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Saturday, July 19, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Friday, June 22, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Immigration Reform-what's the problem?
This should be the plan:
1. Keep illegals out.
2. Imprison or deport illegals that are felons.
3. Change immigration laws so they meet the interests of the U.S.
The country needs a constant flow of immigrants, however, WE should SELECT those that can become citizens. We do NOT need 20 million illiterate landscapers. We DO need doctors and nurses and engineers. We need to accept people from AROUND THE WORLD, not just those that can physically get here.
They need to come on OUR TERMS:
1. They must be willing and eager to learn English.
2. They must embrace our government and our society and work to assimilate.
3. They must be able-bodied with a skill and work ethic that will strengthen our country. They cannot come to live off our welfare system.
Why is this so damn hard to agree on and do something about???
Monday, April 23, 2007
Harry Reid is un-American
Senator Harry Reid is the majority leader of the Senate, one of the most powerful political positions in our government. Four days ago he had the audacity and the stupidity to say in public, the war in Iraq "is lost" while our brave soldiers are still risking their lives there. Senator Reid also voted FOR sending them to war to begin with. Why is his statement so incredibly irresponsible ....... let someone in Iraq explain it:
Senator Reid:
When you say we’ve lost in Iraq, I don’t think you understand the effect of your words. The Iraqis I speak with are the good guys here, fighting to build a stable government. They hear what you say, but they don’t understand it. They don’t know about the political game, they don’t know about a Presidential veto, and they don’t know about party politics.
But they do know that if they help us, they are noticed by terrorists and extremists. They decide to help us if they think we can protect them from those terrorists. They tell us where caches of weapons are hidden. They call and report small groups of men who are strangers to the neighborhood, men that look the same to us, but are obvious to them as a foreign suicide cell.
To be brief, your words are killing us. Your statements make the Iraqis afraid to help us for fear we’ll leave them unprotected in the future. They don’t report a cache, and its weapons blow up my friends in a convoy. They don’t report a foreign fighter, and that fighter sends a mortar onto my base. Your statements are noticed, and they have an effect.
Finally, you are mistaken when you say we are losing. We are winning, I see it every day. However, we will win with fewer casualties if you help us. Will you?
Respectfully,
LT Jason Nichols, USN
MNF-I, Baghdad
How pathetic is it that our troops have to ask a high ranking elected official who sent them to war to support them.
From Gathering of Eagles.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Terrorism-The Long Road
Must read and see. An excerpt.
The Koran also tells Muslims, that when being defeated in battle, to ask for truce, and to use that truce to re-arm and to renew strength to defeat the enemy, Shoebat explained. We, in the West, think of a truce in terms of stopping hostilities, and looking for a way to achieve peace. Islam looks at a truce as an opportunity to lull the enemy into complacency, and then attack when that enemy is least prepared.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Minimum Wage
A New York Times writer actually gets it right about the minimum wage. Excerpts:
BOTH the House of Representatives and the Senate have recently passed bills raising the minimum wage. The Senate bill includes tax breaks for businesses, based on the following logic: While a minimum wage increase is popular, the resulting higher labor costs will translate into fewer jobs, more expensive products or both. The solution, the senators concluded, was to subsidize companies that hire disadvantaged workers, in order to reimburse them for these higher wage costs.
Does this reasoning hold up? A look at one of the key pieces of this business tax package — the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which has been in place since 1996 and would be extended for five years under the proposal — suggests otherwise.
If we don’t think that people with low incomes are getting what they need, let’s not look to ineffective employer tax credits to try to create jobs. And let’s not burden employers with the costs of a higher minimum wage, most of which won’t even go to low-income families. If additional investments are to be effective — and directed toward the intended recipients — they should focus instead on making sure our Earned Income Tax Credit program provides an adequate income supplement for the working poor.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Harry Betrays the Troops
Harry Mitchell and nearly all of the Democrat House members voted to abandon our troops while they are at war on foreign soil. It's partisan politics and it is harmful to the country and elevates the dangers to our troops. It was outrageous and unforgivable and even cowardly to vote for such a"non-binding" resolution as H.Con.Res.63.
Don't believe me, try reading from those in Iraq:
Don't believe me, try reading from those in Iraq:
Read it all.Most Americans say, “I support the troops.” “Supporting the troops” is far more than sending a care package, or shaking a service member’s hand, or tying a ribbon on their lapel. Supporting the troops should also be backing our mission.
People back home may not realize how effective this enemy is using the media as a weapon. Every time some talking head gets on the TV and shouts anything negative about this war, it motivates our enemy, who interprets dissent as weakness and who uses our free press against us. That is exactly how “the terrorists” win. For the Terrorist does not have to defeat us, he just has to outlast us.
My Pathetic "Representative".
First, Harry Mitchell gives one of the most clueless political interviews in history. This is not a parody, from the actual interview:
Let's see, Harry believes that jobs are not being created; that once they are all filled, that's it, immigration is over. Just like what occurred after the last amnesty program. It's just pure stupidity.
Here is who paid to get this brainiac in Congress, courtesy of OpenSecrets.org. My first question is what the hell is ASU doing contributing to a Congressional candidate? Is this what the taxpayers had in mind for their tax dollars? Is this what the donors to the University had in mind? Note that ASU did not contribute to J.D. Hayworth, Harry's opponent in the race.
HARRY E. MITCHELL (D-AZ)
Top Contributors
Q: How do you assure Americans that after allowing those who already made it here illegally to stay, that the country will get a handle on continued illegal immigration?
