11/05 Morning Report

I do not often trump the Wednesday Hero post. Today, I thought it was appropriate, since we have a new Commander-in-Chief.

I have been super busy lately finishing college. I have been following the election process. I am proud to say that my children have been doing the same, asking some great questions, and learning a lot. I hope, if you have them, you have been doing the same with your children. They will be the ones who assume control and leadership of our nation when after us.

I will say that I am very glad a black man has been elected to the highest office in our nation. That is a huge milestone of change for America. I do, however, think there is too much being made of this issue by the media. They seem to be creating a new group of smoke and mirrors so people are kept from recognizing real issues.

I will also say that I disagree with his ideas. I do not believe that government is the savior of men. I do not believe that government should have the responsibility to say who should have what. I will also say that I intend, however often I can write it down, to continue to point fingers at the media for not doing their job. Bias allows many evils. The media has many liberal biases they need to deal with.

Barak Obama ran a good campaign. He didn’t really do anything more sneaky or behind the back than anyone else in politics. But the result is he becomes the new Commander-in-Chief. As such, I will pray for him, and support him with honor. I will not name-call. I will not slander. I will disagree, because that is my right and my responsibility. And, they are not just mine. We all have the same ones. I hope you all exercise your rights and responsibilities well.

10/28 Morning Report

The Democrats are guilty of dishonest politics again. They are using misinformation to do it in Texas specifically. Let’s take the battle for Texas courts as an example.

In a campaign called “Fair and Balanced Court”, the liberal s are saying the Republicans are out of line, and side with the rich and corporate interests. The TV ad (see the YouTube video on the web site) includes something else. It says that the Supreme Court is supposed to weigh the evidence and rule accordingly. And, that is not true. All the appeals and Supreme Courts are supposed to do is rule on procedure. In other words, they look at what the lower court did and how it reached it’s decision. It does not rule on the evidence.

While the facts they state, that 82% of cases are overturned, are probably true…maybe that’s because of real errors in the lower courts. After all, that’s how these cases are supposed to be treated in the higher courts. Clearly the liberals are trying to bring increased legislation from the bench in courtrooms across America.


For the absolute record, I’m glad the FBI caught those murdering skinheads. They stepped way outside the boundaries of acceptability in political discourse. It is terrorism, nothing more. The role of American politics is to provide an arena to discuss our differences, and eventually unite behind the leadership chosen by the people. The role of people in American politics is to use discussion and debate, not guns, to reach consensus. Racism, therefore, is just another form of terrorism. None the less, Obama has played the race card repeatedly. And, the media lets him—but no one else—get away with it. The media has even gotten into the act of already blaming possible failure on race. The first possible issue raised by the BBC in their analysis was racial. Anyone making the same comments about an African-American gets crucified. There are plenty of quotes from Obama’s books to demonstrate it. He bluntly says, several times, in both books that he is anti-white. Why is this is not considered racist? But, the media has their “darling.” I would write more, but , Judith A. Klinghoffer did the job well enough I don’t have to.


One final comment on the incongruity of the media…How come they have comments and understanding of every voting group in America…except the Arab-American populations (Christian, Muslim, whatever)? Jonathan mark takes a look at that, and the vagaries of candidates on both sides as it relates to the subject. It’s worth reading.

10/24 Morning Report

Did you know that Obama considers children to be a punishment? While I agree there are situations children may not be an optimal situation to be in, they are NOT a punishment. Punishment is something you work to do away with and avoid. Small wonder that Roe v. Wade is such a water mark legal case. But, it really has defined how our society views children.

Couples, women specifically, are having children later in life--if at all. And, if you boil it all down, the reason is money and control. No children means more money for things, or savings, or whatever. No children means you get to decide what you do with your life, instead of having to meet the needs of another--physical, emotional, and spiritual.

And, men, we can blame women for this all we want to, but us guys are just as much to blame for allowing it, or worse encouraging it. As far as i am concerned, there is no greater joy than being around children--your own children--as they grow up. Passing that up is why Americans specifically, and westerners in general, have such a lousy concept of what a mother and father should really be.

We need to lose this perspective that children are a punishment. When leaders, taking ultimate authority in our nation, publicly declare children something to be avoided or to be done away with, what are my children supposed to learn from that? What are my daughters supposed to learn from that?

Why should someone who says those things about our children be elected to the highest office in the land? What does it say about us as a nation when the majority think this is a good outcome?

