The "Other" Agenda

I asked the rhetorical question in my last post whether the folks in DC had another agenda. It's not fair to leave you hanging, so let's have Michael Grunwald from Time answer the question:
"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — President Obama's $787 billion stimulus — has been marketed as a jobs bill, and that's how it's been judged... But the battle over the Recovery Act's short-term rescue has obscured its more enduring mission: a long-term push to change the country. It was about jobs, sure, but also about fighting oil addiction and global warming, transforming health care and education, and building a competitive 21st century economy. Some Republicans have called it an under-the-radar scramble to advance Obama's agenda — and they've got a point"

"Yes, the stimulus has cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, bailed out every state, hustled record amounts of unemployment benefits and other aid to struggling families and funded more than 100,000 projects to upgrade roads, subways, schools, airports, military bases and much more. But in the words of Vice President Joe Biden, Obama's effusive Recovery Act point man, "Now the fun stuff starts!" The "fun stuff," about one-sixth of the total cost, is an all-out effort to exploit the crisis to make green energy, green building and green transportation real; launch green manufacturing industries; computerize a pen-and-paper health system; promote data-driven school reforms; and ramp up the research of the future. "This is a chance to do something big, man!" Biden said during a 90-minute interview with TIME." 

www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2013683,00.html

There you have it - the Recovery Act wasn't really about jobs, it was about a massive social agenda, as Joe Biden gleefully points out, so it shouldn't come a a great surprise that unemployment is still tanking. While average American families are struggling under very difficult conditions, the Democrats don't care because they get to play with all their new toys paid for by ... well by China, you, your children, your grandchildren, etc. You get the picture. Fooled once, shame on you. Fooled twice, shame on me. These people should never, ever have power again.

Economy Ticks Up in July. Guess Why?

The national economy had a slight increase in July. The reason is buried about halfway through the article - we earned a little more in July. Isn't it amazing that if you leave more of people's money in their own hands they are capable of figuring out a way to intelligently spend it? The corollary is that if the tax cuts of 2001 aren't reauthorized - as the Democrats say they won't be - and more money is taken out of people's pockets, we can reasonably expect the economy to bog down further in the mud. So what's the best policy? How come if you and I can figure this out the rocket scientists in DC can't? Another agenda perhaps? November 8 is rapidly approaching - think about it.

www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/08/americans_spend_a_bit_more_as.html

Entrepreneurs on the Move

Here is a story that I flagged earlier in the month but didn't post on. Four guys who worked for big shoe companies are bringing out their own line of quality shoes for boomers, which they think is an underserved market. There are no government programs, no subsidies, and they contracted with an old-line New England shoe manufacturing company to make their product. This is what America is about. If you need a new pair of shoes, it's worth a look.

www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/08/ernest_hemingway_footwear_co_o.html

www.hemingwayfootwearco.com/

Thought You'd Like to Know

Unionized state workers get a 5% salary increase this Wednesday. The rest of us can just go eat cake, I guess. Too bad, so sad.

www.kgw.com/news/State-workers-get-5-percent-raise-on-Wednesday-101805053.html

The Border Problem

My concern about our largely unsecured southern border has primarily been about the non-Hispanics who are able to come across toting things like suitcase nukes. Those fears are not unfounded and I think the most likely entry route for the perpetrators of the next 9/11 will be through Arizona or Texas.  www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=196037 Large numbers of unemployed Latinos flooding across is a problem, of course, but not one with the same immediacy of a mushroom cloud. I definitely share the concerns of the governors of Arizona or Texas, though, and I would definitely be very concerned for the safety of my citizens in that the narco lords are now apparently running at least the southern part of Arizona. townhall.com/columnists/OliverNorth/2010/08/27/under_siege These are the same folks that are currently battling Mexico's central government pretty much to a standstill.  Arizona recently took action because the Feds have lifted nary a finger to stem the tide and I support them in their endeavor to protect their residents. The big "Hmmm..." question, however, is why are the Feds so determined to leave the border open despite the obvious dangers and in the face of the 70-80% of the American electorate that wants it shut down.

