Who's Right?

I caught this article on Yahoo!, which talks about the Farmer's Almanac predicting a much colder winter this year which is at odds with what is being said by the global warming Kool-Aid drinkers (The National Weather Service) . Now I'm betting that the Farmer's Almanac is right, because the Kool-Aid drinkers have been wrong for that last 3 hurricane seasons and the Almanac is right about 80-85% of the time.

Thank You Obama

On Thursday, August 21st Barack Obama gave us this little nugget of wisdom:

"Everybody's watching what's going on in Beijing right now with the Olympics , Think about the amount of money that China has spent on infrastructure. Their ports, their train systems, their airports are vastly the superior to us now, which means if you are a corporation deciding where to do business you're starting to think, "Beijing looks like a pretty good option."

I would like to say thank you to Barack Obama. Thank you for making it clear to us what you really want. You continue hinting at your push for socialism. This is just one more example. So you want the government to control healthcare, you want government control of energy, and you want a communist style government to work on infrastructure? Thank you Barack for not hiding who you really are.

I do have a question for you though Senator. Why does China look like a good option for business? Is it because wages and tax rates are lower? But you want to raise taxes Senator. Do you want to make China look like an even better option for business? Or will you deny that when you become Grand Exalted Premier? You have also said that you think we shouldn't even have elections, this one from a speech in (where else) San Francisco this past week:

“Now, you want to win. And saying it doesn’t make it so,” he said. “It would be nice to think that after eight years of economic disaster, after eight years of bungled foreign policy, of being engaged in a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged, that cost us a trillion dollars and thousands of lives, that people would say, ‘Let’s toss the bums out. Toss the bums out, we’re starting from scratch, we’re starting over. This is not working.’ ”
and “So I understand why a lot of folks are saying, ‘This should just happen. Why are we having to run all these television commercials? Why do we have to raise all this money? Just read the papers. These are the knuckleheads who have been in charge. Throw ’em out.’ But American politics aren’t that simple.”

No Senator, American politics aren't that simple. We have these things called elections. In elections, the American people get an opportunity to vote. What's funny is that unlike places you like to look up to, like China and the Soviet Union, there is usually more than one person running in the election. Yes, you do have to go through the primary process, because people have to make sure that whoever they vote for is the best person for the job. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don't, and sometimes there isn't a good choice, (like this year) but we always have a say, and an opportunity to vote for who we think is the best. That is unless you become President with a Democrat majority and then you'll just work on getting rid of those pesky elections won't you?

Time Magazine's Man of the Year invades Georgia; Yanks watch Atlanta burn...wait.

On December 26th 2007, I put up a post about Vladimir Putin, or as George Bush likes to say, "Pootey Poot". As some of my readers know, Putin was selected as Time's "Man of the Year". So how does our esteemed "Man of the Year" follow up last year's success? He says; "Let's take back Georgia." So Soviet aggression is returning now that America is spread thin.

I didn't know a whole lot about the region so I asked the brother who leads our church for some insight. He lived in Russia, the Ukraine (I think you say "the" Ukraine, kind of like "the" Bronx) and Latvia. Apparently the area of South Ossetia is heavily ethnic Russian. It isn't really surprising though as the Soviets would deport a large portion of the population of the countries they conquered, and import Russians. He (our minister) just returned from a few weeks in Latvia and he said that it is best to speak English first, then speak Russian because even though most Latvians speak Russian, they don't like Russians. I'm sure something similar happened in Georgia, making this "war by proxy" far easier due to the ethnic tension inherent in most former Soviet Republics.

So Putin attacks a region of Georgia, a US ally, that is heavily ethnic Russian. The Kremlin is saying that they were provoked. (Yes Comrade! They shot at us! really? no not really.) I highly doubt that, but if it is true, it is probably only because Russia was putting its troops along the Georgian border. It is a messy situation for the US though, because we don't want to be meddling in a situation that could possibly be perceived similarly to the Kosovo situation in Serbia, but we also don't want to let down our ally, Georgia. I almost wonder if this is payback for the prickly situation that the Russians were put in in Kosovo.

I was in Kosovo immediately after the air war, and the Russians were treated far worse than the Americans. The ethnic Albanians were grateful for the US intervention, and the ethnic Serbs were so irritated at the Russians (who were supposed to be allies of Serbia) that they mostly attacked the Russian peacekeepers instead of messing with the American troops. What America is facing in Georgia is a diplomatic, military and strategic nightmare. We don't really want to provoke Russia as our forces are stretched thin, but neither do we want to abandon our ally, and one of the few capitalist societies remaining on Earth, especially considering its location. Strategically, if Georgia falls, we are losing an allied foothold in the East and a symbol of Freedom, Democracy and Capitalism in the face of 'The Bear'.

