The lack of Texas accent makes all the difference

It is apparent that as long as one avoids the Texas accent, almost anything can be said by US presidents and it isn't likely to be criticized. Am I the only one who finds the paradox of a man accepting a prize for peace spending his allotted speaking time defending war unexpected?
I'm all for the destruction of our enemies, but I prefer the hypocrisy free spin myself.

"Such is the weight of he prize. Suddenly and forever, Obama is in the company of Gandhi, King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama."

Let's not forget Yassar Arafat, either.

"He won it, in the eyes of the Nobel committee, for changing the U.S. approach toward the world. The panel cited his efforts on nuclear disarmament, climate change and diplomacy."

If I remember, he was nominated far before he even took presidential office. Perhaps the "panel" should have cited his intent, not his efforts. I for one intend to enter both powerlifting competetions and marathons next year. Perhaps the prize committees for both will award me the first prize medals for my "efforts" as well.

Urban Dictionary's Word of the Day

The Urban Dictionary is daily stop for me. Today's word is truly hilarious. The Booty Text.

The lazy, low-commitment version of the booty call.

Irony is best. Well, best after "to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." Here I thought that a booty call was already low commitment, not just low effort. A whole way to feel even cheaper than one though possible.

NPR reporter pressured over Fox role

Wow, I'm actually a bit impressed by this, though not pleasantly. NPR is concerned that another network seems to have a political bias? Pot. Kettle. Black.
Is there anyone who listens to NPR who can with a clean conscience and without taking drugs say (or believe) that NPR doesn't have its own political bias? I don't know about the drugs or conscience, but apparently Dick Meyer from NPR doesn't (or can't) detect any bias there.
Is Fox biased? Sure. Biased like ABC/CBS/NBC/MSNBC/NYT/LAT/NPR. Of course it isn't bias if one agrees with a particular worldview, its just-you know-the truth. Keith Olbermann isn't biased, he's just right. Speaking truth to power and all that. No bias to see here, just move along.
I can't decide on the diagnosis: hubris or tone-deafness.

h/t to Politico

Packers-Ravens

I managed to score two tickets for the Packers' Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens. A good friend is going with me and I'm under the impression that yes, alcohol will be a factor. It's supposed to be coldish there: high of 27, low of 18, wind about 5-10mph. Snow in the morning. Yeah, I'm going to freeze. I'll report in later with charming anecdotes.

Update: Charming Anecdotes:  It was cold, fun, and Green Bay won.  Sorry to the Ravens fans behind us, but I think we were gentle.

Good Heavens

Imagine my surprise when I looked at my Sitemeter stats (yes, I do that) and found I had had a visitor from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York. What on earth is anyone from there doing here?

Michael Moore may not be a fool, but he sure is foolish

My strongest impression from this letter is: WTF, Michael Moore; you have an AOL email account? Sheesh.

It must be noon, for Pat Buchanan is correct

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and today is Pat Buchanan's day. It leaves an ashen, nasty, taste in my mouth to say it though. He talks about the same misgivings which I have about using the US courts to fight terrorists. I'll let his words speak for themselves.

"And if we must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that KSM was complicit in mass murder, by what right do we send Predators and Special Forces to kill his al-Qaida comrades wherever we find them? For none of them has been granted a fair trial.

When the Justice Department sets up a task force to wage war on a crime organization like the Mafia or MS-13, no U.S. official has a right to shoot Mafia or gang members on sight. No one has a right to bomb their homes. No one has a right to regard the possible death of their wives and children in an attack as acceptable collateral damage."

That is, by putting terrorists on trial we abrogate the entire legal basis for using the military to fight them. One does not follow due process procedures in combat. Imagine having to interview each enemy soldier to determine guilt or innocence before they might be fired at. Not just interviewing, though. An arrest must be made, a trial (with counsel) granted then conducted. Guilt must be ascertained, then sentencing would follow. What exactly is the punishment for taking up arms against the United States, anyway? Ten years for sedition or treason? But they aren't citizens of the United States so that's out.
See what I mean? Nothing but trouble. If OJ Simpson could wriggle out of a murder conviction through prosecutorial missteps, then why not Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? I sure hope that Obama knows what he is doing here. This is his show and it might very well be a disaster.

