Felipe Calderon, the ineffective and powerless President of Mexico, rightfully spoke to the people of Mexico after the tragic and most cowardly act perpetrated by the Zetas so far, the burning of a casino in Monterrey, which resulted in the death of over fifty Mexican citizens. President Calderon was RIGHTLY OUTRAGED. This atrocity WAS a cowardly act. The President flew to Monterrey Saturday and personally placed a wreath on the burned-out shell that was once the Casino Royale. Then he made a speech to the Mexican people. Did he vow to catch the criminals? Did he promise new programs to bring an end to the endless "War On Drugs" in Mexico. Did he EVEN go so far as to PROMISE A COMPLETE AND THOROUGH INVESTIGATION?
Nope....
For some twenty minutes the most powerful (?) man in Mexico screamed and railed against the United States, citing the United States (MEANING YOU AND ME, my friends) as being responsible for the criminal gang warfare in Mexico, and for all the illegal guns and other arms flowing into Mexico. AND Mr. Calderon went on to say that Americans (YOU AND ME, once again) bear some of the blame in the deaths of those fifty innocent people caught in the fire. President Calderon (although receiving MILLIONS of dollars in aid as well as personnel and intelligence from the United States) called this nation the biggest drug consumer in the world. Well here is the quote:
Part of the tragedy that we Mexicans are living through has to do with the fact that we are next to the world's greatest drug consumer and also the greatest global arms vendor that pays billions of dollars each year to criminals."
Don't take my word...you can read the story here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/26/3316792/calderon-says-us-shares-blame.html
The story also appeared in major papers if you would rather read in "reliable" print.
So, after this cowardly incident, President Calderon, not unpredictably, IMMEDIATELY WENT ON THE OFFENSIVE by attacking, NOT THE CRIMINALS, but the United States. But his attack rings hollow when we remember that most of the weapons used in Mexico have been traced back to MEXICAN FEDERAL weapons buying. Then the federal authorities somehow "lost track" of the weapons (including hand grenades, shoulder fired rockets, C-4, etc. not the type of weapons sold in most gun shops in the United States) time and time again. This information can be verified by reading the accounts in Mexican and American memorandums outlining the arms deals in Mexico. Again, you don't have to take my word for it.
Incidentally, in the same newspaper (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) on the same date was this story:
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/26/3317008/2-fort-worth-men-sentenced-for.html
So you see that the people buying guns in Texas and other states and transporting them to Mexico account for less than one percent of the guns, and ZERO percent of the more advanced military weapons making their way into Mexico. President Calderon, again, being weak and ineffectual in his nation, has only one way to SEEM in control and powerful, and that is by attacking the United States, including plying insults - not against our government - but against you and me as citizens of our great nation.
President Felipe Calderon can scream and cry and yell, and insult all of us. What he CANNOT DO is come up with EVEN ONE SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM to counter the trouble in Mexico and bring a stop to the bloodshed and violence. Not being hypocritical, I DO HAVE at least one program that will bring immediate results.
Mr. CALDERON, since you "KNOW" that the weapons are coming from the United States, via border smuggling, I propose that you detach a significant military force to your northern border, right down to the edge of the Rio Bravo, and let your troops INTERCEPT the smugglers at the border. If they are smuggling nearly 100,000 weapons a year across the good ol' Rio Grande, your army should immediately impact the drug cartels' means of making war.
Next, place only your most elite and trusted units at weapons depots and let them GUARD the weapons.
Thirdly, appoint a trusted Inspector General and a small staff of inspectors to monitor both the safety of the depots and the weapons confiscations that will (?) be taking place at the border.
By following these three measures alone, I predict that you, Mr. President, will cripple the ability of the cartels to rearm and resupply themselves, thus ending their ability to make war.
But I have a forth measure for you, Sir. I respectfully request that you tell your allies in the various United States agencies, and your crying buddy President Obama, that you want ALL US AID to your country curtailed immediately, so that there will be no "bungling" by US authorities.
If you succeed, by following all these steps, you will no doubt win re-election, Mr. Calderon. If you do not, your country will be no worse off then it is now. But please, if you are going to cry and berate and condemn the people of the United States, at least do it AFTER you have implemented ideas that will successfully curtail the power of the drug cartels. Right now, your cries and tears ring hollow north of the Rio Grande.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Judge Finds Charles Stobaugh "Not Indigent"
I read an article today from the Denton (TX) Record-Chronicle, dated August 20, 2011. According to this story, Charles Stobaugh – convicted murderer of Kathy Munday Stobaugh - had his motion for indigent status denied in the 362nd District Court this past week. That’s right! Charles Stobaugh pled “indigent”! Apparently Judge Bruce McFarling ruled that Stobaugh’s plea of indigence was “not credible.” Now Mr. Stobaugh must shell out $10,000 from his own pockets to pay for the transcript of his original trial, a prerequisite to the upcoming appeals process.
Evidently Judge McFarling and Mr. Stobaugh have different ideas of the meaning of indigence. For Charles Stobaugh, apparently indigence is the equivalent of having only some $500,000 or so in liquid assets. Judge McFarling, on the other hand, felt that indigence meant that a particular person is “broke.” Charles Stobaugh, it turns out, has nearly $500,000 in cash, and another $500,000 in property and miscellaneous assets. In a welcome burst of judicial wisdom, Judge McFarling decided that Stobaugh could buy his own transcript if he wanted one. I am sure he will eventually part with the ten grand in an effort to overturn his conviction. It is good to know, however, that the “State” (you and me, Texans) will not be paying for the trial transcripts OR the appeal, should Stobaugh actually go through with it.
Even more interesting are two other articles I ran across on the Internet. The first article was posted on a totally unfamiliar web site, Ethicsalarms. It was a discussion of the recent Anthony verdict and can be accessed at the following link:
http://ethicsalarms.com/2011/07/07/the-ethics-of-no-body-murder-prosecutions
In what I consider to be a compliment to the people of Texas, the author of the story stated that, had the Anthony trial been conducted here, there would likely have been a different verdict. Indeed, the article went on to say that the Stobaugh jury acted correctly. The prosecution, while producing no body, no crime scene, and no forensics, did produce motive, means, the opportunity, and most importantly, the preclusion of ALL other REASONABLE explanations, something the prosecution failed to do in the Anthony trial. This article also deals with the theory that there could be no conviction of murder if no body (corpus delecti) was found during the investigation. This theory has its roots in our English common law, and is a difficult burden to overcome for a successful prosecution.
The second article appeared in the professional journal for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association. The article was written by one of the prosecutors, Mrs. Piel. It can be found at the following link:
http://www.tdcaa.com/journal/vanished-without-trace
This article briefly summarizes the Stobaugh trial. It tells of key witnesses that were able to eliminate the other possibilities, demonstrating that the only reasonable conclusion was that Kathryn Munday Stobaugh had been murdered and that Charles Stobaugh was the only person who would have committed the murder. Unfortunately, this article also chronicles the rift in the Munday-Stobaugh family, and the tragic way that Charles Stobaugh used his children to back up his testimony, which of course was riddled with contradictions and lies. Some of Charles Stobaugh’s own relatives reached the same conclusion as the jury, only years earlier. For the Mundays (and part of the Stobaugh family) this was a double tragedy, as they lost Kathy and had Kathy’s children stripped from their lives by Mr. Stobaugh. In tragic desperation both children stood by Charles Stobaugh in the face of overwhelming circumstantial evidence of their father’s guilt.
Charles Stobaugh, even after paying his original attorneys, has the means to pay for an appeal of the trial verdict. I have little doubt that he will file his appeal shortly, if he has not initiated it already. In the appeal process, the entire trial is not “re-enacted.” Instead, a panel of judges reviews the trial transcripts and legal briefs filed by both sides. The judges are looking for judicial errors in the original trial. They are not necessarily concerned with hearing actual testimony. The various attorneys answer the panel’s questions. If an error is found, the case may be remanded back to the original court for correction, including a new trial, if warranted.
