The Lion

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
Born: 30 November 1874
Died: 24 January 1965

Judgment Day

The Charging Rhino endorsements...

U.S. Senate for New Jersey; Tom Kean, Jr.(R)
U.S. Fourth District for New Jersey; Carol Gay (D)

Frankly both are anti-incumbent votes rather than stirring-support for the challengers. Sen. Menendez (d) appears to be yet-another ethically-challenged figure in the fine-tradition of NJ elected-officials, and is a mainstream liberal democrat. Kean will safely represent NJ's interests and follow the lead of the Republican leadership.

My pick for Congress is much more of a challenge. Rep. Chris Smith (R) has been the incumbent for over 23-years and it's time for a change. He traditionally has only one position, anti-abortion, and is quite flexible on all-others even to the detriment of the District; he's never worked in the private-sector; and I'm tried of looking at him. He just hasn't EARNED my vote. Carol Gay on the other hand, has all the requisite Bolshie credentials of a real-loser; unionist organizer of public workers, NARAL, the Unions and every anti-Iraq war group. I'm sure she'll get along fine with Madame Pelosi and the gentlewomen Representative of the People's Republic of Berkeley. We can also easily get rid of her in two years, and get a sensible Republican candidate to represent the 4th-District of whom we can respect.

If you can'st vote for 'em, vote aginst 'em.

The local County wide races I support the Republicans for the open County Commissioner and County Surrogate positions.

For the local ballot questions;
1. I see little point to redirect gas-tax monies to "mass-transit" when we don't have any effective mass-transit here in the county other than the Riverline Light-rail which is a separate agency. Running buses through an expanding suburban-zone that lacks a local hub is pointless and expensive based on passenger-mile-ridership analysis; it's the road maintenance and new town-center by-passes that are needed.
2. I support the expansion of the Green-acres and Farmland Preservation programs at their current funding-levels for another 5 years.
3. I reject attempts to plaster-over budget shortfalls by "dedicated tax" redirection in-general.


UPDATE: Charging Rhino supports and thanks Mike Fitzpatrick, PA-10th, (R).
I was going to mention this after the election, but on-reflection I thought it might be more meaningfully today....

Last night I attended a LCR gathering for Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, PA 10th (R) in New Hope PA. For those who don't know the East Coast, New Hope is an artists' colony and gay-watering hole in Bucks County on the Delaware River, that's been around as long as Provincetown located between NYC and Philly. The attendees where a mixed group of LCR locals from Bucks, and LCR members and friends from NYC, New Jersey and Philly....probably 50-60 over-all.

Several things were striking to myself who's somewhat of an outsider to PA politics being as I'm from NJ. (Although New Hope is home of my "local" gay bar.) One was the politics-as-usual attendance of the event by not only the local incumbent Republican Congressman, but also the Republicans candidates for State Assembly and the State Senate, along with the Mayor of New Hope. The Congressman was there about 45-mins, and the two State candidates were in-attendance for over an hour-and -a half.

...On the last Sunday night before the election all three made the time to attend a "gay" political gathering...and the discussions and speeches were on "Republican" themes of governance and responsibility...not "gay" issues. The sheer ordinariness of the entire event was heartwarming...it was "politics", not pandering. About how principled bi-partisan action works, and governance-issues.

Also in attendance were Patrick Sammon, LCR's new Exec. Vice President who I was very impressed-by; Jeff Cook, LCR's former Field Director who unsuccessfully challenged in the Primaries for a Congressional-seat in Upstate New York; and several of the officers from both the NYC and Philly LCR-chapters.

Rep. Mark Foley (Fl.-R) Resigns...

I would respectfully suggest that the real problem is not the "age difference", but the "abuse of authority". This is the same reason that teacher-student, supervisor-subordinate, doctor-patient, priest-penitant and officer-enlisted relationships are considered inapproprite....regardless of "touching" or comsumation. If the Representative were some 50-plus businessman chatting-up your 16-yo neighbor's son, the lot of you would not be calling for his head...there would just be a lot of "tsk, tsk'ing" and social-frowning.

I see the resignation as an acknowledgement of personal shame for inappropriate behavior and exposed hypocrisy, not criminality...so far. And I think the cry of "Pedophile !!" is yet-unjustified and politically-motivated.

What's unfortunate for the G/L community is that "we" have taken yet-another P.R. black-eye courtesy of one of elders inability to keep his (typing) hands to himself. The general public will just assume that he's been deflowering young lads on his House office-coach, and mutter "...another closet-case fag, they are ALL like that".

Time for "Roman" Methods?

Just as a question for clarification; are there any uniformed-members of the US military in “enemy hands” at-present? As I remember, the last two were castrated, gutted like sheep, their corpses multilated AND left in the Sun booby-trapped. Some independent contractors and press-members have been “kidnapped” then killed or released/ramsomed; but is the prospect of a uniformed-trooper being “captured” and treated as a recognised POW a realistic operational-outcome in this asymetric GWOT? I just don’t see the “…but their captors will be war-criminal if they are abused” as being much of a safe-guard either-way.

