Hooray, again

Gulf states pulling ambassadors from Syria

I've no idea what effect this might have, but at least it makes clear to the Assad regime that current situation is intolerable.

Nope - I've no clue what appropriate 'solution' to this mess might be... well, other than Assad relinquishing power (doubtful).
Isolating Syria may help... or not.

I note that North Korea - as brutal a regime as can be imagined - continues to exist in isolation. The regime just doesn't give a damn.

This is capitalism?

Minnesota Vikings Stadium Plan: Saddle Taxpayers With $1 Billion Field
The Huffington Post Ron Dicker
7 Feb 2012
Here's one way a Republican presidential candidate might gain more votes in Tuesday's Minnesota caucuses: Promise citizens they won't have to pay for the Minnesota Vikings' new football stadium.

A fifth plan for a $1 billion stadium in downtown Minneapolis emerged Monday, with taxpayers shouldering a large chunk to aid a privately owned NFL team that hasn't had a winning season in two years and has never won a Super Bowl. The state would be responsible for at least $340 million and Minneapolis for more than $300 million, according to estimates in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The Vikings haven't pledged a dime. They promised $425 million for an earlier proposal in the suburb of Arden Hills. That was several plans ago.
...
From 2000 to 2008, taxpayers contributed $5 billion of the $9 billion used to build 28 major league stadiums, according to a 2008 University of Utah study. That includes the $720 million Super Bowl site, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, a losing proposition for taxpayers, Bloomberg News reported.

In fact, most subsidized sports complexes are a bad deal for communities, the Utah study concluded. Harvard professor Judith Grant Long told Bloomberg that taxpayers shell out an average of 40 percent more than the original estimate of stadiums.

Are GOP candidates up in arms against tax-payer subsidies for "Welfare Queen" professional sports teams?
... No, I didn't think so.

Vacuous political headline

Santorum aims for a victory in Republican contests

Santorum's a competing candidate for GOP nomination. Yes, he "aims for victory in Republican contests".
This isn't quite "dog bites man", but it's close.

The "horse race" coverage of GOP campaign is a bit off-putting, but, okay, it gives commentators something to discuss.
This headline, on the other hand, is either content-free or tautological - there's NOTHING in it!

Is it too much to ask for something a bit more substantive in the COVERAGE of the campaign? Presumably the journalists are getting paid to do SOMETHING.

This sounds like good news (I could be wrong)

Heading into Minnesota, Romney focuses attacks on Santorum

Till now, Mitt has been pretty focused on Obama as the bad guy.
If his campaign is now deciding that Santorum is the villain, that's all for the good!
Go for it!

Blatant self-promotion: traffic!

If you like what you read on Private Buffoon, please share it with a friend!
(Nope - I'm not looking to make $$$ - Buffoon is NOT monetized - I just want folks to read my brilliant analyses!)

Hooray!

U.S. Embassy in Syria Closed, Diplomats Evacuated

Why am I skeptical?

Obama: US has 'very good' intelligence on Iran

Note: my skepticism of U.S. Intelligence apparatus pre-dates W and Iraq NIE. It goes back at least as far as 1991, when Robert Gates was nominated by George H.W. Bush to be Director of CIA.

Recall, this was right after fall of Soviet Union.
During his confirmation hearings, Gates said something to the effect that, "Russia is going to have a very hard winter."
Well, duh!
THIS is the best the CIA has to offer???

Our intelligence services - who knows how many exist?!? - are out of control, and of questionable value, having been completely politicized.

See, e.g., Our Secret American Security State.

Where's the outrage?

Activists: Syrian troops pound Homs neighborhoods
By BASSEM MROUE | Associated Press
6 Feb 2012
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian troops shelled neighborhoods in the restive city of Homs on Monday, a day after President Bashar Assad's government vowed to continue its deadly crackdown on the country's uprising, activists said.

The Syrian government under Assad is killing its own people.

Why is CNN the only network covering this?

Why do none of the GOP candidates talk about this?

Where is the outrage?

Best news of the day so far

Gingrich vows to take fight to "timid" Romney
By John Whitesides | Reuters
5 Feb 2012
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Republican Newt Gingrich vowed on Sunday to press ahead with his struggling presidential bid after a big loss in Nevada, saying he will focus on drawing a contrast with "timid" rival Mitt Romney.

I'm still going with Spartacus as best movie metaphor: Newt will do all he can to destroy Mitt, even knowing that he'll be crucified in the end.

Sigh!

Football season now officially over.

Baseball doesn't start till April.

(No: I've no interest in basketball, pro or college.)

Looks like the only "sport" diversion is GOP Presidential primaries!
I sure hope Gingrich, Paul, and Santorum stay in!

... hmmm... Maybe Mitt will drop out!
Vaguely relevant movie quotation:

Butch Cassidy: Well, the way I figure it, we can either fight or give. If we give, we go to jail.

Sundance Kid: I've been there already.

Butch Cassidy: We could fight - they'll stay right where they are and starve us out. Or go for position, shoot us. Might even get a rock slide started, get us that way. What else can they do?

Sundance Kid: They could surrender to us, but I wouldn't count on that.
[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, emphasis added.]

Just for fun: "What it was, was football"

SuperBowl: yes, it WAS a good game!

... spent with family & friends... lots of really good food.
... and a 4-point winning margin pretty much reflects the game: it was close, both teams played well.

Prediction: XLVI will go down as one of the best ever.
NE's 96-yd TD drive to end the 1st half was spectacular, as was their, what, 98-yd TD drive to open the 2nd half.
NYG's persistence, on both offense & defense, was fun to watch.
Manning was great (30/40: 75%; 296 yds; 1 TD). (So was Brady [27/41: 67%; 276 yds; 2 TDs].)

on the down side: I didn't win my betting pool! sigh.

SuperBowl Sunday!

... a 'light posting' day.

I'm just hoping it's a good game!
... some vague preference for NYG, but Pats' win won't crush me.

My only REAL interest: I need final "total points" to end in '3'!
(Yep - I'm in a betting pool.)

"Anyone but Romney" again the big winner!

In Nevada:
"Anyone but Romney": 52%
Romney: 48%

... AND:

Although Romney's victory is significant in percentage terms, the voter turnout for the caucuses was not substantial.
[emphasis added]

... not much enthusiasm evident from GOP electorate.

FYI: same story in Florida:

2008 GOP primary turnout: 1.95Mn
2012 GOP primary turnout: 1.66Mn

... turnout down ~15% from 2008... and this in a year when anti-Obama sentiment OUGHT to be driving GOP enthusiasm!

Just a reminder

...27 But I say unto you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you,

28 bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.

29 To him that smiteth thee on the [one] cheek offer also the other; and from him that taketh away thy cloak withhold not thy coat also.

30 Give to every one that asketh thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

32 And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them.

33 And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same.

34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much.

35 But love your enemies, and do [them] good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.

36 Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

37 And judge not, and ye shall not be judged: and condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: release, and ye shall be released:

38 give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.
[Luke, 6:27-38, American Standard version... so it probably doesn't count with Christianists, for whom G-d speaks only King James' English!]

Have the Bible-beating "Christianists" ever actually READ the Bible? Have they thought about the words?

