Observations From A Hill

Now a few days since Mr. Reid’s apology to the President for making a comment that could be perceived as racist during the campaign, I am wondering why everyone is so concerned about how the President feels.  Why is no-one concerned about the way in which Mr. Reid derided even those in his own party.

Mr. Reid observed, in his comment, that Americans would only vote for someone with a ‘lighter skin’ and who didn’t speak ‘negro’.  I don’t know about you, but as a white person I find that extremely offensive.  However, I would be even more offended were I an African American because Mr. Reid also intimated in his remark that the African American community are stupid, and not only does he think they’re ignorant, but that candidate Obama thought they were ignorant and childlike too.

Why else would Mr. Reid say, with confidence, that Mr. Obama speaks “negro” to the African American voter, as necessary, to garner their vote ?  Clearly, as Mr. Reid said, he did not “normally” speak “negro”, the inference here being that the white population would only vote for a light skinned, non-negro speaking, presidential candidate.  By the way, this includes all of those Democrats that voted for Mr. Obama.

Get that.  Mr. Reid does not believe that his supporters, his party members, would have voted for Mr. Obama if he had been of darker skin or spoke “negro” in normal conversation to “white” America.

This is extremely offensive, rude and divisive.  This is not the kind of leadership that forges a United America that is colour blind.

Mr. Reid got a pass for his comments from the main stream press.  But then it should come as no surprise because Mr. Obama himself, during the campaign, got a pass when he called those living in smaller towns across the country ‘fearful white people who cling to their guns and religion’.

Racism is racism.  It doesn’t matter which side of the political aisle you sit on and it should be called out by the media whenever it occurs.

Mr. Reid owes Americans an apology.

I recall that during the Presidential campaign of 2008, candidates Obama and McCain were invited to the Saddleback Church here in Southern California to take questions from Pastor Rick Warren in an open format forum.  This was not to be a debate so much as to provide the membership and other visitors an opportunity to hear, directly from the candidates, what there opinions were on specific issues Pastor Warren felt would be relevant to his congregation.

As I did not go to the event I relied upon the sound bites I heard on the radio as to what the candidates positions were.  Having heard, and seen, how candidate Obama had consistently denied right to life to babies that survived abortion whilst in the Illinois Senate – see the Born Alive act – I was particularly interested in how he would respond to the inevitable question on abortion.

When Rick Warren asked the candidate what his position was, after first trying to redirect and then waffling on the issue, in response to the question “When do you feel life begins ?” candidate Obama provide a very firm “That question is above my pay grade” answer.

I thought this more than a little strange at the time, given he was running for President of the United States and he had demonstrated on two previous occasions that he did not feel it began after being born alive, or in the alternative – as lawyers say – if it had begun by being born alive the aborting mother still had the right to demand that baby be left to die unattended in a laundry room.

Now, I wasn’t impressed at the time.  Today, I have yet to be convinced of the President’s intellect and after last night this is going to be even more difficult.  You see, I don’t watch too many movies, but last night, while packing up a set of Roland V-20 drums, I was watching a Bruce Willis movie “Live Free or Die Hard”.  To my utter amazement and amusement, there is a moment in the movie where an intelligence boss is asking one of his minions why he was not informed of the risks posed by a particular wayward employee.  You’ll never guess what the response was !  Yes, that’s right, rather than using the cliched “you did not have a need to know” the boss was told “that information was deemed to be above your pay grade”.

This is just too funny because, not only does it infer that the current President gets at least some of his “style” from screen writers of decidedly canned scripts, it also explains why he gave cheap Hollywood DVDs to Britain’s Prime Minister as an interstate gift.  It could be argued that he was, subconsciously at least, trying to tell the British Prime  Minister  who he “is”.  Apparently this President feels Hollywood is not only a good place to raise funds but, when without information or a well thought out answer, can provide convenient scripting.

Unfortunately I do not have the time, but I think it would be an interesting exercise to compare the content of some of his ‘less scripted’ responses – and speeches – with dialog from some of the other Bruce Willis movies.  Perhaps starting with the Die Hard series, then perhaps Moonlighting, Sixth Sense.  Once the Bruce Willis movies are exhausted perhaps Clint Eastwood movies would be a good next step.

