Times).
Clinton Says No To Helping Obama Campaign
Jason Horowitz writing in the New York Observer speculates that Team Obama has asked the Clintons to be more aggressive and they said no. This would be consistent with the theory that the Clintons have calculated that Hillary's only shot at the White House is if Obama loses.
Obama Stands Up For Terrorists
Peter Nicholas traveling with the Obama campaign has noted a more emotional tone creeping into his comments. As his poll numbers slipped, Obama seems increasingly combative.
On Monday in Michigan, Obama became exercised when talking about the need to give even suspected terrorists legal rights.
"We may think this is Mohammed the terrorist,'' he said at a campaign rally, but "it might be Mohammed the cab driver. You might think it's Barack the bomb-thrower. But it might be Barack the guy running for president.''
Continuing, he got more heated, his voice booming. Referring to the Constitution, he said: "Don't mock the Constitution! Don't make fun of it! Don't suggest that it's un-American to abide by what the founding fathers set up! It's worked pretty well for 200 years!''
On the O'Reilly show Barack Obama had this to say about his relationship with people like Reverend Wright and William Ayers:
OBAMA: All I'm sayin' is - I expect to be held responsible for the things I say and do. And one of the things that's happened in this campaign - and I think that you have the power to help correct the record on this - is not to put me in a position where every tangential relationship ...
O'REILLY: It isn't ... [Obama eh, eh...] there's a pattern of behavior [Obama: no, no...] here...
OBAMA: No, there is not a pattern of behavior. It is classic guilt by association.
No, Mr. Obama, you do not understand the concept of guilt-by-association. An association fallacy is an inductive formal fallacy of the type hasty generalization or red herring which asserts that qualities of one thing are inherently the qualities of another, merely by an irrelevant association. The two types are sometimes referred to as guilt by association. Association fallacies are a special case and are usually based on an appeal to emotion.
Mr. Obama is justly damaged by his assocation with Bill Ayers and Reverend Wright because both of these individuals, by Mr. Obama's own admission, served as mentors to him. In this case, the association is not irrelevant.
Barack to U.S. -- I do not accept money from Washington Lobbyists
Over a year ago, in 2007, boston.com's Scott Hamilton questions Obama's claim that he does not accept money from lobbyists claiming that...
Obama has tried to distinguish himself from rival Hillary Clinton by criticizing her ties to lobbyists and special interests, and, unlike her, refusing to take contributions from federal lobbyists and political action committees.
For more details you can read the whole article here. More recently, opensecrets.com (a non-partisan group that tracks contributions to politicians) reveals that Fannie Mae and Freedie Mac Invest in Democrats. Indeed, the top 4 recipients of Fannie's and Freddie's largesse are:
Christopher Dodd - $133,900
John Kerry - $111,000
Barack Obama - $105,849
Hillary Clinton - $75,550
Note that all 4 are/were Democrat candidates for President. Senator McCain has received no dollars from these two institutions.
McCain and Palin Surge Into the Lead
According to Michael Barone writing in U.S. News...
The USAToday/Gallup poll shows McCain ahead 54 percent to 44 percent among likely voters and 50 percent to 46 percent among registered voters.
More Interesting Poll Stuff
Note the breakdown of favorable/unfavorable ratings in the new Washington-Post ABC News Poll
Barack Obama 58% favorable, 36% unfavorable
John McCain 59% favorable, 36% unfavorable
Joe Biden 51% favorable, 29% unfavorable
Sara Palin 58% favorable, 28% unfavorable
Evidently Sara Palin has the lowest unfavorable numbers and Joe Biden the lowest favorable numbers. For awhile now I've been predicting that Obama will throw Joe under the bus and ask Hilary to be his new running mate. It's not that far-fetched. Obama could simply announce that Joe Biden's health has come into question (e.g., his hair plugs have become infected) and will have to withdraw from the race.
Sara Palin's Environmental Policy
"Her philosophy from our perspective is cut, kill, dig, and drill" -- John Toppenberg, Democrat and director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance.
Obama Supports Palin's Pipeline Project
Within 2 months of taking office in January 2006, Sara Palin cancelled the Alaska-Canada pipeline project negotiated by former Governor Murkowski and restarted the project as an open-bidding process (Murkowski's was a closed-bid, backroom negotiated deal). In less that 2 years, the summer of 2008, she had renegotiated and finalized the deal. How did Barack Obama feel about the deal? Well, quoting from today's CNSNEWS.COM...
In early August, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama endorsed Palin's bill, about one month before she was chosen to be the GOP vice presidential nominee.
Interesting and compelling article on life in Alaska. Pretty nice insight into the character-molding environment that is our 50th state.
Democrats v Republicans - A Brit's Point of View
Clive Crook has an interesting and balanced take on the differences between Democrats and Republicans. In part he writes...
Democrats speak up for the less prosperous; they have well-intentioned policies to help them; they are disturbed by inequality, and want to do something about it. Their concern is real and admirable. The trouble is, they lack respect for the objects of their solicitude. Their sympathy comes mixed with disdain, and even contempt.
