Goodbye and Good Riddance 2008

Tonight we wrap up another year. Normally, there is some bit of nostalgia, even melancholy. For me, much of that comes from the end of the Christmas season, which is always a bit of a let down. But then there's also the thought of another year that has just whizzed by; a pace that is definitely quickening here on my 50th New Year's Eve. And then you recall the highlights that filled the calendar.

But this year is different. I cannot remember any other year that I was as anxious to leave behind as 2008. A year filled with change and stress, disruption and heartache, disappointment and regret. Too many tears and fears. It will not be missed. Not that there weren't good times and some blessings mixed in, and those have to be remembered tonight too. But the overall was not one I would like to live again.

So rather than dwell on another year spent and gone, perhaps I'm finally doing the proper thing anyway by focusing on the year to come. Looking forward at the possibilities and potential that comes with the blessings of good health, family and friends. 2008 is in the books and disappearing fast in the rear-view mirror. Here's to 2009 and the future.

Christmas 2008

It is that time of year where those of us that yearn to know Christ in our daily lives come face to face with a society that works harder each Christmas to relegate him to not much more than an ancient curiosity. The significance of his birth lost in the celebration of it in the best case, and in the worst case there’s no more Christ in Christmas than in St. Patrick’s Day. Just this week I was in a Hallmark card store and noticed that all of the “Holiday Cards” had been compartmentalized into sections, one of which was for “Religious” Holiday cards! What a concept! By the way, that section was not quite as large as the “Humorous” one.

Here at the home of The Mole Hole, we do the best we can to fight the trend and keep the family focused on the real reason for the season. It would be easy to say that it’s mostly the children who are driven to the commercial aspect of the holiday, but that would be disingenuous. Both the adults in the household are just about as apt to be sucked into the greed machine that fires-up right after Halloween, if we were not watchful. I like that word, “watchful”. It was recently used by our parish priest in her attempt to define the Advent season. Watchful as in anticipation for the arrival of the Christ-child, but nowadays, I steer it towards meaning watchful, as in peering into a mirror and asking one’s self about what they should be looking for on this special day called Christmas. What do you expect out of the day?

There are so many bible phrases and quotes from great theologians that best frame what we should, as Christians, be focused on for this day, but in our modern era, there are times when a more simplistic and immature approach might be more effective. So for all of us who need to be watchful:

“He puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more? - Dr. Suess

Let us all be watchful for something that means a lot more. Merry Christmas to all!

Yet Another "Association"

.....Good times....good times!

"I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening." --Barack Obama, friend and ally of Gov. Blagojevich

"I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them." --Obama adviser David Axelrod on 23 November (Axelrod now says he was "mistaken" when he said that)

Blogging on Blago - Part 2

A perfect quote to mirror my earlier comments about the missing element of “due process” for Illinois Governor Blagojevich:

“At this point, every Democrat in the country seems willing to give more due process rights to a terrorist at Guantanamo than to Rod Blagojevich!” – Rush Limbaugh

Again, the question is why??

Blogging on Blago - A Man Without A Friend

Blogging this morning from the epicenter of corrupt politics in America, and the home state of Barack Hussein Obama, with a couple of big questions rolling around inside my head:

Whatever happened to “due process”? Innocent until proven? It is so strange to hear the fallout from yesterday’s arrest of Blagojevich…especially as it comes from the dems, all the way up to Obama. Every single one of them, without exception, is either calling for his immediate resignation or for an impeachment action in an emergency session they want to schedule next week! In addition, they’re moving for some kind of an immediate court injunction, which would strip him of any ability to name Obama’s replacement if he dare try to do that in the interim. It’s like old-time frontier justice. Setting up the gallows the night he’s called into court!

All of this panic mode could be understandable coming from Republicans, but why is there not one dem coming to his defense? Not one friend? In their minds, he is absolutely guilty. It really leads me to only two possible conclusions. First, and at the very least, they are not surprised by any of this. That they actually suspected for some time that he was dirty. So why didn’t any ever speak up? (Sorry, dumb question.) But the second possibility, and where the real issue might be, is that they didn’t just suspect, but that most of these democrats had some direct knowledge of his activity. They knew this guy was up to a lot of bad stuff. And I include Obama in that.

This is just so odd….and so out of the ordinary for politicians, dems and Republicans alike, when one of there own stands accused. Just recalling this past year’s activity with Kwame Kilpatrick back in Detroit. Oh how sickeningly long did the democrats in that state, (including the do-nothing governor, Granholm) stick by that guy’s side. All of them talking about due process and such, when the evidence of his guilt was piled so high he couldn’t see over it!

No, something is very different this time. And it smells. Let’s see what the media turns up. Of course it will have to be Fox!

Faux "Fir"

A decision of huge importance was made at the home of The Mole Hole this past weekend. After 27 years in existence, this household has gone “artificial” for Christmas! Yes, the delicate scent of pine resin does not waft through the house this evening although it is completely decorated for the Holidays.

How did a decision of this magnitude come about? Well, it was a combination of a few things. An alignment of Yule-time planets as it were:
· The lack of convenient access to “tree farms” which was our traditional method of obtaining a real tree. Here at our new home in Chicagoland, we faced quite a drive once we even identified a couple of them out there. Returning home on the Interstate with one tied to the roof of the car would probably result in most of the needles ending up in the Grilles of the cars behind us!
· Our desire to put the tree up earlier, and probably leave it up longer, because we’ll have less time to enjoy it while we return “home” to Michigan for Christmas week. Much too long to have a real tree standing in the house. I can picture a spontaneous combustion event occurring around January 7th or so!
· A young cat in the house, who is way too energetic, and he’s seeing a Christmas tree for the first time. It has been our experience that real trees are never quite stand straight enough to balance well in the stand. There have been years when we literally tied them to the walls! So should this frisky feline decide to have fun with the tree, a stable and balanced fake Fir is much more likely to withstand a full scale attack.

So it was with this decision process that we now have a gorgeous facsimile of a seven and a half foot Douglas Fir standing proudly in the living room. I have to say, that these man-made jobs have come a long way, even to the point of actually designing in some inconsistencies in the branching and coloration just like nature would have it. And maybe the most amazing thing of all, the thing is manufactured right here in the U.S.A.! Who would’ve thought that in this day and age! Nice to see.

So many other things have changed for us since the Big Move, we really felt it important to stick to tradition as much as possible for the Holiday, but upon further consideration of the items listed above, it was probably a good move. Now I need to pick up some spruce-scented candles and then learn to live with the convenience!

Words of Waffle

"What exactly is this foreign policy expertise? Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no. ... It's what's wrong with politics today. Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected. ... She'll say anything and change nothing. ... The question is, what kind of judgment will you exercise when you pick up that phone ... In fact, we've had a red-phone moment. It was the decision to invade Iraq. Sen. Clinton gave the wrong answer."
--Barack Obama during the campaign on his pick for secretary of state, Hillary Clinton

You Can't Have it Both Ways, Mr. Senator

So the CEO’s for the “Big-3” domestic autos were back in Washington this week to throw themselves on the mercy of our all-knowing, all-seeing Senators, most of which don’t know a disc-brake from a radiator.

All of this has been a nauseating process to watch. First, that these companies are even in this position, but secondly, and even more disturbing, is seeing a bunch of puffed-up politicians who are literally enjoying having these big-wigs begging in front of them. And how sick is that?

