Another governor may enter the presidential race, Rick Perry of Texas, the incumbent there for the past ten years. He's a Tea Party favorite, for what that's worth, and has taken tough stands on state sovereignty, border security, taxes and gun rights. But, what's most important to me is he's governed, so he's not just a theorist with a couple of degrees. And, since there's no other real news, I'm going back to my latest subject -leadership and Rudy Giuliani.
As I've mentioned, I read this recap of Rudy's book Leadership, by an unnamed reviewer from the Wharton School at Penn. And the author's critique was that "he doesn't tell us that much about what he found helpful in preparing himself for leadership. And despite the boatloads of books experts crank out on the subject every year, Giuliani cites no leadership book as having had any impact on him."
Then the author goes on to say, "After reading Leadership, we know how much he loves New York City, we know how he organized his days, we know how important his morning staff meeting was, we know how important he considered loyalty, and we know how driven he was. We know about his treatment for prostate cancer. We even learn a little about his relationship with Judith Nathan following the dissolution of his marriage to Donna Hanover. Rather, he tells us of those people in his life who helped shape his character, his beliefs, and his unique style. Chief among them was Lloyd MacMahon, a federal district judge in New York. MacMahon was part boss, part critic, part teacher, and part mentor. Giuliani worked for MacMahon as his law clerk following his graduation from law school. Those two years may well have been the defining years in Giuliani' s life."
Then the author continues, "His (Rudy's)lessons on leadership are, for the most part, platitudinous maxims that we have read in dozens of others books and articles: "Surround yourself with great people. Have beliefs and communicate them. See things for yourself. Set an example. Stand up to bullies. Deal with first things first. Loyalty is the vital virtue. Prepare relentlessly. Underpromise and overdeliver. Don't assume a damn thing."
Now, it seems to me that Rudy said plenty. He explained his core beliefs, the importance of preparation, the need for self-motivation at the highest level, how important trust is in compatriots, time management's worth, the critical value of learning from esteemed and knowledgeable mentors, among many other invaluable pointers. What's more, I think Rudy's last "platitudinous maxims" are worth repeating. "Surround yourself with great people. Have beliefs and communicate them. See things for yourself. Set an example. Stand up to bullies. Deal with first things first. Loyalty is the vital virtue. Prepare relentlessly. Underpromise and overdeliver. Don't assume a damn thing."
So, as I've been asking for the past few days, what is it exactly that the author wants to read? Because it seems to me Rudy was very clear in his writings. And I for one, who's spent plenty of years at various helms, know exactly what he's talking about and also sincerely believe he's right.
Then again, maybe what the author's seeking are magic formulae that get things done without the work. But, unfortunately for the author, Rudy provided none. And, in my situations, I didn't find any either. So maybe the author's going to have to put in a good part of a lifetime successfully leading himself and others like I did to truly understand Rudy's simple tips.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/30/2011
John McCain said today that he believes Sarah Palin's a solid candidate, and if she chooses to run for president, she's got a good chance to win. And I guess that's what he thought last time when he shared a losing ticket with her. But, the reality is, both of them were losers then and both still are now. The country doesn't need a lot of hype and smoke and noise and flash-bang theatrics, it needs a solid, tested, proven performer who's been there before and knows how to manage the way through crisis.
And that brings me back to Rudy.
Yesterday I mentioned this stuff I read in Knowledge Wharton where the author said he wasn't impressed with Rudy's book Leadership. The author's opinion derived from the fact that he didn't find any brilliant insights that clearly jumped off the page and magically solved managerial problems. And my response to that one was, I doubted the author had any real hands-on meaningful experience himself, thus didn't pick up on what Rudy was saying. Because, as I wrote yesterday, I've been there myself and think Rudy had all kinds of helpful advice to someone who's actually in the trench.
And that got me to thinking about leaders in general, and what sets them apart and whether or not any of them could really transmit their thoughts to others in a meaningful way that really helped. Because, for the most part it's their uniqueness that drives their managerial and leadership success. And when it comes to managing or directing others, 99% of it is common sense. So, its that razor's edge of ability and smarts that provides their margin for excellence.
To that point, look at some well-known, successful leaders and think about what they could pass on to others. I mean, could anyone use the examples set by Yogi Berra? Or how about Bill Gates, a Harvard dropout who left a well-oiled machine behind at Microsoft with every iota in place. And, since his departure, the machine's been stalled. So, what's missing? Obviously, Bill Gates himself.
Then there's guys like Jack Welch of GE, who took a stagnant giant, put it on its feet and made the business hum like never before. Conversely, a behemoth like AT&T could never get any kind of explosive growth going because they smother all the talent themselves with self-created blankets. The same could be said of the current U.S. administration.
So, I don't believe managerial tips or guidance is the answer to success. I myself headed a sales force of 125 extremely bright, aggressive, hard-driving people. Together we shot out the lights wherever we showed up, because we were very good at what we did. But, as far as "management" or "leadership" was concerned, I didn't stay on top due to any transferable skills. I just ran faster and harder than all my folks did, because if I didn't I'd be trampled by them before I could blink.
But lastly, supposing there was this slight difference between the best leaders and everyone else, and they did have some kind of special technique or skill that made them truly special. Do you think they'd share that secret with anyone else? As for me in my own case, no one will ever find out.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
And that brings me back to Rudy.
Yesterday I mentioned this stuff I read in Knowledge Wharton where the author said he wasn't impressed with Rudy's book Leadership. The author's opinion derived from the fact that he didn't find any brilliant insights that clearly jumped off the page and magically solved managerial problems. And my response to that one was, I doubted the author had any real hands-on meaningful experience himself, thus didn't pick up on what Rudy was saying. Because, as I wrote yesterday, I've been there myself and think Rudy had all kinds of helpful advice to someone who's actually in the trench.
And that got me to thinking about leaders in general, and what sets them apart and whether or not any of them could really transmit their thoughts to others in a meaningful way that really helped. Because, for the most part it's their uniqueness that drives their managerial and leadership success. And when it comes to managing or directing others, 99% of it is common sense. So, its that razor's edge of ability and smarts that provides their margin for excellence.
To that point, look at some well-known, successful leaders and think about what they could pass on to others. I mean, could anyone use the examples set by Yogi Berra? Or how about Bill Gates, a Harvard dropout who left a well-oiled machine behind at Microsoft with every iota in place. And, since his departure, the machine's been stalled. So, what's missing? Obviously, Bill Gates himself.
Then there's guys like Jack Welch of GE, who took a stagnant giant, put it on its feet and made the business hum like never before. Conversely, a behemoth like AT&T could never get any kind of explosive growth going because they smother all the talent themselves with self-created blankets. The same could be said of the current U.S. administration.
So, I don't believe managerial tips or guidance is the answer to success. I myself headed a sales force of 125 extremely bright, aggressive, hard-driving people. Together we shot out the lights wherever we showed up, because we were very good at what we did. But, as far as "management" or "leadership" was concerned, I didn't stay on top due to any transferable skills. I just ran faster and harder than all my folks did, because if I didn't I'd be trampled by them before I could blink.
But lastly, supposing there was this slight difference between the best leaders and everyone else, and they did have some kind of special technique or skill that made them truly special. Do you think they'd share that secret with anyone else? As for me in my own case, no one will ever find out.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Sunday, May 29, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/29/2011
My wife was upset with me yesterday, because she felt I was abusive in my remarks about Sarah Palin's plans to ride with Rolling Thunder on Memorial Day. And, while I posted my thoughts anyway, I did water down some of the language I'd typed. Because my original entry included some biker stuff, especially about Ms Palin and Hell's Angels that my spouse thought disgusting.
Nonetheless, I think if Palin's motive was simply her identification with Rolling Thunder's goals -aiding war veterans in need- she should simply put on a helmet and goggles, keep her identity to herself and jump on her Harley and ride. But no, instead there was all kinds of press releases, hoopla and noise. So, I see no need to just sit back and make no comment, she invited the blowback herself.
But, all of that notwithstanding, the Republican party may actually get a candidate worthy of office. Because Rudy may run again, and this time he's recovered his health. What's more, he's the only one in the bunch who's seasoned, been in the breach and is tougher than nails. The kind of guy who'll take on Al Quaeda himself.
And as far as the economy goes, and unions, education and unemployment, he's faced all of that before too, in the biggest fish-bowl in the world and conquered them all.
In his book "Leadership" Rudy discusses the things he believes make for excellence at the top, and I for one, think it's a more than a worthwhile read. Yet, while I was researching for this entry, I found an article in Knowledge Wharton whose author says there's not enough insight in the text to suit him and that it doesn't really teach people how to lead. And to that I reply, it's obvious that the critic isn't a leader himself, and doesn't have a clue about the requirements, because the book is loaded with how to's and insights. But since the critic doesn't recognize them due to lack of leadership instincts, he just sits on the sidelines and barks. Nonetheless, here's a recap the critic wrote in that same review:
"Giuliani spent eight years as mayor of New York City. He went about the business of governing a place that was considered by many to be ungovernable with confidence and the steely will that one would expect from a man whose training for the job had come principally as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's office. But just as Giuliani's tenure was nearing its end, September 11, 2001 occurred. If ever a time called for leadership, that day, and the days and weeks that followed did -- and Giuliani showed even his most ardent critics that he was equal to the task.
He led the people of his city, and indeed, the people of the U.S., in every way: in grieving for the victims, in anger against the perpetrators, and in an unyielding will to rebuild and carry on. All eyes, hearts, and minds turned to Giuliani and remained there until he completed his term as mayor some 90 days later."
So, from someone who felt that Rudy didn't provide enough education in his text, I wonder how much more respect he'd have for the author if the book were more detailed. Because it sounds to me like he thinks the former mayor of New York walks on water already, and it's hard to disagree.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Nonetheless, I think if Palin's motive was simply her identification with Rolling Thunder's goals -aiding war veterans in need- she should simply put on a helmet and goggles, keep her identity to herself and jump on her Harley and ride. But no, instead there was all kinds of press releases, hoopla and noise. So, I see no need to just sit back and make no comment, she invited the blowback herself.
But, all of that notwithstanding, the Republican party may actually get a candidate worthy of office. Because Rudy may run again, and this time he's recovered his health. What's more, he's the only one in the bunch who's seasoned, been in the breach and is tougher than nails. The kind of guy who'll take on Al Quaeda himself.
And as far as the economy goes, and unions, education and unemployment, he's faced all of that before too, in the biggest fish-bowl in the world and conquered them all.
In his book "Leadership" Rudy discusses the things he believes make for excellence at the top, and I for one, think it's a more than a worthwhile read. Yet, while I was researching for this entry, I found an article in Knowledge Wharton whose author says there's not enough insight in the text to suit him and that it doesn't really teach people how to lead. And to that I reply, it's obvious that the critic isn't a leader himself, and doesn't have a clue about the requirements, because the book is loaded with how to's and insights. But since the critic doesn't recognize them due to lack of leadership instincts, he just sits on the sidelines and barks. Nonetheless, here's a recap the critic wrote in that same review:
"Giuliani spent eight years as mayor of New York City. He went about the business of governing a place that was considered by many to be ungovernable with confidence and the steely will that one would expect from a man whose training for the job had come principally as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's office. But just as Giuliani's tenure was nearing its end, September 11, 2001 occurred. If ever a time called for leadership, that day, and the days and weeks that followed did -- and Giuliani showed even his most ardent critics that he was equal to the task.
He led the people of his city, and indeed, the people of the U.S., in every way: in grieving for the victims, in anger against the perpetrators, and in an unyielding will to rebuild and carry on. All eyes, hearts, and minds turned to Giuliani and remained there until he completed his term as mayor some 90 days later."
So, from someone who felt that Rudy didn't provide enough education in his text, I wonder how much more respect he'd have for the author if the book were more detailed. Because it sounds to me like he thinks the former mayor of New York walks on water already, and it's hard to disagree.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Saturday, May 28, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/28/2011
There's nothing like a major holiday or important local event to underscore what politicians are all about. And that point's been proven once more, whereas Sarah Palin has decided to join Rolling Thunder's motorcycle "Ride For Freedom" in DC.