A: You have to realize that people are coming here because there are jobs. Once those jobs are taken by people who are here legally on a temporary status or a guest worker status, there are no more jobs. As long as there are jobs and we don’t have workers to fill them, you’re going to find people trying to cross the border to get here. It’s just pure economics. If there are no jobs here and they are not being hired, where’s the incentive?
Let's see, Harry believes that jobs are not being created; that once they are all filled, that's it, immigration is over. Just like what occurred after the last amnesty program. It's just pure stupidity.
Here is who paid to get this brainiac in Congress, courtesy of OpenSecrets.org. My first question is what the hell is ASU doing contributing to a Congressional candidate? Is this what the taxpayers had in mind for their tax dollars? Is this what the donors to the University had in mind? Note that ASU did not contribute to J.D. Hayworth, Harry's opponent in the race.
HARRY E. MITCHELL (D-AZ)
Top Contributors
| 1 | Arizona State University | $15,190 |
| 2 | Pederson Group | $12,600 |
| 2 | RBC Financial Group | $12,600 |
| 4 | Gammage & Burnham | $10,450 |
| 5 | American Assn for Justice | $10,000 |
| 5 | American Federation of Teachers | $10,000 |
| 5 | American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees | $10,000 |
| 5 | AmeriPAC: The Fund for a Greater America | $10,000 |
| 5 | Forward Together PAC | $10,000 |
| 5 | International Assn of Fire Fighters | $10,000 |
| 5 | Laborers Union | $10,000 |
| 5 | NARAL Pro-Choice America | $10,000 |
| 5 | National Air Traffic Controllers Assn | $10,000 |
| 5 | National Assn of Letter Carriers | $10,000 |
| 5 | National Assn of Social Workers | $10,000 |
| 5 | National Education Assn | $10,000 |
| 5 | National Leadership PAC | $10,000 |
| 5 | Operating Engineers Union | $10,000 |
| 5 | Our Common Values PAC | $10,000 |
| 5 | PAC to the Future | $10,000 |
| 5 | Painters & Allied Trades Union | $10,000 |
| 5 | Robson Communities | $10,000 |
| 5 | Service Employees International Union | $10,000 |
| 5 | United Food & Commercial Workers Union | $10,000 |
| 5 | United Transportation Union | $10,000 |
Saturday, February 17, 2007
John McCain
I've been watching McCain since he first became a representative in my district in 1982. He is a war hero but a HORRIBLE political figure for all the reasons we know and some you are unaware of that I will not go into.
The McCain campaign is off to a rough start. They called me this week for support and I listened to a message from McCain so I could let them know what I thought about his positions on the second amendment and illegal immigration. After his message, I received another recorded message that the operators were busy handling others and to hold for the next available person. Not a chance, I hung up. How many others would go through that to donate?
I would prefer almost ANY Republican over McCain but he would get a very reluctant vote from me over any Democrat. God help us, however. Not only is he insufferable, he already has an uncontainable ego. He has horrible judgment, remember the Keating 5? He will also be 72 next year. That's just too damn old to start a presidency.
As for the AZ GOP, I am heartened. Randy Pullen was elected to succeed Matt Salmon as state chairman. Pullen is widely seen as the anti-McCain candidate. McCain has taken Republicans, like me, for granted. Hopefully, that will change.
Our favorite Republican Senator in AZ, by a landslide, is the honorable Jon Kyl!
The McCain campaign is off to a rough start. They called me this week for support and I listened to a message from McCain so I could let them know what I thought about his positions on the second amendment and illegal immigration. After his message, I received another recorded message that the operators were busy handling others and to hold for the next available person. Not a chance, I hung up. How many others would go through that to donate?
I would prefer almost ANY Republican over McCain but he would get a very reluctant vote from me over any Democrat. God help us, however. Not only is he insufferable, he already has an uncontainable ego. He has horrible judgment, remember the Keating 5? He will also be 72 next year. That's just too damn old to start a presidency.
As for the AZ GOP, I am heartened. Randy Pullen was elected to succeed Matt Salmon as state chairman. Pullen is widely seen as the anti-McCain candidate. McCain has taken Republicans, like me, for granted. Hopefully, that will change.
Our favorite Republican Senator in AZ, by a landslide, is the honorable Jon Kyl!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
Laws of Economics
Why voters should be offered a ballot proposition that attempts to suspend the laws of economics.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Coming US challenge: a less literate workforce
A larger share of workers will have minimal reading skills in 2030 than today, according to a report released Monday.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
War on terror to move beyon the Middle East
The terror battlefield moves westward.
ISLAMIC terror cells in Britain have been instructed to carry out a series of kidnappings and beheadings of the kind allegedly planned by the nine terrorist suspects arrested in Birmingham last week.
Activate the domestic cells for a series of synchronized low-intensity suicidal attacks with guns or bombs. A dozen people killed by Islamic gunmen in each of a dozen US cities at the exactly same time on a Tuesday morning rush hour, or in the malls on a Saturday afternoon, would bring the United States to a screeching halt. (And no, I’m not giving them ideas. This kind of thing is (A) obvious and (B) has been discussed quite a bit.) We knew the cells existed. Two al-Qaeda operatives picked up in Jordan had been Boston cabbies just a couple of years earlier.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Kyrsten Sinema is a kook.
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a D-Phoenix in the Arizona legislature was a member of the Green Party. First, she went after the Minutemen with a bill that would make their activities illegal. It would also make some neighborhood watch programs illegal.
"Now, she is certain that voters made a mistake last November. We are asking the Legislature to reconsider just this one part of 300, which denies financial aid and in-state tuition to college students,” Sinema said. “We feel the voters were unaware of portions of the bill that deny financial assistance to students with non-citizen status."She wants to undo the tuition restrictions that the voters passed. She is a fruitcake that survived the holiday season.