Very possibly in response to the Russian action in Georgia, Poland, no doubt remembering its fall at the hands of Hitler's Germany and later at the hands of Stalin's Soviet Union took quick action to allow US defensive missiles into the country. The second Cold War could be brewing, and Poland wants to make sure it is on the right side. But is something even more sinister brewing? Could WW III be on the horizon? Iran, North Korea, and Russia have allied themselves. Are they preparing for war against the West? Is the rest of the world ready? And are we going to send Barack Obama to 'negotiate' with these tyrants. Many conservatives have called Obama "Jimmy Carter II". But I'm even more afraid that he'll be "Neville Chamberlain II".

The Death Penalty

If I could ever be accused of flip-flopping, it would be on this issue. I have a hard time with this, because I would hope that every person would have the opportunity to be saved, even rapists and murderers. However, when reading about heinous crimes, like this, and this it makes me think that maybe the Death Penalty is a good thing. Right now, I am for the Death Penalty. I believe the government does and should have the right to make the penalty for certain heinous crimes death. The Medellin case is certainly one. I also believe the Cooey case is one. I was not a juror in either, but a jury did hear these cases and appeal after appeal after appeal allowed these executions to go forth. Should they be stopped over a technicality? I don't think so, especially as these technicalities are not of the tampered evidence sort, they are stupid technicalities.

In the case of Cooey, they are saying he is too fat for lethal injection and he might 'suffer' from the effects of the potassium chloride. He might be too fat for the drug that is used to sedate him to work properly. ( BTW, I know an anesthetist who said; "If it doesn't work, I'll just use more.") I'm sure it won't be as bad as the rape and murder of the two young women whose lives he ended. But, if you really want to go down that path, that you're too fat for lethal injection, I have a few alternatives for you; Old Sparky, the Gallows, the Guillotine, a Firing Squad, Concrete Boots, etc. Maybe you should be put on The Rack for a little while before your meeting with the Gallows. Then I think it should all be on Pay Per View, with part of the proceeds going to the victims families, and the rest going to law enforcement and crime prevention. I think if executions were public again, crime would drop significantly.

In the case of Medellin, the (most likely) ACLU lawyers are saying that the Mexican Consulate was never contacted. So they waited 15 years to determine that this illegal immigrant, rapist, murdering scumbag should get a chance to speak to the Mexican consulate? I'm sorry, too late. You should have thought of that 15 years ago. Or 10 years ago. Or 5 years ago. Your time's up pal. As far as listening to international courts, I have this to say; Stay in Europe and call us when you're ready for us to save you again and maybe we'll help you out. Just stay out of American affairs when it comes to the execution of the scum who have voluntarily come here.

I've gotten pretty fired up about this issue because when you see the crimes, any sane person would demand justice. What justice can a state or nation truly give in these types of cases? There is only one justice I can think of here. That is death. If these rapists and murderers repent of their sins and truly come to Jesus, then I say; "Welcome Brother, I'll see you on that Day!" But even if they do TRULY repent, it doesn't change their crimes on Earth, or the consequences that come with their crimes.

One last thing, the arguments against the death penalty are usually that it violates the Eighth Amendment. Specifically, cruel and unusual punishment.

The Eighth Amendment:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel AND unusual punishments inflicted. (emphasis mine)

I would argue that death for murder is not cruel OR unusual. Most nations throughout history (until recently) have used death as a punishment for certain crimes. I would say death as a punishment is normal. Therefore if a death sentence WAS cruel, (such as being tied to two Hummers going in opposite directions, pulled in half and left for vultures to pick at you) it would still not violate the eighth amendment. It would be cruel, but not unusual. If the penalty for rape was death, it might meet the qualifications of unusual, (though I honestly doubt it) but if it was carried out in a humane manner, ie. lethal injection, it also would not violate the eighth amendment. Just a few things to chew on and start some discussion.

Referendum on Obama?

