Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Naked Airport X-Rays

The absurdity of modern airport security showed its ugly face in all of its glory on Christmas Day. With every red light signal available flashing as bright as could be, a 23 year old “isolated extremist” boarded a plane in Amsterdam and almost succeeded blowing it up as it approached the Detroit airport. Close to 300 people could have lost their lives.

Never mind that he paid cash for his ticket. Never mind that his ticket was one way. Never mind he didn’t have any luggage. Never mind he didn’t have a visa or passport. Never mind his father approached US officials more than one time warning that his son was becoming radicalized and posed a danger. Never mind that he was under CIA observation.

Obama first addressed the nation using terms like “isolated extremist” and the "alleged bombing attack," then went back to playing golf in Hawaii. Only when the press asked what world he was living in did re-address the nation in more urgent tones, still parsing words.

Meanwhile, as the 23 year old Jihadist attempted to ignite a bomb planted in his underwear, most Americans were dutifully taking off their shoes to get through security check points; 80 year old white men in wheel chairs were having their hip replacement felt up; and the government wants us all to stand in an x-ray machine showing us buck naked to total strangers.

It’s time for Obama to finally admit that we are at war with Islamic radicals. It’s time for Obama to admit that these aren’t isolated incidents of a few whackos. It’s time for Obama to admit that we in this non-existent ware we have troops in Iraq, troops in Afghanistan, using troop incursions into Pakistan, fighting Islamic whackos in Somalia, and are now moving into a presence in Yemen. If this isn’t a war, would someone please tell me what it is.

Mr. President, I will make you a deal. You can take a naked x-ray of me before I board a plane when you begin to allow our security people to profile the bad guys. Yes, I agree profiling will not end all terrorist attacks, but it certainly will end most Islamic terrorist attacks, and make the rest of our lives a lot easier. You couldn’t even catch a terrorist with the most of basic of non-profiling standards, all of which are enumerated in the second paragraph above.

Here’s the deal. If I am looking for an Irish Republican Army terrorist, I doubt he would be an 80 year old black man in a wheel chair boarding a plane in Kenya. I would be looking for a young to middle aged white guy, with an Irish accent, probably with blue eyes, with a light complexion, coal black hair, living in Belfast, and hopefully whistling Danny Boy.

Of course, if one refuses to admit there is a war on terror, and believes there are no Islamic terrorists, one would continue to pat down granny’s bra looking for hidden explosives planted between her sagging bosoms, not to mention patting down every man’s hoo-ha looking for PETN in his underwear.

Oh ya…you know all of those new rules that passengers are not allowed out of their seats one hour before a plane lands? That same plane can be blown up one hour and five minutes before it lands just as easily. I thought I would point that out just in case you couldn’t figure that out.

Happy trails to you.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Christmas in Washington

It’s Christmas Day, and not a particularly conducive time for a rant. White Christmas is playing on television. It brings me back to simpler times. We knew what was right and wrong. We worked hard. Optimism abounded in America.

Now I am not so sure what is going on. The spectacle in Washington is appalling as a Democratic Congress races hell bent forward into finalizing health care reform legislation that was written on the fly, never read, and not understood. The attendant lies have been told so many times Harry Reid and crew either no longer deny them or actually has started to believe the lies themselves. Anyone who can follow a flow sheet knows what has been proposed can’t work, and it still leaves millions upon millions Americans uninsured…which was the purpose of the bill in the first place. Whether the Congress views this as political payback, or a power grab, or the finalization of a ideological dream, the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to “this” health care reform.

The stink of the horse trading that went on to get this bill is overpowering. Yes, give and take is part of the process, but the payoff to some of the states, especially Nebraska, may be downright unconstitutional. It affronts American concepts of fairness and decency. It reminds me of the Supreme Court decision on pornography…I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it. What went on with Nebraska and Florida is downright pornographic, and I believe the courts will overturn it as the remaining states line up to sue.

Even Obama turned tail and skipped out of Washington after cursory remarks related to the Senate passage of health care. He can read polls, too.

So now America can take a breather from the socialist check list of reform. Perhaps the Senators and Congressman can return to their districts and understand constituent anger as unemployment is unacceptably high and salaries remain low and falling while the falling value of real estate continues to destroy most families’ single biggest asset: their home.

Democracy is funny. The will of the people will ultimately prevail. I guess change we can believe consists of payoffs, off the charts spending, and partisanship in the extreme. Congress had its vote a few weeks ago, and the Senate on Christmas Eve. The voters will have their turn in November.

Meantime, enjoy Christmas in Washington.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

NBC News?

My number one rule in life is when you are in trouble, lay low. And apparently that is what NBC News has decided as it runs to offer cover for the increasingly unpopular Obamacare legislation pending in the United States Senate.

In case you haven’t noticed, it has become increasingly unpopular. Right now only 37%of the American public favors it. The Senate Democrats are meeting in continuous secret meetings and refuse to make public the terms of the bill they are going to vote on. The secrecy of the Senate, in and of itself, should be major news. But NBC has decided to give them cover, and have simply stopped reporting on the matter.

