The man can't make solid decisions. That doesn't mean that they are always wrong. I agree with going into Iraq and some of the philosophy behind it, that is however it on Iraq. Why can't he? Its a mixed bag, exactly what mix, who knows. He isn't the sharpest knife in the shed. Yes, i know. It is hard separate that from management style or political calculation.
Organization, there are all these appointments that have to be made. He put in the person that fit, giving no thought to how those appointments fit together or how they fit into his administration. Factions proliferated much more than had been seen before. And as rarely seen before a mass of rampant activism kept the political divide wide open cutting off most ideas in the middle. One hopes a president has some grace under fire. In this case i suspect it had a much bigger role than it should.
The worst sin is having a leadership style of an absentee father. Delegation is a mark of a good leader, but waking away and not taking at least a passing glance back is not. Appointment of Bremer comes to mind. A leader must listen, build consensus and on a rare occasion take someone out to the wood shed. His leadership is often marked by " this faction is right you are wrong , now go away and get it done". This isn't rare wood shed use.
Our basic problem is his leadership of us, not the administration. We could recover if he just could not run the administration. The president and congress for that matter is meant to lead the people . You make decisions, explain why, listen to concerns and address them. Really the decisions should be made last, I'll take what i can get. Oh there is the wood shed to. Currently it is let someone else make the decisions, give a half explanation if any one has questions. If there are any more questions, restate and take them to the wood shed and beat them with the rolled up statement. Weak, Very Weak.
The US attorneys is one of those issues. Did he really make the decision, or did trust what others told him? Very little competent explanation has been given. Let the beating of rolled up paper begin. Just before the beginning of the war he did better with the people, internally it was an unholy nightmare. They explained, made a decision(rightly in my book), listen to some concerns and tried to address them. Concerns over troop numbers might have been pushed aside if latter mistakes had been avoided. The WMD stuff was a mistake. The rolled up paper was irrelevant. First it was wrong and leaning on the wall, several very nice bats. UN resolutions. Shootings in the no-fly zones. Oil for food. torture. There were even some around the corner we haven't talked about. Mainly Pressing our win in the cold war to stabilize the world and fix past mistakes.
It is idiotic to continue to dodge an issue in the light of facts, stand up, accept them and make a strong argument for your position. The decision may be right but you can't defend an idiot using his arguments. Conservatives tried for far to long not realizing that in this case no one listens to anyone except the idiot. Liberals have, i think, unbeknown to them created a useful idiot. Ask him a question and he starts waving increasingly useless rolled up papers around. Que the rest of the idiots and the power hungry from both sides and all levels. On the left idiots calling for war crimes and the power hungry calling for impeachment and promising the moon. On the right the idiots blaming our problems on gays and defending Bush and the power hungry over playing the fear card, gay marriage and oh some of that moon looks good. What?
In the chaos the argument finally shifted. Is been shifting for some time due to public apathy, continued pointless bickering, less transparency and an increasingly complex government and world. Pointing at the useful idiot in the White House and supposed helpless people being hurt by him the left was able to move the argument. Up until recently they just wanted to help a little more. A little has grown to a lot and is going from helping to taking care of. What do we call that, socialism. Call it what it is. It may not technically be but if the government is signing all the check, close enough. What happened to individualism and some personal responsibility. Massive hand outs didn't get us through WWII, Great Depression, Revolutionary War, the westward expansion and the cold war. Liberalism is fine but socialism is not well American.
Long term. Those that have become at lest somewhat politically aware after the 91 gulf war really started to pay attention after 9/11. What did they see. The idiot on one side the other promising the moon. This is were the last parts of an article from David Frum picks up. Just because he was part of the administration doesn't make him wrong. I will confess it got me thinking about all this. There was a time not that long ago that i could agree with parts of both sides, hopefully i won't be calling it the good old days. What really scares me is most in this group may not know any different and no one is talking core philosophy any more. Their idea of American politics are being set now, it can be changed down the road but it won't be easy. I am sicken by the though of a liberal vs leftist far far more than liberal vs conservative for the next 30 or 50 yrs or longer.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Heathcare and Torture
I am aways looking for new pieces of info and different arguments and ways of looking and explaining issues. i came across two tonight.
