Unequal Time

Unequal Time is growing, moving and shaking

2009-02-28T11:49:00.001-08:00

Unequal Time is excited to announce that we are making an exciting move to enhance our usefulness to readers. In order to provide better visual appeal and ease of navigation, the site will be run on a WordPress engine and will feature a magazine-style theme to offer a better look at available content from the front page.

The new site can be found at its own domain: WWW.UNEQUALTIME.COM.

All of the content from the Blogger site (as well as the content from the sister blog - Dancing with Bears - has been imported, and no new content will be posted here. (Because Dancing with Bears is folding into Unequal Time, this new site will feature a section dedicated to covering defense, national security and foreign affairs in the same way that DWB did for its readers.

I hope all of you bookmark the new site and help us to make it a daily stop on your search for information and commentary.

Rules Committee Constrains Debate and Review of Stimulus Bill

2009-02-13T09:24:00.001-08:00

Will America Be Able to Stomach This Much Hubris?

As transparent as your average bowling ball, the procedure for spending nearly $1 trillion of ours and the next three or four generation's money managed to pushed the stimulus bill out of conference for a quick and dirty vote on the floor of the House.

Here are the provisions for the procedures of today's vote, taken directly from the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 1 from the House Committee on Rules, passed 9-4 under the direction of committee chair Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY).

Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1 –

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

1.     Waives all points of order against consideration of the conference report except those arising under clause 9 of rule XXI.

2.      Provides that the conference report shall be considered as read.

3.      Waives all points of order against the conference report. This waiver does not affect the point of order available under clause 9 of rule XXI (regarding earmark disclosure).

4.      Provides 90 minutes of debate on the conference report.

5.      Provides one motion to recommit if applicable.

For the uninitiated that is what speed-track language looks like. Since the conference reported sometime around midnight last evening, this leaves precious little time for congressional representatives to weigh their conscience and cast informed votes. This must rank as one of the most flagrant abrogations of the compact between government and the people as has occurred in the history of the Union.

I am ashamed to say that the only Republican to vote YEA for stamping this bill for its one-way ticket on the express train to Hades was none other than my own state's Rep. Doc Hastings from the Washington 4th District. Way to go, Doc. Despite the sizable "investments" in the Department of Agriculture and the Bonneville Power Administration, when the voters realize that most of the money is going to benefit federal employees already on the payroll, not create jobs or improve economic conditions in your district, they can come and ask you why you didn't think it was worth discussing in the public air.

(I am willing to offer a special gift to the first person who leaves a comment on my blog (www.unequaltime.com) about at the top of this post and how it is apropos to what is happening in Congress.)

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Technorati Tags: Doc Hastings,Stimulus of 2009,Barack Obama

Wax Out of Their Ears, Finally, Congress Agrees to Compromise Stimulus

2009-02-11T12:43:00.001-08:00

Agreement by Congressional Leaders is Less than Either House or Senate Price Tag

Put down the face-paint and Mohawk feathers and refrain from ransacking the first shipload of tea you can find. Despite the questionable sense of the stimulus package, Congressional leadership appears to overcome their chronic tin-earitis and agreed on a compromise bill amounting to $789 billion, as reported by CNN.com. You heard it, double-digit billions less than either of the bills that were passed through the Senate and House.

Thanks for the compromise go primarily to Senators Joe Lieberman (D-VT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for brokering the deal and avoiding the typical pig pile that ensues when bills head into committee before moving along to the President.

Thanks for creating the environment of public pressure that the shaving of dollars politically unavoidable goes to: Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Michael Medved, Michelle Malkin, Charles Krauthammer (among many, many others) and the thousands of bloggers and commenters sticking to this issue over the past two weeks.

There is every reason to believe that internal polling by the DNC may have been at the basis for taking the machete to the spending in both bills to slash as much pork as possible. A stimulus signed into law at greater than $1 trillion, with the Congressional Budget Office and many economists predicting little or no impact on the economy, would have been a very potent campaign hammer for GOP candidates in 2010, one that Michael Steele.

Lesson learned: We the People still have a voice, and there are indications that the country has not swung radically to the left, as some Dems may have hoped.

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Technorati Tags: Joe Lieberman,Susan Collins,Michelle Malkin,Charles Krauthammer,Rush Limbaugh,Laura Ingraham,Stimulus of 2009

TV Preview: Important Things with Demetri Martin Premieres Feb. 11 at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central

2009-02-10T09:04:00.001-08:00

[This review first appeared 2/9/09 on Blogcritics.org. (http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/02/09/230435.php)]

It is a rare thing when a solo comedian can carry a thirty-minute sketch-comedy show on broadcast or basic cable. Great comedians and writers like Dana Carvey and Ben Stiller, hilariously funny individuals with success in other endeavors, could not find the sweet spot to entertain a mass audience week in and week out. For the right talent, a one-man sketch show can be the launching pad. After watching the first two episodes of Important Things with Demetri Martin (premiering Tuesday, February 11th at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central), I can write that Demetri Martin has gathered all of the elements to grab as much success as his bag can hold.

Billed by Comedy Central as “potentially the most important TV show of all time ever,” Important Things is the brainchild and creation of Demetri Martin, one of the leading lights of a new generation of comedians. Peeling away to a degree from the staid format of other sketch-comedy shows, Martin seems to have taken a page from the book of the Pied Piper of science, Bill Nye, highlighting one aspect of the world around us – the first two revolve around the themes of “Timing” and “Power.” With that single page in hand, Martin tosses the rest of the book aside and heads off into comedic territory with the intent to do harm to your funny bone. It’s just as one would expect from a show executive produced by The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart and Martin himself under the umbrella of Stewart’s company, Busboy Productions.

Using the monologue as a starting point - performed in front of a live audience on a stage set designed to resemble the interior of one of those outbuildings schools use when they outgrow their facilities and their budget, complete with the false wood paneling and cheap carpet - Martin takes the mundane and finds a way to rotate it precisely 137 degrees to present us the side that we would never see without his unique perspective. Was his time at Yale or NYU, his mind wandering while a random professor drew charts on the board, the point of germination for Martin’s method of using simple line drawings to set up and deliver laughs? Perhaps, but when the payoff is something as genuinely fresh as when Martin draws a graph illustrating the relationship between age and time spent urinating outdoors, tracking down the genesis of the material is of little or no importance.

As mentioned, each episode of the series begins with a concept that links a chain of sketches, stand-up bits, studio bits, and musical comedy. Martin’s blend of observational humor, dry delivery, and the use of quirky musical accompaniment to establish timing, is adapted well to the sketches and studio bits that comprise the bulk of the show, and it is clear that Martin is fully in charge of whatever writing staff exists. The material is fully inhabited by his childlike willingness to try out new things and find the funny. A sketch in which Martin assumes the role of an actor performing a scene on a movie set, opposite Amanda Peet in a great cameo, where Martin fails to achieve the anger desired until after the director says, “Cut,” is both hilarious and well-constructed. As a whole, the show at time takes on the quick and comfortable pace of a variety half-hour. That is part of what makes the show so pleasing to watch; the balance between the basic opening-setup-punch line form of stand-up and the extended situational humor of the sketches keeps your mind from tiring.

Martin is just the kind of personality whose star is expected to rise. Like a Jerry Seinfeld or Jay Leno, his humor is not angry, not abrasive. Floppy-haired and not intimidating in the least, Martin has been compared to the late Mitch Hedberg who built a solid following by way of his laid-back persona, and would have gone on to greater success had his life not ended so soon. Martin achieves the same sort of rapport with an audience but without dragging them through the complex bramble of drug-culture references that would be career cyanide to a comic trying to reach a mass audience. It is no surprise then that after Martin's hard work of recent years, including a number of appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (where he also worked as a staff writer), a CD/DVD release of stand-up material (These Are The Jokes), his own one-hour comedy special on Comedy Central, a running gig on the The Daily Show, and a guest role as the fourth Conchord on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, Martin’s next step would be to launch something of his own.

Experiencing Demetri Martin’s humor is like witnessing the evolution of the comedic form. He is more than funny, he is exploring different ways to get to funny and it is the sensation of visiting a new place that captures his fans, a group that will almost certainly be growing if enough people find out about Important Things with Demetri Martin. Set your Tivo if you have to, but make sure to catch the first episode - “Timing” - Wednesday February 11th at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central. The second episode will air a week later on February 18th, same time. Whether you watch it alone or with your friends it will keep you glued and laughing.

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Technorati Tags: Comedy Central,Demetri Martin,Important Things with Demetri Martin,sketch comedy,review,television

Team Obama Kicks Off Largest Group Therapy Session in Human History

2009-02-09T13:07:00.001-08:00

In an blatant effort to generate a grab-bag of newer and scarier material for Obama's speechwriters, Team Obama has now given We the People permission to get in touch with our inner victim by way of an email sent out to millions this morning.

The email reads:

Bryan --

Americans have organized Economic Recovery House Meetings in all 50 states -- including 382 in California, 255 in Florida, 115 in Ohio, 199 in New York, 105 in Washington, and 149 in Texas.

That's more than 3,587 meetings in 1,579 cities and 429 congressional districts.

This past weekend, meeting hosts and guests watched a video of Governor Tim Kaine answering your questions about the president's recovery plan. Then they shared their own stories about how the crisis has affected them.

Watch Governor Kaine's video and share your economic crisis story.

The media is filled with numbers about the economic crisis. But the numbers do not tell the full story.

The story of this crisis is in homes across the country -- homes where a family member has lost a job, where parents are struggling to pay a mortgage, and where college tuition has slipped out of reach.

That's also where the story of our recovery begins -- in communities where repairing roads and bridges, manufacturing green technologies, and rehabilitating our schools and hospitals will directly impact the lives of ordinary people and their families.

President Obama's recovery plan will help struggling families right now by saving or creating up to 4 million jobs. But it will also help strengthen our economy for the future by investing in crucial infrastructure projects in health care, education, and energy.

Share your story about how this economic crisis is affecting you and your family and join your fellow Americans in supporting bold action to speed our recovery:

http://my.barackobama.com/sharestories

Thank you for organizing so much support at this crucial moment for our country,

Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

If Oprah had ever been harboring a secret desire for political appointment, when the president finally gets around to formally creating the cabinet-level Department of Coordinated Self-Pity she will almost certainly be the frontrunner nominee. If you're very quiet you can even hear the fleet of adding machines working as an army of CPAs burn the midnight oil to iron out ten years of tax filings.

Normally it takes one or two full terms in office for a presidential administration to compile a resume of arrogance and ineptitude such as the one logged by the Obama Administration in less than a month. This effort is yet another sleight of hand to take the public's attention away from an appalling lack of leadership coming from the White House.

Please, Mister President, do your own homework for once. The American people are working to survive and keep the economy moving, too busy to participate on a time-wasting, spirit-sapping pity-fest such as this. We are spending our energy on keeping the jobs that support our families of finding replacements for those lost since Election Day.

Will a scrapbook of American suffering solve any problems? Will it revive spirits weakened by economic distress and worry? No. Nevertheless, responses will be woven into a frightening tapestry of misery, a cause to act waved like a battle flag in Obama's charge to grab the reins of the American economy and swing the county on a path of socialism. In one of those paradoxes that historians salivate upon finding, repelling this push to an erosion of economic freedoms will be accomplished by steeling our will to fend off the greatest enemy of a free society; fear itself.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,financial crisis,Tim Kaine,Mitch Stewart,Stimulus of 2009

Is the Obama Presidency a Bellwether of American Ingenuity on Its Deathbed?

2009-01-23T14:31:00.001-08:00

[This piece was first posted January 23, 2009 on Blogcritics.org (http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/01/23/170811.php)]

So much has already been made of President Obama’s lack of substance. It has been suggested by conservative writers that he is everything from an empty suit to an emperor with no clothes. Perhaps he is just a man who has been told his entire life that he was special without ever being made to prove it. If the latter is true, the conspicuous lack of detail in his agenda stems from necessity; he carefully avoids scrutiny, like the Wizard of Oz hiding behind the curtain. But the problems facing the United States are more substantial than simply finding a way back home to Kansas; solving them requires more than pyrotechnics and smooth baritone oratory.

The common thread between President Obama and the causes of the American predicament is a shortage of new ideas; thus we are forced to resolve a dilemma. Despite his liberal use of the word "change," the itinerary for Obama’s plan to change America was never unfolded for our inspection and approval and yet, voters pulled the lever. How can we expect a majority of Americans to participate in the process of innovating when the bulk of us voted for change by proxy and without form? How is the nation expected to redefine its place in the world when it has chosen a leader who does not have the will to define himself?

For his part, Obama may be remembered as the politician who is to American politics what Andy Warhol was to American culture -– a borrower of iconic ideas and imagery, but in truth, a creator of nothing truly original; a manufacturer only of symbols. He weaves elements of Kennedy, Reagan and both Roosevelts’ characters into the fabric of his persona, with the effect of buying unearned merit badges and stitching them onto his Boy Scout sash. The success of his campaign, with its emphasis on an unspecific black box of genius plans, shows just how restless the electorate has become. Were Obama to have run against a candidate with even a modest amount of inspiration, one who could communicate a clear vision for the future, we would have had to wait at least four more years to experience the catharsis of swearing in our first African-American president.

The failure of the populace to demand more debate, more discussion, more specifics, may be the canary in the American coalmine; evidence that the marketplace of ideas is no longer functioning as needed. If so, there are huge implications for our future, implications not confined to the intangible realm of philosophical and political debate. Has the engine driving American prosperity for centuries, our uniquely voracious appetite for new ideas and inventions, slowed or stopped? Patents (both applications and issuances) and copyright registrations have been flat for nearly a decade. President Bush’s call for a national effort to land a manned mission on Mars met with the equivalent of dismissive laughter; the plans have foundered from lack of congressional support, stemming naturally from public apathy.

In our culture, popular entertainment is certainly a useful barometer for the public appetite for creativity, and we would have to conclude that the public does not have much of an appetite for new things. Television schedules choke on a glut of “reality” programming, each show as unique as Tweedledum from Tweedledee. For viewers who do not favor that sort of thing, hack through the strangling bramble of the CSI and Law & Order franchises, which soak up precious dollars that would otherwise be available to foster some diversity. Even in movies and live theater, the norm is to stick with known properties and avoid taking any risks.

The free market has always operated best in an environment that teems with new ideas. Contrary to the flawed notion that free markets abhor risk, just as in nature a forest grows taller and stronger when its hide is tested by wildfire, so competition is the policing agent that enforces businesses and individuals to be mindful of efficiency. Corporations, as units, may try to avoid risk through regulatory lobbying and other legal means, but they do so at their own eventual and inevitable peril. It is by embracing the delicate interplay that occurs in a free society that the ways out of our current mess will be identified most quickly.

What Obama can do to spur a creative renaissance in America is find new ways to remove the challenges that face innovative Americans. Stripping away most of the steeplechase of red tape and providing reasonable protections against frivolous litigation would do ninety percent of the blasting work to dislodge the impediments to economic and cultural growth. He should also resist all temptations and encouragement to demand more of the fruits of American ingenuity, perhaps even overhaul a federal tax system that now closely resembles the relationship between feudal lords and tenant farmers in ages past and places distant.

For our part, when our temptation might be to ask Obama to do more to encourage innovation, we must remind ourselves that the question would wrongly assume that we need a moderator. Unless we are on the cusp of converting to a centrally planned economy, there is no conceivable reason for the president or the government to be involved in the creative side of public life as anything more than a referee or an observer. More importantly, although Obama’s talk is strong about supporting a broad conversation in which no ideas will be considered off-limits, he has not demonstrated that he has anything to bring to the discussion. Nor has he given much indication that he will, in practice, support such a discourse if he is not in control of the outcomes.

We the People do not need the permission of our president to conduct this discussion; we do not need a stamp of approval to begin to change things. We simply need to start talking.

Politicians like President Obama will always be lining up to offer near-sighted solutions wrapped in shiny packages and decorated with false promises. As a nation, in terms of human age, we are in the phase of adulthood, and as such we can begin to make choices based not on cravings, but on need. Americans need to reclaim their heritage as creators and demand that our leaders – even The One – step aside and let the nation begin working again.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Blogcritics.org,financial crisis

I Smell a Whiff of Clinton Around the New York Senate Story

2009-01-22T11:24:00.001-08:00

With Caroline Kennedy pulling her name off the list under the flimsiest of reasons - the ill health of Uncle Ted has been a fact for almost a year now, preceding Hillary Clinton's nomination by several months - the questions are certainly flying about who will step into the void. Although many reports are offering former NY Governor Mario Cuomo as the obvious next-in-line, her exit stage left comes at a time when a more suitable candidate, but one who will undoubtedly be opposed by all the effort the GOP can muster (which right now doesn't appear to be very much), can be dropped into place without time for organized opposition to mount. Next week, will the Senate be swearing in the next senator from New York will be none other than former President William Jefferson Clinton.

Besides the massive egos involved and the innumerate number of new ways the Clintons could exert power and influence (there has never been a husband and wife team holding such high-level positions in our government) there are political reasons for the Democrat party to support seating Bill Clinton in the Senate. As Congressional leadership locks horns with President Obama in the early-going, having a deeper bench of establishment politicians will make it easier to wag the dog when the time comes. And, of course, there would be no concerns about another Blago-esque scandal. There is no way Hillary will be demanding quid pro quo compensation of any kind from Bill.

This is not a prediction and I haven't received any official reports, tips or rumors. But it does seem worth considering as a possibility. If it happens the prime timing will be to make an informal announcement Friday morning (the financial markets will eat it up), give a polite one day period for GOP caterwauling, and have the deal legally completed on Sunday.

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Technorati Tags: Bill Clinton,Hillary Clinton,New York,Senate,Caroline Kennedy

Newsbits from Post-Racial America

2009-01-21T14:50:00.001-08:00

In an effort to fan the lucrative flames of non-existent American racism, CNN.com is running an article by John Blake under the headline "Black first family 'changes everything'" which aims to inform us of how the Obama family is showing us that African-American folks aren't the loud, expressive caricatures we see depicted through entertainment media.

The article opens with the perspective of Jamaal Young, a New York Press columnist:

Jamaal Young was watching Barack Obama and his family greet an ecstatic crowd in Chicago, Illinois, on Election Night when he realized that something seemed wrong.

Obama didn't shout at his wife, Michelle, to shut up. The first lady didn't roll her eyes and tell Obama to act like a man. No laugh track kicked in, no one danced, and no police sirens wailed in the background.

It goes on, continuing to wrap itself into a Moebius strip of stereotyping.

America has often viewed the black family through the prism of its pathologies: single-family homes, absentee fathers, out of wedlock children, they say. Or they've turned to the black family for comic relief in television shows such as "Good Times" in the '70s or today's "House of Payne."

But a black first family changes that script, some say. A global audience will now be fed images of a highly educated, loving and photogenic black family living in the White House for the next four years -- and it can't go off the air like "The Cosby Show."

Does that mean that "black America" sees white people through the prism of Billy Bob Thornton and Kevin Costner?

Is Blake so embedded in a racially-tinged frame of reference that he thinks Americans are that narrow-minded? We see only Will Smith, Spike Lee and Chris Rock, but somehow miss Denzel Washington, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice?

One day, Lord, we shall overcome. Oh, Lord, we shall overcome.

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Technorati Tags: reverse racism,CNN

In the Wake of the Inauguration: A Layman's Response to the President's Speech

2009-01-20T13:24:00.001-08:00

[The transcript of President Obama's Inaugural Address comes by way of The Drudge Report.]

On its face, the President's speech on the Capitol steps this morning was a fair effort that could not possibly live up to the expectations set by Beltway pundits and the hunting hounds of the national press corps. Much of the text (said to have been written by the President himself) was predictable, but it was anything but safe. By applying a rough chop to the transcript, parsing it without splitting hairs, I find many things to be concerned about if you are one who believes that what a person says matters.

In the vast log of speeches given since he began his run for the office he officially took today, Obama has given us very little concrete indication of his worldview, his view on the role of government. What he has offered has been illuminating and the inaugural address given this morning is no different.

(The speech transcript is in block quotes and my comments are inserted as regularly-formatted text.)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

It is comforting to hear Obama imply that We the People will still be using the same founding documents as we move forward into the Age of The One. Will his Democrat-controlled government be true to those venerable texts?

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.

The first "hard choice" falls upon the shoulders of President Obama, and it is the choice not to shield average Americans from all of the necessary learning experiences that are brought on by crisis. In identifying all of the sources of our current crisis, the hard choice will be not to allow citizens to move forward under any assumptions that the government will always be there to cure the results of poor decision-making. Will he? No. Should he? Yes?

Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

What is sapping our energy is the knowledge that because the United States Congress, after decades of extreme fiscal mismanagement and near-sighted regulatory actions, is now rewarding us with a series of financial bailout measures that will ensure an increased role for the federal government and the potential for federal insolvency within the next fifty years. This saps our energy because we know that there are other ways to emerge from this crisis without deconstructing the free market.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. ...

(Let Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin know that a truce has unofficially been called.)

... The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. ...

I don't think I need to give anyone a trail of breadcrumbs to interpret all of the hypocrisy in the above set of comments.

... Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

The emphasis here seems to be on immigrants and slaves, and the message may be that their contribution to American prosperity needs to be recognized. The specter of reparations rises anew.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed.

This passage is perhaps the most disheartening portion of the speech to this point. Is our new president a Pollyanna or is he knowingly whispering sweet nothings to the electorate? If the latter is true, that course is for populist campaigning but does not do any favors to a country in great need of a wake-up call. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Promises of moving mountains and parting seas. Vintage Obama. Now we know that Obama may actually have written many of those messianic speeches.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

It is not the size of the plan that worries some; it is the size of the budget that puts those plans into action. It is the amount of space the government may occupy in our lives.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.

In the words of Robert de Niro: "You talkin' to me?"

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.

Nice try here to push the question of the size of government to the margins. We should always ask whether our government is too large or too small. It is the crowning achievement of the founding fathers that they created a system that puts the hands of people on the throttle of the federal machine. At least in theory.

And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill...

The market is an intangible force and as such does not have the power of choice. Without the element of choice there is no morality, there can be no good or evil. It does not surprise me that from the same party that attempted to blame President Bush for Hurricane Katrina exists a glaring failure to notice that it is not the system that is either good or ill; it is the people acting within it who define their individual morality.

This is basic political theory on the foundations of republican principles of government and law, a 100-level course that most liberals habitually fail.

... Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.

Amid the calm of the inaugural proceedings, I swear I could hear the footsteps of scores of regulators marching down the halls of their federal enclaves.

