Election Day 2008

Well, I went to the polls this morning and voted.  McCain/I found that I did not have a good grasp of the different amendments to the Louisiana constitution, but I muddled my way through it.

Interestingly enough, I did find two articles regarding how different states handle the giving of gifts to prospective voters.

Washington State - Verbotten.

Pennsylvania - Encouraged, but there is no evidence that Senator Obama has participated.

Cyber Command

There have been 2 cyber wars in the last 18 months.  Estonia, April 2007 and Georgia, August 2008.  Despite this, the USAF has decided that the service responsibility to "organize, train, and equip" Cyber Forces is best served by a Numbered Air Force (NAF - 3 Star General) instead of a Major Command (MAJCOM - 4 Star General). 
The ability to set budget priorities exists at the MAJCOM level.  When the NAF 3-Star budget for creating Cyber Forces competes with the 4-Star's budget priorities (Space), the 3-Star loses. 
2 Cyber Wars in 18 months - I think this should deserve a little more attention.

Bailout Plan

In light of the current 'Stimulus' plan and the protests against it, I have dusted off the plan I proposed on 27 August 2008.  The reason I am re-posting this is because I do not understand how the new government spending proposal is supposed to directly stimulate the economy.  I use the word, 'directly' for a reason. 

Direct Stimulation

I can comprehend how a direct rebate to the American taxpayer stimulates the economy.  The taxpayer takes the money and does 1 or 2 things with it that are easy to understand.  He either (1) spends it, (2) he saves it or (3) does some combination of the two.  The direct cost to the government is the price of the paper the check is written on, postage, and the costs associated with borrowing the money. 

The consequences of the payment are profound - if the individual spends the money, he is spending it on goods and services that he personally enjoys - there is no bureaucrat in the middle making these decisions for him.  The money thus spent goes to those firms who make the things the individual enjoys - the market then works as advertised.

If the individual chooses to save the money he is still benefiting the economy.  The bank that he puts the money into now has assets that it may write loans against. 

If the individual repays debts, that still stimulates because the bank has reacquired assets and the individual can use those dollars that were previously devoted to interest in the pursuit of more consumer goods.  The benefit of this type of system is that it requires no bureaucrats in order to properly function.  All the beneficiaries of this system have to do is make good decisions in the aggregate and everyone benefits.

Issues with the current plan

The current plan, however requires bureaucrats in order to function properly.  Since so many dollars are filtering through the hands of so few bureaucrats, any mistake on the part of the administrators is magnified greatly.

The other issue I have with the current bailout plan is that it rewards bad behavior.  That is not quite accurate - it provides incentives to people to engage in bad behavior.  It doesn't just reward bad behavior, it encourages more bad behavior.  The government paying the loans of people who made bad borrowing decisions rewards 2 groups of people - those that made the bad borrowing decision and those lenders that made poor lending decisions.  This is not the kind of twofer that we need.  Additionally, all this type of plan can achieve, at the most, is a return to status quo ante.  You cannot move forward, and you cannot improve the economy as a whole.  This is because the plan is based on 2 groups of people who have made bad decisions in the past.  Success of the Obama plan, therefore, relies on those who have been unreliable in the past.

By contrast, however, Instugator's plan relies only on those who have been reliable in the past.  All that has to happen for my plan to succeed is that those people who have been reliable continue to be so.

Here is Instugator’s bailout plan.

Principles:

1. Reward those who practice good behavior

A. Paying your mortgage on time is good behavior

2. Do Not reward those who practice bad behavior

A. Borrowing what you cannot afford is bad behavior.

B. Having an interest-only mortgage is bad behavior.

C. Having an ARM is questionable.

D. Investment Bankers who purchase CDO’s without understanding the underlying value of them are engaging in bad behavior.

E. Those who sold CDO’s without including the data necessary to understand the underlying value are engaging in bad behavior.

3. Do not let those most directly responsible for the current mess come within 100 miles of the bailout money.

A. Those whose W-2 forms show that they work for congress, Freddie, Fannie, or any investment bank in need of a bailout need not apply.

The Plan:

1. Take the $700B <or whatever number is currently in vogue>

2. Find those people who-

A. Have a conventional mortgage.

B. Have always paid it on time.

C. Have never declared bankruptcy

3. Establish an agreement that the Gov’t will:

A. Pay off the mortgage of those who meet each condition in item 2.

(This allows banks to resume mortgage lending and permits those who engaged in good behavior to go bargain-hunting - thus rewarding good behavior)

B. Each person whose mortgage is paid off will agree to make monthly payments to a money-market account

(This increases short term liquidity - also allows those with good behavior to use their work ethic to the betterment of all)

C. Each person agrees to re-finance their house at the end of a 5-10 year period of time at market value to repay the Gov’t.

(This repays the bonds that the govt will have to put on the market to fund the plan)

4. The government will issue bonds to pay for this plan (up front).

5. Bonds are repaid prior to maturity by those bailed out.

(People with good behavior are people who are less risky - that is why they have good credit ratings)

6. In the event the number of bailoutees exceeds the dollars available, applicants from the acceptable pool will be chosen by lottery.