First the last half of Anderson Cooper, i just caught the last few minutes. They all seemed to agree that Universal heath care is a must. i can not disagree more, but that's me. The point they make is this: giving everyone heath care is the easy part. the hard part will be keeping and getting prices down. if they aren't it could drive us into an unbelievable debt. Ok the second part is the part every body seems to just overlook. Why can't we get the prices down first and see where we are before giving everyone heath care. You could say that if the government provides all or most health care they could drive prices down(ignoring over head and past track record) or set prices( socialism and loss of research) . get prices under control first please it makes sense.
Second a daily show. Mixed in with a little torture humor a hint of a point. Bush is a weak idiot, not the point. They have dodged issues over and over were they didn't need to and should NOT HAVE. First in light of some history I wasn't aware of as fact, didn't just come from him, we apparently have called water boarding torture after WWII. So it is idiotic to continue to dodge this issue(always has), stand up and say it is. Then make two points. The one that is mentioned in passing by people that are pretty conservative and ignored by the left are the Germans out of uniform spying that were executed during WWII with little fan fair. The second is that these people are not in a uniform and are clearly not civilians. So not covered by Geneva or anything else I can think of. It is the one exception to most if not all the rules. You can argue morals all day long but not legality.
So I will call it torture, all be it the most mild thing i would call torture, but it doesn't matter.
First the last half of Anderson Cooper, i just caught the last few minutes. They all seemed to agree that Universal heath care is a must. i can not disagree more, but that's me. The point they make is this: giving everyone heath care is the easy part. the hard part will be keeping and getting prices down. if they aren't it could drive us into an unbelievable debt. Ok the second part is the part every body seems to just overlook. Why can't we get the prices down first and see where we are before giving everyone heath care. You could say that if the government provides all or most health care they could drive prices down(ignoring over head and past track record) or set prices( socialism and loss of research) . get prices under control first please it makes sense.
Second a daily show. Mixed in with a little torture humor a hint of a point. Bush is a weak idiot, not the point. They have dodged issues over and over were they didn't need to and should NOT HAVE. First in light of some history I wasn't aware of as fact, didn't just come from him, we apparently have called water boarding torture after WWII. So it is idiotic to continue to dodge this issue(always has), stand up and say it is. Then make two points. The one that is mentioned in passing by people that are pretty conservative and ignored by the left are the Germans out of uniform spying that were executed during WWII with little fan fair. The second is that these people are not in a uniform and are clearly not civilians. So not covered by Geneva or anything else I can think of. It is the one exception to most if not all the rules. You can argue morals all day long but not legality.
So I will call it torture, all be it the most mild thing i would call torture, but it doesn't matter.
Monday, February 11, 2008
General Rant part 1of ?
Part ? i lack the education to draw from a wealth of text and therefore have trouble making concise and coherent narratives to make my point. If i where to mention say Plato, and you have read Plato you have a body of ideas to understand what I'm saying, but I haven't read Plato or much else. as i have said i much prefer to watch or listen to something than read it, i understand better that way.
see already side tracked. i have said for some time that people are stupid. it sound bad and is mostly true. I have restrained my self to some extent trying not to put people off. Oh well. My overall opinion changes from time to time. most recently i am of the opinion that leftist and socialist ideas are in a massive up swing and are going to be the mainstream of political\governmental action for the next 20+ years. makes me sick...! i had thought we had decided that communism was bad and socialism by extension. heath care for everyone? massive cost but i haven't heard much about the tax increase to pay for it. maybe its cheaper for everyone if it is universal but there not doing it that way. pay for collage for everyone and on and on. My money not everyones.
What happened to the comfort of self reliance. does any body even know what that means. i don't want to wait for my government to come around and feed me every day. It Is disgusting!
On a less philosophical point if we are dependent on them what happen when they are not there or people stop loaning the US money. It is more complicated than that i guess.
there was something on price controls for labor in the works. i haven't looked into it yet. i don't know how you have a strong state with a weak people. i still think it is in the realm of possibility that there is a 1929 type crash to come. i know how to raise crops on a small scale at least and know enough to fix are jerry rig the basics to get buy. The good thing and i shouldn't say it is that hopefully those who somehow think the government should take care of them probably, under 1928 circumstance, can't take care of themselves. they will have to leave if they want to survive. i am not a survivalist i live in the burbs so don't go there.
