Out of Synch

There has been much hubbub regarding the UAE ports deal. Polls show that close to 70% of the country oppose the idea, and Republicans are deserting the President in droves.

However, Presidential wannabe Hillary Clinton has taken the controversy a step further. She ripped the Panama Canal agreement that handed over the Atlantic and Pacific port facilities to a Chinese controlled company called Hutchinson Whampoa. These are the people currently pointing several accurate ICBMs at the western United States (again thanks to different security lapse compliments of Slick's brilliant presidency).

The President that presided over this disastrous deal was none other than Hillary's estranged (or is it strange) husband--Slick Willy himself.

At the time I wrote a novel (shameless self promotion--buy a copy on Amazon) called Reap the Whirlwind. Basically RTW is a nasty tale about a missile crisis that targets the southern United States with Chinese mobile nukes in the Canal Zone.

I reasoned that anybody with half a brain might look at Chinese capabilities and the strategic dangers, and recognize that handing over the canal was a very bad idea.

However, I find delicious irony in the fact that Hillary (hell bent on her thrust for the White House) now criticizes the administration she is so closely tied to. While I agree with her assessment (i.e. the Panama Canal deal damaged American national security), I did not arrive at my position through political expediency. I've been here all along.

So to Mrs. Clinton I say, "Welcome to the party!"

But I don't wanna leave

I write a quarterly newsletter connected to my book website. The most recent issue (click the link above) was less than enthusiastic when it came to the President's budgetary proposal for controlling the Mexican border.

I received an email from an upset fellow. The key phrase went as follows:

Just to let you know, I am a republican and a Bush SUPPORTER!!!!!!!!!! I feel anyone who's not a supporter of our president shouldnt have the privledge of calling themselves an American. Please, leave me alone, and while you are at it, go ahead and leave the country.

For the record, I voted for Reagan, Bush 41, Dole, and Bush 43. I've never been overjoyed about the Bush votes, but when I sat back and considered the alternatives: Gore and Kerry--the choice became obvious.

That doesn't mean Dubya is immuned from criticism. His stance on the UAE Ports deal approaches a level of poplitical incompetence that rivals Jimmy Carter. His reluctance to do something substantive on the Mexican border looks like stubborness. The President's guest worker program sounds like amnesty.

Politicians should not be trusted any further than you can throw them. A healthy republic relies on public skepticism, and we should remain vigilant of those in Washington, our State House and the jokers running the local school board.

As to my emailing reader (ex-reader now), I intend to stay and keep talking. These colors (the red, white and blue) don't run and neither do I.

What's a Quarterlifer?!?

I was introduced to a new term in Sunday School (of course no one calls it Sunday School anymore, the event has morphed into Adult Bible Fellowships).

Anyway, there is a new crisis on the horizon called Quarterlifer Crisis. I suppose this is similar to the mid-life crisis except for the teen age/young adult crowd, and I guess this is different from the Social Security Crisis for the blue haired folks.

I remember the mid-life crisis pretty well. Basically it was an excuse for men to cast off all their responsibilities (you know--the wife, kids, college tuition and being a grown up), run off with the secretary, and act like a spoiled brat. Then there was the redemption phase, where the schmuck returned with hat in hand and begged forgiveness.

It made for great radio, marvelous theater, and for a while, I thought it was eclusively a born again, evangelical thing until I discovered that we (i.e. the born again Bible thumpers) had Christianized the problem.

So I listened to the Quarterlifer dilemma, and it sounded a lot like growing up. Yeah I remember those times. I got married at 21, and I realized that I barely knew how to take care of myself much less my wonderful bride.

I learned something from those days. Back then I had $200 in the bank, one car that worked, and a bad economy thanks to Jimmy Carter. I made bad decisions, lost money, lost a job and got it back. I survived, because there was no way to go but forward.

If you think I'm heartless, you're wrong. My Bride and I have poured our lives into our kids. We have done everything to help them be successful, but in the final analysis it is up to them to make the most of their opportunities. This smells like another phony crisis that provides an excuse for failure. Life isn't always easy, but it is a great journey and sometime you just have to hang on.

Head On Collision - Long Over Due!

South Dakota outlawed abortion this week. How outlandish for a state to pass a law in direct opposition to something the Supreme Court did 33 years ago!

Really? There are at least four other states prepared to pass similar legislation. So we have the Federal Government on a collision course with a state.

Now, I am ardently pro-life. Somewhere along the line we have lost sight of the fact that Federal Government is the manifestation of the states and not other way around.

Marbury vs. Madison established the Supreme Court as the final arbitrator of constitutional issues. Of course, it was the Supreme Court that decided this issue, and no one suggested it was a bad idea. No where in the constitution does it say the Supreme Court is the final arbitrator.

To suggest that Marbury vs. Madison is a bad idea, instantly brings criticism that I must think separate but equal is a good idea or maybe a state could ban all guns.