This is Badass

Military Photos: Testing the XM-25

I know this is only a prototype. I know its still being tested. I know it won't look like that when it gets dropped into the itchy hands of American grunts someday. Still, doesn't that make you want to go out and tear up the range?

(thanks to Strategypage)

Army Reserve medics are better

Support: Older Is Better And Will Save Your Life
This is something I noticed while I was in the army, myself. The reservist medical troops were better, sometimes much better, than their active duty counterparts. Something I suppose about the reservists doing their job everyday, and not spending time taking some pretty pointless classes and other training.
The reservists also got to learn, and use, more advanced techniques and equipment and as a result have more cutting-edge knowledge.
It really is hard to compare the job experience a standard combat medic in the regular army gets to that of their paramedic counterparts in the civilian world. Regular duty guys spend a lot of time doing not much at all while a big-city paramedic working in an ER or an ambulance crew get worked like dogs. All that pays off for the sick, and injured though as superior knowledge and experience lead to superior results. That is, less dying and more living. (hat tip: Strategypage.com)

NOW calls for Cable to be suspended - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

NOW calls for Cable to be suspended - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

Wonderful. The NOW has next to nothing to say about Wm. Clinton's transgressions or the exclusion of women from Obama's inner circle, but does have time to worry about allegations made against a football coach.
Cable should be suspended alright, because he has a horrible football team to show for his efforts. If the allegations against him are proven then the NFL should take whatever action it takes in such cases. I'm not sure that allegations alone should lead to suspension, especially when they are unrelated to his actual, you know, job.
I see from the article that he admits slapping his (now ex) wife twenty years ago.  Terry O'Neil:
“Why would the NFL tolerate having a man who admits to having battered his wife"
Honestly. Our president did cocaine twenty years ago, our media icons have violated many, many, laws. Roman Polanski raped a little girl twenty years ago. I'm supposed to get excited that a football league has a man working in it who slapped his wife twenty years ago? I wonder if she ever slapped him? Does that make a difference? Should it? Are there two tiers of justice and transgressions for the two sexes?

Favre v. Packers

What we saw in the Monday Night Football game was what Green Bay used to see from Brett Favre. The reason that Ted Thompson (GB's GM) cut him semi-loose is that Green Bay hadn't seen that Brett Favre for years.
Favre made no secret that the weekly grind of film study, meetings, practice, and everything else that defines pre-game prep had become irksome to him. So he tried to get by on his native talent. Good for him because he has loads of talent. The trouble is that everyone else in the league does, too. Which means that he went into game after game for years, under-prepared mentally, not knowing what he needed to know to compete as well as his potential would allow. At the same time Favre started getting a little old. The last month or so of each season highlighted that age as his performance began to decline in those games. That is the Brett Favre that Green Bay saw from the 2000 season on.
So when Thompson traded Favre to the Jets he did so because Favre didn't seem to want to do more than just come to the games, strap it up, and let loose. Make no mistake, Favre went the the required meetings and practices, but there is a huge difference between doing the minimum demanded and what it takes to be great.
I get it, after 20+ years of playing football I'd be tired of it, too. But you just can't phone it in when you're playing at the profession's pinnacle. Favre needed a change of scenery to motivate him to play to his potential again, and he got it.
Now all that remains to be seen is what Favre plays the rest of the season in Minnesota. Without a doubt, the Monday night game against Green Bay was Favre's Super Bowl. What we saw was what we saw when Brett Favre cared enough to do everything he could do, not just what he had to do, and it showed.
Of course we also saw an offensive line that kept him from so much as getting a scratch while Green Bay's Rogers just got hammered relentlessly. Even so, the Packers were still one play from winning all the way until the last minute. If Green Bay had anything like the pass protection the Vikings generated, this Monday Night game might have been the best, ever.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda. If Favre had kept playing post-2000 the way he's playing in Minnesota this year, he would still be a Packer.
He didn't, and that is a sports tragedy.