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

America is a friend of Iran? America is a friend of Venezuela? America is a friend of North Korea? Americans are truly friends to every person on the earth but not to the governments that often act against the interests of those people. I am hesitant to compare him to yet another president, but his idealism reminds of Woodrow Wilson's flawed beliefs that there can be harmony in the whole community of nations.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.

Is Obama aware of the suspension of civil liberties during World War II, putting in the hands of FDR immense executive power? In times of great crisis, our system places its trust in the humility of whatever man occupies the Oval Office to protect us. We have chosen - wisely - not to cast off 99% of our liberties during a war on terror that has claimed thousands of American lives.

They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

I would still like to hear how Obama defines our way of life, in his own words. For his words about defending it to hold any meaning, we first need to know of what he thinks he is standing in defense.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

I actually like this section. It is a message to the Muslim world, much of which is still clinging to a repressive, Luddite existence and legitimacy that their path is sowing the seeds of discontent within their own populations.

It sounds like something that Bush might have said, which may be why they are already burning Obama's image on the streets of Tehran.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

Kum-ba-yah. If the world all ran out and jumped off the tallest building, would we be obliged to follow suit?

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

There is a disturbing verbal sleight-of-hand in this paragraph which begins by suggesting that government must act and ends by describing how a parent's "willingness to nurture a child" (odd choice of words) can determine our future. We should hear echoes of this theme that government is assuming a parental role as additional government programs become necessary to nurture the American economy back to health.

I have never been a believer in the good of ordinary citizens (excluding civil servants and military personnel) dedicating themselves to service for the greater good, at the behest of government. It just seems a little preachy to tell people they need to think of others. I'm teaching my five year-old this lesson, but I expect him to have learned it by the time he is old enough to vote.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

God? Who said that? The next pay-for-play scandal is almost certain to involve Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel buying off the ACLU.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

Now we can finally move on to the post-racism era of no affirmative action, no incessant categorizing by race or ethnicity... Right?

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

God bless America and God bless President Obama and give him the wisdom to see what is good for the country.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,inaugural address,criticism

Inauguration Speech Quick Hits

2009-01-20T09:30:00.001-08:00

President Obama's inauguration speech was more of the saccharin rhetoric we have learned to expect.

Obama champions immigrant laborers, asking us to recognize the sacrifices they made for us. Is this a recognition that some Americans contribute more than others?

Statements about the role of government indicate that he sees Obama government as being at the center of public life.

During the speech, President Bush sat passively, with the expression of a father watching his child embark on a path that will lead to pain and strife. (I predict that Obama will do more to enhance Bush's historical posterity than any presidential library or foundation ever could.)

As a piece of writing, the speech fails on nearly every level. Or, perhaps, a speech can never achieve anything unless it passes through a personage of genuine substance. Just as a young writer or singer needs personal experience to invest ethos and pathos in their work, spirit and soul that can be felt by readers and listeners, so too must Obama gain the benefit of living what he preaches in order to speak with authority.

True believers will rally to this speech, but I do not believe that the average American will find any inspiration because it offers nothing to grab onto.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,inaugural address,inauguration day

Is Flag Desecration by Obama Supporters Another Sign of the President-elect's 'Man-Crush' on Lincoln?

2009-01-20T07:53:00.001-08:00

As Michelle Malkin has been reporting on her site for days now, President-elect Obama's supporters have been engaging in widespread acts of unlawfulness in the form of distributing and displaying United States flags that have been defaced with images of the President-elect.

What is eerie is that even as Obama concludes the pilgrimage to D.C., draped in the mantle of Abraham Lincoln's legacy, these flags could just be one more example of Obama's lack of originality. Abraham Lincoln's 1860 presidential campaign also used flags adorned with the candidates image and emblazoned with campaign propaganda (The example shown here comes from the Library of Congress.) The U.S. Flag Code would not be enacted until 1923, so Lincoln-Davis' use of Old Glory was not illegal.

When we begin picking and choosing which laws matter and which do not, the rule of law breaks down. Don't expect too much action from the Obama camp, however, after all of the clever image manipulation they employed during the campaign.

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Technorati Tags: Abraham Lincoln,Barack Obama,campaign propaganda,inauguration day

Expansionist Statements of Russian Naval High Command Are Cause for Concern

2009-01-19T17:01:00.001-08:00

Confirming possibilities raised posted September of last year on Unequal Time's sister blog, Dancing With Bears, the Russian Navy has announced its intention to establish a continued naval presence in international waters outside of Russia's own maritime jurisdiction. As reported by Russia Today's English online edition (by way of our friend at the Naval Open Source Intelligence blog), Deputy Chief of Russia's Armed Forces Staff, Anatoly Nogovitsyn, is quoted as saying:

"The political decision on this matter has been made. Bases will settle down on Sokorta Island (Yemen), in Tartus (Syria) and Tripoli (Libya). Now it’s very difficult to say when these bases will appear in these countries, but in several years time it undoubtedly will happen. From both the economic and the technical military point of view, there is no other way to solve the problem of our Navy’s regular presence in distant sea areas for the protection of Russia’s national interests."

Although the Russian navy's global reach has been continuing its policy of forced contraction in recent years - as evidenced by their withdrawal of the strategically valuable Vietnamese port of Cam Ranh in 2000 - mainly due to a lack of funding stemming from the weak Russian economy. Recent growth in Russia's defense industry, combined with an emphasis on power projection should awaken the minds of Western policymakers to the very real possibility that there is an endgame in progress.

Despite its massive size, Russia has many of the same problems of historic powers that had to rely on maritime superiority as a means of promoting domestic economic prosperity. Nearly surrounded by a host of allies of convenience or outright enemies, the Russian Federation cannot build its power on a foundation of over dependable over-land or straight-line airborne routes.

There are reasons to believe that the Russians have shifted policy to one that is drastically more expansionist.

the Russians have been given permission by the Icelandic government use of the former U.S. airbase at Keflavik, Iceland (read here)
Russian and Venezuelan naval vessels participated in joint exercises in the Caribbean in the fall of 2008 (read here)
Russian Federation commits to full funding for completion of GLONASS global satellite navigation system, a system that in addition to its surface navigation capabilities was originally designed as a ballistic missile targeting system (read here)
Joint exercises in December 2008 with Indian navy ships in the Indian Ocean to train on carrier-destroying tactics (read here)

There are more data points on this curve; these items must be considered along with a tidal wave of arms agreements, mutual defense agreements, and other developments that have been made between Russian and many other nations across the globe. All indications would point to some intention by the sleeping bear to enhance its power position across the globe particularly in their commitment to making GLONASS fully operational.

As Americans begin to assess the incoming Obama administration, they should do with a firm understanding of the geopolitical events currently unfolding.

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Cross-posted at Dancing with Bears.

Technorati Tags: foreign affairs,Russia,The New Cold War

Are You Ready 'All Obama, All the Time' Streaming Web Programming?

2009-01-14T16:08:00.001-08:00

It was bound to happen. Obamania has infected all corners of the globe. The One already shows up on television, radio and internet with the frequency of a man playing an inverse game of Where's Waldo? so does the idea of Obamedia (a.k.a. wall-to-wall video featuring the President-elect) really deviate from what has already become the norm?

Perhaps to test the limits of toleration the American public have for such things, Joost - one of the new generation of online media distributors - has launched an "Everything Obama" section of its web site.

Despite worries that non-Obamaniacs might worry about this concept, it is not the temple of worship that one might expect to find.

Mixed in with the 60 Minutes interview with Michelle and Barack Obama, and the video of his victory speech on the night of November 6th, are lighter items like a piece of shtick from the Late Show with David Letterman titled "Bump Fists with Barack Obama." Michelle Obama's visit to The Daily Show is worth a look and, of course, Obama Girl lives on in the post-victory "Yes We Did!" video.

In the interest of distinguishing itself from the Obama-infatuated YouTube community, Joost could have served its own interests better by including some critical material or things that poked fun in a less-friendly way then what visitors will find there. I guess there's room left for Hulu.com to develop "Everything Obama (Uncut)."

Joost will also be webcasting live from Washington, D.C. on the day of Obama's inauguration.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,inauguration day,Joost,media

The Bailout Game: A Fun Way to Waste Time While the Economic Crisis Rages On

2009-01-14T07:09:00.001-08:00

Every time I come across one of these Flash games I fruitlessly rack my brain on the question of where the designers find the time. Thanks go to our friends at HotAir.com for letting readers know about the newest time vacuum, The Bailout Game, a fun way to divert yourself when thoughts turn dark on the subject of your own financial future.

The game itself isn't terribly complex and it isn't supposed to be a simulation. You either use federal dollars to bail out private enterprises, or you don't. The consequences of not bailing our companies and banks is always negative, and there is no positive result from letting the free market work. If the video clips and random events weren't so entertaining I would suspect a Hank Paulson/Barack Obama joint venture for the purpose of generating a viral public relations push.

It is interesting to note that, as I played the game a few times, I realized that by forgoing any bailouts the game's length was shortened by a half dozen or so turns. So is the real lesson of the game that the quickest path out of a recession is to let the market regulate itself?

You know the drill by now. Try it and pass it along.

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Technorati Tags: entertainment,financial crisis,HotAir.com,The Bailout Game

Viaduct Plans Perpetuate Wasteful Attitude of State and Local Officials

2009-01-13T15:05:00.001-08:00

As someone who has decades of memories wrapped up in the crumbling concrete Alaskan Way Viaduct that spans the length of Seattle's downtown waterfront district, awaiting the momentous decision about the roadway's fate has left a thin residue of anxiety over my mood about regional politics during the years leading up to what happened yesterday.

Despite having a clear favorite among the three options that have been widely-reported as having been on the table, I was prepared for a tunnel. I was not prepared for a four-lane tunnel, because the majority of the current viaduct's length is a six-lane roadway, already the lesser of two traffic jams for West Seattle commuters and those trying to get from the SODO to I-5 northbound.

(Is it rude to mention also that there won't actually be a downtown exit in the proposed tunnel thereby making it useless for most commuters?)

During the projected nine-year timeline for completion, the diversion of traffic to Interstate 5 will create congestion unlike anything this city has seen except during the Summer 2007 Carpocalypse (the fitting name coined by the West Seattle Blog) that occurred because of during expansion joint replacement on I-5 south of downtown. After the completion the downtown grid will handle less cars than now.

Why would we expect anything else than the most illogical option for solving Seattle's traffic needs from Gregoire, Sims and Nickels, the Three Stooges of King County politics? It continues to prove my inverse theory of bureaucratic deliberation: The longer a group of bureaucrats deliberate the worse will their decision be at the end of said deliberation.

There is a scandal within the handling of this project that should be laid at the feet our elected officials. While the decision was put off, delayed and avoided, projects relating to the viaduct - specifically to replacing the existing structure - were spending taxpayers dollars at a pace with which only the Seattle Monorail Project could compete.

As reported by the Susan Gilmore of the Seattle Times on July 30, 2008:

The state Legislature budgeted $2.8 billion last year to replace Seattle's deteriorating Alaskan Way Viaduct with another elevated roadway.
But a large chunk of that money already has been spent. About $1.1 billion has been either spent on or committed to several viaduct projects, with still no decision about how to replace the viaduct in downtown Seattle. And it's not clear that the remaining $1.7 billion will be enough to finish the viaduct replacement...
The biggest chunk has been committed to rebuilding the south end of the 2.2-mile viaduct, from South Holgate to South King streets, at an estimated cost of $540 million, according to Ron Paananen, viaduct project manager for the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

The reporting done to date does not make it clear exactly how much money has been already spent on viaduct-related projects by the Washington State Department of Transportation and other government agencies.

Who will be made accountable to voters for the millions of dollars that have been wasted on projects already underway, projects that in some cases assumed the viaduct would be replaced by a similar above-ground structure?

The trio of politicians involved have better spin control than an Olympic figure skater, so don't expect a voluntary mea culpa from Sims, Gregoire or Nickels.

Gregoire escapes facing an angry mob of voters at the polls, but when the disaster of her management comes to roost the door may be opened for a Republican to take the governor's race in 2012.

For Sims and Nickels it comes down to one key question: How many union bosses can a busy public official meet with between now and Election Day?

We may be witnessing the events leading up to the second contraction of the Greater Seattle region since the great Boeing collapse of the late 1960s. Nickels, Sims and Gregoire have crossed the Rubicon, setting in motion the predictable consequence of more businesses opting to leave the sociological Petri dish that Seattle has become. The coup de grâce will come after the initial white collar exodus when the Port of Seattle shipping facilities watch the annual tonnage decline even more rapidly than is currently projected.

In any economic climate, this proposal would be worth opposing. In the midst of a recession, compounded by the negative effect a major tunnel project will have on Seattle's already business-averse climate, this seems to be more than just bad regional planning. It affirms the predominantly liberal mind set of Western Washington that values symbolism over making things better, and putting smart people in charge of ridiculously misguided projects. It is an outmoded way of thinking that should serve as an invitation for real problem-solvers to become involved in government in every way possible and it is in the best interest of everyone to prevent this kind of wasteful spending in the future. What could be done with these dollars that are currently accepted as just part of the governmental inefficacy if they weren't wasted.

Those in opposition to the tunnel project should begin calling it what it is, not the Seattle's edition of the "Big Dig" - a reference to Boston's huge public works mess - but the "Big Pig," a massive counterproductive waste of our resources.

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Slate: President-elect Obama Needs Help With His Homework

2009-01-09T12:48:00.001-08:00

If you are one of the unfortunate souls who can't seem to find a good enough reason to select a different home page than MSN, you probably saw the teaser for a posting at Slate: "Help Obama Write His Inauguration Speech."

This is the man that was touted by Newsweek as being "fiercely intelligent and characteristically confident." Slate suggests that we should throw him a life preserver, in an indirect way.

Slate has partnered with MixedInk on a project called "The People's Inaugural Address" which gives ordinary non-speechwriters to contribute ideas of their own. The MixedInk engine will then search previous inaugural addresses, as well as contributions already made to the project, and allow users to incorporate those into their own final version.

This resolves the mystery I have been pondering about what Joe Biden has been doing since two weeks before the election. It sounds remarkably like an endorsement of cut-and-paste plagiarism.

All of the submitted speech drafts will be available for rating and review by users. After the collaborative process ends in a couple of weeks, Slate will publish the speech that has received the highest rating. Slate suggests that the winning speech could come in handy to one Barack Hussein Obama:

And maybe President-elect Obama will decide to borrow from your speech—at least that part where you quote Lincoln—when he delivers his inaugural address on Jan. 20.

Does the old thought experiment about a 1,000 monkeys and 1,000 typewriters come to mind to anyone else?

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Technorati Tags: Slate,Inaugural Address,Barack Obama,Joe Biden,MixedInk

TV Review: "The Diplomat" Blends High-Stakes Espionage and Drama

2009-01-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

[This review was first published January 7, 2009 on the Blogcritics web site at http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/01/07/181230.php]

In the post-9/11 media landscape, the spy thriller has again come into its own as a genre that offers visceral subject matter for a wide audience. Despite the renewed marketability of stories dealing with international espionage and terror, television producers have more often than not failed to seize upon opportunities to create truly original stories that utilize a backdrop of action and intrigue as a canvas for exploring the human conditions that exists in a very real and dangerous part of our world.

The Diplomat, a two-part miniseries produced by RHI Entertainment and premiering January 24 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ION Television (check your local cable provider for availability and channel), aims to give cable audiences a fresh look at that dark place and they people who walk therein.

Dougray Scott - most recently seen by American audiences on Desperate Housewives - plays Ian Porter, a British diplomat suspected of being an accomplice of a Russian arms and drugs trafficker when a sting by Scotland Yard turns up evidence against him. As an investigation commences, led by Detective Chief Inspector Julie Hales (Rachael Blake), Porter is discovered in truth to be an agent of British foreign intelligence (MI-6) and is persuaded to maintain silence about his Russian contacts by his handler, MI-6 officer Charles Van Koos (Richard Roxburgh). When the Russians intimidate his ex-wife, Pippa (Claire Forlani, Meet Joe Black, CSI: NY), the estranged couple are brought into the British equivalent of the witness protection program.

While Ian and Pippa Porter are in protective custody, Scotland Yard continues to squeeze Ian for information while he plots for eventual escape in order to complete his mission, to disrupt the sale of nuclear suitcase bombs to unnamed terrorists. The story unfolds to reveal a complex web of relations between MI-6 and the Russian arms traffickers that provides significant intrigue. It also sheds light on elements of Ian Porter’s character, answering the question of why he has chosen a path of danger.

Dougray Scott does a good job of playing an emotionally tortured man, besieged by demons from his past, demons which he shares with Pippa. The tension is like an emotional ice field that must, of course, be thawed. Fertile ground for storytelling, to be sure, but although Scott has a gritty toughness it is not tempered in this role by a sufficient amount of charm. Thus, no chemistry develops between Scott and Forlani (who had achieved intense on-screen chemistry with Brad Pitt in her best known role), making the story’s climax a difficult sell.

But for the excellent technical work under the direction of Peter Andrikidis, the dramatically shot locations of Sydney, London, and Tajikistan and superior performances of the supporting cast, The Diplomat would have had its credentials revoked shortly after the gripping five-minute opening sequence. As ethically confused MI-6 officer Van Koos, Roxburgh carries the entire ensemble forward when moments and minutes of story seem ready to dissolve into meaninglessness. Also notable is Jeffrey Lindsay Taylor’s role as the guard assigned to protect the Porters during their stay in Australia. Both actors provide first-rate performances, breathing life into scenes that might otherwise leave audiences yawning.

In the final analysis, the producers of The Diplomat appear to have had the ambition to create a work that drew from a deeper palate than other television thrillers by delving who these characters really are and what led them to be in the dark space of the story. Perhaps the goal was to tell the story in a style reminiscent of the realism of Syriana or Michael Clayton. (In some moments, The Diplomat does bear a stylistic resemblance to those excellent examples of this genre.) If so, though the result may have been a faint and roughly drawn sketch of greater films, it should serve as a jumping-off point for future television productions in its category.

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Technorati Tags: The Diplomat,Dougray Scott,Claire Forlani,Richard Roxburgh,Peter Andrikidis,thriller,television,ION Television,RHI Entertainment,nuclear bomb

Blago Steps Off High Board Into Swan Dive, Smiling

2008-12-30T12:15:00.001-08:00

On cue, as though in answer to a Blogcritics article suggesting that the reality show format might actually be the best way to choose our leaders, besieged Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is set to name the individual to assume President-elect Obama's vacated seat, as reported by CNN.com. This will occur in spite of efforts by his state's legislature to impeach him, and urging from those within his own party to step down and refuse to make this crucial appointment.

To add to the circus-like atmosphere, Blagojevich is rumored to be naming former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, a 71-year old African-American man who will be the ripe-old age of 77 when his unelected term concludes.

There are options available to the Senate if they wish to challenge the appointment, but it seems unlikely that such a thing would happen. Burris is probably the kind of person President-elect Obama would have wanted to take his seat even if he or his staff had "no inappropriate with the Governor or anyone from his office," as was indicated in the Craig Report. (Because incoming White House Counsel Greg Craig's conclusions were reached, in large part, by interviewing the individuals on Obama's team that have been implicated in the scandal we can, of course, regard its findings as indisputable.)

I feel the air being let out of this balloon. Blagojevich is certainly being offered up for bloody sacrifice while more sympathetic actors in the Greek drama unfolding - Axelrod and Emanuel topping my list - will almost certainly emerge unscathed. If Burris proves to be a likable person, Blagojevich may also have triangulated the Senate into allowing his choice to be seated.

This is going to present dicey politics for the Democrats. Affirm the decisions of a vilified man or make an innocent man - Burris - a victim of the Beltway machine. Popcorn, anyone?

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Technorati Tags: Rod Blagojevich,Roland Burris,scandal

An Early Merry Christmas and Note of Thanks

2008-12-24T16:14:00.001-08:00

Christmas is a time best spent with loved ones, which is exactly what I will be doing during the next two days.

So today I want everyone who has visited Unequal Time this year or read my work on Blogcritics or Crosscut.com to know how much their readership this year has meant to me. I will always commit to publish work that respects your intelligence and your time. Even HotAir.com got in the act and ran a snappy block quote of mine. Thank you, Ed.

I must be doing something right because according to a gadget powered by Technorati this blog was worth $1,693.92 as of 4:00pm PT today. (Of course, when I get my TARP package from Hank Paulson I will have to settle for 25 cents on the dollar.)

A special debt of gratitude goes to Lisa Albers - deputy editor of Crosscut - who was instrumental in my first non-blog publication. Sometimes it takes a push from the right direction.

But the greatest thanks I need to give are to my fiancee. A writer's mate often serves as critic, proofreader and cheerleader, roles that are paradoxically rewarded with periods of loneliness. Although I feel I can never repay her for the support she has given me while being my second set of eyes and sounding board, I do want her (and, I suppose, everyone reading this) to know that there is no limit to the value she has in my life and her praise buoys me even when the entire continent of Europe seems ready to take up arms against me as judged by comments to a piece I wrote describing why I thought President-elect Obama's foreign policy objectives in Europe would fail to be achieved.

After Christmas, make sure to come back as I have a number of exciting features planned, as well as getting back in a routine of posting smaller stories with commentary and links. (There may even be a redesign in the works to make navigation easier. Blogger is great but has its limitations.) 2009 promises to be a very interesting year, potentially one that stands out as being pivotal in our nation's history. I will work hard to make sure that Unequal Time is a source of information and analysis that will help you discuss and confront the challenges ahead.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

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Technorati Tags: Christmas,thanks

Some People Are Tossing More Than Loose Change in Those Little Red Pails

2008-12-17T15:48:00.001-08:00

Aside from the probable assortment of trash, lint and other detritus that we all understand wind up at the bottom of the little red pails used by the Salvation Army to collect donations during the Christmas season, one small town mall in Vermont has been the scene of what seems to be extraordinary generosity. According to the Rutland Herald:

For the third year in a row, an anonymous donor left a rare coin in a kettle located outside Jo-Ann Fabrics in the Berlin Mall.

On Monday, a gold coin, minted in 1910, was left in the kettle outside the store — the same location a secret Santa used two years ago. In 1910, the coin was worth two and a half dollars; Salvation Army officials are not sure what the coin is worth today.

But this largesse has not been limited to Northeast. As reported by VZW Today (Verizon Wireless' news service for mobile phone subscribers), Salvation Army pails this year have netted:

a 1911 Liberty Eagle gold coin worth about $1,000 (outside of a Fort Meyer, Florida grocery store)
a diamond ring worth around $2,000 (Uniontown, Pennsylvania)
a gold American buffalo coin valued at approximately $1,000 (northeastern Kansas)

The Salvation Army finds buyers for the deposited items and uses the proceeds to do their good work. William Booth, the organization's founder, would be proud to know the kind of generosity the group inspires.