The traditional answers are cheap labor for business on the part of Republicans and new voters (albeit illegal) for the Democrats. This undoubtedly still holds true for a number of politicians in both parties  
but it doesn't explain the stubborn, almost fanatical resistance on the part of a number of high level politicians to protecting the border. I have gradually come around to the conclusion that one answer does fit - money.

The narco lords have huge amounts of cash raised from Americans blowing their products up American noses, shooting it into American veins, and drawing it into American lungs. It is often said that money is the "mother's milk" of politics and that is a true statement. Many politicians have huge egos and think that somehow the Republic will not survive without them. Money does the job and rationalizing the "obvious" good of their continued political careers versus a problem that can be soft-soaped (the U.S. is a land of immigrants, no racism, etc.) is relatively easy. Other politicians are just plain venal. They look at public service as their ticket to the Good Life. They are pragmatists and well, you gotta do what you gotta do. As we have moved away from our Judeo-Christian roots, individual character has become less and less a concern and as character declines, corruption of all kinds increases. Thus, I believe that the U.S. is ripe for corruption at the Federal level like we have never seen before.

There is an old adage that if you want to get to the bottom of a seemingly inexplicable problem, follow the money. One hopes, perhaps in vain, that there are still some in law enforcement with the courage to start following the money trail and see if the connections between the narco lords and some of our high level politicians exists. If so, it would not take the prosecution of more than a few before I suspect we would see action on border security. The uncaught others would still be cockroaches, but at least they would have scurried back under cover and the rest of us could enjoy a safer country, at least for awhile.

Our Friends the Russkies

For anyone who thinks that Russia is now a model of sweetness and light and Commissar Putin is a benign world leader, consider this article. The Russians have tasked their hunter-killer subs for the first time in 25 years to record the acoustic signatures of British, American and French ballistic missile subs.

 www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/7969017/Russian-subs-stalk-Trident-in-echo-of-Cold-War.html

Did you know that Russia is also flight testing a fifth-generation fighter allegedly equivalent to our F-22? That, of course, is the fighter that Obama recently canceled. Yup - let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya together - a 1 and a 2!!


www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/awx/2010/01/29/awx_01_29_2010_p0-200740.xml

Small Platoons: Gresham

Great story. A group of Christian 20-somethings has moved into a low income apartment complex in Gresham specifically to bring the light of Christ to a dark place full of drugs, gangs, and general despair. Good for them! The article says that they come from the Left side of the spectrum, but politics shouldn't be a consideration when it comes to loving the poor because it's clear that God does - blessed are the poor. Hats off to these kids for living out a template that others in the Christian community might follow!

www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2010/08/a_christian_initiative_at_a_gr.html

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

There was good news for San Francisco Giants' fans in the Salem area as the Giants re-upped their contract with the Salem-Keizer single A Volcanoes. Minor league baseball is a lot of fun and the Volcanoes' ballpark is a nice place to catch a game on a summer's evening. Try it - you'll like it.

www.kgw.com/sports/Salem-Keizer-Volcanoes-extend-SF-deal-101500154.html

Portland Wallows in 10.5% Unemployment

Thus reads the KGW headline. But it's good for the environment and Portland is super sensitive to that. I mean all the commutes not needed, all the power at offices and factories not used, etc. - it's an environmental bonanza! Here's hoping for 20% unemployment to wallow in and Portland will be even greener. Let's see how green Portland really wants to be. Maybe just a nice light lime green would be OK after all?

www.kgw.com/news/Portland-wallows-in-105-unemployment-101407169.html

Know Thine Enemy

The headline is a little misleading but the content is first-rate. Lt. General Jerry Boykin was Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, commander of our Delta forces - the best of the best special operators - and fought and commanded soldiers in numerous wars and operations since Vietnam. He knows the enemies of this country and he gives us an overview in this interview of what we face with Muslim jihadists. It is well worth reading and then comparing with the views of prominent politicians, particularly our President and his cabinet. Yes Virginia, there really are folks out there who want to kill you.

 townhall.com/columnists/WThomasSmithJr/2010/08/23/fmr_lt_general_boykin_islam%E2%80%99s_primary_objective_is_conquest

A Nice Pinot, Perhaps?