The other side, well the religious right make me just about as ill. they may not run the country into the ground but they will not let it move forward either. Gay marriage, numbers anyone, no i didn't think so. haven't seen them for either side. if being gay is a sin then god will punish them. i also think that it is beyond belief that some think it should be explained to grade schoolers either way.
Abortion i must have missed something. can we call a truce at say 18 months. If you think its wrong don't do it but leave the rest of us alone. i have a problem with strict interpretation of scripture. Is it possible that it was told in a way to make the ideas easier to understand?
strict conservative beliefs on social issues, gay rights, abortion, porn, art, etc, are in general repressive.
Should something be kept form kids, hell yes. Do i wish adults wouldn't watch and listen to so much vulgar bs, Stern comes to mind, yes but not governments place. People that libel other such as Oberman, Savage, and i want so say 9\11 truthers should be put on trial. stop the bs. If you print classified info jail maybe?
Maybe a 5-10 year massive depression is what we need. People would have to actually think and hopefully gain a new understanding of self reliance. Sort of concise and coherent in the end.
see already side tracked. i have said for some time that people are stupid. it sound bad and is mostly true. I have restrained my self to some extent trying not to put people off. Oh well. My overall opinion changes from time to time. most recently i am of the opinion that leftist and socialist ideas are in a massive up swing and are going to be the mainstream of political\governmental action for the next 20+ years. makes me sick...! i had thought we had decided that communism was bad and socialism by extension. heath care for everyone? massive cost but i haven't heard much about the tax increase to pay for it. maybe its cheaper for everyone if it is universal but there not doing it that way. pay for collage for everyone and on and on. My money not everyones.
What happened to the comfort of self reliance. does any body even know what that means. i don't want to wait for my government to come around and feed me every day. It Is disgusting!
On a less philosophical point if we are dependent on them what happen when they are not there or people stop loaning the US money. It is more complicated than that i guess.
there was something on price controls for labor in the works. i haven't looked into it yet. i don't know how you have a strong state with a weak people. i still think it is in the realm of possibility that there is a 1929 type crash to come. i know how to raise crops on a small scale at least and know enough to fix are jerry rig the basics to get buy. The good thing and i shouldn't say it is that hopefully those who somehow think the government should take care of them probably, under 1928 circumstance, can't take care of themselves. they will have to leave if they want to survive. i am not a survivalist i live in the burbs so don't go there.
The other side, well the religious right make me just about as ill. they may not run the country into the ground but they will not let it move forward either. Gay marriage, numbers anyone, no i didn't think so. haven't seen them for either side. if being gay is a sin then god will punish them. i also think that it is beyond belief that some think it should be explained to grade schoolers either way.
Abortion i must have missed something. can we call a truce at say 18 months. If you think its wrong don't do it but leave the rest of us alone. i have a problem with strict interpretation of scripture. Is it possible that it was told in a way to make the ideas easier to understand?
strict conservative beliefs on social issues, gay rights, abortion, porn, art, etc, are in general repressive.
Should something be kept form kids, hell yes. Do i wish adults wouldn't watch and listen to so much vulgar bs, Stern comes to mind, yes but not governments place. People that libel other such as Oberman, Savage, and i want so say 9\11 truthers should be put on trial. stop the bs. If you print classified info jail maybe?
Maybe a 5-10 year massive depression is what we need. People would have to actually think and hopefully gain a new understanding of self reliance. Sort of concise and coherent in the end.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Peace at the point of a gun
I watched the show on 1968, the Tom Brokaw thing, some days ago and peace at the end of a gun came up. Then Madeleine Albright was on book tv saying that that building democracy with force is an oxymoron. Both of these seem to be the same sorts of ideas. On there face i tend to agree, but that is short sighted. i would put it this way: The road to peace at times can only begin at he end of a gun. Nazis? Iraq, a peaceful stable country was going to start that way there whether it was US, UN, Kurdish or the guns of the Iraqi people.