Or, does asymetric warfare require a return to “Roman” methods? Raise the “cost” of abusing captive uniformed US soldiers so high that the society that shields and supports the terrorists are unwilling to pay for the terrorists misdeeds. What if after the sight of US troopers dead and naked bodies being descecrated in Mogodishu heavy armor (yes we didn’t have any there, grrr….) sealed a radius of several-hundred meters and killed every man, woman, child, goat and dog withing the perimeter; and bulldozed the entire zone into a circular level-plain of barren dirt. And did so the next incident, and the next. Would the word get out that it pays to at-least attempt to follow the Laws of War when the Leviathan’s pissed?

Is there a point where being bound by the Law is pointless when dealing with outlaws? Laws are social-contracts and social-constructs with the implication that both/all sides are bound by them. The very term “outlaw” has it’s origins in their own actions placing them outside the bounds of the law…not that they were protected by the Law they broke. Traditionally, an outlaw could be slain out-of-hand, be denied hearth and fire…and even those who helped them be tried and punished. And before you say that doesn’t exist anymore…look at the rights forfeited by bail-skippers in the US ever day.

While it is a noble ideal to protect our uniformed-troops, is an oversensitivity to hypothetical situation in the Future worth ham-stringing reasonable protective and defensive actions now? We unfortunately are in an era of asymetry, not reciprocity. And the likelihood is that will be the face of armed conflict for this century; not war with China, nor maybe even the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. It’s going to be Middle-eastern religious upheavals, tribalism, and regional warlords in Africa. And just maybe there’s no room left for the Golden Rule anymore?

2486 Years Ago Today

"Go, stranger, and tell the Spartans
That we lie here in obedience to their laws."

On August 11, 480BC the Battle of Thermopylae ended.

Normandy, 1944

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addresses the House of Commons on June 6, 1944, regarding the D-Day invasion of France:

" I have also to announce to the House that during the night and the early hours of this morning the first of the series of landings in force upon the European Continent has taken place. In this case the liberating assault fell upon the coast of France. An immense armada of upwards of 4,000 ships, together with several thousand smaller craft, crossed the Channel. Massed airborne landings have been successfully effected behind the enemy lines, and landings on the beaches are proceeding at various points at the present time. The fire of the shore batteries has been largely quelled. The obstacles that were constructed in the sea have not proved so difficult as we apprehended. The Anglo-American Allies are sustained by about 11,000 frontline aircraft, which can be drawn upon as may be needed for the purposes of the battle. I cannot, of course, commit myself to any particular details.
" Reports are coming in in rapid succession. So far the Commanders who are engaged report that everything is proceeding according to plan. And what a plan! This vast operation is undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place. It involves tides, wind, waves, visibility, both from the air and from the sea standpoint, and the combined employment of land, air, and sea forces in the highest degree of intimacy and in contact with conditions which could not and cannot be fully foreseen.
" There are already hopes that actual tactical surprise has been attained, and we hope to furnish the enemy with a succession of surprises during the course of the fighting. The battle that has now begun will grow constantly in scale and in intensity for many weeks to come, and I shall not attempt to speculate upon its course. This I may say, however. Complete unity prevails throughout the Allied Armies. There is a brotherhood in arms between us and our friends of the United States. There is complete confidence in the supreme commander, General Eisenhower, and his lieutenants, and also in the commander of the Expeditionary Force, General Montgomery. The ardour and spirit of the troops, as I saw myself, embarking in these last few days was splendid to witness. Nothing that equipment, science or forethought could do has been neglected, and the whole process of opening this great new front will be pursued with the utmost resolution both by the commanders and by the United States and British Governments whom they serve.
" I have been at the centres where the latest information is received, and I can state to the House that this operation is proceeding in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. Many dangers and difficulties which at this time last night appeared extremely formidable are behind us. The passage of the sea has been made with far less loss than we apprehended. The resistance of the batteries has been greatly weakened by the bombing of the Air Force, and the superior bombardment of our ships quickly reduced their fire to dimensions which did not affect the problem. The landings of the troops on a broad front, both British and American - Allied troops, I will not give lists of all the different nationalities they represent - but the landings along the whole front have been effective, and our troops have penetrated, in some cases, several miles inland. Lodgments exist on a broad front.
" The outstanding feature has been the landings of the airborne troops, which were on a scale far larger than anything that has been seen so far in the world. These landings took place with extremely little loss and with great accuracy. Particular anxiety attached to them, because the conditions of light prevailing in the very limited period of the dawn - just before the dawn - the conditions of visibility made all the difference. Indeed, there might have been something happening at the last minute which would have prevent airborne troops from playing their part. A very great degree of risk had to be taken in respect of the weather.
" But General Eisenhower's courage is equal to all the necessary decisions that have to be taken in these extremely difficult and uncontrollable matters. The airborne troops are well established, and the landings and the follow-ups are all proceeding with much less loss - very much less - than we expected. Fighting is in progress at various points. We captured various bridges which were of importance, and which were not blown up. But all this, although a very valuable first step - a vital and essential first step - gives no indication of what may be the course of the battle in the next days and weeks, because the enemy will now probably endeavour to concentrate on this area, and in the event heavy fighting will soon begin and will continue without end, as we can push troops in and he can bring other troops up.
" It is, therefore, a most serious time that we enter upon. Thank God, we enter upon it, with our great Allies all in good heart and all in good friendship."

Known but to God...

