ENTERING THE CROSS-HAIRS?
August 24, 2005
We’re now less than a week away from September, less than a week away from the Republican Convention, and less than a week away from the time-frame when al-Qaeda vowed it would begin their dirty work(s).
As I was contemplating this fact, news reports were coming in from Russia that two commercial planes have gone down in Russia: one has crashed for sure and the other one is no longer on the radar screen. Could this begin the series of events that al-Qaeda has so long talked about?
Have two planes gone down within minutes of each other- after taking off from the same airport? The answer- NO!
This I know for sure. If there ever was a time in history when UBL would like to strike fear in the heart of America, it’s now, or the begnning of now. There’s no doubt that America is in the cross-hairs of UBL’s evil desires; however, just what he can do remains to be seen. And if we’re lucky, it will “remain” to be seen for a long time!
THE FRENCH WHINE ONCE MORE
August 23, 2005
It sure would be good to see the French stick to what they do best- making a great bordeaux WINE, and quit making all the other WHINE!
America’s supremacy over their arrogant lifestyle, as portrayed primarily by Jacques Chirac, just can’t be laid to rest. And that ego has taken such a beating recently, they are stooping to any low to try and find some redemption!
They lose not only fame and glory with the defeat of the Euro Constitution and the Olympic games, but the in-your-face seven times victory in the Tour de France by Lance Armstrong is just too much to take. I mean here’s this Yankee coming on their soil and getting all the accolades for three weeks, taking away their trophy, and doing it for seven straight years.
So, in the latest attempt to put down anything American, some scientist has gone back to 1999 and tested some of Lance’s urine or blood samples and claims he found traces of EPO! Who in their right mind is worried about or even keeping urine and blood samples for seven years?
Oh, that would be the French! Wine gets better with age- but!
GIVE EM HELL HARRY!
August 23, 2005
Politics 2004 isn’t is place for the meek of heart. Just when you think the battle is raging, you find out that it’s only begun.
I am sure that Kerry had no clue about what he was going to find in Pandora’s box when he opened it: by taking pictures of himself in Viet Nam and making that salute at the Democratic Convention. When he said that he was “reporting for duty”, I don’t think he knew what he was saying.
Right after he “reported”, his four months in America began (until the election). His four months in Viet Nam may pale in comparison! If he thought the Swiftboat guys were tough, it’s because he hadn’t heard from Bob Dole yet!
Bob may be retired, pushing viagra, and look fraile, but don’t judge the book by the cover. I was in college and working as Shawnee County chairman for Dole in Kansas when I first met him. He’s tough as nails. I’ve been around him personally and Rudy Guillani can’t hold a candle to him.
Sunday he lashed out at Kerry and instead of backing off, he told Kerry to apologize! But he didn’t stop there. He raised two rhetorical questions: had Kerry ever spent one day in a hospital and had Kerry ever shed one drop of bood? This from a man who almost died from his war wounds. I guess he’s earned the right to ask those questions.
Ouch!
Harry Truman said it well. Politics is HELL and if you can’t stand the heat in the kitchen - GET OUT!
THAT HOUSE DIVIDED THING……
August 22, 2005
The expression that a “house divided will fall” is now coming closer to home. Have you noticed it in the last year or so? Can you say American politics and presidential elections?
We can so easily complain about the slowness of getting a constitution in Iraq where that house has three divisions (Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites). But how much progress has been made (after practicing for hundreds of years) here at home on major issues? Democrats and Republicans are becoming more and more polarized.
While it has been a Wall Street joy to see a house divided (I never could figure out why they liked that), there comes a point when we can’t progress due to in-fighting. It seems that little is said about “issues” anymore. It’s all about attacking the other person’s integrity or lack thereof.
If we did not have the war in Iraq, can you imagine the bickering that would be going on as to how those BILLIONS being spent on the war should be spent on social programs? You can begin to hear it in many of the news commentators reports. Let’s get out of the nation-building mode over there and get back to making our life easier here. Let’s increase taxes, increase entitlements, and start anew to living the good life through Big Brother: Uncle Sam, whomever.
