Republican Leaders Should Take Note

This just in - as a life long Republican who voted for Barack Obama, I understand what Arlen Specter has done today. He changed to the Democratic party because of the movement of the Republican Party to the far right.

"Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right," Specter said in a statement posted by his office on PoliticsPA.com.
"Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

That should scare the Republican leadership into rethinking their direction.

Wow - The American Competitive Spirit Lives!

First - what a crash! This is one of many reasons why NASCAR is so popular. Click this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXwpsaHueUk&feature=player_embedded

What I think is also interesting is the alive and well American competitive spirit - Carl Edwards running to the finish line. Wow. Totally reasonable.

I also want to know who built that fence that kept that car out of the crowd? Perhaps he/she should be hired to rebuild bridges in Minnesota or streets in NY city.

5 Who Need to Be Fired

Here are 5 people who need to be fired. I hate for any one to lose their job, but some people are simply not fit for service. Apparently 5 members of congress, democrats all, decided to go to a rally-demonstration in regard to Darfur.

Darfur - nasty business to be sure - is a popular place/or for demonstration.

Here they are:
Members of Congress arrested were Donna Edwards; Jim McGovern; John Lewis, a veteran of the civil rights movement in the 1960s; Keith Ellison, the only Muslim member of Congress; and Lynn Woolsey.

"Anticipating arrest, Edwards and her colleagues hired a defense lawyer, Laura Rhodes, before the protest, the Edwards spokesman said."

Don't we have real problems here in the U.S. that congress is supposed to be working on and offering solutions? Totally unreasonable to waste time at a rally and to build in time to be arrested.

Hmmm - Where is Dorothy?

This has nothing to do with reasonableness. Just an interesting picture.

Look Forward

President Obama should continue to look forward with blinders and use his bully pulpit to make the democratic controlled congress to do the same. This concept of going back and prosecuting officials for authorizing torture isn't going to help the U.S. Obama knows that it will become a political bonanza. So he encourages congress to not hold hearings but to bring in an independent group to look at it. Sounds good - won't work. Just skip it completely.

They made decisions in a tough time. Period. Is it is disconcerting that Condoleza Rice authorized torture? Yes, it is. Yet, for a person of her caliber and smarts to do so says volumes about how high the stakes were.

I believe we would be best served to not torture people in general, but these terrorists do want to kill us. In the mean time, if we aren't going to torture going forward, good. But let the past be the past.

To Apologize or Not?

Barack Obama has been busy going out in the world and trying to build or repair major relationships. Seems like a good idea in a world filled with people who dislike or more likely hate us.

However, the question is - is he too apologetic for our real or perceived past transgressions? Does it make us look weak? Does it taint our past?

Interesting questions. The problem with such questions are the answers are too easily politicized. You can guess where the majority of the people will fall on the answer scale based on how they voted.

I know one person who voted for Obama and feels uncomfortable with him being so apologetic. I, as I stated clearly, voted for him also and feel that it is politically expedient to be apologetic. By thinking that way, I don't have to analyze how I feel about it emotionally. It simply needs to be done. Sort of the "agree to disagree" sales method. In other words, tell the world you understand why they are upset (we didn't help Palestine, Mexico, we use 40% of the worlds resources, etc.) and then tell them how we are all going to work together going forward.

It is hard to dislike someone who diffuses a situation by beginning with, "you are right....."

In the end, what matters is his ability in 4 years to get the world's leaders to help move the world economy, keep us safe from terrorists, etc. If apologizing is the beginning, then so be it. If 4 years from now he is successful he will most assuredly be reelected. If not, he may or may not be reelected. After all, we reelected George W. and he was a disaster by the end of his first term

Assault Rifles

In 2004, then President George Bush, allowed the assault-rifle ban to expire. Since then, it is reported that the number of these devices in Mexico has soared. Think of all the border violence that is being reported as well.

President Obama was pressured by Mexican President Calderon to again ban assault rifles. Apparently the President isn't inclined to do so because he doesn't want an unnecessary battle with the right-wing conservative nut jobs and the NRA. He has enough on his plate.