Instugator, as author of the plan, recuses himself from participating.

Related articles by Zemanta:

• Judith Ellis: Embracing Insanity in this Crisis
• Valuing Toxic Waste
• Dean Baker: The Banking Industry Wants To Help YOU!!!
• Global Mortgage Ripoff Revisited

Senator Obama and Guns

Story here.

I notice the good senator does not say, "I will veto any legislation that categorically bans guns."

I also notice that he does not include the concept of self defense in his denials.

McCain Tonight

4 Sep 2008 1928CDT a Recommendation (ahead of time) to Sen John McCain:

Do not try to outshine Gov. Palin - you may not be able to; if you don't it will be turned into a negative.

Instead, focus on your key speaking strengths: You are a humble and engaging man. Focus on that - be yourself - humble and engaging - and if you do, your speech will be both memorable and successful. Walk around, hold the mic - engage the audience - focus on reaching beyond the base, but don't compromise your principles.

Disclosure: I did not want to vote for you, but I am inspired by Gov Palin and I want you to win this election. Best of Luck!

Stew

---

Update: 6 Sep 2008

I enjoyed your speech. I know you didn't read it here first, but I think you focused on your strengths and succeeded in reaching beyond the base.

Bill Whittle's article from National Review Online captures my feelings exactly.

For those who missed it, here is John McCain's acceptance speech as recorded by CSPAN.

Sen. John McCain's full speech to the RNC.

See for yourself.

Govenor Palin's acceptance speech

Wow.

Joan and I sat riveted throughout the entire speech, offering 'high-fives' and 'fist-bumps' each time she delivered a great line. Yes we are fans!

My reaction to Senator Obama's speech is here.

My reaction to Govenor Palin - spectacular!

In the interest of fairness, however, here are the two speeches - side by side.

Senator Obama:

Sen. Barack Obama's Full Speech to the DNC

Govenor Palin:

Vice Presidential Candidate Gov. Sarah Palin (AK) at the RNC

Judge for yourself.

MSM Fails key test

Start by looking at this post, over at Confederate Yankee.

The key quote I saw?

We now know far more about Sarah Palin in just four days than we've learned about Barack Obama in 17 months.

This is the theme from a previous post of mine, Confederate Yankee does it better.

Sen Obama's Acceptance Speech

Updated and bumped: I guess I was not the only one disappointed by the speech. Look here.

---

Disappointing

I listened to the entire speech. I kept hoping for lines like;

...we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall

Didn't happen. In fact, I can only remember one quote. "Thank you".... many many times.

Sen Obama presents himself as the post-racial candidate who has adopted his black roots at the expense of his white ones. No? Read his book-Audacity of Hope or Dreams of my Father (or have him read it for you)

Here were his opportunities

1. He has to demonstrate his post racial credentials
2. He has to reach beyond his base - they nominated him, this speech is not to thank them, but to start his campaign.
3. He has an opportunity to electrify the country (38 million will be watching)

Here are my post-facto recommendations.

Start with Dr. King
Recognize the struggle
Acknowledge that we have moved into the era of Post-Racial Politics
Deliver a great tag line
Promote policies that appeal to the country as a whole - avoid Democratic boilerplate
Accept the nomination - bask in the applause
Wind down and thank the people who helped you get this far - in context of mobilizing them for the general election
Introduce your team

Didn't happen. I am disappointed.

Experience

Here is the report; a snapshot of an upcoming interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

Senator Obama is comparing the experience garnered running an election campaign with that of running a small city (Wasilla, Alaska), Governor Palin's job from 1996 - 2002. (Timeline here)

Bias Test - will Anderson let this comparison stand? or will he call Senator Obama out for this ridiculous comparison?

---

Update: Anderson did not challenge the comparison. The transcript is here.

OBAMA: Well, you know, my understanding is, is that Governor Palin's
town of Wasilla has, I think, 50 employees. We have got 2,500 in this
campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. You know,
we have a budget of about three times that just for the month.


So, I think that our ability to manage large systems and to execute, I
think, has been made clear over the last couple of years. And,
certainly, in terms of the legislation that I passed just dealing with
this issue post-Katrina of how we handle emergency management, the fact
that many of my recommendations were adopted and are being put in place
as we speak, I think, indicates the degree to which we can provide the
kinds of support and good service that the American people expect.

COOPER: Senator Obama, thank you for your time.

OBAMA: Great to talk to you, Anderson.

---

Here is an idea, while we are making nonsensical comparisons - Compare Senator Obama's legislative history with Senator McCain's accomplishments at the US Naval Academy.

During the same period of time (1996-2002) Senator Obama was a State Senator from Illinois. I doubt he had more than 50 employees, nor did he manage a budget of $12M.

Senator, if this is the best you can do, you are relying on the good graces of Anderson Cooper not to make you look like a buffoon.

I will look at the transcript following Anderson Cooper 360.

Where is Sen Obama?

Update as of 1 Sep 08 15:14 CDT: Sen Obama Responds. Reported by Ben Smith. Thank You Senator.

