Dogwalk Musings

What's In A Name?

2012-01-30T14:23:00.000-08:00

What do Herman Cain, Fred Thompson, Michael Reagan, Rick Perry. Chuck Norris, Todd Palin and to a great extent Sarah Palin have in common? They have all come out in support of Newt Gingrich. Why does that not comfort me?

I would think Herman Cain, the alleged annoyer of women, would have stayed at arms length from an actual endorsement because of their mutual problems with women. Some will say birds of a feather.

Fred Thompson. Former Senator, presidential candidate, actor and currently hustler of reverse mortgages. Not unlike Perry, he was nearly sainted but fell flat. He was a lazy campaigner and wasn't around long enough for many to even remember.

Mike Reagan. This is strictly personal opinion to be sure but I've watched Mr. Reagan for a long time and see him as an opportunistic man riding on the fame of the name of the man who adopted him. Ronald. My guess is Gingrich got his nod on the toss of a coin or the promise of a job.

Rick Perry was quick to endorse Newt as he departed the campaign. For a man who couldn't get his ideas straight while he was campaigning I'm not sure his thoughts on anyone else are worth much.

Chuck Norris. You are probably close to my age to remember him in his heyday as a martial arts superman. Unless you equate the roles he played with political savvy is their any reason to listen to him? Yes, he supported Huckabee but does that give him conservative bona fides or just one more photo op for an over the hill actor?

Todd Palin? Sequestered away in Alaska I'd guess his knowledge of Newt's history is about as accurate as his wife's. They are both past history and should stay that way. Sarah's recent comments were so far from making sense it makes me wonder if the radiation from the recent surge of northern lights has affected her ability to reason. Not that I ever thought she could in the first place.

To be fair I should get into the people who have endorsed Romney too. Maybe another day because they aren't all peaches and cream either. Nor is he; Romneycare will be his Waterloo if he can't overcome it as his greatest negative.

Somehow, though, this 'liar liar pants on fire' mantra of Newt's without enlightening us to what the lies are and what the truth really is makes me wonder if he has any credibility at all.

We're told we need a visionary to lead us out of our quandary but if it's along the line of putting a base on the moon within eight years I cannot help but wonder just what the illusionary drug of choice is. We can't even get a load of supplies to the space station at this point.

For an endorsement to mean something to me it must come from someone who understands where we are and what must be done to move us forward in a way that's actually doable and explain to me, in a meaningful way, why someone is the best person to get it done. Glorious pasts are great but that's all they are - past. Including the Reagan era. It's over, past. Times and needs are different now. And that is no lie.

It's All In How They Speak And How They've Lived

2012-01-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

So Mitt has a new debate coach! It showed. He was actually animated and aggressive at times during last night's debate.

I watched more of it than I had intended and Romney's performance was the reason. He still stammers over his points too much and sometimes that ever present benevolent smile gets under my skin, but it's nice to know he can muster some spunk with the proper tutelage.

Newt is another case and I've been waiting to see if it would ever happen. He pouts when someone gets the best of him and he whines. Can you imagine that demeanor when dealing with world leaders? I'd much rather have a pleasant, smiling face representing us. Sincere or not is for them to figure out.

Then too there are the wives. Both Mrs. Romney and the current Mrs. Gingrich have the worldliness to carry if off I expect. Mrs. Gingrich has been around Washington forever and Mrs. Romney has been around Mitt. I wouldn't anticipate either of them getting too familiar with the Queen nor asking the French to open a department store for a shopping spree.

Every election cycle I spend at least one post on the wives. This might as well be it. I've often felt a pang of pain for the wives of politicians who stand by the side of a sinning spouse. The pain is palpable. I have never understood why they do it and I cheered when Jenny Sanford, wife of the former governor of South Carolina didn't. If I remember correctly she had already taken the kids and moved out. On the other hand I had little sympathy for Elizabeth Edwards because she was so wonderfully supportive of his presidential bid knowing full well of his infidelity. I'm old fashioned that way, I'll admit. Maybe it comes from being married for a very long time and having survived all the twists and turns along the way. And loving the man more today than yesterday because we did it together.

Now I look at the wives of the front runners and see two entirely different women. Mrs. Romney strikes me as warm and friendly and strong. One has to be if married to a politician and though he prefers to be called a 'businessman' he is a politician. In my fantasy world Mitt would give her no reason to doubt his fidelity.

Mrs. Gingrich on the other hand is a different story. Fidelity means nothing to her since she was involved with Newt when he asked his then wife for an open marriage. She is always impeccably groomed yet their is a coldness about her. I thought the same of Cindy McCain. Neither are the type you would greet with a hug. Something might get mussed.

The big thing that matters to me, though, is that fidelity issue. You see, the current Mrs. Gingrich brought just as much pain to the former Mrs. as did her husband. Just looking at Newt, and he hasn't changed all that much over the years, I don't see her attraction to him as likely being of unquenchable passion as much as a relationship of notoriety, position and privilege.

I may be too harsh in my assessment. That being said, all I see when I look at them is a pair of hypocrites when it comes to their faith and their marriage. That being the case I'd rather not have them in my house. It is mine you know - and yours.

The Face In The White House Is Ours

2012-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

It's times like these that I really miss ole Bacchus and our daily walks. It was during the quiet of the early morning and my mind was fresh. I allowed it to wander along with the dog. I had the time to sort through things that puzzled me or bothered me or just interested me. I've been too long without. That once luxurious time is gone now, put to other less compelling uses. My ability to reason things through is more constrained now and I find myself more and more confounded.

For instance, today, as I brace myself for one more debate, I wonder what more can be said that hasn't already been hashed to death. Will the two little boys once more take their balls and go home while the other two languish in obscurity?

Watching the Republicans implode has made me wonder just which is the face we want in the White House? Which face would put the best face on the nation? For that is exactly what the Occupy the White House movement is all about. Us. And what the world thinks of us.

Forget the President for the moment. We already know what he is and what the world thinks of him and therefore us. Let's think about those who would replace him, particularly the leaders at the moment. Romney and Gingrich.

Neither are off to a very good start by virtue of the activities of their surrogates - the super pacs. It seems a shame the candidates can't win the voters with solutions to our problems rather than having to diminish one another. But diminish they do. That tells me they don't have any solutions to begin with. Just rhetoric. Empty at that.

Beyond the questionable accuracy of the attack ads we have to sort through the padded resumes that are put before us. Had any one of us in the real world padded our resumes like the candidates do we'd never have worked a day in our lives. That is if a potential employer had the sense to see through our bloviating.

Why are we so gullible? Why are we swayed by mean spirited half truths such as the ones continually coming from Gingrich? Do we really want to sign off on these 'fundamental' changes he's so fond of touting? If we do, can he deliver? Is this personality of extremes in both ideas and temperament really representative of us?

Mr. Romney is another issue. We're to believe that his 'experience' is the elixir of success. In actuality his proposals differ little from what we already have. Tentative and vague. This isn't the face of America of the past, though it seems common place now.

We tend to forget that none of the fixes proposed are going to happen over night and I don't think we're prepared for that truth. We seem to be drawn to the outrageous rather than the pragmatic. We're in search of instant gratification where none exists. We're not listening to what the candidates are really saying nor are they listening to what we're asking of them.

The end result will boil down to the media. They giveth and they taketh away. They made Obama and as happens with all administrations, they are now reviled when they finally do their job. Gingrich hasn't even waited to gain the office before he beginning his repudiation.

It makes me wonder if it matters at all who is elected. People like me will continue to have blog fodder because promises are being ignored. The whole process reminds me of any number of evening gab fests where the host and guests shout at one another incessantly, no one listens, no one hears and the segment is a total waste of time.

What can be done to change the tenor of the discussions so sorely needed? I haven't a clue. Even if Bacchus were still here and we were still walking, I don't think we could go far enough to sort it out.

Newt and Barack - Brothers Under The Skin?

2012-01-24T13:18:00.000-08:00

One is a shade taller and darker, one is quite a bit heavier but that's all superficial. They have more in common than not.

Both love to hear themselves talk. Both think they are far more brilliant than the rest of we mere mortals. Both think it's their destiny to be President and have their way with us. What a choice.

Obama will stake his claim tonight. It will be political theater to be sure. There will be applause lines, lines for which to cheer. Hearty handshakes and hands being sat upon. This of course will be the State of The Democratic Campaign speech.

Newt too needs this type adoration to flow his way. He was in a snit today because the audience was asked to remain silent during last night's debate and did so. Now Newt says he'll do no more if that is to be the rule. Oh, my.

Bret Stephens asked in his Wall Street Journal column this morning that if this election is as important as everyone is saying, where are the Republicans who could actually win it? Could reluctant wives not be convinced the future of country is worth it? I know how grueling the campaign can be. Heck, we wallow in it or it wouldn't be such. Still, the country needs better than it has or is being offered.

Michelle Obama has allegedly said that our country doesn't deserve her husband. I actually agree with her but for the exact opposite reason than she intended. I can say the same for Newt, Mitt, Rick and Ron, too. We don't deserve them. Or do we? I'd like to think we deserve better but maybe we don't.

When even the top tier of individuals who could win with good reason refuse to step up to the plate, something is being said about the will of our country to regain it's stature in the world.

If leaders aren't willing to lead, who do we follow? That which is left. The Newt's and Mitt's and Obama's who's interest in the office is more for personal glorification than the forwarding of a nation. One used to be a business man. How does what he did at Bain work for the country? How does a man who is reputed by people of his own party to not have the temperament nor ability to lead going to fix anything? Especially when there are no applause lines.

Maybe, as Stephens suggests, the worst of all in this election scenario are those who could run and should run yet refuse to do so.

Is patriotism being redefined as well as the Constitution?

Does Ambition Trump Morality?

2012-01-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have never witnessed anything quite as bazaar as this primary season! It is driving home the idea that I am a dinosaur, my ideals belong to another era long gone.

Okay, Perry is gone. Was he ever really there? Who's left? Romney, Paul, Gingrich and Santorum. Why is it I'm not feeling any better about the field?

I've been listening to the talking heads dissecting Marianne Gingrich's expose. It really isn't news except for the details. Everyone knows Newt is a philanderer. It has always been part of his baggage.

So why is everyone so surprised that the former Mrs. has chosen this point in time to make an issue of it? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! What I don't get is why the 'Christian Conservatives' who are so against abortion for any reason and gay marriage seem willing to give these politicians a pass on their personal morality?

I was astounded when I heard Dana Perino and Monica Crowley defending him to Megan Kelly today. Crowley suggested it's not the scandal that's the issue but how the candidate handles it. Besides, they said, this happened long ago. So did the alleged transgressions by Herman Cain yet they weren't as benevolent to him. Is it that he denied it rather than admitting it?

Gringrich himself even said his infidelity at the time he was hammering Clinton on his wasn't the same because he didn't lie under oath. Clinton did. Back to the definitions I guess. It depends on what the definition of infidelity is. I didn't know there was more than one.

I guess I could say that to expect lies from politicians is a given. That to expect many are less than morally unimpeachable is a given. Is it a given this is the new normal? Or the long standing one for that matter.

I know I'm from the age of Ally Oop, the time traveling prehistoric from Moo, when I'm offended by a candidate that can look me in the eye and say, "So what? It's a given."

The moralists scream bloody murder when our Marines show the poor taste of urinating on the corpse of an enemy who moments before tried to kill them yet where are they when a serial adulterer and advocate of 'open marriage' wants to be President of our country?

Is there a high ground any more? Or is it a given that there isn't? These men running for President should be the ultimate role model. Instead we are presented with liars and cheats.
It's no wonder so many unions, politicians, even clergy and police, let alone Hollywoodites and mega athletes behave with impunity. The moral compass no longer exists. Maybe it's back in Moo with Oop and me.

I Dreamed A Dream

2012-01-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

I'm depressed. I'll admit it. As Newt Gingrich has crept to within two points of Mitt Romney in the polls, my depression deepens. The best candidate is gone. Jon Huntsman. He wasn't conservative enough. Pragmatic didn't count nor did the most reasonable and doable tax plan nor a real foreign policy based on actual experience.

For a long time I thought it would be rather cool if we could take the best from each candidate and stitch them together into some sort of lovable one. In reality, though, we'd still have gotten the Frankenstein monster. It depresses me.

I find myself a voter without a candidate. I have doubt that Mitt Romney can beat Obama unless something catastrophic should happen that would finally persuade people enough is enough. Turning down the pipeline to favor the environmentalists isn't going to do it. Even if Iran would be foolish enough to actually torpedo one of our aircraft carriers, as they're threatening, it would do nothing but start another war. In our convoluted way of thinking we'd no doubt re-elect Obama to lead it - from behind of course.

The remaining Republicans, other than Ron Paul believe it or not, don't show me anything in the way of leadership or ideas that make sense if they even have any. Their expertise seems to be in tearing one another down which does nothing more than plant more doubt. Of course that's the intent, isn't it? Mr. Paul, too, has weaknesses that shouldn't be overlooked.

I don't think any of the third party movements have a chance. They'll pull voters away from the two parties; who they'll hurt the most depends on who they run. But they will pull votes.

So what is a person like me to do? I cannot vote for Obama. I cannot vote for Gingrich or Santorum and would have to close my eyes and hope for the best if I went for Romney. We still have no idea exactly who and what he is. He just looks better than the others. I'm depressed.

I'm more than depressed. I'm angry. Michelle Obama has nothing on me. I'm an angry white woman. Angry that Congress still doesn't get it and doesn't care. They mock us with their behavior. The administration mocks us with their defiant trashing of the Constitution. The media mocks our intelligence. Our enemies mock our very existence.

The election should be our out. Unfortunately it won't be a mock election for even the candidates mock us with their exaggerations and half truths.

I dreamed a dream in time gone by, when hope was high and life worth living. Les Mis

Whatever happened to those times gone by?

Boring As A Disqualifer?

2012-01-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

Desperate times call for desperate measures. The candidates will do anything to dissuade the electorate from selecting Romney as the Republican candidate. Even to the extent of calling the kettle black when they're the pot!

Consider Rick Santorum calling him "bland and boring" , therefore we should not vote for him. After all, McCain and Gore were boring and they both lost! Now there is sound reasoning. This from Rick Santorum? I hadn't noticed that he was Mr. Excitement. Mr. Odd perhaps, but hardly Mr. Excitement. Besides, what is more boring this day and age than a sweater vest?

On the other hand, Romney himself is caving to pressure on his impeccable three piece suit image. He's taken to dressing in jeans and button downs for campaign appearances. Is he defeating his own intent by wearing Tommy Bahama jeans rather than Wranglers? I will certainly keep that in mind when I'm ready to pull the lever.

Newt isn't to be forgotten either. His bone to pick as all else is failing is the idea that Romney (gasp) speaks French! Just like John Kerry, that Liberal elitist who also lost! Jon Huntsman speaks Mandarin. What does that make him? I stumble with high school Spanish - but then I'm not running for anything.

Santorum suggested Romney, with his perceived stand offishness, too resembles Obama to be electable. Here I thought Obama was the epitome of hope and change and his following was cult like in its fervor. Well, that may have been true during the campaign but since being in the White House his stand offishness is self evident. It seems to me he's never really stopped stirring the pot in campaign mode. If there's anything he's standoffish about it's governing.

There are reasons I'd prefer another candidate than those above. As far as those are concerned, however, this man who seems bland and boring has been successful in business to the point where he can buy and sell most of us. Forget, for a moment how that was achieved. That's another subject entirely. This man who is bland and boring turned a failing Olympics into a dynamic success. This man who is bland and boring has put together a political organization that is leaving the other candidates in the dust.

If this man who is bland and boring can put his nose to the grindstone and govern the country with a steady hand and a meaningful, if not perfect, agenda can he be all bad? Sorry Mr. Santorum and Gingrich, there are scores of differences between Romney and Obama that are actually meaningful. Perhaps you'd be better served by pointing out the same about yourselves.

Politically Correct War

2012-01-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

We've been at war in Afghanistan for better than ten years. It has been brutal. The warfare unconventional. Our military tested to the extreme by too many deployments without sufficient breaks. Families torn apart because we've too few regular forces to get it done and have had to rely on reserves and national guard. Equipment in many cases having to be jury-rigged by the soldiers.

We put in place that which is nor more than a puppet government yet it has been pulling our stings for years. It negotiates with the enemy we are fighting. It dictates where we can engage right down to the time of day and what equipment we can use. They cannot account for millions of dollars. Their police and military, which we have trained, kill our men.

They enslave their own people, deny them education, stone them to death, torture them if they refuse to become prostitutes. They side with their neighbors against us to keep vital supplies from getting through to our troops. They scold us as if we were children.

When a small group of our Marines showed their contempt for them by urinating on their corpses, once again we're the bad guys. We didn't show them enough respect. In the name of whomever, they're the enemy! Look at the numbers of our men and women they have slain or maimed for life! Respect them? How can any sane person even ask that what's more expect it? Don't look for it here!

What the Marines did show is exactly what we think of them. They are not worth the death of one more soldier. We cannot wage war and nation build at the same time. They are not compatible undertakings and should not, in any case, both be tried by the military.

The footprints won't even be filled with sand upon our departure before the Taliban is back in power and Karzai either in cushy exile somewhere or a safe haven provided by the Taliban for his help against us. Bet on it. Living on monies he siphoned from us.

Now they're considering court martials against a handful of war weary Marines. Nothing more should happen to them than being told that's not the way to behave, and for heavens sake don't post any thing like it to You Tube. That's a no brainer unless you're just too exhausted to think straight.

What is it with these generals? They become politicians at some point rather than military men. I wonder how politically correct they'd feel if they were in the field with their men, rather than sitting in their heavily protected headquarters.

I'm so sick of our namby-pamby ways, our bowing to the enemy, our allowing them to call the shots while we die for what is questionably called a country of questionably civilized people.

I don't particularly like the word 'pissed'. But I can say I am 'pissed' off about the whole war and the way it has been managed by the civilians giving the orders. Maybe the Marines chose the wrong target.

The Enigma That Is Ron Paul

2012-01-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

A Young Ron Paul

If ever there was a human equivalent of the Energizer Bunny it certainly must be Ron Paul. It seems like he has been around forever.

Nearly. Close to 77, he's been around even longer than me! For a man who has no chance of winning the Presidency, I find him intriguing. I wonder if he looked more like himself during his Air Force days he'd be doing even better than he is.

I also find it interesting that I don't hear age as an issue nearly as much as I did with McCain. Perhaps it's because he doesn't seem to reflect his age as did McCain. I was curious as to the ages of his most ardent supporters. In 2008, which was all I could find, those 18 to 24 were by far the strongest demographic group followed by 35-44, 45-54 and over 65. While the others fell below the median, not that far.

Next I went to his campaign website and had a good look at his stand on the issues. In truth, I think he represents that for which a lot of us have been looking. I don't agree with him on everything, I don't think he can accomplish a lot that he'd like because he has a legislature with which to contend. In general, however, his desire for less intrusive government, more frugal government, a reasonable tax structure and health care system, immigration and border security favoring legals rather than the illegals, a military strong enough to insure our safety yet go to war if necessary, fewer if any wars to have to go to, investing our wealth in our country rather than the rest of the world and my favorite, reigning in and eventually eliminating the TSA, all have broad appeal.

Consider the young people who follow him. No wars. How great would that be? No matter how patriotic, no man or woman goes off to war wanting to die. Especially for causes as murky as some of our more recent ventures.

His view on tax reform certainly appeals to the next two demographic groups, those of an age to be starting up businesses or trying to make the ones they have succeed.

As for we who are his peers or close to it, want just to be left alone to live out our lives as freely and comfortably as possible. We'd like to be able to sell our home and downsize without taking a huge financial hit. We'd like to know that medical attention will be available when we need it without middle men deciding whether or not our ailments are worthy.

I could go on and on but see I've already done so. I'll sum up by saying I think of all the candidates running, Ron Paul best fits the "anyone but Mitt" role. The others seem too sanctimonious, too ill tempered, mean spirited and short on substance. Not that Paul hasn't had his moments to be sure.

He may not articulate some of his stands as clearly as he should, like his view on Iran, but dig a bit deeper and you see what he's saying. Unfortunately that isn't good enough.

I expect he will continue to make a respectable showing in the primaries. A vote for him is a statement saying we're sick of all of you. Whether he can win or not, those who cast a vote for Ron Paul are acknowledging a man who cares deeply not only for America, but Americans and adds a pretty good dose of Constitutional common sense to the mix.

Jon Huntsman Is Right, You Know...

2012-01-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

At least some people have come to their senses and are looking at Jon Huntsman. At least enough to have him polling third in New Hampshire. Now if only...

The pundits seem to enjoy telling us how this rough and tumble that's called primary season is good because the candidates get vetted. Do they? The only one who is focusing on policy is Huntsman. The rest, including Romney, are focusing on destroying one another and in the process their party.

Take Gingrich. Again. Now that an angel has come out of Las Vegas with cash in hand for his super PAC he's doing his best to distort venture capitalism. A venture capitalist, Romney, is not a corporate raider. Actually their aim is to fix troubled companies. As with any business venture, they are not always successful. To do this, the capital for the venture (get it? venture capital) comes from investors who get a return on that investment only if the turn around is successful. One hardly goes into it with the intent to kill business. But then Newt marches to his own dictionary.

My issues with Paul remain the same. His foreign policy is not realistic considering the conditions we face. At least he had the good grace to ask that an ad by his PAC be withdrawn - one that called Huntsman a Manchurian candidate, focusing on his adopted daughters - one Chinese and one East Indian.

I don't care for Santorum's views on gays or abortion and, say what you will, the story of he and his wife taking their dead child home for their children to familiarize themselves with is unsettling.

Perry? I haven't a clue what he's about.

I understand why people just can't get excited about Romney. His policies aren't particularly innovative. Too much like big government Republicanism versus big government Democratism. He has devolved to the level of the others. Demeaning Huntsman because he served as ambassador to China in the Obama administration is fool hardy.

Huntsman's claim that when one is called upon to serve by the President, it's not easy to refuse rings true. He chose to do so for his country. He cited as an example his two sons currently serving in the Navy. It matters not to which party the commander-in-chief belongs, they are serving their country.

What ever happened to the idea that our goals for the nation, regardless of party, should be the same. The difference comes as to how to accomplish those goals. The ideas can vary greatly and of course that's where compromise enters. Or at least where it's supposed to enter.

For the moment I'm pretty disgusted with the way all of the candidates are conducting themselves, including the President. It seems to me all the nation building going on is outside our borders instead of within. Within it's ego building supported with delusion and falsehoods. That isn't vetting by my definition. If it is to be the standard by which we choose, none deserve the job.

Newt Says "Nuts To The Country"

2012-01-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

If there has ever been an action to illustrate how unsuitable a candidate is for President, Newt Gingrich is showing us what it is.

He has proven what I've long thought - everything is about him and heaven help you if you cross him. Forget the country. Destroy the front runner because he didn't play nice.

You'd think anyone who has been in politics as long as Newt and carries his amount of baggage should have expected to be slammed at every juncture just as he was. I thought his body language and facial expressions indicated he never expected it. His ego is such. He set the tone in the debates to go after Obama, not the other candidates. Debates are one thing, an actual election or caucus is something else. He could be that naive but I doubt it. It's ego. Newt has spoken. The others are expected to follow.

He could have taken the high road such as there is one in politics. I guess that would be the equivalent of slinging mud at his opponents rather than dragging them through it. Not much of a difference; still, a nuance. But no. He has lowered himself to the level he has accused Romney of holding. He has vowed to destroy him by any means possible. Ah, the sweet taste of revenge.

