Since the last time I posted here, I have been traveling on business in the Fort Worth area. I like Fort Worth, It is a nice place filled up with nice folks. My clients are the finest kind and the meetings went well.
That said, by the time I dragged myself onto the plane at DFW last night. I was tired, cranky and pretty much in a bad mood. We all get those. It was a combination of a lot of work, too much hotel room life, and some of the political goofiness that was going on while I was traveling. So, strapped in and waiting for the plane to take off and get me back home to South Florida I was not what you could call a happy camper.
Then a family boarded the plane. Mom, Dad and daughter. The daughter, a young woman of around 14 or so was wearing a complex and painful looking leg brace her parents were pretty much carrying her down the aisle to their seats – opposite me.
In conversation I learned that the daughter had been undergoing surgeries since she was 3 to correct a birth defect and that she had what was supposed to have been her last surgery 2 weeks prior. During a routine rehab therapy session, something in her leg popped and it set her back literally years. This young woman had to be in pain. It hurt to look at her.
They were flying to Fort Lauderdale to see the only doctor that was familiar with her situation after only a couple of weeks at home in the Dallas area. She was looking forward to school and seeing her friends. Her parents were looking forward to some time without doctors and hospitals. She is a pretty girl, but had lived with the surgery, devices and crutches most of her life. Here she was, almost done and bam! A major setback. But, you know what? She was happy! As was her family. Sure, Mom and Dad looked tired and somewhat wrung out, but the three of them were happy. Smiling and laughing.
This was one of those moments when life up and smacks you in the head. I had it coming. Here I was feeling all sorry for myself because I was tired and such, and this young woman, whose issues made mine look nonexistent was happy and laughing.
In speaking to them I learned my lesson. There is always a reason to be happy. It is never as bad as we make things out to be. Not the old silver lining opprobrium, or anything like that. Just the simple fact that as long as we are breathing, we have something to feel good about and all of the problems that we let anger us, upset us, depress us and so on are not as bad as we dress them up.
Sure, there are real problems in this world. Yes, people we love get sick, injured or die. Business goes sour. Deal fall through. Things get lost. Political winds change. But at the end of all of that we get to choose happiness or misery.
The world does not choose that for us. Each of us makes that choice every day. Next time you feel a bad mood coming on, stop and think, “Do I want to be miserable or do I want to be happy like that girl on the plane?” Me, I am going to work on choosing the happy.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Mosque Mess
Over the last week, I have been very busy with actual business and have not had the time to post anything here. Also, I have been fairly hesitant to weigh in on the mosque mess. Add to that my growing concern over the tenor of that debate and it is easy to see why the sidelines look so attractive on this issue.
However, the debate has now taken a turn that is more than just the normal flaming spitballs launched across the growing partisan divide. To really look at this fairly, you have to break it into 2 debates.
The first debate has to be the planned Islamic Center/Mosque near the World Trade Center site, or as it is known, the Ground Zero Mosque. Setting aside the obvious misnomer that is what it is known as and what I will call it. And let's all agree right off the top that there is a clear Constitutional and legal right to build that facility in that location. However, there is a principled, albeit emotional argument for moving it a little further from the actual site of the 9/11 attacks.
Eric Bolling at Fox best voices this. Please note that I am not a Fox fan at all. Or an MSNBC or CNN fan. From my perspective, most of the media (lame, main and otherwise) is so deeply engaged in the blindly partisan mud fest we call politics that they are useless as observers and reporters. Bolling however, while clearly voicing his conservative beliefs, is one of the few on either side that gives credence to an opposing perspective.
Anyway, Bolling explains it simply. He was in a cab on the way to WTC on 9/11. He saw the plane hit the tower. He lost a lot of friends and coworkers that day. I lost friends too, but I was in the comfort of my South Florida kitchen at the time. Eric was there. He worked there. Most folks have seen his safe deposit box. If you haven't seen it, Google it or whatever.
Bolling always acknowledges that the developer has every right the build it there. He is clear on that. However, for him, and many others, it is a strong emotional issue. It is that simple. To Bolling and a lot of folks, it is an affront, and an intentional one. I understand and respect that. I even agree to an extent. I personally think that the developer knows exactly what he is doing and refuses to even discuss a change of plans. For many like Eric Bolling, this is a personal insult.
That is something the developer should take into consideration, but does not have to. It is the kind of thing that does more for community outreach than a hundred open houses and bake sales. That is all folks like Eric want. Respect and some consideration of their emotions about the 9/11 attacks.
However, many others are not so pure of intention. Take Newt Gingrich, who most famously said that it is like putting a Nazi sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. I guess to those who revel in the endless Nazi analogies, this makes sense. Unfortunately, it does not.
First, we would allow the Nazi sign next to museum. It is called freedom of speech and freedom of expression. It would be seriously distasteful, but it would be protected speech. Second, can all of you lay off the Nazi analogies for at least a month? It tends to minimize the true and deep evil that Hitler perpetrated. Also, its sounds stupid. Democrats did it to Bush, Republicans are doing it to Obama. Even though it is protected speech, it is distasteful and somewhat stupid speech.
And, worse than the Nazi analogists are the flat out haters. Those who dislike all Moslems and view all of them as the same as radical Islam. They are not. Most Moslems are just like everyone else. They just want to have a nice day. Of course those who attacked us did so in the name of radical Islam, but they are a small percentage. Painting all of Islam with that brush is wrong.
And that is what is happening now. Opposition to mosques in Tennessee, California and Wisconsin is significant and ugly. Those areas do not have the emotional argument that Eric Bolling and his peers do. Those that oppose those mosques do so out of either misplaced anger or straight out hate. Listen to the arguments.
