tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71762099487498358772024-02-18T20:00:26.104-08:00Stag's LeapThe Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-72885001168177263122008-10-23T15:37:00.000-07:002008-10-23T15:50:14.557-07:00Goldman Trims Workforce<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs will cut 10 percent of its workforce, or about 3,260 jobs, a source familiar with the investment bank's plans told CNN Thursday.<br />The bank was one of eight leading banks in the United States that signed up for a government plan that would invest up to $250 billion in ailing financial institutions.<br />Sources familiar with the bailout plan said in mid-October that Goldman Sachs stood to receive $10 billion of that money to help stabilize the former stand-alone investment bank.<br />Goldman and Morgan Stanley got approval in September from the Federal Reserve to function as bank holding companies due to the financial crisis.<br />The move allows both institutions to create commercial banking operations that can take deposits.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Source: <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/10/23/goldman.sachs.job.cuts/index.html?iref=mpstoryview">http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/10/23/goldman.sachs.job.cuts/index.html?iref=mpstoryview</a><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Author: CNN (New York)<br />The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IP</span></span> contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><strong>Stag's Leap Commentary:</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">It seems that no one is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">immune</span> to this current situation. I know, shocking analysis isn't it? That being said, this is not unexpected. Despite their strong reputation and knack for surviving in the roughest of times, the markets are not favorable to investment banking performance - internal hedge funds are liquidating positions, the equity capital markets are closed; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">vc</span> exits are limited; the debt capital markets are closed; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">mez</span> debt is struggling; sales and trading is suffering; and M&A valuations are coming back down to earth. These performance issues necessitate action if Goldman wants to preserve their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">EPS</span> and their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">share price</span>. Fortunately (I suppose), these cuts do not come as a complete shock as the rest of the industry has already (and continues) to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">struggle</span>, downsizing staff across the board. For example - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Cowen</span> & Co. laid off half of their SF first year analysts, just two months into their service. Hard times call for hard measures. And, on another fortunate note, at least these layoffs did not come any closer to the holiday season than this. </span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-40037841756571312622008-10-23T08:57:00.001-07:002008-10-23T09:01:47.841-07:00The Left Has Zero Respect for the Military and Plays Games with Soldiers' Lives<span style="font-size:78%;"></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Source: </span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122471885255160613.html"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122471885255160613.html</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Author: Robert F. Turner<br />About the Author: Mr. Turner is a constitutional scholar who served as acting assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs in 1984-85.<br />The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>From the Beirut Bombing to 9/11</strong><br /><em>Liberal assaults on the executive branch have made us vulnerable.</em></span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Twenty-five years ago today a terrorist truck bomb in Beirut, Lebanon, killed 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers, and wounded more than 100 others. Had it not been for crass political partisanship, and efforts by Sen. Joe Biden and other congressional liberals to usurp the constitutional powers of the president, the loss of life in Beirut may have been avoided.<br /><br />In part because it did, Osama bin Laden concluded that America could not accept casualties and ordered the 9/11 attacks. Similar congressional usurpation of presidential power over foreign intelligence played an important role in guaranteeing the success of those attacks.<br /><br />This story goes back at least to November 1973, when congressional liberals pushed through the War Powers Resolution -- which claimed congressional control over all use of military force abroad -- overriding a presidential veto. (All seven American presidents since then have shared the view that that statute is unconstitutional.)