Moments of Clarity

McCain and Hussein

Here's the deal.  Cincinnati conservative talk host Billy Cunningham was disowned by McCain after he came out and whooped up the crowd saying, "Barack Hussein Obama" many times.  The implication of course is that he is a closet Muslim.

Whatever you believe about the use of Obama's middle name...it's RIDICULOUS to vilify Cunningham for this and childish for McCain to feign ignorance. 

If any of you happen to listen to 98.3 WOW FM here in town, Mr. Cunningham's show is on Sunday evenings.  (He replaced the "Drudge Report" sadly which was a lot of fun to listen to.)   Cunningham uses Obama's middle name EVERY SINGLE TIME he refers to him.  Plain and simple.  Literally 50+ times per show he calls him Barack Hussein Obama. 

The McCain camp had to know what they were getting into.  Back tracking and doing the Potomac Two Step doesn't help.  The hoopla is amazing and I'm sure that Cunningham's audience just doubled.

Debates will only help Obama

I watched the dem debate last night and it further solidified Obama's position as leader in the race.  Obama is not so concerned with being "right"...rather he is willing to "Concede and diffuse".  Hillary had a lot of things planned out in that debate: key comebacks, stinging humor, one liners, etc.  She only tried a few.  Obama seems to move along and doesn't seem to do the, "Half way answer the question but use it as a segue into your scathing attack point".  What was that, "You always ask me the first question" complaint about???

Hillary is much more accomplished at "Typical Left vs. Right" debating, but Obama is simply diffusing that skill.  She knows that if she gets "mean and really tough" she'll be done for.  Her tough comes off as Clintonian finger pointing.  No it's not because she's a woman and tough women automatically get labeled as....well you know.  It's because she represents everything we've had in the White House for the last XX years.  Obama comes off as a bridge builder and one who wishes to do good...vs. be right.

In the debate postmortem last night...even Chris Matthews was slapping Hillary around.  If HE is doing that without making excuses for HRC...then Mr. Obama...you are looking good.

Oh...and McCain was somewhere talking about how conservative he is.

Reagan was dismissed for using empty rhetoric too

I'll leave the politics of the matter up to you...but read this piece in the WSJ. 

Obama and the Power of Words, by Stephen Hayes.

Does this sound a bit Obama'ish?

"More than anything else, I want my candidacy to unify our country, to renew the American spirit and sense of purpose. I want to carry our message to every American, regardless of party affiliation, who is a member of this community of shared values . . . For those who have abandoned hope, we'll restore hope and we'll welcome them into a great national crusade to make America great again!"

Think again...

So Ronald Reagan proclaimed on July 17, 1980, as he accepted his party's nomination for president at the Republican National Convention in Detroit, Mich.

Obama by 8 points. 

From Flyover to Tech Hotspot: How Global Warming Has Shifted the Where of Cool

Let's assume for a moment that global warming is happening on some scale, man-made or otherwise. 

**FOR IMMEDIATE FICTITIOUS RELEASE** February 15, 2008

Global warming today has been credited with making the Midwest "cool".    Now that the Western half of the U.S. and the Northeast are plagued with the inability to reliably produce electricity and severe drought...places like Iowa have become highly desirable.  An unnamed Iowa legislator said under the condition of anonymity that, "It's about time that global calamity worked in our favor.  I'm not sure if global warming is real or not...but for now, I'm loving it."

It's been almost a year now since Google (GOOG) announced that it was building a data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Now we  find that Microsoft (MSFT) is getting close to deciding on an Iowa location for a similar data center operation. Local and state governing bodies are scrambling to put together incentive packages that sweeten the deal.  It seems that Iowa has become cool.  Or more accurately, Iowa is hot.

Iowa's Paris Hilton "hot" stems from its abundant water and ability to produce massive amounts of electricity.   "Look, we know that the public thinks that we're bending over for Microsoft, and we are," said a confidential city source.  "But look, we have rain, snow, and land free of aging hippies so we can build more electrical plants.  Those few key elements put us in a great position  to get on the news...and that's what we need to do.  Hi mom."

So it seems that for now, Global Warming has turned Iowa into the technology and biofuel capital of the world.  For these humble Midwesterners, used to news coverage only every 4 years, time are a changin'.  Now everyone seems to want a little piece of their globally warmed pie. 