Accusations that those mosques will allow strict Sharia law to be practiced. Well, I doubt very heavily that there will be any stonings in Murfreesboro, Tennessee or Temecula, California. This is the kind of stuff the opponents of the mosques outside New York are pushing. They use phrases like, "...taking over the US from the inside."
That last phrase should sound familiar. It was applied to Irish immigrants, Italians, Jews and recently, Hispanics. It is standard fare for the xenophobes. No matter who it is, they are always somehow plotting to take over the US from the inside. Oddly, it never seems to happen.
So there are really two debates here. One is a principled, albeit emotional argument from New Yorkers who still feel the pain and anguish from 9/11. As a compassionate and understanding American, I understand and respect their feelings. I support their effort to open a dialog to try to move the Islamic Center. It is a fair and understandable request. As a side note, there are those who suggest that it is time for Bolling and his peers to "get over it." How dare they. Whether or not I share the emotions Bolling has, we should respect them. Not respecting Bolling or anyone else's feelings is no better than those who oppose all mosques.
The other debate is not so principled. It is based on hate and misinformation and forwarded by those who simply wish to keep Moslems out of our society. To those people I say shut up. Keep your petty hate and bile to yourselves and accept that this is America and freedom is an absolute. To those in California, Tennessee and Wisconsin who are mounting hate based campaigns against peaceful good citizens, I say stop. You damage this nation with your every word and deed. Hate our enemy. Hate those who killed 3,000 on 9/11. But do not hate all who are Moslem. Most are good folks and good neighbors.
By the way, as much as I dislike the haters like Gingrich and Bo Dietl, and would love for them to just shut up, I also recognize that our amazing Constitution protects even stupid hateful speech like Dietl's inaccurate hysterics about Sharia law and Gingrich's snarling Nazi analogies. So I defend their right to free speech as much as anyone else's.
Simply put, we can have a debate about the Ground Zero location for the mosque with no hate for all Moslems (as Mr. Bolling has done) or we can descend into the kind of hate we are supposed to be better than as Americans.
However, the debate has now taken a turn that is more than just the normal flaming spitballs launched across the growing partisan divide. To really look at this fairly, you have to break it into 2 debates.
The first debate has to be the planned Islamic Center/Mosque near the World Trade Center site, or as it is known, the Ground Zero Mosque. Setting aside the obvious misnomer that is what it is known as and what I will call it. And let's all agree right off the top that there is a clear Constitutional and legal right to build that facility in that location. However, there is a principled, albeit emotional argument for moving it a little further from the actual site of the 9/11 attacks.
Eric Bolling at Fox best voices this. Please note that I am not a Fox fan at all. Or an MSNBC or CNN fan. From my perspective, most of the media (lame, main and otherwise) is so deeply engaged in the blindly partisan mud fest we call politics that they are useless as observers and reporters. Bolling however, while clearly voicing his conservative beliefs, is one of the few on either side that gives credence to an opposing perspective.
Anyway, Bolling explains it simply. He was in a cab on the way to WTC on 9/11. He saw the plane hit the tower. He lost a lot of friends and coworkers that day. I lost friends too, but I was in the comfort of my South Florida kitchen at the time. Eric was there. He worked there. Most folks have seen his safe deposit box. If you haven't seen it, Google it or whatever.
Bolling always acknowledges that the developer has every right the build it there. He is clear on that. However, for him, and many others, it is a strong emotional issue. It is that simple. To Bolling and a lot of folks, it is an affront, and an intentional one. I understand and respect that. I even agree to an extent. I personally think that the developer knows exactly what he is doing and refuses to even discuss a change of plans. For many like Eric Bolling, this is a personal insult.
That is something the developer should take into consideration, but does not have to. It is the kind of thing that does more for community outreach than a hundred open houses and bake sales. That is all folks like Eric want. Respect and some consideration of their emotions about the 9/11 attacks.
However, many others are not so pure of intention. Take Newt Gingrich, who most famously said that it is like putting a Nazi sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. I guess to those who revel in the endless Nazi analogies, this makes sense. Unfortunately, it does not.
First, we would allow the Nazi sign next to museum. It is called freedom of speech and freedom of expression. It would be seriously distasteful, but it would be protected speech. Second, can all of you lay off the Nazi analogies for at least a month? It tends to minimize the true and deep evil that Hitler perpetrated. Also, its sounds stupid. Democrats did it to Bush, Republicans are doing it to Obama. Even though it is protected speech, it is distasteful and somewhat stupid speech.
And, worse than the Nazi analogists are the flat out haters. Those who dislike all Moslems and view all of them as the same as radical Islam. They are not. Most Moslems are just like everyone else. They just want to have a nice day. Of course those who attacked us did so in the name of radical Islam, but they are a small percentage. Painting all of Islam with that brush is wrong.
And that is what is happening now. Opposition to mosques in Tennessee, California and Wisconsin is significant and ugly. Those areas do not have the emotional argument that Eric Bolling and his peers do. Those that oppose those mosques do so out of either misplaced anger or straight out hate. Listen to the arguments.
Accusations that those mosques will allow strict Sharia law to be practiced. Well, I doubt very heavily that there will be any stonings in Murfreesboro, Tennessee or Temecula, California. This is the kind of stuff the opponents of the mosques outside New York are pushing. They use phrases like, "...taking over the US from the inside."
That last phrase should sound familiar. It was applied to Irish immigrants, Italians, Jews and recently, Hispanics. It is standard fare for the xenophobes. No matter who it is, they are always somehow plotting to take over the US from the inside. Oddly, it never seems to happen.
