Long Discourse on Obama Missile Defense Decision

I spoke a little bit yesterday about the Obama administration's decision not to go with a long range missile interceptor system in Poland and the Czech Republic yesterday. 

My post yesterday summed up most of my feelings on this, but, in Obama's defense, he (and the Perntagon) are correct on the technology (for now) and, if your desire is to do something (that ultimately has little import militarily) to "reset" relations with the Russians, and perhaps also say something to your Western European allies (Germany, France), then this makes some sense geopolitically.  It also doesn't shut out Poland and the Czech Republic.  As Gates stated in yesterday's presser, "The second phase, about 2015, will involve fielding upgraded, land-based SM-3s. Consultations have begun with allies, starting with Poland and the Czech Republic, about hosting a land-based version of the SM-3 and other components of the system. Basing some interceptors on land will provide additional coverage and save costs compared to a purely sea-based approach."



From the political standpoint, it just depends on where you think the best interest of the country lies.  I am of the mind that, barring extreme incompetence, the President should be given wide latitude in foreign policy matters.  This falls in that category.  I personally side with supporting the Eastern Europeans on this (and given the likelihood that they will host SM3 systems, why that didn't get more play, I don't know), so, I think Obama's move is a bad one, at least from a PR perspective.  However, I can see their angle, which is surely that they hope for a less chilly US/Russian relationship, and help from the Russians with dealing with the Iranians.  Most analysts say they don't believe there was any quid pro quo in this, so, that's just bad negotiating, but who knows what may have occurred in secret.  If the Russians continue to thwart us on Iran, I think we can judge this move badly.  We'll have to wait.

Interestingly, my Facebook site had a comment about this from someone who self describes as a "fiscal conservative."  At the same time, he supports Obamacare and the Stimulus, so, I don't know what kind of fiscal conservative that makes him.  You can be the judge of that and this post will help, too.

Anyway, I don't know if the poster lifted this directly from left-wing website, but, he might as well have.


"Seriously, the GOP is proving to be inept at even handling our national security interest, which I had thought up until now was their strong suit. The reversal of the National Missile Defense strategy today exposes the blundering strategy of the previous adminstration. We were wastefully spending taxpayer dollars (generating that deficit) on a system does not work and has not worked since the Reagan Era to protect against a threat that doesn't exist, namely the projected Iranian long range nuclear missile, which they have never successful developed or tested. Instead, for half the cost of the original NMD system, we will be more intelligently deploying proven ship-based interceptors missiles against a proven and tested Iranian threat of short to medium range missile. Now the talking heads of the GOP machine are embrassingly siding with old-school strategy."

Let's parse this nonsense (I highly recommend anyone TRULY interested in this read the transcript from the Gates press conference):
Point 1: GOP Ineptitude.  Hmmmmm, the only significant holdover from the Bush admin is the guy charged with coming up with this strategy and no friend to Missile Defense, Robert Gates.  Plus, other than the technology review, there really is no change in policy.

Point 2: Blundering Strategy.  Spare me.  I discussed that in the paragraphs above and yesterday. 

Point 3: Wasteful spending.  The system being deployed was 10 interceptors (in Poland) and a radar site in the Czech Republic.  But, the GBI's are expensive.  However, my guess would be the poster is somehow throwing aspersions at Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) in general.  For some reason, the Left hates missile defense.  I don't know why, especially now that the technology is starting to show great promise.

Point 4: The system doesn't work and hasn't since Reagan.  This is laugh out loud comedy (especially when you read his next sentence).  There is much more work to do to perfect BMD, but, the technology is coming along, as the SM3/Aegis system shows, which is proposed as the solution to the Iranian Short/Medium range threat. The theater high altitude air defense (THAAD) and Patriot systems are also both tested and proven, so, we are making great strides in BMD.  While it is true that the current intelligence estimates (taking the Pentagon and the administration at their word) discount the Iranians' long range threat, we have seen how reliable our intelligence has been over the last few years.  Are you willing to bet New York, or Boston, on that? 

Point 5: Using ship-based interceptors (the SM3).  Point well taken.  Go Navy!
Some things to read:

• Good article in WSJ, with some easy to understand graphics on how BMD systems work.
• Charles Crawford (former ambassador to Poland) thoughts.  He sums up:
• "The optimistic interpretation of this Obama move is that he has given up something that really did not count for much in strategic reality terms so as to get some other modest diplomatic gains (all with a keen eye on Obama's poll ratings), wrapping it up in vast spin about a 'huge move' to make it look bold and statesmanlike. Poles and Czechs are too right-wing for Democrats, so get a sharp clip round the ear followed by a perfunctory kiss to make up. The Russians know that it is all (mainly) rubbish, but piously applaud the 'wisdom' of it so as to make themselves look more powerful than they are. No real change.
• "The pessimistic interpretation is that there really has been a 'huge shift' in US foreign policy and President Obama is ready to put at risk all the gains for freedom, pluralism and progress achieved around the world by Ronald Reagan with a little help from his friends, in the hope of creating a new world order based around a diminished unambitious USA in sly cahoots with left-collectivist post-democratic polities (EU, Russia, China) and sundry unhealthy pre-democratic Islamic regimes."
• Tom Nichols, Professor of Strategy, Naval War College, and a Russian expert weighs in, "Despite the outcry that President Obama has sold out the Europeans and caved to the Russians by cancelling missile defenses in Europe, it was the right thing to do."
• Eric S. Edelman, a distinguished fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, thinks otherwise, "'This system was always intended to deal with the missile threat from Iran and proliferating states in the region,' says Edelman. 'This doesn’t have anything to do with a technical issue with regard to Russia. Instead, it’s a preemptive concession to the Russians — a damn bad way to start arms-control negotiations.' And Edelman says that Obama’s decision may not even yield the desired concessions from the Russians, citing recent comments by Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.

Some good wikipedia links:

• Ground based, mid-course defense discussed
• Aegis BMD system
• The SM3
• Short article from August about Raytheon pushing the land-based SM3.  (Note the faked Iranian missile launch photo used).  Wonder how much $ Raytheon gave to the O campaign?

Whew!

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Bam to Poles, Czechs: See the back of my hand (Caution: Navy angle)

I have previously given kudos to the Bam admin for their continuation of Bush policies in India and Africa (despite Hillary Clinton making an ass of herself on her Africa tour and being upbraided over AGW by the Indian PM, Obama spent some time giving a good government lecture to African audiences).

However, today, the administration returned to either their incompetent or nefarious ways by agreeing with the Russians that we don't need a missile defense system based in Poland and The Czech Republic.  Seeing as those are the most freedom-loving countries in Eastern Europe, I guess it's apropos that Obama would side with his Russian mentor, Vlad Putin, on this one.

The administration demonstrated their incompetence by making this announcement on the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.  Talk about bad timing. 

However, there is certainly a technical argument to be made that this is the right choice, and the quickest way to get interceptors in place to counter the growing Iranian threat, is to go for a sea-based and mobile ground based solution, vice the planned system.  Since this system will rely more on Aegis ships, armed to the gills with interceptors, maybe it'll lead to more ships for our Navy (don't count on it).  But, since the Aegis system and our SM3 is proving to be a pretty capable solution, I think in toto, it makes some sense.

Still, there is something to be said for NOT slapping your staunchest European allies around, and not smacking them on a day with historical significance like today.  Also, since the system may yet lead to defenses in one/both of these countries, couldn't we have done something like send an Aegis cruiser over there for a symbolic port call?  And, why not extract some serious, and public, concession from the Russians?

Hmmmmm????

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Travel Trouble. Thanks Delta!

It doesn't happen that often, and usually only when I am forced to fly USAir, but this weekend was a fun time with Delta.

Sunday night, I intended to leave Providence at 5:30 to return home to Atlanta.  Unfortunately, our flight was a very short one, since the landing gear on our plane (an ASA CRJ) refused to retract after takeoff.  So, we returned to Providence and proceeded to get the shaft from Delta/ASA.

Since this was the last flight out to Atlanta, apparently, ASA thought they would pretend that we might actually depart on the same plane...for a while. At one point, they even suggested that the plane could return to Atlanta with a few passengers with the landing gear locked down.  In their plan, the flight would take 6 hours, be forced to fly at low altitude, and require a fuel stop.  Haha. Seriously, they said that.

Finally, some saner heads prevailed, and they posited that the final arrival from Atlanta (which arrived at PVD some time around midnight), would turn around instead of overnighting.  In this scenario, the maintenance team was going to fly in from Atlanta on that flight and fix our plane to be the 6am departure, while the people from my flight would leave around 12:30 am, and get to Atlanta about 3am.  Whooooaaa.

