You Tell 'Em Mr. President!

In one of his first foreign policy moves, President Obama told the Islamic world, specifically the bad guys, “the Americans are not your enemy.” Thank you, Mr. President, for clearing that up. I'm glad we got that straight. Do you think any one was listening?

I have a question for the President, "What are you going to do when its clear that the Islamic world isn't listening, tell them again?"

An what will you do when the next wave of attacks occurrs on American soil or against American interests? Will you keep the pressure up until the terrorists want to talk or will you give them time to regain strength while we talk and they catch their breath?

I think asking the terrorists to talk is a noble idea, but do you think its effective against an enemy who's belief system doesn't allow bargaining with their faith? Negotiating takes two active participants, otherwise its called a monologue. If you're interested in giving a monologue I'd rather listen to Jerry Seinfeld.

Open Letter to the Leaders of Congress

To the Speaker of the House and he Senate Majority Leader:

You lead this country at an historic time. We face a deep depression, fight two wars far from our borders, and are unpopular with many abroad. How do you repair the "American" brand? President Obama is open to addressing problems in new ways and has promised the change we need. How are you going to work with him to solve the challenges facing this country?

Yes. You're going to have to work with the President. Last time I checked, the President was the acknowledged leader of the country.

I hope you're going to look forward and address the problems of the future rather than what you interpret as the problems of the last eight years. This talk of investigation the Bush Presidency to see if he broke the law is foolish. You will never uncover the evidence necessary to do what you want. You have bigger problems to tackle. Put aside your petty personal grievances and get today's job done.

And you have little time to accomplish this monumental list of work. History shows (I hope you're a student of history) Presidencies that start with a legislative majority soon lose that convenience at the mid term election. I think it has to do with the normal dissatisfaction we feel with the Presidency (why would anyone ever want that job?). So get to work. I'm surprised you haven't finalized the Economic Stimulus Bill, yet. What are you waiting for?

Sincerely,

AJ

P.S. Don't you think its a little greedy to take an automatic pay raise this year when economic times are so tough? Why don't you repeal that one and save us some money.

What do you see?

This weekend, Hamas agreed to a one-week cease fire in the latest battle of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. I was reading several articles about the conflict and wondering at the Israeli's restraint.

What do I mean? Imagine yourself in a country surrounded on three sides by enemies. Israel is surrounded by Hezbollah in south Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Fatah controled West Bank, Gaza (controlled by Hamas) and Egypt. Hezbollah is backed financially and militarily by Iran. Iran on its own wants Israel to be a smoking hole in the ground, but finds it more convenient to pay Hezbollah to fight its battle. Hamas gets military and financial help too from the Sunni branch of the Arab world. The only truely friendly neighbor is the Mediteranean Sea.

So imagine yourself sitting in the middle of this snake pit and one of your neighbors considers it their 'right' to indiscriminately lob rockets into your country. Please note, these rockets aren't aimed at military targets. The target is Israel, so like a good jihadist all you need to do it aim in an easterly direction and fire.

Israel is willing to negotiate with Hamas. Hamas was negotiating with Israel via Egypt. At the same time, Hamas sanctioned continued rocket attacks. Hamas is both the government of Gaza and a terrorist group.

So what do you do?

There is no way Israel can stop the rocket attacks directly. Israel already tried to negotiate and that just wasn't working. Israel's only real hope if to make the situation in Gaza so dire that the Palestinian people sue for peace. They made a good start of it, but I don't think they've gone far enough. The Hamas leadership does not have the self restraint to stop the rocket attacks. Only when the Palestinian people living in Gaza decry 'Enough!' will Hamas find the capacity to stop. And if they don't stop they may just find themselves alone in the street where the people used to welcome them indoors.

I don't believe that the indiscriminate killing of civilians is right however, Israel has shown restraint and was taken advantage of by Hamas. The law of war, yes, the law of war, says that both sides must comply. If one commits a barbarous act, then his enemy is allowed to retaliate.

Hamas is pushing the conflict towards total war. I think Israel is better equiped to wage a total war. Hamas may just die for their beliefs. I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope there is some sense in Hamas. We shall see.

The Big Tuesday

Its been a while since my last rant.

So here's what I'm thinking on the night before Super Tuesday.

I really hope my income taxes don't go up tomorrow. I think the $250,000 ceiling is about to get a lot lower in Obama's tax cut. As it stands now, the top 40% of the tax brackets generate 95% of the income tax revenue. Isn't that enough? Can't the other 60% of the U.S. bring in the remaining 5% of the revenue?

I hope we don't get to see the Obama/Biden response to a terrorist attack on the U.S. When Joe Biden warns us that the response from the White House would shock most Americans we should get ready to start learning how to speak other languages. I don't want the White House to be associated with white flags.

McCain's age and his "poor" health concern many. He's been healthy enough to campaign for 2 years and still be a contender despite all of the biased reporting against him. I have complete confidence in Sarah Palin to get the job done. A woman who can raise 5 kids and still find time to run a State government has her act together. I think her lack of experience in DC is a benefit and not a hindrance. Albert Einstein is famous for saying, "you can't fix a problem the same mind that created it." Sarah isn't burdened with a mind stuck in the "DC Paradigm."

