Sunday, August 31, 2008

A New Image





H/T Libertarian Republicans

Libertarian Republican

Eric Dondero of the Libertarian Republican blog has some very kind words for Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin has long been considered to be a libertarian-leaning Republican. As Mayor of Wasila (Anchorage suburb), Palin was friends with local libertarian Republican elected officials, and worked closely with them on tax cut proposals.

She is known to have spoken to two Libertarian Party meetings in 2004/05. She was endorsed by the Libertarian Party of Alaska in the final days of her race for Governor in 2006, even though the LP had it's own candidate. On election night, Ms. Palin at the Egan Center, went out of her way to acknowledge the Libertarian Party's support in her victory speech. Immediately afterwards, she embraced then LPA Chairman Jason Dowell in the crowd. Dowell, and other Libertarians had stood on street corners waving signs for Palin the final two days.
Eric has an editors note that is very interesting.
Editor's Note - As many of you all know, our own Contributing Writer Adam Brickley of Colorado is the Founder and Chairman of the Draft Sarah Palin for VP Campaign. (I guess, as of this moment the group should happily go defunct.) We are extremely proud of Adam's efforts. And we are proud to have lent our support to Adam, and played a role in this effort.
So who is Adam Brickley? Glad you asked.

Lets have a look at the Washington Post to get some details.
Online, politicians and their supporters both leave digital footprints.

And so it was that yesterday's announcement of Gov. Sarah Palin as Sen. John McCain's running mate led us to Adam Brickley, a young Republican who's a recent graduate of University of Colorado at Colorado-Springs. In Feb. 2007, months before the first-term Alaskan governor, was on anyone's radar screen, the 21-year-old created the blog Draft Palin for Vice President.

Yesterday, much to his own surprise, his dreams were answered. Brickley wrote around 6 p.m. Friday: "Just so that you all know, I did receive a brief phone call tonight from Todd and Sarah Palin.Thanks to them for being so kind."

Earlier today, Brickley told The Trail about the call. "They thanked me for my tenacity," said Brickley, who now lives in Washington, D.C., and works as an intern for the conservative site TownHall.com.

Brickley's blog grew into a Facebook group. In the summer of 2007, when McCain's campaign was languishing and Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson were atop the polls, Brickley also created the pro-Palin Facebook group Draft Palin for Vice President. Today that group lists more than 1,400 grateful members.
Well what do you know. Sarah thinks Adam made a difference.

I think it is now time that the rest of us Libertarian Republicans went out and made a difference.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Unqualified

Americans don't want an unqualified Mayor of some hick town in Alaska as Vice President. We want an unqualified community organizer with Marxist friends for President.

Obama supporters need to keep reminding people of that.

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary Of The Chicago Machine

This happened a while back but I'm just catching up. The DNC has moved a considerable portion of its operations to Chicago.

"This is part of the implementation of the plans Paul [Tewes] discussed last week with the state party chairs," Finney said. "As part of the efforts to fully integrate DNC operations with the Obama campaign here in Washington, in Chicago and in the states, political, field and constituency operations are moving to Chicago to work in the Obama headquarters. The goal is to consolidate these efforts into one operation and effectively drive one national strategy."
Isn't that interesting. So the Democrat Party is now a wholly owned subidiary of the Chicago Machine.

Anglachel's Journal has an interesting insight into the move.
I've been involved in the merger of two good sized US corporations. It's not something that can be done at the drop of a hat. Costs have to be scoped, budgets established, plans made, landlords current and prospective contacted, vendors hired, bills paid, accounts closed in DC and opened in Chicago, equipment purchased, staff relocated, reassigned and/or terminated, letterhead and business cards printed, signage created, phone service changed, and that's just the stuff off the top of my head.

I'm not buying the claim that it was a recent decision, quickly executed. Who knew about the merger and when did they know it what remains to be unearthed. Not a word of this was out in the blogs or in the news before this week thatI am aware of. How did such a major logistical operation remain under wraps?

This casts the repeated insistence that Florida and Michigan not be allowed to change the outcome in a new light. If the DNC had agreed to relocate, but Obama lost the nomination, that would have made for a lot of explaining as to the DNC itself taking sides. It also makes the silence of top party leaders over the brutal treatment of Hillary by the press more explicable - they needed her to lose in order to give their own machinations some cover.
That makes a lot of things clearer.

The news came out around the middle of June. Assuming it takes three months to plan such an operation that would mean plans had to be made in April. Or earlier. So the question is who bought the Democrat Party and what do they intend to do with it?

Let me see. Obama had a Marxist mentor. He sought out Marxist professors. He spent 20 years in a Marxist church and his political career began in the home of a Marxist bomber and his Marxist wife.

I think we have some clues.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

One For The Ages

One For The Ages


Saturday, August 30, 2008

Sarah Palin Swimsuit Competition

I have some great pictures of the Sarah Palin swimsuit competition. They can be found by following the links provided to the Sarah Palin swimsuit competition. She looks really nice in the photos and I especially like the one with her in a Brazilian cut bikini. The micro bikini is really good too. So if you want to see more pictures of the Sarah Palin swimsuit competition you have come to the right place.

Here is Sarah Illustrated

And if you are wondering about the link have a look at the Sarah Palin swimsuit competition.

Also have a look at my annual July 4th Bikini Edition no pornography (some come close) just a lot of links to nice girls in American flag bikinis. Very patriotic.

Here is a link to Sara Palin in a bikini holding a rifle. There is a skinny guy in the background who is definitely not her husband. The original picture is one of the pictures featured in the July 4th Bikini Edition. Have a look.

There is a video of the Sarah Palin Swim Suit competition. Yes a Sara Palin swimsuit competition video. So here is the link to the Sarah Palin Swimsuit Competition Video

H/T Instapundit who has more on the Sarah Palin swimsuit competition.

McMILF

If you don't understand what

McMILF


means get a friend to explain it to you.

I'm Mad As Hell

A comment from No Quarter which is a pro Hillary site.

Comment by Clinton Fan 2008-08-30 06:19:01

I might, too. I gave his campaign $20.08 and told them Hillary sent me!

Obama’s strategists miscalculated. I’m mad as hell, not gonna take it any more, and NOT getting over it.

Time to put Howard, Donna and company in the “naughty chair.”
The smell of fear is in the air. There is blood in the water and the sharks are circling. Despite the fact that this year should be a lock for Democrats from top to bottom, I think there is a strong likelihood that the Democrats could lose control of the House and Senate. I think the Presidency is already a lost cause for them.

The American people are tired of the corruption, voter fraud, and the cesspool that American politics has become. I'm seeing comments like the above at all the pro-Hillary sites and even the pro-Obama sites before they are scrubbed.

There is anger out there like I have never seen before. More intense even than the Contract with America revolution. Why do I say that? Because the anger is bi-partisan.

Let me quote from commenter Neil who had a few words on my post Motherhood, Apple Pie, And Oil.
Mitt Romney would've been the safe choice--he would've delivered Michigan, along with a 51% victory.

With this choice, McCain has stated his intention to "shoot the moon". He's solidified his existing alliances and has now reached out to many disenchanted Democrats, but without alienating his base of support.

He's going to try for a blowout...
Yes he is.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

The Three Million Dollar Woman

Time Magazine reports that the pick of Sarah Palin for VP has been a bonanza for the McCain/Palin Campaign. They have raised three million dollars from the time the announcement was made until 6 PM ET Friday. That is in about six or seven hours.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Motherhood, Apple Pie, And Oil

Drudge Report says the GOP VP pick is Sarah Palin. Inspired. It will pick off a lot of Democrat women. It will attract the 51% of Americans who want to develop more American oil resources.

H/T Instapundit and Eric Scheie via e-mail.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

How Much Oil Is There?

David Zondy is taking a look at resources and the ginned up fear of not enough.

As an Englishman living in America, where Marmite is hard to come by, I'm all too familiar with the concept of scarcity, but a lack of resource in a local or a particular instance is a very different kettle of fish from absolute scarcity. The Malthusian idea of overpopulation leading to the gobbling up of finite resources has been around for a couple of centuries now and what is remarkable about it is how it has proven so consistently wrong–especially when it tries to lay the blame on the doorstep of civilised, industrial nations. I'll grant you that the image of some future New York where a hundred million people live cheek by jowl in polluted squalor until the oil runs out and then they fall on one another like starving rats as nations go to war over what scraps are left does have a certain dramatic appeal in a Mad Max sort of way, but the real world doesn't and never has worked like that.

Overpopulation is a problem, but only locally in certain, to be blunt, backward parts of the world and even there the problem isn't too many people, but too many tyrants robbing them blind. They don't suffer so much from overpopulation as poverty. A village of a hundred people ruled by a dictator with only enough food for fifty and no way to buy more is "overpopulated". A city of a free ten million that can import more than it needs is not.
Which brings up the question of oil. Is there enough or has oil output peaked and the inevitable decline begun?

