The Arctic Sea

For our purposes, this Arctic Sea is not a body of water, but rather that which travels on a body of water. This is a  Russian manned cargo ship that last month disappeared on its way from  Finland to Algeria. The ship which subsequently was”found” by the Russian navy was supposedly carrying a load of timber.Countless theories by a number of experts  were offered. The ship  was involved in a commercial dispute of some kind, it was running drugs or perhaps it was carrying more sinister.

In all likelihood, the truth will probably never surface. The ship’s captain and crew have been detained as  have  the hijackers. Who is holding them, why the Russians of course. They also provide the official explanation. This was  a thwarted hijacking, the Russian navy at its best. At this point, we should remember that said navy has been  increasingly active in recent months.

The theory I like is that the Israelis intercepted the ship as  it  carried  a secret cargo of weapons to the Middle East. You know, Algeria, Arab country etc. An Estonian  admiral, Tarmo Kouts, who has a position with the European Union put forth this theory. The Russian response to this, Nyet.

But, to add juice to all this, one must note that Russian employed a significant number of military resources, just to retake a ship with a crew of 19. And there is  precedent for Israel to be concerned about Moscow’s dealing with Arab states and arms sales. On the Israeli side, neither the government nor Mossad would comment at all. Maybe we could learn from that. Don’t tell everything you know.

Remember the Winston Churchill statement about Russia many years ago.”Russia is a riddle wrapped in a  mystery inside an enigma.” True  then and still true today.

What You Need if You Go to Cuba

It isn’t that there is a mad rush of  people traveling to the Communist  paradise these days. But sometimes when one reads the comments made by some political leaders it would seem the place to be. The latest example but by no means the only is Rep. Diane Watson, D, CA( Los Angeles) Ms.Watson was  speaking at a health care town hall meeting and after she mentioned Rush Limbo, she had something to say about Cuba.

She spoke well of the Cuban health care system put in place by one Fidel Castro. She added that you can think whatever you want about Castro but he is one of the brightest leaders she has ever met. This presumably refers to  a trip made by she and other members of Congress earlier this year. Her comments were framed  in speaking about those who oppose Obamacare and thus seek to destroy a  president who resembles her. Admittedly, I am uncertain what opposing Obamacare has to do with with the Cuban health care system, unless they are similar. Are they? I fervently  hope that they are not.

Now, place this bit of  information about the greatness of Cuba next to her comments about its healthcare. Toliet paper in Cuba is manufacturd by a state-run  enterprise. This entity has just announced it has (no pun intended in the next phrase) run out of paper and money. Therefore, there will be severe shortages of this necessity until the end of this year. By then emergency  imports will have arrived. The potential  for comment just overflows does it not?

Not enough toilet paper, now that is a disaster in many ways. But, not to worry about our nearby neighbor, the Castro brothers are plunging into this issue to ensure that the pipeline is soon unclogged. In fact, the solution may already be available. In a recent interview, Fidel Castro praised Obama and blamed his troubles on “the extreme right” ; “the racist right” who are  out to wear him down and  get him out of the game one way or another  by blocking his program. So we hear from Sean Hannity.

Wonder if the President will send him an emergency supply of toilet paper as a thank you gift. Paging Joe Biden, need to pack for Cuba and carry some large suitcases.

I Probably Should Not Write This, But……

We all are aware by now of the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. His death at age 77 came after a valiant battle with cancer. That in itself is something that so many can identify with. Our heartfelt sympathies go to his family and those who counted him as a friend. I have noticed  a lot that has been written about his life and career in the days since his passing. Although I was on the opposite of the Senator on most political issues, I have no problem with much of what has been written. He served 47 years in the Senate, third longest ever and he  accomplished a great deal in that time.

The issue that is troubling me is some of the very over the top comments that have been written. I have  a theory about that which I will share  a bit later. Just read over a few of these comments and reflect on them as if you did not know who was being discussed. Said Alec Baldwin, he was a person our  country could  not have done without  because he was one who lived to become an effective and great political leader. Another take comes from columnist  Eugene Robinson about the prince who was destined to never become king. Mr Robinson called the 1980 concession speech at the Democratic National Convention  or at least its closing, ” as powerful and succinct a manifesto as any public figure in this country has ever delivered.” Ok. There is a bit more and admittedly I have a bit of trouble with this characterization of Mr Kennedy. “ …we sorely miss Kennedy’s moral clarity.”

