If you have a small enough blog and a site meter you can find out how people from where get to your site. Links are real common, the Lefty Blogs listing brings people from Blue Oregon, Loaded Orygun's sidebar link brings them, and my comments on other sites bring them. This is all pretty ordinary and straight forward, and a greatly appreciated service. These visitors intend to get here, it's the unintended that get my notice.
I put up some pics of my cowboy action shooting outfit and mentioned the shotgun as showing in word searches from a previous mention, the name in the title is currently driving 4-8 visitors per day. I already knew that, but "fancy words" in a title that finishes "for wishful thinking" is driving several per day. I'm pretty darn sure my article isn't that famous, but I'll be dogged if I can figure what it is they're looking for, as diverse a group as you can imagine, India, Taiwan, China, Harvard, Brooklyn, and more. SAA Colt is popular, but I knew that, but how about "how to butcher a turkey" hitting Geo II's pardon of a turkey or hits from all over the world on an obscure little blog for Litvenenko? I could understand AP, NYT, BBC etc, but "Chuck for..."?
Baker City comes up frequently, I understand that living here, but after all, we're a 10K population in the middle of nowhere. State and Federal agencies show up pretty often as visitors, I kind of assume they're Oregon transplants keeping up as are some of the high power educational institutions that visit, NASA, I admit, throws me.
I do thank the regular visitors, I'm flattered that you find this little endeavor interesting enough to come back. I hope the accidentals got some use out of this, at least more than "what do blue collar workers from Ontario, Canada do for jobs" did.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Fodder
Turns out that it wasn't bad sex that got Harriet Meirs out of the Counsel business, apparently while she wasn't up to being a Supreme, neither was she up to being a "war consigliari." Seems the White House is worried about a pending war with Congress and wanted a street fighter. Sycophantism doesn't count for everything in BushCo.
Now, while you're mulling over poor Harriet's plight - thrown over for a better - think about the Geo II line, if you have nothing to worry about why do you mind us ... They seem to have something to worry about if their Supreme Court nominee isn't competent to handle their legal affairs. Watching how privilege and power balance with the common man in this administration tends to make one glad the 2nd Amendment guarantees they're not the only ones with firepower.
I knew there was fodder for someone like me in the poor woman's jilting. Hey, Condi, looked over your shoulder lately? There's a ruder term for sycophanic blacks.
Now, while you're mulling over poor Harriet's plight - thrown over for a better - think about the Geo II line, if you have nothing to worry about why do you mind us ... They seem to have something to worry about if their Supreme Court nominee isn't competent to handle their legal affairs. Watching how privilege and power balance with the common man in this administration tends to make one glad the 2nd Amendment guarantees they're not the only ones with firepower.
I knew there was fodder for someone like me in the poor woman's jilting. Hey, Condi, looked over your shoulder lately? There's a ruder term for sycophanic blacks.
None of Your Darn Business
I suppose that my readers may have noticed that the BushCo regime has a penchant for secrecy, like classifying more documents than any other administration. The Prez likes to sign bills and then out of the public eye write out just exactly how they do not apply to him, this particular noblesse oblige is called a signing statement and I've complained about that before. But really this one has to stand alone, a five page document dated May 17th states that all documents detailing entry to and exit from the White House are no longer the property of the Secret Service, but that of the White House as Presidential records - thus BushCo property.
Seem arcane? Nope, this means that as Presidential Papers they're confidential, you know secret. It seems that the Abramoff visits sparked some fires, like the WaPo suing under the FoIA for the Secret Service records from the period. The White House didn't really know the dude, he was only there a few times for photo ops ...a House committee found 485 contacts with Presidential aides and at least 10 with Karl Rove over the three year period.
It is of course not just about Abramoff, there's the little issue of who has been visiting Dick Cheney, something they don't want getting around either. Isn't there just a touch of irony in this piece of news so closely following on the mail opening signing? Your mail is subject to Presidential whim, but it's none of your darn business who visits your White House.
Seem arcane? Nope, this means that as Presidential Papers they're confidential, you know secret. It seems that the Abramoff visits sparked some fires, like the WaPo suing under the FoIA for the Secret Service records from the period. The White House didn't really know the dude, he was only there a few times for photo ops ...a House committee found 485 contacts with Presidential aides and at least 10 with Karl Rove over the three year period.
It is of course not just about Abramoff, there's the little issue of who has been visiting Dick Cheney, something they don't want getting around either. Isn't there just a touch of irony in this piece of news so closely following on the mail opening signing? Your mail is subject to Presidential whim, but it's none of your darn business who visits your White House.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Cheerleader in Chief Gone?
Harriet Meirs, BushCo's non-Supreme non-nominee, resigns effective January 31st.
That's it. Really the entire news story is right there.
White House counsel, withdrawn Supreme Court nominee, the most sycophantic letter writer I've ever seen resigns and it's a one liner? So what is it, a rat jumping Administration ship foundering on the shoals of impeachment, bad sex, tired of lying, c'mon what is it? Surely the fawning school girl crush hasn't given way to disillusionment, or just plain worn off? Oh man, there's got to be fodder here.
That's it. Really the entire news story is right there.
White House counsel, withdrawn Supreme Court nominee, the most sycophantic letter writer I've ever seen resigns and it's a one liner? So what is it, a rat jumping Administration ship foundering on the shoals of impeachment, bad sex, tired of lying, c'mon what is it? Surely the fawning school girl crush hasn't given way to disillusionment, or just plain worn off? Oh man, there's got to be fodder here.
Let Him Have an Inch and He'll Take ...
On December 20th Geo II signed the postal reform bill and promptly issued a signing order that said despite current law and in contradiction to the bill he'd just signed "a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection..." can be opened for "searches in exigent circumstances." You were a little surprised he'd listen in on your phone calls with no warrant, a bit more surprised by FBI agents being allowed to burgle your house with no warrant, how surprised are you your mail is in the same boat?
I've been jumping up and down ranting that encroachments on the Bill of Rights by gun control and Rico Act junk encouraged the government to act as though our rights are somehow dispensed by that band of cretins and here you begin to see the inches turning into miles. The king of the US has just told you (very quietly) that he gets to decide if he wants to look at your mail.
Now for you kids out there, at one time there was no Secret Court to issue warrants to the Feds so they could spy on you and if the government wanted to open your mail some judge was going to make them show very clearly and convincingly why they should get to. There also was a time when a law-abiding citizen owning a gun was a good thing and the government didn't get to just accuse you of something and snag your property. So, we get to obey the law and Georgie gets to do as he damn pleases.
I've been jumping up and down ranting that encroachments on the Bill of Rights by gun control and Rico Act junk encouraged the government to act as though our rights are somehow dispensed by that band of cretins and here you begin to see the inches turning into miles. The king of the US has just told you (very quietly) that he gets to decide if he wants to look at your mail.