In a word - no. There is plenty of oil in the ground at current prices. Is that true? Well lets do an inventory to check that assertion.

...the world oil shortage is political, not geological. In the U.S., the government makes it virtually impossible to drill in new areas offshore. In Nigeria, civil strife has shut down major production. In Libya and Iran, Washington effectively blockaded and isolated the nations for years to inhibit new production. In Iraq, of course, the U.S. destroyed much of the infrastructure since the first Gulf war in 1991 and then blockaded reconstruction. In nations such as Russia and Mexico nationalism and corruption curtail increased production.

Outside of developed Western countries, the single largest reason for oil "shortages" is government incompetence and ownership of the subsoil rights so that landowners don't benefit from oil discoveries. In Patagonia, Argentina (a nation with abundant oil), I was told how it was common for landowners to try to hide any evidence of oil seepages from underground, lest the government oil company come in and ruin their lands with no benefit to themselves. Private mineral rights ownership is the reason some 90 percent of all oil wells drilled have been in the U.S. Scientific advances and innovative engineers keep coming up with ways to both discover new fields and keep old ones in production almost indefinitely.
That is pretty amazing, but there is more.

ANWR could become the fastest way to generate hundreds of billions of dollars of new oil. But laws need to be changed to fast track the leasing (there are 11 litigation choke points) and to create special courts to expedite environmental issues, as recently proposed by Rep. Michele Bachman (R-Minn.). Under current laws, it could indeed take 10 years to produce oil, compared to two or three years for the actual drilling and pumping. Additionally, leasing is done slowly, thanks to laws written when oil was plentiful. Such laws were designed to gain maximum upfront money for the government, not for speed. For example, BP recently paid $1.2 billion for a new offshore lease, some 400 miles east of Alaska's Prudhoe Bay. The cost and distance gives some idea of industry expectations as to the extent of oil reserves.
Well what do you know. Politics is causing higher oil prices in America. And who are the politicians against more American oil? The Democrats.
Washington has become paralyzed by dysfunctional government. France and China can build nuclear electric plants in just years; in the U.S. it takes a decade. Brazil will bring offshore oil online in 24 months, while for U.S. companies it takes 10 years. New refineries are virtually illegal to build. New electricity-generating plants using coal are now unable to obtain financing because of environment constraints.

This is destroying the value of the dollar and wrecking our balance of trade, making oil prohibitively expensive, and sending hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign lands—many of whom are no friends of America. No wonder 80 percent of Americans think their nation is on the wrong track. Washington needs to declare a national emergency program to produce energy. The reasons we don't are political, not technical. Indeed, new natural gas discoveries have knocked U.S. prices down by about 30 percent.
What do American resources of natural gas look like? About 150 trillion cubic feet of gas can be obtained by drilling and 590 trillion cubic feet are in gas hydrates. More than enough to last until we have other sources of power in sufficient quantities.

Are we done yet? Not by a long shot.
WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposes lifting the moratorium on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on the Outer Continental Shelf. She won't even allow it to come to a vote. With $4 gas having massively shifted public opinion in favor of domestic production, she wants to protect her Democratic members from having to cast an anti-drilling election-year vote. Moreover, given the public mood, she might even lose. This cannot be permitted. Why? Because as she explained to Politico: "I'm trying to save the planet; I'm trying to save the planet."
She may lose her job over that one. In fact I hope so.

Here in the U.S., one out of every three ears of corn is stuffed into a gas tank (by way of ethanol), causing not just food shortages abroad and high prices at home, but intensive increases in farming with all of the attendant environmental problems (soil erosion, insecticide pollution, water consumption, etc.).

This to prevent drilling on an area in the Arctic one-sixth the size of Dulles Airport that leaves untouched a refuge one-third the size of Britain.

There are a dizzying number of economic and national security arguments for drilling at home: a $700 billion oil balance-of-payment deficit, a gas tax (equivalent) levied on the paychecks of American workers and poured into the treasuries of enemy and terror-supporting regimes, growing dependence on unstable states of the Persian Gulf and Caspian basin. Pelosi and the Democrats stand athwart shouting: We don't care. We come to save the planet!

They seem blissfully unaware that the argument for their drill-there-not-here policy collapses on its own environmental terms.
And that does not even count the cost of financing our adversaries Russia, Iran, and our "best friend" Saudi Arabia.

Did I mention that there are about 2 trillion barrels of oil shale in America and about 3 trillion barrels of tar sands in Canada where exploitation has only started? And don't tell me it costs too much. The Canadians are getting the oil from tar sands at about $15 to $20 a bbl. Oil shale, with water recycling to preserve precious water resources, might run $30 a bbl. We really don't know because the oil companies are not allowed to try. So what is the Republican answer? Watch this video to find out.

We don't have to pay high prices at the pump and send our money to people who don't like us if government would get out of the way. Republicans are on board. How about you Democrats?

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Demoralization

The video (link below) explains how Marxists have destroyed a significant swath of America. The fact that Obama is the Democrat nominee shows just how far the rot has gone. Watch the Video. Ex-KGB agent Yuri Bezmenov is the speaker.

We Are Not A Nation Of Whiners

Said Obama in his acceptance speech.

However, if you agree with his complaints about America you should vote for him.

I see a contradiction there.

See A Pattern?

Obama had a Marxist mentor, his father was a Marxist, he sought out Marxist professors, and he worked with a Marxist bomber.

Any one see a pattern?

Fusion Report 29 August 2008

Alan Boyle has the latest on the EMC2 fusion experiments.

Researchers have finished the first phase of an unorthodox, low-cost nuclear fusion experiment that has generated a megawatt's worth of buzz on the Internet – and they are now waiting for a verdict from their federal funders on whether to proceed to the next phase.

Richard Nebel, leader of the research team at EMC2 Fusion in New Mexico, declined to detail the results of the project, saying that was up to the people paying the bills. But he did said “we have had some success" in the effort to reproduce the promising results reported by the late physicist Robert Bussard.

"It's kind of a mix," he said.
That is a disappointment. However it is not completely negative so maybe further work is warranted.
Nebel said his leave from Los Alamos is due to reach the one-year mark in mid-September, but he doesn't foresee any problem in extending the leave if the second-phase funding comes through. Whether or not the Navy funds the next phase, the past year's effort has been worth it, Nebel said. "We're generally happy with what we've been getting out of it, and we've learned a tremendous amount," he said.

All that learning won't go away. "Regardless of what happens to it, we're going to get this thing well written up and documented," Nebel said.

Getting the experiment's findings down on paper will help the EMC2 team - or future teams of fusion researchers - advance the legacy left behind by Bussard. And that's a fitting tribute to the unconventional physicist as the calendar rolls toward the anniversary of his death.

"Bob Bussard was a truly innovative person, that's abundantly clear," Nebel said. "I hope he will be remembered for that. I think that will be the case."
You will note that yours truly (IEC Fusion Technology blog) got a link from Mr. Boyle. I'm honored. If you haven't seen the material before read the link he gave Tom Ligon. And if you are interested in following the progress to date read Fusion Report 13 June 008 which has links to previous reports.

I can't wait to read the full report.

H/T Correspondent Charles Connors.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Obama And The Bomber Video

A video about Obama's connection to Bill Ayres is set to debut at the Republican National Convention.

H/T Commenter Doug

Obama At The Bar

It looks like Obama may loose his law license for lying on his application.

NATURE OF THE CASE: a) making a statement of material fact in connection with a bar application that the applicant knows to be false; b) committing a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s fitness to practice law; c) engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation; d) engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice; and e) engaging in conduct which brings the courts or the legal profession into disrepute.”
That is quite a laundry list.

I have no fear. The vast hordes supporting Obama will be out in force washing his dirty laundry. Just like they did last night on the Milt Rosenberg show on WGN Radio. Evidently looking into the career of one of Obama's associates is now considered abuse of The One.

Hope and Change

If you missed the show it is on WGN Radio 8-27-08. Which is to say a pod cast.

The script Obama callers used to try to shut down the broadcast. Follow along while you listen to the broadcast.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Selected Not Elected

Hillary Clinton called for the selection of Obama as the Democrat Party nominee for President.

"In the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, let's declare in one voice, right here, right now, that Barack Obama is our candidate and that he will be our next president," Clinton said. "Madame Secretary, I move that the convention suspend the procedural rules and suspend the further conduct of the roll-call vote, all votes cast by the delegates will be counted, and I move Senator Barack Obama of Illinois be selected by this convention by acclamation as the nominee of the Democratic Party."
I guess that lets Bush off the hook.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Covering A Convention

Stephen Green explains what it is like covering the DNC.