The Oct 22, 2006 issue of the Anchorage Daily News has an interview with Sara Palin conducted during her run for Governor. From her answers one might reasonably conclude that she has a serious respect for constitutional principles, is a bona fide fiscal conservative, and very knowledgeable about the issues...
6. If Roe v. Wade were overturned and states could once again prohibit abortion, in your view, to what extent should abortion be prohibited in Alaska?
Under this hypothetical scenario, it would not be up to the governor to unilaterally ban anything. It would be up to the people of Alaska to discuss and decide how we would like our society to reflect our values.
7. Do you support or oppose the use of public funds for abortion (e.g., paying for abortion, promoting abortion, subsidizing organizations that provide or refer for abortion)?
I oppose the use of public funds for elective abortions.
11. Do you support an increase in state-funded, faith-based initiatives?
We see an adequate level of funding for faith-based initiatives today.
13. This year saw the biggest wartime call-up of Alaska National Guard troops ever. Combined with deployments of active-duty forces, thousands of Alaskans are now serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas. What's your view of the Iraq war, and do you support President Bush's "war on terror"?
I support President Bush's efforts to stop terrorism by taking the fight to the terrorists. In the Iraq war, I would like to see the president develop an exit strategy to get our troops home.
Sunday on Meet the Press -- The Brokaw and Biden Love Fest
When questioned by Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press, Joe Biden says:
BIDEN: ...what is new is I have no idea what her policies [are]. I assume they're the same as John's. I just don't know.
Next, the question turned to Sara Palin's ability to energize the Republican base. Biden repeated the standard party line that Palin's policies were out of touch with most women, and in particular Palin's policies were opposed to those of Clinton:
BIDEN: ... I hear this talk about, you know, is she going to pick up Hillary voters. Well ... I ... so far I haven't heard one single policy position ... one single position that she has in common with Hillary.
Two points to call to your attention: First, this interview took place nine days after Sara Palin's acceptance speech at the RNC. How in the world can Biden credibly claim to have "no idea" what Palin's policies are? The answer is that he is lying as shown in the video when he contradicted his own alleged ignorance about Palin's policy positions, claiming that those same policy positions were "diametrically opposed" to those of Senator Hillary Clinton. Get it? First he had no idea what Palin's policy positions were, then he knew enough about them to claim that they were diametrically opposed to Clinton's.
In truth, I am not very troubled by Biden's disingenuousness. What bugs me is Brokaw's unwillingness (or inability) to challenge him. Maybe Brokaw just isn't smart enough to play with the big boys downtown. Anyway, you can see the video here.
MSNBC Challenges Their Critics -- And Loses!
When accused, by Hawaii governor Linda Lingle, that the MSM (Main Stream Media) was questioning Sara Palin's fitness as a mother MSNBC anchors Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, and David Gregory challenged anyone to provide a list of major news outlets who have questioned a mother's fitness for the office of Vice President. Well, you can read verbatim statements from CNN's John Roberts, ABC's Bill Weir, and Washington Post's Sally Quinn.
Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not
"Enough of the partisan rhetoric. Enough of the fighting and bickering. Enough of the failure of Republican leadership." -- wmtriallawyer, blogging on the Daily Kos
"That's what we out west call openin' a whole can of whip-ass on your opponents." -- Hal Stratton, former Attorney General of New Mexico
"People who like this sort of thing will find this... the sort of thing they like." -- Keith Olbermann (MSNBC Commentator)
"In a less crazed world, the Sarah Palin story -- hunter and snowmobiling mom becomes Alaska governor and routs old-boy political machine in bed for years with energy industry -- is the stuff of Erin Brockovich movies and full-page newspaper spreads. Except: She's "pro-life," is a "Christian," and unlike all the white guys who came in second, Sarah looks like she might help get a Republican elected." -- Daniel Henninger (WSJ)
"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities." -- Sara Palin
"Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies. Enough is enough. Make your voice heard loud and clear by making a donation right now...." -- David Plouffe, campaign manager for Barack Obama
Of course the McCain campaign could have "covered up" the Palin pregnancy by leaking the story that John Edwards was the father ...
-- Unknown
"If McCain wins, look for a full-fledged race and class war, fueled by a deflated and depressed country, soaring crime, homelessness - and hopelessness!"
I am married and blessed with 3 wonderful [adult] children and 6
grandchildren. Over the course of my lifetime I have been a Cowboy
(really!), a combat helicopter pilot (AH-1G Cobra gunship) and Prisoner
of War in Vietnam. My college undergraduate degrees are in Microbiology and my graduate degrees are in tumor immunology -- specifically the genetic basis of cell-mediated tumor rejection mechanisms.
I retired in 2003 as a Software Architect, among other occupations (I was the architect and lead designer of Windows XP's disaster recovery software (ASR).
I
can read, write, and speak Norwegian. I also can read and translate
Biblical Hebrew. I am currently working on my second book, THE BEGINNING. For this book I translated the first chapter of Genesis and am writing an accompanying commentary. What makes this book different is that I incorporated the latest in scholarly findings. As a result, the translation is solid and, well, surprising.
I am a lifelong Lutheran although as Lutheranism has drifted toward
liberal Protestantism, I might be better characterized as an evangelical
Catholic. I have another website for biblical and theological ramblings. If you are so inclined, please feel free to visit
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