Now for you kids out there, at one time there was no Secret Court to issue warrants to the Feds so they could spy on you and if the government wanted to open your mail some judge was going to make them show very clearly and convincingly why they should get to. There also was a time when a law-abiding citizen owning a gun was a good thing and the government didn't get to just accuse you of something and snag your property. So, we get to obey the law and Georgie gets to do as he damn pleases.
Some Things Are Just Plain Fun
Charlie Rangel gave "The Dick," Cheney that is, the boot yesterday. Well he told that "SOB," as he called him to the NY Post, to pack up and leave the office he'd occuppied since 2000. It's historically been the office of the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee but the Republicans gave it to Cheney, as a loan. (the Republican version was: we've got the Ways, screw the Means) The NY Post describes it as the "choicest and most politically central real estate in all of Washington." Maybe that's one of the rooms BushCo accused the Democrats of measuring for the drapes. The Post quotes Charlie as saying, "I'm trying to find some way to be gentle as I restore the dignity of that office. You gotta go, you gotta go." And I gotta laugh and laugh, that must've stung that Dick.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Democratic House and Senate, Now What?
The WaPo notes that the Left is applying pressure to Democratic leaders and that the House and Senate Dems are being careful with an eye on 2008. Now I'm all for an increase in the minimum wage, ethics bolstering, and security. Fine ideas. I'm all for doing something sensible about winning in 2008 also. But lets take a look at a couple things that seem to be somewhere in the "real damn important" range.
Quite awhile back, King John made himself unpopular enough with the English Lords to have something called the Magna Carta stuffed down his throat and that particular document guaranteed a little thing called Habeas Corpus. The idea was that you couldn't just be stuffed into a dungeon somewhere to rot, you had to be produced for court and trial. Charges had to be brought forward and defended in court. Our king Geo II has decided that it's quaint and needn't be applied when he doesn't think it should. Now I happen to think that such an idea is a step backwards into tyranny and needs to be addressed at the first possible instant.
In the past I've made my feelings on the Patriot Act pretty clear, it's an affront to liberty despite its pretty little name. It would be an act of patriotism to do away with the entire dreadful mess. This confounded thing was enacted in a fear induced frenzy that included not even bothering to read it, when they later had a chance to re-visit, they made it worse.
Some little while back there was a complete stink about the NSA doing warrantless wiretaps of Americans. That stink ran right into an election. Now it seems to have gotten lost.
Torture came up awhile back, BushCo being for it, the entire population of civilized beings against. Just what it says about this country isn't real clear, but Geo II says we don't be we can and nobody has done anything to stop such ideas. John McCain grandstanded and then gave more to BushCo than they'd actually demanded, somehow that worked out odd.
Is the a veto proof sentiment against these abortions of the American way? Probably not, seeing that the Republican herd's moderates got culled. Forcing the White House failure poster child to veto legislation guaranteeing what never should have needed it is only right. Just make sure the Bills have snappy names conjuring up Mom, apple pie, purple plains, ... We've let the elephant thugs set the agenda for twelve years and an election just pointed out that the natives are restless, showing a little nerve is called for.
Yes I'd also like to see the Creep in Charge impeached, I'd like to see his useless play cowboy self led off in shackles for what he's done to American law, not to mention all his lackey cronies.
The problem is that absent some real hard evidence of some real criminal stuff it would be political suicide for '08 and more importantly, bad for the country right now. Some of the incoming freshmen ran on this stuff and some folks like Feingold and Kucinich have never stopped making noise about it, maybe their enthusiasm can over come the calculus of the old-timers. Maybe sending them a note and a check would help keep them warmed up?
Quite awhile back, King John made himself unpopular enough with the English Lords to have something called the Magna Carta stuffed down his throat and that particular document guaranteed a little thing called Habeas Corpus. The idea was that you couldn't just be stuffed into a dungeon somewhere to rot, you had to be produced for court and trial. Charges had to be brought forward and defended in court. Our king Geo II has decided that it's quaint and needn't be applied when he doesn't think it should. Now I happen to think that such an idea is a step backwards into tyranny and needs to be addressed at the first possible instant.
In the past I've made my feelings on the Patriot Act pretty clear, it's an affront to liberty despite its pretty little name. It would be an act of patriotism to do away with the entire dreadful mess. This confounded thing was enacted in a fear induced frenzy that included not even bothering to read it, when they later had a chance to re-visit, they made it worse.
Some little while back there was a complete stink about the NSA doing warrantless wiretaps of Americans. That stink ran right into an election. Now it seems to have gotten lost.
Torture came up awhile back, BushCo being for it, the entire population of civilized beings against. Just what it says about this country isn't real clear, but Geo II says we don't be we can and nobody has done anything to stop such ideas. John McCain grandstanded and then gave more to BushCo than they'd actually demanded, somehow that worked out odd.
Is the a veto proof sentiment against these abortions of the American way? Probably not, seeing that the Republican herd's moderates got culled. Forcing the White House failure poster child to veto legislation guaranteeing what never should have needed it is only right. Just make sure the Bills have snappy names conjuring up Mom, apple pie, purple plains, ... We've let the elephant thugs set the agenda for twelve years and an election just pointed out that the natives are restless, showing a little nerve is called for.
Yes I'd also like to see the Creep in Charge impeached, I'd like to see his useless play cowboy self led off in shackles for what he's done to American law, not to mention all his lackey cronies.
The problem is that absent some real hard evidence of some real criminal stuff it would be political suicide for '08 and more importantly, bad for the country right now. Some of the incoming freshmen ran on this stuff and some folks like Feingold and Kucinich have never stopped making noise about it, maybe their enthusiasm can over come the calculus of the old-timers. Maybe sending them a note and a check would help keep them warmed up?
Sunday, December 31, 2006
He Smelled El Diablo...
It's a funny thing for Hugo Chavez to call George II "satan," in reality those two have an awful lot in common. They both use the rhetoric of fear to maintain power and both use a "folksy" manner while scaring the pants off the citizenry. They both see oil as a political power tool. Both use external powers as the internal fear generator. Neither is obviously competent as an administrator, and blame their failures on the "opposition." They both enjoy photo ops looking "studly" in military gear and neither has any obvious claim to military competency. BushCo is busy dismantling the Bill of Rights and Hugo has just told the television station RCTV - Caracas that in March its license expires and they can forget renewal. RCTV has been a supporter of the opposition, including a 2002 bungled coup attempt and a crippling 2003 strike. RCTV began broadcasting in 1953 and is among a large group of privately owned radio and TV stations that don't like Hugo. I'm sure George II now has envy problems, or he would if we had something approaching Opposition Media.
If it weren't politically inconvenient these two would be bosom buddies with favorite nickname for each other, we already know "Devilboy," wonder what BushCo would have for Hugo?
If it weren't politically inconvenient these two would be bosom buddies with favorite nickname for each other, we already know "Devilboy," wonder what BushCo would have for Hugo?