Once-upon-a-time...

... in a universe far, far away - I tried to write more-or-less coherent, more-or-less well-reasoned posts.

Given the state of political discourse today, that tactic seems absurd.
... so I've abandoned it (Yes - I DO take note of reality!).

Note: since abandoning the 'coherent, well-reasoned' tactic, Private Buffoon's traffic has increased significantly!

... oh, yeah: now I remember...

... why I'd stopped paying attention.

Will the real Jesus please stand up?

... and a good many loyal GOPers condemned the President's remarks as "threadbare theology".

As often happens, The Reaction says things a LOT better than I!

As long as that nigger is in the White House, these folks'll be out for blood.
For your sake: I hope you own your house outright, mortgage-free... and that you NEVER get sick!... and it'd be really good if you won the lottery!
If you miss a mortgage payment, or need health care, or just lost your job... don't expect the GOP to help: these are just ramifications of the unfettered free-market!

Passive-aggressive creativity!

Vermont inmates hide pig in official police car decal
Zach Howard | Reuters – Fri, Feb 3, 2012
(Reuters) - Inmates working at a Vermont correctional unit's print shop managed to sneak a prank image of a pig into a state police crest that is emblazoned on police cars, and 30 cruisers sported the design for the last year, officials said on Thursday.

I think the MacArthur Foundation oughta consider the inmate who came up with this idea for one of its "genius" awards!

"Yeah, I'm stuck in the prison's print shop, making crap for the state. How can I make this job more rewarding, more self-actualizing, more fun?
... Hey! - I've got an idea!!!"[Hint: check out the cow's markings.]

What a surprise...

Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria

On the bright side, they ARE acting in their own economic self-interests - just like good capitalists!

Sigh: yes, we care... but not Russia

Insight: Syria's Assad set for long conflict

The Syrian regime is not unlike the Lybian regime: "Enlightened Despot Gone Mad". But Russia - 'cuz they've got economic interests in the area - fails to respond.

When a government - ANY government - decides it's best to slaughter its own people, something is wrong.

note: "Englighened Absolutism", as propounded by Frederick the Great, it the PERFECT form of government... but chances are the successor - son, daughter, vizier, prime minister - won't be quite so "enlightened".

... then again, when economic interests are at heart, nothing else really matters. (This is as true of the U.S. as it is of Russia!)

We should, in fact, be praising Russia for pursuing pure, unbridled capitalism!

Damn Socialists!

Jobless rate at 3-year low as payrolls surge

Just 'cuz I like it

Money talks! - sometimes for good!!!

Komen reverses move to cut Planned Parenthood funding

Just in case you haven't been paying attention: earlier this week, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, one of the nation's largest breast cancer charities, announced that it would no longer fund Planned Parenthood, an organization devoted to women's health, including breast cancer screening.

Ostensibly the Komen foundation based its decision on the fact that Planned Parenthood is now under Congressional investigation (don't ask)... but it seemed sort of weird that
1) a recent high-level Komen hire is outspoken right-wing critic of Planned Parenthood
and
2) NO other organizations currently under investigation had been de-funded.

Just about EVERYONE - except the far-right critics - condemned the Komen foundation... and it's pretty clear that threatened loss of charitable donations played a large role in Komen's decision to do an about-face.

... It's still not clear that Komen will survive this blunder.

Remembering "the day the music died"

February 3, 1959.

Best blog post title in a while (no, not mine)

Stock markets surge, thwarting Obama's anti-capitalist agenda

This from The Reaction.

[It's on My Blog List... you should read it, and the others on My Blog List. They all write better than I do!]

... more 'personal note' stuff

Teresa's formal memorial service was last spring.
Today's interment 'ceremony' was informal and brief.

Here are the few words I spoke, from Gilbert & Sullivan's The Gondoliers:

Try we life-long, we can never
Straighten out life's tangled skein,
Why should we, in vain endeavour,
Guess and guess and guess again?

String the lyre, fill the cup,
Lest on sorrow we should sup.

Life's perhaps the only riddle
That we shrink from giving up!

String the lyre, fill the cup,
Lest on sorrow we should sup.
Take life as it comes!

I am comforted by the knowledge that Teresa continues to live in the memories of her family & friends, and in our lives.

Personal note

Teresa died last April.
I've been keeping her cremains, in a beautiful purple urn of her choosing, in a small shrine in the living room.
Today I'm heading to Santa Fe National Cemetery to place cremains in a niche.
The next step in 'saying goodbye'.

"You're fired!"

Trump endorses Mitt Romney's presidential bid

... uh... coming right after "I don't care about the very poor", accepting Trump's endorsement seems particularly stupid!

Requiescat in pace

Muhammad Ali trainer Dundee dies at 90

Light posting today

see subject

PACs & Super PACs

More history.
Back in the days of Adams and Jefferson it was considered inappropriate for candidates to personally campaign - or even pretend to be interested in the office.
All the campaigning was conducted by surrogates - mostly 'independent press' - pamphleteers.
And these pamphleteers had NO scruples whatsoever!
Accusing the opposition of having carnal knowledge of his pigs was perfectly acceptable! (The LBJ tactic: "Make him deny it!")

Nope: current political environment isn't the worst we've ever endured.
... it is, in fact, almost genteel compared to campaigns past.

(... How come no one knows this? This is simply HISTORY!... You can read about it! - in BOOKS!)

"Is this nastiest, dirtiest campaign ever?" (redux)

See also Jackson v. Quincy Adams", 1828.

The campaign was marked by an impressive amount of mudslinging. Jackson's marriage came in for attack: when he had married his wife Rachel, the couple had believed that she was divorced; however, the divorce was not yet finalized, so he had to remarry her once the legal papers were complete. In the Adams campaign's hands, this became a scandal. Charles Hammond in his Cincinnati Gazette asked: “Ought a convicted adulteress and her paramour husband be placed in the highest offices of this free and Christian land?”

The notorious Coffin Handbills attacked Jackson for his court martial and execution of deserters, massacres of Indian villages, and his habit of dueling.

Adams did not escape attack. It was charged that Adams, while serving as Minister to Russia, had surrendered an American servant girl to the appetites of the Czar. Adams was also accused of using public funds to buy gambling devices for the presidential residence; it turned out that these were a chess set and a pool table.

Again: American Constitutional democracy has never been pretty... it just seems to work... sort of.

[... and sexual indiscretions have ALWAYS been front and foremost!]

political blogging is really easy!

All you have to do is read the news!

... for what it's worth: please visit the folks on "My Blog List" - they all say stuff a LOT better than I do!

Uh... no!

Is this the 'ugliest, nastiest, dirtiest' campaign ever?

No.
Just by way of comparison, see Adams v. Jefferson, 1800. The free press had a hay day! - no one was exempt from malicious libels. It was UGLY!

... American Constitutional democracy has never been particularly pretty.
It just seems to work... sort of...

When I was a kid I learned that America is a 'young' country.
Turns out this just ain't so!
America is one of the oldest surviving Governments in the world!
We somehow manage to muddle through the vitriol, the tangents, the by-ways.

At any given moment I despair... but we've made it this far sort of okay.
(... and, yeah - we could do a LOT better!... oops - does that last sentiment mean I have to leave?)

