The Truth of the Matter

"If language be not in accord with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success."

            - Confucius (circa 551 - 479 B.C.)

I stumbled across this post over at HobbsOnline A.M. a few minutes ago, and thought someone else might like to see it.  Hobbs has analyzed the unemployment situation in our country and drawn some conclusions that just don't fit with what we're seeing in the news.

"...there are more people working today than when George W. Bush took office back in January 2001. That's right--more people are working now than at the end of the Clinton administration. That's not a partisan shot at Clinton, it's just a statement of fact. The source for it is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." 

If Bill's reasoning is correct, and it appears to be, why isn't the Bush administration talking about these numbers in a more positive manner? As much as the Democratic candidates are screaming about high unemployment, it would seem an expedient thing to do. 

Jim Miller at Jim Miller on Politics makes some comments about the lack of coverage of the Zell Miller endorsement of President Bush which I wrote about last night in my post, "Uh-Oh."  I haven't seen much mention of it on the "Lefty Blogs" that I regularly visit either. 

Uh-Oh

"Bipartisanship has been practiced in Washington about as often as Bigfoot has taken the White House tour."

         - Investor's Business Daily, "Politics Eternal," 12/17/2001

Fred Barnes, of The Weekly Standard has excerpts from an interview with Senator Zell Miller, (D)-Georgia. Zell is not happy with his party.  He plans to give expression to that dissatisfaction with his vote in 2004:

"The next five years 'will determine the kind of world my children and grandchildren will live in,' Miller said in an interview. And he wouldn't 'trust' any of the nine Democratic presidential candiates with governing during 'that crucial period,' he said. 'This Democrat will vote for President Bush in 2004.' "

Why does this matter?  Because Miller is one of the most respected Democrats in the country. He delivered the keynote address at the 1992 Democratic Convention, helping propel Clinton to the Presidency that year, and was a keynote speaker at the 2000 Convention. A Gore/Miller ticket was even suggested by some.

He served two terms as governor of Georgia. I happened to live there while he was in office and can attest to his popularity among the citizenry, me included. The Democrats should take his opinions seriously.  He is no lightweight and many Democrats who are on the fence will follow his lead in 2004. Like to know more? Visit his webpage or read his new book.

A Most Difficult Time

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."

         - Will Rogers (1879-1935)

Jon Katz wrote an article at Slate about having to put your dog down.  When I read it, I recalled what a difficult experience it was for Elisabeth and me with our Basset hound, Gordon.

Gordon actually belonged to our son, Hayden. When he moved to San Francisco, he couldn't take him, so he gave him to us. I'm glad he did.  We'd go for a walk each afternoon, and every child on our block would run out to hug him.  "Gordy, Gordy," they'd say, and he'd roll over and let them fall on top of him, always glad to see them. Never in a hurry, he'd stop to sniff every bush and wrap his leash around every mailbox.  

He loved to get into the garbage when we were away from the house, opening the cabinet door to get to it. He would "bury" his rawhide bones under our sofa cushions, and when I had my friends over for poker, he would sleep under the table and pass gas. 

Then he got sick.  It was cancer, so ironic since I was still recovering from it myself.  The vet removed the tumor and after it healed, he appeared to be his old self for awhile. Then the tumor reappeared.  We were told that Gordon would soon die and would suffer. Despite that, we decided we wanted to keep him with us a little longer. 

Several weeks later Gordon didn't come to us when we got out of bed.  We found him still in his basket. He'd eaten no food, was throwing up and you could see the pain in his eyes.

On the way to the vet's, Gordon lay between us, hardly moving.  When we got there the doc explained what would happen and we sat on the floor with our pet as the drug was injected. Gordy raised his head, looked at us, then was still.  It seemed he should have nudged our hand for a milkbone one more time, but he didn't. 

The Choices We Make

"With every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice."                                    - Oprah Winfrey

This morning as I was having my cup of coffee and reading our local newspaper, I chanced upon a reference to Robert Frost's, "The Road Not Taken."  Poetry is not my favorite genre, but something clicked. I found the poem, sat down, and read it.  Three lines jumped out:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I---I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

How many times in our lives have choices faced us that, decided differently, would have completely altered our future?  I can think of many, but the most prominent was my decision to retire when I was 56. Our company offered a severance package and asked for volunteers.  It was sooner than I'd planned to go, my finances weren't fully supportive of retiring and my wife was uncertain that it was wise, but something made me say, "Yes."

This newly found freedom allowed me time to do other things, one of which was to get a much needed physical, something I wouldn't have done had I still been working.  I felt healthy, saw no need for a physical, but chose to do it anyway.  The doc found a tumor in my intestine, surgery was performed to remove it, and I got the bad news: Stage 3 colon cancer. Five months of chemotherapy followed. Today I am in remission.