Democracy, The door for democracy can be held open by force for a time, you hope that the people will rush through in that time. What would of happened in Iraq, i keep using it because that the one I'm more familiar with, If local elections had been started one or two months in. Local elections, positions held for 1yr, regional 4-6 Months latter held for 2yrs, and national elections 4-6 months latter held for 18 months. Something like that. It is worth moving beyond you can't have peace at he end of a gun. As important as the idea is it doesn't offer any answers.
Democracy, The door for democracy can be held open by force for a time, you hope that the people will rush through in that time. What would of happened in Iraq, i keep using it because that the one I'm more familiar with, If local elections had been started one or two months in. Local elections, positions held for 1yr, regional 4-6 Months latter held for 2yrs, and national elections 4-6 months latter held for 18 months. Something like that. It is worth moving beyond you can't have peace at he end of a gun. As important as the idea is it doesn't offer any answers.
Who would the world elect site
i thought this site might be of interest. After about a minute on the site i got kind of pissed. Part of the world don't understand the basics of this country let alone the the complexities of it. From what i recall N. Korea thinks we eat babies or something. Who gives a flying crap who they think the next POTUS should be. Other issues yes, that not a chance.
Challenge Churchill! One in four think Winnie didn't exist
The results would be just the same over here. not in the mood to get into education system now. they however have even bigger problems with theirs. anyway chalk one up for the fall of western civilization
Daily Mail
Daily Mail
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Let the blogroll begin
I really haven found any places that i totally agree with and very few that at partly agree with. I tend to agree with the conservatives on most of the passing issues of the day, but as i have said their social values are more than a little strict for me.
There are two post on this site that caught my eye. One on what he call peacenicks what i call the antiwar people. it makes the point well. i would point out there are those that are truly deeply pacifist, think Gandhi, that this argument would be useless. I have a philosophical difference with them and thats fine, but i think most these day aren't in this group they are anti Bush or conservatives. i am too but agree with him on this. the other was pointing out some of the other reasons for Iraq more clearly than i. Two notes: i Don't think the Al Qaeda connection was that strong, a lot of their WDM was destroyed by the UN.
So My Inner Scream is the first to enter the blogroll here.
There are two post on this site that caught my eye. One on what he call peacenicks what i call the antiwar people. it makes the point well. i would point out there are those that are truly deeply pacifist, think Gandhi, that this argument would be useless. I have a philosophical difference with them and thats fine, but i think most these day aren't in this group they are anti Bush or conservatives. i am too but agree with him on this. the other was pointing out some of the other reasons for Iraq more clearly than i. Two notes: i Don't think the Al Qaeda connection was that strong, a lot of their WDM was destroyed by the UN.
So My Inner Scream is the first to enter the blogroll here.
Now What
I have don't know how to say this in a consented form. I am of the opinion that common sense is dead and logic is tortured until it agrees with what your selling. To jump a few steps I'll start with my votes the last two times. I have trouble remembering who i voted for in 2000 & 04 not that it made any diferance.
I think it when like this. 2000 voted third party. Dems were far to fiscally liberal, I'm not a fan of big government. By the end of Clinton i was pretty sick of them, more for the say one thing do it differently and still say they achieved the thing. To their credit both sides do it i just didn't realize it. The balanced budget was a sham, we loan money to ourselves and call everything balance, seemed pretty silly at the time. The Republicans are socially repressive bunch at their core. This manifests most acutely for me with the abortion issue. I'm not for so called on demand, but banning it out right doesn't seem fair, right or make sense long term. For the sake of argument if abstinence only was the rule, birth control was frowned on and abortion was ban what happens to population levels. I don't think human instinct can be curbed that much in a 5 or 10 year time frame to curb a massive population boom. As a side note it seems that independently minded, reasonable and responsible types of people that built this country, mainly the grandchildren of the WW2 generation, aren't having children fast enough and will be a minority.
2000 went third. 04 the tipping point was the Democrats, well to put it nicely, weakness. The UN couldn't seem to get Iraq straighten out after 91 and Europe had been talking to Iran for how long? i didn't think they had a chance in hell of dealing with the world in 04. So i voted Bush. My reasoning, any repressive moves by Bush could be undone 30 or so years down the road but if the US didn't exist then doesn't make any difference.