I’ve been watching the whole airport security process with some level of interest ever since 9/11.  You see, I was in the digital surveillance business before the terrible events of that day and was in New York a couple of days later.  I got used to removing my shoes, belt and everything metallic at the time.

I don’t mind some level of ‘inspection’.  But it pretty soon became obvious that the ’security’ measures are more about appearance than effect.  Here I was, a white guy, had to take my leather jacket off and send it through the x-ray scanner but the sikh behind me could walk through with his massive turban wrapped around his head.

Then there was my trip to Mexico.  In the queue ahead of me, boarding the plane to fly to Mexico, the lady was relieved of her nail scissors with the 1.5″ blade.  While in Mexico I bought a 40 oz bottle of some liquor or other for my son.  No problems boarding the plane with a 40 oz glass bottle.  I guess nobody in the security department has even been in, or seen a movie about, a bar room or street brawl.

Then, of course, there was the time early in 2009 when I showed up at the airport with an almost empty 6 oz (or so) toothpaste tube.  I dutifully dumped that in the trash, along with my likewise empty shampoo bottle.  Standing on the other side of the x-ray machine, putting my shoes back on, and re-inserting my leather belt, i was watching a girl walk around the x-ray machine with a tin of ointments and lotions and an 8 oz. baby bottle that was clearly full of a white liquid.  Apparently the girl’s assertion that it was milk for the baby was enough to persuade the security person it really was milk.  Along with all the other lotions “for the baby”.  Now, I don’t know about you, but the nut cases blowing themselves and indiscriminately blowing up innocents don’t appear to me to be beyond blowing up their own progeny.

More recently, in July of 2009, I was traveling from Chicago to Washington.  The lady in front of me, with her teenage son, had a large bottle of fluid, plus a number of ointments in a metal container.  She explained to the security personnel that it was her son’s medication.  OK, fine, but then they want to test my laptop with their dusting device to see if I’ve been anywhere near bomb making materials recently.  Nuts, it is just plane crazy – no pun intended.

So, our latest incident is the genius that was trying to blow himself up with explosive underwear.  Those that are purportedly the brightest and best trained in these matters supposedly believe that the installation of full body scanners has become and absolute necessity.  Why ?  What on earth leads them to believe that the Muslim extremists bent on destroying infidels are beyond ingesting bomb materials ?  What are we going to do then, install full x-ray machines or MRI machines at every airport ?

This is crazy.  I even read some real genius who said “profiling is bad policing”.  What ?  You mean to tell me that the police don’t consider known arsonists first when a fire breaks out in the arsonist’s community ?  Or rapists, robbers, fraud artists, bank robbers etc ?

Anyway, I for one won’t be standing in front of a full body scanner any time soon.  It would be one thing if I actually believed it would make air travel safer, but it will not.  I am going to go back to driving where I want to go.  This way I can go slower, watch the scenery, avoid the plagues that are recycled in the airplane air – avian flue and swine flue the most recent hyped up scares – and relax.  I might even start to fly myself.

I feel sorry for President Obama.  He is so clearly out of his depth.  His immediate reaction to any crisis is to rush to the teleprompter.  That’s the standard Obama response to everything.  That’s called being a one-trick pony.

The problem, however, is that it is becoming increasingly dangerous for the American public.

President Bush managed, without any prior assistance, to turn a terrorist attack into 7 years of reasonable peace and stability – apparently without engaging rogue states in dialog.  President Obama, on the other hand, has engaged rogue states in dialog and suffered two domestic terrorist attacks within 11 months.

Were there no other issues on the table, this would be enough for me to prefer President Bush’s management style to that of President Obama.  President Obama inherited a homeland security system that had demonstrated itself capable, under suitable leadership, of keeping the homeland safe.  President Obama has no-one to blame for the failures experienced this year, but himself and his leadership team.

Perhaps it is just as well his team is focusing on improving health care for so many.  If the terrorist attacks continue to accelerate at the current level there are going to be a lot more people needing government health care.

There is a very interesting article here at Fox News this morning regarding the change in charges First Premier Bank, a sub-prime credit card issuer.