Was it luck, or something more mysterious that led me to make the choices I did?  I can't answer that, but I can tell you this.  If I hadn't taken the path I took, you would not be reading these words.  I would be dead.  A sobering thought, my friends---at least for me.

Unfathomable Misfortune

"When something happens to you, you either let it defeat you, or you defeat it."

      - Rosilind Russell, American actress

I cannot imagine what the people in Southern California are going through as they battle the huge fires that are engulfing their homes.  I can only hope that firefighters will soon contain these blazes and that whatever aid is required will be supplied to the many people who have lost everything they own.

If you're interested, there are many photographs, satellite images and other visual media coverage of the wildfires at this site.  They're worth taking a look at and will give you a better appreciation of how widespread the destruction is.

Firefighters suspect arson in at least two of the blazes, and investigations may never reveal who the culprits are.  There has also been intelligence released that indicates terrorists could have been involved.  Judging from the number of fires burning simultaneously and their distance from each other, that's a possibility.  It scares me to think that could be true.

Anyone who would like to help these folks should visit the Disaster Relief site for information on how to do this. 

Greed or Need?

"A few who come to Washington to drain the swamp decide it makes a great hot tub."

       - Paul Jacob, National Director of U.S. Term Limits

I see where our Senators have voted themselves another pay raise.  Now I don't begrudge our legislators a fair wage, but 40% of them are millionaires. Wonder why they need the extra cash?

This poor couple didn't notice the name on the street sign before they bought their new home.  Hope they check the new address before moving to their next home.  

This avid Marlins fan showed up in the outfield right after the 7th inning in Game 5 of the World Series.  A distraction for the Yankees?

Former President Clinton has some advice for his Party.  Interesting.

These 450 women appeared in the buff in Grand Central Terminal in New York City.  It was some sort of art project.  At least, that's what the photographer told them.

Did the recent geomagnetic storm impact you?  It shouldn't have.  It may cause some beautiful evening skies, though. 

Beckett Rolls

"There is one word in America that says it all, and that one word is, 'You never know.' "

   - Joaquin Andujar, Major League Baseball Pitcher

Twenty-three year old Josh Beckett was virtually unhittable as he pitched the Florida Marlins to a   2-0 victory over New York tonight.  Game 6 and the 2003 World Series go to the Marlins, who win for the second time in their 11 year existence, the other Championship coming in 1997. 

The New York crowd and the Yankee team seemed stunned as Beckett made the final out all by himself, tagging Jorge Pasada on the first base line after he fielded his tapper, putting a cap on his and his teammates' dominant performance throughout the nine innings. 

This was a great Series.  It was so enjoyable to watch it's a shame it had to end.  I can't wait for next year.  Hey, maybe the Braves will be in it.  Who knows? 

Taking It Off

"Our lives are not in the lap of the gods, but in the lap of our cooks."

    - Lin Yutang (1895-1976), The Importance of Living (1937)

Do you know the thing I dread the most when I have a doctor's appointment?  Nope, not the long delay in the waiting area.  Nope, not the blood tests.  Not the examination for prostate enlargement either.  It's when I first get in there and they make me weigh!

I'm scheduled for a physical next month and I'm trying to lose a little weight so that my physician will say, "Hey, pretty good Nantz, you're a pound and a half lighter than you were last time."  The fact that I'm still fifteen pounds overweight could be a problem though.

When I make up my mind to shed a few pounds, what I normally do is just stop eating so much.  I've never tried any of the fad diets, nor have I kept charts of calories or foods ingested.  I just stop eating.  The wife says, "Not good!"

Today I ran across this bit of advice on AOL's Welcome Page, courtesy of Health Magazine.  You who are AOL-Users have probably already seen it, but it was so good that I decided to post it tonight.  Most of what they say is merely common sense, in somewhat short supply these days, and it speaks to me.  There was one surprise, however:

"Insufficient shut-eye appears to increase production of the stress hormone cortisol, which regulates appetite. High levels seem to worsen bingeing and hunger; moreover, too little sleep could keep your body from burning carbohydrates, which translates to more stored body fat."

Now did you know that?  I didn't.  Check the whole thing out.  It's good stuff.

Don't forget that early Sunday morning (2 AM) Daylight Savings Time ends.  Set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed tonight.

Another Afternoon at the Movies

"There is no escape--man drags his fellow man down, or he lifts him up."

      - Booker T. Washington, educator (1856 - 1915)

Elisabeth and I went to see Radio this afternoon, despite our local paper's lukewarm review of the film.  She had seen Oprah interviewing Cuba Gooding, Jr., one of its stars, and that made up our minds for her. 

It's a sentimental story, set in Anderson, S.C., and is about the relationship between an illiterate, mentally handicapped man whose nickname is "Radio" (played by Gooding) and the local high school football coach, Harold Jones (played by Ed Harris). 