Will it work? That remains to be seen. If he does indeed pursue that goal he will certainly give both Santorum, his dear friend, and Perry a step up to being the Mitt alternative. Vengeance may not sit as well with the electorate as it does with him.

Actually I think he is totally flummoxed. He isn't thinking clearly. He's still in the race. Everyone is watching to see what he can do with his limited funds. Ads, positive or negative, are expensive. His staff is skeletal. Is he still running for the nomination or not? Is he just hell bent on revenge?

Romney is not the end all as a candidate. His super PAC may have over stepped the bounds of propriety yet he's still the most likely of the Republican field to give Obama any sort of challenge.

Rick Santorum, like Newt is just another big government politician. Look at his record. He's also one more lawyer with no real world experience. We've got one in office now. If it comes down to the devil we know versus the devil we don't I'm willing to bet the electorate will vote for the one they know. That means another term for Obama and the consequences thereof.

If that's the case, the blame will lay at Newt's feet. If he spends the rest of his time as a candidate trying to ruin Romney, he's in essence saying nuts to the country. His ego needs stroked more than the country needs to be rid of Obama.

If I were Santorum I'd keep the guy at arms length. You never know what guilt by association might render. I don't think the country as a whole is looking for a Conservative, by his and Newt's definition, for President. Even their own weren't interested in Michele Bachmann who is as conservative as they come. They want more than that. Things like a plan, experience and pragmatism - palpable substance.

If Newt wants to go after Romney, that's his prerogative. If he does, I hope he takes it outside the campaign. The party is divided enough as is. We don't need an egocentric wedge rendering it totally impotent.

Does The Biggest Bag Of Dirty Tricks Always Win?

2012-01-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well, the time has come. Politics will now consume the airwaves full time until next November. It isn't going to be pretty.

I can't remember a time when I've heard so much complaining about negative ads this early. Of course prior to this year it hadn't gotten started this early. But this year it is going full bore thanks to the super pacs.

Of course in order to take advantage of them, you have to have the money to either produce them yourself or have a super pac behind you. I get a kick out of Newt Gingrich doing so much complaining when the truth of the matter is if he could afford it he'd be doing it too.

Personally I hate negative advertising. Somehow there seems to be something wrong with a process that depends on tearing your opponent down with half truths and sometime outright lies. My, how proud the candidates must feel when their ads are successful! Does it make you wonder about the mindset of these people we elect? Does it make you wonder about our mindset knowing how well negative ads work? It's a form of blood lust. Thumbs up or thumbs down.

That's politics I'm told. There's nothing that can be done about it. It's the nature of the beast. Do you suppose that's why there is nothing but partisanship in Congress? They've gotten so used to lying to us or shading the truth that they no longer recognize it?

Is there a politician out there that recognizes his or her own hypocrisy? Like President Obama bragging that he will raise a billion dollars for his campaign while the country and the people in it are staggering under its debt load? I can think of a lot better uses for that billion. Are we really willing to contribute that amount?

I'm going to watch as the campaigns heat up. I'm not going to like what I see. It will begin in earnest Wednesday morning when the spin doctors for the various campaigns make known their rationale for losing or staying in the race when chances of success are nil.

Wishful thinking? Hope springs eternal? Or one more sign of hypocrisy. I worry about the ability of a person to govern when they can't face their own truths. Never-the-less, the show must go on. Soon enough it will be curtains for someone. I just hope it isn't us. Wishful thinking? Yep. Pessimism? Absolute.

And Then There Was One

2011-12-31T10:09:00.000-08:00

I see little point in spending a lot of time reviewing the year just past. Enough others are doing it. I'm more interested in what the future will bring.

Every reasonable Republican candidate for President has had his/her moment of glory in Iowa except one. Jon Huntsman. Just who is this man? If you don't know, you should. If you don't it is evidence of the flaws in our campaign finance laws - where a serious contender is left on the fringes because of money. Or lack thereof.

There are other reasons, too, concerning Huntsman. First of all, he is the most moderate of the candidates. You know, the type likely to win in the general. He doesn't believe in ethanol subsidies so why even try to play in Iowa? He's not an evangelical, he's one of those dreaded Mormons. His daughters are better known for their You Tube ditties than Dad is as a candidate.

So the question is, will he score high enough in New Hampshire to carry him on? He has picked up some heavy duty endorsements in South Carolina but you'd have to scour the pages of the press to find them.

In reality he's the last man standing between Mitt and the nomination. Strange, isn't it, they are both Mormons. Remember when Catholics were as reviled? The country didn't fall apart when we elected the first Catholic President. In today's race both Santorum and Gingrich are Catholic. So forget what religion a person chooses to follow. It should be a personal issue anyway.

I could go on for some time on a number of topics, but instead I'll sum up what I expect to see in the near future. Paul and Santorum will fade quickly. While Paul's ideas on isolationism sound nice, they aren't realistic. People don't play as nice as he seems to think. Santorum is too far right to appeal to the moderates and independents.

Perry and Bachmann should pack it in and pay off their debts. Nice try but you can't fan a flame without at least a spark.

Gingrich may last through Florida but I'll be surprised. Weeping over the memory of his Mother won't be the reason. It will be his expedient hypocrisy.

Without a ground swell at the last minute, Huntsman has too much ground to make up no matter how much I'd love to see him do it. I don't think he and Romney particularly like one another so I don't even see him in a strong cabinet position like Secretary of State. I'd like to though.

My guess is rather than anyone but Mitt it's going to be Mitt rather than any one else! We'll see if I'm right.

All I can say for sure going into 2012 is that I'll be as passionately opposed to Obama this cycle as I was for him the last time.

On that note, enjoy your New Years celebration. 2012 looms!

Getting To Know Them, Getting To Know All About Them - Ugh!

2011-12-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

I read one explanation as to why the voters in Iowa seem to still be in a state of flux even though caucus day looms. The reason is there hasn't been enough retail politics this cycle. Candidates have much smaller on site staffs than in previous elections and have spent much less time on the ground themselves. For the most part. Forget those like Rick Santorum this time and Chris Dodd last time who practically lived there. We know how Dodd ended up. Thank goodness.

Do you suppose one reason is the crunch of everyone striving to keep their place in the primary cycle no matter how ridiculous a January 3rd caucus date is. Much has been made of the weather being a potential factor. Yep. I went to college in Iowa. Winters aren't the most pleasant time in which to venture forth - especially at night if it's snowing and blowing. Both distinct possibilities.

I read where one woman has decided to support the one candidate she had an opportunity to meet and actually travel around with for a time. She was a party chair from somewhere in the state and her choice is Romney. Her experience with him was from the last set of primaries in 2007!

I have a lot of reasons for not liking the emphasis put on the results from Iowa, but there is one thing I think they've gotten right. Get to know the clowns before you put them into the big top.

Think about it. People are luke warm about Romney because they do know him fairly well this time around and are uncomfortable with his religion and his purported flip flops though I think too much is being made of both. Then there' s the likes of Herman Cain. Likable, funny, but then oops. A little short of substance when it comes to world wide issues. I'll be nice and not add in his alleged infidelities since Newt is getting a pass.

Then there's Newt. The more I see of him the less I like him. The smile he's been wearing of late has all the warmth of this wife's hair do. I cannot imagine what a children's book written by those two must be like. Sorry. I'm being catty. Deliberately so. Sometimes my patience runs thin.

Let's take the arrogance factor instead. Newt has been whining ever since he failed to get the 10,000 legitimate signatures to qualify for the Virginia primary. Anyone who can't get 10,000 plus a cushion to allow for illegitimate ones is obviously lacking organization - and appeal. I mean, come on, Virginia is a pretty good sized state!

His tactic has been to criticize the state for having a failed system. Hmmm, how about a failed campaign organization? Then he claims the setback as being similar to the attack on Pearl Harbor. I'm still trying to get my head around that one. Being the history professor, I'm sure Newt can explain it to me.

Strange that none of the other candidates qualified either, except Romney and Paul. I haven't heard a peep out of any of them. That in itself seems strange, but I'd expect them to take themselves to task for sloppy preparation rather than being the victim of a sneak attack!

If anything positive comes out of this primary season perhaps it will be a crackdown by the national party organizations on setting the dates for primaries. Another item for my wishful thinking list I'm sure. In lieu of that, at least Iowa and New Hampshire do get a look at an actual body and can read the body language and see if any of them will look you directly in the eye or answer a tough question without dancing around it. Most of us don't have that opportunity.

So Iowa and New Hampshire, until things change I've got to put my trust in your ability to sniff out substance, character and ability. Brother. Is this but another item for my wish list?

2011-12-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Have a Very Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wishful Thinking - All Is Calm, All Is Bright

2011-12-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

What a year. At my age I do not tend to wish time away, but I will wish for better as time marches on. Unfortunately, the prospects aren't as bright as I'd like.

The sands of Iraq have barely settled since our departure and already we're watching the gains we've imagined they made fading into chaos. I believe what we're seeing was preordained by our trying to create a democracy where the concept is as foreign to them as we are. No brightness in their future.

North Korea has lost one dictator for the tandem of son and brother. No brightness there.

Iran continues it's march toward the realization of a nuclear weapon. Brightness there will be a huge blast probably in Israel.

Congress has finally cleared the halls for the holidays by kicking the proverbial ball down the road one more time. I foresee a year of governance in two to three month segments and no budget. That doesn't bode bright.

The whack a mole Republican campaign continues on. It has taken the cheer out of the holiday because the best and the brightest are no where to be seen. Let's see, six down, two to go. This assumes Gingrich has had his 15 minutes in the lights and Paul's flame will also flicker and die. That leaves Santorum and Huntsman. Santorum's flint never produced a spark and probably won't at this point. Not enough time before Iowa where he has spent a lot of capital. Huntsman? About all I know about him is he can play Jerry Lee Lewis style piano with the best of them as seen on David Letterman. And he's had the good graces to not kiss Donald Trump's ring.

Then there's Trump trumpeting he's no longer Republican but unaffiliated. If he and Paul actually do go third party we might as well move up Obama's inauguration. Why not? Everything else is being moved up.

I've actually had to force myself to stay away from posting these last several weeks. Just enough to keep my hand in. There has been so much to comment on but oh so dismal. My enthusiasm is dimmed every time I switch on the news and I don't want to feel that way about my country, either party, the candidates, the world and maybe most of all, the season.

On the other hand, musing about what's going on around me is what I'm all about on this blog. For the rest of 2011 I'll hope your days are merry and bright and to remember that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot.

Wishing that it was here and now and something other than wishful thinking.

The Winter Of Political Discontent

2011-12-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

I've often written about how restless the people are. The more government intrudes in our lives the worse those lives become. This isn't anything new. It has been an escalating menace for years.

People have been clamoring for third party solutions. Countless efforts are being made. Consider the Americans Elect movement, The Modern Whigs, No Labels among others. All have been founded to try and solve the problem of Washington and the way it governs. Unfortunately, as with any new idea, it takes time. First to make people aware such efforts are being made, secondly to convince them it's worth getting involved and then to finally take hold with enough strength to see changes made.

Every once in awhile the press gives them some notice. I've learned about all of them from reading papers like the Wall Street Journal but today our local paper,The Coeur d'Alene Press, had an editorial suggesting people check out No Labels which is more of an on line think tank than a third party effort. Never-the-less, it is made up with those like myself who are hopelessly fed up with Congress and how it does business.

The editorial takes from the organization that it's not so much the people who make up Congress that's the problem, but rather the antiquated procedures that make forward movement difficult at best. That it's the broken system where 'good and talented people get dragged down'.

I don't agree. It is the people whether they are good and talented or not. There are certainly some of each. But there is nothing to keep them from fixing what's broken other than the will to do it. They don't have it. There is too much self interest. It has been discussed ad nauseam, how Congress is more interested in ideology and re-election than what's good for the country. That's the people in Congress, not the system itself. There is no barrier keeping them from reaching across the aisle to reach solutions. No side is ever entirely right while the other is entirely wrong but you'd never know it from listening to any of them.

I don't disagree that the systems mechanics could use some modernization. It's like using a dial phone in the age of smart phones. But it's still people using them.

Until the people who run for office are more interested in returning the country to the greatness it once enjoyed, and until the electorate insists in that trait in their candidates, nothing will change. We will still be mired down in the quest for selfish ends. Ends that leave the rest of us out. Like insider trading by members of Congress while we would go to jail.

Like a candidate who would defy Supreme Court rulings with which he disagrees. He's running for President, not dictator. Or is he?

Nope, it's not just the system that needs fixed. It's the attitude of the people.

"Franking" Sense And Misbelief

2011-12-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

I've been away from the keyboard for a while now. The news has been so depressing I didn't even want to bother reading it what's more muster a rant.

Then came Thanksgiving followed by the beginning of the Christmas season. We decided to begin decorating earlier than usual. The outside to beat the snow that has yet to come, then the inside so we weren't rushed and we'd have longer to enjoy our efforts. Christmas greetings needed to be written and mailed.

Christmas. The time of year when pleas go out, no matter the economy, for toys and food and clothing and all else that makes it festive and meaningful for the less fortunate. What makes it holy is the response of the people who contribute like those paying off lay away accounts at K-Mart. After all it is the season.

The one thing you won't get is Christmas greetings from your Congressman. The President, yes, if you're a worthy contributor. Your Senator, yes. But not from your Congressman. At least not unless he decides to fund it from his own pocket.

According to The Washington Examiner if Congressmen want their mailings to be "franked", paid for with tax payer dollars, they cannot contain holiday greetings. Not even New Years!

According to the franking manual, item 4(a), examples include birthdays, anniversaries, births, retirements or condolences along with the aforementioned holiday greetings. I don't know when this began. When my Dad passed away Mom got a condolence card from President and Mrs. Reagan. She had no idea why since he was a staunch Democrat and resented it because they hadn't a clue who he was! A meaningless gesture for a misdirected reason. But Merry Christmas from your Congressman?

I seem to remember hearing this is a nation built on Christian principles. Even those of us who do not profess to be "Christian" abide by those principles. We reference God on our money and in our pledge of allegiance. What is so politically incorrect about our Congressmen and women wishing their constituents a Merry Christmas?

The separation of church and state doesn't wash if the Senate, the Executive branch and the Judicial are not forbidden to do the same. So what is it? Rank has it's privileges?

I don't know where that puts me, a lowly citizen who grew up with nothing but fond memories of the season and the day. Christmas. A time of celebration and merriment as well as a time for reflection.

Unfortunately I've been reflecting on the dismal downward spiral of a country I dearly love. I wonder where our elected officials have come from and how they've become what they are - and are not.

I worry that government has become so large and unwieldy and those within so entrenched the bad can no longer be reversed.

One thing I do know, though, is that December 25 is Christmas and January 1 is New Years and the pleas in the paper for "Christmas for All" will always be heeded by we lowly citizens.

As for the wizards of government who come up with this stuff, take your regulations and manuals and stuff them. A turkey might be an appropriate place.

$1000 And You Can Run For President

2011-12-07T12:39:00.001-08:00

It's true. If you want to run in New Hampshire. The Wall Street Journal informs me there are already 30 Republicans and 14 Democrats doing just that.

It dawned on me while reading the article just what is the matter with this country. We consider the most important process to elect the most important position in the country as no more than entertainment. We have become no more than a cult led by political personalities. Substance? What's that?

Have you noticed how many words like that are disappearing from our political vocabulary?

One New Hampshire candidate wants no more than to get the powers talking about Thorium, a replacement for uranium in nuclear reactors. A worthy conversation, I'm sure, but enough for a Presidential run? Ah, what's $1000 bucks. I can't think of a better cause that could use it.

Another said God told him to run but gave him no guidelines. He is not one of the current seven known candidates, but he could be!

This one particularly appeals to me. Vermin Supreme, that's his name, wants zombie preparedness. That should get us ready for a new Congress. Mandatory tooth brushing. Bringing hygiene to the 'Occupy' enclaves. And a pony for every American. Boy, I always wanted a pony as a kid. Didn't you? At least he admits his platform is designed to show the absurdity of the process.

Ah, the absurdity of the process. How on the mark. What could be more absurd than Donald Trump setting himself up as arbiter of what the candidates should profess. Or Greta Van Susteren giving him air time night after night to wax profound. Or Trump moderating a debate. At least Romney, Huntsman and Paul have had the good sense to decline.

Speaking of Paul, the man who thinks Iran will like us better if we're nicer to them. Didn't Obama try that? And Newt. Oh well, no one will mind if their kids are required to help clean the school along with the janitorial staff to learn a work ethic.

Somehow the gentleman promoting zombie preparedness seems no more absurd to me than most of the first and second tier candidates. That's what scares me.

Why don't we take it seriously? It is serious. Dead serious. My Saint Bernard buddy, Jub Jub, is going to audition for 'America's Got Talent' next month. If all the candidates would audition for the show I'd wager on the dog winning. He'll be the serious contender.

Actually, Jub is auditioning for the right show. The candidates seem to be auditioning for 'Lost'. That too is serious. Dead serious.

Of Christmas Cards And Thank You Notes

2011-12-06T15:40:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning I caught Stuart Varney asking his panel whether or not they still send Christmas cards. Only one said yes and that was to see the family photos that often were included in those she got in return.

Considering the other excuses were simple and expected - it's so much easier to do it on line, I'd have thought catching up on family photos would be just as easy on Facebook. But at least she does it for now. By her own admission as the children grow up she too will end the practice.

The whole conversation depressed me. Whatever happened to the art of letter writing? It disappeared years ago. Now even the teaching off cursive writing in our schools is going to be eliminated. One more time I see the world in which I was raised slowly disappearing. It's sad.

I can remember as a child how I loved having pen pals from far away places. I anxiously awaited birthday cards from grandma and grandpa because they othen contained maybe a whole dollar! I always wrote a letter to Santa and loved to leaf through the Christmas cards that filled our mail box a whole seven days a week throughout the season. I also remember my Mom sitting me down after Christmas or the birthday to crank out the thank you notes. I came to find they were greatly appreciated.

Those days are gone forever. Now even sending a greeting on Facebook or one of the greeting card sites seems like a chore. I do it - and don't. I've gotten lazy and I say that with no pride.

I'm trying to remember the last time I actually got a personal letter in the mail. I cannot remember the last time I wrote one. I do though still send Christmas cards and on most write a line or two in greeting. I'm not big on newsletters. Our life is pretty quiet and I suspect of little interest to others, even good friends. That's also why I don't participate on Facebook. If I don't want to share something with old friends why would I want to share it with the world?

We send far fewer cards these days. Our base of friends is shrinking as the years pass. That's why I feel strongly that at least once a year I can make the effort to remember good and long time friends with a personal, hand written greeting. It's a way to let them know they are special to me - to us.

And thank you notes? Always! Once again I slip into my mother's spirit and mourn the loss of the 'good old days'. Times were not as frenetic as they are today. People had time for one another and relished personal time together. I suspect those days are soon to be no more than memory except for those of us of a certain age.

Perhaps the coming generations won't miss what they've never had. But I'll miss those times and practices because they helped shape me into the person I am. One who will still say please and thank you and still put pen to paper. I'll feel a pang of remorse though that we've not done the job of passing on these wonderful old traditions to those coming behind us. It will be their loss and perhaps should be our shame.

Don't Let The Gingrinch Steal Christmas!

2011-12-04T11:25:00.001-08:00

There are few politicians who worry me more than President Obama. Newt Gingrich is one of them.

With time getting short, even members of his own party like Senator Tom Coburn, R-OK, are admitting they have little regard for his leadership abilities. Maureen Dowd is just one of many columnists who has put pen to paper about his past history. His weaknesses would seem to outnumber his strengths yet he is the reigning flavor of the day.

Let's hope our taste buds improve before the Iowa caucuses and early state primaries. Anyone who reads knows of his messy and hypocritical personal past. Some are saying it doesn't matter because he has fessed up. I don't buy it. It goes to character far more deeply than what we see on the surface, a supposedly contrite Catholic convert.

His personal baggage aside, however, this is what I see in the man. Arrogance, a monumental ego and all that goes with it. Condescension toward all lesser beings. It's a bad mix for leadership, even worse for compromise.

We have a lot of this already in Obama. He's the 'visionary'. Gingrich sees himself the same way. Both are short on details as to how to get things done. Obama's tack has been to hand it over to his overlords in Congress while he campaigns or vacations. My guess is that Gingrich will micromanage. While Obama is trying to duck his inexperience, Gingrich would be more inclined to have little use for anyone elses opinion because of his experience.

Having had a good strategy for the debates doesn't necessarily mean he has a good strategy for running the country. In this regard I see him as his own worst enemy. He has personality to be sure. So does Herman Cain and Rick Perry. They are colorful and entertaining but the flaws they don't admit to are what sunk them. Will the same happen to Newt?

What's left on the tasting menu? Romney, like vanilla ice cream, has gotten boring from a certain sameness. There is something to be said for that, however. Ron Paul. He reminds me of something like chocolate walnut. You may love the chocolate but if you don't like nuts you won't like this one.

Rick Santorum. Sarah Palin likes him. That could be either a blessing or a curse. the problem with him is no knows whether he's Baked Alaska or Pennsylvania Dutch Apple pie!

And of course Jon Huntsman whose daughters are better know then he is. I'm anxiously awaiting the December 12 debate between Huntsman and Gingrich. Hopefully it will reveal more of what Huntsman is about than I know now and it will give Gingrich an opponent of substance to stand against.

If all else fails Donald Trump is waiting behind the curtain to endorse the best for the job. That everyone is making the pilgrimage to the Trump Tower should make us wonder how we've ended up with him choosing the apprentice for the job!

Maybe some good will emerge from all of this yet. I'm losing my taste for politics. That's the most positive thing I've said in weeks!

"Pardon" Me?

2011-12-01T15:04:00.001-08:00

Did you know that many states still have sex out of wedlock laws on the books? Strange isn't it? In this day and age where it seems to be the norm rather than a sinful exception!

For all those who partake, be darn glad you don't live in Afghanistan. There you'd get a prison term. The woman, that is. Actually half the women in prison are there for sex 'crimes' or running away from their husbands who many were forced to marry in the first place or maybe even sold to them.

When word got out about a 19 year old serving 12 years who was raped by a relative and gave birth in prison, five thousand people signed a petition urging she be released.

Talk about nitpicking details. Rape being considered, for legal purposes, as sex outside of wedlock!

Well, the pressure seems to have worked. Karzai, that pillar of law, order and ethics, pardoned the woman. Was it the 5000 signatures? Nope. She agreed to marry the rapist!

We're supporting this nation why? Okay, we're leaving. And we should. As one nation, even if we had the strongest leadership in the world (forget we once did), we would not be able to change their mindset. It's the way they have functioned for centuries. It is the bedrock of their male dominated culture. Women are possessions. Nothing more.

It isn't that they don't know how other cultures function. Their leaders have visited this country often enough as well as other western countries to know that women are valued, contributing members of society. They just don't want them to be such in their own country.

The view that they hate us for our decadent ways doesn't seem to hold much water. To me it's the result of a huge inferiority complex. They can accomplish nothing without corruption. Let's face it. They are inept. One way to feel superior is to pick on the weaker. In this case by using archaic laws to enslave women.

My, what big macho men they are. What role models. What paragons of virtue. What sorry excuses for human beings.

The Cain Disconnect

2011-11-29T14:14:00.001-08:00

How many more women are going to emerge before Herman Cain does the honorable thing and bows out of the campaign?

