Sunday, January 28, 2007
It’s only taken 3 1/2 years
But at some point later today, I should be passing the 200,000 unique visitor mark. As of this entry, there were 199,971, so it should happen right around noon local (3pm Eastern).
Whoever you happen to be, Mr./Mrs. Number 200,000, welcome!
UPDATE: 199,988 @ 11:26am local and counting…
UPDATE 2: 200,000th at 12:31 pm local. Thank you, whoever you were! 
Four-Star Rating
Here’s your homework assignment for this week: I want you to actually start paying attention to televised or radio advertisements that use phrases like “25% more” or “three times better”, where you are given a comparison or rating without being told what the baseline measurements actually were, or what the scale is.
When you hear that a hotel has “earned four stars”, ask “out of how many? And who says?” Four stars out of four is pretty good, but four out of five is less so, and four out of 100 is actually pretty piss-poor.
When you hear that a cleaner “kills more germs”, ask “kills more than what?” Plain hot water will kill some germs, agitating it by rubbing your hands together will off a few more, and adding ordinary soap will do even better. And compared to a baseline level of what, swimming in raw sewage?
Maybe it’s just me, but every time I hear those kind of claims, the amused skeptic in me asks these kinds of questions. If you aren’t doing the same thing, then let me assure you that regular readers of this blog enjoy life 25% more! 
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Well, it’s about time!
It’s almost as though someone finally realized that we were at war or something…
Throughout history, one of the standards of intertribal and international relations has been the inviolability of official messengers, and the leader who violates that immunity is held in the worst possible light. Over the centuries, it has evolved into the two-word phrase: “Diplomatic Immunity”, wherein the envoys and Ambassadors between nations (and, eventually, their official staffs) were immune from detention while in that foreign nation. The worst punishment allowed was to declare the offender “Persona Non Grata”
Between nations with regular communication and trade, it was deemed easier to obtain permanent quarters in the host nation and declare those locations as legally equivalent to the “Home Soil” of their sponsoring government, and equally immune from invasion. Violation of this tradition was considered serious enough to qualify as a ‘Casus Belli’ or Act Of War.
This has actually been codified into international law, and is known as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
So when armed forces, either overtly directed or passively permitted by the host nation, invades an embassy or consulate of a foreign power, that is an Act of War between the offended nation and the host government, just as though the armed forces of the host nation had actually sent troops across the international border.
When the Iranian “students” invaded the United States Embassy in Teheran on November 4, 1979, and the government of that country refused to exert its civil/police power to restore the protection and freedoms of those hostages, they became complicit in the hostile acts. And so a State of War came about between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
So why is it only now that the government is allowing our military to actually fight this war?
The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran’s influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort.
For more than a year, U.S. forces in Iraq have secretly detained dozens of suspected Iranian agents, holding them for three to four days at a time. The “catch and release” policy was designed to avoid escalating tensions with Iran and yet intimidate its emissaries. U.S. forces collected DNA samples from some of the Iranians without their knowledge, subjected others to retina scans, and fingerprinted and photographed all of them before letting them go.
Last summer, however, senior administration officials decided that a more confrontational approach was necessary, as Iran’s regional influence grew and U.S. efforts to isolate Tehran appeared to be failing. The country’s nuclear work was advancing, U.S. allies were resisting robust sanctions against the Tehran government, and Iran was aggravating sectarian violence in Iraq.
“There were no costs for the Iranians,” said one senior administration official. “They are hurting our mission in Iraq, and we were bending over backwards not to fight back.”
An Interesting Point
I was flipping around the web and I ran across an interesting - and, to my IANAL eyes, immediately conclusive - point of Constitutional Law regarding reparations “owed” to African-Americans for the consequences of the slave trade.
Back when our Founding Fathers were contemplating everything that was wrong with their previous form of government, and writing their prohibition into the codified Law Of The Land (aka, the US Constitution), one of the things they ran across was the English common law practice of punishing those who had nothing to do with the criminal acts of the accused. If an office holder in England were impeached and removed from office, not only would they suffer the punishment designated by the Crown, but their family and descendents would also be subject to the loss of property and titles. This was referred to as ”Corruption of Blood”.
The only crime specifically defined in the Constitution - therefore, presumably, one of the worst crimes imaginable under that Constitution - was Treason, and the Founders went so far as to specifically forbid this practice as a punishment. (Even murder is not a crime against the Federal Government, but against the citizens of a specific State/Commonwealth.)