**

Refreshing your election system knowledge

Here's a great little FAQ found on the MSNBC site that helps us understand the electoral college process, etc.  With all of the Super Delegate/Primary/Caucus banter around the US, it's nice to remind ourselves what it all means.
The FAQ has a fair amount of questions about the Iowa Caucuses and how they came to mean something special.

Obamicans and Democrats Uniting Behind Their Candidate

Hillary Clinton was decimated tonight in the "Potomac Primaries".   I listened to Obama's speech in its entirety.  He's good.  He's...very good.  His message is what America is ready for. Change.  Hope.  Service.  Rebuilding.  Doing what's hard.  I cannot stand one moment of Hillary's speeches...yet I watch Obama and am totally enthralled. 

Obama's message carries the inspiration and praise of the American spirit...our dedication to hard work and doing what's right.  He invokes parables about the work of the Revolutionaries that founded our nation.  People thought the idea of freedom from Britain was crazy.  But our founding fathers said...Yes...We Can. 

Here's what's striking to me...Obama's message doesn't sound that much different than our 40th President's.  We haven't really heard yet how Obama intends to execute all of the things he wishes for our nation.  But we don't seem to care.  We didn't realize that Reagan would choose to simply outspend the Russians into bankruptcy either when we chose him.  The message is the same but with a different approach.  The result will be the same and Obamicans will deliver his victory and 8 years of unparalleled interest in making the United States a better place.  Yes We Can.

Coverage switched to John McCain as Obama ended. I was taken aback by the stark contrast to the Obama speech.  McCain is almost mechanical and spouting rhetoric that most conservatives don't even want to hear now.  He's done.  He's the nominee and is finished. 

McCain's only hope is that the Super Delegates pick Hillary over Obama against the will of the people if it comes down to the convention.   I don't think it will...but that's another post.

Barack Obama will win the nomination and win the election by at least 8 points.

Will Text Messages Be the Deciding Factor in an Obama Win?

The latest poll I heard this morning puts Obama up by more than 10 points in CA.  That doesn't look good for the Clintons.

This piece in the WSJ this morning shows how the Obama camp is using text messaging to instruct people on where/how to vote in the today's primaries/caucuses.   Will leveraging the text message medium give Barack the 8 point victory I expect if McCain is the nominee on the Republican side?  It will certainly contribute.

Our Nation's First Black President

Fast forward to November.  If the mainstream media juggernaut continues to pump McCain as the likely nominee for President and the red faced Clintonian Empire points one too many fingers...we'll elect our Nation's first black President. 

I'm fairly confident in saying that the margin of victory for Barack Obama on election night will be buoyed by a 6%-8% Republican defection to his side.  I, among many of my close friends and colleagues will likely be counted in that margin...preferring the social and cultural revolution of an Obama victory to the disappointment of a donkey wrapped in an elephant's clothes.   I'm very excited about what Obama's Presidency will represent for our nation. 

We will become our country's first "Obamicans"?

Like the Reagan Democrats, Obamicans will account for his two term Presidential victories and legislative success rate.

The ascendancy of a young black man to the most powerful role in the world will shift the dynamic of our nation forever.  It will end the reign of "Black community representation" by the divisive class warfare mongers so prevalent today.  High ranking cabinet position seekers will be snubbed.

In that moment, we'll turn a page in our short history as a nation.  Whatever cronyism expected by the usual suspects  will be met with Presidential prestige.  Denial will extinguish the group's power in an instant.  New dialogs and social norms will emerge. The battle cry will shift to "It's up to us!" versus "It's their fault." 

A successful, articulate, and educated black man will lead this country to new heights, new levels of personal responsibility, and equality.  I'm excited for what our nation will become.  Are more of us yearning for positive social disruption than are listening to the same old political rhetoric by the suits?  I think so. 

I wish I'd blogged about this before Paczkowski

It was just released that Meg Whitman is positioning herself to retire and place a successor at Ebay.  My guess was that she's doing it to free herself up for a Romney cabinet position should that come to fruition.  Then I read that John Paczkowski has said this over at All Things Digital. 

Crud.  I felt like such a prescient insider until now. 

Meg worked for Romney at Bain for many years and they are good friends so this does not surprise me.  I'd like a cabinet stacked with innovative disrupters from the Valley.  How 'bout you?

How about a new cabinet position called, Secretary of U.S. Technology Innovations. 

My First Caucus Experience

Last night, the people of Iowa spoke and nation heard.  Our caucus location was overrun with people.  Turnout was over DOUBLE expected.  People buzzed with excitement and anticipation.  We listened to passionate pleas...then cast our ballots.  Done.