Hold on a second, civil liberty and equal rights are well established. No one is going to ban guns, because the Second Amendment supersedes that possibility. Personally, I'm not sure why I have hop through so many hoops to purchase a firearm anyway. I've always thought the Federal firearms laws stand on dubious foundations.

However, we know life begins at conception. We know pregnant women have babies not monkeys or sea turtles or lobsters. We know that someone dies in every abortion. We know that the Supreme Court discovered new law in Row vs. Wade. They came up with really bad law then crammed it down out throats. This is the same institution that declared black people constitutes a sub class in Dred Scott.

So kudos to South Dakota. One of the great battles of our time is about to be waged. My money is on the David in the prairie and not the Goliath inside the beltway.

Zzzzzzz

Vice Presidents have long been fodder for late night television. As a kid, I remember buying a book called Good News, Bad News, Agnews. So what are we to think when the news hits that Dick Cheney accidentally shot his hunting companion?

Accidents happen. Thankfully nobody was killed and medical teams were available.

The White House Press Corps (a myopic lot at best) is bent out of shape because they were not told first. They were scooped by a local Texas paper.

Listening to the press conference we hear Nixonesqe comments like "When did the President know that Cheney was the shooter?" "When did he know and what did he know?" There's a conspiracy here, and these eager beavers are bound to dig it out.

Maybe we should impeach Cheney for this accident. I'm sure Howard Dean and the Move-On.org crowd would applaud such a move. Maybe Cheney should step down over this incident.

Maybe the White House Press Corps should take a long walk off a short plank.

This is a non-story that will end up a foot note in the Bush presidency.

As to the legacy media, please wake me when you have a real story...

Junk Science & Theology

Recently, 86 evangelical leaders declared that global warming was a problem and urged the Bush Administration to reverse course and support reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

While the National Association of Evangelicals did not take an official position, it has caused an internal rift.

The whole thing leaves me a bit peeved. First off, global warming conjures up images of snake oil salesmen and used car dealers. It is junk science on par with evolutionary theory. (I'm sure that just knocked a few noses out of joint.)

The family is under assault from such things as abortion, sex outside of marriage, pornography, and homosexual unions. Then there are those that do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

This is a foolish stand that splits our focus. Global warming is part of the blame-America-first crowd's mantra. It has nothing to do with the Gospel. Evangelicals worship the Creator not the creation. Global warming elevates the creation above all else.

This is a bad move, and hopefully, these 86 evangelical leaders will find no one is following.

Brain Dead Outsourcing

DP World is a shipping firm based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. They have completed a deal to purchase the British Firm Pennisular and Oriental Steam Navigation for the tidy sum of $6.8 billion.

Fine. The Arabs are free to spend their money as they wish.

This deal was contingent on clearing the national security concerns of State, Justice, Homeland Security, Commerce, Defense and Treasury.

DP World now manages the ports of Miami. Baltimore, New York, New Jersey, New Orleans and Philadelphia, or to put it another way a Middle East conern now manages six ground zero targets.

We are told that the UAE is a reliable US ally in the war on terror. The only reliable ally we have in the Middle East is Israel, and we treat them like dirt. The UAE never responded to questions regarding money laundering and al Qaida. Gee that sounds like anational security concern to me.

As difficult as I find it, I am agreeing with Charles Schumer (one of the most detestable little men in the Senate). To paraphrase him, "We should be careful about outsourcing homeland security duties for the nation's busiest ports."

Wrong Again

I just don't understand Jimmy Carter. Here is a man who went to the Naval Academy, served as a Naval Officer, became Georgia's Governor and the thirty-ninth President. Except for one gleaming moment when he brokered peace between Egypt and Israel, Jimmy Carter was a failure as President and disappointment as a former president.

In 1979, he had the opportunity and the firepower to end the Iran hostage crisis. Instead of employing four carrier battle groups and two Marine divisions, he opted for an untried, covert action that fell apart in lonely place called Desert One. It is not that Operation Eagle Claw was poorly conceived, but it had too many untried factors that crashed and burned.

Besides the crippling Iran crisis, Carter's presidency featured runaway inflation, exploding oil prices and a general malaise (his words, not mine). Carter kissed Breshnez on the cheek, then expressed surprise when the Red Army iunvaded Afghanistan a few weeks later.

As a former President, he continues his hit parade. Last year he certified the election of Hugo Chavez (the Castro wannabe who has petro-dollars). He criticized Reagan for his actions in El Salvador and Nicaragua. He drove Clinton nuts when he unilaterally committed the United States to a course of action in Haiti. He has picked at Bush for his Middle East policy. Finally, he took the opportunity to kick Bush over the NSA spying issue.

I am no fan of domestic spying, but the myopic former president fails to understand that the Islamists wish to kill all of us. This failure to recognize the bad guys is the same problem he had as president. If we do not use the tools available to aggressively pursue, target and destroy the enemy, then we might as well lower our guns and wave a white surrender flag.

Ah, but that is what the French would do, and the last time I checked there were still Americans willing to fight and die for the stars and stripes.