So why should reparations be levied against people or businesses who are not guilty of any crimes, simply because of a shift in morality and law from more than a century ago? That is, by extension, an unConstitutional act. (If you can’t do it for the very worst crime imaginable, then you cannot levy it for lesser crimes. That would be the equivalent of outlawing the Death Penalty for cop killers, but then requiring it for a billing dispute with a Book-Of-The-Month club - scroll down and read the story).
The reparations to those Japanese who were interned in camps here in the US during WW2 were to those specific individuals who had actually been stuck in those camps. If those who are in favor of slavery reparations against the United States government and her citizens can produce a single living person who was actually held as a slave under US law, then no amount of reparations would be too much.
If.
Until that day, however, STFU and GBTW.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
If you had to draft a platform
... for a political party that accurately represented your views straight down the line, what would those viewpoints be?
Seriously, there are numerous subjects of interest for the various local, state and Federal political parties, and different ways to look at them.
I think a major problem is that these parties view all of these subjects as “problems to be solved” and then try to sell the concept that they are the only ones capable of solving that particular problem, completely ignoring the cyclical nature of most domestic issues (such as unemployment and inflation) and the general inability to effectively control international events.
There are legal and moral issues (such as abortion and recreational drug use), economic and philosophical (such as tax rates and level of governmental control over individuals).
In case you were looking for ideas, the Republican’s platform from 2004 can be found here and the Democrat’s platform is here. The Libertarian’s platform is here, the Green Party’s platform is here, and the ever-microscopic Peace And Freedom Party’s platform here.
Where would this hypothetical party stand on abortion? Letting the gheys marry? Tax rates? Flat Tax or Progressive? Bigger government or cut everything not mandated by the Constitution? War on Drugs? War on Poverty? War on Terror?
If I’m gonna run for President, I need to know where my constituents stand…
I wish I’d written it
Dammit.
On the other hand, it is a joy to read.
As usual.
Dammit.
A Curious Trend
Maybe it’s just me…
But has anyone else noticed that the “human interest stories” being broadcast by the morning “news” programs are about charitable kind of stories, where someone gives a lot of money to some “worthy” cause.
I seem to remember that similar stories in years past included the occasional “self-made success”, where one individual ignored a crappy upbringing and went out and created a thriving business or graduated college summa cum laude or bootstrapping him- or herself into a success story that might inspire others to emulate their example.
But the focus now seems to be getting rich people to voluntarily give things to the poor, rather than inspiring the poor how hard work can make a difference.
Anyone else notice this?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
This wouldn’t do me any good whatsoever
But maybe some of you out there could do some good with it.
I live in California, and my Senators are Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, so they wouldn’t care less if I withhold any fundraising contributions from Republican candidates. However, most of the rest of you can put this to good use.
If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution.
Go over and sign the Pledge.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
I’m Normal!
Well, I’m at least among the majority…
...a new study conducted by Kelton Research on behalf of SupportSoft finds that 65 percent of Americans spend more time with their computer than with their spouse or significant other.
Almost two out of three.
Feels good to be on the inside for once…
My Favorite Cartoon
For those who have not yet seen it, now is the time to introduce you to my absolute favorite animated film of all time. I realize that others might have alternative opinions, but this one is mine.
Liveblogging the SOTU…2007
Well...here we go.....
Timely updates, and scintillating commentary. As I drink beer and get the kids to bed. Sound off if you’re on board, and I’ll check the comments often, to comment on the comments.
8:47 PM: Just walked in from a performance...a fun time with some really uppity people,and a lot of Bush-bashing....it’s OK, though, they paid me $150 to play a drum for an hour. Not bad, huh?
8:48: Flipping on Fox News here...O’Riley’s talking to Dick Morris, and Morris is talking about how important Iraq is...and he makes a good point. Everything is going pretty well in America, and everything BUT Iraq is going along right smartly. However, the headhunters are all making noise about how bad Iraq is. That’s the only thing that really, really hurts the POTUS, because life (the economy, the weather, gas prices, etc.) is pretty damned good right now. Ah..another thing....Dick Morris really thinks HRC would be a disaster as POTUS...he was on Hannity, and he was decimating her.
8:55: Obama is coming into the chamber now....he’s a lightweight. Really. But oh, do the white liberals wnt him to beat Hillary! I am really going to be curious how the Democrats react to Bush...they have a real opportunity to make asses out of themselves....now the naming of the escort group. Remember, her gavel belongs to the children.