2009 Green Bay Packers Predictions

Another off-season has come and (mostly) gone with the regular season only a few weeks away, I feel compelled to make my annual post. While I love watching the GBP and all that, normally I can't justify saying much about how they play. There are plenty of writers who have much better access and information than I do opining already. Sports isn't like other topics-for the most part what you see is what you get. Regardless, here goes.
The defense has a new scheme, the 3-4 and will hopefully learn to use it effectively this year. The player appear to be somewhat upgraded with DT/DE/NT Raji. The other high draft choice, LB Matthews may or may not be a starter this year; I'm leaning towards not. He has too much ground to make up from practice missed because of injury and the LBs already on the team don't appear willing to give up their jobs easily. The other defensive players are essentially unchanged except for being a year older. This is only a factor for the starting CBs, Woodson and Harris. Is this the year that Harris starts to get old? I'm not sure but he has seemed to wear down late in the season these last few years. Overall I would rate the defense somewhat better in terms of personnel and scheme.
The GBPs offense looks unchanged from last year, apart from the offensive line. That is however a big conditional statement there. LT Clifton appears likely to be the only holdover from the Packers dominant offensive lines from the past years and is getting old himself. How well the OL learns to work together will be a major though quiet story this season. WR Jennings earned a huge new contract and will lead a very good set of receivers this year. TE Finley in particular has appeared to improve from last season and could play a large role in this offense. QB Rogers looks very sharp and should only improve on his first season as a starter this year. With a healthy RB Grant, a settled offensive line, and the outstanding receiver group Rogers might have a monster year.
Special teams for GB have been at best mediocre and at worst an absolute disaster for several years, reflecting the team's general youth. Special teams are played by those not quite good enough to start but good enough to make a roster. With the Packers consistently the youngest team in the NFL that means lots of rookies and JAGs playing, and it showed every week. With the starters very settled now for two years the backups should have had a chance to develop enough to become quality contributors on special teams. K Crosby is in no danger of losing his job but who will be the punter? Neither P Kapinos or Brooks should get comfortable enough to sign a one-year apartment quite yet. It is no understatement that consistently mediocre would be an improvement for the punting game.
Last season the Packers appeared to be a team whose defense couldn't hold a lead late in the fourth quarter, and the offense while efficient had some troubles running the ball. The record of 6-10 should be improved on this season. When I look at the schedule I see ten wins. I expect GB will split the series with Chicago and Minnesota and take both from the Lions. I see the other wins coming from Cincinnati, St. Louis, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, and one from either Seattle or Arizona. Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Dallas would be upsets barring unforeseen circumstances.
There is my season preview. 10-6 should be good enough for the playoffs. A lot will depend on Brett Favre, just not the way it usually.

Bill Clinton: Cheney should stick to target practice « - Blogs from CNN.com

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Bill Clinton: Cheney should stick to target practice « - Blogs from CNN.com

And Clinton should stick to interns.

Low. Hanging. Fruit. I pluck it.

Palin Ties Miss California to Obama & Clinton - The Note

Palin Ties Miss California to Obama & Clinton - The Note


The elephant in the room that nobody speaks of. Plenty of Americans don't support gay marriage, and if you are a politician of the democrat persuasion; don't worry about losing votes. After all, who will those gay men and women vote for if not you? Certainly not the republicans. They're evil, you know? So if you're a democrat talk a good game during primaries knowing that no real changes will have to be made which might cost votes later. Like Charlie Brown knows that Lucy will just jerk the football away at the last second but hoping that she won't. Even Andrew Sullivan is starting to see the light.

With Clinton, we were the means to raise money. With Bush, we were the means to
leverage votes by exploiting bigotry. Obama seemed in the campaign to promise
something else.

Again, at the risk of being an asshole, I told you so. Well, not Andrew Sullivan, but anyone who would listen. By the way, who is exploiting bigotry here? Democrats know gays generally don't vote republican. Knowing that the gay vote is safe the politicians know they won't have to take any unpopular action. Who would have thought that we would look back on Ronald Reagan favorably when remembering the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?" Yet Clinton signed the DOMA and as a result of his "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the number of gay soldiers kicked out doubled. Yet Clinton tried to trumpet himself as some beacon of light to the gay.