10/23 Morning Report

The media seems to be really convinced that Governor Sarah Palin is not qualified to be Vice-President. It is a common theme when the elections are being discussed—by the media. It wasn’t an issue among people. Just the media. Well, I have a question for the media. If the Governor of Alaska is not qualified to be Vice-president, what made the Governor of Arkansas qualified to be President? Or the Governor of Georgia? Apparently, it only matters when it involves conservatives.

(…but…there is certainly no bias in the media…no favoritism at all…)


Speaking of the media nitpicking Palin, there’s the story from Politico about her wardrobe. But, then again, there is this story in USA Today that picks apart Politico’s arguments.

(…sorry…forgot…no such thing as media bias…)


Meanwhile, the candidates have been spewing lots of new plans and ideas for saving the American economy. The Economist had some interesting thoughts on that. It seems that, for all his talk about McCain’s plans only benefitting the wealthy and those that don’t need it, Obama has slipped into the same pattern:

on October 13th the Democrat upped the ante. The priciest part of Mr Obama’s new two-year plan would be a $3,000 tax credit for each new employee a business hires, which presumably is likely to benefit a lot of companies that would be hiring anyway. Mr Obama also wants to allow everyone to withdraw up to $10,000 from their retirement accounts tax-free (as with the McCain version, not a good way to encourage saving), and he wants a 90-day moratorium on home foreclosures. Such indiscriminate intervention in the mortgage market may be very nice for homeowners whose prospects are looking up, but it would do little in itself for those who can’t afford their mortgages in the first place.

Benefitting those that don’t need it…not helping those who have already been hurt and only assisting those who might later…sounds like the things McCain is being accused of by Obama. And, Obama’s plan to finance everything with taxes on the oil companies seem to be going into the toilet with the drop in crude prices.

(…I wonder where he will make up the money now…)


Meanwhile, India launched a moon mission!

The unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft blasted off smoothly from a launch pad in southern Andhra Pradesh to embark on a two-year mission of exploration.
The robotic probe will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the lunar surface and mapping the distribution of elements and minerals.

The launch, clearly a step into the long expected commercialization of space, will leave whoever “wins” the White House in a difficult position. The US is India’s 3rd largest trading partner. But, what that means and how it will be handled remains to be seen. Will Obama, who hasn’t ever seem to have made a decision on his own without changing his mind actually make a decision and act on it? I bet the media portrays McCain as laying down the law that “we were there first”? One thing is certain: it will make for interesting politics.

10/17 Morning Report

I wish I gone with my the guts to say in yesterday’s post what I was thinking after the debate. As soon as I heard Joe the Plumber was outspoken against Obama and liberal policies and plans, I knew the media would be quick to find fault with him. I have to admit, I loved the way some commentators were just left flat footed and out of things to say when he said he was against redistribution of wealth. That was priceless. And, true to form, dig up the dirt they did. The sudden political darling was equally as suddenly a threat. So, the media went out and in less than 24 hours found all kinds of “dirt” on Joe.

Let’s see what we now know about Joe. He works as a plumber, though he is not licensed. But, even according to his boss he should have been, at some level. Interesting how you don’t hear the media screaming about that, though. We also know he owes some $1200 in back taxes, which means like most Americans he is financially strapped, and the state has attached a lien to his house—which is perfectly normal anytime someone falls behind in property taxes. They do it here in Texas, even if you file an appeal. Did anyone check to see if he has? Or worked out a payment plan for it? I don’t find those possible redeeming points in any media article I read.
(…I even had to work out a payment plan with the IRS once…does that make me less than acceptable to the media?...)

We also know he makes less than $250,000, making him exempt from Obama’s tax plan…huh…?

Yep. According to Ploitico, Joe current income was the point of the discussion during the debate. Once again, the media is out of touch…and changing the subject. The discussion was not about what Joe makes now. It was about what he would make after buying the company. Leave it to the media to change the entire focus of the issue so that the issue is no longer an issue. In fact, the article goes to great lengths to make McCain into a dolt for checking these facts a little more closely. The problem here is the media. I have yet to see why these points change the point of the issue: Obama’s plan hurts small business.

It’s just like the race issue. Wesley Pruden goes through the history of how the media twists everything in favor of Obama…and against his opponents…as it relates to race. Obama’s opponents are racist or racist leaning. Obama has not issues that need to be addressed. But, of course, conservative candidates are not eligible for the same treatment.