"Radio," for reasons you will eventually learn, catches Jones' attention and he begins mentoring him despite criticism from some of the local townsfolk.  Jones devotes so much of his time to "Radio" that he neglects his teenage daughter, Mary Helen (played by Sarah Drew), who obviously needs his affection.  Some members of the local Booster Club feel that "Radio" is also distracting Jones from his coaching duties.

Jones knows if he abandons "Radio," that the young man's life will basically be over.  The pressure that is brought to bear on him to do this builds to an emotional climax when Jones confronts his nay-sayers at the local barbershop.

If you enjoyed Rudy, Forrest Gump and Rocky, I can almost assure you that you'll enjoy Radio.  I'd suggest you take some tissue with you because there were several scenes where even this stoic old codger felt a tear on his cheek.

I ran across a picture of Mr. Jeffries, a Basset hound with the world's longest ears.  He looks like a dog version of Dumbo, Disney's baby elephant who could fly, and reminds me of my late pet, Gordon.

 

The World Is Full of Stories

"You cannot know how many people your words, actions and thoughts have touched."

       - Thich Nhet Hahn, No Death, No Fear (2002)

I just finished reading a thought-provoking little book by Mitch Albom titled The Five People You Meet In Heaven.  It's a short read but each page leaves you chewing on its lesson, so it takes awhile to get through.  I made notes as I read it.  Here are some lines from the book that spoke to me---in no particular order:

"This is a story about a man named Eddie and it begins at the end, with Eddie dying in the sun. It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."

"This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for."

"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair."

"We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves."

"The world is full of stories, but the stories are all one."

Go buy, borrow, or steal it.  And prepare yourself to do some thinking about your own life.

The Marlins looked like champs tonight, winning Game 5, 6-4.  It got a little dicey toward the end, but they held on and are heading for New York and Game 6 to be played on Saturday.  Torre will start Andy Pettitte.  MeKeon hasn't announced.  Stay tuned.

I learned this morning that my Journal was the AOL Editor's #1 Weekly Pick.  I'm flabbergasted, but honored that my effort has been recognized in this manner.  I'll try not to let it go to my head. 

 

Marlins Tie It Up

"The great thing about baseball is that there's a crisis every game."

- Gabe Paul (1910-1998), Cleveland Indians General Manager

Over four hours after it started, the Marlins finally won the fourth game of the series 4-3 on a 12th inning home run by Alex Gonzales off Yankee reliever, Jeff Weaver.  It was a line drive that barely cleared the left field wall.  This ties the series at two games apiece.

Clemens wasn't as sharp as he could have been, giving up three runs in the first inning, but then settling down and keeping things on an even keel until he was relieved in the 7th inning. He left the field to a standing ovation led by the Marlins team, I might add.

Carl Pavano, on the other hand, did a rather masterful job of containing the Yanks until he turned it over to Ugueth Urbina in the eighth.  Urbina allowed New York to come back in the ninth when Ruben Sierra tripled to right, driving in two runs to tie the game 3-3.  From then until the game winning homer, it was nip and tuck with both teams' bullpens turning in good performances.

We now have a horse race, my friends.  I predict it will go seven games, and hope it does.  Phew!  I'm too old to be staying up this late!

"Fish" Need a Miracle

"Whenever you have a tight situation and there's a close pitch, the umpire gets a squawk no matter how he calls it."

- Red Barber, Major League Baseball announcer (1908-1992)

The Yankees won again last night, 6-l, putting them a game up on the Marlins.  They scored their 6 runs on 6 hits.  Florida had 8 hits, but could only get one man across home plate.  Doesn't seem fair, does it?

Initially, I thought the Marlins would have a good night the way their pitcher, Josh Beckett, was breezing along.  I think the two close calls by umpire Ron Darling in the 4th changed the momentum of the game.  New York capitalized on their good fortune, as all great teams do, and Florida never recovered.

With Roger, "The Rocket," Clemens coming on tonight for the Yanks, my confidence that the Marlins can pull themselves together is on the wane.  This will be the record 6-time Cy Young winner's last scheduled game in the major leagues, and I feel that he'll be giving 110% to finish his career with a win.  Clemens is "do your best" personified, and if desire to get it done is in the equation, he'll be tough to beat.

Big, Very Expensive "Digs"

"I'm opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the positon."

        - Mark Twain, American author (1835 - 1910)

While sipping on a jigger of Bushmill's Irish whiskey, I cruised over to Forbes.com and ran across a photo-accompanied article featuring the most expensive homes in the U.S.  Prices start at $38 million and go up to $75 million.  Think about that!  If I took my entire lifetime earnings, I wouldn't even be able to make a down payment on the cheapest of these shanties!  You need to check out the slide show.

As I scanned the photos of these homes, I thought about some of the places I lived during my youth and young adulthood.  I scrounged around, found pictures of them, and inserted an album at the top of this post if you care to see them.