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Seattle Corners the Market on Homeless Hypocrisy

2008-12-16T21:35:00.001-08:00

No matter what a person's personal feelings may be on homelessness - its causes, its effects, what our public policies should be with regard to - at this time of year a sense of decency overcomes the coldest perspective. Even those of us who see homelessness, in the big picture, as a social ill that inhabits the individual, not an individual for whom an ill society has failed, even our hearts thaw paradoxically when the temperatures drop below freezing. The befuddling landscape of Seattle politics and activism provide us with a way to laugh and maintain our objectivity.

As city-run and privately-operated emergency shelters open to give warmth to as many of our city's homeless as possible, the homeless themselves are organizing a protect outside of City Hall. From KOMO television's Bryan Johnson:

Emergency shelters at City Hall, the Seattle Center and the Frye Hotel will remain open to help the homeless, according to the Mayor's Office. So far 471 people have been helped, but the homeless say that's just not good enough.

The homeless have set up tents outside City Hall to protest the city sweeps through homeless camps. They want to deliver a message: there are thousands who need help.

Of course, the protest is just a continuation of what has been dubbed 'Nickelsville' by many, an nomadic 'tent-in' demonstration to protest what many homeless and homeless activists see as Mayor Greg Nickels' failure to cure Seattle's homeless problem. The Seattle Times' illuminates:

Nobody is expected to be turned away from indoor shelter, said Maj. Myles Plummer, director of the Salvation Army's William Booth Center that houses homeless men.

The agency provided shelter Sunday night for some 300 of the homeless.

If more of the homeless arrive during the freezing weather, said Plummer, "you close the gaps. Where you might have a 6-inch gap between you and the next guy, now everybody gets closer."

At Nickelsville, residents said they liked the freer life, even if it means putting tents on top of wooden pallets so they don't sleep right on top of a cold, paved surface.

So, in Seattle, the community rallies to provide shelter when most needed but the homeless choose their path. This has, and always will be, the reason that many of us will never jump on board spending large amounts of money on programs to benefit the homeless until those programs include money for psychological diagnosis and treatment. There is nothing dignified about refusing help and placing yourself in peril. When one has demonstrated that one's own survival is forfeit to preserving the delusion of independence, such a person has crossed the line into insanity and we must deal appropriately with that malady.

Dozens may die needlessly in this stretch of frigid weather. If we would only get serious about dealing with this problem as what it is - the manifestation of mental illness, in many cases - many of those lives might be spared.

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Technorati Tags: homeless,hypocrisy,Seattle,Greg Nickels

The Anti-Green Holiday Synchronized Light Display; Love It

2008-12-15T11:32:00.001-08:00

This house must break into the gigawatt range for the season, but it is truly beautiful. Please do not forward this to Al Gore unless you want to be buried in a verbal avalanche on the subject off carbon offset credits.

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Technorati Tags: Christmas lights,just for fun

Change.gov or Ministry of Truth?

2008-12-12T21:27:00.001-08:00

Winston Smith has entered the building. Just as many had feared, in the response to the first real scandal in the history of the Office of the President-elect, the agents of Obama's Ministry of Truth have been activated. Of course, there is little precedent for comparison. Our government never even had an Office of the President-elect before now.

In the wake of the Blagojevich arrest and subsequent political chaos, the web has been cleansed of some damaging material efficiently and effectively. It shows us the fleeting nature of truth in a digital world. It also presents the best case for bailing out our nation's failing newspapers. Despite liberal tendencies, the relative permanence of paper information serves as an archive that can not be subjectively white-washed when expediency dictates necessity.

Most of us bloggers consider ourselves to be the town criers of the Digital Age. Maybe - if we're really good - we can evoke reactions from our readers similar to those of Nellie Bly or Upton Sinclair, dragging nare-do-wells into the light of day for the public to exact justice. Or, maybe, if we haven't achieved the critical mass of a mega-blog like HotAir.com or MichelleMalkin.com, what we write only lives until it crosses the line from opinion that someone doesn't like to become substance that could be damaging to someone.

Servers can be compromised, systems hacked and archives deleted. In this sense, most blogs are no more reliable for our society than the ancient oral tradition. (No, former President Clinton, not your cue.)

A culture of moral determinism is now poised to hold court now that the capital of our nation's political spirit has moved from Washington, D.C. to Chicago, Illinois. Finding a way to give our political conversations permanence is not a pursuit that can be left to hobbyists; it is an imperative of survival.

The handing over of power to a Chicago cabal was an enormous mistake made by the American people who know not what they have done. But it is a mistake that must be respected because it is, after all, our system. So, too, must the cabal respect the laws they will soon be bound to uphold.

Perhaps it is not voluntary as idealized by philosopher John Locke, but in the absence of the social contract he describes, in which we submit to the rule of law - not to be altered based on our temporary needs or wants - only anarchy exists. The erosion of any sense that a record exists of someone's actions, or that common sense should guide our judgments about the actions taken by our elected representatives, intensifies the chaos currently in crescendo.

The blog community is the Fifth Estate, checking the Fourth Estate, which watches over the government for the protection of the people. When the media steps out of line, it is the blogs that sound the alarm; the media, on occasion, return the favor. In the coming years, bloggers will need to find more creative ways of preserving their communal record, arriving at some forms of consensus and establishing measures to gain credibility with the public.

Our country can survive anything, as long as the free flow of opinion and information exists. This latest dark episode in our political history shows us that blogs serve a valuable role and they should ensure their ability to do so eternally, for the preservation of our free republic.

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Technorati Tags: bloggers,Rod Blagojevich,media bias,Winston Smith,John Locke

Movie Review: "Dragon Hunters" Will Dazzle Audiences Uninitiated in French Animated Artistry

2008-12-12T17:05:00.001-08:00

[This review was first published December 12, 2008 on Blogcritics web site at http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/12/12/194914.php]

In the genre of computer-animated films, Japanese and American studios have previously maintained superiority in both technical skill and storytelling. Dragon Hunters, the newest animated release from Futurikon Films, will delight audiences but also put Hollywood and Tokyo on notice that France is ready to compete as a peer instead of an aspiring student of the craft.

Dragon Hunters tells the story of four characters, three of whom will be familiar to anyone who has seen the animated television series that made a brief run on United States television via Cartoon Network.

Rob Paulsen is the voice of Gwizdo, an enterprising fellow, short on generosity but long on initiative.

Lian-Chu (voice provided by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker) is a skilled slayer of dragons, built like a mountain, but possesses delicate sensibilities (not limited to a love of knitting) that cause him to question why he does Gwizdo’s unscrupulous bidding as they roam their world slaying dragons and shaking down local people for monetary reward.

Hector, whose mish-mash language of grunts and growls is brought to life by Dave Wittenberg, rounds out their rag-tag band, a precociously ferocious blue-haired dog-like creature who is Lian-Chu’s partner-in-attack and provides the majority of the laughs that are dispersed throughout the 82-minute movie.

Fans of the television show will notice that a new female character joins the cast of regulars. Zoe, whose terrifically cute and exuberant character is voiced by Mary Mouse, is a young girl whose life has been spent in the safety and seclusion of her uncle Lord Arnold’s fortress. Her fantasies of knights and dragons – fueled by her uncle’s experience with such adventures – are made real when Lord Arnold begins to see signs that have foretold the coming of a great dragon known as the World Gobbler.

Desperate, Zoe sneaks from the castle, lands herself in mortal danger, and is rescued from peril by Lian-Chu. Now a group of four, they make their way back to Lord Arnold’s fortress where the original trio convinces Lord Arnold that they are, in fact, knights. Afflicted by blindness, Lord Arnold believes them and offers a mission of great importance – to slay the World Gobbler – a task that Gwizdo is more than glad to accept, for a fee. Zoe accompanies the trio on their journey to the ultimate destination – the end of the world.

Throughout the ensuing encounters with dragons and danger, Zoe’s belief in heroism (and Gwizdo’s denial of it) gives rise to the conflict within Lian-Chu about the path he has chosen. This theme is a good one that could have been introduced sooner and drawn in bolder strokes within the script. More films aimed at children with the message that doing good is a choice that each of us must make would have to be considered a good thing.

In many ways, the main character is the scenery. The story takes places in a world that exists in the sky, where massive forms of earth and stone float like lily pads on a placid pond. One of the great challenges to any animator – computer-aided or not – is to invent a setting that carries the story without leaving the audience scratching their head in disbelief. Dragon Hunters’ creators achieved this admirable feat, creating - in some moments - a world of that surpasses the imagination of Japanese animation genius Hiyao Miyazake. It accomplishes this even while it drawing from Miyazake’s visual catalog. In spite of this apparent homage, the film will take audiences to places they have never been.

The world of Dragon Hunters is rich with its own personality, a place in which all man-made things are old and all organic things are exotic. Everything seems in its place, despite the fact that nothing, except the basics of man-made architecture, is recognizable from the world in which we live and there is an incredible variety of landscapes, giving the world that these character live in a feeling of depth and realism. The rendering and detailing of natural surfaces creates the experience of looking at a painting, not as jarring as the hyper realistic or cartoonish appearance of lesser productions. Dragon Hunters represents more evidence that there is a French school of animated artistry. If so, I would like to see more of it.

At times the scenes and their composition achieve such peaceful beauty as to suspend the need for dialogue. In the greatest achievement for this genre, the animated characters, without speech, still deliver a performance. Yet the faster-moving sequences are equally masterful in their choreography, and visual pop. The scene in which we meet Lian-Chu, Gwizdo, and Hector – a carefully choreographed battle involving Hector, Lian-Chu, and a dragon called the Mamularus that resembles a large caterpillar - is the funniest, most energetic and well-composed action scene I have ever seen in an animated film. Without so much as an utterance about hope and change, a tingle was felt up my leg. The final battle scene will also serve as a wake-up call to American studios that their supremacy will henceforth be challenged.

Anyone making early guesses about how the story ends won’t be wrong, but the journey there is worth spending the time. The superb score by composer Klaus Bedelt (composer, Pirates of the Carribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Constantine), pushes all of the right buttons, and the script moves the story along at a fast pace toward its inevitable conclusion.

In some ways, however, the film depends too much on its visual impact. It seems to be infatuated with its own beauty and doesn’t afford enough time to the development of the characters that are so important in making a connection with a young audience. There are places in which the action is difficult to follow, and American children will not understand that the filmmakers decided to use the term dragons to generically describe all beastly and dangerous creatures.

Nevertheless, families with small children and fans of computer animation should definitely make a point of seeing the film. It is currently showing at the Laemmle’s Grand 4 Plex, 345 S. Figueroa Street, in Los Angeles, California in order to be eligible for an Academy Award nomination in the categories of Best Score and Best Animated Film.

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Technorati Tags: movie review,culture

BREAKING: President-elect Asking for Illinois Governor to Resign

2008-12-10T09:59:00.001-08:00

As is now being reported by virtually every news service, President-elect Obama is calling for the immediate resignation of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

This was expected. It is straight-forward political calculus. Governor Blagojevich in office equals protracted public screeching and constant media attention. The odds increase exponentially that, with hundreds of reporters (and thousands of bloggers) digging into the story over a period of months, someone will turn up a connection between someone close to Obama and Blagojevich.

What is equally predictable is that even Blagojevich's resignation will not throw a many journalists off the scent. Covering scandals is a bipartisan affair, Mr. Obama. Best gird your loins because I believe the honeymoon is over.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Rod Blagojevich,corruption,politics,scandal

Connection Between Team Obama and Gov. Blagojevich?

2008-12-10T08:01:00.001-08:00

According to ABC News' Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper, who was nimble enough to transcribe a November 23, 2008 appearance by David Axelrod on Fox News Chicago before it "disappeared" from YouTube, Axelrod had the following to say about communication between President-elect Obama and Blagojevich:

While insisting that the President-elect had not expressed a favorite to replace him, and his inclination was to avoid being a "kingmaker," Axelrod said, "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."

Axelrod has since recanted those statements, as reported by our friends at Hot Air, but the cat's out of the bag.

So, can we find a thread between Axelrod and Blagojevich?

My research turned on up from an article published November 12, 2008 in Bond Buyer, a trade publication. (See full citation below.) I'll skip the fluff - you can read the story yourself for the less relevant portions. Here's the nut:

In early 2007, Blagojevich elevated Filan to a senior advisory position with the title of chief operating officer overseeing state agencies that manage capital planning, infrastructure, and economic development...

Some have speculated that Filan's ties to President-elect Barack Obama's chief political strategist, David Axelrod, may help land him a Washington job.

He didn't get that Washington job, he landed a position as the executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority. The IFA is integral in the current scandal for its role in the financing of the construction of the new Wrigley Field ballpark.

So, it seems that John Filan may be the link between David Axelrod, top campaign advisor to Obama and slated to be a senior advisor to in the White House, and Blagojevich.

Although Reuters reported December 9 that Filan denied knowledge of the charges against Blagojevich, it is Filan's possible ties to Axelrod that should cause some to deny Obama's top advisor the right to wriggle off the hook so quickly.

I will be searching for confirmation of the relationship between Axelrod and Filan. Perhaps someone in the credentialed media would like to ask Axelrod or Filan directly? Something like this should be put on the record.

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Source: Yvette Shields. "Illinois Fiscal Chief Filan to Lead IFA. " Bond Buyer [New York, N.Y.] 12 Nov. 2008,1. ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry. ProQuest. King County Library System, Bothell, WA. 10 Dec. 2008. Direct URL: http://0-proquest.umi.com.catalog.kcls.org/pqdweb?did=1597235831&sid=7&Fmt=3&clientId=13518&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

Technorati Tags: John Filan,Illinois Finance Authority,David Axelrod,Jake Tapper,HotAir.com,political corruption,Rod Blagojevich

Illinois Governor's Arrest Gives Us Another Fine Example of CNN Balance

2008-12-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

I don't even have a comment about the CNN.com story's content. Any time a sitting governor is taken into federal custody on suspicion of bribery there is something serious going on.

What I want to know is, why did I have to go to other sources to confirm that Governor Rod Blagojevich is a Democrat? Nowhere in the story is it stated that Blagojevich is, in fact, a Democrat.

Contrast with a story appearing on CNN.com following Ted Steven's conviction on corruption charges names him as a Republican in the second paragraph:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens vowed to fight his Monday conviction on federal corruption charges, a verdict he attributed to "repeated instances of prosecutorial misconduct."

"I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have," the 84-year-old Stevens, the Senate's longest-serving Republican, said in a written statement after the jury came back Monday afternoon. "I am innocent."

How much reporting do you think the Atlanta news giant will give to the relationship between Blagojevich and President-elect Obama considering this subtle attempt to de-politicize a criminally-charged Dem?

UPDATE: Another blogger noticed this omission, as well as the shocking omission among other news carriers, although I didn't know it at the time I was writing my post.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Rod Blagojevich,media bias,CNN,Ted Stevens

Dan Rather: Our Least Appreciated Constitutional Scholar

2008-12-09T08:01:00.001-08:00

Speaking on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program last Friday, Dan Rather volunteered to act as an unelected editor of the Constitution. According to Rather, the nation would be better served by ignoring the Twentieth Amendment to allow President-elect Obama to take the office early.

Rather said (transcript carried by the Media Research Center web site):

"What we need out of the President is focus on the job at hand. We can't afford to waste an hour, much less a day or a week or a month. ... I'd be in favor of moving [the inauguration] up to December 1st. Get the election over. Get a new president in December 1st."

"But, we're in possibly, possibly the biggest crisis we've been in since December 7, 1941 and maybe since the time of the Civil War. So, we can't afford to have this interregnum. The old order is gone. The new order is not yet in place."

Perhaps Rather did not study his U.S. history thoroughly. The Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution has established the inauguration thus:

Amendment XX. Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Is Rather suggesting that we amend or suspend the supreme law of the land? Someone should tap him on the shoulder and remind him that there has never been a national emergency - even those cited, World War II and the Civil War - in which the nation found any justification to alter the time table for the lawful succession of the office of President.

I'm certain that Rather is anxious to get President Bush off-stage as quickly as possible. Maybe then his shame for the collapse of his professional ethics in the Air National Guard letter scandal can begin to dissipate.

The strength of our system comes, in part, from its yeoman-like dependability. When we begin pulling, tweaking and skewing our laws to fit the circumstances of the moment they lose their meaning and cease the reflect a solid framework from which we can all determine how to behave in society. A learned man like Professor Zbigniew Brzezinski, sitting near Rather on the Morning Joe panel, should leaned over and smacked Rather as a proxy for the nation.

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Technorati Tags: Civil War,Dan Rather,Zbigniew Brzezinski,financial crisis of 2008,Pearl Harbor,World War II,presidential inauguration

Russian Navy Training Extends to Indian Ocean

2008-12-09T06:56:00.001-08:00

Joint Indo-Russian Exercise to Train on Carrier-Destroying Tactics

The navy of the Russian Federation is once again sailing on all of the globe's major oceans, projecting power to all strategic regions. According to our friend at Naval Open Source Intelligence:

Russia's most potent nuclear-powered heavy missile cruiser sets out on a voyage to India from here on Tuesday to participate in joint naval wargames with the Indian Navy in January next year.

"Pyotr Veliky" (Peter-the-Great), known as the 'Killer of Aircraft Carriers' will be in warmer waters of the Indian Ocean for large-scale exercises with the Navy, during which they will train on how to destruct aircraft carriers.

This announcements comes on the heels of the Russian Navy's joint exercises with Venezuela in the Carribbean and the round-trip of the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko through the Panama Canal, the first time such a voyage has occurred since World War II.

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Technorati Tags: military,Russia,India,national security

Common Sense Descends Upon Amsterdam

2008-12-06T10:58:00.001-08:00

In a shockingly logical response to the prevalence of organized crime in the industries supporting gambling, prostitution and drug sales, the city of Amsterdam has introduced plans to close many of the establishments that presently peddle those wares. The plans announced are a step even further than those already underway to close many of the city's world-famous brothels and cafes in an effort to confront Amsterdam's use as a haven for money-laundering operations used by criminal enterprises.

As quoted in a CNN.com article, Lodewijk Asscher, an Amsterdam city council member speaks to the goal of his city's program.

Asscher underlined that the city center will remain true to its freewheeling reputation.

"It'll be a place with 200 windows (for prostitutes) and 30 coffee shops, which you can't find anywhere else in the world -- very exciting, but also with cultural attractions," he said. "And you won't have to be embarrassed to say you came."

Under the plan announced Saturday, Amsterdam will spend €30 million to €40 million ($38 million to $51 million) to bring hotels, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques to the center. It will also build new underground parking areas.

It should be noted that marijuana possession or sales is not legal in the Netherlands. The existence of marijuana cafes persists under a don't ask, don't tell attitude of local law enforcement as long as sales and use occur within the same walls.

The Netherlands' laws legalizing prostitution are not being repealed and the new plans will only affect 20% of Amsterdam's "coffee shops".

The recognition by an icon of the legalized vice trade that there will always be a blackness that infects those exchanges, no matter how much a society attempts to sanitize them through legalization and tolerance, will be seen by other places around the world. Seattle, for example.

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Technorati Tags: Amsterdam,brothel,closures,Cultural Decay,marijuana cafe

The Only Thing Swinging At (or Near) Seattle's Safeco Field Should Be Mariners' Bats

2008-12-05T18:08:00.001-08:00

If the decision of Seattle city planner Andrew McKim stands, the city of Seattle could have its newest strip club placed within tobacco-spitting distance of the field used by the city's major league baseball franchise. Read what the Seattle P-I had to say on December 3rd here.

The owner of the Pike Place-area Deja Vu club, Roger Forbes, applied for a permit to locate another one of his establishments at a location on First Avenue South that is only 400 feet away from Safeco Field, the home of the Seattle Mariners.

The permit can be challenged legally for a period of 21 days from issuance. Since a suit would likely only succeed in tagging the baseball park as a community center, thereby providing it an 800 foot buffer zone in which no nude dance establishments can locate, let's just assume that a location one block further away from the field of play will be found and subsequently approved by the city.

I'm not even going to start on a rant about how this reflects on the cultural state of a city that continues to become less and less family-friendly. I won't even take the perfunctory shot at Mayor Greg "Claudius" Nickels. With precedent established on how cities may and may not deal with nude dancing clubs even the Pope would be reduced to quixotic measures. Because of the costly legal challenge the city would most certainly have faced in either rejecting the permit application or creating zoning restrictions, the permit issuance was a fait accompli from the moment the ink on the application was dry.

My fiancee and I take my son to at least three or four games every season, and we attend another three or four on our own of with friends. These are outings in which - strictly speaking - nudity is neither expected or welcome. Our plans (pertaining to both frequency or attendance and our clothing required policy) will not change next season, nor will they be altered in whatever season the Deja Vu club opens its doors.

The point at which our plans will change, and the Mariners organization will lose out on close to $1,000 our little family spends at the field in an eight-game, will be when I hear discussions of what goes on behind the doors of the strip club while I am trying to enjoy an idyllic American pastime with my loved ones. It is already disturbing to listen to loud conversations on topics that my mother would have scolded me for speaking about in public.

When does tolerance of differences cross the line of becoming intolerance of our fellow citizen's right to have public spaces that reliable preserve some semblance of decency? Our society is based on democratic principles, that the people affected by something are the best fit to determine whether that something should proceed or be halted or be altered in some fashion of compromise. This manifests in the institutions of trial by peers, in school boards, in city governments themselves and so many others mechanisms though which local people make decisions on issues that affect their environment.

There are indigenous business and residents in these areas who will be affected, and they should not have to mount a legal argument to prevent this from happening. The club owner is the interloper, and should have the burden of proving that they will not do harm to the social and economic environment they wish to enter. They should make that case to the people, not to a bureaucrat who feels no direct impact from the decision they make.

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Technorati Tags: Cultural Decay,Deja Vu,Safeco Field,Seattle,Seattle Mariners,strip clubs

BREAKING: O.J. Sentenced to Jail Time

2008-12-05T10:50:00.001-08:00

Judge Jackie Glass, the presiding judge in O.J. Simpson's armed robbery case, has sentenced the former-NFL football star and notoriously acquitted murder suspect at least 15 years in prison. Read the CNN report here.

I think the scales of Justice still have to be calibrated to account for the heavy imbalance of karma surrounding Simpson's life, but this is a very good start.

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Technorati Tags: armed robbery,O.J. Simpson,sentencing

Russia and Iran Running Hand-in-Hand to the Finish Line

2008-12-04T21:00:00.001-08:00

How bad does something right under our nose have to stink before we take notice?