Anybody remember that self-agrandizing insecure prick in high school that wasn't far enough past third grade to call people by their given names, but had to pick mildly belittling pet names nobody else would've thought to use? When you wrote in his yearbook did it occur to you to not write "most likely to fail at everything," but Future President? Sometimes irony sucks as reality... Hey, devilboy, you could do us all a favor and let the next Texas twister get you...
Year In Review - Chuck for ...
It takes some nerve to do a year in review of some small time blog, more so to do it sober, well I'll just step right up.
February
Small time contractor (me)runs for Dem OR 02US Primary - Retails Waldenbush & BushCo stupidity, but he does like Howard Dean's 50 state strategy & Wyden's flatter tax
Gets rights infringements right
March
Continues to run, likes Russ Feingold, gets GWB's coat-tails right, wrong race
April
Talks mean about Walden in public - "pinhead", repeats to Bend Bulletin, gets god in govt right, Oregonian calls me "most conservative candidate of 4" Bend The Source endorses as most progressive - albeit hot rod. I've never liked the O all that much, I wonder why I like The Source? More fun poking at BushCo
May
Carol Voisin wins election, Chuck likes her, "Chuck for ..." becomes advocacy and commentary, more fun poking at BushCo, gets general election vote and strategy right, except not in 02CD :-(
June
Behind at work thanks to politicking, 1 post, political analysis, you be the judge
July
Relevant at the time, now...
August
Chuck didn't like Joe Lieberman - still doesn't
DPO starts work on Gun Owner's Caucus
Pre-election terror BS
Money...
BushCo is a jerk - newsflash!!!
September
Bush is a failure because he's ignorant
Words have actual meanings, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...
More pre-election terror
Senate commits treason, including 12 Democrats
October
Ron Saxton, farmer, liar, joke, Saxtonville
Chuck likes fast cars and big guns, aren't you surprised???
Dick Cheny likes torture
November
31 posts...Chuck's a strange guy, he thinks you're important and government should see that
December
Some political analysis and Chuck still likes guns and Santa. He also likes you readers who stop by and give his ramblings some validation. Sure, it's about me having my say, but having somebody to say it to counts alot. The visit numbers are up and down but readership is increasing and I thank you for giving a damn about what I've had to say.
As for the value of what I've said, I put the categories on the page so I can be referenced easily, I stand by what say and if I'm wrong I'll apologize (and have). I expect to be accountable so I leave my stuff where you can find it. I know it's not much of a review, but shoot, it's just a little blog. Maybe I'll get out my crystal ball and do some future gazing...
February
Small time contractor (me)runs for Dem OR 02US Primary - Retails Waldenbush & BushCo stupidity, but he does like Howard Dean's 50 state strategy & Wyden's flatter tax
Gets rights infringements right
March
Continues to run, likes Russ Feingold, gets GWB's coat-tails right, wrong race
April
Talks mean about Walden in public - "pinhead", repeats to Bend Bulletin, gets god in govt right, Oregonian calls me "most conservative candidate of 4" Bend The Source endorses as most progressive - albeit hot rod. I've never liked the O all that much, I wonder why I like The Source? More fun poking at BushCo
May
Carol Voisin wins election, Chuck likes her, "Chuck for ..." becomes advocacy and commentary, more fun poking at BushCo, gets general election vote and strategy right, except not in 02CD :-(
June
Behind at work thanks to politicking, 1 post, political analysis, you be the judge
July
Relevant at the time, now...
August
Chuck didn't like Joe Lieberman - still doesn't
DPO starts work on Gun Owner's Caucus
Pre-election terror BS
Money...
BushCo is a jerk - newsflash!!!
September
Bush is a failure because he's ignorant
Words have actual meanings, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...
More pre-election terror
Senate commits treason, including 12 Democrats
October
Ron Saxton, farmer, liar, joke, Saxtonville
Chuck likes fast cars and big guns, aren't you surprised???
Dick Cheny likes torture
November
31 posts...Chuck's a strange guy, he thinks you're important and government should see that
December
Some political analysis and Chuck still likes guns and Santa. He also likes you readers who stop by and give his ramblings some validation. Sure, it's about me having my say, but having somebody to say it to counts alot. The visit numbers are up and down but readership is increasing and I thank you for giving a damn about what I've had to say.
As for the value of what I've said, I put the categories on the page so I can be referenced easily, I stand by what say and if I'm wrong I'll apologize (and have). I expect to be accountable so I leave my stuff where you can find it. I know it's not much of a review, but shoot, it's just a little blog. Maybe I'll get out my crystal ball and do some future gazing...
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Hammered Stagecoach Shotgun and Cowboy Action
The shotgun is a Russian built 2 3/4" 12 Ga Remington hammered double barrel with screw in chokes and the top grade walnut stock. It is a very nicely made breakdown shotgun, the fit is excellent and the finish is very nice. The chokes are full, improved modified, modified, and improved cylinder. The gun is quite light, subsequently it kicks like a mule, there comes a point when you've had enough fun with this beast. The setup shown is for cowboy action shooting, the revolvers are SAA Colt patent Uberiti's in 3 1/2" barrel .45Colt, the rifle is a Marlin Model 1895 Lever in 45-70 Govt, 400 gr flatnoses with 57 gr of IMR 4895 pushing them means it shoves a shooter around. There is nothing in North America that has not been hunted with that rifle and round. The dollar bill is for scale, the rounds are next to their guns.
Cowboy Action shooting involves a course of fire that is set up as a scenario, typically Old West, many competitors dress in period dress. I don't plan to. The part of the set up that is not shown is the double holsters for the revolvers and scabbards for the shotgun and rifle, the part that I have not yet put together.
All the pieces perform excellently, the shotgun is quick on the point, the revolvers are a pure delight to shoot, the lever action is very accurate and hits like a freight train. Once I start to compete I'll put up some photos of competition, better ones than these taken with dying batteries. The idea probably seems a little like playing cowboys and Indians with real guns, yes there is that aspect, but it also involves becoming very proficient with these guns in near real world practice and every one of these firearms is a very serious piece.
My Blog has been hit several times per week with Google searches for coach gun because I mentioned the shotgun once, I have now put up a result for those searchers. I consider this particular shotgun a very good buy for the price.
How Would You Measure Success ?
Friday Iraq killed Saddam Hussein and he probably won't be mourned by many. So BushCo has now:
Had some exciting combat footage courtesy of the somnolent media
Gotten rid of Iraq's WMDs, well they're not there, anyhow
Removed murdering despotic Saddam from power
Instituted an appointed government
Had a couple elections in Iraq
Won one in the US and lost one
Gotten Saddam hanged
Made up a bunch of slogans they denied - so now A New Way Forward
December 25th 1400 British and Iraqi soldiers stormed a police jail in Basra. A what? Why? This was the serious crimes unit jail in Basra and the reason was evidence of torture and imminent execution of 127 prisoners. Over 100 men were in a 30 foot by 40 foot cell. The police unit was backed by various militias including Moktada-al-Sadr's. You can find details in The NY Times about the level of torture and the attack.