Last night I heard one opinion that suggested he might wait for the Iowa caucuses then fade away after he loses. To do otherwise might jeopardize his future earning power.

That may be practical but it doesn't strike me as honorable. It does strike me as the way a politician would think. So much for Mr. Cain being an outsider!

He is either the most maligned candidate in recent history when it comes to all things female or he really doesn't understand what is and is not acceptable behavior, even for the powerful and the well to do. The more this continues the more I'm convinced he doesn't get it, or doesn't want to or thinks he's exempt for some reason. Wrong on all counts.

Suddenly he's reassessing his campaign. Talk about living in a fool's paradise. With his foreign policy faux pas his chances automatically became slim to none. With the continuation of his alleged sexcapades, take away the slim.

He speaks of worry about what it is doing to his family. Well? Here's one more similarity between him and so many 'real' politicians. The ever faithful, bewildered wife standing staunchly by his side. Have you ever noticed how close Callista stays to Newt?

Nope, Herman, it's time for you to go. It has nothing to do with people resenting a black Republican. It has everything to do the Republican himself. Romney may be boring and a flip flopper and too much a policy wonk but morally speaking he seems a decent man. Is Newt? I wouldn't take his conversion to Catholicism as proof positive.

I cringe at the thought of another four years of President Obama. But what I so dislike does not have anything to do with him as a father and a husband. Is it the measure of a man? At least partially. It should be part of the equation. How much it counts will be determined by the voters. But Mr. Cain doesn't even have that going for him.

It was fun while it lasted, but it has lasted too long.

Will The Real American Please Stand Up?

2011-11-27T14:05:00.001-08:00

For the past several months the news has been filled with the various versions of the Occupy Wall Street exercise. We've watched it evolve from an irritant reminiscent of the hippie 60's peace, love and pot outcasts to anything but.

Rather than lining parade routes and putting flowers into the gun barrels of our military the crowds have turned ugly. So ugly even city officials who had been giving them a pass on their law breaking ways decided, for their own political well being, it is time for them to go.

The bodies were buried, the injured cared for, the tent cities and filth which came with them were bull dozed to the ground. Businesses could assess the damage done by the hooligan element and repair it. Until warm weather returns and they emerge from where ever they went maybe things will be nearly normal. Maybe. Nearly.

I guess it may depend on how you define normal. Have you ever wondered just who these people are and where in fact they do go? It's pretty evident who they are - malcontents for whatever reason. It doesn't have any coherency to it. These young people who complain about lack of jobs yet study under water basket weaving. Complain about the unfair distribution of wealth as they tweet their discontent on iPhones, iPads and every other electronic gadget known to man.

I didn't see many people my age in any of those crowds. We're not blessed to be one of the most wealthy but we do pay our bills and mortgage. I'm not proud to be equated with these demonstrators. One needed be wealthy to have a moral code and manners. I do not expect handouts from anyone nor do I want any one to be forced to share with me what I've not earned.

That's enough moralizing on my part. I'm not trying to be holier than thou. Really. I just don't understand what is happening to our country. I could blame it on the generation gap but I don't think that's it. If it is then it's because I've been around long enough to have learned a few things and did, in fact, learn.

So here we are. A month before Christmas. Thanksgiving just passed. The demonstrators must have had a home to go to because they weren't evident at any of the free dinners being provided.

On second thought, I do know where they went. At least on Black Friday. They went shopping! And they took with them all their good sense, manners and behavior with them. Look in the mirror and they are us. The 99% looking for bargains.

Well, maybe you. Not me. With all the faults heaped upon them by the 99% I'd much rather identify with the 1.

Needy Or Greedy?

2011-11-25T13:41:00.001-08:00

In my last post I was extolling the generosity of my community when it comes to filling the needs of the less fortunate. Not only do those who are able fill the food banks, restaurants step up to the plate (pardon the pun) with free holiday feeds.

It was not unexpected to read about the numbers those restaurants served yesterday, how many take out meals were delivered to shut ins and how many groceries were available for the taking.

I was dismayed, however, about the number who showed up for a free meal without really needing one. Some, the article said, just didn't want to spend time alone or didn't feel like cooking for themselves or going to someone elses home. I don't have a problem with them wanting to go out rather than go through the labor; I do have a problem with them accepting a free meal if they could have paid.

There are scores of restaurants that serve up Thanksgiving fare in comparison to those serving the needy for free. There are scores of restaurants with more than reasonable prices. Restaurants tend to be filled with people if being in the company of people is your goal. The cooking, serving and clean up is certainly provided for you so you needn't lift a finger. It's not that there is no choice if going out is what's desired. It just seems to me that if you can pay you should.

After all, even though volunteer labor eases the burden of generosity, the food the restaurants provide still has to be paid for - by someone. The help is foregoing pay. Willingly to be sure, but this day and age even one days worth of tips can put a real dent in a budget.

When one restaurant owner said she wanted to help people at any level of need, perhaps she truly meant those who are no more than lonely or lacking the ambition to do the work. Maybe that's what community giving is all about.

I just know that I couldn't be on the receiving end for reasons other than real need. To me that's taking advantage of the very best of intentions for the very worst.

"Thanks" Giving

2011-11-23T13:58:00.001-08:00

I spent a large part of yesterday and this morning doing prep work for tomorrow's dinner. I thought about how we've downscaled the meal over the past several years. For the best of reasons - we just can't eat as much. Not because we can't afford it. We're among the fortunate.

The food banks have had a real struggle this year. Not just for the holiday, but daily. There are more and more people in need and fewer able to be as generous as they might like. Yet, as is typical in our community anyway, the need has been answered to the point there may even be surplus to go toward Christmas. It's the rule here, rather than the exception. Whether it be for a holiday meal or warm coats for kids or toys for tots or a family struck by misfortune and becoming financially strapped, the people here step up to the plate and help. Always. Generously.

It makes me wonder what Thanksgiving means to our politicians. I can't see them sharing a meager little turkey as the pilgrims and Indians above without it being a 'taxing' situation. Do they look around at the people and see the pain caused by greed, be it monetary or ideology? Would a Republican pilgrim even think of sharing with a Democrat Indian? Or vice versa.

When they go home do they see in their communities what I see in ours? Do they see the people reaching out to help those less fortunate? Or do they only see what is on the table before them, for them; for them to indulge themselves in in lieu of all else? It's a cynical view, but to me the most likely.

It's going to be cold and blustery here. The kitchen is already warm and inviting with the sounds and smells of a meal being prepared. We'll enjoy it and afterward perhaps settle in with a fine brandy to finish off and reflect. Reflect on the idea that the people, both those who give and who receive, are the heart and soul of this country. I'd pit any one of them against any ten politicians and bet on the one to solve a problem or get a job done.

I can only hope that a break from politics, away from Washington, might let a little of the reality the rest of us live with seep into their consciousness and prompt them to look beyond themselves. Even if only for a fleeting minute. That's all that's needed to pique a conscience isn't it?

Wow. Now, that would be worthy of thanks giving!

But For One Political Black Sheep!

2011-11-21T13:59:00.001-08:00

Of course the super committee was designed to fail Anyone who thought otherwise need only look at the math. An even number from each party. Of course had it been an uneven number it too would have failed. What was needed was one person, just one, who put country before party ideology. It wasn't going to happen and isn't.

As I write this the super committee has yet to voice it's failure. If they do come out with a last minute agreement it will be an act of lame desperation and doomed to failure anyway. They might as well just slink out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday.

And they wonder why the American public has such a low opinion of them. Both parties were on all the Sunday talk shows spouting about how there is always hope though things didn't look good. I watched the clips of them looking oh, so smug while blaming each other for the failure. It was so pathetic it wasn't even worthy of contempt.

The behavior of Congress has brought about good reason for term limits. We agree they are all bums. Everyone, at least, except our own. We need to get over that. Maybe we need to look at their bank accounts when running versus leaving to drive the point home. Insider trading and self enrichment.

It's time for them to have to live by the laws they pass with which we have to live. How do we do that? How do we find candidates willing to be that black sheep and say, "Stop, enough"? I haven't a clue. I'm not sure that type of potential candidate is out there.

Is it time to consider love of and faith in our country above all else? Is it time to give them a pass on their religions? Is it time to give them a pass on their moral failings? Does one really effect the ability to govern or should governing for the good of the country trump all other faults?

That the committee failed by design is of little matter other than the principle. With no one Congress beholden to the prior and the time lapses between decisions and implementation make efforts meaningless. If the power changes parties. Otherwise we're doomed to whatever legislation passes whether we like it or not.

I dwell too much on politics. I hear sound bites from on the street surveys that show me too many people are uninformed and laugh about it. I wonder if they vote.

We are in a sense just like a herd of sheep. We followed Shepard Obama. We would have followed Shepard Hillary had it not been for Obama.

The Republicans are following the shepard of the week. Now, of course, it's Newt. Good thing Iowa kicks things off in January. They're running out of shepards.

So what will they do? Return to Obama? Follow the last shepard standing or spook and run hither and thither until they collapse from sheer exhaustion or run off a cliff?

One of the constant mantras we hear is about how awful it is we're kicking the can down the road to our children and grandchildren. I've got news for you, it isn't particularly great for those of us in the here and now.

Maybe we sheep need to stop swaddling the shepards in our warm wool, our insulating wool. Leave them out in the cold and wet. Let the wool get wet. When it does it will not only shrink, it will stink. Then maybe they'll get an idea of what our lives are like.

Ah, wishful thinking - the spawn of rants.

Socialized Medicine - A Global Nightmare

2011-11-19T11:55:00.001-08:00

At my age one spends a lot of time with health concerns. Everything is wearing out and you no sooner get a handle on one issue when another one pops up. I've come to grips with the idea this is my new normal. I don't like it, but I manage.

One thing that bothers me is that I've had to go to a doctor who does not accept insurance of any kind, including medicare and I cannot bill medicare for his services because he is not part of the network. This has been my choice because he's the best doctor I've found. There is a market for his services. By not having the expense of billing clerks, etc., he is able to keep his rates reasonably low.

It is of concern as to what will happen to doctors like him if Obamacare goes into full effect. It is, essentially, socialized medicine to be run by bureaucrats rather than medical professionals. What's the worst that can happen? My care could be 'rationed'? I could die before my time? Who knows, but I want to share with you a story from a friend.

We met years ago when she and a friend were travelling in the states and found themselves stranded. They were Romanian, spoke passable English but found themselves in a strange country with strange customs and at a loss as to how to get out of their predicament. Hub and I helped as best we could. They arrived home safe and sound and we've been friends ever since.

I've been privy to her health problems. After what seems to have been a stroke, she had difficulty finding adequate care. Living in Bucharest, you'd think the best the country had to offer would be available. Well, maybe it was. It just wasn't good enough. After years of persistence my friend now has a Swiss doctor who communicates with her long distance. Hardly an ideal situation.

She now has a new problem. Her mother needs surgery but has a heart problem and they are worried about anesthesia. The economy of their country is in a slump like the rest of the world. And like much of the rest of the world, they have their version of socialized medicine. Because of the slump many of the good doctors left the country for better salaries elsewhere.

She wrote to me that many of the hospitals were closed because the health ministry has no money to keep them open. One sentence struck me deeply.

In this situation it was very difficult to find a good doctor and a clean hospital for my mother.

Could it happen here? You bet. Just think about our economy and the world's economies and how everything controlled by governments are intertwined. It's a chilling reminder of what reality is in the real world. Just something to think about.

Giving Thanks For Thanksgiving

2011-11-18T12:46:00.001-08:00

The obvious reasons not withstanding, I have another reason for looking forward to next week. I know what the flavor will be. Turkey with all the trimmings. At least for many of us. There are so many directions I could go with this, but not having written a post for a week, I'll stick with my old staple - politics.

Republican politics to be exact. I cannot recall ever seeing candidates come and go from favor so quickly or for such a strange mix of reasons.

To date I have to agree with some of my readers who have yet to find a candidate to back. I have real doubts about their intentions. I guess that's because I got snookered last time around.

A quick review. Romney is viewed as the most likely nominee. I do not fear his being Mormon and he really wants the job yet for some reason he just doesn't grab me. That doesn't mean I wouldn't vote for him, yet...

Current flavor - Newt. If he would just leave Reagan out of the equation I'd feel better. Reagan was of a time long gone. We need to be looking ahead. His grey hair and grandfatherly manner belies an ambition not clearly defined. Beware the silver tongue.

Most recently displaced - Cain. His knowledge of foreign policy has always been suspect. After this past week so is his knowledge of current events like Obama's stand on Libya. Not yet ready for the Presidency.

Perry. I've got to admit I love his idea of cutting congressional salaries and making them part time. Also starting his foreign aid budgets at zero. The problem is how is he going to accomplish this? The era of non-stop executive orders is treading on thin ice.

Paul. The campaign's Libertarian. Leaning toward the libertarian philosophy myself, less government, I applaud his tenacity. His foreign policy ideas, though, don't wash. It's always that foreign policy!

Santorum. Considering he spent a ton of time in Iowa and has made family values his bellwether issue, he hasn't caught on. I know what I'm not seeing, I wonder what the Iowans aren't seeing.

Bachmann was so hot out of the chute. Her strength would seem to be her congressional battles even though she doesn't win them. Her conversations with God through just about everyone may not sit well with others as well as myself.

Huntsman. Here's a candidate who has yet to really run except in New Hampshire. I have to wonder about the unfairness of our campaign funding laws that prevents one who could be in the top tier from being there because of a lack of start up money. He's banking on New Hampshire yet I haven't heard that he's expected to be among the top three. I'd not necessarily agree but I'd like to know the reason.

I don't take the flavor of the week seriously. It's showing me a very fickle electorate. What is it they want? Humor like Cain? Right wing conservatism? I hope not. Hindsight and what I did when...? More of the same only under a different banner? What?

It won't be long before those decisions have to be made and I get the feeling the electorate isn't at all ready. I know I'm not. That worries me.

A Movement Without Leadership Is A Mob

2011-11-13T11:14:00.001-08:00

The 'Occupy Wall Street' movement has had its say and has run it's course. It's time to pack up and go home before your intent is totally diminished.

From the headlines we learn of a dead man found in Salt Lake, TB in Atlanta, 'Zucotti' (park) lung in New York, suicide in Oakland and murder in Vermont. Property is being destroyed.

Just what message are you trying to send? The people hear only what is reported and this is it. Protests are your right. Breaking the law is not. Yet city after city has given the movement a pass.

You've bragged about your lack of leadership. Rethink that one. It's time to get some leadership if you want to continue. Your message has been lost and your movement hijacked by hooligans. Those Democrats who applaud you and the unions who support you are wearing thin with those trying to run businesses or just plain live within your proximity. Filth and mayhem is no way to make your point so clean up your act or go away.

Why isn't this being done? Is it because you have no leadership to point you in a cohesive direction? Is it because you have no leadership to tell the hooligan element they're not welcome? Is it because you have no leadership to help authorities maintain order? Is it because you have no leadership people are dying? As individuals, are you proud of this? Without leadership your future is no more than a footnote to the chaos that was 2011.

With leadership you might have done as was suggested. Converge on Washington D.C. where all the ills you complain about have their origins. They write the regulations, they accept the lobby money, they turn a blind eye when expedient then are shocked, shocked when one of the favored takes things too far.

With winter here it's time to pack up the tents and head for home. If you really want to be heard register to vote and do so. Flaunting the law and antagonizing the citizenry isn't the way to do it.

Is Romney Changing His Image?

2011-11-10T14:36:00.001-08:00

Ah, the debates. I watched a bit of the one last night. They're getting to be a bit redundant at this point but they do give people a chance to see the candidates up close even if scripted.

I think Cain handled his situation well but he still won't get my vote on substance. Too many areas where his knowledge is shakey. All the hoo ha over Perry's gaffe seems to me to be over blown. Anyone who has to keep the pace the candidates do deserve a brain freeze now and then. My generation calls them senior moments. It shouldn't be a campaign ender. Newt as usual dazzles with his background knowledge on nearly everything. No surprises from any of the rest of them - except Romney!

I wondered if anyone else had noticed the wisps of hair hanging down on his forehead! Jerry Doyle did. He was talking about it on his show this afternoon wondering if the people in make up thought Mitt should loosen up is image a bit. It wouldn't hurt.

The other thing I noticed is he actually showed some passion now and then. I thought it was great! It seems likely he'll get the nomination though at the moment he's not my first choice. He is one I could live with. From a purely entertainment stand point, I'd like to see Newt for the singular reason of watching the debates between him and Obama. Probably wishful thinking, but wow.

I also watched the body language with interest. All the men would look at the person speaking. Michele Bachmann stared straight ahead. She reminded me of a mannequin. It was surprising since she is usually quite animated! Maybe she's just tired from leading all those fights in Congress.

In thinking about Mitt, though, one thing he has been is consistent. His poll numbers have remained consistent. His message has been consistent. He's had enough practice, that's for sure. But I rather like it. After all the 'personalities' to whom we've been subjected perhaps someone who is methodical and steady, isn't easily flustered, and actually has opinions and a willingness to defend them isn't all bad.

That he flip flops does not set him apart from any other candidate. They all do what they think at the moment is expeditious. It's a fact of life. I'm beginning to agree with those who say there is no perfect candidate. They all have their flaws. What those flaws are matter more.

I want in our next President a man who both other world leaders and our own Congress will respect. Most of all one who isn't going to try change the country into his own personal image of what it should be. Will it be Romney? I don't know. I just hope showing some passion and appearing with mussed hair doesn't mean he's getting over confident and sloppy!

Ah, These Golden Years

2011-11-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to think I've enough material on hand to do a Jeff Foxworthy type routine, 'You know you're getting old when...'.

So far my visits to various medical types has come in spurts. I'm hoping it's my imagination that the spurts are coming more often. For instance I just had a visit with a hypnotherapist. Today I spent a couple of hours with a plastic surgeon having a basel cell carcinoma removed. Tomorrow I have acupuncture. Next Monday I have a follow up with the plastic surgeon then I have to make another appointment with the hypnotherapist.

In between I'm supposed to maintain some sort of life. At least the yard work is done. Until the snow falls and the shovelling begins. Then the holidays are just around the corner. I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year. Christmas decorating begins right after. At least I keep moving which is the name of the game. I do feel, though, that the gold in golden is lining other pockets more and more!

Actually I enjoyed today's visit. The doctor is a very pleasant young man. With just enough gray in his hair to give him credibility with me. Had it not been there I'd have thought he was about eighteen.

He, his nurse and I chatted about a lot of things. A little bit of politics but I quickly decided that probably wasn't the best topic in these heated times with someone digging into my face with a scalpel! We hit common ground with our interest and taste in fine wines, how he loved martinis but they didn't love him and how much my capacity has dwindled.

Then the conversation turned to age related problems. He had early on apologized for having to answer his cell and said how he wished he could get away from all the electronic gadgets that overwhelm his daily routine. He said he understood why his mother was becoming more and more reclusive, enjoying her own space her own way. I agreed and mentioned how the next step would be morphing into her.

Then the kicker. "My Mom," he said, "was born in forty one." As if that were the explanation for her more and more bazaar behavior. "Ha!" sez I. "So was I!" He actually looked at my chart. "Well, she has six months on you!"

His nurse chimed in saying, "You don't look seventy. You look pretty good!"

If I hadn't been worrying about a slip of that oh so steady hand I would have fallen on the floor laughing. Talk about a back handed compliment! I look pretty good. I'll accept that. After all, I had on absolutely no make up nor had I done anything with my hair other than wash it. I was looking far from pretty good in my eyes.

I guess because he got all the tumor on his first try, I looked pretty good and we both thought a martini would hit the spot at that point, the day was as about as golden as they get these days. I'll take it.

Cain - Searching For A Shred Of Decency

2011-11-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

Now that Gloria Allred has involved herself, how is any one's guess, any chance of the Herman Cain sexual harassment allegations ending with a note of decency has now disappeared.

We should all share some blame in this circus. One, for the many assumptions of guilt when the allegations were first made. Anyone who deals in the real world knows that opportunists looking for a quick buck or to bring someone down can and will file a law suit about any number of things. Sexual harassment being a favorite because it captures headlines and possibly a bigger payout. That businesses pay these bribes, whether or not substantive, is a not uncommon practice.

Mr. Cain was ill served by his campaign advisers when told not to comment on them though he vehemently denied them. There was the looming questions as to just who are these women and where have they been over the years. How opportune. More money? A book deal?

On the other hand Mr. Cain owes his supporters an explanation. Even though there was an agreement with the National Restaurant Association to not discuss the complaints, I wonder if they could have been made public without identifying the complainant. Then we could all have decided for ourselves whether the complaint was worthy or frivolous.

That opportunity has passed by now that number four has come out with the help of Ms. Allred. It couldn't get any more salacious. And where has she been? She said she didn't file a complaint because she wasn't an employee of the NRA. Nonsense! Had a man done to me what she accused Mr. Cain of doing I'd have filed police charges against him, I'd have gone to the NRA and any and everybody else who would have listened. Right then. Not ten years later with a sensation seeking attorney who appeared out of the woodwork.

The damage now seems insurmountable. I'm not convinced of anything at this point. That Mr. Cain might have made some gesture or comment deemed inappropriate may well be. That he didn't see it that way may also well be. That it rose to the level of sexual harassment to the degree that has been claimed is something we do not know unless or until the actual complaints are made public.

But the seed has been planted, cultivated and has thrived. Even if it is pulled up by it's roots, some remnant will remain. The only to kill it off would be for him to drop out of the race. He has been striped of his dignity. The campaign is in turmoil because this rather than what really matters owns the air waves.

It's human behavior at it's lowest ebb. If it was politically motivated it's sick.

I don't think, when push came to shove, that Mr. Cain would have gotten the nomination. He has too many areas in which he lacks sufficient knowledge and experience. Remember how wildly popular Sarah Palin was but how may people didn't vote for McCain because she was such a light weight? And she was only running for Vice President.

If Herman Cain is guilty as accused, he doesn't deserve a pass. If he is not, and we don't know, that he be taken down by the sleaze factor is about as disgusting as it gets.

By the way, thinking about justice being served, Lindsey Lohen left jail moments after reporting. No room at the inn. Funny, if I remember correctly, she was proven guilty of her offenses!

What Exactly Is Sexual Harrassment These Days?

2011-11-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

It seems to me the standards for sexual harassment are many and mixed. We don't even know exactly what it is Herman Cain has done to raise such a hue and cry. He made someone feel 'uncomfortable'. What does that mean?

I think back to my younger days and how many guys I dated, or didn't, at whom I could aim such accusations by today's standards. I guess because none of them ever came into the public eye I didn't bother. I just avoided them. The thing that is bothersome is not knowing exactly what we're supposed to be so angry about. Everything is skewed. Plus it's his word against those who have lawyered themselves up.

I remember when the harassment movement first began. A woman would walk past a construction site and if she were attractive she'd elicit wolf whistles and catcalls. That became politically incorrect so the guys would stand by silently, undressing her with their eyes. They couldn't be sued for that. If one is harassment isn't the other?

Granted we'd like our Presidential candidates to be a cut above but if you look deeply enough I doubt any of them would meet the pureness the media, for us, is demanding. Why aren't they as tough on House and Senate candidates? Where were these women when Cain ran for Senate? Why did they give Kennedy a pass? And Clinton? At least the women who claimed relations with Clinton came forward.

Considering the sexual mores in the world of athletics and entertainment and lower level politics, we certainly don't have a single standard.