At that point, they started issuing hotel and food vouchers to those who were not willing to wait it out.  So, that's where I gave up and decided to just stay overnight.  That was the right decision for Delta/ASA and me, unfortunately, by the time I got my carry-on (plane checked) bag back and my vouchers and got to my hotel, there was no place open close by to eat, so, Dunkin Donuts for me!  Excellent.  I recommend the flatbread sandwiches.

Anyway, booked onto today's 12:35pm flight, I left the hotel where I ran into a couple of ladies from my flight.  They said that Delta/ASA eventually decided to cancel the whole idea of going back to Atlanta, and took the checked bags off about 10pm, and they got their bags at 10:30.  Glad at 8:30 I bailed hearing that.  Also, a reason I don't check bags unless forced.

Anyway, the travails of air travel will get you every time.  Fortunately, I am not a frequent enough flyer (maybe 15 times/year) that this really impacts me much.  But, let me say to Delta - I thought the flight vouchers we were getting were worth something, so I didn't look at it until the morning, and it was only $100.  What happened to airlines actually giving a free domestic roundtrip flight for these kinds of things?  At least the last time I got jerked like this by USAir, they did give a free domestic round trip and the hotel they put us up in was much nicer, but the La Quinta wasn't awful, just basic and the wi-fi was solid enough to work off.

And, ASA did kind of make it up, when our 12:35pm flight was delayed 2 hours, they actually gave every passenger another $100 voucher, which they didn't have to do.  So, I made $200 out of it and got to stay in Providence for another day.

All in all, a succesful trip.

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LIberal Dictionary, Part 2

My wonderful readers (both of them) have made suggestions to the Liberal Dictionary.

A bleg - if you are an email reader, please click the link in your email, and drive my traffic numbers! 

Their suggestions (first 3 from readers, slightly edited)

1. Diversity - Ethnic variety, as long as that ethnic variety includes, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, black, Muslim, or hispanic persons.  Asians and white folks need not apply.
2. Homophobe - Any person who opposes gay marriage
3. Baby Killer - Any pro-Bush member of the military
4. Smear - Anything embarrassing done by a Liberal organization caught on video; the act of smearing can only be performed by Republicans or Libertarians

Keep 'em coming

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New Word for the Liberal Dictionary: Racist

I have decided to start a Liberal Dictionary.

Since Liberals operate in a different world from the rest of us, it may be instructive for the rest of the thinking world to understand them, so, I am going to catalog for posterity what they mean when they use certain words.  I realize it's a small dictionary, but, every journey starts with one step (and I'm starting with two).

1. Torture: Anything that provides useful information from an enemy
2. Racist: Anyone who disagrees with President Obama

Feel free to suggest other words (and even definitions) that have distinctly different definitions when used by a liberal.  I reserve the right, since it's my dictionary, to modify, reject, or use them as suggested.

Update: I was inspired by this post from Aloha Dump.

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Rhode Island

I am finishing up a weekend in New London, and, it's been a long time (10 years at least?) since I have been here.  I can't say that I missed it.

Still, another set of good eats.  If you're visiting Groton, stop by the Seahorse restaurant and check it out.  Definitely a local feel.  Finally, just outside the Providence airport is a local RI chain, Chelo's, who have daily specials that include dessert for $8.99.  Complained a little that they didn't have the massive amount of food here for low prices as in Texas, but, that put the lie to that.

Here is last night's dinner at the Seahorse - Scallops over Sole.  Pretty tasty.

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As Usual, Rob is Wrong

Rob (The Online Magazine...) attempts to belittle the tea partyer's protest today.  As usual, he's pretty much reading straight from the DNC's fax machine.

He says: "the health care reform bill specifically states illegal immigrants are not afforded coverage." 

• This is true, however, the bill includes no provisions for verifying legality of individuals.  When House GOP members presented an amendment to require the use of the system (SAVE) that employers are required to use to verify right to work here, it failed on a party line vote.  So, one can genuinely question why these provisions wouldn't be built into the bill, and their absence (willfully) suggests that perhaps Dems have no intention of enforcing this provision, thus making anyone who supports such a bill, a liar.
• While we assumed the white house was discussing the House plan, they are only defending their 2.5 page outline plan on the white house web site (remember when Republicans were lambasted for not having a detailed plan about some such thing this year?).  Jake Tapper reports that the WH is considering ther SAVE program and would explicitly deny coverage to illegals.  Maybe Obama listened to Joe Wilson?

He says: "The people DO want health care reform. It was a major plank that President Obama...blah, blah, blah."

• It may be true that people want health care reform.  However, it is painfully clear that the people do not want the kind of reform being presented by Dems in Congress and supported by Obama.  Despite a small bump in approval to 46% following this week's speech, a majority of Americans polled oppose Obamacare, and have since mid July.  Finally, by vast, vast, vast majorities, 79% of Americans like their current health care plan.  Of course, if they didn't why would Obama keep promising, "If you like you like your current plan, you will get to keep it."

He says: "And nowhere in any of the reform proposals nor in any of President Obama's stated plans does it call for increased taxes, save rolling back the Bush tax cuts to the rich."

• Whoooooaaaaa there.  That is still a tax increase.  Although it falls on the Democrats favorite group to rape for money, it's still a tax increase
  

Additionally, there are numerous proposals in Congress go after more taxes (the Cato Institute studies):

• Democrats propose eliminating health savings accounts, which allow people to save money for health expenses tax free.  83% of users of HSA's are low-middle income people.  Estimates are this would result in an additional $11B of taxes.
• Democrats are looking to get $210B in revenue by ending the deductibility of medical expenses if they exceed 7.5% of your income.  73% of these deductions are taken by people making less than $75k/year.
• Dems are considering raising taxes on beer (tripling it), on wine (quadrupling) and liquor (a 25% increase), as well as on sugar-sweetened beverages.  These kind of taxes hit poor and low-income people much more than they hit the "rich." Dems estimate they will get over $60B annually from these.

 So, don't believe what you read over there.  It's probably wrong.


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NWU and USS North Carolina

I know how much Joel likes uniform stories, so I can't believe he hasn't seen this milestone.

The USS North Carolina (SSN-777) is one of the first boats on the Groton waterfront to be 100% NWU.

How's that for impressive???


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Docents for Sub Force Library and Museum Needed

I didn't see this on anyone else's site, but, for you guys who might be in the Groton/New London area, and looking for some way to contribute to the Submarine community, The Submarine Force Library and Museum has a docent program, coordinated by the U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc. (SUBVETS) Groton, and they are looking for volunteers to be docents.

Article here.

To find out more information, or if you are interested in being a docent, contact the SFLM Docent Coordinator, Gary Schmid at (860) 823-9806 or e-mail docent@subvetsgroton.org.

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Big Rally Surprises Officials in DC

Protests in Washington today against growth of government. Even the New York Times says "the magnitude of the rally took the authorities by surprise." Estimates ranged from tens of thousands to over a million.  Make fun of these citizen-activists if you want, call them names if you must (brownshirts, astroturfers, nazi's, teabaggers), but ignore them at your peril.

These are not your run of the mill leftist paid protestors, these are average American citizens, who will vote.  And, even though most of them aren't Obama voters to start with, their sheer numbers will give strength to those who might not think it PC to oppose Obama.

That is why the legacy media will not report this fairly, if at all.

But, kudos to the NYT for covering the rally, if even in their usual leftist slant.

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Facebook - Like a Bad Dinner Party

After having my twitter account (which I tend to fill with political rants <140 characters and re-tweets of other, smarter people) linked to facebook, a couple of heated political discussions ensued.

You know what it convinced me of? 

That, generally, the people who spend time on facebook should not discuss politics, as their stupidity frustrates me.  They should stick to talking about their own boring social lives.

Twitter and this blog are where it's at.

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Anti-Abortion Activist Murdered in Michigan

Anti-abortion activist murdered in front of a Michigan school this morning.

When will Obama speak out on this?
When will the left chatterers denounce the hate speech of the left that led to this?

Where's the outrage?

Guessing we'll see little.


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No Moon For You

I can barely say I was alive when men first walked the moon, but in those years from 1969-1972, I fell in love with space exploration, like many other young boys.  The much awaited Augustine report is available and the news is bad (executive summary here).  Now, it may be another generation before any man sets foot on another world.  Unless NASA gets a minimum $3B/year cash injection, manned space launches are coming to an end in 2011 and not returning until (most likely) 2018.

Trips to the moon or Mars:  likely never.