Thunder's been leading the annual ride since 1988, along the National Mall in support of soldiers held captive or missing in action. Four Vietnam veterans formed the group as part of an effort to pressure the government to take responsibility for troops who were abandoned after the Vietnam War ended.
Although, the group's visited the White House more than half a dozen times and members made George W. Bush an honorary member, presenting him with his own cowhide vest jacket as they pushed for increased veterans benefits, I don't recall his ever riding with them in their annual event.
Palin's decision however, reminded me of another occasion when another "Sarah," this one Hughes, won an Olympic gold medal in ice skating. My family lived in Great Neck, NY at the time, which was also her home town, and the tiny village arranged a parade. That day, Chucky Cheese Schumer and Hillary showed up to ride in the three car caravan down the town's main drag, accompanied by a fire truck and a high school band.
Now, that pair of politicos had no more in common with Sarah Hughes than the fact that they might all breathe air (at least I'm pretty sure Hughes does) and had absolutely no connection to her sport or the Olympics themselves. But, there were cameras there from all the important NY media which drew the two parasites in like dog leavings attract flies. Consequently, these two worthless piranhas gained all they could from her talents and achievements for themselves. Today, we are all aware that Hillary ultimately leveraged herself into O'bama's cabinet, However I've forgotten where Schumer went. Is he still in politics?
And now, back to Palin.
I don't know if she plans to ride her own bike or jump on the back of someone else's Harley. And maybe next time, she'll ride out on the coast with the Angel's, sharing some guy's six pack and the smokes rolled up in his short sleeve. The only real problem she'd have with that scenario is, I don't think any of them vote.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Thunder's been leading the annual ride since 1988, along the National Mall in support of soldiers held captive or missing in action. Four Vietnam veterans formed the group as part of an effort to pressure the government to take responsibility for troops who were abandoned after the Vietnam War ended.
Although, the group's visited the White House more than half a dozen times and members made George W. Bush an honorary member, presenting him with his own cowhide vest jacket as they pushed for increased veterans benefits, I don't recall his ever riding with them in their annual event.
Palin's decision however, reminded me of another occasion when another "Sarah," this one Hughes, won an Olympic gold medal in ice skating. My family lived in Great Neck, NY at the time, which was also her home town, and the tiny village arranged a parade. That day, Chucky Cheese Schumer and Hillary showed up to ride in the three car caravan down the town's main drag, accompanied by a fire truck and a high school band.
Now, that pair of politicos had no more in common with Sarah Hughes than the fact that they might all breathe air (at least I'm pretty sure Hughes does) and had absolutely no connection to her sport or the Olympics themselves. But, there were cameras there from all the important NY media which drew the two parasites in like dog leavings attract flies. Consequently, these two worthless piranhas gained all they could from her talents and achievements for themselves. Today, we are all aware that Hillary ultimately leveraged herself into O'bama's cabinet, However I've forgotten where Schumer went. Is he still in politics?
And now, back to Palin.
I don't know if she plans to ride her own bike or jump on the back of someone else's Harley. And maybe next time, she'll ride out on the coast with the Angel's, sharing some guy's six pack and the smokes rolled up in his short sleeve. The only real problem she'd have with that scenario is, I don't think any of them vote.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Friday, May 27, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/27/2011
After all these years, and all I've seen and heard, it still amazes me how politicians just don't care about anything except themselves. Because, regardless of who spins it or what party they're in, anyone who's IQ is bigger than their shoe size understands that the country's got to reduce it's debt or face extremely dire consequences. Not the least of which is winding up under extreme influence from China who's quietly sitting there buying up every cent of our future obligation that it can, in hopes of gaining control of our nation through finances.
To help prove the point, just yesterday, Bill Clinton was pressured by White House officials to retract some comments he'd made that the U.S. government could default on its debt for a few days without "calamitous" consequences. The officials believe that the comments could be used by some congressional Republicans who resist the administration's push to raise the $14.3 trillion borrowing limit, and have been arguing that allowing the deadline to pass wouldn't be as catastrophic as the administration has warned. So, judging by the official's reaction, the country's dire situation doesn't matter, only the politics do.
Along the same lines, I met with a long time friend yesterday whom I haven't seen for a while and who really doesn't read my daily entries. So, while talking, I brought him up to date on my opinions regarding the nation's current horrendous condition and highlighted key issues I mention all the time in my writings. When I was through with my diatribe, he said when it's all put together like that it sounds like a total rebuke of the current administration, their policies and their results. I replied that indeed, it was.
So, my friend said, in view of your strong feelings that our nation's ills are the fault of the current incumbents, which Republican would you vote for of the current contenders? I replied, that if, unfortunately, these are the best candidates that party can muster, especially if someone like Trump, Gingrich or Palin actually got the nomination, I'd just as soon vote for O'bama.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
To help prove the point, just yesterday, Bill Clinton was pressured by White House officials to retract some comments he'd made that the U.S. government could default on its debt for a few days without "calamitous" consequences. The officials believe that the comments could be used by some congressional Republicans who resist the administration's push to raise the $14.3 trillion borrowing limit, and have been arguing that allowing the deadline to pass wouldn't be as catastrophic as the administration has warned. So, judging by the official's reaction, the country's dire situation doesn't matter, only the politics do.
Along the same lines, I met with a long time friend yesterday whom I haven't seen for a while and who really doesn't read my daily entries. So, while talking, I brought him up to date on my opinions regarding the nation's current horrendous condition and highlighted key issues I mention all the time in my writings. When I was through with my diatribe, he said when it's all put together like that it sounds like a total rebuke of the current administration, their policies and their results. I replied that indeed, it was.
So, my friend said, in view of your strong feelings that our nation's ills are the fault of the current incumbents, which Republican would you vote for of the current contenders? I replied, that if, unfortunately, these are the best candidates that party can muster, especially if someone like Trump, Gingrich or Palin actually got the nomination, I'd just as soon vote for O'bama.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Thursday, May 26, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/26/2011
Late entry today. Meetings and business issues took most of the time, but every minute of it was worthwhile.
In the meantime, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president seems to have told the U.S. to "go to hell," when talking about supplying us with oil. His country presently accounts for about 10% of our imports. So, now we can add him to the unrest in the Middle-East as we watch gasoline prices exceed $4.00 a gallon going into the holiday weekend.
These issues add more fuel (no pun intended) to my continuing question of why we can't drill right here at home and cut out our foreign dependence. Because, there's really no valid reason not to fulfill our own needs when known domestic supplies are more than sufficient. And especially with huge unemployment, sinking real estate values and rising inflation (primarily due to oil cost and over-regulation), most folks are over a financial barrel.
On the other hand, the political clock keeps ticking and American voters are quite savvy. And the more they're squeezed for no valid reason, except outdated political theories, the closer we are to telling incumbents to hit the road. And that's when they'll find the real costs of what they've caused, since by then gas will likely cost ten bucks a gallon, even for the unemployed.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
In the meantime, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president seems to have told the U.S. to "go to hell," when talking about supplying us with oil. His country presently accounts for about 10% of our imports. So, now we can add him to the unrest in the Middle-East as we watch gasoline prices exceed $4.00 a gallon going into the holiday weekend.
These issues add more fuel (no pun intended) to my continuing question of why we can't drill right here at home and cut out our foreign dependence. Because, there's really no valid reason not to fulfill our own needs when known domestic supplies are more than sufficient. And especially with huge unemployment, sinking real estate values and rising inflation (primarily due to oil cost and over-regulation), most folks are over a financial barrel.
On the other hand, the political clock keeps ticking and American voters are quite savvy. And the more they're squeezed for no valid reason, except outdated political theories, the closer we are to telling incumbents to hit the road. And that's when they'll find the real costs of what they've caused, since by then gas will likely cost ten bucks a gallon, even for the unemployed.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/25/2011
Since there's very little new in the headlines this week, except for the devastating tornado damage, I'll mention one more observation about Bibi Netanyahu's visit to the U.S.
I hardly ever listen to speeches, regardless of the speaker, because it's never mattered to me what anyone says or promises, I only care about what they do. Aside from that, if I was impressed by a political speech, I'd want to vote for whoever actually wrote it, not the parrot simply spouting the words. However, yesterday I did watch Netanyahu addressing a joint meeting of Congress.
The thing that impressed me the most was, that here was a guy who'd just been told by the president of the United States as to what was expected of him, and Netanyahu's remarks equated to a very polite -stick it in your ear. In his own way, and having lived most of his life in the middle of Middle-Eastern conflict, the Israeli prime minister explained what it's like to exist surrounded by nations who desire nothing more than wiping you off the planet. And, without any direct reference to O'bama, demonstrated that no one on earth was going to tell Israel how to defend itself, nor how to deal with enemies going back thousands of years or, have some know-nothing Johnny-come lately determine their borders, even if that person is temporarily the president of the United States.
One of the most telling things about Netanyahu's presentation was, that in stark contrast to the president's position, which seems to be nonchalant about Israel's future, the Congressional audience might have as well have been watching their favorite rock star. The audience went nuts. There were thirty standing ovations, some lasting quite a while, and all were in absolute total agreement with just about every word that came out of the prime minister's mouth. His speech was a huge success.
So, I guess some lines have been drawn here, clearly defining positions that differing sides want to take. And, from yesterday's reaction to Netanyahu by all of Congress, I guess it comes down to Israel and most Americans versus the Palestinians and O'bama. And since Israel's got four thousand years of experience in dealing with enemies and has yet to be wiped out, if I were a betting man, I think the odds are clearly against the Palestinians and O'bama.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
I hardly ever listen to speeches, regardless of the speaker, because it's never mattered to me what anyone says or promises, I only care about what they do. Aside from that, if I was impressed by a political speech, I'd want to vote for whoever actually wrote it, not the parrot simply spouting the words. However, yesterday I did watch Netanyahu addressing a joint meeting of Congress.
The thing that impressed me the most was, that here was a guy who'd just been told by the president of the United States as to what was expected of him, and Netanyahu's remarks equated to a very polite -stick it in your ear. In his own way, and having lived most of his life in the middle of Middle-Eastern conflict, the Israeli prime minister explained what it's like to exist surrounded by nations who desire nothing more than wiping you off the planet. And, without any direct reference to O'bama, demonstrated that no one on earth was going to tell Israel how to defend itself, nor how to deal with enemies going back thousands of years or, have some know-nothing Johnny-come lately determine their borders, even if that person is temporarily the president of the United States.
One of the most telling things about Netanyahu's presentation was, that in stark contrast to the president's position, which seems to be nonchalant about Israel's future, the Congressional audience might have as well have been watching their favorite rock star. The audience went nuts. There were thirty standing ovations, some lasting quite a while, and all were in absolute total agreement with just about every word that came out of the prime minister's mouth. His speech was a huge success.
So, I guess some lines have been drawn here, clearly defining positions that differing sides want to take. And, from yesterday's reaction to Netanyahu by all of Congress, I guess it comes down to Israel and most Americans versus the Palestinians and O'bama. And since Israel's got four thousand years of experience in dealing with enemies and has yet to be wiped out, if I were a betting man, I think the odds are clearly against the Palestinians and O'bama.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/24/2010
Yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu promised to "speak the unvarnished truth" when talking about the president's calling for Israel's acceptance of borders established in 1967.
Netanyahu said, "This conflict has raged for 100 years because the Palestinians refuse to end it. They refuse to accept a Jewish state."
And for me, that brought a lot of things into perspective that our current administration does. Because aside from international tinderboxes, we have all kinds of domestic issues such as health care, tax reform, unemployment, border defense, terrorist threats, illegal immigration, drug and gun control,to mention just a few, all in the hands of a president who has no experience with any of this stuff at all. He's never been anything more than a party organizer and political hack, except for a short, do-nothing, stint in the Senate, his entire political life, thus he has no background or understanding of the subjects.