The final one comes from the Huffington Post from  Melissa Lafsky. She   wondered what Mary Jo Kopechne would have thought of the Senator’s career and maybe  the  fact that her death in the accident was worth it. It was in a sense, that tragedy that simultaneously ended his bid for the presidency and pushed his Senate career on to the fast track, as it were.

Now for my theory. Sadly, his two older brothers, actually three, when you count Joe, Jr’s death in WWII, died tragically and young. There was not an opportunity for the nation to appropriately celebrate them and their accomplishments  without mourning how they died. Just a thought.

Doubtless, the Senator’s will affect the political landscape as well as the debate over his signature issue of health care reform. But there will be time for that and it need  not be over sensationalized.

On the Brillance of Dogs

As a public service and a continuation of my ongoing campaign to prove exactly how great dogs are, I bring you this story from Moscow.Or, if you will, canis lupus familiaris, the domestic dog. Man’s best friend, indeed. Or as we refer in our family to our departed golden retriever, just “himself”.

The story  from Moscow would surely make him proud, not surprised , but proud. Seems that biologist Andrew Poyarkov has studied  the habits of stray dogs and has discovered an interesting fact. They seem to have taught themselves to use the subway. Dogs who apparently live  outside of town have been catching a  ride  into town where they have an easier time  finding  food. At the end of the day, they catch a ride back home.  Poyarkov has noticed an almost uncanny ability in the dogs knowing which station and which train and at about what time.

I just love stories like this. They seem to come  more from England, but no matter. Oh, the questions that arise. How do they  get their tokens, do they have a multiple  use  pass? And if any of these are true, where do they keep the pass ?

You know, I am assuming this  is true since I have read mentions in more than one credible source. But even if it were a hoax, I  could care less. It is just a neat story. And remember, our President has Bo, the first dog, who often wanders through Air Force One. Wonder who cleans up after Bo if has an accident? I  am guessing Biden. If he isn’t , probably Gibbs or one of the spokespeople. Remember the President used the phrase “wee-weed up” recently. Probably inspired by Bo in action, ya think?

Wonder if they sit or stand, wonder if……… ?

“Shoot Low Boys, They’re Riding Shetland Ponies”

Yes, I was, am, I guess a fan of the late Lewis Grizzard, a southern author and humrist non pareil. I suppose I was introduced  to him when living in Georgia  in the late 70′s and early 80″s. I could always  get  a  laugh by just reading aloud  the names of his  books.  His columns  themselves  were always treasures. I learned that he was actually born in Ft Benning, next door to where we lived in Columbus. I knew from his writings that he suffered  from heart trouble,which was finally the cause of his demise at age 48.

Just recently, I piped up  about  one of his books at work and one of the guys I work with  exlaimed  how happy he was to learn he was not the only Grizzard fan in the world and would so inform his wife.

Now, after that overly long intro, I guess I should shed some light on my choice of that phrase for my title. I sort of put my own spin on things sometimes to have a phrase suit a  situation. And so it is this time. I have taken this title and doubtless used it in a way the author never intended. For me, in  a more or less humorous way, it means setting ones expectations low enough so that they are easily attainable.

Now, don’t jump to the conclusion that I have no high expectations, for surely there have been some along the way. But you must admit that low ones are easier to meet than the higher ones, each and every time.

A couple of examples might suffice. UNC  football has never attained the lofty heights of basketball. There have been some very good years,some great players( Julius Peppers, Lawrence Taylor, Don McCauley and of course Choo Choo Justice) but never  a period of excellence that was maintained for long. So we aim lower as fans and hope against hope that now is different and that Butch Davis will be the guy. I would use some work related examples from over the years, Suffice to say, they have existed.

Am I a pessimist, perhaps. Truly a glass that is half full has got to be half empty as well.  But in an  effort to fight that natural born pessimism, remember that the 2010 elections will be here soon enough. You are welcome.