So there are really two debates here. One is a principled, albeit emotional argument from New Yorkers who still feel the pain and anguish from 9/11. As a compassionate and understanding American, I understand and respect their feelings. I support their effort to open a dialog to try to move the Islamic Center. It is a fair and understandable request. As a side note, there are those who suggest that it is time for Bolling and his peers to "get over it." How dare they. Whether or not I share the emotions Bolling has, we should respect them. Not respecting Bolling or anyone else's feelings is no better than those who oppose all mosques.
The other debate is not so principled. It is based on hate and misinformation and forwarded by those who simply wish to keep Moslems out of our society. To those people I say shut up. Keep your petty hate and bile to yourselves and accept that this is America and freedom is an absolute. To those in California, Tennessee and Wisconsin who are mounting hate based campaigns against peaceful good citizens, I say stop. You damage this nation with your every word and deed. Hate our enemy. Hate those who killed 3,000 on 9/11. But do not hate all who are Moslem. Most are good folks and good neighbors.
By the way, as much as I dislike the haters like Gingrich and Bo Dietl, and would love for them to just shut up, I also recognize that our amazing Constitution protects even stupid hateful speech like Dietl's inaccurate hysterics about Sharia law and Gingrich's snarling Nazi analogies. So I defend their right to free speech as much as anyone else's.
Simply put, we can have a debate about the Ground Zero location for the mosque with no hate for all Moslems (as Mr. Bolling has done) or we can descend into the kind of hate we are supposed to be better than as Americans.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
What are They Teaching?
Preventative disclosure - I am registered No Party Affiliation (NPA and Proud!) in Florida and have been for some time - as in decades. As such, I get calls from both sides seeking to sway me to one or the other. Failing that, they at least want some money. I have not given a dime to either party for quite some time and do not intend to fuel their hate and anger machines now.
As the election draws closer, the number of fund raising calls from both sides keeps increasing. And the alarmist noises being made by those fund raisers gets more alarming. This week I got a call that set me to wondering just what these callers have been taught.
This one came from the Republican Senate Campaign Committee. It could just as easily been the Democrats. Both sides are the same. It went something like this (I am not making this up):
Caller: Hi. I am calling on behalf of the Republican Senate Committee. In November, Americans head to the polls to vote in the most important election in American history. We need to elect more Republican Senators to help get rid of Nancy Pelosi.
Me: Umm. You do know that Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House and 100 Republican Senators could not remove her.
Caller: Right. That is why we need to elect more Republican Senators.
Me: And you do know that Senators have no voice in who is Speaker of the House, right?
Caller: Yes. Because the Democratic majority....
Me: Not to be rude, but do you understand how Congress is structured? I mean you do know that the House of Representatives elects the Speaker and the Senate has no say at all.
Caller: Yes, I know that, and that is why we need more Republican Senators. All 435 Senate seats are up for election...
Me: There have not been 435 Senators since Rome burned. Want to try that again? No, wait. Let me explain. The House of Representatives currently has 435 members, all of whom face election every 2 years. The Senate is currently 100 members and only one-third of them face election every 2 years. So, what are you asking me for?
Caller: We need to raise money to elect more Republican Senators.
Me: Out of curiosity, who is the minority leader of the US Senate right now?
Caller: Michael Steele?
And so on. This call lasted quite some time, since I asked for a supervisor who was even less well informed. They could not name any Congressional leader except the false queen Pelosi and seemed somewhat baffled that Senators could not unseat her. They could not name the Republican candidate for Senate here in Florida, even though they were trying to raise money for him.
The answer to "Who is the GOP Senate candidate here in Florida?" was, "Oh, wait. I can't remember the name. Tea Party endorsed. I know that...."
What bothered me about this call was the fact that these callers have no idea how our government is structured. None. They don't know the difference between the House and Senate. They have no clue as to who is running or who is currently in office. This is not a lack of briefing by their employers. This is a lack of proper education in basic American civics. It is a lack of basic knowledge about who sits in leadership posts in our government.
I learned this stuff when I was in elementary school. It would be do easy to blame the schools or teacher's unions. And they should be brought to task for this. But the real culprit here is the failed 2 party system we have. The Democrats and Republicans don't want voters to know how it works or who is in charge. If the voters knew the truth about how horribly twisted and corrupt the system has become, no incumbent would ever win re-election.
So what are they teaching in the schools? Keep in mind that we just send billions to school districts across the country to help them meet their budgets. And while that money is controversial (what isn't controversial these days?) what is more aggravating is the lack of any kind of requirements or conditions to get the funding. So what do we get for our billions?
Not civics or any education on how our government works. No real explanation of our rights and freedoms. No teaching about how a bill becomes law or why a bicameral legislature is more representative than a unicameral form. Nope. We get more nonsense self-esteem claptrap. More "everyone is a winner" stupidity. Another round of "everyone can do anything."
And that is how a political fundraiser has no idea how the political system works. And that is why our elected officials are simply embarrassing. That is why the ballot has become a "hold your nose and vote," process. If you think this generation of self serving narcissistic elected failures is bad, wait for the next one.
One of the few things that is bipartisan is that narcissistic self righteousness. Look at Eric Cantor and Alan Grayson. Two members of the Parliament of Whores we call Congress. One from each of the corrupt parties. Yet, they are almost the same person. Totally convinced that they are right and everyone else is too stupid to see that. Both talk to the people like we are 4 year olds. Neither has a clue about the reality of life on "Main Street," and neither actually cares.
That is just 2 of the 535 self serving corrupt entities that occupy Capitol Hill. Those 2 are just examples of how bad our Congress really is. Sure. Obama's poll numbers are dropping. And well they should. He is not doing what one could call a great job. But Congress? Their numbers would embarrass Spiro Agnew. So few people hav favorable view of Congress that it is entirely possible that all of the favorable view results came from employees of Congress.