I am all for our justice system in its assurance that indigent persons have access to the appeals courts; however, Charles Stobaugh’s plea for indigent status is, as the district judge said, “not credible.” I commend Judge McFarling for his decision. This decision leaves the appeals process open to Charles Stobaugh, but places the financial burden squarely on his shoulders. In the coming days and weeks, Mr. Stobaugh’s attorney may file his notice of appeal. I will be looking for indications of this filing, and will keep you informed.
We miss you Kathy, and we will never forget you.
Evidently Judge McFarling and Mr. Stobaugh have different ideas of the meaning of indigence. For Charles Stobaugh, apparently indigence is the equivalent of having only some $500,000 or so in liquid assets. Judge McFarling, on the other hand, felt that indigence meant that a particular person is “broke.” Charles Stobaugh, it turns out, has nearly $500,000 in cash, and another $500,000 in property and miscellaneous assets. In a welcome burst of judicial wisdom, Judge McFarling decided that Stobaugh could buy his own transcript if he wanted one. I am sure he will eventually part with the ten grand in an effort to overturn his conviction. It is good to know, however, that the “State” (you and me, Texans) will not be paying for the trial transcripts OR the appeal, should Stobaugh actually go through with it.
Even more interesting are two other articles I ran across on the Internet. The first article was posted on a totally unfamiliar web site, Ethicsalarms. It was a discussion of the recent Anthony verdict and can be accessed at the following link:
http://ethicsalarms.com/2011/07/07/the-ethics-of-no-body-murder-prosecutions
In what I consider to be a compliment to the people of Texas, the author of the story stated that, had the Anthony trial been conducted here, there would likely have been a different verdict. Indeed, the article went on to say that the Stobaugh jury acted correctly. The prosecution, while producing no body, no crime scene, and no forensics, did produce motive, means, the opportunity, and most importantly, the preclusion of ALL other REASONABLE explanations, something the prosecution failed to do in the Anthony trial. This article also deals with the theory that there could be no conviction of murder if no body (corpus delecti) was found during the investigation. This theory has its roots in our English common law, and is a difficult burden to overcome for a successful prosecution.
The second article appeared in the professional journal for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association. The article was written by one of the prosecutors, Mrs. Piel. It can be found at the following link:
http://www.tdcaa.com/journal/vanished-without-trace
This article briefly summarizes the Stobaugh trial. It tells of key witnesses that were able to eliminate the other possibilities, demonstrating that the only reasonable conclusion was that Kathryn Munday Stobaugh had been murdered and that Charles Stobaugh was the only person who would have committed the murder. Unfortunately, this article also chronicles the rift in the Munday-Stobaugh family, and the tragic way that Charles Stobaugh used his children to back up his testimony, which of course was riddled with contradictions and lies. Some of Charles Stobaugh’s own relatives reached the same conclusion as the jury, only years earlier. For the Mundays (and part of the Stobaugh family) this was a double tragedy, as they lost Kathy and had Kathy’s children stripped from their lives by Mr. Stobaugh. In tragic desperation both children stood by Charles Stobaugh in the face of overwhelming circumstantial evidence of their father’s guilt.
Charles Stobaugh, even after paying his original attorneys, has the means to pay for an appeal of the trial verdict. I have little doubt that he will file his appeal shortly, if he has not initiated it already. In the appeal process, the entire trial is not “re-enacted.” Instead, a panel of judges reviews the trial transcripts and legal briefs filed by both sides. The judges are looking for judicial errors in the original trial. They are not necessarily concerned with hearing actual testimony. The various attorneys answer the panel’s questions. If an error is found, the case may be remanded back to the original court for correction, including a new trial, if warranted.
I am all for our justice system in its assurance that indigent persons have access to the appeals courts; however, Charles Stobaugh’s plea for indigent status is, as the district judge said, “not credible.” I commend Judge McFarling for his decision. This decision leaves the appeals process open to Charles Stobaugh, but places the financial burden squarely on his shoulders. In the coming days and weeks, Mr. Stobaugh’s attorney may file his notice of appeal. I will be looking for indications of this filing, and will keep you informed.
We miss you Kathy, and we will never forget you.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
NYPD And The CIA - A Perilous Partnership
Today the Associated Press broke a story that truly sends chills down my spine. No, not a story of a terrible, bloody crime, not a story of mass murder or a bombing, yet a scary story just the same. And a story that should bring us all to the boiling point of hot outrage, if anything should. The story, though repeated by many other sources, can be found here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44255142/ns/us_news-security/
I will not try to repeat the story, as it is much too complicated, with twists and turns and deception, but I will try to highlight some of the more terrifying aspects of this situation. It seems that at some point after the 9/11 attacks on New York, the police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, made contact with his former friends who were senior members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to discuss implementing some sort of anti-terrorist cooperative. The express purpose of this "coop" was very noble in itself - to protect New York by any means, from any future such attrocity as the World Trade Center attacks. If one digs a little deeper, as did Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, however, one finds that Commissioner Kelly had been in touch with the CIA as early as 2002. The World Trade Center had been bombed once before, and NYPD and the CIA were in positions to help each other, as it were.
I am not going to dwell on the details of this Associate Press probe, the facts are there to be read by anyone who wants to do so. I am just going to say that the cooperation between the CIA and NYPD provided the CIA with a quasi-legal means of conducting intelligence operations on United States soil, and provided NYPD with the means of creating a domestic "super-intelligence agency" that is outside the control of local officials, federal officials, and even NYPD itself. Apparently some NYPD officers were even deputized as US Marshals, with the accompanying national jurisdiction, but again, not under the supervision of either NYPD or the US Marshal's Service. And, this NYPD-CIA partnership circumvents cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the agency that is (or ONCE WAS) charged with investigating terrorism activities within the United States. Again I will stress, this NYPD-CIA venture is not under the control of any local, state, or federal agency, and of course WOULD NOT BE, since it is patently ILLEGAL in nature.
The NYPD-CIA coop was accidentally discovered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 2009 when an apparently nosy apartment supervisor opened an apartment for whatever reason. When he opened the door, the "super" was shocked to find leaflets and materials related to Islamic terrorists, as well as maps and what appeared to be plans for upcoming attacks on New York. He promptly called the New Brunswick police, who in turned called the FBI, and, as we say, the cat was out of the bag. Several New York police officers and CIA operatives were identified in conjunction with the "terrorist hideout." Later, similar operations were discovered in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Like I said, not in New York PD jurisdiction, and outside of the "legal" realm of CIA operations. Of course, with a secret agency, we The People never know where secret operatives are working, anyway.
My main point is, this NYPD-CIA operation has been discovered and exposed in just a few locales. How do we know where there might be other clandestine operational bases? They could be in any city or town in the United States. Further, this evil coop is using NYPD "ethnically diverse" officers to do things such as sit in Muslim cafes or coffee houses and just listen and look for suspicious activity. This of course means that no crime is suspected, as would be necessary to warrant this activity in the first place. These operatives even go to mosques to listen to sermons and mingle with the people, again to learn about possible terrorist activity, again, with no legal provocation, or what was once constitutionally mandatory, the thing police officers and courts called "Probable Cause."
You should know that information Mr. Goldman and Mr. Apuzzo found indicated that the targets were not all Muslims, and hardly any were "terrorists." Ethnic neighborhoods targeted by CIA-NYPD included Puerto Rican and Somali, just to name a couple. It reminds me of that most famous quote by Martin Niemoller (after several years in a Nazi concentration camp):
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.