Personal savings disaster!
"Savings rate hits 73-year low" screams the headline above the fold on our East Valley Tribune today. Did they forget something? Something like $3.2 trillion in 401(K) and similar savings plans.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
E.V. shivers through coldest January since ’79
| By Mike Branom, Tribune |
| February 1, 2007 |
| Congratulations, East Valley residents and winter visitors: We’ve just endured the coldest January in 28 years. According to the National Weather Service, Phoenix’s official thermometer recorded for the month an average temperature of 52.9 degrees — 3.1 degrees below normal. |
| Looking at all the Januaries since 1971, 2007’s ranks as the sixth coldest, and not since 1979 has a year’s opening 31 days been so chilly. “I don’t remember it being warm,” Tony Haffer, meteorologist in charge of the Weather Service’s Phoenix office, said when reminded that Jan. 9 experienced a high of 78. “It was obliterated by all the cold stuff.” When just considering this January’s average high temperature, the ranking is even more dramatic. That mark of 63.6 degrees is the fourth coldest since 1971. Haffer explained the low temperatures in the Valley are creeping upward, because of the urban heat island effect. The sprawl of concrete and asphalt means the heat created by sunlight can’t dissipate at night as fast as decades before. Responsible for the cold weather, Haffer said, was a high-pressure system over the Pacific Northwest. That system’s clockwise rotation pumped cold air from the north down to Arizona. |
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Global Warming and Overpopulation
Reminds me of the scare tactics I read in 1970 in Paul Ehrlich's book, The Population Bomb. In the prologue to The Population Bomb he wrote, "The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s and 1980s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. At this late date nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate..."
Ehrlich also wrote, that some parts of the world might see some minor and temporary recovery, but "a minimum of ten million people, most of them children, will starve to death during each year of the 1970s. But this is a mere handful compared to the numbers that will be starving before the end of the century". I must have missed that somehow.
Believing that the United States could only support a population of 150 million, Ehrlich proposed that "luxury taxes could be placed on layettes, cribs, diapers, diaper services, [and] expensive toys..." and suggested giving "responsibility prizes" to couples who went at least five years without having children or to men who got vasectomies. He called for setting up a federal Bureau of Population and Environment to oversee reducing U.S. population growth.
Some information on CFC's.
A great book on the subject by a Distinguished Research Professor at George Mason University and Professor Emeritus of environmental science at the University of Virginia.
Gee, could this have anything to do with it?
Ehrlich also wrote, that some parts of the world might see some minor and temporary recovery, but "a minimum of ten million people, most of them children, will starve to death during each year of the 1970s. But this is a mere handful compared to the numbers that will be starving before the end of the century". I must have missed that somehow.
Believing that the United States could only support a population of 150 million, Ehrlich proposed that "luxury taxes could be placed on layettes, cribs, diapers, diaper services, [and] expensive toys..." and suggested giving "responsibility prizes" to couples who went at least five years without having children or to men who got vasectomies. He called for setting up a federal Bureau of Population and Environment to oversee reducing U.S. population growth.
Why did Ehrlich’s predictions fail to come true? Because the model he used, like almost all those who predict dire problems from population, was basically flawed. In a nutshell what Ehrlich did was take population growth for the 1960s and extrapolate it out through the 1970s, but he insisted production of resources such as food and water were at their limits -- both would likely decline, and certainly not increase.
Food production not only increased, but increased faster than population growth, so 27 years after the publication of The Population Bomb, not only are there many more people alive in the world, but they eat more than they did in the past. Water quality, which Ehrlich believed beyond repair, has also steadily improved.
Some information on CFC's.
A great book on the subject by a Distinguished Research Professor at George Mason University and Professor Emeritus of environmental science at the University of Virginia.
Gee, could this have anything to do with it?
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Culture of Corruption-110th Congress style
From: PBS: NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Transcript
NEWSMAKER: SENATE MINORITY LEADER HARRY REID
January 18, 2006JIM LEHRER: First, why has it taken so long for everybody to move on lobbying reform?
SEN. HARRY REID: Jim, it's taken a while for this culture of corruption the Republicans have developed to come into fore. The Republican leader in the House, four ethics convictions in one year, money laundering indictment, the Republican leader being investigated criminally and civilly, we have for the first time in 135 years, someone who works in the White House indicted. Safavian, who is in charge of government contracting, the president appointed him, hundreds of billions of dollars a year, led away in handcuffs because of sweetheart deals he had with Jack Abramoff and then you have, as has been talked about earlier in your program, the K Street Project. Think about this, the "pay and play" program. You as a lobbyist, you pay, and we Republicans will take care of you legislatively. That's why it hasn't come to the forefront. The arrogance of power, the culture of corruption has not come to the attention of the American public as it has the past several months.
Amazingly from the LA Times:
It's hard to buy undeveloped land in booming northern Arizona for $166 an acre. But now-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively did just that when a longtime friend decided to sell property owned by the employee pension fund that he controlled.
In 2002, Reid (D-Nev.) paid $10,000 to a pension fund controlled by Clair Haycock, a Las Vegas lubricants distributor and his friend for 50 years. The payment gave the senator full control of a 160-acre parcel in Bullhead City that Reid and the pension fund had jointly owned. Reid's price for the equivalent of 60 acres of undeveloped desert was less than one-tenth of the value the assessor placed on it at the time.
Six months after the deal closed, Reid introduced legislation to address the plight of lubricants dealers who had their supplies disrupted by the decisions of big oil companies. It was an issue the Haycock family had brought to Reid's attention in 1994, according to a source familiar with the events.
