The Morphing of "Global Warming" Into "Climate Change"



The Morphing Of “Global Warming” Into “Climate Change”.  The capacity of the liberal media in this nation to rationalize their suppositions and the certitude of their sanctity is nothing short of breath-taking.  The latest example is the slow move from uttering Global Warming to the now chic phrase Climate Change.  Without having sufficient knowledge to make a scientific assessment of the issue, I will nonetheless draw on my compilation of reading, listening, and pondering what has been written and said about the subject over the last couple of decades:  More fortunes have been made off of this farcical scenario than off of any other scam in my lifetime.  The hype of global warming has spawned a global industry that is built on nothing less than a self-perpetuating circle of scientists, politicians, and liberal do-gooders.  Kudos to them; they sure pulled it off in a tidy fashion.

However, this recent pivot from global warming to climate change is going to test their agility and they better hope that their fat and lazy days of extreme success hasn’t taken the edge off of their competitive juices.  A few folks have called them out on their attempted jujitsu, but so far there is no widespread exposure of their preposterous shift.  Even though it was based on complex science, the overall concept of global warmists was pretty simple to grasp.  Ice caps melting, the oceans rising (I thought the One was going to stop that?), and steadily rising global temps were supposed to signal the coming Armageddon for all of mankind.  The problem is… it was a house of cards.  And in this, one of the most severe U.S. winters in recent history, those atmospheric con-artists decided to attempt a sleight-of-hand: Let’s start calling it climate change instead of global warming.   If you can get past the audacity of this move, one must admit that it is remarkably simple.  After all, who can deny climate change?  Saying the climate will change is like saying one team will win and one team will lose in a basketball game.  It is undeniable.  It is inevitable.  It is also true that it will happen whether or not mankind inhabits this planet or not.  It takes no science or research, no brilliant deduction, and certainly no academic risk to stand before the public (or the Congress of the United States) and state that climate change is settled science.  Duh; “water is wet” is settled science.

If the global warming apostles are able to pull off this vaudevillian act, then it will pretty much cement my opinion that any remnant of an objective, serious-minded, and inquiring free press in this nation is dead and gone.  This will be interesting to watch.

Doing It Right, For All The Wrong Reasons.



Doing It Right, For All The Wrong Reasons.  My wife and I were sitting in our sunroom drinking coffee the other morning, listening to media details of Obama’s latest debacle, and we both wondered out loud…”Has he done anything right?”   I studied for several minutes and finally replied… “Nothing that I can think of”.  I dwelt on that response for a day or two and realized how truly pathetic (of him or me, I am not certain) it was.    I have come up with something that I believe the One has done right, but he did it for all the wrong reasons and in a shameful fashion.

I was raised as a conservative Republican with pretty hawkish tendencies.  I am now a moderate/conservative Independent with much less hawkish tendencies.  At some point in my fifties, I grew tired of America’s youth  spilling its blood on foreign soils for people who hated us for what we are, what we stand for, and who hold no appreciation whatsoever for the ultimate sacrifice paid by far  too many of our best and finest.  While it was pretty plain to me that Iraq’s invasion of its neighbor could not be tolerated by Bush #1, I came around much slower to supporting the deposition of Saddam; not because of any WMDs or Bush Doctrine, but because of his genocide atrocities committed on the Turkish people.  While a student in school, I had often wondered how the world could stand by so long and allow the Holocaust to occur.   I could not fault our President Bush for intervening to prevent this tragedy from playing out once again.  Foreign policy is one area where intelligent and experienced journalists often proceed with caution.  This makes it even more imperative for those of us who really don’t have a clue to withhold our tongues and our judgments.  That having been said, we must speak to what we know (or at least what we think we know), lest we give our leaders free reign to conduct foreign policy without heed to public opinion.  Following this creed, I will now give Obama credit for doing something right; for getting us out of Iraq and moving quickly to getting us out of Afghanistan. 

Now...he is accomplishing this with an absence of honor, a heavy dose of deceit, and in his typical self-aggrandizing fashion.  He wants to play the tough guy while being a closet weasel.  He supports a troop surge when he privately disagrees with it and has no faith in it.  He seeks to make himself look like a master of diplomacy while decrying the supposed idiocy of his predecessors.  Even when it comes to an issue where the stakes are the very lives of our soldiers, he cannot bring himself to be honest and straightforward about his ideas, hiding instead behind political facades intended to improve his standing in the almighty polls that he holds so highly.

