Chavez Implements McCain Feingold

Taking a cue from the incumbent protection crowd in the U.S. Congress, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez plans to nix renewal of Radio Caracas television’s license – the second largest broadcaster in Venezuela. Radio Caracas had the audacity to support Hugo Chavez opponents. (h/t Captain's Quarters)

Meanwhile Feingold insists it’s a crime to say this over the airwaves:

On television, a man prepares for work as he reads the paper, shines shoes and pays bills. The voice of a narrator chimes in to explain.

"There are a lot of judicial nominees out there who can’t go to work...because a group of U.S. Senators is filibustering – blocking qualified nominees from a simple ‘yes’ or
‘no’ vote.”

“Contact Senators Feingold and Kohl and tell them to oppose the filibuster,” the narrator says.

No word yet from the Supreme Court’s Justice Kennedy on how Hugo Chavez’s announcement will influence the Justice’s “international take” on the probable appeal.

First posted at UNCoRRELATED

Thus Always to Tyrants – We Wish

Mick Stockinger beat me to the Latin rendering which still adorns Virginia’s state seal showing the Goddess Virtue standing over a defeated (and presumably dead) tyrant.
It is a phrase losing its meaning; the trial and execution of Saddam Hussein is an anomaly. In an article completely undermining its headline “Death, Exile Come with Being a Dictator” the author mentions 19 dictators, other than Saddam Hussein, but only two of these were executed (then again, we all die eventually so the headline writer is technically correct). Many twentieth century dictators never answer for their crimes:

India's independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi said dictators "can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall." That hasn't always proven true. Russia's Josef Stalin, North Korea's Kim Il-Sung, China's Mao Zedong, Spain's Francisco Franco, Albania's Enver Hoxha and Syria's Hafez Assad all died in power. Augusto Pinochet of Chile arranged a comfortable retirement before handing over power. The global record of bringing tyrants to justice has been mixed.

Of the two executed dictators noted in the article, Nicolae Ceausescu and Samuel Doe, neither received public trials like Saddam.

One dictator, Charles Taylor (Liberia) is awaiting trial with the International Criminal Court in The Hague virtually guaranteeing no death sentence will be involved. Even arriving at a verdict seems beyond this court’s capabilities - Slobodan Milosevic died during his on-going multi-year trial.

What were the fates of some of the other deposed dictators?

Idi Amin, who as president of Uganda ordered the massacre of thousands of his countrymen and impoverished his people, managed to get away to Libya after neighboring Tanzania overthrow his regime in 1979. Amin later settled in Saudi Arabia, where he died in 2003.

Ethiopia's Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam escaped to Zimbabwe in 1991 as rebels led by ethnic minority Tigreans closed in on his capital, ending a 17-year dictatorship notorious for its bloody purges…Mengistu has a luxury villa, bodyguards and a pension - payback for having provided Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe with arms, money and training facilities during the 1972-80 war to end white rule in former Rhodesia.

Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier of Haiti used his family's longtime ties to France to escape retribution when the Haitian military ousted his regime in 1986.

First posted at UNCoRRELATED

Communication Vulnerability

An earthquake in Asia damaged undersea communications cables disrupting communications across the Pacific Rim:

The earthquakes that hit Taiwan on Tuesday rocked communications in Asia and underscored the vulnerabilities of a system where huge amounts of data speed through the region in cables laid deep beneath the sea.

An unbelievable amount of information is passed through undersea cables:

Undersea fiber-optic cables account for more than 95 percent of international telecommunications thanks to their strength, capacity and connection quality, according to South Korean provider KT Submarine Corp.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

International phone service was cut off or restricted in some regions, and Internet service slowed to a crawl in much of China after the magnitude 6.7 temblor struck late Tuesday, damaging as many as eight undersea cables. Service to BlackBerry financial-information terminals was interrupted, and currency and financial markets were disrupted.

Earthquakes aren’t the only problem afflicting undersea cables; they can be damaged by fishing nets and ship anchors.

They can also be intentionally damaged.

Back in the mid-seventies an Air Force communications specialist once told me that Soviet ships routinely would drag their anchors to damage undersea cables. I suspect terrorists are also now taking note of the situation. The best deterent is to continue to increase the number of redundant systems. For instance, from the Wall Street Journal Article:

Verizon alone has six cable routes that connect the U.S. and Europe, forming a "mesh" network that can restore multiple cable paths in milliseconds in case of a cut line. "The more cable paths you have, the more survivability you'll have," says Ihab Tarazi, vice president of global network operations and technology at Verizon of New York.

First posted at UNCoRRELATED

Only Capitalism Can Pay for Socialism

First blogged in UNCoRRELATED.

Captain Capitalism points out that the US government, on average, spends just as much per person on public health care than your average socialist European country.

That is an unexpected chart if you get your information from congressional democrats. The facts don't square with their mindset and quest for universal heath care. If they were smart the Democrats would declare health care victory and go home. But they have a taste for golden egg laying geese.

Press Release Journalism

Originally posted at UNCoRRELATED

Yesterday my local paper, The Deseret News, proclaimed ‘Utah ranks 36th in the Conversion of Private Property in the State – but study finds that the West is making gains’. I wouldn’t be surprised one day to see a headline, ‘Utah – 36th in Homicides but Making Gains!’ if there happened to be a satanic cult issuing press releases.