A gay coworker (the most misogynistic person I know) still has a man-crush on Hillary and has never been an Obama Man. When Bush came into office at least he was honest about what he intended to do about gay rights: nothing. And nothing is what he did. As advertised. Now BH Obama is in office and all during the presidential campaign season talked a great talk about how things would change with him as president, and how they would be for the better. Conveniently those who supported him disregarded word that he was personally opposed to gay marriage the way republicans ignored GW Bush's penchant for spending (other people's) money.
So who is the worst of these three people: WJ Clinton, GW Bush, or BH Obama? At least Bush wasn't a hypocrite and as far as I can tell didn't make things worse for the gay. Clinton did make things worse for the gay, and Obama looks to do nothing in defiance of his own promises. So rail on all you like about the eeevil republicans; at least we don't make things worse for the gay.

So if measured objectively, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Bush, William Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama seem to have the same beliefs about right for the gay. The same ones shared by Sarah Palin and our new Miss USA. Just don't say that out loud.

BHO Signals A Change To Illegal Drug Policy

White House Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs' - WSJ.com

The Obama administration is likely to deal with drugs as a matter of public health rather than criminal justice alone, with treatment's role growing relative to incarceration, Mr. Kerlikowske said.

Well, why not? We don't even wage war against enemies anymore; just "overseas contingency operations." Seriously though, the whole War On Drugs has been going on forever, and as far as I know, drugs aren't any harder to get today than they were back in the 1980s. Legalizing the growing, possession, and use, of marijuana would be a wonderful start. Its time to stop pretending that smoking dope will somehow all by itself ruin the life of anyone.

I wish I could remember who wrote it, but recently another blogger noticed that the last three presidents all smoked pot and look how they turned out.

See, I don't think BHO is wrong about everything.

Rep. Shadegg Dismisses Rush Limbaugh As Just ‘A Television Personality’

Think Progress » Rep. Shadegg Dismisses Rush Limbaugh As Just ‘A Television Personality’

Like many of my lefty friends, Shadegg doesn't seem to know much about who he criticizes. News flash, hombre: Limbaugh is a radio personality. Its no wonder that modern republicanism is drowning in a sea of mediocrity.

The CIA is Non-Partisan (sorta)

Democrats: CIA is out to get us - Manu Raju - POLITICO.com

So now that democrats are taking the same CIA leaking-document beating that GW Bush did these last many years, it's "interesting." And "out to get us?" Boy that sounds weak.

The CIA has long been on the receiving end of harsh rebukes from Congress — on intelligence failures leading up to the war in Iraq, on secret prisons abroad and on the harsh interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects. But with the release of records showing that it briefed members of Congress along the way, the CIA has effectively put lawmakers on the defensive.

No shit, Sherlock. How can seasoned politicians and congress-critters feign surprise that the CIA refuses to let itself be made a fool of without documents embarassing to the politicians getting leaked? It was all glee and chortles when it was Chimpy McFlightsuit taking the heat, but Pelosi seems to have lost her sense of humor. Sucks to be you.

Barack Obama and Miss America Agree

Donald Trump on Miss California: Same as Barack Obama - Alexander Burns - POLITICO.com

So Miss America (Carrie Prejean) and Barack Obama have the same view on gay marriage. Anyone who didn't already know this hasn't been paying attention these last few years. Perhaps those who now exhibit outrage at the beliefs of this relatively inoffensive young girl thought that BHO was just lying, pandering to those who also didn't believe in gay marriage. News flash for y'all: he wasn't lying. BHO doesn't believe in gay marriage. He has made no move to recind "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," although with just his signature he could end enforcement of the policy. You got what you voted for.
Myself, I'm all for letting anyone get married who wants to. A man to a woman, a man to a man, a woman to a man, two men to a woman, three women to each other, I don't really care. I'm also all in favor of letting "practicing" and openly gay people serve unfettered military careers. Believing otherwise isn't compatible with a philosophy that values freedom and liberty. However in a free nation everyone should also be allowed to have their own opinions, even Miss America. Even BHO.