To give you an idea, gentle reader, what a political convention is like, I’ve had a total of seven hours sleep in the last two nights, I’ve walked about ten miles, acquired a VERY nice tan, attended I don’t know how many protests, filed two video reports, taken several hundred pictures, ridden four trains, driven about 300 miles, and consumed Alex Jones’s weight in vodka. And now I’m stuck on a sofa waiting for a woman I can’t stand to say uninteresting things about a party I won’t vote for this year. THAT’S what it’s like covering a convention.
If you got 'em smoke 'em or drink 'em as the case may be. It numbs the pain.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Obama Has Friends

One of them is Alexi Giannoulias.

Giannoulias also hosted a fund-raiser for Obama in Chicago in September, 2007, omitting it from his public schedule and keeping it closed to the press. Could it be that Obama didn’t want the press asking questions about a New York Post article published that same morning entitled “Obama's Mob-Tie $idekick”?

The NY Post story references the many questions about Giannoulias’ ties to organized crime through Broadway Bank, a Chicago bank that his family owns and where Alexi Giannoulias listed himself both as President and as Chairman of the Board on FEC filings surrounding the campaign contributions mentioned above.

According to a Chicago Tribune article from 2006, Giannoulias “has faced questions about the bank’s multi-million dollar loans to Michael Gioranago, a convicted bookmaker and prostitution ring promoter.” Barack Obama was quoted in the article as saying that he “is concerned by revelations that the bank owned by Illinois Democratic treasurer nominee Alexi Giannoulias' family gave loans to a Chicago crime figure and said the candidate owes him and the public a full accounting.”
The leaks are appearing faster than Obama can keep up. Heck I can't even keep up. Fortunately there are lots of other bloggers poking holes in Obama's campaign.

Oh. Yeah. Why did this come up?
“We congratulate a fellow Greek-American, Alexi Giannoulias, for being selected as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention,” said Gulas. “His place in the national spotlight is a testament to his rising star in the field of politics. It is also uplifting to see the pride he has displayed in his Greek heritage, and his strong desire to give back to the community.”
Isn't the old rule to beware of Greeks bearing gifts? Not in Chicago. The political motto of the town is "Ubi Est". It isn't Greek, but it will have to do.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

The Democrats Can Do A Better Job

This comment from a post at Fox News:

We must not allow the Republican party to continue to ruin this Country.
Because the Democrats can do a better job of ruining the country? I'd have to agree with that.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Where There Is Truth There Is Fire

Larry Johnson is having a look at the response by the group running the Obama/Ayers ad to the suit filed with the Justice Department asking them to block the airing of the ad.

The Obama Memo argues initially that AIP’s substantial and thorough 167-page documentation and research in support of the Ad, which was provided to your station and publicly posted on the AIP website (www.americanissuesproject.org) was provided for the purpose of ‘hiding the truth’ or attempting to confuse station managers regarding the Ad. The purpose of the documentation is, of course, the opposite.

My client was well aware of the need to carefully and thoroughly research and substantiate every assertion in the Ad, which is exactly what has been done. The research document in your possession includes the full articles and transcripts, not excerpts or headlines. Every statement in the Ad is clearly stated, with the documentation for that statement furnished in its entirety.

By contrast, the Obama Campaign has furnished as its ‘documentation’ to refute the Ad a two and one-half page memorandum, with twelve footnotes, three of which are to AIP’s own research. None of the articles in their entirety were furnished, which would disclose that the ‘sources’ for the assertions in the Obama Memo include editorials by left-wing writers and publications, one transcript with an incorrect date, all without authors or titles of the articles, and none of which include the context of the statements cited to refute the factual statements in the Ad.

The Obama campaign asserts that the ad is “a malicious attempt to link Senator Obama to domestic terrorist activities.” The Ad does absolutely nothing of the sort.

Instead, the Ad discloses information that is factually accurate regarding William Ayers and his domestic terrorist activities including bombing the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon among other government buildings and targets. The fundamental information in the Ad discloses the relationship between Sen. Obama and Ayers, asking why a candidate for President of the United States chooses to associate himself with such an individual — ever.
A 167 page document backing up every assertion in the ad. That is what I call fact checking.

The serious attacks on Kerry didn't begin until after the Democrat convention. It appears that the Democrat convention is not helping Obama. I think he is headed for a disaster of historic proportions and that it will poison the well for the Democrats for at least a generation. The Democrats could easily lose the House and might have a serious set back in the Senate as well.

And what will be the new conventional wisdom? McCain Democrats.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Diplomacy By Other Means

I was visiting Althouse and came across this comment by a guy bashing Republicans:

They prefer war to diplomacy
Just anther instance of the left not getting it.

War is diplomacy by other means - Clauzwitz.

See, it works like this - if you have a carrot and a stick you can accomplish more than if you have a carrot alone.

And if all you have is a carrot and the other guy has a stick you are at a serious disadvantage. Such a situation is referred to as appeasement.

H/T Instapundit

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Hide The Message

James Carville, Bill Clinton's political strategist and a pretty smart guy, says the Democrats need to get on message. If they can find one.

(CNN) — Have the Democrats wasted the first night of the convention?

Yes, says Democratic Strategist and CNN contributor James Carville.

Speaking on CNN, Carville said the party was too soft in its attacks on John McCain Monday night — the same mistake, Carville says, Democrats made at the 2004 convention.

"The way they planned it tonight was supposed to be sort of the personal — Michelle Obama will talk about Barack Obama personally, Ted Kennedy was a very personal, emotional speech," Carville said. "But I guarantee on the first night of the Republican Convention, you're going to hear talk about Barack Obama, commander-in-chief, tax cuts, et cetera, et cetera."

"You haven't heard about Iraq or John McCain or George W. Bush — I haven't heard any of this. We are a country that is in a borderline recession, we are an 80 percent wrong-track country. Health care, energy — I haven't heard anything about gas prices," Carville also says. "Maybe we are going to look better Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. But right now, we're playing hide the message."

Carville also said the party needs to do a better job of communicating its message to the American people.

“If this party has a message it's done a hell of a job hiding it tonight, I promise you that," he said.
So far McCain has done a pretty good job of attacking what message is out there. Take this ad about taxes. McCain is framing Obama's message for him. And if you have been watching McCain ads there is a constant theme through the ads. Obama No. A take off on the "NObama" bit you see around the net a lot.

Pollster Frank Luntz made a similar point. He said Obama must change his message. I think it is more fundamental than that. He has to get one.
The results of a focus group held by Frank Luntz, the leading American pollster, on the eve of the Democratic convention should sound alarm bells for the Obama campaign after a month in which Mr McCain, the Republican, has drawn level in the polls.

"The way that he gets here to the Democratic nomination - 'change' - is not how he gets there, to the White House," said Mr Luntz. "If it's change, by itself, he will fail. Change what? Change how? Change why?" Mr Luntz is a Republican but his work on focus groups is respected on both sides of the aisle.

Some 21 carefully-selected undecided voters were gathered in a conference room in a downtown skyscraper. Observed by The Daily Telegraph and a small group of other media through a one-way mirror, they were grilled by Mr Luntz about their views of the candidates in a two-hour session.
The focus group wanted to know what kind of change? To me, the most interesting point the focus group brought up was this one:
The Obama ad that attacked Mr McCain for having seven houses and not being able to recall the number fell flat. But Mr McCain's response ad that highlighted a land deal Mr Obama had struck with Tony Rezko, a real estate dealer subsequently convicted of corruption, prompted more than half the dials to shoot up.

A couple of the voters suggested that Americans did not resent wealth. "I really don't care how many houses you have but it does matter how you got that house," said Doug.
America is not a class warfare country. Obama's problem is that his base of operations in Illinois was a class warfare enclave. I don't believe that his political training in Marxism or his base on the South Side of Chicago fits him to win an election let alone govern.

It may very well be, given his proclivities, that hiding the message is his best tactic. It doesn't appear to be a winning one.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

The Rapier Vs The Bludgeon

Bill Bradley is having a few words about the Obama vs McCain Campaigns and thinks because McCain is not getting much Shrinking Media attention for his campaign videos that McCain is losing the fight.

And naturally the conventional media doesn’t link to the ad … Doh!
Except 45% of the public get their information from the internet. And it doesn’t cost McCain a nickel to get his message played. All he has to do is make an ad. If his team is good it might cost $1K a second. $30,000 for a 30 second message. He is cranking through 2 or 3 of them a day. That is about 10% of his daily budget. The rest can be spent on ad buys for the videos that work.

The Obama team doesn’t get a YouTube campaign. Obama is still Web 1.0. McCain is Web 2.0. Obama needs to get some young people on his team to explain it to him. McCain is running a 10 Mbaud campaign. Obama is running a 56K baud campaign. That is a 20X bandwidth advantage.

The McCain team has responses out in hours. Obama is taking days. In the words of fighter pilot Boyd - McCain is inside his OODA loop. If you read Boyd - lots of stuff on the www - you will understand McCain’s campaign. Obama is not responding fast enough. It gives McCain an “unfair” advantage.