Oregon's climate is perfect for pinot noir grapes. Yamhill County has been the focus of the best pinot noir wines, but now the Silverton hills are mounting a challenge and an entrepreneur is adapting mechanical technology to both bring down production costs and improve the product. Now if we can just keep the government from "helping" them, Oregon's wine industry may continue to grow its international reputation.

www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/08/silverton_hills_emerging_as_ne.html

Ice Water and No Emotion

President Obama "forcefully backs" the proposed mosque by the World Trade Center 9/11 memorial. A lot of us have said for a long time that he has absolutely no feel for the heartbeat of America and this illustrates why in a way that few other words or actions could. He lives in a vacuum - the pure, cold vacuum of ideas. Is the mosque legal? Perhaps, although apparently questions have now been raised regarding whether the mosque even owns the entire parcel on which it plans to build on. Is it sensitive, however, to hit a raw wound on the psyche of this country? Absolutely not! This is a man you could never depend on to have your back. He would sacrifice you in a minute if he you interfered with some pristine idea - the kind that never exist in the real world. And it's why this country is at great risk of getting badly damaged during his - hopefully short - tenure. Appalling!

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100814/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_ground_zero_mosque_obama

Abandon Ship!

Astronomer Stephen Hawking is unquestionably a brilliant guy. When he launches out into philosophy and religion, though, he is walking on thinner ice. Take his statement yesterday that mankind's hope lies in spreading out to the stars so that nuclear war and other calamities don't annihilate us here on earth.

The only difficulty that I can think of with this proposition is that the problem is inside us and wherever we go, we will take it with us. Even assuming that we can reach the stars, if there are other civilizations out there, I can't imagine that they would take kindly to the new neighbors blowing up the neighborhood! A good metaphor would be a spreading forest fire and my guess is the locals will stamp it out before it ever really gets started. Alas Dr. Hawking, I fear our future is here, for better or worse.

 www.physorg.com/news200591777.html

Plain Speaking

Steve Wynn owns one of the tonier casinos in Las Vegas. I am not a fan of gambling, but I guess it takes one high roller to know another because he takes on the current political climate coming from D.C. and the disastrous effect it is having on the economy and says, "STOP!" It is worth the few minutes it takes to listen to this CNBC interview and realize that he is probably speaking for a vast majority of the CEOs in this country.  It's no great surprise that any economic recovery is just a pipe dream until this situation changes.  www.infowars.com/steve-wynn-takes-on-washington/

Investing in the Kingdom

I came across a verse from Proverbs yesterday in Daily Guideposts that I had not noticed before: "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord." Prov. 19:17. Our friend, Jennifer Harris, is doing just that.

As I have previously posted, Jennifer is a missionary in Peru and among her myriad activities in the Amazon Basin around Pucallpa are micro-loans. Basically, a small amount of money, typically $100 or less, is loaned at no interest to an individual who has a business plan of some type. It might be used to purchase a sewing machine to manufacture clothing items, or have an outboard motor repaired for a fisherman, etc. Jennifer has literally hundreds of these loans outstanding and her repayment rate is over 90%. More importantly, lives are changed as people develop the ability to support themselves and their families.

If you would like to become a banker for the Kingdom, you can send your contributions to Jennifer's ministry at www.worldoutreach.org/donations. Be sure to designate the micro-loan ministry.

I Love Rollercoasters!