Israel's DebkaFile is reporting that, according to Russian and Iranian sources, Atomstroiexport - a Russian firm that has previously been confirmed as the operator of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant - will be putting the plans for completion into high gear with a projected completion mid-2009.

From the DebkaFile article:

Sergei Kiriyenko, director of the Russian company, visited Tehran on Nov. 27 to tie up the final stage of the reactor's construction. Kiriyenko, former Russian prime minister and personal emissary of the incumbent prime minister Vladimir Putin, again assured the Iranians that the reactor would be ready to go within a few months.

The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, begun by the German firm Kratwerk-Union A.G. (a unit of Siemens A.G.) in 1975, abandoned by the Germans in 1979, bombed by the Iraqis during the Iran-Iraq War (1985-1988), has never been online. An agreement with the Russians in 1995 for supply of a light water reactor put a timeline back on the table for completion and now it would seem that there is some extra impetus to get the first reactor online sometime next year.

Since 1998, the United States has been opposing the nuclear program there on the grounds that it was unnecessary for the region's power needs and therefore was being used as cover for the development of other technologies. Since then, it has been a focus of the world's concerns regarding the potential for Iran to develop weaponized plutonium.

My guess is that it will be finished just in time to be razed to the ground. The site is on the shores the Persian Gulf, an tactically uncomplicated strike by sea-borne assault.

Is this a casus belli in the making? An ambush? Or does Bushehr represent a real threat?

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Technorati Tags: Atomstroiexport,Russia,Bushehr,DebkaFile,foreign affairs,Iran,nuclear weapons

Speaker Pelosi's Regime, Combined with 'Kitchen Sink' Proposals, Will Extend Detroit's Decline

2008-12-03T07:50:00.001-08:00

Maybe in all of the bluster and fluster surrounding the pleading - nay, begging - from the chief executives of America's automotive manufacturing firms the quid pro quo being proffered will seem reasonable. After all, the symbolism of discarding corporate jets and forgoing high salaries seems like a step in the right direction. But symbols are just that, and they masquerade as a panacea, obscuring the need for real organizational reform that must be undertaken to save America's automotive industry.

It would appear that Ford CEO Alan Mulally pulled the short straw for the role of Detroit's lead beggar. As Speaker Nancy Pelosi sits on her throne in this time when President Bush has no power and President-elect Obama has yet to be crowned, the rush of adrenaline must be sublime. Mulally, a man who actually does things, knows things, risks everything, comes to her Congress, begging for intercession. Her staff must have to conduct a morning wardrobe check and confiscate her tiara and ruffled collars before Madam Speaker enters the public sphere.

The kind of power-mad arrogance we have come to expect from Pelosi is trivial under ordinary circumstances. It provides a lot of wonderful material for political writers to show their comedic chops, but does not translate to having a real effect on public policy. Now, she is truly a gatekeeper and the politics of her party have shaped Ford's plan for revival in ways that will reduce the company's chances for survival.

In the interest of presenting a $9 billion loan request (the lion's share of the combined $34 billion requested by Chrysler, General Motors and Ford) that would get speedy Congressional approval, Mulally has proposed the following:

Mulally will work for $1 per year (methinks there is fine print therein)
Cancellation of all management bonuses for 2009
No merit increases for North American salaried employees in 2009
Ford will sell all five of its corporate aircraft
Acceleration of plans for plug-in electric and gas-electric vehicles

In the Democrat vortex that is now our federal government, the forces that govern a capitalist economic system - freedom of choice and the supply-demand curve - are going to begin clashing violently with the forces that govern the Democrat party - the Green cabal and the labor unions.

Capitalist markets operate organically, more like forces of nature than machines, and they do not make special accommodations for special interest politics. 'Green' economics is just another word for higher cost of production, resulting in higher prices. Research and development will eventually produce an affordably-priced vehicle fueled by some alternative source of energy, but mass-producing such technology is still expensive. All costs are passed along to the consumer in one form or another. 'Green' cars cost more, and unless the federal government is going to the next step of banning gasoline-powered automobiles, lower prices will tip the vast majority of buyers toward old-fashioned petro-cars

Given enough time, Detroit will get alternative-fueled cars to market, but it should not be a priority or condition at a time when simply surviving is the first priority.

Still, looking ahead to the probable realization of President-elect Obama's heavy-handed “New Energy for America” plan, Mulally has little choice but to play the hand he has been dealt, if only to buy a little more time. So, toss a promise to build 'green' cars in the plan even though following through will hinder the company's chances. In the current political climate, Ford really has little choice.

Most dangerous, though, are the concessions proposed by Mulally on the issue of employee compensation. Capitalism thrives on the concept of reward for merit, and Mulally intends to place a moratorium on pay increases given for good work? In a company with depressed morale, what will be the driving force to move ahead, to innovate? The effect of removing incentives is what occurs as a result of communism. Work hard, don't work hard; your value will always be the same as your co-worker. More to the point, who wants to stick their neck out and break a sweat if there will be no marginal reward?

In a company that suffers from a lack of innovation and low morale, incentives can provide a useful engine for the creation of new ideas. A company such as Ford should not be doing away with salary increases and bonuses, it should be finding ways to target them to enhance the effort of becoming relevant to consumers again.

But, white-collared workers voted too fervently for Republicans in the past few elections. So, throw them on the fire. Only a worth sacrifice will earn Ford the grace of Congress.

Perhaps more destructive than the salary concessions themselves is the decision to impose these restrictions only on white-collared, non-union jobs. Unions are not being encouraged (or coerced) by representatives of Pelosi's Congress to participate in the life-saving operation of employers of union labor. When labor unions ask their rank and file to strike, members understand the concept of shared sacrifice for the greater good, but not when the Man is the one with whom the burden is being shared.

For more than a decade, jobs have been lost overseas as a result of high labor costs at American auto plants. Union self-interest will eventually kill the host, thus depriving their membership of their livelihood. When that happens, there won't be enough fingers on the hands of union bosses for all the finger-pointing that will ensue.

In the meantime, Ford's white-collared sacrifices, unmatched by comparable offerings from the United Automobile Workers union (gathering today for an emergency meeting), are almost certain to create animosity and resentment between the working classes. Just what a failing company needs - more internal dissension and factional politics.

Even after the political tsunami in November, there are still a few conservatives and pro-business Republicans who either clung to the palms (congratulations to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)) and fingers remain crossed for Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN)) or stand safely on high ground. Now is the time to start performing the role of the opposition party that the Republicans will be for the next two years. Make the case that there are options, not a single way of resolving this, and thereby give Detroit a little political cover to avoid the groupthink that will doom their chances for survival.

Or don't. After all, the economy isn't going to be an issue with voters in the next election. Right?

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Technorati Tags: Nancy Pelosi,Big Three,Ford,General Motors,Chrysler,bailout,Mulally,UAW,defense of capitalism,financial crisis of 2008

Will the Obama Birth Certificate Story Ever Die?

2008-12-02T11:40:00.001-08:00

It seems that speculation about the authenticity of President-elect Obama's birth certificate will regain a little steam lost since Election Day. This time, a new analysis of the document that the Obama campaign asserts if authentic claims evidence that the document is fake, at least in the opinion of someone working under the pseudonym of Dr. Ron Polarik, as reported by WorldNetDaily. The video embedded in this post contains "Dr." Polarik's conclusion and analysis. Take it with a shaker full of salt.

Eventually this 'mystery' will assume the massive mythical status to place it among other conspiracy theories. One would hope it would simply die. It is a major distraction, siphons energy away from tackling real issues and gives false hope to those who despise the thought of an Obama presidency. They can continue to labor under the delusion that there may still be a magic one-shot legal 'pill' to prevent his inauguration.

While I do agree that all candidates seeking the office of President or Vice-president should be required to present his birth certificate and provide other proof as to its authenticity, the law does not require them to do so.

Should Obama, in the interest of demonstrating a model for transparency that he has proposed, offer his birth certificate for complete inspection? I think it would certainly put the subject to rest with many normally rational people, would be a good faith indication that he has nothing to hide, but would not silence the extreme fringe who are going to dispute any authentication of the document. To believe in the birth certificate's authenticity would be an admission that he is going to be president, a reality that is far-too frightening for some to accept. For that reason alone - the need for self-delusion - the story will continue to fester like a cancer in the blogosphere.

It is also just as reliable to predict that no action will emerge from the avalanche of blog postings or thinly-constructed legal challenges. Obama has won the brass ring, short of a confession of fraud from the man himself, nothing is going to pry it from his hand.

If we can learn anything from this story it is that, in the interest of maintaining legitimacy, the office of President should require more transparency in how candidates prove qualification under Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution. Is it a major imposition to require proof? Is it actionable not to require proof? No positive law exists to require affirmative documentation, but we can't honestly be expected to accept anecdotal hearsay as evidence that qualifications have been met. For a nation of laws this controversy exposes a weakness that must be addressed.

As it stands, the candidate affirms - under penalty of perjury - that he or she has met the qualifications. We already have evidence that perjury charges do not pose a serious behavioral incentive for sitting presidents, much less suitors to the office.

What I hear frequently is, 'What is the harm?'

'Why does it even matter? If he was born abroad, but is, for all intents and purposes, an American, should we even care?' say the apathetic or pragmatic, conservative or liberal, take your pick.

'What could we even do about it if he did pass off a fake?' is another response to avoid dealing with a larger issue.

The harm is that, in a society in which people submit themselves to the rule of law, they expect that law to be respected and applied evenly and without prejudice. There should be no reward for those breaking the law, and there should be safeguards - where possible - to protect our system from people who are unafraid to break laws. When we start treating laws as optional, or applicable only when it is easy to comply, laws simply cease to exist.

There is a need for top to bottom reform of our elections process, and defending Article 2, Section 1 is a good place to start. For now, this writer will assume that the document is real and continue challenging the man instead of attacking his paperwork.

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Technorati Tags: Obama birth certificate,conspiracies,President-elect Obama,Ron Polarik,election reform

Obama’s Promise of Renewing American Diplomacy With Europe: D.O.A.

2008-11-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

[This essay was subsequently published as Crosscut.com's Weekend Essay on November 29, 2008 under the headline "Obama and Europe: How long a love-fest?" with some minor editing and revision.]

The bells of all Europe’s cathedrals seemed to ring in unison as the polls closed on Election Night in America earlier this month. In his rhetoric on the domestic campaign trail, President-elect Obama asked Americans to respect the judgment of Europeans that Bush’s foreign policy had been an abject disaster, not a leap of faith in that most American voters opinions coincided with those across the pond.

So, too, on his controversial summer world tour, Obama acknowledged to a crowd of 200,000 in Berlin that the prevailing attitude in Europe was that America was “part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right”, validating their animosity toward American values without stipulation.

Therefore, it was no surprise that, as results of the American election began appearing on televisions across the European continent, celebration was spontaneous and jubilant.

In Leicester, England, in the days following Obama’s victory over Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Kwame Boyce-Deacon, a fourteen year-old black Briton went to his barber to have the image of Obama shaved into the hair on the back of his head. His reason and purpose were clear. “Obama is the first black President of America and I'm the first black model of Obama in Leicester – which is special for me,” Boyce-Deacon said.

The euphoric reaction to the idea of America’s first black president was not confined to capricious Brit teens.

Lady Scotland, Britain’s attorney general, said, “This wonderful election demonstrates that the dream of Martin Luther King that there would come a time when people would be judged not by the colour of their skin but the quality of their character has arrived.”

In sync with the waves of political and social ecstasy, Rama Yade, France’s junior minister for human rights, said, “This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten. America is re-becoming a New World. … On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes.”

The election represented more than just a repudiation of the Bush Doctrine and validation of European desires to have America resume a partnership role in world affairs, rather than one of leadership. For many Europeans it was a symbol that barriers to minorities were falling further, and for the president-elect, his status as an icon in Europe must have encouraged him to feel that his goals of working with Europe to achieve his foreign policy objectives were attainable. The unfortunate irony is that the rallying of Europe’s citizens around a symbol of ethnic minority achievement will be the precise undoing of Obama’s European agenda.

At first consideration, the idea that at a time when Europe’s citizenry - for the first time since 9/11 - are claiming solidarity with Americans, Obama might have any difficulty repairing alliances seems ill-conceived. After all, with Obama’s election to the American presidency, Europe has forgiven us for our sins and given us an opportunity for redemption.

What a relief. Now I can visit Auschwitz and not feel ashamed of my country.

There is hypocrisy, however, in Europe’s treatment of America, evident in their over-loud feedback to our politics. European condescension of their little American cousins has a history equal in bulk to that of America’s rescuing their lard from so many wars rooted in squabbling over what crown head of Europe would dominate the people of [insert name of darker-skinned and resource-rich region here].

Underscoring this typical European blind arrogance, an unnamed Frenchman was quoted on Election Night as saying, “Finally, a victory over racism in the whole world.”

The entire world? Are we to conclude that America’s election of a black man eradicated racism the world over? Surely, Europeans do not have to look all the way to America for an example of diversity in the highest of government offices. Can they not refer to the history of German chancellors, French presidents and British prime ministers to find minority role models? No? Let us expand our query to include Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland the Benelux nations. Still none? Scandinavia? Greece? The Balkans?

USA: 1 – Europe: 0.

Although Europe’s leaders and heads of state most certainly did lean down from their perches of moral superiority to pat the United States on the head and tousle our hair a bit, statements on Obama’s election ranged from guarded to non-substantive.

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, called Obama’s election a “historic victory”. French President Nicholas Sarkozy proclaimed that his presidency “raised enormous hope in France, Europe and beyond.” Russian Federation President Dmitry Medvedev’s comments post-election did not even mention President-elect Obama by name. No commendations from Europe’s top tiers of power for the defeat of racism, just restrained and generic statements of support, typical of those made during any presidential power transition.

With Obama’s approval ratings in Europe riding higher than those of the continental heads of government, why would these leaders choose to ignore an opportunity to jump on coattails and hail America’s black champion? To answer that question requires understanding the European climate concerning ethnicity and race. As stated by Trevor Philips, a black politician in the United Kingdom who now heads the British Equality and Human Rights Commission:

“It would be very difficult for somebody like Barack Obama to find their way through the way we do things. I don’t think that the public of this country would be at all resistant to electing a black Prime Minister … My point is that it is very difficult for people who don’t fit a certain mould – to do with gender, to do with race and to do with class – to find their way into the upper reaches of politics.”

A Labour party representative to the British Parliament, Sadiq Khan, addresses the political conditions in a way that shines more light on the quickening that worries Europe’s establishment.

"In Britain you can't make a brilliant speech and get noticed in the way Barack Obama did. You have to rise up through the ranks in parliament. Our history is different. Mass migration - slavery - took place to America 400 years ago. Condoleezza Rice is the fourth generation of her family to go to university. Our mass migration has only happened over the last 40 to 50 years. But our recent progress has been far steeper than in the US - we have been much quicker."

The fluorescent pink, green and yellow-striped elephant – bound, gagged and stuffed in the water closet during the Europe’s mid-November Obamafest – has been Europe’s own problems with immigrant populations and a lack of cultural integration. America has shattered the illusion that it could not elect a minority person to our highest executive office. The spotlight now shines on Europe, and that kind of light cascading through its mirrored halls of power must be blinding to the elite establishment that wants to preserve their own history and traditions while maintaining social harmony.

Despite trivial and anecdotal statistics of interracial and same-gender couples walking down the streets of Paris or Amsterdam without causing a stir, most large European cities have developed ghetto districts of immigrant populations – many from North Africa the Middle East and Central Asia; many culturally Arab, Berber and/or Muslim. These communities are typically isolated and dominated by poverty, consume a disproportionate amount of public resources and often choose not to assimilate into their host country’s culture. In many such places – as cited by Bruce Bawer in his controversial book "While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within", governments grapple with Muslim populations that openly defy Western democracy and the rule of non-Sharia law.

Therefore, when considering its European strategy, the Obama administration must consider the following question: Will the European establishment allow Obama to lead the world when to do so would create an upsurge of potential energy within ethnic communities to fight for proportional representation in government, energy that could quickly become active and transform Europe in ways that the establishment is unprepared to handle?

There is every reason to believe that Europe will eventually overcome its institutional biases concerning race, ethnicity and culture. It is, however, not a change that can be forced and societies have sometimes alarming reactions to change that moves too fast.

The widespread popularity of Obama among the European people – combined with the plug-and-play compatibility of his self-assessed “mutt” heritage – could become a fuel source for minority movements, some of which will openly challenge the legitimacy of the status quo. Obama is already a poster-child for minority movements. With his crowning by some as a world leader, it may simply not be in the interest of Europe’s power elite to grant him greater status by allowing him to stand as a leader on the international stage. From a Machiavellian perspective they would be alienating themselves from their own bases of power, thus making re-election less likely. Even if their motives are less self-preserving and more concerned with the continuation of their forms of government, an ascendant Obama could be used as a symbolic leader of a broad range of anti-establishment movements.

It would seem then, that Europe will have no choice but to allow the waltz of diplomacy to be conducted while finding ways to bar Obama from taking the lead or the spotlight. President Obama will be forced to operate within the same box as President Bush, pursuing America’s interests without the support of European leaders. Obama knows that he must resist the temptation to gain the approval of the Old World Order to appear strong at home. Doing so will mean favoring policies that promote American interests and alienate our allies in Europe and those allies, because of their own domestic concerns, will be more than glad to conduct relations with a style that tips toward adversarial.

If an adversarial dialogue is inevitable, Obama will have little choice but to adopt a more unilateral approach to foreign policy. To pursue any other course would find his 2012 re-election campaign rummaging the drawers for fancy clothes to dress up a set of mediocre achievements.

The results of Europe not letting Obama 'in the room' could be real and disastrous. NATO expansion, Russian aggression and Middle Eastern tensions will all force us to work in some way with Europe to bridge gaps and broker agreements. The emphasis of Obama's foreign policy team should be to formulate strategies that coerce or triangulate Europe, but which do not require voluntary agreement on their part.

Of course, Europe could set it itself on a different course. Instead of fighting against minority inclusion and proportional representation they could begin conceiving of ways to reshape a society restrained by so much ivy and stone. When we can read in the New York Times that a person of color has assumed the helm of France, Germany or Britain, only then will a minority American president be truly welcomed into the clique of Europe’s elite.

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Technorati Tags: foreign affairs,Europe,Barack Obama,Trevor Philips,Rama Yade

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:41:00.001-08:00

As I enter into the early portion of my Thanksgiving routine - namely sharing the sofa with my family and taking in the smells wafting in from the kitchen, yams and peach cobblers we will be bringing to two of the three gatherings scheduled for the day - the carnage still unfolding in Bombay is preventing me from embracing the spirit of the day.

It appears that Al Qaeda has followed through on threats to stage a major attack on Westerners. Thousands of innocent travelers are experiencing their second day of unimaginable terror. For many, life ended yesterday, brutally and cruelly.

I must give thanks that there are millions of people across the world praying for the souls of those cut down in the wave of violence that descended on Bombay. May they rest in peace.

We will all give thanks for many things today, things that have happened in the past year, and things that we hope will always endure. In addition to expressing thanks for my wonderful family and good health, I will be adding a prayer that next year I will be giving thanks for the reduction of terror in the world. Nothing is so important to our survival, both individually and as a nation, than allowing our fists to clench and our blood to boil. We must react to survive.

Castro to Obama: Take Your Flag Back

2008-11-26T13:25:00.001-08:00

As reported by multiple news outlets, including the Miami Herald, Cuban President Raúl Castro has stated that he is willing to meet with President-elect Obama on "neutral ground", suggesting that the Guantánamo Bay United States Naval Base would be an ideal location.

In the interview - conducted by international communist superstar, actor Sean Penn - Castro went on to say that at the conclusion of the meeting he could give Obama a gift. His idea? To "send him home with the American flag that waves over Guantánamo Bay."

Despite Castro's errors of fact - the base at Guantanamo is technically not neutral ground, and the flag that flies there is not Cuba's to give - this smacks of taunting, a challenge to a fledgling world leader by an upstart nation. Cuba may feel emboldened to poke a stick in the eye of Obama with the ~~Soviet~~ Russian Federation Navy currently sailing in the Caribbean, plus commitments by the Russians to build a space launch complex on Cuban soil and bolster anti-aircraft defenses for the small despotic island.

It is a very minor flea on the dog, in terms of international relations, but those working the American desk in other nations' foreign ministries will be watching carefully. Obama's reaction will begin to create a data set by which foreign governments might predict or manipulate his responses to situations.

My guess is that the flag over Guantanamo won't be moving any time soon.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Cuba,foreign affairs,Raul Castro,Sean Penn,Guantanamo Bay

It's Time to Bail Out the Seattle Times

2008-11-24T23:17:00.001-08:00

The Seattle Times is looking for spare change between the sofa cushions, as it begins to sell off real estate assets in order to unburden itself from massive debt obligations, and now may be the time for Seattle's conservative minority to make itself known.

Bill Richards has been doing great work covering the business side of the Times operations for Crosscut - a well-balanced regional news and opinion web site which I have contributed material to - most recently in his article "Seattle Times Struggles With Debt".

I am not going to go through the long drawn-out case for why Seattle needs a functioning newspaper. What I will say is that after ten years of abstaining from receiving the Seattle Times at home, last week I subscribed and I would urge you to do the same. There is only one condition. You must make sure to write letters to:

Leon Espinoza, Executive News Editor, lespinoza@seattletimes.com

James Vesely, Editorial Page Editor, jvesely@seattletimes.com

Michael Sheehan, Director of Circulation Operations, msheehan@seattletimes.com

All letters can be addressed in care of:

Seattle Times
PO Box 70
Seattle, WA 98111

Inform them that your subscription is a vote of confidence that the paper will begin including more voices from the right, and not on the basis of tokenism. Inform them also that your subscription you are voting with your dollars and the subscription can be canceled should the voices not begin to appear.

More balance in the newsroom will balance the papers books. The message is simple and if hundreds or thousands of such letters were to arrive on the desks of these three individuals we can be certain the topic will show up on someone's meeting agenda.

Perhaps we can revive the spirit of dialogue (that is when opposing viewpoints both speak and listen) in our city's newspaper. Only through effort can we even hope to achieve that noble goal.

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Technorati Tags: Seattle Times,bail-out,media survival,newspapers,local

How Can the U.S. Military Maintain a Positive Image with Americans?

2008-11-23T14:38:00.001-08:00

This morning, I received a link to a video someone made for promotional use by the United States Air Force. The slogan is "America's Air Force: Then, Now, Always," and uses audio from a John F. Kennedy speech to underscore its theme.