The media sets the political agenda. The media shape public opinion by only discussing things they want discussed…the way they want them discussed. This isn’t something new. It’s been used for hundreds of years. I wonder if more American’s will ever catch on…

10/16 Morning Report

My wife has been pretty much oblivious to politics the whole time I’ve known her…at least until this election, and the previous elections. I amazed at how fast she is picking up on things, though. We watched the final debate tonight. She was catching both of them in ridiculous statements.

Which brings me to the subject of this posting…the media. How did I make that very strange leap, you may ask. Simple…the MainStream Media did not pick up on half the number of things my wife did. And, then, they only really picked on things McCain did. The MSM even fabricated a few things against McCain. Not 10 minutes after the debate, we listened to CBS analysts say McCain brought out the subject of Ayers and ACORN. In fact, it was Obama, prompted by Sheaffer. (…my wife had a fit over that, by the way…even as a neophyte, she is very quickly recognizing the bias of the media…) And, in fact, Obama lied about that—in such a straightforward eloquent way that people love about him. Admittedly, the RNC is kind of biased over stuff like this, but at least they included more substantive information in their press release than Obama did on national TV.

What I found fascinating was that so many liberal analysts and media members were saying immediately after the debate that McCain won this debate, but had not done enough to change the voter’s minds about choosing Obama. And, yet, by the time Nightline came on, the media was unanimously saying something different: Obama was the winner. But, in fact McCain did win the debate. He directly answered the most questions. He kept Obama from leading with his own points by forcing him to follow up McCain. And, he got in several zingers, which Obama never did. Analysts were also saying the McCain spent more time talking about Joe the Plumber than anything else. Maybe so. But, prior to the debate, the analysts were all saying McCain rarely connected with the average person. saying the whole “Joe the Plumber” thing was really a useless issue, since Joe wouldn’t have any tax issues even if he bought the company. And, that is, as far as I have been able to determine, a lie. It would put his income over the $250,000 mark, subjecting his company to the new requirements, and therefore reducing his income.

But, there are other things I have against the media besides their obvious bias. They keep feeding Americans a political line that just is not true. For example, the media in is continually telling Americans that whoever is elected will have to solve the economic problems so Americans can borrow money for cars, homes, college, etc. That is an out right lie. This problem will not be solved in 4 years. It may be solved in 8 or ten years. Anyone who believes that the President alone can solve this, or should be held responsible for it, is crazy. As I wrote once before, this problem was created over the course of 20-30 years—minimum. Democrats and Republicans had a hand in creating it—in the White House AND in Congress. It will take Congress and the President, whoever that is, working together to even set a framework that might help the situation. Based on track records, I would vote for McCain on that one point alone. He has proven he’s willing to do that more than Obama has.

So, despite the lies of Obama, and the mainstream media, McCain won the debate. And, after a day or so of putting spin on everything in Obama’s favor, it’s probable many Americans might as well. But, the question remains: was it enough to turn voters? The MSM answer is a resounding “No.” My answer is, as long McCain shows his ability to fight as opposed to just looking like someone’s kind grandfather, I think the MSM, and the rest of Liberaldom, is in for a rude shock.

10/05 Morning Report

I haven’t done a “sermonette” in a long time. But, I was thinking on the way home from work about something, and thought I would share it.

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James 2:13.

(…the whole verse by the way reads, “because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”…)

Wouldn’t we all like that to be applied to us? Well, whether anyone applies it to you or me, we should be applying it to others. The cycle of accusation and blame only breaks when we chose not to pass it on to others. This is a choice we must make in our private life as well as our public life. That, by the way, is one reason there is no such thing as “private religion.”

But, let’s take that Biblical principle a bit further. What about applying it in politics? There is nothing wrong with recognizing wrong doing. And, there are always consequences to our actions. But, if all we do is point fingers and find fault, when will there be any reconciling? When will there be any healing of wounds?

We need to be asking ourselves if we are judging others without mercy. If we are, what are we doing to change that?

Food for thought.


On the subject of mercy, Any Soldier reported the following:

Capt. Richard G. Cliff Jr., 29, of Mount Pleasant, S.C. died Sept. 29 in Yakhchal, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device during mounted operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Well, Captain Cliff, at our house we remember your cry—the cry of all warriors:

"Tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today."
--The Kohima Epitaph--

We remember what you have given. And we say thank you for the tomorrows you have given others. May God give back to your family more than they have sacrificed and lost.