If you have never been alarmed about some political or national crisis before, this MAY be the one to get you out of your chair. You see, I live in Midland, Texas. I have no idea whether or not the NYPD-CIA is operating here. You live in Denver? How do you know they have not rented the house NEXT DOOR? I understand that New Yorkers may want some sort of super-secret security force, and who can blame them? But the terrorists have won another victory...they have scared many people to the point where citizens are willing to give up liberty for security. But as Benjamin Franklin said:
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
We cannot tolerate the NYPD-CIA monster. This is a national concern for ALL OF US, not a city issue for the people of New York. We all have the power to make a simple phone call or send an email to our United States senators and demand that this tyrannical partnership be forever dissolved. Our leaders must send the CIA back to work overseas, send the NYPD officers back to their city, and if the deputized cops really want to be federal deputies, assign them to US Marshals and put them to work, at New York City expense, of course.
I will not try to repeat the story, as it is much too complicated, with twists and turns and deception, but I will try to highlight some of the more terrifying aspects of this situation. It seems that at some point after the 9/11 attacks on New York, the police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, made contact with his former friends who were senior members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to discuss implementing some sort of anti-terrorist cooperative. The express purpose of this "coop" was very noble in itself - to protect New York by any means, from any future such attrocity as the World Trade Center attacks. If one digs a little deeper, as did Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, however, one finds that Commissioner Kelly had been in touch with the CIA as early as 2002. The World Trade Center had been bombed once before, and NYPD and the CIA were in positions to help each other, as it were.
I am not going to dwell on the details of this Associate Press probe, the facts are there to be read by anyone who wants to do so. I am just going to say that the cooperation between the CIA and NYPD provided the CIA with a quasi-legal means of conducting intelligence operations on United States soil, and provided NYPD with the means of creating a domestic "super-intelligence agency" that is outside the control of local officials, federal officials, and even NYPD itself. Apparently some NYPD officers were even deputized as US Marshals, with the accompanying national jurisdiction, but again, not under the supervision of either NYPD or the US Marshal's Service. And, this NYPD-CIA partnership circumvents cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the agency that is (or ONCE WAS) charged with investigating terrorism activities within the United States. Again I will stress, this NYPD-CIA venture is not under the control of any local, state, or federal agency, and of course WOULD NOT BE, since it is patently ILLEGAL in nature.
The NYPD-CIA coop was accidentally discovered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 2009 when an apparently nosy apartment supervisor opened an apartment for whatever reason. When he opened the door, the "super" was shocked to find leaflets and materials related to Islamic terrorists, as well as maps and what appeared to be plans for upcoming attacks on New York. He promptly called the New Brunswick police, who in turned called the FBI, and, as we say, the cat was out of the bag. Several New York police officers and CIA operatives were identified in conjunction with the "terrorist hideout." Later, similar operations were discovered in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Like I said, not in New York PD jurisdiction, and outside of the "legal" realm of CIA operations. Of course, with a secret agency, we The People never know where secret operatives are working, anyway.
My main point is, this NYPD-CIA operation has been discovered and exposed in just a few locales. How do we know where there might be other clandestine operational bases? They could be in any city or town in the United States. Further, this evil coop is using NYPD "ethnically diverse" officers to do things such as sit in Muslim cafes or coffee houses and just listen and look for suspicious activity. This of course means that no crime is suspected, as would be necessary to warrant this activity in the first place. These operatives even go to mosques to listen to sermons and mingle with the people, again to learn about possible terrorist activity, again, with no legal provocation, or what was once constitutionally mandatory, the thing police officers and courts called "Probable Cause."
You should know that information Mr. Goldman and Mr. Apuzzo found indicated that the targets were not all Muslims, and hardly any were "terrorists." Ethnic neighborhoods targeted by CIA-NYPD included Puerto Rican and Somali, just to name a couple. It reminds me of that most famous quote by Martin Niemoller (after several years in a Nazi concentration camp):
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.
If you have never been alarmed about some political or national crisis before, this MAY be the one to get you out of your chair. You see, I live in Midland, Texas. I have no idea whether or not the NYPD-CIA is operating here. You live in Denver? How do you know they have not rented the house NEXT DOOR? I understand that New Yorkers may want some sort of super-secret security force, and who can blame them? But the terrorists have won another victory...they have scared many people to the point where citizens are willing to give up liberty for security. But as Benjamin Franklin said:
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
We cannot tolerate the NYPD-CIA monster. This is a national concern for ALL OF US, not a city issue for the people of New York. We all have the power to make a simple phone call or send an email to our United States senators and demand that this tyrannical partnership be forever dissolved. Our leaders must send the CIA back to work overseas, send the NYPD officers back to their city, and if the deputized cops really want to be federal deputies, assign them to US Marshals and put them to work, at New York City expense, of course.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Teens CAN Have Heart Attacks
It was my pleasure this past Saturday to participate in a small way in the Championship Hearts Foundation screening at Midland Memorial Hospital in Midland, Texas. Championship Hearts Foundation is a 501 (C) 3 foundation that was originally chartered as the Austin Heart Foundation. One of several missions this foundation has is to educate people, including young people, about heart disease and the risks associated with heart disease. The founders of Championship Hearts was a group of Austin and Central Texas cardiologists. Besides education, one of their concerns was the number of young athletes in the Texas public school system who collapsed and died during sports events and workouts. Many of these young people were found to have heart disease, in particular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which, in the simplest terms that I can understand, is a hardening of the walls that can lead to obstructed blood flow and erratic heartbeat. This disease, though detected easily through the heart screening process, usually has no noticeable symptoms. By the way, the disease is not limited to football players. A few years ago, a member of a Central Texas high school marching band passed out during rehearsal and died within minutes.
So this past Saturday I manned a small booth and mostly stayed out of the way while about two hundred young athletes from all over West Texas took part in the Championship Hearts screening. This screening was provided free of charge by the Championship Hearts Foundation. A highlight of the day was when the entire athletic group (and maybe some band members) from a rural school district arrived for the screening. For awhile there was moderated chaos while the large group was processed. By the time the screening ended, there were a lot of tired volunteers, but the sore feet were rewarded by the knowledge that so many young people had been screened for heart disease. Many of these students would not have had the opportunity for this screening otherwise.
Epilogue:
I found out today that the exact number screened on Saturday was one-hundred seventy-six young men and women. These are good numbers, but another statistic emerged today that really made it all worthwhile. It turns out that out of less then two hundred teenagers who participated in the screening process, six teens were found to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It took just a minute for it to sink in. What it means is that in one screening one day in one city, six lives were potentially saved. That is good news. It becomes great news when we realize that hundreds of young people all over Texas participated in similar screening events, with similar results. To parents of teens who are participating in band, cheer leading, football, basketball, and other sports, I urge you to take your children to one of these events. You may have so much to do on a Saturday morning, but I promise you, one screening will only take about an hour...and your child is worth that one hour. And it costs nothing but your time. My thanks to the Heart Championship Foundation, and to all the local volunteers, for a job well done.
So this past Saturday I manned a small booth and mostly stayed out of the way while about two hundred young athletes from all over West Texas took part in the Championship Hearts screening. This screening was provided free of charge by the Championship Hearts Foundation. A highlight of the day was when the entire athletic group (and maybe some band members) from a rural school district arrived for the screening. For awhile there was moderated chaos while the large group was processed. By the time the screening ended, there were a lot of tired volunteers, but the sore feet were rewarded by the knowledge that so many young people had been screened for heart disease. Many of these students would not have had the opportunity for this screening otherwise.