The final straw for me was when one of the Senators, I forgot which, wanted to know the travel plans of each of these CEO’s returning to Detroit. He wanted to make damn sure that there wasn’t a corporate jet stashed behind a hanger somewhere in Washington, set to whisk these guys away, and that they were ready to get back in the Malibu and head for the Interstate! He actually asked each one of them in order how they were returning home!

I tell you this; there is a sickness in America when we take delight in tearing down executives and others for their personal successes. Yes, I understand that there were many mistakes by these automakers, but 90% of those are part of a legacy of short-sightedness and caving-in to big labor by their long-ago predecessors. These guys today are smarter and tougher, but the past has finally caught up with them in the middle of this recession, and they’ve inherited the mess. These companies are not in trouble because of decisions made five or even ten years ago. These are not the thieves of Wall Street (who by the way, did get a bailout!).

So in typical Socialist fashion, the libs resent the CEO’s, and secretly have a little gleam in their eye when they insist on these execs stopping at Burger King in there hybrids! Don’t think they don’t! Can you imagine how badly they’d like to see the same for the chiefs at Exxon-Mobil or Chevron?!!

There isn’t one single UAW job that is going to be saved by having these guys sell the corporate jets. In fact, jobs will be lost. What about the maintenance and flight crews for them? What about the few business aircraft builders left in the U.S.? Who do they think buy most private aircraft anyway? Not individuals. Not even Senators with their wealth. Corporations do!

But so many people today just can’t stand to see others having what they do not. So they tear them down!

I’ve flown in corporate jets. Employers in my past have owned them, and I’ve had the rare privilege. But now in my particular industry, few companies still have them, but why should I have resentment for those that still do? I admire their success. We should all admire their success. This is what makes America great.

I remember driving by the new Chrysler Technical Center when it was being built. It was huge, impressive and yes, even ostentatious. The CEO’s office was right behind the big glass Pentastar at the top of the tower. And then I can recall being in Mexico on a business trip one time and seeing two beautiful GM-owned business jets sitting, gleaming on the tarmac in such stark contrast to the poor surroundings of the country around it. Why would you not feel pride at either of these sights? But some people just can’t stand that. There are Senators in Washington who would rather see the CEO of Ford, pumping gas in his Focus on the way to his next meeting, then stepping out of a big shiny jet. These are the new Socialists stinking up our government today, and voted-in by the same.

Don’t think I’m conflicted on this issue. I’m still against a bailout, mostly because I’m afraid it will only prolong the issue and have this same pleading and begging happening all over again in six months, but also because the bailout itself is a government controlling way too much. No, it’s time to take these companies down to the foundation and start anew, as painful as it might be.
And I hope to God they come back stronger than ever.

The same capitalism that allows the success of shiny corporate jets also allows for failure. And our government was not intended to ever step into the path of either of those things. This government needs to get the hell out and stay out. So go ahead and deny the automakers their loans Mr. Senator sir, but when you have that next meeting with Mr. Exxon, don’t you dare challenge his profit!

Rumors of it's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Here in Illinois, our Socialist Governor, Rod Blagojevich, now has the task of naming a successor to Barack Hussein Obama's seat in the Senate. The process is of course, getting huge attention here in Chicagoland. There has been much speculation about who that will be, and today the Governor was asked again about where he was at in the process. Here is one comment about it, which he made yesterday:

"The race factor is something that carries much weight in my mind." He made this comment in response to the pressure being applied here by the libs to fill the seat with another black. Keep in mind, that his comment was made in support of that view. In fact, it appears that he is leaning strongly towards State Senator Jessie Jackson Jr..

Now I want you to imagine changing the circumstances of this slightly, and then replay the press conference. Let's say another Governor, maybe Sarah Palin, had to make the same decision and said that "The race factor is something that carries much weight", only she meant it important to put a white in that Senate seat. Can you even begin to imagine that?!!

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if something similar to that was said at some point in our history, maybe 100 years ago, in the South perhaps. The point is, that it would have been blatant racism. Of course! And it would be today, whether it's a process around promoting a black, or a white, or a green! Pure racism. But today it is allowed under license of liberal politics, and it is unbelievable to see.

Since Obama's election, I've grown very tired of the commentaries declaring some variation of "We can now say that racism is a thing of our past. It's history". I've read it in the U.S. press, and I've heard it trumpeted from lib politicians around the world.

This is absolute crap.

On the contrary, racism is thriving in this country, and is no better illustrated than as it's being carried out by the libs in the trail left by Obama. You can't call it anything else.

An Observation on Faith

Blogging again from San Luis Potosi, Mexico tonight. I had the opportunity this evening to visit the old town center. San Luis is now a huge (and growing) city of 1,000,000 people, but it is an old city. Very old. First it was a Aztec settlement many years ago. Then of course the Spanish made claim to it. Both wanting to exploit the minerals and metals to be dug from the nearby Sierra Madre.

The most beautiful sights in the old town are the Roman Catholic churches, and yes, you can certainly believe that there is no other religion in this country! Certainly not in San Luis. There are actually 35 Catholic Churches in the old town proper, and I could almost consider calling every one of them a cathedral, at least by American standards. I got to go inside three of the oldest, largest and most beautiful. They were just magnificent, and all within walking distance of one another.

Each of them had Mass tonight, and as I, the tourist, got out of the way, the faithful were filling each of them. Young and old, singles and families. I couldn´t help feeling as I watched this, the purity of faith here among these Catholics in these ancient sanctuaries. Not purity as in free from sin, but as in undivided, as in unadulterated. The focus here is not on being inclusive. The focus is on meeting a covenant. There is a huge difference.

Looking Up

This week I am writing from central Mexico. San Luis Potosi to be exact. The trip down here had it´s usual "opportunites" as most travel events do that involve more than one airplane and international borders. Still, there were no major problems, and actually one very nice treat.

My second plane ride had departed Dallas/Fort Worth at sunset. As you fly over southern Texas in the dark, you can tell that you are coming to the Mexican border when the lights from the ground slowly start to wink out. You are leaving the U.S. and you are starting to overfly the nothingness that is northern Mexico. A lot of desert scrub and only the very rare and small points of light that are probably ranches or oil rigs or something of that sort. Just miles and miles of nothing, and a lot of darkness.

So it was in this darkness that the airplane made a subtle left bank and then this nice little astronomical event came into view through my window. I had read that it was coming, and being the astronomy geek that I am, was looking forward to seeing it; a rare alignment of the moon, Jupiter and Venus. The only problem being that it was set to occur in the cloudiest month of the year in Chicago, and then I also found out that I would be travelling that night. So I had basically given up and sort of forgot about it.

But now, here it was; a quarter-moon tipped upside-down to form a perfect bowl, under which sat Jupiter and Venus beaming very, very brightly. All so closely compacted together, that you could cover them all with your thumb at arms-length. The total darkness of the desert made them stand out so crystal-clear, and the moon was strong enough in that darkness that it actually illuminated the Sierra Madre mountains that sat right below it. It was gorgeous sight. Unfortunately, windows don´t open on a 737, but I so wanted to be outside of that window to really take it in.

I hope that I never lose my appreciation for the gifts that nature gives us like this. Especially the night sky in northern Michigan, (or in northern Mexico). Anywhere, where you can get away from our artificial light on a crystal clear night.

I remember coming into the house one cold, clear night, and announcing that I had just seen a meteor streak across the sky. My wife, who had heard me say this so many times before, could only say, "Again? How is it you see so many of these?" My response was that "I guess because I´m always looking up!" I like that thought.

True Colors

A couple of AP headlines from today's news for all of my democratic friends back in Michigan:

"Obama keeps low profile in auto rescue talks."