Critical thinking is becoming a lost art in journalism. In my last post I noted reporters need to be aware of dubious information. I’ve noticed the DesNews does a lot of press release reporting without taking much effort on background; for instance I lambasted a reporter here for her lack of inquiry about a so-called “former Star Wars director”.

Now the information in Nicole Warburton’s article is not necessarily dubious but it is presented uncritically. The “study” cited is actually an advocacy piece from the Land Trust Alliance, a conservation group. The focus of the study is the amount of private lands set aside for conservation. That’s fine, that’s what the LTA is all about. But shouldn’t the Deseret News provide some additional context for its readers about Utah lands already set-aside as National Parks, Monuments, and Wilderness areas? Instead they leave the impression that Utah is woefully behind in matters of conservation with their “36th” place LTA study finish. The article states:

About 324,415 acres of private land in Utah have been conserved through a land trust, conservation easement, or by other means, the study showed. That accounts for only 0.62 percent of state land.

A look at Wikipedia shows that the six Utah National parks and the Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument comprise 2.74 million acres or about 5 percent of the state’s area. The state’s six National Forests, including the High Uintas Wilderness area, comprise another 9.28 million acres. Between National Parks, Monuments and Forests over 22 percent of the state of Utah is preserved. Another 40 percent of Utah is BLM managed.

So at least a whopping 62 percent of Utah is out of private hands, not .62 percent. This doesn’t count an additional 41 state parks, two national recreation areas, two large military test and training ranges, and Native American reservations. My question for DesNews is just how much private property is left in Utah to conserve and is this really an issue?

But who are the LTA’s top 10 conservation minded states in terms of land trusts?

• 
  California
  Massachusetts
  Connecticut
  Pennsylvania
  New York
  Maine
  Maryland
  Wisconsin
  Rhode Island
  Michigan

All blue states.

With the exception of California and Wisconsin, all the states are in the Eastern Time Zone. The Mountain Time Zone, with the great national parks of Yellowstone, Tetons, Grand Canyon, Glacier, etc. are missing. The amount of Utah lands I’ve already determined to be out of private hands would equate to 89 percent of the combined areas of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, and Rhode Island. DesNews could have provided some context by telling us what percentage of land in the top 10 LTA states is not in private hands. Other than California, I’m willing to bet a lot less than 62 percent.

And if you think that pile of blue states leading the LTA list is a coincidence, read this Wall Street Journal piece about Monterey County in California:

Yet amid this land of plenty, there is squalor. Virtually beside the fields, in the city of Salinas, neighborhoods rival high-rise-jammed cities in population density. Multiple families occupy small houses; others live in converted garages. Gang graffiti mars the façades of apartment complexes. A school's walls are riddled with bullet holes. Fueling Salinas's troubles, many say, is a housing market that offers few affordable dwellings for the thousands of Hispanic immigrants who pick the area's crops.

Squalor in the liberal land of Carmel-by- the Sea? But why? Here is a clue:

Monterey County is torn by competing priorities. On one side are farmers, developers and immigrant advocates, who want to see more housing built. On the other are environmentalists and residents, including those in the upscale coastal towns, who want to preserve open space and their quality of life. As the two camps fail to reach a middle ground, low-income immigrants have borne most of the fallout: limited housing, with sky-high prices.

The WSJ article provides some additional context about the impact of LTA limosene liberal goals.

So back to press releases. They can offer a good start for an interesting story – provided the reporter takes some time to do a little research. As I've shown, there is more to this story then meets the eye. Otherwise, the reporter just becomes a sounding board for the latest advocacy group.

Marines from Vietnam

Originally posted at UNCoRRELATED

Press releases can be a great source for a story, such as this one from the American Forces Press Service Multi-National Corp West Public Affairs Office on a hostage rescue in Iraq. It was mostly ignored by the legacy media, though several bloggers picked up on it. Good story but I question one item:

"By rescuing this gentleman and capturing the kidnappers, it shows the Iraqi people we do care for them, their safety and their future,” said Lt. Col. William Seely, the 39-year-old battalion commander from Saigon, Vietnam.

A Marine Lt Col named William Seely from Saigon, Vietnam?

The story doesn’t have a byline here but I could of have sworn I saw elsewhere that a 2nd Lt had written it. In the military 2nd Lts are notoriously teased (think Lt Flap from Beetle Bailey). I think Col Seely probably was having fun with a young reporter.

The story was later released by the American Forces News Service but it omits Lt Col Seely’s home town information.

The End Game

Originally posted at UNCoRRELATED

There is no limit to the good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit- General George C. Marshall

Reuters is reporting the “Iraq Study Group has decided to recommend the U.S. military transition from a combat to a support role in Iraq roughly over the next year”:

"The main thing is (the group is) calling for a transition from a combat role to a support role," said the source, who spoke on condition that he not be named. "It's basically a redeployment." The source said the idea was to shift U.S. combat forces both to bases inside Iraq as well as elsewhere in the region as the military gradually moved away from combat operations, adding that this should happen over the next year or so.

Sounds like the original plan. Except it doesn’t have the twin lightning rods of Bush and Rumsfeld saying it. These two men have been more or less focused on the end game in Iraq and as long as the work is getting done they don't clamor for the credit. I believe that was the impetus for Bush accepting Rumsfeld's resignation after the Republicans lost both houses in congress. You think Rumsfeld and the administration would be able to focus on the mission with one committee after another trying to haul Rumsfeld before their kangaroo courts?