Epilogue:
I found out today that the exact number screened on Saturday was one-hundred seventy-six young men and women. These are good numbers, but another statistic emerged today that really made it all worthwhile. It turns out that out of less then two hundred teenagers who participated in the screening process, six teens were found to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It took just a minute for it to sink in. What it means is that in one screening one day in one city, six lives were potentially saved. That is good news. It becomes great news when we realize that hundreds of young people all over Texas participated in similar screening events, with similar results. To parents of teens who are participating in band, cheer leading, football, basketball, and other sports, I urge you to take your children to one of these events. You may have so much to do on a Saturday morning, but I promise you, one screening will only take about an hour...and your child is worth that one hour. And it costs nothing but your time. My thanks to the Heart Championship Foundation, and to all the local volunteers, for a job well done.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Obama and Perry - No Good For Texas
I know that tonight's posting may upset many people. That is fine because I am upset myself. Both at his lordship Governor Perry and his royal highness President Obama. It appears that they are engaged in a snubbing contest, and the losers are the people of Texas.
For starters, Gov. Perry made quite a show of refusing to accept some of the "stimulus package" money in 2009 -2010, with the statement that there were "too many strings attached" to this money, meaning of course that the federal government would have a lot of "say" as to how the money could be used. Then there was the "meeting with the President" Perry touted during his last re-election campaign. That meeting lasted about ten seconds, when Perry attempted to hand a letter dealing with border security to Obama. The Governor was instead passed to a low-ranking member of the presidential entourage, who simply tucked the letter away in his dress coat. Of course Gov. Perry published his literary classic "Fed Up," outlining "his" ideas about how to rein in the federal government (not based on his own actions in Texas, obviously). No doubt the sentiments Mr. Perry expressed did not go very far in endearing him to our President.
Gov. Perry has not been good for Texas for several reasons, but I will only deal very briefly with two of his actions that have alienated him from "the best interests of Texans." First, Mr. Perry was one of the loudest advocates for the "Trans-Texas Corridor" (a giant tollway) that would have been over a quarter of a mile wide and was envisioned to incorporate the huge superhighway, a brand new railway, and all utility lines or underground lines and pipelines. This disaster was to be built by a Spanish company that would have actual ownership of the tollway. This ultimately meant that a foreign company would be setting tolls and and receiving tax-based subsidies to help with expenses (which of course would have been covered by the tolls -sweet!). Second, Mr. Perry was also a very loud cheerleader for the Waste Texas Project...er...I mean the WCS Andrews radioactive waste dump, oops, disposal facility. Mr. Simmons, the major owner of WCS, made many "contributions" to various politicians and officials, including Gov. Perry. So, as you can see, I am no fan of ThreePete Perry. I wonder if he is going to try for four?
President Obama has not been any better for Texas. He has done nothing for border security, not even cheering loud for the Border Patrol. Somewhere or another he and the staff came up with information that "the boder is more secure than ever." Now, you can (and I HAVE) talked with front-line border patrolmen, and they will tell you that the border is NOT more secure than ever. The President cited information from 2010 statistics showing fewer arrests of illegal border crossers. The patrolmen will tell you that they have been told to make fewer arrests. That, along with the fact that many people attempting to cross Mexico to reach the border are killed along the way, and yes, there may well be fewer people ARRESTED for crossing the border. As we can read from the Mexican news sources, funerals along the border have not decreased at all. Even as I write this, more and more bodies are being dug up from a mass grave in northern Mexico.
The other situation in which the President has let his feeling about Texans be seen in painful clarity is his decision not to send emergency federal aid to the burned out areas of Texas. If you think I am wrong about this, then try to find where the President declared those burned out counties of Texas as national disaster areas. Of course, Gov. Perry was the person who was obligated by law to ask for this emergency federal aid (not to be confused with the "strings attached" federal stimulus money) so there was no surprise that the Governor's request was ignored. But in doing so, President Obama, as I said, showed his true feelings about ALL PEOPLE of TEXAS, whether Republican, Democrat, Liberaterian, Communist, or whatever. I don't know about you, but I think a President who truly works for the American People should be able to set aside his (probably justified) feelings about Gov. Perry, and come to the aid of the people of Texas. If you have watched or listened to the news, you know that there was no shortage of federal "concern" for the unfortunate people along the Mississippi corridor, and I am reasonably sure that PLENTY of those people DID NOT vote for Mr. Obama.
Yes, this may not be a popular blog, and many of you will not share my opinion of either of these two men. I just hope and pray for the good of the state of Texas that neither of these men serve another term in their respective offices. Unfortunately, the fact that Perry was re-elected twice does not speak very highly of Texas voters. We had alternatives. In Mr. Obama's case, he ran a campaign that filled his supporters with hope for change. He had perhaps the most political capital going into office of any president since John F. Kennedy's election. His inability to take advantage of this capital has been disappointing. I hope neither man is in power after the next election.
For starters, Gov. Perry made quite a show of refusing to accept some of the "stimulus package" money in 2009 -2010, with the statement that there were "too many strings attached" to this money, meaning of course that the federal government would have a lot of "say" as to how the money could be used. Then there was the "meeting with the President" Perry touted during his last re-election campaign. That meeting lasted about ten seconds, when Perry attempted to hand a letter dealing with border security to Obama. The Governor was instead passed to a low-ranking member of the presidential entourage, who simply tucked the letter away in his dress coat. Of course Gov. Perry published his literary classic "Fed Up," outlining "his" ideas about how to rein in the federal government (not based on his own actions in Texas, obviously). No doubt the sentiments Mr. Perry expressed did not go very far in endearing him to our President.
Gov. Perry has not been good for Texas for several reasons, but I will only deal very briefly with two of his actions that have alienated him from "the best interests of Texans." First, Mr. Perry was one of the loudest advocates for the "Trans-Texas Corridor" (a giant tollway) that would have been over a quarter of a mile wide and was envisioned to incorporate the huge superhighway, a brand new railway, and all utility lines or underground lines and pipelines. This disaster was to be built by a Spanish company that would have actual ownership of the tollway. This ultimately meant that a foreign company would be setting tolls and and receiving tax-based subsidies to help with expenses (which of course would have been covered by the tolls -sweet!). Second, Mr. Perry was also a very loud cheerleader for the Waste Texas Project...er...I mean the WCS Andrews radioactive waste dump, oops, disposal facility. Mr. Simmons, the major owner of WCS, made many "contributions" to various politicians and officials, including Gov. Perry. So, as you can see, I am no fan of ThreePete Perry. I wonder if he is going to try for four?
President Obama has not been any better for Texas. He has done nothing for border security, not even cheering loud for the Border Patrol. Somewhere or another he and the staff came up with information that "the boder is more secure than ever." Now, you can (and I HAVE) talked with front-line border patrolmen, and they will tell you that the border is NOT more secure than ever. The President cited information from 2010 statistics showing fewer arrests of illegal border crossers. The patrolmen will tell you that they have been told to make fewer arrests. That, along with the fact that many people attempting to cross Mexico to reach the border are killed along the way, and yes, there may well be fewer people ARRESTED for crossing the border. As we can read from the Mexican news sources, funerals along the border have not decreased at all. Even as I write this, more and more bodies are being dug up from a mass grave in northern Mexico.
The other situation in which the President has let his feeling about Texans be seen in painful clarity is his decision not to send emergency federal aid to the burned out areas of Texas. If you think I am wrong about this, then try to find where the President declared those burned out counties of Texas as national disaster areas. Of course, Gov. Perry was the person who was obligated by law to ask for this emergency federal aid (not to be confused with the "strings attached" federal stimulus money) so there was no surprise that the Governor's request was ignored. But in doing so, President Obama, as I said, showed his true feelings about ALL PEOPLE of TEXAS, whether Republican, Democrat, Liberaterian, Communist, or whatever. I don't know about you, but I think a President who truly works for the American People should be able to set aside his (probably justified) feelings about Gov. Perry, and come to the aid of the people of Texas. If you have watched or listened to the news, you know that there was no shortage of federal "concern" for the unfortunate people along the Mississippi corridor, and I am reasonably sure that PLENTY of those people DID NOT vote for Mr. Obama.
