MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLE HILLS!
July 13, 2005
I don’t know about you but the Karl Rove “who done it” story is more than well done! The Democrats are doing all they can to try and make a mountain out of a mole hill. Personally, I think they’re doing a fairly good job of it.
You would not be surprised to hear that John Kerry has demanded that Bush fire him. Kerry has demanded that half of all the Republican employees in the political universe quit! After all, they are Republicans!
Listen, there is NO WAY (my humble opinion) that what has become known as PLAMEGATE is going to end up with any damage done to Rove. Bush is not going to fire him. He has not done anything legally wrong. And Patrick Fitzgerald (he special prosecutor) has said that Rove is not a target. So, what’s all the shouting about?
Well, I think it’s more than a Democrat-Republican war. It’s more like a Bush Administration-Media war. After all, it’s one of their very own darling reporters, Judith Miller, that currently sits in jail. Since she works for the New York Times, is there any wonder that the NYT is going after the Bush administration on this issue.
Did I mention it must be a slow summer for something, like this nothing, to be made into anything?
A CONSPIRACY THEORY JEWEL
July 12, 2005
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, along comes a thought that drops your jaw an inch or two, and a WOW comes out of your mouth. I thought that Mel Gibson did a great job in the movie, Conspiracy Theory. Of course he does a great job in every movie he does.
Here’s the scenario. The Democrats and Repubicans have duked it out for nearly four years. Bush and Kerry have spent more than a HALF BILLION in 2004 alone to get elected. The polls show that the race is within that margin of error. And then on election eve or early November 2nd, al-Qaeda pulls off a massive attack. Now what?
Well, that seems to be on everyone’s mind now. As wild as the idea is, Tom Ridge is asking the Justice Department about the “what-ifs”. Does the U.S. Election Commission have authority to move the election date? Does Homeland Security have the authority to postpone the election?
Who would have the advantage and how would that all work out. Wow. We have a real thriller here: a definite book and movie right(s). My bet is that the “attempt” at least, will come before Labor Day. But who knows how crazy people think?
WE NEED A SUMMER BREAK!
July 12, 2005
You may have already taken your vacation, but there’s 535 people that are about to give us all a break! Congress will adjourn shortly and go on vacation. Yeah!
Unlike you and I (or at least me), they get nearly six weeks of paid vacation time. Of course they claim they are working. I guess fund-raising and glad-handing would qualify for work. But the good news is that they are scattered, dealing with more of the local issues, meaning we all get a vacation- from them!
The attacks and scrutiny are well underway regarding Bush’s nominee to replace O’Connor. I’ve learned so much in the last twenty four hours that’s critical to my opinion of him. For example, he upheld the arrest of a minor for eating one french fry. He worked to preserve an endangered toad in California. And, he…..oh well, you probably already know all this critical stuff.
So, it’s on to those proverbial “Dog Days Of Summer“, unless you live in Phoenix. It’s been “dog days” there for weeks with temperatures setting new records: like 117 degress! When the low for the night is still in the 90′s- we’re talking HOT! Oh yes, and then there’s Denver. Can you believe 105 for Denver- another new record!
Maybe we are already getting our break, here in Houston, when our high temperatures are only in the lower 90′s.
WHAT ARE THOSE VALUES?
July 10, 2005
After John choose John to be his running mate, the rhetoric between Bush and his challengers centered around the word VALUE. Bush headed to the South and picked up the theme of VALUES: Kerry & Edwards don’t have the same VALUES as the people in the South do, he said.
Edwards immediately told the blue collar workers in the Midwest that he shared their VALUES. I wonder where all of this is going this election cycle. It’s obvious that there are almost two evenly divided VALUE structures in play in America in 2004. And it’s hard for me to imagine how a BILLIONAIRE (the first John) and a multi-MILLIONAIRE (the second John) can comprehend the VALUES of the average American. Bush isn’t too far behind having been brought into the world with one of those “silver spoons”.