... more of the same...

Alabama immigration crackdown costs state up to $11 bln: study
By Verna Gates | Reuters
1 Feb 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - Alabama's crackdown on illegal immigrants, widely seen as the toughest in the United States, has cost the state's economy up to $10.8 billion, according to a new study.

Again, in the name of... well, I'm not sure what... "Patriotism", maybe? - Alabama joined a bunch of other states - led by Arizona - in a frenzy of mass-hysteria xenophobia.
The result: a human and economic disaster.
Will this outcome change anything?
No - the GOP are immune to reality.
(Recall: "Reality has a liberal bias.")

On the bright side: waves of anti-immigrant fervor have washed across America since its inception. The earliest manifestation thereof? The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.
Martin Scorsese made a really good movie about anti-Irish sentiment in 1860s New York (Gangs of New York).
The railroads imported Chinese labor in the 1860s & 70s... spurring a host of anti-immigration - and anti-Chinese - legislation.
... early 20th century? Italians were the bad guys... then Eastern Europeans (anarchists all!)...
... We put Japanese-Americans in camps in WWII!!!

Currrent wave of xenophobia isn't a new phenomenon.
We'll recover... eventually...
BUT: at what cost in the meantime?
... and how come we can't learn from mistakes of the past?

GOP: union-busters!

Indiana senate OKs anti-union "right-to-work" bill
By Susan Guyett | Reuters
1 Feb 2012
(Reuters) - The Indiana state Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow workers at unionized businesses to avoid paying union dues, the last major legislative hurdle to making Indiana the first "right-to-work" state in the U.S. industrial heartland.

Full disclosure: I really don't understand the impact or meaning of "right to work" laws... but that won't stop me from offering my opinion. (When I was in maybe 5th- or 6th-grade in Tulsa, OK, one of the political hot-buttons was proposed "right-to-work" legislation. I didn't understand it then, and I don't understand it now.)

BUT: I don't think the specifics of "right-to-work" legislation are really the point here.
I think this is just GOP flexing its muscle against LABOR! - in the name of pure, unbridled, predatory, free-market capitalism.
"Organized Labor": BAD!
"Rapacious Free-Market": GOOD!

... and what I find really odd is that the Tea Party crowd - to the extent that they really represent a grassroots movement - are HURT by this legislation! They vote against their own self-interest! Why???

Folks, WAKE UP! - the GOP does NOT have your best interests at heart (... well, unless you're among the top 1%-ers!).

Mitt's making my job too easy!

Romney: Campaign 'Not Concerned About the Very Poor'
By Z. Byron Wolf | ABC News
1 Feb 2012
... "I'm in this race because I care about Americans," Romney told CNN's Soledad O'Brien this morning after his resounding victory in Florida on Tuesday. "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it."

Uh... Mitt: a couple of things.

Thing1: The very poor ARE Americans! ... you know, among those for whom you care to justify your campaign.

Thing2: That "safety net" you cite - isn't that what you, as a good GOPer - are sworn to demolish in the name of pure, unbridled, free-market capitalism?

I sure hope Obama's campaign folks are taking notes!

Just for fun

First: OK SB 1418 is serious and scary... and evil...
... BUT...
Second: this is pretty funny (from The Onion):

Oklahoma Bill Would Ban Use Of Fetuses In Food

Thanks to loyal reader 'melisandre' for the link.

OK SB 1418, revisited

Regarding post Uh... about Oklahoma bill to "Ban Aborted Fetuses in Food", I pointed folks to comment from TedTheCat, but I think it more appropriate to post the comment in full:

It turns out the bill is not clownish. It is evil.

A cell line called HEK 293 was created 35 years ago using cells from an aborted fetus in the Netherlands. Cells were manipulated and mixed with chemicals. The resulting cells don’t act much like human cells at all, but they are very easy to work with and have become workhorses of cellular biology. That’s why they’re used in many cellular experiments including the development of drugs and vaccines.

A company is using HEK 293 in its experiments searching for artificial sweetners which could replace sugar in soft drinks potentially reducing the incidence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. The bill would ban any product developed though that testing.

The bill would ban not just food but "any other product intended for human consumption." The author of the bill intends for medicine to be included as a "product intended for human consumption" and banned if its creation involved use of the HEK 293 cell line.

Many medicines used today were developed with the use of HEK 293. The bill would ban standard vaccines for chickenpox, rubella and hepatitis A and drugs such as Roche’s Pulmozyme for cystic fibrosis, Amgen‘s Enbrel for rheumatoid arthritis and Merck's Zostavax for shingles. The bill would also ban new drugs being developed for AIDS.

The Pro-Choice crowd in Oklahoma would rather untold people suffer and die needlessly in the future rather than use science developed through the use of cells from one fetus aborted 35 years ago in the Netherlands.

... "it's not clownish. It's evil."

Thank you, TedTheCat!

Thanks to Nameless Cynic!

I'd seen this, thought about it, then forgot it (30-second attention span!).

Allen West Tells Liberal Leaders To "Get The Hell Out Of The USA"
"Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America," Rep. Allen West (R-FL) said at the Palm Beach County Republican Party Lincoln Day dinner.
[emphasis added]

Congressman West and I have different visions for America.
He thinks America is just fine as is.
I think it can still be improved.
So - of course - I have to leave!

[Thanks to Nameless Cynic for reminding me about this idiotic tirade!]

The headline we'll never see

Anyone-but-Romney Wins in Florida!

Anyone-but-Romney: 53.6%
Romney: 46.4%

[I'm taking "Anyone-but-Romney" as total of Paul, Santorum, Gingrich, 'other', from Yahoo News election results.]

Disappointed...

No - not that Mitt won Florida, but that it was over so quickly.

So far, Iowa has been my favorite: it went on FOREVER...
... to the point that none of the network teams even pretended to be journalists by the end - all were just slap-happy!

Network experts are now counting Newt out.
I'll with-hold judgment...

This explains a lot...

... about state of political discourse:

Fox News on top: Cable net celebrates 10 years at #1 in ratings

"Ignorance can be fixed. Stupidity is forever."

Shilling for the GOP

Uh... [update]

[update] To all: READ TedTheCat's comment!!!

Bill Would Ban Aborted Fetuses in Food

Nope - this isn't from The Onion.

Here's full text:

STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2nd Session of the 53rd Legislature (2012)

SENATE BILL 1418 By: Shortey

AS INTRODUCED

An Act relating to food; prohibiting the manufacture or sale of food or products which use aborted human fetuses; providing for codification; and providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1-1150 of Title 63, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product intended for human consumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2012.

53-2-3065 JM 1/30/2012 11:50:46 PM

Full disclosure: I was born & reared in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It's a good place to be FROM!

Oh, good: I don't need a condom!

Gingrich’s Tenn. co-chair: AIDS cannot be transmitted through heterosexual sex

... But we knew this already: AIDS is just G-d's vengeance on FAGS!
... will Newt refudiate him?

note: I suspect Gingrich's Tennessee co-chair just doesn't want to wear a condom when he's with his, uh, 'girlfriend'.

Capitalism at work

Pythons apparently wiping out Everglades mammals

In praise of CNN

Syria forces retake Damascus suburbs; showdown at U.N.