Yes, this may not be a popular blog, and many of you will not share my opinion of either of these two men. I just hope and pray for the good of the state of Texas that neither of these men serve another term in their respective offices. Unfortunately, the fact that Perry was re-elected twice does not speak very highly of Texas voters. We had alternatives. In Mr. Obama's case, he ran a campaign that filled his supporters with hope for change. He had perhaps the most political capital going into office of any president since John F. Kennedy's election. His inability to take advantage of this capital has been disappointing. I hope neither man is in power after the next election.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Can't Even Get A Break From A Chinese Fortune Cookie
It may be that a person who suffers from a poor self-concept, or even from an "alleged" poor self-concept, should not expose himself or herself to the risk of gaining an even poorer self-concept (if that is indeed a "gain") by opening, then reading, the fortune inside the fortune cookie. This scenario is precisely what happened to me just a few weeks ago after what I thought was a superb Chinese dinner. After everyone had finished eating, we all took turns opening our fortune cookies. I went last, not that I have a poor self-concept or anything; I just thought that the others would find better fortunes than mine. And, in retrospect, that is what happened.
After we finished the lovely dinner, everyone took turns snapping open the sweet, golden cookies and revealing his or her fortune to the rest, each future prize or word of wisdom better than the one before. Then it was my turn. I snapped my delicious little treat in half, pulled the white slip of paper out of one half of the cookie, and gazed at my destiny. Was I about to meet a famous person? Was a free million bucks coming my way? Was I given some word of great wisdom? No...my fortune was something less spectacular, but more to the point. "You constantly struggle for self improvement..." Wasn't that a great message, very psychic and apropo on the part of the fortune cookie company? Unfortunately that was not the end of the message. Would that it had been!
As I studied my message, I realized that maybe I did suffer from a poor self-concept. For the message in its entirety read: You constantly struggle for self improvement - and it shows. The Italics are mine. Why could I not have received one of those regular GREAT fortunes, which of course never comes true? I mean, at least those are fun things. But no, I struggle for self improvement....AND IT SHOWS! Now what does that mean, anyway?! And how did they KNOW? Think about it! Someone, or several someones, all the way to China know that I (MIGHT!!!!) have a poor self-concept. AND IT SHOWS!!! Thanks a lot, Beijing! I mean, I constantly struggle for self improvement...and it shows??
While I was still contemplating the true implications of the profound statement written on that little piece of white paper, my lovely spouse said, "Well, you DO struggle for self improvement, and it DOES show!" The table full of my loved ones broke into riotous laughter. Of course I (who POSSIBLY suffers from a poor self-concept) immediately took a tae kwon do-like posture of self-defense! As I heard mumbling around the table, pertaining to my (perceived) poor self-concept , I realized that someone like myself, a kind, hardworking soul (who possibly suffers from a poor self-concept) cannot get a break, it seems. I mean, I Cant Even Get A Break From A Chinese Fortune Cookie!!
After we finished the lovely dinner, everyone took turns snapping open the sweet, golden cookies and revealing his or her fortune to the rest, each future prize or word of wisdom better than the one before. Then it was my turn. I snapped my delicious little treat in half, pulled the white slip of paper out of one half of the cookie, and gazed at my destiny. Was I about to meet a famous person? Was a free million bucks coming my way? Was I given some word of great wisdom? No...my fortune was something less spectacular, but more to the point. "You constantly struggle for self improvement..." Wasn't that a great message, very psychic and apropo on the part of the fortune cookie company? Unfortunately that was not the end of the message. Would that it had been!
As I studied my message, I realized that maybe I did suffer from a poor self-concept. For the message in its entirety read: You constantly struggle for self improvement - and it shows. The Italics are mine. Why could I not have received one of those regular GREAT fortunes, which of course never comes true? I mean, at least those are fun things. But no, I struggle for self improvement....AND IT SHOWS! Now what does that mean, anyway?! And how did they KNOW? Think about it! Someone, or several someones, all the way to China know that I (MIGHT!!!!) have a poor self-concept. AND IT SHOWS!!! Thanks a lot, Beijing! I mean, I constantly struggle for self improvement...and it shows??
While I was still contemplating the true implications of the profound statement written on that little piece of white paper, my lovely spouse said, "Well, you DO struggle for self improvement, and it DOES show!" The table full of my loved ones broke into riotous laughter. Of course I (who POSSIBLY suffers from a poor self-concept) immediately took a tae kwon do-like posture of self-defense! As I heard mumbling around the table, pertaining to my (perceived) poor self-concept , I realized that someone like myself, a kind, hardworking soul (who possibly suffers from a poor self-concept) cannot get a break, it seems. I mean, I Cant Even Get A Break From A Chinese Fortune Cookie!!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Procrastination Can Have Its Bad Points
In my roughly half-century of life I have made the following observation: Procrastination can have its bad points. As one of the finer procrastinators I have ever known, I am highly qualified to comment in this regard. As concerns the gift of procrastination, I am the Picasso of the Put-It-Off-For-Laters (If Ever). If we procrastinators earned the level of income ascribed to our paint-brush sweeping counterparts, we would be a rich group of people, if we ever got to the bank to cash our checks. But occasionally, procrastination has its bad side.
In example of this observation, I would like to relate the following incident that is taken straight from the pages of my life. Saturday, last, my spouse and I made a foray the swimming pool. My wife went directly to the cool water and jumped right in. I, on the other hand, found a nice sunning chair under some tree cover and sat down. Once properly seated in comfort, I began contemplating as to going swimming myself. Now, as you may know, tree cover in West Texas is extremely rare, but at the swimming pool, several trees are placed strategically as to make another rarity in West Texas - shade.
While lost in the contemplation as to the possibility of going swimming (today) I became aware of some bird, a hummingbird, flitting swiftly from branch to branch and chittering in a most agitated manner. As I watched this little bird, I noticed that occasionally it landed on a branch not far from my chair. Then it would flit away again, jetting from limb to limb. I began scanning the tree cover trying to ascertain the cause of the hummingbird's irritation. While searching the trees, I noticed that a branch just over my chair had some sort of half-sphere of mud and twigs adhered to it. Protruding from the top of the half mud-ball were three thorns. As I watched, the thorns suddenly opened in beak like fashion, and I realized that there were feathers attached to the thorns. Then it hit me. I was seated directly under a hummingbird nest, and the nest was occupied by three little hummimgbird children. In fact I was the cause of the mother (let's be fair - it could have been a father) hummingbird's agitation. I pointed out this little wonder of nature to my spouse, then quietly retreated to a farther part of the pool. The little hummingbird was able to go about it's business, which I believe was to feed the three hummingbird children.
As I pondered this true wonder of nature (I had never seen an occupied hummingbird nest in the wild) I commented to my spouse that I should take a picture of the wonders to which we had been treated. She said, "You better do it quick!. Those little birds look like they are about ready to leave the nest." I said, "I will do it tomorrow. I don't want to walk all the way back to the apartment to get the camera." Well, tomorrow came and went, then two days passed, and life continued "business as usual." But yesterday I raced back to the swimming pool with my trusty camera. To my horror, there was no hummingbird flitting around, and there were no little feathered thorns peeping over the sides of the little nest. Just quietness and an abandoned bird nest.