Update: Here is the controversy. Thanks Amanda.


The good Senator once said that he will run a campaign free of personal attacks. He also said that his family is 'off limits'.

Minions who support him are attacking Gov. Palin and her family.

Where is Sen. Obama's leadership in this issue?

I won't link to the Daily Kos. So read about the attacks here. (Thanks Michelle)

Calling Senator Obama, Cleanup on September 1st.

In the Tank for Obama

Here is a point that Jonah Goldberg makes.

The phrase "former mayor of a town of 9,000" was repeated all day long
by Obama surrogates and talking heads. The problem is thatwhile yes,
she's the former mayor of a small town, she's also currently the
governor of Alaska. There's no way the phrase "a former community
organizer" or "former state senator" would be allowed to stand as
Obama's highest qualification. But that phrase was used or recycled
uncritically about Palin all day long.

An any 'respectable' journalist that allows that statement to stand is offering de-facto proof that they are in the tank for Obama.

Palin for VP - response to Volokh

I think that Eugene misses the point entirely. On his fourth dimension of experience, Eugene has this to say,

Let me suggest a fourth dimension of “experience” that ought also be
weighed: sheer exposure and vetting at a national and international
level. By this I mean experience over time in answering hard questions
about a wide range of issues, meeting with other national and
international leaders, and responding on the record to crises and other
developments as they arise. This kind of experience gives the country a
chance to see how you think, to see how you handle high-octane pressure
on the relevant national and international stages, to observe how you
adapt when things don’t go as you thought they would, and so on. It
also forces you to learn about, and to develop views about, important
and complex national and international questions. Voters deserve to
know these things about you. On this fourth dimension of experience,
I’d rank McCain and Biden about even. I’d put Obama distinctly third.
Palin doesn’t even register.

Sen Obama is actually dead last. In this field, McCain and Palin are at the top, followed (distantly) by Biden. Allow me to Fisk this for you.

sheer exposure and vetting at a national and international
level

At the international level? - When do Germans get to pick the American President? What creedence ought anyone give to the Al Jezeera choice for President of the US?

By this I mean experience over time in answering hard questions about a
wide range of issues,

The last time Sen Obama was asked a hard question about a wide range of issues was at the Saddleback forum. That was also the first time.

meeting with other national and international
leaders, and responding on the record to crises and other developments
as they arise.

Gov Palin has reponded to crises - look at her leadership in the development of the Alaska pipeline - the Transcanada pipeline project. No, not a humanitarian crisis, but certainly a project put on the fast track because it needed to be ready in time. Sen Obama can't even demonstrate leadership in the Senate over a looming crises in for America - Social Security. Sen Obama recently even got the Georgia crises wrong - calling on 'both sides to show restraint.'

This kind of experience gives the country a
chance to see how you think, to see how you handle high-octane pressure
on the relevant national and international stages, to observe how you
adapt when things don’t go as you thought they would, and so on.

Gov Palin has 20 months as Govenor of the State of Alaska. Any google search will enumerate how she has responded to any of Alaska's challenges over the last 1.66 years. When has Sen Obama demonstrated exposure to high-octane pressure?

It also forces you to learn about, and to develop views about, important and complex national and international questions.

Like infanticide?
Sen Obama opposed a bill that would have required doctors to provide care for infants born as a result of an abortion attempt - his opposition is that this requirement would have the effect of placing an undo burden on abortion providers
Or invasion?
Are we to be happy that Sen Obama has developed the view that Russia's invasion of Georgia is the moral equilivent and has the same complexity as the US invasion of Iraq.

My rebuttal. We don't know anything about Sen. Obama. He has not been vetted by the 4th estate. In fact, had they properly performed their vetting process, Sen Clinton would be the nominee of the Democratic Party today.
Points:

1. Had they looked into his 20 year relationship with Trinity united and their Black liberation Theology - Sen Clinton would be the nominee.
2. Had they properly investigated Sen Obama's relationship with Mr. Ayers - Sen Clinton would be the nominee.
3. Had the "MSM" fully investigated Sen Obama's relationship with Tony Rezko - Sen Clinton would be the nominee.
4. Had they given us anything more than undying worship of Sen Obama - Sen Clinton would be the nominee.

Gov Palin is certainly qualified to be President. I am actually hopeful fo the first time in this campaign.

Obama the Magnificent

Senator Obama has demonstrated his magnificence from on high. He now calls for the delegations from Florida and Michigan to be seated. Amen.

Mocking Barack

Here is Maureen Dowd's question. via Instapundit

Obama's Judgement

Hi Ann, love your blog, have one thing to say regarding the Obamessiah's judgment.

The good Senator has been touting his 'judgment' as opposed to his experience.
He admits giving Access Hollywood a chance to interview his daughters was a result of being 'carried away'.

If Senator Obama's judgment regarding people he loves (his daughters) can be so poor, then what does that say about his judgment regarding the rest of us, whom he cannot love nearly as well.

Reality vs. Hollywood

Roger, I agree that Sen McCain's steadfastness as evidenced during his lengthy incarceration in the infamous Hanoi Hilton is a key qualification for president. I also agree with Uncle Jimbo's assessment of McCain steadfastness as opposed to Sen Obama's climbing habits.

