So Bush goes hat in hand to the Saudi's asking them to bump up production. As the good capitalists that they are, they say no. They are meeting demand, so unless someone orders more product, they have no reason to increase production. A very valid point.
But what Bush should have said to them is to fear the consequences of $125/bbl oil.
"We will continue to use ethanol, raising the price of grains for the entire world (including your Arab brethren). We will continue to explore and develop oil resources in North America. We will spend billions for: solar, wind, and what scares you most, the fuel efficient cars. We have massive coal and nuclear resources, and will move forward with our plans for a fleet of hydrogen and electric vehicles to replace the gasoline cars. You will become irrelevant."
If the US were able to get away from the "oil is king" mentality, then OPEC is in for a bad time.
Headlines like this one are proof of why most journalists are stuck at the city-level covering flower and dog shows. Or they get a beeline to CNN for their "courageous reporting".
Taylor Mali reminds me of some of the teachers that I had. If I had some in the high school I transferred in to, I'm confident that I would not have quit school.
Quite often we hear that being an American is not a racial thing. Americans are of so many races and countries that we are bound together by other things. We are bound by our religions, by our desire to be free, by the high quality of life and mostly by the flag.
I disagree. I think that there is such a thing as an American race. To keep it simple, let's call it the Broom Theory. Imagine I was walking through a lab and knocked every vial off the counter. Then I got the broom and swept it all into a dustpan. Hence the broom in Broom Theory.
I'm not being mean, I love my country. But once you come to these shores, typically the gene pool opens up a lot. I am Cherokee, English, Scottish, Irish, German, Dutch, Jewish and French. Grandma's grandparents from Jews from France, smart enough to get out in time; her other ones were a European of unknown descent married to a Cherokee.
So I consider myself to not be "Caucasian", but American. Besides, unless you are Japanese or Korean, your gene pool is so mixed that you cannot claim to be pure anything. Brits, whom used to be Britons, were mixed with Anglo-Saxons, plus some viking rape fests, and a lot of Frenchies. Scots were screwed up since the Brits moved up there. French, German and other continental races had been mingling for hundreds and thousands of years.
The racial thing is old news. It is now the country of origin.
And I think that what really sets the US apart is that we do mix up the gene pool. We do end up with some failures, but we gain an advantage. Recently I read that the Tasmanian Devil is at risk due to such a small gene pool. We do not have this problem, as anyone from any race (except queers) can come here and marry anyone else. It's great to live in the only remaining open society.
The recent quake represents a great opportunity to determine the true capabilities of the Chicom's military and governmental abilities.
Before I go on, this cannot in any way be compared to Katrina. Katrina was a natural disaster as well, and the military was heavily involved. However, our system in the US means is a bottom-up, instead of a top-down. Local leaders must petition the Feds for help in the US, and they failed to do so in Louisiana. China has the ability to mandate military intervention, regardless of what the locals think.
A VOA article, titled "US, China Cooperate on Disease Prevention in Quake Zone" led to a thought. We can gain key intelligence, as well as operational experience from this tragedy.
First, it gives our scientists real-world experience to compare to their computer models of disease spreading during catastrophic events. This sort of event does not come around very often. Data collected will be analyzed for years to come, improving our disaster responses for generations.
More importantly, we are going to know the military capabilities of the Chicoms. We will know how long it takes to make decisions. We will know why they are made (international embarrasement, local revolt, actually caring about its citizens). And we will know key facts in relation to Taiwan: what they can bring to bear, how long it takes to get it there and what it looks like while assembling.
The looney left likes to remind us that we are all immigrants here in the US. They like to remind us that the Mexicans owned much of the US before we "stole" it from them. And, of course, they like to remind us that the Indians were here first. So in their eyes, we (whites) are immigrants.
Well, I say that is just flat out BS. If you want to use the analogy that the Mexicans beat us here, fine. But you have to realize that the Indians beat them here, so they should get out. Oh, and the wolly mammoth beat the Indians, so they need to get out too.
I am not an immigrant. I was born in the US, so I am a Native American. And this is the way I fill out anything asking my race or ethnicity. It most closely aligns with my feelings. And that is what it's all about; feelings that is. Right?