Beyond the economic standings, there are far greater divergent VALUES in play: government vs. individuals, pro-choice vs pro-life, public, shared Christian values vs private, pro-active miltary vs criminal prosecution approach to terrorists, and on and on.
If we could just reduce it down to BLUE vs. RED states! But, the conflict and battle goes far deeper than a few political campaign stumps mentioning the word VALUE. I am afraid we’re going to have to get vulnerable, naked, and detailed about what OURS really are! Then vote our conscience.
CAN’T BUY ONE WHEN NEEDED!
July 8, 2005
I think everyone knows that America is teetering on the fence, and which side she falls on will make all the difference in the world. In 2000 it was apparent that America was divided, but not down the middle. It was the East coast and West coast versus the heartland. Same outcome.
Since Florida couldn’t make up it’s mind which way the chad was blowing, the Supreme Court stepped in and basically said Bush was the winner. Oh yes, there were several other states engaged in a recount, or would have been had it mattered.
Thursday was another one of those days. The Democrats needed just one vote: ONE VOTE! If they could have bought a vote or a vowel, they would have. The vote on the Patriot Act (for watering it down) was a sure thing- until the vote was delayed for twenty minutes. The Republican leadership applied the screws, Bush applied the threat of a veto, and when the dust settled, the final vote was 210-210!
So, the Patriot Act and the anti-terrorism provisions are unchanged. Could the news conference by Ridge on al-Qaeda threats this summer have helped out- been planned? Nah!
Democrats are crying foul and they remember back to last year when the House held the vote open until the wee hours of the morning to pass the Medicare bill. Regardless of the tactics, it just shows once more how evenly divided our nation is. When you need just one vote but can’t even buy, barter, or trade for it, things are pretty tight. Come November 2nd, I think the nation will telegragh the direction it wants to go (at least for four more years). Who knows what that will be! But whatever it is, it will be significant.
LINGUISTICALLY SPLIT NATION?
July 7, 2005
Habla usted espanol?
Well, if you live in the Southwest you better learn. In fact, if you don’t want to, you might consider moving to Montana because according to a Harvard professor (Samuel Huntington), Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California will one day be given back to Mexico!
Yeah right!
But in the meantime, crossings of the Mexican-American border is a hot issue. Who is illegal and who is not is hotter. And then we have the boiling issue of giving drivers licenses to Mexican illegals. Kerry says no and Bush says yes. Hey, what’s Kerry know? He lives in another universe where men can marry men and women can marry women, etc.
I’m not saying that Bush is right: in fact I disagree with Bush on many of his immigration policies: particularly his guest-worker program. Who cares, right?
The reality is that many of the major cities in the Southwest are 50% Hispanic or better already. The entire state of Arizona now has a Latino population over 25%. And it’s estimated that in a decade, 50% of the state will be Latino. The state is facing a serious financial crisis as it’s costing close to $1.3 billion annually to pay for medical and educational costs associated with illegal immigrants.
We know (records) that 2.2 million Mexicans LEGALLY immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990′s. How many millions did ILLEGALLY no one knows. The latest 2004 Census data shows that Latinos now out-number African-Americans. I can speak “soul”, but it appears that I need to brush up on my Spanish! Don’t we all.
PS. Maybe I was pre-mature on the Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun story.
A WEEK BECOMES ONE DAY!
July 6, 2005
In yesterday’s commentary, I said that there were two questions that would be answered this week. The first is who Kerry would pick as his VP running mate, and the second was the status of the captured Marine, Wassef Ali Hassoun. Well, the week quickly became one day. We now know the answer to both (I think).
It’s certain the JFK has choosen Edwards as his running mate. What this means, among other things, is that we’ll have the most liberal tandum in history running against George Bush. I didn’t say Bush-Cheney because I am not certain that Cheney will be the # 2 man for Bush.
Kerry is rated as the most liberal voting Senator in the Senate, while Edwards ranks fourth- ahead of even Ted Kennedy! What is clear is the choice(s). If you’re a liberal, then you’re in hog-heaven. If you’re a conservative, it’s a no-brainer. if you’re an independent, which way do you lean: left or right?