Look at Hugh Grant. Just yesterday I read he recently became a father for the first time. You know him, the guy who got picked up in Hollywood a few years back for picking up a prostitute. It seems a baby wasn't expected since he only had a 'fleeting' affair with the mother, but never-the-less he's delighted.

Then there is 17 year old Justin Bieber who is being accused of parenting a child with a nineteen year old. He was sixteen at the time. He claims he never met her. She wants a paternity test. If it proves true, she's in big trouble because she had sex with a minor!

I give credit to the people of Iowa who, if the reports are accurate, could care less about the harassment reports. They feel Cain's 9-9-9 plan will help them. At least they have their priorities straight.

Is it an issue of character? Neither John McCain nor Newt Gingrich have treated their previous wives well yet neither have been pilloried about it during campaigns. Those actions are provable.

Is it race? Or is it just plain dirty politics?

I haven't made up my mind about Mr. Cain. My worry is whether or not we should place our trust in another rank amateur as President. We have one in office now. While I admire Mr. Cain's business accomplishments, his lack of political experience worries me. The same criteria in reverse applies to many of the other candidates.

Whether I end up supporting him will depend on the balance of experience his experience and proposed policies versue everyone elses. Not on hearsay and innuendo from invisible accusers hiding behind lawyers, all looking for their fifteen minutes of fame ~ and a few dollars more.

Who The Heck Is Jub Jub McFadden?

2011-11-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

Jub Jub McFadden. The name kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? No? Well, I guess it's in the mind of the beholder. You see, he's the new man in my life. Relatively new anyway. Actually there are two of them, the other being his Dad.

I've written before about how sometimes something special comes along through blogging and all that has accompanied it like You Tube. Remember back when Bacchus was sick and I posted videos about his well being - or lack thereof? I had just gotten my Flip video camera the Christmas before we knew he was so sick. I never got to do all I had planned. Videos of fun with my dog.

Fast forward maybe a year after he had left us. I got an invitation to subscribe to the videos of one Beefstew. Speaking of curious names! Curiosity won and there I met Jub Jub. A Saint Bernard puppy and his dad. It was love at first sight.

I've a couple of other friends on Facebook with Saints though with one being Greek and the other Italian I miss out on the dialog. And of course there was Oly, the Saint belonging to our vet tech. So it isn't as though I've been deprived of my Saint fix.

What I found, however, is this tremedous bond between a young man and his dog. I know most people love their dogs as much as I loved mine. Most, however, don't show the relationship develop as has Stew with Jub Jub. Every dog in the world should have a person like Stew.

It also drove home that raising a Saint Bernard is a joy meant for people much younger than me! The energy! The adventures. The laughter with dogs and cats and friends - and chipmunks! It's hilarious, poignant and exhilerating. The first thing I do when I open my e-mail is to look for a new You Tube announcement.

Now my vicarious world is complete. Jub Jub has his own Facebook page! Both Jub Jub and his Dad have friended me. I'm thrilled. I really am. It makes me feel more a part of them. It isn't the same as having my own living breathing furry friend, but it's as good as it gets as a substitute. How can you not love a guy who stands with his dog, commenting on the Occupy Wall Street movement with a sign saying 'I am so angry I made a sign'. It may not hit everyone's funny bone but it hit mine spot on! The man is flat out my kind of people!

Without social media none of this would have happened. It can't replace reality nor should it, but if it can fill an empty place in my heart it can't be all bad.

So to Jub Jub and Stew and everyone around you that join to warm my little corner of the world. Thanks. Only one thing could make it better. That someday our paths should cross. One never knows.

The Purple Finger Of Fate

2011-11-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

The Arab Spring is evolving into the unexpected as winter approaches. Back when the Muslim Brotherhood raised it's head in Egypt, some like Sean Hannity, worried about what would happen if they took over the countries as elections were held. Others, far more actually, assured us they were too unorganized to be of any consequence.

Well, strange things have been happening. The Islamists are winning. Of course, being Islamist countries some form of Islamism is going to win. What's happening, though, is that the secular opposition is losing. This has the potential of being dangerous. Especially if there is a return to strict Shariah law. Women's rights will be decimated. Degrees of repression and radicalism will be the order of the day. Yet this is what the people are voting for.

Why? It's worth thinking about because we're going to have to deal with transforming governments for some time to come. Consider just two of the countries, Egypt and Libya. Both secular, both considered friends of the U.S. Yet both were ruled by the most cruel and repressive of leaders. What has secularism done for them? Look, too, at Iran and Syria where the monsters are still in place.

So what do you do when suddenly free to choose what type of government you want? You go back to your roots. Islamism. Not thinking about how restrictive and repressive it is by nature and in the end nothing will have been gained.

I think we're about to see a classic example of unintended consequences. The struggle for freedom and economic stability may be lost as quickly as the current despots were run from power. It's a frightening scenario.

It will be a time when diplomacy will require untold amounts of patience and prudence. How long will it take for the Muslim world to recognize the answers lay in a moderate middle is any ones guess. Meanwhile, all we can do is watch and wait. It's likely not to be to be pretty.

An Escape Into Myself

2011-10-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today, Halloween, seemed an appropriate day. Especially after what I'm watching happen to Herman Cain. I'm not sure I have the stomach for what's coming as the campaign unfolds.

But today, for an hour or so, I was cocooned within myself in one more attempt to gain control over my back pain. I went to a hypnotherapist.

We were in a loft area, her home office. She sat next to me and had me relax in the biggest, most soft recliner I've ever sat in. We talked about what ailed me and how the doctors couldn't pin point the cause. About how I want to get off the pain medication because it's nearing the point if being ineffective. About what sort of life I had before the pain became all encompassing and what type of life I'd like if I didn't have it.

Then she had me close my eyes, relax and so began my decension into myself. It began with attaining a peaceful vision and the feelings that went along with it. She'd ask me to drift back to a time before the pain and what happened that might have caused it. What was I seeing. It didn't take me where I had expected but it clicked. We worked through several scenarios as I slid deeper; I could feel it. We equated the physical pain with an emotional pain then began to unravel it.

For a long time I thought it wasn't working then all of a sudden strange things began to happen. I could feel degrees of release. We spent some time at it. Talking. Reacting. By the time she brought me back up the pain hadn't disappeared, but had, indeed, receded. I felt like a rag doll. I didn't want it to end. I can't recall when I last felt so relaxed.

I was told to expect things to be happening in my body for the next two or three days. I was told I would not relapse. Positive thinking if nothing else.

I will undoubtedly go for another session after I see what the final outcome of this one is. It has been several hours now and I'm still as mellow as I can be. Again, I don't want it to end!

With all the ugliness in the headlines today, it was a saving grace in more ways than one. One more step toward healing. I'm looking at the bell that sits on my desk year round. Like the one from the Polar Express. To hear it tinkle you have to believe.

Today I choose to believe the therapy will work. I only wish I could believe as strongly in the decency of the press and the politicians. Maybe one out of two is enough. At least for today.

Ah, Herman, Don't Change

2011-10-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

The political pundits are beginning to take their toll on you. It makes me sad. You've been a breath of fresh air in an otherwise same-o, same-o campaign.

Herman, understand that not all voters are as tunnel visioned on abortion as the Christian conservatives. Your gut instinct was to give your opinion as to how you saw the issue. For heavens sake, it was the truth! And a whole lot of us out here agreed with you. To change your stance to enhance yourself in their eyes diminishes you in the eyes of others. It's not the issue to lose on.

Consider, at this point in time, Roe vs. Wade is the law of the land. End of discussion. We have far more pressing issues that affect all of us that need to be addressed.

As for your comment on the border fence, it was funny. Put an electrified wire on top, a moat with alligators on our side and a sign on theirs saying they'll be dead. It's what most of us are thinking when we sit around bandying about ideas on how to fix the problem! It's a shame we don't recognize a good jab when we hear one.

That's a large part of our problem these days. We have too many people analyzing and spinning everything said to fit their own view, be it narrow or not. It doesn't serve us well.

Yep. It's obvious you're not a practiced politician. That's your appeal! You tell it as you see it. When you start bending to the will of the bullying pundits you'll lose every time because they spin better than you do. That's the point isn't it? You don't spin.

Just continue being yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised where the chips fall. The axe men might be surprised too. Maybe not so pleasantly.

By the way, I love your 'Yellow Flowers' campaign ad! It, gasp, made me laugh!

Just Who Are The Racists?

2011-10-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

I'm getting tired of other people telling me why I think the way I do. Especially when it comes to Presidential candidates who interest me. Especially if it's Democrats making assumptions about Republicans.

Okay, I'm an Independent but in order to be able to take part in the process I have to declare a party and when Independent is not a choice I choose Republican. So to have a cable network analyst suggest it's because he's a black man who knows his place infuriates me. That I feel like I'm not racist because I like the guy.

That they can make such statements astounds me. It sounds like racism is surely percolating away just below the surface of those who think that. Can they be serious?

I do like the man. Would I vote for him? Should he win the nomination you bet I would. Would I vote for him in the primary? I don't know enough about him to say 'yes' for sure. I'm looking seriously at several. But if I don't it will have nothing to do with race.

This is already the most silly of silly seasons I've been witness to. The President out there putting out executive orders faster than you can say Halloween. He ought to slow down or he'll have run out of material long before next November. Then what will he do to buy votes?

The question always comes back to what's he been waiting for? I won't even start on Congress.

Let's go back to our President. You know what? I voted for him and he is anything but a black man who knows his place. A lot of other Republicans and Independents also voted for him or he wouldn't have won.

Perhaps it's because he was barely in office before I began my criticisms. I'm sure it's assumed it's because I closeted my racism during his phenomenal run for the Presidency then could no longer contain it.

It couldn't possibly be because I disagree with almost everything he has, or mostly has not, done since taking office. Now that we have one of our own my conscience is being eased.

Yep. I like Herman Cain. He makes me laugh. I listen to what he has to say, agree with him on some issues and disagree on others. Plus there's always the question of how he'll get things done if he has a hostile Congress. That, of course, applies to all the candidates no matter their race.

Do I think Obama was ineffective when he had both houses because he was black? Or now that he has only the Senate? Not at all. I think it's because he's in over his head and doesn't know how to lead nor govern. He'd had no experience what-so-ever prior to being elected.

So don't try to accuse the Republican party as a whole of being patronizing in order to soothe our inner racism. In fact I think the party couldn't be happier than to have a man of Mr. Cain's accomplishments and experience suggesting the Democratic party isn't necessarily the best one for any ethnic group.

I guess 'one nation, (with or without under God) indivisible, with liberty and justice for all' doesn't resonate any more. Neither should the assumptions of closed minded 'analysts'.

What Is It We Want?

2011-10-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

With primary season just around the corner I've been doing a lot of wondering just what it is Americans, as a whole, want.

When a movement like Occupy Wall Street overstays it's welcome, they lose the impact of their message. The problem is they didn't have one in the first place. At least not a cohesive one. They want equalization of the wealth. That isn't going to happen. What will happen if things go their way, those who have the wealth and the ability to create it will be brought down. The occupiers will not be elevated to their level.

I remember a time, long ago, when a neighbor who had been widowed for a time was bemoaning the fact she couldn't find a respectable, successful three piece suit like Hub. I suggested that she should have something to bring to the table and I didn't mean food. I think the same holds true for the occupiers who want, want, want but what do they have to offer? Of course some of the involved do, and a great deal, but it's hard to separate them from the image of the masses. In the end, their point is lost. They become a law stretching, if not breaking, irritant.

The politicians on all levels are going to have their hands full. First I'd like to see them all present their ideas and defend them rather than tearing down their opponents. The reason why both Cain and Paul are as popular as they are is they keep it simple and they passionately believe what they say. Newt is great at explaining where the government has gone wrong and why but fixing it is another thing.

Eliminate those three and we're left with candidates pandering to every cause out there and convincing no one of their abilities or sincerity. The unopposed President is doing exactly the same thing with his executive orders. Had he led with these ideas months ago his ratings would be a lot higher. Now they seem exactly what they are - stabs in the dark of desparation.

Everyone is struggling with the facts. We, who are out here suffering with no end in sight, have to realize there is no quick fix. We didn't sink this low over night and it isn't going to be fixed by political posturing nor cutting expenditures all in one fell swoop nor just raising taxes. We're in for a slog.

That's what we want! A plan. Laid out in simple terms we can understand. With steps to be taken and a time table. It's not that there aren't any already out there but special interests and ideaology have swept them under the rug.

We really need moderates on both sides of the aisle. They are out there too but they're not getting the press they should. So far the internet and third party efforts aren't making headlines either.

So what do we do? Well, as fruitless as it is, I'll keep blogging. I know, I hear the collective groan. The rest of you malcontents, and I mean that as a compliment, need to step up to the plate and demand answers that aren't being given to questions that aren't being asked. While you're at it, look over the candidates and figure out who cares more about the country than party or power. And vote for them!

Beating A Dead Horse

2011-10-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Gadhafi was a monster, pure and simple. He was responsible for untold atrocities against his own people. Some say he was stark raving mad. Could be. It could also be a lame attempt to lay blame on illness rather than character.

Now he's dead. Good riddance though who knows what sort of government will take his place. For the sake of the people of Libya I hope it's a fair and just one. I doubt it will be what we would like, but the choice belongs to the people of Libya.

Just as did the uprising that deposed him. The people began it with a citizen protest. NATO entered the frey reluctantly and the U.S. even more so. Others stayed away all together.

So why are we bothering to posture at this point as to how he died and if it was "legal". Legal? Was what he did to his people legal?

Putin, that champion of human rights, has entered his protest as to the means of his demise. Now Hillary Clinton says she supports a UN proposal to investigate Gadhafi's death so a "democratic Libya" can begin with the rule of law and accountability. Please.

You've seen the video of his last moments, right? His captors were a band of rag tag citizen soldiers who upon finding him unleashed their rage. Was he caught in cross fire or assassinated? It will never be known for certain and the hand that dealt the final blow will never be identified. So be it.

I do not agree with Clinton that investigating his death is part of the process of unity and reconciliation. What's to investigate?

Unity and reconciliation will be no more easy for the Libyans than it is for the Egyptians and the Tunisians. Should the people of Syria prevail, they too will face the same unrest in the aftermath. Such is the way in countries where religion and politics are co-mingled with all fighting for dominance.

He's dead. That chapter has been closed. Let it be. Don't try to take any more credit where credit is not due. Move on to matters that are really pressing. Our national security for one and Iran for another.

If the administration tries to ride to re-election on the back of a posturing donkey they may end up looking like it's tail end.

With Friends Like These...

2011-10-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

I was somewhat amused to watch as the President portrayed himself as a strong leader in foreign policy, claiming one war over and a dictator dead because of our help.

Not exactly, in either case. The Iraq war is far from over, it's just being internalized with our imminent departure. We could withdraw even more of the troops being left behind if our embassy were something other than a small city unto itself.

Iran will have a free hand to step in now that Iraq has essentially thrown us out. I can't blame them for wanting our people to be under their jurisdiction but I also give credit to the President for refusing. That it couldn't be negotiated to everyones satisfaction shows a weakness on our part in that area plus the fact that those left behind will still be at risk.

As far as the demise of Gaddafi is concerned, remember that Obama was literally dragged into the conflict, which was in NATO's hands, kicking and screaming. His 'leading from behind' was not exactly bold leadership.

I will give him credit, too, for the kill order on Osama bin Laden. Seeing these monsters, including bin Laden on a different level, fall one after another, has more to do with the discontent of their people than with us. As it should be. The question remains as to whether what comes next is better, the same or worse than what has been. We can do no more than hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

We still have adversaries in the area. Afghanistan's Karzai is certainly one though we seem to think otherwise. He has told Pakistan, most definitely adversarial, in a recent TV interview that should Pakistan be attacked by the U.S., Afghanistan would take Pakistan's side.

It's wise not to forget that these are tribal countries historically and those loyalties run deep. Truces will hold for expedience and little else. All our intentions toward democratization will fall short until the peoples of those countries come into the 21st century. Something the power mongers are resisting. After all, they've witnessed Tunisia, Egypt and now Libya fall to those who have been able to get their causes headlined due to their embrace of modern technology.

While it is no contest when it comes to the use of technology from iPads to drones, where we lack is understanding how to combat those who've never had it and still fight the old way. With stealth and ferocity. With all the modern weaponry in the world at our disposal, it seems like we've forgotten that very basic tenent.

Our Broken Primary System

2011-10-21T13:12:00.001-07:00

I see where Michele Bachmann's entire staff in New Hampshire has resigned en masse. The reason was her lack of commitment to the state. Instead her main focus was on Iowa.

The need to lead the primary season by Iowa and New Hampshire does not serve the country nor the candidates well. Neither is representative of states outside of their region making a good case for a one day cross country primary. Let the candidates cover all the states beforehand then let us vote. And structure it so the media has to cover campaigns in all the states, not just a chosen few.

As it stands now New Hampshire is in a snit over a purported attitude by Bachmann. In actuality I think she thinks she has a better chance of winning Iowa and has limited resources to boot. So who wins? She's banking on a big win in Iowa to propel her through New Hampshire. If she loses Iowa she's done. It's a pretty flimsy way to run for President. Since she obviously hasn't caught on, should she pack it in now? If Iowa is her only chance then I think she's too weak to go further.

The same with Jon Huntsman, who in my humble opinion, is the best, most experienced man running and I don't give a fig about him being Mormon. But again, with finances tight, he's putting all his eggs in New Hampshire's basket. The result has been lack of visibility in the rest of the country. Suicide for an unknown. He'll have to win big in New Hampshire. People will still be asking who is Jon Huntsman?

Less likely for the job but highly visible are Cain and Paul. Why? Because they're out there! I don't think they have more money though admittedly I haven't checked. They're being prudent with it but spreading it around.

This leap frogging of primary dates isn't helping matters any. I really wouldn't want to attend a caucus right after the first of the year. I wouldn't attend one before Christmas! What's the rush? Tradition, in this case having to be first, should be ended! A lot can happen between the end of this year and the general election next and I don't want to make my choice too far ahead. I also don't want early states having undue influence. Perhaps they won't. Perhaps by the time later states hold theirs, the results of the rush to judgement by the early ones may fade as the candidates are more current as the election nears.

As with everything else going on in government these days, the whole process is a mess. But then we have a President who spent his career as a Senator campaigning for President and hasn't stopped in between campaigns to bother governing. Most incumbents stay in the White House and do their job. Times have changed.

The challengers have a tough time because we take their time away with early primaries and the President never stops. What will we have next November? I don't have a clue now and doubt I will even after the fact.

Beauty And The Bleak

2011-10-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ah, yes, we've been away. Our usual fall trip was shorter this year both in duration and distance. It's the economy you know.

When we really want to shut out the world we often head to Yellowstone. It's a great place, especially this time of year, to just absorb the beauty and decompress. It's what we did. View the wildlife and do the galleries in Jackson.

The photo made me laugh. I was waiting for the bison to lift his head from grazing and when he did he lifted his tail too; it just happened to be what I caught. I love those big lumbering creatures. There's something serene about them. Maybe it's because they're so big no one in their right mind is going to mess with them. Even when they're plodding down the middle of the road, right down the yellow line.

It was interesting to observe the dynamics of life away from our usual routine. There were more people out and about than I had expected. Spending money. Shops were open and relatively busy. Restaurants were buzzing. Maybe people are doing what we are. Scaling back but still doing. We're eating fancy fewer evenings. We're not buying in the galleries unless a piece really, really calls out to us. But we're still having fun. No newspapers, no evening news nor talking heads.

There is always a high point I think. This trip it came in Red Lodge, MT. We were about to enter a gallery as two young boys on bikes were approaching. One stopped in front of the window and said, "Can I tell you something?" "Sure." "These paintings are my Granddad's." He was so proud. If you know but one name in the world of Indian art, you probably know of his Grandfather - Kevin Redstar. "He's got a studio just up the road in Roberts," the lad continued. "Go knock on his door and he'll show you all his paintings!"

I loved it. The youngster was just bursting with pride. We told him we just may do that as we all parted company. Just a small happening but I was taken with it. I haven't been enjoying the small stuff enough lately.

But then we come back to the real world and read of a financially strapped man letting his wild animals loose before commiting suicide. Maybe there is no fish and wildlife personnel in the Ohio town where it occurred but the last I heard every last animal, 50 of them, were killed. I was sick.

If only animals could have places like Yellowstone where they can roam free as intended and let nature take it's course. As for the suicide victim, who knows. He had a wildlife park. People are scaling back on their spending and businesses fail. As unpleasant as it is, maybe it's good to be reminded that it's not just we humans who suffer the consequences of a bad economy.

Armageddon American Style

2011-10-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

I cannot recall ever seeing the people of our country as angry as they are now. Everyone is on edge if not at each other's throat.

It' uncomfortable. The reason? The almighty dollar and what it does and does not buy. Can the people defeat what and who it owns? Let's look at it.

The politicians, bought and paid for. Their misguided solutions to problems. Like Dodds/Frank which is in essence telling banks to go ahead and be stupid because they won't be allowed to fail.

Then there are those financial institutions. So tarred with regulation they won't lend money which could fix the mortgage mess though they sit on more than adequate reserves. Yet they are so tone deaf, they use that money - ours - to award themselves once again with large salaries and larger bonuses. Meanwhile we sit homeless, jobless and hungry.

Back to the politicians. Even though we keep trying to change the dynamic through elections, it's a blip that lasts only as long as it takes to get them sworn in. The Democrats still hate the Republicans and vice versa. The Progressives hate the President. The President hates Congress. The Conservatives hate everyone who doesn't agree with them.

Okay. Maybe hate is too strong a word but the emotion is fast approaching it. The candidates are mistrusted by the electorate. They're too far right, not far enough right, the wrong religion, their policies are weak or too convoluted. Whew. It's exhausting trying to keep up with it.

It is all, however, tied back to that almighty dollar. The Tea Party started out with people demanding fiscal responsibility until they were hijacked by the extremes who have skewed the intent. That group was for the most part middle class working people.

Now we have the Occupy Wall Street movement. There is even one being organized by college students for Coeur d'Alene. This movement, not unlike the Tea Party, started out protesting inequity. And not unlike the Tea Party it is already being compromised by special interests.

What is clear is the people have had it and then some. It is palpable. I've been blogging long enough to notice the edge that has been creeping into those who comment. It's okay. I ramble at times, just letting whatever I'm looking at be put out there for thought. What at one time would have been taken as silly is no longer. People aren't seeing 'silly'. They're seeing loss and frustration and anger because those who should be able to change things either don't have the ability to or won't. Angry because we put them in positions of power and feel betrayed by them and because we weren't smart enough to see it beforehand.

How is it all going to end? Crime is up. Anxiety is high. Money is tight. I feel like I'm in the midst of an F5 tornado. I'd not like to be the storm chaser following this one. I'd fear there'd not be enough with which to rebuild after it passes. When it passes. If it passes.

So Joe's Going To Run!

2011-10-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Joe the Plumber, also known as Sam Wurzelbacher, has filed a statement of candicacy with the FEC. I'm not sure I'm happy about it but not for the reason you may be thinking.

I'm afraid if he wins he might change like so many others in Congress. The institution does something to members. It makes them forget they were elected to run the country as we want it run, not the way they think it should be run. For their own, personal ends.

Joe has had a checkered career since first we met. In some ventures he was sorely out of his league, but he was enough of a 'personality' that he was afforded opportunities others of us would love to have had.

