Why mommy is a socialist...

A new children's book has been published espousing the reasons why mommy is a democrat . This matches the democratic demographic, with more women than men voting democratic in national elections.

The book is illustrated with ethnic neutral squirrels (why not use the time honored donkey?) going about their daily business. Within the pages are many, not so subtle, references to republicans and the current president. I am all for marketing your message, even to impressionable kids. After all, the cigarette and alcohol industries do it. I also like the "poor" figure in the background who forlornly stands about "excluded".

What I find interesting is the pictured page about sharing. Apparently this version of the democratic platform advocates redistribution of wealth. As a parent, I certainly work to enforce a false equity among my children, however, this in no way reflects the reality of the real world.

Hmm.

The end is here...

I still owe Scoot a post on polls and their power to mislead. Howeer, I came across a great article in the Guardian on Murdoch's prophecy's for the future. In short, he states (rightly so, I believe) that the future lies with the Internet as opposed to the "Old Media". This is nothing new, however, for someone who built his own fortune in the traditional channels, this is nothing shjort of the fall of the Berlin Wall in my opinion.

I do not revel in the conversion of old media into new. I do delight in the multiple new outlets available to me at the click of a button. Some of these outlets are valuable insights into individual persona, some are good collections of information and news and yet still others fall into the "tin foil hat" category.

The opportuntity is for a group to arise which can provide certification as to the veracity and balanced nature of the new media. Much like the MPAA or ESRB ratings. I hereby propose the lamp and scale rating system. A system of lamps and scales representing the quality and equity of a site. For example a five scale and five lamp site would be dead on for factuality and equal in its presentation of all sides.

I suspect that like Diogenes, I will be searching for this site for sometime. Nonetheless, my own site might rate one scale and two and a half lamps, only as I do not work to validate every link and quotation.

If it is to be war...

The Iranians are talking tough, no surprise there. Their intentions seem clear, establish a Persian dominance in the region, destroy Israel and establish an Islamic Hegemony.

What would an Iranian conflict look like? It would be far different from the blistering assault of steel in the Iraq War and certainly not the deft, surgical actions undertaken in the Afghan Conflict. Iran has the inherent ability to restrict oil flowing out of the Persian / Arabian Gulf with ease. Any US action would have to include the destruction of any of their numerous Silkworm anti-ship missile emplacements as well as the elimination of their Shahab IRBM facilities.

The Iranians have at least three functioning diesel submarines, very unlikely to engage a warship, but ideal for mine laying and commerce raiding. These would also have to be destroyed at their docks immediately. In short, any action by the US against Iran would have to be fairly comprehensive. It would most likely involve very hard strikes against military installations, denying the Iranians any ability to impact shipping in the Gulf, as well as neutralizing their air forces and retaliatory assets. Special forces would aid in the delivery of GPS and laser guided munitions while US Navy forces would provide protection for the numerous countries across the Gulf.

There have been a number of speculations on the outcome of any hostilities. Some of these I believe are far-fetched, some less so. The ability of Tehran to unilaterally affect the behavior of its allies and associate non-state players is in some doubt. There is no doubt that any initial action by the United States could be executed with impunity. There would likely be no follow on with ground troops, but rather a continual pressure from internal and external sources.

A retired United States Marine Corps friend of mine, a major, runs a number of wargame simulations based upon a unique rules set developed by himself and some other officers to teach young second lieutenants some basic tactical decision making. The rule set has expanded to include modern, future and Napoleaonics. He is committed to his craft and I would hope to see him pose this next potential conflict through one of the scenarios.

Deux 1, Drudge 0...

Did I scoop Matt Drudge? In his latest posting he points out the fact that Indianapolis International Airport is operated by a foreign company. During an exchange a few days ago with Major John on Misearble Donuts, I pointed out the exact fact. One of the interesting aspects of this fact is that airports operated by private firms tend to perform better than those operated by municipalities.

In fact, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has been a target for privatization for some time. Let’s not forget that airports have been built with tax dollars. There are few, if any, privately built, commercial airports in the United States. As such, our ability to utilize inexpensive air travel has been underwritten by the population. As is the case with our highways and ports. Almost every mode of transportation, with the exception of rail.