8:58: Brit Hume just said that the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate told their people to be polite. We’ll see.
8:59: Bush is always on time for this, and this speech is supposed to last 41 minutes without applause. Let’s see how long it lasts. And, let’s see how many Democrats are on the aisle to shake Bush’s hand....of course, they will go out tomorrow and character-assassinate him. Hypocrites.
9:02: SCOTUS and the Cabinet has come. Will there be any protesters tonight? Yes or no?
9:04: Fred Barnes says that this SOTU won’t have a lot of emphasis on Iraq, and will be non-confrontational. Look for a lot of “Compassionate conservatism”. Kondrake is saying that POTUS will ask for patience. The woman that is there (didn’t get her name) is saying that he will talk about the things that concern Americans about their own lives. Krystal just said that Pelosi was a step up from the person back there last year.....well, that might be a stretch, but at least she’s a winner. UN-fortunately.
9:09: Did Kucinich just introduce the POTUS? Oh, from Q and O: : Apparently, Michael J. Fox has managed to get into the First Lady’s box.
I love saying that.
9:11: Here he is....damn...these people sure love him right now.....Pelosi says “...High privilege...” Right...what a bunch of hooey. “Madame Speaker...” Big cheer for Her Who Has Botox. I’m ready to get to it. Congratulates her. Nice. Now, she’ll feel bad for a half-second before she trashes him tomorrow. A quick word to the ill members (one of whom is Johnson from Minnesota).
9:14: We must have the courage to face our enemies, and we must do it together. First olive branch to Dems, but reminds them that we have one purpose..to “Guard America against all evil..” Our citizens don’t care which side of the aisle we sit on, as long as we can cross it to get the job done.
9:17: Ecomony is strong. 41 months of growth, 7.2 million jobs created. Three economic reforms. Balance the federal budget. We can do so without raising taxes. Big cheer from the right side of thr aisle. We need spending discipline. Met the goal of cutting the deficit 50% two years early. Restrain spending together......I think they could have done this already.
9:20: Addressing earmarks now. He didn’t sign them into law, but they are treated as law. Bush wants to cut earmarks by 50% by the end of the session.
9:21: Addressing entitlements now. If we have good sense and will, we can save SS and Medicare if we act now.
9:22: On to educational reform. NCLB pat on the back, and a little bit about local control and a heavy hint for school choice (vouchers). Strengthen math and science. Please reauthorize No Child Left Behind
9:23: On to health care. Private insurance is the best way for people to get medical care. Here’s the $15K income tax credit for health care. $7500 for singles. It equals $4500 for a $60K family income. Health savings accounts as well. Second proposal for health care...states that provide health care will get grants from the feds to help in health care choice. More health care savings accounts, and help for small business. Use tech to help reduce errors. Medical liability reform. VERY IMPORTANT, to this blogger at least.
9:26: Immigration. Doubling the size of the border patrol, adding tech. Bush wants to put together a temporary worker program. This will take pressure off the border. It will also make us more secure. Give employers the tools needed to verify the legality of their workers. Melting pot ideals need to be upheld. OOH....good line: “...without animosity, and without amnesty.” Let’s work together and get it done.
9:29: Energy independance. We are too dependant on foreign oil. Bush is tying it into national security, which is smart. More mention of using tech to answer these questions, and using nuclear, air, hydrogen vehicles, bio-diesel, investing in ethanol (mistake, in my opinion). Dramatic advances are in reach. Bush wants to reduce emmissions due to gasoline 20% in 10 years. We would cut our imports 75%. We need to become more efficient in both consumption and production. Increase fuel standards for cars. Increase domestic production, and double the amount of the Strategic Oil Reserve (SMART). We are on the edge of a breakthrough in tech where this is concerned. And, a reference to climate change...here we go.
9:34: Get my court nominee’s passed!
9:35: We have to take the fight to the enemy. We got hit, and there is no other way. We don’t want to fight them here. The enemy knows the days of ease are over. The terrorist’s lives since 9-11 have been much harder. We stopped plots to destroy the tallest buildings on the West Coast. We worked to stop chemical attacks, more air bombings (the London plot), and we owe a debt of gratitude to those who work to keep us safe.