The plan this year vote for the first third party on the ballot. Democrats, ssdd just a lot crazier with socialists streak a mile wide. Republicans, fiscal responsibility gone, even if they got exactly what they want its to little. as far as foreign policy and terror they have proven to be far to weak as well. I don't know if it is the residual Vietnam gun shyness, the knowledge that they don't have the skills to get the point across or the crush from the antiwar crowd (some principled, some for power, most are just totally out of touch). just the tip of the iceberg.
Vote first third, they can't win and maybe someone will start looking at actual logic and give some CPR to common sense.
I think it when like this. 2000 voted third party. Dems were far to fiscally liberal, I'm not a fan of big government. By the end of Clinton i was pretty sick of them, more for the say one thing do it differently and still say they achieved the thing. To their credit both sides do it i just didn't realize it. The balanced budget was a sham, we loan money to ourselves and call everything balance, seemed pretty silly at the time. The Republicans are socially repressive bunch at their core. This manifests most acutely for me with the abortion issue. I'm not for so called on demand, but banning it out right doesn't seem fair, right or make sense long term. For the sake of argument if abstinence only was the rule, birth control was frowned on and abortion was ban what happens to population levels. I don't think human instinct can be curbed that much in a 5 or 10 year time frame to curb a massive population boom. As a side note it seems that independently minded, reasonable and responsible types of people that built this country, mainly the grandchildren of the WW2 generation, aren't having children fast enough and will be a minority.
2000 went third. 04 the tipping point was the Democrats, well to put it nicely, weakness. The UN couldn't seem to get Iraq straighten out after 91 and Europe had been talking to Iran for how long? i didn't think they had a chance in hell of dealing with the world in 04. So i voted Bush. My reasoning, any repressive moves by Bush could be undone 30 or so years down the road but if the US didn't exist then doesn't make any difference.
The plan this year vote for the first third party on the ballot. Democrats, ssdd just a lot crazier with socialists streak a mile wide. Republicans, fiscal responsibility gone, even if they got exactly what they want its to little. as far as foreign policy and terror they have proven to be far to weak as well. I don't know if it is the residual Vietnam gun shyness, the knowledge that they don't have the skills to get the point across or the crush from the antiwar crowd (some principled, some for power, most are just totally out of touch). just the tip of the iceberg.
Vote first third, they can't win and maybe someone will start looking at actual logic and give some CPR to common sense.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Brief Thoughts of this Election Cycle
I am I have been hiding for the past week. Spending late night watching some early episodes of shows i haven't seen online. hiding from trying to organize my computer. Setting it up to post and read more easily. Mainly hiding from the election coverage. I am Sickened, a little physically ill really would like to grab someone by the neck kind of mad. Reason is not dead, just hopelessly enslaved. hand around the neck.
i have read the the statistics for cause of death in this country are horribly misrepresented. For a generic example: An 85 year old man, overweight smoker dies from a heart attack. Did he die from being 85, a smoker or over weight. My guess, well i don't care, i hope he had a happy life and my condolences to his family. His death i don't think tells us much. His death will be one of those they sat died from smoking and separately from obesity. So the numbers say he died twice once from smoking once from obesity. ( Doing this in firefox and i am going to set it on fire if it doesn't stop screwing with me) The point is no one dies from old age any more.
Apply this to the exit polling. Does it help anyone to know that Clinton has a slight edge with white woman over 65 with a cat that likes blue houses in Northern Atlanta over Obama. No. More on point giving me the numbers on people that think the economy is important and then people that think the war is important. some of these have to be the same. There is a massive simplification not just of the numbers but the issues. If the war is important how, what is the level of their knowledge on the issue, are they just hearing the flame throwing and going along. Questions like "are there valid legal reasons to charge US with war crimes"( legally it is a stretch at best) or " is their ever a legitimate reason to goto war, short of an invasion of your country" (hell yes, and i would love to see those numbers.