My Democrat caucusing friends were even more buzzed than I.  Giddy would be a better explanation.  As Richardson voters, they had to switch once it was clear that he wasn't viable (ie obtained at least 15% of the vote).  Lobbying, caucusing, whatever you'd like to call it.....began.  You know the results now.

The political process is alive and well friends and I'm especially proud to be an Iowan today (yes...more than normal).  Here's a few observations in retrospect.

1. Of course, the national media continues to be flummoxed over Iowa's "Undue influence on the national election...where such a small group of humble people affect things nationally when we really don't represent the nation."  What these cretins are trying to sugar coat is their feeling that Iowa is filled with religious zealot agrarians (Huckabee) and Democrats that obviously are voting with their emotions. (Obama) 
2. I hear many suggesting that California would be a better first stop choice and more "representative of the nation".  Are you KIDDING ME!  Coming from said place, I can tell you that the folks there mostly don't care.  Also, you'd not get farther than about 20 miles in a radius to hit 3 million people...and you'd be hard pressed to actually get there anyway with traffic. Having a large state go first would not help.  In fact it would be a massive detriment.  Candidates would have to engage in far larger "retail" politics and avoid small group settings and that would do no good for the nation.
3. The latest poll I heard put McCain in first in NH, Romney 2nd, and Rudy 3rd.  Nationally, things are completely different again.  The bottom line is that when we try to pin "representative of America" on any one state...it's filled with incorrect assumptions.  This is the process people.  We're trying to gather the pulse of the nation.  Last night we found out that Rudy bailing on Iowa hurt bad and that Hilliary isn't the dynamo she thought she was.  And how 'bout that 'Bama!  Isn't just awesome to think of the change we COULD have in the US historically if he's elected (Although I'd prefer David Palmer).
4. Iowa as a first stop proving grounds is manageable for the candidates geographically.  There's only 3 million or so of us.
5. We don't decide until we've fully vetted the candidates. (Frustrates the media that they can't pick the winner well in advance)
6. We force the candidates to expose themselves to small groups. 
7. The Clinton campaign must be scrambling internally.  3rd place is like falling off the map.
8. Poor Dodd.  He moved here.  Maybe I can buy his house cheap and rent it out?
9. Romney spent a ton for 2nd place.  Huckster spent almost nothing. 
10. I've never seen such a media frenzy.  I was on CNN in the background a few times...and yesterday I was interviewed about blogging...on SkyNews (broadcast live to the UK).  Power to the bloggers.
    

Add your comments if you please.

Iowa...the Belly of the Beast

Gosh.  If you're like me, the phone is ringing twice an hour now with surveys, polls, and pre-recorded messages from this person and that person endorsing various candidates. 

It's kind of neat to be in the epicenter of the political process right now.  Even more exciting is how vexing Iowans are to the mainstream media.  Old nags are coming from the back of the field with 6 foot tall jockeys riding them it seems and no one can peg who's leading.  I saw a poll yesterday that put 3 candidates in a dead heat for the Caucuses in both parties.  It's a 6 horse race if you believe them. 

Here's the call to the line! (please read in your best horse racing voice...come on!)
Annnnnnd they're off!

Elder Hero's jockey seems to have left the track because he wasn't paid and Tennessee's False Start never left the gate!  In turn 2...The Huckster comes from nowhere......now on the inside its Right Mitt...now Left Mitt.  He seems to be a bit unsure where he stands but man is he cute.......and around turn three it's Just For Men.....man does his coat look glossy!.....now coming into the home stretch I Appointed a Felon is fading.......and fast....now side by side....Oprah's Bud is battling Whitewater Windfall....or was that Osmotic Experience? Wait a minute.....there's another horse lurking just outside the track.  He appears to be a stud and all of the mares are distracted. I think that's the barn mate of Osmotic Experience...yes it's Lying Under Oath. OK now he's taken a Philly into the oval barn out of sight. Back to the track.  In the home stretch it's Right Mitt.....Osmotic...Right Mitt Osmotic......and Right Mitt at the line by a nose. 

By the 3rd of January though, we'll have an idea of what people really thought when they were left alone. 

Can anyone improve the technology of those auto-dialers thought that take 2-3 seconds of me saying "HELLLLLLOOOOOO" to kick in?

