Party Time!

If ever there was a need for a third party it is now.  Every election cycle brings up the topic.  Some attempts are being made like American's Elect and the Modern Whigs.  I don't think the country has time to go through the Americans Elect process and the Whigs don't seem to have the support on local levels that they need.

So why bother?  Consider the Republican field.  Actually that says it all.  They all want to be President, that's for sure, but why?

Newt has such a dislike for Romney he's staying in the race strictly to deny Romney the necessary delegates before the convention.  That's not a reason to vote for Gingrich!

Santorum insulted the Puerto Ricans today by telling them that in order to become a state they'd have to declare English their only official language.  Strange.  There is no federal law with that as mandate!   Do you think maybe a presidential contender would know that?

Watching this ludicrous primary season is getting more and more painful. As Hub often says, "Out of 300,000,000 people, is this really the best we can do?"

 I've had a thought about how to get a successful third party going.  Instead of leaving politics out of frustration as are many of the moderates, perhaps they should take a page from Michele Bachmann's playbook.  Form a moderate caucus like she did with the tea party supporters.  Look at how the movement grew.  Since many of their ideals mesh with the christian conservatives and since all the candidates are claiming to be conservative, leave the Republican party to them.

Form a coalition of moderates and become spoilers for both the far left and far right, but do it from within.  Let it trickle down from the top where the power is.  It would have a far greater chance of success than the efforts of the voters who are unknown, unorganized and without clout.  Just a thought.  Another brilliant Dogwalk solution!

Well, that's my thought for the day.  My brain is drained.  Self interest rules at all ends of the spectrum.  I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings.  How many more people will be slaughtered in Syria?  How long before Karzai physically removes us from his country?  Which government subsidized green company will fail next?  Between Limbaugh, Mahr, Shultz and Matthews, whose statements will be the most coarse and bazaar?

Only a week to go before some down time.  I'll make it. I think.

Where Has The Media Been?

The good news is we've finally been heard.  The question, however, is where the heck has the media been? Intimidated by the administration - again - or protecting it?

The last I recall reading anything about the TSA was when Texas tried to opt out of using federal screeners and were told no planes would be allowed to land or take off in the state.  Meanwhile the TSA's legalized molestation continued.

Today I saw a headline stating that Orlando is opting out.  What?  Are they gluttons for punishment?  Nope.  It seems last November the TSA froze the ability for airports to use their own security personnel because too many airports were opting for it. It had been there all along but conveniently ignored.  It appears this freeze happened about funding time.  If too many strayed from the realm of Pistole and Napolitano, the very funding of the TSA might be in jeoprodized.

Well, it's still an issue isn't it?  With the excessive groping for the most flimsy of reasons,  the yet to be determined safety of the scanners, discourtesy and thefts Congress finally came to the fore with legislation requiring the TSA to reconsider the applications they had rejected.

Of course none of the suspicions nor the accusations were true, mind you.  Just ask the TSA.  However, for the sake of propriety the pressure was applied by Republicans Mica of Florida, Issa of California and Chaffetz of Utah.  A huge hurrah for them!

Pressure by the TSA on the media to not cover the issue hasn't worked.  Congress, for a change, has!  Mr. Mica has written 200 airports informing them of their renewed opportunity.  West Yellowstone has already given the TSA the boot,  Butte is about to do the same.  Leave it to the rugged individualists of Montana to lead the way!  Now Orlando Sanford, one of the 30 most busy airports in the world is following suit.  I hope it will have a domino effect and every airport in the country gets on board.

Maybe Congress will keep up the scrutiny, find the TSA has outlived it's usefulness if it ever had any, and withdraw it's funding.  Maybe little old ladies and kids and the disabled will want to fly again.  Maybe tourism will pick up.  Hotels, resorts, restaurants, car rentals.  Maybe a slew of private sector jobs will be rejuvenated.  Maybe the media will regain some backbone.  All by calling one government agency on the carpet for it's hubris.

Wow.  I could think of several others to add to the effort.  Imagine.  Finally knowing we've been heard.  I hope it's not a one shot deal!

What Exactly Is The "Mission" In Afghanistan?

When asked by reporters what they would do in Afghanistan, right now, if President,  Newt had the best answer.  It's time to reassess something that is unlikely doable.  Santorum said it would be wrong to leave the "mission" unfinished and Romney said it shouldn't be deterred by the actions of some crazy person.  Not one reporter asked what exactly the 'mission' was.

As for Mitt.  We know nothing of the soldier who committed the mass murders what's more what drove him to it.  All the talk about the death penalty and everything else being bandied about is premature to say the least. We owe it to him and ourselves to know all there is to know before acting as judge, jury and executioner.

Now, the mission.  Jay Carney, Obama's press secretary, said the mission is to "disrupt, dismantle and ultimately defeat" al Qaeda.  Did you know the last known death of an al Qaeda operative in Afghanistan was April 12, 2011?  And the last capture of one was in May of the same year? Bin Laden is dead.  The remnants that haven't scattered to Yemen and other such strongholds are holed up in Pakistan.  So we are in Afghanistan why?

Training their forces to protect them against who?  The Taliban.  We have no fight with the Taliban but we will if we stick around.  I believe what we're doing is called nation building.  Sure, we're building infrastructure and training police and military.  That's why Karzai hasn't thrown us out already.  He'd not like to have to dip into the funds he's already embezzled from us to do what we he's allowing us to do under nearly impossible constraints.  Yet on we march like lemmings to the sea.