And, now, we dance In Memoriam.

10/03 Morning Report

It could have been any country that started the financial crisis cascade, as an article at The Economist indicates. Unfortunately for America, it wasn’t another country. The crisis exists in America, and is affecting other countries as the waves of illiquidity spiral out. . The governments of several nations have already stepped in to bail out their banking industry.

Step forward, Peer Steinbrück, Germany’s finance minister, who rashly declared on September 25th that America was “the source…and the focus of the crisis”, before heralding the end of its role as the financial superpower. Within days, the focus shifted and Mr Steinbrück and his officials were obliged to arrange a €35 billion ($51 billion) loan from German banks and the German government to save Hypo Real Estate, the country’s second-biggest property lender.

I talked a couple days ago about how debt obligations are bought, sold, repackaged, and so on. Well, the painful truth is that debt obligations are traded on a global scale. That fact will drive the US government to do a bailout/loan package. It is a foregone reality because of the international realities involved.


Meanwhile, we have the Hot Topics of the elections. Iraq: US combat deaths down 86% from a year ago. Strange we did not hear about that in the Vice-presidential debate, considering how much they talked about Iraq. But, then again, inspite of Tom Brokaw’s statement ON CAMERA that “The Democrats are lucky there is only one Vice-presidential debate,” the NY Times claims the GOP merely survived a test. All things considered equal, I think Sen. Biden did a better job in the closing statements than Gov. Palin. But, over all, the fact that she could go step for step with him is telling of the ability of the McCain/Palin ticket. I suspect that if they can create distance between themselves and the Bush administration, the GOP just might be able to hold the Whitehouse this election.

09/30 Morning Report

Deregulation and greed go across party lines. Before we blame it all on Bush, it’s important to remember that some of the deregulation occurred during the Reagan years, with Democratic controlled Congresses. But, deregulation is not the only issue involved here. think of the debt that's caused all of this...real estate and other kinds of debt, like credit cards. I think most of us realize how spread out the debt risk of those mortgages is. But, that isn't the only debt bought and sold and repackaged in the economic system today.

Let’s start with a brief overview of the money multiplier effect. Banks are required to keep a certain percentage of every deposit at the Federal Reserve. So, assuming that to be 10%, if someone deposits $100, the bank puts $10 at the federal reserve, and loans the rest. Assume that $90 is deposited somewhere. The fed gets $9, and the rest is loaned out. And so on, and so on. In the end, you have something like $100 at the fed, and thousands of dollars of debt held by a large group of people. In other words, according to this viewpoint, our economy is based on debt creation. Most companies buy and sell debt in order to increase returns or immediate cash flow. Many times Company A will sell their receivables for a discount in order to have cash now, instead of say 3 months from now. This keeps factories going, workers employed, etc. However, without that debt, we would not have the standard of living or economic growth we have today--worldwide.

Now, let's carry the example a bit further. Let's just look at mortgages. If I buy a house (which we just did), the mortgage company is probably going to sell that loan to someone for a discounted rate in order to have cash to make another loan. The other firm probably borrowed or leveraged that deal by using some type of debt. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, for example, bought a lot of that debt. They, and many other lenders, then repackaged it as various types of bonds and notes, selling that to use the money to buy up more mortgages and so on. Companies bought those, and used the interest to pay their own debts. When people could no longer pay those fancy mortgages developed to get more people to buy houses and put more money into the economy, things started to unwind. As you can see, following the line of reasoning behind this particular viewpoint, the dark cloud we are under suddenly looks a lot worse.

Now, back to the point about deregulation being the cause. I agree that deregulation was involved, as was human greed. But, was it the main culprit? There has always been a measure of sub-prime debt. But, banks and lenders always tried to minimize that debt amount. The amount of sub-prime lending actually took off during the Clinton years. And, that happened under the banner of stopping racially based lending (so-called "red lining")--which needed to be stopped. But, to finance the increased borrowing, or more accurately compensate for the increased risk, banks needed to find a way to get money back...and that's what lead to the increase of derivative debt instruments behind so many problems today. Now, before anyone rants about blaming Clinton, here are some sources on these claims:

The Law & Economics of Subprime Lending
Boston Globe article: Subprime Lending Misconceptions
Investors Business Daily aarticle: The Real Culprits In This Meltdown
Investor’s.com Editorial: Whose Bailout Is It?