Well, I think we need to do some unemploying. Starting on November 2, we need to get rid of all of the party hacks and whores that are in Congress now and elect anyone that is not an incumbent. They cannot possibly be worse than the corrupted, self serving, overly entitled batch we have now. And where possible, not from one of the 2 failed parties.
If anyone can be blamed for the mess we have now, it is the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. As the phone call pointed out so effectively, they actually don't care about the governing part of the deal. All they want is the winning. For them it is just a game. Well, we are the umpires and it is time to send them to the clubhouse permanently.
To drive home that message, I am offering T-Shirts with this message:
As a capitalist and a free market person, I am selling them for both profit and with the intent of donating to those candidates that are willing to step outside the parties and declare a concern for the Constitution and the people.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
As the election draws closer, the number of fund raising calls from both sides keeps increasing. And the alarmist noises being made by those fund raisers gets more alarming. This week I got a call that set me to wondering just what these callers have been taught.
This one came from the Republican Senate Campaign Committee. It could just as easily been the Democrats. Both sides are the same. It went something like this (I am not making this up):
Caller: Hi. I am calling on behalf of the Republican Senate Committee. In November, Americans head to the polls to vote in the most important election in American history. We need to elect more Republican Senators to help get rid of Nancy Pelosi.
Me: Umm. You do know that Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House and 100 Republican Senators could not remove her.
Caller: Right. That is why we need to elect more Republican Senators.
Me: And you do know that Senators have no voice in who is Speaker of the House, right?
Caller: Yes. Because the Democratic majority....
Me: Not to be rude, but do you understand how Congress is structured? I mean you do know that the House of Representatives elects the Speaker and the Senate has no say at all.
Caller: Yes, I know that, and that is why we need more Republican Senators. All 435 Senate seats are up for election...
Me: There have not been 435 Senators since Rome burned. Want to try that again? No, wait. Let me explain. The House of Representatives currently has 435 members, all of whom face election every 2 years. The Senate is currently 100 members and only one-third of them face election every 2 years. So, what are you asking me for?
Caller: We need to raise money to elect more Republican Senators.
Me: Out of curiosity, who is the minority leader of the US Senate right now?
Caller: Michael Steele?
And so on. This call lasted quite some time, since I asked for a supervisor who was even less well informed. They could not name any Congressional leader except the false queen Pelosi and seemed somewhat baffled that Senators could not unseat her. They could not name the Republican candidate for Senate here in Florida, even though they were trying to raise money for him.
The answer to "Who is the GOP Senate candidate here in Florida?" was, "Oh, wait. I can't remember the name. Tea Party endorsed. I know that...."
What bothered me about this call was the fact that these callers have no idea how our government is structured. None. They don't know the difference between the House and Senate. They have no clue as to who is running or who is currently in office. This is not a lack of briefing by their employers. This is a lack of proper education in basic American civics. It is a lack of basic knowledge about who sits in leadership posts in our government.
I learned this stuff when I was in elementary school. It would be do easy to blame the schools or teacher's unions. And they should be brought to task for this. But the real culprit here is the failed 2 party system we have. The Democrats and Republicans don't want voters to know how it works or who is in charge. If the voters knew the truth about how horribly twisted and corrupt the system has become, no incumbent would ever win re-election.
So what are they teaching in the schools? Keep in mind that we just send billions to school districts across the country to help them meet their budgets. And while that money is controversial (what isn't controversial these days?) what is more aggravating is the lack of any kind of requirements or conditions to get the funding. So what do we get for our billions?
Not civics or any education on how our government works. No real explanation of our rights and freedoms. No teaching about how a bill becomes law or why a bicameral legislature is more representative than a unicameral form. Nope. We get more nonsense self-esteem claptrap. More "everyone is a winner" stupidity. Another round of "everyone can do anything."
And that is how a political fundraiser has no idea how the political system works. And that is why our elected officials are simply embarrassing. That is why the ballot has become a "hold your nose and vote," process. If you think this generation of self serving narcissistic elected failures is bad, wait for the next one.
One of the few things that is bipartisan is that narcissistic self righteousness. Look at Eric Cantor and Alan Grayson. Two members of the Parliament of Whores we call Congress. One from each of the corrupt parties. Yet, they are almost the same person. Totally convinced that they are right and everyone else is too stupid to see that. Both talk to the people like we are 4 year olds. Neither has a clue about the reality of life on "Main Street," and neither actually cares.
That is just 2 of the 535 self serving corrupt entities that occupy Capitol Hill. Those 2 are just examples of how bad our Congress really is. Sure. Obama's poll numbers are dropping. And well they should. He is not doing what one could call a great job. But Congress? Their numbers would embarrass Spiro Agnew. So few people hav favorable view of Congress that it is entirely possible that all of the favorable view results came from employees of Congress.
Well, I think we need to do some unemploying. Starting on November 2, we need to get rid of all of the party hacks and whores that are in Congress now and elect anyone that is not an incumbent. They cannot possibly be worse than the corrupted, self serving, overly entitled batch we have now. And where possible, not from one of the 2 failed parties.
If anyone can be blamed for the mess we have now, it is the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. As the phone call pointed out so effectively, they actually don't care about the governing part of the deal. All they want is the winning. For them it is just a game. Well, we are the umpires and it is time to send them to the clubhouse permanently.
To drive home that message, I am offering T-Shirts with this message:
As a capitalist and a free market person, I am selling them for both profit and with the intent of donating to those candidates that are willing to step outside the parties and declare a concern for the Constitution and the people.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
No Party Affiliation
Today's Miami Herald brought some interesting - if incorrect - political analysis of the growing numbers of voters registered to neither party. As someone who has proudly been No Party Affiliation (NPA and Proud!) for over 15 years, I could not help but laugh at the pathetic attempt to pigeonhole truly free thinking independent voters by not only the press but the 2 corrupt old parties as well.