"Dingell's ouster as committee chair a sea change in Michigan's clout."

This is the change you voted for. The change that all of your UAW bosses demanded you to support.

Barack Hussein running for cover, and Nancy Pelosi tossing out the best thing you ever had in Washington, in favor of her buddy Waxman, who is no friend of automakers.

You probably thought that you would be top priority. Well, you deserve exactly what you get.

These were your overwhelming choices to run the country. Get used to disappointment.

Those Racist Al-Qaida

I guarantee you that Barack Hussein Obama is feeling pretty darn good about the latest message received from Al-Qaida No. 2 man, Ayman al-Zawahri.

Believe me, there are a lot of worse things to be called than "house negro". Because imagine if al-Zawahri had instead used terms like "friend" or "hope" or even "change". And I half-expected that to happen. But now I'm even more convinced that these Al-Qaida guys really are out of touch. Right now, they can't even see the gift that American voters have given them.

But maybe, just maybe, this is all a conspiracy! I mean if George Bush can arrange for the attacks of 9/11, so conspiracy-theorists have said, then certainly Obama can have already be in secret talks with Al-Qaida, and had given them the script for yesterday's message. Come on now, is has to work both ways, doesn't it? Well. maybe not.

Special Ed.

For now, it appears that the opening of a new “gay” high school in the Chicago public system has been put on hold. But probably not for the reason you would think, or that I would have hoped for.

I first heard about the gay high school proposal in late September. I don’t know enough about it to say who first proposed it, and who’s been promoting it. Suffice to say that (of course) our honorable Mayor Daly had OK’d it. But for the rest, I’m not sure. I intend to find out more though.

Let me interrupt this blog for one moment to say a few words about Mayor Daly. First, he comes across as a total idiot. The guy cannot put a sentence together. (I’d really like the same media and Hollywood types who like to portray President Bush as a bumbling fool, to come listen to Daly and then work on him for awhile!). But beyond his incoherent speech, I really don’t know what kind of smarts he has. Could be very intelligent. But, my take on him with this issue, the gay high school, and other typically liberal items, is that he really doesn’t believe in them in his heart, but he takes the party line very time; never daring to say no to any liberal agenda item. And the reason that I can paint him this way is because of his speech. If he was slicker and smoother with his talk, he could fool people. But every time he opens his mouth, he betrays himself by fumbling through it. Kind of fun to watch in that regard.

Anyway, back to the gay high school thing.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the school would be approved and opening soon. Although now, it was being called the “Social Justice School”. A “place of refuge for all who feel threatened by society” for their lifestyles, beliefs or whatever. For those who are bullied or feel discriminated against (picture me trying to hold my lunch down as I’m hearing this). Obviously, the Social Justice tag was nothing but a smokescreen to help ram this through, with the backers thinking that it had a better chance at life than something called “gay”.

But now, it’s been announced that the whole idea has been tabled, at least for the time being. And the reason given, is that the Chicago gay organizations who evidently were the original proponents, are now offended that other groups may be able to take advantage of this. It seems they don’t want to share their refuge with anyone else. They want pure gay. No victims of bullies. No odd religious practitioners who feel threatened. No blacks or other minorities who might come there with discrimination concerns. Nope, just gay please!

I tell you, it’s just laughable at times to observe this stuff.…at least between the waves of nausea it gives me . Now the gays want to discriminate, and they want the tax payers to fund it. I guess that means we need a whole new school system structure, where every group can have their own special school of choice. Where will it all end? Probably with a special school just for straight, well adjusted, God-fearing, respectful, loving kids….but who would go there?

Facing The Inevitable

The American auto industry is in literally dying in front of our eyes. Now, there is a potential for a government life-line, or bailout, as the process is now fashionably called. This may be the last chance of survival for at least Chrysler and GM. Ford is currently leaner and meaner, and may be able to outlast the others for awhile.

For whatever shot at life the government loan can give them, it will come at very high expense. The conditions applied to such a loan could kill them just as surely, but over a longer span.

As the Feds drop in these dollars, they will demand that their specific agendas be met, and I guess there could be a legitimate argument to that right. Mileage goals, emissions restrictions and labor considerations will be some of the most significant, regardless of what the market dictates. But is there anyone out there who truly believes that the government can run these car companies any better than their own management teams have been able to do? Nancy Pelosi and Barack Hussein Obama might think so, and that should give zero-comfort to any of us.

The problem is that the domestic Big-3 are failing under so many pressures which no ownership or management can control. First, they are in a global recession like everyone else, where even mighty Toyota is publishing sales losses in the 25%-30% range. Next, apply the problems of big labor that are costing them premiums today, and the legacy costs of the best retirement and healthcare any human workers have ever enjoyed. Next, throw in the global pressures of so many manufacturers coming on-stream from low-cost countries like China, Korea, India and eastern Europe. Finally, the costs of gasoline (although temporarily relieved) are forcing people away from profitable Big-3 products that just a year ago they couldn’t build enough of. One could refer to all of this as a “Perfect Storm”.

It is extremely difficult for me to discuss what should or shouldn’t be done. The problems that these companies are dealing with impacted my family and me directly and profoundly earlier this year. I have modified my dependency on the industry somewhat, but certainly not in total. I am still vulnerable to the state of the automotive industry in this country like millions of others. It would be easy to say to Washington, “give us the money”, but that adds so many problems of it’s own, for what is probably just a band-aid that would soon wash away.

It’s probably best to continue to let the market decide what ultimately happens to these companies. I think that will mean bankruptcies and a whole lot of pain for many, maybe including myself. But in the long run, that is probably for the best. $25 billion now, will only last a few months, and the perfect storm is set to last much longer than that I’m afraid. In the meantime, taxpayers will have thrown away just that much more in this year of bailouts.

The American auto industry has been headed in this direction for at least 30 years. The globalization of the engineering and manufacturing of autos has eliminated a near-monopoly where the Big-3 could sell (and pay) at almost any level they wanted to, and so now they reach the end of the line. No one knows if even a much smaller and less affluent industry can even survive here anymore. It’s really doubtful. Electronics couldn’t. Appliances couldn’t. No large, labor-intensive products can be built here at $30 or even $15 per hour when they can be built in other places for $2.00 per labor hour. Companies like Toyota and Honda who make cars here now, at $25 per hour, will outlast the Big-3 only because they don’t have the legacy costs, but even they will eventually have to move on unless someone wants to work the factory line for minimum wage and very limited benefits.

Eventually, the new world order and global economy will start to equalize everything, so that every autoworker in the world, whether in Germany, Mexico, or India, will make the same wage, maybe $10 per hour. Only then will it become possible for Americans to get back into the game. This is what we really need to consider before we hand out these billions. And when we do, the band-aid doesn’t really make much sense.

It's Time

The autumn season here in Chicago has been wonderfully mild. We've also had very little rain. Just enough to keep the lawns green and the colors in the trees. But that has finally come to it's inevitable end with the first serious "front" of good old Canadian weather. Now, snow is in the air and only a few stubborn leaves cling to the trees.

Just a few days ago we trick-or-treated on a 70-degree evening. And last weekend I was still catching fish out of the pond in the backyard. Now their metabolism has slowed in the cold water and they don't feel like playing anymore. Not a single bite today.

The snowblower was assembled and primed today and conversely, the lawnmower was run one last time and stowed for the season. We are ready. Time to find out how winters compare from one side of lake Michigan to the other. I have a feeling that it will be very hard to tell them apart! Both of them too wet, too cold and for too long. Sigh!