....Memorial Day 2006

Congressional Office Cleaning Services

I’m wondering...since I’m politically-paranoid...if this kerfuffle isn’t actually a public shot-across-the-bow of Congress as a warning to the Democratically-controlled House launching into the swarm of “investigations” to harass the Bush administration in it’s final two years. Pelosi and Conyers have been making less-the-veiled threats to call “everyone” in on to the carpet and investigate them for any real or imagined wrongdoings. The clear message is “start looking through our trash, and we’ll send the FBI to start sifting through your's”.

Look for lot’s of sealed cardboard boxes to removed quietly between now and the Memorial Day weekend from congressional offices on both sides the Hill, and back home in the districts, as the staffs sanitize their files and ship the “offending” documents off to the same discreet storage facility that Hillary Clinton’s law firm used for her billing records. I forsee a sudden-shortage of cardboard storage boxes and packing tape at the local Beltway Staples store.

If Reform means Changes-made...

Six thousand National Guardsmen to the border. While I disagree with the concept of using troops; if you are going to use the military you need at-least two to three divisions (20-25,000 troops each) of regulars for atleast 6-years to do the job. The Guard are supposed to be part-time troops and their continued use strains the economy and their families; whereas regular troops have to be on-duty somewhere anyway. And to avoid unfortunate shootings like Enriques Valenzuela (the teenaged goatherd "accidentaly" shoot by Guardsmen) the troops need to be re-trained for border conditions and there long-enough to know their sector. And they need to be there long-enough to establish their military infastructure and to block-off and disrupt the entire culture of trans-border people and drug smuggling.

What I didn't hear was any strong message to the business community that it will be held to account for their use of undocumented or irregularily-documented workers....now, or in the future. As long as those jobs are there and available to the undocumented, people will cross the borders. While Bush called for 6,000 border gaurds, he did not call for greater employment enforcement. I reject the idea of knocks in the middle of the night by enforcement officers to immigrants' homes; but more than a few medium to large corporations' officers could stand a few days or weeks of inquisition over their hiring of illegals...and where the actual taxes-owed went. Just as the bootleggers were busted for taxes rather than booze; get the employers for tax-fraud and false reporting even if you can't for "irregular hiring"-practices. Businesses' with more than 10 or 15 employees could be audited by a number of governmental agencies to determine if they have been obeying the employment laws that have been on the books for over 15-years.

As part of the overall controversy, there's also the guest-workers vs. low-skilled visas vs. the highly skilled visa-quotas. From a pragmatic standpoint, do we “need” the highly-skilled as-much or more than the low-skills immigrants? In my own profession, the graduates schools are generally 50% or more foreign-nationals on student-visas…all hoping that their “unique” skills will allow them to stay in America while those same limited seats could have been filled by equally-talented and qualified US citizens who were passed-over. One reasons being that the foreign-nationals are willing to pay full-freight without scholarships and expensive grants. And while they were supposed to return home afterwards, the vast majority find ways to stay as “highly-skilled” immigrants through work-contacts made while in school.

Yet at the same time, disproportionally-few of those foreign-nationals actually stay in the profession and actually become licensed professinals. But by that time, the have achieved green-card status and are now free to pursue other lines of employment outside of the profession…yet their presence in the schools as visa-students denied talented US citizens the opportunity to enter the profession. And at the same time, almost every other nation forbids me from practicing in their country, reserving that “right” for their native-born.

Form a practical-basis, it probably does make sense to loosen the rules for those who have been here 10 to 20 years already simply as a recognition of reality. They are here and have assimulated already. But I would still support tighter limits on allowing student-visas and stricter enforcement that they return home afterwards…especially if the claim is that we need foreign-stuydents to spread our international influence. A foreign student who does not return home does not contribute to spreading American culture and influence at home, he’s here and possibly blocking the career-path of a US citizen, or even a green-card immigrant.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thecheckout/2006/05/bitter_words_over_a_sweet_ingr.html#comments

The "Fair Tax"

From what I've read, it doesn't seen such a bargain for many small business-owners. Plus, the implementation would immensely complicate thousands of historically-generated comparative transactions pre-tax vs, post-tax. As an Architect, most financial-transactions and business decisions are based on tax-free numbers as most expenses and purchases involve either tax-free capital-improvement expenses or professional services; you pay tax on your profits or capital gains. And I have yet successfully followed the complicated gymnastics as they try to explain the "fairness" of shifting from capital gains on the sale-end of the transaction to a sales-tax on frontfron-end of the transaction without driving-up the purchase-price of real estate to the point where home-construction grinds to a halt. An home construction is a huge segment of the construction-sector of the domestic economy, and one of the few that can't be out-sourced or supplanted by "foreign competition".

The numbers that I ran would suggest that it would double the cost of doing business in a business environment where I would not be able to double my fees to compensate for all the taxes. Plus adding a tax-collection burden that currently doesnÂ’t exist for a professional services provider.

If they can not clearly and rationally explain the financial-transition from tax-shielding through improvementsovements and capitaaccrual accural to a front-loaded sales tax on the Middle-Class' largest investment and expense...their home...they can't "sell" the fair tax. So-far, I think they have failed.

Already fading into obscurity....

Personally, I would have been more satified if Zacarias Moussaoui had been drawn-and-quartered in the ancient traditional-manner after a short hearing in October 2001, or early 2002.



But the jury's decision denies the Islamofasists a Martyr; and he'll eventually be forgotten in his fluorescent-lit hole, his eventual death an historical footnote in an ill-remembered nightmare long-faded in history.