Although I like the overall effect of the video, I would also like the USAF (and other armed services) to take a more active approach to public relations. The public affairs officers do a great deal of hard work - a very close relative of mine is a top tier public affairs officer in the Navy and she stands head and shoulders above her peers in the private sector - but, in my humble opinion, the brass a) allows the politicians to do the job of convincing Americans of the utility and necessity of their mission and b) takes for granted that as their mission is national defense that Americans will always default to an attitude of approval of the military. A more proactive approach to fostering a conversation and relationship with citizens would reap significant benefits.

In that vein, I would like to see the U.S. military begin putting a greater emphasis on telling us of their victories in ways that do not depend on the mainstream media. Dropping bombs and inflicting damage are not the mission of our military, they are tactics to achieve goals. Americans should know what the goals are, in plain English, and how the military is instrumental in achieving them.

It's worth taking a look at the video. Clicking in the image below will link to the host site.

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Technorati Tags: United States Air Force,public relation,defense policy

Are Americans Really Informed Enough to Even Cast Reasoned Ballots?

2008-11-21T12:25:00.001-08:00

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (IGI) released results of a 118-question survey taken of 2,508 respondents, the purpose of which was to determine what the level of civic knowledge was among American adults. The respondents were selected to form a cross-section of American society and the results were shocking.

You can take a portion of the test (the 33-question subset dealing only with civic knowledge) and see how you stack up. I was dissatisfied with my 84.85% (a B by most collegiate standards), but took some solace in knowing that was only five incorrect answers and seven percentage points above average. Room for improvement, to be certain.

Post your own scores as comments to this post, anonymously if you must. I think a robust conversation about this survey and its implications is essential.

What this should show us is that we need to take a hard look in the mirror, be honest with ourselves and dedicate our nation to reviving an interest in being education. Talking about making education a national or local priority is not equivalent to challenging our schools to make curriculum adjustments to educate.

What is perhaps most disturbing is that the researchers did not find that any group (as an aggregate) did well. Ivy League educated, elected government officials, rich, poor, churched, unchurched, conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat... all were equally uninformed.

The summarized findings of the test were, as excerpted from the IGI site:

1) Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy

Of the 2,508 Americans taking ISI’s civic literacy test, 71% fail. Nationwide, the average score on the test is only 49%. The vast majority cannot recognize the language of Lincoln’s famous speech.

2) American Agree: Colleges Should Teach America's Heritage

We believe this whether we are young or old, rich or poor, liberal or conservative. We believe this whether we are male or female; black, white, or Hispanic. We believe this whether we have served in the military or not, and whether we attend church regularly or seldom.

3) College Adds Little to Civic Knowledge

The average score on the American civic literacy exam for those who ended their formal education with a bachelor’s degree is 57%, or an “F.” That is only 13 percentage points higher than the average score earned by those who hold high school, but not college, diplomas.

4) Television--Including TV News--Dumbs America Down

The multiple-regression analysis indicated that a person’s test score drops in proportion to the time he or she spends using certain types of passive electronic media. Talking on the phone, watching owned or rented movies, and even monitoring TV news broadcasts and documentaries diminishes a respondent’s civic literacy

5) What College Graduates Don't Know About America

Overall, the survey shows that bachelor’s-degree holders tend to know twentieth-century American history better than free-market economics and themes that pre-date the twentieth century, especially constitutional principles and the founding and Civil War eras.

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The IGI is a non-profit, non-partisan group with a mission to "further in successive generations of American college youth a better understanding of the economic, political, and ethical values that sustain a free and humane society".

Technorati Tags: American history,apathy,civics,Intercollegiate Studies Institute,surveys

Michael Medved at Seattle's Town Hall

2008-11-21T10:22:00.001-08:00

Last night, my fiancee and I made a point of attending Michael Medved's talk at Seattle's Town Hall. Along with host Enrique Cerna - a long-time fixture in Seattle television - Mr. Medved discussed portions of his new book "The 10 Big Lies About America: Combating Destructive Lies About Our Nation" and took direct questions from audience members on a variety of topics.

At times spirited, the dialogue between Michael and the audience was both entertaining and enlightening, a credit to his credentials as a radio talk show host. Whether he was suggesting that we may be on the verge of a "new Awakening" in the culture, such as occurred during the Revolution, the abolition movement and the suffrage movement, or responding to difficult questions about his views on gay marriage, Michael was considerate of his questioners. Mr. Medved is one of the rare conservative voices - not alone, but lonely at times - who relies on intellectual honesty and logic to support his opinions. For that reason, it was an honor to meet him briefly (we were in the rear portion of the book-signing line and he was operating on a sleep deficit), as it always is an honor to meet someone who shapes your personal approach.

I am reading the book and will report back with my review as soon as I am finished.

NYT Sources: Iran Has Enough Material for One Nuclear Bomb

2008-11-20T07:39:00.001-08:00

It appears that there is now credible evidence that Iran has produced enough weapons-grade material to build one weapon, as reported by the New York Times on Wednesday.

This is something that I wrote about last month, by way of a story run by Israel's DebkaFile. That piece was focused mainly on the proximity of intelligence details about Iran's nuclear capability to the tough-talking remarks of now-Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a Seattle fundraiser. I did, however, I pose several key questions that President-elect Obama will need to answer to the American people in order to devise a response to an Iranian threat that does not a) conflict with any current doctrine, or with a doctrine he wishes to set or b) destabilize the region or kick off a wider conflict. The questions I posed, relevant to the Iranian issue, were:

How do you see our relationship with Russia, considering Russia's recent strengthening of ties with our enemies in key areas of the world?
What will be your criteria for determining when and how to apply the force of the US military?

Russian involvement (and to a lesser extent the participation of France and Germany) will be a key factor in what courses of action are available to the United States in dealing with any existential threat posed by Iran. Iran's insistence on possessing a nuclear weapon demonstrates its desire to become a dominant Middle Eastern state, and we cannot rule out the possibility of an attack on Israel. At this point, whatever country would come the aid of Israel may find themselves engaged with Russia, due to mutual defense agreements.

This writer is glad that attention is being drawn to this issue, but I fear that the die may have been cast. With the current state of international affairs, it would be rash to place Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) as head of the State Department, in what is a vanity posting designed to appease party big wigs. Direct experience in foreign affairs and high stakes diplomacy is required to navigate the coming crisis and despite Ms. Clinton's undeniable savvy and intellect, she would not be the right person for this task.

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Technorati Tags: President-elect Obama,DebkaFile,New York Times,foreign affairs,Hillary Clinton,Iran,Joe Biden,Obama transition

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) Retains Key Chairmanship of Homeland Security

2008-11-18T09:27:00.001-08:00

I picked this up off the CNN.com Political Ticker:

(CNN) — Senate Democrats have voted to allow Sen. Joe Lieberman to retain his chairmanship of the powerful Homeland Security Committee.

The secret-ballot vote was 42-13.

Lieberman is losing his chairmanship on an environmental subcommittee.

Apparently, when the voting is done in secret, more Dems support Senator Lieberman than are willing to do so in the light of day.

Comments to the post are running hard left, however. There will be a serious challenge to his seat from the Democrat Party who want to punish him for his support of Senator McCain.

This is one of those cases in which I hope the Republican party can deal with the realities of Connecticut politics and find a way to back Lieberman when he stands for re-election. His wisdom and judgment on issues of great importance would be difficult to replace.

Unequal Time's "Fairness Doctrine" Post Linked by HotAir.com

2008-11-16T19:16:00.001-08:00

Thank you, Ed Morrissey!

After notifying HotAir.com's Generalissimo Morrissey my post of last Friday - "LA Times Media Commentator Says Fairness Doctrine is Baseless; Millions of Conservatives Breathe a Sigh of Relief" - he was kind enough to link to my blog and pull a couple of paragraphs from my post in his excellent expansion on the confused commentary of James Rainey on the subject of the "Fairness Doctrine".

Still no word back from James Rainey, himself, who I emailed just prior to posting, not that I plan to wait by the computer for a response that will likely never come.

LA Times Media Commentator Says Fairness Doctrine Paranoia Is Baseless; Millions of Conservatives Breathe a Sigh of Relief

2008-11-14T08:05:00.001-08:00

Rainey Demonstrates His Lack of Ability to Properly Use Search Engines

The "Fairness Doctrine" issue - the possible re-imposition of political balance requirements for radio broadcasters - is going to be a hot one for the next year. Many eyes are trained on President-elect Obama with concerns about how far left his agenda will be, and the "Fairness Doctrine" is near the top of many conservative watch lists. According to James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times, conservatives don't need to worry our pretty little heads about it one bit.

The sub-headline of the story reads:

Impose a mandate on broadcasters to balance their political views? That would be onerous indeed. But memo to Rush: Nobody's asking for that.

I know Rainey didn't write the headline of the sub-head. Still, any readers not managing to make it past the bold print take away the notion that conservative talk radio hosts across the country are held in the grip of paranoid delusion. But, in the commentary body, Rainey cites two senators - Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) and Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) - as having publicly called for the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" to be reapplied.

Of all people that I would ever expect to be referred to as "nobody", Chuck Schumer would be eternally absent from that list.

Rainey's contention, though, seems to be that the voices of two influential senators do not constitute the political will necessary to change the way the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) currently regulates broadcasters. In support of his hypothesis that a lack of enthusiasm is present for such action, he offers the following:

If the left wing is gearing up for such a push, I had trouble detecting it. A search of the liberal Daily Kos website turned up almost no mentions of the Fairness Doctrine.

Mr. Rainey, you must always remember to turn the detection device on before using it.

Mr. Rainey should educate himself in two areas: how politics works in America and a knowledge of search engines.

I donned my wet suit and went to Daily Kos for myself and found that Mr. Rainey is partially correct. When I searched for the terms "fairness" and "doctrine" in "stories" - commentaries and postings by Daily Kos staff writers and contributors - I only find two results within the last two weeks. This, however, is where the understanding of American politics comes in. Movements always gain strength from vocal activists, sometimes known as people. These are the kind of folks who hop on the computer and comment on blogs like the Daily Kos, they even write letters and make phone calls to elected officials.

So what happens when we search through "comments"? During the past 2 weeks, those same search terms found 511 results. When we search through "stories and diaries" - diaries are the personal blogs kept by Daily Kos users - we get 56 results. Reminder: That's just in the past two weeks. One one liberal web site.

When Mr. Rainey wrote of finding "almost no mentions" of the "Fairness Doctrine", I would have given him a bit of leeway to accept four, five, maybe even fifteen results, but 511? That's a margin of error even exit pollsters wouldn't be comfortable with.

Furthermore, if Mr. Rainey actually did the work read the content of posts, he would have learned that there are examples of people who are actively advocating the return of the anti-free speech "Fairness Doctrine".

'shpilk' is one Daily Kos user who keeps a blog on the site. In a diary post with the tag "Fairness Doctrine" attached - for context - they wrote on November 7:

We've got to find the Achilles Heel of the newspapers and local TV and radio stations that refuse to play fair, that give favorable borrowing terms to Republicans like they did with Reichert a few scant weeks before the election.

Another offering comes from 'lfurman97', who wrote on November 8th:

"Now the work begins. The first order of business will be to re-instate the "Fairness Doctrine" and reverse the policies that have proven so disastrous..."

Another Kos user, 'Troubadour', comments as follows to explain how President-elect Obama could begin moving the "Fairness Doctrine" into place. (Be careful, it's Daily Kos so the language gets a little rough. Cover the eyes of small children and refrain from reading aloud.)

Obama would give a speech on it.

He would explain that the airwaves belong to YOU, the American people - they are not the private property of the corporations to whom YOU the people grant conditional licenses to operate for the public good. He could even quote directly from the text of those licenses, and perhaps Edward R. Murrow if he's feeling saucy. And the wingnuts would be left with what? Their usual - their dicks in their hands.

Naturally he would consult with legal experts first and have built up a substantial base of support for it, but that would just be icing on the cake. Obama speeches are irresistible when they confront some deep truth and seek to exercise leadership. My only advice to him: Keep making speeches from a standing position - don't do the desk thing.

This comment came after this one by 'methinsaw':

Although I think the Fairness Doctrine is a good idea, the wing-nuts will go crazy saying their first amendment rights are being taken away by the liberals. That would be a salient argument for them to use to attract voters that might not understand the issue very well.

These are not the only citations I could find on the mother ship of all liberal chatter, I just don't have time to keep cutting, pasting and hyperlinking for the remainder of the day. There are more liberal web sites, and plenty of blogs that are operated independent of a parent site. Perform a Google blog search for yourself and get back to me with what you find.

Before Mr. Rainey dismissed conservative impulses to protect the first amendment something akin to staying mad at your wife because you dreamt she cheated on you, he should have taken the time to really acknowledge that there are people on the left who wish to silence conservative media voices. Just saying it isn't so won't make the threat go away.

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Technorati Tags: Daily Kos,James Rainey,LA Times,Fairness Doctrine,media bias

Obama Administration's Vetting Questionnaire: Cuts Like a Knife

2008-11-13T15:14:00.001-08:00

This is the typical combination of traditional vetting and political acid-testing that occurs with White House hiring; I'm not sure why it makes CNN.com's front page. A 63-item questionnaire covering every little detail (except drug use) is something that is justified for people seeking one of the 7,000 or so jobs for which the transition team has to find warm bodies. After all, many of these positions have a political component and require the jobholder to support the views and policies of the president. Not to mention the fact that many of them will work in within jogging distance of the president himself, making security a factor.

So, it's okay to dig deep into an applicant for this kind of job. Right? Maybe delving into past lovers, personal diaries and gun ownership is over the top, but there is no absolute right to privacy when seeking employment. Questions about the invasiveness of this questionnaire should be asked of the chief of staff appointee, Rahm Emanuel, but don't expect much enlightenment from the answers.

Will this establish a new standard for the private sector (do we really have a private sector anymore?) in their own hiring practices. In truth, any other employer would be vulnerable to charges if they even posed these questions in a casual discussion, much less a job interview.

In rough terms, however, investigation of an applicant's background is rational, but how the administration will actually use the information to make hiring choices is what should receive the greatest amount of scrutiny. With the track record Team Obama has been blazing so far in the its use of strong-arm tactics and a style of internal policing that one would expect from an authoritarian ruler, don't be surprised if information obtained from these applications finds its way into the publics hands.

There is one question that simply jumps off the page and remains enigmatic after a lot of pondering:

28) Have you or your spouse at any time held property... the title to which contained any restrictive covenant based on race, sex, ethnic background, religion or sexual orientation?

Can someone (attorneys are welcome) please explain the purpose of this question? Having some experience in mortgage finance, I have had some contact with titles to real property, but I have never seen any document - private or otherwise - which restrains the owner on any of the aforementioned bases. Are there people who assume title to property or assets with the restrictions . Would a country club membership to, let's say, Augusta National, qualify? The question is ambiguous enough to require legal advice prior to, during - and probably after - answering.

50) Please list any claims of sexual harassment of [sic] other workplace misconduct, made against you or any employee supervised by you, including the resolution of the matter.

Well, there goes William Jefferson Clinton's bid to become the next ambassador to United Nations, or even Thailand for that matter.

It appears that we have elected a president with the charm of Kennedy, the ideology of Carter and the paranoia of Nixon.

God bless America.

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Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,CNN,Obama transition,Rahm Emanuel

When Times Are Tough, the Obama Campaign Wants to Sell You Another Campaign Tee-Shirt

2008-11-12T13:20:00.001-08:00

David Plouffe, the campaign manager for Obama for America, just sent me an email to make sure I send him $30 or more to refill the DNC coffers. (In exchange, I will receive a tee-shirt that, we assume was made with union labor. So the net to the DNC should be around $5.)

So, despite Obama's record-shattering fundraising, and the absence of any need to fund a legal defense against campaign fund-raising violations, the DNC is bankrupt. Where did all of the money go?

What is most shocking is not the panhandling after an election; Robert Duncan - RNC chair - sent me a plea for dollars two and a half hours earlier in the day. What is stunning is that from a campaign that owes their victory to an economic crisis, they become suddenly tone-deaf about what is truly important to the voters. In his words:

We'll get to work transforming this country. But first, we need to take care of the DNC.

Are we to assume that if the DNC remains broke, the country will just have to wait? Leave it to the party of the donkey to put the cart ahead of the horse.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,David Plouffe,DNC,financial crisis of 2008

Hank Paulson is On the Loose and We Were Concerned About Palin's Wardrobe Expenditures?

2008-11-12T11:16:00.001-08:00

The era of 'I told you so' is about to commence, but for now let's just deal with the facts. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has just side-stepped the portion of the $700 billion bailout package that we were told was its central reason for being made into law. As reported by CNNMoney.com [bold added]:

NEW YORK(CNNMoney.com) -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Wednesday that the government would broaden the reach of its $700 billion bailout plan to support non-bank financial institutions that provide consumer credit, such as credit cards and auto loans.

In this second stage of the bailout, officials also hope to attract private capital, possibly through matching investments, to give the government's injections more heft.

Paulson also said the government is no longer planning to buy troubled mortgage assets, the original goal of the plan. And officials are continuing to examine ways to help homeowners and slow the tide of foreclosures.

Having read the entire piece of legislation, I can state equivocally that the only boundaries placed on what kinds of asset purchases the Treasury can make with its largesse will be decided by whoever occupies the seat as Treasury Secretary and the president who appoints them. That means that in late January, when Paulson is sent packing and Obama is sworn in, the Treasury will have the authority to buy just about anything it wants.

I won't even begin to make the arguments about economic and fiscal vulnerabilities inherent in this type of policy. Only one argument needs to be made. When the government begins taking ownership in private companies, those companies fail to be private. This country's political future rests on principles that lie diametrically opposed to what the Treasury is now capable of doing.

Pick your favorite ideological hero from early United States history. Unless you happen to be one of those odd fans of Alexander Hamilton's desire for a powerful national bank, you will find that your American idol was sharply opposed to the formation of a central bank controlled by the government. The rationale for this among the founders was diverse but among many it was the fear that a national bank would have direct involvement with businesses and thus force the free market a political actor instead of a purely economic one.

In the bulk of our human history we have seen what occurs when governments become owners in industry individuals and, more importantly individualism, suffers. A new argument for capitalism must emerge just as Hayek's Road to Serfdom did in the era when socialism was in its ascendancy and posed a great threat to free societies and the free people within them.

Technorati Tags: financial crisis of 2008,Henry Paulson,Treasury Department,threats to capitalism,threats to free market

A Special Veterans Day Message

2008-11-11T11:57:00.001-08:00

We should all pause today to remember the sacrifice - sometimes ultimate - made by men and women in uniform over the course of our nation's history.

We pray to never again fight against our fellow man, but know that the course of human events will again carry us to that brink. We have faith that the character and decency as a nation to inform us of whether our cause is just. Therefore, to preserve our own future dignity, we honor those who have gone before us.

Transition Spokesperson Establishes President-elect Obama as 'Ruler'

2008-11-11T09:26:00.001-08:00

Valerie Jarrett, co-chair of the Obama-Biden transition team, and the person rumored to be President-elect Obama's choice to fill his vacated Senate seat, has finally let the cat out of the bag.

"Given the daunting challenges that we face, it's important that President-elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one."

Ms. Jarrett made this statement while speaking to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press, in one swift sentence she has confirmed the fears of some that an Obama presidency, without lack of loyal opposition, could allow Americans to do some political tourism without leaving home. We may have an opportunity to experience what a constitutional monarchy would have been like, if things had gone differently in the years of our nation's birth.

The phrase "take power" is borderline, but does the Obama administration really want to begin by establishing that President Obama is a 'ruler'?

Ruler, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary:

rul·er, (rōō'lər) n.

1. One, such as a monarch or dictator, that rules or governs.

If you prefer, WordNet.com also defines a ruler as, "a person who rules or commands; 'swayer of the universe'."

If we strip it down to the root - rule - it might be okay. Right? It turns out there is no hiding place there either. All definitions of 'rule' in the context of governance, and when used as a verb in conjunction with a singular object (e.g., a person who has been elected president), imply some form of autocratic governance.

After two-hundred and thirty-two years of independence from a monarchy maybe it wouldn't hurt, I suppose, to sneak back onto that old horse and see if the ride wasn't really as bad as we thought. Alexander Hamilton didn't think it would be so terribly awful. Plus, it just isn't fair that Britain gets all the fun of having royals at which to poke fun, and leaders tend to look more respectable on the world stage when wearing a sash. We should be open-minded.

With all seriousness, American presidents heretofore had been very careful about how they verbally defined their place in government. Even FDR never used the verb 'rule' in reference to the function of his office, and he would be one who could have used it correctly.

Ms. Jarrett, or some member of the transition team, should issue a statement of clarification. Although her words were almost certainly a slip of the tongue (Vice president-elect Biden's first press conference will likely put this gaffe to shame), as a law school graduate, she would be well-advised to remember that words carry meaning in our society. There are those of us who expect her to select them carefully so as to not be confused as signaling a radical shift in our system of government.

We did elect him, after all. I think the least we deserve is some recognition that he understands the limitations of what we elected him to do.

Looking to the Future: America version 44.0

2008-11-05T12:57:00.001-08:00

That, as they say, is that. President-elect Barack Obama is correct in saying that, "a defining moment of change has come to America."

As the first president with a minority background, he will always hold a significant place in national history, but his effectiveness in delivering on the promise of change must be measured both in terms of quantity and direction as he assumes the roles of chief executive and commander-in-chief.

Change is not hard-wired to run in only a positive direction. Neither is it a constant that change that causes positive effects for one person or family will not have a negative effect on others. Nor is it like a domesticated pet that can be leashed; unintended consequences are the bane of every change-artist politico.

Despite all of the realities and wildcards - known by way of hindsight - change sounds good. Even when we do not have the benefit of seeing it in legislative form, but only hear the happy populist rhetoric that scintillates crowds on the campaign trail, change makes us feel like good times are just around the bend. The grass is always greener. Yada, yada, yada. Blah, blah, blah.

The question that faces us is to what degree Obama's victory is also a mandate for the changes he will attempt to make, in terms of judicial appointments and cabinet postings, as well as his policy agenda. There are many reasons to suspect that the Democrat wave that swept the country yesterday was a public relations success, not an ideological one, because the ideology has yet to manifest itself in a clear legislative policymaking agenda.

Based on campaign promises, a person voting for Obama may have done so simply because they believed he would lower their taxes. To them, he might represent the values of conservativism in a package that was more appealing than that grumpy ol' John McCain. If not for the fine print that will become the essence of how Obama delivers on his other promises without bankrupting the country, that voter might get what they are expecting. With that in mind, it may not be smart for Obama to rapidly conclude that the results of this election represent a mandate for the liberal objectives that were challenged by his McCain, as well as members of the media, without much in the way of substantive response from Obama.