If Reid were to sell the property for any of the various estimates of its value, his gain on the $10,000 investment could range from $50,000 to $290,000.
It is a potential violation of congressional ethics standards for a member to accept anything of value — including a real estate discount — from a person with interests before Congress.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Sί Se Puede-Dos
Immigration march in Phoenix. The crowd was estimated to be over 100,000 and there were no incidents and the crowd was well controlled. Several helicopters hovered overhead and the traffic control was quite good given the size. The speakers spoke mostly in Spanish and the crowds chanted periodically. The mood was mostly festive and easy going.
There were many American flags and a few Mexican flags. Most of the signs were friendly but a few were more defiant. One, pictured below, said, "We are not an invisible group, we are here and we are going to stay".
There were many American flags and a few Mexican flags. Most of the signs were friendly but a few were more defiant. One, pictured below, said, "We are not an invisible group, we are here and we are going to stay".
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Friday, January 06, 2006
New York Times, Abramoff and the GWOT.
I want this federal law enforced, 18 U.S.C. § 798, a law that precisely prohibits leaks of the type of classified information disclosed in the story. Subsection (a) of the statute provides:
Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information—
(1) concerning the nature, preparation, or use of any code, cipher, or cryptographic system of the United States or any foreign government; or
(2) concerning the design, construction, use, maintenance, or repair of any device, apparatus, or appliance used or prepared or planned for use by the United States or any foreign government for cryptographic or communication intelligence purposes; or
(3) concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government; or
(4) obtained by the processes of communication intelligence from the communications of any foreign government, knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
The New York Times editors, publishers and reporters (Risen & Lichtblau) published the NSA story and this is the federal law that makes the disclosures on which the story is based a crime. An investigation should be launched and the law breakers should be sent to jail. This is a much bigger First Amendment showdown than the Plame/Wilson/Miller fiasco.
Which is more important, potential crimes that provide information that AIDS our enemies or information which REVEALS our enemies?
As for Abramoff, the bottom line is that he is a reflection and a result of only one thing: excessive government. As government becomes more expansive and legislators impose more rules, restrictions and regulations, EVERYONE becomes a special interest; perhaps several special interests. Special interests such as, individual taxpayer, union worker, gun owner, small business owner, feminist, ethnic minority, tribe, religious devotee, senior citizen, college student, illegal immigrant, etc. etc. etc. The natural reaction as Congress 'does its magic' is the special interests look to either avoid unfair treatment, or, gain special treatment. That's how it all starts. It will only ease when government is smaller and less 'active'.
I actually had this thought a few days ago when the Abramoff plea was announced. One of my favorite writers put the same idea in much better words than I can.
If you want to read one of the most alarming articles laying out some interesting details about the enemy we face and the GWOT, you will find it here. This is the first sentence to seed your curiosity,
Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information—
(1) concerning the nature, preparation, or use of any code, cipher, or cryptographic system of the United States or any foreign government; or
(2) concerning the design, construction, use, maintenance, or repair of any device, apparatus, or appliance used or prepared or planned for use by the United States or any foreign government for cryptographic or communication intelligence purposes; or
(3) concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government; or
(4) obtained by the processes of communication intelligence from the communications of any foreign government, knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
The New York Times editors, publishers and reporters (Risen & Lichtblau) published the NSA story and this is the federal law that makes the disclosures on which the story is based a crime. An investigation should be launched and the law breakers should be sent to jail. This is a much bigger First Amendment showdown than the Plame/Wilson/Miller fiasco.
Which is more important, potential crimes that provide information that AIDS our enemies or information which REVEALS our enemies?
As for Abramoff, the bottom line is that he is a reflection and a result of only one thing: excessive government. As government becomes more expansive and legislators impose more rules, restrictions and regulations, EVERYONE becomes a special interest; perhaps several special interests. Special interests such as, individual taxpayer, union worker, gun owner, small business owner, feminist, ethnic minority, tribe, religious devotee, senior citizen, college student, illegal immigrant, etc. etc. etc. The natural reaction as Congress 'does its magic' is the special interests look to either avoid unfair treatment, or, gain special treatment. That's how it all starts. It will only ease when government is smaller and less 'active'.
I actually had this thought a few days ago when the Abramoff plea was announced. One of my favorite writers put the same idea in much better words than I can.
If you want to read one of the most alarming articles laying out some interesting details about the enemy we face and the GWOT, you will find it here. This is the first sentence to seed your curiosity,
"Most people reading this have strong stomachs, so let me lay it out as baldly as I can: Much of what we loosely call the Western world will not survive this century, and much of it will effectively disappear within our lifetimes, including many if not most Western European countries."
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
FISA-gate is laughable?
We must give as much scrutiny to the agenda-driven media as we do our governments. I write this on the day my morning paper exclaims, 'They're alive!' Unfortunately, the media ran with an unverified story of miners being alive when, in fact, all but one had died. Little sadness, for me, watching the print media in the midst of its death throes.
Now for FISA. First, a general statement related to the President, FISA, the GWOT and warrantless searches. HYPOCRITES are those that implore the Bush administration should have 'connected the dots' in his first 8 months to prevent the 9/11 attack and then protest when the administration is connecting dots today. You cannot have it both ways.
Next, you MUST understand that the NSA is not, primarily, generating information for a CRIMINAL investigation, hence, the need for warrants and other legal procedures. This is a WAR on terrorism. We are fighting an enemy that has taken a sacred vow to destroy, not only the United States, but the entire western world. And the eastern world for that matter. Become Islamic or die. This is not Richard Nixon spying on POLITICAL oppenents. Did FDR seek approval to intercept wire communications deciphered under the Enigma program? President's at war have the Constitutional authority and the requirement to protect the citizens. Were there cries for impeachement when Japanese-Americans were rounded up and interned? Now THAT was a civil liberties problem.