The blood and treasure spent in both countries is an investment that should be properly noted and appreciated.  But those efforts did not yield a tangible gain that could be held in a material sense.  They yielded instead an opportunity for good, honest people in foreign lands who were oppressed by ruthless leaders to have a chance at a better life.   Once that opportunity was secured, the mantle passed from our brave soldiers to those people fighting for freedom and dignity; the outcome was never guaranteed and anyone who thought so was foolish.  This does not excuse the failure of this administration to successfully negotiate a meaningful SOFA; failure to do so is a palpable disrespect to those who fought in both theatres.  What it does mean is that when the cruelty of mankind against mankind reaches a certain level of evil, good people and good countries are obligated to step up.  But that obligation cannot be open-ended and, at some point, peoples must earn their own freedom and dignity with their own sacrifice.  There are many ways to help these people seeking better lives other than doing their fighting for them.  We can pick sides with supplies and diplomacy, with economic leverage, and with the strong voice that always rests with our great nation.  My God…what has happened to that voice?

Too many American soldiers have died for other people’s wars, for unprincipled leaders who hold their self interest above those of the people they lead, and for political causes that have no bearing on our nation and its people.  I do not believe in isolationism.  I do believe in a world-wide terrorist threat that requires us to have a rapid-response military force in various strategic locations around the world.  Our leaders must learn, and we as citizens must accept, that there are times when we must watch and times when we must intervene.  That line has become much too blurred over the course of my lifetime.   We must once again elect people who we can trust to see this line clearly and then have the courage and wisdom to take action accordingly.

When Did Congressional Democrats Tire Of Governing?



When Did Congressional Democrats Tire Of Governing?  Once again, the Obama administration has decreed that the actual legislation passed by Congress and signed by the president has no binding authority or standing; with a stroke of the pen (where’s the phone?), Obama chooses to change the law of the land in a manner that is more politically palatable and in line with his agenda.   Like many others, I thought when the ACA was passed in the dead of night without a single Republican vote, that it was bad legislation.  I did not agree with the governmental mandate that one must obtain health insurance.  I did not agree with the government dictating terms to free market entities like insurance companies.  I did not support the subsidy aspects of the law.  But even with all of these reservations, and with Ms. Pelosi’s cogent announcement that “we must pass it  to find out what is in it”, I accepted that the program had been promulgated into law through our governmental process and that Congress would work its will on necessary changes as time played out.  Boy, were we ever wrong.

Through executive fiat, the One has repeatedly and unilaterally changed the fundamental health care law of this country; a segment of our community that represents anywhere from 15 to 17 percent of our entire economy.  Who knew that the huge pile of paper that was the ACA was simply more than an accession of authority to the president to become the health care dictator for America?  My question is: When did the Democrats in Congress become tired of governing, or doing the jobs they were elected to do, and decide to simply turn that job over to Obama?  I suppose one could argue that it began that fateful night when the ACA was passed in the House and the bigger question is: How long will they stand by and abdicate their responsibility and authority in this fashion?

Of all the mysteries, contradictions, outright idiocies, and poor rationale contained in the ACA episode, the most puzzling to me is how can any serious, democratically-principled Democrat stand by and watch this president repeatedly abuse his power, treat Congress (which happens to include a LOT of Democrats) with such disdain, and simply subvert the fashion in which our government was envisioned to function?  Many, including the president in his recent SOTU address, have asked the legitimate question to Republicans: If you are against the ACA, what exactly are you for?  There are three fundamental reasons why you will not hear an answer to this question any time soon.  First, the Republicans will deservedly have their pound of flesh in return for the extraordinary legislative measures used to pass the bill.  Secondly, the Republicans control only one house of Congress and cannot push any bill through the Reid majority in the Senate.  And third and finally, until some Democrat… some serious, recognized, respected Democrat stands up and calls out this president on his outrageous abuse of executive power… nothing will change between now and the mid-term elections.  After that…who knows how the tea leaves will read.   But I will guarantee, there are Democrats on the hill today who are absolutely simmering inside over how they have been marginalized and demoted to administration water boys and girls.

Imagine...



Imagine…On this anniversary of the greatest band in history (the Beatles), it is perhaps appropriate to use one of John’s songs as a basis for a blog.  Just imagine that there’s no Obamacare; just imagine.   I have alluded many times to the lost opportunities of the Obama administrations.  It cannot be overstated that these opportunities were without a doubt historic in scope and proportion.  In my time, there will very likely never be another President who comes into office with more good will or promise. 

What if the One had chosen to focus all of that good will in other directions and on other issues?  What if he had not succumbed to the temptation of seizing power and riding it for all it was worth?  What if he had recognized the fact that no matter how high his certitude of righteousness, it makes no sense to force policy that is not supported by a majority of the citizenry and requires extraordinary legislative means?  How different would this country look today had that initial decision been made differently early on in the Obama presidency?  I submit to you that it is absolutely shocking to consider the possibilities.

