Sunday, August 31, 2008

A chance for redemption?

I still hope Gustav fizzles, but I'm also glad to see everyone taking it seriously. For Bush, this is a bit of a chance at redemption. But the facts are that this pending disaster could be of such proportions that no government effort will ever be enough. People just have to realize that. Certainly efforts in the Katrina mess were botched. Stories of FEMA supplies sitting far inland and not being delivered get my blood boiling.

I hope, somehow, the levees hold this time! But if New Orleans sees flooding like before, then it is time to begin abandoning those low areas for good. I've seen pictures of levees which look much stronger, but you still wouldn't get me to go live below water!

Friday, August 29, 2008

Never heard of her...

Ah, this is going to be an interesting year! McCain has shaken things up a bit by choosing Alaska gov Sarah Palin as his running mate. Who? Never heard of her.

Well, we are getting so conscious of race and gender in this election that I suppose McCain felt compelled to surprise us. On the positive side, I am very happy that he did not choose Mitt Romney as his running mate. The election will be a historic one no matter who wins! She is young and much more pleasant to look at than old Dick Cheney. I also like that she has been labled somewhat of a maverick.

Still, I know Joe Biden a heck of a lot more. He speaks with authority on foreign affairs and is a very likeable guy. His family story is inspiring and he is very warm and likeable. Sarah seems quite likeable as well. But gosh, when you consider McCain's age, you have to look at her as filling the shoes of President someday. No offense, but she looks like she should be PTA president and not Pres of the U.S.. The other factor I have to consider is how they bill her as a "social conservative" and "devout Christian". As I've stated many times before, I could care less about someone's personal religious views. But if she were to become President and become obsessed with social issues over the "bread and butter" issues I favor, well then I have a problem. Once again, you have to consider McCain's age.

"If" on the other hand, she could help convince me that McCain and her would reform Washington, control spending and win (with getting our troops home) in Iraq... Well, then I would consider the Republican ticket. It is an interesting mix of candidates and I have to say that I like this year's race ONE HELL of a lot better than 2004. I don't care for either Bush or John Kerry.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Two far different versions...

O.k., I watch CNN, but I switch over to the Fox channel just to see what they are saying. Being from Denver, I am rooting for this convention to be successful. So, yeah, I am watching CNN. Just to give an example: CNN is carrying everything and even showing the video presentations. This, in my humble opinion shows a bias towards Obama. But it is exciting to me as well to see my city on tv. I can only hope CNN gives equal coverage to the Republican convention. I think the Twin Cities are a wonderful place and I also hope their convention goes well.

Fox News? Well I change over during Al Gore's speech to hear Bill O'Reilly bashing a Newsweek article... Granted, Gore is not the most exciting guy, but he is the former Vice President and guy that got more votes than George W. in 2000.

To be fair, I have not yet heard Fox bashing the city of Denver yet. They'd better NOT!

I hope he gets to speak!

First of all, I hope Gustav fizzles this year. Mostly for the Gulf Coast residents, but also to allow President Bush to speak at the RNC... Does this mean I really want to hear him? Nah! Had enough of that Texas drawl fer sure!

But folks have to realize that Bush is head of the Republican party. Yeah I know McCain isn't Bush and I hope he leads in a FAR different way if elected. But I think people need to remember who has been their leader for the past seven and three quarters years.

More than that, I can't bear to see another hurricane hit New Orleans or anywhere on that coast. I realize that Bush is probably more worried about the bad legacy of New Orleans and getting a second chance to "do it right". But even if they do everyhing perfectly, a major hurricane will deal a devastating blow to those still recovering from Katrina.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

From JerryW, Overland Park, KS (on CNN Forum)

>You know what? There are no "conservatives" and no "liberals" and no "Republicans" and no "Democrats" and no "rightists" and no "leftists." There are 300 million people who are pursuing happiness in their own ways. Those who want to lead us, more often than not, also want to control us. That ain't the way it should be. Conclusion: 1) Don't vote for anyone who hasn't made it clear that s/he is not in it for himself/herself. Or if they are in it for themselves they should come out and say so and tell us how we are going to get something out of it, too, if we vote for them. 2) Don't listen to any media pundit or politician who divides us by labels like "liberal" or "conservative." Don't listen to any media pundit or politician who evades the truth and leads people to believe things that are not true. 3) Pursue happiness to the best of your ability, and make the politicians explain to you how they won't take any part of your happiness away if they are elected. Since I've been of voting age, I don't think I've seen a government "for the people." Maybe I will some day.<

America: Better off or worse off?