Ok not so brief. McCain. I don't agree with the three or so issues the right is attacking him on. The immigration stuff was quite a steaming pile. Trying to paint this guy as some sort of liberal, give me a freak'n break. i liked him in 2000 but he lost me when he went to Bob Jones or were ever it was. He tried to get something done. is that so bad. he was wrong, but he tried and was not tied to the conservative line. Look the conservatives are wrong and the liberals are worse. There is some sort of ideal out there in front of us that we are trying to get to. The liberal just want to go get it, the conservatives think if we look back and take the path we passed we will get there. Ok but if the ideal is floating above the Grand Canyon. We will all end up at the bottom no closer. its just a matter of how fast. Not a Great example. Lewis Black said it this way: the Republicans are a party of bad ideas and the Democrats are a party of no ideas. Republicans say i have a bad idea and the Democrats say we can make it worse (Not exact and cleaned up). i will at some point make an attempt at a cohesive explanation of my views an the left right stuff.
I Am Just Mad and Confused. A giant mess of media, mainstream and others, and politics that are just so massively missing the point and most of the time are completely wrong. Wrong Direction and obviously wrong about what it will do. PLEASE PLEASE stop and think.
Take five minutes and just think every day. Is my life what i want, does what my boss wants me to do make any sense, Is that best for me, my family, neighbors, my grandkids, look at it from ten angles not one or two, is that were i want to go, is that legal really? and is it moral, your morals not the ones in a book or on tv, is it practical now, will it be, how soon.
Listen, think, ask, listen, think, repeat. If you spend enough time the important question come to the top and the crap will run off. The more time spent the faster it seem to happen.
i have read the the statistics for cause of death in this country are horribly misrepresented. For a generic example: An 85 year old man, overweight smoker dies from a heart attack. Did he die from being 85, a smoker or over weight. My guess, well i don't care, i hope he had a happy life and my condolences to his family. His death i don't think tells us much. His death will be one of those they sat died from smoking and separately from obesity. So the numbers say he died twice once from smoking once from obesity. ( Doing this in firefox and i am going to set it on fire if it doesn't stop screwing with me) The point is no one dies from old age any more.
Apply this to the exit polling. Does it help anyone to know that Clinton has a slight edge with white woman over 65 with a cat that likes blue houses in Northern Atlanta over Obama. No. More on point giving me the numbers on people that think the economy is important and then people that think the war is important. some of these have to be the same. There is a massive simplification not just of the numbers but the issues. If the war is important how, what is the level of their knowledge on the issue, are they just hearing the flame throwing and going along. Questions like "are there valid legal reasons to charge US with war crimes"( legally it is a stretch at best) or " is their ever a legitimate reason to goto war, short of an invasion of your country" (hell yes, and i would love to see those numbers.
Ok not so brief. McCain. I don't agree with the three or so issues the right is attacking him on. The immigration stuff was quite a steaming pile. Trying to paint this guy as some sort of liberal, give me a freak'n break. i liked him in 2000 but he lost me when he went to Bob Jones or were ever it was. He tried to get something done. is that so bad. he was wrong, but he tried and was not tied to the conservative line. Look the conservatives are wrong and the liberals are worse. There is some sort of ideal out there in front of us that we are trying to get to. The liberal just want to go get it, the conservatives think if we look back and take the path we passed we will get there. Ok but if the ideal is floating above the Grand Canyon. We will all end up at the bottom no closer. its just a matter of how fast. Not a Great example. Lewis Black said it this way: the Republicans are a party of bad ideas and the Democrats are a party of no ideas. Republicans say i have a bad idea and the Democrats say we can make it worse (Not exact and cleaned up). i will at some point make an attempt at a cohesive explanation of my views an the left right stuff.
I Am Just Mad and Confused. A giant mess of media, mainstream and others, and politics that are just so massively missing the point and most of the time are completely wrong. Wrong Direction and obviously wrong about what it will do. PLEASE PLEASE stop and think.
Take five minutes and just think every day. Is my life what i want, does what my boss wants me to do make any sense, Is that best for me, my family, neighbors, my grandkids, look at it from ten angles not one or two, is that were i want to go, is that legal really? and is it moral, your morals not the ones in a book or on tv, is it practical now, will it be, how soon.
Listen, think, ask, listen, think, repeat. If you spend enough time the important question come to the top and the crap will run off. The more time spent the faster it seem to happen.
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