Take the ACA out of the equation and what is left?  There are no legislative accomplishments of note; no foreign policy victories; no domestic policy benchmarks.  But had Obama chosen to exercise his significant political capital early on in the area of  tax reform, we could today possibly be looking at a shrinking national debt, a manageable deficit heading in the right direction, and an economy that is healthy and creating jobs for those who want one.  Instead of wasting precious legislative energy on immigration reform, it could be a fact instead of a notion and we could be well on the way towards a new and improved immigration environment in this country.  How many of the executive and administrative abuses of power that this administration has perpetrated were a direct result of the original ACA conflict with Republicans?   If that conflict had never arisen, would the partisan divide we see in WDC be quite as deep and poisonous as it is today?  In the absence of the Obamacare acrimony, would Obama’s foreign policy misadventures bear quite the scrutiny and criticism that they currently bear?   My suspicion is that we would be seeing a much better country in many ways if Obamacare had never happened.  All of the government warts would not be excised, but many open wounds would be eliminated altogether or be well on the way to healing. 

One of life’s most difficult truths is that we sleep in the bed we make.  Obama took the easy way out and gave into hubris and arrogance.  He believed his own bullshit.  He started out with troubled waters indeed; but rather than seeking to calm them, he poured venom and bile into them.  We now see him running around this country in a pathetic fashion for a president with three years left in office.  Waving his “pen and phone” and shouting out belligerence, he is the lamest of ducks.  His defiance of Congress is seeping down through his administration.  Holder, Sebelius and others rule their little fiefdoms through executive fiat; they are rogue ideologues without restraint.  Obama has given them free reign and is fiddling while democratic principles burn.  Their apparent disregard for any type of explanation or accountability flows from them into their agency heads and the legions of partisan appointees in every federal branch of government.  It is a cancer that has three years left to spread, it will do a good deal of irreparable damage to our government, and it will take generations to rectify.  It is a tragic turn of events.  It is lost promise.  It is the seizure of conflict from the promises of diplomacy.  Imagine…there’s no Obamacare……

PHONE +PEN < WALKING SHOES.

PHONE + PEN < WALKING SHOES.  The recent SOTU speech delivered by our president was one of the most pathetic oral exercises I have ever witnessed.  Listening to The One read his speech (praise the teleprompter!), one would think he just showed up on the scene.  Instead, he is making the very same promises that he’s made for the last 5 years.  The problems he complains about are the problems he has either created or exacerbated.  The solutions he offers are the very things that worsened our problems.  With O, it is all about the show.  Some in the media have labeled him No Drama Obama; I would call him All Drama Obama.  Drama and shallow partisanship is all he brings to the table.  He misrepresents reality with false or outright fake ACA stats, he goes on and on about a War on Women, he praises the courage and sacrifice of our military while working with his fellow Democrats to cut their pensions, he rails against a Do Nothing Congress while promising to go it alone with executive actions, and he promises to fix the economy with a new investment acronym and a raise in the minimum wage. 

After 5 years on the job, he has not one accomplishment to stand on; think about that.   Universally acclaimed by all to be his signature accomplishment, the ACA had to wait until 40 minutes into the speech to get a mention and then it was clearly presented as a work in progress.  This is what we get when we elect an incompetent as President.

A real statesman, a real executive, a real leader, and a true President would put his pen and phone in the desk drawer.  He would stroll over to Capitol Hill where his party controls the Senate.  He would roll up his sleeves and begin the arduous, frustrating, and extremely difficult task of building bridges of compromise with our elected representatives so that our government could once again gain some semblance of relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency.  Obama has pretty much wasted the opportunities that existed with his significant and historical victory, but he still yet has a chance to do some good before he wades into the private sector.  Against all expectations and experience, here is hoping he is willing to work hard to accomplish something of value in his remaining time as President and leave some type of substantial legacy for his terms in office.

NSA SURVEILLANCE = CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

NSA Surveillance = Capital Punishment.  The solution to many dilemmas in this life ends up being a balance between two opposing positions.  For me, the issues of NSA Surveillance boundaries and the use of Capital Punishment fall into this category; I see them as roughly moral equivalents.

In a perfect world, answers to difficult and emotionally-charged questions would be much easier to obtain.  A universe of absolutes, where there is a bright line between right and wrong, where the gray areas are few and small, where certitude is a tried and true commodity…that would be a much easier place in which to govern.  Unfortunately, that does not describe our nation.  The line between right and wrong has become blurred to the point of indistinction,  gray areas have pretty much obscured those rare areas of black and white, and certitude in anything (and I do mean anything) is likely a mistake of monumental proportion.  It typically implies a nearness to death, the prattle of a politician, or the bloviating of a fool.