Apparently Clarence Thomas Isn't Black (enough) To Support Leah Sears

Friendship With Conservative Thomas Complicates Supreme Court Chances for Georgia's Sears - washingtonpost.com

I can't say that I always have agreed with Clarence Thomas, or that I would ever agree with
Leah Sears, but their long-time friendship should be a favorable marker for each. Its also saddening to hear "black leaders" talk about how great it will be to finally get a black person in the US Supreme Court. Because you know, Thomas isn't really black. You know, he doesn't vote the way "real" black people vote. Tyrone Brooks seems to represent that opinion well.

State Rep. Tyrone Brooks, president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected
Officials, also begged off. "I would have been a hypocrite to go up there, skin
and grin, smile and shake hands," he said. His deep disdain for Thomas trumped
pride in Sears's accomplishment. "[I] don't think we have any black people on
the Supreme Court. It's not just the pigmentation of skin. It is philosophy, and
even though Justice Thomas has our skin, he really does not vote the way African
Americans would have him vote."

He seems to think that judges should make decisions based on something other than laws. Maybe my doctor will operate on my knee based on something other than medical training too. Sounds like a great idea. Maybe policemen should also perform their job without looking to the law to guide their actions. Who needs objective standards and binding laws anyway? Because Thomas doesn't vote the way Tyrone Brooks thinks he should not only is Thomas a traitor, he loses his race. The temerity: Thomas identifies more with his citizenship than his melanin. Though unsaid since Brooks doesn't see Thomas as black I'd guess he classifies Thomas as "white." You know, the enemy. Ugh. So much for hope and change.

T.I. Goes To Prison (Finally)

T.I.: Responsibility Is A Lifestyle: It's Time to Bury Da Beef

T.I. is headed to prison for a year, for "being in the possession of illegal firearms." Actually he was convicted of possessing machine guns and silencers unlawfully, and possession of firearms in general. Machine guns and silencers can legally be purchased in the United States, but are highly-regulated and subject to many, many restrictions. Having these items without going through the proper procedures is a federal crime. Additionally, convicted felons cannot possess any firearms legally.
Anyway, T.I. (aka Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) as he is about to begin his prison term, says

I made some bad decisions. I broke the law and will accept my punishment. With
deep reflection about where my life was headed, I have begun the process of
redemption, and decided that before I go to prison, I want to speak to young
people about responsibility as a lifestyle.

Laudable sentiments, certainly. Then this;

I hope that through my mistakes, young people can begin to learn, as I did, that
we have to put our guns down and start to give our guns back. It pains me inside
to hear about so many of our people dying because of gun violence. Just in the
past weeks, a 13-year old boy was shot in the head in Harlem, a 17- and a
19-year old were murdered in a double homicide in Queens and a 15-year-old was
chased, beaten, shot and burned in Chicago.

Hey, T.I., how about this? Maybe hoodlums should stop shooting people in the head. Its not like handguns get that restless feeling that says they could use some more drugs, or get upset other guns are moving into their territory, or get jealous because the other gun gets to go to the rifle range instead. People do the deed of shooting other people in the head. People do not die from gun violence. People die from people violence. Many of my friends are gun owners and I can't say that any have shot others in the head or otherwise.
T.I. is going to prison because he is a convicted felon who bought machine guns and silencers. He will get to spend much quality time with people who don't need guns to do violent deeds. T.I. got off light, anyway. Federal sentencing guidelines are much harsher than twelve months for this crime, more like 57 months. Nice talking about taking responsibility after getting a sweetheart deal.

RIP; Herbert F. Kornfeld Dead at 34

White-On-White Violence Claims Life Of Accounts Receivable Supervisor The Onion - America's Finest News Source

A sad day for middle management thugs everywhere.  It' hard out there.

National Journalists Take A Lunch Break

Obama, Biden raise some Hell Burgers - White House- msnbc.com:

Another in a series of in-depth mainstream media investigative reports. President Obama was driven to Virginia today, with Vice-President Joe Biden to get lunch.
Anyone who says that the national press are poodles for Obama just have to read the news to discover differently. This is important stuff, people. This is what they talked about in journalism school. This is the fourth estate.

Democrats wallow in a 'culture of corruption'

Democrats wallow in a 'culture of corruption' - Los Angeles Times

The headline speaks for itself. Look, it took the National Enquirer to do actual journalistic investigation to expose John Edwards' misdeeds even as he ran for the presidency. What objective evidence is there that the national media is willing to look into political corruption unless said politician's name precedes an (R)?
The money quote is the first sentence;

Some days you have to ask yourself, my God, what if these people were Republicans?