In the article by Lee Logan of the Tallahassee bureau of the decidedly Democrat leaning Herald, it is reported that the number of unaffiliated voters is growing more rapidly than either Democrats or Republicans. Since anyone in Tallahassee is most likely part of the autocratic Republican-Democrat Junta that has run the state of Florida like a fiefdom of corruption for decades, Logan's article has to be taken with an Everest size grain of salt.
Phrases like, "...while Democrats struggled to maintain their hefty registration edge over Republicans," don't seem to square up with the later phrase, "..the Republican share of the electorate has declined slightly.." This tells me that the article itself is coming from the Republo-Crat regime and not an objective look at all. In fact, I think it is fair to say that the Herald along with every other media outlet in the nation is in the same situation. They have all tied themselves to one party or the other (yes, Fox, you too) and can't seem to grasp the concept of truly independent voters not held under the sway of the Donkey or Elephant.
In the article, both parties try to claim the "No Party Affiliation" voter. Democrats say that these voters are going to start to appreciate all of the spending and taxing soon since it is saving jobs, blah, blah, blah. At the same time, the GOP claims these voters since, "these non-affiliated voters in their behavior are Republicans."
See the problem? Neither party (nor the press) can come to grips with the simple and obvious fact that more and more voters are sick of their prattling nonsense and ineffective blind ideology. They cannot seem to grasp that we want a government that serves all of the people and not just the majority money folks. The media seems to be totally incapable of even processing the idea that voters can no longer be pressed into simple molds to make reporting easier. Pundits rely on the same tired party line nonsense and refuse to accept that both parties have failed.
And that is the issue in a sentence. Both parties have failed. They have failed so big and so blatantly that it is almost impossible to tell them apart. Sure, they sound different on TV, but look at what they do. Both parties serve only themselves and their major money sources. Never doubt that. The people they elect only serve the parties and never the people. Every action (on inaction) is designed to either win the next election on embarrass the other party.
One look at Congress confirms this. Until 2007, Republicans ran the Congress and Democrats obstructed. Since 2007, it is reversed. No changes, nothing new. No deliberation, no compromise, no honesty. Just pathetic games. Senate minority leader McConnell has made it clear that nothing will pass without a filibuster for the sake of a filibuster. This includes GOP sponsored legislation. Oddly, when the GOP ran the Senate, they complained that the Democrats were obstructing. Now the GOP says it is the "will of the people," which explains the Democratic majority. More Democrats were elected to the Senate so Republicans could stop everything. Makes no sense anywhere except on Capitol Hill.
Same in the House. 6 years ago, the false queen Pelosi was minority leader and she complained about the use of parliamentary tricks to push through legislation that was not going to pass otherwise. Now that she has taken her throne and scepter, she uses those exact same tricks, like the recent use of reconciliation. Seems that when she is in charge, the tricks don't look so bad.
Tallahassee is far worse. The Republican controlled legislature has refused to work with the governor because he chose to run for Senate as an independent. And in Florida, the rift is so wide between the parties and so blatant, that the Republican House Speaker doesn't even bother to make up reasons for it. He pretty much says that the business of the people is on hold because they are mad at the governor for not playing party politics.
All of this party line garbage is why the number of NPA voters keeps increasing. Because the 2 parties are like old, worn out hookers. They just keep selling out and selling out, but fewer people are interested in what they are selling. Both parties are corrupt and self serving. Neither has a clue about the will of the people. Both have adopted hard partisan lines that neither will ever soften or negotiate. It has become all or nothing on both sides.
There are no moderates, no crossover votes, no compromises and no meaningful debates. Just the same tired old junk from the same tired old hacks. It is beyond time to send them home. On November 2, we, the NPA voters can do just that. Send them home, en masse. They have failed and failed badly. It is time to fire them - with no regard to party. They are all bad.
To drive home that message, I am offering T-Shirts with this message:
As a capitalist and a free market person, I am selling them for both profit and with the intent of donating to those candidates that are willing to step outside the parties and declare a concern for the Constitution and the people.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
In the article by Lee Logan of the Tallahassee bureau of the decidedly Democrat leaning Herald, it is reported that the number of unaffiliated voters is growing more rapidly than either Democrats or Republicans. Since anyone in Tallahassee is most likely part of the autocratic Republican-Democrat Junta that has run the state of Florida like a fiefdom of corruption for decades, Logan's article has to be taken with an Everest size grain of salt.
Phrases like, "...while Democrats struggled to maintain their hefty registration edge over Republicans," don't seem to square up with the later phrase, "..the Republican share of the electorate has declined slightly.." This tells me that the article itself is coming from the Republo-Crat regime and not an objective look at all. In fact, I think it is fair to say that the Herald along with every other media outlet in the nation is in the same situation. They have all tied themselves to one party or the other (yes, Fox, you too) and can't seem to grasp the concept of truly independent voters not held under the sway of the Donkey or Elephant.
In the article, both parties try to claim the "No Party Affiliation" voter. Democrats say that these voters are going to start to appreciate all of the spending and taxing soon since it is saving jobs, blah, blah, blah. At the same time, the GOP claims these voters since, "these non-affiliated voters in their behavior are Republicans."
See the problem? Neither party (nor the press) can come to grips with the simple and obvious fact that more and more voters are sick of their prattling nonsense and ineffective blind ideology. They cannot seem to grasp that we want a government that serves all of the people and not just the majority money folks. The media seems to be totally incapable of even processing the idea that voters can no longer be pressed into simple molds to make reporting easier. Pundits rely on the same tired party line nonsense and refuse to accept that both parties have failed.