As I lamented the lost opportunity to get what could have been the photo of a lifetime, my wife's words came back to me. "You better do it quick!" The procrastinator's anti-motto. But I had to admit, if I had taken the picture that day, I would not be sitting here now wishing I had done so. Were the little birds sent away from the nest the same day I saw them? Were they there the next day? In any case, I missed out on what, once again, would have been the picture of a lifetime. And as much as I like Procrastination, it must be taken in moderation. Otherwise, Procrastination can have its bad points.
In example of this observation, I would like to relate the following incident that is taken straight from the pages of my life. Saturday, last, my spouse and I made a foray the swimming pool. My wife went directly to the cool water and jumped right in. I, on the other hand, found a nice sunning chair under some tree cover and sat down. Once properly seated in comfort, I began contemplating as to going swimming myself. Now, as you may know, tree cover in West Texas is extremely rare, but at the swimming pool, several trees are placed strategically as to make another rarity in West Texas - shade.
While lost in the contemplation as to the possibility of going swimming (today) I became aware of some bird, a hummingbird, flitting swiftly from branch to branch and chittering in a most agitated manner. As I watched this little bird, I noticed that occasionally it landed on a branch not far from my chair. Then it would flit away again, jetting from limb to limb. I began scanning the tree cover trying to ascertain the cause of the hummingbird's irritation. While searching the trees, I noticed that a branch just over my chair had some sort of half-sphere of mud and twigs adhered to it. Protruding from the top of the half mud-ball were three thorns. As I watched, the thorns suddenly opened in beak like fashion, and I realized that there were feathers attached to the thorns. Then it hit me. I was seated directly under a hummingbird nest, and the nest was occupied by three little hummimgbird children. In fact I was the cause of the mother (let's be fair - it could have been a father) hummingbird's agitation. I pointed out this little wonder of nature to my spouse, then quietly retreated to a farther part of the pool. The little hummingbird was able to go about it's business, which I believe was to feed the three hummingbird children.
As I pondered this true wonder of nature (I had never seen an occupied hummingbird nest in the wild) I commented to my spouse that I should take a picture of the wonders to which we had been treated. She said, "You better do it quick!. Those little birds look like they are about ready to leave the nest." I said, "I will do it tomorrow. I don't want to walk all the way back to the apartment to get the camera." Well, tomorrow came and went, then two days passed, and life continued "business as usual." But yesterday I raced back to the swimming pool with my trusty camera. To my horror, there was no hummingbird flitting around, and there were no little feathered thorns peeping over the sides of the little nest. Just quietness and an abandoned bird nest.
As I lamented the lost opportunity to get what could have been the photo of a lifetime, my wife's words came back to me. "You better do it quick!" The procrastinator's anti-motto. But I had to admit, if I had taken the picture that day, I would not be sitting here now wishing I had done so. Were the little birds sent away from the nest the same day I saw them? Were they there the next day? In any case, I missed out on what, once again, would have been the picture of a lifetime. And as much as I like Procrastination, it must be taken in moderation. Otherwise, Procrastination can have its bad points.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Oh Netherlands...You Are No Longer Selling Pot...At Coffee Shops?!
I noticed on my blog the other day that some of some readers are from the Netherlands. I am honored to have you as readers, and welcome your return any time. Anyway, I decided to scan the news headlines for the Netherlands (the people there are Dutch, right? Why isn't the country called Dutchland or something like that?) and the first thing that popped up was the apparent demise of "Coffee Shops" and the impending "crackdown" on the marijuana sales shops so that only residents of the country could buy marijuana. The news story went on to lament the possible losses to tourism due to this new policy.
Oh, what we Americans are missing! Marijuana at the coffee shops? I am sure some people would linger a lot longer at Starbucks USA if, along with their latte, they could burn some ash (or hash) as well. But, back to the Netherlands...
The Dutch government has found that crime is following the marijuana shops, or I should say, lurking around them. It reminded me of a time in the history of the United States when drugs were legal. Now I would like to point out that in the Netherlands, only the "soft" drugs are legal, meaning marijuana and hashish, I believe. I hope someone from the Netherlands will correct me if I am wrong on that point. The United States allowed opium dens and drug houses to operate openly, with the police inspecting them occasionally. Unfortunately, robberies and assaults, and murders, began occurring near the drug dens at first, then spreading out into the larger community. Eventually, whether the crime rate was exaggerated or not, people began calling for an end to the legal use of drugs. Of course the ILLEGAL use of drugs then took off like the space shuttle. Soon organized crime was making money off the drug trade. The war on drugs in the United States has continued ever since, and now we have THE WAR ON DRUGS.
But again, I got side-tracked. It seems the Dutch are now worried that young people of from the neighboring nations, as well as even from the United States, will no longer want to pilgrimage to Amsterdam or one of the other Dutch cities. Even worse, the young people will not want to "re-tour" the Netherlands when they are older and have MORE money to spend. I am not making this up! These sentiments were reflected by Amsterdam citizens and civic leaders, and the Dutch tourism board. I only wish I had known about the Dutch "coffee shops" when I was a young man...not that I had enough money to go to Europe in those days. Oh! And not that I would have smoked marijuana anyway! So the Dutch coffee shops are about to go the way of full service gas stations in the United States, and fade into oblivion. At least the Dutch themselves will be able to smoke a little legal pot for a little while longer. The rest of us will have to sit and sip our lattes, and inhale the steam.
Oh, what we Americans are missing! Marijuana at the coffee shops? I am sure some people would linger a lot longer at Starbucks USA if, along with their latte, they could burn some ash (or hash) as well. But, back to the Netherlands...
The Dutch government has found that crime is following the marijuana shops, or I should say, lurking around them. It reminded me of a time in the history of the United States when drugs were legal. Now I would like to point out that in the Netherlands, only the "soft" drugs are legal, meaning marijuana and hashish, I believe. I hope someone from the Netherlands will correct me if I am wrong on that point. The United States allowed opium dens and drug houses to operate openly, with the police inspecting them occasionally. Unfortunately, robberies and assaults, and murders, began occurring near the drug dens at first, then spreading out into the larger community. Eventually, whether the crime rate was exaggerated or not, people began calling for an end to the legal use of drugs. Of course the ILLEGAL use of drugs then took off like the space shuttle. Soon organized crime was making money off the drug trade. The war on drugs in the United States has continued ever since, and now we have THE WAR ON DRUGS.
But again, I got side-tracked. It seems the Dutch are now worried that young people of from the neighboring nations, as well as even from the United States, will no longer want to pilgrimage to Amsterdam or one of the other Dutch cities. Even worse, the young people will not want to "re-tour" the Netherlands when they are older and have MORE money to spend. I am not making this up! These sentiments were reflected by Amsterdam citizens and civic leaders, and the Dutch tourism board. I only wish I had known about the Dutch "coffee shops" when I was a young man...not that I had enough money to go to Europe in those days. Oh! And not that I would have smoked marijuana anyway! So the Dutch coffee shops are about to go the way of full service gas stations in the United States, and fade into oblivion. At least the Dutch themselves will be able to smoke a little legal pot for a little while longer. The rest of us will have to sit and sip our lattes, and inhale the steam.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
This Year Social Security Will Pay Out More Than It Takes In
With all the bad economic news comes another piece of bad economic news: Social Security will pay out more than it takes in this year. Not a real big surprise, but bad news just the same. The cause of this inequity, as per Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, is the fact that many Baby Boomers are now retiring, and retirees in general are living longer. If this trend continues, Social Security will be bankrupt and more revenue (HIGHER TAXES) will be needed to keep payments to retirees coming. And the cycle will continue.
So far government response to the issue has been to raise the legal retirement age. People in my age bracket (Born in 1960 or later) can retire with full benefits at age 67. Ah, the golden years. But I wonder how many people will be in shape to "retire" as the retirement age creeps higher and higher. Will we reach the point that Octogenarians are still expected to be on the full-time work force? The point is that now we are paying taxes to the Treasury Department, which then, in effect, hands the dollars from you and me to the person receiving retirement benefits. There is no longer a "principal" sum in the bank gaining interest or being invested.