How long we may have to fight each other I know not. But a day is coming when this house divided will have to get together to preserve our way of life and I hope we have enough common sense to not wait too long.
NOT YOUR DADDY’S DEMOCRACY
August 21, 2005
Why is America trying to bring democracy to America when we are actually a Republic?
And how can you take the definition of a democracy and apply it to a land wherein there are three different (and I’m talking massively different) people with opposite desires? The Sunnis want a strong central government to protect their interests since they are such a small minority. The Shiites want want a strong federalism that gives massive power to the local provinces. And then you have the Kurds: they want to be able to opt out of the nation entirely in eight years.
So, is there any wonder that the constitutional framers have postponed the draft for a week- until midnight tonight. And then what?
Just to really mess things up we also have this religious matter. In America we believe (not that we know it all or are right) in separation of church and state. Islam believes it IS the government- the law of the land.
So, what we have here Martha is a real mess. And the democracy that’s attempting to be established in Iraq sure isn’t my great, great grand daddy’s democracy.
NOT VERY COOL UNDER FIRE!
August 20, 2005
Well, well, well!
George Soros has admitted that’s he would spend his personal fortune to see Bush defeated. He’s given something like $10-$16 million to put his money where his mouth is (into those illusive 527 entities to bash Bush for the past few months). But with just $500,000 in advertising dollars, those craggy old Swiftboat veterans (some 250 of them) have riled up the Kerry campaign.
John Kerry seems to have lost demeanor, blown his cool, and otherwise shown he can’t take what he dishes out. By golly, he’s not going to take it any more. He’s filed a complaint with the FEC (Federal Elections Committee) stating that there is a conspiracy between these boat-men and Bush!
Polls show that veterans are moving to Bush in droves as the word gets out. Worst of all, the independent, swing voters, are taking notice. Was Kerry really the hero HE SAYS he was? And then there’s this BOOK! The publisher says that he can’t print them fast enough. You know, the Unfit For Command book that’s now gone over a HALF MILLION in print.
Kerry wants to stop the book! No free speech for Kerry- unless it’s a movie about temperatures (Can you say 911 Farenheit?). I knew you could. So, let me see now. Kerry’s attorneys have tried to stop the TV stations from playing the ads, he wants to stop the publishing of the book, and he wants the FEC to somehow stop Bush from supporting commercials, that he (Bush) says he doesn’t support.
Where’s all this courage-cool under fire Kerry? Or, was the four months up: if you get my drift?
THEY SAID AND THEN THEY SAID
August 19, 2005
Remember when it used to be so simple? It used to be HE SAID and SHE SAID. Go for the testoserene or the estrogen: clear choices with miles between their divergences.
Last week we got confronted with the HE SAID and HE SAID mess that’s still going on. You know, the governor of New Jersey, James McGreevey SAID, and then there was what his purported male lover SAID. Neither agree with what the other says HE said. How do you choose between two testoserones (or is is two estrogens)?
Now we’ve moved into the plural on both sides of the “SAID” issues. Kerry’s team (THEY) SAID that the Swiftboat Veterans were lying. And they used a statement by Larry Thurlow that supposedly contradicted himself. Larry came back with his team (THEY) saying that THEY were being judged on the falsified reports that Kerry himself filled out.
So, THEY (who are few), on the side of Kerry, must now refute THEY (of the many) of the Swiftboat Veterans. It’s not going away very quickly. In fact, Kerry is now spending nearly a half-million dollars in ads to try and put out the fire. Is this taking humanity to a higher level, or something worse?
ONE YEAR TO RIGHT THE GOP SHIP
August 19, 2005
If your favorite party goes by the name Democratic, you have to be licking your chops right now with just only about fourteen months to the off year elections.
Bush’s poll ratings are at an all time low in about every category for every circumstance. He is being abandoned by his own Senators from the war in Iraq, to global warming, to immigration issues.
He has a woman leading an army of anti war protestors outside his front gate in Crawford. People are beginning to feel the economic pinch on gasoline prices. And the Democrats are not going to let that issue get lost in back-to-school thoughts.