Take my blogging at Classical Values. I have 2 or 3 McCain videos to choose from every day. He puts them out, sees what sticks, and hammers that message until it gets stale and then he is off in another direction. All he has to do to gauge his effectiveness is watch the hit counters at YouTube. Much cheaper than poling or focus groups. And faster.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Obama Threatens TV Stations

Here is a letter Obama's Campaign [pdf] sent to TV Stations in an attempt to block this ad.

Watch the video and send a copy to all your friends and enemies. Stop the suppression of Free Speech.

H/T Larry Johnson

The Ad Obama Doesn't Want You To See

Senator Obama has some associations he is not proud of. He wants to keep this ad off TV. So obviously it is time to make the ad go viral. Email it to a friend. Heck. E-Mail it to an enemy. You can never get too much exposure for this sort of thing.

Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire's efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads.

Obama's campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the "American Issues Project," the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is financing the advertisements. The Obama campaign -- and tens of thousands of supporters -- also is pressuring television networks and affiliates to reject the ads. The effort has met with some success: CNN and Fox News are not airing the attacks.
Like all attempts at suppression it will backfire. The 'net routes around damage.

If we make it enough of an issue on the 'net it will become a news item and get free exposure. The best revenge.

And just who is William Ayres? A picture is worth 10,000 words:
William Ayres

H/T Sara

Monday, August 25, 2008

Old Hippies For McCain

It appears that I am part of an incredibly small demographic. I Googled "Old Hippies for McCain" and got zero hits. I then tried "Hippies for McCain" and got 25 hits - most of them referring to one guy in California in the 2000 primaries.

So I thought I'd do a post and collect a few extra hits. If you come here by way of Google leave a comment.

US Flotilla Transits Turkey Arrives In Georgia

I'm going to go into some detail on the ships which is interesting in and of itself. However, the most interesting part to me is that the warships had to transit Turkey to arrive in the Black Sea. That I believe is the most critical development in the region of Georgia. Turkey is supporting Georgian independence from Moscow. By treaty they are supposed to allow small warships to transit the Straights of Bosporus. However, they made no diplomatic representation such as "We deplore the build up of Naval power in the region". I must say that it is a most welcome yet unexpected development. It also means that flights from Turkey to Georgia are also assured. Further it means that the Ukraine can be defended from Russian moves.

Here are the ships involved according to The US Navy.

BATUMI, Republic of Georgia (NNS) -- USS McFaul (DDG 74) pulled into the port of Batumi, Georgia, Aug. 24 to deliver humanitarian relief supplies to the country as part of the larger United States response to the government of Georgia request for humanitarian assistance.
There will be a total of five ships including the USS Mount Whitney and USCGC Dallas.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas (WHEC 716) and USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) have also on-loaded humanitarian supplies destined for Georgia. Dallas left Souda Bay, Crete on Thursday with more than 76,000 pounds of relief supplies and will arrive in Georgia within a week. U.S. Navy C-9, C-40 and C-130 aircraft have flown tens of thousands of hygiene kits into the country over the past week.
The USS Mount Whitney is a rather interesting ship. Here is a description given by the US Navy:
MOUNT WHITNEY (MTW) serves as the Command Ship for Commander, SIXTH Fleet/ Commander, Joint Command Lisbon/Commander, Striking Force NATO and has a complement of 150 enlisted personnel, 12 officers and 150 Civilian Mariners from Military Sealift Command. MTW was the first U.S. Navy combatant to permanently accommodate women on board.

MTW carries enough food to feed the crew for 90 days and can transport supplies to support an emergency evacuation of 3,000 people. The ship makes 100,000 gallons of fresh water daily and carries over one million gallons of fuel, enough for a round trip, 16 knot, 35 day voyage from Norfolk, Virginia to Mozambique in the Indian Ocean. The ship's two anchors weigh 11 tons each and are attached to 180 fathoms (or 1,080 feet) of anchor chain. Each chain weighs almost 25 tons. Total electrical capacity is 7,500 kilowatts, a sufficient amount to power a small city.

The ship's afloat communications capability is second to none. MTW can receive, process and transmit large amounts of secure data from any point on earth through HF, UHF, VHF, SHF, and EHF communications paths. This technology enables the Joint Intelligence Center and Joint Operations Center to gather and fuse critical information while on the move. As the most sophisticated Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence (C4I) ship ever commissioned, MTW incorporates various elements of the most advanced C4I equipment and gives the embarked Joint Task Force Commander the capability to effectively command widely dispersed air, ground and maritime units in an integrated fashion.
If it was refueled before entering the Black Sea it could support operations independent of land based supplies for quite some time.

Note that with the length of anchor chain supplied it could anchor in 250 to 350 feet of water. i.e. it doesn't need to be in a harbor to anchor.

So what kind of ship is it? In simple terms it is a floating command post. What does it represent in strategic terms? A challenge to Russian supremacy in the Black sea.

Want to hear a Russian General whine about the American forces being moved into the Black sea? I knew you did.
The deputy chief of Russia's general staff suggested that the arrival of the ship and those of other NATO members would increase tensions in the Black Sea. Russia shares the sea with NATO members Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria as well as Georgia and Ukraine, whose pro-Western president also is leading a drive for NATO membership.

"I don't think such a buildup will foster the stabilization of the atmosphere in the region," Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn as saying Saturday.
If by "stability" he means Russian Control I think he is totally correct. However, had Russia wanted stability I don't think they should have gone around whacking their neighbors.

What would the Russian objective have been? Control of the pipeline passing through Georgia. They didn't get it. That means they spent a fair amount of military resources and are not going to get any long term profit from it. In fact they will have the cost of maintaining their troops in a hostile territory. The odds are they will be pulling out as soon as they can do so without losing much face.

How do the Georgians feel about the arrival of the American Navy?
At dockside in Batumi, with the McFaul anchored offshore, U.S. Navy officials in crisp white uniforms were met Sunday by Georgian officials, including Defense Minister David Kezerashvili.

Speaking to The Associated Press on the aft missile deck of the McFaul, anchored a mile offshore, Kezerashvili said Georgians would feel safer now.

“They will feel safe not because the destroyer is here but because they will feel they are not alone facing the Russian aggression,” he said.
And how about the US Congress? Do they get it? Indeed they do. At least a little bit.
In another sign of U.S. support for Georgia, Republican Senator for Indiana Richard Lugar met with the nation's leaders in Tbilisi. He urged European leaders to cut their dependence on Russian energy imports.

``It is imperative that the EU minimize energy dependency upon Russian gas and oil resources, even at this point, it is important for the United States to maintain a dialogue on the energy resources,'' he said.
Indeed it is a necessity. So where will the supplies come from to support Europe down the road? It seems to me that it is critical for the US to start exploiting its vast untapped oil reserves. Drilling, mining and refining US oil is way more profitable than fighting wars over it. Besides, better the Euros spend their money with us than with the Russians or Iranians. Oil at $70 a bbl. will lead to a much more peaceful world than oil at $140 a bbl. Now all we have to do is get the Democrats on board or replace them.

In the long run we will have to get off oil. In the mean time there is no point in fighting wars over it.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Obama/Biden The Dynamic Duo

Glitz and Ditz
Clean and Jerk
Rainbow and Vanilla
Smarmy and Smirky

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Obama Mentor Loved Children

That is right. Obama's communist mentor Frank Marshall Davis loved children. And not in a good way. The American Thinker has this "lovely" quote from The Telegraph UK:

The Telegraph UK is reporting that Davis, a close friend of Obama's mother and his maternal grandfather, published an autobiographical, pornographic book, "Sex Rebel:Black," under the pseudonym "Bob Greene."

Marshall admitted to having written the book, which he said describes factual sexual encounters that he and his wife had with minors and other couples. "I could not then truthfully deny that this book, which came out in 1968 as a Greenleaf Classic, was mine," said Davis. The Telegraph states that, "In the introduction to Sex Rebel, Davis explains that although he has "changed names and identities...all incidents I have described have been taken from actual experiences."

Marshall's book describes, in lurid detail, his sexual encounters, including multiple group encounters with his wife and a 13 year old girl: "I'm not one to go in for Lolitas. Usually I'd rather not bed a babe under 20. But there are exceptions. I didn't want to disappoint the trusting child. At her still-impressionistic age, a rejection might be traumatic, could even cripple her sexually for life."
I have nothing against kinky sex. Some people like it. Most others don't. And America is a free country. We have room here for all kinds. However, statutory rape seems to be pushing the envelope a little far.