This sounds like a silly question from most people whom I meet face to face. Of course we are worse off! Yet, I have not realy talked to anyone totally devistated by the economy. Most common are the complaints about the higher costs of everything from healthcare to gas and food. What happens is that most people are loosing ground. Now let me be fair, this has occured mostly in the last year or two. In fact, I believe the country survived 9/11 in grand style... for a while...

Now everything is intensifying with this malaise.

Activists try to levitate Denver Mint...

This would be true wealth redistribution. Of course, it would be better to levitate the Federal Reserve Bank...

How can anybody take this protester crap seriously? I can only hope that between the Denver Convention and Twin Cities, that protester coverage is evenly split. Otherwise, the public will believe that only kooks reside in Denver. And why shouldn't those who are disillusioned with the way things are going protest the President's party?

Monday, August 25, 2008

With few marchers, Denver opens streets...

A good sign, I hope... Look, whether you are a Democrat or Republican... if you live here, you want this event to go off peacefully. Others that take glee from mayhem, I have no use for.

Best wishes for a peaceful convention!

Monday, August 18, 2008

One week to go...

More or less... I lost track. The Denver DNC is next week, I think. Good luck!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Damned Russians...

I, like many others, have had my head in the sand about the Russians. I hope that this invasion of Georgia serves as a warning shot to all of the former Soviet republics. I also hope that Georgia can survive in it's present state.

It is indeed too bad that the U.S. military is so strapped that they can do little more than deliver relief supplies. I certainly hope Russia can be persuaded to pull back out of Georgia's borders. Yes, I realize there are disputed territories, but at very least the Russians should be completely out of the undisputed part of Georgia. Then we should assist them in rebuilding.

Ultimately, this great and friendly nation of Georgia should be part of Nato.

Analasys on the faith forum...

Well, I'm glad the other analysts were fair on the faith forum... My analysis? Well, McCain was snappy and gave pat answers. That story he told of him and the North Vietnamese guard (who was also Christian) is great, and though I'd heard it before, it was bound to connect with the crowd. The only criticism I'd give to McCain is he gave "stump speech answers" to just about everything. It was like he practiced and practiced to get this right.

Obama was a sharp contrast to McCain. He gave lengthy responses to Pastor Warren's questions. It was more like a conversation and he looked at Warren as opposed to McCain who looked into the audience. My only real criticism of Obama is that he could have given a little briefer answers so the Pastor could have asked more questions.

I don't see where this is necessarily good or bad for either candidate. It's all a matter of style and I don't think it necessarily means either one will be a better leader. If I were to place bets, however, I'd bet that it helped McCain more than Obama...

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Faith forum hosted by Rick Warren...

Hmmm.... Interesting. Well, I'm glad that Christian Evangelicals are beginning to talk about more than the two primary traditional issues: gay marriage and abortion. Really, I think the country is in a bind and can't afford to be polarized over these issues, when there are more urgent issues at hand. And yes, I'm aware that some people might read this post and get upset over my brushing aside of those issues.

Heck, I never encouraged anyone to get an abortion! In fact if indeed some young lady were to come to me and ask my advise (which won't happen), I would ask them to think carefully and seek counseling about it before making a rash decision. And I'm not sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for legalization of gay marriage. Not against it, but I can live without it.

The international troubles, immigration, healthcare and our budget need priority treatment over these other issues.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Iraq's oil fueled surplus could hit 80 Bil....

Ha! This bolsters the argument that they are ready to take the reins. Do you think they will ever have any gratitude for what we attempted to do for them? Yes, I know that tens of thousands perished, but most died from terrorist bombings.

I know an Iranian who indirectly expressed gratitude that Saddam is gone. Well, I hope other Shia in Iraq feel the same way.

Iraq has the makings of prosperity, just like Dubai. All they need to do is put aside their petty squabbles and share the revenue. With this surplus, there is no need for Western powers to provide rebuilding assistance.

The Iraqi's can now pay for specialized contractors to come in and help them!!!