Veteran's Day 2008

It is the soldier, not the reporter,Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus [or community] organizer,Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag,Who serves beneath the flag,And whose coffin is draped by the flag,Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
-- Father Dennis Edward O'Brian, USMC

Maverick Missing

Regular readers of The Mole Hole know that I have had many issues with John McCain over the course of this election cycle, and actually, even years before that. While he got my vote for being light-years closer to my values and beliefs than the socialist party, he just continues to irritate, even now.

The latest rub with me is this "scandal" surrounding his running mate. It started with the wardrobe expense, then the "advisors" within the campaign who supposedly trash her privately and publicly now, and so forth. And unless I'm missing a whole lot, I've seen maddeningly little from McCain coming to her defense. Have I missed this somehow? I hope so. Because as bad as he was defeated, it could have been worse without her.

I also find it hard to believe because he was bold enough to choose her in the first place. And for that he definitely got my respect. But he seems to have gone underground since his concession speech and he needs to reappear. In fact, every single Republican needs to start right now, to support and promote Sarah Palin, because unless a conservative "messiah" (sorry!) appears on the scene shortly, she might just be our best chance for 2012.

Words of Wisdom

"For now, we have a new president-elect. In the spirit of reaching across the aisle, we owe it to the Democrats to show their president the exact same kind of respect and loyalty that they have shown our recent Republican president." --Ann Coulter

Want of Wisdom

"I haven't seen this sense of unity since 9/11, really, really, and 9/11 was this tragic experience that brought us all together and now we're all brought together in the name of hope. Not since 9/11 have I experienced anything even kind of close to this."
--Oprah Winfrey

Brought who together Oprah? I don’t remember half the country rooting for the other side on 9/11!

I assume that what she really meant was the broad cross-section of voters Tuesday night who were able to put aside all their differences….. in the name of socialism! Yes, that was something. Even I get teary-eyed thinking about it.

The Morning After-thoughts

Lessons learned:

1. Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. I wrote many times about McCain’s unwillingness to get tough, and he finally did, but in the last week of the campaign! Too little, too late.

2. “Age and Experience = Establishment”. Remember that word from the 60’s? These factors alone painted McCain as “old school” in a rapidly changing world. For the same reason, Biden would have lost had he been the dem’s candidate. This country’s fickle and superficial expectations, demand youth, vigor, fashion and celebrity. As sad as that is, it is reality.

3. Modernize the campaign. Much was played up on Obama’s efficient use of new technology, specifically the internet, and it was accurate. No one can underestimate the incredible power of this tool. Obama’s younger, and probably “geekier” (if that’s a word), campaign handlers knew better about how to exploit that.

4. Build a better coalition. Thanks to a better campaign organization, Obama had built a broader coalition of supporters, from all walks. And they were vocal. If a similar army exists for the Republican cause, it was certainly not as visible. The scary part of that being, that with the exception of talk-radio, maybe it doesn’t even exist.

Having said all of the above, what the hell was any Republican supposed to do about George Bush? Right or wrong, Bush is currently blamed for every ill in the country. And yet he stands for solid, conservative values that any Republican is going to share with him….for the most part. So how was McCain supposed to express his conservative views and yet distance himself from Bush? Can’t be done (e.g. Gerald Ford). So the truth probably is that no Republican was going to win this year. Still, there are lessons for conservatives in 2012. I’m sure Sarah is taking note!

No Shock, No Awe

America has chosen. In a very difficult time of dissatisfaction, with so many critical issues facing us, the majority have decided that it's better to elect an ideal, and the promise of words, rather than the known quantity of a man who unfortunately, holds too close of an affiliation to the current power. I believe it's a simple as that. And it was certainly no surprise.

I want to write more, but I'm tired tonight and certainly disappointed. No shock, just disappointment. Better to walk away from the computer and give a chance to time and reflection, before I document anymore thoughts on the whole exhausting process.

More to come.....

Party Time

Tomorrow is the day! Voter turnout is expected to be higher than any presidential election in recent memory. The poll numbers are all over the map, and are changing daily.

In the end, despite all of the endless focus on the personal views, values and capabilities of the men (and woman) candidates on both sides, millions will go and vote for the candidate which belongs to the party to which they most identify. The party that most exemplifies their personal beliefs about how to govern the USA and her peoples. That is what we do. We vote for parties….especially at that level.

I have spent too many hours trying to figure out how seemingly bright and patriotic people could vote for one, Barack Hussein Obama. But no matter what else the man is, he’s the democratic nominee, and that’s enough for democrats, period. No reason in their minds to discuss it any further. And I’m sure that people have thought the same of me and John McCain. Maybe they even recall that McCain was near the bottom of my list during the primaries. But that doesn’t matter. They know that I’d vote to elect him, or any of the other eight or nine candidates we had back in the primaries. We’re all voting for parties and platforms really.

Maybe all of this party voting is the proper thing anyway. After all, the president only has so much power. He’s just one part, albeit the most important part, of the overall. What we really want is that he or she is a member of the larger power that is our party ideal.

In any case, it will all be done by Wednesday morning and the country will take whatever it gets. Some will be ecstatic and hopeful, some will miserable and worried, and despite the high turnout, a majority of American’s will still simply shrug their shoulders and think that it’s just more of the same no matter who’s in charge. If only that were true.

Sharing The Wealth (Again)

Joe Biden continues to defend, and even promote, his master's idea of the "redistribution of wealth". The idea that if American's aren't charitable enough to each other, then it must be the government's right and duty, to take from the "have's" and give to the "have not's".

With that idea in mind, let's look at Mr. and Mrs. Biden's finances from the last 10 years: $260,000 averaged in annual gross income and....wait, can this be right?......only $650 average in charitable giving each year?!!

Damn, maybe Joe's right. At least in his case, he does need the government to do it for him!

Sharing The Wealth

Here’s a thought….

Barack Hussein Obama, who we now know, “chooses his friends very carefully”, has made a point to seek out “those Marxist professors” with whom he could most closely identify. And since then, has let it be known that he firmly believes in the “redistribution of wealth”. Well, right now, Obama’s campaign is very wealthy. Flush with cash. Able to buy ½ hour TV spots at will. On the other side is a Republican campaign with a third of the wealth. It would therefore be reasonable to ask that Obama redistribute some of those funds to the McCain campaign, right?

Preposterous? Stupid? Yup, it is.

So is electing a Marxist in the U.S. of A..

Windy and Deadly

Regular readers of The Mole Hole will have to forgive me for revisiting this topic again. But I cannot leave it alone.

When I first arrived in Chicago-land this summer, I wrote about the surprising murder rate here and how it was actually higher than Detroit's. I really had a different opinion of the Windy City before I arrived, as I'm sure most Detroiter's do. Detroit get's such a bad rap, and all you hear about Chicago is the shopping, the theaters and the restaurants, and what a great place to visit!

At that same time, the Supreme Court had just overturned the ridiculous DC gun ban, and what I wrote about was some of the inane statements coming out of Chicago's Mayor Daly as he took the offensive in preparing to protect his own similarly absurd gun law which as of today, is still in place.

And so now, an update:

It's official. Chicago now has the highest per-capita murder rate in the country. And the point that I'm compelled to make again, and has been made by so many, a thousand times before, is that gun laws, even as "tough" as Chicago's, do nothing to prevent gun crime.

Say it anyway you want to. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." or "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." In the case of Mayor Daly's law, the latter certainly fits the bill.