I disagree that it is overtly LESS heroic than scenes depicted in Bridge on the River Kwai. John McCain doesn't talk about his time in the Hanoi Hilton - his fellow prisoners do. The stories they tell about Sen McCain are more heroic than any Hollywood depiction of any heroic act would pretend to demonstrate.

Mr Clark, on the other hand, suffered from a moral(s) deficit so acute that President Clinton had to remove him from command - AFTER his command won the Kosovo campaign.

I often wonder what moral failing could possibly exist that President Clinton would feel the need to fire a successful General.

Obama vs "Spam Blogs"

What is a "Spam Blog" anyway?

Thank God we are not prominent enough to warrant the "Spam Blog" title. We don't like Sen Obama either, but we are too small to garner Google's ire.

North Dakota Politics

During my time in the USAF, I was stationed at Minot AFB in North Dakota. Apart from the fact that the real difference in temperature from Summer to Winter was 145 degrees or that they actually closed the base for a couple of days because it was too cold, I enjoyed North Dakota. Mostly because of the sheer decency of the people there.

North Dakota has a Good Samaritan law for example, requiring that you help someone in trouble and shielding you from lawsuits if you do. Not that you need the shielding, because folks from North Dakota wouldn't sue you anyway.

People in North Dakota are rural, but they aren't stupid, as Senator Kent Conrad would do well to remember.

Congress Treats Citizens WORSE than Terrorists

Within Senator Dodd's (D-CT) housing bailout bill is a provision to permit the federal government to spy on nearly every credit card transaction or other payment process used by PayPal, Amazon, Google Checkout in addition to Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.

So, Congress is authorizing the Federal Government to spy on YOUR financial transactions with nary a word in the mainstream press. How unlike the fight to maintain the Patriot Act. Where are the Democrats? Why will they not fight for my right to privacy?

Obama's Fundamentals

Senator Obama has been putting together His National Security advisory team. Their "fundamental" text for American Foreign Policy will be... wait for it...

Winnie the Pooh. I kid you not.

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin who is collecting a good montage of Pooh-inspired , National Security Themed art.

Post Racial Presidential Politics

It seems like Sen. Obama doesn't really want to embrace post-racial politics. Certainly, He is not above discriminating against Muslims. Wasn't there an event when His staff was decrying the need for "more white people" at the expense of other ethnicities?

However, I am thankful for one thing... The good Senator has told me that my country is no longer (or much less) racist because we nominated Him.

"I'm proud of America for giving me this opportunity because obviously
we all know it's a sign of enormous growth in this country."

Obviously

Update: Unfortunately, His supporters are unable to take a joke.

Update: Senator Obama apologizes.

Instugator is still waiting for an explanation, something along the lines of, "These were not the staffers that I knew".

In another note, you can still get your copy of the Philadelphia speech here, ironically titled, "A More Perfect Union". Get 'em before many more imperfect things happen to make the speech more irrelevant than it already is.

Conscientious Objections

It is interesting to note how the MSM and blogosphere react to a person who objects to serving in the military or war because their conscience does not permit them too, as opposed to a person who, for example, does not wish to create art that is objectionable to them.

Dale Carpenter at The Volokh Conspiracy lists a number of cases (summarized from an NPR report) where organizations (or individuals) were challenged for not giving homosexuals equal treatment.

He then goes on to to say,

They show that there are indeed antidiscrimination laws that apply to
those who provide services to the public. They show that these
antidiscrimination laws sometimes require individuals and organizations
to do things that these persons and organizations claim violate their
religious beliefs.

Dale lists 4 cases: one pending before a state supreme court, 2 petitioned in front of an ironically named "Human Rights Commission" and one decided by the Supreme court of Vermont.

Dale's summary suffices for the Vermont case,

*Civil servants: A clerk in Vermont refused to perform a civil
union ceremony. In 2001, in a decision that side-stepped the religious
liberties issue, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that he did not need
to perform the ceremony because there were other civil servants who
would. However, the court did indicate that religious beliefs do not
allow employees to discriminate against same-sex couples.

Dale says,

I am very wary of introducing a system of exemption for public officers
serving the public with taxpayers' money and charged with administering
the law

Yet he does not recognize that such a system has existed for centuries.

Furthermore, he says,

I think religious accommodation to private persons and organizations
should be generously provided, even where not required by the
Constitution. At the very least, accommodation should be made where it
can be offered without harming the protected class.

I think my issue with his article really stems from this section in his conclusion.

Matters are more complicated when religious persons and organizations
provide services to the public or ask for public funds while at the
same time requesting to be exempt from the rules that apply to everyone
else.

Yet, the concept of conscientious objection is exactly that. An Individual or Group asking to be exempt from the rules that apply to everyone else on the basis of conscience or beliefs - and still be allowed to provide services to the public (or benefit from public funds).

Why aren't individuals or organizations permitted to object to an activity - and refuse to actively participate in it, when our culture has a longstanding practice of allowing just that?