Here's the news we've all been waiting for - the second breathtaking drop in the economy appears to be upon us. Although state economists say it is too soon to know for sure, the trend line is beginning to form. Oregon is still are above average on unemployment and trailing the rest of the country on a number of other key economic indicators, so I am not sure we really "recovered" at all. If you look at the graph, Oregon recovered perhaps 30% of lost ground from where it was in 2005. We have never gotten back even close to "normal."
 www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/08/oregon_economy_could_dip_again.html

In the meantime, President Obama was off to Chicago to celebrate his birthday and has ordered that his dog be separately flown in so he can walk it. PETA will be happy. The First Lady and the First Kids are jetting off to Mirabella, Spain where she has reserved 60 rooms at the Ritz Carlton for a little soiree with a few of her closest friends. In view of the economic cesspool in which we find ourselves, would it be too much to ask that she instead go to Martha's Vineyard, Yellowstone, or Hawaii instead and stimulate a little of the U.S. economy? Apparently so. Well, bon apetit - or vaya con Dios since it's Spain! The rest of us will just have to eat cake. Pass the strawberries, Marie.

Quote Without Comment

"An independent panel has warned that U.S. national security is headed for a "train wreck" if decisive action isn't taken to increase the size of the Navy, improve training of U.S. military personnel and replace aging equipment used by the military services, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. 

In a review of the Department of Defense's Quadrennial Defense Review process, the panel headed by former Defense Secretary William Perry under the Clinton administration and former National Security adviser Stephen Hadley under the Bush administration warned that the United States will be unable to meet its international commitments unless it modernizes its armed forces.

In addition, current force structure will be unable to respond to a homeland catastrophe that could occur during a period of ongoing contingency operations abroad, the panel said, claiming that military forces for homeland defense are deficient."

www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=187793

Get Used to It

Here is a cute young entrepreneur finding out what it takes to run a business - you first have to get the cold, dead, and heavy hand of government off your back. Multnomah County shut her lemonade stand down last week for doing business without a license. I mean there were all sorts of important public policies involved, harrumph, harrumph! It was for the kids - oops, wrong excuse. Harrumph, harrumph. All in all this will hopefully be a good experience for this young lady- conservatives are made, not born.

www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/08/portland_lemonade_stand_runs_i.html

Small Platoons

Two of the great people I met in Burkina Faso in 2008 were Amy and Steve Nehlsen. Steve is the Field Director of the CMA mission program in Burkina Faso. Amy was immersed in a variety of projects too, including the start up of Dorcas House, a home for outcast young girls. Here is the purpose statement for the home:

"The purpose of Dorcas House is to provide a safe and healthy environment for girls who have been marginalized, in any number of ways, and to help them develop spiritual and physical skills that will  enable them to help themselves, and others for God’s glory."

A recent newsletter confirms that the home is exceeding its expectations and lives are being saved and changed for the better. Their current project is to provide each graduate with a sewing machine to earn a livelihood. A sewing machine costs $60 and will have a major impact in a young lady' life in this very poor country. The address for contributions is:

The C&MA
P.O. Box 35000
Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500
Memo : Burkina - Dorcas House

God is always at work for good in the world, usually in small ways that we don't see. It's a pleasure to shine the spotlight on one of His small platoons hard at work! Join them with a small contribution!

Your Government at "Work"!

You will no doubt be pleased to know that your tax money, in the form of TARP funds, is going to build a $23 million dollar Custom's port of entry on the Canadian border in Montana. Of course, less than 5 people per day use this border crossing and the Canadian government has already decided to close it in the interest of efficiency. Oh well, gotta get that economy moving! Thanks Mr. President! Thanks Congress!I mean it's only $23 MILLION DOLLARS!

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703947504575408252748372556.html

Arrivederci Newsweek!