Then there’s Ali Hassoun. His brother now says that he has been freed. Arabic news sources are saying that he was freed! Say what? Yep. He has supposedly been freed because he will not go back to the Marines. I expect the U.S. to declare him AWOL soon. After all, there was a question as to whether or not he was captured or not. He had been reported as missing for a week before it was announced that he was captured. The Marines were slow to answer the question of his status, until they finally labelled him as “captured”. But how so? Ahh, that’s still the unknown.
So, we can get on with our lives and get back to the Scott Peterson trial. Did he lie and fail the polygraph test about having an affair? Duh! Notice I have no news stories on Scott Peterson, and I just wasted a couple sentences here on it. No mas!
Let’s move on to the rest of the week manana.
TWO REALLY BIG QUESTIONS
July 5, 2005
#1 Is he alive or not, and #2 Who will it be? Once these two questions are answered (and they both probably will be this week), we can get on with the Scott Peterson trial and other more serious concerns. Right!
Question #1 cannot be answered by looking at the various news services. There are three stories running concurrently. The first story is that Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun has been beheaded. The second story is that he’s alive and well, and that he’s been moved to a “safe house”. The third story is that he’s switched sides and he’s not coming back to America or the Marines. Ahhh, whatever.
On to the more important matters states-side. Who will JFK pick to be his VP running mate? Will it be the wild-card Hillary Clinton? Will it be the common wisdom’s opinion- John Edwards? Or, will it be a surprise unknown?
Chances are good that we’ll know the answer to question #2 Tuesday, but at least this week at the latest. And, the odds are good that the Ali Hassoun mystery will be solved this week as well. Then we can all get back to the Scott Peterson trial, Kobe’s court appearances, and maybe even find the answer as to who will be the next LA Lakers couach. You know, Americana, the really serious stuff of life.
Then there’s Tom Hanks new movie, Terminal, which basically is.
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM!
July 3, 2005
As we celebrate Independence Day, 2004, we’re reminded of the PRICE and the COST of freedom. Freedom and liberty do not come easily. I am talking about far more than the Patriot Act.
The cost is 140,000 service men and women in harms way every day in Iraq. The price is tens of thousands more in Afghanistan, N. Korea, etc.
The cost is 800 lives ended prematurely in Iraq and the loss of an arm, leg, or sight to some 5,000 more young men and women.
The cost is thousands of children that will grow up without a father or a mother and a husband and a wife that must be reminded every day of what it means to no longer have a soul mate to experience life.
So, as we go about enjoying cook-outs, back yard get-togethers, movies, swimming, and other such enjoyments, may we stop for a few minutes and thank those that stand watch over our freedoms. May we say a prayer for those who no longer have a place in this world. May the new world they inhabit be filled with His peace!
And congratulations America on your 228th Independence Day!
I AM THE PRESIDENT- OF IRAQ!
July 1, 2005
Talk about being delusional- living outside the box of reality! Watching Saddam Hussein in his first court appearance was much like a man with a high IQ arguing with a fool. Before long it’s hard to decide which one is the fool.
I found myself shaking my head and asking myself if what I was watching was real. Was I dreaming? Did I hear the TV right? Saddam is saying that George Bush is the criminal, the Kuwaiti’s are dogs, the whole proceeding is just theatre, and he’s the president of Iraq!
Oh yeah, and I’m Bond! James Bond.
I don’t know how much more of this kind of a charade we will have to endure, but if America is a model, we’ve got way more than I have time for. I’m over my limit on Scott Peterson, Kobe Bryant, and a host of other U.S. trials. Phone it in.
Here is a man that is lucky a Marine didn’t put a bullet in his head in that spider hole. Here’s a man that is being afforded justice that he didn’t give others. Here’s a man that has killed more of his own people (and others) than most people can remember. Yes, Hitler was worse, but how much worse?
Maybe it would be better if the U.S. gave up protecting him, turned him over to the Iraqi police, or to some of the people he beat and brutalized, but then we’d be acting like WE were the president of Iraq! One imposter is enough.
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