One Last Desparate Grasp For Glory

Back when I was supporting Obama for President I felt strongly it was time for new and younger blood to assume responsibility. I also believed that he was among the best and the brightest. Partially because he was black and had to work harder for all that he had achieved. I admit now my vision was skewed. He really hadn't achieved much of anything beyond his education and without knowing what sort of academic record he had I don't know whether he was truly one of our brightest or one more beneficiary of affirmative action.

That being said, let's look at the other choice. John McCain. I saw in Obama everything McCain was not. Young, energetic, technologically savvy. I don't have a clue where to look next. Maybe comfortable middle age!

I've been watching the descent of Harry Reid toward oblivion. I cannot think of one majority leader of either party that has inspired me less than Mr. Reid. If it weren't for the importance of his work taking precedence, I'd find him totally ignorable. What makes these old war horses hang on so long? Reid is so out of touch that during the campaign he referred to Obama as having no "Negro" dialect. I understand the verbage but how long has it been since it has been used?

And now, in one last valiant effort to be elected one more time he has been reduced to bribing for votes for a piece of bad and maybe even unconstitutional legislation. It will probably be for naught for he is led by all of his opponents of which there are three. Dead last.

What price glory? One has to suppose John McCain chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate for two reasons. One, even though they were supposedly friends, to stick it to Hillary Clinton and two, to bring the essence of youth to a campaign of grumpy old men. When Palin's foreign policy tutors were told by aide Steve Schmidt, "You guys have a lot of work to do. She doesn't know anything," I can no longer give McCain a pass on not knowing what he was getting.

Well, McCain lost, and say what you will, Palin's lack of knowledge was a large part of it.

Reid will probably lose too. Those opposing him are young, energetic and technologically savvy. All the pork in the world cannot negate that fact. One wonders if all the other aging Senators, like Nebraska's Ben Nelson, also floundering in the polls, will find out the same.

In the sense of what's good in the way of legislation for the country, I hope so. On the other hand, I can only "hope" the challengers have a leg up on substance.

We Have Nothing To Fear...But The Bush Administration

My more liberal friends, at least those who are still enthralled with President Obama, have continually admonished me to be patient ever since I began hedging my support.

The Obama administration has been in place for a few days shy of a year now. They own it all. Though the "Democratic strategists" who are often foils on the talking head shows don't seem to agree. Have you ever noticed that whenever asked a direct question they always fall back to what the Bush administration did? I've got a hot flash for them. The Bushies have been out of office for a year now!

Rather than "changing" what the Bushies did wrong, it seems to me they are continuing the same practices. Mainly, governing by fear. Take health care. Mandating that everyone buy insurance or face fines or jail time. If that isn't fear, I don't know what is! Add to that the uncertainty of a plan being put together behind closed doors that the President would like to have voted on the day Congress returns. That's darned scary!

That's pretty mild, however, when compared to the national security fiasco. Why is it the American public is being made to pay for their foul ups? It isn't the American public that didn't connect the dots. It was the administration! The Islamic radicals are not boarding planes in this country; they're coming from overseas. Yet we're being put through intrusive hoops of questionable value. It isn't the American public who had a Muslim Major counseling soldiers returning from combat. Counseling them about what? Killing Muslims! It was them!

Somehow they always manage to tie it back to the Bush administration. One thing they won't be able to tie back is the decision to try these Islamic extremists in our civilian courts. What if, just what if, one of them was to be acquitted? Maybe the underwear bomber. Due to inability to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. What we we do with him?

Sorry. This wouldn't even be close to a reasonable question if the Bush administration was still in power. No way. No how. I'm not defending Bush. I am saying Obama is proving to be very much the same. That to me is something to fear.

This From Canada

I was elated to learn that both Canada and Great Britain will not allow children 18 or under to undergo the full body scan. Why? It violates their laws regarding photographing children in the nude. Ahem. Especially since the monitors are in plain view of anyone who passes. It's a start.

An opinion piece in The Globe and Mail takes all this flurry about airport security and puts it in proper perspective. Remember now that both the Christmas day bomber and the shoe bomber boarded their repective planes in a country other than ours!

The writer, Margaret Wente, tells of the degree of absurdity in Canada via her sister who is a screener. It seems in someones infinite wisdom bottles of maple syrup resemble bombs. Therefore every time a tourist comes through security with a bottle of syrup, which is often in Canada, a supervisor has to inspect it to make sure it is in fact maple syrup.

That's right up there with confiscating play dough from six year olds in this country. To make matters even worse, play dough is not on the prohibited substance list, but the TSA screener has the right to confiscate it anyway. In fact TSA screeners have the right to confiscate anything they so desire. Another good reason to play sheep and not aggravate them!