I subscribed to Newsweek magazine for decades. Yeah it had liberal columnists but it had some conservative ones too and the news features often had interesting pieces. When Jon Meacham became editor it became a Left-wing opinion journal which interested me not one iota, so I canceled my subscription with an explanatory note explaining why. I read later that they had expected a substantial loss of readers and were okay with it because of all the new lefties they would undoubtedly pick up. Well, it didn't exactly work out that way.

Newsweek has just been sold for $1, which is $3.95 less than the newsstand price for a single copy, plus assumption of liabilities, which are many.  The buyer is Sidney Harman of audio speaker fame. He is a stalwart of the Democratic party and has no clear direction for turning the magazine around. I mean, why spoil a good thing?  At least the Left can go on patting each other on the back and telling each other how swell they are, as long as Mr. Harman is willing to subsidize their lovefest. They (not we) may all be socialists now, but the fate of this once proud magazine is a warning what happens when the lefties try to run a business enterprise. Perhaps they can sell it to the government. Obamaweek anybody?

Whales 2 Mariners 0

Such as, 'How Did They Manage to Get on the Mound?'
"Blue Whales' Perfect Pitch Raises Questions"--headline, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Aug. 2

It's baseball season - I couldn't resist.

 online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703545604575407281614881438.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLETopOpinion

While the World Sleeps

Well, from the sublime yesterday to the truly scary today. Sam Cohen worked with the original developers of the atomic bomb like Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller and went on to be the key scientist behind development of the neutron bomb. Bill Whittle interviewed him on Afterburner and he had several interesting things to say.

Regarding Iran, he thinks that all the talk about the centrifuges is a red herring and that they have more than enough "civilian" reactors already in operation to produce the plutonium necessary for 30-40 weapons at this point. Although he believes that the quality of the nuclear material would be inferior to that used by historic nuclear powers, it is nevertheless enough to make one heck of a bang. The centrifuges are just a diversion for the West while the real work goes on behind the scenes.

What is interesting about this scenario is that it makes sense of Israel's reluctance to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Even well-connected observers of Israel have been puzzled at the failure to strike this obvious threat to Israel's existence. If Cohen is correct, however, and Israel has intelligence that confirms it, then a strike is probably out of the question except in a Doomsday situation, which may come soon enough.

Then there is Korea. Cohen believes that the Norks are stockpiling tactical nuclear weapons as fast as they can. The Norks have a million soldiers on the border with South Korea with massive numbers of tanks and artillery. U.S. strategy has always assumed our use of nuclear weapons in the first hour if this juggernaut rolled across the border. Cohen states, though, that all nukes have been pulled from South Korea. If true, and if the Norks used tactical nukes to wipe out key U.S./South Korean defense nodes, then within hours you suddenly have a "unified" Korean peninsula under the iron - and crazy - hand of Numb Nuts il-Jong. 

So much for "We're all basically alike." Americans like to think that everybody around the world is pretty much like us, they just want to live their lives and be left alone. While that may be true with the average Joe-in-the-hut, it is the Genghis Khans that make history and, as always, there are plenty of would-be Khans around to cause serious heartburn.

www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=56&load=3952

Feathered Friends

I'm just back from vacation and ready to get back in the saddle, but I thought I'd ease into it with an easy subject - birds.

We saw a lot of birds at the Oregon coast and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed seeing the wide variety of our feathered friends. We saw everything from goldfinches to cedar waxwings to great blue herons, ospreys, golden eagles and even our national bird, the bald eagle. We never did see the renowned snowy plover, although great swaths of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area have been set aside for their nests.  Apparently they are not exhibitionists when it comes to fostering their own kind. Perhaps next year they will be a little more randy and loose.

I'm not ready to join Audobon Society bird watching expeditions, but we will hang a bird feeder in the yard this winter and keep it full. We also have a de-clawed cat who would dearly love to zap a bird or two but cannot due to her lack of proper equipment. You might consider taking steps to make your local habitat more congenial to birds - they are worth the effort.