First Anti-matter Drive, Now Cloaking...

Activate Cloaking Device.

..." The complex mathematical phenomenon outlined by Milton and Nicorovici closes the gap a little between science fiction and fact. The phenomenon is analogous to a tuning fork (which rings with a single sound frequency) being placed next to a wine glass. The wine glass will start to ring with the same frequency; it resonates. The cloaking effect would exploit a resonance with light waves rather than sound waves. The concept is at such a primitive stage that the scientists talk only at the moment of being able to cloak particles of dust - not spaceships."...

Ugly Xenophia?

What started as an issue of national security and national sovereignty is slowly morphing into an ugly campaign of xenophobia. To boycott Mexican goods and culture on Cinco de Mayo is xenophobia. What’s the next stage? A Kulturkampf against TexMex…”use Ketchup, not Salsa”?

There are 12-million to twenty-million people with families undocumented or with false papers in the United States. Ten-percent of the citizens of Republic Mexico are here in the United States legally or illegally. The tens of millions of Mexican-heritage live here legally as immigrants or citizens have relatives south of the Border. Hundreds of thousands of the illegally-resident Mexicans have US citizen-children or spouses. You can’t just “build a wall” right through the heart of this trans-border society. Nor can you “just” deport them. The last Western society that attempted to round-up 12-million “outsiders” from within it’s own borders and culture ended-badly. Are we to become yet another enlightened-yet-doomed culture with dreaded “knocks on the door in the middle of the night” and “ihre Ausweis, bitte”?

And it’s not just the Mexicans and the Salvadorans. There are 500,000 Chinese here illegally, including tens of thousands that have been found but China refuses to repatriate. Here in New Jersey, the Mexicans account for approx. 75,000 of the 355,000 undocumented or “irregular” residents. Shall we round-up the Canadians, the Irish next?

If the issue is natinal security, then we shoud concentrate on regularizing their status, not deportations and crushing fines. The greatest danger to our lives and way-of-life are the Islamofascists, not the stoop-laborers and the office-cleaners. If the way to enter the Unitesd States as a guest-worker or potential immigrant were easy and efficient; then they would not have to cross the borders in the middle of the Arizona desert. Or risk death by suffication in trans-Pacific shipping containers.

We must find the way to get them registered, biometrically-ID’d, on the tax-rolls, and licensed and insured. If they have legal status, it eliminates the means by which they are exploited…and eliminates the means by which their employers unfairly compete economically. And once the system is in-place, we shoud have a strict, vigorous campaign against the employers who contine to use “illegal workers” outside of the system.

The Irony of "Progress"

A hundred years ago, Americans could use typewriters, the telegraph and primitive telephones. Today, Americans have computers, the Internet, cell phones, satellite television and radio, DVDs, iPods, email and instant messaging.
A hundred years ago, Americans could have personal vehicles powered by internal combustion engines running on gasoline. Today, Americans can have personal vehicles powered by internal combustion engines running on gasoline.

You see the problem?

Clifford May actually understates the irony of the situation consumers face.



One-hundred years ago America motorists had the choice of gasoline, electric or steam-powered cars; each with their own advantages and drawbacks. In 1906, it was far from clear that gasoline-powered cars were the solution.
Many ladies had battery-powered landelets who's short-range offset their practicality and comvenience for around-town driving. A chauffeur was not required to prime and crank the balky gasoline-engine, nor spend 20-40 minutes firing-up a gasoline or kerosene-burning steamer. A lady could drive herself and her friends, and with out the noxious fumes, noise or vibrations of a gasoline car...all at a moments-notice.
For sheer-power, steam-cars had the advantage; it was a proven technology and was considered by many as more-reliable than gasoline, and was much quieter and smoother-running. And steam-cars were generally faster and had more hill-climbing power than most cars. Ask Jay Leno, he has the unofficial record for "oldest car"-speeding ticket; 76-mph on the LA freeway in his 1906 Stanley Steamer roadster. The Taft White House preferred White steam-powered touring cars over gasoline ones for Presidential-use.
It was not until Kettering's development of the battery-powered electric starter for Cadillac that gasoline-power finally overshadowed the other options at the time. It's not that the choices haven't changed in 100-years, it's that they have narrowed

$1,000,000 of LCR-Natl. Fertilizer Wasted....

Regardless of “where” the money came from, it makes me ill over how much grassroots organizational development could have been accomplished with “that” million-dollars. There are still a number of states that STILL do not have LCR Chapters up-and-running. And a considerable number of metropolitan regions with large-enough gay populations for LCR Chapters in their own right that still don't have functioning Chapters. Contrary to the fantasies of the both the Left and the Right, there are gay Republicans in every state town and county in this Nation. In an era of one-billion-dollar Presidential races…think I’m exaggerating, look at St. Hillarybeast’s potential 2008 war-chest…a million-dollars doesn’t go very far in “buying friends” on the Hill anymore. But that same million-dollars could have been the fertilizer that brought budding gay Republicans out of their “political closets”.