In 2002 the New York Times and Newsweek reported that cumbersome legalities related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 prevented crucial dots from being connected, which could have stopped the 9/11 plot. Federal Judge Royce Lamberth’s criticisms and investigation of the FBI official charged under FISA with preparing FISA warrant requests had essentially shut down the process in the critical pre 9/11 period. This, in fact, was the reason why the agency had not sought a warrant to view the contents of Moussaoui’s computer, a search which as we now know might have prevented 9/11. Indeed, the Joint Senate and House Intelligence Committee report detailed just that. Had we searched Moussaoui's computer prior to 9/11, there is a very good chance that 3,000 Americans could be alive today.
The Vice President said today, "There are no communications more important to the safety of the United States than those related to al-Qaeda that have one end in the United States. If we'd been able to do this before 9/11, we might have been able to pick up on two of the hijackers who flew a jet into the Pentagon. They were in the United States, communicating with al-Qaeda associates overseas. But we didn't know they were here plotting until it was too late."
This is not Moot Court, this is as serious as anything can be. We KNOW our enemies would willingly detontate a nuclear device in one of our major cities to kill as many people as possible. Would you like to be the one that insists the government cannot monitor terrorist communications, the dots, in order to prevent the slaughter of untold numbers of our citizens? This may sound overly sensational but 9/11 is NOT a one time event, the goal is to repeat it on a much grander scale. Remember, there was about eight years between the two separate attacks on the WTC. Our enemies will not relent. They reside in the U.S. today and are plotting and planning today.
This process WORKS. Iyman Faris pleaded guilty in 2003 to conspiracy and aiding and abetting terrorism for plotting the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. And guess what led to Faris; yes, the NSA wiretaps. During the CIA raids in Afghanistan in early 2002 that captured Abu Zubaydah and his associates, the government seized computers, cell phones and personal phone books. Soon after the raids, the National Security Agency began trying to listen to calls placed to the phone numbers found in al Qaeda Rolodexes. By intercepting phone calls to people on Zubaydah's speed-dial, the NSA arrested not only "American citizen" Faris, but other Arab terrorists, including al Qaeda members plotting to bomb British pubs and train stations. Do you REALLY believe that the U.S. should NOT have 'listened' to his phone conversation because it was placed FROM the U.S. to a foreign phone identified in this raid?
The technology has sped past the laws, this happens every day. The thought that a G-man or NSA personnel are sitting with headsets listening in on conversations between U.S. citizens, is the implicit picture presented to the general public by the media. It is laughable. We have massive computer networks processing sophisticated alogrithms against vast amounts of data looking for patterns and trends and bits and pieces of information that may portend terrorism communications. The thought that the NSA is snooping on random personal conversations of American citizens is laughable.
This is as laughable as the indignation that the air being tested around mosques in the U.S. for radioactive traces was an invasion of privacy or an illegal search. I am as concerned about government intrusion and the loss of liberties as most anyone. This isn't even measurable in this category. Our courts routinely erode our libeties far beyond anything portrayed by the New York Times in this case. Just research the Kelo case if you really want to worry about the reach of our government.
I encourage the Democrats to take up this process as a major campaign issue. The Democratic Party has decided to express indignation at the idea that an American citizen who happens to be a member of al Qaeda is not allowed to have a private conversation with Osama bin Laden. A large majority of Americans polled, support the President and his use of warrantless searches and the search for terrorists plotting our destruction. Go ahead and insist on 'civil liberties' and Fourth amendment abuses of Islamofascists. Of course, my goal is a filibuster-proof senate. If they run on that in 2008, it could be the first time in history a Republican president takes even the District of Columbia. This may just be the ticket.
Now for FISA. First, a general statement related to the President, FISA, the GWOT and warrantless searches. HYPOCRITES are those that implore the Bush administration should have 'connected the dots' in his first 8 months to prevent the 9/11 attack and then protest when the administration is connecting dots today. You cannot have it both ways.
Next, you MUST understand that the NSA is not, primarily, generating information for a CRIMINAL investigation, hence, the need for warrants and other legal procedures. This is a WAR on terrorism. We are fighting an enemy that has taken a sacred vow to destroy, not only the United States, but the entire western world. And the eastern world for that matter. Become Islamic or die. This is not Richard Nixon spying on POLITICAL oppenents. Did FDR seek approval to intercept wire communications deciphered under the Enigma program? President's at war have the Constitutional authority and the requirement to protect the citizens. Were there cries for impeachement when Japanese-Americans were rounded up and interned? Now THAT was a civil liberties problem.
In 2002 the New York Times and Newsweek reported that cumbersome legalities related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 prevented crucial dots from being connected, which could have stopped the 9/11 plot. Federal Judge Royce Lamberth’s criticisms and investigation of the FBI official charged under FISA with preparing FISA warrant requests had essentially shut down the process in the critical pre 9/11 period. This, in fact, was the reason why the agency had not sought a warrant to view the contents of Moussaoui’s computer, a search which as we now know might have prevented 9/11. Indeed, the Joint Senate and House Intelligence Committee report detailed just that. Had we searched Moussaoui's computer prior to 9/11, there is a very good chance that 3,000 Americans could be alive today.
The Vice President said today, "There are no communications more important to the safety of the United States than those related to al-Qaeda that have one end in the United States. If we'd been able to do this before 9/11, we might have been able to pick up on two of the hijackers who flew a jet into the Pentagon. They were in the United States, communicating with al-Qaeda associates overseas. But we didn't know they were here plotting until it was too late."