Whether the solution is a government bailout, with payback requirements as there were for Chrysler, or not something must be done. Many people have pointed out it isn't just the Republicans and the Bush administration who did this. This is the cumulative effect of many years and administrations--from both parties. The finger pointing and politicking has to stop before America bleeds to death economically.

09/25 Morning Report

Does anyone besides me have some questions for Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.? I do. Does he really want family life to be fair game for campaign discussion? Why don’t we discuss his involvement with executives at Fannie mae! Or at least their campaign contributions. Now, admittedly, the romantic involvement ended 10 years ago. But, even in those years, Frank was on the House Banking Committee.

I brought up yesterday, the Clinton years saw the Justice Department forcing banks to make loans to those who did not qualify. Granted, it was part of an effort to end the disgusting practice of “redlining.” But, this pressure definitely expanded the risks and number of sub-prime loans—all in the name of anti-discrimination. Even, Barney Frank got into the act:

In 1991, Frank and former Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., lobbied for Fannie to soften rules on multi-family home mortgages although those dwellings showed a default rate twice that of single-family homes, according to the Nov. 22, 1991, Boston Globe.

BusinessWeek reported in its Nov. 14, 1994, issue that Fannie Mae called on Frank to exert his influence against a Housing & Urban Development proposal that would force the GSE to focus on minority and low-income buyers and police bias by lenders regardless of their location. Fannie Mae opposed HUD on the issue because it claimed doing so would “ignore the urban middle class.

Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, AIG and others for possible fraud. Now, fraud for having mislead investors and doctoring the books I could understand, though I think that is more properly the role of the SEC. But, according to the media:

The FBI has been looking at lenders who sold home loans to buyers on low or unpredictable incomes and also the investment banks that packaged these loans and sold them on.

. Forgive me…but…isn’t that what Clinton and Barney Frank were pushing for, along with Ted Kennedy apparently?


Should we be surprised that the Democrats overlook their own part in this drama? Probably not. Republicans have been known to do it, too. But, we the people shouldn’t let either group get away with it. Or allow the media to ignore the facts. While the Democrats are making so much hay about how Bush and the Republicans got us into this mess, maybe they should be looking in their own closets.

(…but…then again…given the bias…I’m not holding my breath waiting for the media to come down on their darling Democrats…)

09/09 Morning Report

Well, Obama’s positions are pretty clear. If you’ve had doubts, or confusion on some points, you can go read Biil O’Reilly’s article in full. Here are a couple of excerpts…

As far as philosophy goes, Obama is convinced that the federal government should be in control of income distribution and, to some extent, should regulate the free marketplace. That is a classic liberal position and he promotes it well.

In other words, I don’t get to say what my money buys or who gets to spend it…the government does. I may not be quite that blunt and hard lined, but that is what it boils down to.

The senator also believes that poor Americans have a basic right to free health care and monetary supplements from the government with no strings attached. The American substance abuser, for example, would derive the same benefits as would a hard-working, laid-off worker.

Now, do not get me wrong. I think everyone in hard times needs help. That is supposed to be a basic tenent of most religions, though many religious (Christian and non-Christian, by the way) tend to practice it only towards those in their particular religious group as opposed to all men. But, here is my beef…why should those who abuse the system, and break the law, get that kind of treatment? It’s a lot like illegal immigration. If we make everyone provide proof of citizenship, how is that discriminatory towards any group?

(…but liberalism is what it is…and it does not make sense to me very often…)

Meanwhile, one USA Today article said that Republicnas got a HUGE lift from the convention (,,,duh…)

McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by 50%-46% among registered voters, the Republican's biggest advantage since January and a turnaround from the USA TODAY poll taken just before the convention opened in St. Paul. Then, he lagged by 7 percentage points.

Meanwhile, one USA Today article said that Republicnas got a HUGE lift from the convention (,,,duh…)

McCain leads Democrat Barack Obama by 50%-46% among registered voters, the Republican's biggest advantage since January and a turnaround from the USA TODAY poll taken just before the convention opened in St. Paul. Then, he lagged by 7 percentage points.

In another article, a so-called “fact-check” on “the Bridge to no where”, the same news agency points out that:

As a candidate for governor, however, Palin supported the bridge.
"We need to come to the defense of southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table, like the bridge, and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that's so negative," Palin said in August 2006, according to the Ketchikan Daily News.