As insurance, I was sure to be born 1/32 Cherokee. I figure that if only a little black makes you black (Obama), then I am certainly an Indian when I want to be.
Hey hippie, wake up. A long time ago, when the Earth was a lot warmer (yikes, it was warmer than today?), folks could walk from Siberia to Alaska. These folks are as much immigrants as I am.
They're just looking for any reason to bitch when we try to implement immigration policies; regardless of how shallow their arguments are.
He knows that the die-hard conservatives and republicans will not stay home come November. He knows that we view him as the least worst.
So what he is doing now is courting everyone but us. He is trying to be the nice guy to get the "independents".
And he is also trying to win the democrats that either hate Hillary or hate Obama, pending the outcome of that race.
And he is also trying to get the military, assuming that they are not smart enough to look beyond his service record (noble that it is).
I think that he is not ignoring us, and it will show by him throwing us a bone every now and then.
Was he my preferred candidate? No, he did not even make my list. It was Thompson, Paul, and probably nobody else. Thompson could have won, and I attribute part of that to National Review. They like him, but thought the slick-haired guy was more electable. Good call team...
I lived in Brazil for several years, and I can attest to the fact that this is a bogus and short-sighted study.
Typical in the US we see trucks with exhausts pointing towards the heavens. In Brazil they direct them towards anyone walking down the road, at a bus stop, or anywhere they expect a pedestrian to be. Breath that you pedestrian scum!
Small residence size? This was always my biggest beef in Brazil is that everyone wants to live on top of each other. A nation with half of the population of the US, and equal in size to the lower 48, and everyone is crowded into 20 or so cities. There is no space anywhere in the cities. No suburbs at all: it's either urban or rural. Planners try to fit as many units into buildings as possible, so they are small. Everyone wants to live in the city, so it is expensive.
Transportation is mostly public. I rode the subway and buses for several years. You have no choice. It is either run the risk of being jacked in the evenings, or stuck in traffic for 2 hours, or go public. Security sucks (can't own a gun), so I didn't buy a car. Roads suck, they have no decent infrastructure to support rush-hours. And when it rains, all of the major roads are under water.
Electric usage? Funny, before I left they had to ration electricity. See, Brazil relies on hyrdo so much that they cannot support droughts. And when it does not rain enough, the government forces everyone to use less energy. They fine you the first time you use too much, and shut it off the second time.
And finally, they do "think" that they are greener. Just because they live in the tropics, and do not know what winter is. Ever live in a concrete building when it is 45 degrees F outside? It's pretty darn cold. Everyone has space heaters.
Central heat/air does not exist. It is too expensive. Hot water? Only for the rich, otherwise you get an electric heater that screws onto your shower pipe. Dishwashers, clothes washer/dryer? Not a chance, that's why you can get a maid for about 80 bucks a month.
Compact cars? You have little choice. Parking spaces for cars only fit the smallest of cars.
And on and on. These studies are nothing but bull. We'd drive down the highway and see fields on fire (it's cheaper to burn it down than plow it under). And what of the Amazon? Isn't it Brazilians tearing that down to plant more "green" sugar cane? Yup.
Russia does not share in the great traditions of the West. She has seen a transition from one political party to another, peacefully, due to the vote of the people. Russia is today, as it was during the Cold War, run by a bunch of thugs that will do anything to stay in power. Sure, they killed the Czar, just so that they could live like kings themselves.
Is Russia an anomaly? We often hear of her position spanning East and West, but we have seen liberal democracies in the East, just as we do in the West.
I think that it boils down to whom was running things during the great cultural revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. It was not until 1861 that Russia abolished serfdom, about the same time that the US went balls-to-the-wall against slavery (Civil War). What's the difference? Well, heck, Russia was majority serfs, while the US was majority free men. The road for minorities has not been a perfect one, often living in pseudo-slavery for many periods, but aside from the victimhood that some show today, they are doing well.
The same cannot be said of Russia's peasants, reliant on the state to keep them alive. The Russian people, with the exception of the early-mid 1990's, have never seen true freedom. They are still fed propaganda about how the West is out to get them (thanks to France and Germany for creating that one), and have nobody arguing the other side of the case.