Conscientious objectors have been permitted, for centuries, to avoid serving in various military organizations or conflicts because of their religious beliefs. The implications are two fold, one is the state has no authority dictate the conscience of an individual and the second is that the individual would probably not perform well if compelled to do so. Wikipedia entry here.

Why is it that today, governments are eroding a person's right to conscience, especially since there are precedents that argue for that right and have done so for millenia?

The right to conscience is getting pretty short shrift today, as evidenced by the cases decided by "Human Rights Commissions" - which have held in nearly every case, that the right to not be 'discriminated' against trumps the right of an individual (or group) follow his conscience.

I guess, if we are willing to throw some religious or conscience objections under the bus, we might as well throw them all - after all, it is only a matter of degree.

AP is Banned

I agree with TechCrunch on this issue. No more AP.

Dude, Where is my Global Warming?

Read this.

This says it all

It has been nearly 3 years since Hurricane Katrina and people are still living in government provided housing.
When is enough enough? When will Senator Obama deplore the excesses of a 60 degree thermostat?

Read this.

Canada Human Rights Tribunal v Mark Steyn Pt 1

Ok, for those just joining the human race.

Facts:

Mark Steyn is a journalist from Canada, now living in the USA.
He sometimes writes for Maclean's, a magazine in Canada.
Canada, tired of unrestricted Free Speech, wrote a nice little law that makes it a crime to:

7
(1) A person must not publish, issue or display, or cause to be
published, issued or displayed, any statement, publication, notice,
sign, symbol, emblem or other representation that

(a) indicates discrimination or an intention to discriminate against a person or a group or class of persons, or

(b) is likely to expose a person or a group or class of persons to hatred or contempt
because of the race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation or age of that person or that group or class of persons.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a private communication or to a communication intended to be private

Mark Steyn wrote a book, America Alone

Maclean's published an excerpt of the book

They have been brought in front of the Human Rights Tribunal because they published something that, "is likely to expose a person or a group or class of persons to hatred or contempt"

If you violate this law you can be tried via an executive committee know as a Human Rights Tribunal. (These are executive branch of government organizations, because, well, a Judicial proceeding has to follow those pesky rules of evidence thingys)

Evidence may be admitted to a Tribunal that may not be considered evidence in a court.

If the Tribunal orders it, they may award money to the complainer to compensate for 'injury to dignity, feelings and self respect'

So What? to follow

Mark Steyn's case is just beginning and is being liveblogged.

Not even worth 3/5

Democratic delegates from Florida and Michigan will be seated with 1/2 vote each at the Democratic convention in Denver. Here is what is widely considered the best MSM article about the controversy.

Some key points: Each Delegation will be seated with 1/2 a vote.

Florida Results:

Hillary 105 pledged delegates, Barack 67. Each delegate receives 1/2 a vote.

Michigan:

Facts:
Senator Obama was not on the ballot, Senator Clinton was. She won 55% of the popular vote.
The categories on the ballot were:
Named candidates (Hillary and others except Sen. Obama)
Uncommitted

The decision for Michigan was to count 'uncommitted' as 'Not Senator Clinton' and award them to Senator Obama. The result, 69 delegates for Sen. Clinton, 59 'uncommitted' delegates recommitted for Sen. Obama.

Quote of the Day, from Rep. Robert Wexler, right after he insisted that Florida's delegation should only get 1/2 a vote.

"no one in the state of Florida has championed voters' rights more than I!"

Come again?

Related: Sen. McCain has asked that Florida and Michigan delegation to the Republican National Convention be seated with full votes.

Implications:

Here is a difference between how Political parties perceive themselves and how they really function. In this case, the Democratic Party initially stripped the delegations of Florida and Michigan of their votes as punishment for those states moving their primaries. The Republican Party had the same sentiment and reduced the voting power of each of those delegations by 1/2.

The perception of the national parties is, they are in charge of the election calendar and state parties need to bow to their wishes. This is no longer true. Faced with the prospect of disenfranchising the voters of 2 states, the two parties have currently adopted the same decision; each delegate gets 1/2 a vote.

What will happen in 4 years? Will the states of Florida and Michigan change their calendar back into the good graces of the national party or will other states stake a claim to a different part of the calendar (perhaps in violation of the national party wishes)?

Regardless, the monopoly on power of the national parties has been diminished in this exchange - and it is impossible to close Pandora's box. Which shows us the difference I mention above.

Perception of the National Parties - We are in charge of everything.

The reality - State parties can control their own calendar. What else can they control?

Previous Posts: Here and Here.

What does a Drawdown from Iraq look like?

I once worked with 'Q' and I have participated in this very discussion. If you would like to know about the mechanics of a drawdown and the implications, read his article in Strategic Studies Quarterly. He points out what the drawdown will look like from the Army perspective, then shows the implications for the USAF.

Personally, I think that the US needs to re-think all of our basing assumptions. The bases that support Pacific Command are intensely important given the tensions in that region. The bases in Western Europe - not so much. The ascension of the Green Party in Germany has led to a number of restrictions on military training to the extent that the German AF has to maintain two permanent training squadrons in New Mexico. Basing in Eastern Europe and western Asia is a must to meet future security needs.