It is instructive that the panel believes that the path to low earth orbit manned missions lies in the commercial sector, saying, "The United States needs a way to launch astronauts to low-Earth orbit, but it does not necessarily have to be provided by the government. As we move from the complex, reusable Shuttle back to a simpler, smaller capsule, it is an appropriate time to consider turning this transport service over to the commercial sector."

Interesting stuff, but former Apollo 12 moonwalker, Alan Bean, summed up where we are on space exploration and going back to the moon, or Mars, "I know we could do it, but we're not going to.  I want to go, but I know I'm in the minority." The nation was driven in the 1960s by the desire to prove its superiority over the Soviets, Bean said. Without a similar motivation now, returning to the moon will be viewed by most Americans as too expensive. "Future generations will have to find a reason," he said. "There's just not a reason now."

And that's the bottom line.  We just can't find a reason amid $800B stimulus packages and potentially $1T government takeovers of health care.  We can't.

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DUmmie FUnnies: "Anger - A Rant"

Check out DUmmie FUnnies and this post, (warning, mucho foul language, but...that's the language of the Left) DUmmie FUnnies: "Anger - A Rant".

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Obama disappoints, accepts resignation of nut-job Jones

Obama disappointed me today by doing what everyone said he would, allow 9-11 Truther, Whitey-hating, Communist, and all around idiot Van Jones, the "Green" jobs Czar, resign.

Jones, of course, like all good liberals and little communists, decided it wasn't his fault. All those crazy things he had said (and sung) that were inconveniently captured on You Tube (just one example) were the result of a “campaign” of “lies and distortions to distract and divide.” Michelle Malkin warns us to "Get ready for the coming media/left-wing martyrdom of Jones."

Watching Juan Williams (designated left-wing defender on Fox Sunday News), we saw the Left's alternate explanation of why Jones's statements and subsequent exit are not damaging to Obama - his position just wasn't that important, he really was just a low level staffer. Huh? The position was specially created for him. Spare me this one.

One of fave bloggers, Gateway Pundit, along with Glenn Beck really pushed this story, and are to be thanked for exposing and ridding us of one radical in the White House. If you get your news from the legacy media, tomorrow you may be reading about the whole thing, but for those who seek the Truth, they've been on this thing for a week.

Odds are, the most transparent administration in history (there's a laugher!) was lied to by Mr. Jones in his job interview - you know, the 63 question questionnaire where they actually ask (Question 61), "Have you had any association with any person, group or business venture that could be used – even unfairly – to impugn or attack your character and qualifications for government service?"

I guess it's plausible that Jones didn't think being a Communist or a whitey-hater would be something that could embarrass this crowd.

Anyway, Van Jones is just another radical exposed. How many more lurk in the current administration?

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Top Ten Reasons 9-11 Truther Van Jones will not be asked to resign

Since the Obama administration seems to be digging in its heels and not immediately ditching 9-11 Truther Van Jones, the "Green" Czar, I did some investigating to try to determine the top 10 reasons why they want Jones to remain on the White House payroll.

To wit...

10. Already had plans to feature him in his speech to the ObamaYouth on Tuesday as another example of a black man who has made it in a white, racist country.

9. Makes Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid look moderate by comparison.

8. There's a Green Czar? Obama missed him during introduction to other 36 unelected and unconfirmed Czars

7. Bill Ayers is not available to replace him (busy on his book tour)

6. Obama can no sooner disown Jones as his own racist white grandmother (oops, used that one already for another racist pal)

5. Joe Biden really enjoys Van's raps

4. Test the MSM to see how much crap he can get into and count on them to get him out of it

3. Intends to count this as one of the jobs the stimulus package "saved"

2. Professional Courtesy - Sets precedent for 2012, so Sarah Palin admin can employ Birthers without too much scrutiny.

1. Obama agrees with Jones.

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Preventative Medicine - not always a cost saver

Jason Fodeman writes in National Review Online about the costs of preventative medicine and why it's not always a cost-effective means of treating disease.

Fodeman writes:

"At first blush, prevention seems great. Preventing and detecting disease early to save lives and money — sign me up. But, as new research in this week’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute highlights, prevention unfortunately is not as simple as President Obama would like to depict. Two Dartmouth physicians studied prostate cancer diagnosis-and-treatment statistics, starting with the introduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening."

This has some meaning to me, since both my grandfather and father had prostrate cancer (both ended up being treated surgically), putting me in a high-risk group for the disease. Because of that, my prostrate screening, including the PSA test, started at age 40, vice 50 as recommended for most men.

The study concludes that since the PSA test came online in 1987, "an additional 1,305,600 men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, of whom 1,004,800 have been treated for the disease."

But, this wonderful preventative measure has an (un?)intended consequence. "Many of these patients were over-diagnosed and over-treated. They were treated unnecessarily for symptoms they did not have and never would have had. Even when employing the most optimistic benefit assumptions, [the study concludes] 'the vast majority of these additional 1 million men did not benefit from early detection.'"

The point is, while prevention is a wonderful thing, an attempt to sell health care reform by extrapolating savings from "prevention" ignores the additional costs borne by the system from measures such as these.

As we are seeing, science is enabling us to determine likelihoods of having particular pathologies based on these kinds of tests and even genetic factors. What happens, when we take health care decisions completely out of the hands of doctors and patients and place it in the hands of a single payer government system and its series of boards and councils (who are empowered to control costs, since government will necessarily have to operate within some cost constraints, since Obama won't be president forever), when they have this knowledge?

You think "death panels" are ludicrous...

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Green "Czar" revealed as 9-11 Truther. Countdown to firing begins.

Today, our friend GatewayPundit revealed that Green Czar, the unelected, and unconfirmed by the Senate, Van Jones, previously outed as a Communist and previously caught on tape calling Republicans a$$holes (watch as the obviously friendly audience laughs along with him), is also a 9-11 Truther (caution: I think the Wikipedia entry gives these people a little too much credibility. They're fringe lunatics.).

You may know of the 9-11 Truthers. They believe that the Bush administration knew 9-11 was going to happen and allowed it to happen so they could go to war. These people are nuts. They are nuttier than the Right's birthers. The Truthers have to believe that the former President willfully allowed Americans to die, for whatever nefarious reasons. At least the Birthers don't think anyone was allowed to die so that Obama could fake being an American (for the record, I think the birthers are crazy, too, but not THIS crazy).

So, today on Fox News, Steve Hayes wondered, as of 7pm, after the story had been out 7 hours, why Jones hadn' t been dismissed, and Charles Krauthammer wondered whether the adminstration was just incompetent in its vetting process, or whether they allowed this guy to be chosen with knowledge of his wacked out views. Neither says much for the Obama administration.

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Mark Steyn on Kennedy Hagiography

Mark Steyn, as usual, says best the way I feel about Kennedy's passing (in case that's scrolled off, you can find my thoughts, here).

While Liberals are spending the day mourning the loss of the "greatest legislator" (is having your name on 1000 bills really an accomplishment?) or the "Lion" of the Senate (doesn't that just mean he spoke a lot?) or the last great "civil" senator (tell that to Robert Bork), I guess I am spending it wondering why they love this SOB who left a 29 year old woman to die.

But, "it's the body of his work, the totality of the man" they say.

Say it all you want, why would I expect people who don't care whether an unborn child is killed to care about Mary Jo Kopechne's death and the Senator's culpability in it, and the character his actions afterward revealed.

They don't care. He was right on their issues, and he was moderately effective. Who cares what he might have done. If serial abuser (if not rapist) Bill Clinton can be forgiven (hell, he even had one female columnist promising to fellate him) because he pledged to protect a woman's womb, surely Ted Kennedy is forgiven murder for 40 years of adherence to liberal orthodoxy.

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Beers for Torture! I'm in!

Jeffrey H Smith, former general counsel to the CIA (during the Clinton administration) wrote an op-ed last week in the Washington Post giving six reason why the CIA interrogators should NOT be prosecuted.

This necessarily prompted the predictable responses from those opposed to torture, enhanced interrogation, or any technique providing useful information from the enemy.

However, one writer, Patty Healy, of Fairfax, VA (here's to you, Patty!) dissented and cleanly summed up my views:

"I am sorely disappointed that the names of the interrogators were redacted in the recently released memos about interrogation techniques. The more I read about what they did to protect our country, the more I would like to buy them a beer."

(H/T: Brother-in-law and actual reader of the Washington Post.)

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Ted Kennedy's Legacy: OJ Simpson

Frank Fleming, publisher of IMAO.com and Pajamas Media contributor, has it about right on Ted Kennedy when he says,

"What was his civil rights legacy? He was a rich white guy who killed a woman and got away without consequences, and so paved the way that one day a black man, O.J. Simpson, could do the same?"