<br /><br />President Reagan sent the Marines to Beirut as part of a multinational peacekeeping operation that included forces from Great Britain, Italy and France. The purpose was to help maintain peace while the feuding factions tried to negotiate an end to years of strife. Nevertheless, Democrats -- particularly in the Senate -- decided to turn the deployment into a partisan issue in preparation for the 1984 elections. They demanded under the War Powers Resolution to know exactly when the troops would return home.<br /><br />Gen. P.X. Kelley, the commandant of the Marine Corps, respectfully cautioned the Foreign Relations Committee that a partisan debate about placing time limits on the deployment would encourage hostile forces inimical to the "life and limb of the Marines." Senior Democrats denounced this warning as a "ludicrous argument" designed to "intimidate the Congress and to frighten the American people."<br /><br />Referring to the assertion that the Senate debate would encourage attacks on Marines, Sen. Biden said, "My response to that is that may be true . . . but until we . . . invoke the War Powers Act," we are always going to be "beaten over the head by every administration that says 60 days is not enough time." In the end, only two Senate Democrats voted on Sept. 29, 1983, to "authorize" the continued deployment.<br /><br />Syrian Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam announced during the congressional debate that America was "short of breath." And as reported in U.S. News & World Report, American intelligence intercepted a message between two radical Muslim militia groups that read: "If we kill 15 Marines, the rest will leave." At sunrise on the morning of Oct. 23, 1983, a terrorist truck bomb crashed into the Marine Headquarters in Beirut and exploded. Early the following year, the surviving Marines were withdrawn.<br /><br />During a 1998 interview with an ABC News reporter in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden declared that this withdrawal proved Americans can't accept casualties. It was obviously a consideration in his decision to order the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But the conventional wisdom, that those deadly attacks resulted from "an intelligence failure," doesn't tell the full story.<br /><br />A major reason we failed to detect the 9/11 attacks in advance was because, beginning in the 1970s, Congress launched a major public attack on the intelligence community. Mr. Biden, for example, was one of 17 senators to vote on Oct. 2, 1974, to make all covert operations (even espionage in some cases) unlawful. In 1986, he bragged in a New Republic interview that he'd personally blocked planned covert operations during the Reagan administration simply by threatening to leak them. (That statement calls to mind John Jay's observation, in Federalist No. 64, that because Congress could not be trusted to keep secrets, the Constitution left the president "able to manage the business of intelligence as prudence might suggest.")<br /><br />In 1978, Congress continued its intrusion into presidential powers by enacting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), making it a felony for intelligence professionals to monitor communications between foreign terrorists abroad and individuals within the U.S. without first getting a special warrant. But in a unanimous opinion, the appellate court established by FISA observed that every court to decide the issue had held the president has "inherent authority" under the Constitution "to conduct warrantless searches to obtain foreign intelligence information," adding: "We take for granted that the President does have that authority . . ."<br /><br />Congress failed to anticipate in FISA the dangers posed by a terrorist like Zacarias Moussaoui -- which is why FBI agents were unable to examine the contents of Moussaoui's laptop computer and perhaps prevent the 9/11 attacks. Michael Hayden, then Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), later expressed his "professional judgment" that had these legal constraints (FISA) not existed "we would have detected some of the 9/11 al Qaeda operatives in the United States" prior to the attacks, and "we would have identified them as such."<br /><br />As we pause today to honor the memory of the 241 brave young Marines who lost their lives in 1983, Americans should vow that political partisanship should never again be permitted to endanger our country and its armed forces. </span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-19949237055689396262008-10-22T13:23:00.001-07:002008-10-22T13:38:56.591-07:00Beauty Pagent Title Goes up in a Purple Haze<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwQBhcdvDSWIcUTgfgEA0plD8qBqdr8ayP1VAb5BxbiNysOGlIea9eY7oEdjGgkxtV-qYVlp32bzUnZNHfaScxaxz6M4Ytph3RQYTszYeH7zEFCLF-_zJkSbLKwp0ZpATpZabnGp-pQe3/s1600-h/pic+2.jpg"></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260076913717487586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUKkaTbxQ_iW8SUSVMzoEXyRvXcxx9r5sQh0fFAc0XkkH_xykaCwr45Um8Mjc7e5HnCYQkM89ealy15A8VYIK76Olt7iQjh4FtirWQ7pYL1MyTB3DTrJ0g0FMx5KSlXiZQHfNToRatbdY/s400/pic.