May your chads be danglin'

Noonan on Iowa

I am a huge fan of Peggy Noonan's writing.  She is so calm, yet her words cut sharply (and sometimes you don't even feel the blade).

You''ll love this summary of the candidates from her perspective published in the Wall Street Journal.

Is It Just Me...Or is Fred Thompson a Non-Issue?

I'm not sure...but Fred's grandiose delayed gratification entrance to the race fizzled like a dud Roman Candle from a communist fireworks factory. 

Even his current ads really don't say "Look at me...vote for me" rather they talk more broadly about conservative principles and "getting conservatives into the White House".

Even folks I know that were convinced Rudy couldn't become the nominee because of the South, etc...are starting to say that he may be the only one that's capable of defeating the Clintonian Machine.

I'm Doug Mitchell...and I approve the planting of this blog post.

Top 10 Things I Heard From Barack Obama at the Iowa State Fair Today

The top 10 things I overheard when I passed by Barack Obama at the Iowa State Fair today.

10.  "My God I'm thin"
9. "I just ate whaaaaaatttttt?"
8.  "Hey...You know I'm gonna raise your taxes right?.......Awwwweeee I'm just messin' with ya."
7.  "Did HOGZILLA swallow a couple of Wilson footballs or what?"
6. (To the secret service agents with him).."pssst..do you know if they have any salads here?"
5. (To his handler/campaign manager) "Sooooo like...did Hillary eat pork chop on a stick cuz I don't want to appear less manly than that woman?"
4. "It's sooooooo awesome...check it out.....an Iowa Hawkeye temporary tattoo!"
3. "Explain to me again why there's a cow and a Harry Potter made out of butter again."
2. (To secret service)..."Guys...GUYS...take it easy on the corn dogs it's not like I have Hillary's war chest."

...and the number one thing I overheard Barack Obama say at the Iowa State Fair today from the home office in Des Moines Iowa...

1. "I vow to banish all trans fats from the Iowa State Fair...but there will be a deep fried Twinkie Exemption even if I have to do it by secret executive order and torture people to make it happen!"

(cue the music)

bonus overheard nugget" "Chief Justice Roberts? Sheesh..yeah I could take him"

Rudy and Steve - My buds

I went over to watch the debate yesterday at Rudy Giuliani's Iowa headquarters.  About 30 minutes before he arrived, here comes Steve Forbes through the door.  I was very excited to meet him.  Here's the consummate free trader and flat tax advocate right in front of me.  I jokingly told Forbes, "Politics aside, your restaurant reviews are great."  He got a kick out of that.

Rudy spoke for about 20 minutes and signed books and signs, etc..  It's amazing that Iowa is literally the center of the political universe right now.  I absolutely feel engaged and a part of it...something I've not encountered before.  In CA, we knew that no Republican would ever visit since the state was lost.  Period.  They're right (or left rather).

Here's the photos from the event

 

Mother Nature Sued: God Named Co-Defendant

As I read the headline "Quake Lifts Solomons Island Out of the Sea", I was reminded of the incomprehensible power of the earth to create new...and destroy old.  In an instant, a 20 mile x 5 mile coral reef was lifted up 10 feet exposing it and obviously destroying all of the life on it.  Now it remains a rotting heap of rock and sea death. (Conspiracy theorists have already pointed to the magic George Bush Tsunami generator project headed by the NSA and Haliburton from their Dubai offices)

After I get over the shock and awe of what happened, I inevitably begin thinking about Al Gore, Global Warming, and Mother Nature.  I'm sorry, I just can't help it.  You think I like that this happens???

This is not a political blog nor will it ever be...but here's a few points that I'd like to throw up to the defense attorneys when Mother Nature (aka "The Weather aka "Old Man Winter") and God (aka "The Maker" aka "Dear God" aka "Oh My God" aka "Big Daddy") finally take the stand.

1. I'm not a scientist and don't have access to the data, but I'm unguardedly certain that there are hundreds of countries, including the world's most voracious producers of goods that belch out more billions of tons of filth and pollutants that we here in the US could produce if we wanted to (China, India). Let's shift the focus onto them OK.  I drive a Honda man...and I use those ridiculous fluorescent bulbs that look like corkscrews.  Heck I even compost.  Am I cool?
   