Who ever said being president of the U.S. was easy. But, while the elections are only fourteen months away- that’s a two-edged sword. Bush has fourteen months to make some changes. He better or his last two years in office won’t be much fun.
WHAT WILL SWING THE DOOR?
August 18, 2005
I’ve been saying for a year now that ’something’ we can’t anticipate or predict will determine the election winner in November. I’ve also said that I don’t think it will be close: meaning the winner will get at least 52% of the vote, and the loser less than 45%. But we can play the ‘what-if’ game. So, let me give you my TOP FIVE (not necessarily in order) events that just might determine who will win Nov. 2nd.
Obviously a terrorist attack on the U.S. between now and then has to loom large as a possibility. Just how, when, and why (of the attack) would determine which candidate benefits. I’m not assuming that all attacks benefit Bush.
A second event, but related to the first, is the capture of UBL (which I’ve been saying will happen pre- Nov. 2). I thought it would happen in May (just one of those feelings), but it didn’t. Such an event would definitely benefit Bush.
A third event is one with multiple possibilities and that would be some major ‘happening’ in Iraq: good, bad, or indifferent Obviously, whatever that might be would once again determine who benefits. I might also add that a major attack anywhere in the world outside the U.S. could potentially yield the same results.
I would put the presidential debates as a fourth major event. Three debates could definitely win the election for either candidate. A simple mistake, an unplanned gesture, or sweat could do it. Just ask Carter, Dukakis, or Gore. The first debate is now set for Sept. 30 (in Florida of all places).
Finally, I believe something personal will come to light about one or the other candidate that casts a shadow over his candidacy, and knocks him out of the running.
How about two, three, four, or all five happening? Now you’re out of my mathematical-statistical analysis range. Suffice it to say that the “swing” voters have more excitement to consider in the next ten weeks than the economy, health care, or social security concerns.
A PAWN IS ALWAYS EXPENDABLE!
August 17, 2005
I love the game of chess! I don’t play it much any more due to the time involved. If you are going to be serious about the game, it’s going to require a few hours out of your week. But, I did learn some valuable lessons for life from the game.
I was an offensive player at the game. And I would charge my pawns across the board in a staggered fashion sacrificing them at will in hopes of opening up a hole for my power pieces to pour through. And it was from that strategy that I began to see some parallel lessons in life.
I initially saw the princple play out in politics, then it flowed over into the business world, and finally I recognized it as just a common reality of life. What am I talking about?
There are many people in this world with an axe to grind, a cross to burn, or a point to make. But if there is danger in making the point, you simply get someone else to do it for you by planting a seed in them. If you want to get even with someone without making yourself look guilty or make yourself look like a fool, find a fool to do it for you!
Therein do we see this principle being played out in Crawford, Texas. Michael Moore, Move-On.org, and every manner of far left-wing group that has an issue with George Bush has found a PAWN! Her name is Cindy Sheehan.
She has gone from being a grieving mother who lost a son, was visited and consoled by the president of this nation, and who then became an expendable pawn. She’s now for impeaching the president, against paying the IRS, thinks Bush is the world’s greatest terrorist and threat to the world. You name it and if it has “hate Bush” written on it, there’s a representative in Crawford whispering in her ear as to what she should say next.
Cindy Sheehan has been wasted and taken off the chess board of life: an expendable pawn sacrificed by smarter people than herself. Her husband has divorced her, her relatives have forsaken her, and soon those supporting her will dump her as well, having used her up.
DEMOCRACY’S MESSY BIRTHING
August 17, 2005
I am afraid that we suffer from too much amnesia or maybe a combination of amnesia and egotism. As I look back over history, I can’t find a nation that sailed smoothly out of dictatorship and on to the waters of democracy.
When you add to it the depth of depravity out of which the seeds of democracy are forged, you get yet another appreciation for the journey.
America fought “taxation without representation”, and a host of other evils but the English monarchy wasn’t all that bad. And besides, they were an ocean away.
Try and build a democracy on the sands of Iraq where oppression, evil, and cruelty were historic in deeds. Add to that the great diversity of tribes, religions, and ethnicity and you have a real mess.
