Day one started at midnight. I worked the evening before we left and when I got home, it was time to pack, get about 3 hours sleep and head to the airport. The flight was smooth except the landing was rougher than I'm used to, but all in all, pretty good. We were waiting for awhile after we landed, because my mother in law was at the wrong terminal to pick us up. If anyone has ever been to JFK, you may know that it is a labyrinth and an airport that was designed a long time ago, struggling to make it into the 21st century as the busiest airport in the most important city in the world. Anyway, she finally found us, we went to her place, had lunch, got settled in and I took a nap as Carmen took the kids for a walk around the old neighborhood. Awwww Yeahhhh! Hollis Son! (Insert RunDMC song here)
That night we went on a date to a raw food restaurant. The prices were high, but I attribute that partly to the cost of the ingredients and partly to the fact that the restaurant is in a trendy neighborhood in Manhattan. The food was incredible and quite honestly worth every penny. If you're ever in Manhattan and want to try excellent food, go to Pure Food and Wine. After that, we decided to walk the 25 blocks or so to Times Square. It was a great walk and a nice night. (it was in the 70's :D )
On the way I was thinking that I haven't had a real New York Hot Dog in a long time and there's nothing better to top off a great dinner of raw fruits, vegetables and nuts formed into delectable goodness than a common NY Hot Dog, from your friendly Sabrett street vendors of course. I have to admit though, I was a little disappointed. I remember that the thing I loved about the Hot Dogs from the Sabrett vendors is that they would crunch when you bite into them. I don't know why, and I probably don't want to know why, but there would be a very distinct crunch. The crunch was not there, and after 7 years of waiting I was of course very disappointed.
When we got to Times Square, it was probably about 11 at night, but you couldn't tell. The city there is lit up like it's 4 in the afternoon with massive ads all over the place. One thing that our family is sensitive to is advertisements. We don't have TV so our advertisement load is limited to the Internet (which I don't pay that much attention to advertisements on) and billboards. But New York takes advertising to the next level. In Times Square I suppose I expected it, but what really shocked me on this trip was ads on bridges, in subways and anywhere else that is conceivable (or even inconceivable)
We walked around for a little while and went into the massive Virgin Records store, looked around for awhile and decided to make the trek back to Queens. On the way to the Subway, we saw some impressive art. A guy with a can of spray paint was creating some impressive skylines of NY, complete with WTC 1&2. (More on the WTC later) Then we hit the subway and a bus back to Hollis. Anyway that's Day One.
05 September 2008
25 August 2008
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.
23 August 2008
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?
"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?
16 August 2008
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".
05 August 2008
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.
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.
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