2. When a natural event like a volcanic eruption spews more CO2 and methane into the atmosphere that we can ever create here on earth over a few week period...ummmm...."Can I get some carbon offsets here!"  Pass a resolution that makes volcanoes illegal.  Did I mention the methane produced by cows?  We must immediately ban all forms of meat because those suckers provide enough gases via their own ozone holes to melt a glacier.  I'll just have a salad please.
3. When it's 14.5 degrees when I wake up to a beautiful Des Moines April morn' and there's snow on the cherry blossoms in DC, warming is a tough sell.  I realize that global warming is actually the cause of both warming and cooling and that no matter how cold it may be...that it's actually warming that is the sole culprit)
4. If the weather turns certain areas into less desirable places to live and others into more desirable places to live, and this transition happens over time( as it has throughout history) is that bad?  No one wants folks to suffer pain and suffering.  But since it seems that much of what we call "recreation" now was caused by receded glaciers ripping canyons into otherwise cruddy areas, I'm gonna go with it.  "There are new lakes forming daily from glacial melt" and I can't help but think that some enterprising folks with poor lives up til now are thinking "Lake front developments - cheap - inquire at shanty camp #2". 
5. When I was a kid growing up in Southern CA in the San Gabriel Valley (east of LA by about 45 miles), 2nd stage smog alerts occurred often during the summer.  That means "Don't go outside unless it's absolutely necessary"  As kids we used to rid bikes everywhere and all summer long, our lungs would BURN and deep breaths were impossible.  This hasn't happened in SoCal for a long long time.  In fact the last stage 3 smog alert was in 1974.  (Ah ha! Governor Ronald Reagan single handedly stopped smog) See we all figured out that new cars put out a puff of bad emissions compared to a 70's belcher.  When those were gone, the junk in the air subsided greatly.  Sure there's a haze of YUCK over the valley's in SoCal.  But it has been that way for as long as we've had reporters in the field (aka "Indians").  They called it "Valley of the Smoke" because the heat traps in the moisture and dust from the windy conditions blah blah blah. 

Now I realize that everything I've just said circles back to my lack of education and understanding.  I do what I can to make the earth a sustainable place but I realize that's not enough.  I need to freak out, preach about our impending doom, and ride my bike more.  But what's my next step?

I'm really not sure.  If we've caused all of this and can't really do much about it, and it has nothing to do with the cyclical nature of our earth, then I guess I need a bit more indoctrination. 

Is the true goal of the Global Warming crowd to fund a fixing of the problem?  If so, we'd need to literally take everyone's money and stop the economy from producing so much goop.  Don't forget to shut down the coal fired plants and don't drive anywhere, then send all of that money you made at your home job that doesn't use electricity or paper or water or anything organic to the government to fund research.  We have a 10 year window according to Gore right before calamity brings the beach front to Nevada and Arkansas?

As we approach an era of hydrogen power (have you seen the 12 cylinder BMW hydrogen car?  Wow.), wind power, ethanol, biodiesel, and (shhhhh...nuclear power), I'm encouraged by our progress as humans and will not simply accept the role of global whipping boy for whatever problems seem to exist out there.  You see, this country and its people are a shining example of what ingenuity and the spirit of innovation breeds.  We're blamed for everything and expected to pay for everything that happens around the globe (protection, wars, humanitarian missions, environmental disasters, financial aide, natural disasters, and more).  We also do it here at home (however inefficiently) when things run amuck. 

If we are the world's bad guys and we're the root of much of the world's evil, perhaps the globe would do well to boycott us and all that we are.  Then, after the rest of the world's collapse due to lack of food, no pesticides from our research to prevent blight and plague, and the free reign of dictatorial regimes that enslave millions, we'll move in and ruin those new places too.  (By ruin I mean make prosperous and provide all citizens with their best darn shot at living out their God given rights to a great life).

Personally, I think I'll homestead a piece of land in Bordeaux when it becomes available and replant with some California grapes. (Wait, haven't we done that already?)

DSM Patnership in Tights

Quote:
The group has called for an additional 1-cent sales tax to help make the area more attractive to workers and businesses. The $75 million raised annually from the proposed sales tax would be used to provide property tax relief, make money available for local projects, and expand the metro area's cultural and recreational opportunities.

So if I'm getting this straight, the Partnership is advocating that we tax to bring tax relief.  Who among you believes that when given 3 options of what to do with $75 million, that politicians will "give it back" in the form of property tax relief?  Even the most liberal of spenders should be offended that the Landed Gentry would possibly get a break on the back of those average citizens purchasing basics from HyVee or Kohls.  Even Robin Hood would be confused by this one.