There is no question in my mind that there are crimes so heinous that they warrant the death penalty; the forfeit of one’s very life for the abuse they have knowingly perpetrated on another.  The problem lies in the system that doles out that retribution.  Too many cases, no matter their statistical significance, of innocent individuals being incarcerated and subsequently released due to later-discovered evidence, are occurring.  One has to wonder how many people have been put to death for crimes they never committed. Like it or  not, we live in a society where the quality of legal defense is in direct proportion to the resources one has to purchase said legal defense.  Equal justice is a goal; not a reality.  Until our courts can demonstrate a level of trust and competence that inspires sufficient respect to make rulings on the life or death of an individual, a lifetime of incarceration should be our most severe penalty under the law.

Similarly, it is foolish not to recognize that America and all she stands for is in a life and death struggle with forces from foreign lands (and sometimes within our borders) that want to see our way of life and governance diminished and/or destroyed.  When federal agencies are detailed the task of protecting us from that threat, they need all the possible resources and support available to do their job; the very future of our nation hinges on their success.  However, when you grant absolute power to anyone, any department, or any agency, that power will inevitably corrupt and will inevitably be abused by those without ethics or morals.  When I balance the threat of terrorism against my personal liberty and understand that the custodian of my sacrifice is someone like the Obama administration, I will take the chance on terrorism every time.  Any person paying attention to how poorly our past Administrations (both Republican and Democrat) have performed in selecting leaders to run their information-gathering efforts must take pause. 

We do not live in perfect world.  Until we do, when we are asked to make sacrifices as precious as life or personal liberties, we have every right to consider who will administer that sacrifice.   To date, our courts and governments have proven woefully inadequate in that regard.

Lessons From Apollo 13



Lessons From Apollo 13.  In April of 1970, NASA launched what would be the third landing on the moon by mankind.  What followed that launch was a triumph of technology, ingenuity, and NASA’s dogged insistence to never give up.  It resulted in one of the best movies ever made, one of the most common one-liners around (Houston, we have a problem!), and a rare instance where a great movie is exceeded only by the real story behind it.  For a generation that has come to light after 1970, your time would be well spent to watch the PBS documentaries on the flight and the movie itself, one of director Ron Howard’s best works.  But for all of its entertainment and inspirational value, I think the single best lesson it delivers is more apt today than ever before.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that only a miracle will save the stranded astronauts from certain death.  That miracle will depend on not one, but many separate individuals spanning the gamut of NASA’s flight control organization.  A failure on the part of any one particular person, at any stage of the rescue, could very well have resulted in the loss of the flight team and the death knell for NASA.  From the lone engineer who rigged a makeshift air filter to insure breathable air for the astronauts to the team that calculated the re-entry angle back into earth’s atmosphere, every single NASA employee proved to be up for the challenge and fulfilled their part of the rescue plan.  It was a true example of a team’s success reflecting the competence and efforts of its individual members.  Each link in the chain was tested and each link had to hold up in order to succeed.  What a tribute to the people who ran NASA at that time and place.

To a large degree, this example reflects the failing of our Executive Branch of government over the last couple of decades.  It is certainly proper and expected that a person who puts them self forward for the office of the Presidency earns the right to, if successful, select those of like mind and philosophy to serve them in their new position.  However, before that selection is made, there is the fundamental and necessary question of competence that must be considered.  This fundamental element of Executive Branch hiring has gone missing.

I believe two factors have led us to the point where the incompetence of administration appointees has resulted in an inefficient, unproductive, and dysfunctional government.  First, the ideology of the appointee has superseded all other considerations; most times to the point of being the only consideration.   This has led us to the “ends justify the means” attitudes that we see from many current department and agency heads.  They see no need to be bothered with the trivial details of exactly how government will be delivered; that is for the minions to worry with.  In their views, they are there to deliver a new and glorious vision that will obviously inspire their subordinates to magically find the formula to fit ideas into action.  For them, the mere fact that they have acquired their standing should be sufficient to re-fashion reality into the dream.  What is the biggest indicator that this is an ever-growing problem?   It is the fact that the brightest, most intelligent and competent people in government are leaving government.  It is one thing to be forced into implementing policy that is foolish at worst and capricious at best; it is entirely another thing to have to heartily endorse that policy as though it were the Holy Grail.

The second influence I see pushing this occurrence is the thought that the government, the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, is so big and powerful, so inevitable, so infallible, so superfluous, and so damn entitled, that it doesn't have to be concerned about everyday life.  Its mission is to set the goals, to eye the targets, to fire the blunderbuss of programs into American society that will bring us closer to that ideal world that they dream of.  In short, no one in the Executive Branch of our government is concerned about accountability.  When you take away a person’s obligation to be held responsible for their actions, well….that can be pretty liberating, can’t it?

The three branches of our government can continue to muddle along, even occasionally happening upon a great idea or a marvelous program.  But until simple and elementary competence is restored to the ranks of civil servants and Administration appointees;  until resumes, experience, and accomplishments are precursors to selection; then the best we can hope for as citizens is the fact that even a broken clock is correct twice a day.