Obama doesn't talk about winning the war in Iraq, he talks about ending it. That's pretty defeatist to me. Hey, didn't we hand over a big portion of the security situation in Iraq to the Iraqi government? I don't remember hearing about a big implosion in the Middle East. Sure smells like we're closing on a victory to me.

Obama already has the billions of dollars that we spend in Iraq promised to the American taxpayers for projects in this country. Don't forget that he's going to lower your tax rate and spend A LOT MORE OF YOUR MONEY. Sounds like some funny accounting practices there.

I work for the government and know firsthand how cumbersome the government can be when they get involved. The government always does things slowly, expensively and never well because they can't always get the best and brightest workers (I work for the government remember?). I don't want more government in my life.

Where has Joe Biden been in the last few weeks? Oh, he's been banished into obscurity because his famous mouth ran away with the real truth about the Obama platform. Kind of scary when they sideline the guy who got Obama this far because he gave us a candid look behind the curtain.

Tomorrow is a big day America. Don't blow it.

A Defining Moment

October 1 will be a defining moment for the Iraqi government. Oct 1 marks the day when control of the Sunni Awakening Councils pass from United States control to the government of Iraq. The Awakening Councils, former Sunni insurgents who decided to cooperate with the U.S. and fight Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQIM), have been a valuable member in the fight to save Iraq from chaos. After the sectarian fighting erupted, the Sunni's were getting soundly drubbed by the Shiite militias. Realizing that their survival was at stake, the Sunni's decided to become part of the solution and seek sanction with the U.S. The U.S. recognized the importance of this Sunni gesture and put the Awakening Councils onthe U.S. payroll.

So why is Oct 1 such a big deal? If the Iraqi government, which is dominated by Shiites, disbands the Sunni councils then the Sunnis may not have any other choice other than to become insurgents again. One of the most important steps in a counterinsurgency is reconciliation, bringing together opposing sides of the fighting and peacefully resolving the differences. If the Iraqi government maintains the Awakening Councils and absorbs them as part of the Iraqi forces then there is an enormous chance that Iraq can defeat AQIM and survive as a country. The wild card is whether the Iraqi government will make a decision to give their country a chance at peace and prosperity or descend into more sectarian violence. I can't honestly say what will happen. We'll just have to watch it happen this fall. I've got my fingers crossed, how about you?

Life is Hard When You Are Stupid

John Wayne was once quoted as saying "Life is hard. Life is even harder when you are stupid." Those words ring true for the people of Galveston Island, TX who made a concious decision to stay home during hurricane Ike despite a very bold warning by the National Weather Service and a mandatory evacuation order.

The National Weather Service made headlines by warning residents that to stay on the Texas coast was to court death. Ike was no joke and was bringing the power of Mother Nature was bringing a Texas-sized hurricane. Despite the warnings, thousands, even tens of thousands of people chose to stay in the barrier island communities to ride out the hurricane.

Barrier islands are made of sand. Sand does not stand fast in the face of water. Just ask the Israelis what water did to their big sand berm in the 1973 war. Wood frame buildings don't stand a chance against 10-20 foot waves. If you've ever been to the beach and played in the surf think back to the power that a 4-5 foot wave brings as it crashes on the beach. Those are 'gentle' waves. Waves that come ashore during a hurricane, driven by over 100 mph winds is one of the most powerful forces on the planet. By one account, a house on 16 ft pilings (yes, 16 ft above the ground) was lifted from its pilings by the waves of hurricane Ike.

Today we are seeing the 'survival' stories of the stupid who chose to stay behind despite all of the warnings. These people are being rescued at considerable expense (you are paying for their stupidity) and they are putting rescuers at risk to the hazards of Galveston Island. You'll also see stories of the hazardous slurry of chemicals and waste that are polluting GI. Rescuers have to repeatedly brave these dangerous conditions to bring out the 'victims.'

There really is no excuse not to evacuate. The State of Texas provided transportation out of the danger area and shelters for those who had no other place to go.

So when you read those stories about the horrors faced by the ass clowns who stayed behind remember that you are paying for their stupidity and the rescuers are putting their lives on the line for their stupidity. In hindsight, staying to ride out the storm is a selfish decision.

True Colors Shine Through

So Oprah refuses to have Gov Palin as a guest on her show. Oprah's reasoning is that she decided not to use her show to support political candidates since she declared her support for Obama. So if you have one of the largest daytime talk shows with an enormous viewing audience and you choose not to invite a political candidate on to discuss all sides of the issues, isn't that the same as using your show to support a candidate? Isn't a lie of ommision still a lie? I'd like to see Oprah invite Gov Palin on and discuss the issues. Maybe Oprah doesn't want her viewing audience to see her true colors. Is Oprah afraid that the public won't like what they hear and see? This may be the first crack in the 'O' empire. I find this position very interesting given that Oprah has quite a history of showcasing powerful women. Why, I wonder, would she not want to showcase 'this' powerful woman?

To me, the real statement is that Gov Palin represents a real and dangerous threat to the Democratic candidates. Opportunities for Gov Palin to speak in big venues with media coverage will only benefit the the McCain-Palin ticket. Her wholesome, down-home values rings true with most of America.

Its easy to forget that all of the country is not NY or LA. This is a hug country with most of the folks living in middle America. I think the thin veneer on Obama's message of change has rubbed off and the country is seeing a VP candidate who is is 14K solid gold . Stay tuned. This is going to be a good show.