The question for me is: was Obama a not only a willing student of Frank's Communism, but also involved in his other educational activities? Heaven knows we don't need another Clinton in the White House. It is unseemly and a distraction. The President is supposed to concentrate on Foreign Policy. OTOH if Biden takes on that job it could free Obama for more pleasurable pursuits. Maybe the deal is Obama takes on one kind of Foreign Affairs and Biden takes on the other kind. A division of labor if you will.

Obama Chicago Gang Connection?

I have been looking into a possible Obama - Chicago gang connection. So far all I have to go on is rumor and the knowledge that gangs such as the El Rukns and the Black P. Stone Nation are very big in Chicago politics. Then there is the Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr. connection to Obama and Jesse Sr.'s brother in law Noah Webster.

I'm going to give you some of the rumors. If any one has anything more definite please leave a comment.

From the comments at Byron Crawford:

I was telling you guys ass that Hussain Obama was right in the thick of that Chicago shit that bol is talking about. It was right after he graduated from college.

He got his first job in the inner city of Chicago and was very friendly with all the muslim influenced brothers.
Jesse Jackson declares support for Obama in 2007 - wiki

Jesse Jackson and Obama's nuts:
Plus, I haven't forgotten that a few years ago, Bill O'Reilly was trashing JJ because he refused to release financial statements from PUSH, Operation Breadbasket, and the Rainbow Coalition. Plus, plus he knew that his son, Jesse Jr. is a co-chair on Obama's campaign.
From a comment at Michelle Malkin
I guess after getting the endorsement of the infamous gang banging “Almighty Black P. Stone Nation” formly known as the “Black Stone Rangers.” Obama pretty much has Chicago all wrapped up

Why hasn’t the media reported on Obama’s and the reveren Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright connection with the “Almighty Black P. Stone Nation.”
From the comments at Black America Web:
fbi files show a tie between rev wright & chicago black terror gang 'the el rukns'
El Rukn - Libya Connection

Jesse Jackson and the El Rukns

Obama's Environment - the Criminal Gangs of Chicago's South Side.

What would I look for in the Chicago Annenberg Challenge records? For disbursement to Chicago Street Gang Fronts.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Ask The Iraqis

In a posted opinion piece "Biden pick shows lack of confidence" a pundit suggests that Biden brings a lot to the table in terms of national security credibility.

Biden brings a lot to the table. An expert on national security, the Delaware senator voted in 2002 to authorize military intervention in Iraq but has since become a vocal critic of the conflict. He won praise for a plan for peace in Iraq that would divide the country along ethnic lines.
The Iraqis seem to have a different opinion of the plan.
BAGHDAD – Senator Joe Biden may be one of the only U.S. politicians that can get Iraq's feuding Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish politicians to agree. But not in a good way.

Across racial and religious boundaries, Iraqi politicians on Saturday bemoaned Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama's choice of running mate, known in Iraq as the author of a 2006 plan to divide the country into ethnic and sectarian enclaves.

"This choice of Biden is disappointing, because he is the creator of the idea of dividing Iraq," Salih al-Mutlaq, head of National Dialogue, one of the main Sunni Arab blocs in parliament, told Reuters.

"We rejected his proposal when he announced it, and we still reject it. Dividing the communities and land in such a way would only lead to new fighting between people over resources and borders. Iraq cannot survive unless it is unified, and dividing it would keep the problems alive for a long time."
And yet he is supposed to shore up Obama's lack of foreign policy credibility. That hope seems rather incredible to me.

H/T Instapundit and Sara

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Waiting To Cross The Line

No Quarter has this interesting bit of gossip:

I asked a friend who knows someone who has seen the video to Michelle Obama making disparaging remarks about “white” folks. You know, those angry God hugging, gun toting mouth breathers. He wrote me the following:
But there is a very strange air about Republican operatives. In the last three weeks, I’ve talked to real insiders in VA, GA, AL and here. They all remind me of a unit waiting to cross the line of departure on an attack. Quiet, determined, last cigarette, last “can of peaches out of the ration,” radio checks, confident. They all use the term “safely nominated” when referring to Obama.
Six more days and then the real fun will begin. McCain has blunted Obama's momentum. Obama's troops are now milling aimlessly at the front waiting for supplies and new orders.

Once the counter attack begins it will be a slaughter. First a slash through the front lines and then tanks rampaging in the rear through the administrative troops.

For more of the military metaphor re: Obama see Housing War.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Who Will Answer The Call?

So who will be answering the 3 AM phone call in an Obama Administration?

Joe Biden


Obama Admits Foreign Policy Inexperience

Obama's pick of Senate Foreign Relations Comittee head Joe Biden is an admission of Foreign Policy inexperience. What are the Obama people thinking? Foreign Policy is the President's #1 job. It is why he has a diplomacy department and a military department under his control.

The only question now is if Obama will drag the rest of the Democrat ticket down with him? The Democrats stance on no drilling for oil may have the perverse effect of greasing the skids.

Obama Pulls Back

The Obama campaign is pulling advertising from Republican leaning Battletound States. Let me do a list of those states and their electoral votes.

Alaska - 3
Georgia - 15
Montana - 3
North Carolina - 15
North Dakota - 3
Florida - 27
Virginia - 13

That is a total of 79 Electoral College (EC) votes out of 270 required to win. A little over 1/4 of the winning requirements.

This map shows McCain up by ten EC votes. If Obama is not going to make it up in the battleground states how does he expect to win?

My guess? He doesn't expect to win. In any case it seems like a stupid strategy. You pull back in states that are solid R or D and fight in the battlegrounds. Standard military tactics. You draw reserves from the places you are strong and try to make a breakthrough where the enemy is weakest. Evidently Obama is not a student of military history.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Hunger Stalks Iran

Yesterday I did a piece on the decline of the fortunes of Iran and its best buddy Hizballah No Deal. Today I got some news that fleshes out the story.

Since the 2008-09 marketing year began on June 1, Iran has bought more than one million tons of hard red winter wheat directly from the U.S., which is "a very large amount," said Bill Nelson, analyst for Wachovia Securities. The purchases mean at least 3% to 4% of domestic wheat exports for the marketing year will go to a country the U.S. hasn't done business with for more than a generation. Government sanctions don't prohibit U.S. agricultural exporters from doing business with Iran.
This is the first time since '81 - '82 that Iran has bought wheat from America. At that time it was under a million tons. This year's purchase is expected to run 5 million tons. So what happens when you have to buy food from your enemy to keep going? Obviously bellicosity has to decline. And you pull in your cats paws like Hizballah. No point in upsetting the grain cart when there are no other sellers. Another humiliation for the poor dears. It just points further to the Iranian Government's mismanagement of the Iranian economy. My guess is that drought is an excuse not a reason.

Investing in missiles and atomic bombs does not feed the hungry. Water projects should be taking priority.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

They Are Burning The Houses

Michael Totten reports from Georgia

On Monday, I visited one of the schools transformed into refugee housing in the center of Tbilisi and spoke to four women—Lia, Nana, Diana, and Maya—who had fled with their children from a cluster of small villages just outside the city of Gori. “We left the cattle,” Lia said. “We left the house. We left everything and came on foot because to stay there was impossible.” Diana’s account: “They are burning the houses. From most of the houses they are taking everything. They are stealing everything, even such things as toothbrushes and toilets. They are taking the toilets. Imagine. They are taking broken refrigerators.” And Nana: “We are so heartbroken. I don’t know what to say or even think. Our whole lives we were working to save something, and one day we lost everything. Now I have to start everything from the very beginning.”
Imagine how desperate the Russians and Cossacks must be to steal the toothbrushes and toilets and what low lifes they are.

Michael has more. Read It All.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Redistribution

The only people who actually need to "define rich" are the folks who are trying to establish a threshhold for redistributing your money.


Commenter JM hanes at Just One Minute

Head Gear



Head Gear




No Deal

The deal brokered in Lebanon to end Muslim on Muslim violence is off. Maybe way off.

Several Sunni factions in Lebanon announced Tuesday night that they are freezing a truce they had signed with Hizbullah a day earlier.

The agreement, intended to defuse sectarian tension, prohibited any Muslim group from attacking fellow Muslims.

"The agreement will be temporarily frozen pending appropriate circumstances that allow for its implementation," Sheikh Hassan al-Shahhal, who signed the memorandum with a Hizbullah official, told reporters Tuesday, according to The Lebanese Daily Star. The Sunni community, he said, needed to stand "more than ever" united and to shun divisions, while the memorandum needed further study.

Hizbullah officials said Wednesday that they respect the groups' choice of freezing the memorandum of understanding for more discussions and revisions.
Hmmm. Something has happened to weaken the Hizballah position in Lebanon. Meekness has never been one of their virtues. Normally a change like this would be accompanied by threats and bombast.

It appears the correlation of forces in the world is changing. Something has shaken Iran. Could it be economic troubles?
Tehran, 13 August: The punch line of economic models for single- product countries is that they can considerably quicken the process of non-reliance on mono-product policies.