What is so hard to understand here? The highest murder rate now belongs to the place with the toughest gun laws. And before it, was Washington DC. For people intent on murder, a handgun is the overwhelmingly favorite tool. Presumably, they know murder is illegal. But they must be uninformed about the law they're breaking with that gun in their possession!

Crude Comments

Oil prices continue to tumble. The dictators at OPEC are really starting to worry now, and are struggling to find answers. Is anybody feeling sorry for them? If so, it’s the world’s smallest violin I hear playing!

Most editorials say that things are beyond OPEC’s control because of the now, world-wide recession, in which, presumably, most people are reducing their gasoline use because their personal economies are in trouble. I think this is all reverse thinking.

I will maintain that it was the oil price increases that we’ve seen for over a year now that are the root cause for most of the economic slide. Yes, the mortgage crisis is huge and was bound to boil over regardless of oil. But the mortgage mess hit us at our weakest moment. A round-house right which hit us squarely when we were already reeling with unprecedented high energy costs. Had we been in the midst of cheap energy and low inflation, I think we’d been much better off to deal with the rest. Our “immune system” would have offered a far stronger fight!

We still have to realize that everything begins with energy. Plentiful and reasonably priced energy. And at this point, energy means oil. Not windmills or solar panels. Many people, mostly dems, still don’t get it. At least, they don’t seem to be doing what it takes to help fix it.

Likewise, OPEC doesn’t get it. They are now feeling the effects of their own action. It’s what tends to happen when you abuse your number one customer, in this case, the United States. We are still the economy that runs the world. And all it takes is for us to decide that we want to cut consumption by just a few percentage points and it can ruin the market for OPEC.

The reason I say that OPEC hasn’t learned, is that they are still considering production cuts in order to try and drive the price back up! They don’t see that a threshold has been established. It’s somewhere around that $100-per-barrel price, and if they insist on trying to price the product at that level or higher, then the market will begin to correct itself all over again.

Again, the dems and all other anti-oil folks could look at this and see what an increase in our own domestic oil production could do to pricing from the middle-East. Drill just a little more and allow us to reduce what we purchase from OPEC, and you cut their legs out from under them. All we need is just a few percent increase to make a difference.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to struggle with whatever OPEC decides to bestow upon us. But should we choose to elect the right party next week, we can begin to assert some real pressure through our own increase in domestic exploration and drilling. And if OPEC thinks that they still need $100+ pricing, then they will just be hastening the drive to alternative sources also. Sounds like a Catch-22 to me, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch.

Color Over Conscience?

Colin Powell has "drank the Kool-Aid" and has now added his endorsement to Barack Hussein Obama. Very hard to figure.

Nixon and Cap Weinberger gave him a name in Washington by giving him a high-ranking position within the Office of Management and Budget. Reagan made him a four-star General. H.W. Bush made him Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Finally, George W. made him Secretary of State, the highest position ever held by a minority in our country.

The point is, that there is one side of the political isle that has been very, very good to the man. And one would think that over all of this time, Powell would be securely entrenched in the philosophical ideals of this side versus those of Obama and his ilk. Not because he "owes" anything to Republicans, but because he has been in lock-step with them for so long. A great deal of respect for each other.

So what has happened?

It was Powell who testified of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, and presented the evidence to the Security Council at the U.N.. It was his trusted "endorsement" of the evidence and the threat, that more than anything else, probably convinced the President and the Congress (both sides) that we needed to take immediate military action. Later of course, he was discredited for his earlier opinions. As that was happening, he began to publicly criticize the war in Iraq. Is he making a huge bold attempt now to punish those who put him in that position? No, I doubt that very much.

He has been almost invisible for many years now. Why come out from a quiet, neutral corner? There was no outcry by anyone to hear of his preference in this race that I was aware of. And yet here he is; choosing a socialist "citizen of the world" over a fellow military man, a fellow hero, a Republican and a proven leader.

Yes, Colin Powell is a hero. And no matter who he sides with now, he deserves a great deal of respect. But unless over time we learn of some other motivation and justification, I can only assume that he is falling in line with millions of other blacks in the country, and voting color rather than conscience. Maybe if I were black, I'd feel the same way; so desperate to see a person of my race succeed to the highest office, that everything else becomes of secondary importance. Not just sad, but very scary.

What About Flat?

Watching the final Presidential debate last night, and listening again about "The Plumber" and his tax questions for Obama the other day, which led to a whole series of exchanges between the candidates over tax rates for various income levels, defining "rich", who benefits and who doesn't, and yadda, yadda, yadda.

Anyway, it's only gotten me to thinking again about the idea of a flat tax. What ever happened with the national discussion on that? I think it's been 5 or 6 years since I've really heard any high level debate on the subject. For what I knew, and thought back then, I really felt strongly that this might be the way to go. I don't recall who the proponents were, but I think one of them was Rep. Dick Armey and I remember him talking about a number of 17%, as a level which would (at that time) have been the equivalent of all the tax revenue currently being collected across the various rates and incomes. Boy, could I live with that!

Of course, this would require that an income tax be imposed upon millions of low-income people who currently don't pay any. It would also mean that thousands of wealthy folks lose their various loop-holes that typically allow them to pay a lot less than 17%! Still, I just see this as such a common sense approach, and ultimately so simple. We can still have appropriate deductions on various things as we do now, but think of how simplified the system could be. And ultimately, I think, a lot more fair. You make $10,000 a year, the Fed takes $1,700 of it. You make $1,000,000 a year, and they take $170,000. Period. What's wrong with that picture?

Almost no one disagrees that our tax system today is screwed up and needs a serious overhauling. I would like to us start thinking "flat" again. Simple and fair. Don't those words just sound so good?

Martyr Making Continued

I'll do my part and make the announcement here, since in most newspapers it will be buried in section B, on page 18. At The Mole Hole it is always front page!

The U.S. Marines have just confirmed that they have killed the number two al-Qaida animal in Iraq, Abu-Qaswarah, along with five of his bodyguards. Apparently, his specialty was foreign recruiting for the jihad in Iraq, so this is an important hit. Yet it is the kind of positive development that just doesn't make the news.

Now he gets to join all of those young men and women to whom he had recruited and promised martyrdom. So perhaps we did him a favor? In that case Abu, "you're welcome"!

Obama and the Plumber

Did you hear the one about Obama and the Plumber?

True story….

Obama’s at one of his town meetings and a plumbing contractor who wanted to expand his business to over $250,000 in sales, asked Obama directly how he would fare under Obama’s economic plan for America. Obama had to admit that this guy would pay a much higher business tax for his expansion.

In trying to explain the logic of this to the clearly unimpressed plumber, Obama stated that we must “share the wealth” in his plan, and that there is nothing wrong with that in his mind.

There has been no other clearer indication of the purely socialist mentality of Obama and his ilk, than in this one single statement to the plumber. Obama truly believes that you must limit success. Actually punish it. That no one should be allowed wealth or prosperity, without having much of it taken away by the government and redistributing it to those who don’t take the risks, or have the smarts, or have the motivation to succeed as the business owner had done.

The vast majority of Americans work for small businesses like this plumber owns. These business people make up the core of our economy. But Obama doesn’t get it. He would gut this layer of entrepreneurs given time, and in turn, create what he really wants for America. Not a democracy, not a nation of builders. No free thinking. No creativity. No growth. No reaching higher for anything except another government hand-out. It isn’t right for America. He isn’t right for America. We have three weeks to wake up to that fact.