And that reminded of a book Lee Iaccoca wrote, Talking Straight, back in 1989. (I'm pretty sure that was the book, but if it's not that one it was another that Iaccoca wrote.) In it, Iaccoca said that when he was running Chrysler it didn't matter where new hires came from, they all went through an intense training period before being given real responsibility, because the company couldn't afford to risk tasking to people who were unprepared for their jobs, regardless of academic or prior employment credentials. I clearly remember an example of what would happen if someone added an extra zero to an order or left out a decimal point. The result could be thousands of unneeded parts ordered, or conversely not enough, which would strangle production.
So, if a brilliant manager like Iaccoca realizes the risks of delegating simple tasks to folks who aren't properly trained, what are the risks of putting a whole nation in the hands of an unskilled amateur whose only apparent talent is possession of a big mouth?
And I suppose that's why the Prime Minister of a tiny country on the other side of the globe has to stand up and explain basic historical facts to someone who's not only unqualified to make important international decisions, but can't get things running correctly in his own back yard.
So, coming back to Iaccoca's wisdom in avoiding risk, while I certainly understand there's no school that can prepare one for the Presidency of the United States, I still think there must be a better way to educate an unskilled newcomer to the office than having the public pay a tuition fee of over 14 trillion dollars and watch him alienate its strongest ally in the Middle-East.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Netanyahu said, "This conflict has raged for 100 years because the Palestinians refuse to end it. They refuse to accept a Jewish state."
And for me, that brought a lot of things into perspective that our current administration does. Because aside from international tinderboxes, we have all kinds of domestic issues such as health care, tax reform, unemployment, border defense, terrorist threats, illegal immigration, drug and gun control,to mention just a few, all in the hands of a president who has no experience with any of this stuff at all. He's never been anything more than a party organizer and political hack, except for a short, do-nothing, stint in the Senate, his entire political life, thus he has no background or understanding of the subjects.
And that reminded of a book Lee Iaccoca wrote, Talking Straight, back in 1989. (I'm pretty sure that was the book, but if it's not that one it was another that Iaccoca wrote.) In it, Iaccoca said that when he was running Chrysler it didn't matter where new hires came from, they all went through an intense training period before being given real responsibility, because the company couldn't afford to risk tasking to people who were unprepared for their jobs, regardless of academic or prior employment credentials. I clearly remember an example of what would happen if someone added an extra zero to an order or left out a decimal point. The result could be thousands of unneeded parts ordered, or conversely not enough, which would strangle production.
So, if a brilliant manager like Iaccoca realizes the risks of delegating simple tasks to folks who aren't properly trained, what are the risks of putting a whole nation in the hands of an unskilled amateur whose only apparent talent is possession of a big mouth?
And I suppose that's why the Prime Minister of a tiny country on the other side of the globe has to stand up and explain basic historical facts to someone who's not only unqualified to make important international decisions, but can't get things running correctly in his own back yard.
So, coming back to Iaccoca's wisdom in avoiding risk, while I certainly understand there's no school that can prepare one for the Presidency of the United States, I still think there must be a better way to educate an unskilled newcomer to the office than having the public pay a tuition fee of over 14 trillion dollars and watch him alienate its strongest ally in the Middle-East.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Monday, May 23, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/23/2011
Tim Pawlenty announced today that he's running for the presidency. He's a two term governor of Minnesota, from 2002 to 2010 and served in the Minnesota House from 1992 until 2002.
In his announcement speech, he said "Conventional wisdom says you can't talk about ethanol in Iowa or Social Security in Florida or financial reform on Wall Street. But someone has to say it. Someone has to finally stand up and level with the American people. Someone has to lead."
From what little I know of Mr. Pawlenty, he seems to be a straight shooter who did a good job as governor and quietly fulfills his tasks without a lot of hype, noise or smoke and is likely trustworthy. So, if you agree with his politics, he's probably a very good choice.
But, what bothers me is not so much what he does or how he does it, I resent what he thinks. Because he sounds just like all these other politicos who seem to believe that the public doesn't know or absorb what goes on in the world, especially regarding DC. His remark about conventional wisdom is inane. Because people talk about ethanol in Iowa, Social Security in Florida, and financial reform on Wall Street all day every day. It's gutless political hacks that avoid those issues.
And not only do folks talk about just about every important issue you can think of, lately they've demonstrated that it's not just talk. They're showing their feelings and beliefs clearly at the polls. That's why there's presently a Republican House. So, I believe the public has finally woken up, as I've written many times before in this blog, and doesn't really care as much about party affiliation as they do about their particular needs and well being.
Consequently, except for the hard core left and right who'll readily sacrifice themselves and families for ridiculous political and social causes, the vast majority of U.S. voters are going to keep recycling politicians, regardless of party affiliation, until one's get elected that can do something right.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
In his announcement speech, he said "Conventional wisdom says you can't talk about ethanol in Iowa or Social Security in Florida or financial reform on Wall Street. But someone has to say it. Someone has to finally stand up and level with the American people. Someone has to lead."
From what little I know of Mr. Pawlenty, he seems to be a straight shooter who did a good job as governor and quietly fulfills his tasks without a lot of hype, noise or smoke and is likely trustworthy. So, if you agree with his politics, he's probably a very good choice.
But, what bothers me is not so much what he does or how he does it, I resent what he thinks. Because he sounds just like all these other politicos who seem to believe that the public doesn't know or absorb what goes on in the world, especially regarding DC. His remark about conventional wisdom is inane. Because people talk about ethanol in Iowa, Social Security in Florida, and financial reform on Wall Street all day every day. It's gutless political hacks that avoid those issues.
And not only do folks talk about just about every important issue you can think of, lately they've demonstrated that it's not just talk. They're showing their feelings and beliefs clearly at the polls. That's why there's presently a Republican House. So, I believe the public has finally woken up, as I've written many times before in this blog, and doesn't really care as much about party affiliation as they do about their particular needs and well being.
Consequently, except for the hard core left and right who'll readily sacrifice themselves and families for ridiculous political and social causes, the vast majority of U.S. voters are going to keep recycling politicians, regardless of party affiliation, until one's get elected that can do something right.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Sunday, May 22, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/22/2011
The continuing big news item is the president's informing Israel's prime minister on national TV how he expects a land deal to be negotiated with the Palestinians that starts with Israeli acceptance of the 1967 borders between the nations. This has long been known as unacceptable to Israel, and a major departure from a U.S. position in place for years and honored by all presidents involved in the past.
Since the verbal bombshell was dropped on the Israeli's Friday, the president's been scrambling to reiterate his words and attempting to clarify that the bond between the U.S. and Israel is the same as ever, and he says he only meant that the 1967 borders were a place to start discussions.
However, this is another situation that's a carbon copy of everything this administration does. First, the president makes a speech or public comment about a law or amendment designed to appease his far left base, and then proceeds to gloss over what he's done with words or cover ups after the fact.
So, in keeping with what I wrote yesterday, I can only come to one conclusion. No matter what the president does or says to cover up his actions, he definitely did what he did and said what he said and there can be no doubt about his original intentions. Thus that leaves it to everyone else involved to decide how they wish to move forward. And it should be clear to anyone in Israel that they presently have no friend in the White House.
In that regard, I heard it put best by a former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. during the Bush administration, whose name I don't remember. But, what he said was that there is no doubt among Israeli's that their relationship with the U.S. is currently stronger than it's ever been, and that they are the only friend that the U.S. has in the entire Middle-East. However, that relationship is between the people of those two nations, and for the moment doesn't include the current U.S. administration but that will be corrected in the future.
And that brings me to several other subjects along the same lines.
At the moment, American businesses are turning the corner and many major corporations are sitting on billions in cash. However, they won't invest it or turn on the hiring lamp because they fear the unknown of unclear tax policies and fiscal irresponsibility of the current administration.
Hospitals, doctors, and insurers involved in health care are all quite confused as to how to proceed fiscally, because they don't know if new health care laws will remain in effect or be overturned. While all that confusion transpires, health care quality and provision suffers, however experts in the field believe all this will straighten out once an administration's in place that is stable and clearly defines the law.
Education has gone down the chute almost completely in the U.S. primarily due to deterioration of the system caused by union's protecting incompetent tenured dregs who call themselves teachers. However, particular states are doing quite well education-wise because they've individually blown the unions out. Nonetheless, the current administration supports the unions, which means there's little chance for real national improvement until new lawmakers at the top fix the problem down the road.
Aside from these issues, there's the continuing weakening of the nation financially, and a lessening of its international stature due to its unbridled debt. And its most likely that the capital drain and wasteful spending won't be stemmed until a new administration steps up and reverses the trend.
So, when you look at the preceding list of problems I guess its pretty obvious who the common denominator is and who's at the root of the biggest problems. In fact, I think logic dictates that most voters in the U.S. will step up and be pleased to do their part in the next election to boot the current administration out.
But then, I look at who the Republicans have in contention right now for the oval office and I don't think there's one in the bunch who has a clue about running this country. So the chances are, as horrendous as the current administration is, it will likely stay in place.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Since the verbal bombshell was dropped on the Israeli's Friday, the president's been scrambling to reiterate his words and attempting to clarify that the bond between the U.S. and Israel is the same as ever, and he says he only meant that the 1967 borders were a place to start discussions.
However, this is another situation that's a carbon copy of everything this administration does. First, the president makes a speech or public comment about a law or amendment designed to appease his far left base, and then proceeds to gloss over what he's done with words or cover ups after the fact.
So, in keeping with what I wrote yesterday, I can only come to one conclusion. No matter what the president does or says to cover up his actions, he definitely did what he did and said what he said and there can be no doubt about his original intentions. Thus that leaves it to everyone else involved to decide how they wish to move forward. And it should be clear to anyone in Israel that they presently have no friend in the White House.
In that regard, I heard it put best by a former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. during the Bush administration, whose name I don't remember. But, what he said was that there is no doubt among Israeli's that their relationship with the U.S. is currently stronger than it's ever been, and that they are the only friend that the U.S. has in the entire Middle-East. However, that relationship is between the people of those two nations, and for the moment doesn't include the current U.S. administration but that will be corrected in the future.
And that brings me to several other subjects along the same lines.
At the moment, American businesses are turning the corner and many major corporations are sitting on billions in cash. However, they won't invest it or turn on the hiring lamp because they fear the unknown of unclear tax policies and fiscal irresponsibility of the current administration.
Hospitals, doctors, and insurers involved in health care are all quite confused as to how to proceed fiscally, because they don't know if new health care laws will remain in effect or be overturned. While all that confusion transpires, health care quality and provision suffers, however experts in the field believe all this will straighten out once an administration's in place that is stable and clearly defines the law.
Education has gone down the chute almost completely in the U.S. primarily due to deterioration of the system caused by union's protecting incompetent tenured dregs who call themselves teachers. However, particular states are doing quite well education-wise because they've individually blown the unions out. Nonetheless, the current administration supports the unions, which means there's little chance for real national improvement until new lawmakers at the top fix the problem down the road.
Aside from these issues, there's the continuing weakening of the nation financially, and a lessening of its international stature due to its unbridled debt. And its most likely that the capital drain and wasteful spending won't be stemmed until a new administration steps up and reverses the trend.
So, when you look at the preceding list of problems I guess its pretty obvious who the common denominator is and who's at the root of the biggest problems. In fact, I think logic dictates that most voters in the U.S. will step up and be pleased to do their part in the next election to boot the current administration out.
But then, I look at who the Republicans have in contention right now for the oval office and I don't think there's one in the bunch who has a clue about running this country. So the chances are, as horrendous as the current administration is, it will likely stay in place.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Saturday, May 21, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/21/2011
As mentioned yesterday, the president seems to have, according to several pundits, "thrown Israel under the bus." He's done it by seemingly giving the Palestinians the upper hand in upcoming negotiations regarding borders between the two nations. So, my question for today is, and I've asked it before, why does anyone of the Jewish faith vote for almost any presidential Democrat?
As I often write, and you can go and look this stuff up yourself, I don't think if Jews searched the earth they'd find anyone worse for them than Jimmy Carter. He's tried so many times to hang Israel out to dry he could likely be elected president of any Arab nation today.