Fundamentally, Iran's economy relies on oil revenues. The extent of this dependence is so much that some experts believe that Iran's oil should be named 'black disaster'.

Since the discovery of oil in Masjed Soleyman, the dependence of Iran's economy on oil sales has not decreased. On the contrary, it has increased on a daily basis and this process has gathered pace and accelerated. Based on this, when a national government with great ideals came to power, one its main mottos and strategies was the formation of an oil-free economy. Unfortunately this policy never materialized and compared to 50 years ago, the Iranian economy's dependence on oil has increased. However, oil prices and its fluctuation are also very dangerous and worrisome.

During recent days, oil price dropped from 140 to 113 dollars in less than a week. This drop happened while three important events which traditionally were considered reasons behind the increase of oil prices occurred in the world. These events included the Beijing Olympic Games, the start of the summer season and an increase in global oil consumption, and most important of all the regional war between Georgia and Russia in the Caucasus.
The Russian economy is also highly dependent on oil these days. Might this explain their move into Georgia? Perhaps the move was not about South Ossetia at all. Perhaps it was really an attempt to keep oil and natural gas from flowing through Georgia in an attempt to prop up world oil prices.

Perhaps the Russians and Iranians are anticipating further drops in oil prices over the coming year. Especially since the Russian grab for the Georgian oil pipeline has failed. Maybe not totally, but essentially.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the interests of the newly emerging states of the Caucasus and countries such as Ukraine and Belarus have repeatedly and fiercely clashed with those of Russia. In particular, they have competed with each other over energy resources and the transmission corridors of the former Soviet Union.

Russian interruptions of gas supplies to Ukraine, Belarus and the rest of Eastern Europe are legion - and so are the restrictions they have imposed on the transmission of Kazakh oil to the international market across their territory. If Russia controls the flow of energy, it also has dangerous sway over the economies of Western Europe.

The EU had been trying to wean itself off energy dependence on Moscow by developing a network of energy routes through Georgia. It's no wonder that the Russians turned their attention in that direction.
If the Iranians are expecting further drops in the price of oil they may be cutting back on funding for their Hizballah Army in Lebanon. Armies like to be paid. Without pay they dissolve.

Talleyrand is reputed to have said something like: "you can do anything with bayonets, except sit on them". Maybe this is one of those cases where the bayonets must be sent home for lack of maintenance.

If America starts drilling for oil (which is looking more and more likely) it is more than possible we can put an end to a lot of unrest in the world by forcing oil exporters to focus on economics rather than war. And that may explain the changes in the correlation of forces.

Not Just Camping Out

The US military has been training the Georgian Army since 2002. Us troops were scheduled to leave Georgia in March of 2009. It appears the schedule has been changed.

During the Soviet era, Krtsanisi military base outside Tbilisi was home to the Red Army.

Now it is US soldiers who are in charge and, according to the US Ambassador in Tbilisi Richard Miles, they are in Georgia to stay.

In 2002 the Bush administration set up an 18-month, $65m programme aimed at training and equipping Georgia's impoverished army.

The programme was part of America's war on terror and it started after the US confirmed Russian allegations about the presence of Chechen and al-Qaeda fighters in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, on the border with Chechnya.

Details are still to be announced of the new permanent programme, but analysts say that any sort of US military presence is good news for the Georgian Government, which sees the US engagement as a security guarantee against Georgia's northern neighbour - Russia.
So lets see. America will have Patriot Battery troops in Poland and a permanent training base in Georgia. What does a permanent training base mean? Airfields. And what does that portend? Fighter aircraft based in Georgia to protect supply flights. It also means that the Georgian Army can be resupplied with American eqpt. We have a lot of used eqpt in Iraq that can be transfered to Georgia once it gets replaced by new American eqpt. Nothing like second hand eqpt. to teach maintenance.

Some how I don't think this is what the Russians expected when they moved into Georgia. It also means that Russian resupply to Iran is complicated. In case of American "trouble" with Iran.
Last week, the Bush administration also called for Russia to remove its military and said it was even prepared to take up some of the costs needed for the relocation of Russian troops.
Now there is something the gangsters running Russia can understand. Bribery.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Housing War

It appears that Obama is losing the housing war. You gotta go and read the whole thing esp. if you are into military history. It is fookin hilarious. The second comment is most excellent as well. Don't miss it.

H/T Instapundit

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Ask Putin

Someone at Althouse asks

will a McCain Presidency bring more wars?
Some one should ask Putin's opinion.

Printed Circuit Boards Up Consumer Confidence Down

Electronic Design Magazine reports.

US consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in 28 years in the month of June, amidst high energy costs and rising joblessness. US new orders for computer and electronic products dipped in June with US economy registering a lower retail sale when compared to the month of May.

However printed circuit board (PCB), semiconductor and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) shipments continued their upward momentum. The long-term outlook for the EMS industry remains positive with ever increasing global demand for consumer electronics.
That is interesting. In the past when times were tough the entertainment budget was the first to be clipped. It appears that that is the case in the US. However, the low value of the dollar encourages US exports. How much longer that will last with the US dollar rising is a question. Time will give us the answer.

A lot of electronics is used for manufacturing. However, it is not enough to drive the market. The big drivers are cell phones, computers, and entertainment devices.

Free Tibet

Free Tibet

It seems that China can't keep the Free Tibet folks down. Despite the consequences to them that could be easily anticipated.
On Monday, “…five pro-Tibet activists unfurled a banner spelling out “Free Tibet” in English and Chinese in blue LED “throwie” lights in Beijing’s Olympic Park tonight. The five were detained by security personnel after displaying the banner for about 20 seconds at 11:48 pm August 19th. Their whereabouts are unknown.”

Now these LEDs were sewn to the banner, so I’d say that technically they weren’t throwies, just LEDs taped to batteries, but the protesters refer to them as throwies.

The picture shows an interesting juxtaposition: The protest banner with “Free Tibet” in LEDs, shown with the famous Beijing Bird’s Nest stadium in the background, another quite different showcase for LEDs.
Their whereabouts are unknown. I think that says a lot about the state of political freedom in China.

China is high tech when it comes to electronics and backwards when it comes to political freedom. Not a surprise.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Obama Adviser Meets Syrians

In The Ties That Bind I discuss Russian proposals for selling nuclear capable missiles to Syria. And then I learn today that an Obama adviser was recently in Syria at an oil company sponsored conference to discuss what? Dried fruit exports? Maybe. Oil exports? Much more likely.

Barack Obama’s Middle East Policy Adviser recently discussed presidential politics with high-level Syrian officials during a conference underwritten Syrian business interests and a Canadian oil company.

Adviser Daniel Kurtzer told the New York Sun the trip was not related to his campaign work, but that he did discuss the next president’s role in Syria’s relationship with Israel with Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.

"I urged him to move ahead in the Israel-Syria negotiations as much as possible so that whoever is the next president would not start from too far down the track," Kurtzer told the Sun. "I did not say anything about Obama or McCain. I said whoever is the next president is not going to want to inherit a process that isn't going anywhere."

The exchange took place at lawyer’s conference organized by the British Syrian Society in Damascus in early July. Kurtzer was invited because he is on the board member of the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative.
You know I don't think all the details of Obama's advisers discussions in Syria have been fully reported. But that is just me. I tend to be suspicious of Syrian intentions and the intentions of its best friend Iran. And of course who trusts the Russians these days? Iran and Syria that is for sure.

I think we have to get serious in America and turn on the oil spigot to restrict the incomes of folks who mean us ill. Democrats - are you listening?

Cross Posted at Classical Values

The Ties That Bind

You have to wonder what the Russians are thinking.

Syria’s official news agency SANA announced Mr. Assad would begin a “working visit” to Moscow on Wednesday at the invitation of Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev.

Ahead of the visit, Mr. Assad told Russia’s Kommersant daily on Wednesday that his country’s defence ties with Moscow, in the context of developments in Georgia, would be the main issue during his talks. “Of course, military and technical cooperation is the main issue. Weapons purchases are very important,” he said, adding: “I think we should speed it up. Moreover, the West and Israel continue to put pressure on Russia.”

Mr. Assad said a new situation had arisen after Moscow came across the use of Israeli military equipment by Georgia in its conflict with Russia.

“I think that in Russia and in the world everyone is now aware of Israel’s role and its military consultants in the Georgian crisis. And if before in Russia there were people who thought these forces can be friendly, then now I think no one thinks that way.”
I think he got that right. He just got it backwards. No one in the world now thinks the Russians are nice friendly folk who just want to do business and enjoy life.
Speaking on the conflict between Georgia and Russia over Georgia’s breakaway republic of South Ossetia, Mr. Assad said: “On this issue we fully support Russia. The war, which was unleashed by Georgia, is the culmination of attempts to encircle and isolate Russia.”