This is not Moot Court, this is as serious as anything can be. We KNOW our enemies would willingly detontate a nuclear device in one of our major cities to kill as many people as possible. Would you like to be the one that insists the government cannot monitor terrorist communications, the dots, in order to prevent the slaughter of untold numbers of our citizens? This may sound overly sensational but 9/11 is NOT a one time event, the goal is to repeat it on a much grander scale. Remember, there was about eight years between the two separate attacks on the WTC. Our enemies will not relent. They reside in the U.S. today and are plotting and planning today.
This process WORKS. Iyman Faris pleaded guilty in 2003 to conspiracy and aiding and abetting terrorism for plotting the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. And guess what led to Faris; yes, the NSA wiretaps. During the CIA raids in Afghanistan in early 2002 that captured Abu Zubaydah and his associates, the government seized computers, cell phones and personal phone books. Soon after the raids, the National Security Agency began trying to listen to calls placed to the phone numbers found in al Qaeda Rolodexes. By intercepting phone calls to people on Zubaydah's speed-dial, the NSA arrested not only "American citizen" Faris, but other Arab terrorists, including al Qaeda members plotting to bomb British pubs and train stations. Do you REALLY believe that the U.S. should NOT have 'listened' to his phone conversation because it was placed FROM the U.S. to a foreign phone identified in this raid?
The technology has sped past the laws, this happens every day. The thought that a G-man or NSA personnel are sitting with headsets listening in on conversations between U.S. citizens, is the implicit picture presented to the general public by the media. It is laughable. We have massive computer networks processing sophisticated alogrithms against vast amounts of data looking for patterns and trends and bits and pieces of information that may portend terrorism communications. The thought that the NSA is snooping on random personal conversations of American citizens is laughable.
This is as laughable as the indignation that the air being tested around mosques in the U.S. for radioactive traces was an invasion of privacy or an illegal search. I am as concerned about government intrusion and the loss of liberties as most anyone. This isn't even measurable in this category. Our courts routinely erode our libeties far beyond anything portrayed by the New York Times in this case. Just research the Kelo case if you really want to worry about the reach of our government.
I encourage the Democrats to take up this process as a major campaign issue. The Democratic Party has decided to express indignation at the idea that an American citizen who happens to be a member of al Qaeda is not allowed to have a private conversation with Osama bin Laden. A large majority of Americans polled, support the President and his use of warrantless searches and the search for terrorists plotting our destruction. Go ahead and insist on 'civil liberties' and Fourth amendment abuses of Islamofascists. Of course, my goal is a filibuster-proof senate. If they run on that in 2008, it could be the first time in history a Republican president takes even the District of Columbia. This may just be the ticket.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Next Up: Fed Chairman
If you think SCOTUS nominee, Harriet Miers, is an impacting issue; wait until the next Federal Reserve Chairman is announced.
Dr. Alan Greenspan was reappointed to the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to a full 14-year term, which began February 1, 1992, and ends January 31, 2006. Reagan appointed Greenspan after Paul Volker unexpectedly resigned in June, 1987 and Greenspan took office on September 1, 1974. He cannot be reappointed. Voker did an excellent job as Fed Chairman and helped set the stage for the economic growth during the 1980's. A new Chairman must be appointed by President Bush and the consequences can be tremendous.
The Federal Reserve Board has four significant purposes in their mission:
We need a steady hand at the helm of the Federal Reserve Board and one who works in concert with the President on economic policy. One only needs to think back to August 15, 1971 when President Nixon went against the advice of his economic advisors and imposed wage and price controls. Then chairman Arthur F. Burns and Paul W. McCracken, chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, strongly advised against following the Congressional testimony of Professor John Kenneth Galbraith who urged the imposition of wage and price controls.
President Nixon's New Economic Program included wage and price controls as part of a sweeping package. It took years to recover from this economic disaster.
Our economy cherishes stability and any new chairman will be tested. The immediate test will be in the bond market and then the stock market will follow. A solid chairman is essential to avoid disruption in the economy. There seem to be few people that are anticipating or preparing for this new appointment. I believe the time is now to begin the discussions. We cannot afford a stealth appointment as has occurred with the latest SCOTUS nominee.
Here are a few potential candidates.
Dr. Alan Greenspan was reappointed to the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to a full 14-year term, which began February 1, 1992, and ends January 31, 2006. Reagan appointed Greenspan after Paul Volker unexpectedly resigned in June, 1987 and Greenspan took office on September 1, 1974. He cannot be reappointed. Voker did an excellent job as Fed Chairman and helped set the stage for the economic growth during the 1980's. A new Chairman must be appointed by President Bush and the consequences can be tremendous.
The Federal Reserve Board has four significant purposes in their mission:
- conducting the nation’s monetary policy by influencing the monetary and credit conditions in the economy in pursuit of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates
- supervising and regulating banking institutions to ensure the safety and soundness of the nation’s banking and financial system and to protect the credit rights of consumers
- maintaining the stability of the financial system and containing systemic risk that may arise in financial markets
- providing financial services to depository institutions, the U.S. government, and foreign official institutions, including playing a major role in operating the nation’s payments system
We need a steady hand at the helm of the Federal Reserve Board and one who works in concert with the President on economic policy. One only needs to think back to August 15, 1971 when President Nixon went against the advice of his economic advisors and imposed wage and price controls. Then chairman Arthur F. Burns and Paul W. McCracken, chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, strongly advised against following the Congressional testimony of Professor John Kenneth Galbraith who urged the imposition of wage and price controls.
President Nixon's New Economic Program included wage and price controls as part of a sweeping package. It took years to recover from this economic disaster.