I'd like to borrow a quote from Ms. Wente, for she sums it all up far better than I can.

Neither Barack Obama nor anybody else in authority is willing to state the plain and simple facts: that Islamism is on the rise worldwide, that the vast majority of terrorists who attack the West are young Muslim men, that such young men are a demographic time bomb in the Islamic world, that no security system can ever stop them all. Instead of telling us to hold our bladders, maybe they should start to tell the truth – even if it costs my maple-syrup-weary sister a job.

Amen to that!

Our Foreign Policy - Scold Then Withhold

Have you noticed how our foreign policy is being run these days? We go into already war torn countries, scold them because al Qaeda is within their borders and threaten to close the purse full of aid unless they are eliminated. Except the purse never seems to close.

First we were angry with Pakistan because they weren't active enough in routing out the bad guys from impenetrable territory. Forget the fact they are also worried about India on the other side of their country. They even have what passes for an army. We thought pouring millions into their coffers would bring better results. It didn't. Have we closed the purse? Nah.

Iraq speaks for itself. Violence against one another goes on. Having dismissed their military when we took over the country has left them with the rag tag force we've put together. The same applies to their government. We've held their hand through out it's formation and it remains shaky at best. Have we closed the purse? Not by a long shot.

We've threatened Iran with sanctions yet we wait while their own people fight for liberty. How often have we delayed implementation?

Afghanistan is an interesting case. We're pouring millions into a country with, again, an unstable and ethically challenged government. Two thirds of of Karzai's cabinet appointees have been denied. I wish our representatives could tell the President no, the choice is not qualified for the job. Maybe cabinet positions would then be filled with someone other than those who represent political payback.

In Afghanistan, however, it is suspected Karzai put these people up on purpose, knowing they'd be denied, so he could move in a whole new group of cronies. Our continued aid there is dependent on the stabilization of the government. Ha! We're busy bribing the population in hopes that they'll stick with us. They will. As long as the money is there.

Now there is Yemen. They don't much like us either. Their al Qaeda cells are very active. They are everywhere, you see. Had the man who attempted bombing the Christmas flight had not been trained in Yemen they would probably just be there working out their own problems. So what to we do? Demand they crack down or their aid will be halted. Never mind they have a secession war in the south of their country and a civil war in the north. As long as al Qaeda stays out of the mix, it's the least of their problems. A bigger one is the U.S. coming in and demanding our needs must be addressed before their own.

We wonder why we're not liked. NBC's Richard Engel said it all the other night during an interview. It's time to understand there is no "front" to this war. Al Qaeda is everywhere and they, like their ancestry, are perfectly comfortable leading a nomadic life. In their case, however, it's to find safe haven long enough to plan evil. If run out of Yemen they'll find another impoverished country to infiltrate.i

We're stretched to the limit in this war. It is a war. What I don't see is an understanding of the enemy nor the countries who house them. Until we do all the money in the world will not buy peace. We're trying to fight an enemy who is not considered such in their own part of the world. Buying off the people is a temporary fix at best.

We need the CIA of old. We really do.

Hitting The New Year Running!

I'm exhausted and haven't even looked at my computer since Saturday! It's called taking down the decorations! I didn't even check my e-mail! Whew. It didn't seem such a chore putting them up! But then, I'm a neat freak when it comes to taking the special ornaments off the tree, carefully wrapping them then packing them.

We also went a little crazy with more garlands around the house and more ribbons so I had to find extra tubs for storage. Thanks heavens for pizza at days end!

I spent an inordinate amount of time looking at our snail mail card list as I checked off names. It brought back memories of an annual conversation with Mom about those from whom there was no card. Explaining to her that being in her 90s she had out lived most of them was of no comfort. They had been her friends and she wondered... I find I'm getting too close to those years. She made me promise to write everyone in her address book when she was gone so they'd not have to wonder about that card that didn't come. It was a bittersweet chore when I did it because of the wonderful remembrances I received in return. I think Mom would have liked to have written similar notes to the families of her friends.

Now days who knows? The postal service no longer forwards mail so if someone has moved I have no way of knowing. Most likely no one gives a thought to an address book and who in it might wonder...

So here we are. Everything is packed and stored. The house has been thoroughly vacuumed though I have a ton of cleaning to do. We resumed our exercise programs. The diet to shed holiday excesses begins today for in earnest. And I'm back to my computer.

I can't wait. There has been so much I've been just itching to comment upon! I even subscribed to a clipart service so I don't have to spend hours searching for appropriate illustrations! One stop shopping.

I'll let this suffice for today...but, I'm back!