No way, really? I really can't bear to write any more.

Hard-Hitting Journalism Takes A Walk, Softball Journalism Goes To Work

Obamas take a walk, holding hands in the evening

With the wallowing economy, two wars, enormous corporate bankruptcies, pandemic threats, brewing eternal house and senate corruption scandals, its great to know that our mainstream media is on top of things. Asking the hard questions, holding feet to fires, and staying detached from the powerful elite they counterbalance. Any word on what shoes Michelle was wearing?
As Glenn Reynolds would say, "The country is in the best of hands."

God Hates The Cowboys

Coach among 12 injured in Cowboys' roof collapse - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

Proof positive presented.

Is Favre Retired, And Are you Tired Of Hearing This?

Brad Childress: Vikings will likely discuss Favre - NFL - SI.com

I have to admit that while professional sports are perhaps different than other jobs, they are still jobs. If some fool wanted to pay high-market rates for my services ($6-10 million plus) then why on earth wouldn't I take it? Who ever heard anyone ask if a nurse was worried about spoiling their legacy if they accepted a promotion, or questioned the wisdom of a trucker whose old company laid him off accepting a job with another trucking outfit? If Brett Favre wants to play football and the Vikings (or another team) wants him, then by all means, Brett: tear it up.
If Favre does go to the Vikings, and they beat Green Bay then Ted Thompson (the GBPs general manager) will look like an enormous douchebag for running him out of town. If he plays poorly then Thompson will be vindicated. However, anyone who questions the wisdom of a 39 year-old man accepting a highly-paid job offer for work which he is well-qualified, well that's just nuts. If my employer puts me out to pasture then why the hell wouldn't I take great offer from someone else if I still wanted to work?
I've been playing rugby for over 20 years now and I know I'm not the player I was ten years ago. I'm willing to be a backup and occasional starter now because as much as I love playing rugby I like the people I play with just as much. A generic rugby team is a pretty good bunch of guys and so is, I'd guess a generic professional football team.
So Brett, go ahead and play for whomever you like. Just don't expect Green Bay to cut you any slack.

What is Genius?

Op-Ed Columnist - Genius - The Modern View - NYTimes.com

Genius is not about being, rather becoming. That at least is what some researchers believe. The idea is that a certain flair or talent is only enough to ante into the game whose payoff is genius. To achieve the prize requires countless hours of metaphorically backbreaking labor with guidance along the way to stay focused and on track. The old perspiration/inspiration ratio I suppose.
The point is, keep working at what you love, learn as much as you can about it, and find a expert to watch over and guide you. Once one masters an art/craft/skill then and only then can the present boundaries of the possible be stretched and expanded.
So, get to work.

Souter to Retire

Supreme Court Justice Souter To Retire : NPR

Souter is going to retire, Ginsburg's health is tenuous, and Stevens is 89 years old. I'm not sure who is going to be nominated for the seat opening up and those which might soon be vacant, but it sure helps that Obama now has 60 democrats in the senate and control of the house. Hopefully when the confirmation process starts the republicans won't make themselves look like the fools that the democrats did with the last go-around.

Visit to a Wind Farm

On a recent day trip to Manitowoc, Wisconsin I decided to take a closer look at something I had noticed before. Near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin I had seen a wind farm from afar and I had been wanting a closer look. I just drove my car down an access road and parked directly under the spinning blades, mostly to irritate my long-suffering wife who had to look up at the spinning blades of kinetic death through the moon roof. The Blue Sky Green Field Wind Energy Center is an 88-tower complex rated at about 145 MW in generation capacity and covers a very large area.
It was a somewhat windy day and the blades were energetically spinning away, silent as could be. Truthfully I liked their looks; gleaming white towers topped by impressively-large rotors and a generator each. While others, Ted Kennedy et al, don't care for wind farms messing up their yachting and concurrent scenery I don't think I'd mind living near a wind farm. At almost 400 feet from the ground to the tip of the highest blade the turbines are definitely a noticeable element of the man made terrain yet oddly not so obnoxious. Perhaps I just have an unusual aesthetic.
My daughter had a wonderful time running around the base of the tower, pulling on the (locked) door hoping to climb up, and posing for pictures looking for all the world like someone who had the world's largest beanie cap.