This type of principled focus is something the Congressional Republicans need to learn. When they heard of Rumsfeld’s resignation, after the election, their “me first” attitude got the better of them as they howled “If the president had decided to replace Secretary Rumsfeld he should have told us two weeks ago”. No, that would have been throwing a trusted advisor under the bus for a short term gain. Instead, Rumsfeld leaves after the election when it becomes apparent his effectiveness to achieve the goals in Iraq will be greatly diminished.

UPDATE: Greyhawk states the Iraq Study Group has done a 360 degree about face. (h/t Instapundit)

Jiminy Cricket He Ain’t

Originally posted at UNCoRRELATED

If the New York Times can’t call it right on child porn, no wonder they have no compunction compromising anti-terror measures by printing state secrets. Mitch Wagner, of InformationWeek, blogs this:

If an IT Manager Finds Kiddie Porn on President’s Computer, Should He call the Cops? That's a question posed to the New York Times's "The Ethicist" column. The columnist, Randy Cohen, has a completely insane response: The IT manager should remain silent. The questioner writes: "I am an Internet technician. While installing software on my company’s computer network, I happened on a lot of pornographic pictures in the president's personal directory, including some of young children — clearly less than 18, possibly early teens. It is probably illegal and is absolutely immoral. Must I call the police? I think so, but I need my job."

The Ethicist responds:

It is a crime to possess child pornography, and understandably: the sexual exploitation of children is reprehensible. Yet you have no legal obligation to contact the police, nor should you. The situation is too fraught with uncertainty. These photographs might depict — legally — not children but young-looking adults. The images could be digitally altered. Your boss may have acquired free (albeit illegal) images rather than bought them and provided a financial incentive to those who harm children. Someone other than your boss may have downloaded the pictures.

The link is behind the iron curtain of Times Select. Most likely to hide the column; it certainly isn’t because the advice is worth paying for.

Since when was the standard for ethical behavior, other than during the Clinton administration, drawn at whether something was legal or not? Ethical behavior is about right and wrong. I would say that Randy Cohen doesn’t have a clue but I don’t believe that. He knows. So does the questioner – he is just looking for someone to validate his wrong choice. Maybe that’s why he finds Times Select worth the price.

UPDATE: What answer would Mr. Ethics give if the question was "If an IT Manager Finds Kiddie Porn on a Republican Congressman's Computer, Should He call the Cops?

Additional Blogging

Mick Stockinger of UNCoRRELATED has allowed me to blog at his site. Consequently posting here will be light since I can’t really keep up with one blog much less two. Here are links to some of my recent posts there: Advanced Military Studies; Enemy X; Friday Night Lights; and Eutopia.

OJ, Alcee, and Perceptions of Justice

The arrival of OJ Simpson’s movie, “If I did it Here’s How it Happened” during the current controversy surrounding Speaker Elect Nancy Pelosi’s choice for chairman of the House Intelligence committee highlights a real divide between blacks and whites on the perception of justice in America.

I was working in Richmond, Virginia, when the OJ Simpson verdict was read. Our staff reflected the racial make-up of the surrounding area. When we gathered around a TV to watch the delivery of the verdict, none of us anticipated what happened next. As the words “not guilty” were delivered both gasps and cheers were sounded - but strictly along racial lines. Only whites gasped and only blacks cheered. Until that point each one of us assumed we were in agreement with what we thought the obvious verdict should be. It was an awkward moment, each of us thinking “How could friends and co-workers – folks we knew to be reasonable otherwise – not see the justice/injustice of what just happened?”

And here we are with Representative Alcee Hastings. A former federal judge impeached and removed from office, by overwhelming margins, for bribery. I wouldn’t think him worthy of a seat in Congress much less Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. And yet the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) backs him for the post. They may have reasons similar to those who cheered the OJ verdict. Reasons perhaps grounded in their personal experiences with prejudice, but reasons I still find unconvincing.

Both OJ and Alcee were acquitted in the face of strong evidence to the contrary. Both received set-backs in other venues, OJ in civil court and Alcee with Congress. Both have been perceived as racial victims by many in the black community, but both are generating high negatives (OJ, Alcee)

OJ’s movie appears to be an eerie confession and is probably changing some minds about his innocence. Alcee still maintains his innocence. Is the CBC confident enough in their assessment of Alcee’s character that he won’t disappoint their trust in the future – particularly those CBC members who didn’t trust him in the past?

The Return Of The Blue Dogs

Captain Ed points out this article in the LA times concerning a coalition of conservative Democrats called the “Blue Dogs”. Co-chairman of this group is Jim Matheson, a Congressman from Utah. Captain Ed points out that nine of 28 seats gained by the Democrats came from “Blue Dogs”. The LA Times reports there are now 44 members.

I remember Jim Matheson campaign commercials saying he always voted for a balanced budget amendment. I took that as pandering to a largely conservative state on an issue that wasn’t going to go anywhere. Turns out the Blue dogs are “barking” as the LA times put it:

They helped propel the Democrats to victory in last week's election, and now the "Blue Dogs" want their reward: a decidedly conservative fiscal policy that begins with a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.

The coalition of moderate and conservative House Democrats on Wednesday introduced nine members who were newly elected to Congress, bringing its numerical strength to 44. That's more than enough, if all 44 join with the
Republican minority in January, to block the initiatives of the more liberal House leadership headed by Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). ....