Why Not Just Get Rid of It

Just announced this week, Attorney General Eric ( pardon Marc Rich) Holder will be conducting an investigation of the CIA. This comes after the President had said he wanted to move forward and not dwell on these things. However, in language eerily similar to that used by Bill Clinton in the Janet Reno days, Obama said that the investigation is Holder’s alone, not his deal at all. But in 2007, then Senator Obama came out for these same types of investigations. A bit of hypocrisy, it doth seem.

Anyway, no telling what these investigations might reveal, I have no doubt that Holder’s Justice Department contains people who would dearly love to turn this into something akin to  a witch hunt. That, I think, will  not happen. Methinks that the investigation, just  as the leaks have done to this point will do enough to infuriate conservatives but but so little as to infuriate liberals.

So, I have a solution. Just abolish the CIA. We in a civilized society don’t  need these rogues out terrorizing people in the name of information. They are always making mistakes and never have the right info anyway. What we can very easily do is to contract out our intelligence gathering program. It happens all the the time in business and government, why not intelligence. This is sort of how I envision it. Contract the job out by regions of the world. Have Mossad handle the task in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. In Europe, we might even have a choice. There is MI5 and  the French DGSE or General Directorate for External Security. That leaves most of Africa as well as Latin America and South America. I don’t know, Brazil maybe or Mexico could help. And just think of all the money we  would save. Don’t know the CIA budget, they probably don’t either. But I am sure that the savings would help pay for part of the health care reform. Gotta run, must  fax this to the Vineyard for Obama’s approval.

Tale of the Unknown Senators

Allow me to introduce  a couple of folks to you. They are  Senators  Richard Burr and Kay Hagan from North Carolina. Mr Burr is  a Republican from Winston Salem and was elected to his first term in 2004. Ms Hagan is  a Shelby, NC native and was elected to her first term in 2008. Both are in their mid 50′s  and seem to be pleasant looking people.

So why the basic info? It appears that the people of North Carolina are largely ambivalent  towards these fine public servants. A recent poll by  Public Policy Polling, a Raleigh, NC based political pollster,  surveyed folks in 14 states  to determine what  they thought about their U S  Senators.  Theydiscovered that an average of 33% of those polled in North Carolina had no opinion of how the senators were doing their job.

Now wonder what that means? Did they all know these people were  their Senators, did they care or are these two just invisible in Washington ? One might  say that the poll is particularly unfair to Ms Hagan who was just elected. But people seem to have opinions of Al Franken and Roland Burris who are very new senators. And Mr Burr hasn’t been around that long but look at Jim Webb,running all over the world.Burr and Hagan need a hook, something that identifies them to the voter. An issue of their own would be good, probably better than a new hairstyle or such.But what issue. Let us see. There is talk about the evils of soft drinks, swine flu is thundering in our direction. Just don’t know what  would fit them. It makes one  long for the days of  Sam Ervin.  Now there was  a  senator. Shucks, at least people knew John Edwards, he sort of made certain of that. States with Harry Reid and Chuck Shumer or Joe Lieberman just don’t know how fortunate they are. Maybe we could someone famous to run against Burr in 2010. Remember they don’t necessarily have to be from North Carolina so that really opens up the field. Remember that Alec Baldwin is thinking of taking on Lieberman. Wonder if Glenn Beck is busy right now?

In closing, one cautionary thought. It is 6:30 PM EDT. Do you know where your senators are?

I Want to Have it Both Ways Please

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Can you have your cake and eat it too? Along with those two momentous questions comes our title, courtesy of the President. As  you probably know, the First Family, including Bo the dog, has just arrived  at Martha’s  Vineyard for their vacation. Remember, the First Lady said they were just regular folks who just happen to have access to  a vacation home going for 35-50 big ones/ week.

Even Hurricane Bill moved on so as not to be  a problem. Well, it appears that the Prez doesn’t want the press to bother his children  or photograph them when they are not with him. Check this out, press aide Kate Lillie said that reporters violating  Obama’s instructions about telegraphing his movements via cell or text would be thrown out of  the press pool. Bet that landing would hurt.

Aha, there is more, always more. Spokesman Bill Burton said that there isn’ t going to be anything newsworthy anyway, so just relax guys. And the call for privacy comes just a few days after a cover article in Parade magazine with Obama  saying if he could be anything, he would be  a good father. That’s all well and good, hope that he is a good father but one must keep in mind that he ran for president knowing the intense media scrutiny of anything and everything. Should his children get the press coverage he gets, of course not. Should his wife, another question since she does solicit  coverage to a degree. Isn’t trying to prohibit press access a little like getting water to flow uphill?