BushCo has made Iraq safe from the abuses of power under Saddam, now the abuses of power come from cabinet members of Iraq's democratically elected government. I'm sure those who are fond of murderous thugs of the Islamist persuasion will find Moktada vastly superior to the murderous secular thug Saddam. It is going to take a bunch of hangings to sort this out. They may run out of rope.
Now exactly how would you measure success? Iraq is a damned dangerous place to be American, Sunni, Shiite, or Kurdish (not so bad). The power runs some times, sewage and waste disposal seems to be non-existent, unemployment is huge (astronomic by our measure of real bad), oil may or may not get out, the government, police, and army are populated with murderous thugs. Iran is licking its chops, Saudi Arabia is horrified, Iraqis are fleeing the country. Somehow the American President seems to think tossing some more troops into the meat grinder will make it all better.
We started breaking the place March 20, 2003 and this is what we've gotten for our trouble.
Had some exciting combat footage courtesy of the somnolent media
Gotten rid of Iraq's WMDs, well they're not there, anyhow
Removed murdering despotic Saddam from power
Instituted an appointed government
Had a couple elections in Iraq
Won one in the US and lost one
Gotten Saddam hanged
Made up a bunch of slogans they denied - so now A New Way Forward
December 25th 1400 British and Iraqi soldiers stormed a police jail in Basra. A what? Why? This was the serious crimes unit jail in Basra and the reason was evidence of torture and imminent execution of 127 prisoners. Over 100 men were in a 30 foot by 40 foot cell. The police unit was backed by various militias including Moktada-al-Sadr's. You can find details in The NY Times about the level of torture and the attack.
BushCo has made Iraq safe from the abuses of power under Saddam, now the abuses of power come from cabinet members of Iraq's democratically elected government. I'm sure those who are fond of murderous thugs of the Islamist persuasion will find Moktada vastly superior to the murderous secular thug Saddam. It is going to take a bunch of hangings to sort this out. They may run out of rope.
Now exactly how would you measure success? Iraq is a damned dangerous place to be American, Sunni, Shiite, or Kurdish (not so bad). The power runs some times, sewage and waste disposal seems to be non-existent, unemployment is huge (astronomic by our measure of real bad), oil may or may not get out, the government, police, and army are populated with murderous thugs. Iran is licking its chops, Saudi Arabia is horrified, Iraqis are fleeing the country. Somehow the American President seems to think tossing some more troops into the meat grinder will make it all better.
We started breaking the place March 20, 2003 and this is what we've gotten for our trouble.
Monday, December 25, 2006
These Are Christmas Presents
The New York Times tells about a serious shortage striking Wall Street, the kind of thing that really shouldn't happen to these folks. Apparently there's too much money and not enough stuff for them to buy. I'm sure we can all remember BushCo whining about not getting credit for this great economy, well, here it is folks, his economy. Please try to keep in mind that it will tinkle down on you. No, you can forget about servicing one of the $250,000 Ferraris but if you're a nail bender you might get to work on one of the 2350 square foot two bed/two bath $7,000,000 apartments if not the $20,000,000 ones. Mind you, this isn't wages, it's bonuses, you know, kinda like the turkey your boss sent home with you; if you got that, my guys got laid-off.
I suppose none of you is smart enough or worked hard enough to deserve a $53.4 million stocking stuffer, evidently some of them have been. I'm not jealous, but I could puke.
I suppose none of you is smart enough or worked hard enough to deserve a $53.4 million stocking stuffer, evidently some of them have been. I'm not jealous, but I could puke.
Santa Is Cool
Cenk loves Santa, he was raised Muslim and he loves Santa and the USA. I have to agree with him, Santa is one aspect of Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate December 25th that just plain works. Of course, I figured it out when I was pretty young that the fat guy with the bag wasn't real, he was Mom and Dad, and I didn't mind. I didn't mind getting presents from Santa when I was 17 years old. They were presents and the idea was that giving was a good thing. I don't care that he shows up in the stores before Thanksgiving (Halloween is pushing it) or that Coke made the greatest looking Santa of all with polar bears you'd invite in for a Coke just to sell a carbonated beverage. I like Coke and those are great pictures.
I don't care what religion you practice or don't practice or don't have at all, Santa doesn't have to have anything to do with it. I can't think of any religion that's against giving or anyone that isn't improved by doing it. It's a warm friendly thing to do and I don't care if retailers make a killing off it, it feels good. If commercialization makes you feel bad, do Santa the old fashioned way and make something. Sometimes I think re-naming the holiday Santa Day would work best, but no doubt that would be war against Christmas. Like so many other things that have gotten conflated, Christmas, giving, Dec.25, Santa, etc is now confusing. I am reminded of the 1970s when it got to be improper to use the pronoun him or -man as an indefinite pronoun, to the point where those round cast iron access hole covers in the street became personhole covers, some how manhole became insulting. We all knew a manhole was for the use of whatever gender person needed to get in there, but noooo. Certainly Christ Mass is a Christian celebration, but there are plenty of people who actually see Christmas as a celebration of peace and giving and in the end they all mean the same thing when they wish someone Merry Christmas, it's a manhole cover holiday.
Nope, Santa is cool, he doesn't see race, religion, or national origin and he goes out of his way to do the deed, we could all learn something from the fat guy in the red suit.
My house (wife) has been suffering from empty nest syndrome and I've been suffering from the religion wars anger overload some people would give, none of that is going to spoil my Santa Day for me, I'm just not going to play, Christmas is a great thing to do in the spirit of giving for no particular return and wishing peace, so I'll say it again,
Merry Christmas to all and may the blessings of that spirit shower down on your loved ones.
I don't care what religion you practice or don't practice or don't have at all, Santa doesn't have to have anything to do with it. I can't think of any religion that's against giving or anyone that isn't improved by doing it. It's a warm friendly thing to do and I don't care if retailers make a killing off it, it feels good. If commercialization makes you feel bad, do Santa the old fashioned way and make something. Sometimes I think re-naming the holiday Santa Day would work best, but no doubt that would be war against Christmas. Like so many other things that have gotten conflated, Christmas, giving, Dec.25, Santa, etc is now confusing. I am reminded of the 1970s when it got to be improper to use the pronoun him or -man as an indefinite pronoun, to the point where those round cast iron access hole covers in the street became personhole covers, some how manhole became insulting. We all knew a manhole was for the use of whatever gender person needed to get in there, but noooo. Certainly Christ Mass is a Christian celebration, but there are plenty of people who actually see Christmas as a celebration of peace and giving and in the end they all mean the same thing when they wish someone Merry Christmas, it's a manhole cover holiday.
Nope, Santa is cool, he doesn't see race, religion, or national origin and he goes out of his way to do the deed, we could all learn something from the fat guy in the red suit.