I’m glad to see this quote too:

Mike Ross of Arkansas, another Blue Dog leader, said the Democratic Party owed its success in the midterm election to the conservative Democrats who won many
seats formerly held by Republicans. "Republicans did not lose their seats to
liberal Democrats," Ross said. "Republicans lost their seats to Blue Dog Democrats, to conservative Democrats."

House Democrats Tell Pelosi What They Really Think

Hail the Secret Ballot!

The House Democrats got to vote not only their conscious but common sense in rejecting Nancy Pelosi’s choice of John Murtha as their majority leader. Instead they selected Representative Steny Hoyer and avoided a sure drubbing in the 2008 elections.

John Murtha, described by Jules Crittenden as “an extreme anti-war zealot with a "Kick Me" sign taped on his back”, would have been a bane to the Democratic Party. Republicans would have relished his foot-in-mouth punditry; one can be sure he would have figured prominently in 2008 campaign ads.

So the Republicans missed out in having Murtha drag his party down the tube, but the upside is that Nancy Pelosi lost a lot of political capital. She flexed her muscles to coerce fellow Democrats to tow the line but the 149-86 vote wasn’t close. This is a rebuke that may portend she will have a difficult time moving left-wing legislation.

Replacing Old Corruption with New Corruption

The Democrats took the Republicans to the woodshed in last week’s congressional elections, taking control of the House and Senate. Now, Nancy Pelosi, the congresswomen from one of the most liberal districts in the Nation (San Francisco/Bay Area), is poised to take over as Speaker of the House. Some of her campaign rhetoric helping her team win:

“It is long past time for the Congress to address the systemic Republican culture of corruption that has undermined the American people’s confidence in this institution,” Pelosi said. “I am proud that some of the best minds in our Caucus will be leading the Democratic effort to clean up the corrupt Republican Congress. These great leaders will work to restore truth and trust to the People’s House.”

So who are the sound minds she thinks will “restore truth and trust to the People’s House”? Well we have John Murtha, D-PA as her choice for Majority Leader, the number two position next to hers. Here is how this stellar pillar of virtue turns down a bribe (from a Jack Anderson Column reporting on the FBI’s ABSCAM sting operation):

"I want to deal with you guys awhile before I make any transactions at all, period. . . . After we've done some business, well, then I might change my mind. . . . "

. . . "I'm going to tell you this. If anybody can do it — I'm not B.S.-ing you fellows — I can get it done my way." he boasted. "There's no question about it." . . .

But the reluctant Murtha wouldn't touch the $50,000. Here on secret videotape was
this all-American hero, tall and dignified in a disheveled way, explaining why he wasn't quite ready to accept the cash.

"All at once," he said, "some dumb [expletive deleted] would go start talking eight years from now about this whole thing and say [expletive deleted], this happened. Then in order to get immunity so he doesn't go to jail, he starts talking and fingering people. So the [S.O.B.] falls apart." . . .

"You give us the banks where you want the money deposited," offered one of the
bagmen." All right," agreed Murtha. "How much money we talking about?"

"Well, you tell me."

"Well, let me find out what is a reasonable figure that will get their attention," said
Murtha, "because there are a couple of banks that have really done me some favors in the past, and I'd like to put some money in. . . . ["]

I’m not a guy who trusts the current crop of Democrat leaders in the first place, but even I never anticipated the audacity displayed by Ms. Pelosi in backing John Murtha's bid for Majority Leader. Mick Stockinger, at Uncorrelated speculates Murtha, a purported 'war hawk' made a deal with Pelosi to call for a withdrawal from Iraq, thus giving the Democrats cover in their 'cut and run' strategy, in exchange for her to back his bid for Majority leader. Maybe back then she didn’t think the Democrats would really win the house.

(h/t Michelle Malkin for providing the quotes)

Peaks of Davis County

The Deseret News featured an article on the Peaks of Davis County in their Davis County insert (November 3, 2006). Unfortunately I could not find the article posted at their website.

Prominently featured was Francis Peak, the namesake of this blog. This was the first I learned about the namesake of the peak:

Francis Peak is named for Esther Francis, a pioneer woman who settled Morgan during 1863. She surveyed the site for Morgan city, and Brigham Young suggested she he honored by naming a high peak for her.

An interesting fact is of the 10 highest Peaks in Davis County, only two are named (Thurston Peak the highest at 9,906 ft and Francis Peak, fifth highest at 9,515 ft). The Deseret News reports that all ten peaks are located from Fruit Heights northward.

Judge Leslie Lewis

Here is a chance for Utah voters to make a difference: Vote no to retain Judge Leslie A. Lewis.

The Deseret News has a report of her performance here. The state produced Utah Voter Information Pamphlet, shows significantly lower marks, compared to other judges up for retention election, in surveys of attorneys. 123 attorneys, who appeared before her, took the time to respond – the second highest response rate of 26 Judges featured.

The kicker is a video uploaded to YouTube from the security cameras recording the incident described in the Deseret News article. As Bob Bernick Jr. wrote in an opinion piece the next day “You really need to see this for yourself”. He urged this three times. He is right, reading the transcript doesn’t do justice to hearing Judge Lewis in action. Once you see the video, you’ll know how to vote.

Francis Peak Shows Some Color

Took this photo from my Francis Peak observation post on October First, so its too late to rush here to see the colors.

Clinton’s Legacy

Former President Clinton has made quite a stir, first about the ABC movie “Path to 9/11” and now in an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox when questioned about his actions fighting Bin Laden.