The most vivid memory I have from the home in the second shot is when my Dad was drafted to fight in WW II.  I remember watching him walk up the road to catch a bus to Fort Bragg, N.C., as my Mom, holding one of my twin brothers on each arm, sobbed her good-byes. I was three years old at the time.

The home in the third shot was not as ramshackledy when I lived there as it is in this photo.  It was in one of the southern "mill villages" where most of the employees of the nearby textile plant lived.  There was never a problem finding someone to play with for there were at least 20 to 30 kids my age living in the area. Sandlot baseball was our choice of sports.

The fourth photo is where I lived until I finished college.  I began my higher education at age 21 after working in a textile mill until I had enough saved for my first year's tuition.  Mom and Dad charged me $40 a month room and board while I lived there full time.  I never resented this even though my monthly earnings were only $210 a month.  The rent  was suspended when I began college in 1962.  I wasn't drinking any Irish whiskey back then...only an occasional Schlitz. 

 

Where Have All The Jobs Gone?

"There are two kinds of companies: those that change, and those that disappear."

         - Phillip Kotler, marketing expert

I ran across this in the Investor's Business Daily "Issues and Insights" column:

"America is hemorrhaging jobs at a record pace to cut-rate competitors overseas. Or so the common wisdom goes. But a new report shows it's not true...the loss of factory jobs is a global phenomenon."

This is something that was true before I retired.  All smart manufacturing companies were looking for ways to produce more with fewer workers.  They had to in order to survive.

Peter Brookes at the New York Post talks about Bush's trip to Southeast Asia:

"The president knows fighting terrorism alone is a lot like punching a pillow. You can hit it...until you're exhausted, but all you do is move the feathers around. Only working together can defeat the plague of terror."

This can't be the guy the Democrats are claiming wants to "go it alone," can it?   I wonder if the fellow who recently managed to get the U.N. Security Council to vote unanimously for his Iraqi resolution could be the one?  Beats me.

I just finished Tom Clancy's new novel, The Teeth of the Tiger.  It was disappointing, not the quality I've come to expect from Clancy.  I also read David Baldacci's Split Second. It was a page turner, and worth your time. He keeps you guessing until the very end.  Read the reviews.

 

 

Sunday Night Ramblings

"When we lose, I can't sleep at night. When we win, I can't sleep at night. But when we win, I wake up feeling better."

       - Joe Torre, Manager, New York Yankees

The Yankees looked mighty fine tonight, winning 6-l.  I believe it would have been a shutout for Andy Pettitte had Aaron Boone not made his second error of the night in the 9th.  Now it's off to Florida for Tuesday's 3rd game with Mike Mussina of the Yankees facing the Marlin's Josh Beckett. 

The wife and I took in a good movie yesterday afternoon.  It was Clint Eastwood's latest, Mystic River.  Jami Bernard of the New York Daily News has written a pretty good review of the film.  I think it would be an afternoon well spent for any of you movie buffs.  

There's something fishy going on at New York University.  Three students have leaped to their deaths since September 12 of this year.  The latest occurred yesterday.  I have no idea what type of investigation has taken place, but three suicides in a period of about a month seems more than coincidental to me.

Did you know that Iraq now has its first Burger King restaurant?  It's located at the Baghdad International Airport and:

"...its sales have reached the top ten among all Burger King franchises on Earth in the five months since it opened."

Read the article.  Soldiers are driving 200 miles to get onion rings and burgers.  Wonder if they have a drive-thru?

Big Upset In The Making?

"Some days you've got it and some days you don't."

            - Richard Carlson

Florida just defeated New York 3-2 in Yankee Stadium.  When the Cubs and Marlins were playing each other, I predicted the winner of that series would be World Champs.  The Yankees must guard against being over-confident.  The "fish" are no pushovers.  It should be a fantastic Series.

Here We Go Again

"People everywhere confuse what they read in the newspapers with news."

       - A.J. Liebling, journalist (1904 - 1963)

On 10/16/03 I linked to a Washington Post article about our soldiers' morale in Iraq.  While reading Glenn Reynold's InstaPundit, I became aware of a military wife, Sarah Walters, who takes exception in her post, "Speak of the Devil, And He Shows Up...," to the paper's coverage of the Stars and Stripes survey.  It's worth a read even though it is a bit long.  Her plea:

"Skip the Washington Post and read the news directly from the Stars and Stripes.  They let you draw the conclusions yourself and don't editorialize with headlines like 'Many Troops Dissatisfied.' "

There were seven articles in the Stars and Stripes.  The Post took the first three, sifted most of the positive aspects out, and presented a negative view of troop morale on the front.  This made Mrs. Walters furious.  I'll have to say it makes me a little angry too.  But, hey, what do you expect?  It's big media's mission these days to paint as bleak a picture of the Iraqi situation as possible. 