I watch a LOT of news.
As far as I can tell, CNN is the ONLY network deliberately devoting time to covering Syrian mess.
Congrats!

The 'horse race' is fun, BUT...

Full disclosure: I've been a Presidential campaign junkie pretty much forever.
I LOVE following the campaigns... once every four years.

That said: coverage of GOP primaries is getting just a little... well... old.
It's all about today's polls.
"Mitt's up!"... no, wait, "Newt's up!"... no, wait - Ron Paul has a shot (well, maybe not...)

Would it be too much to ask of the press - AND the CANDIDATES - to provide something substantive?
- What, exactly, are the candidates' positions?
How, if at all, do their positions vary?
How do they distinguish themselves ON THE ISSUES???
(... for that matter: what does each believe to be the top three issues facing the country?)

Yeah - Mitt's millions and Newt's infidelity are fun, but... seriously!
These guys wanna be PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!
How would they run the country?
What legislation would they propose?
How would they deal with intractable Congress?
... What new wars would they launch???

Am I reading this right?

House Republicans want $260 billion for infrastructure
Reuters
30 Jan 2012
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Republicans will propose legislation on Tuesday calling for $260 billion in spending on transportation infrastructure for up to five years, an election-year proposal touted as a job creator in a tough economy.

Wow!

House REPUBLICANS!... those stalwart budget-slashers!!!

... okay - it's an election year ploy, but STILL!!!

"Spartacus" redux

Gingrich Says He's in 'Til GOP Convention
By DAVID ESPO AP Special Correspondent
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. January 28, 2012 (AP)
On the weekend before the pivotal Florida primary, Newt Gingrich vowed Saturday to stay in the race for the Republican presidential nomination until the national convention this summer even if he loses Tuesday's vote.

Now it's official: Newt has publicly confirmed his "Spartacus" strategy: keep fighting till the bitter end, even knowing that he'll end up crucified along the Via Appia... Just to inflict as much damage on Mitt as possible!

... an unlikely - but fun-to-contemplate - scenario: With Ron Paul, Newt, and Mitt all in the race till the convention in August, there's just some chance none of 'em will have needed majority of votes for first-ballot win...
... If it drags on, perhaps dark-horse candidate will emerge... hmmm... maybe Florida's Jeb Bush! (... or, extremely wishful thinking, Sarah Palin!).
This could help explain why Mr. Bush has withheld his endorsement!

A "small government" conservative!

Gingrich wants panel to look at in vitro clinics
By DAVID ESPO | Associated Press
29 Jan 2012
LUTZ, Fla. (AP) — Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich called Sunday for a commission to study the ethical issues relating to in vitro fertilization clinics, where infertile women receive treatment to get pregnant and large numbers of embryos are created.

"If you have in vitro fertilization you are creating life. And therefore we should look seriously at what should the rules be for clinics that do that because they're creating life," said Gingrich, who opposes abortion and says life begins at conception.

Keep the Gov't's hands off my Medicare... BUT please let 'em into my bedroom!

Just for fun: Patton

When Samson took the fresh jawbone of an ass and slew a thousand men therewith, he probably started such a vogue for the weapon, particularly among the Philistines, that for years no prudent donkey dared to bray.
[THE EFFECT OF WEAPONS ON WAR, Major George S. Patton, Jr., Cavalry; "Cavalry Journal", November 1930]

Patton is my favorite military philosopher.

(... and the article is worth reading: pretty much kills our Pentagon's infatuation with ever-more-sophisticated high-tech weapons!)

"... an invented Palestinian people..."

"And I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people who are in fact Arabs and who were historically part of the Arab community. And they had a chance to go many places, and for a variety of political reasons we have sustained this war against Israel now since the 1940s, and it's tragic," Gingrich said.
[Gingrich Describes Palestinian People as 'Invented']

... uh... Newt: an etymological root of "Palestinian" is "Philistine" - the bad folks in the Bible from whom the Hebrews reclaimed the Promised Land.

"Palestinians" (Biblical "Philistines") have been with us - granted, as a thorn in the side - for millenia. Recall:

14And when he [Samson] came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

15And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

16And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.
[Judges 15:14-16, KJV]

... An "invented" people? NO!

One would be more accurate to claim that "Jordanians" or "Iraqis" are an invented people - pretty much the product of 19th-century "Great Game" politics!

Newt: You claim to be an historian.
Why can't you demonstrate SOME knowledge of HISTORY?

Just out of curiosity...

... how come coverage of GOP debates - and campaign in general - focuses on trash talk?

Note: I've not watched the debates.
What I glean from news coverage is that Newt & Mitt are saying nasty things about each other.
Are there NO substantive policy issues discussed?
How would they deal with economy? ... with Iran? ... tax policy? ... Afghanistan?

Just asking...

"Dog Bites Man"

Bankers resist regulatory restraint on bonuses

Off-topic

During the Xmas holidays - after I confessed that Xmas was among my LEAST favorite holidays - one of my Jewish friends sent me this note:

"You can always do what the Jews do with Christmas - use it as an occasion for Chinese food and a movie. A perfectly lovely holiday! Free of stress and ideology!"

... then followed up with this pic:

"Goldilocks"???

Mitt Romney Upbeat After Strong Debate, Compares Newt Gingrich To 'Goldilocks'

"Goldilocks"???

Well, okay - "not too hot, not too cold... just right!"

... so, now GOP candidates are explicitly venturing into fairy tales.
Sounds about right. ("... not too hot, not too cold...")
They've been forever telling fairy tales about my country - that'd be America.
It's weak, it's doomed, it's failing.
The Big Bad Wolf - that'd be Iran - is going to blow down our house of straw.

The Wicked Step-Mother - that'd be President Obama - is going to eat us all!

Danger lurks behind every tree in the dark forest.

BE AFRAID! - be VERY afraid!

... this is sounding VERY familiar!
All the GOP has to offer is FEAR!

(... well, FEAR and 0% tax on capital gains!)

hmm... not quite sure I got this right

Previous post suggested Newt would go down in flames to take down Mitt.
Now I'm not so sure - maybe Newt is the phoenix among 'em.
("them" being GOP candidates...)

Nah - couldn't happen!

... I'm LOVING the spectacle.
Forgive me.

Darn! - I missed another GOP debate!

Did I miss anything?

GOP: America is a weak, threatened country!

Al Qaeda & Iran: existential threats!

Listening to the GOP it's pretty clear they believe America is a weak country on the verge of collapse.

Me? I'm pretty sure America isn't threatened by the likes of Iran.

Why do GOP hold such a low opinion of America?

[just for grins: self-referencing post]

"You salute the rank, not the man."

... title of this post from well-worn military axiom.
Compare that with THIS:Wagging your finger at the President?
... then again, "YOU LIE!" (SC Rep. Joe Wilson, SOTU, 2011.)
The GOP has no respect for OUR country!

A trip to the barber shop

I went to the barber today - haircut & beard removal + shave.
(I like to pamper myself... and these guys are among the few barbers that still do 'shave'!)

Two barbers - both older Hispanics.
Two customers - me and another guy.

Somehow the conversation turned to politics. The other three had watched State of the Union address, and all three liked it!... a lot!!!
... and none had much good to say about current GOP field.