There is a great fear to go against the state in Russia. In a country where the gangsters have been running things for 90 years, it is commonplace to eliminate anyone complaining. It is much easier to kill someone than to organize a debate to share ideas. Russia has constantly decimated its highly-skilled and highly-educated groups. I can only imagine that by becoming more educated, it leads men to yearn for freedom. And desire of freedom is not something that the gangster state will put up with.
Of course, freedom is a relative term. Absolute freedom probably equals anarchy. Some sort of law and government is required to keep the society in good health. The West is fortunate in that we have God's laws as a building block. Russia also had this, until relentless persecution of its church during Soviet days.
Russia is also a late bloomer. Many states had already defined their approximate boundaries by the 1600's, while Russia did not complete (so to speak) their European expansion until Catherine II reign (-1796). Russia had room to grow to the East, outside of organized European armies standing in their way. But European expansion was blocked by Poland, Prussia and Finland; at least until they were defeated and Russia took advantage of the situation.
But Germany was also a late bloomer. Since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Germany was a hodge podge of many smaller states. In the 1800's, they joined in federation, creating a Greater Germany. This new nation status led to rapid expansion, resulting in the wars of the late 1800's and the horror of the first half of the 20th century.
What's the difference? Is it tradition (remember Martin Luther was a German), proximity to free neighbors (France), religion (Protestant/Catholic vs. Orthodox), or isolation? .
I think that it would be the isolation of the country. Being at the periphery of civilization, the peoples of Russia had little contact with the ideals of the scientific and other revolutions occurring in Europe. This left them with nothing more than: that's how it was yesterday, that's how it is today, and that's how it will always be.
It seems that they captured someone that had a "similar sounding name". Either they did not capture him, or they did and are keeping it low key until the waterboarding is complete.
It's a sorry state of affairs when classified information reaches the media as quickly as it reaches the President of the US. Not much intel value in running a propaganda war as we often fight it.
Believe it or not, but we've been winning in Iraq for a while now. Here's some more great news from CNN.
Apparently the leader of Al Queda in Iraq has been captured. And the kicker is: it was done by Iraqis.
They promptly handed him over to the US forces, and for good reason. They know that their ranks are infiltrated by bad guys; but they know that ours are not.
The first of 2 great paragraphs (congrats to CNN for being not negative):
Al-Askari said al-Masri was captured in a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation in Mosul, although Kashmoula said no U.S. forces were involved.
And:
Iraqi media reported the news as breaking and had several officials on air to talk about the capture.
If Iraqi media is reporting this to its viewership, then it is great news. The people watching TV and reading the papers will see this as the headline story. Hopefully it will give them some hope as to their future.
I know that they have little hope; all they want, like any other people, is to live their life. They want to work, come home to their families, save money for vacations and retirement, and live a peaceful life. This is great news to those folks, as well as to ours. I know a good many of our forces want just the same things, but they are in the wrong country at the moment to enjoy their lives.
In a previous post I mentioned that video games are a ripoff at $59.99 when new. The prices are artificially inflated by market manipulation, therefore creating artificial demand that could have been satisfied by adequate supply.
The Wii comes to mind; when released they produced way too few consoles. This allowed some retailers to sell it for a higher price than they had negotiated with Nintendo (though they got their wrists slapped for that).
The same goes for Grant Theft Auto 4. I was out last night, and we stopped in 3 different "electronics" stores: Wal-Mart, Circuit City and Best Buy. The 45040 zip code is fairly affluent, one of the higher-income ones in the area. Guess what: none of them had it. Best Buy admitted that they were given 100 units.
I do not blame the retailers. They want the units so that they can sell them. I blame the distributors. It is a global conspiracy to prop prices up.
I would be that with sales the way they are, that they will raise the new game price to at least $64.99, and possibly $69.99, by the end of this year.
Just reading a great article on rising food prices over on Planet Gore.
I can handle rising rice prices. So what if taco shells cost a little more. I can cut back on the bread. Cereals are not such a significant part of my diet.
I start to get mad when I realize that meat prices will also go up, as they do in fact eat cereals.
And I get really made when I realize that sour mash prices are doomed to follow. Talk about Whiskey Rebellion; they ain't seen nothin yet.