And that is the issue in a sentence. Both parties have failed. They have failed so big and so blatantly that it is almost impossible to tell them apart. Sure, they sound different on TV, but look at what they do. Both parties serve only themselves and their major money sources. Never doubt that. The people they elect only serve the parties and never the people. Every action (on inaction) is designed to either win the next election on embarrass the other party.
One look at Congress confirms this. Until 2007, Republicans ran the Congress and Democrats obstructed. Since 2007, it is reversed. No changes, nothing new. No deliberation, no compromise, no honesty. Just pathetic games. Senate minority leader McConnell has made it clear that nothing will pass without a filibuster for the sake of a filibuster. This includes GOP sponsored legislation. Oddly, when the GOP ran the Senate, they complained that the Democrats were obstructing. Now the GOP says it is the "will of the people," which explains the Democratic majority. More Democrats were elected to the Senate so Republicans could stop everything. Makes no sense anywhere except on Capitol Hill.
Same in the House. 6 years ago, the false queen Pelosi was minority leader and she complained about the use of parliamentary tricks to push through legislation that was not going to pass otherwise. Now that she has taken her throne and scepter, she uses those exact same tricks, like the recent use of reconciliation. Seems that when she is in charge, the tricks don't look so bad.
Tallahassee is far worse. The Republican controlled legislature has refused to work with the governor because he chose to run for Senate as an independent. And in Florida, the rift is so wide between the parties and so blatant, that the Republican House Speaker doesn't even bother to make up reasons for it. He pretty much says that the business of the people is on hold because they are mad at the governor for not playing party politics.
All of this party line garbage is why the number of NPA voters keeps increasing. Because the 2 parties are like old, worn out hookers. They just keep selling out and selling out, but fewer people are interested in what they are selling. Both parties are corrupt and self serving. Neither has a clue about the will of the people. Both have adopted hard partisan lines that neither will ever soften or negotiate. It has become all or nothing on both sides.
There are no moderates, no crossover votes, no compromises and no meaningful debates. Just the same tired old junk from the same tired old hacks. It is beyond time to send them home. On November 2, we, the NPA voters can do just that. Send them home, en masse. They have failed and failed badly. It is time to fire them - with no regard to party. They are all bad.
To drive home that message, I am offering T-Shirts with this message:
As a capitalist and a free market person, I am selling them for both profit and with the intent of donating to those candidates that are willing to step outside the parties and declare a concern for the Constitution and the people.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Hocus Pocus
Today we got news that the "static kill" was going well and BP felt that the well was finally stopped. Hopefully that is true. We could use some good news on this. However, no sooner did they say that, then the administration and BP forwarded a lie that equals "the check is in the mail," for audacity and obvious nonsense.
A couple of days ago, revised numbers put the amount of oil spilled from this disaster at just under 5 million barrels or right around 200 million gallons. This tops all previous estimates and makes this the largest marine oil spill ever anywhere. Add to that the 2 million gallons of dispersant and you have the largest environmental mess ever made.
Since this sounds really bad and takes away from Obama's "mission accomplished" moment when the well is finally plugged, the administration and their pals at BP needed some way to make it sound better. Since logic denies them this, they went with the next best thing - magic. Today, Obama point man Thad Allen happily announced that 76 percent of the spilled oil is simply gone. Vanished. Some was collected, some was burned, some skimmed. That part comes to under a million gallons or roughly 20 percent.
The rest? Around 50 percent of the spilled oil? Magically vanished. A combination of evaporation, dispersal and the mystic ability of the Gulf of Mexico to simply make oil go away. To be fair, the Gulf does have some life forms that can consume the oil. But they typically can consume less than 100,000 barrels per year. That is less than 2 days of this spill. On the evaporation thing, oil does not completely evaporate. It breaks down into several fairly toxic substances including tar. But it does not disappear. On the dispersal claim, that is just stupid. Dispersal means the oil is spread out over a greater area. Not less oil - more area.
But the administration, forever worried about PR and such, had none other than Carole Browner out today telling us that 76 percent of the oil had simply gone away. Thad Allen continues to refer to his aerial surveys. The White House and BP would have us believe that over half of the oil that leaked is just gone. Vanished. Consumed. Whatever. They want us to simply accept that it is gone.
This is with virtually no real science. In fact, real scientists at actual universities keep pointing out that there really is no precedent for this much oil and dispersant. Real researchers keep reporting elevated levels of oil in the water miles away and thousands of feet deep. And that is exactly what BP, Thad Allen and the rest of the administration and Congress wanted in the first place.
The problem to be invisible. Not gone. Not solved. Not dealt with. Just harder to see. And less photogenic. Has anyone noticed that the images from a mile below the surface pretty much disappeared from the news? That we no longer get a report of where the oil is or might be going? We no longer get a look at the damage in Plaquemines Parish where the worst of it is. Why?
Well, the administration and BP from the start wanted the oil kept off the surface. BP announced that almost immediately. Then we had the sham of the EPA order stopping the dispersant. Thad Allen and BP said no. EPA immediately backed down. When has that ever happened? When has EPA ever just backed down? This left it up to Obama's hand picked National Incident Commander Thad Allen, who was yielding to BP across the board.
So the 2 million gallons of dispersant was pumped onto and into the Gulf of Mexico with the explicit purpose of keeping the oil off the surface. BP said this. Thad Allen said this. For some reason, the same media that questions the cost of a wedding didn't notice that the oil was being hidden - right in front of them. And it obviously worked.
This is important to Team Obama. They were very slow to react to the situation when it happened and slow to really grasp the magnitude of it. They put everything through the bureaucracy, slowing it down even more. Congress is STILL working on reacting with something other than hearings. Overall, the government needs to show a rapid "mission accomplished" to try to overcome the failure to properly react initially.