Congratulations USAFA class of 2008 - well done!

President Bush delivered the Commencement address at the United States Air Force Academy on May 28, 2008. Take a look at the various photos. Thanks Boss!

Don't Go There

It would seem that Trinity United is still a drag on Senator Obama. My favorite line from the article is this one.

Obama has not attended the church since the controversy over Wright erupted in mid-March.

Wow. You mean that the only thing that kept the good Senator in the pews was an absence of controversy? I think the argument for those who ask, 'How could he not know?' has just gotten stronger.

Go to church Senator, it is not just for bitter, gun-clingy people, when you find a good church you will realize this.

Updated: According to Drudge, the good Senator has quit Trinity United Church of Christ. Does he really expect anyone to believe it was because the news media was 'calling up the sick and shut-in'?

Good luck Senator, I hope you find a nice church for you and your family.

The Uncle in the Attic

Senator Obama had to correct his statement regarding the liberation of a Nazi death camp. Basically, he named the wrong camp while addressing a group of Jewish voters. The camp in question was Buchenwald, not Auschwitz; and the uncle was his Great Uncle. That is not my point.

This is my point.

In November of 2007, Senator Obama referred to Vice President Cheny as 'a crazy uncle in the attic'. If you saw the rest of the story referenced above, you also saw that Senator Obama's great-uncle had difficulty when he returned from the war.

"I had an uncle who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps. The story in our family was that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn't leave the house for six months," Obama said.

actually Buchenwald, not Auschwitz as corrected by the Senator's campaign.

If the good senator is serious about changing dialog and exposing us to beneficent hand of liberalism, why does he make offhand remarks about serious medical conditions - is this how 'white folks' can expect to be treated if Senator O is elected? He will use his ill uncle as the punchline of a disparaging remark about a political opponent -- who happens to be his 8th cousin. We are not allowed to talk about Senator Obama's wife but I guess 8th cousins and 'white folks' are fair game.

Obama to Tennessee GOP: Lay Off My Wife

Ultimate Office

Rich Sloan has his, I have mine.

Toshiba Portege M400 w/ Docking Station
Widescreen Display - need another one!
1.5 TB direct attached storage
.5 TB Network Storage
Wireless Printserver with Duplex laser printer
USB Scanner
Grand Central for Business Phone
WiFi Hotspot
Google Apps in place of a true company intranet

Moonbat? Monbiot!

Another one bites the dust.

I may begin to refer to all moonbats as Monbiots.

Technorati Tags: Moonbat, Iraq

Ann is dead on!

Ann Coulter's latest column is exactly right. The synopsis is:

There are three times to engage a dictator:

1. When you are looking for an ally against some other dictatorship (Nixon w/ China)
2. When you have to - because they can hold you equally at risk (Engagement with the USSR)
3. When you are accepting their surrender (MacArthur w/ Imperial Japanese Forces - September 2, 1945)

Senator Obama's desire to meet without precondition with America's state enemies conform to none of these, unless his 'preparations' mean something a whole lot different than what they seem to mean.



Marc Ambinder has more.

Technorati Tags: Obama, Diplomacy, Politics

Would you meet diplomatically with these countries' leaders?

Skydiving Record remains intact

Unfortunately Michel Fournier suffered a technical mishap and will not be able to make the attempt. This means that the record of 102,800 feet set August 16, 1960 currently held by Joseph Kittinger remains intact.

This reminds me of a movie I saw once as a kid. It was a story of designing ejection seats and culminated in a parachute jump from a balloon. I thought they might be related. Searching via Google using the terms "movie USAF Kittinger" did not find it but, "movie USAF rocket sled parachute jump" yielded the movie On The Threshold of Space (1956) from Turner Classic Movies. Here is the TCM page. Here it is on the IMDB. I knew I had seen this story before. I hope they play it again soon.

Latest Listen

Blue Ocean Strategy via Audible. I like it so much I am going to buy the book and the PDF

Obama's Gaffes

Read this great article by Michelle Malkin. It just goes to illustrate why we need to adopt Obama's new theme song.

Obama's New Theme Song

Obama in Portland, OR 18 May 2008 regarding Iran.

"They don't pose a serious threat to us"

Senator O, Billings, MT 19 May 2008.

"I've made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave"

I now propose the following theme song for the Senator.

Sam Cooke, Wonderful World

Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a wonderful world this would be

Don't know much about geography
Don't know much trigonometry
Don't know much about algebra
Don't know what a slide rule is for...

Thanks to Powerline and Hot Air and the source for Lyrics

Updated with Video

Sam Cooke - Wonderful World

Debate

This was taken at the Louisiana State Debate Tournament. Pictured is Thomas, 10th grade. I was judging the tournament.

Yo Mickey - Heads Up (or out)

If McCain didn't vote for Pres Bush in 2000 - he still wouldn't have voted for Kerry. I think that the 2000 election is referred to as Bush v Gore. You remember - I think that there was a recount and maybe a trip to the Supreme Court?