Now, I believe those who have paid into Social Security should receive that which they paid. But I also believe that Social Security has seen its best years. It was a well-intentioned experiment but it is simply not sustainable. That is the easy part of the problem. But how to exit this program and treat fairly all the people that are still paying in is the second part of the problem, whose solution is not simple at all. Well, the easy way - not the fair way - IS easy, but would not win support with any sector of the population. That solution would be to simply dissolve the Social Security system.
My solution would probably not pass muster either. I do not believe myself that it would be "fair" but it would allow US to dismantle the failed Social Security system, and allow Americans to fund their own retirement, as they should have been doing in the first place. I propose that no one be allowed to enroll in Social Security if they were born after 2005. As the years go by, fewer and fewer people would be in the system, thus less and less funding would be needed. Eventually everyone would be RESPONSIBLE for their own retirement planning.
Now I can hear the screaming and yelling. "The Government" must control Social Security or it will go broke!" Oops, been there, done that. Can't afford the T-shirt. "What about the people who don't plan for retirement?!! What will happen to them?" Good question. What WILL happen to them? I suggest to them they ACT LIKE ADULTS and PLAN FOR RETIREMENT. That may sound harsh, but people are responsible for themselves. Or they should be. I, for one, do not believe it is GOVERNMENT's responsibility to take care of functioning adults. They KNOW they will be unable to work at some point. "What if someone is disabled and can no longer work? The GOVERNMENT MUST care for them!" No again! There are several insurance companies that sell very reasonably priced disability insurance. And with no government agency needed to "administrate" this function, there is another area of savings.
I think I have presented a reasonable fix to the Social Security problem. Eventually people will be responsible for their own retirement under my plan. Isn't that what they were doing BEFORE Social Security came along? By paying no Social Security taxes, people will have more money to actually give to charities, which means local dollars would stay local. Charities would then have more money to meet the needs of those who chose not to plan for their retirement in their working years. I know most people will not like this solution, but there it is. Just more Desert Hot Air.
So far government response to the issue has been to raise the legal retirement age. People in my age bracket (Born in 1960 or later) can retire with full benefits at age 67. Ah, the golden years. But I wonder how many people will be in shape to "retire" as the retirement age creeps higher and higher. Will we reach the point that Octogenarians are still expected to be on the full-time work force? The point is that now we are paying taxes to the Treasury Department, which then, in effect, hands the dollars from you and me to the person receiving retirement benefits. There is no longer a "principal" sum in the bank gaining interest or being invested.
Now, I believe those who have paid into Social Security should receive that which they paid. But I also believe that Social Security has seen its best years. It was a well-intentioned experiment but it is simply not sustainable. That is the easy part of the problem. But how to exit this program and treat fairly all the people that are still paying in is the second part of the problem, whose solution is not simple at all. Well, the easy way - not the fair way - IS easy, but would not win support with any sector of the population. That solution would be to simply dissolve the Social Security system.
My solution would probably not pass muster either. I do not believe myself that it would be "fair" but it would allow US to dismantle the failed Social Security system, and allow Americans to fund their own retirement, as they should have been doing in the first place. I propose that no one be allowed to enroll in Social Security if they were born after 2005. As the years go by, fewer and fewer people would be in the system, thus less and less funding would be needed. Eventually everyone would be RESPONSIBLE for their own retirement planning.
Now I can hear the screaming and yelling. "The Government" must control Social Security or it will go broke!" Oops, been there, done that. Can't afford the T-shirt. "What about the people who don't plan for retirement?!! What will happen to them?" Good question. What WILL happen to them? I suggest to them they ACT LIKE ADULTS and PLAN FOR RETIREMENT. That may sound harsh, but people are responsible for themselves. Or they should be. I, for one, do not believe it is GOVERNMENT's responsibility to take care of functioning adults. They KNOW they will be unable to work at some point. "What if someone is disabled and can no longer work? The GOVERNMENT MUST care for them!" No again! There are several insurance companies that sell very reasonably priced disability insurance. And with no government agency needed to "administrate" this function, there is another area of savings.
I think I have presented a reasonable fix to the Social Security problem. Eventually people will be responsible for their own retirement under my plan. Isn't that what they were doing BEFORE Social Security came along? By paying no Social Security taxes, people will have more money to actually give to charities, which means local dollars would stay local. Charities would then have more money to meet the needs of those who chose not to plan for their retirement in their working years. I know most people will not like this solution, but there it is. Just more Desert Hot Air.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Another Mexican Municipal Police Force Resigns
That's right...the entire (surviving) police department resigned last week in the Mexican city of Ascension, just south and west of Cuidad Juarez, which is just across the Rio Bravo from El Paso, Texas, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. This action, not the first of its kind, occurred just days after an attack on three police officers by two or more carloads of armed criminals belonging to one or other of the drug cartels that are active in the area. The three police officers were shot numerous times and were killed. Deadly ambush attacks against the Ascension police are not new. In fact, the police chief and two officers were kidnapped at gunpoint in mid-May. The Chief, Manuel Martinez, had been brought into Ascension only seven months before due to the widespread belief that many of the municipal officers were corrupt and were working for one or other of the drug cartels. Chief Martinez apparently found good reason to believe that some of his officers were corrupt. He fired most of the officers and brought in new officers. He rebuilt the police department and earned some degree of faith from the local population. Of course, death threats to the Chief and to the honest members of his police force were common, and were frequently carried out. Chief Martinez and two his officers were found dead in the back seat of a stolen automobile. All three officers were riddled with bullets.
It may be easy to sit in your safe home and criticize, at least silently, these officers for resigning their commissions, and for abandoning their fellow citizens. But the truth is that the drug cartels could approach the officers or their families at any time, could make threatening phone calls or follow the officers' loved ones at any time, and, obviously, could attack and kill police officers at will. How much more the officers' unarmed loved ones? Police officers, being human, have the same basic feelings of love for their families, and fear for their loved ones' safety when threatened, as you or I have. The bravery and pride that these officers had in working in an understaffed, outgunned local police agency was admirable. To me, their decision to leave the municipal department, which could expect little or no help from outside agencies, was very understandable, as well. How many officers here in the United States would keep working for their various agencies if it meant that their children, their spouses, and even their own lives were at stake, and policemen were being killed daily by large groups of armed criminals (this in addition to the daily life and death situations police officers face)? Couple this situation with the fact that officers in Ascension literally could not trust each other, and you have what many people would call an "untenable situation."
We should pay little heed to US Government statements and statistics showing that the "War On Drugs" in Mexico is going in the Mexican Government's favor, and that Government forces are finally gaining the upper hand and stabilizing the nation. The situation in Ascension speaks much louder than figures on pieces of paper. Statistics aside, the War On Drugs in Mexico is not going in that Government's favor. We need only consult with another set of statistics, that being the number of slain police officers and political leaders in Mexico. Another set of statistics is probably not being fully published, that being the number of innocent civilians killed and the legitimate businesses disrupted by the power and violence of the drug cartels. For those still living in Ascension, the outlook is bleak. Ascension sits astride one of the most violently contested drug (and other stuff - including sex slaves and illegal aliens) smuggling routes in Mexico. No doubt the violence will go on for some time. Government forces have now moved into the area to replace the local police; however, there is little consolation in this action. After a few days or weeks, the federal forces will leave, and the city, devoid of local police, will immediately fall back into the hands of whichever cartel gets there (or comes out of hiding) first. My prayers go out to the people of Ascension and to all the other people caught up in the nightmare that is the Mexican "War On Drugs."