But anyway, I scooped Drudge?

Kewl!

Maybe I can become a contributor to the Huffington Post!
What a minute…it looks just like Drudge!

Day by Day...

I have added Day by Day, a typically conservative, socio-political cartoon. The cartoon is often witty, well drawn and free (provided it is properly credited.)

So let me know, a worthy addition?

Or useless filler?

GO...

Hat tip to Iowahawk for this outstanding synopsis of drag racing and its effect on race itself. More power to him!

Drag Racing and Black History Month

Please check it out, a great read and chock full of cool information, even a linkage to the Vin Diesel flick The Fast and the Furious .

Rationality...

I just had the pleasure of attending a luncheon featuring the new Ambassador from Saudi Arabia. During his remarks, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, covered some of the most current events in the world from the respective center of Islamic thought and the birthplace of everyone's favorite bogeyman, Usama Bin Laden. I found the Ambassador to be forthright and reasonable. He acknowledged the necessity for continuing reforms in his nation and the sorrow felt by Saudi's to have had fifteen of their countrymen involved in the September 11th attacks.

This is a man who is the youngest son of the former king and was educated from high school through undergrad in the united states (specifically New Jersey and Georgetown). The audience was then permitted to submit questions, many were quite direct. He did not shy away from answering them. To the contrary, he took on some tough issues (including Iran) and revealed much about what I think Saudi Arabia would like to become.

I want to believe him. I do believe he speaks for his country's government. I also believe he recognizes the great obstacles which much of the developing world faces. Perhaps his most telling comment came as he noted the United States own struggle with personal liberties and freedoms. These did not spring in whole form from the Bill of Rights, rather they have evolved through struggle and debate. We have fought a civil war over these freedoms and continue to struggle in skirmishes every day. We are far from perfect, but my understanding of his remarks left me with no doubt that the United States still represents the model for freedom and liberty.

Miserable Donuts: Scoring cheap points off a friendly nation

I like this analysis on the UAE port deal. Solid and rational.

Miserable Donuts: Scoring cheap points off a friendly nation

Dynamic Duo...

Bennet and Dershowitz, Dershowitz and Bennet. Two more diametrically opposed figures are hard to find. And yet today they have an OP-ED piece in the Washington Post which, in my mind, cuts to the heart of our present conflict between the fourth estate and the governments of the West.

I am very concerned that our media and information outlets are operating in a realm where their information goes out unchecked and unbalanced. In the most recent and seemingly bening situation, the recent Olympic victory of Shani Davis was hailed as the first African-American gold medal at the olympics. This was later changed to black American and then modified again to reflect the fact that Vonetta Flowers achieved that distinction in Salt Lake City in 2002.

These are simple facts. They are easily checked, but due to the 24/7 news cycle and the pressure (my assumptions) to make sure the story is "saleable", facts often fall by the wayside in the quest for eyeballs. Matt Drudge is guilty of hyping stories which ultimately bear no fruit.

This problem is further exacerbated by the public's lack of deep review of these issues. Why read below the fold when I am sure the headline meets my expectations and I can pontificate endlessly about a topic for which I know nothing.

Some time ago, my father-in-law dropped a folded St. Petersburg Times on my lap. Look at this! He cried. It was a letter to the editor about the Fenholloway River in Florida. The letter, from a local enviro-activist, pointed out that a plan for a paper mill to dump waste directly into the river was moving through the system.

Shocking!

Scandalous!

Salacious!

And yet, with a few deft keystrokes, what was revealed was far from the picture painted by the writer. The plant in quesiton was working desperately to comply with Florida law after being ambushed by enviro-activists who use a technical trick to have the Fenholloway River artificially upgraded in quality. It's a long story, but descriptive of the posture of much of the press today.

And so we return to Dershowitz and Bennet.

What can we do?

Continue to challenge false claims, dig deep into stories and demand truthful and factual representations of controversial topics (like the Danish cartoons).

Bad Science...