To run for Congress, however, is not out of his league. He's not slick. I have no idea what his formal education may have been but I wager it does not include a law degree from Harvard. I bet too he'd probably tell you what his grades were. That, however, is strictly conjecture on my part.

What he does have is savvy. Had hot shots like myself only listened to him when he asked Obama if he bought a company that made $250,000 or better a year would his taxes go up. Right then and there was the answer we've been grappling with ever since. Now it's being called class warfare - pitting Americans against Americans. What did Obama say?

"I think when you spread the wealth around it's, it's good for everybody."

Perhaps this is why Herman Cain is so popular. He has spelled out a plan, while maybe not perfect, where everyone has some skin in the game. In other words, everyone would have to pony up. The rich wouldn't have to carry the poor.

Where Obama runs into problems is he has yet to provide an equitable plan for taxing the rich. How much is enough? How much is too much? Fault will be found with any number put forward. But then I don't think he cares. Just tax them. Mightily.

So what would happen to Joe? He's about as much the everyman that there is. He didn't like the politics behind the campaigning when McCain embraced him and made no bones about it. Now he's going to give it a try on his own.

If he's able to handle the flack that will be aimed at him, perhaps he can win. He'd be interesting. He saw right through the tax the rich rhetoric during the 2008 campaign. He knew that a company making $250,000 isn't going to be rich after expenses this day and age. Heck, by no measure is $250,000 rich this day and age. He didn't buy the company. He didn't create any jobs. It's one small business that didn't become part of the backbone of the American economy.

He understands because he's been there. I'd almost rather have him on the outside looking in with a platform to let us know what he's seeing. Sometimes it's the better place to be.

Holier Than Thou

2011-10-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

There is a good reason for the separation of church and state. Ironically, the Value Voters Summit is a prime example of why.

I have no objection to believing in a Deity, and embracing the tome that justifies it in ones mind. I do have an objection to one such group denigrating those who don't believe the same dictums, especially when it comes to the ability to capably lead our country.

We're not looking at radical Islam here. We are looking at freedom of religion. Freedom to worship as you believe without penalty from those who disagree.

The Value Voters crowd is not looking at what solutions the candidates have to solve the problems that are plaguing our country. Economic meltdown, joblessness, crumbling infrastructure, instability world wide. No. They're looking for the candidates to bow to their dictates on social values. The media eggs them on. The candidates pander. That pandering makes me take a much closer look at those who chose not to do so. Jon Huntsman. And yes, Newt Gingrich.

You see, I'm not a Christian Conservative. I do not agree with much that they demand. I do not believe it makes me an evil person, nor does it diminish in any way my abilities in the areas in which I am capable.

Preachers from their Mega churches seem to have the ability to mesmerize their followers into believing extreme views. Like insisting Mormonism is a cult. I could say all organized religions are cults because they do not believe as I do. I can hear the hue and cry now!

I listen to how many of these people have actual conversations with God. I should run. I shouldn't run. He told my husband and my husband told me. Please. I have never, ever heard such voices and don't tell me it's because I don't believe. I can't accept that as fact. If God were having conversations with the candidates, why isn't He telling the rest of the world to quit having wars or beating our wives or killing our kids?

I also can't take a movement seriously when their pastors say, as truths, "Homosexuality caused the Holocaust." Boy, is that an over used theme. Or, "The government 'incentivizes' African-Americans to 'rut like rabbits'." Talk about racist. It seems to me neither statement has a thing to do with the worship of God nor an indication that the pastor who made the statements is in any way capable of defining who would make a good presidential candidate. Why are such people even elevated to the prestige of being a pastor?

There are so many religions in the world, and even a brief study of their symbolism indicates a penchant for peace and tranquility. Not divisiveness and hate. There are good and bad among all of them. When the bad tends to be radical, though most haven't devolved to the extent of the radical Islams where heads are cut off and societies targeted for annihilation, they are getting precariously close. Our society is just as threatened by 'Christian' radicals who would deny good people from serving because of their religious backgrounds as we are from the Islamic terrorist cells we're told are within our country. They both aim to conquer.

With the country teetering on the edge of anarchy with the growing protests spreading from city to city, we had better band together in looking for qualities of leadership and sound policy rather than divisive self interest. I'm not sure the country is any longer capable of it.

Speaking of divisive self interest - the media isn't helping.

Texting - Should Behavior Be Legislated?

2011-10-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well of course behavior is legislated all the time. That's what laws are all about. So a ban on texting while driving?

After hearing a report on the news last night where recent tests have found texting while driving is more dangerous than driving drunk, it makes me wonder about the disconnect.

I recalled reading that our state, one of only 16 that does not have a law against texting, missed the opportunity due to trying to make a law difficult to enforce, more difficult and the legislative session ran out of time.

Thank you to our now U.S. House representative, Raul Labrador, for throwing a monkey wrench in the process. I find it appalling that one man can hold the fate of legislation in his hands when the majority have ruled against him.

That being said, the problem still exists and studies continue. The one reported in Car and Driver tested drivers' reactions while both sending and reading a text. Then they got them inebriated to the legal limit and tested their reaction times without texting. The results found the reaction times worse while texting than being under the influence. I don't know about you, but it scares the living daylights out of me.

I know texting is the latest fad that people of another generation seem not to be able to do without. Even the penalties were to be no more than a slap on the wrist compared to a DUI.

Consider a first violation fine for texting of $50 versus a first DUI conviction of up to 6 months in jail, a $1000 fine, license suspended from 90 to 180 days with restrictions possible after 30 days plus the possibility of having to undergo alcohol evaluation and treatment.

There is definitely something out of whack here. One is why police, fire and emergency workers would have been exempted. Like they're better at it then we are? They're enough of a menace on their cell phones. As are the rest of us. If a person is killed, they are dead. Dead. It doesn't matter if it was alcohol or texting related. Dead.

When a group of sixth graders and their teachers research the subject and join with the AAA to support the ban, I have to wonder at the wisdom of one legislator in particular along with the others who tried to gut the legislation. The school project took place in 2010.

How many texting related accidents have occured since and how many ended as fatalities? Difficult to enforce? Only because the legislature wanted to make it such. Toothless? Only because the legislature wanted to make it such.

But the kids know, as does this old lady, you can't look down to text, or read one and watch the road at the same time. As one twelve year old said, "People aren't going to stop unless it becomes a law." Let me add, one with teeth in it. Just in case law enforcement figures it out.

Lucky New Jersey

2011-10-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Yes. New Jersey is a very fortunate state. It has a governor who really cares for the state and it's people. A governor who put his love for his state above ego and pressure.

Unable or unwilling, I'm not sure which, the Republican powers are still looking for an ideal candidate to pit against Obama. Chris Christie won't be the one and I couldn't be more happy. Mainly because he hasn't disappointed me. He has remained a man of his word.

I think it takes a great deal of control and a good dose of humility to resist the pressures to run for President that Mr. Christie faced. It will be interesting to see if he enters the field in 2016. There are a lot of good young Republicans waiting in the wings, but I can't help wonder about their fate.

Consider what is happening to the current field. With the exception of Ron Paul, who to my way of thinking, is too extreme, all of them could handle the job. Some better than others.

What troubles me is the lack of positive reporting on them and the extremes of negativity. Romney - Massachuttes Care and Mormonism. Bachmann - a bit foggy on historical truths and reactionary. Santorum - too far right. Gingrich - too much baggage. Cain - he's a racist and can't win anyway. No foreign policy, no political experience. Perry - what more need be said. Huntsman - where the heck is he? Never mind; he's Mormon and too moderate. Buddy Roemer and Gary Johnson - did you even know they are running? Isn't there anything good and positive about any of them?

As much as I like to watch politics, I know I'll never understand it. Mostly because politicians today have defined themselves differently than our founding fathers intended. The media, too, is complicit. They no longer report all sides of an issue, just those that agree with the philosophical bent of their owners. They no longer serve the public well and haven't for far too long.

At least today, as far as I'm concerned, will be remembered as bright spot in national politics. A good man has remained true to his word. What a breath of fresh air. While his absence in the race may be considered our loss ~ it is really our gain. And his.

Christie Revisited

2011-10-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago I wrote a post about finding Chris Christie interesting. I still do. But I hope he continues to say no to running even though the pressure is intensifying.

Those who are applying that pressure are not doing Mr. Christie any favors. The outcome, however, will say one very important thing about him. Is he or is he not a man of his word.

He has said numerous times, "No." He has said he isn't ready. He has yet to complete his first full term as governor of New Jersey. It's a tough state filled with tough people. I lived there awhile many years back. He has his hands full with that alone and he owes his constituents his full, hands on attention.

I can't help thinking about Sarah Palin resigning the governorship of Alaska for the siren's call. Money. He isn't as flighty as she and wouldn't be playing games, but his experience level at governing is about the same. Then too, we have one in the White House who had no experience in much of anything and you see what we've gotten!

Much is beginning to be made of his weight. It is a worry. The stress of running is enormous. Think of how Hillary looked at the end. And think about how tough playing catch up would be entering this far into the game, let alone going the distance.

Funny, Obama was encouraged to run because he was so new to politics he had no baggage. That may because he didn't do much. Most of his time as Senator was running for office, not legislating.

Mr. Christie has baggage, if you will. His views. His views on gun control and illegal immigration, for example, will not sit well with the conservatives. Nor will his aggressive tell it like it is demeanor. I personally like it and think the country needs it; needs a strong leader but seeing him in someone elses face is one thing, in your face may be something entirely different.

Should he decide to run, areas where he differs from the conservatives and tea partiers will leave them wondering what they've done. It would then make Mr. Christie wonder the same thing.

He planted the seed himself by admitting he isn't ready for the national stage and the worldwide spotlight. There is no shame in that. It goes to his character, not pretending to be something he isn't. He's said he doesn't have the fire in his belly.

I hope he keeps that foremost in his mind. He will not succeed without it and doing it because others have that fire for him certainly won't work.

Let him finish out his term and let's see what kind of a leader he really is. How his health holds up. And quit looking for the perfect candidate ~ there isn't one. Let's too look at all the candidates that are running; there are some good ones getting little or no attention.

And please, can we quit calling Herman Cain racist. Can Romney and Perry grow up and discuss issues rather than their relentless nitpicking at each other. Will moderators at the debates give equal time to all the candidates.

Will Sarah Palin please go home. And Mr. Christie, this time, for the sake of your future, please stay home.

Fudging The Numbers

2011-10-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Or so they say. It is also the reason so few of us trust anything the government says.

The September jobs report is due out this coming Friday and according to Reuters the numbers are due to show some improvement. Like 60,000 new jobs. That is no where near enough to put a dent in unemployment, but never-the-less, they'd have us believe there is progress.

But is there? I think not. It seems included in that figure are 45,000 striking Verizon workers who returned to work! Is it fair to consider strikers unemployed? When they strike of their own volition? Or their union bosses volition? Absolutely not!

I'm sure there are 45,000 unemployed out there that who would have loved to have had a crack at those jobs with a promise not to strike. The Verizon workers went back to jobs they left on a temporary basis to gouge their company for more. And they wonder why so many people are anti-union. Especially in this day and age of fierce unemployment. Just like the union targeting Ford for a strike because they didn't take bailout money and, thanks to the President, they own a hefty part of the other two of the big three.

Trust government to be straight with us? I don't think so.

Where Have My Birds Gone?

2011-09-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

For years, after having read The Birds by Daphne Du Maurier, I had an aversion to them. That's powerful writing. Or a very weak mind! Probably the latter in my case.

Slowly and thankfully I finally got over it and came to love them. All kinds. Song birds. Birds of prey. It doesn't matter. Perhaps it has come from caring for injured ones I'd find on occasion. I was enthralled with the raptors I'd see when visiting Washington State when Bacchus was a regular at the vet med hospital. Members of the Raptor Club would have them in the lobby quite often.

Every spring I can't wait to see the first Killdeer and of course the Robins. The Quail can keep me amused for hours. The meadow larks cheer me. Even the non-descript brown and black birds I couldn't readily identify cheered me, especially when they'd converge on our pond for their Saturday nights baths.

So what happened to them? It's fall, yes, but they've been gone for weeks. It's so quiet it's eerie. Even the hawks are gone.

I've read where they are pretty well protected. Fines are being handed out in North Dakota for the deaths, no matter how inadvertently, of ridiculously small numbers. To the tune of $15, 000 and up to six months in jail per bird! No, I don't think my birds went to North Dakota to feel safe. Actually no self-respecting bird would be party to such an obvious witch hunt aimed unproportionately at oil and gas exploration companies. Of which this administration has little use.

No. I fear it's more likely they're an unintended consequence of the highly vaunted wind power. You know, the great green industry that's so not yet ready for marketing only the government is gambling big bucks on it. Those giant wind turbines kill thousands of birds a year, including golden and bald eagles! Has that been the fate of my birds? Do their migratory paths cross these turbine fields making an impact on their populations? Funny, none of those companies are being fined even though it's known there is a problem! A huge problem when you consider the numbers.

I don't know. The government can't even stay out of the lives of our birds for it is government who decides who to fine and whose technology to invest in. I had to make some sort of political connection out of it. Politics impacts everything else, why not our birds? Ah, that's probably a stretch. It probably has something to do with solar flares or something like that.

All I know is one more aspect of my life, that makes it wonderfully enjoyable, has for the moment gone silent. So what has happened to my birds?

It's Jobs,Stupid!

2011-09-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

Jobs, jobs, jobs. It's the Presidential mantra these days. Pass my jobs bill or I'll run against a do nothing Congress.

This is obviously aimed at the Republicans. So how do you explain that the Democrats are off on another vacation? Even more, how do you explain that upon their return the jobs bill will be on the back burner so they can work on a bill to label China as a currency manipulator. Wow, that should generate millions of jobs in the near future. Maybe even in time for Christmas. Right.

So who doesn't get it here? It could be me, true. The more I watch this circus the less I understand. I guess there is no urgency to produce meaningful legislation that all the experts NOT holding office are encouraging. Repeal some of the more onerous regulations and simplify the tax code. Why is it that Congress does not want to address these? Probably for the same reason the country is starting into a new fiscal year, for the fourth year in a row, without a budget. Thank you Senate. Thank you Democrats.

This means another year of continuing resolutions every couple of months or so. It will probably also mean more squabbles like the one going on now over disaster aid. Unfortunately the pattern and the outcome are predictable. Do it our way or we'll close down the government! Same song, I've lost count of the verse.

Jobs? Don't hold your breath. If anyone is wondering why Herman Cain and Ron Paul are resonating with the electorate, this is as good an example as you can get. It sure isn't anyone from the tea party types who insist on holding us hostage to their ideas nor the President and his temporary measures that only encourages oncoing uncertainty.

You know, Christmas is just around the corner. There will be a point in time when the government can no longer keep us afloat with extensions of unemployment while they're keeping companies from hiring because of uncertainty. The shopping season may be dismal. Food banks are already empty and we have yet to hit the Thanksgiving rush. People who buy those extra turkey dinners may well be hard pressed to buy their own. It's a reason lay away plans are back.

But vacations are important to our lawmakers. After all, it takes a lot of energy to sidestep responsibility to the people.

What Happens To The Kids?

2011-09-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

Wife disappears, husband becomes person of interest and in-laws feud over custody while things get sorted out. Or the other way around. Such stories appear far too frequently.

Usually the one who has disappeared is found at some point in time ~ dead. So what happens to the children?

I don't mean who gets custody, whether it be the spouse or the in-laws. What happens to them mentally? In this case I'm reflecting on the Susan Powell case which began shortly before Christmas two years ago. Her boys were two and four.

It seems husband Josh had an urge to go camping at 12:30 a.m. in December, took the boys with him and returned to find his wife missing. This is so ludicrous I have trouble getting my head around it but the police have not yet been able to connect husband with wife's disappearance.

But what about the boys? There must have been strife in the household. This affects kids. They often blame themselves when their parents split. How must they feel when one disappears? Gone. Out of their lives. How does a a 2 and 4 year old absorb this?

Life goes on. Husband takes the boys and moves in with his father. Two years later old Dad is arrested himself for having taken secret videos of women and girls, including the boys' mother, doing what they do in a bathroom. Grandpa has been arrested! The boys, now 4 and 6, are removed from the home until child welfare decides who should have custody. Again, how do a now four and six year old process this?

I remember the strangest things from my childhood even now. How accurate those recollections are I have no idea, but I can remember things from way before school age. As these boys grow up, what will be embedded in their psyche?

I would suppose studies are made of such children. To see how they process the events and what effect it has on them. It seems to me it would be a terrible burden on a child's mind. Will they roll with it? Will they be bitter and rebellious? Only time will tell what sort of citizens they will grow up to be.

It's sad. They've had a horrendously traumatic start to their lives. I hope there will be appropriate guidance available to them as they begin to mature and have a better grasp as to what has happened to them. It's there. If only in the subconscious or a state they have yet to fully grasp.

It brings to mind a comment made in a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel about the mental decline of a friend:

The change came a long way back-but at first it didn't show. The manner remains intact for some time after the morale cracks.

You just never know if or when someone will crack from something long in their past. So what will happen to these kids?

The Summer Doldrums

2011-09-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

What have I written this week? Two posts? Man, I just can't get myself psyched up enough to address much of anything. It's certainly not for a lack of material, that's for sure. But you know what? At the moment I'm just plain tired of politics. And even more tired of complaining.

Is that a refreshing change of pace or what? I don't do Twitter and very little on Facebook other than an occasional photo and playing the Zoo game. That is a monumental waste of time but the animals are cute, so what the heck.

So what have I been doing? Puttering about in the yard. My acupuncture has gotten me to the point where I'm functioning pretty well. It's a blessing for the yard, and in a back handed way for my blogging. It keeps me away from my computer.

I've also been catching up on my spring house cleaning. I'd like to get it done before the holidays but I'm not pushing it since there's still winterizing the yard and that will take some time. We've begun pruning. That's a big step!

If I were a modern person I'd be writing all this on either Facebook or Twitter. I'm anything but a modern person. I consider it an accomplishment, besides who really cares?

It's hot today. I'm going to my shop after I write this and work on my chess pieces. That activity exercises my brain just as much as blogging and puts me in a far better frame of mind.

This too shall probably pass. With cooler weather coming I'm sure my feisty side will return and I'll be back on my soap box. There's so much to be said and changing daily. Autumn is officially here. I'm sure the doldrums will follow summer into the netherworld of things past. Politics will again spark my interest and I'll be spewing out opinion. Such is the nature of a blogger. It permeates one's soul.

We NEED Free Trade Agreements!

2011-09-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Another indicator of why I think the President Peter Principled out as a community organizer is his refusal to send three pending free trade agreements to Congress. You know, those agreements that eliminate tariffs allowing for, ahem, free trade, between countries.

The three outstanding would be between the U.S. and South Korea, Panama and Columbia.

Whats at stake? Cars for South Korea, heavy equipment for the other two. Companies like Caterpillar desperately want it.

Think about what it would do for the economy. Actually selling our goods. Think of the jobs that could produce. Think about how much those countries can get their needs filled elsewhere if we continue to drag our feet. These had been negotiated, just not finalized, before Obama took office. Is this just one more area in which he has no interest so he ignores it?

Once again, the President has inserted himself into the legislative process and created more problems than he solved. He wants to do something called 'trade adjustment assistance' first. This is a payoff to the unions.

Harry Reid held a cloture vote opening the way. He knows Boehner would get it through the house. But here's the problem. The Republicans don't trust the President to keep his word to move the agreements forward if they pass the 'adjustments' first. The President not a man of his word? Well, look what happened with the debt ceiling negotiations, among others.

The shame of it is the mistrust. This isn't even a matter of ideology. It's a matter of, well, mistrust. What a sorry state that is. It jeopardizes our ability to trade with healthy, growing economies who need our products. Why?

Once again the President dithers, unable or unwilling to make a decision, while the rest of us suffer for it. Why?

When I have a rant like this I'm often asked, if not Obama, then who? Well, the one man no one seems to want to look at is Jon Huntsman. Why is that, while I'm asking why? Could it be time to look at the quiet achievers rather than the show boaters? If not, why?

The Four Horesemen Of Our Apocalypse?

2011-09-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

Remember back a couple of years when Honduran Manuel Zelaya tried to get re-elected by ignoring their constitution? He was turned out by their supreme court and escorted out of the country by the military. Oddly, though knowing how corrupt he was, our government insisted it had been a military coup and demanded his reinstatement. To no avail I might add. Right was on the Hondurans side.

Even stranger, we've never come off that stand and Zelaya is now back in Honduras and with the help of his brothers in corruption, no doubt, is jockeying for a return to power. Like Qaddafi, he has his loyalists.

If for no other reason, having Hillary as Secretary of State may be good to the point that women tend to be better at multi-tasking than men. With everything going on in the middle east and other worldly hot spots, this one may deserve a giant portion of our attention. Because of its proximity and because it's happening again!

This time in Nicaragua . Daniel Ortega, another longtime enemy of the United States, is going to run for another term as President in clear violation of their constitution. One wonders where we'll stand on this one if the opposition should prevail!

Mr. Ortega, along with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, are big buddies with Iran's Ahmadinejad. I can't help but wonder what they chit chat about when they get together for cocktails. You can bet it isn't about how wonderful America is and wishing they could be just like us!

It's a frightening scenario. With Cuba within shouting distance and the others not much further. With Iran's nuclear ambitions that we clearly are unable to curtail, fueled by Venezuela's oil money and willing compatriots in the hood, we've much to be concerned about.

I'd like to think our State department and the administration have a handle on this even though we hear little about it. But I don't. I don't think our President has any interest in foreign policy nor the ability to oversee it. It's a necessary nuisance, getting in the way of his troubled domestic agenda.

Maybe it's time for him to listen to those beginning to call for him to give up on a second term. Those in his own party though what the far left want of him is even worse than what we're now enduring.

Someone I was talking politics with recently likened the country's current situation to the perfect storm. Everything bad is converging in one spot at one time. We know how that ends.

Between the world's economic crisis, the ever spreading wars, a frustrated, underemployed, under housed populace and a government in Washington that can neither lead nor legislate, we've never been at a lower ebb.

I'm worried, really worried about our country and the world. A nuclear holocaust isn't as far removed from reality as it once was.

We need new people in Washington. We need people savvy about the ways of the world, not detached. We need people worried about the world, as well as our country, over and above their personal ideology.

If we don't elect such people these four power hungry, corrupt men, right under our nose, may just make it moot. They have nothing to lose, it's their way. We have everything to lose because it has never been ours.

John Or Hillary ~ Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

2011-09-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

So Hillary Clinton is the most popular national figure in America. I've even heard there has been a movement for her to challenge Obama in a primary. She could, you know. And probably win because all her fans would come out in force. But I doubt she will unless things get far worse than they already are. She's too good a soldier.

Hindsight being 20/20, I do believe either she or McCain would have been the better President. Both look at the country more like most of us. They'd be trying to strengthen it from the damage done before rather than trying to change it to match an ideology of mediocrity.

Neither would have even thought about leading from behind. Actually I think McCain could have beaten Obama had it not been for Sarah Palin. She was a great good ole gal cheerleader, but her obvious lack of knowledge on all things global scared most of us to death. It still does.

But Hillary. I know how much I ranted that being the wife of a President doesn't necessarily qualify her to step into his shoes. Back to hindsight, having had Bill's back for so many years through so many experiences certainly educated her as to how the game should be played successfully.

The biggest complaint I remember hearing was having another 'two fer' and Bill in the White House as, to borrow from Palin, 'first dude.' It probably wouldn't have been all that bad. Just as she had been his advisor all those years, he'd then have been hers. He probably
is though we don't hear about it.