Willy was certainly no friend of Israel either. And Hillary spent so much time hugging her pal, Mrs. Arafat, it's likely they're pals on Facebook, but I haven't checked that out.
And then there's O'bama himself, who's trying to scramble this morning for what his press secretary says isn't a change in policy, just stated in different words. But, regardless, the message is clear, Israel's no longer a favored nation.
But, on the other hand, check out the track records of Eisenhower, Reagan and especially both Bush's and you'll not find better friends of Israel, or Jews in general anywhere else on the planet. Consequently, I think that despite the fact that those of the Jewish faith are supposed to be among the intellectually brightest folks in the world, when it comes to U.S. politics they're dumber than stones and have been for forty years.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
As I often write, and you can go and look this stuff up yourself, I don't think if Jews searched the earth they'd find anyone worse for them than Jimmy Carter. He's tried so many times to hang Israel out to dry he could likely be elected president of any Arab nation today.
Willy was certainly no friend of Israel either. And Hillary spent so much time hugging her pal, Mrs. Arafat, it's likely they're pals on Facebook, but I haven't checked that out.
And then there's O'bama himself, who's trying to scramble this morning for what his press secretary says isn't a change in policy, just stated in different words. But, regardless, the message is clear, Israel's no longer a favored nation.
But, on the other hand, check out the track records of Eisenhower, Reagan and especially both Bush's and you'll not find better friends of Israel, or Jews in general anywhere else on the planet. Consequently, I think that despite the fact that those of the Jewish faith are supposed to be among the intellectually brightest folks in the world, when it comes to U.S. politics they're dumber than stones and have been for forty years.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Friday, May 20, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/20/2011
Meeting at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn't happy with the president's call for a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders. But, I don't think he's talking to the right guy.
O'bama's boss, George Soros, has never supported Israel to my knowledge and has oft been quoted saying disparaging things about those of Jewish faith in particular. You can Google around and look up his history yourself. So, why would the president disobey orders and risk losing the support of moveon.org?
So, as they say, just like Soros' oil wells in Brazil, funded by U.S. loan guarantees, follow the money and you'll get to the truth.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
O'bama's boss, George Soros, has never supported Israel to my knowledge and has oft been quoted saying disparaging things about those of Jewish faith in particular. You can Google around and look up his history yourself. So, why would the president disobey orders and risk losing the support of moveon.org?
So, as they say, just like Soros' oil wells in Brazil, funded by U.S. loan guarantees, follow the money and you'll get to the truth.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Thursday, May 19, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/19/2011
In the president's daily speech today (sure seems like he's talking somewhere every time I turn on my set) he said Israel must pull back to the 1969 borders that existed before the "Six-Day War." Naturally, this break with longstanding U.S. policy immediately aggravated the Israelis. They want the borders of any future Palestinian state determined through negotiations.
But what I thought the most interesting was that it seems the president thinks that because we give that country about five or six billion a year, we can tell them how to set the borders they feel critically important to protecting themselves. And I guess, since we give them so much money, he's likely right.
But, at the same time, taxpayers here have watched this same president burn up over fourteen billion of their hard-earned dollars, while doing nothing to protect the borders of the United States. There are more illegal aliens, weapons, diseases and drugs crossing into this country every day than anyone can ever imagine or count.
So, if the president thinks six billion dollars is enough to justify his setting the rules for how Israel must define its borders, and therefore how they protect themselves, how much say are American taxpayers entitled to when trying to protect themselves? Because so far, the answer from Washington is: Nada.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
But what I thought the most interesting was that it seems the president thinks that because we give that country about five or six billion a year, we can tell them how to set the borders they feel critically important to protecting themselves. And I guess, since we give them so much money, he's likely right.
But, at the same time, taxpayers here have watched this same president burn up over fourteen billion of their hard-earned dollars, while doing nothing to protect the borders of the United States. There are more illegal aliens, weapons, diseases and drugs crossing into this country every day than anyone can ever imagine or count.
So, if the president thinks six billion dollars is enough to justify his setting the rules for how Israel must define its borders, and therefore how they protect themselves, how much say are American taxpayers entitled to when trying to protect themselves? Because so far, the answer from Washington is: Nada.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/18/2011
Saw some recent statistics on health care this morning that say average costs are up across the country, however Massachusetts the first state to introduce a plan of its own under Romney, is significantly higher by far than any other.
According to analysts and experts, the reason for the increase is that insurers are raising their rates at present in order to be in compliance when the universal plan actually kicks in a couple of years from now. But, regardless of the reasons given, much of the rising cost is due to lack of competition which allows insurers to charge almost anything they want. So, once again taxpayers are stuck paying the high cost of bureaucratic fantasy, while politicos chase themselves in circles trying to duck the blame for their incompetence and outright disregard for the public good.
In the meantime, one clown decided not to run for the presidency this week on the Republican ticket, saying he was having too much fun in business and on TV to want to live in the White House. And he was immediately replaced in the spotlight by Newt Gingrich. Then, within what seemed like only minutes stories poured out about how this Ginrich guy doesn't pay his campaign bills, runs up all kinds of unpaid charges at Tiffany's, and makes speeches about proposed legislation that don't agree with the facts.
So, what is with these people, and why do they choose to run when they haven't a prayer of being elected? Is it because of all the the free publicity, or some kind of need to look like a fool nationwide? I simply don't get it.
And then, the depths of the Republican's lacking of a solid candidate was underscored for me by some commentator who said that whoever runs on their ticket will have to get Sandra Palin's endorsement to win, because of the impact of her party importance. When her name was mentioned, I realized I'd forgotten her completely. I thought she'd gone back to Alaska to do whatever it is they do out there. But, evidently, she didn't and is still around.
Nonetheless, if I were running for office, I'm not sure I'd want her endorsement or even McCain's. I'd much prefer to be recommended by a winner.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
According to analysts and experts, the reason for the increase is that insurers are raising their rates at present in order to be in compliance when the universal plan actually kicks in a couple of years from now. But, regardless of the reasons given, much of the rising cost is due to lack of competition which allows insurers to charge almost anything they want. So, once again taxpayers are stuck paying the high cost of bureaucratic fantasy, while politicos chase themselves in circles trying to duck the blame for their incompetence and outright disregard for the public good.
In the meantime, one clown decided not to run for the presidency this week on the Republican ticket, saying he was having too much fun in business and on TV to want to live in the White House. And he was immediately replaced in the spotlight by Newt Gingrich. Then, within what seemed like only minutes stories poured out about how this Ginrich guy doesn't pay his campaign bills, runs up all kinds of unpaid charges at Tiffany's, and makes speeches about proposed legislation that don't agree with the facts.
So, what is with these people, and why do they choose to run when they haven't a prayer of being elected? Is it because of all the the free publicity, or some kind of need to look like a fool nationwide? I simply don't get it.
And then, the depths of the Republican's lacking of a solid candidate was underscored for me by some commentator who said that whoever runs on their ticket will have to get Sandra Palin's endorsement to win, because of the impact of her party importance. When her name was mentioned, I realized I'd forgotten her completely. I thought she'd gone back to Alaska to do whatever it is they do out there. But, evidently, she didn't and is still around.
Nonetheless, if I were running for office, I'm not sure I'd want her endorsement or even McCain's. I'd much prefer to be recommended by a winner.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/17/2011
There's nothing better than when real world events squelch hype and smoke and outright lies, especially when it comes to so-called national figures. That's why I've found it so satisfying that we've had no spring in the Northeast for the last several years, because temperatures have been so low it completely debunks the colossal fraud called "global warming." It almost makes it worth it that it's been too chilly to play any golf.
And then today it was noted that, according to Fox, "Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district was the hands-down winner in the latest set of health care law waivers announced by the Obama administration."
More than three dozen businesses in Pelosi's district were granted temporary exemptions from the law in April, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Mostly restaurants and cafes, along with a few upscale hotels and clubs accounted for about 20 percent of all waivers granted last month.
Ms Pelosi wasn't alone however because Nevada, the state represented by her counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, also just received a partial exemption from a provision in the law requiring companies to spend at least 80 percent of premium money on medical care and related expenses. HHS will allow Nevada to keep that rate at 75 percent in 2011, out of concern that major insurers could otherwise withdraw.
So, these clowns not only rammed a bill through that's one of the most horrendous ever passed, their own constituents are at the top of the list of those who can't or won't comply.
I'll tell ya, if it wasn't so tragic, it would be pretty funny.
Then it dawned on me that we may be on the verge of a perfect election for the citizenry. Because if things stay the way they are, the Republicans won't be able to dig up a candidate that can beat O'bama. But, they're doing very well in the states and might squeak through in Congress. So, just like in the Clinton years we'll have what's best for all after the next election -governmental gridlock!
Since Slick Willie was hemmed in by the other party, he did very little real damage though the potential was huge. And by the time he left office, since he could do no lasting harm, W quickly got the country moving again on the right track.
So, I think we should all just keep our fingers crossed and hope that stalemate comes to fruition. Because, who knows, if no new legislation gets passed, sooner or later the U.S. might even be able to pay its bills.
That's it for today folks.
Adios.
And then today it was noted that, according to Fox, "Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district was the hands-down winner in the latest set of health care law waivers announced by the Obama administration."
More than three dozen businesses in Pelosi's district were granted temporary exemptions from the law in April, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Mostly restaurants and cafes, along with a few upscale hotels and clubs accounted for about 20 percent of all waivers granted last month.
Ms Pelosi wasn't alone however because Nevada, the state represented by her counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, also just received a partial exemption from a provision in the law requiring companies to spend at least 80 percent of premium money on medical care and related expenses. HHS will allow Nevada to keep that rate at 75 percent in 2011, out of concern that major insurers could otherwise withdraw.
So, these clowns not only rammed a bill through that's one of the most horrendous ever passed, their own constituents are at the top of the list of those who can't or won't comply.
I'll tell ya, if it wasn't so tragic, it would be pretty funny.
Then it dawned on me that we may be on the verge of a perfect election for the citizenry. Because if things stay the way they are, the Republicans won't be able to dig up a candidate that can beat O'bama. But, they're doing very well in the states and might squeak through in Congress. So, just like in the Clinton years we'll have what's best for all after the next election -governmental gridlock!
Since Slick Willie was hemmed in by the other party, he did very little real damage though the potential was huge. And by the time he left office, since he could do no lasting harm, W quickly got the country moving again on the right track.
So, I think we should all just keep our fingers crossed and hope that stalemate comes to fruition. Because, who knows, if no new legislation gets passed, sooner or later the U.S. might even be able to pay its bills.
That's it for today folks.
Adios.
Monday, May 16, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/16/2011
I was surprised this weekend, when Mike Huckabee decided not to run for the presidency, and a bit let down too, because although it's much, much too early to get serious about the race, he might have been a worthwhile vote.
Then I decided to do some investigation, to see why he might have decided not to take his chances, because he was clearly a front runner among all those who've announced. And he's certainly a solid citizen, not another fast-talking Arkansas yahoo who backed into national prominence by accident like another former governor we've all heard too much of.
In my research, I found an article in Business Insider by John Ellis that likely recaps it best.
Ellis says: "Whoever is president from January 2013 through January 2017 is going to have to make some very difficult decisions; all of them certain to earn him or her the undying enmity of powerful constituencies across the country. He or she will have to cut the military budget by at least 15 percent, discretionary spending by at least 15 percent, Medicare and Medicaid by 20 percent at a minimum. And on top of that, he or she gets to reconfigure Social Security so that it is means-tested and starts paying out later in people's lives.
In addition, he or she gets to deal with the slowly failing state or Pakistan, the failed state of Afghanistan, the collapse of the Middle East as we have known it, the unraveling of the European Union, a petro-cash rich Russia and the rise of China. And on top of that, he or she will get up every morning and review a Threat Matrix that literally ages you on a daily basis.
On top of all that, he or she will get to say to governors and mayors from around the country that there is nothing the Federal government can do to help them with their fiscal "issues." They'll have to deal with Medicaid and unfunded pension liabilities and education shortfalls all by themselves."