Of course, strictly by definition, this may not be usury because it may be perfectly legal for the company to charge a 79.9% interest rate on overdue amounts and $29 if the card holder misses a payment or spends more than their credit limit allows.  Any way I look at it, it’s immoral.

For the complete details, go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,580523,00.html.

This is morally reprehensible. Unfortunately, it is a typical consequence of what happens when Governments, who are supposed to protect, interfere inadequately in the market. Companies are in business to make profits for their shareholders. The government, perhaps correctly, has mandated that there needs to be a limited to the amount of annual fees a credit company can charge and this First Permier’s can no longer charge $259 in annual fees on a $250 credit limit. Consequently, they have transferred those fees to an annual interest rate. The net result being that the company will continue to collect its fees, circumventing the intent of the law.

Any way you look at it, the fees are exorbitant, be they flat fee or interest rate. And the government hasn’t helped. The best thing you as a ‘high risk’ lender can do is to NOT get one of these credit cards. Whatever you think you need, you can do without. If you can cope with a $250 credit line maxed out, on which you are paying $259 per year in fees, you can live without the credit card. In fact, you will be $509 better off every year.

Pay cash. Tell the credit card company to get lost and control your own destiny. If you have A First Premier Credit card start by cutting the card up and then pay it off within a year. Never use it again.

If you are already being pursued by credit collection and believe you may need legal assistance go to The Harris Law Firm online and call attorney Aurora Harris.

…is still slavery.  I like to make the distinction between slavery and servitude one of involuntary compared to voluntary, service.

Now take the current tax regimes in the United States and Canada.

In the United States, in California at any rate, April the 20th is ‘tax freedom day’.  Put another way, from January 1st until April the 20th, you are working, whether you like it or not, for various levels of government.

In Canada, which one could refer to as the-United-States-with-government-health-care, tax freedom day for 2009 was June 6th.  Roughly speaking, six weeks longer.

Now, I don’t know about you, but if I have no choice but to work for someone – in this case the tax department – I would rather it was shorter than longer.  In Biblical terms, a slave earned his freedom every seven years.  In modern Western civilizations we can never earn our freedom from the tax man.  Year after year, decade after decade, we must work between four and six months of the year for a bunch of bureaucrats living in places few of us will ever see.

Were we slaves in Biblical terms we should have earned our freedom every 21 years.  But we never do.

Why is this important ?  This is important because, as long as you are enslaved by your tax system you are less likely to have the energy to invest elsewhere.

As I was driving to work this morning I was listening to the news on the radio, not intentionally, but they have to interrupt the music with something I suppose.  Well, of course President Obama’s trip to Croneyhagen was top of the news with, yes, yet another, speech.

There I am, driving down the I5 thinking to myself, “You know, this is getting really boring”.  The drone of Mr. Obama’s “I have something serious and smart to say to all you plebs”, in that unbelievable professorial tone was just too much.  Drone drone drone boring.  To say nothing of the fact that the content of the speech was completely irrelevant.  Seriously, does anyone with any level of intelligence and who is not an ideologue still really believe in anthropogenic warming ?  Please say it isn’t so, surely we can’t be so ready to delude ourselves as that ?

As I was wending my way to work yesterday morning I happened to be listening to the news on the radio.  I know, it’s a little old fashioned to be listening to the news on the radio but honestly, I can’t tolerate watching the primadonna ‘celebrities’ that purport to be news reporters on the TV networks.

Well, I heared it explained to me that this administration / government, based on it’s cost projections, estimates that for every $1,000,000,000 – that’s a BILLION dollars – they spend, they will ’save’ or ‘create’ as many as 28,500 jobs.  Say what ?  We all know the government is not very good at budgeting, but for the sake of argument I’d like to take them at their word – not that their word is dependable either – and can thus calculate that each job costs the government $35,087 to ‘create’ or ’save’.  Now, this isn’t paying the person’s salary, this is just assisting the companies engaged in the process to pay the salaries.  Furthermore, the majority of these jobs is likely very temporary.

Of course, this isn’t money the government has that it is spending, it is money it is borrowing from future tax payers, so the cost could very well be triple that amount, over the term of the loan.  Factor in depreciation and these temporary jobs look to be extremely expensive temporary employment positions.