Other than that, I don't really see what greatness Ted Kennedy brought to his life and to our world.

The guy was a drunken lecher, who happened to be borne into the American version of royalty. He was the progeny of a man, Joseph P Kennedy, who today would be the poster child to the Left of all that is wrong with corporate America. And, sometimes when you listen to the Left complain and rail on the evil executive class, you have to wonder if Teddy hadn't just delivered a speech to them on his own father's life.

In his own life, Ted Kennedy will always be remembered, by me, for allowing a young girl, Mary Jo Kopechne, to die in his car after he crashed off an embankment at Chappaquidick Island, MA. He failed to report the incident for 10 hours, and, in the real world that the rest of us live in, would have been found guilty of manslaughter, at the least. But, like OJ, the Kennedy's don't live in our world. Kennedy did plea to a misdemeanor Leaving the Scene of an Accident charge, and got two months probation.

Listening yesterday to some people talk about Senator Kennedy, it was clear he was a likable guy, as most Irish drunks are. People enjoyed his company. He lived life hard, but he had the wealth and privilege to do that without serious repercussions. Orrin Hatch related a time where Kennedy had played a song (I guess that Hatch had composed) for his 2nd wife (oh, yes, did I mention he was also a serial philanderer), and he called Hatch to thank him and tell him how well received it was. The funny part (to Hatch, certainly not to taxpayers) was that Hatch received this call while working in Washington, from Kennedy, on the family boat with his significant other. When Hatch asked Kennedy why he wasn't working, Kennedy just laughed. Joke was on you, Massachusetts residents who elected this guy 7 times.

Another story teller (friend, Ed Kleine) related during a discussion on “The Diane Rehm Show” on National Public Radio (H/T The Examiner):

"I don't know if you know this or not, but one of his favorite topics of humor was indeed Chappaquiddick itself. And he would ask people, ‘Have you heard any new jokes about Chappaquiddick?’ I mean that is just the most amazing thing. It's not that he didn't feel remorse about the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, but that he still always saw the other side of everything and the ridiculous side of things, too. "

Don't believe me, listen yourself:


I'm sure Ted Kennedy was a lovable drunk. Many are. Many are just sad caricatures of lives wasted and what could have been. His God, and mine, has forgiven him his sins, so may he rest in peace.

But, how should he be remembered by the living?

Ted Kennedy was an Irish Catholic who was pro abortion with a hard-Left voting record which insulated him from any attacks on his Left. He "championed" every Liberal cause that came along for 40 years, and fought the less Liberal members of his own party, including presidents (Clinton, Carter). He was surely an effective legislator for the Left. They will remember him as the "Lion of the Senate" (whatever the hell that means) and the Right will remember him as the poster child for wealth and privilege run amok.

I will just try NOT to remember him. He has personally destroyed one life, and has tried to destroy the America the Founders created for 40 years.

Good riddance, Ted.

Memo to CIA: STOP with the smoke blowing...

In the latest revelations against the CIA, we learn that interrogators of Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri (according to the 9-11 commission report, the mastermind of the attack on the U.S.S. Cole) not only BLEW SMOKE in his face, but smoked cigars!

The horror!

Rather than laughing at the Inspector General's representatives, "This interrogator said he would not do this again based on 'perceived criticism.'"

So, something that you could still experience first hand in bars in some more free parts of the country is considered an "Unauthorized or undocumented [interrogation] technique" to the CIA IG's office, and, I am sure also to Eric Holder.

I wonder if Barack Obama has ever blown smoke in anyone's face? He's sure blowing it up our @$$.

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Why Hate Crime Legislation Should be Opposed

Since nearly most crimes involve some kind of "hatred" I have never felt there was a specific need for "hate" crimes legislation.

In passing these types of laws, our lawmakers are elevating certain victims to a higher status than others, therefore making a mockery of "all men are created equal."

While liberal politicians pass these off as applying equally when they are pitching them to the electorate, they are rarely applied equally in practice, regardless of how heinous the crime, nor how obvious the "hatred."

Furthermore, for most people prosecuted under hate crimes statutes, they usually would have received the same punishment under existing statutes. So, hate crimes legislation does little other than offer DA's an opportunity to grandstand and favored groups an opportunity to decry the hatred of some vile group (more often than not - that reviled group is some form of white, racist, homophobic redneck).

Anyway, because of the favored status of certain groups, these laws tend to diminish truly horrific crimes.

I wanted a maximum audience to read about a particularly horrific crime. A crime that is truly borne of hate, but, because it was not committed against one of the Left's favored interest groups, it will never receive any media attention beyond the locality where it occurred.

I pondered cutting and pasting the details here, but, they are so horrific, I don't want anyone who isn't forewarned to read them.

For all of you who have children between the ages of 16-24 especially (or will have them), this story will make you sick, and hopefully, make you mad as well.

Link here, but you were warned.

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A Quick Thought on Medicare and Health Care Reform

I spent some time recently talking to my mother-in-law (70ish) about Medicare, since I have no first-hand experience with the program and wanted to find out if she, as a Medicare user, was happy with the experience and a little about how the program works.

Here are my 2 key take-aways:

1. She's generally happy with Medicare, but, she still has to pay a healthy monthly premium for her health insurance for Medicare supplements, but, she pretty much has one of those gold-plated policies that covers everything.
2. The prescription drug benefit passed during the Bush years was a very good deal for her.

So, I wondered, if seniors are generally happy (and, a sample size of 1 isn't very good), then why can't we just extend Medicare to everyone?

Well, the answer should be obvious to just about everyone - we just can't afford it. We can barely afford Medicare, Medicaid and S-CHIP now, and to extend such a system to every person in the country would require such confiscatory taxation as to destroy economic growth in this country. In fact, with the government in control of about 50% of the health care spending now, it is more a part of the problem than a part of the solution.

My personal opinion is that the taxation system that rewards employers for providing health benefits is the biggest problem we have in health insurance. If we instead passed those benefits directly to the consumers of health care, we'd give a much better chance of making health care more portable, which would address some of the pre-existing conditions problems, and we'd make it more affordable, and address some of the uninsured.

No doubt that this would still leave many uninsured, but, rather than tearing down the system completely, and remaking it in the government's image, this would retain the system of private insurance, which will certainly allow for more innovation, better allocate scarce resources, and not place health care decisions into the hands of a)bureaucrats with no stake in individual's health decisions, and b)elected officials who may be corrupt, incompetent, or both.

Then, once we start to bound the problem better, we can begin the hard work of dealing with the chronically uninsured, and the poor.

This is really a philosophical debate. Either you believe that the government can efficiently and effectively run the health care system, or you believe markets are the best way to manage resources. In the current debate, there really appears to be little middle ground, and I side with those who look at what government does, at the hubris of those suggesting that government can do this (if only this group of smart people run it), and agree with them that individuals, operating within a (relatively) free market, can make the best choices about their health care and how to spend their money.

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Southwest not coming to Atlanta after all

Because Southwest would not revise its offer for Frontier due to provisions regarding pilot seniority and merging the lists, Republic Airways won Frontier in bankruptcy court, for about $60M less than Southwest was offering.  Read more here.

 

In other Atlanta aviation news, Airtran is swapping slots at Newark for slots at National Airport and Laguardia.  The net result - no more Airtran flights to Newark.  Want to go on Airtran to NYC, you must go to Laguardia.  You'll get more flights to National and to LGA, though.

 

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Big Brother - Reality TV Update

It's no secret that we are big Reality TV fans in our house. We don't watch every show, but, American Idol, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, and Big Brother always have a faithful audience at our house.

We've only recently (3 seasons?) started watching Big Brother, so we don't know a lot of the history of the show.

This week, though, in BB11, CBS announced that one of the "houseguests," Chima, was evicted for rules violations.

If you haven't stumbled onto this news yet, and you're a BB11 fan, maybe CBS will enlighten us tonight on what exactly happened. Since BB is broadcast over the Internet to (paying) subscribers 24/7, and runs for 3 hours every night (from 12AM-3AM Eastern) on Showtime 2, many people have seen what's going on in the House that we don't get in the primetime shows.

It would appear that Chima was extremely abusive and downright rude to the other houseguests, and that Thursday night (I think), she went nuts, after another houseguest used a power that was part of the game ("Coup d'Etat) to change nominations for eviction that Chima had made in her role as Head of Household, and when Chima herself was nominated for eviction. She becamse abusive to the producers of the show and refused to wear her microphone, in fact, she threw it into the BB hot tub and ruined it.