I didn’t like Mr. Clinton as a president and I voted against him twice. Despite that, not too many, including myself, took terrorism as seriously as we should of prior to 9/11. I think most Americans would agree and would actually give Mr. Clinton somewhat of a pass for our unprepardness prior to 9/11. So I think the former president’s bluster now does him no good. It only serves to remind many of us why we didn’t like him in the first place. Can’t see how this will help the Democrats in the upcoming election.

Bombing Pakistan into the Stone Age

Yahoo News reports Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said the United States threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age" in 2001 unless it cooperated in the US-led war on terror. [He] “said the threat came from former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage” to his security director.

NPR reports “Richard Armitage says he never said the United States would bomb Pakistan if the country didn't help in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida”. Instead they report “Armitage says, he told Pakistan's top intelligence official on Sept. 12, 2001, that Pakistan would have to decide if it were "with us or against us" in the American effort to confront al-Qaida and the Taliban.”

Richard Armitage is probably factually correct. A Colin Powell deputy wouldn’t be so blunt; plus there was no military necessity to bomb Pakistan to the Stone Age. But I’m sure the State Department got Musharraf’s attention as Mark Steyn opined last month:

That must have been quite the phone call he'd got from Washington a day or two earlier. And all within a week of Sept. 11. You may remember during the 2000 campaign an enterprising journalist sprung on Gov. Bush a sudden pop quiz of world leaders. Bush, invited to name the leader of Pakistan, was unable to. But so what? In the third week of September 2001, the correct answer to "Who's General Musharraf?" was "Whoever I want him to be." And, if Musharraf didn't want to play ball, he'd wind up as the answer to "Who was leader of Pakistan until last week?"

Just after 9/11, the resolve of America was never higher. Musharraf knew few here would have thought twice about going through Pakistan if they interfered in our pursuit of the Taliban. Perhaps after five years Musharraf thinks he may get some sympathy for being forced to turn his back on a murderous regime. I hope not.

We made the right call in 2001 but Mark Steyn wonders “Do you get the feeling Washington's not making phone calls like that anymore?”

“You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man”

“which is why Democrats have proven themselves such easy marks.”

Mick Stockinger has a different take on McCain, et al than my view below.

Tortured Reasoning

A few years ago I read that the sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ made his male inmates wear pink jail outfits. The inmates didn’t like this; instead of being “cool” they were humiliated. Precisely the sheriff’s point. Too many gang-bangers saw jail as a badge of honor. The sheriff re-introduced shame to make jail uncool.

If foreign terrorists, however, were humiliated in Guantanamo, the New York Times, Senator McCain, and Senator Graham would be calling for war crimes tribunals – not against the terrorists, but against their American captors. See, this violates the Geneva Convention on treatment of prisoners of war and recently the Supreme court ruled the U.S must treat unlawful combatants by the Geneva conventions. This had never been a requirement in the past. They ruled this way, not because the treaty states so (it doesn’t) but because Congress did not differentiate between a prisoner of war and an unlawful combatant when it wrote the U.S. code for treating prisoners. President Bush has requested Congress rewrite the code to differentiate between legitimate prisoners of war and illegal non-combatants. Senators McCain, Graham, and the liberal media would have us think George Bush has asked permission to torture prisoners. He has not.

When the Senators and liberal media use the word torture – call them on it. What exactly is it they are calling torture. For most Americans it means cattle prods, paper shredders and similar evils. I find it hard to believe folks will want to go on record saying rock music, uncomfortable temperatures, and pink outfits constitute torture.

Elites Attack the Wrong People

The Pope is the latest in a long line of notables who have addressed directly the issue of violent Islam. Others include Danish Cartoonists and the late Oriana Fallaci. The reaction among the Western elite, particularly in the media, however has been to vilify these messengers for “provoking” violent Muslims instead of recognizing the elephant in the living room of growing Islamic Fascism. George Bush is attacked in the same way. He is the first President to seriously confront radical Islam instead of accommodating it; the events of September 11th surely being the turning point in his thinking. What is ironic is these elitist, who champion the debauchery of the West, have the most to lose in a world dominated by radical Muslim overlords.

Week Ending 16 September 2006

Current Events and Commentary

Pope Invites Muslims to Dialogue

“The Pope, who used the terms "jihad" and "holy war" in his lecture, added: "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul."

Muslims angered over his remarks respond. My favorite quote:

"Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence," [Pakistan] Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.

Uh, thanks Tasnim, for proving the Pope wrong...

(H/T Small Dead Animals)

Utah Governor Seeks Additional Congressional District

Utah’s Governor Huntsman testified before the House Judiciary Constitution subcommittee to lobby for an additional Utah congressional seat. The increase in Utah’s delegation would be politically balanced by giving a representative to Washington DC.

I was going to write something snide like “The Governor needs to first live in DC or close by. does he think a city that consistently voted in Marian Barry could handle the responsibility of a congressperson who actually gets a vote that counts!” However, knowing that the Governor’s father was an official in the Nixon Whitehouse, he probably has lived in Washington DC or nearby. So what gives?

Utah is sure to get a new congressional seat with the next census and should wait. Local DC officials have been some of the most corrupt in the United States. Before I would contemplate giving DC a voting congressional representative, I would want to see that city without corruption for 10 years.

Sunset Over Split Rock

I took this photograph of the sunset over Split Rock while visiting Wyoming last month. Split Rock was an important landmark for pioneers on the California, Mormon, and Oregon trails.