So, in the light of Ellis' recap, I'd guess that Mike Huckabee probably did his homework and said to himself that it's best to leave all those headaches to someone else and wait til' next time to run.
And having considered all those things myself, I think I'd also prefer to just sit there and play my guitar and leave the horror show to O'bama, he seems to enjoy making speeches so much, maybe he can talk his way out of this one.
Oh. And in the meantime Trump decided not to run. Gee, what a surprise. I guess somebody told him that part of candidacy was a background check.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Then I decided to do some investigation, to see why he might have decided not to take his chances, because he was clearly a front runner among all those who've announced. And he's certainly a solid citizen, not another fast-talking Arkansas yahoo who backed into national prominence by accident like another former governor we've all heard too much of.
In my research, I found an article in Business Insider by John Ellis that likely recaps it best.
Ellis says: "Whoever is president from January 2013 through January 2017 is going to have to make some very difficult decisions; all of them certain to earn him or her the undying enmity of powerful constituencies across the country. He or she will have to cut the military budget by at least 15 percent, discretionary spending by at least 15 percent, Medicare and Medicaid by 20 percent at a minimum. And on top of that, he or she gets to reconfigure Social Security so that it is means-tested and starts paying out later in people's lives.
In addition, he or she gets to deal with the slowly failing state or Pakistan, the failed state of Afghanistan, the collapse of the Middle East as we have known it, the unraveling of the European Union, a petro-cash rich Russia and the rise of China. And on top of that, he or she will get up every morning and review a Threat Matrix that literally ages you on a daily basis.
On top of all that, he or she will get to say to governors and mayors from around the country that there is nothing the Federal government can do to help them with their fiscal "issues." They'll have to deal with Medicaid and unfunded pension liabilities and education shortfalls all by themselves."
So, in the light of Ellis' recap, I'd guess that Mike Huckabee probably did his homework and said to himself that it's best to leave all those headaches to someone else and wait til' next time to run.
And having considered all those things myself, I think I'd also prefer to just sit there and play my guitar and leave the horror show to O'bama, he seems to enjoy making speeches so much, maybe he can talk his way out of this one.
Oh. And in the meantime Trump decided not to run. Gee, what a surprise. I guess somebody told him that part of candidacy was a background check.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Sunday, May 15, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/15/2011
I think you have to wonder exactly how stupid Newt Gingrich thinks American voters really are. Because, apparently, the other day he said something along the lines of not judging him by his past, but rather who he is now. So, I guess he wants us to think he's a very rare breed of leopard that actually can change its spots. As for me, I don't care very much as to whether he's changed his spots or not, I'd rather vote for someone who was never a colossal bozo to begin with.
But in the meantime, it's come out that by putting himself in the limelight several unpaid tax liens have surfaced which it seems he never satisfied. Although he says he'll fix the issue immediately.
And that got me to thinking that most often when there are problems, you're usually best off having them handled by experts regarding the particular issue. And right now, the biggest problem facing the country after unemployment, is its unpaid debt. So, perhaps we should avail ourselves of genuine expertise. It sounds like a perfect solution.
A ticket of Gingrich and Trump, it doesn't matter which one's on top, likely has more practice in dealing with unpaid bills than all the other candidates combined. And since neither cares a whit about honoring financial obligations, if those two got elected none of the national debt would be repaid and the country could go right on spending without an iota of thought or remorse.
But then, if they really did perform true to form, who'd be left holding the bag like always and never get a nickel back on their bonds? Why the taxpayers that elected them of course.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
But in the meantime, it's come out that by putting himself in the limelight several unpaid tax liens have surfaced which it seems he never satisfied. Although he says he'll fix the issue immediately.
And that got me to thinking that most often when there are problems, you're usually best off having them handled by experts regarding the particular issue. And right now, the biggest problem facing the country after unemployment, is its unpaid debt. So, perhaps we should avail ourselves of genuine expertise. It sounds like a perfect solution.
A ticket of Gingrich and Trump, it doesn't matter which one's on top, likely has more practice in dealing with unpaid bills than all the other candidates combined. And since neither cares a whit about honoring financial obligations, if those two got elected none of the national debt would be repaid and the country could go right on spending without an iota of thought or remorse.
But then, if they really did perform true to form, who'd be left holding the bag like always and never get a nickel back on their bonds? Why the taxpayers that elected them of course.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Saturday, May 14, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/14/2011
I spend a lot of blog-space hassling the administration for the many things it does which I think are purely political or otherwise simply inane. So, I guess, it's only fair to give credit when it's due. And that certainly seems true today. Because only a couple of weeks after nailing UBL, the president announced the easing of some oil drilling restrictions.
According to Fox News and the Associated Press, a team will be coordinated to speed up permitting drilling in Alaska, and the extension of leases in the Gulf of Mexico and Chukchi Sea.
Although it will take some time to bring our oil production up to speed, and therefore have no immediate effect on the current extremely high cost of fuel, it's certainly a major step in the right direction.
So, I guess with election day getting closer things have to be ramped up to prove that re-election's merited. Which is a good thing because the public benefits from the changes in direction from leftist debilitation. However, let's not forget it was really George Bush who set up bin Laden, and Soros' Brazilian oil is still in the offing to fill our shortfall production gap.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
According to Fox News and the Associated Press, a team will be coordinated to speed up permitting drilling in Alaska, and the extension of leases in the Gulf of Mexico and Chukchi Sea.
Although it will take some time to bring our oil production up to speed, and therefore have no immediate effect on the current extremely high cost of fuel, it's certainly a major step in the right direction.
So, I guess with election day getting closer things have to be ramped up to prove that re-election's merited. Which is a good thing because the public benefits from the changes in direction from leftist debilitation. However, let's not forget it was really George Bush who set up bin Laden, and Soros' Brazilian oil is still in the offing to fill our shortfall production gap.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Friday, May 13, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/13/2011
Maybe there's really something to this Frday the 13th thing. Because the blog provider was down for half a day and it looks like two days of my writings have disappeared completely. But, I'm not going to replace them.
In the meantime, I was skimming the news this morning and noticed that a Democrat senator, Kohl, from Wisconsin's retiring and there's now speculation about the open seat. In that regard, left-wing groups have begun clamoring for Russ Feingold to run again. He was swept out in the Republican surge in 2010.
Now, what I don't understand is, this guy Feingold's already been blown out of office because the voting public's tired of his politics and wants to see change. So, what's the point of running this guy again. Especially since the new Republican governor, Scott Walker, has seemingly turned the state around and made great strides in repairing its financial footing.
I guess that leads to the whole question of why people continue to pursue ideals and dreams that have never worked anywhere in the world , and will continue wanting folks who burn up taxpayer's funds faster than taxpayers can earn it.
And, as far as the rest of the philosophical stuff goes, citizens can do whatever they want in the U.S.A. So if taxes aren't high enough for some, they're free to send as much of their cash as they want to D.C. Just don't ask non-believers to do it too and it'll work out just fine in the end.
In the meantime, for Republicans, I'm sure it will be better than good if Feingold actually runs, because those same Republicans will surely win the seat as has already been proven regarding him.
That's it for today folks
Adios
In the meantime, I was skimming the news this morning and noticed that a Democrat senator, Kohl, from Wisconsin's retiring and there's now speculation about the open seat. In that regard, left-wing groups have begun clamoring for Russ Feingold to run again. He was swept out in the Republican surge in 2010.
Now, what I don't understand is, this guy Feingold's already been blown out of office because the voting public's tired of his politics and wants to see change. So, what's the point of running this guy again. Especially since the new Republican governor, Scott Walker, has seemingly turned the state around and made great strides in repairing its financial footing.
I guess that leads to the whole question of why people continue to pursue ideals and dreams that have never worked anywhere in the world , and will continue wanting folks who burn up taxpayer's funds faster than taxpayers can earn it.
And, as far as the rest of the philosophical stuff goes, citizens can do whatever they want in the U.S.A. So if taxes aren't high enough for some, they're free to send as much of their cash as they want to D.C. Just don't ask non-believers to do it too and it'll work out just fine in the end.
In the meantime, for Republicans, I'm sure it will be better than good if Feingold actually runs, because those same Republicans will surely win the seat as has already been proven regarding him.
That's it for today folks
Adios
Thursday, May 12, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/12/2010
A couple of days I mentioned some politician or other going one better than simply double-talking, this one was triple-speaking at least. And now we have Mitt Romney making a speech about his working to pass universal health care coverage in Massachusetts when he was governor there, but saying it doesn't matter what he did then. Just exactly how stupid does he think voters really are?
And then we have Newt Gingrich announcing his candidacy for a change. So, what is is it with these people, why don't they just pack up, go away and leave us alone. Neither of them is electable, so why waste all that money campaigning?
I think there's little doubt that the glow from nailing Bin Laden will fade soon enough, and that will leave the president with nothing to protect him from his proven track record which is truly horrendous. So, it should be easy for almost any Republican to win the White House. But if that party keeps recycling their trash on their tickets, as I've said before in this blog, O'bama's a shoo-in for sure.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
And then we have Newt Gingrich announcing his candidacy for a change. So, what is is it with these people, why don't they just pack up, go away and leave us alone. Neither of them is electable, so why waste all that money campaigning?
I think there's little doubt that the glow from nailing Bin Laden will fade soon enough, and that will leave the president with nothing to protect him from his proven track record which is truly horrendous. So, it should be easy for almost any Republican to win the White House. But if that party keeps recycling their trash on their tickets, as I've said before in this blog, O'bama's a shoo-in for sure.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/11/2011
It looks like there's going to be another bill introduced in Congress to permit offshore drilling for oil. And meanwhile, the argument between conservationists and the rest of society continues.
"We would probably have enough oil to drive our 60 million cars for about 25 years and heat 60 million homes for probably about 50 years," Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association and a former director of Mineral Management Service under President George W. Bush, told Fox News.
And then Tupper Hull of the Western States Petroleum Association said, "We could replace every drop of oil that California imports for 36 years if we were able to develop that resource."
Hull agrees that California and the federal government should aggressively pursue alternative technologies, but says that won't eliminate America's need for domestic oil.
And as far as alternatives go, Hull went on to say, "The reality is, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2035 better than 80 percent of our energy will come from fossil fuels. And that assumes an explosive growth in volume of the alternative and renewable fuels."
In the meantime, as for the bill's prospects, after likely House passage Wednesday, it will die in the Senate because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will not allow any bill that allows drilling to come to the Senate floor.
So, I guess for now, George Soros is safe. But he better start exporting here from his Brazilian wells quickly because his flunky's clock's ticking fast. And the odds are that someone who wants Americans to use oil drilled right here at home will likely replace him in the White House quite soon.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
"We would probably have enough oil to drive our 60 million cars for about 25 years and heat 60 million homes for probably about 50 years," Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association and a former director of Mineral Management Service under President George W. Bush, told Fox News.
And then Tupper Hull of the Western States Petroleum Association said, "We could replace every drop of oil that California imports for 36 years if we were able to develop that resource."
Hull agrees that California and the federal government should aggressively pursue alternative technologies, but says that won't eliminate America's need for domestic oil.
And as far as alternatives go, Hull went on to say, "The reality is, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2035 better than 80 percent of our energy will come from fossil fuels. And that assumes an explosive growth in volume of the alternative and renewable fuels."
In the meantime, as for the bill's prospects, after likely House passage Wednesday, it will die in the Senate because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will not allow any bill that allows drilling to come to the Senate floor.
So, I guess for now, George Soros is safe. But he better start exporting here from his Brazilian wells quickly because his flunky's clock's ticking fast. And the odds are that someone who wants Americans to use oil drilled right here at home will likely replace him in the White House quite soon.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/10/2011
With the UBL termination winding down, the president's on his way to the border in El Paso, Texas to talk about immigration reform. And he plans to blame the Republicans for the lack of action regarding illegals.
Here's how the Associated Press writes the story; "President Obama is making his first trip as president to the U.S.-Mexico border, using the setting to sharpen his call for a remake of the nation's immigration laws and try to cast the GOP as the obstacle standing in its way."