It is probably unrealistic to expect Democrat politicians - now in cloistered conclave, contemplating what can be accomplished whilst we have one-party rule - to question whether a juggernaut liberal agenda for the first session of 2009 is not the will of the people. No one wants to look a gift horse in the mouth, but ignoring the possibility that the electorate may not have been voicing a mandate, despite the results of the election, could have the effects both of ensuring a pendulum swing back in 2010 to a Republican-dominated Congress and the exacerbation of the country's current economic predicament.

Based on our two year history with the party leadership of Reid and Pelosi, the Democrats will gulp greedily from the chalice handed them without too much concern for why it was given to them in the first place. After all, it would be somewhat rational - although short-sighted - to conclude that yesterday's results were a clear message of animosity toward Republican candidates and the values underpinning their party.

In the presidential race, while several states switched from red to blue, not one flipped in the other direction. The same trend is shaping up in the Senate, House, and gubernatorial races, although the Minnesota race between Coleman and Franken will have to be decided after at least one recount. (Minnesota GOP attorneys should connect with the Washington State GOP for a briefing on lessons learned from having close statewide races slip through their hands. Reference: Gorton/Cantwell, 2000, Rossi/Gregoire, 2004.)

If the election was intended to be a repudiation of the conservative values that are often associated with the Republican party, one might think that traditionally conservative issues should have suffered as well, but, for reasons as yet unknown, rays of conservative light can be seen, if we want to squint really, really hard.

Bans on gay marriage (as distinguished from civil unions or domestic partnerships) in California, Florida and Arizona are passing, although they will almost certainly face immediate court battles.
Nebraska voted to end affirmative action policies of the state government by a 58 to 42 percent margin.

On the other hand, 'value of life' issues were losers. Washington state passed Initiative 1000, a law legalizing doctor-prescribed suicide that has been criticized for its failure to provide common sense safeguards. South Dakota and California failed to pass abortion limits propositions, and Colorado's attempt to legally define life as beginning at the moment conception was crushed by voters.

In the weeks and months ahead, Republicans will come to some conclusions about why they lost (psst, get the base on the line and see if they have an alibi for where they all were on Election Night), and the Democrats will come to their own conclusions about why they won. This will all go into the big Mid-term Election Strategy hopper.

Meanwhile, Obama will be naming cabinet nominees, assembling White House staff and mapping out the agenda for his first one hundred days. With a Democrat-controlled Congress, and a media presumably still panting after "The One", maintain a grip on reality will be harder for Republicans and conservatives than any time since 1976.

Nevertheless, after the electoral college convenes and the inauguration takes places in the cold January air of the nation's capital, President-elect Obama will become the President Obama. He will be America's president and my president, despite my having voted for Senator John McCain.

I hope that those who may despair, or even fear, an Obama presidency will remember that the presidency is the symbol of our nation's strength and the office deserves its own measure of respect, no matter who sits in the Oval Office.

I also hope that those who rejoiced last night remember that the greatest strength of our system is in the value we place on keeping a hot furnace of debate stoked. No matter how dire our circumstances may be, or what stakes lay before us, honest and open-minded argument about issues is vital and should be embraced. Brand loyalty might give us warm feelings when choosing a carbonated beverage, but blind partisanship should chill us if it becomes the only factor in how we, as individuals, arrive at our decisions to vote or how we judge the performance of our government.

Answers to tough questions should be demanded from the new president and the congress serving beside him, and we should all be color-blind in that pursuit, focusing only on the merits of proposals, considerate of the effects government actions may have on the fabric of American life.

So, too, should President-elect Obama recognize that he is in uncharted waters. With virtually no executive experience, and absolutely no experience dealing with matters of foreign affairs, he should be careful to avoid catering to the masses. Foreign policy is not an area for ideological experimentation, as so many presidents have learned after it was too late. Poll respondents on the questions of Iraq and Afghanistan do not receive the daily intelligence briefing that Obama will soon begin receiving. As distasteful as it may be, even the most idealistic presidents have to succumb to the harshness of realpolitik.

Obama should also carefully consider the weight of his proposals and the real impact that many would have on American families and individuals. If any set of American values do still exist that cross party lines they would be the desire for freedom, choice and opportunity. When politicians have not been careful to protect those values in our laws and way of life, they have paid the price in mid-term elections and their own bids to stay in office.

We are capable of emerging through the crises ahead - challenges that await us like predators shrouded in a concealing fog - but only if we are willing to be critical, open-minded and involved in the process of government. The media sits in the important position of moderating the conversation. More respect in our culture is needed and the nation's media are uniquely able to present an example to Americans of how issues should discussed and differences resolved. By promoting authentic respect for differing points of view in the newsroom, and a transparent balance in how issues are covered, a more robust and civil conversation can develop.

Less talking and more active listening is required. True, it sounds more like a prescription for couples counseling than political communication, but haven't the last eight years felt a bit like the country is in the throes of a bitter divorce? Would it hurt either side to occasionally acknowledge - publicly - when the opposition has the facts right, instead of simply racing down Diatribe Boulevard?

If we are truly interested in defining our problems or finding solutions, we need to be getting a lot closer to the truth than the current style of political discourse allows.

The first political party, or politician to put down the bullhorn and the pom-poms and speak to all Americans either as one who thinks as they do or as one who respects their beliefs despite disagreement, will reap the enormous benefits of true leadership.

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This piece was subsequently published November 7, 2008 on the Crosscut.com website, with minor editing, under the headline 'Questioniong the promise of change'.

Is The Mainstream Media Just As Smart As They Are Partisan? You Betcha.

2008-11-04T16:59:00.001-08:00

I just watched CNN.com call South Carolina for McCain with 0% of precincts reporting but showing 47% McCain, 53% Obama. Does this amount to a media-spun Get of The Vote effort in the potentially crucial states of Nevada and Colorado? Obviously, there is no way to know for sure, but it would certainly make sense that if the media had any concerns that early exit polling calls in 2000 and 2004 actually decreased Democrat turnout, wouldn't it make sense to reverse the process and see if that reversed the reaction?

It's just a random thought. I'm sure the madness will intensify as the night progresses.

Vote Fraud in Oakdale: What We're Fighting Against

2008-11-04T14:55:00.001-08:00

I found this story by way of Michelle Malkin, who plucked it from the pages of The Modesto Bee. I wish I could even claim to be shocked. It would make the predictability of this kind of nonsense less chilling.

Two pre-marked ballots discovered at precinct

By J.N. Sbranti
jsbranti@modbee.com

last updated: November 04, 2008 12:09:24 PM

OAKDALE — At least two Spanish-language ballots were pre-marked for Barack Obama at a rural Oakdale precinct Tuesday morning, causing election officials to confiscate and inspect all the blank ballots.

"I consider this extremely serious," said Lee Lundrigan, Stanislaus County clerk and registrar of voters. "We've sent an additional person to the precinct, and everyone is now watching each other."

The incident happened about 9:20 a.m. at the River Oak Grace Community Church polling place on Rodden Road just north of Oakdale.

Hector Parra, who doesn't speak English, was handed a Spanish-language ballot, which he took to the voting station. A moment later, he went to the precinct workers seeking help. Since there was no designated translator working at the time, the precinct's staff asked if anyone in the crowded room could speak Spanish.

Sylvia Moreno volunteered to translate, and she said Parra didn't understand why the ballot he was given had been marked.

"He was going to vote for Obama, but it was already filled in for Obama," Moreno said. "He just wondered why."

Moreno explained the problem to precinct workers, who then took Parra's ballot and put it among the "spoiled" ballots. Parra then was handed a second Spanish-language ballot.

"It was marked for Obama, too. It truly was," said Moreno, who witnessed the fresh ballot being handed from the precinct worker to Parra in the middle of the room.

Parra and Moreno immediately reported the problem with the second ballot, and they never moved from the time Parra was handed that ballot to when he handed it back to precinct workers.

"I was shocked," said Lynda Sesser, the precinct's election inspector. "At first I assumed he had (filled in the first ballot) himself, which is why I marked it as spoiled."

Sesser said she was stunned to discover the otherwise-blank second ballot had been filled in for Obama the same way.

"It was an ink pen," Sesser said of the mark. "It was a little shocking. You don't expect ballots to come from the elections office like that."

Sesser said Parra was the first voter to ask for a Spanish-language ballot Tuesday. After the two suspect ballots were found, Sesser said precinct workers started inspecting the blank forms before handing them to voters.

The irregularity was quickly reported to election officials, and by 10 a.m. Lundrigan's office was taking action.

"All of the precincts are being called," said Lundrigan, assuring that election workers were told to look for pre-marked ballots. "Our inspectors have confiscated (the two suspect ballots) and bringing them to me."

Lundrigan said she didn't believe the ballots could have been tampered with at the county's election office.

"They're sealed when they leave us," said Lundrigan, noting how the ballots are printed and processed en masse. "We don't allow black pens anywhere near us. We only have red pens."

What does this say about how minorities are viewed in our country? It says that the kind of person (or people) who would attempt to perpetrate this kind of fraud see minorities as useful tools, not as free-thinking citizens.

Shameful.

My Predictions: Does McCain Have a Legitimate Chance? Absolutely.

2008-11-03T09:59:00.001-08:00

Here's One Analysis That Might Give McCain Voters a Spring in Their Step on Election Day

There is no doubt that this election will be a close contest and every vote will be important in the final count. Fear, hope, anxiety, optimism and despair are gripping voters of all backgrounds and the country has been plunged into a cauldron of racial politics, class politics and good old fashioned lying for a year and a half. If Rasmussen or Zogby could correlate blood pressure and heart rate along with voting preference insurance actuaries would be bracing for a run on the hospitals.

Here's how I justify giving McCain the states that are currently painted blue on most mainstream media maps, states that could tip the election for a McCain victory.

Pennsylvania (21 EV), Minnesota (10 EV) and Wisconsin (10 EV): There is every reason to believe that Obama has failed to secure crucial support among union workers (as differentiated from the union leadership) that is so crucial to these blue collar states. High democratic turnout in the primaries was at a time when Obama and Senator Clinton were going at each other full force. There will be a lot of Clinton supporters who will simply stay home or jump the fence to vote for McCain.

Florida (27 EV): In the primaries, the ratio of GOP votes to Dem votes was 1.12:1, and Florida is a state in which party politics still drives electioneering. Also, in the primary election, McCain got a 5.3% better showing than polls were predicting just before the vote, demonstrating that Team McCain knows how to get out the vote in the Sunshine State.

Three other voting blocs will be critical.

Jewish voters have proven to be difficult to poll accurately. The issue of how Obama will protect Israel may bring many of these voters to a single issue decision.

Florida is represented largely in the military. All responsible polling has indicated a heavy McCain vote coming from the armed forces.

Immigrants who came here seeking asylum from despotic or communist oppression. This includes tens of thousands of Vietnamese, Cuban, Haitian, and other Latin Americans who have made their homes in Florida. Will McCain's efforts to pin Obama as a socialist be in their minds as they mark their ballots?

Nevada (5 EV): Using the primary turnout to calculate the same 'strength-of-base' ratio as I used to predict Florida for McCain, Nevada shows a 2.11:1 ratio of GOP voters to Dem voters.

Of course, McCain also has to win the races in which he is currently running ahead in the polls. It's not going to be an easy victory, and at this point he has to be considered an underdog.

It is time to simply go and do our civic duty, come what may.

Advice for Obama Press Corps: Keep Your 'Chute Handy

2008-10-31T09:12:00.001-07:00

As confirmed by Politico.com's Ben Smith in his corroboration of the story that broke on the Drudge Report last night, the Obama campaign did indeed bump three major newspapers from the press group traveling aboard the candidate's plane. Although press accounts are not specific, it is assumed that their removal was conducted while the plane was still on the ground.

The Obama campaign indicated that they will try to find seats on campaign buses for the disenfranchised Dallas Morning News, Washington Times and New York Post staff, and that they are encouraging them to travel with Joe Biden.

(Two major right-leaning newspapers, who now have an axe to grind, riding along with the king of the gaffes? One would think that Team Obama would be better served in the final days of the election by giving them daily interview sessions with Barack than by placing them within earshot of gaffemaster Joe.)

While it is true that in a similar move, Senator McCain barred Maureen Dowd and Joe Klein from his campaign plane, there is a subtle but important distinction between that punishment and the kind of retribution Obama is meting out.

Dowd and Klein are columnists. They write commentary and analysis in their own voice and the result is mainly the opinion of the writer as an individual. When a columnist gleefully pounds away at a politician, it doesn't seem at all out of bounds for the politician to shut down that one person's access. Even if the lex talionis - eye for an eye - mode of justice may be harsh, at least it observes some semblance of symmetry.

A newspaper's endorsement of a candidate is a decision more often made by the ownership of the paper, in consultation with the editorial staff, but it is never made by reporters. The reporting done thus far by the ejected journalists has not been harmful to Obama. On the contrary, most campaign trail reporting tips toward positive coverage of a candidate as reporters develop a relationship with the candidate they are covering. Label it human nature or the Helsinki Syndrome, depending on your perspective.

There is no balance in Obama's retaliatory strike and it could say something larger about how he will apply power to other problems that arise. In international terms, we assign a particular label to people and causes that consider innocents as appropriate tools for conveying political messages. In domestic terms it is political thuggery and the penchant the Obama camp has for silencing dissent should at least give us a reason to retain skepticism, whether you color yourself red, blue or purple.

The Chicago-style politics of making war on anyone a politician classifies as 'enemies' by hitting their proxies is something that we, as a nation, have been trying to extinguish for more than one hundred years, but the Obama machine is reviving those tactics of naked power and proving that they still work. He is giving us a sample, a sneak peak of his wilder side.

With the prospect of single-party rule of the federal government, and intimidation of media who are perceived as 'unfriendly' to an Obama administration, more than ever it seems clear that a vote for Obama is a vote for change. When we realize what the word 'change' really means in Obamaspeak, I only hope that we will be able to change back.

LA Times: Providing Asylum For Democrat Politicians In Need

2008-10-30T21:35:00.001-07:00

Handling of Obama/Khalidi Tape is Handbook for 'Swiss Banking' of Politically Radioactive Material

As a student of journalism since junior high school, I was indoctrinated in the notion that the great reporters of the American press lived and breathed that thing called 'the story'. When journalists such as Upton Sinclair and Nellie Bly received information it went into the story, not into the wall safe. Maybe that's why the Los Angeles Times' refusal to release the infamous and enigmatic Khalidi video strikes me as so odd, even for that paper.

A reporter's right to keep their sources anonymous must be preserved and protected. It is also not strictly unethical to allow a source to place conditions on how information is used, even though striking such a deal would seem counterproductive to gathering information. On that score, the Los Angeles Times' refusal to release the controversial video has a sliver of ground on which to stand. That ability to claim the right to keep the video from the public is, however, elective and not strictly required by law.

The Times has not claimed that the agreement with the tape's source was contractual or in any way legally binding, but there is the possibility that the manner in which the tape was given to the paper was an orchestrated act intended to give all sides - Obama, the source and the Los Angeles Times - a way to avoid having to reveal the tape's contents to the public, contents which might give American voters a way to assemble a picture of Obama's worldview that does not flatter the candidate.

Since no illegal acts are alleged to have been captured on the video, and we must assume the tape was delivered to the newspaper legally, there is no legal method to pry the material from the Times' icy grip. If the source gave the newspaper the only public copy of the video, it could conceivably be hidden away for as long as its owners, its custodians and the powerful person appearing on it wish to keep it away from our eyes.

The mystery unfolds further when consulting the article, written by Peter Wallsten and run in the print edition on April 10, 2008, for which the video was used as a reference. Its main effect on the piece seems to have been to give the Wallsten a way to portray Obama as a cool-headed mediator of Middle Eastern tensions. This passage appears nine paragraphs into the story:

One speaker likened "Zionist settlers on the West Bank" to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been "blinded by ideology."

Obama adopted a different tone in his comments and called for finding common ground.

That doesn't seem so bad. Why would the source want to keep that video away from the public? In fact, with the Obama campaign fighting for their life to maintain the Democrat stranglehold on the Jewish vote in the battleground state of Florida, one would think that a video showing Obama standing up to be the voice of reason in a room full of Arabs would be campaign gold. Axelrod would be setting up half hourly screenings at every senior center from Pensacola to Boca.

Of course, if there was other material on the video, material that was both relevant to campaign or character issues, and damaging to Obama, the Times would have its own reasons to suppress it lest readers and fellow journalists question the ethics of how the Wallsten article constructed.

The question arises: Did the LA Times and the source of the tape knowingly enter into an agreement that would give all parties to its hiding a plausible reason to deny the public access to its content? There is no way to ever answer that question, but the very presence of the question in the minds of readers will very likely have consequences for a newspaper already on the verge of collapse.

Right now, if the LA Times holds the only copy, there is no safer place to keep it away from the rest of the media and prevent it from damaging the Obama campaign in the final crucial days of this presidential election.

Where are Liddy and the Plumbers when you need them?

Make Tonight Family Game Night Until 8:30ET, In Defense of Baseball and the American Way

2008-10-29T14:53:00.001-07:00

Potentially the Greatest Baseball Blunder Since Buckner in '86

There is no example in American history of a political showcase preempting the World Series, just as there is no example of a sporting event preempting an election. They are once-in-a-lifetime events, and we previously, collectively, considered them to be greater than an individual. Now I wonder if we should just insert 'Obama' between baseball and apple pie.

The very fact that the World Series schedule was already established at the time Team Obama made their media buys shows every indication that they are as out of touch as critics contend, but also that they are showing - again - their predictable ability to take their eye off the ball.

A virtual cone of silence seems to have descended today within the advertising and entertainment trade press on the subject of Obama's infomercial that will air across several networks and is said to have cost the campaign between $3 and $5 million. Still, I was able to find commentary from PRWeek's Ted McKenna, offering some take on the obvious downside of Obama's media blitz.

Enjoying a major cash advantage over the John McCain campaign, the Obama campaign has been able to place advertising in all sorts of unexpected places of late, including video games. Some political commentators wonder whether there might be a downside for the campaign in potentially irritating voters by the practically ubiquitous Obama advertising.

McKenna references Jeanne Cummings' 'Obama infomercial: Smart politics or risky overkill?' piece (Politico.com) in which she attempts to make the point that this strategy of a media blitz helps Obama to avoid "the filter of the media". In fact, it is just as likely that the opposite will occur and that the media will be talking about this for the next few days in the analysis and commentary portion of the story's new cycle.

Neglecting the realities of the news cycle will not be the greatest effect caused by this larger-than-life blunder. It will be the backlash of a politicians greatest bugaboo - the loyal sports fan.

I offer the following encapsulated geography lesson for the Democrat nominee's edification. If anyone has his - or David Axelrod's - email, feel free to forward.

For many baseball fans (the last two World Series games received an a little more than 15 million viewers each) the baseball championship is an destination, not an event - a place to which they have been traveling for months, even years. Nowhere is that more true than in Philadelphia, a city whose baseball franchise hasn't appeared in a World Series in fifteen years and hasn't been victorious in one since 1980.

The Philadelphia Phillies hail from... Philadelphia, a large metropolis in the state of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a state in which Senator McCain has been gaining ground in the last week, a state that swung hard for Hillary Clinton and came in weak for Senator Obama in the primaries.

In the opposite dugout are the Tampa Bay Rays, whose fans are clinging on to hope that their team can fend off elimination and possibly play on to win their first championship. Another point of geographic fact: Tampa Bay is in Florida, a state in which the McCain campaign has been gaining ground in the last week, a state that swung hard for Clinton and came in weak for Obama in the primaries, even though the Democrat Florida primary didn't officially count.

I asked myself a question: If my Seattle Mariners were in the World Series, set to play the clinching game and possibly bring the championship to Jet City, and General Motors showered the broadcasting network with enough cash to bump the baseball game for the airing of a half-hour advertisement for the new Yukon hybrid, I would be furious and it would negatively affect my feelings about GM.

When your name is Lenny Bruce you can get away with showing conceit for your audience, not if your name is Barack Obama. In battleground states, walking on eggshells is standard operating procedure when you're the front-runner and inconveniencing sports fans just so you can broadcast another political ad that comes following a tsunami of political ads may just be enough of an irritation to sway precious votes.

Or not. I could be wrong. But if you were Barack Obama, would you feel like you need to take that chance?

Senator Obama's has seriously overestimated the public's appetite for political theater, and similar misjudgments have often placed him in hot water during the campaign. This time, the look for tiny bubbles forming in the pot as the Democrat nominee places himself ahead of the national pastime; and this gives Obama's opponents a chance to drive the temperature to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, John McCain will continue to smile and point to left field.

Batter up.

Save the Date: More Obamacentric Lunacy on Election Day

2008-10-28T08:30:00.001-07:00

It showed up in my inbox late yesterday afternoon. Invited but still unwelcome, each day I receive the propaganda email distributed by the Obama campaign. I have learned by experience to keep a supply of air sickness bags in my laptop bag to use in case of rapid lunch loss.

The one sent to me yesterday was different from those preceding it, in that it did not direct me to remind my friends that the RNC is somehow responsible for Biden's gaffes. Nor did it offer yet one more explanation that the Obama tax plan is not socialist even though it raises taxes on the people who create jobs and makes payments to the poor.

No, this one was different because in a time of great economic crisis, when all Americans should regard every dollar they earn as precious, Jon Carson - Obama's field marshal - advocated... taking Election Day off?

The text of the email reads:

Bryan --

Ask your Boss. Ask your Professor.

Take Election Day off and volunteer to make history.

Watch this video and sign up to help get out the vote on Tuesday, November 4th:

This election will be decided by what this grassroots movement can accomplish on Election Day.

We have volunteer shifts to fill throughout the day -- make calls, knock on doors, and make sure your fellow voters get to the polls.

No previous experience is required. Sign up now to take the day off and make history on November 4th:

http://my.barackobama.com/takethedayoff

Thanks,
Jon
Jon Carson
National Field Director
Obama for America

(I left every single glorious syntax, grammatical and punctuation error intact for your review. Capitalizing 'Boss' and 'Professor'? At least Obama isn't running to become the Education President.)

Now I am going to tweak the text, flare the contrast knob and squelch the color a little so it's easier to interpret the black and white in Carson's message. Cutting through the bull, here's the subtext:

Bryan --

November 4th is "Elect Barack Day'. There is no higher responsibility than attending to the duty of electing Barack.