9:37: We’ve been successful, but the terrorists aren’t gone. Their goals are the opposite of ours. They murder the innocent. They wantto overthrow moderate governments, and they want us to retreat so they can spread their ideology. Bush quotes Zawahiri. Now he references Iran, and the Sh’ia terrorists. The Sunni and Sh’ia extremists are different faces of the same enemy. The dangers are still with us, no matter how much Bush wants to tell us they are not, and he will use any lawful tool at his disposal to fight them.
9:40: Free people don’t choose violent ideologies. Do we support those who wish to build free societies in the Middle East? Bush says we must. We have seen good things, and we have been sobered by the violence. Mentions Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Iraqi elections. 12 million Iraqis voted, showing a solidarity we should not forget. The enemy saw it as well, and the terorists struck back in 2006, causing violence in Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Mentions the Golden Mosque of Samara. They succeeded in formenting sectarian reprisals, and Bush mentions Iran as aiding the Sh’ia extremists. Bush also reminds us that both sects want us to leave. It is still within our power to shape this battle...we can still win. Good applause at that.
9:44: We have a new plan in Iraq. We are putting the necessary troops there to do this. Calls upon the Iraqis to stop the violence in Baghdad, and that their forces are not quite ready, so we are going to help them with 20,000 troops. 4,000 Marines are going to Anbar to “..clear the terrorists out.” We didn’t drive them out of Afghanistan to let them go to Iraq. The Iraqi government has pledged to do many things to help us achieve our goals. Oil revenues are pledged to be shared. Iraqis are going to take over security, and get their economy together, but they must secure Baghdad first.
9:47: Bush says he has made this decision, and that it is the one his military recommended. We have to stop the violence in Baghdad. It is the enemy’s objective for violence to spread out of Baghdad and flare across the Middle East. We need to succeed in Iraq. It is the most important thing we have to do. We must succeed, for there we will win the WoT.
9:49: That is where we stand now. Please give our troops your support. Please give this plan a chance to work. Let is be as one behind this effort. This war on terror is a generational structure. We work together, because it is the only way to see this war through. A new task force will be formed with people from each side of the aisle, so all sides can be heard. Also, we need to increase the size of the military, so Bush requests 92,000 over the next 5 years.
9:51: A civilian ready reserve? Bush just asked for a civil militia, if I heard correctly. If I heard different, let me know in the Comments.
9:52: The nations of the world must stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons. The Quartet must reestablish the Road Map for peace. NATO is working hard and fighting well in Afghanistan. The 6-Nation talks are working to make the Korean Penninsula nuke-free. Mentions aiding Darfur.
9:54: Bush is now talking about fighting AIDS in Africa. The # of people in Africa that have gotten life-saving drugs has increased from 50K to 800K. Wants to fight malaria in Africa as well. (Man, a lot of people in Africa are sick!!) Free trade initiatives to help end poverty and promote democracy.
9:56: Points out Dukembe Mutumbo. Talks about the hospital Mutumbo built, and we are proud to call him a citizen of the United States of America. Nice, and nice round of applause.
9:58: Baby Einstein founder....Julie Eigner-Clark...another good citizen. Need a beer now.
9:59: Beer is cold. Wesley Autry. Saved a train from a man crawling into the rear car.
10:00: Soldier Story. Won the Silver Star. Volunteer. Bush is getting a bit emotional at this one. I didn’t get the name, though...well-decorated, though. We are a decent, and honorable country. We know troubles lie ahead, but the state of the Union is strong, are cause is just. Good Night.
10:03: Hume is on now, now to the commentary. But, my take first.
Bush does not let me down when he gives a prepared speech. When he is off the cuff, it can be a bit painful, but he did a very good job. I didn’t detect a man who believed he was in trouble, but a man who was trying to share the importance of the situation, and his solutions. He clearly acknowledged that it has been hard, and that there are a lot of people that do not agree with him, but he is going to stick to his guns, and do what he believes to be right. No apology for what he believes, and no real hint of being different than he was a year ago. He’s going to do what he knows to be right, and he believes that we can succeed, if we can unite.
There was a lot of talk about being united..behind proposals on energy, and behind our efforts in Iraq and in the War on Terror. Obviously, he knows that we are highly divided, and he is trying to reach out without compromising.
No further commentary from Brit, as he and the guests seem to be getting a soda out of the machine.
10:10: I’ll go on until 10:30. Any commetns, or thoughts? Put ‘em in the comments!