And this I think this clearly illustrates why everybody with half a brain despises politicians. Because there's no doubt this nation needs border control, and our boundary leaks like a sieve. Illegals pour in by the thousands.
It's also true that the border states have been trying extremely hard to beef up security, yet the major stumbling block's been the federal government who ties their hands whenever it can. There are all kinds of law suits in various courts seeking stronger state's rights. And one doesn't have to go much further back than when Nancy Pelosi had some power, to remember how she worked overtime to insure illegals would remain free to come here. And Harry Reid too, who wants to send them all to college at taxpayer's expense.
So, here's the worst part. I think it's incredibly insulting and presumptive to make speeches that are outright lies, because it insults the intelligence of those who bother to listen. And it's also somewhat like a magician, who wants to you to watch his right hand while he picks your pocket with his left.
Therefore, since it's obvious to anyone who's not brain dead that it's the administration that's protecting illegals, along with Dem's in Congress, if the president truly wants to seal our borders, just send some troops there, clean the place up and in the meantime, shut the hell up.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Here's how the Associated Press writes the story; "President Obama is making his first trip as president to the U.S.-Mexico border, using the setting to sharpen his call for a remake of the nation's immigration laws and try to cast the GOP as the obstacle standing in its way."
And this I think this clearly illustrates why everybody with half a brain despises politicians. Because there's no doubt this nation needs border control, and our boundary leaks like a sieve. Illegals pour in by the thousands.
It's also true that the border states have been trying extremely hard to beef up security, yet the major stumbling block's been the federal government who ties their hands whenever it can. There are all kinds of law suits in various courts seeking stronger state's rights. And one doesn't have to go much further back than when Nancy Pelosi had some power, to remember how she worked overtime to insure illegals would remain free to come here. And Harry Reid too, who wants to send them all to college at taxpayer's expense.
So, here's the worst part. I think it's incredibly insulting and presumptive to make speeches that are outright lies, because it insults the intelligence of those who bother to listen. And it's also somewhat like a magician, who wants to you to watch his right hand while he picks your pocket with his left.
Therefore, since it's obvious to anyone who's not brain dead that it's the administration that's protecting illegals, along with Dem's in Congress, if the president truly wants to seal our borders, just send some troops there, clean the place up and in the meantime, shut the hell up.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Monday, May 9, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/9/2011
The more information that surfaces about the UBL raid, the luckier we are that the current administration has only eighteen or so months left in office. Because it becomes more obvious every time an administration official opens his or her mouth, they're all absolutely clueless.
This morning I saw a guy who says he's the president's national security adviser, his names Tom Donilon, and he raises double-talk to a new level. At least I hope it's double-talk, because if he really means what he says, he belongs in a home for the incurably stupid. This guy's contention is that it was fine to waste UBL, because we're at war with Al Queda, but water-boarding can't be done because it's outside the rules for interrogation. So, it's OK to blow an unarmed terrorist away in his own home and splatter his brains on the floor, but you can't dunk one of his cohorts in water because it's not humane.
So, my question for today is, when are these naive anti-war leftists going to wake up and realize that when fighting enemies who have no regard for human life, and whose sole desire is to eradicate the United States, we have to take every measure, regardless, to protect ourselves? But, as has been the case for as long as I can remember, these simpletons haven't a clue as to how things work in the real world.
Then I saw another quick blurb go by on the tube, about the administration's wanting to increase business relations with Brazil. That's when I said to myself; Gee whiz! Because I've been mentioning for almost a year now about the U.S. $2 billion loan guarantee to the president's boss, George Soros, for oil exploration in that country. And the squeeze has been on for almost as long where new American drilling is practically non-existent, thanks to government's refusal to allow them to succeed. Because, if we fill our own needs in the fuel department, Soros gets shut out, and so does his stooge.
But, in the meantime, if fuel prices keep rising and the economy keeps sinking and I can no longer support myself, I can disguise myself as an illegal alien and head out to San Francisco. The legislature there will support me for the rest of my life, and happily do it at taxpayer's expense.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
This morning I saw a guy who says he's the president's national security adviser, his names Tom Donilon, and he raises double-talk to a new level. At least I hope it's double-talk, because if he really means what he says, he belongs in a home for the incurably stupid. This guy's contention is that it was fine to waste UBL, because we're at war with Al Queda, but water-boarding can't be done because it's outside the rules for interrogation. So, it's OK to blow an unarmed terrorist away in his own home and splatter his brains on the floor, but you can't dunk one of his cohorts in water because it's not humane.
So, my question for today is, when are these naive anti-war leftists going to wake up and realize that when fighting enemies who have no regard for human life, and whose sole desire is to eradicate the United States, we have to take every measure, regardless, to protect ourselves? But, as has been the case for as long as I can remember, these simpletons haven't a clue as to how things work in the real world.
Then I saw another quick blurb go by on the tube, about the administration's wanting to increase business relations with Brazil. That's when I said to myself; Gee whiz! Because I've been mentioning for almost a year now about the U.S. $2 billion loan guarantee to the president's boss, George Soros, for oil exploration in that country. And the squeeze has been on for almost as long where new American drilling is practically non-existent, thanks to government's refusal to allow them to succeed. Because, if we fill our own needs in the fuel department, Soros gets shut out, and so does his stooge.
But, in the meantime, if fuel prices keep rising and the economy keeps sinking and I can no longer support myself, I can disguise myself as an illegal alien and head out to San Francisco. The legislature there will support me for the rest of my life, and happily do it at taxpayer's expense.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Sunday, May 8, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/8/2011
As more and more information surfaces about how poorly UBL did in his first meeting with our Navy SEAL's, the more I realize how extremely lucky we were to have found him at all. Because right from the get-go, this administration has done everything possible to weaken our ability against foreign terrorism, and has taken great strides toward tying our CIA's hands.
And the most puzzling question I have in this whole scenario, is that while the administration's bending over backwards to make sure we play by some moronic rules and trying to figure out what's warfare and not, who's playing referee on the other side? I don't seem to remember hearing our enemies second-guessing UBL when he decided to have planes flown into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, or other targets fortunately un-hit due to the heroes over Shanksville, PA who took over that aircraft.
Among the 2,752 victims who died in the attacks on Trade Center were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority. Another 184 people were killed in the attack on the Pentagon. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries and none were directly in battle with UBL. That spineless weasel took them out because he knew they couldn't fight back.
So, how many citizens do we have to lose, and exactly how vulnerable do we have to become, before our anti-American Attorney General either gets his head out of his butt, or admits his heart's on our enemies side? Fortunately for us, despite UBL's icing, this administration's over in eighteen months. But, til' that happens, how much weaker can we become?
And in the meantime, when we've just had one of the greatest victory's in the war on terror, and proven that UBL according to his own data was planning further death and destruction within the U.S., what does the city of San Francisco do? Why it decides to release illegal aliens after minor arrests to prevent deportation, saying it helps build goodwill and trust with them. So, in truth what does this leniency really do? Why it makes Frisco the Mecca for terrorists to flock too, because that kind of safe haven in their enemies midst is simply too good to be true.
Now naturally, if all the terrorists really did decide to hide nearby the Golden Gate, that might turn out to be quite advantageous to us, because we'd have so many of them in one place, making them far easier to capture or simply eradicate. But then Eric Holder would arrest and shoot all the good guys, for turning San Francisco's offer of safe-harbor into a false advertising claim.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
And the most puzzling question I have in this whole scenario, is that while the administration's bending over backwards to make sure we play by some moronic rules and trying to figure out what's warfare and not, who's playing referee on the other side? I don't seem to remember hearing our enemies second-guessing UBL when he decided to have planes flown into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, or other targets fortunately un-hit due to the heroes over Shanksville, PA who took over that aircraft.
Among the 2,752 victims who died in the attacks on Trade Center were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York City and the Port Authority. Another 184 people were killed in the attack on the Pentagon. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries and none were directly in battle with UBL. That spineless weasel took them out because he knew they couldn't fight back.
So, how many citizens do we have to lose, and exactly how vulnerable do we have to become, before our anti-American Attorney General either gets his head out of his butt, or admits his heart's on our enemies side? Fortunately for us, despite UBL's icing, this administration's over in eighteen months. But, til' that happens, how much weaker can we become?
And in the meantime, when we've just had one of the greatest victory's in the war on terror, and proven that UBL according to his own data was planning further death and destruction within the U.S., what does the city of San Francisco do? Why it decides to release illegal aliens after minor arrests to prevent deportation, saying it helps build goodwill and trust with them. So, in truth what does this leniency really do? Why it makes Frisco the Mecca for terrorists to flock too, because that kind of safe haven in their enemies midst is simply too good to be true.
Now naturally, if all the terrorists really did decide to hide nearby the Golden Gate, that might turn out to be quite advantageous to us, because we'd have so many of them in one place, making them far easier to capture or simply eradicate. But then Eric Holder would arrest and shoot all the good guys, for turning San Francisco's offer of safe-harbor into a false advertising claim.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Saturday, May 7, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/7/2011
This morning, I was thinking about where credit should be given for the incredible job done in terminating UBL's lease on life. And, the conclusion I reached is that first and foremost, the way was paved by our Founding Fathers. Because over two hundred years ago they realized the importance of individual freedoms and governance of, for and by the people.
Consequently, despite an administration in office that despises all those freedoms and believes that government's all that counts, such a good job was done by the prior administration in laying the groundwork for UBL's ultimate demise, the ball couldn't be stopped from rolling. Because, had UBL not been summarily dispatched after discovery of his location, that news would surely have sooner or later leaked out and no excuse in the world could have smoothed it over. Bubba Clinton still triple-talks every time the question arises as to why he didn't take UBL out in the first place, but Bubba was too busy having all night sessions discussing international law. Yeah, right.
And now, Eric Holder, the Attorney General (I had to look that up because I had no idea who the AG was) is considering charges regarding unlawful action by members of the CIA and techniques they used to gather information and also that several of our military may have overstepped their bounds by firing weaponry of certain types in foreign countries with which we're not at war. And if that's really Holder's plan, I hope the SEAL's next attack is at his house.
But to understand Holder, you have to look at his background. According to the National Review's Andrew McCarthy: "In 2004, Mr. Holder chose to file an amicus brief on behalf of Jose Padilla, the al-Qaeda terrorist sent to our country by bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to carry out a post-9/11 second wave of attacks. In the brief, Holder argued that a commander-in-chief lacks the constitutional authority to do what his boss, the current commander-in-chief, has just done: determine the parameters of the battlefield. By Holder’s lights — at least when the president is not named Obama — an al-Qaeda terrorist must be treated as a criminal defendant, not an enemy combatant, unless he is encountered on a traditional battlefield."
And then there's good old reliable Hillary. She also says she needs some more facts to determine whether or not our fantastic wipe-out of UBL was exactly kosher. And that of course is because although she may never have had a true belief in her life, she certainly knows where her votes come from and that her leftist base is anti anything that's good for the United States.
So, when all is said and done the arguments about who should have done what and when, and who's authorized and who's not will eventually begin to fade. But regardless, the only thing that counts is that no matter who wins this stupid argument, UBL will still be dead and the rest of his terrorist buddies are now moving from rock to rock, because the next SEAL raid might be at their place.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Consequently, despite an administration in office that despises all those freedoms and believes that government's all that counts, such a good job was done by the prior administration in laying the groundwork for UBL's ultimate demise, the ball couldn't be stopped from rolling. Because, had UBL not been summarily dispatched after discovery of his location, that news would surely have sooner or later leaked out and no excuse in the world could have smoothed it over. Bubba Clinton still triple-talks every time the question arises as to why he didn't take UBL out in the first place, but Bubba was too busy having all night sessions discussing international law. Yeah, right.
And now, Eric Holder, the Attorney General (I had to look that up because I had no idea who the AG was) is considering charges regarding unlawful action by members of the CIA and techniques they used to gather information and also that several of our military may have overstepped their bounds by firing weaponry of certain types in foreign countries with which we're not at war. And if that's really Holder's plan, I hope the SEAL's next attack is at his house.