If the LCR is to be more than a rationale for Patrick’s being invited to posh black-tie Beltway parties, the LCR should be concentrating on it’s grassroots…rather than anxiously-being a fellow-traveler with the Democratic Party’s zombie-Gay Rights/Abortion Rights thralls; the HCR, the Victory Fund, and the NGLTF. Personally I fervently believe that a partisan G/L political organizations shoud be supportive the the politically-minded partisan G/L members of the community, and not the “gay issues”. A “gay Republican” organizations shoudl be seeking-out and supporting “gay Republicans”, not gay issues. There are plenty of effectual and ineffectual “issue-oriented” gay organizations out-there already.

Flight 93 Memorial ...or Necropolis?

Kitty Hawk Visitors Center

$60 milllion and 1200-acres for a plane-crash memorial?? That nearly a 1/4th the acreage of the entire Gettysburg Battlefield site's 5600-acres. The Kitty Hawk National Site has 200-acres, and a nice educational-center and gift shop that cost maybe 2-million-dollars. I fail to see ANY REASON that Flight 93 needs anything even that elaborate. In-fact, anything more than the approx. 40-acres of the actual crash-site from the woods to the road, with a nice 15-ft granite plinth and a graveled walkway, is magalomania and narcissism.

In Intriguing Clarification

“Wilsonians believe America must make the world safe for liberty. Hamiltonians believe America must make the world safe for commerce. Jeffersonians fear that both of these crusades threaten liberty at home. And Jacksonians believe in destroying America's enemies and defending America 's sovereignty, no matter what the rest of the world thinks.”

--Peter Beinart in the New Republic

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/mmb/antimatter_spaceship.html

http://science.howstuffworks.com/antimatter.htm

Ebb Tide for the GOP

If you liked Clinton-I, you’ll love Clinton-II. …All hail St. Hillarybeast!!

The “popular” sentiment amongst the Republicans out here in East Coast “Blue-land” is a combination of resignation and disgust at the current congressional AND White House-Pentagon leadership. Older centrists like my own parents…who still think the Democrats are “idealess” and “gutless”…feel so betrayed by the GOP that they’re now saying “throw the bums out at any-cost”. The current GOP leadership inside the Beltway has squandered the Victory of ‘94, and the Reagan Legacy;

- Out of control pork-fest have ballooned the Federal Budget.
- Afghanistan is not improving.
- Iraq has been downhill ever-since the wide-spread looting, and the casualty-rates are still “high”.
- Katrina was a fundemental cock-up on all-sides.
- Bush, Cheney, Rummey and Condi have lost their personal credibility after WMDs, Iraq and Iran.

Even the persciption drug boondoggle hasn’t delivered any price relief, just serial comparisons when people gather about how they’re getting “screwed”. And every trip to the gas station delivers a real-time message about “how well” the war is going…$2.85 for regular, $2.95 for premium.

Worse, many out-here are viewing the entire “immigration reform” non-debate as a political side-show ineffectually-staged to distract public attention from Rummey, Iraq and Iran. A number of the moderate “republican-voting” people I know…as compared to the GOP-deadenders…are willing to this-year hold their noses and vote for the Democrats; knowing full-well that they’ll get bait-n-switcher like Gov. Corzine and Sen. Menendez of NJ. They are just tired of the GOP and it’s “promises” that they see as just not squaring with political and historical reality. And they know what St. Hilllarybeast is, but they’ll vote for her anyway as a reaction against whomever the GOP nominates…especially if counter-balanced by someone like Bill Richardson. They might prefer it be “Richardson for President”, but they’ll vote for St. Hillarybeast anywa; …long before they vote for Romney-the-Mormon.

Let's be Practical, not Politically-Correct

As a Teddy Roosevelt-Progressive Republican, I believe that the assimulated immigrant makes us stronger, not weaker. To felonize their “undocumented” status or to impose crushing fines is ridiculous, it would merely drive them deeper underground. If security is the rationale, then we need every illegal alien to be encourage, not discouraged, to register and regularize their status as guest worker or as potential citizen. It is reasonable that they should be required over a number of years to settle their current and back-taxes as part of their obligation as residents, but I woud oppose “extra” punitive penalties such as surcharges or a one-time fine.

It’s also impractical and onerous to require them to return to their “country-of-origin” to start their naturalization…they are already here…and more to the point their families and minor US-citizen children are here. Let the penalty be they have to wait 7 or 11 years, rather than the current 5 years for naturalization; but issue them green or blue-cards to they can properly be documented, be issued drivers’ licences (and insurance). And once they are documented, then guarantee that they can return home to visit, or reside back-home if a guest-worker without suddenly finding the door slammed behind them.

It is only by regularizing their status that we as-a-nation can avoid the trap of multi-culturalism that traps both Europe and Canada. The influx of economic immigrants from Mexica and Central America is a hydralic-inevitability….it is not a test of Sovereignty. If we want to insure that the official entre-ports are used, then it must be beneficial to use them. If you could get a guest-worker blue-card at a computer kiosk at any border-town bus terminal or airport where in a moment your retenal-scan and fingerprints are recorded, and you recieved a bio-metric ID with RFID chip; would you cross time-efficiently at US Customs or walk across the desert?

As for the US vs. Mexican and Central American flag-wavers; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001798.html

To those who say build a wall; our government can barely manage to levee New Orleans, and you want a frontier barrier from Tijuana to El Paso to Brownsville? There’s 900 miles of river-frontier from El Paso to Brownsville, and 700 miles of mountains and desert the otherway to Tijuana. Summon the damned-shade of Erich Honeker, and ask him about barrier-walls and how to train the guards to shoot women and children.