Updated: McCain refutes the story that he didn't vote for Pres Bush in this interview with Bill O'Reilly. This in no way abrogates my chastisement of Mickey above

In Honor of our Heritage

The last T-37 at Columbus AFB has retired. In the interest of full disclosure, I attended pilot training at Columbus AFB from July of 1988 until July 1989. Additionally, I was a T-37 instructor pilot at Vance AFB from September 1995 until May 1999. The Tweet was a workhorse, the equivalent of a MG midget (Compared to the Porche that is the T38 Talon) and a joy to fly, I will miss it.

UPDATE: Here. When they talk about turbine lag, think of this. Get in your car, mash the gas, count "1-potato, 2-potato, 3-potato..." at 7 the engine begins to whine, and as late as 15 you actually begin to feel movement.

Evidence of Bias at Time Magazine

Article Here

The phrase I am referring to is this;

"Which is not to say that Clinton's candidacy is entirely without
purpose now that she is pursuing a Republican-style race gambit,
questioning Obama's 20-year relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah "God
damn America" Wright."

Which leads me to the question, if a Democrat is pursuing a "race gambit" doesn't that make it Democrat-style. At what point does the Democrat use of race become a 'style'?

Additionally, consider this.

1. The Democratic Party has disenfranchised the voters of Florida and Michigan wholesale -- "No Delegates FOR YOU!"

2. The media has helped encourage the current stalemate between Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton because they failed in their primary job of vetting candidates. (Question; Who would have won in all the states that have already voted if the Wright chickens had come home sooner - as they would have if media had done their job.)

3. Now the media (in this case Joe Klein and Time) are encouraging the Democratic Party to reverse the decisions of the entire Democratic electorate so far - by putting forth someone who hasn't appeared on a ballot yet this season.

It just seems to me that the rule-set that permits this type of back room deal is from an age long gone - yet the Democratic Party leadership are consciously floating this trial balloon to see if it attracts criticism. Unfortunately, their enablers in the media are not going to vet the idea properly, just like they didn't vet the candidates properly until this point.

My belief: Putting Al Gore on the top of the Democratic ticket would be the ultimate voter disenfranchisement. So, how many votes in the general election will the Democrats give to the Republican nominee if they disenfranchise those who have voted in primaries so far?

Of Grandmas and Buses

OK, Instugator is not just about incendiary remarks, every once in a while we raise a serious question.

How can Senator Obama provide the leadership to bridge the racial divide in our country when he has been unable to do so within his own church - despite having 20 years to do it?

Obama is Wright On!

So, Barack Hussein Obama has been attending peep shows for 20 years and this is all he has to show for it?
PLEASE, don't elect this man on fiscal discipline issues alone. I have never known a preacher to go 20 years without asking for SOME KIND of FISCAL support - and if there is MONEY there is INFLUENCE.

Hillary's Math

Well, Jonathan Alter thinks that the numbers are bad for Hillary. They are, but given the Demoncratic party's perchant for for disenfranchising voters, I am incapable of understanding why the 'Party of the Peepul' cares that if Super Delegates reverse the will of Democratic Voters, "it would shatter young people and destroy the party". After all, the Demoncratic party has already disenfranchised the voters of Florida and Michigan; why should young people matter?

It seems as though the Demoncratic party has jettisoned the elderly voters of Florida and the Union voters of Michigan in order to woo the 'young peepul'.

Form over substance, the real motto of the Demoncratic Party.

Ah Schadenfreude!

I love how the 'Party of the PEEPUL' is so insistent that 'every vote must be counted' except of course when the national party says they are not to be. Read this, then ask yourself a few questions.

Why does the Demoncratic party not accept the 'will of the peepul' when the peepul decide when to hold their elections?

Why does the Demoncratic party insist on disenfranchising the voters of Florida and Michigan, after those voters legally changed state laws.

Why does the Demoncratic party insist on a Do-Over, thereby disenfranchising those voters who voted in the first primary and are unable to vote in the second?

When are Do-Overs illegal?

Hillary, Are you Sure?

Hillary comes up with another southern saying:

“(Obama’s) entire campaign is based on one speech he gave at an
anti-war rally in 2002,” Clinton told reporters on the plane to Fort
Worth, Texas, Saturday, claiming her rival never followed up that
speech with action in the U.S. Senate. “As they say in Texas, a lot of
cattle, no hat.”

Forgive me Hillary, but the saying ought to be, "a lot of hat, no cattle".

You see, having cattle is a good thing, being a person who acts like they have a lot of cattle is the bad thing.

Please, carry on - I am enjoying the schadenfreude.

Where is the flooding!

Come On Al! Show me the FLOODING!

Congrats Youssif!

I have been following this boy's story for almost a year now. Congratulations!

Obama May face grilling

No Really? Read this lackluster AP Article

Then ask yourself some questions:

Why doesn't he wear an American Flag lapel pin - yet has a flag of Che in his Houston HQ?

Why doesn't he know how to properly salute the Flag during the National Anthem?