Anyway, whether she left of her own accord, or was asked to leave, she's gone.

My view - she was a rude, arrogant woman with a huge chip on her shoulder, and the producers tired of her act. Her exit may have been more mutual than one-sided, but she needs to learn something from this exercise about respect for others.

Chima composed an email, supposedly, here to the BB Examiner web site.

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Outlook Bleak for NASA

The Augustine Panel, commissioned to look at our manned space flight options given current and slightly expanded budget options, has determined that there are "no good options for continuing human exploration of space within the constraints set by the Obama administration's fiscal 2010 budget plan for NASA," according to this Aviation Week article.  There is no way, under the current budget, that we will be able to retire the shuttle, shut down the ISS by 2016, and develop the Ares I/Orion and get to the moon by 2020.  No way.  Sad.

 

However, with an increase of $3B/year (now, that's a stimulus I could get behind!), we could get to the moon by 2025, according to subcommittee chair Sally Ride.

 

There are some who say it is not a conservative ideal to explore space, and I would say they are ideologically right.  However, inasmuch as it provides benefits to your defense technologies, a nationally funded space program can survive the scrutiny of conservatives. In the Age of Obama, where money is thrown around like rice at a wedding, I'd much rather see an additional $60B spent on returning to the moon and goign to Mars than on whatever social program Obama has it earmarked.

 

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Kudos for Obama on India, Africa Policies

President Obama deserves some credit for a couple of foreign policy efforts that are continuations of Bush policies.

In India, while Bill Clinton was saving Korean journalists, and despite Hillary getting a lecture from the Indian PM on global warming, the United States was continuing to make India a larger strategic partner.

In Africa, Obama himself took to lecturing the African nations on the need to stop blaming the West, and instead practice a little good government themselves. While President Bush started the focus on Africa, let's hope Obama, with his background, can convince African nations to lift themselves out of the poverty and despair that grips the continent.

Both these areas of the world are of vital importance and of strategic interest to the U.S. India can serve as a vital counterweight to the growing Chinese military and economic threat. In Africa, despite the hopes of AGW alarmists, we are beginning to find oil in abundance, particularly in the waters of Western Africa. Additionally, the continent is ripe for militant Islamists and we must tame that beast if we are to ever "win" the War on Terror. The Chinese are also our competitors here, and are making inroads in China. But, unlike the Chinese, we need to prove to Africa that we intend to stay, not rape them and take their resources.

Anyway, while there is much to dislike about Obama's policies, and his generally statist bent, these are areas where we can applaud his administration's (at least for now) direction.

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Will Southwest Airlines Come to Atlanta?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Bob Jordan, Southwest’s executive vice president of strategy and planning, as saying that "Atlanta, Reagan National Airport, and destinations in Mexico as places 'that are very interesting' that Frontier flies to and Southwest does not."

This on the heels of Southwest topping Republic Airlines' bid (in bankruptcy court) for Frontier Airlines. Aviation Week reports that Southwest would like to expand their operations in Denver.

For aviation industry watchers, there is the question of what will happen to Frontier's all Airbus fleet, as Southwest only flies 737's and achieves significant cost savings with their homogenous fleet.

While Southwest might want to add Atlanta to their route structure, they would have to compete with AirTran, another successful discounter who already has a massive Atlanta hub. Still, with only one gate at Atlanta, Southwest would not likely have a lot of flights here, and probably wouldn't make much of a dent, except to open up the entire Southwest route structure to Atlanta metro area residents, which is a good thing for us.

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Russkies Visit Atlantic

Lotsa talk today about the Navy saying that at least one, maybe two Russian submarines have made a trip into the West Atlantic the last couple of weeks.

The NY Times has a detailed article . There is some doubt whether the second sub has patrolled much further than Greenland, but the other was believed to have stopped in Cuba for a pretty nice port call for some Russian sailors.

In the shadow of the Bear flights to Venezuela, it is clear the Russians are trying to show that they are still relevant in the age of China, and, of course, Putin is a bit of a show-off. I happen to think he may be hunkier than The One. Do you think when they get together (Vlad and O) that they flex and pose and do all that cool Hans and Franz stuff...


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The Audacity of Liars

So, yesterday, while enjoying (for my wife) the wonderful health care service that is my HMO (basically, a well-run version of the future government run system), I was forced to watch CNN for about 3 hours.

We left the clinic with a"you're not sick but here are some pain meds" diagnosis (note to pain killer addicts: Obamacare may be just what you ordered), and these observations about CNN:

1. CNN is pimping the impact of the stimulus bill as part of their homage to Obama, the entire day was filled with stories of massively important work that is being done now because of this.
2. While pimping the wonderful good works, CNN doesn't mention how much these cost, or really whether any new jobs are being created.
3. It was funny hearing the anchor/anchorette say (paraphrasing), "Let's hope that some people are getting jobs and that they last."

Ahhhhh, hope, the elixir of the Obama administration....

On another note, apparently, the weekend is the time to let slip that you are going to break your "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime" promise to 95% of Americans.

I love Treasury Secretary "Turbo Tax Cheater" Tim Geithner's rationale for health care reform, "If we want an economy that's going to grow in the future, people have to understand we have to bring those deficits down. And it's going to be difficult, hard for us to do. And the path to that is through health care reform."

So, increase deficits fourfold, and argue that as your reason for needing to slam through a government run health care system!

This administration truly is audacious...

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Is this the greatest movie line ever?

I guess this is making the rounds of the Internet.




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P-8A Poseidon Official Rollout

In more good news for ASW fans, the Boeing P8A Poseidon was officially rolled out yesterday.

Because the P-3 Orion fleet is aging so fast, the Navy has chosen to get the P-8's out to the fleet as quickly as possible, and then expect to see them get fitted out for multiple missions, etc, etc.

"The P-8A Poseidon program is an outstanding example of evolutionary acquisition at work. We have established a very solid baseline for initial operational capability, while concurrently making upgrade increments for future insertion as technology matures," said Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Manager Capt. Mike Moran.

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Navy continues string of successful BMD tests...

And they said it couldn't be done (must've assumed the USAF would get this mission).

The Navy successfully fired an SM-3 from the USS Hooper (CG-70), proving to the North Koreans that we intend to protect Hawaii.

From the Navy's official release:

"During this event, entitled Stellar Avenger, the Aegis BMD-equipped ship, USS Hopper (DDG 70), detected, tracked, fired and guided a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block (Blk) IA to intercept a sub-scale short range ballistic missile."

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US to replace Russia as India's key arms depot.

I love that there's an English language version of Pravda. I doubly love that Naval OpenSource Intelligence is using it as their source for India's decision to primarily use the United States (vice Russia) as their arms supplier.

The Indians. Without them, the Chinese will rule the world.

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ASDS Killed, for good this time.

The Navy has axed the Advanced Seal Delivery System (ASDS). After a fire last November caused over $200M in damage, the Navy decided to go ahead and kill the ASDS and not even repair the one delivered. I think over $1B had been spent already on this thing, and it just wasn't working out.

What also wasn't working out was who was going to pay for it and that was always a problem.

According to the Honolulu Advertiser, "Funding has been requested for the Joint Multi-Mission Submersible program to develop an alternate SEAL insertion craft. The online publication Inside the Navy reported in June that $43.4 million was being sought for pre-design work for the mini-sub that would provide 'improved performance' over ASDS."

This supposedly is in the 2010 budget.

So, the SEALS will remain wet for now.

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Abortion - more Facebook stupidity

I don't really like to start abortion debates here (they are good for the hit meter, but little else), but, when I posted over on Facebook about how abortions have declined for the last 8 years, and how public opinion is turning against the "choice" side, I got this reply (Facebook is not filled with the greatest debaters):

""Jay,,, since you stated about the great success regarding tighter state restrictions on abortion,,, giving kudos up to George Bush and pollsters,,, and overturning Roe,, within the next decade I am just wondering,,, how do you think Dr. Tiller's family is feeling right now?"

Ok, first, I did note as a success some reasonable restrictions states have been placing on abortions (mostly parental notification laws), and I didn't really give pollsters credit, I was referencing this May 15, 2009 Gallup (you may have heard of them) poll showing a 51%-42% Pro-life vs. Pro-Choice poll, putting the "Life" side ahead for the first time.

I am pretty sure (the whole thread is down now) I didn't suggest Roe would be overturned in the next decade (which it won't barring a GOP victory in 2012), but, I do think Roe's days are numbered, but that's for another post.