Al Qaeda group claims embassy attack CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- An al Qaeda-affliated group has claimed responsibility for firing two mortars at the Italian Embassy in Yemen's capital of San'a. The mortars landed in the courtyard outside Yemen's Customs Authority Wednesday, about 460 meters (1,500 feet) away from the Italian Embassy, without causing damage or injuries.
Yemen's Soldiers Brigades, which defines itself as a branch of al Qaeda, posted an announcement late Saturday on a militant Web site saying the Italian Embassy was the target of the attack. The group said its aim was to expel the "infidels" from the Arabian peninsula.
I looked up the latest US mortar, the M252, and its maximum range is 5675 meters, about 18,700 feet, or just over 3.5 miles.
So these goobers shot mortar rounds at the Italian embassy, missing by over a quarter mile? Wow, they suck. I'm glad that they're not on our side.
Had this been an evil American shooting at you, you would have been dead with the first shot.
What is especially funny about this article is that they were "firing two mortars" and the "mortars landed in the courtyard". How did they propel a nearly 100-lb object so far into the air?
No wonder the AP hardly ever includes the writer's name on the articles. Non-military (dare I say anti-military?) folks writing semi-military articles makes you look stupid AP, yet again.
Like it really matters. If Guam wants to vote for president, then they should opt to become a state. Otherwise, why waste our time on running primaries there?
Anyhow, this pretty much explains the thought process of Obamaniacs:
"I want change. He might change some things, like health insurance. It's expensive," said Ricky Castillo, 69, who voted for Obama.
Sr. Castillo, what sort of change are you asking for, exactly? A dirty Chicago black (when it's beneficial) / white (when it's beneficial) scumbag taking over the country? Guess what dummy, he's going to change things allright. He's going to stick his head first under the sand, then when they find him, he's going to shove it so far up his behind that it'll pop out on your scrub of an island. He's a coward and an idiot. And Ricky, so are you.
After reading the intro to this, I come away feeling like there is little hope for us:
May 2 (Bloomberg) -- Futures traders are betting for the first time since December 2005 that the dollar will gain against the euro. The difference in the number of wagers by hedge funds and other large speculators on a decline in the euro compared with those on a gain, known as net shorts, was 21,315 on April 29, compared with net longs of 18,907 a week earlier, figures from the Washington-based Commodity Futures Trading Commission show.
I simply do not understand how folks can sleep well at night betting money that the US dollar will tank. I realize that this is supposed to be an upbeat story on the dollar, but it is shameful.
These people wake up in American homes, eating American food, driving on American roads, living American lives while their kids are in American schools. Are they that stupid to not realize that betting against the dollar hurts them? Sure, they can make a quick buck today, but if it drives up the price of everything imported, then they need to earn even more to stay afloat.
I have no love for Wall Street types. They add very little real productivity to the world. They make their money only when someone else loses money. They are running a pyramid scheme. It can only grow if more people invest in it.
Previously I had spoken harshly about the Tories. I stand by my statements, the Conservatives in the UK are about as conservative as the mainstream Democrat party in the US.
However, they are the farthest to the right of any main party in the UK. From Telegraph, Boris Johnson will be the new mayor.
I guess this is a step in the right direction. I do like his honesty, one redeeming quality I like about Bush:
Having approved for publication a Spectator piece that described Liverpool as a city "wallowing in victim status" after the murder of the British hostage Ken Bigley in Iraq, he dismissed Portsmouth as a city "full of drugs and obesity" and characterised the people of Papua New Guinea as "cannibals and chief-killers".
According to Business Week: "Passenger-car sales climbed 4.5% in April, but sales of light trucks fell 7.2%, the worst drop since 1999". This is good for a number of reasons, and at least two affect me personally.
As long as Big Auto is run by the unions (that love democrats, that love green stuff that hurts auto manufacturers), the auto companies will never get ahead. By running lots of losses, they have lots of leverage with the unions. "Hey buddy, it's either this or we shut down your plant!" I like it.
And the other reason I like it is that truck prices will stay low. Mine's still kinda new, so I don't need one right away. But in the next 3-5 years I may trade it in.
Ok, so Obama finally said 'enough is enough' to the Rev. Wright. It was not because he said that the white man invented AIDS to kill the black man. It was not because he said that the white man invented crack to kill the black man. It was not because he said that we deserved 9/11.