It was an enjoyable trip to the barber shop!

This is just fun! (... no politics)

Ballboy makes incredible catch during Federer-Nadal match (video)

Just for fun (yet more Newt stuff)

Newt: American politician & GOP candidate for President:
newt: aquatic salamander:Which one would you vote for?

Maybe beginning of a joke:

Q: What's the difference between Newt and a newt?
A: One's a slimy creature crawling out from under rocks.
The other one's a salamander.

I'd missed this (more Newt stuff)

“Let me just say, if Newt Gingrich is the smartest guy in the room, leave that room.” - Joe Scarborough

Best news of the day!

Geithner: Obama won't ask me to stay in a 2nd term
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER | Associated Press
25 Jan 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — Timothy Geithner said Wednesday that he doesn't expect to serve a second term as Treasury secretary. He said he doesn't think President Barack Obama would ask him to remain if Obama won re-election.

Hooray!

Geithner had ONE job when he came into this position: present a PLAN.
He failed.
Instead, he went on TV a lot, and has since been silent.

It really wasn't that much to ask: you've got 2 months to put together a PLAN.
He didn't.
He never did.
The Peter Principle at work.
Bye-bye, Tim!

[just for grins: a self-referencing post - my letter to Obama]

Thanks!

Private Buffoon had been pretty much retired since last January.
I note that when I started posting again, readership reached its previous level.
Thanks!

[... well, ok... pre-retirement readership was somewhat less than two-dozen/day... but still: it's nice to have you all back!]

... and the GOP wants to give these folks MORE!

Apple CEO faces first test with cash mountain
By Poornima Gupta | Reuters
25 Jan 2012
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple CEO Tim Cook has a problem, a $98 billion problem.

Just 18 months ago, Apple's $46 billion mountain of cash - while huge by most standards - attracted only muted complaints from investors, who did call for a dividend or share buyback, but were mostly happy with the meteoric rise in the stock price.

But with the growing cash balance now a much bigger overhang on the stock, widely considered to be undervalued, investors are clamoring more vocally for Cook to put the money to work.

Apple isn't the only one. LOTS of companies are sitting on mountains of cash.

Recall: GOP talking point - "cut taxes on corporations so's they can create JOBS!"

They're SITTING on mountains of cash, but still no jobs.
AND this $$$ is effectively sequestered - it's just SITTING there!
It's not in the economy.
It's not generating demand.
It's not being invested.
It's just SITTING THERE!

... and the GOP wants 'em to just SIT ON even more, via tax breaks!

... drives me up a wall!

Darn!

I missed SOTU & GOP response!

Wrap yourself in aluminum foil!

Strongest solar storm since 2005 hitting Earth
By SETH BORENSTEIN | Associated Press
24 Jan 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — The sun is bombarding Earth with radiation from the biggest solar storm in more than six years with more to come from the fast-moving eruption.

Really cool pic:

A prediction

... But first, a bit of commentary.
When the GOP field became apparent last summer, I was delighted: Bachmann, Perry, Gingrich, Santorum, Paul, Romney (Herman Cain wasn't yet in the mix then).
THIS is the best the GOP can field???

I've not been disappointed. ... Well, I was sad when Bachmann dropped out.

As the Republican primaries have progressed, everyone has done his very best to run right - pandering to the most conservative element of the GOP electorate.
No one has yet managed more than 50% of GOP voters... 40% is considered a big win.
Turn-out has been low.
Recent general elections have been pretty close to 50-50.
40% of 50% is 20%.
... The leading GOP candidate (whoever it might be this week) is getting 20% of general election votes. This may be how to get the nomination, but it's not much of a strategy for winning the one that counts in November.

... and now, as promised, a prediction: record low GOP turnout in November, and Obama winning by what would - in recent cycles - be considered a landslide - 55%.

[and, yes: as I have in the past, I'll re-visit this prediction to see how well I did.]

Just for fun (Newt)

I'll post the video if I can find it... [update: video now embedded]

A member of the audience at one of Mr. Santorum’s campaign events recently stated,

“[President Obama] is an avowed Muslim... he has no legal right to be calling himself President.”

Rather than addressing the claim, Mr. Santorum promised only that he was doing his best to get Obama out of the White House.

Here’s a more appropriate reply:

“First, President Obama is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian.
“But, even if he WERE a Muslim, our Constitution explicitly states that, ‘no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.’
... even if he WERE a Muslim, he would still have every right as a U.S. citizen to be President.
“Finally, I will do my very best to make sure that, with your help, we get him out of the White House.”

... but, no: Mr. Santorum let the claim stand, without challenge, without correction.

During a similar campaign moment in 2008, Senator McCain had the courage to correct the speaker: No, Obama is not a Muslim.
(... and it was General Colin Powell who provided the follow-up: but even if he were, so what?)

Whatever good will I might have felt for Mr. Santorum was lost in an instant.
Mr. Santorum does not deserve to be President if he can’t stand up for and defend the truth, and defend the Constitution.

Uh, Newt: it's about YOU

Uh, Newt... it's not about the liberal media, or President Obama. It's about YOU.

I'm pretty sure if President Obama's second wife came forward to reveal that Barack had asked for an 'open marriage', that would be NEWS.
... oh, wait! - President Obama has had only ONE wife!

Newt: it's not about the elite media, it's not about Barack Obama.
It's about YOU!

Mormonism: you decide

note: I feel sorta bad about this... ya know, going after someone's religion. Religion is personal, a matter of conscience... and the U.S. Constitution does stipulate that "... no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
That said: I had a lot of fun making this video!

The Medicine Show

LOL

I watched "Hardball with Chris Matthews" last night.
[full disclosure: I DON'T like Chris Matthews!]

One of his guests was Dana Milbank.

Matthews: Are we near the end of these debates?

Milbank: We're not near the end of the debates, but we ARE near the end of debates that anybody's gonna watch.

I laughed out loud.

Darn!

... I missed another GOP presidential debate!!!

a return to feudalism

As far as I can tell, the GOP is advocating a return to feudalism.

Tho' the specifics varied with time and geography, medieval feudalism in broad outline was a system of patronage & protection based on land and products derived from land. At the bottom of the pyramid were serfs (that'd be most of us) - in some cases tied to the land, in others not. They labored to produce sufficient food to pay the lord of the manor 'in kind' taxes, to support the manor. Whatever was left over - frequently very little - was for their own consumption. The lord of the manor derived his income from his serfs, and was expected to pay HIS lord both food and service - providing soldiers and servants. Going up the pyramid we eventually find the senior noble class, who owed fealty to the king, and were in turn taxed to support the kingdom - again in food and service. Those at the bottom had no decision-making role - theirs was a life of drudgery to serve those above... always in imminent danger of starvation, pestilence, and war.

Let me call out just ONE GOP favorite: eliminate tax on capital gains.
So the last $1 earned by the foreman overseeing a road-building project - a project that actually produces a tangible benefit to society - that $1 is taxed at a marginal rate of 25%.
The last $1 earned by the 'investor' in the form of capital gains is currently taxed at 15% - and if the GOP gets its way, it won't be taxed at all.
As it stands, the tax code institutionalizes two economic classes: wage-earners & investors, with wage earners penalized and investors rewarded.
IF the GOP gets is way, that institutionalized stratification will become even more apparent: the investor will pay NO taxes on his income.
This is no longer an INCOME tax - it's a tax on labor... sort of like the feudal serf.
The investor will pay NOTHING to support the system of which he is the beneficiary.