Words of Wisdom - Anonymous

In all of the Presidential debates thus far, we've all heard Obama's ranting about "restoring the American dream". And he's done it in context of his own story about "having nothing as a kid, raised by my grandmother who didn't have two dimes, but still able to find his way to a couple of America's finest universities", and so on.

In response to that, I heard a listener to a radio program today, say this:

"Democrats talk the American Dream, and how they want it for every single one of us. But we should all recognize that they put a cap on the Dream, and that as soon as you reach $250,000, you become the Devil!".

One of the best quotes I've heard in awhile. Truth like a sledgehammer.

It's That Time Again

Our “up north” camp was closed for the season this past weekend. It’s always a melancholy time.

It seems like such a long list of things to do just to prepare for about 7 months of inactivity. I was pleased to have two beautiful, northern fall days to accomplish my work. And yet they only serve to remind me why I love being there, and make me gloomier still, that I must leave it.

We all enjoy the summer months there. But to the summer’s noisy, splashy, fun-till-you-drop, long crazy days, I’ll always match up autumn’s cool, passive, stillness for what makes the place so special. Of course, there is the color of changing leaves, but there is much more.

Along the lake shore, the water is like glass. Not one boat on the lake, just a few ducks deciding if the time is right for them to leave also. In the woods, there is a scent of old grass and leaves decaying into the forest floor, and it’s a wonderful smell. Above, the clear northern sky shows even more stars as the air gets crisp and cold.

The north country is preparing for some “down time”. Recharging maybe, for those days of 18-hour sun and fun to come next year. In that respect, maybe we need this time too!

Friday Night Lights

Another six-hour drive up to camp tonight. I really don't find that difficult to do, and I don't mind that kind of ride as long as you're actually moving and not sitting in traffic. Tonight was OK. Very little slow-downs and nice, clear weather.

On a trip that long, you've got to have the radio, especially when flying solo like I did tonight. Sometimes I'm in the mood for talk, sometimes for music and occasionally for sports. I like to mix it up. This was a Friday night, and knowing that it was football Friday at the high schools, I decided to tune in some of the local play-by-play on those. If you’ve never listened to them, you should. They can be a real treat. I doubt that most of the announcers you hear are even paid. They’re in it for the love of the game and their local team. Any real talent they might have is mostly accidental.

It didn’t take much work on the AM dial before I came to my first game. This was South Haven versus Comstock. I picked it up just before the half and listened to Vince and Larry describing the action which was very lopsided in favor of South Haven. It was also Homecoming for them, and so I understood why they chose the Comstock game to do it. My guess is that little Comstock probably “visits” a lot of homecoming games every year!

Vince did a fair job calling the action. Larry was another story. He handled most of the “color”, but I think he did a lot of number spotting and clock watching! Somehow though, he got the coveted interview with Alicia (Homecoming Queen) at the halftime festivities. That was even funnier than his football work as he “fumbled” through a compliment on her gown, and some other pertinent questions.

Moving at 75 mph, it doesn’t take long to run out of signal on these small town football games. They typically broadcast with about as much power as my microwave oven. So with Larry and Alicia fading into the background static, I spun the dial.

Next up was Muskegon – Hudsonville. Now here was a game! 26-24 Muskegon, midway through the third, and the Hudsonville Eagles trying to upset. The guys covering this game were doing a pretty fair job also; Bob and another guy, whom I never did get a name on. Just as the Big Red (isn’t that a gum?) of Muskegon were starting to get their act together, I lost the signal. Figures!

I found one last game, this one between Grand Rapids Southern Christian and Ottawa Hills. This was real comedy. The two announcers had to be students at Southern Christian working for extra credit. There were hilarious. They used first names for most of their players; “Josh breaks right, gets another three yards and steps out of bounds!”. They forgot to study the Ottawa roster at all, and so they called the numbers, and then there was an 8-second pause while the found his name. But they were having a good time anyway.

I love listening to these games. The people are real. The fun is real. This is pure American ritual. When I tune in and hear all of the crowd noises, the marching band’s slaughter of some show tune, and the announcer’s genuine enthusiasm for this little game, it instantly takes me back many years to the Friday nights I used to spend at the games, and sometimes it sounds like nothing has changed.

I never played. I was a late-bloomer, and I would have been killed at my size in the 11th grade. But I loved the game, the crisp October nights, my crazy buddies, tons of junk food and a couple of special girls I recall very fondly. In retrospect, not a care in the world. Those were, are still are, “the days”; still appearing every autumn Friday night in a small town near you or right on your AM dial.

Debating the Debate - Part 2

She came out confident, conservative and swinging. Exactly what I’m starting to expect and love about Sarah Palin.

She took on a guy who’s been camped out in the Senate for over 30 years, and not only stood toe-to-toe, but in many cases outshined him.

Sure she’s been schooled over the last couple of weeks. But in that time period, she’s learned as much about foreign policy as Barack Hussein Obama did over the last 13 months! I have no doubt that in a few short months of exposure to McCain’s advisors and other conservative leaders that will be part of this ticket’s Cabinet, she would be ready to lead. Certainly, certainly, as ready as Obama. And what about Biden? No one questions his ability to lead, yet even those in his own party have rejected him as Presidential material how many times now?

Biden did OK. He showed passion. No major gaffes. But he can’t hide all of the things he’s said about Obama in the past. How he stated flat-out that the guy is not ready to lead. Biden loves to talk about how many times McCain voted Bush’s way on things, but he doesn’t like to talk about how many times he voted differently than Obama. Sarah was great when she asked the MSM to go back and look at those Democratic primary debates when Biden was attacking Obama. Lovely!

There is fear in the MSM’s voices this morning. They so hate conservative women, especially when they do well, when they gain power. Just can’t stand it. They are beside themselves. She even had the gall to quote Ronald Reagan! Hopefully that’s still burning in the ears of socialists everywhere this morning.

As in the first debate with the presidential candidates, both sides can certainly claim victory. But unlike the first one, I would not agree with that at all. No, this one was clearly a Republican victory, because while Joe Biden simply met everyone’s expectations, Sarah Palin exceeded them.

McCain’s got a couple more shots at Obama. He needs to watch the tapes on this debate let Sarah get him prepared on how to conduct one!

Debating the Debate

In last week's presidential debates, both candidates displayed their own personalities and styles, and the facts as they see them, in a very predictable, and unremarkable way. In that regard, if you liked McCain going in, you were very pleased. If you liked Obama, you were pleased. That's why the end result to most pundits was, "it was a draw!". No surprise there. 90-some percentage of all debates come off exactly that way.

Both sides hoped for a standout performance, either through an incredible, eye-opening, game-changer by their own man, or an absolute foot-in-mouth, career-killing gaff by the opposition. Neither side got what they wanted in that regard.

As a conservative backer of McCain, I probably watched him more than Obama. I always tend to watch my own guy more. Do most of us do that? For that matter, how many people actually use a debate to make a decision of this importance? How can anyone be that incredibly lost on the other 98% of what is said by each candidate outside of these debates?

Anyway, while I'm talking about all this, I'll offer this critique on each man:

John, John, John.....will you never, ever, get aggressive? I don't mean angry! I know that you don't like to get angry. I mean aggressive. Turn the big guns on the guy. I know you've got them. For crap's sake, even Jim Lehrer's pleading couldn't get you to look at Obama. Leader's must be able to look someone right in the eyes and say "this is what we're going to do". (Sarah - if you're reading this, do something to help this guy would you?)

Now Barack, you presented yourself and your ideals very well. So basically you did nothing right. Sorry.