Here’s my problem with these things. Liberal candidates are allowed and regularly reported to have done similar things, and changed their minds later. This is considered admirable. Obama has even done on issues involving Iraq, which the media thinks nothing of. So why is this any different?
(…maybe it relates to…say…liberals being behind in the polls?...oh I forgot…there is no such thing as media bias…how silly of me…)

9/04 Morning Report

I've been gone for a while. It's been really busy around our home. We now have two teenagers here. We are buying a house. I'm still trying to make it through college. And...I made the mistake of taking up online gaming...oh boy!

Anyway, I thought I would weigh in with a quick comment (someone else's) on the McCain/Palin thing...



Enough said.

5/1 Morning Report

There has been a lot of press lately…mostly liberal, of course…denouncing all the stuff on the internet about Obama being Muslim. And, remember, Obama boldly proclaimed that “I am a Christian. I have always been a Christian.” Well, it seems there is a lot of public information that contradicts that. Daniel Pipes April 29, 2008 article on Barack Obama's Muslim Childhood details it very nicely.

Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press reports that "documents showed he enrolled as a Muslim" while at a Catholic school during first through third grades. Kim Barker of the Chicago Tribune confirms that Obama was "listed as a Muslim on the registration form for the Catholic school."

But, even without all that, there are a couple of obvious telltale clues. After all, only Muslims name their children Hussein.

Now, to be fair, Islamic faith does not and should not disqualify him, or anyone else, from holding the office of President of the United States—or any other public office. LYING in order to cover up his Islamic faith and deceive the American people about who he really is should absolutely disqualify him.

4/29 Morning Report

I have been on hiatus for a bit. Taking classes on-line, going through tax season in the financials industry, and raising a family. It makes January through mid-April, or so, too full to write. I was posting for ideas on a book idea over at the forums of Any Soldier. That’s been on hold, too. So have several projects I had in mind to do here…like a new layout (…this one is getting old and needs a makeover…)

Jumping back into things…

The media would have us believe that Indiana’s Voter ID laws are too restrictive and discriminatory. According to MSNCB…

In a splintered 6-3 ruling, the court upheld Indiana's strict photo ID requirement, which Democrats and civil rights groups said would deter poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots.

Even my 12 year old son recognizes that 6-3 is a clear majority! (…oh…I forgot…there is no such thing as media bias…)

It takes getting all the way through the article, clearly slanted in favor of opponents to ID requirements, to find out just how strict and discriminatory the law really is…

Indiana provides IDs free of charge to the poor and allows voters who lack photo ID to cast a provisional ballot and then show up within 10 days at their county courthouse to produce identification or otherwise attest to their identity.

That same 12 year old then asked me how much this cost the government and why the money wasn’t used to help people?

(…it’s kind of scary that 12 year olds seem to be smarter than so many liberals…)

02/18 Morning Report

I’ve read enough science fiction that yesterday’s headline really made me smile…mostly because of the way it was worded: Hopes rise for finding alien Earths. The concept of an alien earth made me laugh.


Meanwhile, closer to home, Hugo Chavez backed off of threats to halt exports to the US. Chavez had been claiming that the Bush administration and Exxon were “conspiring” against the Venezuelan economy. Now, Chavez says he was only talking about actions if the US invaded. However, the war over Venezuelan oil and money isn’t over. Chavez is also signaling higher taxes on foreign oil companies operating within his borders.


More foreign affairs that directly affects Americans, Serbia recalled it’s US ambassador. Angry over the US recognition of Kosovo, they recalled their ambassador. It will be interesting to see what else they do, since most of the EU has also recognized the new nation.

At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Britain's David Miliband said "at least half" of the bloc's 27 member states would formally extend diplomatic recognition by the end of the week.

However, political problems aren’t the only thing the US must address. There are still US servicemen and women deployed in the region as peacekeepers.

(…I wonder where the Democrats and liberals stand on that one…)


Speaking of Democrats, who would have believed just a few months ago that things would go this crazy? Obama may flip-flop on public financing pledge. But, Hillary’s campaign is pretty much reduced to pointing fingers, rather than having control of the campaign—or setting a clear direction. I hate to admit it, but Obama’s TV ads paint a much stronger image than Hillary’s do. Honestly, it’s starting to sound like Hillary may actually have to really fight for her political life here. Too bad the Republicans don’t have a real attention getting platform that people can grab hold of. This would be a great opportunity to take the media by storm with it. As it is, the Republicans are airing…well…nothing.