Man seems fascinated with erecting tall buildings.  Thanks to the Drudge Report I see that Taiwan now lays claim to having the world's tallest.  It's 1,676 feet tall, eclipsing the 1,483 foot Petronas Towers in Malaysia by 193 feet. 

But wait.  The Chinese, of recent manned spaceflight fame, say they are building one even taller.  It's in the Shanghai World Financial Center and will dethrone the Taiwan structure in 2007.  Stay tuned.

 

So Close, Yet So Far Away

"I can play better than this.  I just never do."

         - Dave Campbell, Pinehurst, NC, golfer

This afternoon my wife and I went out to play nine holes of golf.  It was a beautiful day and neither of us had any expectations as far as our scores were concerned.  We just wanted to enjoy the few good shots we might hit, take in the beauty of the day and possibly get to be with some people we'd enjoy.

Well, things went better than expected.  We were both in sort of a groove, maybe because we weren't taking ourselves very seriously, and found we were scoring pretty well.  We also ran into a couple of friends on the fifth hole and they invited us to join them, so things were working out nicely.

We finished our first nine, me with a 39, the wife with a 46.  Our friends dropped out for more pressing activities and the wife and I decided to continue and see how things would turn out.  I was thinking I might have a chance to break 80, a very rare occurrence these days, and she was thinking that breaking 90 might be possible, also a rare event. 

Thinking like this was a big mistake.  In this game, you should never get ahead of yourself.

The back nine started with four straight bogies for me and two double bogies for my partner.  She got herself back on track with a couple of pars and bogies, but I didn't.  I finished the side with double bogey, bogey, double bogey and a 45 on the back, my hopes dashed once again.  She hung in there for another 46 which gave her a 92.  Not bad really, and I think she was pleased.

I've played this game for over 45 years and it is always lifting me up and slamming me down.  I think, "today might be the day," and it hardly ever is.  I'm beginning to think that the harder you try, the worse you do, and the less you try, the better you do.  Isn't that the way Tiger does it?  I doubt it, but it's a thought.

Oh well, I'll try again later this week.  Who knows?  I may really get it going and shoot a 79...if I don't get to thinking about it too much. 

 

Off Track in Iraq

"The greatest part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances."

          - Martha Washington (1731 - 1802)

A Pentagon funded newspaper, The Stars and Stripes, has just conducted a poll of 1,935 of our soldiers in Iraq:

"...half of those questioned described their unit's morale as low and their training as insufficient, and said they do not plan to reenlist...The survey also recorded about a third of the respondents complaining that their mission lacks clear definition and characterizing the war in Iraq as of little or no value...forty percent said the jobs they were doing had little or nothing to do with their training." 

The Army was more dissatisfied than the Air Force or Marines.  Reservists, not suprisingly, were unhappiest of all. 

What does all this mean?

I'm not sure, but it doesn't concern me that much because I've never paid a lot of attention to any poll.  My own experience with polls in business and in my personal life has never given me a great amount of confidence in the results.  Think of the last time you were asked to participate in one.  Most of the time, at least for me, it's been a bother.

Is anyone, even if they're not in Iraq, ever satisfied with the way things are going?

Searching for the answer to that question turned up this pre-9/11 poll at the New Democrats Online site.  Take a gander at Table 2 if you put credence in polls. 

When asked, "Do you think that things in this country are generally headed in the right direction or are they off on the wrong track?," 42 percent of the respondents said things are off track. 

That's worse than what our troops in Iraq are saying and they're getting shot at.   

 

 

You've Come a Long Way Baby!

"Women share with men the need for personal success, even the taste for power, and no longer are we willing to satisfy those needs through the achievements of surrogates, whether husbands, children or merely role models."

        - Senator Elizabeth Dole

Forbes magazine's list of the "400 Richest People in America" held a surprise this year.  The richest women, who generally earned and didn't inherit their wealth, now have more money than the richest men:

"For the first time since its inception in 1982, women on the Forbes list of the '400 Richest People in America' topped men in average net worth..."

I've been noticing my wife's checking account always has more money in it than mine.  Wonder if she's been talking with any of these ladies?

Donald J. Devine has more about the attacks on Rumsfield:

"...he has become the target not only of the doves in the Democratic Party but also the make-the-world-safe-for-democracy hawks in the administration and among outside opinion leaders."

I like what I see in Rumsfield and think he's doing yeoman's duty in a role that may be the toughest in the administration.  I think it would be a great loss to the country if he doesn't survive.

Bush is fighting back.  C.K. Rairden says:

"...news anchor Peter Jennings has been in a huff ever since President Bush snubbed his network and the rest of the elite media by taking his story directly to the American people on Monday."

I think the President is weary of the media's biased coverage of the war in Iraq and has decided to make an end run.  Will it work?  As much as the public distrusts the media, possibly.

 

China Has A "NASA" Too

"As our knowledge of the universe in which we live increases, may God grant us the wisdom and guidance to use it wisely."