My house (wife) has been suffering from empty nest syndrome and I've been suffering from the religion wars anger overload some people would give, none of that is going to spoil my Santa Day for me, I'm just not going to play, Christmas is a great thing to do in the spirit of giving for no particular return and wishing peace, so I'll say it again,
Merry Christmas to all and may the blessings of that spirit shower down on your loved ones.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Religion Gone Wild
OK, I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the War on Christmas, War on Christians, Muslim Invaders, Saving Marriage, the whole damn mess. I've always been a friend to religion, despite having no recognizable one of my own, but that's beginning to be real difficult. I don't care if people tell me, "Merry Christmas," or, "Happy Holidays," they're just trying to be nice, that'll damn well do. I cannot for the life of me figure out how it is that Christianity is having a war waged on it in the United States of America, somewhere around 80% of the population identify as Christian, who is left with enough energy or power to do something to these people? On and on and on.
Listen up, if your religion does not improve your moral behavior and your treatment of your fellows it is not only a useless exercise in ritual, it is harmful, or downright dangerous. If you don't get that you're not paying any attention to your Books. Your intolerance and zeal is making it real difficult for me to get into the spirit of Christmas as a time of giving, where I'm getting to, is pissed off. It's starting to get to the point that every time I see a cross over a building I start wondering what sort of narrow meanness is being promulgated there. You are not martyrs, when you get fed to lions or hung up on crosses you can make that claim.
I know that there are a whole bunch of you that don't act that way, that do your best to improve yourselves and the lives of your fellows, but those others are starting to make enemies for you. They're engaging in self-fulfilling prophesies, at some point there will be a backlash against this kind of stupidity. The problem with backlashes is that the innocent get swept up in them along with the guilty. I hang onto my sanity about religion by paying attention to people like Rev. Chuck Currie and seeing them as the real face of religion. By the way, when Muslims or Jews or etc start with hate and discontent I have exactly the same reaction.
So, I'm going to say it and if you don't like it - so what:
Merry Christmas
and to all, a Good Night
Listen up, if your religion does not improve your moral behavior and your treatment of your fellows it is not only a useless exercise in ritual, it is harmful, or downright dangerous. If you don't get that you're not paying any attention to your Books. Your intolerance and zeal is making it real difficult for me to get into the spirit of Christmas as a time of giving, where I'm getting to, is pissed off. It's starting to get to the point that every time I see a cross over a building I start wondering what sort of narrow meanness is being promulgated there. You are not martyrs, when you get fed to lions or hung up on crosses you can make that claim.
I know that there are a whole bunch of you that don't act that way, that do your best to improve yourselves and the lives of your fellows, but those others are starting to make enemies for you. They're engaging in self-fulfilling prophesies, at some point there will be a backlash against this kind of stupidity. The problem with backlashes is that the innocent get swept up in them along with the guilty. I hang onto my sanity about religion by paying attention to people like Rev. Chuck Currie and seeing them as the real face of religion. By the way, when Muslims or Jews or etc start with hate and discontent I have exactly the same reaction.
So, I'm going to say it and if you don't like it - so what:
Merry Christmas
and to all, a Good Night
Fancy Words For Wishful Thinking
Jay Rosen , a smart fellow, who teaches journalism at NYU and Blogs has an article that takes quite a bit of time to trace what can best be described as "reality creation through action." The idea is that by acting you change current reality, the previous methods involving empiricism, or the study of facts and trends to determine policy. The Bush administration was pretty proud of their new strategy.
There are a lot of words used in this in depth analysis to describe this policy versus "reality based" policies that the predecessors had used and to describe the outcomes; I'll give my "Cliff Notes" version using the term I used in the title, wishful thinking. This President and his sycophants engage in it on a regular basis, we were winning in Iraq because saying it made it true, we would be welcomed as liberators because we were there, New Orleans would be fine because we say so, Creationism is science because we say so, trickle down economics will work because we're doing it, the budget will work out because we're doing it. There it is, faith based politics, it'll work because we want it to. Screw history, screw science, screw the Constitution, this'll work because we're doing it. By the way, you're terrorist sympathizers because we say so and you're trying to undermine our reality we're making.
The upshot of wishful thinking is that you're always making it up as you go along, facts and historical trends just won't move on faith. Each time reality refuses to be congruent with the wish, a new action has to be taken to create that wish, all the while ignoring that pesky reality.
How did wishful thinking triumph over reality in government? One of the first checks to unreality is "nay-sayers," people who won't just go along. Taking a look at the Administration is illuminating, anybody dragging their heels was replaced and that wasn't many because this Administration was packed with sycophants from the start. Move over to Congress and things look even worse, these people went along because they were getting the benefits of years of majority status now augmented by Presidential partisanship. This mess only works if everybody gets along - by going along. The media? Between September 11 and the patriotism attacks and corporate benefits it was real easy to let these people go on their way. It also is possible that even media skeptics couldn't believe these idiots could be that wrong.
Has reality intruded? The media seems to have gotten some clue and belatedly started asking questions, still shying away from any appearance that they might be partisan. (per Snow vs Gregory partisan means asking a question and not backing up) The Democrats have control of Congress, having the nerve to kick butt is another question. The Administration shows no signs of including in its ranks any dissenting voices. The President still acts as though wanting something to be so and acting as though it were so will make is so. Wish in one hand, shit in the other and what have you got?
There are a lot of words used in this in depth analysis to describe this policy versus "reality based" policies that the predecessors had used and to describe the outcomes; I'll give my "Cliff Notes" version using the term I used in the title, wishful thinking. This President and his sycophants engage in it on a regular basis, we were winning in Iraq because saying it made it true, we would be welcomed as liberators because we were there, New Orleans would be fine because we say so, Creationism is science because we say so, trickle down economics will work because we're doing it, the budget will work out because we're doing it. There it is, faith based politics, it'll work because we want it to. Screw history, screw science, screw the Constitution, this'll work because we're doing it. By the way, you're terrorist sympathizers because we say so and you're trying to undermine our reality we're making.
The upshot of wishful thinking is that you're always making it up as you go along, facts and historical trends just won't move on faith. Each time reality refuses to be congruent with the wish, a new action has to be taken to create that wish, all the while ignoring that pesky reality.
How did wishful thinking triumph over reality in government? One of the first checks to unreality is "nay-sayers," people who won't just go along. Taking a look at the Administration is illuminating, anybody dragging their heels was replaced and that wasn't many because this Administration was packed with sycophants from the start. Move over to Congress and things look even worse, these people went along because they were getting the benefits of years of majority status now augmented by Presidential partisanship. This mess only works if everybody gets along - by going along. The media? Between September 11 and the patriotism attacks and corporate benefits it was real easy to let these people go on their way. It also is possible that even media skeptics couldn't believe these idiots could be that wrong.