Brush Fire

The mountain east of Layton, Utah, was under smoke and flames this afternoon. I do not know the cause. This appears to be north of Adams Canyon, which is fortunate. Adams Canyon has a popular hiking trail. It rained shortly afterwards which should make fighting the fire easier.

Current Events

As a service to aspiring young college students studying American Heritage, periodically I'll write a little about local, national, and world events.

The big event this week happened five years ago, this being the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

- Many commemorations took place across the country
o New York
o Utah

- ABC aired a special “Path to 9/11” that wasn’t particulary kind to either President Bush or President Clinton. Democrats were pretty thinned skinned and pressured ABC to yank the feature from broadcasting, to no avail.
- President Bush gave an anti-terrorism speech; Democrats shrieked like stuck pigs.

Meanwhile BYU has placed Physics professor Steven Jones, on paid administrative leave while they investigate how well his “research” has been peer reviewed. I wrote my thoughts here. Apparently the American Association of University Professors thinks no professor should be held to account for their actions.

Cooking Skills

I guess I’m not the only one who noticed (see post below)

An Anecdote from the Baking Goods Aisle

I was in Wal-Mart Labor Day, and it was as crowded as ever. That is to say except the baking goods aisle. Perhaps this was a coincidence, but I distinctly remember wall to wall carts and people on every other aisle. The baking goods aisle was bereft of shoppers. It made me pause and think that we are no longer a bake from scratch nation. The only reason I was there was to pick up some corn starch; I heard it is good for removing oil from concrete.

Marley and Me

Lily - no relation to Marley; multi-tasking a stick and ball

I stopped into the Deseret Bookstore and thumbed through Marley and Me, while waiting for the family to finish shopping. The sub title, Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog, and cover picture could have been my dog (well I’m still working on the love part). I haven’t read the book, but I’m not in suspense why Marley is one of the world’s worst dogs. My dog, Lily's purchase price was only a down payment. I’ve shelled out for torn pants, chewed shoes, cords, furniture, toys, rugs, hoses, siding, etc., and the vet bill for getting hit in the head by a horse Christmas eve; were up to forty gazillion dollars. I figure John Gorgan, Marley’s owner, wrote his book just to keep up with his dog’s bills.

Spanky (again)

Found this in the DesNews. Tried to upload it in the previous post.

Spanky

My daughter saved this from the DesNews last week:

"Windfall" Profits Tax

So far (9:43 MDT, 27 July 2006) a significant majority of respondents in this non-scientific poll want to see a “windfall” profits tax for oil companies. I wonder what the results would be if they would like a “windfall” profits tax on appreciated home values. It’s the same thing, afterall.

Drying Apricots

We have an apricot tree that produced bountifully this year. So did many of our neighbors’ trees. That makes it harder to give them away. Our family prefers dried apricots over eating them straight from the tree so I made a couple of drying racks. I’m drying as many as I can but we still will not be able to harvest all we have.

To make a drying rack I got a 2’ x 2’ piece of pressed board from Home Depot for a dollar. I had old two by fours that I split, lengthwise, and cut them to line the perimeter of the pressed board (secured by screws). Finally I bought mesh screen to place on top of the rack to keep bugs out. I secured one end of the screen to the wooden perimeter using a staple gun. I did not fasten the remaining screen so that I would be able to lift it and access the tray. To keep the screen tight on the edges, I cut the screen larger than the rack. On the end opposite the side I stapled, I fasten a section of wood. I let this piece of wood hang over the edge to draw the screen tight. I also lay sections of two by fours on the remaining two edges to hold the screen in place on the sides.

To dry the apricots, I pick a batch, lightly rinse, and cut each in half. The pit should be easy to remove. I then place the halves in the rack and sprinkle a little “Fruit Fresh” on them. My first batch took three days to dry.

Bilingual Ballots

Generally I don’t see much controversy renewing the voting rights act – except requiring bi-lingual ballots. I thought learning English was a requirement for citizenship. According to Bruce S. Gordon:

“…despite requirements under Section 203 of the VRA, no bilingual assistance was
made available to Vietnamese voters in Harris County, Texas, for the 2003
election.”

Whoa! Houston Texas doesn’t have ballots in Vietnamese. Maybe we should ask the questions "Is this really where we want to go in the United States?"

My Experience with Congressional Earmarks (Part II)

At the Defense Logistics Agency I was given the task to spend $750K on a third party logistics study no one needed. The only basis for the requirement was one line in a congressional conference report. The kicker was the study had to be conducted by a “not-for-profit trucking research agency”. The internet was coming of age and I popped those words into the search engine Lycos. The top result: The American Trucking Association. (Even today, a similar Google search brings up the American Trucking Research Institute – the research arm of the ATA; I do not believe the ATRI was in place in 1996/1997).

I researched the ATA and found among other things, they are a lobbying organization which had made quite a few donations to members of the Armed Services Appropriations Committee (both sides of the aisle).

Shortly after I found out about the ATA, I got a call from someone in the ATA. “Where is our contract?” he asked. I told him I was going to compete it. I was ticked about such a blatant misuse of tax dollars. It turned out that the total amount set aside was $1Million. I only had $750K but another $250K was set aside for a rail security study that the US Transportation Command was to place on contract.

I found the Army Lt Col tasked with spending the $250K. He was livid. Since the requiring language was in a house conference report and not in the actual appropriations bill signed into law by the President technically we were not constrained to spend the money as written in the conference. It wasn’t in the law. He took that position to the staff lawyers, and the issue eventually got to the vice-commander of USTRANSCOM. The vice-commander directed the money be spent according to the “intent” outlined in the conference report. He did not want angry congressmen to hamper other USTRANSOM projects.