But to understand Holder, you have to look at his background. According to the National Review's Andrew McCarthy: "In 2004, Mr. Holder chose to file an amicus brief on behalf of Jose Padilla, the al-Qaeda terrorist sent to our country by bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to carry out a post-9/11 second wave of attacks. In the brief, Holder argued that a commander-in-chief lacks the constitutional authority to do what his boss, the current commander-in-chief, has just done: determine the parameters of the battlefield. By Holder’s lights — at least when the president is not named Obama — an al-Qaeda terrorist must be treated as a criminal defendant, not an enemy combatant, unless he is encountered on a traditional battlefield."
And then there's good old reliable Hillary. She also says she needs some more facts to determine whether or not our fantastic wipe-out of UBL was exactly kosher. And that of course is because although she may never have had a true belief in her life, she certainly knows where her votes come from and that her leftist base is anti anything that's good for the United States.
So, when all is said and done the arguments about who should have done what and when, and who's authorized and who's not will eventually begin to fade. But regardless, the only thing that counts is that no matter who wins this stupid argument, UBL will still be dead and the rest of his terrorist buddies are now moving from rock to rock, because the next SEAL raid might be at their place.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Friday, May 6, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/6/2011
There was a Republican debate last night, wherein some presidential hopefuls talked about how good they'd be for the country, how bad the present administration is and yada, yada, yada. I didn't watch it, and frankly don't understand what these sessions are all about. Because, it doesn't really matter at all what people say or promise, especially politicians, the only thing that counts is what they actually do.
So, each of the guys that showed up last night has been around for a while, and each has a track record. That means, we already know what they've done and pretty much what they think. So, who needs to hear them babble about any of it?
Along those lines, we have a perfect example in the White House right now of the huge difference between what politicos spout and what they really do in office. Because none other than the president himself, who called George Bush every name in the book and trashed his very existence when campaigning, has followed Bush's lead every step of the way in bringing down bin Laden. He's also brought the despised military into true perspective by recognizing their accomplishments, and is even trying to swipe some of their well-earned credit for himself. Which only goes to underscore that everything this president says is total kaka.
In the meantime, with unemployment still around 9%, gas at four dollars a gallon and likely going higher, education in the tank, a horrible health care plan enacted, government growing like Topsy for no productive purpose, and wars still being fought on two fronts with another one to come, the Republicans can't lose no matter who they run. Because the incumbent hasn't a ghost of a prayer of re-election no matter how many billions he spends campaigning.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
So, each of the guys that showed up last night has been around for a while, and each has a track record. That means, we already know what they've done and pretty much what they think. So, who needs to hear them babble about any of it?
Along those lines, we have a perfect example in the White House right now of the huge difference between what politicos spout and what they really do in office. Because none other than the president himself, who called George Bush every name in the book and trashed his very existence when campaigning, has followed Bush's lead every step of the way in bringing down bin Laden. He's also brought the despised military into true perspective by recognizing their accomplishments, and is even trying to swipe some of their well-earned credit for himself. Which only goes to underscore that everything this president says is total kaka.
In the meantime, with unemployment still around 9%, gas at four dollars a gallon and likely going higher, education in the tank, a horrible health care plan enacted, government growing like Topsy for no productive purpose, and wars still being fought on two fronts with another one to come, the Republicans can't lose no matter who they run. Because the incumbent hasn't a ghost of a prayer of re-election no matter how many billions he spends campaigning.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Thursday, May 5, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/5/2011
I was going to write about today's subject on Tuesday, but UBL's demise preempted that entry. And, there were actually two of my favorite interest's involved; the state of education in the U.S. and Jeopardy, by far my favorite TV show. In fact, the show's just about the only one for which I turn the sound on, because otherwise I can't hear the answers.
I can also pass on a Jeopardy tip, for those who don't do it already. I don't watch the show in real time, I save it on DVD. Then, a half hour later, I can zip right through all the contestant interviews and ads without wasting my time, and view only the contest itself. Beyond that, this way the show only takes fifteen, or less, minutes to watch.
But, back to the subject. For this week, and maybe next, all the contestants are teachers and on the first day, there was a taped message from O'bama himself, praising their work and value and remarking that they're underpaid for the work they do. So, that got my week off to a great start, because I've been ranting for as long as I can remember about how poor our educational system is, how tenure keeps all kinds of dead wood in front of our students, and curriculum's have been watered down to less than worthless pap. In other words, the value of what's "taught" in our schools is just about zero, which equates roughly to the I.Q. of today's teachers.
And then, there was the show itself. First of all, I've been watching Jeopardy for a very long time, and I can't prove this, but it seemed to me the answers were far simpler than they typically are. For example; things like Jack and Jill went up the ?
I feel as I do about the simplicity because, as a regular viewer, I pretty much know what my own performance rate is, and for the past three days I've done exceptionally well. In fact, I've run several categories without error and only really faltered on stuff I have no way of knowing about, such as stars of current movies, TV shows, or rock groups and things like that. So, I know I haven't gotten any smarter in the last few days, consequently; the subject matter must have been watered down to make these dunces look good.
However, despite the easiness of the contests, these "educators" still aren't too accomplished. In fact, last night one was so dumb she lost money, and was disqualified from the final answer. Another one on the same show also did quite poorly, however, one guy was actually pretty impressive compared to the rest. But that only goes to prove my underlying point. Only one out of nine contestants so far seems to have any knowledge at all.
Thus, in the end, I have to wonder why these people would agree to come on the show at all, and expose their ignorance nationwide. Because if truth be told, these folks have proven without question that educator's have been ripping us all off for years now, and what's being done in Indiana, Illinois, Nevada and everywhere else to stop the gouging is correct.
So, maybe that's Alex Trebek's real plan; to help the nation by exposing these frauds and dunces for what they actually are, thereby illustrating that these barely literate oafs are nothing more than glorified baby sitters with union support.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
I can also pass on a Jeopardy tip, for those who don't do it already. I don't watch the show in real time, I save it on DVD. Then, a half hour later, I can zip right through all the contestant interviews and ads without wasting my time, and view only the contest itself. Beyond that, this way the show only takes fifteen, or less, minutes to watch.
But, back to the subject. For this week, and maybe next, all the contestants are teachers and on the first day, there was a taped message from O'bama himself, praising their work and value and remarking that they're underpaid for the work they do. So, that got my week off to a great start, because I've been ranting for as long as I can remember about how poor our educational system is, how tenure keeps all kinds of dead wood in front of our students, and curriculum's have been watered down to less than worthless pap. In other words, the value of what's "taught" in our schools is just about zero, which equates roughly to the I.Q. of today's teachers.
And then, there was the show itself. First of all, I've been watching Jeopardy for a very long time, and I can't prove this, but it seemed to me the answers were far simpler than they typically are. For example; things like Jack and Jill went up the ?
I feel as I do about the simplicity because, as a regular viewer, I pretty much know what my own performance rate is, and for the past three days I've done exceptionally well. In fact, I've run several categories without error and only really faltered on stuff I have no way of knowing about, such as stars of current movies, TV shows, or rock groups and things like that. So, I know I haven't gotten any smarter in the last few days, consequently; the subject matter must have been watered down to make these dunces look good.
However, despite the easiness of the contests, these "educators" still aren't too accomplished. In fact, last night one was so dumb she lost money, and was disqualified from the final answer. Another one on the same show also did quite poorly, however, one guy was actually pretty impressive compared to the rest. But that only goes to prove my underlying point. Only one out of nine contestants so far seems to have any knowledge at all.
Thus, in the end, I have to wonder why these people would agree to come on the show at all, and expose their ignorance nationwide. Because if truth be told, these folks have proven without question that educator's have been ripping us all off for years now, and what's being done in Indiana, Illinois, Nevada and everywhere else to stop the gouging is correct.
So, maybe that's Alex Trebek's real plan; to help the nation by exposing these frauds and dunces for what they actually are, thereby illustrating that these barely literate oafs are nothing more than glorified baby sitters with union support.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/4/2011
Sometimes I wonder what planet some people live on and what it will take to bring them into the real world. Because two days after the incredible doing in of the world's worst terrorist, leftists are still rehashing their opposition to enhanced interrogation techniques for the gathering of information.
While early polls indicate that 76% of our population is very pleased that Usama's been iced, there are still those who think harsh treatment of warmongers, criminals and killers is wrong. And, evidently, the fact that these fanatical animals murdered, maimed or otherwise harmed countless thousands of innocents is okay with the left, because they don't want to seem inhumane in trying to gain information that has been proven time and again to work. The most recent evidence of that of course, is the capture and dispatching of bin Laden himself.
It doesn't take more than simple common sense to figure out, that if President O'bama had heeded his own campaign promises and pleas of his constituents, Guantanamo Bay would have long ago been shut down. And in doing that, all the hard and now proven correct, intel gathering work of the Bush administration would have gone for naught. Beyond that, UBL would still be hiding amongst his Pakistani friends and directing world-wide Jihad from behind some woman's skirts. Which leads me to the question of how come a vicious terrorist leader always wore a dress himself? Didn't the guy own any slacks? Or, maybe he's related to J. Edgar Hoover.
Anyway, I think it's finally been proven to anyone with half a brain, or maybe less, that we've been involved in a war against thugs and slime that won't stop until they've killed all of us. And they'll keep trying until we wipe them all out. So, if its a crime against humanity to dunk them in water, so be it, because the stakes are just too damn high. And lastly, we didn't destroy the twin towers ourselves, those towel head bastards came looking for us.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
While early polls indicate that 76% of our population is very pleased that Usama's been iced, there are still those who think harsh treatment of warmongers, criminals and killers is wrong. And, evidently, the fact that these fanatical animals murdered, maimed or otherwise harmed countless thousands of innocents is okay with the left, because they don't want to seem inhumane in trying to gain information that has been proven time and again to work. The most recent evidence of that of course, is the capture and dispatching of bin Laden himself.
It doesn't take more than simple common sense to figure out, that if President O'bama had heeded his own campaign promises and pleas of his constituents, Guantanamo Bay would have long ago been shut down. And in doing that, all the hard and now proven correct, intel gathering work of the Bush administration would have gone for naught. Beyond that, UBL would still be hiding amongst his Pakistani friends and directing world-wide Jihad from behind some woman's skirts. Which leads me to the question of how come a vicious terrorist leader always wore a dress himself? Didn't the guy own any slacks? Or, maybe he's related to J. Edgar Hoover.
Anyway, I think it's finally been proven to anyone with half a brain, or maybe less, that we've been involved in a war against thugs and slime that won't stop until they've killed all of us. And they'll keep trying until we wipe them all out. So, if its a crime against humanity to dunk them in water, so be it, because the stakes are just too damn high. And lastly, we didn't destroy the twin towers ourselves, those towel head bastards came looking for us.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/3/2011
There's a picture being shown on news shows, of the president and senior advisers watching the bin Laden take-down in real time as it occurred. The looks on their faces and body language clearly illustrates the tension, excitement and awe of what they see taking place. Hillary, most of all, appears to be spellbound, somewhere between shock and disbelief.
The group is naturally rapt, because they're watching 40 Rambo's executing one of the best run military operations to ever take place, including clandestine infiltration, seizure of invaluable evidence, hand-to-hand combat and gunfire live and in color. But the major difference between what they're seeing and Sylvester Stallone's heroics is that this show is for real.
Then there's the SEAL's escape back to their aircraft carrier, including the destruction of one of their own faulty copters. They blew up the questionably performing back-up bird, rather than leaving the technology and weaponry in potential enemy hands.
After safe return to their ship, the body of Usama bin Laden was washed and wrapped in accordance with his religious tradition, then the body was buried at sea.
So, from beginning to end, step by step, through every aspect of the operation, its performance was not only perfect, it was practically beyond belief.
However, in the world we live in, for politicians -incredible heroics and the riddance of the world's worst enemy isn't enough. And those anti to the administration have some kind of festering need to find fault, regardless. So this guy, Haley Barbour, Republican Governor of Mississippi, whoever he is, remarked that although the operation seemed a complete success, UBL's body should have been kept some time longer for review, examination and confirmation of death. He just couldn't keep his mouth shut, and spout his inanity later.