She doesn't have his charisma or charm. The 'aw shucks' persona to which we seem to be so drawn. It wouldn't work for a woman anyway. Consider Palin. It's fine, again, for a cheerleader, but not a woman dealing in what is mostly a man's world.

Yep. Hillary can hold her own with world leaders. Obama isn't doing so well. She has across the board appeal if somewhat strident. That could be perceived as strength in a woman. She'd bow to no one.

She's still a Democrat and I certainly am not enamoured with their policies these days. Yet I'd guess her emphasis would have been elsewhere, she'd have addressed the economy and the jobs problem long before now and perhaps best of all Nancy Pelosi would not have run roughshod over her.

Ahhh, hindsight. McCain is alive and well and little different than he was before he ran. My worries about his age and health seem to have been misplaced. Considering Palin would probably not have had the role as she would have wanted it to be, McCain would have approached matters far differently and he could have vetoed anything the Democratic congress tried to force feed us.

But what's past is past. What's current is current. Why is it I feel like I'm in the middle of a pool of quick sand?

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Obama

2011-09-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

I've concluded I need to pay a lot of attention to temperment while studying the candidates. I'm wondering how many don't have the temperment to be President.

Mr. Obama seems more and more to be just such. He morphs into different personalities. Joe Cool to Mr. Hyde with a few others inbetween! Will the real Obama please stand up?

It's hard to find anything amusing with the country in it's current state and getting worse, but I do get a kick out of Obama and his jobs bill. All of a sudden we're in a crisis and this bill has to be passed as is! The bridges are going to collapse. The sky is falling.

Where the heck has he been for the past three years? Two of which he had both the House and the Senate. He might have noticed we were in crisis mode had he stuck around the White House and communicated with Congress rather than running the longest re-election campaign in recent history!

After three years I don't think he yet understands what the President is supposed to do. Lead.

Now all of sudden he wants everything his way. A lot of the mess we're facing wouldn't be so bad had he been paying attention and willing to do the very thing he's accusing Republicans of refusing to do. Negotiate and compromise.

Yes, we do need to take action to get people back to work. It isn't going to happen over night, unfortunately. But bullying and threatening Congress isn't exactly the way I'd go about getting their co-operation. He did the same thing with Obamacare. It seems to be his manner. His way or no way. He doesn't realize he "won" because of Bush fatigue. That is not a mandate for his policies. Leading and dictating are not synonymous! That's what I mean about temperment. I just don't think he gets it.

Consider how long he's been complaining about how he inherited everything from Bush. Well, maybe some of it. I won't argue that, but where has he been since? Letting business continue as usual.

Let's face it, his bill isn't going to get passed without scrutiny and changes. Congress is going to be Congress and do things the way they always do - contentiously and slow. The television debates are giving us nothing about the Republicans that indicates they have a handle on solutions. They are, however, doing a great job of making themselves look unworthy and incapable of the job. The Tea Party and the right wing conservatives aren't helping matters any with their demands.

My crystal ball says the future isn't looking good. Perhaps the cool spell that's coming will also cool my frustration with our leadership. Or it may just chill me to the bone.

Forty Two Years And Counting...

2011-09-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

We had our first child, you see. Never mind that it was a Saint Bernard puppy. We did what was expected of us. We got married. September 12, 1969.

Now, forty two years, four Saint Bernards, two mutts and untold numbers of fish later, we are still chugging along. The years have been good to us, really. We both are in good health if you discount the aches and pains that come with five acres and seventy some years!

We've still enough pride to struggle with our weight. Our hair is thinner and lacking for color. We have our own teeth and can hear just fine. We've finally matured enough to know what's important and to not apologize for our opinions whether or not people agree with us. We still pursue life with zest. We still dine at the table every night, fashionably late if going out and dress for the occasion when few others do. It's a standard of living, you see.

I could not have asked more from a husband than I've received. One's confidence in the goodness of a person, the generosity, giving and caring becomes pretty easy after forty two years.

It's not that there weren't rough times. Oh yes. We are both terribly strong willed individuals and we've had some dandy battles of those wills. But somewhere deep within we knew when to call a truce and actually listen to each other and talk things through. That too comes easily after forty two years.

I have been married to this man longer than I had been alive when we first married. That idea still astounds me. Sometimes couples grow apart after years of marriage. We've grown closer. We share so many interests we've entwined our lives around one another. It's comfortable. It's predictable. It's marriage. Forty two years of it, and counting...

A Timely Anniversary

2011-09-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

I've always thought the simplicity of the twin beacons, shooting heavenward with a burst of light at the top, reflected from the clouds, shouting to the world "We will always be here and we shall persevere!" would be the most fitting memorial to what America had been prior to 9/11/2001.

It also , to me, represents those who were lost and the untimely journey they were forced to take - heavenward.

I listen to all the remembrances of that day. I have my own, though hardly dramatic. I am reminded of the heroics preformed, of which the NYFD as a group and Todd Beamer as an individual have become the iconic symbols. As the years have passed I also add our men and women in uniform, making a trilogy. The sacrifices they have made after the fact are still being made to this day.

But whatever happened to America? Remember how the country pulled together? Congress, as one, singing 'God Bless America' on the steps of the Capitol?

There was a bit of governmental arrogance that allowed 9/11 to happen. Those owners of private flight schools who tried to report questionable students who were ignored. Security agencies who wouldn't share information and sources. Then all of a sudden it all came together.

Then, as time passed, the objective of justice became muddied. We expanded our horizons beyond 9/11 and created a monster that still has us in it's clutches. Add to that totally unrelated circumstances, we've become a nation divided on just about everything. Just look at Congress and the administration. They're going at one another like banshees. It's time for it to stop.

So why is this anniversary so timely? Because it is as vivid a reminder as we can get as to just what and who Americans are. Those fireman would still have rushed into the inferno whether or not they had been members of a union. Those young men and women offered themselves up for combat because they believed in our country and what we're supposed to represent.

Todd Beamer and those who were with him represent the selflessness of Americans as a whole. I see it on a daily basis in our community. Simple things in comparison, perhaps. Like the community coming forward to buy a new bike for a youngster who had his stolen the very day he bought it. Small. Yes. But selfless. That's who the true people American people are.

On this anniversary of 9/11 perhaps it's time for the government to be more reflective of the people it represents rather than the other way around. Look at those beacons. Shining brightly for the world to see. We rose from the rubble. We're here. We shall persevere. Don't ever, ever doubt it.

Watching A Presidency Crumble

2011-09-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

I had hoped for more from the President last evening. I think most Americans did. He succeeded in the one thing at which he excels. The ability to scold and veil threats.

Also to leave out substance. It doesn't take a student of politics to know that short term fixes are not the way to generate confidence. It leaves nothing more than the uncertainty employers and lenders already have, not to mention the rest of us in dire straits. There was no talk of eliminating crippling regulations or making changes in the taxing structure permanent, or at least long term.

An admonishment of the union thugs in Washington state cutting brake lines and ruining cargo would have been nice. An admonishment of Jimmy Hoffa's rhetoric toward the Tea Party would have been nice too. But no. He just pointed his finger at Congress. True, they are culpable, both parties, yet he refused to acknowledge his lack of leadership as part of the problem.

One thing I have to give him and his like minded cohorts credit for, if credit is the word. They truly think their way is the right way. Why else would they cling to an ideology that has been proven, time after time after time, not to work?

If the Republicans get their act together and actually nominate someone who can beat Mr. Obama, I will in a very sincere way, be sad. I believed Obama to be one of the best and the brightest of his generation regardless of race. I didn't ask enough questions nor probe more deeply. It was a disservice to him. We voters elevated him, in our dreams, above his level of competence. We've gotten in return a portrait of bull headedness and naievity that has had no equal in Presidential politics in recent times.

What's even more sad is that the Republicans seem to have taken little from the lesson in front of us. The right wing ideologues are holding the party hostage to a one sided dialog with no wiggle room.

Someone needs to break free, someone who we can have faith in because they have an actual record, someone who will tell it like it is and let the consequences fall where they may.

Actually there are those trying to do so. The media is paying them little if any mind. Why are we allowing them to dictate the terms? They too are holding us hostage to their ideology.

If it works we'll be seen as a nation of sheep without a shepard. Talk about the fleecing of America!

A Case Against Big Government

2011-09-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's too hot to do much of anything today. So I'm thinking 'out loud' as I sit here browsing through headlines. Here's one that caught my eye. The U.S. has fallen to 5th in global competitiveness. We were number one as recently as 2008.

Why? The Global Economic Forum, who did the rating, says it's because of our huge deficits and declining public faith in government. Well, yes. It has become painfully obvious over the past several years. Yet, if the Democrats had their way they would continue to borrow more, spend more, tax more and regulate more until government would be all there is.

Why is it that they don't realize their way doesn't work? Does anyone really expect Obama's speech on jobs to be anything other than a continuation of current policy? Or lack of it?

The way I see it, government doesn't do much of anything well. This goes beyond party. It goes to the lack of expertise by those who write the legislation and regulations and pass the laws. Take Obamacare as an example. Remember when Nancy Pelosi jubilantly cheered it's passing by saying it was then time to read it and find out what was in it? Doesn't that say everything needed to be said about big and in this case one sided government?

We elect congress but we don't make the committee assignments. We don't choose the cabinet. How many people in the cabinet are experts in their field of assignment rather than political cronies or big time supporters of the President? What did Janet Napolitano know of the intracacies of homeland security? Does being from a border state suffice?

The two party system is a saving grace of sorts. When we finally have our fill of one we boot them out and install the other. Then they try to undo what the previous had done. It's a wonder anything gets done. I think it may be better that way. When one party controls both houses and the Presidency we get frighteningly close to a dictatorship.

In this administration we elected a blank slate to the Presidency and wrote on it what each of us wanted to see. We had best not make that mistake again. We escaped this time with an ineffectual leader with an ideology that would ruin this country beyond repair had he had any skills. He and his have done enough damage as is. This we got thanks to war fatigue, a weak opponent with an even weaker choice as a backup. At least McCain had a history that could be traced and verified.

If government would shrink back within the lines and quit trying to do what they want instead of what we want, things would be much better. Shoot. Outlaw regulations! Outlaw unfunded mandates! Keep our military strong and our infrastructure sound and we, the people, will take care of the rest.

What do we gain by closing down a kid's lemonade stand? A youngster soured on entrepreneurship. Instead of learning how to make money and fend for themselves, they'll ask Dad for more allowance. I wonder if that's how welfare states get started. Just leave them, and the rest of us alone. If their lemonade isn't any good the competition from the kids on the next block will make it known. They'll either fix it or fail. My bet is, given the chance, they'll fix it. It's the American way. Not the government's.

Morality Can't Be Legislated

2011-09-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Old Mother Hubbard. I wonder if she was a single mother. She certainly wasn't gay.

I get concerned every time our political candidates pander to a special interest group. Like the unions. Or the christian conservatives. I don't want either dictating the laws of the land.

The unions are a whole different ball game than the christian conservatives, however. I just don't think social issues are the most important agenda item at this point in time and holding a politician's feet to the fire by threatening to withhold votes is as unjust as government mandates. It is, in a sense, a voter mandate but not necessarily a mandate from the majority of voters.

I think their concerns regarding abortion and gay marriage belong in an entirely different arena. Especially, as with some of the previous candidates for national office, keeping their own families in check hasn't worked out particularly well. Isn't that where morality should begin? In the home within the family?

Of course that only holds if there is a family, which goes to the same point. Morality. Almost every hard luck story I heard on the news over the weekend involved a single mother. It led me to wonder why so many were single. It wasn't race. Has having kids out of wedlock now become an entitlement rather than a disgrace?

One story in particular struck me for its absurdity. It was about the couponing phenomenon. It told of a young woman who was so into it she stole papers from vending machines to get the extra coupon inserts. "Hey," she said, "I'm a single mom. I do what I have to do to support my kids." Does being a single parent now excuse stealing? I don't care if it's a newspaper, it's stealing. Where's the morality in that?

And gay marriage. Or civil unions. Never mind. I've beaten this one to death on many previous occasions. What I do know is I have a cousin living in Iowa who is gay. He and his partner were about the fifth couple in the state to marry when it became legal. The sky didn't fall. They both still have productive happy lives. They are loved by one another, family and friends. And, oh, yes. They were together thirty years before it was legal for them to marry. So what's to the issue? They were together anyway! What's wrong with wanting a legal bond?

I'm encouraged that the Republicans have candidates that are trying to bring an air of reason to the race. Of those Romney and Huntsman thus far seem to be the only ones speaking to the middle. Cain and Gingrich have a lot to add to the debate but I don't see their overall chances improving.

There is a time and place for the morality sought after by the christian conservatives, to be sure. I wonder, however, if abortion would be the issue it is if basic morality was taught to the young at home during their most impressionable years. Certainly unwed motherhood could once again bear the pall it had when I was a teen and young adult. Boy, talk about the generation gap!

And back to the gays. You cannot legislate a person's sexual orientation. Unlike what Ms. Bachmann and her husband would have us believe, you are what you are. At least that is my belief. As my cousin said when asked if he was sure he was "gay" he incredulously wondered, "Why would anyone put themselves through what a gay goes through if they weren't?"

Let's look at the economy, jobs, war and maybe even peace, what we need to do to make this country what it once was. If we return to prosperity perhaps we'll have something other to occupy our brains and bodies than busybodying and breeding.

I'm No Pigeon!

2011-09-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I was looking out the window toward our pond garden when I saw what appeared to be a rather large bird.

Due to hawks in the area, our song birds are non-existent this summer so I was wondering if our neighborhood Cooper's Hawk was getting exceedingly bold.

My eyes, even with my glasses, aren't quite what they used to be so I got a small pair of binoculars and had a look. Good heavens, it was a pigeon!

I went on about my chores for a time then looked again. It was still there. My supposition was that it was injured and I so informed Hub. "Just let him be for awhile and see what happens," said he.

Lunch time and it was still there. I called a local vet that I had heard has a person on staff with experience with birds. Sixty dollars to look at it I was told. I wasn't even sure I could corral it so I let things be.

After I had come home from an appointment Hub informed me my bird was gone. I looked around quite thoroughly and figured it had regained its senses or whatever had been bothering it and had indeed moved on.

Noon today I went out to feed the pond fish and there was my pigeon. Quite tame, it never spooked as I approached. There were bands on both its legs.

I remembered our friend who had the kennel where we boarded Bacchus raised racing pigeons so I called him and told him about the bands. "It could be one of mine", he said and within the hour was at our door with net and crate. Of course pigeon was long gone.

Leaving crate and net just in case he returned home and we went about our business. Later I went to re-pot some plants and heard a cooing. Where was he? Sitting on the rolled up window shade on our deck which it had well decorated. We played tag for a bit and finally I managed to get the net over it long enough to gather it into my hands and into the crate.

Off to the kennel I went. It wasn't his bird. It was a sorely depleted racing bird from perhaps as far away as Boise, the information was on the bands. "Don't you want to keep him?" my friend asked. "They usually don't want an errant bird back."

We figured it might have gotten off course during a trial run in a wind storm we had a few nights before and it ended up in our yard. Lots of seeds from the grasses and trees and lots of water from the pond and a pigeon for a sad story living at the address.

Sorry, I just can't take on a pigeon even though I rather liked this guy. It was sweet tempered, it's feathers soft and silky and it's cooing infectious.

My friend has promised to try to find where it belonged or, if healthy, perhaps keep it. I hope. I miss the song birds of summer but I'd not like the pigeon to suffer the same fate even though it's just a pigeon.

I know hawks have to eat too, but not in my yard - and not my pigeon!

We Need A Centrist Media

2011-08-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

As I listen to and read the media hype about the Republican candidates, I wonder if Rick Perry didn't have the head of hair he has would he be getting the same amount of attention. I'm not hearing ideas. Only self aggrandisement and criticism of what is.

Actually I'm getting tired of the cult of personality ruling the headlines. Where the heck are the centrists and independents? I do my best but with my handful of readers, many who rarely agree with me, I have no impact.

What we need is a press corp who will pay attention to candidates who actually have ideas rather than those playing to a specific crowd. The conservatives get far more press than they deserve while the moderates get very little. Who is covering Romney and Huntsman? Especially Huntsman who is probably the best of the lot though there are subjects on which I disagree with him. That's to be expected. But where is he? What is he talking about these days? The same with Romney. I could care less whether or not he and Perry like one another.
And Herman Cain. Is his lack of press because they feel he has no chance? Even Ron Paul who always makes a good showing in the polls.

If the center lets the far right steal the march it will be their own fault for not being vocal enough, though admittedly it's difficult to be vocal if no one picks up on it.

I heard today Sarah Palin is heading to New Hampshire over the Labor Day weekend to talk jobs. Speculation has it she's getting ready to enter the race. With a little bit of luck Bachmann, Perry and Palin will cancel each other out.

If it's true they all need the independents to win, they certainly aren't showing it. No one is wooing us in either party. But this isn't about the Democrats unless the progressives succeed in getting Hillary to mount a challenge. It's about the Republicans and a laughably weak field unless you happen to be a staunch Christian Conservative.

I hear about third party efforts all the time but they have no traction. A non-party, the Tea Party, has hijacked the process with demands that make no sense yet the moderate Republicans seem so afraid of losing their congressional seats they've been rendered impotent. Some choice. Far left or far right. It's said the pendulum always swings back. The problem is the political pendulum we're now witnessing just swings from one extreme to the other. It seems to be in perpetual motion with no signs of slowing, what's more stopping - in the center.

Let The Politicians Talk!

2011-08-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

I knew it was only a matter of time before one of the Christian Conservative types would suggest that the recent upheaval of Mother Nature on the East Coast would be deemed a warning from the almighty. I just wasn't sure which one nor what the warning would be.

Claiming it was said in jest, The Financial Times reported Michele Bachmann had this to say.

"I don't know how much God has to do to get to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said 'are you going to start listening to me here? Listen to the American people... They know the government is on a morbid obesity diet and we've got to rein in spending'."

Had any other politician said this, with the exception of Rick Perry, I would agree it was said in jest, but with Bachmann I'm not so sure. And that's the problem. Any time one of the candidates suggests that God has a hand in anything political I'm uncomfortable. It makes me question what guides them politically. God or the good sense I'd like to think He gave them. If indeed he did. They don't seem to be using it.

Perry, of course took his lumps when he suggested if the Bernanke printed more money before the 2012 election it would be nearly treasonous. Again, a poor choice of words though I don't think it was meant in the way it was taken and I think the press over reacted.

It's a sad state of affairs these days, that a politician has to watch every word and phrase they utter less the press pounce upon it. Look at Maxine Waters and her statement that the Tea Party could go to hell. She's merely articulating, in the exact words, what many think.

Truthfully, I think we should let them speak freely. It gives us better insight as to who they are. Ms. Bachmann is obviously joined at the hip with her religion. I'm not sure what Mr. Perry is yet but I don't think the Bernanke comment should be a game breaker.

Mr. Bush used to shoot from the lip with a degree of regularity and Obama often reacts before thinking things through. If the media continually attacks a turn of a phrase they will end up saying very little. We certainly don't want that. Consider what propelled Obama into the White House. His ability to say very little. I say let them talk!

Maybe These Vacations Aren't All That Bad!

2011-08-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Summer isn't my favorite time to travel, being basically an unsociable type. I much prefer late spring or fall. In the summer it's nice to just chill at home. While everyone else is on vacation!

Bloggers blog less frequently. Facebook updates are more about travel and family than politics. Other than the occasional earthquake or hurricane, things just sort of drift along. The living is easy.

I've concluded that both the President and Congress are exactly where they should be this idyllic time of year. Out of Washington D.C. Where they can do no harm. Hopefully.

If you stay away from the O'Reillys and Gretas and Hannitys and Cooper and Blitzer and probably the MSNBC group which I no longer watch its pretty nice. If you do watch any of them it's like a soap opera where the same story line progresses at a snail's pace for months. It's hard to get behind. What the 'conservative' mouthpieces are doing is continuing to blame Obama for everything. The liberals continue to blame Bush. Ho hum.

If you listen very carefully, though, you'll find that guests that are always in agreement with the hosts are also in short supply. If you really listen carefully you'll hear those guests lay blame where it really belongs. Congress. After all, they are the ones who have passed the legislation that has gotten us into this mess. Both parties over quite a long time. And of course the Presidents who have signed it. All the Presidents for quite a long time. Republican and Democrat. But not just the Presidents.

So vacation is good. It gives us a break from it. It gives Congress a break from it and it gives the President a break from it.

As fall approaches with it's brilliant blue skies and refreshing nip in the air, we can only hope Congress will come back refreshed too. And the President. And that somewhere along the way they actually interacted with their constituents and listened to them. Listened to them. That the needs of the nation will suddenly become more important than partisan politics and re-election.

Ahhh, dream on woman, dream on. Enjoy it while you can. I feel the heat of the campaign isn't akin to Indian Summer as much as a precursor of the deep freeze that comes with winter. Will it be the weather or politics that chill us to the bone? I'll hope for the weather but bet on politics.

Not The Best Week For The President

2011-08-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I actually feel sorry for the guy. When even the Black Caucus states they're tired of making excuses for him, you know things aren't going well.

He's being criticized for his shiny big new black bus. Never mind it and it's companion have been in the works for years. Do mind, however, it was made in Canada. It's a rolling fortress. Strange, for a country supposedly ruled by laws, not men.

It's tough when one of your secret service men gets picked up for a DUI in Iowa! He obviously wasn't in Ames unless the Ames Purity League that ruled the roost when I was in college has eased up. At the time you could only get 3.2 beer. But then maybe the Secret Service has more sophisticated tastes. College kids' beverages of choice was either the 3.2 beer or sloe gin and coke. Makes my stomach churn just thinking about it! But then college kids were poor in those days not to mention mostly underage.

Then too, there's the criticism that the President has no clue as to how to create jobs except continue what has already failed. Pour more money into the government. Do you get the feeling that he just doesn't get it?

Maybe he needs a vacation. Oh, yeah, he's going to Martha's Vineyards to hob nob with all those rich folks. You know, the private jet set he so wants to tax. If he hadn't been there before I'd wonder how he'll be received. The only one that will be put out will be the folks like you and me who will lose hotel rooms, beach space and restaurant tables. Oh well. Go some place else.

We are. Another mini vacation for the remainder of the week. There's a western art show in Helena and The Bair Family Museum outside Martinsdale is having it's grand re-opening after a make over to protect its art treasures. Montana. No beaches, that's for sure. No secret service. Maybe some security personnel but nothing obtrusive. Just big sky and fresh air and georgeous scenery.

I wouldn't trade him my week nor my vacation!

Speaking Of Compromise

2011-08-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

With Rick Perry now in the race for the Republican nomination and Tim Pawlenty gone, I'm wondering just what it is we want in our next President, assuming we don't want to re-elect Obama, and what are we are willing to compromise on to get him or her.

So far I've heard mostly negatives on everyone. So what is it? Do we want another empty suit? Someone who so stuns us with personality that we look no further? I don't.

Someone who espouses social issues above all else? Like gay marriage and abortion? No. Abortion at the moment is the law of the land and I have no problem with gay marriage though civil unions seem sensible in states willing to accept it as an alternative to something labeled 'marriage'.

Someone who has business experience and no governmental experience? Someone who has governmental experience yet no foreign policy experience? I could go on and on with likely combinations depending on the candidate. Somewhere along the line we're going to have to decide among ourselves just which issues are the most important to us and look for who is strongest in those area. None of the candidates can be all things to all people.