If he fails to win election, it could be because you were selfish and chose to fulfill your responsibilities to your families and employers instead of working for Barack, who loves you and wants only good things.

Don't be challenged by a lack of experience in political action. If you have worked with the homeless or mentally incompetent, or if you can drive a van and know your way around the inner city, you have all the skills required.

Barack gives you permission to do this and he knows that you want him to win. He also knows when you've been bad or good. So be good, for goodness sakes, and vote Barack.

Barack thanks you. May Barack live a long and healthy life.

Thanks be to Barack,

Jon
National Field Marshal
Obama for Amerikca

Only in America could freedom of expression open the door for the kind of egotistical charismatic ideologue we have with Obama. There is too much worship in the politics of Obama, too much call to re-prioritize everyday life and place Obama and his agenda at the forefront of our lives. Whether it is in the aggressiveness of his plans to fine families who are too poor to buy healthcare but too "affluent" to qualify for state-run programs, or in his expansion of volunteerism (see "community organizing", see "liberal political activism") as an exchange for government subsidized college loans, one feels the chill wind that precedes a shift in the culture.

What the Obama campaign's "Take the Day Off for Barack" campaign symbolizes is the all-too-familiar double-standard of the candidate and his followers. On the stump, Obama leans in to the podium when he speaks about the need for America to get back to work, with the exception of days when their services are more useful to him, one man. Mr. Obama should take a lesson from Star Trek's Mr. Spock who lived by the creed that, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," or, in this case, "The One".

Being elected president may get your picture hung in every government office but leadership of people requires respect for their values, not cultivating a culture of adoration for oneself.

I hope that the McCain campaign team are able to find a way of countering the chilling nature of the superficially innocent "Take the Day Off for Barack" push. When viewed as a part of a wave of over-the-top Obamacentrism generated by the Illinois senator's campaign, the clear picture emerges of a man whose ego is not restrained by humility, that response in our psyche that balances us and reminds us of our fellow man. This declaration of Election Day as a pseudo-holiday for Obama sends a tingle through me, but, unlike like some media pundits, mine runs down my spine and not up my leg.

My wish is for McCain to deliberately and loudly call attention to this stunt by cheering Americans to do what they have always done on Election Day - work hard, go to school and vote early. There is much that is great about this country but our ability to arrange our schedules to both work/study and vote is not an amazing feat.

Put another way, if a person's right to vote isn't important enough for them to a) arrange to vote absentee, or b) plan to waken early enough to get to the polls when they open, or c) take advantage of the atrocious early voting laws in many states to find a window of time that works with their schedule, if none of those opportunities seems convenient enough for them, it would seem that taking Election Day off from work or school would just be an excuse to not work or study.

If Obama's run for the White House is successful, can we expect more Barack-themed holidays? Will there be 'Volunteer for Barack Days' and 'Get Green with Barack Days'? Franklin Delano Roosevelt styled himself as the country's omniscient father- America's answer to the USSR's Josef Stalin. Will Americans be invited to fireside chats hosted by our cool Uncle Barack, broadcast live on CNN.com from a Starbucks near you?

America deserves better than to be run by an overgrown kid who just wants everyone to ditch school because he's throwing a pool party. So, please, work on Election Day, vote on Election Day, and but be responsible and cast a ballot for any candidate who isn't whispering in your ear that it's okay to play hookie.

After the Election, How Will We Work to 'Reform' the Media?

2008-10-27T20:18:00.001-07:00

The New York Times has dropped even the pretense of applying a delicate coat of sophistication to their bias. Perhaps this is just a strategy born of the Old Grey Lady's survival impulse, that by leaning hard to the left they might hijack the readership of the Village Voice and thus delay their hastening demise.

The picture accompanying this post was a teaser on the New York Times web edition's Politics main page at midday today. It wasn't an extraordinary experience, finding an example of liberal bias. No cause to bring in Mulder and Scully, but was it an accident that the photog was lined up perfectly for the shot that placed Senator McCain's head in the middle of the bold red 'X' that is is, in fact, the Florida state flag?

Plausible deniability will be the order of the day if some of the bigger blogs notice this image and shake the Times for comment, but it is ultimately the photo editor who chose this one image out of hundreds available of the Republican candidate.

Since the press has advocated the idea that Americans respond to - or even act on - subtle messages embedded within speech and images, we owe it to them to take a moment and consider the potential message being transmitted by the Times' photo. (It is uncredited, so I'm going to assume it belongs to the Times.)

If memory serves me, the bold red 'X' is used most frequently to label something in need of elimination. It is a shorthand, easy for our eye and mind to interpret and store without conscious thought.

Is the Times sending out subliminal orders that McCain is to be "eliminated"? Of course not, but this kind of sophomoric camera work used to be relegated to news blooper segments on The Tonight Show, not applied to the sober business of reporting from the campaign trail.

Does this kind of juvenile antic really rise to a level worth spending a great deal of time talking about? Were the Times' photographer to have carefully lined up Senator Obama so that his cranium was centered betwixt a red 'X', would the NAACP or the DNC have anything to say about it? They would label it inflammatory and say that it might be sending a message that Obama should be targeted and eliminated. My feeling is that such hypothetical charges would be fair and justified.

The media has truly abused its license in its coverage of this election. We rely on the media for information and context, and we need it to be stripped as cleanly as possible of bias, or labeled appropriately in the case of commentary or opinion. Our way of life breaks down without a free and responsible press. This very fact is what makes reform such a challenging proposition.

One would have thought that reform would have been self-imposed, within media organizations, as the market of ideas began to heat up with the ascendancy of Fox News, talk radio and Internet blogging. Instead, the traditional media have attacked those new media and the people who consult them for news and information. The mainstream media are championing the cause of the candidate who is most likely to impose federal guidelines for how the media comment on news, much as the British loyalists of Revolutionary America courted the aristocracy in a vain attempt to gain favor with power as a means of protecting their own way of life.

Our system was built with an elegant attention to checks and balances, to prevent the government ascribing enough power to itself that it would cast aside the "negative liberties" Obama lamented in his 2001 interview on Chicago Public Radio. All of the bodies of government were placed under the watchful guard of the press, who the government was specifically not allowed to tamper with. This is as it should be, but then who stands vigilant over the press to ensure that it does not become drunk with its own power?

With the power to shape opinions, set norms, transmit values - all of that glorious sociological material that you should have been learning in your Communications 101 class - the press is only constrained by how much power the public feeds to them by either being an audience of buying advertisers products. The question for us now is: Are the press acting responsibly, or are they abusing their power?

Place the journalistic and editorial decisions involved in two stories side by side and make a common sense judgment of whether the press is doing their job.

In the case of Joe the Plumber, as the substance of a story begins to hurt Senator Obama, Joe, who questioned the candidate on the nature of the candidate's economic views has reporters investigating his past, digging for dirt. His reputation is sullied; he is smeared.

In another case, a single reporter for a small-town newspaper claims to have heard someone yell, "Kill Him," at a McCain-Palin rally. Although the reporter gives no description of the alleged hate speaker, no other witnesses have reported hearing the remark and Secret Service on the scene do not report hearing or seeing any such event, the story is reported as fact by a variety of willing media sources with the commentary added to imply that the McCain-Palin campaign is generating and tolerating a dangerous culture of hate and violence.

How do we communicate to the communicators that we want balanced reporting? The answer is... competition and consolidation. Maybe an editor or two who don't have Carter campaign buttons in their junk drawer. It would be a start. Since many papers are losing readers, I would think it might don on one or two to try something... different? Who knows? If it worked it might spread to other papers. My guess is that's what they're afraid of, but I would think that unemployment would scare editors more than the distaste they might have for working alongside people with different points of view.

I am not saying that liberal voices in media are a cancer that needs to be excised. America is a fabric of competing ideas, but the ideas must compete honestly in order for the system to properly function. If the 'debate' consists only of contradiction, but does not contain elements of agreement, it fails miserably to arrive at conclusions and only serves to polarize supporters of propositions pro or con.

The media should, at least, be functioning as an impartial referee, sorting through the partisanship to keep both sides honest. As they currently operate, the media is furthering the endemic apathy (verging on nihilistic compulsion) in the public-at-large.

Still, there are signs that the public wants something different. The commencement of a purge in traditional print media begins with the rapid downgrading of New York Times bond issues, this in the same time that non-traditional media are thriving. There will be advancements in how non-traditional media delivers its content that may make it far easier for "small" media to develop the kind of large circulation that big newspapers had at one time. In the entrepreneurial period, there are always opportunities for new content and forms of presentation to emerge. In that phase, the public can have its greatest impact on how news is reported.

The need for reform in our media is great.

The results of a poll done by the Pew Research Center showed that 70% of respondents believed that the media favors Obama to win the upcoming election versus 9% who believe they favor McCain. (You might be surprised to learn that only 8% feel that the media supports neither candidate, but that is actually the highest percentage since the first time the poll was taken during the 1992 election.)

When the election is over, and the ballots have been counted, vetted, and possibly recounted, a discussion of how consumers of media can effect reform will have to occupy some of our attention, regardless of who will occupy the White House next year. The abuses of the media in this election have been committed in pursuit of vengeance against a party they don't like, but with reckless disregard to their ultimate duty in our society, the duty to provide for the "public enlightenment ... by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues." (That's excerpted from the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Context intact.)

The media has a conscience and they know in what instances they have fallen down on their responsibilities. If they feign amnesia, remind them. If they promise to do better, hold them to that promise. Organize a letter-writing campaign to the editor of your least favorite newspaper, detailing stories in which context was tipped to favor one ideology over another. Offer suggestions for creating balance. Do anything except doing nothing.

Most importantly, don't take no for an answer and let them know that you want to take their newspaper every morning, but not until they take their job seriously. We have serious - in some cases, deadly serious - issues to grapple with in the coming years and we need our media news system to be functioning at optimal levels to give us clear information so that we can make sound, informed decisions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Threatens Attacks on London... With Non-Existent Nuclear Arsenal?

2008-10-24T09:10:00.001-07:00

In browsing Brit Hume's Political Grapevine column this morning on FoxNews.com, I found this not-so-surprising morsel:

London Calling

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official says his government should target one of the United States' closest allies to ensure that President Bush does not attack Iran during his final weeks in office.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reports Wahid Karimi was quoted as saying, "The last two months of Bush's presidency... will be the worst days of his presidency for Iran and during them he can exploit his power to carry out political adventurism and an ill-conceived operation. If so, how can we restrain him?"

He adds, "The most appropriate means of deterrence that Iran has, in addition to a retaliatory operation in the [Gulf] region, is to take action against London."

What was shocking was the insinuation of transcontinental strikes against the British capital when Iran has never publicly admitted its use of terrorism to advance it's national foreign policy goals, nor has it even made veiled threats to use extra-national groups to do its bidding. Either this represents a stark change in Iran's policy - embracing the open use of terror as a 'legitimate' form of warfare - or they are signaling some other kind of attacks.

Is there an attack that could be launched on one continent and cause widespread damage in another? Well, sure, the advanced nations of the world could launch a nuclear strike from a continent away, but Iran isn't in that league. Right?

Iran would have to have long-range missile technology as one would expect from a country operating its own space program. They would need to be within months of developing a nuclear payload. They would also have to have a military treaty with a powerful - and heavily armed - ally to discourage immediate retaliation.

If we can't find any evidence of those factors, we can disregard their threats as the rantings of a pariah state.

This looming threat presents a dilemma for Senator Obama, a man who has advocated unilateral disarmament, reductions in defense spending and dismantling our nuclear arsenal? There is every reason to believe that the next decade or two will present America with her greatest challenges since the Civil War. The next president will set the tone for how we address those challenges in national security and the economy, and the first leg of any journey establishes its course. If the first leg of our march through the approaching storm takes us into dangerous territory, such a miscalculation may prove disastrous.

In times of peril, whether they are centered around our corporeal or financial survival, Obama's idealism will only invite conflict. A case in point is Jimmy Carter, a man who met challenges by using his own worldview as his diplomatic playbook. During Carter's time in office, Soviet-styled communism gained a foothold or expanded its grip on every continent. Americans sat helpless and frustrated as our citizens were held hostage for 444 days in Tehran, and the world took note. As Carter conducted experiments on his own theories on international relations, the real world continued on its course.

Obama shows striking similarities to Carter in his willingness to make events a testing ground for his idealistic principles. His attitude toward negotiation - even if he has truly moderated his position from "no preconditions" to something more diplomatically sound - only works if the opposing parties end-game is to achieve diplomatic objectives.

(It sure would have been nice to see his senior thesis on nuclear disarmament negotiations so that we could at least have a basis to begin understanding his philosophy on high-level negotiations. Alas, he is the only person I know who didn't, out of some vanity, keep a copy laying around. Come to mention it, even his wife had a copy of hers on the Princeton library shelves, although it was pulled until after the election.)

Just as Chamberlain believed that Hitler's aggression was a tool used to obtain other concessions, it is never safe to assume that war and conquest are not the goal of your enemy. That is not to say that war is the only end to the troubles with Iran (and please pay attention to Russia skulking along the baseboards) but it does mean that has to be a possibility considered in the calculus of our decision-making process. It is unclear whether Obama truly understands how to work the formula to arrive at a solution that will protect America. He shows more interest in proving an academic point.

The first responsibility of our leaders is to define where our national interests lie and act to protect the lives of Americans. Idealist foreign policies and the leaders who cling to them don't generally cover that territory very well. We can see that in all occasions when Obama has been asked to provide details for how he would handle foreign affairs. He points to the past - the Bush years - as the reason America is on unstable ground, but he offers no definition of what our interests are and how he will protect them.

(It can't go without saying that for someone who has railed against the Bush White House and the war in Iraq, he has gratefully accepted the endorsements of an entire cadre of Bush neo-conservatives and General Powell. If we flip back a few years in our history textbooks you will remember that Powell is the man who "fabricated evidence" according to Jonathan Schwartz writing for Huffington Post on February 5, 2008:

Powell's loyalty to George Bush appears to have extended to a willingness to deceive the United Nations, Americans, and the coalition troops about to be sent to kill and die in Iraq.

Doesn't this completely invalidate Obama's claim that he will be taking the country in a new direction?

Back your regularly-scheduled commentary.)

Without a doubt, there are other issues facing the country, most of them carrying crushing penalties awaiting us if we fail to effectively grapple with them. The potential of violent conflict supercedes all such issues. Jefferson wrote "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" as the rights of Man in that necessary order or priority.

When we hope for better hearts in our enemies, we give them safe passage to strike at our own. Without life there is no liberty, no happiness.

Remember the pigeon.

Harris Poll: McCain Preferred by One Percent of French

2008-10-23T21:09:00.001-07:00

I can think of no better reason to vote for McCain.

Brevity is the shortest path to truth. This one speaks for itself. I grabbed the story from Fox News.

If that didn't do it for you, maybe knowing that the speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijiani, would prefer an Obama presidency will tip the scales. You can peruse that tidbit at the Telegraph UK site.

High Flying Espionage 'Agent' Caught Spying on Iran's Nuclear Facilities

2008-10-22T09:12:00.001-07:00

Remember the Pigeon

As rumors swirl around Iran's nuclear program, it was only a matter of time until a spy would be caught in the act of gathering up-close intelligence. The first prisoner has been taken and we only hope that it will be returned with all of its feathers intact.

You read that right. The first spy caught inside of Iran during this time of international intrigue was nothing other than a pigeon, as reported by the London Telegraph's online edition.

Iran arrests pigeons 'spying' on nuclear site Iranian security forces have arrested two suspected 'spy pigeons' near the Natanz nuclear facility.By Our Foreign Staff
Last Updated: 7:45PM BST 20 Oct 2008One of the pigeons was caught near a rose water production plant in the city of Kashan in Isfahan province, the Etemad Melli newspaper reported. It said that some metal rings and "invisible" strings were attached to the bird, suggesting that it might have been somehow communicating what it had seen with the equipment it was carrying."Early this month, a black pigeon was caught bearing a blue-coated metal ring, with invisible strings," a source told the newspaper.The source gave no further description of the pigeons, nor what their fate might be.Natanz is home to Iran's heavily-bunkered underground uranium enrichment plant, which is also not far from Kashan.The activity at Iran's controversial uranium enrichment facility is the focus of Iran's five-year standoff with the West, which fears it aims to develop nuclear weapons. The Tehran government insists its programme is intended to generate power for civilian use only.Last year, Iran issued a formal protest over the use of espionage by the United States to produce a key intelligence report on the country's controversial nuclear programme.It is also highly suspicious of Israel, whose extensive intelligence activities are not known to include the use of pigeons.

The Western world holds its breath until news of the pigeon's fate is disclosed by Iranian officials. Word is that Amnesty International and PETA are dispatching a special negotiations team to Tehran. More details as events unfold.

US Intelligence Estimates Iranian Nuke by February 2009

2008-10-21T14:42:00.001-07:00

Israel's DebkaFile has reported today that US intelligence sources have briefed government leaders - including the two main presidential candidates, Senators McCain and Obama - on recent changes in the national intelligence estimates regarding Iran's nuclear capability. According to those unconfirmed reports, current estimates indicate that Iran is likely to have built its first nuclear weapon by February of 2009, around the time we will be inaugurating the next president.

This revelation places Senator Biden's tough talking remarks about the challenges Obama would certainly face in a much different - and darker - light. When Biden received this sensitive information about Iran in his intelligence briefing, he had several choices in how to deal with it. Abandoning discretion, Joe opted to share his special knowledge with party insiders.

Like a teenaged boy showing his father's girlie magazines to his friends, Biden giddily teases. In doing so he simultaneously sent a message to voters and our enemies that nothing is secret if it can be used to make Joe look impressive. America's security is of less importance to Biden than the aggrandizement of the egos of he and his running mate.

Will Colin Powell be taking calls from reporters this afternoon? Does he wish to comment on what he thinks an Obama administration should do with a Middle Eastern nation on the verge of obtaining weapons of mass destruction? Or will he simply pass out from the concussion wave emanating from the collision of karma and déjà vu?

The focus of the campaign is shifting swiftly back to foreign policy. Economic security is trumped by issues of survival and a nuclear Iran would seem to fall squarely into the latter category.

We have every reason to believe that this threat is real and it places much of what is happening in the world into sharper relief. We can expect the tone of campaign speeches to become more serious. McCain must use what he can of media coverage and the Internet to force his opponent to finally answer questions that he dodged in the first presidential debate.

How do you see our relationship with Russia, considering Russia's recent strengthening of ties with our enemies in key areas of the world?
How will you address the issue of leaving Iraq, if Iran becomes a belligerent actor armed with atomic weapons?

And the big one:

What will be your criteria for determining when and how to apply the force of the US military?

For those who are worried that Obama may be in trouble if foreign affairs and national security become the point issues in the campaign, put the sleeping pills down. Obama is a skilled campaigner, surrounded by a team of detail-oriented tacticians. In fact, make sure to near a television on October 29th, the night of the planned Obamathon across the major networks. I feel an October Surprise in the wind.

Biden Debuts Obama's 'Speak Loudly and Speak Loudly' Foreign Policy Style

2008-10-20T17:58:00.001-07:00

It happened right here in my hometown of Seattle, WA. (Please-Keep-Him-Just-a-)Senator Joe Biden dropped what could become his most serious gaffe of them all.

"Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking," Biden said.

"Remember I said it standing here. if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he's gonna have to make some really tough -- I don't know what the decision's gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's gonna happen," Biden continued.

Does the Obama-Biden ticket view international terrorism and geopolitics as a kind of Survivor challenge? Machismo has no place in foreign relations because it winds up costing jobs, lives or both.

The hubris of the Obama-Biden ticket has now reached critical mass, Biden's recent remarks outshining even the "take 'em out" bravado displayed by Obama in comments about how to deal with Osama bin Laden in his ilk.

Biden's prediction should entirely erase the perception that he is a skilled diplomat. Loud talk is usually a replacement for a will to act, as most career statesmen will note. I suppose we can expect Joe to next begin conspicuously professing his bedroom prowess for all to hear?

I am now getting a clear vision of what the Obama Doctrine will look like in action and if you have a billowy white shirt, a cutlass and a rope to swing down on your enemies from, you can play along yourself. So much for that Obama rhetoric about the need to repair America's damaged reputation in the world.

It is ironic that Biden and Obama sound hungry to practice the kind of "cowboy diplomacy" that the Bush administration has been accused of, and this may be the beginning of the end. Perhaps this is all designed to generate backwind behind a slogan reaching as-of-yet untapped Obama voters, the Cowboy Left?

We can take our lessons, however, from the great Greek tragedies, in which the mighty are quickly felled by their own pride and arrogance when even their followers can no longer recognize the righteousness in their crusade. Unfortunately, in those stories it takes years for destiny to correct the balance and we only have two weeks.

Cross-posted at Sound Politics Public Blog.

NYT: Please Be Advised that Voting May Be Hazardous to Your Life, and Your Child's

2008-10-19T11:32:00.001-07:00

From the same newspaper that has reported eloquently and abundantly on the bogeyman of Republican use of fear politics, the Old Grey Lady raises her cane to deliver a double-whammy of paranoia to those readers still shackled to the carefully crafted words on her faded pages.

Whammy number one: Polling places may become magnets for violence on the day of the election.

Whammy number two: Wait a second, doesn't your child's school serve as a polling place?

They're pulling out all of the stops, reaching into the deepest recesses of the bag of tricks for what can hypereuphemistically be called "election enhancements" for the Democrat cause.

The implication is made clear in the third paragraph of the piece (emphasis added):

“School districts across the country now spend millions of dollars each year on controlling access to buildings with locked doors and surveillance cameras to keep strangers out,” said Kenneth Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services, an advocacy group, in Cleveland. “In a post-Columbine, post-9/11 world, we shouldn’t be opening the doors at our schools on Election Day, and just hoping everything will be O.K.”

With no evidence indicated in the rest of the article that government law enforcement agencies were in any heightened state of readiness, or had indications of actual planned attacks, this kind of fear-mongering would seem to have only one purpose; to keep people from going to the polls and provide whatever candidate wished to embrace the paranoia a tool to assume a mantle of victimhood for their followers. (If you need a hint to solve the mystery of who might pick it up just do a web search for news items containing terms racial, violence and election to perform your own analysis.)

Then look up "Odinga".

The ability to vote without fear has been what has separated us from less civilized parts of the world where power is consolidated through the manipulation of basic instincts for survival.

Are we to become the "thugocracy" that Michael Barone feels is our future? If the populace responds to the New York Times obvious attempt to spread fear through false mirroring of popular opinion, maybe that is the path we are on.