A Canadian university has banned the use of WiFi.  From

The Register;

 

"Fred Gilbert, president of Canada's Lakehead University, made the order on the basis of possible health risk from the technology, especially to young people. Inconclusive studies into possible links between radio transmissions and leukemia and brain tumors from, among others, scientists for the California Public Utilities Commission, led Gilbert to make the "precautionary ban"

Holy smoking donuts!  At first I thought this was a joke.  Much like the infamous Seattle Bans Coffeehouse

WiFi

article making the rounds last April Fools, but alas, it is not.  This is yet another example of bad science, hyperactive media, a litigious western society and nanny state mentality run amok. 

 

We have had scares on Alar, high tension power lines, cholesterol, eggs, salt, fat, wheat, fish, acid rain, and a host of other scientific bogey-persons.  Some of these concerns were raised by intelligent, well meaning people.  However, the chicken little folks grabbed hold of them and ran down the road.  Here's my viewpoint, everything is suspect until well proven otherwise.  And by proven, I don't mean a front cover article in Reader's Digest. 

 

We take for granted a lot of information.  But as our society continually reveals itself to be extremely complex, it is incumbent upon us to dig for the facts and not take anyone's claims at face value.  This runs the risk of creating a society in which no one can be trusted (maybe not a bad idea).  There is a point at which we will need to place the decision to believe upon our best judgment. 

 

Given all the facts at hand, we do this everyday.  It's how we fall in love, so far about the best example of trusting our gut.

Who is this guy...

Your results:
You are Green Lantern

Green Lantern 80% Spider-Man 75% The Flash 75% Superman 70% Iron Man 70% Supergirl 52% Wonder Woman 52% Hulk 50% Robin 47% Batman 45% Catwoman 35%

Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.

If you can't beat em...

I attended a meeting this past Sunday of the Naval Reserve Assocaition. It is, at its heart, a lobbying group. It focuses on veteran and service member issues and matters of policy. It allows reserve military members to express their political will (a rare option which our brethern in the active side do not enjoy.)

It also suffers from something that ails many volunteer organizations throughout the nation, a lack of active members. I am as guilty as the next person. Although I volunteer in some areas, I am not connected to a dedicated organization. I've done a lot of little things, but do not reflect the lifestyle of my father, a lifelong Rotarian and active member of his community.

One reason for this decline is the rise of electronic entertainment (specifically TV). In some studies the amount of time spent interacting within communities has been supplanted by television watching. If the average American spends four hours per day watching television, then there is little time left for activism, volunteering or any social engagement.

TV is not the only culprit. Video and computer games (my personal bane) and the internet all conspire to siphon time away from us.

I wrote about this earlier in my blog. People are drifting apart. A meaningful connection among us can not be sustained with discussions over the last episode of Lost.

There is a real risk to our society in our disconnectedness. It leaves many decisions to fewer and fewer folks who are still engaged.

Ironically, the best way to reconnect may be to disconnect.

Thin ice...

(AP Photos)

In a weekend absolutely packed with Sportsitainment, the Olympics tried to provoke their audiences. In Turin, which is Italian for "it never snows here", the ice dancing competitors slipped, stumbled and sprawled their way into our delayed broadcast living rooms.

One of the complaints about attendance and US interest in the Olympics has been the impact of the internet. Scores and results, sometimes even video, of the events is instantly available. Now the competition no longer resembles a papal election (with dribs and drabs of stories leaking out at the end of each day) but a day on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. Results fly out instantly from a host of sources. Endless speculation turns a once singular event into just another blip in the constant noise stream of the modern world.

Unless you are a strict Islamic adherent, in which case you will be stocking up on vodka bottles to hurl at the nearest western embassy in deifance of the publishing of yet another abominable Cathy cartoon.

When will she learn her place as servant and chattel to her husband!

Allah akbar!

Sorry, I was channeling my own inner lunatic there for a moment. Stand by for tomorrow's episode when I become Pat Robertson and declare that it was the homoeroticism inherent in NASCAR as evidence by Jeff Green's quote;

"Dale Jarrett hooked me in the right rear. You can blame a lot of things on rookies but he isn't a rookie. I don't understand what happened there."


Which is to blame for the crash laden Daytona 500.