To be honest, a lot of the domestic stuff was similar to what he has spoken about before. Reforming SS and Medicare, but he didn’t mention privitization. No Child Left Behind..please renew this. Energy independence, etc. We’ve heard this before. The raising of vehicle standards was new, but a lot of the domestic stuff was similar. It is very clear that the POTUS is much more comfortable when he is talking about the War on Terror....he is very sure of his vision.
10:16: Webb has started, and my wife has arrived, so I have gladly give her the remote, and The Closer is now on the TV....but it doesn’t matter. Webb has already started a bit of boiler-plate class-warfare talk (the average corporate boss makes 400 times that of the average worker). I have a question....do the Democrats have ANYTHING new to offer us? On national security? On the economy? The economic data that came out today says that we will have solid growth over the next quarter, and we have full employment, but that’s not enough? It is amazing to me that the economy has managed to stay so strong with everyone that opposes GWB talking it down all the time. Can someone tell me what is wrong with an economy that has produced over 7 million jobs in 41 months? And what the woman analyst said on Fox about Iraq not being a part of the War on Terror....could she tell me where that war is, of it isn’t in Iraq? That bogeyman...that Iraq and the WoT are two different things...is wrong on many levels. If you accept the idea that spreading liberty and economic self-determination, along with self-governance, is part of our offensive against Islamofascism, then Iraq is the crucial point of the War on Terror. If you don’t believe that, then everything that has happened since 9-12-2001 is a travesty.
And, if you don’t believe that, you are a fool.
OK...comment freely. Drummy, thanks for the opportunity. I’ll check comments tomorrow, and put together a column about the Democratic responses to what I thought was a solid SOTU.
The only way, part 2
Liberals “supporting the troops” redux...
One of the parts I hated about being in the Navy was the confining beds available aboard ship. I was senior enough to get a middle, waist-high bed (called a “rack") instead being of head-high (with pipes literally inches over your head) or ankle high. The beds were fairly thin mattresses (about 2” thick) over a sheet steel frame. The distance from the top of my mattress to the bottom of the bunk directly above my own was exactly as long as the distance from my elbow to middle fingertip (about 21"). The storage space below the sheet steel were called “coffin lockers”, and covered the area of the mattress about 8 inches deep, to store everything of value, and padlocked. Once you unlocked it, you had to lift the mattress and steel frame and prop it up with a little rod, like your car’s hood, in order to look into and gather what you needed (clean clothes, books/cassette tapes, what have you.
At that, we had it pretty good, because the guys out in the field in the forward combat areas ended up sleeping on the dirt.
The situation hasn’t changed, especially in Iraq, with the troops basically sleeping on the ground, along with the chiggers, sand fleas, and other fun fauna.
So on the 16th (last Tuesday), Army Sgt. Jason Hess, stationed in Taji, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division, wrote to a Wisconsin company that makes sleeping mats and asked if they shipped to APO (Army Post Office).
SGT Hess,
We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.
Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com
There is some good news, though. Sgt. Hess has reported that he found two other suppliers, and the asshat who wrote that insulting letter has apparently been fired. (If there were truly justice, that cumstain should be forced to sleep in the sand for the next six months.)
h/t Cold Fury, who puts it so much better
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Need some quick advice
We’re having filet mignon tonight and I’m looking for some marinade ideas…
Suggestions?
UPDATE: Maybe I should have mentioned to you iron stomachs out there that I also have an ulcer, so lay off the really spicy stuff. About as harsh as I can get is Worcestershire sauce and garlic, or maybe honey BBQ.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
I’d been saying it for a long time now
It’s been what, all of two weeks?
The new 110th Congress was sworn in earlier this month, on January 5th IIRC. The junior Senator from New York has just been sworn in at the start of her second term, and she’s already announcing her formation of “an exploratory committee” and formalizing her paperwork, so that she can visit the home states of her putative opponents - Barak Obama (Illinois), John Kerry (Massachusetts), John Edwards (North Carolina), et alia - and the fund-raising rubber chicken dinners and rope line glad-handing she will be doing will benefit her own run, rather than being diverted to fill their war chests or that of the local party.
14 days, folks. What the Brits call a “fortnight”. I’ve been on longer vacations.
I hope that the good people of the Great State of New York don’t mind paying her salary while she is concentrating on getting a promotion, rather than, y’know, actually doing the job she was just hired to do!
Friday, January 19, 2007
In the mood
...for both Rules of Combat and Humor…
And we end up with some great examples of both over at Cold Fury.
You really should go RTWT, but I’ve included some of my personal faves below the fold…