And that reminded me of a story about a toddler at the beach who crept too close to the water, and unexpected undertow in the shallows dragged him out toward the deep sea. Two burly lifeguards then leapt off their stand, dived in and fought the fearsome waves, finally saving and resuscitating the child by applying artificial respiration. When all was over, they handed the rescued tot over to his mother, who looked at them and said, "He had a hat."
So, I think that since Mr. Barbour's reaction is very much like that mother's, what he ought to do is take his hat, soak it in water and then, roll it into a ball and shove it into his mouth.
That's it for today folks.
Adios.
The group is naturally rapt, because they're watching 40 Rambo's executing one of the best run military operations to ever take place, including clandestine infiltration, seizure of invaluable evidence, hand-to-hand combat and gunfire live and in color. But the major difference between what they're seeing and Sylvester Stallone's heroics is that this show is for real.
Then there's the SEAL's escape back to their aircraft carrier, including the destruction of one of their own faulty copters. They blew up the questionably performing back-up bird, rather than leaving the technology and weaponry in potential enemy hands.
After safe return to their ship, the body of Usama bin Laden was washed and wrapped in accordance with his religious tradition, then the body was buried at sea.
So, from beginning to end, step by step, through every aspect of the operation, its performance was not only perfect, it was practically beyond belief.
However, in the world we live in, for politicians -incredible heroics and the riddance of the world's worst enemy isn't enough. And those anti to the administration have some kind of festering need to find fault, regardless. So this guy, Haley Barbour, Republican Governor of Mississippi, whoever he is, remarked that although the operation seemed a complete success, UBL's body should have been kept some time longer for review, examination and confirmation of death. He just couldn't keep his mouth shut, and spout his inanity later.
And that reminded me of a story about a toddler at the beach who crept too close to the water, and unexpected undertow in the shallows dragged him out toward the deep sea. Two burly lifeguards then leapt off their stand, dived in and fought the fearsome waves, finally saving and resuscitating the child by applying artificial respiration. When all was over, they handed the rescued tot over to his mother, who looked at them and said, "He had a hat."
So, I think that since Mr. Barbour's reaction is very much like that mother's, what he ought to do is take his hat, soak it in water and then, roll it into a ball and shove it into his mouth.
That's it for today folks.
Adios.
Monday, May 2, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/2/2011
What an extended weekend for marathon TV viewing. First a replay of the Royal Wedding for almost six hours and then the incredible news that Usama bin Laden had finally met his demise. That kept me up all of last night.
I'm sure everyone's seen the same footage I have, it's being shown everywhere. So, I'm not going to repeat it here. But, there was some stuff that really intrigued me, especially how various factions try to slant what's happened to avail themselves.
First and foremost, huge credit has to go to George W. Bush. I remember clearly right after 9/11, his vow that however long it took, UBL would be found and brought to justice. And, though not on his watch, his promise finally came true,
But what I also remember is that all of this could have been avoided twenty or so years ago, when Bubba Clinton, who could have captured UBL easily then, evaded the responsibility by double-talking about some irrelevant international law. The fact was Willy hated the military, dodged the draft himself and wimped and weaseled his way out of responsibility for everything but chasing skirts like he always does.
Then there was the president himself who vowed to close Guantanamo Bay and shuffle the detainees somewhere else, ideally some other nation. That never worked out, so he had to scramble to appease his base, who deem distasteful things like gathering intelligence repulsive, yet it was info gathered at Gitmo that ultimately brought UBL down.
The event also highlighted the fact that our country has to defend itself worldwide, as it always has, because with the exception of Britain and Israel, there are no reliable allies. That's why our footprints and troops in the Middle-East are critical to our welfare. So, being in Iraq ourselves can do nothing but help, because it's closer to the problem. And our presence in Afghanistan is another plus.
So, all this talk about bringing all our forces home may sound good to some who have no clue of the dangers, but unfortunately those troops are invaluable where they are now. Because if we have to rely on so-called allies like Pakistan, who lied to us while harboring the likes of UBL, we're in very serious peril. They've played both sides against the middle so long, they have no clue as to who's side they're really on.
And lastly, there's the military itself, and how about those Navy SEALS. 40 guys in four helicopters slipped into a huge compound located amidst an enemy encampment and in less than forty minutes turned UBL to toast. Then they buried him at sea (or more likely, simply tossed him out) then came back to base unharmed themselves. Unbelievable! Wait'll they make the movie.
But this is another case where the administration worked in direct opposition of their core, who would never condone anything even resembling acts of war. After all, the world's supposed to be touchy-feely where everyone's making nice, even though that Shangri la doesn't exist. So in summary, while all these elitist nimwits sit around and try to deal with the truths, and sort out feelings from fact, if nothing else happened on Sunday, perhaps the president finally grew up.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
I'm sure everyone's seen the same footage I have, it's being shown everywhere. So, I'm not going to repeat it here. But, there was some stuff that really intrigued me, especially how various factions try to slant what's happened to avail themselves.
First and foremost, huge credit has to go to George W. Bush. I remember clearly right after 9/11, his vow that however long it took, UBL would be found and brought to justice. And, though not on his watch, his promise finally came true,
But what I also remember is that all of this could have been avoided twenty or so years ago, when Bubba Clinton, who could have captured UBL easily then, evaded the responsibility by double-talking about some irrelevant international law. The fact was Willy hated the military, dodged the draft himself and wimped and weaseled his way out of responsibility for everything but chasing skirts like he always does.
Then there was the president himself who vowed to close Guantanamo Bay and shuffle the detainees somewhere else, ideally some other nation. That never worked out, so he had to scramble to appease his base, who deem distasteful things like gathering intelligence repulsive, yet it was info gathered at Gitmo that ultimately brought UBL down.
The event also highlighted the fact that our country has to defend itself worldwide, as it always has, because with the exception of Britain and Israel, there are no reliable allies. That's why our footprints and troops in the Middle-East are critical to our welfare. So, being in Iraq ourselves can do nothing but help, because it's closer to the problem. And our presence in Afghanistan is another plus.
So, all this talk about bringing all our forces home may sound good to some who have no clue of the dangers, but unfortunately those troops are invaluable where they are now. Because if we have to rely on so-called allies like Pakistan, who lied to us while harboring the likes of UBL, we're in very serious peril. They've played both sides against the middle so long, they have no clue as to who's side they're really on.
And lastly, there's the military itself, and how about those Navy SEALS. 40 guys in four helicopters slipped into a huge compound located amidst an enemy encampment and in less than forty minutes turned UBL to toast. Then they buried him at sea (or more likely, simply tossed him out) then came back to base unharmed themselves. Unbelievable! Wait'll they make the movie.
But this is another case where the administration worked in direct opposition of their core, who would never condone anything even resembling acts of war. After all, the world's supposed to be touchy-feely where everyone's making nice, even though that Shangri la doesn't exist. So in summary, while all these elitist nimwits sit around and try to deal with the truths, and sort out feelings from fact, if nothing else happened on Sunday, perhaps the president finally grew up.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
Sunday, May 1, 2011
BloggeRhythms 5/1/2011
Still not much going on in the news, but I did catch some of the royal wedding. I had no real interest in it myself, but my wife asked me to record it for her since the coverage began at two in the morning our time.
As it turned out, I chose the right station, PBS, because they ran the entire six hour event without a single interruption for commercials or anything else. I have no idea what the other channels did, but my bet is they broke in to sell cars and show zillions of ambulance chasing class-action litigation ads every few minutes like they always do. And that means, had I tuned in to them I would likely have worn out the mute button on my remote.
But, as I later peeked at the screen while my spouse watched some of the replay, I realized that I'd been wrong to not have wanted to see it in the first place, because the spectacle was truly awesome. For example, while the British have always been known for their senses of taste, dignity and decorum, they managed to turn a huge part of London into a theater attended by millions, yet the crowds were controlled down to the smallest detail. In fact, some lining the streets in the front rows had been sleeping in their places for a couple of days to preserve their spots.
Then there were the military bands, some whose history went back hundreds of years, whose presence, precision and bearing was perfection itself. As were the mounted horsemen on magnificent animals used to performing their roles in front of huge crowds. Beyond that, the world-wide television audience was estimated to reach as many as 2 billion people, a third of the planet's population in almost every nation around the world.
There were many interviews of spectators who'd come from just about everywhere, and my bet is none of them were disappointed. Just seeing the cars ferrying royal and important guests was fascinating in itself, because there were vintage Rolls-Royce's, Bentley's and Jaguars, some of which dated back to the nineteen thirty's yet were polished and tuned to like-new perfection. And, the glass bubble tops on some, especially those carrying the royal family gave everyone a view of the passengers.
The ceremony in Westminster Abbey was shorter than I expected, but was certainly well done, as I guess you'd expect when run by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his own church. And naturally there were world leaders, politicians and celebrities all over the place, far too many to name, but the list's all over, so you can look it up. Yet, what I found amusing was Sir Elton John with his hymnal, standing there singing with everyone else, hardly noticed among 1900 guests.
The best thing though, was watching a replay instead of the event. Because there were many interviews over the course of the show that I couldn't care less about. So, with a simple touch of the fast-forward button, I cut all of that stuff out. And the same goes for all the talk about the clothes, hair-do's and especially women's hat's which I thought mostly looked pretty stupid.
Nonetheless, I really am glad I got to see the event, because if nothing else, it demonstrated that there are plenty of good things in life that most in the world truly appreciate. So, next week when Prince William goes back to his military helicopter base to help defend his nation, perhaps he'll feel a little better knowing that somewhere around two billion people on the globe wish him and his bride nothing but the best.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
As it turned out, I chose the right station, PBS, because they ran the entire six hour event without a single interruption for commercials or anything else. I have no idea what the other channels did, but my bet is they broke in to sell cars and show zillions of ambulance chasing class-action litigation ads every few minutes like they always do. And that means, had I tuned in to them I would likely have worn out the mute button on my remote.
But, as I later peeked at the screen while my spouse watched some of the replay, I realized that I'd been wrong to not have wanted to see it in the first place, because the spectacle was truly awesome. For example, while the British have always been known for their senses of taste, dignity and decorum, they managed to turn a huge part of London into a theater attended by millions, yet the crowds were controlled down to the smallest detail. In fact, some lining the streets in the front rows had been sleeping in their places for a couple of days to preserve their spots.
Then there were the military bands, some whose history went back hundreds of years, whose presence, precision and bearing was perfection itself. As were the mounted horsemen on magnificent animals used to performing their roles in front of huge crowds. Beyond that, the world-wide television audience was estimated to reach as many as 2 billion people, a third of the planet's population in almost every nation around the world.
There were many interviews of spectators who'd come from just about everywhere, and my bet is none of them were disappointed. Just seeing the cars ferrying royal and important guests was fascinating in itself, because there were vintage Rolls-Royce's, Bentley's and Jaguars, some of which dated back to the nineteen thirty's yet were polished and tuned to like-new perfection. And, the glass bubble tops on some, especially those carrying the royal family gave everyone a view of the passengers.
The ceremony in Westminster Abbey was shorter than I expected, but was certainly well done, as I guess you'd expect when run by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his own church. And naturally there were world leaders, politicians and celebrities all over the place, far too many to name, but the list's all over, so you can look it up. Yet, what I found amusing was Sir Elton John with his hymnal, standing there singing with everyone else, hardly noticed among 1900 guests.
The best thing though, was watching a replay instead of the event. Because there were many interviews over the course of the show that I couldn't care less about. So, with a simple touch of the fast-forward button, I cut all of that stuff out. And the same goes for all the talk about the clothes, hair-do's and especially women's hat's which I thought mostly looked pretty stupid.
Nonetheless, I really am glad I got to see the event, because if nothing else, it demonstrated that there are plenty of good things in life that most in the world truly appreciate. So, next week when Prince William goes back to his military helicopter base to help defend his nation, perhaps he'll feel a little better knowing that somewhere around two billion people on the globe wish him and his bride nothing but the best.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
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