I guess this must be more of that "True Patriotism" - you know the patriotism that blames America First, and allows one to be 44 years old and "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country"

Loss of a B-2

The US just lost nearly 5% of the B-2 fleet. CNN has a story here.

The story has a serious error of tense, however. The line, "Each B-2 bomber costs about $1.2 billion to build" is a grave error. It implies that we could just pony up another $1.2 Billion and acquire another.

Not so, the production line is shut down and each B-2 is now irreplaceable.

Small comfort

The NYT hasn't violated McCain-Feingold

So, allow him to retort

At least he doesn't wait before engaging

Thank you NYT

Yes, we knew is was about to happen. Now that the MSM (not restricted by McCain-Feingold) has chosen our candidates for us, they have leveled their sights on, well, you know who.

Sharper Image Bankruptcy

According to the WSJ, Sharper Image has filed for bankruptcy protection. I have long thought that Sharper image had tarnished the brand by hawking air purifiers, almost to the exclusion of everything else

Go Dan

Dan Riehl has a good thought on the issue of Party v. Principles here.

I cannot, in good conscience, vote for Mike Huckabee as a member of any ticket. I don't vote for bigots and his bigotry was on public display here. This attitude alone is enough to decide for me.

Hey, I'm Middle Class

Life in the Middle Class is great!

And?

Read this. America is larger than the current war. Realistically, the Islamo-Fascists cannot destroy the US. They can cause terror and angst. The real issue is which candidate will, in the long term, uphold the values that I the lonely voter, hold dear. It is more than the war. Mitt Romney is that candidate.

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Found on Drudge

Found on Drudge: Hillary will garnish your wages (isn't that called taxation?)

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A Viable Conservative Strategy

So, I was having a small political discussion with my co-workers the other day and they were stunned when I announced I would not be voting for McCain under any circumstances (nor would I vote for Huckabee, but that case is very unlikely).

Why?

Simple, really. This election to me is about conservative principles first; everything else a distant second. Winning the War on Terror will not occur in the next presidency (probably not for 3 presidencies) and we can take a reversal at this time if need be (Hillary and Barack both say they will abandon Iraq as soon as possible - tarnishing the reputation of the US for decades - but a setback, not defeat, nonetheless). The current race is not even about the Supreme Court, only 1 nominee could help there, but if McCain, Clinton, or Obama are elected all that will happen is that the elderly liberal members of the court will retire and these three will replace them with new liberal members. No, the way to look at this problem is to look at long term adherence to conservative values. Strategically speaking, which of the 4 candidates will benefit the conservative movement in the long term? Ann Coulter mentions it here. Let me amplify.

Barack Obama - Barack will 'end' the war in Iraq. (Not!) Returning US troops to their home stations. (Some in Germany - you know that place we once 'occupied' and were offered basing rights to help Europe face off against the totalitarian threat - Sort of like Iraq is asking us to do now - in face of Islamist Fascism and emerging threats from Iran). Other than Iraq, Senator Obama hasn't let me know what he thinks. He just has the highest liberal voting record among those with a chance of winning the presidency. The short-term implications are bad, yes, withdrawing from Iraq will send the absolute wrong message to every part of the planet, emboldening terrorists everywhere, and convincing Allies that the US doesn't stand by them. In the long term, however, the imposition of the Liberal values upon America will cause everyone to question their own belief structure and I think that conservative values will win - maybe even by the mid-term election. Summary: Barack signals a bad short term for conservative principles, but long term strengthening of them. Grade him - / +

Hillary Clinton - She also will 'end' the war in Iraq, but she is realistic enough to know that it doesn't end US involvement there. However, just like the Rules of Engagement imposed on the US in Somalia, her policies will cause an increase in the rate of US casualities. This, coupled with Hillary-care, confiscation of profits ("I want to take those profits..." - by the way, impacting every 401K in the country), and amnesty ought to lead to the same conservative backlash mentioned above.
Summary: Hillary is way, way, bad in the short term for conservative principles; but, in the long term the backlash will be the same. Grade Hillary - / + as well.

Senator McCain - John McCain is a war hero. He will happily tell you what he thinks. These are good things. The bad things, though, are something else. McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, the Gang of 14, Voting against the Bush tax cuts, etc. He is even against water-boarding - (the 'torture' safe enough for untrained coke pink demonstrators to do to each other - and not get hurt) He does things for "Patriotism, not for profit". All this tells me is that he lacks a fundamental understanding that profits are the engine that enables us to enjoy our standard of living. Profits and property rights are the inherent quality of our republic that permit us to engage on the world stage.
Summary: In the short term, he will 'reach across the aisle' and make deals that sacrifice clear conservative principles; any subsequent failures will be blamed on Republicans. Thus long term, conservative principles will not re-emerge. Grade McCain as - / -.

The only candidate that will help in both the short term (Supreme Court, Economy, Iraq, etc) and long term (strengthening conservative values) is Mitt Romney. Grade him + / +.

Look at the scores, of the 4 viable candidates I will support Romney first, any Democrat second, and McCain a dead last. I am committed to conservative values first, and that order of candidates give me the best opportunity to enjoy a society that is based on those principles (at the worst in the long run).

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