Has reality intruded? The media seems to have gotten some clue and belatedly started asking questions, still shying away from any appearance that they might be partisan. (per Snow vs Gregory partisan means asking a question and not backing up) The Democrats have control of Congress, having the nerve to kick butt is another question. The Administration shows no signs of including in its ranks any dissenting voices. The President still acts as though wanting something to be so and acting as though it were so will make is so. Wish in one hand, shit in the other and what have you got?
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Self-defense and Firearms
Over the last few months I've been asked about this topic by increasing numbers of folks, so I'm going to address it for the uninitiated, people who do not have any meaningful information. I am not going to write a treatise on this nor advocate it, I'll simply provide some information.
I'll start off with the most basic concept, a firearm is a weapon, it is not a threat, it is only ever pointed in a direction with the full intent to fire it or that it may fire. This is absolutely basic to safe handling and to an understanding of the meaning of owning one for self-defense. It is an absolute disqualifier to own a firearm for self-defense if taking a life is impossible, firearms are lethal, if you point a firearm at someone you intend to shoot them. Circumstances may intervene, the person may surrender or flee, in which case it is no longer necessary to fire, but there is no such thing as a standoff or negotiation, what you are holding is just as lethal for you if it is taken away from you. Shooting to wound is nonsense, no one is able to do such a thing, in a life threatening situation pointing at body center you would be doing well to actually hit the body. If that is something you could not do, do not have a firearm for self-defense, figure out a different strategy.
It is important to know the laws regarding ownership and use of a firearm. Do not think you have a general understanding, know them. These laws vary from state to state and in some places from city to city. The NRA offers self-defense courses to the public, this is an important resource for anyone thinking of self-defense ownership. You neither have to join NRA nor subscribe to their politics to take advantage of a course which is recognized by most law enforcement who frequently participate.
It is very important to know safe handling of a firearm, it is not rocket science, but it can save a life and avoid property damage. It is also important to be competent with a firearm, this does not mean trying for a competitive shooting level, it does mean knowing precisely how the firearm works and being able to shoot what you intend to in adverse conditions. No self-defense situation is conducive to accurate effortless shooting, in almost all cases it would involve conditions detrimental to good shooting. Heart rate, breathing control, light, target are all not in favor of shooting and worst of all, judgement is impaired. A person's own senses conspire against them, time, spatial orientation, tunnel vision, visual acuity are all affected by high stress levels. The high miss ratio police officers experience is instructive for a layman.
Television, movies, and urban myths about firearms abound. Knock down power is one. No, a pistol, rifle, or shotgun will not knock down a full grown man. People do not fly through the air, a bullet exerts less force on its target than the firearm exerts on the shooter. It is simple physics, for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A big gun is not better simply because it is big, if a person cannot handle the recoil it is too much gun. Because guns don't knock people around or kill them instantly in most cases, the ability to fire again is more important than the size of the bullet, and this assumes you hit your target with the first shot. A fatal injury will not cause a person to "drop in their tracks," many a deer shot through the heart has run hundreds of yards, the same is true of humans, the body is a very durable thing. How far into or through something a bullet will go is dependent on many factors, primarily how fast it travels and how much it weighs and its construction. A .32 ACP hollow point has been known to be almost stopped by heavy clothing. A person buying a firearm for self-defense should consult with someone who knows about the subject, forget about movie magic.
The most usual scenario for firing a weapon in self defense involves shooting indoors in bad light. There are two guaranteed results of firing a gun indoors in bad light, you will be deafened and blinded. The impact of the sound waves on your ears in an enclosed space is huge, your ears will ring and hiss for hours, immediately after firing you would be unable to hear someone stomping their feet. The muzzle flash in darkened conditions will be similar to a flashbulb going off in front of your face, you are looking directly at the flash when you fire.
The decision to own a firearm for self-defense is a very personal one, I have tried to point out some of the factors involved, each person is the best judge. It is important to note that small children, mysteries, and firearms are not a good combination, there are good strategies for dealing with this, but it must be dealt with. It is absolutely necessary to deal with firearms from the stand point of reality and not myth. No one who is afraid of a gun should ever handle one without supervision and if the fear persists, it should be left alone by that person. Finally, the quality of the outcome of using a firearm in self-defense is entirely questionable, the very best is if the offender surrenders or runs away, from there it starts to get bad. The decision to own a self-defense firearm is a very serious one and should be made with good information and a solid self-awareness.
I'll start off with the most basic concept, a firearm is a weapon, it is not a threat, it is only ever pointed in a direction with the full intent to fire it or that it may fire. This is absolutely basic to safe handling and to an understanding of the meaning of owning one for self-defense. It is an absolute disqualifier to own a firearm for self-defense if taking a life is impossible, firearms are lethal, if you point a firearm at someone you intend to shoot them. Circumstances may intervene, the person may surrender or flee, in which case it is no longer necessary to fire, but there is no such thing as a standoff or negotiation, what you are holding is just as lethal for you if it is taken away from you. Shooting to wound is nonsense, no one is able to do such a thing, in a life threatening situation pointing at body center you would be doing well to actually hit the body. If that is something you could not do, do not have a firearm for self-defense, figure out a different strategy.
It is important to know the laws regarding ownership and use of a firearm. Do not think you have a general understanding, know them. These laws vary from state to state and in some places from city to city. The NRA offers self-defense courses to the public, this is an important resource for anyone thinking of self-defense ownership. You neither have to join NRA nor subscribe to their politics to take advantage of a course which is recognized by most law enforcement who frequently participate.
It is very important to know safe handling of a firearm, it is not rocket science, but it can save a life and avoid property damage. It is also important to be competent with a firearm, this does not mean trying for a competitive shooting level, it does mean knowing precisely how the firearm works and being able to shoot what you intend to in adverse conditions. No self-defense situation is conducive to accurate effortless shooting, in almost all cases it would involve conditions detrimental to good shooting. Heart rate, breathing control, light, target are all not in favor of shooting and worst of all, judgement is impaired. A person's own senses conspire against them, time, spatial orientation, tunnel vision, visual acuity are all affected by high stress levels. The high miss ratio police officers experience is instructive for a layman.
Television, movies, and urban myths about firearms abound. Knock down power is one. No, a pistol, rifle, or shotgun will not knock down a full grown man. People do not fly through the air, a bullet exerts less force on its target than the firearm exerts on the shooter. It is simple physics, for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A big gun is not better simply because it is big, if a person cannot handle the recoil it is too much gun. Because guns don't knock people around or kill them instantly in most cases, the ability to fire again is more important than the size of the bullet, and this assumes you hit your target with the first shot. A fatal injury will not cause a person to "drop in their tracks," many a deer shot through the heart has run hundreds of yards, the same is true of humans, the body is a very durable thing. How far into or through something a bullet will go is dependent on many factors, primarily how fast it travels and how much it weighs and its construction. A .32 ACP hollow point has been known to be almost stopped by heavy clothing. A person buying a firearm for self-defense should consult with someone who knows about the subject, forget about movie magic.