R.I.P. Paul Newman

Anti-hero on the screen. Anti-Hollywood in real life. A better than decent driver. One of my Top-10 for sure.

R.I.P. "Cool Hand"

Want of Wisdom ( or another Bidenism)

“When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on television...” —Joe Biden

Uh, Joe, Roosevelt wasn’t president in 1929 and TV’s weren’t commercially available until the late 1930s.

Just imagine what the press would be saying if this had been a Sarah Palin quote!

Will there be a Joe Biden skit on Saturday Night Live this week? Don't hold your breath.

Raking in the Money

Here’s one for you: The University of Vermont will receive a $45,000 Department of Agriculture grant to study the effects of global warming on autumn leaf color! You think I make this stuff up?

I’m not a scientist, but how the heck do you measure this? Most things I’ve read still indicate that scientists are not 100% sure about which affects of temperature (day and nighttime), humidity, rainfall, cloud cover, pollutants, stress and even insects have on the process of a green leaf turning red or gold anyway. If you take these causes singularly and then multiply the various potential combinations, you’ve probably got a thousand variables. But somehow, (and I guarantee this), the result will be that global warming is muting our fall colors! No doubt about it. (Hey it’s Vermont after all)

Don’t we all recall that there are certain years when colors are more vivid than others? In fact, every year is a little different. But color hue and brightness are all subjective things anyway.

So here you’ve got an outcome with a thousand variables, on a subjective value that can’t really be measured, and on something we can’t control anyway! Great way to burn 45 grand, but then again, how else do you finance something called the “Proctor Maple Research Center”? I mean, money doesn’t grow on trees….or does it?

Just Another Example

Barack Hussein Obama travels to Europe and meets with a dozen or so EU leaders, as well as some of those from moderate Arab countries and Israel, and the main-stream media is enamored with his “proactive” approach to reaching out to them. After all, (in their minds), it is the next President of the United States’ responsibility to set the stage for the new policies that will reshape and rebuild the U.S. on the world stage! The press is locked out of many of those meetings, but they understand the sensitive nature of many of the discussions, and they respect that.

In contrast:

Sarah Palin meets this week with several diplomats and world leaders in NY, and the same media labels this her “crash course” in world politics. Nothing but McCain trying to get her up to speed. And they are infuriated that many of these meetings are being conducted behind closed doors. How dare she?!!

So there you go. Example number one-million and something of the left-bias of these media clowns. Sarah is being schooled. Just a naive simpleton. But Obama went to teach. He went to enlighten and advise with his brilliant and worldly insight. As if he had nothing to learn….having not one more minute of global experience than Palin. It’s just different when you’re anointed.

The Bubble Bursts

The blame-game is up to full steam now on this mortgage-banking crisis, which depending on who you listen to, has been staring us in the face for up to a decade. Yet history will show that no one would be willing to do anything to try and correct things, despite the growing concern. At least no one who had any power or the authority.

Clinton saw it’s beginnings and did nothing. Bush saw it expanding and did nothing. Senator’s Obama and McCain will no doubt blame each other in the upcoming debates, but where is the legislation with either’s name on it that would have helped defuse the issue?

I submit that this is one of those rare instances of real, bi-partisan cooperation….in doing nothing! It’s roots are in good, old-fashioned American greed, and everyone was on-board.

It started with the typical American consumer who wanted more, but needed and demanded more credit to get it. And now this was applied to the American Dream, our homes. And so in the late, last-century, everyone up and down the food chain found it in their de-regulated interest to “enable” us to realize the dream. Those unfortunates who had never had owned a home, suddenly found that they could. Those that already had one, suddenly realized that they could have bigger and better. So lenders began dumping a whole lot of money into the market and it really began to fuel the prices. It didn’t matter that there was no basis for a “starter home” at $300,000! Somehow, the American family, although shrinking in average size to 2.8 members, needed 40% more room in which to live! The average master-bath now contains as much square feet as two to three bedrooms used to. The average kitchen has become cafeteria-sized, with countertops made of stone. Not just niceties…..we NEED this stuff!

Then came the banking industry’s “no family left behind” lending policies. Why did they adopt this? Because as soon as they could get someone signed up, qualified or not, their loan became a saleable commodity to a larger bank, and then the larger bank could sell it to an even larger bank. Each step of the way gave the seller of the note a little mark-up on the deal. I bet I saw my own mortgage bought and sold 5 or 6 times in as many years. Everyone got a piece. And when you have something saleable and profitable, and I mean anything, then it becomes good business to market it and try to sell more. Works with everything from peanuts to prostitutes.

So where was the government in all of this? Aren’t they supposed to protect us from ourselves? No, not according to good Republicans who want less government influence in our lives and who also love those Wall Street profits. And not according to good Democrats who think that everyone is entitled to a nice, new home despite any ability to pay for it! In fact, within their own mortgage institutions, Freddie Mac was up to his Fannie Mae in backing this high-risk, easy money!

This time there is more than enough blame to go around, and the guilty are everywhere.

The fact is, sometimes in America there is a cause which is so profound that we all share in striving for it at almost any cost. Beating the Germans. Putting a man on the moon. And getting everyone who wants it, three baths and 3000 square feet.

Empty Words, Spoken With Authority

Reader's of this blog must sometimes wonder how or why I stay active in the Episcopal Church. All I seem to do is whine about it. And here I go again.

In fact, I've written on this topic before, back when our leadership was only threatening to do it. Now they are following through, and so on October 3rd, our esteemed Presiding Bishop, Katherine Schori, will officially apologize for all us, for the Church's "involvement in the institution of transatlantic slavery" practiced almost 200 years ago.

What a disgusting display of meaningless pandering.

She may think she's apologizing for me. She is not. Why? First, because no one can truly apologize for another's actions. Fact. And even if she could, I've never owned a slave. Never endorsed slavery. Never held stock in a slave-trading company.

In the same way, she cannot apologize for the Episcopal Church. She is most certainly not the Church. She is part of it to be sure; holding the same percentage of stock that I own if you care to look at it that way. But that is all. It's more than exceeding authority.

Let's back-up for a minute. For the Bishop's sake, who and what is the Church?

First, the Church is Jesus Christ. Second, the Church is everyone of us who accepts Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That is it. That's the Church. It's important to understand it in that way, but the Bishop evidently doesn't. It's not a building or an agency or an institution. It's just us and Jesus together. Because when you think of it correctly, you have to ask the Bishop, why is the Church apologizing? The Church has nothing to apologize for. Not one Church member is to blame for "transatlantic slave trade". Not me. Not Jesus. Not even the Bishop herself!

And conversely, who is she apologizing to? Not one person alive today has ever been a victim of "transatlantic slave trade."

So there's our Bishop; apologizing for those who have no guilt, to those whom have never been trespassed. Wise. Pious. Righteous. Yeah.....she thinks so!

Sorry. Just pretentious, phony pandering. As long as she feels better!

......There I go again......

Where I Was

The work day did not start out like most others. It was to be a bit more involved.

I was at my office early, to gather up some co-workers and our presentation materials. The team had been preparing for a couple of weeks for this important introduction of our company to a new, big potential customer.

We scurried around the office, knowing that we had to be on the road by a certain time in order to make our appointment across town. You do not want to be late for something this important. The customer was bringing in the “big guns” to listen to our pitch.

We jumped in the van, and sped down the freeway, hoping that most of the cops were still bellied-up to a donut somewhere. We rehearsed our individual segments of the presentation and got psyched.