I heard today that foreign policy is no where near the top of voters concerns in this Presidential election, but I would like the candidates to be able to articulate what the 'mission' of our military is in Afghanista.

I'd like, too, to hear some concern for the man who is allegedly at fault for the killings.  When you look around and all you see is death, horrible, violent death, for years on end it 's bound to have a negative effect.

Consider, we won't lift a finger to help the Syrian civilians caught up in massacre because we don't know who might follow in al Assad's footsteps.  So let them die.  Gaza is shelling Israel, Israel is bombing Gaza, the Palestinians are in an uproar and Libya is still trying to get itself straightened out.  Let them die.  Let them all die.  Just protect our re-election chances.  After all, what's most important here?

Ah, for Ron Paul. And Newt too.  Paul's theory of being nice isn't the answer, but  his and Newt's thought of getting the hell out just might be!

Is Afghanistan Worth One More Life?

With the slaughter of women and children at the hands of a U.S. soldier, you can be sure more is to come.  Is it worth it for either side?  I cannot for the life of me find a rationale that is acceptable.

The Afghans hate us.  Their leaders play us like a fiddle.  Our troops are killed by the very men they have trained.  Billions of U.S. tax  dollars have been squandered on who knows what.  No one can account for it.

With this latest incident, it's time to leave.  If we don't the bloodshed is only going to get worse because they will use the tragedy as inspiration to kill even more of our soldiers.

The details aren't clear yet.  Even though there have been reports it was more than one, as information comes it seems  to be it was only one distraught soldier.  A sergeant. The backbone of the troops.  I will be interested in finding out who this man is and what drove him to madness.  How many tours has he served?  How many of his friends has he seen killed? Were any of the men killed by Afghan soldiers after the burning of the Korans his friends?

Does it really need to take ten years and counting to figure out a war cannot be won?  Maybe it's time to play tough.  If our satellites show us any sign of al Qaeda or Taliban activity in either Afghanistan or the border areas of Pakistan they have forty eight hours to take them out - or we will.  Period.  End of story.

Karzai has made so many pacts with the enemy I've lost count.  Perhaps he has too.  All to insure his safety, his little piece of the action, namely Kabul.  The war lords of the various tribes will have the rest divvied up before the last plane departs.  They probably already have and are just waiting.

I know it's an old and ongoing rant of mine.  I hate war.  Especially when it's muddled by political gamesmenship. But I know as sure as I sit here pecking at my keyboard, slaughter is lurking.  Their people.  Ours. My heart bleeds for all of them. Mostly, however, for the unfortunate soldier who was driven to do the unthinkable.  He should not have to suffer the blame or it's consequences alone.

...And The Beat Goes On

With Super Tuesday under our belts there appears to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  The four Republican candidates are still standing though some a little less than steady.

Ron Paul really should pack it in but won't.  After all, this is his last political hurrah, he is enormously popular with both the young voters and the older ones.  He is making his points heard to such a degree that whoever wins won't, or shouldn't, ignore him.  He's a good man with a couple of ideas that aren't so good but overall an inspiration and the perfect example of what sticking to principle is all about.

The wife factor:  Mrs. Paul is rarely seen but appears to be a good fit with the Mister.

Newt.  I had to chuckle at a clip this morning that had him saying he's still the true conservative alternative to Romney.  He won his own state but didn't even pull 50%.  This is probably his last hurrah too.  His financier won't keep pouring money down a dry well.  Whatever it is about him, he has lost his momentum.  It isn't all negative ads.  As he might say himself, there is just something fundamentally lacking.

The wife factor:  Mrs. Gingrich is rarely not seen.  There appears to be little warmth between them, she so perfectly dressed and coiffed.  He with his hair often ruffled and his suit jacket straining over his ample girth.  An odd pair.

Rick Santorum is the surprise.  He is really more conservative by my definition than Newt, but then my definition is always changing as I try to sort out just what a true conservative really is.  The 'true' conservatives seem always to have a 'God' factor tied to everything they espouse.  It makes many people uncomfortable though there are far more who aren't than I had expected.

He knows his subject matter though I think at heart he's for more government involvement than I'd like to see or he is willing to admit.  Can he beat Obama?  Good question but I have my doubts.  He's too prone to gaffs of a sort different from Romney's.

When his supporters say what you see is what you get, I wonder if it's enough.

The wife factor:  Though she's mostly in the background, she is a presence.  She demonstrates a great deal of affection for her husband by patting his shoulders or rubbing his back as they mingle after a speech.  With seven kids, it's a safe bet they have a loving relationship.

Then there is Romney.  We all know his resume by now.  He knows big business and how to run it successfully, to wit the turn around of the Olympics.  He needs to quit apologizing for who he is and the fact that he is wealthy.  It shows me he is a man of achievement, not an empty suit.  If it takes some new advisers to freshen the dialog than he should take heed.

The fact that he's been calm and steady throughout this bruising contest shows me discipline.  That his policies aren't all shock and awe, we need to remember whatever changes that are going to be made will be made gradually.  It took time to get into the mess, it will take time and prudence to get back out.  Not drastic pie in the sky promises.  I don't mind a bland personality if the hand on the tiller is steady, having  an experienced touch.

The wife factor:  She is always there and is engaged with the people around them as much as he is.  They hold hands, they hug.  They like each other and I like them.  I've always watched the dynamics of the couple to  help determine the make up of the man.

Can Romney beat Obama?  If voters look at everything, not just the improving economy, I'd say yes.  If the economy falters again, I'd say yes.  If it surges I would expect the voters to turn a blind eye on everything else, especially foreign policy.

That could be disastrous, in more ways than one.