No, none of the above. It was because Wright is ruining his chances of becoming the Democrat nominee. Wright is turning the heads of us normal people in a way that Obama's obmamania cannot counter.
For this, Obama says "goodbye friend, but as soon as I am president, I'll be back in touch".
Dude, we ain't buyin it. You are a phony. You have done nothing in your life but live off of the government. You will never amount to anything. And if you are somehow elected, you are not going to change a thing. Life will move on. Nobody but you, Wright and the other nutjobs in the "black community" will see racial tensions.
Obama/Wright, I hate people like you. Someone that sees the color of someone's skin before anything else is a worthless piece of crap to me. Shouldn't you be judging us by the content of our character, and not by the color of our skin? You slimy SOB's.
Yes, Obama is a racist, as is Wright. And no, I do not plan to waste anymore bandwidth on them.
I have a beef with "country" performers. They are nothing but pop performers handed country songs written by someone else. They go to language classes to learn the twang. They write none of their own songs, nor their music, and know nothing about playing instruments. Flat out, they know nothing of our lifestyle. Not to mention the fact that she reminds me of Britney Spears.
Just give me some Hank Jr. and I'll be fine.
The first time I heard Country Boy was when I was 14, hanging out in a redneck bar in Ohio. I was into metal at the time, but I still loved it. Hank Jr. is a part of the reason that I moved from rock to true country music.
Shortly after Bush was re-elected (thanks to me, an Ohioan), he tried to get Social Security reform moving. Well, the usual cast of clowns (AARP included) stopped that.
The goal was to move away from it. Keep enough in it to fund current obligations, and let folks independently invest to secure their own retirements.
Here we are, nearly 4 years later, and nothing has happened. This is an important matter, one that will affect the bottom-line GDP of our nation. Just as companies like Delta have hit hard times on account of pensions and medical insurance for retirees, it will come home to the nation as a whole.
We need to reform it ASAP. Either admit that it is broke and fix it, or admit that it is broke and tell us to bend over and take it. Just quit lying about it and do something.
The depression ended generations ago, perhaps Social Security should have gone away as well? As the saying goes: once a government agency comes into being, it never goes away.
My take on Grand Theft Auto IV (GTAIV): I'm sure it would be fun to play. I played the first or second one, and had an absolute blast. I'm horrible at video games, but I found that when things were going bad, I could just jack a car and go on a rampage.
Since it is spring, I couldn't justify spending $59.99 on a video game. I have too much exercise (work) to do in the yard. But some time in the fall, or around Christmas, I will treat myself to this game.
That's right, $59.99. And guess what, every other game that comes out is $59.99. And you want to complain about Big Oil? What about Big Video Games? They are taking us to the cleaners because they know that video games are a want, not a need. We complain when the cost of needs goes up; but when the cost of wants goes up, we buy less needs to get our wants.
I think that I found the secret, though. I work in IT, so I'm fairly up to speed on the new gadgets. What I have managed to do over the past 5 years is wean myself from the latest and greatest. I am perpetually 2-3 years behind the trends. This means that I can buy things as they have already peaked in demand, so I get them cheaper. Plus I get to read 2 years worth of reviews about the product or game.
Nothing like being a good fiscal conservative!
And, no, I have no comment on the "violence" in the game. It's a video game people, get over it. I grew up idolizing Rambo, John Wayne and Charles Bronson. GTAIV is nothing near that.
What a depressing situation for conservatives, assuming that there are any left in the mother country. Appartently, the Right (left) Honorable (honor amongst thieves) Boris Johnson wants to:
"... set up a 'mayor's fund' for London which will be a streamlined vehicle by which people who do so well out of London can contribute to the voluntary groups."
Am I the only one that sees the irony in this? I thought that voluntary was just that. If you want to contribute, then do so. And when we have no choice but to contribute, we call that government. Is this a masked attempt to turn all of the NGOs in the UK into government offices?
And don't forget:
"In London there are loads of people who are making stonking quantities of dosh and they are I think well able to make a much more generous contribution to the wider community ..."
Someone remind the good Sir that folks that are better off in the UK get raped by the government. If they could keep a fraction of their income, then they would be more inclined to share with others.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out hippies. They say that we need to stop burning fossil fuels. We (normal people) say fine, we'll use nuclear. It emits zero pollution and is perfectly safe.