Our economy cherishes stability and any new chairman will be tested. The immediate test will be in the bond market and then the stock market will follow. A solid chairman is essential to avoid disruption in the economy. There seem to be few people that are anticipating or preparing for this new appointment. I believe the time is now to begin the discussions. We cannot afford a stealth appointment as has occurred with the latest SCOTUS nominee.
Here are a few potential candidates.
- Ben Bernanke, who took over as chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers this year after having served as a Fed board member. He would not be very good.
- Harvard economics professor Martin Feldstein, who was CEA chairman during the Reagan administration. He is very outspoken but would be okay.
- Former White House economic advisor, Lawrence Lindsay has been mentioned and he would be disasterous. The economy would be in for a wild ride and even a move to New Zealand might be considered.
- Columbia University professor Glenn Hubbard, Bush's first CEA chairman. He pushed through the 2003 tax cuts and the economy would be off to the races under Hubbard. He is a terrific pick and my favorite.
Monday, September 26, 2005
The winds are howling
After Katrina and Rita, the biggest winds are complaints from government officials, especially the 'loyal opposition' and 'victims rights' groups.
The critics keep complaining that the Feds should be more effective at evacuating major cities in the U.S. Just like fire drills, the only way to significantly improve is to practice.
Any major metropolitan areas willing to practice? Should only take a few days and a few billion dollars. How about Chicago? New York could use the practice as could Washington DC. Evacuating LA could be insightful. How about Seattle, Miami, or Atlanta? No, perhaps, Boston, Denver, Philadelphia or Minneapolis. Some of these mayors need to step up an volunteer for the good of the country.
The critics keep complaining that the Feds should be more effective at evacuating major cities in the U.S. Just like fire drills, the only way to significantly improve is to practice.
Any major metropolitan areas willing to practice? Should only take a few days and a few billion dollars. How about Chicago? New York could use the practice as could Washington DC. Evacuating LA could be insightful. How about Seattle, Miami, or Atlanta? No, perhaps, Boston, Denver, Philadelphia or Minneapolis. Some of these mayors need to step up an volunteer for the good of the country.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Singularity is coming, soon.
Singularity is coming, evidently soon.
Singularity is the point at which machine intelligence surpasses human intelligence. Our brains and our bodies will merge with our machines. There is a new book due out next week that will explain this and the consequences in great detail.
The Singularity Is Near portrays what life will be like after this event— a human- machine civilization where our experiences shift from real reality to virtual reality and where our intelligence becomes nonbiological and trillions of times more powerful. In practical terms, this means that human aging and pollution will be reversed; world hunger will be solved; our bodies and environment transformed by nanotechnology to overcome the limitations of biology, including death; and virtually any physical product can be created from information alone. The Singularity Is Near also considers the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes, and is certain to be one of the most widely discussed and provocative books of 2005.
AND
This [computing] power increase, combined with the predicted growth of nanotechnology—robots the size of red blood cells inserted into the body—will make possible, within two decades, complete scanning of the human brain. By then, computer hardware should be capable of running accurate software models of human intelligence. By the end of the 2020s, computers will pass the Turing Test, simulating a living person well enough to fool an interrogator. At that point, Kurzweil believes, a genuine synthesis of the strengths of human and machine intelligence becomes possible: pattern recognition and inference on the human side, large memory with instant recall and easy data-sharing on the machine side.
Freed from the built-in limitations of the brain, machine intelligence will then be able to use nanotechnological design to far exceed human intelligence. But at the same time, nanotechnological implants can be used to augment human brains, creating a hybrid intelligence unlike anything previously known. Ultimately, Kurzweil predicts, the predominant component of human intelligence will be non-biological, and more of our experiences will take place in virtual reality than in the physical world. Human-machine intelligence will saturate the immediate vicinity of the Earth, and eventually grow to fill the universe. Kurzweil backs his predictions with numerous citations of other experts, and while some of the arguments are dense, the book repays close attention.
What's interesting is that this guy is not just another crackpot or science fiction writer, he is an inventor and futurist.
Should make for interesting reading.
I need all the help I can get. I just don't know if I can wait that long. ;-)
Friday, September 16, 2005
Swirling Questions Around Hurricane Katrina
1. Why wasn't the plan followed?
Interesting that the detailed plan web page now has this message:
2. What happened to the access to the detailed evacuation plan?
3. Why did this happen?
4. Why was the Red Cross kept out?
6. Why didn't they fix the problems exposed LAST YEAR?
7. Why such looting during such a catastrophe?
8. How could FEMA overlook this assistance?
9. What has the Orleans Levee Board been up to?
Interesting that the detailed plan web page now has this message:
Access Denied
Either you are not currently logged in, or you do not have access to this tab page within the portal. Please contact the portal administrator to obtain access.
2. What happened to the access to the detailed evacuation plan?
3. Why did this happen?
4. Why was the Red Cross kept out?
Acess (sic) to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local5. What did they do with all that money they received?
authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot
enter New Orleans against their orders.
Army's engineers spent millions on Louisiana projects labeled as pork
6. Why didn't they fix the problems exposed LAST YEAR?
Ivan exposes flaws in N.O.'s disaster plans
05:09 PM CDT on Sunday,
September 19, 2004.
7. Why such looting during such a catastrophe?
A Perfect Storm of Lawlessness
8. How could FEMA overlook this assistance?
9. What has the Orleans Levee Board been up to?
In December of 1995, the Orleans Levee Board, the local government entity that oversees the levees and floodgates designed to protect New Orleans and the surrounding areas from rising waters, bragged in a supplement to the Times-Picayune newspaper about federal money received to protect the region from hurricanes.10. Why did the city fail to take advantage of what Amtrak says was its offer to take a couple hundred passengers on its last train out of New Orleans?