So Obama gets his "mission accomplished" moment. The well appears to be finally stopped. They are still going to do the relief wells and such, but the oil seems to be finally and permanently stopped. But the oil that leaked is still mostly in the water - just hard to see. Thus they can announce that the oil had gone away on its own. And then they can run away as fast as they can. Just like the last time a president proclaimed mission accomplished when the original mission was not accomplished.
If you don't want to believe me, that is fine. Just ask any Gulf fisherman or resort owner. Ask the people whose lives this disaster destroyed. They'll tell you. Ask them - if you dare.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
A couple of days ago, revised numbers put the amount of oil spilled from this disaster at just under 5 million barrels or right around 200 million gallons. This tops all previous estimates and makes this the largest marine oil spill ever anywhere. Add to that the 2 million gallons of dispersant and you have the largest environmental mess ever made.
Since this sounds really bad and takes away from Obama's "mission accomplished" moment when the well is finally plugged, the administration and their pals at BP needed some way to make it sound better. Since logic denies them this, they went with the next best thing - magic. Today, Obama point man Thad Allen happily announced that 76 percent of the spilled oil is simply gone. Vanished. Some was collected, some was burned, some skimmed. That part comes to under a million gallons or roughly 20 percent.
The rest? Around 50 percent of the spilled oil? Magically vanished. A combination of evaporation, dispersal and the mystic ability of the Gulf of Mexico to simply make oil go away. To be fair, the Gulf does have some life forms that can consume the oil. But they typically can consume less than 100,000 barrels per year. That is less than 2 days of this spill. On the evaporation thing, oil does not completely evaporate. It breaks down into several fairly toxic substances including tar. But it does not disappear. On the dispersal claim, that is just stupid. Dispersal means the oil is spread out over a greater area. Not less oil - more area.
But the administration, forever worried about PR and such, had none other than Carole Browner out today telling us that 76 percent of the oil had simply gone away. Thad Allen continues to refer to his aerial surveys. The White House and BP would have us believe that over half of the oil that leaked is just gone. Vanished. Consumed. Whatever. They want us to simply accept that it is gone.
This is with virtually no real science. In fact, real scientists at actual universities keep pointing out that there really is no precedent for this much oil and dispersant. Real researchers keep reporting elevated levels of oil in the water miles away and thousands of feet deep. And that is exactly what BP, Thad Allen and the rest of the administration and Congress wanted in the first place.
The problem to be invisible. Not gone. Not solved. Not dealt with. Just harder to see. And less photogenic. Has anyone noticed that the images from a mile below the surface pretty much disappeared from the news? That we no longer get a report of where the oil is or might be going? We no longer get a look at the damage in Plaquemines Parish where the worst of it is. Why?
Well, the administration and BP from the start wanted the oil kept off the surface. BP announced that almost immediately. Then we had the sham of the EPA order stopping the dispersant. Thad Allen and BP said no. EPA immediately backed down. When has that ever happened? When has EPA ever just backed down? This left it up to Obama's hand picked National Incident Commander Thad Allen, who was yielding to BP across the board.
So the 2 million gallons of dispersant was pumped onto and into the Gulf of Mexico with the explicit purpose of keeping the oil off the surface. BP said this. Thad Allen said this. For some reason, the same media that questions the cost of a wedding didn't notice that the oil was being hidden - right in front of them. And it obviously worked.
This is important to Team Obama. They were very slow to react to the situation when it happened and slow to really grasp the magnitude of it. They put everything through the bureaucracy, slowing it down even more. Congress is STILL working on reacting with something other than hearings. Overall, the government needs to show a rapid "mission accomplished" to try to overcome the failure to properly react initially.
So Obama gets his "mission accomplished" moment. The well appears to be finally stopped. They are still going to do the relief wells and such, but the oil seems to be finally and permanently stopped. But the oil that leaked is still mostly in the water - just hard to see. Thus they can announce that the oil had gone away on its own. And then they can run away as fast as they can. Just like the last time a president proclaimed mission accomplished when the original mission was not accomplished.
If you don't want to believe me, that is fine. Just ask any Gulf fisherman or resort owner. Ask the people whose lives this disaster destroyed. They'll tell you. Ask them - if you dare.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Monday, August 2, 2010
Static Lies
Sometime in the next 24 hours, BP - with the rubber stamp approval of Obama point man Thad Allen - will begin pumping drilling mud and eventually concrete into the top of the Macondo well. They will pump it through the already weakened and questionable blowout preventer that is part of the initial problem. And they will, at that point, have prevented any objective or scientific measure of the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico while managing to get away with pumping almost 2 million gallons of toxic chemicals into the Gulf alongside the estimated 150 million gallons of oil.
I am talking about the dispersants...again. This has been a theme on this blog for literally months. Suddenly, everyone wants to know about the dispersant. Congress is asking, the press is asking and Thad Allen is lying. He is doing his best to protect both the inept fools at BP who cooked up this chemistry experiment and the inept fools in the administration who allowed it.
Back on day three of this disaster, the Obama EPA ordered BP to stop using the dispersant. BP and their pal Thad Allen said no. EPA put a limit on the amount. Thad Allen's answer? Waive the limit repeatedly. Repeatedly as in 74 times in 48 days. And then ignore BP's violation of the waiver limit. Oh, he also managed to completely ignore the simple fact that the dispersant is designed for surface use and not the massive undersea application employed by BP.
According to Thad Allen, the goal of reducing the dispersant was "generally met." What? Generally met? As in ignored? As in disregarded? As in laughed at? Allen was supposed to be on our side in this mess, not BP's. Yet there he was this weekend, defending BP up and down the line.