Article 
The piece is actually on Lance Armstrong speaking at the Des Monies partnership annual dinner...but reading that paragraph stopped me cold. 

Blog Wars: The Sundance Channel Documentary

I just watched the movie Blog Wars, a 2006 documentary chronicling the power of bloggers in the Lieberman - Lamont Senate race in Connecticut.  After watching it, I'm pretty sure that any outsider could easily dismiss bloggers as digital vigilantes exacting mob lynchings of their enemies. 

The bloggers, toting video cameras, would hound Lieberman asking tough and some might say volatile questions hoping to fluster him into saying something improper knowing that minutes later...the VLOG (video blog) would be up and linked to by thousands of supporters of the cause.

No matter the color of the sword you fall on: red or blue, the power of blogs in elections is undeniable.  Some accredit Bush's Ohio victory in 2004 to evangelical right bloggers getting people out to vote.  In the Lieberman/Lamont race, the bloggers got behind Lamont (even though they admittedly didn't care for him all that much) to prove a point, and they did.  Lamont emerged victorious from the primary that was targeted. 

2008 may prove to be the most digitally influenced election yet.  I'm not so sure this kind of blogging is undesirable really.  If you feel like many (especially twenty and thirty-somethings) do that politicians from both parties aren't even listening anymore, blogging may be the flintlock of the digital revolutionary militia.

People Drought

Today, the Des Moines Register posted an editorial piece entitled:  The Issue:  The People Drought.  The piece highlights the major challenge that Iowa (like most of the non-coastal cities) will face in the coming decades.  According to demographers and other experts, we'll face a massive shortfall of workers here.  It's estimated that by 2012 (only 6 years from now mind you) that we'll have 150k more jobs than workers to fill them. 

It’s estimated that Iowa will have 150,000 more jobs than workers by 2012, and it could get much worse thereafter. Rather than new businesses coming to Iowa, the specter is of businesses leaving Iowa because they won’t be able to hire enough workers.

Living in California all of my life until 2005...I never had to face an issue like this...nor do I think we'll have to face it here.

Here's why.  These dire predictions of worker shortage seem to rarely if ever come true.   The statistics assume that at "retirement age", baby boomers will perform a mass exodus from the work force.  Wrong.  Using the same statistics, I'm sure we'd find that a majority of those boomers have under capitalized their retirements..and thus will be changing careers, filling in at mall jobs part time, and the uber professionals will be called in to perform their acts of gray haired wisdom at companies around the state. 

No one here is throwing illegal immigration into the mix either.  You can continue to put off the inevitable by allowing unfettered immigration to "fill the jobs"...but what job deficits are we really talking about here?  Are we facing a lack of 150k skilled workers, burger flippers, or doctors?  No one ever really makes that clear when they speak expertly.

The core of this insane political football remains:

1. If education was the priority of this state above all else...we'd have the best starting point of ANY state from which to build our foundation.  End of discussion.
2. If Iowa and the Midwest puts its full force behind becoming the scientific and ag/biofuel technology leader...we'd have no trouble attracting smart people and entrepreneurs and venture capital after the initial ethanol hangover wears off.
3. Stopping illegal immigration will force the economy to realign itself with the proper market forces at play...this will throw all formulae off by an order of magnitude.

Potent Advice on Anti-Teamwork

A great piece showed up on Tom Evslin's blog Fractals of Change titled, "When NOT to be a team player".

Evslin shares how teamwork in the wrong context ultimately leads to appeasement, lack of progress, and potential disaster.  One of my favorite quotes appears too,

Winston Churchill wrote: “Why, you may take the most gallant sailor, the most intrepid airman or the most audacious soldier, put them at a table together – what do you get? The sum of all their fears.”

The First Plane To Cuba

I hold a great hope that Raul Castro secretly likes Levi's and Netflix.   If Fidel's reign is over and Raul steps up permanently, will he take Cuba down the path of global market participation?  Or, will he maintain the ridiculous shame of communism and oppression...buoyed by fellow fascist regimes.

My hope is that there will be a beautiful new resort economy and cigar trade with the U.S. that will provide jobs and economic prosperity to Cuba's people who've lived in agony for a very long time. 

As we've seen in the past, it's not a bad gig to be a benevolent dictator who's friendly with the U.S.  (at least for a while).  I'm watching this with eager anticipation.