"In the past four years, the Orleans Levee Board has built up its arsenal. The additional defenses are so critical that Levee Commissioners marched into Congress and brought back almost $60 million to help pay for protection," the pamphlet declared. "The most ambitious flood-fighting plan in generations was drafted. An unprecedented $140 million building campaign launched 41
It's too hot!
Summers just seem to be longer and hotter. Hurricanes are more frequent and more deadly. Must be global warming.
Then again, maybe not.
Then again, maybe not.
Pandemic
New Orleans could just be a blip on the radar screens of disasters. What is being done to the worst potential flu threat since the 1918 epidemic?
Scientists have long forecast the appearance of an influenza virus capable of infecting 40 percent of the world's human population and killing unimaginable numbers.Preventing this catastrophic outcome will requires months of preparation and planning. Are we prepared? Read more here or here.
The havoc such a disease could wreak is commonly compared to the devastation of the 1918-19 Spanish flu, which killed 50 million people in 18 months. But avian flu is far more dangerous. It kills 100 percent of the domesticated chickens it infects, and among humans the disease is also lethal
An H5N1 avian influenza that is transmittable from human to human could be even more devastating: assuming a mortality rate of 20 percent and 80 million illnesses, the United States could be looking at 16 million deaths and unimaginable economic costs. This extreme outcome is a worst-case scenario; it assumes failure to produce an effective vaccine rapidly enough to make a difference and a virus that remains impervious to some antiflu drugs. But the 207,000 reckoning is clearly a conservative guess.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Vacation Wonderland-Switzerland
A 'must visit' place in Switzerland is the small town of Lauterbrunnen.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
The Mass Transit Mantra
P.J. O'ROURKE writes today about the mass transit fiasco.
There are just two problems with mass transit. Nobody uses it, and it costs like hell. Only 4% of Americans take public transportation to work. Even in cities they don't do it. Less than 25% of commuters in the New York metropolitan area use public transportation. Elsewhere it's far less--9.5% in San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, 1.8% in Dallas-Fort Worth. As for total travel in urban parts of America--all the comings and goings for work, school, shopping, etc.--1.7 % of those trips are made on mass transit.
Then there is the cost, which is--obviously--$52 billion. Less obviously, there's all the money spent locally keeping local mass transit systems operating. The Heritage Foundation says, "There isn't a single light rail transit system in America in which fares paid by the passengers cover the cost of their own rides." Heritage cites the Minneapolis "Hiawatha" light rail line, soon to be completed with $107 million from the transportation bill. Heritage estimates that the total expense for each ride on the Hiawatha will be $19. Commuting to work will cost $8,550 a year. If the commuter is earning minimum wage, this leaves about $1,000 a year for food, shelter and clothing. Or, if the city picks up the tab, it could have leased a BMW X-5 SUV for the commuter at about the same price.
We have a light rail TROLLEY being constructed in the Phoenix area. Here are some of the FACTS that the developers do not want anyone to know:
1. TROLLEY transit is 40 TIMES the cost of road transit! The tax cost per person mile of travel via roads is $0.06. The tax cost for light rail is $2.75. This shows that when the quantity of service is taken into consideration, moving a person via light rail costs 40 times as much in taxes as moving a person by road. The costs are as reported by MAG, Valley Metro and ADOT.
2. The Valley Metro Section 5309 report shows quite clearly in table V-2 on page V-3 that the incremental cost of the new start light rail system is $12.49 per passenger trip. This figure is arrived at by posing a baseline case without light rail that has a cost and ridership projection. Then light rail is added and the added cost and added number of transit riders are projected. The added cost ($105,889,931 per year) divided by the added riders (8,475,748 per year) = $12.49.
3. Pollution INCREASES with the ‘mass’ transit TROLLEY system! Valley Metro’s environmental impact statement shows that adding light rail will increase the number of hours automobiles spend in traffic. This means more engines running more hours, burning more fuel and emitting more pollution (see table S-9 on page S-18).
4. The TROLLEY also is projected to increase pedestrian, rider and vehicle accidents due to the rail line route in existing streets.
5. When you lay the tracks and the inevitable shifts in neighborhoods and demographics occur, the tracks must then be removed, or left unused. Then new tracks must be laid, if the system has not gone bankrupt in the interim. Bus routes can be changed on a moments notice.
6. Proponents of the TROLLEY insist expansion will be determined by the SUCCESS of the initial segments. However, they NEVER specify precisely what the SUCCESS criteria are.
This is definitely a case where the money trail needs to be followed.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Random Facts
Age Disparities
Interesting median age demographics for countries around the world.
Median ages:
U.S.-36 years
France-38.6 years
Japan-42.3 years
Mexico-24.6 years
Iran-23.5 years
China-31.8 years
United Kingdom-38.7 years
Germany-41.7 years
Saudia Arabia-21.2 years
Iraq-19.2 years
Afghanistan-17.5 years
Australia-36.3 years
Source
What are the implications?
Social Security Numbers
What do the first 3 digits of the SSN stand for?
Interesting median age demographics for countries around the world.
Median ages:
U.S.-36 years
France-38.6 years
Japan-42.3 years
Mexico-24.6 years
Iran-23.5 years
China-31.8 years
United Kingdom-38.7 years
Germany-41.7 years
Saudia Arabia-21.2 years
Iraq-19.2 years
Afghanistan-17.5 years
Australia-36.3 years
Source
What are the implications?
Social Security Numbers
What do the first 3 digits of the SSN stand for?
- Place of Birth
- Geographic Region
- Date of Birth
- Random Number
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