Earlier, Iran’s Press TV, quoting Israeli media reports, said Russia planned to position the nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in Syria. The Israeli report also said Russia could also release to Iran, the advanced S-300 missiles, which had so far been withheld.

Analysts point out the release of advanced Russian military equipment to Syria and Iran is likely to dampen the sentiment of war against Tehran in U.S. political circles. Nevertheless, a large flotilla of U.S. British and French naval ships has been heading towards the Persian Gulf. The naval taskforce, believed to be largest in Gulf waters since the first Gulf War, includes the U.S. warships — Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and Iwo Jima.
I did a post on that Naval movement Perhaps They Miscalculated. Then yesterday I got this e-mail from Fabius Maximus.
Here is the final nail in the coffin of the rumor featured in your post of August 12. Is a retraction in order? (I apologize if I have overlooked it).

This rumor was widely circulated in the Internet and in the Middle East media, so this is not a trivial issue.

Stop the presses: no naval armada has sailed to blockade Iran!

Summary: For a week rumors about a US armada sailing to the Gulf circulated around the Internet and in Middle Eastern media, despite having almost no supporting evidence. One of the two major sources for the “US fleet sailing to blockade Iran” story now has admitted his error. No word yet from the other (and more high-profile) source, Debkafile (does Debkafile post retractions?) or the blogs which promoted the rumors.
He goes on about the misinformation that the inet is promoting on at Fabius Maximus. Which is more or less a reproduction of the e-mail.

Now what do I think? The Theodore Roosevelt was in port at the time I wrote my report according to sources I have found of late: i.e. comments at blogs. However, that does not in my opinion invalidate the general idea of an Iranian blockade in the works. I'd like to wait a week or three and see what happens. He may be right about no blockade. However, it seems if Iran and Syria are getting nuclear capable missiles that could lead to pre-emptive attacks by Israel and precipitate a blockade of Iran by the USA.

It is really hard to see where this is all going. I thought it was 1936 (re:Germany France and the Rhineland) it may be much later than that - 1939 (re: Germany and Russia dismembering Poland). If so we may have a very big war on our hands. All this could have been prevented if the USA was supplying more oil to the world markets limiting the profits of our enemies Russia and Iran, not to mention our "best friend" Saudi Arabia.

Who do I blame for this situation? The Democrats who have declared new American oil sources off limits. Had they allowed drilling and mining of new oil resources it might have defused this run up to a what appears to be a very serious oil war. Evidently they have decided that Blood For Oil is better than drilling for oil. Scum of the earth. And if a single Democrat who is against American contributions to the world oil market is left in the House after November it will just prove we deserve a world wide oil war.

You can watch a video that gives Harry Reid's opinion of drilling for oil and the response of an ordinary citizen at Harry Reid Makes Me Sick. An eye opener.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

A Whole Lot Of Talking Going On

I just read a fact that totally amazed me. Americans bought 28 million cell phones in the second quarter of this year. It is a yearly rate of 112 million a year. That is a cell phone for every man woman an child in America in a little less than three years.

Who are all these people talking to?

Dollar Up Gold Down

Purchasing Magazine reports the dollar is strengthening.

Earlier this week, an more bearish forecast by precious metals analyst John Nadler at the Kitco bullion dealer’s Canadian branch in Montreal put the precious metal bullion's price somewhere between $680 and $730 for the remainder of the year. That outlook would put the 2008 annual average gold price around $800/oz, as opposed to the earlier consensus projection of $924. Manufacturers use gold in electronics and medical applications as well as in jewelry.

“The U.S. dollar has recently begun to show initial signs of strength as the fundamental picture for the dollar has improved substantially in recent weeks, Goldman Sachs reports, adding that “as the dollar is now expected to strengthen…we are lowering our gold price forecast.”
That probably means the price of oil will be falling as well. Which will take some of the strain of American consumers. It will also reduce the strain on the whole economy since energy is fundamental. OTOH American manufacturers who export are going to have to improve their processes. However, importers of raw materials will be in better shape.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Revoke The Games

In response to my post Let the Games End, commenter Karl notifies me that a petition to revoke the Winter Olympic Games in Russia in 2014 has been started.

If you want a badge for your site this is the place to go.

It is the least we can do.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Amateurs Beat Professionals

Thomas Sowell is looking at one of the most glaring and obvious places in our society where amateurs beat professionals. Education.

When amateurs outperform professionals, there is something wrong with that profession.

If ordinary people, with no medical training, could perform surgery in their kitchens with steak knives, and get results that were better than those of surgeons in hospital operating rooms, the whole medical profession would be discredited.

Yet it is common for ordinary parents, with no training in education, to homeschool their children and consistently produce better academic results than those of children educated by teachers with Master's degrees and in schools spending upwards of $10,000 a year per student-- which is to say, more than a million dollars to educate ten kids from K through 12.

Nevertheless, we continue to take seriously the pretensions of educators who fail to educate, but who put on airs of having "professional" expertise beyond the understanding of mere parents.
Now it is obvious why home schoolers beat the professionals. First is motivation. Second is tailoring the product to the customer. The professionals are hampered by rules and directives. The amateur need only get results.

He then ties that into the knowledge problem in economics. The problem of central planners.
...central planners in the days of the Soviet Union had to set over 24 million prices. Nobody is capable of setting and changing 24 million prices in a way that will direct resources and output in an efficient manner.

For that, each of the 24 million prices would have to be weighed and set against each of the other 24 million prices. in order to provide incentives for resources to go where they were most in demand by producers and output to go where it was most in demand by consumers.

In a market economy, however, nobody has to take on such an impossible task. Each producer and each consumer need only be concerned with the relatively few prices relevant to their own decisions, with coordination of the economy being left to supply and demand.

In short, amateurs were able to outperform professionals in the economy because the amateurs did not take on tasks beyond the capability of any human being or any manageable group of human beings.

Put differently, "expertise" includes only a small band of knowledge out of the vast spectrum of knowledge required for dealing with many real world complications.
In other words it doesn't matter that central planners are geniuses and the population is a bunch of morons. No one genius or even group of geniuses can know as much as a million morons.

The Brits have a wonderful saying about just such problems: "too smart by half". Or stated another way - it is the problem of smart people thinking they know more than they know just because they are much smarter than most people. It doesn't matter. If they apply their smarts to a broad enough domain they can never be smart enough.

So the upshot is: let supply and demand sort out distribution. Or as I said on another forum: the problem with stealing is that it short circuits the productive system. It doesn't matter if the thief is a guy down the block or the Government in Washington DC. It short circuits the productive system.

Which gets us back to the importance of private property. The poor shouldn't steal from the rich and the rich shouldn't steal from the poor. It short circuits the productive system.

Latest Polling has McCain Over Obama In EC

Have a look at the latest Real Clear PoliticsMap. McCain 274 - Obama 264.

I do believe grimmer days are ahead for Obama. This is just the beginning of his fall.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Let The Games End

There is talk of denying the Russians the Winter Olympic games in 2014.

Pennsylvania’s Democratic Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz and Republican Bill Shuster , the co-chairs of the House Georgia Caucus, announced they intend to introduce a resolution when Congress returns calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to find a new venue for the winter games.

The resolution states that the Russia’s invasion of the Georgian republic makes it an unacceptable host site and notes that Sochi is located about 20 miles from the current conflict zone.

“Russia must realize that its actions in Georgia will not be ignored by the international community. We stand by Georgia, our friend and ally, and call on the IOC to designate a new venue for the Russian Olympics,” Schwartz said in a statement.
You have to admit that having the Olympics 20 miles from a potential war zone is going to reduce the crowds. Perhaps the Russians could increase the interest by insisting on some new sports. Sports where the Russians are sure to be winners.

If a war starts up in the middle (or at the beginning) of the Olympics, that could be especially handy for purposes of finding victims (er, contestants) for the new sports. Perhaps we could start with an Olympic roping and throat slitting contest. Or maybe a pillage and intimidation race. And for the really adventurous a rape sprint and a rape marathon. You give the woman a head start and if the male catches her it is totally free style. No killing though. That should be reserved for the throat slitting contest.

I think this one case where it is past time for the games to end.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Space Without The Russians

For about five years America is going to depend on the Russians for access to the Space Station. Suppose because of happenings in Georgia the Russians decline to do their part?

“The new challenge we have is that for approximately five years, the plan — which is a very bad plan but is the only plan that NASA and the administration and Congress have approved — is to be dependent on the Russian Soyuz vehicle to get people to and from the international space station,” said Tom Feeney, (R-FL). “And so now, with the political realities with Russia invading Georgia, we have a new wrinkle thrown in.”
Tom Feeney is right. It is a very bad plan. So what can be done?

Full speed ahead with private efforts to get into space in the same way the US Government sponsored air mail contracts to get the fledgling aircraft industry off the ground.

How about a competition to get private industry to supply the space station?