This is an even more extreme form of feudalism than any that has ever existed. In the Middle Ages, even the senior nobility owed SOMETHING to support the kingdom - they didn't get a free ride.

More later...

Who's outta touch???+

Mitt - just to let you know: MOST of us don't have $10K just lying around for a casual bet!

Oops... !!!

... I missed the GOP NH debate...

"Electability" is over-rated

In 2004 the Dems went for the "electable" candidate - John Kerry... who proceeded to run a completely inept campaign against a vulnerable incumbent.

Better to go with someone who generates enthusiasm... like McGovern in '72.

Spartacus?

I'm searching for the right movie metaphor to explain Newt's campaign moving forward.

Spartacus (Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Peter Ustinov; 1960) seems a plausible choice:

The Roman slave, Spartacus, organizes armed up-rising against pre-imperial Rome. He and his followers defeat Roman legions in open battle... then hang around in Italy to be slaughtered - all crucified along the Appian Way.

Spartacus knows staying in Italy will lead to disaster, but his followers refuse to escape over the Alps. He resigns himself to 'death with dignity'.

Newt seems to have embarked on this course of action: 'take down Mitt at all costs'. Defeat the legions, then perish with honor. He's got to realize he has no chance at the nomination, so he's just hanging around to bring down Mitt.

Another option: The Great Escape. All-star cast - too many to list (1963).

[senior Allied officer] Ramsey: Roger's idea was to get back at the enemy the hardest way he could, mess up the works. From what we've heard here, I think he did exactly that.

... Newt's idea seems to be to get back at Mitt the hardest way he can, mess up the works.
We'll see if manages exactly this.

Any other nominees?

... to the bitter end...

Yep - I stayed up watching Iowa caucus returns.
'Twas fun!

From my perspective, a clear win for Santorum: he came in 2nd by eight (8!) votes.
How much did Romney spend in Iowa? How much did Santorum spend?
I'd guess Santorum got a LOT more bang-for-the-buck!

aside: 'twas also fun watching the broadcast teams on CNN, Fox, and MSNBC getting just a little punch-drunk & slap-happy as the night wore on.

Me? I'm hoping Santorum's Iowa surprise generates LOTS of $$$ for him, that he takes Romney down a few points in New Hampshire, and that the GOP nominating process drags on FOREVER!
'Twas a delight to see Newt pretty much promise that he'll do everything in his power to demolish Mitt. (Mitt's the potential nominee I fear the most...)

If nothing else, the GOP Family Feud oughta give Obama's campaign TONS of great video to use during the general election.

Tonight?... prob'ly a little bit of New Hampshire, and a lot of college football!

... a VERY incomplete thought...

It occurs to me that it is not often that anyone witnesses - at least via reasonably historical memory - the rise and fall of a geopolitical empire. The Roman Empire took some 500 years to expire - at the end there 'twas no one alive with even vague historical memory of its birth. Yes, one could read Suetonius & Tacitus - but no one could query his grandparents.

In the case of the Soviet Union, this memory is available to us. ... and we have better documentation!

I'm now waiting to read a favorable review in "The New York Review of Books" of a book that adequately takes advantage of this opportunity.

"This too shall pass."

"This too shall pass" (Persian: این نیز بگذرد, Arabic: كله ماشي‎, Hebrew: גם זה יעבור‎, Turkish: Bu da geçer) is a proverb indicating that all material conditions, positive or negative, are temporary. The phrase seems to have originated in the writings of the medieval Persian Sufi poets, and is often attached to a fable of a great king who is humbled by the simple words. Some versions of the fable, beginning with that of Attar of Nishapur, add the detail that the phrase is inscribed on a ring, which therefore has the ability to make the happy man sad and the sad man happy. Jewish folklore often describes Solomon as giving or receiving the phrase. The proverb and associated fable were popular in the first half of the 19th century, appearing in a collection of tales by the English poet Edward Fitzgerald and being employed in a speech by Abraham Lincoln before he became president.
[This too shall pass]

Nope - no idea why I'm posting this... somehow seems appropriate.

Happy New Year! - Honest!!!
Best to you & yours in the coming year.

Blah-blah-blah...

I've made a very bad mistake: I've been watching pre-Iowa-caucus coverage on both CNN & FoxNews. At this point I'm left with famous quotation - attributed to both Niels Bohr (Nobel-Prize-winning physicist) and Yogi Berra (NY Yankees catcher):

"Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future."

Maybe I should get a hobby...

Explosives Lab Found
There were some tense hours after explosives are found at a Torrance County home on Friday.
...
David O'Keeffe passed away two months ago at the age of 81, but no one knew about his own bomb-making lab until Friday. It was in a shed near a house he was renting along Highway 41 in Estancia. When his landlord came to process the property and found the explosives, they called the sheriff.
...
"He was a scientist for the Sandia National Labs, he worked for DuPont, he's had a long history of making explosives legally," said [Torrance County Sheriff, Heath]White.
...
Even though the discovery was a little shocking, Heath says the retired scientist didn't mean any harm. "He was trying to go for some patents on new explosives that he designed, so we believe that he was just still doing what he loved to do."

hmmm... I'm pretty sure that this 'hobby' would've subjected this nice old gentleman to prosecution under the so-called "Patriot Act".

Is that all there is?

Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

Evolution: way cool!

A really good scientific theory explains things it hadn’t anticipated.

The Copernican, helio-centric model was designed to fix the calendar, and provide improved predictions of observable planetary motions.

As it turns out, with a fair amount of refinement, it also explains seasons: put the earth in elliptical orbit around the sun, with axis-of-rotation at something other than 90-degree angle to plane of revolution, and, VOILA! Seasons!

Similarly, Darwin’s ‘evolution via natural selection’ also contained an implicit prediction Darwin never contemplated.

As I understand Darwin (admittedly, not all that well), his view of inheritance was via some sort of ‘mixing’ model. ... as it turns out, a ‘mixing’ model of inheritance doesn’t really work to explain evolution via natural selection.

BUT: particulate inheritance – via genes – works like a charm!... and Mendel established the fact of particulate inheritance.

A frequent criticism of ‘evolution via natural selection’ – among those who seek to discredit it – is the claim that every individual in the population has to experience the same mutation at the same time.
WRONG.
If even one parent produces a competitive mutation, that’s all it takes.

The casino game ‘craps’ is actually pretty fair. Once upon a time I had an assignment to compute probability of the shooter winning at craps.
I don’t recall the answer, but it’s something like 49.3% – meaning the house has a 50.7% chance of winning.

If you play long enough, you’ll lose your shirt. (This is how casinos make money: most of the games are pretty fair... but the house always has the edge: if you play long enough, you’ll lose your shirt!)

Particulate inheritance works exactly the same way. If a single individual has a mutation that grants him/her only a tiny advantage in survivability (probabilistically), eventually his/her progeny will take over the species.
This can be simulated via computer. It’s easy to demonstrate. The house always wins in the long run.