- John Glenn, in address to Congress, Feb. 26, 1962

Today China became the third country in the world to put a man into space. The "taikonaut" is Yang Liwei, 38.  Let's hope he returns home safely. This comes over 40 years after the Soviets and the United States launched their first manned expeditions. 

It appears that the Chinese are moving aggressively to become a major player in this arena as the U.S. tones down its efforts.  I would hope that we continue doing what is necessary to maintain supremacy in space exploration.  Failing to do that could be distressing to us in the coming years.

The Saudis are going to have elections -- their first ever.  Wow!  I wonder what brought this on?  I'm sure it couldn't have a thing to do with the fact that freedom and democracy are taking hold in one of their neighboring countries.  It will be interesting to see if other middle eastern monarchies begin following suit.  My bet is they will, sooner rather than later.

Word on the street is that Israel plans to launch airstrikes against Iran's nuclear facilities much as they did against Iraq's in 1982.  Gary Fitleberg over at  ChronWatch has the details.  Now that would stir up a hornet's nest for sure! 

 

A New Secretary of State?

"Wishful thinking might bring comfort, but not security."

        - President George W. Bush

I missed Andy Rooney Sunday night but Jeff Jarvis at BuzzMachine didn't.  Andy wants President Bush to get the world to like us:

"You might not think so from listening to me, but I like to be liked.  Not only that, I like my country to be liked around the world and it isn't."

Jarvis's answer is right on.  Here's a bit of his response:

"Well, that's a pretty hard standard on which to run your foreign policy.  In fact, it's neither a rational nor an intelligent standard. It's emotional.  You want us to appoint Sally Field as Secretary of State?"

Matthew Hoy at Hoystory.com talks about Fox News' Tony Snow/Senator Jay Rockefeller debate on the Democrat's claim there was no "imminent threat" from Iraq and that Bush said there was, scaring the American people into supporting the war in Iraq.  Snow's question:

"...you and your colleagues have said he talked about an imminent threat.  And he never did.  As a matter of fact, the key argument, was it not, that you can't wait for it to become an imminent threat because then it's too late?"

Rockefeller disagreed and continued his argument even when Snow dug up one of his old speeches which refuted his current position.

There's more over at The Daily Dish. 

Grim's Hall says the French are trying to sell the Saudis battle tanks, but the Saudis are leery.  Seems there's something about the transmissions in the tanks.  I'd be leery too.

Roosevelt: Helpful or Harmful?

"What is actually happening is often less important than what appears to be happening."

 - William V. Shannon, Dallas Morning News, 7-2-72

When I was a youngster I recall my parents and other members of the family talking about the "Great Depression."  I think, more than any one event in their lifetimes, it shaped their views about politics. To them, Herbert Hoover was the man who brought ruination upon the country, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the savior who rescued them. 

Now I read that President Roosevelt may not have been the godsend my parents believed he was.  He was more probably guilty of extending the misfortune they found themselves having to bear.  Those of you who are my age doubtless heard your folks talking about the Depression too, so Thomas Sowell's commentary may prove to be as interesting to you as it was to me.  His summation:

"Some of the people who most admired and almost worshipped FDR--poor people and blacks, for example--were hurt the most by amateurish tinkering with the economy by Roosevelt's New Deal administration."

I keep hearing that Rumsfield is on Bush's "blacklist" and won't survive into a second term. This article makes the case.

"It is now virtually certain that, should Bush win the 2004 election, Donald Rumsfield will not serve as secretary of defense."

David Warren rebuts these claims, at least where Rumsfield is concerned:

"As usual the story is false. Mr. Rumsfield was never in charge of Iraqi reconstruction, and has only appeared to have some (responsibility) because of his personal strengths of mind and will..."

Read the whole thing.

 

 

Sour Grapes?

"You don't have to blow out the other fellow's light to let your own shine."

       - Bernard Baruch (1870 - 1965), financier

Bill Whittle over at his weblog Eject!Eject!Eject! has some thoughts on the Democrats' reaction to losing the California governorship to the Republicans.  The money quote:

"I just heard on the radio from a Democratic state senator who said that 'the people were unable to figure out who they were really angry at,' --that this was really a vote against George W. Bush, only the people weren't smart enough to figure out how to go about it and blamed it on poor old Gray Davis.  Yes, in their righteous fury and anger at the Republican President, the people of California elected...a Republican governor!  That'll show him!"

And following up on yesterday's post about Schwarzenegger's Plan for the state, one of the lefty bloggers, Daily Kos, has weighed in with some thoughts about that Plan.  He says:

"Arnold has 100 days, starting from the second he takes his oath."

Then there's this reaction to Kos's views at the weblog Wunderkinder.  One of his points:

"...if Democrats, in the eyes of the voters, follow up the ruination of the state's finances with obstructionary tactics to thwart efforts by the other side to fix things, they're going to lose the state to Bush in 2004.  Watch out, out there."