If only more media folks could be like Chris Matthews who said it was his job to  further the success of this administration. Many of his colleagues must need a refresher course in that area.

The President and 141,000 of his Dearest Friends

On Tuesday of this past week, the President had  a couple of conference calls. No big deal, surely it happens frequently. These might have been a bit different from the norm. Both  dealt with health care reform, still no shocker. But this next is what really caught my eye. The first one went to 1,000 (Jewish) rabbis from across the country. The second was to some 140,000 ministers of presumably all denominations. Before I pursue the real issue, I had to think, wonder whose names are included. Anybody i know personally or by reputation? How were these names chosen, etc.

My limited research indicated that there are about 450,000 churches and around  4,000 synagogues in the United States. If those figures are reasonably accurate, then the referenced conference calls  covered a rather high percentage of the clergy.

So. what was the gist of these calls? Support his health care reform, ignore the”false witness” that is being spread(good religious term there) “knock on doors”, “spread the truth” and so on. I read on CBN  about the groups sponsoring the conference call. They include Faith in Public Life, PICO National Network, Sojourners, and Catholics in Aliance for the Common Good. They all tend to be(sorry for the label) on the more liberal side of the religious spectrum. In fact, Beliefnet ’s Michele McGintycalled it a  conference call with lefty evangelicals. So, we can presume no Franklin Graham, Charles Stanley, Gary Bauer , Charles Colson etc.

Sure, he can call he wants, it is his phone call, along with his Domestic Policy Director Melody Barnes. This entire thing struck me , I think, in two ways. It seems like a campaign event. Knock on doors, etc. Seems that the health care reform has become sort of like a political campaign. Danger, every major issue or program cannot become  a call to arms for the faithful. Hit the bricks, spread the word, mobilize the vote. Secondly, no word of separation of church and state. Paging Barry Lynn. Perhaps I am missing something but there was lots of biblical phraseology in his calls and the listeners are religious leaders and he is the President. Just a thought. And finally, does the composition of his audience subtly hint that  lefty evangelicals care about health care and thus  more about people  than their counterparts on the other end of the spectrum?

Perhaps he was just “preaching” to the choir. Hah!

I’m a Bit Surprised at the Outrage

The furor continues to mount over the  situation  of the terrorist released in Scotland by Justice Secretary Kenny McCaskill. FBI Director Robert Mueller fired off a strongly worded letter expressing his dismay at the action. Seems that  in 1991, Mueller was involved in the prosecution of one  Abdelbaset  Ali  Mohmet  al-Megrahi, aka the Lockerbie bomber. For those who don’t care for terrorist images or think we bring all terrorist acts on ourselves, perhaps it is no big deal. You will remember however  the horrific images of  Pan Am Flight 103 being blown up in  1988.

The above referenced individual was convicted and sentenced  in 2001 to serve 27 years for his role in the attack. Fast forward, he is now 57 and in failing health, with an estimated 3 months to live. The Scottish justice system has deemed it the compassionate thing to do to send him home to? Yes Libya, where he received a hero’s welcome. Sure he would, even though Obama called the welcome ” highly objectionable. ” Wonder what he expected from fearless leader  Qaddaffi beside  a welcome home hug.

Hang on, it gets much better.The Scots fired back at Mueller, saying that the Scottish system of justice had a   sense of compassion which was lacking in the US  system. Contrast that with Mr McCaskill’s statement that he was ” conscious that there are deeply held feelings and that many will disagree    with whatever my decision. ” There is more. There were many individuals who expressed disagreement and supposedly so did our government. But Mr McCaskill through a spokesman said he consulted with victims families, Secretary Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder, Mueller’s boss. It appears that Mr Holder did not consult with Mr Mueller.

Now, did  his conviction and temporary  imprisonment bring back any victims, of course not. Did it help them at all, maybe. Rest assured that his release did them no good whatsoever.  Finally, does it send any sort of message to those who might be inclined to do this sort of thing  at some point in the future? Just wondering. Oh yes, the British goverment took great offense that there ws some type of economic quid pro quo.