Again: Tho’ Darwin didn’t realize it, his theory contained the implied prediction that inheritance is particulate! ... a prediction that has been confirmed!

Politically incorrect

If I were the head of a Santorum or Gingrich or Paul superPAC, this is the anti-Romney ad I'd be running in the Bible Belt:

Mormons: God-fearing, church-going, family-oriented, civic-minded, hard-working, self-supporting citizens...
... BUT: members of a Satanic Sect!!!

Why the Secrecy?
Gentiles - that'd be the rest of us - are not allowed at Mormon services, and would not be invited to a Mormon wedding.

Do Mormons drink Christian blood during communion?
[... We KNOW they don't drink wine!]

Was Joseph Smith a charlatan, or just stark raving mad?

Again, Why the secrecy???

Mormonism
You Decide!

A dirty joke

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

2nd draft

Ladies & gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up – yes, you there, come a little closer… don’t be afraid, come a little closer … there, that’s better: I am about to share with you the GREATEST SECRET of MODERN MEDICINE:

Royal Elixir!!!
This valuable remedy, of which I am the proprietor, is a sovereign remedy for Dyspepsia, Sick Headache, Biliousness, Liver and Kidney complaints, Rheumatism, Gout, and Impurities of the Blood.

… It is an agreeable tonic for delicate women, being delicious in taste and beneficial in results.

For children it is especially desirable owing to its pleasant taste.

Folks, just over 100 years ago, these tonics, nostrums, and elixirs were common-place. They promised to cure EVERYTHING – no matter what ails you, “Royal Elixir” will cure it – and it tastes GREAT!

There’s a name for these cure-alls: SNAKE OIL! – and the folks who peddled them were SNAKE OIL SALESMEN.


You may believe that SNAKE OIL SALESMEN are just quaint historical figures, BUT, my friends, they’re with us today, peddling their ONE magic cure for whatever ails you…

Who are these Modern Snake-Oil Salesmen?
The GOP! – and the Snake-Oil they’re peddling is

the GREATEST SECRET of MODERN ECONOMICS:
St. Reagan's Restorative
Tax Cuts – good for whatever ails you.

To be fair, sometimes these nostrums even worked!

In 1906 the Sears, Roebuck catalog advertised the White Star Secret Liquor Cure with the promise that after a few doses Daddy would stop helling around every night.
It worked! Daddy DID in fact give up drink and stayed home at night.
The White Star Secret Liquor cure was based on a powerful narcotic.
Daddy was no longer drinking: he was addicted to opium, and sleeping like a baby.
(Just for good measure, the Sears catalog also advertised the Sears Cure for the Opium and Morphine Habit!)

Since the days of Saint Reagan, the GOP’s ONLY ‘cure’ for the economy?

TAX CUTS!!!

Hey: Mitt, Newt, Rick, Rick, Michele, … Ron? – whaddaya think?

Folks, when ONE nostrum, ONE magic remedy, ONE cure-all is all you need, all the time, no matter what ails you… well, there’s a name for it: it’s SNAKE-OIL, and the people selling it to you are SNAKE-OIL SALESMEN!

For the GOP, “Tax Cuts” are ALWAYS the answer – good economic times or bad, war or peace, jobs or no jobs. “Tax cuts” cure EVERYTHING, all the time, forever.


In 1954, under the administration of that commie-pinko-socialist and wealth-redistributing Republican Dwight Eisenhower, the top marginal tax rate was – brace yourself! - 91%. I seem to recall from history that this was a period of mushrooming economic expansion, and the rise of America as a super-power.


Yes, indeed, my friends: Tax Cuts taste GREAT!... but are they really a cure-all?… and might the ‘cure’ – like White Star’s Secret Liquor Cure - be worse than the disease?

Call out the GOP for what they are: Snake Oil Salesmen!

(Look for this on YouTube within the month!)

Just for fun

three (3) semi-related headlines:

Sadr bloc calls for early elections in Iraq
Arab observers aim to see Syria's deadliest city
Suicide bomber kills 7 outside Iraq ministry

Recall, a post hoc rationale for invading Iraq was to build a bright, shining democracy in Iraq - thereby introducing stability into the region.

WMD? - didn't quite pan out.
"Bright, shining democracy"? - didn't quite pan out.
Stability in the region? - didn't quite pan out.

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away: When my statistician & USMC bud was in Iraq (VERY loyal readers may recall that he participated in 'battle for Baghdad'), I asked what he'd guess for end-game. (We corresponded as regularly as possible during this time...)
His response: "Eventually we'll leave and all hell will break loose."... this prediction made in 2003 - eight (8) years ago!

On the bright side: we're out of Iraq... finally... minimally $800 BILLION later.

The less-than-bright-side: current Administration is blamed for our FAILURE in Iraq... not W and his cabal.

... and we leave the region with, well - let's see:

Iran stronger than ever.
Syria on the brink of civil war.

Good work, W!

Iowa: pointless but valuable

"Who'll win Iowa?"
- Who cares?
The winner of the Iowa caucuses seldom goes on to be the nominee!

On the bright side: all GOP contenders are doing their level best to win Iowa by presenting themselves as the 'only true conservative'.
This behavior will provide TONS of video against whichever one eventually DOES win the nomination.
Pandering to 20% of the electorate is unlikely to win a general election!

Re-engaging.... slowly

I keep thinking I oughta send $$$ to Michele Bachmann's campaign.
She seems to be losing traction, and I'd REALLY like to see her as the GOP nominee!
[... tho' truth be told, just about ANY of the GOP slate would be just fine with me!.]

In the meantime, I've received donation form from Michelle Lujan Grisham, requesting $$$ for her run for Congressional NM1 - vacated by Heinrich in his run for U.S. Senate (Senate seat vacated by Bingaman).

... and I've been successfully putting off entreaties from Heinrich to come back to the campaign.
1 Jan is my re-commitment date... and then only if looks to be a contested primary (which to date it does not).

Very slowly I am re-engaging with politics.
(I've even started reading front page of NYT... well, not every day, but once in a while!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Continuing what is now a 5-year-old tradition:

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
It's secular - religious overtones are secondary.
It's American - the rest of world goes on happily without us.

Most of all, for me the basic premise - giving thanks - is a good thing. Yes, I am thankful for my family, for my undeserved good-fortune in life, for friends.
As mentioned in previous years, most of my family & extended family is in town. None of us started out here - we all just ended up here. I've 3 sisters. 2 of 'em are in town, with their husbands. My mom is in town. My wife's mom is in town. Her sister & bro-in-law are in town. A sister's sister-in-law is in town. Our kids are in town. My daughter-in-law's folks are in town. We added a nephew last year.

Usually, some one family hosts a huge Thanksgiving spread.

This year, no. [... last year the same]
Two family get-togethers - my sister & teresa's sister.
I'll be doing main meal with my sister (a 2nd sister will also be attending).

That leaves my wife's sister, bro-in-law, their daughters, and assorted siblings of bro-in-law. I'll be visiting them if only to place annual $1 bet on the Cowboys' game (I always bet against Dallas).

Son's college friends - Scott & Beth - are hosting small get-together this year...
I'll head over if only to meet their 2-month-old daughter, Sienna.