I was in a different agency and the USTRANSCOM decision did not affect me, but I was sure the DLA leadership would say the same thing, if I approached them formally. I resolved to do two things. First, stretch the interpretation of the study’s direction to something that would be actually useful. Second, I wasn’t about to sole source this to a lobbyist. They would have to compete for the effort (albeit I was constrained to have the competition among “not-for-profit trucking research institutes”, if others could be found).

My Experience with Congressional Earmarks (Part I)

During my Air Force career, I was once assigned with the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) Distribution Command at their Depot Operations Support Office in Richmond Virginia. We provided engineering support for DLA’s distribution depots, sites where material is stored until requisitioned by U.S. forces throughout the world.

One day my boss handed me an unusual assignment based on one paragraph of direction. I was to put together a contract for a study to determine the feasibility of DLA using third party logistics providers, this study happened to come with $750K of funding. There were three things unusual about this task. The first was the topic of the study. DLA was in the process of using third party logistics providers; we did not need a study to determine the feasibility of the concept. The next anomaly was the lack of a customer for the study. When I asked who requested the study I was told the requirement came from headquarters. My inquiries at Headquarters DLA led me to the legislative liaison office. They told me Congress placed this in a recent appropriation, but they couldn’t tell me who generated it other than some-one on the house defense appropriations committee. The most unusual part of this requirement was the study had to be conducted by a “not-for-profit trucking research firm”.

So, I had $750K I was supposed to spend on a study DLA did not need for someone in Congress not particularly interested in leaving a forwarding address to get the study's results. But they were pretty specific about who was to get the study.

To be continued.

Consequences?

So you don’t follow procedures and as a result compromise the private data of 26 Million veterans. Think this civil service employee will get fired. Neither do I..

Donald Rumsfield

Several retired Generals have recently criticized Donald Rumsfield and pushed for his removal; I don’t know how well they do or don’t represent the opinion of other retired Generals but they don’t represent me. I spent 20 years in the USAF and served under several Defense Secretaries. The two who had my deepest respect where Donald Rumsfield and Casper Weinberger.

Where Conservatives Come From

Hope for whiny kids. Of course this study relies on the statistical skills of psychologists.

Lost and Found

Living in Utah, I’m no stranger to people getting lost in the mountains, usually hikers, hunters, or snowmobilers. These people leave a small footprint and sometimes searches can be difficult. I’ve got to wonder about this story from Oregon – six members of a family in a RV went missing for 17 days! How do search crews miss a 35 foot RV?

Headline Gotcha

I read this article in the DesNews. It had the following headline and subheadline:

2 in trouble with law after game gets out of hand
Racial slur, mooning among
apparent offenses in Farr West

For a paper that believes in freedom of speech, you would think that they know no one goes to jail for a racial slur. It did stop the game though.

Yeah, We Got A Constitution

I read this in the DesNew today:

Panel says minister didn't violate rules
Los Angeles Times

A Presbyterian minister under scrutiny for officiating over the unions of two lesbian couples was recently found not guilty of violating the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The commission of the Presbytery of the Redwoods, whose jurisdiction skirts the California coast from north of San Francisco to the Oregon border, ruled this month that the Rev. Janie Adams Spahr acted within her "right of conscience" as a Christian when she performed the commitment ceremonies, said Robert Conover, stated clerk of the Presbytery.

The decision in Spahr's favor does not change the church constitution's same-sex marriage provisions. "It doesn't translate to, 'Now, they're OK to do.' Not in this Presbytery, anyway, and certainly not in this denomination," Conover said.

Are you as confused as I? The minister did not violate their constitution even though she did? I don’t see why they are worried about it being changed – if they aren’t going to use it does it mean anything anyway?

Yail

Not to be outdone (see second entry below) Yale lands an ex-Taliban official. Reminds me of the fellow Yanny Yohnson who said he was educated at Yail.

Blogs Read by Media Elite

I would think Francis Peak would be on this list.

A University Past It’s Prime

The university that has the notable distinction of participating in the education of John Adams cannot now tolerate diversity of thought and inquiry - even with its president.

Skipping class

I have a hard time believing this story but its AP and they’re never wrong, right? Students paid $1 a day to skip gym. Six students supposedly paid $230. To skip gym? What’s wrong with them. If they were paying to skip math that would be more believable. The story says the teacher may have collected thousands of dollars, but the scheme was only from September to December. Lets see… a typical school year runs 180 days (this is America, right?) half that gets me say 90 days. One student, one semester = $90. Just over 11 students would net a thousand dollars. So for two thousand dollars (the story did use the plural) one would see 22 students running around loose. But if there were six periods that would only be 3 to 4 students blending in with the legitimate hall pass crowd each period. O.K. maybe it wouldn’t have been noticible.

Pre-foreclosure?

I saw an advertisement in the DesNews this morning about "How to Find Hidden Profits Buying Pre-foreclosure Properties". Don't we call that the regular real estate market?

Labor Saving Device?

We got about a foot of snow in my area yesterday and today. I enjoy it, even when I’ve got to shovel the walks and driveway. Several of my neighbors have snow blowers. When they clear their walks they continue down the neighborhood sidewalks and driveways. I appreciate it when they beat me to my sidewalk. I find it ironic that they bought the snow blowers to save time and then they still spend just as much time clearing snow as they did with a shovel – only they do 10 times as much. Good on 'em.