I understand the political realities. Plus, assault weapons in Mexico, don't seem so bad. It is after-all their country. Easier to think that by the way if you don't live in a border state where the violence spills over.

Instead of thinking of Mexico, think Columbine H.S. 10 years ago students were mowed down at this H.S. Think Virginia Tech, just 2 years ago.

As I have always stated in this blog, and truly believe, Americans should be allowed to own guns. Seems unquestionably protected by the constitution. Clearly the framers of the constitution were gun owners. They used them for hunting, sport, protection.

Assault rifles? They didn't exist 230 years ago and probably not even envisioned. Seems like a simple ban should be again instituted.

Home Grown Terror

Homeland Security apparently created a report and in that report indicated that returning military personnel might be susceptible to being recruited into right wing terror groups. Even if you thought it, it probably shouldn't have been put in a report that was sent around the country.

Clearly they have Tim McVeigh in mind or this type of disenfranchised "love of country" terrorist. Janet N. has apologized for the language but correctly points out that they are required to look at all threats.

Tough spot for HLS but Janet is an attorney and a politician and should know better than to let that out or to do only after talking to the Vets.

She gives the blow-hards fodder for not thinking before acting. Then, instead of solving problems, congressman can be bitching and having hearings and posturing and wasting time in general.

Think Janet - we just saw 8 years of no thinking and the terrible, tragic results.

Illegal Immigrants and the Census

Hmmm. There is no reasonable side to this one.

Illegal immigrants are threatening to not participate in next year's census in order to punish the states in which they live. As I said, hmmm.

That we count them in the first place seems loony to me. If we can count them, we can find them. If we can find them, they should be shipped home - it is the law - they are ILLEGAL.

Only in America could we have this kind of situation. Totally unreasonable - all of it!

Polling Us to Death

This morning it was reported that 80% of the public is worried about the economy and their personal finances. Hmm.

As my lovely wife Laurie pointed out, "I don't believe that for a minute." Her observation is dead on......the wait at the restaurant on Friday night was 45 minutes. People are still going out to dinner. They are still going to sporting events - there were 16K people at the Coyotes' game last night, and they aren't going to make the playoffs. There were another 33K folks at the Dbacks game also.

Does the press, and the poll takers for that matter, really help when they report this? I suppose it is news but does it have to dominate the front page of a major newspaper? Perhaps they could have used something like "Christians around the world feel hope on Easter morning" or something like that instead.

Happy Easter!

It would appear that the two major christian holidays are now completely ignored - victims of PC. A review of the NY Times, LA Times, and Chicago Tribune headlines this morning, as well as that of the AZ Republic, shows no mention of Easter. Oh how the times have changed.

Perhaps those of another faith, or no faith at all, are happy not to be offended by words that have varying degrees of meaning to about 90% of the U.S. population.

I was in Connecticut earlier this week on a very brief business trip (beautiful place by the way - though it did snow for a few minutes.) I was picked up by a shuttle driver in White Plains, NY and he drove me to Fairfield, CT. He didn't say much, except this little gem.......

When asked why rush hour traffic wasn't too bad he said, "It is Easter break from school so many people aren't working this week." I responded that the term "Easter break" reminded me of when I was a kid and that it is PC to use the term "spring break."

His response? "I fear that we are losing our way." This from a man I hadn't exchanged 100 words with and had a mild eastern European accent; he has been in CT for a long time.

"I fear that we are losing our way." I am not paraphrasing, but quoting, because the words really stuck with me.

While greeting each other with a "Happy Easter" will not suddenly show us our way, I still contend it feels good anyway.

Happy Easter!

Photos of Returning War Dead

The rules on taking photographs of returning war dead have been relaxed. Today a photo was taken of a young man's coffin for the first time in 18 years. It was at the family's discretion which is reasonable.

The Pentagon says that at least 4,262 U.S. service members have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Totally unreasonable!