Yes, let's give thanks for family, friends, and our undeserved good-fortune.

Happy Thanksgiving, with friends & family!

... regressing...

My apologies: I cannot celebrate the assassination of bin Laden or Qaddafi.

... these episodes take us back to 'might makes right'... we are no better than the warlords we pretend to deplore.

Political assassination, whether up close & personal or via Predator Drone, seems only to vindicate John Wilkes Booth & Lee Harvey Oswald: you got a problem with someone? No problem: kill him!

We - the so-called "leader of the free world" - WE! - are regressing.

I seem to recall that in the '70s of the last century, CIA interventions in the internal affairs of sovereign nations via political assassination was heartily condemned.
Great - now we don't do it covertly.
Rather, we celebrate it as open expression of MY country's "greatness".

Stop the madness!

Remembering Teresa...

… remarks delivered at her Memorial Service, 27 April 2011

“So, how did you meet Teresa?”

Teresa was my student…
Math 4110 – pre-calculus – University of Texas at El Paso, spring semester, 1980.
On the last day of class I invited the class to join me for pizza & beer at local pizza joint.
Teresa and her girlfriend were the only ones who showed up.
I asked her if she was available.
She said, “Yes”. (“… and, oh, by the way, I’ve got 2 kids…”)

On New Year’s Eve, 1980, I asked her to marry me.
She said, “Yes”. (… again)
She had the kindness to call me on New Year’s Day, 1981, to ask,

“Do you remember what you asked me last night?”

“Well, yes. Do you remember what you answered?”

We were married on August 22, 1981.

… and, oh yeah, … she got an “A” in the class.

Based on my one experience, I’m a big fan of marriage.
Teresa is the best thing that ever happened to me… my best friend, the love of my life.
The term ‘better half’ doesn’t come close to capturing her role in our marriage and her place in my life.

My theatrical biographies always include,

“Thanks to my charming wife, Teresa, for her continuing encouragement and support.”

Someone once challenged me: “Why charming?”
My reply was immediate:

“Well after all these years, I’m still enchanted.”

We had little in common.
She could – and did – spend endless hours on detailed cross-stitch.
Me? – no patience for detail.
(In retrospect – yes, big pictures are born of details… maybe I learned this from her.)

We both enjoyed reading… but, except for pulp detective fiction, our tastes did not coincide.
She liked sci-fi and fantasy. I’m a history buff.

Movies? Little in common…
… but we tolerated each other’s choices… most of the time.
… usually she had to call our son, Peter, to go the movies with her.

I got to complain about work to her… and to explain the detailed technical/statistical issues confronting me.
(I’m certain these detailed explanations simply fascinated her!)
Working on nuclear warhead reliability, she had little opportunity to discuss her work with me.
She did however once refer to the “IDT protocol” – the “Inadvertent Drop Test”.

… But, our marriage lasted 29.5 years… delightfully, lovingly.
I had hoped to celebrate our 30th anniversary together. Didn’t happen.

But that’s not what I want to talk about…

Though neither of us is particularly social, we nevertheless enjoyed hosting large social activities. For many years we hosted the annual Thanksgiving get-together for the extended family – almost all of whom are in town.
“Extended family” frequently included friends, and friends of friends.
One year we hosted more than 30 people…
… and Teresa insisted on seating everyone at one contiguous table.
Using every portable horizontal surface in the house, we managed it.

On the bright side, from that point forward, whenever she had reason to criticize me, I could remind her of ‘one contiguous table’.

But that’s not what I want to talk about…

What I want to talk about is one of our shared passions: travel.

… from family vacations when Peter & Faith were kids to business trips.
When the kids were kids, we trekked to Disney Land, Disney World, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, Toronto, and Indiana Dunes State Park.

When traveling, we shared a ‘come what may’ attitude.
On a camping trip to Indiana Dunes State Park, a 1.5 mile nature walk somehow turned into a 10 mile hike…
… the last 7 miles of which was in torrential rain.
Somehow we survived.
Peter and Faith quickly resigned themselves to misery and took the experience in stride.
(I’m not sure that Teresa & I were quite so … accepting!)

When we finally reached our camp site, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to town – to the Laundromat to dry clothes, and to McDonald’s for hot food.

After Peter & Faith left home, most of our ‘vacations’ were business trips on which one of us just tagged along.
Wherever we went we tried the ‘Mexican’ food.

Chile rellenos in Anchorage are square.
The Mexican food in Cannes on the French Riviera is almost inedible.
Enchiladas in Dublin are… interesting.
Tel Aviv has surprisingly tasty Tex-Mex.

‘Twas on a trip to Nice that I first realized just how weird it was to be married to a female nuclear engineer.
Teresa was attending a nuclear energy conference, representing Sandia Nat’l Labs.
I went along for the ride.
[aside: Teresa’s passport and wallet were stolen on this trip. The only thing that disconcerted her was the fact that the American Consulate folks could tell her when she arrived in Europe and when in Nice, and the name of the hotel we were staying at. This was the only time I saw her weirded-out while on travel: “How did they know all that stuff???”]
… anyway… back to just how weird it was to be married to a female nuclear engineer: the conference had organized ‘spouse tours’, visiting local attractions & restaurants, shopping.
I was the only male on the spouse tours. (… I’m not complaining)

While in Nice we spent long hours just wandering around, exploring neighborhoods.
I don’t know how many McDonald’s Nice has, but we found 5 of ‘em on our little treks.
… Teresa suggested we write a travel book: “All roads lead to McDonald’s”.
(never happened)

We’ve eaten at McDonald’s in Anchorage, AL; Nice, France; Tel Aviv, Israel; Dublin, Ireland; Rothenburg, Germany… and Sioux City, Iowa.

We sometimes rented a car.
Our protocol was simple: I drive, Teresa navigates.
This gave us each the opportunity to blame the other when we got lost.
We always got lost.
… then again, we seldom had a pre-determined itinerary, so it wasn’t always clear when we were lost
– “Well, here we are!”

[Sadly the advent of GPS technology in rental cars pretty much made it impossible for me to blame Teresa.]

For my first sabbatical with Intel, I took the two of us on an archeological dig at Caesarea, Israel – where St. Peter converted the centurion Cornelius, and St. Paul was imprisoned by the Roman governor, Felix. You may recall the scenes in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where the laborers are hauling sand and dirt in wheel-barrows. That is the job of unskilled volunteers on an archeological dig.
The work day started at 5 a.m., and ended at 2 p.m. to avoid the blazing heat of summer in Israel.
We were right on the Mediterranean, but were usually too exhausted to enjoy it.

On the flight home, Teresa suggested that SHE get to plan the next sabbatical.
Sadly, when that arrived Teresa was undergoing a rigorous chemotherapy regimen, and we got no further than Bandelier Nat’l Monument.

Finally…

The choir sang a beautiful setting of Psalm 100:

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
…
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving…

I commissioned this work about a year ago, in memory of Teresa. Today was the first time I heard it. It was beautiful. It expresses perfectly my feelings today…
… I will forever give thanks to the Lord for giving me Teresa, and our too-short time together…

… she’s my summer love in the spring, fall, and winter.

Teresa, I love you.