Deport the 12-20 million undocumented? Order the barbed-wire and cattle cars for the camps; I’m sure there’s a few “good Germans” who remember how. “Patriots” to knock on the door in the middle of the night; to take children from their mothers and fathers; to search home-by-home and business-by-business.

Damn you who would make “Ihre Ausweis, Bitte!” an American virtue.

Immigration Reform?

Considering the 12,000,000-figure, it's unreasonable to insist on their eventual return to Mexico, Central America, or elsewehere. The issue should be framed in the context of flushing-out every single, possible illegal and regularizing their status...then sort-out who can stay for eventual citizenship or "resident-status"...and who should be permanently booted-out. There should be two, twin goals...finding out who's actually here...and deciding if they can stay and under what circumstances. Get the list first; then weed-out the "undesirables" with criminal records. The best way to encourage those who actually wish to go home, even part-time, is to eliminate the "gotchas" and the risks of being barred "after" they voluntarily go home.

That the borders with Mexico and Canada will be "porous" is a fact we have to live with. For "security" purposes, it makes more sense to concentrate jointly on the Canadian and Mexican entreports to the rest of the world. If we are concerns about Islamofascist terrorists, stop them wherever they might set-foot in North or Central American soil...not the thousands of miles of American frontier. The Islamofascists can't walk on water, they have to fly into an airport's international terminal, or enter via ship's gangplank.

'Not a whole lot'a Politicking Going-on..."

The following open-letter was faxed to Patrick Guerriero at Washington, D.C. Headquarters


24 Mar 2006

Patrick,
I've spent the last several days looking at the program for the LCR National Convention; looking at Expedia and Hotels.com for a better deal on rooms....and stewing. Looking at the options and mulling whether to skip Thursday-night, or just go Saturday, etc... And part of my problem is the Agenda...or rather what's not on the Agenda.

If your NOT a VIP or Trustee; there's the Thurs. Reception at the Capitol Club and the party later-on at Remington's....but if your not a VIP you're not invited to the intervening dinner. There's no open-attendance dinner or party Friday other than the Trustee's cocktail hour, and the Saturday evening party is for VIP's-only as-well. And Sunday morning is the brunch for those "available". As I read this, that means that the general LCR members will not have an opportunity for interacting with the VIP's at-all socially between Thursday's reception and Sunday's brunch. All of the opinion-shapers and decision-makers will be out-of-reach and out of earshot for the duration of the LCR Convention after Thursday afternoon's reception.

The official program bothers me in that it's the agenda of a gay-rights group, not a Republican electoral organization. On Friday we have;
A speech in Gay Marriage,
A speech on DADT, Keynote Speech by Bishop Robinson's speech on Faith and Sexual Orientation,
Followed by a panel discussion on religious intolerance.
and a "Gay Rights" panel discussion.

On Saturday is the LCR Convention;
GOP Women and the Big Tent,
"Insights" into 2006 ands 2008
And "immigration reform, the war on terror and the spending situation in Washington."

I don't see any "partisan politics" being committed...and I don't see any accountability of LCR-National to the general membership, nor the membership assembled. There's no General Membership Business Meeting scheduled, and I don't see any reports being made on the performance of the National, and I would have liked to hear some reports or comments from chapters on what was successful for them and not-successful. How they went about raising funds, soliciting both for their chapters functions, but also how they raised monies that where then channeled to their local, county and state GOP organizations. Your and I both know that the two things that can any political organization influence in either party is the ability to mobilize manpower and money.

Where's the grassroots organization and activism?? No small-group discussions? I see lots of "rights activism" but little "Republican political action"...and that worries me. Why no break-out seminars on getting involved in the partisan-political process. Presentations on why a gay Republican should run for local office. The How-to of organizing and growing chapters; or how to make a difference. I don't see anyone speaking on how their Chapter has made in-roads into the GOP establishment...nor on how chapters can synergistically aid other chapters. Where's the "politics"? How to orchestrate a mailing campaign. How to effectively lobby state legislators without waving huge bags of money. Where's the the real-world examples of how to be effective on a county GOP committee to gain influence with the Committee.

I have often publicly-stated that I think that St. Hillarybeast will successfully carry 2008, and the the LCR should concentrate the following 4 to 8 years on local, county and state elections...This means the courthouses, the statehouses and the halls of Congress. If the LCR is to gain political throw-weight for the big, national GOP Conventions, it has to earn that throw-weight at the local level. The tactics of 2004 were a mistake; that opinion and political fealities could be swayed through "marketing" and taking public postures.

I would like to attend, but I figure it's $1500.-minumum at attend; and do what? Other than sitting in the dark, I don't see the general membership of the LCR doing-much that counts; either at the Convention, nor once they get back home. At the moment, I think I'll just leave my options open.

Respectfully...

To Be Unarmed....

David Kopel's essay on armed Jewish resistance in WW2 speaks to the ancient Machavelian quote" to be unarmed is to be dispised", and to many minority groups throughout the world including Darfor in the Sudan.

... "The kind of people who specialize in perpetrating genocide are bullies. How many bullies are willing to take a chance of getting shot by the intended victim? If potential massacre victims can plausibly threaten to harm at least a few of their attackers, then the calculus of the attackers may change dramatically.