The most usual scenario for firing a weapon in self defense involves shooting indoors in bad light. There are two guaranteed results of firing a gun indoors in bad light, you will be deafened and blinded. The impact of the sound waves on your ears in an enclosed space is huge, your ears will ring and hiss for hours, immediately after firing you would be unable to hear someone stomping their feet. The muzzle flash in darkened conditions will be similar to a flashbulb going off in front of your face, you are looking directly at the flash when you fire.
The decision to own a firearm for self-defense is a very personal one, I have tried to point out some of the factors involved, each person is the best judge. It is important to note that small children, mysteries, and firearms are not a good combination, there are good strategies for dealing with this, but it must be dealt with. It is absolutely necessary to deal with firearms from the stand point of reality and not myth. No one who is afraid of a gun should ever handle one without supervision and if the fear persists, it should be left alone by that person. Finally, the quality of the outcome of using a firearm in self-defense is entirely questionable, the very best is if the offender surrenders or runs away, from there it starts to get bad. The decision to own a self-defense firearm is a very serious one and should be made with good information and a solid self-awareness.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Centrism is What??
There are words out there that sound like they mean something, and this is one of them. Apparently it's supposed to mean a middle course something, I guess, inoffensive to most Americans. Let's see in practice how that works. Abortion - there's a middle here? Either you can tolerate the concept or you cannot, from there you might be able to work on details to mitigate the consequences of the act, but you cannot make it something other than what it is. Health care - either you are going to do something on a national scale or you are fine with the status quo, you are not going to find some magical middle, unless you define the status quo as the middle. Illegal immigration - here's the one that definitely calls out for magic - the centrist position is do something harmless, a non-existant solution. The war in Iraq - oh for pete's sake, we're going to stay or we're going to get out.
Centrism engages in magical thinking, nobody gets pissed except the lunatic fringes, there's a middle way, no harm no foul. What ever course of action is taken in any issue, a philosophical stance is applied first, then the details are worked out. The devil is in the details. There are those in the debates surrounding the Second Amendment who would argue that shoulder fired nukes would be included in the right to keep and bear and those who would argue that the Second only allows the government to be armed - neither has anything to do with the question, the details entail to what degree that right becomes universally and inevitably harmful to the rights of others and negates its philosophical value. There is no centrist position between banning individuals from the right to keep and bear and the recognition that the right exists.
There is no such thing as a centrist politician, not philosophically, either they have a belief or they do not, then the details get worked out. Bill Clinton is held up as a centrist on international trade, utter nonsense, there is either free trade or protection of a market/labor. Bill Clinton was a free trader and we have the results his philosophy. A market/labor protection philosophy would have included those concepts in any trade agreement.
Yes, details matter. The working of any policy involves details and being careful with the details to mitigate unforseen or even forseen consequences is intelligent. Get out of Iraq cannot involve a pell-mell dash for the border, but it also is completely different than an open-ended stay. There is a philosophical difference involved, and it involves staying or leaving, the "centrist" position of "later" is not a different position, it is the same thing as an open ended stay. Yes, you can say exactly the same thing with different words - Hillary and George II. They both throw "qualifiers" all through their statements and they mean exactly the same thing - an open ended stay - it just sounds different. That sound may be enough to assuage some who aren't paying attention, but it is meaningless. This is exactly why the President and Hillary want nothing to do with deadlines, they mean we're doing what we say we're doing, leaving. We have 130,000 troops in Iraq and multitudes of equipement and armament, if we start leaving, everybody is going to be able to figure it out.
I'm not saying there aren't reasonable, thoughtful, moderate applications of philosophy of action, that's the part that gets ignored. If a person believes that a national health plan is needed they have to recognize that the philosophy isn't the same as free market laisse faire health care, How they approach the doing of national health care is where there is a moderate approach to be taken, an extreme approach would be that any and all medical proceedures fall on the government, a more moderate approach would set defining limits. Neither one of these approaches is in any way similiar to a laisse faire approach, there is nothing centrist in the picture, it's a form of socialism, not capitalism.
Word do have meaning, spin meisters to the side, and we ignore those meanings at our peril. In politics the real meaning of centrist is no position other than the one that sells at the moment.
Centrism engages in magical thinking, nobody gets pissed except the lunatic fringes, there's a middle way, no harm no foul. What ever course of action is taken in any issue, a philosophical stance is applied first, then the details are worked out. The devil is in the details. There are those in the debates surrounding the Second Amendment who would argue that shoulder fired nukes would be included in the right to keep and bear and those who would argue that the Second only allows the government to be armed - neither has anything to do with the question, the details entail to what degree that right becomes universally and inevitably harmful to the rights of others and negates its philosophical value. There is no centrist position between banning individuals from the right to keep and bear and the recognition that the right exists.
There is no such thing as a centrist politician, not philosophically, either they have a belief or they do not, then the details get worked out. Bill Clinton is held up as a centrist on international trade, utter nonsense, there is either free trade or protection of a market/labor. Bill Clinton was a free trader and we have the results his philosophy. A market/labor protection philosophy would have included those concepts in any trade agreement.
Yes, details matter. The working of any policy involves details and being careful with the details to mitigate unforseen or even forseen consequences is intelligent. Get out of Iraq cannot involve a pell-mell dash for the border, but it also is completely different than an open-ended stay. There is a philosophical difference involved, and it involves staying or leaving, the "centrist" position of "later" is not a different position, it is the same thing as an open ended stay. Yes, you can say exactly the same thing with different words - Hillary and George II. They both throw "qualifiers" all through their statements and they mean exactly the same thing - an open ended stay - it just sounds different. That sound may be enough to assuage some who aren't paying attention, but it is meaningless. This is exactly why the President and Hillary want nothing to do with deadlines, they mean we're doing what we say we're doing, leaving. We have 130,000 troops in Iraq and multitudes of equipement and armament, if we start leaving, everybody is going to be able to figure it out.
I'm not saying there aren't reasonable, thoughtful, moderate applications of philosophy of action, that's the part that gets ignored. If a person believes that a national health plan is needed they have to recognize that the philosophy isn't the same as free market laisse faire health care, How they approach the doing of national health care is where there is a moderate approach to be taken, an extreme approach would be that any and all medical proceedures fall on the government, a more moderate approach would set defining limits. Neither one of these approaches is in any way similiar to a laisse faire approach, there is nothing centrist in the picture, it's a form of socialism, not capitalism.
Word do have meaning, spin meisters to the side, and we ignore those meanings at our peril. In politics the real meaning of centrist is no position other than the one that sells at the moment.