What really chaps me in this one, as you can probably guess, is the equation of someone being pro-life (as I freely admit I am), with being pro-murder, when the murder in question is of an abortionist.

I replied to the writer of this post that she was comparing apples to oranges, that my position is that murdering the practitioner of a practice that is legal in this country only serves to help the "choice" movement, as evidenced by this post, since it allows those on that side to try to draw these false moral comparisons, and the simpletons eat it up. Beyond that, to compare the heinous murder of one man, however wrong it is, with the genocide (and, that's what it is) of 30M plus children since 1973, is, well, somewhat one-sided.

The reality is that the murderer of Dr. Tiller should face the maximum penalty for what he has done - and he will. The murder of Dr. Tiller does nothing to help the pro-life cause. People who really want to see this practice eliminated need to protest peacefully, contact their elected representatives, and speak out on blogs, etc.

Regardless, the pro-life cause will eventually prevail because incremental steps will be taken to reasonably restrict abortion, technologies such as ultrasounds are changing people's conceptions of life, and science will eventually push that "viability" point so far towards conception that eventually many more than 51% of Americans will realize that this practice is morally reprehensible and will seek to outlaw it (with some exceptions that this society will be able to agree upon - thus keeping it safe, sometimes legal, and finally rare). Finally, it will happen because it is the right thing to do.

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Health Care Debate and Facebook

When you participate in Facebook, and people start political discussions (however benignly) on their sites, you run into real morons.

In a discussion about health care, this gem was a response to something I posted:

"nothing good comes easy,,, Obama and this administration will complete in some form a health care reform plan that was started by Hillary Clinton way back when Bill Clinton was in his first term. The folks on the hill basically threw Hillary under the bus. As they say, "well behaved women rarely make history". I have faith that we will have something,, people like me, uninsured, in our hands by August 8th. At the very least, we should have the same healthcare that we pay for for our congressmen & women to have."

First, this person is stuck under some kind of a rock, since Obama himself has backed off and now only wants something on his desk by the end of the year. It isn't going to happen by August 8th. Sorry.

I don't understand the Hillary references? Is she talking about 1994? I don't know where this person was in 1994, but Hillary pretty much handled the bus throwing on her own. Is she talking about 2008? I dunno...

I have to admit, I have never heard the phrase..."Well behaved women rarely make history." I'd counter and say Mother Theresa was well behaved, she made history (and Sainthood). But, maybe she's the exception. Again, I don't know where people get this stuff.

As for "the same health care that we pay for for our congressmen and women [can't leave out both sexes, that should tell you something about the poster] to have," hmmmmmmmmm, seems no one is proposing that for this go round. As I recall, the Republicans actually proposed that in 1994, but, Hillary was having none of it.

Finally, even if Obama had a bill on his desk on August 8th, most provisions of the House and Senate bills are not going into effect until 2013. Funny how that is AFTER the 2012 election cycle. Let's see, Obama declares victory before anyone actually gets to experience the program before his re-election year.

You see, this is just politics as usual, or, you could call it, "The Chicago Way."


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Indian SSBN: Pakistan Watch Out!

The Indians' new submarine, the INS Arihant (Sanskrit for "Destroyer of Enemies") is officially in the water.

This Telegraph article includes a nice little plan view of the submarine.

Some details:

• Will carry a 750km ballistic missile, with a 1500km planned range on the next generation
• 40% indigenous content (i.e. mostly Russian)
• Looks like 12 missile capacity, although some press reports said only 5 (maybe that's all India has in stock)
• One year until her reactor lights off

Welcome to the club, India!

Obama backpedals on Stoopid Police

If you sleep under a rock, you missed the final question at President Obama's health care newser Wednesday night.

See if for yourself here:




Well, turns out, the question was a plant, and if you're as shocked as I was that the President of the United States would address a local police issue on something he had NO KNOWLEDGE about, you're not alone.

So, after a day of fallout, turns out that pretty much everyone who was there and who is associated with the arresting officer stands by him, and not the Harvard professor and Friend of Barack. This officer was just doing his job, trying to defuse the situation, and this hothead decided to lay into him. Little surprise that a professor of African American studies and a purveyor of the "Blacks are victims" meme, would immediately jump to calling this profiling (although the officer was called to the scene because the guy was breaking into his own house - the facts are not in dispute here, and Grant was arrested for Disorderly Conduct, not B&E).

That the President, with little knowledge of the facts, would take time in his televised press conference, to tout this same pack of lies, should put the lie to anyone who had real thoughts that Barack Obama was some sort of transcendent racial figure. He's a race baiter, just like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and this had no place in national politics, from a sitting president.

Obama is acting too much like the junior senator from Illinois still, and with his approval ratings continuing their plummet, it won't be long until he's at Bushian levels of approval and Democrats are distancing themselves from him.

It's not too late for him to grab a lifeline that truly stupid Republicans are likely to throw him, probably giving him some sort of "bipartisan" victory on health care, and restoring some of the luster to his presidency. I hope not. I hope the GOP can sense the blood in the water. This presidency, built on the "Cult of Obama" is sinking into the gooey tar pit that is the Pelosi-Reid agenda.

It is said that in politics, when your opponent is committing suicide, the best thing for the opposition to do is to sit and watch.

As for me, I believe I will do that, with a cold beer in my hand.

A caution to Conservatives: Bill Clinton came back. Liberalism came back. We must remain ever vigilant, as there is much work to be done and we can never, ever give up.

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Navy on the Military Channel

The Military Channel will air a short mini-series, "At Sea" August 9-11 at 10pm to "allow viewers to experience first hand the revolutionary changes that are currently taking place in the mission, manpower and machinery of this unmatched maritime force."  Viewers will get to "dive deep beneath the ocean's surface to explore the latest in attack submarines" among other fun Navy stuff.

 

Watch it and see for yourself.

 

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12 Women Have Dolphins??? Real Dolphins?

I don't have a real problem with women in submarines (I wish they had been onboard in my days), but, I do have a problem with the way this Stars and Stripes article portrays this accomplishment by LCDR Marilisa Elrod ("the distinction of being a submarine-qualified sailor.").

 

LCDR Elrod is a medical officer and dolphin wearer, and the shocking news (to me) is that there are 11 other dolphin-wearing females.

 

Upon further review, I suspect (hope) that LCDR Elrod is wearing the special Medical Corps dolphins (the picture isn't of sufficient resolution to tell). Sort of like the Supply Corps' dolphins.  Nice achievement, but not really dolphins, of the steely-eyed killer variety.

 

If she's not wearing those "special" ones, I am going to be pissed.

 

Comments???

 

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Health Care - Insight from a Master Strategist

As Obama fights the free fall of his approval numbers (faster than an Apollo spacecraft at re-entry), here are some original thoughts from the master strategist, Dick Morris:

 

• "How can we cover 50 million more people without any new doctors or nurses? The answer is to ration health care, with the government deciding who'll get hip and knee replacements, heart-bypass surgery and other medical treatments. And what does rationing mean? It means that the elderly will be denied care that they can now get whenever they want."
• "The Obama plan effectively repeals Medicare, putting a Federal Health Board between the elderly and their doctors. This board will instruct public and private insurance carriers on what procedures are to be approved, at what cost and for what patients."
• "We'll have to revisit the idea that the elderly have, in the words of former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm, 'a duty to die.'"
• "The elderly constantly stay in touch with their doctors and medical providers. The curtailment of that access will become immediately apparent -- and in more than enough time for the 2010 elections."

So, my parents will have to die so my kids can afford the taxes to keep the health care system going.  Good thing people about my age are drafting this thing, otherwise, I'd be hosed.

 

Here's hoping it fails.

 

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India gives Hillary (and Obama) the finger on Global Warming

Well, Hillary Clinton was in India this week, again apologizing for the United States' horrible record putting CO2 in the atmosphere, and praising Obama for putting on a course to reduce this horrible pollutant.

Thankfully, the Indians told Hillary:

“There is simply no case for the pressure that we, who have been among the lowest emissions per capita, face to actually reduce emissions,” Jairam Ramesh, India’s environment minister told Mrs Clinton. “And as if this pressure was not enough, we also face the threat of carbon tariffs on our exports to countries such as yours.”

In other words "Hey Hillary, Obama, F-off!"

Good for the Indians and good for civilization.

If we really wanted to do something about awful greenhouse gasses - we'd concentrate on something that really contributes to global warming, like this dastardly molecule.