Besides directly facilitating the ability of armed soldiers to control unarmed civilian genocide victims, there is a second way in which disarmament promotes genocide. As the American Founder Joel Barlow wrote, “Disarmament palsies the hand and brutalizes the mind: an habitual disuse of physical force totally destroys the moral; and men lose at once the power of protecting themselves, and of discerning the cause of their oppression.”[62]

If every family in the world owned a good-quality rifle and an ample supply of ammunition, genocide would be greatly reduced, and perhaps eliminated. [my emphasis] Not all countries with severe gun controls perpetrate genocide; but no genocidal governments allow any but the most politically reliable segments of the population to own guns. Because every government which in the last hundred years which has engaged in genocide has first disarmed its victim population, there is reason to believe that those governments see a relationship between gun control and the maintenance of the government’s murderous power. "...


- Perhaps the World would be a peaceful place if "to be armed" was recognised as a Universal Right.

007 in Training

Action footage

"...Stuck on Stupid"

It's disgraceful and insulting for Mayor Ray Nagin to impersonate Lt. Gen Russell Honore'...even during Mardi Gras. This man should be removed from office for incompetence...or mental imbalance. On-horseback, wearing four-stars and fake-ribbons....grrrrr.

Nagin owes the good General an apology, preferably in the traditional Japanese-manner.

Hat-tip to Sweetness-n-Light.

Make Room, Make Room!

At 7:16 p.m. ET on Saturday, the population here on this good Earth hit 6.5 billion people, according to projections. Anyone for jello?

Standing with Denmark

To whom is an apology owed?

In my view, VP Cheney needs to apologize to;

1. Mr. Whittington and his immediate family.
2. His host, Ms. Armstrong, for the upset and publicity.
3. To GWB for the ruckus.
4. And to the Hunting-community at-large for his carelessness.

Beyond that, what is there to apologize publicly-for? You apologize to those "sinned against". The Public has not been betrayed nor affected. And the MSM Press be damned!


UPDATE:
..." A report by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says there were 29 hunting accidents, four of them fatal, in Texas in 2004. Ten of the 29 were self-inflicted, so there were just 19 reported incidents in all of Texas in which a hunter accidentally shot someone else. According to the Department, there were 1,091,178 hunting licenses sold in Texas in 2004.

Measured another way, the report says there were 2.7 hunting accidents per 100,000 licenses in 2004. To give some perspective on that number, there were 12.6 accidents per 100,000 licenses in 1966, 6.0 in 1976, 5.8 in 1986, and 3.1 in 1996 -- a steady decline over the years. A press release accompanying the Texas report describes the typical accident as very much like the one involving Vice President Dick Cheney:

The primary reason for Texas hunting accidents remains swinging on game outside a safe zone of fire. This happens when a person points a firearm at another hunter while following a moving target, such as a flying game bird. Hunter education teaches people to set up safe zones of fire where a gun can be safely pointed whether the target is moving or stationary. "Some statistics seem to defy stereotypical expectations," the release continues: "Most accidents do not happen under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Most of the people involved had more than 10 years of hunting experience. Most were in light to open cover with clear visibility in good weather. "....

"Errr, next time. Duck!"

Available here.

To be unarmed is to be dispised."

I'm a firm believer in self-defense firearms, and the equivalent responsibility to know how and when to use them. Buy a handgun and a shotgun, and learn how to use them both. If your in a "shall issue"-state, get a CCW-permit...even if you never intend to carry concealed, just get one. If your in a moral-backwater where they restrict your handgun-ownership, definitely buy a shotgun. And not one of those fancy things...a 20-inch 12-gauge pump will do nicely...think "Linda Hamilton's biceps". Load with Forster slugs or self-defense rounds, you can't control where buckshot will fly indoors...or through a window.

If your not mechanically inclined; buy a 4-inch .357 revolver (Ruger or S&W) and load it with .38-special self-defense rounds. Your gun-store's saleman will know what you want, and ask him if you can use hollow-points for self-defense. If not, buy self-defense roundnose or "expanding full-metal jackets". You don't need anything bigger, and anything smaller will only annoy your attacker. If your a tech-geek, buy a .40mm or a .45ACP (Glock, Ruger, S&W, Para, Springfield Colt, or other reputable compact semi-auto pistol). Anything smaller than 9mm will only get you killed. Think small and pocketable...your not holding off an army...don't be seduced by big, shiny and heavy guns with 12-17 round magazines. By the point you actually need that 7th or 8th-shot; your in more trouble than you handle. Again, load 2-magazines with self-defensive rounds...one stays in the gun, the other stays in the drawer unless you've practiced re-loading in the dark. And have a nice, fully-charged metal flashlight handy at-home. Maglites are great, strong, and have a comforting "heft" to them.

My own opinion is that pocket derringers, hunting rifles and military-style rifles have no-role in self-defense...it's not what they're designed for. The only rifle that works for self defense is a cowboy-style 20-inch lever-action in a handgun-caliber, loaded with self-defense rounds.

...And always carry a good 3-inch pocket-knife. Everyone should carry a pocket-knife. Just a simple folding buck-knife with a quality locking-blade; mine's on my keyring. Even a knife might buy you the few seconds needed to safely flee.



UPDATE: I would only add three things;

“Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!”. - Rooster Cogburn.

“Well, punk. Do you feel lucky?” - Harry Callahan.

“From my cold, dead hands…” - Charlton Heston, Pres., NRA.