If Cuba and the U.S. become buddies, I'm going to be on the first plane I can get out of Des Moines to the Marriott Bay of Pigs, and engage in a cigar smoking expedition that will affect Cuba's GNP figures.

I keep having visions of Castro in a hospital bed made of gold repeating that famous Python-Holy Grail line in a Spanish accent, "I'm not dead!"  "I feel happy...I feel happpppppyyyyyyy"

Beating a Dead Horse

A great little post appeared on Cornwall's Entrepreneurial Mind blog today called Business As Usual.  Cornwall highlights the fact that our politicians keep negotiating deals as in early twentieth century terms.

So true.  You're not alone when you listen to the left and right leadership drone on in front of a few hundred thousand people via your favorite cable news channel...and feel like they've missed the boat.  Someone should get an official congressional "Do we know what's happening out there" survey commissioned.  The questions:

1.  Do you know what a blog or wiki is?
2.  Do you prefer web based or client server architecture?
3.  By what means do you collaborate with your constituents?
4.  How much is a gallon of gas in your district/state and how much of that price is tax?
5.  How much is a gallon of milk?

Cornwall says, "Our economy is becoming more and more dependent on entrepreneurs for growth. And yet, our politicians keep dancing the same dance that they have since the beginning of the big government era that started in the middle of the last century. This is no longer a time to horse trade between unions and corporate America. If we don't wake up, we face economic atrophy that will assure that the US will be a second rate economic power within the next 20 - 30 years, if not sooner."

Amen.  Right now, America is acting like the lethargic old economy company who doesn't believe that the competition could ever penetrate its shields...and its has so much money (or ability to incur so much debt at its population's expense), that it can in effect....do nothing for a very long time...and live to die another day.  At some point, the U.S. government will go into panic mode and spend more of our money trying to catch up and deal with the fact that its populous has passed it up.  Or, we'll take the AT&T approach that manifested itself after 25 years of head-in-sand management...we'll simply sell our country to another who's very nimble and tecno savvy...in exchange for the use of our name and our "customer base".

The irony is that we've elected...and will continue to elect slick attorneys with nice suits to represent us folks.  Cornwall's time frame of 20-30 years is about right since my generation, Gen X (I'm 34), will be the first generation of retirees in our country to not be under the thumb of the government for our well being.  Ask anyone in my age class if they believe social security will be there when they retire and they'll scoff.  It's going to take a new class of self-employed and SMB business owners to set this ship right.  We'll do it over the next 20 years by voting for people in the U.S that are like US.

A non-report....report

When you read the headline "Military Revises al-Zarqawi Account", you are left with a clear picture that you will now be reading how things changed and what was revised.  Oh the simplicity.

However, the first sentence of the article discusses how an unnamed, unseen, totally anonymous, and completely unverified man saw the military, "Wrap the man's head in an Arab robe and began beating him," speaking of al-Zarqawi.  This is the kind of non-reporting reporting that inflames the right side of the media and completely discredits the left.  Come on.  Basically we're hearing that, "Some guy, who may have been there or not, we really don't know, said the U.S. did bad things to the guy.  There's some solid stuff.

Later in the article as General William Caldwell lays out the revised details of what happened as reported by the military, this reporter mentions that Cadwell's "Recounting of the aftermath of the air strike could not be independently verified." But included that, "The Iraqi government confirmed only that Iraqi forces were first on the scene, followed by the Americans." 

Let me translate this article for you. 

The U.S. is bad and probably killed al-Zarqawi after he survived our brutal attack.  After all, somebody said they kind of saw that, and besides, we can't trust what the military says about anything.  Obviously, since we're getting reports now that the immediate first reports were incorrect, the U.S. is covering this up since we shouldn't be there anyway and....(cue the Dixie Chicks). 

Come on.  How many of the first reports out of New Orleans were correct?  Recall the rapes and murders that were seemingly happening every minute at the Super Dome?

Should we go back and examine the reports of when Sadaam was captured?  He's alive and facing trail.  Details changed for weeks after the initial reports came out...largely because in American Military, we take the time to explore, investigate, and fact find. 

My main point here is that this is NOT a news piece.  It's drivel and it's main goal is to leave the reader with the impression that the U.S. did not tell the whole truth and that it can't be trusted.  While there have been military missteps with regard to the truth, on the whole, I believe that we do our best every day to provide justice and proper behavior.  Every group of people has bad elements, but I'm going to tip the good scale to the U.S., versus giving that award to the guys who cut off heads.