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Sotomayor - Pretty Much Standard Liberal Fare

Sonia Sotomayor has said repeatedly, "'I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Investors Business Daily editorializes (how they read MY mind, I don't know) that her statement at her confirmation hearings, "What I was talking about was the obligation of judges to examine what they're feeling as they're adjudicating a case and to ensure that that's not influencing the outcome," is the kind of liberal "I meant the opposite of what I actually said" speak that we have come to expect from liberal, activist judges.

For what it's worth, her statements at the hearings are all we need to know about how she will approach her job from the bench. Like all Liberal judges, she'll read the words in the Constitution, consider them, then decide it means whatever the hell she wants it to mean right now.

Fair enough? We get what we paid for.

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Obama Approval Numbers Enter Free Fall

Maybe Americans are starting to realize that the economy is not improving, that we own a mess of a car company, that banks are still not lending money, and that none of those shovel-ready projects are actually causing people to pick up shovels, but are instead causing state governments to take bailouts.

Maybe Americans are also trying to send a signal that government run health care is not something they are interested in, that they don't want to be taxed in a scheme to "save" the environment, and that they really don't believe anymore that 95% of them are getting a tax cut.

Maybe.

Anyway, Rasmussen has the Strongly Disapproves at 38% and the Strongly Approves at 30%, so, -8.

Take it for what it's worth, that your neighbors perhaps are willful dunces, but not complete idiots.


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Indians to launch own nuke sub; Sub Blogger glorifies us all

The Indians are set to launch their first, indigenously built, nuclear submarine soon. This in addition to taking delivery of their bad luck Akula from the Russians and the former Admiral Gorshkov (POS) carrier also from the Russkies.

Now, love him or hate him, let's hope the Obama administration follows through on one Bush policy that should be continued - the continued closer cooperation with our friends in India. This, along with Bush's Africa policy, are important foreign policy choices that we need to continue.

In other news - the dean of Submarine bloggers, Joel Kennedy, was recently in the news himself. Stop over at The Stupid Shall be Punished and read Joel's take on it, then go read the interview your own self!

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Biden Speaks, the Left cringes...

Even crazy old Joe Biden (did you know he's Vice President now? Neither did I! Wow!!) thinks the government is run by a bunch of amateurs (himself, excluded).

"The truth is, there was a misreading of just how bad an economy we inherited," said Biden to ABC's George Snuffalufagus.

In another sign of just how wise Biden is becoming, even he thinks Paul Krugman is a partisan hack, and a leftist, lunatic economist as he downplayed calls from (long ago) Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman this week that a second stimulus will be needed.

I always knew I liked Joe Biden for his candor...

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Great men knew the dangers of tyranny. They wrote these Words.

These are two pretty important paragraphs in our Nation's history. Read them and consider what they mean to you this weekend.


When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

The authors went on to list a series of abuses perpetrated on them, and signed off thusly:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

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Obamafascism

As I hope people will some day soon figure out, Obama and the Dems are engaged in the largest government takeover of our economy ever attempted.

And, they are doing it with the acquiescence of much of corporate America. As I posted previously, Wal-mart has decided to back Obamacare. For good selfish reasons, large corporations like much of what Obama is promising.

But, Jonah Goldberg, who wrote the book on Liberal Fascism, tries to make it clearer for those dense of mind. Read his post, but I'll highlight for you:

• "In the last two election cycles, big Wall Street firms gave more to Democrats than to Republicans. Democrats also led in most other big-business sectors."
• "On health care, insurance companies and others repeat the mantra that they want to be 'at the table rather than on the menu,' all the better to be positioned as a tax collector of the welfare state."
  
• "General Motors and Chrysler have gone from being pimped-out prostitutes of the state to outright chattel more akin to the leather-bound gimp in Pulp Fiction, eager to do the bidding of the president and the UAW."
• "Once-proud companies like GE have become seduced by global-warming schemes because they recognize that there’s more money to be made selling white elephants to Uncle Sam than there is selling competitive products consumers want. Indeed, cap-and-trade taxes promise to deliver precisely the protectionist industrial policies the Left has dreamed of for decades, only under a “progressive” label."
• "This week, Philip Morris, the biggest of the big tobacco companies, supported and won passage of an “anti-tobacco” bill that will make it easier for Philip Morris (a subsidiary of Altria) to sell cigarettes by making it harder for smaller, more innovative firms to compete."

This doesn't even begin to touch on the takeover of the financial industry that began under Bush and has expanded under Obama. Those companies, of course, will seek to become government's "partner" as time progresses.

Before long, no matter who you work for, you'll be a quasi-government employee (minus all the great benefits, which they of course will retain as the rest of us are hustled off into government-mandated programs).

That's the future. We'll be more messed up than France.

Tiger Woods blasted by Jim Brown

Jim Brown lambasted Tiger Woods because Woods is "terrible" on social change issues.

I appreciate that Brown was a fantastic (perhaps best ever) running back, and during the turbulent '60's. He felt a need to speak out then, and he does so to this day. Good for you, Jim.

However, my suspicion is that Tiger is likely slightly more conservative in his politics than he may want to let on, and he has chosen to funnel his significant charitable contributions in more traditional ways, vice becoming a polarizing figure for "social change," whatever that is.

Look, Jim, it's not 1968 anymore. Just because Tiger's mixed race includes black, doesn't mean he has to be a poster boy for anything the ossified black leaders decree. Tiger was clearly raised to be his own man, and he'll do what he wants. I hope Tiger doesn't see fit to give these babies the time of day.

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More on Wal-mart and Obamacare. Or, why you should be scared, very scared...

David Suderman explains better than I why Wal-mart would support Obamacare.

"Wal-Mart, the nation's largest employer, can afford the costs imposed by an employer mandate. Smaller competitors are likely to find it harder -- and they're not too happy about Wal-Mart's announcement"

David Brooks explains why Congressional leadership (as opposed to Executive) on policy and lawmaking, as we have witnessed with Porkulus, Cap 'n Tax, and Obamacare, is bad for the country, but good for some corporations.

All these are messes. Someone will have to clean them up.

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Obamacare: Watch Large Corporations Jump On

Wal-mart is signing on to Obamacare.

This should really come as no surprise, as there are lots and lots of good reasons for Wal-mart, and other large corporations to sign on to a government run health care system.

The shifting of health care costs from employers to government (read: taxpayers, i.e. YOU) is a natural boon for large employers. It makes even greater sense to large employers with massive unionized workforces, or for those threatened by unionization.

For largely union shops, this essentially levels the playing field for these companies against upstarts. For established companies, health care costs are one of their largest costs of employment, and the rate of increase in health care costs throw much uncertainty into these company's planning processes. So, they see a government run system as a way to make these costs the same for everyone, and to take them off their hands and shift them to ours. They also see them as a way to shelter them from competitors, especially non-union competitors, who have lower costs structures.

For Wal-mart, some certainty has to be in order, and, I expect this is an attempt to buy protection from unionization themselves. If Wal-mart can say, "Why do our employees need a union when there is a government run health care system for them to participate in?"

The groups I can't understand why they are behind Obamacare are unions. Of course, I fully expect the health care benefits that are collectively bargained for to be exempted from any government run plan. Unions will not sit by and stand for employers telling their rank and file to join the government run system, when they have pretty generous, bargained-for benefits.

Anyway, my point is - any health care plan is going to be shaped more by Democratic party politics than actual health care needs.

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Lasers and Submarines

So, no less an authority than MSNBC tells us "lasers to seek, but not destroy subs" in this article.

Sounds like this is a one-way technology, mainly being developed for communications purposes, since the lasers can be shot from the air and still travel underwater.

Ted Jones is leading this research effort, and he's a pretty smart guy, cause he wrote this abstract:

"An intense remote underwater laser acoustic source is under development at the Naval Research Laboratory. In a novel configuration, a tailored intense laser pulse can be designed to propagate many meters underwater and compress at a predetermined remote location. Controlled compression of these optical pulses is governed by a combination of optical group velocity dispersion and nonlinear Kerr self‐focusing. Optical compression can result in laser‐induced breakdown, localized heating, and acoustic shock generation (emphasis added). Recent experiments include near‐field acoustic source characterization using lens‐focused 400 and 800 nm pulses of a Ti:sapphire laser, as well as 532 and 1064 nm pulses of a YAG laser. Sound pressure levels over 210 dB were achieved using a compact laser. Acoustic source characterization includes measurements of photoacoustic energy conversion efficiency, acoustic power spectrum, and directivity. Nonlinear optical studies included the precise measurement of the Kerr index of water at 400 and 800 nm, as well as conditions for optical filament generation, and their effects on acoustic signals. Planned experiments include tests in a bubbly salt water tank. Experimental results will be presented, and laser sources and techniques for underwater acoustic generation will be compared."