Boehner as GOP House Leader

I’m afraid this dooms any meaningful attempts at real Congressional-behavior reform; and paves the way for St. Hillarybeast’s candidacyin 2008. Not that she’s assured the Presidency, but I think she’s a lock on the Democratic-nomination. And the GOP is going to lose the House in either 2006 or 2008. The GOP’s elected-leadership is too compromised and forsworn at this point to have any reformist legitimacy, despite the incompentence of the DNC and the Democratic Party Leadership.

The retention of Roy Blount as GOP House Whip merely reinforces that it will be business as usual in tha Halls of Congress...no meaningful reforms on lobbyists, no public shamings of pork, and no accountability for earmarks. While I’m not “shocked”, I am saddened that the elected-leadership of my party could be so parochial and blind to reality.

It’s a sad day. It’s merely a return to the ol' bipartisan “…everyone’s a crook but my guy, and he brings home the bacon to the District.”

Sen. Joe Lieberman (R-Conn.)?

Austin Bay is reporting the Senator Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) may run as an independent in the upcoming 2006 Senatorial-campaign season if he does not have the support of the Democratic-machine in the primaries.

It has also been suggested that Lieberman run as the Republican candidate in the Fall if he is rejected in the Democratic primary. Perhaps nothing would demonstrate the bankruptcy of Democratic electoral politics than having the Democratic Party's 2000 VP-candidate run as a Republican in 2006 for his Senate seat. While the Connecticut GOP might want to run some un-named "businessman", they might be wise in reconsidering and placing patriotism...and pragmatism...over ideological-purity and offer Lieberman their ballot-spot.

Responsible Lobbying Reform

We support this proposal;


"An Appeal from Center-Right Bloggers,

"We are bloggers with boatloads of opinions, and none of us come close to agreeing with any other one of us all of the time. But we do agree on this: The new leadership in the House of Representatives needs to be thoroughly and transparently free of the taint of the Jack Abramoff scandals, and beyond that, of undue influence of K Street.

"We are not naive about lobbying, and we know it can and has in fact advanced crucial issues and has often served to inform rather than simply influence Members.

"But we are certain that the public is disgusted with excess and with privilege. We hope the Hastert-Dreier effort leads to sweeping reforms including the end of subsidized travel and other obvious influence operations. Just as importantly, we call for major changes to increase openness, transparency and accountability in Congressional operations and in the appropriations process.

"As for the Republican leadership elections, we hope to see more candidates who will support these goals, and we therefore welcome the entry of Congressman John Shadegg to the race for Majority Leader. We hope every Congressman who is committed to ethical and transparent conduct supports a reform agenda and a reform candidate. And we hope all would-be members of the leadership make themselves available to new media to answer questions now and on a regular basis in the future. "....

Here for signatories and comments.

UPDATE:

The National Review has endorsed Cong. John Shadegg for House GOP-Leader. As has Larry Kudlow;

..." Hopefully Shadegg, who is not part of the Abramoff lobbying culture, will run on the budget-cutting proposals of the Republican Study Committee, in particular the RSC plan to end midnight “earmarks,” which stealthily insert pork into bills without debate. These earmarks are not only budget-busters, they open the door to rogue lobbying where legislative favors are traded for cash. If the 100-member RSC gets behind Shadegg, they could win in come-from-behind fashion. This rebel group is full of change agents, people like Mike Pence, Jeff Flake, Paul Ryan, Marsha Blackburn, and Jeb Hensarling — rising young stars in the GOP firmament. This crowd, of which Shadegg is longtime member, stands on bedrock conservative principles. They all deserve seats at the leadership table of high Republican policymaking. "....

Tax Reform

No major tax-overhaul, be it the "Fair Tax" or the "Flat Tax" will get any traction unless it can solve the Gordian Knot of homeownership and home-affordability. This is most families' major purchase and primary capital-investment; and home-construction and renovation is a major-portion of the US workforce and domestic-product. If you can not explain BOTH the fairness of the system as-impemented...and the fairness of the transition-period...clearly to the understanding of the electorate, the reform is politically-dead.

Set Phasers!

Directed energy weapons will further tilt deterrence-power in-favor of the United States.

Prepare to Jump!...

The Royal Scotsman summed it up as;

..."By Jove, they're back on trek... Not content with a few little domestic problems in Iraq and Afghanistan, the American military is working seriously on a hyperdrive motor straight out of Star Trek, with the intention of making real that famous five-year mission to "boldly go" where no man (or woman) has gone before. "....

A new conceptual breakthrough for jump-engines;

..." The hypothetical device, which has been outlined in principle but is based on a controversial theory about the fabric of the universe, could potentially allow a spacecraft to travel to Mars in three hours and journey to a star 11 light years away in just 80 days, according to a report in today's New Scientist magazine. The theoretical engine works by creating an intense magnetic field that, according to ideas first developed by the late scientist Burkhard Heim in the 1950s, would produce a gravitational field and result in thrust for a spacecraft.

Also, if a large enough magnetic field was created, the craft would slip into a different dimension, where the speed of light is faster, allowing incredible speeds to be reached. Switching off the magnetic field would result in the engine reappearing in our current dimension. ...."

Or to you Trekkers, that's Warp-factor 3.7


UPDATE:
Some additional info and speculation straight from NASA's own web-sites.