Never Waste A Crisis

Or so says Rahm Emanuel. "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste" is the actual quote. I'm glad that the politics of fear have been replaced by those of hope. I wonder what other kind of Hopey-Changey crap is about to be shoved down my throat now.

Minneapolis/St. Paul - City Pages - The Blotter - Bachmann: 'Interesting coincidence' that Dems in power during swine flu outbreak

Yeah, because god hates us when too many vote for the democrat currently in vogue. Perhaps its part of a nefarious plot hatched by the joooos or Trilaterals or even the Skull and Bones crowd.
I despair for conservatism.

White House Apologizes for Air Force Flyover - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

Its great, having a president who believes in a green and sustainable future. Nothing says conservation like taking a 747 from its hangar (wherever that might be) and flying it to NYC to take some pictures. I'm told by WikiAnswers that a 747 consumes about 11 tons of fuel per hour. What a great way to wrap up Earth Day weekend. I'm sure that jet fuel is cheap, too. What was the date, Sept 10th, 2000?

Birthday Coming

My birthday is coming in a few months, so this should serve as adequate notice to save up some pennies and get me one of these. I'll even let you ride along. That is of course, an MD520N if you must know. Think of it as part of a broader stimulus package it that helps.
http://www.mdhelicopters.com/v2/images/product_md_520n_main.jpg

Two killed in Michigan college shooting - CNN.com

Two killed in Michigan college shooting - CNN.com

Allow me to correct this reporter: "One killed in Michigan college shooting." This sad individual killed his (presumed) girlfriend/wife or ex-version of the same then committed suicide. He was not "...killed," rather he killed himself.
Oddly enough, 1/2 of all deaths attributed to guns in this nation are suicides. Research has shown that while the suicidal seem to like using guns they will use what they must to kill themselves. That is, removing guns from the metaphorical reach of the suicidal won't prevent their death just the proximal cause. Put another way, 1/2 of all gun deaths are essentially unavoidable deaths in the sense that the determined suicidal person is somewhat locked into their doom.
Without arguing the merits of various gun-grabbing philosophies, dishonesty doesn't help the cause. Reporters should also learn to be a bit more precise in their language lest they appear both incompetent or ideologically-driven in their work.

Chinese Bias for Baby Boys Creates a Gap of 32 Million - NYTimes.com

Chinese Bias for Baby Boys Creates a Gap of 32 Million - NYTimes.com

I wonder what sociological issues this imbalance will exacerbate in China. While 32 million more boys than girls doesn't seem like much in a population of more than one billion, when those boys and girls all reach puberty together the imbalance will be magnified and the results will be manifest. At the very least it will mean Chinese women coming of marriageable age can be much more choosy. I'm not sure, based on the article, but I'd imagine that the problem is worse in China's rural provinces and the results will be less visible outside their borders. Regardless, too many young men in a population never seems to work out well.

Capitalism v. Socialism

What this report tells me is that few Americans seem to know the difference between the two. A telling passage from the article:

The question posed by Rasmussen Reports did not define either capitalism or socialism. It is interesting to compare the new results to an earlier survey in which 70% of Americans prefer a free-market economy. The fact that a "free-market economy” attracts substantially more support than “capitalism” may suggest some skepticism about whether capitalism in the United States today
relies on free markets.

This suggests that while Americans support what capitalism is, they don't support the term for it.

BLACKFIVE: US Merchant Ship Captured By Somali Pirates?

BLACKFIVE: US Merchant Ship Captured By Somali Pirates?:


"President Obama will enclose a stern message with the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD box set he sends the pirates."

From the comments over at BLACKFIVE discussing the US-flagged container ship seized by pirates, then un-seized by its crew. The commenter was replying to another who was speculating what Pres. Obama's reaction to this attack was going to be. American-flagged vessels are considered to be American territory and their attack would seem to require decisive response by our leadership. Lets hope that the area code on the DVD set allows the Somali pirates to watch the movies on the DVD players they have already stolen.