I'm not sure who I've heard say this on talk radio, perhaps it's a number of hosts. I'm pretty sure Rush and Levin have both said that this election is not about McCain, but is a referendum on Obama. Surely the journalist who wrote this article picked up on this. Well, I do agree that this election is all about Obama. Obama is hailed as the messiah for the Democrats, but he isn't even cracking 50% in the polls. Perhaps Americans aren't as blind as the Mainstream Media thinks they are. On the outside, it would appear to be a two man race, but really it is just a "Referendum on Obama". Are Obama and his radical policies what America needs (no) or even want? (I hope not)

Even though McCain is the one who picked up the nomination for the Republicans, he was not the choice of conservatives or even of a majority of Republicans. However with no clear-cut conservative candidate, McCain emerged as the guy the largest segment of Republicans (and Democrats who decided to vote in the Republican Primary) chose to vote for. Conservatives were split trying to figure out who, between Romney, Thompson, Giuliani and Huckabee, fit the mold they were looking for. None of them were the star that conservatives hoped for, and McCain emerged as the winner almost by default. It was almost like a 'Battle Royale' and McCain hid in the corner as all the other guys were fighting it out. Once Romney had his back turned, McCain snuck up and pushed him out of the ring.

Coming back to Obama, as he is what this election is about anyway. He is not running away with this election, and the Democrats are stunned. He has received Rock Star treatment and has women swooning over him. Why isn't he running away with this election then? I believe that the more people find out about his policies, the more he scares the crap out of them. His policies sound a whole lot like a watered down version of Marxism. He is so set on raising taxes on the rich to make things "fair" he misses the point. The rich already pay WAY more than what is "fair", but Obama wants to increase it. If Obama wanted the tax structure to be "fair", he would be pushing for the Fair Tax, or some sort of flat tax. No, he wants wealth redistribution. The problem is, wealth redistribution ALWAYS FAILS. If we redistribute wealth, we will lose jobs. Big Business will be forced to move overseas, and small businesses will go out of business. The businesses that stay and survive will not be able to hire as many employees because their tax burden is too high. People will have to work more hours to make ends meet, (if they can find a job) cutting time with family which already is too low in America.

His energy policies are laughable. He (and his party) has done nothing to attempt to bring down oil prices. He says we just need to use less. Well here's the problem Barack, we ARE using less. But at $4.00 a gallon it crushes our wallet no matter how much we cut back. If we all lived in Chicago or New York, it wouldn't matter quite as much, but where regular Americans live, we sometimes have to drive to places like work. Increased fuel and food prices mean we have to cut back on spending, (which hurts the economy) saving and investing, (which hurts our future as well as the economy) or paying bills, which hurts quality of life. The average joe has had to cut back to make ends meet and Obama has offered nothing but this little nugget of wisdom; "put air in your tires". Brilliant, if that is the kind of leadership we can expect for four years of an Obama administration, there's no wonder he isn't cleaning McCain's clock.

I really hate the idea of voting against someone I don't like. I really would like to vote FOR someone I do like. But in order to do that, I'll have to write someone in. I just 'hope' Americans will come to their senses and pay attention to the 'change' that Obama wants to bring to America. It looks a whole lot like Marxism.

Did you vote for these losers?

Congress today has adjourned for five weeks. The vote to adjourn was 213-212. EVERY Republican voted to keep going until a vote on oil exploration came up. The Democrats say that a vote on drilling won't do anything. Well, I say that's crap! Since President Bush removed the executive ban on drilling, I've seen gas drop 24 cents a gallon. That means when I filled up my tank today, I saved over 3 dollars. That may not sound like a whole lot, but what if Congress opened up drilling? I think the price would probably drop another 50 cents or more. Americans would be saving 10 dollars or more per fill-up. But that's just the beginning. Almost every product from food to toys to clothing gets shipped using gasoline. (or diesel) Bringing down the cost of gas, brings down the cost of food as well. But Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats today said resoundingly, "Screw the American People, and let them pay for the fuel in my jet at $3.80 a gallon!"

I also find it interesting that Congress gets a 5 week summer vacation, when they get all kinds of other vacations throughout the year. I'm curious if the President has the power to call them back. In Texas, the Governor can call the Legislature into session for certain reasons. It is one of the few powers the Governor has. Why doesn't the President call them back, and make them do the job they begged and pleaded with their constituents to do? Truly though, the President shouldn't even have to plead with them, they should be doing it willingly. There is no reason for them to take a 5 week vacation. Maybe 100 years ago, they needed to, so they could get back to their districts, but now they can be back in their districts every weekend if they want, and most of them probably are. No wonder their approval rating is 19%.