The carping between the two parties goes on and on.  When politicians are in the mix, getting something constructive done these days is a real challenge.

What To Believe?

"We never let the truth interfere with a good story."

           - Charlie Jones, sportscaster, writer

Ralph Peters, of the New York Post, has written a column about how the media shapes reality in today's world.  It's worth a read.  The money quote:

"The truth is that today's media shape reality--often for the worse.  A journalist will tell you , sometimes sincerely, that he or she only reports the facts.  That's never quite the truth.  And it's often an outright lie."

I believe that anyone who broadcasts or writes has an agenda.  I have one, Fox does, CNN does, we all do.  That agenda usually manifests itself in the material we are presenting even when we attempt to conceal it.  And while we have our agendas, we often deny that we do, even when presented with hard evidence to the contrary.  "Fair and balanced," that's our credo. 

Are there any watchdogs out there?  Yes, there are. 

Networks and talk radio hosts police each other, and we have editors and peer review for journalists.  But the people who I think are doing the best job of exposing dishonest reporting in the media today are those who write weblogs. They're having a very positive impact on this problem and will continue to gain influence as more and more of them join the fray. 

In the meantime, take everything you listen to, watch, or read with a grain of salt, because some of it simply isn't true. 

On 10/08/03 I wrote about Schwarzenegger winning the California governorship.  I read his plans for the state on Paul Muller's weblog, Heretical Ideas.  They're pretty impressive.  You may want to take a look.

 

An Average American

"You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time."

     - John Knox (1505-1572), Scottish historian

I'm a registered Republican, but I like to think of myself as a person who is willing to listen to and consider other points of view.  I'm more interested in issues than I am in blindly following a party line. 

For that reason, I regularly read websites that are politically left, sometimes far left, of what I typically believe and support.  I feel that good ideas come from everywhere, and I don't want to close myself to anyone's viewpoints just because of their party affiliation.  My intent is to learn something.

Today I ran across a blog titled Democratic Underground where I read this.  The gist of Janekat's post is that the average American is stupid and uninformed and that she and her readers have nothing in common with him/her. 

Arrogance such as this, when publicized, will most likely ensure that the average American will vote Republican in 2004, the polar opposite of what Janekat wants.  Be sure to read the comments. There are a few who are critical of what she says, but most are gleefully exclaiming, "Right on!" 

If you're interested in checking out some of what Bush's other detractors are saying, you might dial into one of these sites:  Daily Kos,  Joshua Micah Marshall,  Eschaton and CalPundit.  You certainly won't be bored, and who knows?  You may learn something. I always do.

Surprise! Surprise?

"The more you read and observe about this politics thing, you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.  The one that's out always looks the best."  

- Will Rogers (1879-1935), Illiterate Digest (1924)

As I have heard people say many times, "Only in America!"  The results of the California recall are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger has been elected governor by a healthy majority.  I ran across this map showing the counties carried by the governor-elect and I must say, his victory was impressive, especially so considering that Californians have voted Democrat for many years now.

What is the significance of this victory?  Roger Simon thinks it is very significant, perhaps the beginning of a populist revolt:

"What we are witnessing is the beginning--the early movement--in the death of the two-party system as we know it...The old system we grew up with has outworn its usefulness."

John Hawkins at Right Wing News thinks otherwise. Both make good points.

The French have weighed in as well.  Andrew Sullivan quotes this editorial from the French newspaper, Le Monde.  They just can't figure us out.

What to make of all this?  We'll have to wait and see.  It will be interesting to observe how this politically inexperienced celebrity approaches the massive problems, particularly the deficits, that are facing the state.  His job will become extremely difficult should the Democratic Party majority that controls the state's legislature not cooperate with him.  And who believes they will? 

Ramblings

"How little do they see what really is, who form their hasty judgments upon that which seems."

      - Robert Southey (1774 - 1843)

Yasser Arafat is ill, maybe seriously, and some Palestinians think the Israelis have found a way to secretly poison him.  Maybe they have, or maybe the old fart's time is simply up. 

Polish soldiers have found French missiles in Iraq, but the French say they can't be theirs.  If they say they can't be theirs I guess they can't be theirs.  They'd never lie, would they?

Bill Hobbs over at Hobbs Online says we're in a bull market.  Could Bush's tax cuts be kicking in or is there an underground plan by the Democratic Party that is making this happen?

The CounterRevolutionary thinks maybe the CIA has developed its own political agenda and is trying to subvert Bush with the "LeakGate" events.  I will admit that something seems fishy about this whole thing.

And David Warren, in another of his excellent essays, opines about how the Pentagon may stop talking to the media about its operations.  The money quote:

"The media have been discovered to be an enemy, pure and simple, and no attempt to brief or include them in operations makes any sense."

I can't disagree.  You decide.