It may be easy to sit in your safe home and criticize, at least silently, these officers for resigning their commissions, and for abandoning their fellow citizens. But the truth is that the drug cartels could approach the officers or their families at any time, could make threatening phone calls or follow the officers' loved ones at any time, and, obviously, could attack and kill police officers at will. How much more the officers' unarmed loved ones? Police officers, being human, have the same basic feelings of love for their families, and fear for their loved ones' safety when threatened, as you or I have. The bravery and pride that these officers had in working in an understaffed, outgunned local police agency was admirable. To me, their decision to leave the municipal department, which could expect little or no help from outside agencies, was very understandable, as well. How many officers here in the United States would keep working for their various agencies if it meant that their children, their spouses, and even their own lives were at stake, and policemen were being killed daily by large groups of armed criminals (this in addition to the daily life and death situations police officers face)? Couple this situation with the fact that officers in Ascension literally could not trust each other, and you have what many people would call an "untenable situation."
We should pay little heed to US Government statements and statistics showing that the "War On Drugs" in Mexico is going in the Mexican Government's favor, and that Government forces are finally gaining the upper hand and stabilizing the nation. The situation in Ascension speaks much louder than figures on pieces of paper. Statistics aside, the War On Drugs in Mexico is not going in that Government's favor. We need only consult with another set of statistics, that being the number of slain police officers and political leaders in Mexico. Another set of statistics is probably not being fully published, that being the number of innocent civilians killed and the legitimate businesses disrupted by the power and violence of the drug cartels. For those still living in Ascension, the outlook is bleak. Ascension sits astride one of the most violently contested drug (and other stuff - including sex slaves and illegal aliens) smuggling routes in Mexico. No doubt the violence will go on for some time. Government forces have now moved into the area to replace the local police; however, there is little consolation in this action. After a few days or weeks, the federal forces will leave, and the city, devoid of local police, will immediately fall back into the hands of whichever cartel gets there (or comes out of hiding) first. My prayers go out to the people of Ascension and to all the other people caught up in the nightmare that is the Mexican "War On Drugs."
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Why Desert Hot Air? Because It Is HOT Here!
Someone wanted to know why I call my blog Desert Hot Air. Of course the obvious answer is that I fill my blog with hot air from my brain. But also I live in (for all practical purposes) the Desert. If we are to be technical, my friends, this area is actually only SEMI-ARID, NOT ARID. The difference is that here (Midland area) we receive between 8 and 16 inches of rain each year, whereas a true desert receives less than eight inches in the same time period. Big difference I suppose...I guess if you lived in the TRUE desert and accidentally stumbled on the SEMI-desert you would suddenly be in paradise. This year the draught is the great equalizer, for the same traveler who escaped from the desert into the Permian Basin, where I live, would have 200% percent of zero rainfall instead of only 100 % of no rain. I am sure this would be most welcome news to the weary traveler.
One of the things I love about the (semi) desert is that in the summer, once the daily temperature average soars to over 90, then nature treats the human eye with a very fascinating display of power, in the form of huge whirlwinds, or dust devils, if you will. Now, growing up in Central Texas I witnessed many dust devils as a child. One day, I had the big brain storm that I would be mounted on my bike at the ready, and I would ride into one the dust devils if it should dare to come close to me. I am sure I was not yet in second grade, because I still lived in the old farm house. Anyway, my efforts were soon rewarded as a nice-sized dust devil, about as big as a seven year-old boy, formed right in front of me. I immediately dashed off in hot pursuit as the dust devil raced away from down the road. Believe it or not, I actually caught up with, and entered, the dust devil. It was great, for about two seconds. Then my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears filled with dirt and leaves and what all. Next thing I know I crashed into some kind of flowering bush. The pain of the scraped knee detracted only a little from the choking, coughing, and spitting fit in which I was engaged at the moment of the crash. I was actually not injured badly. And it was fun, for all that. I repeated the quest, sans the crashing, a couple of more times before I...ahem...outgrew the sport.
The dust devils in Central Texas are generally small. Not so in the (SEMI) deserts west of Abilene. Nature uses the wind and the dust in creating some truly spectacular dust devils that have to be seen to be believed. Many of these dust devils are fifty to a hundred feet in diameter. They can literally swallow a big rig. But the truly enchanting thing about them is that they seem to last for many minutes at the time, and the tops of these whirling dervishes reach up to the half-mile level in the sky. I sit at my lonely outpost and observe these mighty wonders, sometimes being able to see a dust devil several miles away. Like I said, the duration of these little beasts is amazing. Sometimes they move along at break neck speed; other times they remain in the same locale for several minutes. I have seen several of them linger for nearly half an hour before dissipating.
So the desert hot air creates these beautiful and amazing sights, inspiring wonder in children, even old kids like me. And the hot air from my brain also twists and whirls, creating (I hope) the whirling dervish that may entertain you or inform you. Maybe it will even make you angry, or make you angry at me. Sometimes I am just a blow-hard, sometimes, I hope, I am entertaining and informative. And, sometimes I hope I do make you angry, or even make you angry at me. But maybe I bring something to your attention that you might have otherwise missed, or maybe I just make you think, or even just give you a moment of laughter. It is the desert hot air, both from me, and from my beloved Desert, that inspires and creates, and lets me write for you. I appreciate my readers very much. Thank you all!
One of the things I love about the (semi) desert is that in the summer, once the daily temperature average soars to over 90, then nature treats the human eye with a very fascinating display of power, in the form of huge whirlwinds, or dust devils, if you will. Now, growing up in Central Texas I witnessed many dust devils as a child. One day, I had the big brain storm that I would be mounted on my bike at the ready, and I would ride into one the dust devils if it should dare to come close to me. I am sure I was not yet in second grade, because I still lived in the old farm house. Anyway, my efforts were soon rewarded as a nice-sized dust devil, about as big as a seven year-old boy, formed right in front of me. I immediately dashed off in hot pursuit as the dust devil raced away from down the road. Believe it or not, I actually caught up with, and entered, the dust devil. It was great, for about two seconds. Then my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears filled with dirt and leaves and what all. Next thing I know I crashed into some kind of flowering bush. The pain of the scraped knee detracted only a little from the choking, coughing, and spitting fit in which I was engaged at the moment of the crash. I was actually not injured badly. And it was fun, for all that. I repeated the quest, sans the crashing, a couple of more times before I...ahem...outgrew the sport.
The dust devils in Central Texas are generally small. Not so in the (SEMI) deserts west of Abilene. Nature uses the wind and the dust in creating some truly spectacular dust devils that have to be seen to be believed. Many of these dust devils are fifty to a hundred feet in diameter. They can literally swallow a big rig. But the truly enchanting thing about them is that they seem to last for many minutes at the time, and the tops of these whirling dervishes reach up to the half-mile level in the sky. I sit at my lonely outpost and observe these mighty wonders, sometimes being able to see a dust devil several miles away. Like I said, the duration of these little beasts is amazing. Sometimes they move along at break neck speed; other times they remain in the same locale for several minutes. I have seen several of them linger for nearly half an hour before dissipating.
So the desert hot air creates these beautiful and amazing sights, inspiring wonder in children, even old kids like me. And the hot air from my brain also twists and whirls, creating (I hope) the whirling dervish that may entertain you or inform you. Maybe it will even make you angry, or make you angry at me. Sometimes I am just a blow-hard, sometimes, I hope, I am entertaining and informative. And, sometimes I hope I do make you angry, or even make you angry at me. But maybe I bring something to your attention that you might have otherwise missed, or maybe I just make you think, or even just give you a moment of laughter. It is the desert hot air, both from me, and from my beloved Desert, that inspires and creates, and lets me write for you. I appreciate my readers very much. Thank you all!
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