Cross Posted at Classical Values

McCain Lied, Obama Died

The Democrat spin on the Saddleback Civil Forum.


Monday, August 18, 2008

Little Fusion Hits The WSJ

Read the article at the Wall Street Journal. My friend Tom Ligon is featured as well as Richard Hull. Read the back story on how the article came about at Talk Polywell.

You can follow developments in this line of research and McCain's interest at: Fusion Report 13 June 008.

You can also read more about Tom Ligon's efforts at World's Simplest Fusion Reactor Revisited.

You can see a video of Richard Hull's lab at The Newsroom.

Captured By Little Oil

Commenter Schwimmer at my post Democrats Strike Out had this to say:

And so it begins. The party which has controlled the White House for the past 8 years and which has controlled Congress for the past 12 of 14 years is now the party of new ideas. The Democrats are rightfully trying to pursue an energy policy that will bring immediate relief as well as long-term solutions. They are doing so in a measured, thoughtful manner. The GOP is only trying for a last-minute land grab for Big Oil, prior to November when they will go into political irrelevance for the next decade or so.
Well Schwimmer it looks like the Democrats have been captured by little oil.

See you in November.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Captured By Big Air

I was commenting at Althouse about Obama's performance on the stump:

Without a script Obama is a doofus.
Another commenter popped up with this gem:
Really? A doofus? You've been watching to many "Leave it to Beaver" reruns.
So I responded (I can't resist a set up).
And Obama is still a doofus when he has to speak off the cuff.

Did you know we could save two trillion barrels of oil (the amount of American oil shale) by just inflating our tires? That is a heck of a lot of inflation.

I think Obama has been captured by Big Air. I guess that would make him an airhead.
H/T Insty

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Green Speculation

Commenter RAH at the Belmont Club (5:26 pm) speculates on how the Green Movement and CO2 hysteria have played into the hands of the Russians.

Russian President Medeyev was Gazprom President. In his new position he is buying contracts from other countries. Venezuela sells oil to Russia; Libya just signed a contract with Medeyev and Gazprom. I believe that they got the contracts from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Saudi Arabia provides oil to the US as well as Kuwait and they are our client countries.

They have been trying to secure outside sources for oil and gas. They recently this spring went to the artic to lay claim to the sources that may be there. Both Sweden and Finland are contesting those areas. Canada also has interest in the artic. The sea ice in the artic actually has changed and the melt has been prominent in the Russian area. The Canadian ice has been getting thicker. The Russia took advantage of the open sea to explore and lay claim. Russia has been the primary interest in the PARS field in Iran that the French company just pulled out.

So Gazprom has known about the need to get more sources since this is Medeyev’s obsession. The clash for oil sources will be the 21st century issue for some time to come. The fools who decry no oil for blood are clueless about how seriously nations will get to secure their energy. Energy is really the life and blood of a nations economy.

After the Soviet fall the Communist and Marxists groups and agitators went into the Green Movement. The Green Movement and the global warming scare have been targeted at Europe. Now it is curious that Russia has been from the 1990’s trying to become Europe’s energy supplier as the Green movement has insisted that power generation be only from natural gas and not coal that Germany has in abundance. Also they forced Germany under Schroeder to phase out the nuclear power generators. Later Schroeder went and worked for Medeyev’s Gazprom.

There is a true collusion from the promoters of Global Warming and the Green Movement that has been strangling Europe to work against its own national interests.
The vociferous attack against those that speak out about global warming as a product of human produced CO2 has been very strong and picked up by the liberal left and almost accepted doctrine in the West. Now we are just starting to show the cracks in that movement and science with bad methodology and sensors and cook algorithms.
Now what would be a good idea is to look at the funding of these groups and see if they have been funded or a disinformation campaign by Russia. The timing is right and the interests do coincide.

Russia never stopped working against the US and since we are their competitor on the world stage it is not surprising. Russia has fomented terrorism in Libya from the 1970’s and then in Syria and Iraq and Iran. They are also working in South America with Venezuela and Bolivia. So Russia has never stopped the Cold War it just went in different direction and form
Speculation of course. But it rings true. The parts fit. So who is funding AL Gore? And isn't it time McCain dropped his carbon tax ideas?

In any case it also fits with the idea of the Uber Enviros being like Watermelons: Green on the outside Red on the inside. They should be ashamed of themselves. Starting resource wars and all especially in the midst of plenty (at current prices).

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Democrats Strike Out

American Thinker recounts the latest moves in Congress with respect to drilling for new oil resources.

After reporting yesterday on Nancy Pelosi's desire to develop a comprehensive energy bill instead of an up or down vote on lifting off shore drilling restrictions, the GOP immediately saw through her transparent attempt to make the bill so poisonous some in her own party could never vote for it and have rejected the idea outright.
Cute. it appears the Democrats are not serious about gaining new sources of marketable oil.

What do the Republicans want?
Republicans lambasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) energy plan Saturday advising her to “get out of the way” if she was not going to accept GOP solutions to the energy crisis.

In her Saturday radio address Pelosi announced that Democrats would consider opening up parts of the outer continental shelf for drilling as a part of a broad new energy plan that will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

[snip]

Republicans soundly rejected Pelosi’s proposal – indicating it was too little too late.

“Madame Speaker, we ask you to work with us to help Americans feeling pain at the pump by developing more American energy,” said Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas). “If you refuse, we simply ask you get out of the way and allow us to help the people that sent us here.They understand how flawed and out of touch your caucus is on energy issues, and so do we.”

Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) added, ““There is no better, more qualified spokesperson for the Democratic Party’s failed energy policies than Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”
And how about them Russians? Wretchard looks at Russia's energy plan.
Most of Russia’s current power and influence comes from its production and control of energy. According to the DOE, “Russia’s economic growth over the past seven years has been driven primarily by energy exports, given the increase in Russian oil production and relatively high world oil prices during the period.”

“Russia’s economy is heavily dependent on oil and natural gas exports. In order to manage windfall oil receipts, the government established a stabilization fund in 2004. By the end of 2007, the fund was expected to be worth $158 billion, or about 12 percent of the country’s nominal GDP. According to calculations by Alfa Bank, the fuel sector accounts for about 20.5 percent of GDP, down from around 22 percent in 2000. According to IMF and World Bank estimates, the oil and gas sector generated more than 60 percent of Russia’s export revenues (64% in 2007), and accounted for 30 percent of all foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country.”

Russia’s major market for natural gas is Europe.
So natural gas is not only a money maker for Russia. It is also a knife at the throat of Europe. However, it seems as if some one in Europe has grown a pair. And who would that be? A woman. German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president, said "there is no such notion anymore in Georgia as Russian peacekeepers".

"There can be no Russian peacekeepers, these are just Russian forces."

Saakashvili was speaking at a news conference in Tbilisi with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, at which Merkel gave her support to Georgia's bid to join Nato, an ambition that is strongly opposed by Russia.

"Georgia will become a member of Nato if it wants to - and it does want to," Merkel said.
You know I think the correlation of forces is changing. I believe a lot of this is due to Russia overplaying its hand in Georgia.


And in other news Ukraine has announced that it will make its Russian missile shield data available to the West.
KIEV -- Ukraine said Saturday that it was ready to make its missile-warning systems available for Western countries after Russia announced that it was pulling out of a long-term cooperation agreement involving them.

A ministry statement said Russia's abrogation earlier this year of an agreement involving two tracking stations allowed Ukraine to cooperate with other countries on missile-warning systems and satellite tracking.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko issued a decree last week putting an end to Ukraine's participation in the accord in view of Russia's own abrogation of the deal.

A top Ukrainian security official, meanwhile, on Saturday discounted any notion of a separatist rebellion in Crimea as President Viktor Yushchenko proposed Kremlin talks on the issue of the Russian fleet based there.

Yushchenko enraged Moscow this week by ordering restrictions on the movement of ships in the Black Sea Fleet, based in the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Russia's military vowed to ignore the rules, saying the fleet answered only to Russia's president.
And not just the missile shield. The Ukraine wants to close the Black Sea to the Russian Fleet. That has got to hurt.

It looks like the firm stand of the US and the former Soviet Republics has stiffened the resolve of Germany and NATO. And who would understand how the lack of resolve on the part of its opponents could lead to a larger war than Germany? Evidently they still study the moves of the Austrian Corporal there. It is too bad France could not redeem its honor by announcing the welcoming of Georgia into NATO. However, what better way to finally rehabilitate Germany than giving them the honor?

And the Democrats? I wonder how many will survive the November election? Evidently they never took to heart the contradiction: No Blood For Oil or No Drilling For Oil? They haven't yet figured which policy to pursue. The Republicans have figured it out. Thank the Maker. And Bush? I think he will be remembered for a long time as the protector of liberty and self government in the former Soviet Republics.

Cross Posted at Classical Values