Remember, BP's stated goal for the undersea dispersant use was to keep the oil from reaching the surface. It must have worked, since Thad Allen's measure of any success is to fly over the area and look for oil. Since the majority of the oil remains hidden below the surface, this means Allen can look out his airplane window and feel good about no surface oil.
He continues to deny any problem with oil beneath the surface and now forwards BP's newest lie - the magical ability of the Gulf to eliminate the oil by itself. This little fantasy is based on the Gulf's known ability to deal with tiny amounts of oil. perhaps a hundred barrels a month from tiny seeps in the sea floor. Not massive amounts measured in the tens of thousands of barrels per day.
But good old Thad, just like his boss Obama, prefers the simplistic attitude of "see no oil, have no oil." And that is his measure for success. They have managed to cover it up with toxic chemicals and screaming falsehoods. In fact, it is a lot like the way the Obama pre-failed economic team works. Just pretend it is getting better and it will. Much like the economy, they claim success in the Gulf based on a quick, superficial glance. Nothing on the surface today, must be good.
Yet, on the same days that Thad Allen does his "observational analysis," people on boats have no problem finding thick, mousse like oil mixed with dispersant on the surface. It is still exactly where it was 2 months ago and shows no signs of abating. Now Allen and new BP CEO Bob Dudley want to scale back the cleanup efforts based on - wait for it - Thad Allen's surface observations.
Well, if Obama wanted his "Mission Accomplished" moment, he has it. He and his appointed failure Thad Allen can now easily accomplish BP's mission and lie to the American people. They can tell us that the well is plugged and there is no oil on the surface. They can tell us that the fish is good to eat when the fishermen won't sell it because they don't trust it. They can tell us that the Gulf of Mexico has magic powers to absorb oil endlessly with no harm. Maybe they will tell us we can fly if we just all think good thoughts.
Why should we believe anything they tell us at this point? The cap was only for a 2 day test, yet it has been there for weeks. The flow of oil into the Gulf has been hidden since day one. There has been zero transparency in the entire mess. Allen was supposed to be working for us, but he has yielded to BP at every turn. When they lied, Thad made excuses. Same as Geithner and Goldman Sachs. Another administration appointee working for someone other than us.
Write this down. As soon as Allen and BP can confirm that the well is plugged, they are gone. Out of there. The administration, the media and BP will move on leaving the folks that live there to sort it out.
God help them because this government and BP won't.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
I am talking about the dispersants...again. This has been a theme on this blog for literally months. Suddenly, everyone wants to know about the dispersant. Congress is asking, the press is asking and Thad Allen is lying. He is doing his best to protect both the inept fools at BP who cooked up this chemistry experiment and the inept fools in the administration who allowed it.
Back on day three of this disaster, the Obama EPA ordered BP to stop using the dispersant. BP and their pal Thad Allen said no. EPA put a limit on the amount. Thad Allen's answer? Waive the limit repeatedly. Repeatedly as in 74 times in 48 days. And then ignore BP's violation of the waiver limit. Oh, he also managed to completely ignore the simple fact that the dispersant is designed for surface use and not the massive undersea application employed by BP.
According to Thad Allen, the goal of reducing the dispersant was "generally met." What? Generally met? As in ignored? As in disregarded? As in laughed at? Allen was supposed to be on our side in this mess, not BP's. Yet there he was this weekend, defending BP up and down the line.
Remember, BP's stated goal for the undersea dispersant use was to keep the oil from reaching the surface. It must have worked, since Thad Allen's measure of any success is to fly over the area and look for oil. Since the majority of the oil remains hidden below the surface, this means Allen can look out his airplane window and feel good about no surface oil.
He continues to deny any problem with oil beneath the surface and now forwards BP's newest lie - the magical ability of the Gulf to eliminate the oil by itself. This little fantasy is based on the Gulf's known ability to deal with tiny amounts of oil. perhaps a hundred barrels a month from tiny seeps in the sea floor. Not massive amounts measured in the tens of thousands of barrels per day.
But good old Thad, just like his boss Obama, prefers the simplistic attitude of "see no oil, have no oil." And that is his measure for success. They have managed to cover it up with toxic chemicals and screaming falsehoods. In fact, it is a lot like the way the Obama pre-failed economic team works. Just pretend it is getting better and it will. Much like the economy, they claim success in the Gulf based on a quick, superficial glance. Nothing on the surface today, must be good.
Yet, on the same days that Thad Allen does his "observational analysis," people on boats have no problem finding thick, mousse like oil mixed with dispersant on the surface. It is still exactly where it was 2 months ago and shows no signs of abating. Now Allen and new BP CEO Bob Dudley want to scale back the cleanup efforts based on - wait for it - Thad Allen's surface observations.
Well, if Obama wanted his "Mission Accomplished" moment, he has it. He and his appointed failure Thad Allen can now easily accomplish BP's mission and lie to the American people. They can tell us that the well is plugged and there is no oil on the surface. They can tell us that the fish is good to eat when the fishermen won't sell it because they don't trust it. They can tell us that the Gulf of Mexico has magic powers to absorb oil endlessly with no harm. Maybe they will tell us we can fly if we just all think good thoughts.
Why should we believe anything they tell us at this point? The cap was only for a 2 day test, yet it has been there for weeks. The flow of oil into the Gulf has been hidden since day one. There has been zero transparency in the entire mess. Allen was supposed to be working for us, but he has yielded to BP at every turn. When they lied, Thad made excuses. Same as Geithner and Goldman Sachs. Another administration appointee working for someone other than us.
Write this down. As soon as Allen and BP can confirm that the well is plugged, they are gone. Out of there. The administration, the media and BP will move on leaving the folks that live there to sort it out.
God help them because this government and BP won't.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
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