What I will be watching closely, something I didn't do enough of with Obama, are the positions on the issues and the strategy for solving them.

I do know one thing. To be against our present President, his policies, his leadership, the direction in which the country is going, it seems to me to be a cop out to say we'd not vote for any of the opposing candidates. To think the present is the better choice negates everything the other candidates have to offer.

In a rare show of optimism, I'm positive that if I compromise on the qualifications for the perfect candidate I will find one who is more than acceptable. Congress is being asked to compromise in order to get the country moving. If part of that equation is to include new leadership, we too are going to have to compromise. We just need to be seriously well informed on who we choose.

Palin's Fadin' While Bachmann's Rockin'

2011-08-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Iowa Straw Poll 2011 is history. I find it amusing and annoying at the same time. Amusing that the media pays so much attention to what is fund raiser for the Iowa Republican Party and annoying they put so much truck into a circus that has Bachmann the winner by 200 +/- votes over Ron Paul who I feel has no chance to win the nomination. What is, however, is what is.

I will admit that I have to go to Bachmann's web site to see if she has begun articulating how she is going to achieve all of about which she rants. Especially if the House and Senate go Democratic or at least the balance goes against her. That seems to be the question always left out. How? And too, she isn't alone. No one is asked and no one volunteers. Except Herman Cain, but this isn't about him.

That aside, Sarah Palin is still skulking around the sidelines seeking attention. It is neither the time nor the place for a tease, but then that's Palin. I thought it time to compare these two women just in case of a worst case scenario!

I watched Bachmann with Chris Wallace this morning and saw an attractive, articulate candidate, one who dresses and conducts herself in a professional manner. No cutesy poo expressions, no wink wink.

I haven't seen much substance from either. As I said, I need to do my homework on Bachmann. Palin has hijacked the limelight since McCain lost in 2008 and I've seen no growth in substance other than being able to ad lib from pre-received talking points when swapping intellectualisms with Sean Hannity.

Bachmann is out there on the front lines. Fielding the jabs, espousing her stands and doing rather well at it. Palin? She seems to drop in like an uninvited guest. If she enters the race I do believe she'll do it to deny Bachmann, but if so she may have underestimated how tired people have become of her. She's been replaced by a Congresswoman who actually has a record even if not sterling and a real Governor, Rick Perry, who would, I expect, make mince meat of her in a debate.

Whether or not I change my opinion of Michele Bachmann remains to be seen. However, if I had to choose between these two women there is no contest. Bachmann seems to genuinely care about the country. Palin seems to genuinely care about herself. Rock on Michele!

Good Bye Old Friend

2011-08-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

No, not Bacchus. He left us two years ago this month. It seems like yesterday and we still miss him terribly. It's the couch. His couch, really. He played on it, ate on it, we snuggled on it but mostly he slept on it.

We've had it for better than 20 years. It was a purchase we made from the model house we bought in Simi Valley. That was back in the eighties! It has been recovered only once - when it moved from living room into family room. Then we let our guard down and allowed the dogs on it. Most came only when invited. Bacchus owned it.

Recently I've had two good friends lose their dogs. One unabashedly declared not only did he love his dog, but he was in love with his dog. Then wondered if we understood the depth of his feeling. Of course we did.

The other, being a Buddist, is hoping her dog will return to her via reincarnation. Not being Buddist, I'm not sure how that works, but again, the depth of feeling. Being widowed and totally alone she feels lost without him. I worry about a degree of obsession with her but I understand the grief.

In time I hope the zest for life without their beloved pets returns. Ours has though it has been a slow process. Mainly I think because we haven't and don't plan to get another dog. There are a slew of reasons.

Reminders remain around the house though. There are still some cans of food in the laundry room pantry. His Mutt Lucks and grooming tools. A couple of water dishes. I still find tufts of fur stuck under a piece of furniture seldom moved. And the couch.

We decided when he first got sick, when we knew the couch was due for replacement, that we wouldn't get rid of it as long as we had him. And so we kept it, and kept it and kept it. It was comfortable, well broken in and pretty thread bare. Yet we were reluctant to make that move.

But it's time now. New recliners suitable for old couch potatoes have taken it's place. I'm happy with them for they too are comfortable. I'll miss that old couch though. It was a part of what made the house our home. I miss the old dog too, who was even more so.

Red State Blue State

2011-08-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

My entire focus on red and blue states recently have been my garden.

Everything political is in limbo until situations shake out. I can only write about my disgust and disappointment and frustration so many times.

Last night, however, I indulged myself in the FOX Republican debate. Not much else was on. Hub wasn't interested so he cleaned up his office while I had complete control of the remote and was able to watch the entire debate uninterrupted. That in of itself was a rare pleasure!

Anyway, to parallel my gardening efforts, you can see Red is ripe for the picking and Blue, well they've proved themselves not yet ready for prime time. Nice fruit though, don't you think?

I have some strong feelings about who I would not support yet none on who I might. Just for the record and future reference, this is how last night struck me.

Bachmann - she said nothing of substance other than she is a fighter for her principles. I had to agree with Santorum when he said fighting for a stance and losing time after time does not show leadership. She's a featherweight at best though I know people love her. I don't.

Pawlenty - lacks anything approaching charisma. I don't think the exchanges between he and Bachmann stood him in good stead. He just doesn't light my fire.

Romney - is Romney. He does have business credentials and government credentials and has potential. He certainly wants it bad enough. But again, he doesn't get my juices flowing.

Huntsman - interesting background. I think he'd be more solid on foreign policy than any of the others. And again, a good business and governmental background.

Paul - a very angry and frustrated man. I agree with him on some of his stances, others I consider undoable because of being more extreme than voters will accept. I'm not quite a Libertarian I guess.

Santorum - he wants it but I'm not sure what he stands for. Another one who just doesn't touch me. A bit too socially conservative for me also.

Newt - wow! He did well. He is a very bright man and certainly had the back story on everything he espoused. I agree with him on the issues discussed but wonder if his baggage will be the deciding factor. He certainly doesn't take any guff from the press. His wife may be problematic too.

Cain - I like him though I don't think he has a chance. My guess is we'll be back to bland white men for awhile. He should at least get a high profile cabinet post should the Republicans win. He's smart and precise and has a great sense of humor. He's the most refreshing candidate out there. I think, though, his lack of government involvement may hurt. I'd like to think I'm wrong.

So that's it. I've got to go pick those raspberries now. I do know what to expect from them!

The Downgrade SHOULD Be A Wake Up Call

2011-08-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

The possibility of a down grade in the U.S. credit rating has been like a ticking bomb for months. It has been downgraded long before now by others than S&P but no one paid much attention to it. At least it wasn't widely reported in the press.

Now all of a sudden the reality has hit and what do we do? We look for someone to blame. It's the Tea Party's fault. It's the Democrats, the Republicans, Obama's and of course George Bush. Pick one. How about all of the above!

So what do we do. We attack Standard and Poor. They are immature and foolish. Their numbers are wrong. Of course they've never been wrong before as long as they gave us the AAA rating. And they warned us. As have the others. Moody's and Fitch. The market answered by taking a nose dive even though it was only one of three rating agencies. But as I pointed out the other two haven't given us a pass.

So what's it all about? We spend more than we take in and we've passed our limit. We've borrowed so much that default looms unless we borrow even more and the lenders are saying, "Awww, I don't know how they're ever going to get ahead enough to repay us. So we'll charge them higher interest to protect ourselves." Of course that's a double edged sword and if we did default, they'd be out. Debt forgiveness? I wouldn't hold my breath.

When you boil down all the rhetoric, what we're being told is the rating agencies see no sign that we're able to get beyond our partisan bickering to put forth a budget that shows a plan for the way back. Heck, the Democrats haven't put out a budget for two years. There is a law against that. So what?

The President rejects everything that's been put forward whether it was good or bad plus offering no guidance on how he sees a fix. The rest of the world is now wondering where it can go for a stable currency. Switzerland comes to mind.

So the President is going to move on to jobs. I've got a clue for him. With the economy in the tank there will be no jobs. Tea Party take note. You took us to the brink, making us look like fools and got nothing for it. Democrats take note. Put out a budget. Republicans take note. Work with the Democrats ~ and vice versa including the Tea Party. Of course being on vacation for the month we've heard little from you.

We've not heard much from the candidates either. But Standard and Poor is hearing something loud and clear. We've no act to get together. I hate to say we deserve what's happening, but we're the ones who put the people in office. Strange, isn't it, that we elected an administration and Congress who are deaf, dumb and blind.

A wake up call is only helpful if it's heard, the issue talked about as a national problem rather than a partisan pain in the neck and seen in the first place. I fear that alarm may be a silent one. The gang of twelve yet to be appointed will probably have a great deal to do with what Moody's and Fitch decide in the not too distant future. I've heard little optimism from financial experts. What an endorsement of our government!

What happens if they fail? I fear Nancy Pelosi's dramatic statement about saving life on the planet as we know it may become a very haunting refrain.

Taiwan ~ Between A Rock And A Hard Place

2011-08-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

It has been said that California is too big to govern. I sometimes wonder if the same isn't true of this country. As we look back on the theater that had been going on in Congress that has netted us nothing positive, we sigh with relief that at least it has been put to rest for awhile. I expect nothing positive to come out of the committee of twelve that will be assigned to find budget cuts. It's rather hard to do with no budget.

Another distraction has been the hype beginning to form around the upcoming Iowa straw poll. I watch the ground swell around Michele Bachmann and wonder if we will ever learn that personality alone does not equate presidential material.

Meanwhile, back in the rest of the world, countries are struggling with their own financial problems - and wars. I wonder if the people of Syria are wondering where the United States is. Doing what we seem to do best. Posturing.

Then there is China and it's ongoing ambition to crush the independence out of Taiwan. We have an agreement with Taiwan, the Taiwan Relations Act, to supply them with the weapons needed to defend themselves against China's aggression. They need F-16s, badly. They have old ones, but they are no longer adequate to do the job. We have been asked to commence the sale, but so far, as seems to be a habit with this administration, have turned a deaf ear on the request.

Admittedly, we do have a problem. China does not want us to sell Taiwan the F-16s. So what to do? Risk war with China in defense of Taiwan or leave Taiwan as a sitting duck with inadequate air power?

According to The Wall Street Journal , Mr. Obama is leaning against the sale. He doesn't want to risk irritating China. We all understand why. As he cuts our defense budget, the Chinese have grown theirs some 70% over the last five years! Ouch!

The order would also provide American jobs to produce the plane, perhaps even saving the production line that's due to close down in 2013. So what to do? A word bandied about quite a bit that has often been empty. Compromise? Refurbish the old planes but don't sell any new ones. Why do I doubt that would bring the aircraft to speed?

What does it tell the rest of the world? That the U.S. won't stand up to a bully no matter how important it is to a friend? Bullies. Let me see. Russia. China. The Saudis. Iran. Syria. Libya. Maybe that's the idea. How many more need be added to the list before we won't have any friends left for which to stand?

The President's Mirror On The Wall

2011-08-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

The debt ceiling has been raised. What that means is the government is now able to spend more money. Yet the country's unemployment rate still hovers just under 10%. Future prospects remain dismal.

So what does the President do to empathize with the people he governs? Throws a birthday bash where it costs ten grand to have a picture taken with him and over thirty five thousand to gain entry to the dinner. Just one of many celebrations to be held around the country hosted by various insiders. Of course it's a campaign event. So why the heck would he want to burden the rich with more taxes? It would mean less for him.

Him. Him. Him. It's always him. I used to think he was just uninformed when it comes to matters of protocol. That he has a tin ear. Returning the bust of Churchill to the Brits the day he took office. Giving the Queen an i-Pod filled with his own speeches. Bowing to every world leader who lacks the stature to deserve it. Never mind that we bow to no one.

If you love the guy it makes no matter. But one does at times wonder why he won't release his college transcripts, or the flap over his birth certificate. If it was by design to add to the aura of mystery. There has to be some reason why he is referred to as the 'Sun King' or the 'Annoited One' even though it's by his detractors. It alludes to ego and arrogance.

Then I cam across an article by Israeli psychologist Sam Vaknin who suggests Obama may have narcissistic tendencies if he isn't an outright narcissist. Dr. Vaknin is considered an expert on personality disorders in general and Narcissistic Personality Disorder in particular.

If you sometimes wonder what makes our President tick, this is an interesting read and explains a lot. It may also explain the way Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reacts to him since it is his fellow countryman who has noted the parallels.

Many of you will totally disregard this premise, others might see a glimmer of truth in it. I found the parallels interesting and food for thought.

Do We Really Want To Soak The Rich?

2011-08-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. Everyone wants to be rich. I find that thought rich with irony. Let's face it. An awful lot of us, when we're not thinking tax implications, we're playing lotto or the slots or the ponies or whatever else on which one can wager. Always hoping.

We know the President wants wealth to be shared. I have a problem making someone who has worked hard to earn it have to share it with those who have not. That, however, could be a completely different post.

But let's look at it. Those billboards that tell you what the current jackpots for Powerball and Mega Millions are. Let's look at a recent Mega Millions jackpot worth $85,000,000. A nice tidy sum to be sure. How much of that would you actually get if you want the lump sum? First, because you take the lump sum you get whacked for an amount the takes it down to $56,000,000. Whew! Than the tax man shows up. The Feds want 25%. A cool $14,000,000 taking you down to $42,000,000. Then the states want their share. In Idaho where I live, it would be 7.8%, another $4,368,000 leaving you with $37,360,000. Now that's nothing to sneeze at, but neither is what has been subtracted for the tax men!

At $37 million you would definitely be considered rich. Since it's over $10million, you'd be among the 5% of taxpayers paying 50% of the taxes. And they would tell you you're not paying your fair share.

It's also interesting to me that 231 of 535 members of Congress are millionaires and 55 of them are over that $10 million mark. The most wealthy is a Republican, Darrell Issa, who's worth is in the vicinity of $300 million. Rounding out the top three are Democrats Jane Harman at $293 million, thanks to her husband's efforts and John Kerry, thanks to his wife's former husband's efforts, the late John Heinz.

If they think the wealthy aren't paying their fair share than they should write a check to the treasury! Though it seems Kerry was reluctant to pay the taxes on his yacht, docking it in neighboring Rhode Island where taxes are less burdensome than his home state of Massachusetts. The yacht cost a mere $7 million. Massachusetts wanted $500,000.

Does he figure what's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander? Who knows. I just got to wondering how it would feel if the shoe were on the other foot. Unless I win that lottery, I'll never know. I can't even imagine having the dollar amount of what they pay in taxes as income.

I don't resent them. We're comfortable. I'm sure they have tax breaks and loopholes that I couldn't begin to name. Some should undoubtedly be snugged up; especially if they aren't available to everyone. But to say they don't pay their fair share. I'm not so sure when in 2009 47% paid no federal taxes at all.

The next chapter is about to begin. The President wants to "invest". He has to pay for investments by raising revenue. That means taxes. It's only money. But whose?

The Country Held Hostage By One Special Interest

2011-07-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm shaking my head in bemusement as I write this. The mainstream Republican plan for getting the country out of it's financial crisis is flawed to say the least. Better plans have been sabotaged by all sides. Speaker Boehner could not gather the votes to pass it last night so he tweaked it today.

He added a provision that would insist on a balanced budget amendment. It won't pass the Senate. It's not a good idea anyway unless it makes provision for unexpected happenings like another Katrina or another Iraq or Afghanistan. More off the books budgeting? And what is gained?

What really makes me angry, however, is that through the past several weeks the country, no the world, has been waiting and watching to see how this little drama is going to play out. We still don't know. But the idea that the Club for Growth with their threats toward Tea Partiers could hold intelligent compromise hostage for an ideal that cannot be passed just baffles me.

Last night the shoe seemed on the other foot. Tea Partier after Tea Partier appeared on camera declaring their fidelity to a plan not even on paper, not caring whether or not they were re-elected. If true how come the Club for Growth has so much sway? Oh my, you don't suppose there might be a tad of hypocrisy going around do you?

These who wouldn't budge because they were doing the 'peoples' bidding. Oh? It doesn't sound that way to me. I don't think they are sure what they stand for but as long as their jobs are secure I don't think they care.

There's something to be said for new blood to elicit change but not when it comes to sacrificing the country in a pig headed manner, knowing full well they aren't going to win the war. That will come later this weekend, hopefully, when the leaders of both houses sit down and hammer out the details of a compromise.

Last night one commentator remarked that the Republicans had become slaves of their own rituals. It sounds like some spooky religion, doesn't it? Who ever thought the sacrifice they'd offer up to those gods of rituals would be the fiscal stability and reputation of a nation.
Our nation. And theirs.

Pelosi To The Rescue!

2011-07-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

The current debt ceiling/deficit debate going on is important to be sure. I've been doing a lot of ranting and raving about it for days now. I must thank the former speaker, however, for adding some much needed levity with the comment,

"What we’re trying to do is save the world from the Republican budget . . . We’re trying to save life on this planet as we know it today."

Oh, don't I wish! I wonder if she has a clue how idiotic that sounds. It's right up there with her comment when health care passed; she said we could then all read it and find out what was in it! To think this woman is one of the most powerful in the country.

Oh well, a good belly laugh now and then is good for the soul. Forget the flaws in the Republican plan - and the Democratic plan. Or that neither side trusts the other to keep their word. The problem is where both parties have taken us with their unlimited spending spree.

Somehow I just don't see Nancy saving us from what she herself and others like her have done to the country. Life as it is today isn't so great when you consider the unemployment rate, the housing crunch, the cost of gas and food and the humility thrust upon us by the TSA to mention a few.

Do us a favor Ms. Pelosi. Don't bother. As for the rest of the world? Do it a favor and leave it alone. They've managed to muck things up for themselves just as well, if not better, than we have, but the last thing they need is our help. It would be like someone with a face full of Botox being asked to furrow their brow!

Politics As A Double Negative

2011-07-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

As the debate over deficit reduction and debt ceiling drags on, I've drawn a couple of conclusions from recent reading. Let me try them out on you.

Let me address the members of congress who got there on the strength of tea party support first. The more I see of them and listen to them the more I am convinced none of them could have gotten elected left to their own devices. Without tea party support they had nothing to offer against their opponents, especially other Republicans, except they were smart enough to know capitalizing on tea party issues could do the job.

For some it didn't work. Thank heavens. For too many others it did. I sense they haven't a clue about how government works. I also think they are deluded if they really believe they were elected to do the very thing they were to be against, diminishing this country to the level of Europe. That's what their refusal to compromise on these debates is doing. And, it's what Obama wants - for us to be on an equal level with Europe and no longer the leader that had been our destiny. They were not elected to be obstructionists, but to find solutions. The country was to come first, not ideology!

The more moderate Republicans are afraid of being 'primaried' by the likes of Grover Norquist who runs around with his 'pledges', threatening to run candidates against them if they don't sign. Any politician who does is foolish. Norquist is a self-appointed arbiter of what's good for all of us. Why anyone pays him any attention is beyond me but enough do and they fear him.

Hand in glove with all this, and my second theory, is the idea that public office should not be any one's career goal. It wasn't intended that way, yet when I look at how office holders prostitute themselves to rise in the leadership ranks turns my stomach.

When George Nethercutt wrote recently about the climb to leadership, he had this to say.

When a member chooses a career path to congressional leadership, a member's independence is often compromised in favor of the leadership team, and the member's constituents are sometimes left behind.

Could anything be more damning? I think not. It gives you a pretty good idea what congressional leadership is all about. Themselves. What about the country? What country. Nothing exists outside of Washington. Except the rest of the world.

Maybe, as has been suggested in times of frustration about the middle east, we should build a fence around them so they can't get out and leave them to their own devices.

We, the people would have to do it though. Those folks in Washington can't even get a secure one build along our border!

Pass the debt ceiling! The next congress isn't beholden to anything the current one does anyway. The deficit can't be fixed without a budget. There is no budget. Continuing resolutions do nothing more than extend spending at current levels and solves nothing.

Do I sound angry? I am. Thoroughly fed up with all the posturing and politicking on all sides including the President.

They all need to grow up and start thinking about the country as a whole. And so do we, the voters, because we're the ones who put them in office and keep them there.

Whatever happened to "duty, honor, country"? Especially country. It starts with a 'C'. Not an 'R' or a 'D'.

Blog Fest 2011

2011-07-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

When you've been part of a community of bloggers for better than five years you see just about everything in the way of disparate personalities. Such is the case here in Coeur d'Alene where 'family squabbles' have been plenty throughout the years. Yet once a year most of us put those differences aside and gather at the annual blog fest to greet old friends and make new ones.

Why, some have even gotten to the point where they dress alike, or is it that blogger Herb Huseland so admires Huckleberries blog host Dave Oliveria he wants to emulate him in every way! This wasn't Dave's choice for the photo of the festivities but it certainly is mine!

There were a lot of new faces this year, and names I was unfamiliar with, because as in all things, the format is an ever evolving one. There are those of us who mostly blog. There are those that both blog and comment on Dave's blog and there are those who mostly just comment. Yet we all have the one thing in common that binds us together, Huckleberries Online . It has been quite a ride over the years. I've met people and been involved in so many things that would not have been possible without Huckleberries and Dave opening doors.

I hope his success and longevity continue, because whether or not I comment, his site is like the barbecue offered up for the feed. Once you get a taste of it, it's hard to stay away.

Far better photos can be found through links on Huckleberries but here a few of my own.

Photos

I think I have the only video however. You want to know what a blogger is? Take a look then describe what you saw! Good luck with that!

Politicians And That Pesky Old Religion

2011-07-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Michele Bachmann is a headache! Maybe even a migraine. She certainly creates, in me, as per possible side effects of a migraine, a degree of nausea and (a) disturbed vision!

Now, it seems she has left her church. She is ~ was ~ Lutheran. After having belonged to the church for at least ten years even if she hasn't attended, in favor of another, for the last two. It seems, after all those years, she finds herself questioning the Lutherans stand on the Pope and the Catholic view of how one attains salvation.

I left the church when I was in college for a number of reasons, not the least being witness to this doctrine being preached from the pulpit to numerous in the congregation from other countries and religions. I thought it showed an insensitivity to those exploring various religions, including Catholicism. And, personally, I never bought into the idea that an old man chosen by a group of his peers is truly God's representative on earth and the only way to salvation is through the Catholic church. I am also not Lutheran.

This, however, is beside the point. Did Ms. Bachmann not know what Lutheran doctrine was when she joined the church? Or is she just another politician saying, "Oops." Can't offend another religion by dissing the Pope. I wonder if her actions will really bring her more Catholic votes than if she had said and done nothing. And can that vote win her the election?

It's Friday, so I'm going to let my snarky side out. I'm wondering if her husband suggested she leave her church, or if God told her to leave her church, maybe through her husband, or what? If He instructed her as to who she should marry and what education she should pursue, certainly He had some say about this!

Is this not a good reason to leave religion out of politics? What it shows to me is someone so insecure about how they 'believe' they'll flee at the first sign of controversy. Come on. A politician can't be all things to all people. They need to understand that and so should the rest of us. Leaving one's church isn't the best way to show you have convictions and are willing to stand by them!

On that note, Jon Huntsman is beginning to look interesting. That he is a Mormon is of no matter to me. In fact, I've read that it's becoming cool to be Mormon since 'The Book of Mormon' opened on Broadway. What does that have to do with politics? Absolutely nothing. And that's the point.