Seems pretty cool, eh?

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Six Flags Over Georgia vs. Cedar Point

The last week in May, my daughter (now 14) and I made a long road trip to Cedar Point - the world's best amusement park, in Sandusky, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie. I previously posted about an overnight we spent in Cincinnati.

I really want to save the details of Cedar Point for another day, but, the short version is - best amusement park for number and variety of roller coasters, and best staff and operations I have experienced in my life. Period. Without equal.

Our local park is Six Flags Over Georgia, and it's one to which we own season passes, the prices being too good to pass up. We've done this for many years, although we probably average only 4 visits a year, Six Flags being about 30 miles from our home, and our opportunities mostly limited to weekends, but we always try to go at least once on a weekday during summer. Today was the first of those days, and was our second visit (I discussed a little of visit one in this post).

What I didn't mention here in that post was that Six Flags has adopted a policy on most of their roller coasters where riders are not permitted to bring anything they can't put in their pockets, into the station. This would include souvenir drink cups that season pass holders are enouraged to buy for $12.99 to get discount refills, any backpack type stuff, etc. In exchange, Six Flags conveniently offers lockers for short-term rental (2 hrs) at line entrances, for $1.

This was my major complaint back in April. This policy spans the most popular coasters - Batman, Superman, Goliath, and some not-so-popular ones (Cyclone, Scorcher). It amounts to a surcharge of $1 for each ride. When I complained to Six Flags, their management was kind enough to offer these answers:

1. The policy is a corporate policy
2. The policy is intended to increase throughput on these rides

Number 1 is a dodge, and since Six Flags is now in Chapter 11, I can't say that too many decisions coming out of their corporate office must be that great, but, maybe this one is a net money maker - I expect most of their visitors are one-time visitors and just accept this as a price of a vacation, along with the astronomical food prices, and the ridiculous parking prices. To their credit, they have held the line on actual admission and season passes - but they're picking it up here.

Number 2 is a falsehood. After the first visit, we had a heated discussion about throughput at SFOG.net, and the consensus is that this policy does nothing to speed throughput, and that parks like Cedar Point don't have this policy, and are models for throughput. My actual experience anecdotally bears this out. As a matter of fact, my experience today made me wonder if this policy doesn't actually slow throughput.

To wit, on Goliath, since the 4 gatekeepers at the entrance were not doing their job and stopping everyone with drink cups, and their was no one at the platform entrance, people were able to get to their seats with these, and attempted to put them in the storage bins - where, on this particular ride, you must place your flip-flops and loose fitting shoes (how adding a small backpack, or drink cup to this process slows things much, is beyond me). Anyway, because a couple of riders had drink cups and/or had not put their flops in the bin, we had to wait 2+ minutes (yes, I timed it) for the train to leave the station, while the operators held the train to find the offenders and have them 1)lose their cups and 2)get off and store their flops appropriately. If you're saying this sounds like a government operation, you're with me.

On the Georgia Scorcher, which is an older, lamer, stand-up coaster, the park has decided that nothing comes off in the platform (you wear your shoes on this puppy). Anyway, the problem with this ride is NOT people's stuff, it's the 6 person crew who can not get a train out of the station in less than 2 minutes. This is a tough ride because of design issues with boarding for the operators, but please....

I did have the opportunity to complete a complaint form, and talk to a supervisor, who was very friendly and conscientious. But, the story is the same - "Corporate makes us do this." Oh, and sprinkling in pablum about safety (how these rides operated safely the previous 40 years not explained) .

Let's be honest, Six Flags. This is about one thing - money. If you would JUST ADMIT THAT, I would stop complaining and bring a few dollars with me when I visit.

I have ideas for how you can meet the other stated goals (throughput, safety) and lessen the aggravation for your customers, but, you'll have to pay my consulting fee to get those.

Operators - much better than years past - BUT - absolutely NOT at Cedar Point level.
Operations - better also, BUT - not even in the same league as Cedar Point.
Park Cleanliness - again, improving, but, not close to Cedar Point.

We'll be going to the former Hard Rock park (now Freestyle Music Park) in Myrtle Beach in July, and will have a report from there. Honestly, knowing the financial condition of that park's owners, I expect it to stink.

Also, later, I will upload some pics and videos of today's Six Flags visit, and our Cedar Point visit.

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LIberal Womyn We'd Prefer Not to Enjoy (in bed, or anywhere else)

Recently, Playboy.com decided to run an article about the 10 Conservative women they’d most like to hate f***. Somehow, they thought this would curry favor with their mostly Liberal audience and they made a concerted effort to advertise this crap through the Internet via Liberal bloggers.

Somehow, they must’ve forgotten that there are some decent people on the Internet, and Conservatives, too, so, after a short time posted, Playboy took the article down, and semi-respectable Lib bloggers, like Anne Mullins at Politico had to issue mea culpas for their original links to the article (an article they clearly had not read).

If you want to see the original, Blogwonks has it.

Not that this is very hard, I decided to take a little revenge on the Left and choose my list of Liberal women we’d least like to, ummmm, well, you know. A few conditions – the women on this list have to have some clear leftist political leaning, must not be someone you’d want to introduce to your college pals as a conquest, and must be heterosexual, so that leaves out, well, the likes of Rosie O’Donnell, Rachel Maddow, and Ellen Degeneres (since they wouldn’t want to be with men anyway).

They are:

1. Arianna Huffington – founder of the Huffington Post, and turncoat to Conservatives (well, you’d feel jilted, too, if your ex-billionaire husband turned out gay).
2. Michelle Obama – if “angry black woman” were personified, it’d be her. She’d never been truly proud of her country until her husband locked up the Democratic nomination. Not even when Affirmative Action was securing her a slot at Princeton. Now she just spends the taxpayers’ money on date nights.
3. Andrea Mitchell – yech. A “reporter” so loose with the facts, and so hideous, she had to marry Alan Greenspan.
4. Katie Couric – if Drudge didn’t constantly remind CBS how bad it has gotten since she took over the anchor chair from another woman we’d hate to ummm, you know (Dan Rather), we wouldn’t remember her.
5. Barbara Streisand – the once great singer long ago decided to abandon Israel and her Jewish roots to shill for the Democrats. In her defense, she was smitten with Bill Clinton. So, I guess you could argue the Devil made her do it.
6. Hillary Clinton – I almost feel sorry for Hillary. Almost.
7. Nancy Pelosi – I know Nancy Pelosi isn’t a stupid woman. You don’t get to be Speaker by being stupid. You do, however, get to be speaker by being ruthless, shameless, and less than faithful to the truth.
8. Janeane Garafalo – I am glad that she contends she’s not a lesbian, thus making her eligible for my list. The much tattooed, unfunny comedienne, and former Air America talk show host has a penchant for saying the stupidest things while proclaiming her own Liberal superiority. Poster child for modern Liberalism. If we didn’t have Janeane, we’d have to invent her.
9. Helen Thomas – Worst reporter in American history. Enough said.
10. Ellen Goodman – The Boston Globe columnist compares global warming skeptics to Holocaust deniers and thinks empathy is an important qualification for Supreme Court justices (as long as it’s not empathy for the rule of law, the 2^nd Amendment or 10^th Amendments).

Honorable Mention:

1. Madonna – Just plain scary and definitely liberal, but, I used to have a massive crush, so I’d probably still take her.
2. Susan Estrich – I wanted to include her in the top 10, since she is definitely a left-wing apologist, but, I actually like her, and find her attractive in a weird way. Also, since she masterminded the Dukakis campaign, I think she might be a closet conservative.
3. Hanoi Jane Fonda – she deserves to be on the list, but, she was once hot, and she was married to Ted Turner, so she has an excuse now.
4. Eleanor Clift – if The McLaughlin Group had any viewers anymore, she might crack the top 10, cause, she ain’t much to look at, and she’s for sure a left-wing nut case. But, nobody’s listening anymore.
5. Maureen Dowd – The NYT columnist has the leftist bona fides, but, she’s just a tad too attractive, and you know she’s of low moral character, so, she can’t make the list, either.
6. Angelina Jolie – sorry, but, Jon Voight’s daughter may be more conservative than you think. One of the few Hollywood elite to suggest that the War in Iraq may have been a good thing.

P-8 First Flight

Friday, the P-8A Poseidon made its first flight (h/t NOS) from Renton Field in Washington. The nearly 3 hour flight also included a fly-by of NAS Whidbey Island.

The Navy plans to eventually order 117 of these, with IOC in 2013.

Here's hoping the aging P-3's make it that long.

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