I watched NBC and Fox News simultaneously this morning between 7:00 and 7:30 AM, which is the closest thing The Today Show offers for a hard news segment.

Fox News stories in the order of appearance:

1) “Jobs” bill passed by Congress last night. It provided an in depth analysis of the how the money was to be spent, and the closeness of the vote. Air time…about 5 minutes.

2) Health Care Bill updates. It provided possible scenarios for voting, and which Senators are taking what positions. It also offered some in depth cost analysis.

3) The potential for a Christmas Day vote on the Health Care Bill, when America isn’t looking; and the possible political ramifications for Harry Reid and Democrats in general.

4) The Goldman kidnap story and Mr. Goldman’s trip to Brazil in another effort to retrieve his son after the latest court order in his favor.

5) An analysis of the benefits of Health Savings Accounts and how the Health Care Bill might effect this particular kind of insurance, and the related benefits of paying for health care ourselves as opposed to third party insurance companies.

NBC news stories:

1) The Goldman kidnap story…which ran for almost the first 10 minutes of the ½ hour.

2) Terrorists possibly hacking into to drone video pictures in Iraq.

3) The urgency for climate change agreements in Copenhagen, and how Obama may effect an agreement.

4) The hikers lost on Mount Hood.

5) “Congress passed a jobs bill last night”. 20 seconds on an expensive piece of legislation.

6) Sarah Palin’s visor which blacked out John McCain’s name…complete with pictures!

7) A story on how Obama’s friends have “turned” on him.

8) Tiger Woods…again!

Do you see the difference? That is why I watch Fox News, and why Fox News has the highest cable ratings. NBC should be ashamed of itself.

Friday, December 11, 2009

My Back and Health Care

I have had chronic back pain for the past 15 years. My doctor diagnosed it as “butt pain,” which is funny on its face, but not so much as the condition continued to worsen. Over the past 6 months, I have developed substantial neuropathy in feet and legs, as well as a major step up in the pain in my lower spine. Those who have watched me walk will notice a definite hitch in my gitalong.

Getting necessary treatment has been less than stellar, peppered with substantial delays in doctor’s appointments, misfiling of insurance forms, name swapping on a needed injection for a bone scan, dual appointments made at different facilities for the same procedures, receptionists making appointments with the wrong person in the doctor’s office, and cavalier attitudes by the one individual who ended up with my file through no fault of my own and obviously couldn’t be bothered. This individual was rude, uncaring, and ought not to be in the medical profession in any capacity.

I reached the end today, and called the doctor’s office, asked the Gestapo receptionist for the proper person to call me back, and then made my feelings known as only I can do when he did. At least I got a name for what my problem is and learned about some alternative treatments. Had I not been able to reach the proper person, I was ready to drive up to the office, pick up my file, and head to someone else. We are lucky to live in a society where our system is set up so that accountability for medical bad behavior benefits the patient.

The individual I finally reached was actually very helpful. When I hung up, it struck me that more likely than not, if this were 3 years from now, I would not be able to do what I did today.

This is what we will lose when the government starts to dictate health care, no matter what the form. The accountability won’t be to the patient, it will be to the government and its attendant bureaucracy. We will be getting what the government thinks we should get, not more and no less.

In the articles that I have listed on my web site, you will find an one entitled “Your Will Lose Your Private Health Insurance.” It is the single best article I have read about the consequences of the health care “reform” efforts going through the House and Senate right now.
Read it. Understand it. And know that if this sort of system is in place, I would still not know the name of my condition, or what to do for it.

The kind of treatment I got for my back will the kind of treatment we will all get for everything else, and there will be no recourse but to sue the government. And good luck with that.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Too Good to Pass Up!!!!

This one is just too good to pass up. American green jobs make for good rhetoric, but the fact of the matter is most of these jobs are located overseas. The leader in green energy technology, believe it or not, is China. In last week’s issue of Business Week, an article appeared describing alliances forming between American and Chinese electric companies.

The Chinese, apparently, have patents on gizmos that remove CO(2) from coal emission stacks. This technology actually removes the carbon dioxide from the emissions and moves it into mammoth storage tanks. Then they recycle the stuff. They actually sell it to soft drink bottlers where it is used to carbonate beverages. Wow!! You get electricity and club soda all at the same time.

Well, I thought about this for awhile. The goal, of course, is to keep the carbon dioxide from getting into the atmosphere. It occurred to me that this doesn’t quite accomplish the ultimate goal. The carbon dioxide is going to get into the atmosphere one way or the other.

I don’t know about you, but if I were to guzzle a bottle of Coca Cola, that carbon dioxide would get into the atmosphere with one great big belch. And if I were to drink a Coke or some root beer after eating a dish of ice cream, that nasty greenhouse gas would reach the atmosphere another way a lot less pleasant!!

You see. It doesn’t change the amount of carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere, only the method of delivery…unless Obama wants me to attach carbon scrubbers to my various body parts. Parts is parts. Don’t put it past them. After all, they want to tax cows, can anything we do be far behind?

I can’t believe that I have reduced myself to writing something like this.