The WSJ Kinda Gets It
The Blog Mob "Written by fools to be read by imbeciles," on WSJ Opinion Journal 12/20/06 has some pretty good points to make about Bloggers. Mr Raggo has a pretty poor opinion of their reportage, probably justified, although some, like "Loaded Orygun" sometimes not only get there first, but also best. Regarding commentary he notes: (critics of ) "Blogs, they say, tend to disinhibit. Maybe so. But politics weren't much rarefied when Andrew Jackson was president, either." That's not the problem, just that most of the writing is awful. I love this, "Every conceivable belief is on the scene, but the collective prose, by and large, is homogeneous: A tone of careless informality prevails; posts oscillate between the uselessly brief and the uselessly logorrheic; complexity and complication are eschewed; the humor is cringe-making, with irony present only in its conspicuous absence; arguments are solipsistic; writers traffic more in pronouncement than persuasion . . ." I am insufficiently self-critical to determine if that refers to me. There are Bloggers whose prose I really admire, but I do agree quality is uneven, but I will note that the pay is even worse. I personally am willing to give up some word-smithing ability for the diversity of opinion, free doesn't make it better, but it sure means voices with no other outlet can be heard. No, stupidity is no bar to getting published on the net, but you can take note of some stupidity I've chronicled from very well paid Editors in print.
He does make the point that the interconnectedness doesn't create dialogue, that it is particularly good at connecting those in agreement and this is generally true. Frequently cross connections tend to be insulting and dismissive or just don't happen - very seldom is there an actual dialogue. He strays off into lala land when he gets hung up on "immediacy" of comment, he seems to believe that opinions are consistently formed at the time of posting, as though Bloggers have no memory or historical back grounding. This is plain conceit, I would suggest that in the case of WSJ memory failure is the constant.
I would be seriously dismayed to see print & MSM in general displaced by Blogs, they have the money muscle to do serious reporting and research, we do piggyback on them. They have the capital investments to make slander and other improprieties fiscally stupid. As for a historical record of the period, they are nearly irreplaceable. This is all fine and good, but it also doesn't devalue blogs, though we may over estimate our impact.
I make no pretence to be a journalist, my header states that this is about commentary and advocacy. I try to entertain a little, jog some additional thinking, give some validation, and mostly - have my say.
He does make the point that the interconnectedness doesn't create dialogue, that it is particularly good at connecting those in agreement and this is generally true. Frequently cross connections tend to be insulting and dismissive or just don't happen - very seldom is there an actual dialogue. He strays off into lala land when he gets hung up on "immediacy" of comment, he seems to believe that opinions are consistently formed at the time of posting, as though Bloggers have no memory or historical back grounding. This is plain conceit, I would suggest that in the case of WSJ memory failure is the constant.
I would be seriously dismayed to see print & MSM in general displaced by Blogs, they have the money muscle to do serious reporting and research, we do piggyback on them. They have the capital investments to make slander and other improprieties fiscally stupid. As for a historical record of the period, they are nearly irreplaceable. This is all fine and good, but it also doesn't devalue blogs, though we may over estimate our impact.
I make no pretence to be a journalist, my header states that this is about commentary and advocacy. I try to entertain a little, jog some additional thinking, give some validation, and mostly - have my say.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
AWOL Guardsman Vs Joint Chiefs of Staff
The WaPo is reporting that the Joint Chiefs are unanimous in their opposition to a "surge" in troop level in Iraq. Apparently they believe additional troops will draw foreign fighters and that the militias will simply disappear until they're gone, not to mention that the Chiefs can't find any mission to go with it. I don't see where they indicated they knew what the current mission is, if they do know, maybe they should clue us in.
The article is pretty long on anonymous sources, I don't suppose bearing this kind of information to the media is a career enhancer in this administration. This doesn't exactly help address the credibility of the report, but Tony Snow's dance around questions regarding it certainly lends some weight to it. I don't think anyone other than Fox probably felt informed to be told there isn't a "feud" between the White House and Chiefs. If this was going to get sorted out at ten paces with sidearms ...
Somehow I can't get the picture of George II in his Texas Guard flight suit out of my mind. Daddy's fair haired wanker headed AWOL must never have had in his wildest coke induced dreams the Joint Chiefs leaning across a table saying, "please Georgie, this sucks." GHW, you could've saved us all a lot of trouble if you'd just bitch slapped the little prick a bit more often.
The article is pretty long on anonymous sources, I don't suppose bearing this kind of information to the media is a career enhancer in this administration. This doesn't exactly help address the credibility of the report, but Tony Snow's dance around questions regarding it certainly lends some weight to it. I don't think anyone other than Fox probably felt informed to be told there isn't a "feud" between the White House and Chiefs. If this was going to get sorted out at ten paces with sidearms ...
Somehow I can't get the picture of George II in his Texas Guard flight suit out of my mind. Daddy's fair haired wanker headed AWOL must never have had in his wildest coke induced dreams the Joint Chiefs leaning across a table saying, "please Georgie, this sucks." GHW, you could've saved us all a lot of trouble if you'd just bitch slapped the little prick a bit more often.
Please Hillary, Go Away
Or at least stay in goll-dang New York. The Right hates you, not dislike, hate, the Left doesn't trust you, and rural voters know where you stand on the Second Amendment. That leaves you the chunk of urban middle you so assiduously play. The big problem is Iraq, really Hillary, Iraq. You know, the one where you've tried to be a soft Lieberman? This from NBC Today isn't going to help you much more than Gordon Smith's little speech:
"Obviously, if we knew then what we know now, there wouldn't have been a vote," she said in her usual refrain before adding, "and I certainly wouldn't have voted that way."....
Ummm, Hillary, a lot of us had it figured out, we just didn't have a political advancement agenda. So you showed that you had the "stones" to send kids off to war, just like any other too old, old man with no kids at danger. They're dropping the standards on a regular basis, sign up if you've got the stones. Oregon had a sitting US Senator (Baker) in combat, maybe New Yawk would like to join a very exclusive club.
If you don't mind me pointing it out, Oregon rural Democrats have gone to a lot of work to rehabilitate the Party outside the urban centers as have Democrats in other western states. Not many of us look forward to you coming out and undoing our hard work. Maybe you did take a good hard look at health care a dozen years ago, that's nice, maybe you can do all sorts of good things as a New York Senator, but please, go away. If you've got all kinds of political money to waste give it to Kucinich - he ain't got any.
"Obviously, if we knew then what we know now, there wouldn't have been a vote," she said in her usual refrain before adding, "and I certainly wouldn't have voted that way."....
Ummm, Hillary, a lot of us had it figured out, we just didn't have a political advancement agenda. So you showed that you had the "stones" to send kids off to war, just like any other too old, old man with no kids at danger. They're dropping the standards on a regular basis, sign up if you've got the stones. Oregon had a sitting US Senator (Baker) in combat, maybe New Yawk would like to join a very exclusive club.
If you don't mind me pointing it out, Oregon rural Democrats have gone to a lot of work to rehabilitate the Party outside the urban centers as have Democrats in other western states. Not many of us look forward to you coming out and undoing our hard work. Maybe you did take a good hard look at health care a dozen years ago, that's nice, maybe you can do all sorts of good things as a New York Senator, but please, go away. If you've got all kinds of political money to waste give it to Kucinich - he ain't got any.
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