(…this kind of silence is NOT golden…)

01/25 Morning Report

There are more donation scandal problems facing Democrats. This time, it’s about Obama, the apparent closet Muslim. Along with taking donations from Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who is now under investigation by federal authorites on corruption charges, Obama also bought a piece of real estate from him while Rezko was under grand jury investigation. Obama claims everything was above board. But, even considering he gave all the campaign donations to charity, those are not actions that speak well of anyone running for the presidency.


Indiana’s voter identification law is being reviewed by the Supreme Court. Sure, the rules should not violate the constitution. But, without identification rules, what proof is there that someone really is the voter in question? Or is even a real citizen and entitled to vote at all? The AP does the usual media hack job of citing a couple of special cases, which do need to be addressed. Several solutions are avaialbe like states where

…voters can present other forms of ID - such as a Social Security card, a utility bill or a student ID bearing a photograph- or they can sign an affidavit affirming their identity.

But, in conjunction with “voter’s rights” groups, the writer, and MSM in general, totally ignores the larger issue. And, as usual, the fight breaks down along party lines. It’s pretty obvious this is going to get uglier as time goes on.


And, for those who think the sub-prime mortgage problem has been bad, it could get worse. Officials are now worried about bond insurer failures.

Regulators fear a possible chain of events in which the troubled bond insurers, MBIA and Ambac, might be unable to keep their promise to pay investors if borrowers default on their debt.

That could leave nearly $1 trillion in bonds, and their holders, uncovered in case of corporate default.

(…bet the Feds can’t cover that much with a bailout…time to get over our belief that government can solve all our problems…and regulate morality…)


On the subject of investing, have you ever wondered why the securities industry is the most regulated group behind nuclear power? Well, you could ask French bank Societe Generale. They just uncovered a massive fraud problem, supposedly caused by one man. The damage is approximately $7.1 billion. The suspected individual dealt in futures for the bank. The scariest part of the announcement?

Speaking to the BBC, [Nick] Leeson, [the rogue trader that brought down Barings Bank], said he was not shocked that the latest fraud had taken place - only its scale.

"Rogue trading is probably a daily occurrence within the financial markets," he said.

"What shocked me was the size. I never for one moment believed it would get to this degree of magnitude, this degree of loss."

(…that just fills you with confidence in the financial markets…doesn’t it?…)

1/6 Morning Report

I've been hit by the flu, so I thought I would do something light today. My 12 year old sent this to me the other day. In this time of political bruhaha, I thought this was appropriate to share. Meet Gollum...I mean, Hillary...I mean...well, you decide.

1/4 Morning Evening Report

I saw one little political tidbit that really caught my attention. It seems that Islamic organizations are
politically pressuring the Pentagon about how they counter the war on terror. Aside from the special interest argument, do we really want special interest groups deciding how the military does it’s job? Hasn’t that been the argument against several contractors over the years?

(…not mention the separation of church and state argument…oh…I forgot…Muslim organizations are exempt from that restriction…)


Finally! It seems that Domestic issues pushing past Iraq war.

Even though polls show that Iowa Democrats still consider the war in Iraq the top issue facing the country, the war is becoming a less defining issue among Democrats nationally, and it has moved to the back of the stage in the rush of campaign rallies, town hall meetings and speeches that are bringing the caucus competition to an end. Instead, candidates are being asked about, and are increasingly talking about, the mortgage crisis, rising gas costs, health care, immigration, the environment and taxes.

(snip)

Part of the shift appears to stem from the reduction in violence in Iraq after President Bush’s decision to send more troops there last year.

I liked that last part. The MSM is grudgingly giving credit to the administration, and the military, for something that worked.

(…wonders never cease…)


Speaking of wonders, would you believe Global warming is natural?

There's a natural cause that may account for much of the Arctic warming, which has melted sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Nature. New research points a finger at a natural and cyclical increase in the amount of energy in the atmosphere that moves from south to north around the Arctic Circle.

Of course, the blame still falls on pollution. Study authors also say the combined effect is the “killer punch.”

(…I’ve been waiting for someone to explain why the increase in temps the graphs show also appears before industry and pollution showed up…like prior to the last ice age…according to a PBS special I saw a few months ago…)


The
EPA is being sued over a stricter state law dispute. It seems states don’t like the fact that the Federal government set a standard for the whole country. The states want authority to make manufacturers (automotive in this case) possibly subject to 50 different standards.