Is CNN Hypocrisy Really News?

I can understand why a large media organization like CNN won’t publish cartoons deemed “offensive” by militant Muslims. It’s not an easy call to put your life on the line. But spare us their explanations about Muslim sensitivities. CNN is certainly willing to inflame the same Muslims with pictures from Abu Ghraib when they endanger US servicemen. (H/T Powerline)

CNNs actions underscore who they really think would target journalists.

Inside Scoop of Humor in the Muslim World

Omar from, Iraq the model, points out that Muslims do have a sense of humor:

You know that those cartoons were published for the 1st time months ago and we here in the Middle East have tonnes of jokes about Allah, the prophets and the angels that are way more offensive, funny and obscene than those poorly-made cartoons, yet no one ever got shot for telling one of those jokes or at least we had never seen rallies and protests against those infidel joke-tellers.

What I want to say is that I think the reactions were planned to be exaggerated this time by some Middle Eastern regimes and are not mere public reaction.And I think Syria and Iran have the motives to trigger such reactions in order to get away from the pressures applied by the international community on those regimes.However, I cannot claim that Muslim community is innocent for there have been outrageous reactions outside the range of Syria's or Iran's influence but again, these protests and threats are more political than religious in nature.

H/T Powerline

Eye of the Beholder

There is an old joke about a young kindergartner drawing a picture during art time. Her teacher, watching, asks what the girl is drawing.

“I’m drawing a picture of God”

“Oh,” replies the teacher, “But no one knows what God looks like.”

“Yeah” says the child, “But they’ll know in a few minutes.”

It’s still a funny joke to me. On the other hand there's probably a crank out there who'll insist these are fighting words worthy of inciting a riot.

Contract with Al Qaeda

(H/T Powerline)

The Democratic plan to take over Congress…

Extending the Logic...

So U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts maintains former EPA Chief, Christina Todd Whitman, should not be granted immunity in a lawsuit regarding the safety of Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks, stating “No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan”.

So by extension, is the Judge making a case that the people filing the lawsuit are also unreasonable for returning to lower Manhatten?

A Bad Trip

The next pair will tie with Velcro…

H/T small dead animals

Hammas Wins

Dog Catches Car

Lazy Reporting

Elaine Jarvik of the DesNews provides a plug, again (scroll down), for a 911 conspiracy group’s theory that the US Government is responsible for destroying the World Trade Towers on September 11th, 2001. Her report basically parrots the group’s website (Scholars for 911 Truth).

One of the tidbits she apparently gleaned from the website’s biography page, without fact-checking, is one group member, Robert M. Bowman, was a former director of the "Star Wars" defense program.

The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a missile defense program initiated by Ronald Reagan. It was quickly dubbed "Stars Wars" after the earlier movie of the same name. The first director of SDI was Lieutenant General Abramson.

The conspiracy group's website states Robert M. Bowman, a retired USAF Lt Colonel, was the "Former Director of the U.S. "Star Wars" Space Defense Program in both Republican and Democratic administrations."

A quick 30 second "Google" search on "Robert M. Bowman" reveals that Lt Colonel Bowman (USAF retired) claims to have been a director of the "Star Wars" program under Presidents Ford and Carter. Who knows what Lt Colonel Bowman directed, but it was not the SDI one thinks of when invoking the “Star Wars” defense program initiated later under President Reagan (and it certainly would not have been called "Stars Wars" before the movie was released). There is also quite a bit of difference between a Lieutenant Colonel and a Lieutenant General. A reporter more cognizant of the military would have recognized a Lt Colonel would not have been running SDI.

A few other items of interest fall out from the “Google” search on Bowman. He is campaigning to be a Democratic congressional candidate from a district in Florida and he writes on “cults”, which includes a polemic against the Book of Mormon (of interest perhaps to some of the DesNews many Mormon readers). UPDATE (10/30/06): I've got the part about the polemic against the Book of Mormon wrong, the Robert M. Bowman I refered to did not write it. His son clarifies this in the comment below. His son also mentions that his father never claimed to have directed the SDI program. What I have in quotes in the fourth paragraph above is an accurate quote from the website http://www.st911.org/. The media used the term "Star Wars" to refer to the SDI program and I have to conclude the intent of Mr Bowman's use of the term is to gain more authority for his position. This was certainly the way Ms. Jarvik took it.

We’ll always have conspiracy groups; I would just like to see DesNews reporters do a little more work than print their news releases. Its only fair to the people being accused of treason.

Fate of Western Civilization

This is a must read from Mark Steyn, It’s The Demography, Stupid. His opening paragraph lays out what is at stake:

Most people reading this have strong stomachs, so let me lay it out as baldly as I can: Much of what we loosely call the Western world will not survive this century, and much of it will effectively disappear within our lifetimes, including many if not most Western European countries. There'll probably still be a geographical area on the map marked as Italy or the Netherlands--probably--just as in Istanbul there's still a building called St. Sophia's Cathedral. But it's not a cathedral; it's merely a designation for a piece of real estate. Likewise, Italy and the Netherlands will merely be designations for real estate. The challenge for those who reckon Western civilization is on balance better than the alternatives is to figure out a way to save at least some parts of the West.

Budget some time, this is a long read.

Sheep vs Trains

Bad couple of weeks for Utah sheep. Sheep vs Train I and Sheep vs Train II.