Wow that really gets their heads spinning. They shut down like a baby who will not share his toys. No!No!No!. It's my toy and I want it! [more]
While I ponder my previous post about McCain, a thought came to mind. It is more of a response to a common argument by the tree huggers (snow huggers?).
The common line is "it will only cover 1%-3% of our consumption, it's just not worth it". Well, that's just wrong. That's like me saying "I only support 0.00001% of our GDP, so it's pointless to go to work tomorrow". The hippies are so into collectivisation that they should know it is not about the individual, but the whole.
It is about 3% in ANWAR, 2% off of Florida's west coast, 4% off of California, and BLAMO!!! we are energy independent, except for Canada and Mexico. And if they ever offer us grief, we'll just invade the oil fields and settle that one.
I was just reading about how our good Senator from Arizona wants to help out the little people by putting the 18.4 cents/gallon federal gas tax on hold.
Well that's just political buggery. If McCain wanted to do something about gas prices, he should have voted for drilling in ANWAR. Instead he consistently opposes this, and other common sense solutions to real problems. [more]
SSgt Matt Maupin, a Cincinnat native was put to rest yesterday. Matt has been MIA for the past 4 years. He was captured on April 9, 2004. His fate was unknown, and his family has been grieving since then.
Maupins convoy came under fire, described as a 5-mile long ambush. When the convoy finally reached safe ground, 10 soldiers and contractors were unaccounted for. A subsequent search recovered everyone, except for Maupin and a contractor, Thomas Hamill. [more]
The liberals still claim that Bush did not win in 2000, and some BS about irregularities in Ohio in 2004. (Don't tell them that their own were the irregulars.) With the Papal visit, a thought came to mind: the Pope is not at all elected by those whom he governs. [more]
When I meet new people, and the topic of politics comes up, I tell them that I am a conservative, not a republican. For those that know the difference, they understand why. For those that do not know the difference, I'm not going to explain it.
So I get this email from the Ohio republican party.
Dear Ohio Republican Party Supporter,
Ronald Reagan once said 'Republicans believe every day is the Fourth Of July, but Democrats believe every day is April 15.' Truer words were never spoken.
Today, Democrats haven’t changed one bit.
As you file your taxes, think about how much more you would be paying to the government if the Democrats get their way.
· Democrats’ $3 Trillion Tax Hike
· Clinton and Obama: High-Tax Tandem
Join us and let's work together to ensure these Democrat plans do not become reality.
Sincerely,
Kevin DeWine
Deputy Chairman
Now, they are pretty sure of themselves, so I wrote back: [more]
In case many of you are not up to speed, here is the brainchild of Absolut's Mexican branch. It is a poorly drawn map showing the Southwest US as belonging to Mexico.
This is stupid on so many levels. First off, what is the market share of the US versus Mexico? I can only assume that the US is at least 10 times as profitable as Mexico. Don't they think about these things?
A little introduction of myself is in order. I’m a Conservative in Ohio, aka The Heartland of America. I’m a God-fearing, gun-toting, beer-drinking, hard-working, baseball-on-the-radio fan.
I was born in Texas, but did not spend enough time to fall in love with it. I have since fallen in love with it thanks to many late nights of watching Westerns. Ohio is a nice, quiet place (except for the occasional riot and not-so-occasional shooting). Cincinnati is a strange town, known as the first true American city. [more]
The same cannot be said of Russia's peasants, reliant on the state to keep them alive. The Russian people, with the exception of the early-mid 1990's, have never seen true freedom. They are still fed propaganda about how the West is out to get them (thanks to France and Germany for creating that one), and have nobody arguing the other side of the case.
Anyhow, 
I simply do not understand how folks can sleep well at night betting money that the US dollar will tank. I realize that this is supposed to be an upbeat story on the dollar, but it is shameful.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out hippies. They say that we need to stop burning fossil fuels. We (normal people) say fine, we'll use nuclear. It emits zero pollution and is perfectly safe.
SSgt Matt Maupin, a Cincinnat native was put to rest yesterday. Matt has been MIA for the past 4 years. He was captured on April 9, 2004. His fate was unknown, and his family has been grieving since then.