We pulled into the parking lot with a good 10 minutes to spare. Not bad considering the trip all the way across town in the extremely unpredictable morning rush. The receptionist buzzed us in and showed us to the big conference room, understanding that we needed some set up time for the computer and the projection equipment.

Ties straightened. Computer ready and idling. Notes neatly set in front of us. A big clock on the wall ticking up to the exact start time.

But then it ticked past the start time. Not to worry. That’s what big guns do to you sometimes. They have so many headaches, and their time is very valuable. Oddly, they forget that your time can be valuable too. But they’re the customer. You cut them slack.

More time ticked by. We were alone in the room. No customer with us and not even the receptionist poking her head in to apologize for the big guns. Then more time. At roughly the twenty minute-late mark, we were starting to get angry. If they treat us this way now, what will our business relationship be like? Very unprofessional. We had this meeting set for two weeks. Downright rude.

More time ticked by. This is absurd.

Then the receptionist reappeared. Only she looked almost like a different woman. Her nice tan had almost faded to white. Her sunny disposition was gone. Had she been crying? She was visibly upset about something.

Then she told us as calmly as she could, but voice shaking, an unbelievable story about jets crashing into the World Trade Center. Not one, as in accidently, but two. Both towers in flames. She didn’t invite us back to the one television they had in the building. “No”, she advised, this big company had an emergency procedure, sort of a lock-down thing, and the building would have to be closed immediately. We needed to leave.

We gathered up our equipment I guess, because honest to God, I don’t remember doing it. Then we went out to the van and turned on the radio. What followed was four men, sitting in the van, hanging on every word coming out of the speakers. Very little talk as I remember, except “How?” and “Why?”.

Four men, punched in the gut, some red eyes, and speechless for the most part.

I started the engine and we drove out, all of us on cell phones trying to contact wives. Not really sure what to do next except to head back to the office and get our own cars and head home to loved ones who had suddenly become a hundred times more important than our big presentation.

I don’t really even remember the drive back. So tuned my senses were to the radio, I guess.

I remember September 11, 2001. Like we all do. How it spun our priorities so fast we didn’t even think of it. But it doesn’t take long for priorities to again realign themselves to much lesser causes, does it? Even the best of us must have an anniversary and acknowledgement of an event like this, just so we can think about proper alignment, let alone really live our lives that way. So let’s carry on, but never forget. Never.

Running Scared

Maybe it's just my wishful thinking, but I sense that the libs are reeling right now. The Sarah Palin nomination put them back on their heels so hard, that I'm convinced they never saw it coming. She wasn't even on their long-list of who to expect (and prepare for). They were like a caribou in Sarah's headlights.

And now, after a week has passed, they still seem unable to react. Like being punched so hard in the gut that they have yet to be able to grab a breath. All they can squeeze out are little childish and ineffective jabs.

Sarah is like kryptonite to SuperObama. Oh he'd like to chew her up, but he doesn't dare. In the same way we couldn't attack him without being racists, he can't attack her without being sexist! All those white women voters, many still ticked-off about Hillary's exit, now identify so well with Sarah. I guess life was easier for all of us when everything was run by old white guys!

Truth is, libs are scared. Very scared. Their trusted and beloved poll-numbers are now pointing the wrong way.

Old-time dems will not admit it, but you have to know that there are many, many of them who miss the Clintons terribly. They have started to come out of their Obama drunk now, and like waking up with a New-Year's morning hangover, they're wondering what the hell happened the night before. "What could we have been thinking?" is what I imagine them saying. "If we only had Hillary now!" "And he's black guy to boot!"

Well, it's too late. They're stuck with a far-left radical and the aforementioned generic, old white guy, career politician. No, it's the Republicans that have the dream team, and they know it.

The Conference Crasher

The latest issue of Episcopal Life highlights all of the activity around the recent Lambeth Conference.

Whether the editors wanted to, or had to, they feature Bishop Gene Robinson in a full page “highlight”.

I have written about this individual and his desperate ego many times, and so I hesitate to do it once again. But I’m so compelled by the continuing farce this man generates, that I really can’t let it go.

The article confirms that he was not invited to any of the official Lambeth proceedings. Yet here he was in London with his total conceit on display wherever he could get a small audience. Supposedly, his trip over there was not funded by his diocese or the Episcopal Church, but by a “foundation”. I’d love to know which group that was!

He’s quoted as being pained by the separation from the House of Bishops participating in the Conference. Yet he insisted on being right on the doorstep.

In the ultimate act of arrogance, he actually had a book signing for his “In the Eye of the Storm” inside the Lambeth marketplace! Unbelievable!

This guy loves the eye of the storm. He created it and perpetuates it. His mission continues.

King Kwame Gets The Kage

Kwame’s Kingdom has now come to a very predictable end. We knew what was going to happen, we just didn’t know how long it would take.

There was no way that this guy would resign. He’d have to be taken out in ‘cuffs. Well, in essence that is exactly what has happened with his plea bargain agreement. The man who always thought that he was above the law, has learned that he isn’t.

He will now resign, and starting in late October, he get’s four months behind bars.

In his court statements, he was contrite and subdued. I’ll give him one little iota of credit for that. The arrogance was gone. The King sounded just like any other common criminal who has finally learned something.

But let’s remember the lies upon lies. We don’t know, and probably never will, all of the corruption under this guy’s watch, or directly under his hand. He is deserving of more penalty than he’s getting.

So ends another depressing chapter in Detroit’s history. There will be more, until a level of professionalism, honesty and accountability trumps racism, favoritism and greed in Detroit politics.

But here’s a late-breaking development in the case….

Governor Jennifer Granholm has just announced a Board of Inquiry, which will investigate a process for removing the Mayor from office.

Good going Jennifer! Great timing. Way to come to the party. Or should I say; way to succumb to the Party. She is absolutely inept. Indecisive and nothing but a Party hack. Michigan deserves more than her or the present City of Detroit.

Setting the Tone at the RNC

My party has made me proud tonight. What a joy to watch the convention!

First to speak was Rudy, and he did a number on the enemy! He was on his game. My favorite quote: "Change is not a destination, just as hope is not a strategy." How'd that taste Obama?

Then he introduced Sarah. She came out exactly as I expected. A take no prisoner speech that apologized for nothing and set just the right tone. But beyond that, a real person, speaking from the heart about real issues and conservative values. My favorite quote of hers, comparing McCain to Obama: "using his career to bring change, not using change to build a career!"

I'm feeling very hopeful tonight. I think we've got a winning team.

Serious Fun

The dems are on the attack. Predictably, tearing away at Sarah Palin's lack of experience. Yet they defend Obama's even thinner background.

Let's just all face the facts; both Obama and Palin are young and inexperienced. But the one, huge and obvious difference is that one, if elected, guarantees this level of experience will be at the helm, the other is a remote possibility. Yet the media is already focused on the latter. They've got McCain dead on the way home from the inauguration!

Obama himself has had little to say in criticism. What can he say? The one comment I heard from him was that "she (Palin) just mirrors McCain's view on the economy and foreign affairs". Duh! As if he and Biden didn't have the same cracked viewpoints on those same subjects!!

Two months to go, and this is going to be fun. The turnout will probably be tremendous. I've never been "active" in politics, just a good citizen exercising my right to vote since the day it was legal for me to do so. I'm not including my 1968, 5th grade "Convention" in which I led H.H.H.'s campaign to victory! (Thank God I grew up!) Yeah, this one is evolving into the most enthralling contest of all. So let the games really begin!