South Georgia Odyssey

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything."

       - Charles Kuralt (1934 - 1997)

I drove the back roads over to Cordele, GA, on Friday and while it took  longer than traveling on the Interstate, I had no regrets about my choice of routes. 

I made my way through at least a dozen little communities with names like Claxton, Lyons, Higgston, Ailey, Milan and Seville.  I also passed through Vidalia, a town world-famous for its sweet onions. 

American flags were displayed almost everywhere and occasional "Jesus is Coming" signs were posted for passers-by to read and think about.

I saw many huge cotton fields.  Some were full of harvesting equipment.  Others, evidently planted later, appeared to be several weeks from having to be picked.  I went by three gins, two idle, but one very busy with wagons of the white fiber waiting to be ginned and baled.

In most of these places I observed folks, mostly men, standing or sitting around stores on Main Street chatting with each other.  Some appeared to be discussing the merits of their vehicles, for the hoods were up and they were peering down inside the engine compartments.  Others simply watched the cars go by.  Some waved to me.

Many side roads were named after people: Cleon Mosely, Otis Collins, Billy McCall, Ley Alexander.  I assumed these were the names of the families who lived down these roads or had sometime in the past. 

Most of what I saw seemed of another era, out of place for 2003. 

I finally met my friends, and we played golf for the next four days in the Georgia State Parks:  Georgia Vets, Meadow Links, Little Ocmulgee.  All were good layouts.

Today, I returned home on I-16.  It was faster but I felt something was missing.  Something was.

Cordele, Georgia

"Because you're not what I would have you be, I blind myself to who, in truth, you are."

        -Madeline L'Engle (1918 -       )

There won't be any new posts until Tuesday, October 7, because I'm on my way to Cordele, GA, for some golf and fellowship.  I'm planning to drive over on secondary roads, primarily on Georgia Highway 30.  I've never taken the "back way" through south Georgia, so I'm looking forward to seeing some new things as I motor through the countryside.  There may even be a few photo-ops.  We'll see.

I ran across a new weblog the other night that some of you might like to visit.  It's a site called "Front Line Voices," and is dedicated to posting correspondence from our soldiers stationed in Iraq.  There are already some heart-warming letters posted and some even have addresses so that you may write the sender if you wish.

And just a few minutes ago, I was reading some of the posts by Robert Prather on his weblog, "Insults Unpunished."  One of his latest, "More on Our Pathological Politics," is about the hatred in politics today and is worth a read.  He also wrote an earlier post entitled, "Great Take on Modern Politics," on the same topic which I would also commend to you.  Since I've had some thoughts and made some comments about this, I thought it worth referring to you.

Have a good weekend everyone. Hopefully, those new irons I bought will come into their own after I tee off in Cordele.  I can dream, can't I?

New Sticks

"Husband: one who is sorry he did it, but would undoubtedly do it again."

        - H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

About a week ago when I was in the N.C. mountains playing golf,one of my friends allowed me to play nine holes with his new TaylorMade RAC irons.  I fell in love with them almost immediately because I hit them so well.  All of a sudden my 6-year-old Callaways seemed like what was wrong with my golf game.

As so many duffers like me are prone to believe, I thought I'd found the "secret."  This feeling usually lasts until shortly after you've paid for the new equipment and played a couple of holes with it.  Then you realize for about the 1000th time that maybe the problem with your game is not the clubs but how you're swinging them. 

Knowing all this, I began to shop anyway.  The local golf stores wanted an arm and a leg to set me up with the new gear, so in desperation I checked in with EBay.  I found a seller there who had exactly what I wanted and his price was 30% less than the best price I could find here.  With great excitement, I pressed the "Buy Now" button.

UPS delivered the clubs this afternoon and I went out with the wife to play nine holes with them.  I couldn't wait to re-experience all those solid shots in the mountains, you see.  Unfortunately, my score was 4 shots higher than what I shot with my old clubs yesterday. 

Possibly, this is just a temporary problem that will straighten itself out with a little practice.  Maybe they have to be broken in like a new car before they work real well.  Or maybe...   

I wonder why the wife is looking over her book at me like that?   

More on "LeakGate"

"Political language...is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."

         - George Orwell (1903 - 1950)

Robert Novak, the columnist who is in the middle of the current media firestorm over revealing the identity of a CIA operative, takes another stab at clearing things up.  Personally, I doubt the Democrats, the media, or the Justice Department will pay a whit of attention to the man.  The meatgrinder is running and they are loath to shut it off.   Pity.

Jim Miller discusses "leaks" over at his site and suggests we withhold judgment until all the facts are in.  I couldn't agree more.

Court, posting on the Miniluv weblog, makes an interesting observation about this circus.  What do you think?  

Finally, word is out on who the special prosecutor for the investigation will be.  We can thank Eric Devericks at the Seattle Times for his timely "heads up" on this.