Another GB Packers Pre-Draft Off-Season Yawns To Conclusion

The GBP, at least under Ted Thompson, have been about as exciting as narcolepsy when it comes to signing big-name free agents. Not even the pretense of seeking after talented but available football players. I suppose though that after last year's fiasco maybe the sounds of crickets chirping isn't so bad . . . but 6-10 leaves a nasty taste in the mouth that just doesn't want to go away. Maybe draft day will be exciting, maybe Thompson will make a deal for Tony Gonzales (just a suggestion). Maybe I'll have to learn to live with Chicago Bears fans sardonic glee again.
Lets hope for the best, as I define it.

Obama/Gates plan to Change the US Military Takes its First Steps

Gates Budget Plan Reshapes Pentagon’s Priorities - NYTimes.com

This really represents a continuation of some of Donald Rumsfeld's policies. In recent years several other largish military systems have been canceled when their outlandish costs have exceeded their likely modest benefits. The XM-2001 Crusader self-propelled howitzer (11 billion $) was cancelled in 2002, the RAH-66 Comanche (~24 billion $) was cancelled in 2004, and the DDG-1000 Zumwalt (6 billion per ship x 30+ ships) appears to be dead in the water as well.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for the FCS years ago and Gates' budget plan seems to formalize what most of us (who care to know about such things) already knew. FCS was a bloated program which would have given the US Army under-armored combat vehicles which were over-reliant upon not-yet invented technology at a seriously high cost without adding capabilities to offset the negatives.
If nothing else, the Iran/Iraq adventures have shown what military weapons systems work well in combat and which don't. That is, in a war against an enemy with vastly inferior firepower, horrible training, nonexistent air power, and poor logistical support. How American doctrine and equipment would fare against Chinese, Russian, or North Korean forces is another question entirely that I can't answer conclusively.
Hopefully what this means is that DOD procurement procedures will become somewhat more rooted in the reality-based world the rest of us live in.

Changes are coming, but what will they look like?

Now that the long-awaited drawdown of US forces in Iraq has begun, I’d like to look at the apparent course of American foreign policy in the Middle East and to that end break it down into several subsections.

(Subsections: Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Pakistan, other players, and the United States)

First, Iraq. While overall strength may be reduced (as measured by number of troops deployed) American influence will not, I believe, be significantly diminished. If anything I believe that the new Iraqi army, after working and training closely with the US forces, respect and fear our combat ability even more. The Iraqi elite while wishing the US would just go away realize that isn’t going to happen. Therefore the elite will continue to work with America when it makes sense. Soft power (economic, diplomatic, cultural) will continue to increase in effectiveness as it begins to displace hard power. The longer that the US remains a powerful influence upon the Iraqi populace, the deeper the transformative cultural changes will be.
That change is what American neo-con policy wonks dream of in their deepest, most hidden dreams. That Iraq becomes for the US what India has become for the UK. A powerful former possession which, while no lapdog, shares a somewhat common ethos and view of the future. The evolution of India-UK relations seems then to be a roadmap for future American policy. Sadly the course of US-Iraq relations could also take the route that US-Central and South American relations followed. It is imperative that the US shows Iraq a vision of the future that links their rational self-interest with US foreign policy and domestic security aspirations. The triad of peace, prosperity, and security for Iraq should be the ultimate goal of US policy if America hopes to secure any meaningful progress in the Middle East. The shortcomings of US policy in Latin America stem from the US’s failure to facilitate the realization of that triad. Extracting natural resources and labor at bargain prices while propping up whatever regime facilitates that extraction isn’t how two nations build a healthy relationship. While the Middle Eastern labor pool isn’t particularly prized their natural resources certainly are, and not just by the United States. What is needed is that approach known as nation-building. In Iraq’s case, the light beer version of nation-building might be enough. Iraq already has all the institutions a nation needs in place, it just need to help in surviving the rapid evolution which Iraq is living through. The Iraqi people have bought into their government deeply enough that a new polity seems not just possible, but probable. The entire region is watching Iraq with understandably mixed hopes of their own, wondering if and how their own governments will weather the storm of change.