Last time I hired someone, it cost me about $300.  But then, I have experience running my own business and employing people with my own money, something those in government seem to be sadly lacking.

Perhaps we should talk about their experience running health care now ?

Well, I’d like to be able to say I was practicing safe sax last night, but I was not.  I had to leave the sax in its case and work on some bass for a birthday party in a couple of weeks.  But that isn’t why I’m  writing today.

I am not much of a TV watcher but I do like to watch an occasional movie, say once a month, and ice hockey, probably also once a month.  That probably summarizes my viewing, except for the very occasional news, history, biography or science.  So, basically I don’t watch much and I listen to less.

Which brings me to my case in point.  Last night, flipping to watch some hockey while I practice bass – you don’t have to be able to hear the hockey – I watched about 10 minutes of the East Coast races in NJ, VA and NY.  That got me to thinking about politics in general and how similar it is to sports.  Especially these days in so-called democracies.

I really know a lot more about ice hockey than football so I am going to use that analogy rather than the football one.  This will no doubt hamper the American reader, but you’re all smart so I figure you will get it.

Politics is like ice hockey.  Here in the United States there are two teams, the Republicans and the Democrats.  Oh, there is a third team “the independents”.  I’ll make a point about them later.

Then there are the ‘referees’, who I’ll suggest to you are ‘the media’.  The media in this country are supposed to “moderate” the excesses of the two protagonists by bringing their infractions to the attention of the fans – voters.  Sometimes the referees actions will result in penalties being assessed, sometimes they will just put their whistle in their pockets and let the teams play.

There are a couple of points I want to make:

1. The two teams play the same game, on the same playing field, ostensibly within the same rules and using very similar – if not the same – plays (tactics).  Just as in sports, as the game changes, the rules change and the teams adjust.  But essentially, the both continue to play the same game in the same way.  This is why, as time goes by, the two parties Republican and Democrat, ultimately start to look not much different to the fans – voters.  In fact, were it not for the different colored jerseys – ties – it might be impossible to tell them apart.
2. The referees are there to help keep score and keep the teams playing according to the rules.  However, the news media in general have abrogated this responsibility in exchange for the opportunity to become sports stars themselves.  Of course, they still ‘moderate’ the game, but as they become media darlings – pimping (yes, i know it should be primping) themselves – they begin to care less about their biases showing, less about being a factor in the outcome of the ‘game’ and sometimes even proud of the degree to which they are able to influence the outcome.Bad referees.

Now, with reference to the independents…I recently heard a Republican – Newt Gingrich – complaining that the party needs to be moderate in its approach in order to attract enough voters.  This is true.  To a degree.  What I would like to ask those who would constantly push from the conservative towards the liberal, or ‘right’ towards the ‘center’ is this:  Why does it seem to me that most ‘independents’ are conservative ?  Am I mistaken, or could it be that conservatives generally field independent candidates because they see the Republican and Democrat teams as ostensibly the same in all ways material ?

I wonder to what degree conservatives already feel that the “conservative” party is too liberal ?  Is society more liberal or conservative than say 20 years ago, 40 or 50 years ago ?

Perhaps the frustration has less to do with liberal and conservative philosophies and more to do with corruption.

Just a thought.

I was introduced this past weekend to a web site called China’s Soul, which you can find by clicking on the image below.

Click Here

It was a fascinating discussion of how China descended from a land of reasonable peace and prosperity, from a time when it was called “Land of God”, into the warring dynasties that we learn about in school.  It was subsequent to this time in China’s history that the Emperors declared themselves god and to be worshiped that the country became the country it is today.

I am also reading Brother Yun’s book “Living Water”, which is itself a fascinating report of how the Christian church has grown in China, probably in large part due to the persecution.  Today, Brother Yun estimates that there are more than 100 million Chinese Christians meeting regularly in secrecy in over 3,000 home churches.  The reports of persecution, survival and growth are inspiring.  How indomitable the human spirit is indeed.

There are a number of videos on the site.  I watched “China’s Confession” this past weekend.  If history fascinates you, as it does me, you will find this interesting.  I tried to write the download to a DVD and watch it on a big screen but I’d suggest watching it on your computer unless you order the DVDs online.