In an emailed statement, EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar said the federal Energy Independence and Security Act "is a more beneficial national approach to a national problem, which establishes an aggressive standard for all 50 states - as opposed to a lower standard in California and a patchwork of other states."
California officials contend their 2004 law is tougher than the new national standard. It would have required the auto industry to cut emissions by one-third in new vehicles by 2016 or reach an average of 36.8 mpg.
Twelve other states - Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington - have adopted the California emissions standards.
The governors of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Utah have said they also plan to adopt them. The rules also are under consideration in Iowa.

While I see the need for tougher standards (i.e. oil at $100), I fail to see why a tougher standard makes it more acceptable for a state to make the rule for all states. The argument is over who sets the standards for the nation—the Feds or the states.

(…not that that has ever stopped California before…)


Finally, Any Soldier reports the following:

Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna, 44, of Waipahu, Hawaii, died Dec. 31, 2007 in Al Qayyarah, Iraq, of a non-combat related illness. He was assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Well, Sgt. Lacerna, at our house we remember your cry—the cry of all warriors:

"Tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today."
--The Kohima Epitaph--

We remember what you have given. And we say thank you for the tomorrows you have given others. May God give back to your family more than they have sacrificed and lost.

And, now, we dance In Memoriam.

12/14 Morning Report

Tired of TV reruns? Well, it’s going to get worse. The Writer’s Guild filed a complaint with the NLRB. Nothing new. Lots of groups do this to turn up negotiation pressure. Unfortunately, it will be up to 30 days before an investigator is assigned to the case. With the main issue being streamed or downloaded content, this could take a while. And, to make matters worse, the contracts for directors and actors expire in June.

(…wow…a total shut down of Hollywood!...why does that seem like a good thing?...)


In related news, Democrats lamblasted Bush again. This time, it’s over the appeearance of a hostile Labor Board.

The NLRB "is supposed to protect the voice of American workers, but the board is no longer fulfilling that responsibility," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat and ally of the labor movement.

California Democratic Rep. George Miller said, "Workers' rights have been under near-constant assault in the years since the start of the Bush administration."

Republicans countered the hearing was a PR stunt to appease labor unions, who more or less won Dems control of Congress. The NLRB was created to reduce strikes, and foster collective bargaining. Apparently, Democrats think the role is to give unions power over business.

(…my question is when do the rights of business get equal treatment with those of workers?...stay tuned…this is going to get ugly as the election draws closer…)


Meanwhile, in Argentina, possible illegal campaign financing has been labeled as a ”dirty trick by the U.S. President Fernandez even went so far as to say it’s happening because of her gender.

The charges of a clandestine attempt to contribute nearly $800,000 in August put both the Argentine and Venezuelan governments on the defensive as opponents sought to turn the case into a political liability.

(snip)

It's not against Argentine law for foreigners to contribute to a presidential campaign, but it is illegal to do so secretly. It also is illegal to bring undeclared cash into the country.

It doesn’t seem to matter that no one involved is addressing the issues or the charges. The money may have come from Hugo Chavez, it may not. There are players involved from both Venezuela and Argentina. Yet, in typical leftist fashion, the whole thing is being covered with enough mud that no one has had to address the issues.

(…yep…the media seems to be rightly comparing her to Hillary…)

Media Spin Defined....

OK…First of all, I know this is not true. Visit snopes.com if you want the details. So, second, this is not aimed at passing on muck about Sir…I mean, Madaam… Hillary. She does just fine at generating this stuff on her own. I am posting this because…well…if this isn’t the perfect description of how politicians of all stripes twist things around, I don’t know what is! Besides...it's election time again! So, enjoy!


A professional genealogical researcher,
discovered that Hillary Clinton's great-great uncle,
Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse stealing and train
robbery in Montana in 1889.

The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing
on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this
inscription:

"Remus Rodham; horse thief, sent to Montana
Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the
Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton
detectives, convicted and publicly hanged in 1889."

Judy e-mailed Hillary Clinton for comments. Hillary's
staff of professional image adjusters sent back the
following biographical sketch:

"Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana
Territory. His business empire grew to include
acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate
dealings with the Montana railroad.

Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his
life to service at a government facility, finally
taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad.

In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation
run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In
1889, Remus passed away during an important civic
function held in his honor when the platform upon
which he was standing collapsed."