Government Intelligence As An Oxymoron

2011-07-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Much has been written lately about the TSA overstepping the bounds of human decency in their near strip searches of the elderly and the very young, not to mention everyone in between! Sometimes I have to chuckle when I picture them trying to implant a bomb in an elderly person that they would set off themselves. And a rug rat still in diapers couldn't do it at all. I know kids are smarter younger, but there are also limits!

Do you ever wonder how big that bomb would have to be to actually take down a plane? Is there really technology that such a powerful bomb can be implanted without showing at least a bump under the skin? And where would they put it to make access easy without some noticeable contortions? By the time it blows granny to smithereens would there be not so much damage but rather a mess and a bunch very of irate passengers?

Okay, you can see where my head is today, but now for the serious side. The justification for TSA procedures comes from "chatter". We can't take the chance that no one has been corrupted. Meanwhile the terrorists know the buzz words to use, keep us in a tizzy and no doubt are enjoying our jumping through hoops immensely!

On the flip side, there is a real danger of something going boom and it isn't the diaper set. It's the nuc Tehran is getting closer and closer to being able to build yet we refuse to acknowledge that possibility. Let's face it, when they get the bomb a whole lot more than one airplane is at risk. Try a city. Or a country. Maybe even ours!

Why are we in denial this is happening while the rest of the world including our allies and the U.N. are watching with grave concern? The last assessment made by our intelligence was in 2007. When Fred Fleitz tried to expose those doing the assessment, or the lack thereof, his criticisms were censored by the CIA and the Office of the Director of Intelligence. Fleitz recently retired after a twenty five year career with the CIA, DIA, the State Department and the House Intelligence Committee staff. I would think he knows his way around the subject and that his findings and concerns mesh with those of our allies and the U.N.

It seems to me if our government can tie itself up in knots over chatter, they just might not want to keep their heads in the sand when it comes to truth. When the Iranian Revolutionary Guard posts on its website that the day after an Iranian nuclear test would be a normal day, one might be led to believe they are planning such a test.

What, me worry? Nah. After all, I didn't hear it on the grapevine!

No More Pencils, No More Books... Makes Nostalgia

2011-07-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

Borders will be gone by the end of September. It makes me sadder than you can imagine. The demise of the book store chain, and the only one in our locale, is one more example of how much my reality of living is giving way to a future that confounds and confuses me.

How long will it be before kids ask, "What's a book?" It's already a question being asked about newspapers. When a book like Emus Loose in Egnar by Judy Muller, is reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, you know the written word is in trouble. It touts the the value of small town journalism as a mirror of our communities, something missing from the urban dailies these days. It also is a hint to me that they are a fast disappearing part of Americana. Like the book.

More and more you see pushes for more online classes. That means fewer teachers and certainly, in this age of electronics, fewer pencils.

I find myself longing for my own version of a reality show. Life as it was when I was growing up. Those things that we took for granted that the youth of the future will know nothing about. The soda fountain. The land line telephone. The party line! Remember that?

A time when you didn't lock your house and weren't wary of walking through a parking lot alone. Or down your street at night.

Family dinners on Sundays after church. The family at the dining room table every night for dinner. When families actually knew one another and had time for one another.

When we talked to one another rather than tweet. I've often commented about how my Mom would talk of having lived in the good old days. Well, there was some good and some not so but it surely was different.

I suppose if it weren't for phenomenons like Facebook and Twitter people like me wouldn't be rambling about things that were and are no more. Nothing now but memories. Nostalgia.

I can't help but wonder what those memories will be like in the future. There was something warm and tangible about the time in which I grew up. I don't see it now. Less and less human contact. I don't want to follow the Presidential campaign on Twitter or Facebook. I want to be able to look a person in the eye and get a sense of who they really are beyond a manufactured image.

What will be will be I suppose. I think this modern age is dismissive and cold and uncomfortable. I'm feeling disenfranchised. I'm understanding how my Mom felt. That's a red flag for sure. I'm old.

I try to keep up with the times. I expect more than is to be given so I no longer expect much. The one thing I will ask, however, is please don't take away my newspaper or my books. There is a lot of life to be lived through them you can't get anywhere else!

Debt Versus Deficit

2011-07-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Politics. That's what we've been witnessing. The politics of re-election, not what's good for the country regardless of what either the Republicans or Democrats would have you believe. In all it's self serving ugliness.

Blame is owned by both. The Democrats for not having passed a budget for two years. To use their term, continuing resolutions are no more than 'kicking the can down the road.'

The Republicans, on the other hand, are trying to tie two different problems together. Let's look at debt first. We all carry debt. Credit cards, car payments, mortgages, etc. Anything you owe on is debt. The same holds true for government. It isn't just social security and medicare and military salaries. It's everything from Boeing to the companies who make bullets for the troops. The debt ceiling is how much we can afford to charge.

Deficit then is obviously when we spend more money than we've budgeted. Of course actually having a budget helps. But how many of us do and what happens when the bank sends you an insufficient funds notice? Pay up. What if you can't? Default? Bankruptcy?

So as I see the issues, Congress ought to raise the debt limit the absolute minimum amount needed to run the government for a year. Then write a budget cutting what is feasible from the morass of programs out there and/or the programs themselves. But in an orderly manner.

They keep talking about a Constitutional amendment to balance the budget. That isn't likely to happen. They should, however, make passing an annual budget mandatory. Before spending dime one!

Both sides have muddied the water so much it's hard to sort it all out. There have been cries for there to be adults in the room. Don't be fooled by exasperated sighs and head shaking. They are all acting like spoiled children. My way or the highway. The President has not put forward concrete ideas. The Republicans, lead by the tea party caucus, are being bull headed over the tax part of the issues. Closing loopholes should not be considered tax hikes. It's an exploitation of poorly written laws and should be eliminated. Laws, by the way, written by Congress.

Congress can point fingers at the President all they want, but it shouldn't be forgotten they are the ones who voted to spend beyond our limits in the first place. Both parties. Over years.

What goes around comes around. Now they've been hoisted on their own petard - of greed.

Is there anyone out there who will really put country first? Oh, yes. The young men and women who are still being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They understand the concept. They have no lobbyists nor unions to bloat their salaries or benefits. They just love their country - enough to be willing to sacrifice their lives for it.

Politicians - take note.

Separation Of Church And State On A Different Level

2011-07-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

While separation of church and state is on my mind, I've been doing some thinking about how it applies to politicians. Especially Michele Bachmann.

I'm not about to criticize anyone for having faith and crediting it with who they are and what they've done with their life, but should there be a limit? Especially with a politician.

Romney and Huntsman have the obstacle of being Mormon, yet neither talks about it. It certainly isn't the reason either entered politics.

Michele can't stop talking about her communication with God. Often through her husband. In a Financial Times article she tells of having a 'vision' while praying that led her to marry her husband. That God instilled in her heart that if she studied hard he'd take her to law school and instructed her husband to encourage her to get her post doctorate.

"The Lord says, 'Be submissive wives, you ought to be submissive to your husband'. I pursued this course of study," which she had not been interested in.

This line of conversation obviously resonates with some but it makes me uncomfortable. I thought it might have been somewhat misconstrued by the reporters.

Not so. In yesterday's Wall Street Journal , in an article about how her 'tax attorney' claim is a bit misleading, she reiterates that she continued her studies because God was calling her to do so through her husband.

It makes me wonder two things. Is she the one running for President or is it her husband, or for that matter, God? Two, has she ever had an idea of her own and how are we to tell the difference?

With her propensity for gaffes and lack of policy thus far, I don't think she's a viable candidate. I cannot envision the President of the United States being subservient to anyone, especially this day and age and especially to a spouse.

It's probably too late for her to win me over. There is something rather Elmer Gantryish about her, to a point where I question her sincerity versus effect. I'd like my candidate to keep his or her faith a little closer to the vest rather than the showcase of the campaign.

It has it's place most certainly, but to wear it like an entitlement is disconcerting to those of us who are looking for political savvy and workable policies rather than an evangelist.

Art ~ Beyond The Work

2011-07-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

Hub and I went to Art Walk as planned last Friday. We didn't see anything that hit our hot button. Well, we did, actually but couldn't afford it. Oddly enough it was Ganesha. We loved it.

Not finding something isn't unusual. A mood can make the difference. Even if you're looking at the work of an artist you love, a particular piece may just not appeal. That does not diminish the piece in any way. The person next to me is likely to love it. Such is the world of "art".

Saturday I had a comment on my post from Thursday, on Ganesha, from the artist Rick Davis, in response to my comment that I'd seen nothing from the artist on why he had chosen to do that particular piece.

"The reason I originally chose to do this piece was at the suggestion of my Yoga teacher. But as the project progressed, and I did more research into Ganesha, the themes that surround him seemed to be unfolding in my life. So he became a 3 1/2 year teaching/learning moment for me."

Art, no matter what form it takes, is probably the most subjective commodity in the world. We either like what we see or we don't. As with this month's Art Walk. What shouldn't be forgotten, however, in viewing the finished product, there is a process behind it. As Mr. Davis points out, his piece became a teaching/learning moment. Certainly nothing sinister nor intended to offend.

I think it has to be a fundamental truth with every producing artist from a doodler to a master. They are trying to convey something - an emotion, a mood, an enlightenment. I know it's true for me. When I undertake a chess set there is a great deal of research to be done. Not unlike a writer researching a novel.

When I did my Lewis and Clark set I had the Corp of Discovery pitted against the Indians they met on their journey. Who were they? What sequence? Were they friendly or hostile? How did they dress? I spent hours pouring over the history of the adventure and even more researching each tribe I chose to represent.

It didn't stop there. My work is mixed media/wood carving. I then had to figure out how to make the accouterments. Headdresses, weapons and so forth. My goal was accuracy to the best of my ability and a history lesson for all who viewed the finished piece.

I cannot imagine any artist not going through the same hoops with their work. The selection of a brush or chisel, the technique for a specific effect. It's all part of the process.

Then comes knowledge of the artist him or herself. As collectors, we've met many of those whose work we collect. Talking with them enriches the experience for we gain insight as to what inspires them.

Artists, gallery people and collectors know these truths. Many who can do no more than appreciate do too. It's something for the casual observer to bear in mind. There is always a process behind a work, and more importantly, a person. Just like you or me. With the same feelings.

So if you don't like it, that's okay. But to denigrate it without knowing the process is doing a disservice not only to the artist, but to yourself. Let it be a teaching/learning moment. Next thing you know you'll become an appreciator of the art form and the creator. It can be an awesome eye opener.

Ganesha As Public Art

2011-07-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

I only write about local issues when they are so ludicrous they deserve scathing comment because I usually get myself in hot water. So be it.

Those of you who know me, know I'm a huge advocate of public art. I was pleased to see Coeur d'Alene put in place such a program. I wasn't so pleased to see the prejudicial outcry over one particular piece. A depiction of Ganesha, the Hindu Deity depicted as an elephant riding a mouse.

Odd, our other notable public art is the depiction of Mudgy and Millie, a moose and his best friend, a mouse.

The mouse, however, isn't the issue. It's the elephant. A group of misguided "Christians" see it as a violation of church and state, state being the city. The representation of a heathen deity on our oh so "Christian" soil. Please.

A petition is being circulated among various churches to have the offensive piece removed. Everything is being seen in it from the trunk being a phallic symbol to variations of Nazi swastikas. It's like seeing the Virgin Mary in your toast!

I am going to Art Walk tomorrow evening, camera in hand to take my own photos. I have not seen one showing the mouse. I also, have not seen comment from the artist as to why he chose this being, but to me it's an awesome representation of what we all should be striving for in our lives.

That anyone finds this symbol of Hinduism offensive hasn't done his homework. He is a beautiful figure and I have included an illustration describing the symbolism of each of his parts. The story in text can be found here .

There is nothing sexual nor evil about it. How can anyone find fault with a deity of the 4th largest religion in the world? The Lord of Success who shows his humility by riding a mouse, the lowliest of creatures. The destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride.

All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief. To envision him as these few do makes me wonder what their god must think. Or more so, what god they worship.

It's Time To Profile - Period

2011-07-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here we go again! We now hear that al Qaeda in Yemen, according to The Wall Street Journal, plans are being considered to implant explosive devices inside suicide bombers with the possible intent of targeting US airliners. Note the italics. Nothing concrete, mind you. Just more chatter which seems to be what airport security is based on.

Homeland Security has warned the airlines that they're trying to make this functional. Wow. Now, among other things, they're experienced surgeons and engineers who can perfect an implanted explosive that can be set off with an injection of some sort of chemical. Why do I not think this is imminent? Sounds pretty sophisticated to me!

Of course the TSA has said it will intensify security procedures across the nations airports since the current invasive ones, from pat downs to x-rays, won't be able to detect an implant! What the heck is left to be searched by the 'enhanced tools and technology' they propose to use. What the heck does that mean? It makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Frankly, enough is enough. It has long been way out of hand and is getting worse. They will kill the airline industry pure and simple. I don't fly. Many of my readers have indicated they no longer fly. Talk about destroying the American way of life! The ability to get from point A to point B without being mentally and physically molested! The inability to take a vacation anywhere we may like without the same. Don't even think about the poor business traveler!

When will we, en masse, say no more. We have to if we want it stopped. The politicians won't.

It is time to profile. If I appeared to be of middle eastern ethnicity, even if an American in good standing, I would accept the fact that those of a similar ethnicity are the perpetrators of this type of terrorism. If it meant a more thorough questioning and going over I'd like to think I'd endure it, when appropriate, for the greater good. That doesn't include every single time I might fly with no good reason.

But I'm not. I'll never see 69 again, am Caucasian and have a bad back. No one is going to plant a bomb in me and I'm not going to inject a chemical into myself to set it off. Neither will anyone I know from the tiniest infant to those with even more years than my own.

Anyone who thinks knows who should be scrutinized more than others. It has gone beyond the point of being ludicrous. It's nearing criminality and it's about time someone, no, everyone, calls the government on it.

Right Michele? Mitt? The rest of you? Are you paying any attention at all?

We've Got Strange Priorities

2011-07-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

Go figure. Casey Anthony is acquitted of murdering her two year old daughter. Yet an 83 year old New Yorker gets a $100 ticket for putting a bag of day old newspapers in a public trash container.

She was on her way to get a cup of coffee around 6:30 in the morning when the offense occurred. A Sanitation Agent saw her, pursued her, demanded identification and threatened her with a steeper fine and incarceration if she didn't comply. A Sanitation Agent? Wow! I didn't even know there was such a thing.

Granted New York trash containers are not to be used for household or business refuse and are so labeled, including the fact there will be a fine. Considering how often there are garbage strikes and the stuff piles up like mountains smelling like anything but, you'd think a small bag of newspapers wouldn't be an offense that deserves a ticket. But then, it is New York. Heck, she could have just dumped them! Who knows, maybe they don't have recycling in her neighborhood. Or maybe at 83 she gets a little fuzzy, saw the bag of papers as she was leaving home and decided to take them to the trash container.

What amazes me even more, however, is that Sanitation Department has a "platoon of enforcement officers" enforcing litter basket laws! To take it a step further they even do "detective work on trash suspected of being illegal"! What a job! Sifting through trash merely 'suspected' of being illegal in hopes of finding a name or address? I wonder what it pays!

I haven't been in the residential sections of New York for some time, but I find it difficult to believe the offenses are so bad the Sanitation Department needs an enforcement agency of it's own.

I think it's a segment of a department funded by the tax payers that should maybe be trashed!

Why Politics Make Me Crazy

2011-06-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Take the debt ceiling argument. Both sides need to get real. I had to agree with the President when he admonished Congress for being away on recess too much of the time. Of course he's out and about campaigning much of the time too.

Then there is the Republicans refusing to raise the debt ceiling without concessions from the Democrats, like no tax increases. They say it's what the people want. Well, I'm a people and it isn't what I want.

They're listening too much to the Tea Party activists rather than the principles of the Tea Party movement. And they're listening to their inner need to remain in Congress because they've never had it so good.

The Dems are putting out too much inaccurate information. The world is not going to end as we know it on August 21 as the Secretary of the Treasury would have us believe. And people making over $250,000 a year are not necessarily the corporate jet set.

If I were the one in charge, I'd throw it back on the Congress. One, they hold the purse strings and they passed everything they are now belly aching about being too costly. Okay guys and gals. They're your programs. Agree among yourselves which ones to cut! Bet you can't agree on even one, but try. How about starting with farm subsidies. No more paying farmers not to grow certain crops! No more to grow corn for ethanol which is the ruination of many an engine! How about eliminating entitlements, formerly known as pork. No more bike paths in Nancy Pelosi's district. No more bridges to no where.

Remember too, no matter what this Congress does, the next one will not be held to it. With that in mind, anything and everything is ripe for reversal.

My guess? The debt ceiling will be raised. Somewhere along the line taxes will be increased. It's how government is funded. Cuts in spending will be token. And the Congress will go right on creating and funding programs we can well do without. It's the nature of the beast.

I had high hopes when the Republicans won the House. Hope that they would bring some balance to the debate. I forgot 'hope' was an Obamaism. I forgot there is no debate. There is no balance and never will be as long as the people we elect become slaves to special interests to keep their jobs. This is an indictment of both parties. They share in it equally.

Did Lincoln abolish slavery? Only one kind, my friends. Only one kind.

The Political Views Of Grandma

2011-06-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Remember the commercial decrying the proposed budget cuts put forth by the Republicans? The one where Grandma is pushed off a cliff, wheelchair and all?

Of course that's not what's going to happen, but considering what the Democrats are really doing to Grandma, I may have just stumbled across a campaign issue. It seems like Democrats must hate grandmothers.

Consider this. 95 years old. 105 pounds. Wheelchair bound. Wearing an adult diaper.

This elderly woman, no, old woman, was submitted to a 45 minute search including having to remove the diaper because an alarm was supposedly triggered. And it was soiled and was impeding their search.

After filing a complaint, a spokesman for the TSA explained the procedures are the same for everyone because it is known from intelligence that terrorists would take advantage of the vulnerable. Right. A 95 year old woman with her daughter is going to have explosives in a body cavity.

Every time there is an incident like this, be it children or the elderly, or anyone else for that matter, the response is always the same. The "highly trained professionals" were properly following procedure.

I have two thoughts. Too bad the "intelligence" they have about terrorists doesn't equate with the intelligence of those in the TSA that make the rules.

And two. The election issue. Get rid of the TSA or reform it. Ask the question. You know as well as I do if Michelle Obama's mother, who lives with them at the White House, had to go through such a procedure there would be hell to pay.

I think I've been looking at this from the wrong end. I've blamed the "highly trained professionals" who are stuck doing the searches rather than the "highly trained professionals" who come up with this stuff.

It's time to change it. If this administration won't, be sure the next one does. Between Obamacare and this type of treatment of the elderly, it's obvious that they're thought of as inconsequential.

Death with dignity is often talked about in conversations about assisted suicide. Well, how about life with dignity? There should be no limit on that. Those who insist there is no other way "to keep us safe" aren't looking very hard.

These Guys Are Scary!

2011-06-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? Our favorite companions for wine tasting had a few free days so we got together in Chelan to try the juice of the fruit. More on that later.

From there we headed for Seattle then on to Canada to meet our friend the gallery owner to pick up a piece of art. We had agreed to meet in Delta which is a small burg south of Vancouver.

Crossing the border is not our favorite activity, especially coming home. I guess they resent the fact that we might have spent money in Canada rather than here or some such. Who knows.

One thing we never expected, however, was to be stopped on our side of the border by our security people on our way to Canada! As we approached the Peace Arch we saw the road was barricaded and a half dozen men with automatic rifles and flak jackets were stopping each car. The two in front of us were waved through. We were not. We were driving our van. What the...?

As one grilled Hub the others were busy checking out the vehicle including "patting down" the sides. The security officer, from Customs and Border Security according to their caps, was especially interested in how much cash we had with us. It seemed odd in this day of credit cards. Hmmm. He had trouble with the intent of our trip. To meet the owner of a gallery from Port McNeill and pick up a totem pole. Would it fit in the van? Yes. It is a small one - 5 feet or so. Did we commission it? No. We just saw it and liked it and bought it. We had been looking for one for quite awhile. Did we have a place for it on our property? It's going in our great room. And so it went.

We got a similar grilling on the way home. Curious. Who could possibly have manufactured a tale about picking up a totem pole?

We asked our friend if he had any idea what it was all about. It seems that one thing it could be is that since the Canadian dollar is now stronger than ours, they're coming to the states to shop. While at the big malls smugglers hide drugs in or on their vehicles. When they leave the smugglers follow them. If they get caught, the smugglers get off scott free while some unsuspecting shopper is subjected to the drill or worse. If they aren't caught the smugglers follow them to their destination, retrieve the drugs and go on their way.

Pretty neat, eh? The only problem with that theory and what we went through is that they seek out cars with B.C. plates. Ours, obviously, are not and who knows where our destination might have been!

'Tis a puzzlement. What were the CBP agents looking for? A couple of elderly gray hairs on an outing? If we fit some type of profile, I'd sure like to know what the heck it is!

Maybe ALL Religions Need Scrutiny

2011-06-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

When I saw the headline 'Jewish court sentences dog to death by stoning', I did a double take. I know Orthodox Jews live in a world of which I have no knowledge. I didn't realize they also live in a different century and have beliefs that could certainly use some reinterpretation.

One wouldn't think a dog wandering into a court room, even a large one, would frighten adults. But apparently one did. Not that he was threatening or anything, but because he was a dog!

It seems that by Jewish tradition a dog is impure. Not being able to get the dog to budge, one of the judges recalled a curse they had bestowed on a secular judge two decades prior because he insulted them. They remanded his spirit into the body of a dog. This one?

His spirit must pass from dog to dog because few live to be twenty years old and if they do they aren't likely to wreck havoc I wouldn't think. Or whatever else the judges thought he might do.

Of course by now they were all worked up so one of the judges sentenced the poor dog to death. By stoning. By children.

Fortunately while all this was going on the dog went on his way. Smart dog.

It just goes to show it isn't only Islam that harbors those with radical interpretations of their religion! But having children stone a dog to death? That they were even capable of thinking of that gives me the chills!

Is ANYONE Running The Country?

2011-06-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Who in their right mind would allow nearly two thousand military grade weapons to be illegally bought and shipped to Mexico knowing they were going to the drug cartels?

Our Department of Justice in an operation called "Fast and Furious".

The theory was to link the weapons, by tracing serial numbers, to various crime scenes in order to scope out various drug cartels and eventually lead to high-level arrests.

When ATF agents objected they were threatened with punishment and retaliation.

I've got to say that's a heck of a lot of guns to keep track of considering our ability to track where our foreign aid goes, mostly to corrupt officials. Even worse, these guns were let go knowing they would be used in crimes where people would be killed. They were, including Border Patrol guard Brian Terry. 1730 guns. 38,000 deaths since 2007. Supervisors who retorted when asked about possible loss of life in this operation, "If you are going to make an omelet, you need to scramble some eggs," and "If you don't think this is fun, you are in the wrong line of work, period."

Other than the 38,000 deaths over time, what was accomplished? A few arrests of small-time crooks while the rest of the weapons were in the hands of criminals leading to a huge spike in the ongoing violence.

It's hard to believe the President would have given the go ahead to such an ill conceived plan. What? He didn't? According to Press Secretary Jay Carney, "He did not know about or authorize this operation."

Just who is in charge when it comes to an operation of this magnitude? It's not Who. He's on first. It obviously isn't Obama either. He was probably on vacation or the golf course.