Did I mention neighbors on all sides that want a piece of the action as well?
The al-Sadr mess in Najaf is just one piece of the puzzle of Iraq’s growing pains from a mess of a society to one that can govern themselves. Where anything positive is going on, there will be messes: progress assumes making messes. Where nothing good is going on, there are few messes.
Let’s encourage and help these thirty-some million people get to their own feet. If they can do it in Iraq, the rest of the region is in trouble (the dictatorships and theocracies- like Iran). Only one nation in the Middle East has a democracy, and you know what everyone thinks about Israel!
THE ACHILLES HEEL HIT AGAIN
August 16, 2005
Once more America was nailed by a fast-moving worm. Once more we got a taste of just how vulnerable we are as a nation against some teenager in some remote part of the world.
The Windows 2000 operating system got nailed, probably from a lone lap top. CNN was the first to report the attack as they said, “Among those hit were offices on Capitol Hill, which is in the midst of August recess, and media organizations, including CNN, ABC and The New York Times. The Caterpillar Co. in Peoria, Illinois, reportedly also had problems.
So far so good here in Houston with mi casa. But are we learning from these attacks? It’s been said that those who live by the sword will surely die by it. The internet, computers, and modern-day technology have been the American sword, but as with all swords, it’s two-edged.
Why did CNN report it first? They, along with NBC were the first to get hit. It was not too long ago that a hacker from England shut down part of our military infrstructure.
Hello guys, let’s speed up that learning curves. Others are watching and taking lessons.
TWO WEEKS BEFORE NEW YORK!
August 16, 2005
The GOP Convention is two weeks away but if the election were held TODAY, my guess is that JFK would get 48% of the vote, Bush 47% of the vote, and 5% to Nader and others. However, unlike in 2000, JFK would bury Bush in electoral votes 316 to 222.
And, if we learned anything from 2000, it’s not the popular vote but the electoral vote that counts. It’swhat our constitution says (still). A lot can happen bewteen now and Convention time. Even more can happen Convention week. And, then the actual election will hinge on the 60 days after the Convention.
I show JFK with 168 SAFE or STRONG electoral votes to 142 for Bush. This means that there are 18 states safe for Bush and 12 safe for JFK: which happen to be some of the biggies like New York and California. So, both parties can save their money on 30 states.
I currently show 11 states that will determine WHO is the next president. These eleven states have 96 electoral votes among them. Five of those eleven states have 74 of the 96 votes. So, I expect to see Bush and JFK in Ohio (20), Virginia (13), Missouri (11), Wisconsin (10), and Minnesota (10) heavily over the next few weeks.
Check it out and see how many times you hear these men and their warriors visiting these five states. The other six in that eleven are: Nevada, Arkansas, West Vitrginia, Maine, Iowa, and New Mexico.
And that’s how I see it two weeks before New York!
SLOW AUGUST NEWS DAYS
August 15, 2005
The press was waiting with baited breath on Monday to see if Iraq could come up with a new constitution. News is really hard to come by in August you know.
What more can be said of Cindy Sheehan? Oh I know, her husband has sued her for divorce: that’s a biggie. And a Bush neighbor got tired of all the press kicking up dust on his farm road so he fired off a few shotgun rounds into the air. One can do that in West Texas you know. I think the press is even growing weary of Cindy’s rants. If the press would go away so would she.
So, back to Iraq. Can you believe it, the leaders want another seven days to iron out the Constitution. Now that’s earth-shaking news isn’t it! They seem to be hung up over a few minor sticking points like: federalism, women’s rights, who gets the oil revenue, and can the Kurds set up their own autonomous state. Come on guys, let’s get down to the serious business!
For me the really interesting and news-worthy event would be the Helios Airlines Flight ZU522 crash. Why wasn’t the pilot able to take the plane down from 34,000 feet quickly enough? How could six people still be alive while some are frozen? Why would one person be able to have enough time to send a text-message, while others supposedly died instantly? Now, here’s a real who done it, what happened story for a slow August news day! Go get em press!
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