God save America and her perpetual determination to coddle only one fear - the loss of her freedom - and confront all threats to our liberty.

Cross-posted at Sound Politics Public Blog.

What's More Important than The Economy?

2008-10-17T10:22:00.001-07:00

This report comes from The Debka Review:

Russian live missile fire air exercise near Alaska
DEBKAfile Special Report
4 Oct.: Not since 1984, just before the fall of the Soviet Union, has Russia ventured to launch dozens of nuclear bombers for an exercise in which Tu-95 Bear bombers will fire live cruise missiles. Exercise Stability 2008 will take place Oct.-6-12 over sub-Arctic Russia, uncomfortably close to Alaska.

The exercise is part of a month-long war game described by Russian air force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik as “practicing the strategic deployment of the armed forces including the nuclear triad.”

As part of the exercise, our sources reported exclusively on Oct. 1, that Russian ships armed with nuclear missiles will dock at Syrian ports Oct. 8, on the eve of Yom Kippur, before continuing to the Caribbean for joint maneuvers with Venezuela

Read the full story here.

If you didn't hear anything about this in the media, it's because the entire nation is distracted by the presidential campaign and the economic crisis. The downplaying of the Russian threat within the dialogue of the election is actually prudent - public statements or shoe-pounding will set a Cold War into high gear and make it harder to pursue other foreign policy strategies. The media's ignoring of these events, including:

The Russian Navy's maneuvers in the Caribbean, also to include live fire missile drills
Russian-Venezuelan military cooperation and sales of newest generation military tech to Syria, Iran and Venezuela, to name a few buying nations
Russia's intentions to build a space complex in Cuba, a potential back door for military missile hardware and technology
A large funding increase to allow Russia to complete the expansion and upgrades of GLONASS, their global satellite navigation system
Suspected sales of S-300 anti-aircraft and anti-missile missile systems to Iran, to be used in defense of a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities

There are many reasons to suspect that Russia may have determined that their fastest route to economic strength and international relevance is to become a hegemonic power, in much the same that the United States did in the wake of the Spanish-American War and following World War II.

There will be more posts on this as additional events occur.

Cross-posted at Dancing with Bears.

Deconstructing Obama's Big Con: Tax Cuts + Net Spending Decrease = Budget Nirvana? Never Gonna Happen

2008-10-17T08:41:00.001-07:00

The Three-card Monte game is a Beltway mainstay of budget politics.

The President proposes a budget with both increases and cuts to Congress.
The Congress reviews the budget, rejecting cuts and proposing additional spending.
The appearance of debate and budget-wrangling ensues as elected representatives and White House officials offer comments replete with heavy sighs, rolled eyes and furrowed brows.
After much hand-wringing, both sides of the budget "debate" emerge to announce that a budget deal has been reached and the public receive their cue to rejoice and applaud the hard work of Congress.

Obama is thinking ahead and deliberately perpetrating an illusion to the voters about his game plan for the budget. He is guaranteed that his promise of unspecific spending cuts is not only impossible, but he can promise them without worrying that they will ever affect his ability to spend when tax revenues begin to fall.

Although the Chicago senator's egomania has no apparent bounds, and at times he speak as if President Obama's word alone would have the force of law (reference his comments about revising Canadian trade agreements), and he has never actually participated in the budget process except to vote for passage, even with all of those road signs for our review, he is still aware that any budget he proposes will require approval from a Congress that will possibly have a bullet-proof Democrat supra-majority.

If elected, Obama will not fight Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to follow through on some vague promise he made on the campaign trail, a promise he most likely has no intention of keeping. By making no specific promises about cuts, he ensures that in 2010 no voter can ask, "Why didn't you cut [insert your own budget gripe here] when you said during the campaign that you would?"

The only exception to a cut has been Obama's repeated reference to how the spending on the war in Iraq has dragged on the economy, implying a withdrawal or significant reduction in military presence. Even if we give him that one, it can't cover all of the spending he wants to do and we're going to have to have a long debate over how a withdrawal would affect our national security and global interest.

The absence of bullet points in the spending cuts portion of the Obama plan is premeditated. The strategy is simultaneously brilliant and sinister.

The whole budget song and dance from the Obama campaign is just more empty talk from an empty suit.

Cross-posted on Sound Politics Public Blog.

Video: This is the John McCain I Know and Love

2008-10-17T06:01:00.001-07:00

Watch this FoxNews coverage of last night's Alfred E. Smith dinner in New York. John McCain absolutely flattens the crowd and roasts Obama is sitting a few chairs away on the dais.

I laughed out loud and it renewed my faith in the potential for McCain ability to regain momentum. Please take the time out of your day to watch the entirety of both videos. In a time of economic crisis and an uncertain political landscape, this will really cheer you up.

Cross-posted at Sound Politics Public Blog.

Senator Obama, Chicken or Fish?; Obama: "Both"

2008-10-16T15:50:00.001-07:00

Leadership is Understanding That You Can't Have it All

Senator Obama has made perfectly clear in his rhetoric on the campaign trail and his debate performances that he lacks a vital skill required of our leaders - the ability to prioritize.

From last night's debate:

BOB SCHIEFFER: "Given the current economic situation, would either of you now favor controlling health care costs over expanding health care coverage?..."

SENATOR OBAMA: "We've got to do both."

Later that same evening:

SCHIEFFER: "The question is this: the U.S. spends more per capita than any other country on education. Yet, by every international measurement, in math and science competence, from kindergarten through the 12th grade, we trail most of the countries of the world.

The implications of this are clearly obvious. Some even say it poses a threat to our national security.

Do you feel that way and what do you intend to do about it?

OBAMA: "...what's happened is that there's been a debate between more money or reform, and I think we need both."

The "little guy" of which Obama often speaks - with uninvited paternalism - is going to have to make choices when the economy becomes harsher, as it almost certainly will become. When a new car seems desirable, but an average American family is only meeting the obligations of their mortgage or rent and other living expenses, they won't have the option of saying, "Both." Once the bills come due the scat hits the fan.

"Both" is simply an irresponsible answer in any economic times, much less hard ones.

It's easy for Obama to be the party-crasher raiding all of the shrimp on the buffet table because someone else is paying. If we are unfortunate enough to fail to elect McCain, I am sure he will have loads of fun finding ways to spend all of our money on his programs.

Most importantly, the Obama Doctrine of Ambivalence obscures from the political agenda Obama and his sycophants have been trying to hide at all costs: pure, unadulterated socialism. By dodging questions with such an answer, he avoids having to give the American people the truth.

- Senator Obama proposes billions of dollars in new spending in specific programs.

- He states that he has spending cuts that will make his budget a net spending decrease.

- On each occasion that Obama has been asked to identify where those cuts will be made, he has neglected to give an answer.

- Conclusion A: There are no spending cuts. We will have only spending increases which with Obama's regressive tax policy will create the need to increase taxes on everyone.

- Conclusion B: The secret of the Obama budget is that he will be getting 100% of his spending paid for by a complete withdrawal from Iraq, and possibly from Afghanistan. He alluded to that in the first debate. Our increased spending will be paid for in the bloodbath that will ensue in the Middle East when Obama pulls out prematurely.

Those are just Obama's plans for our money. What he may be remaining silent about are ideas about how to redesign American lives to fit utopian goals. The temptation will be strong for government to grapple with the economic crisis, climate change and national security in ways that infringe upon the sovereignty of its citizens. Will Obama protect those rights?

Whenever I don't have a track record to judge I always fall back on who a person associates with and use that to provide a kind of triangulation of ideology to make an educated guess as to what their policy goals might be.

- Bill Ayers. Anti-American, domestic terrorist, founder of a radical group wishing to crush American democratic capitalism and raise a system based on the principles of Marx and Lenin.

- Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Preacher who believes in Zionist conspiracies and African identity before American identity of blacks in America.

- Tony Rezko. Convicted felon and former fundraiser for Obama's earlier political campaigns. Well versed in the "Chicago Style" of politics; using power to intimidate enemies and squeeze everyone else for the ultimate purpose of maintaining power.

If American voters can't read these tea leaves for themselves, we are all in big trouble.

Cross-posted at Sound Politics Public Blog.

Ignore the Media Vultures; Come In From the Rain, Have a Cup of Joe and Take a Look at this Morning's Polls Numbers

2008-10-16T07:34:00.001-07:00

One Post-Debate Politico.com Snap Poll Finds McCain Capturing Majority of Independents

Even among many conservative commentators this morning there seems to be a shift in focus, away from winning and toward dealing with the eventuality of an Obama presidency.

It is not time to drink the Kool-aid, and there are reasons to ignore the funhouse mirror the major media are using to instruct us on what most of our fellow Americans are thinking.

The results of the poll commissioned by Politico.com and conducted by InsiderAdvantage, with a margin of error of plus/minus 3 points, found that, overall, Obama won last night's debate by a 49-46 margin. However, among respondents stating no party identification McCain was judged the winner 52-41. With some states still showing sizable percentages of undecided voters, this may be a ray of light for the McCain campaign.

Polls, as always, should be viewed with a great deal of skepticism, but with the national Rasmussen poll showing McCain pulling to within 4 points for the first time since the end of September it should be enough reason to postpone implementing your Obama Survival Plan.

Cross-posted on Sound Politics Public Blog.

MichelleMalkin.com: The House That Fraud Lives In

2008-10-15T07:02:00.001-07:00

No one has done better reporting on the tidal wave of voter fraud than Michelle Malkin. Please read her lead story this morning that describes how Democrat activists have been using Ohio as a clearing house to register as absentees.

This really is Chicago-style politics, plain and simple. All indications are that there may be hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes being cast in Ohio. The Democrats have disarmed good-natured Republicans to a large degree because of their lunacy in 2000 and 2004 over phantom voter fraud. We know what the media and the left will do to the GOP if we legally challenge this election.

Has the left won? Only if we lay down and give up the fight. Now is not the time to turn the other cheek and be gracious.

Cross-posted at Sound Politics Public Blog.

McCain Gives Stage-Setting Speech in Virginia Leading Up to Debate

2008-10-13T15:53:00.001-07:00

I don't know how many times Senator McCain can come out of the political coma his campaign keeps lapsing into, but his speech this morning in Virginia Beach, VA, is certainly an indication that John S. Lazarus McCain III is rising once again.

The only place I found the entire speech was on McCain's own website. Follow this direct link to take you to a page that has a full video and the text of his speech. The speech begins almost immediately.

(Make sure to watch Governor Palin's expressions of genuine admiration as she listens to the speech from behind him on the stage.)

Intuition guides me to think that if the McCain campaign can wrangle the right kind of media coverage, this speech will be the stage-setter and McCain will carry the momentum into the last debate. His strategy appears to be to use this last verbal clash to put everything out there, and Obama will not have the "next time" to improve. Ordinarily, saying that McCain's entire campaign rides on this debate would be considered hyperbole and cliche. In this case, it is not an exaggeration.

It's no wonder that I couldn't find the speech in its entirety on CNN.com. Why it wasn't available on FoxNews.com, I can't explain.

Is Biden Freelancing at CNN?

2008-10-13T15:31:00.001-07:00

Someone needs to remind CNN that in 1933 the US still had yet to experience the worst of the Great Depression.

Should this be filed under "Failed Education System" or "Media Ineptitude"?

First person to comment to the post with even a vague understanding of why this style of reporting is dangerous in a time of economic volatility wins my everlasting respect.

Troopergate: No Common Wisdom Gained from Brame Tragedy?

2008-10-11T11:58:00.001-07:00

Putting the Palin's Troopergate "Intervention" into Perspective

Imagine that we are back in the early months of 2003. Governor Gary Locke has gained personal knowledge of a police chief who may be a danger to his wife, possibly others. Locke brings the full power of his office to bear on having this officer removed from his position and ordered into treatment, thus averting what we know actually happened - the public slaying of Crystal Brame and subsequent public suicide of Tacoma Police Chief David Brame?

Would we have considered Locke's actions an abuse of power? Knowing human nature, we would have dragged our governor in front of ethics panels just as Palin's enemies in Alaska are doing to her now. Because of our hindsight, we know that would have been a wrong thing to do, just as the investigation of Governor Sarah Palin, without consideration of the motivation for her actions, is wrong today.

When you hear people using Troopergate as a reason to attack Palin, take the time to have them remember that in the months following David Brame's psychotic slaughter or his wife we all were enraged at the code of silence that allowed Brame to continue his downward spiral without impedance. We demanded that the code of loyalty among law enforcement officials not extend to covering for officers who were dangerous. We told our elected officials that they should have done something.

Where are those close to the Brame tragedy in speaking out in defense of Palin? They are us, and we are them. We were all close to that tragedy in the way that it confronted us with the reality that our system had become so reticent and willing to sacrifice a woman's safety in the cause of department unity.

We can use the hindsight gained from that senseless failure of human intuition to see the wisdom in what Palin and her family were doing by challenging a system in Alaska that was not interested in dealing with a violent individual who was authorized to enforce the law with a badge and a gun. She did the right thing and we must begin standing up for people who do the right thing. If we do not, we are sending the message that courage will always be punished and more tragedies will follow.

Cross-posted at Sound Politics Public Blog.

Taking Down a Messiah: It's a Grass Roots Thing

2008-10-10T09:04:00.001-07:00

There are large numbers of voters out there who have yet to understand the relevance of Senator Obama's associations with left-wing radical extremists. I don't blame them, really, because the on-stage Obama talks like a Clinton Democrat - middle of the road; a staunch defender of the middle class and promoter of America as a global economic force. The accusation that he has a socialist agenda just doesn't seem to fit because, in order for Obama's soul to be wedded to the far left, he would have to be lying (gasp!) about what he truly believes just in order to get elected. This could not happen because, as we all know, politicians never lie in order to fulfill their political ambitions.

The truth is that when you turn down the volume on the Obama "White Noise" Machine (yes, that is a direct reference to Don DeLillo's novel, and if you don't get the reference you should read the book), and examine the path of his rise to power, a realization emerges that Obama is not the skilled politician we are supposed to admire him to be, or he is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Obama's eventual denouncement of Reverend Wright was done only for political expedience, as anyone who reads Obama's Dreams from my Father can learn for themself. (Check it out from the library to avoid putting any more money in Obama's pocket.) He was aware of, and attracted to, the Reverend's extreme beliefs, and they fit in nicely with Obama's own racially-tinted worldview which is described in great, glorious detail in his own words in his best-selling book.

To what extent does Obama share Rev. Wright's feelings about Jews? It isn't entirely clear and Obama has not been outspoken enough in making his differences clear on that specific issue. Perhaps he is satisfied to keep certain communities guessing, using racial politics to his advantage. Or maybe the message he sends to Israel by suggesting that he would meet with Ahmadinejad without pre-conditions is also a coded message of solidarity to the anti-Semitic factions of the left?

Obama's spectacular flamenco dance around the Bill Ayers association is also an amazing display of distraction tactics. Logic and American wisdom are all that is needed to cut through the stagecraft.

If Obama was a mover and a shaker in Chicago politics, and Ayers hosted his coming out party to the Dem apparatus, and he dined on occasion with Ayers and his wife, and he worked on committees with Ayers, and Ayers and his wife were giving interviews to Connie Chung in which they beamed with pride about their terrorist agenda while operating the Weathermen, and Obama was supporting educational programs that paralleled Ayer's own ideas, if all of those things (and more, but I fear that this run-on sentence will soon become lethal) are occurring within the same time scope, is it still plausible for Obama to recite the story that he wasn't aware of Ayers radical beliefs? If so, I think Orwell just lost a side bet with Stalin in the great beyond.

Even with all of the mainstream media assistance, McCain and Palin having turned up the heat on these connections has begun to force the Obama campaign to subject us all to more laughable explanations (see "lies" in your Berlitz Axelrod-to-English Dictionary) and I think the time is right for public common sense to kick in and break the trance in which these snake-charmers have placed millions of Americans.

The event horizon in which undecided voters make decisions is around 4 or 5 days, meaning that whatever the main street or water cooler buzz is in the 5 days leading up to the election will have a large impact on those voters who were not already voting along party lines. Even those who may have professed a decision to choose one candidate over another, might be prone flip-flop depending on late-breaking changes in the conversation.

(Side Note: When you analyze poll numbers, look closely. Obama leads are not as juggernaut-like as one might think from listening to CNN or MSNBC.)

If a late break for McCain is to occur - as happened for Truman and Kennedy - it will come as a result of both campaign efforts and grass roots, friend-to-friend melee. To deny Obama the privilege of making the White House his final stepping stone in a political career that seems to have benefited only Barack Obama, and not the people he has made promises to, each person is going to have to be willing to bravely conduct their own 25-day political campaign.

Unleash the politician within yourself. Be prepared to put your ideas on the line and persuading people you know to consider carefully who they are going to vote for. Keep coming back to this blog and others for talking points. I, for one, will try and give you solid, non-confrontational ways to start these conversations, and we'll avoid the kind of extreme lunacy that turns off the average person. This won't be won by making attacks, it will be won by winning the overall battle of ideas, and that can be done.

Keep coming back in these final weeks of the election season. Send your friends, too. Don't be afraid of ridicule. We all differ in opinions; you have the right to yours, and we all have the responsibility to keep an open mind. Our job is to challenge those open minds that are left in this country and make the case for voting for McCain.

Cross-posted at Sound Politics Public Blog.

Unequal Time

Unequal Time is growing, moving and shaking

Rules Committee Constrains Debate and Review of Stimulus Bill

Wax Out of Their Ears, Finally, Congress Agrees to Compromise Stimulus

TV Preview: Important Things with Demetri Martin Premieres Feb. 11 at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central

Team Obama Kicks Off Largest Group Therapy Session in Human History

More Newsbits from Post-Racial America - January 24th, 2009

Is the Obama Presidency a Bellwether of American Ingenuity on Its Deathbed?

I Smell a Whiff of Clinton Around the New York Senate Story

Newsbits from Post-Racial America

In the Wake of the Inauguration: A Layman's Response to the President's Speech

Inauguration Speech Quick Hits

Is Flag Desecration by Obama Supporters Another Sign of the President-elect's 'Man-Crush' on Lincoln?

Expansionist Statements of Russian Naval High Command Are Cause for Concern

Are You Ready 'All Obama, All the Time' Streaming Web Programming?

The Bailout Game: A Fun Way to Waste Time While the Economic Crisis Rages On

Viaduct Plans Perpetuate Wasteful Attitude of State and Local Officials

Slate: President-elect Obama Needs Help With His Homework

TV Review: "The Diplomat" Blends High-Stakes Espionage and Drama

Blago Steps Off High Board Into Swan Dive, Smiling

An Early Merry Christmas and Note of Thanks

Some People Are Tossing More Than Loose Change in Those Little Red Pails

Seattle Corners the Market on Homeless Hypocrisy

The Anti-Green Holiday Synchronized Light Display; Love It

Change.gov or Ministry of Truth?

Movie Review: "Dragon Hunters" Will Dazzle Audiences Uninitiated in French Animated Artistry

BREAKING: President-elect Asking for Illinois Governor to Resign

Connection Between Team Obama and Gov. Blagojevich?

Illinois Governor's Arrest Gives Us Another Fine Example of CNN Balance

Dan Rather: Our Least Appreciated Constitutional Scholar

Russian Navy Training Extends to Indian Ocean

Common Sense Descends Upon Amsterdam

The Only Thing Swinging At (or Near) Seattle's Safeco Field Should Be Mariners' Bats

BREAKING: O.J. Sentenced to Jail Time

Russia and Iran Running Hand-in-Hand to the Finish Line

Speaker Pelosi's Regime, Combined with 'Kitchen Sink' Proposals, Will Extend Detroit's Decline

Will the Obama Birth Certificate Story Ever Die?

Obama’s Promise of Renewing American Diplomacy With Europe: D.O.A.

Happy Thanksgiving

Castro to Obama: Take Your Flag Back

It's Time to Bail Out the Seattle Times

How Can the U.S. Military Maintain a Positive Image with Americans?

Are Americans Really Informed Enough to Even Cast Reasoned Ballots?

Michael Medved at Seattle's Town Hall

NYT Sources: Iran Has Enough Material for One Nuclear Bomb

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) Retains Key Chairmanship of Homeland Security

Unequal Time's "Fairness Doctrine" Post Linked by HotAir.com

LA Times Media Commentator Says Fairness Doctrine Paranoia Is Baseless; Millions of Conservatives Breathe a Sigh of Relief

Obama Administration's Vetting Questionnaire: Cuts Like a Knife

When Times Are Tough, the Obama Campaign Wants to Sell You Another Campaign Tee-Shirt

Hank Paulson is On the Loose and We Were Concerned About Palin's Wardrobe Expenditures?

A Special Veterans Day Message

Transition Spokesperson Establishes President-elect Obama as 'Ruler'

Looking to the Future: America version 44.0

Is The Mainstream Media Just As Smart As They Are Partisan? You Betcha.

Vote Fraud in Oakdale: What We're Fighting Against

Two pre-marked ballots discovered at precinct

By J.N. Sbranti jsbranti@modbee.com

My Predictions: Does McCain Have a Legitimate Chance? Absolutely.

Advice for Obama Press Corps: Keep Your 'Chute Handy

LA Times: Providing Asylum For Democrat Politicians In Need

Make Tonight Family Game Night Until 8:30ET, In Defense of Baseball and the American Way

Save the Date: More Obamacentric Lunacy on Election Day

After the Election, How Will We Work to 'Reform' the Media?

Iranian Foreign Minister Threatens Attacks on London... With Non-Existent Nuclear Arsenal?

Harris Poll: McCain Preferred by One Percent of French

High Flying Espionage 'Agent' Caught Spying on Iran's Nuclear Facilities

US Intelligence Estimates Iranian Nuke by February 2009

Biden Debuts Obama's 'Speak Loudly and Speak Loudly' Foreign Policy Style

NYT: Please Be Advised that Voting May Be Hazardous to Your Life, and Your Child's

What's More Important than The Economy?

Deconstructing Obama's Big Con: Tax Cuts + Net Spending Decrease = Budget Nirvana? Never Gonna Happen

Video: This is the John McCain I Know and Love

Senator Obama, Chicken or Fish?; Obama: "Both"

Ignore the Media Vultures; Come In From the Rain, Have a Cup of Joe and Take a Look at this Morning's Polls Numbers

MichelleMalkin.com: The House That Fraud Lives In

McCain Gives Stage-Setting Speech in Virginia Leading Up to Debate

Is Biden Freelancing at CNN?

Troopergate: No Common Wisdom Gained from Brame Tragedy?

Taking Down a Messiah: It's a Grass Roots Thing

By J.N. Sbranti
jsbranti@modbee.com