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">updated 8:59 a.m. PT, Wed., Oct. 22, 2008<br /></span><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Reigning Miss Louisiana Teen USA Lindsey Evans has been stripped of her crown after being arrested for marijuana possession and skipping out on a restaurant tab. </span></div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><div>"Lindsey Evans has been part of an organization that believes in opportunities when earned and consequences when warranted,” Paula Miles, president of pageant sponsor RPM, said in a statement. “Due to recent circumstances, Lindsey has been relieved of her duties as Miss Louisiana Teen USA 2008 effective immediately.” </div><div>Evans, 18 and three of her friends walked out on a $46.07 bill at the Posados Café in Bossier City, La., on Saturday night. But Evans made a crucial misstep — she left her purse behind. </div><div>Police were called, and according to them, they found not only her driver’s license, but also a bag of marijuana in her purse. </div><div>Evans and her friends — Jordan James, 18, Jennifer Martin, 22, and Morgan Goleman, 18 — returned to the restaurant to retrieve the purse, just as officers were about to leave the scene. </div><div>“One of the officers recognized Evans from her identification, and they were subsequently arrested,” police spokesman Mark Natale told TODAYshow.com </div><div>Natale said that the women admitted that they purposely left without paying their bill, though at least one of the women blamed the restaurant. </div><div>“The service was so slow, we just said, ‘screw it’ and left,” Martin told the New York Post. </div><div>All four were booked on charges of theft and possession of marijuana. Martin and James were also booked for possession of drug paraphernalia. </div><div>The women were released after posting bond early Sunday morning, and Natale said they are expected to be arraigned in Bossier District Court in January. </div><div>Evans, of Blanchard, La., is a student at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., and won the 2008 crown after being first runner-up in 2007. </div><div>Since the pageant’s 2008 first runner-up will be competing for the 2009 crown, there will be no one to fill Evans’ shoes. Michelle Berthelot, the current Miss Louisiana USA, will crown both the winners of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. </div><div>Evans lost the crown 10 days shy of completing her reign, which would have ended November 1.<br /></div></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">Source: </span></em><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27321165/"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27321165/</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></em></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">;Associated Press; MSNBC / Today<br />Author: Vidya Rao & Associated Press<br />The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</span></em> </p></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-57226972926420326092008-10-22T12:27:00.001-07:002008-10-22T12:29:59.962-07:00Naive Obama Strikes Again<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Source: </em></span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122463140573756495.html"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122463140573756495.html</em></span></a><em><br /></em><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Author: Wall Street Journal<br />The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes</em>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Barack Obama's declaration that, if elected, he would be willing to sit down and talk to Iran "without preconditions" has been widely discussed in this country. It's a key policy difference between him and John McCain, who rejects unconditional talks with Tehran.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br />So what does the Islamic Republic think? The enterprising reporters at the state news agency recently asked a high-ranking official for his opinion on talks with the U.S. As it turns out, Iran has its own "preconditions" and they don't suggest a diplomatic breakthrough, or even a summit, anytime soon.<br /><br />Mehdi Kalhor, Vice President for Media Affairs, said the U.S. must do two things before summit talks can take place. First, American military forces must leave the Middle East -- presumably including such countries as Iraq, Qatar, Turkey and anywhere else American soldiers are deployed in the region. Second, the U.S. must cease its support of Israel. Until Washington does both, talks are "off the agenda," the Islamic Republic News Agency reports. It quotes Mr. Kalhor as saying, "If they [the U.S.] take our advice, grounds for such talks would be well prepared.<br /><br />Iran is one of the toughest and most urgent foreign policy problems the new U.S. Administration will face. If Mr. Obama ends up in the Oval Office on January 20, he may find that solving it will take more than walking into a room and talking to Iranians "without preconditions."</span><br /></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-6443235975337292422008-10-22T11:15:00.000-07:002008-10-22T11:51:29.770-07:00Cindy Sheehan = Insane Conspiracy Theorist / Left-Wing Kook<span style="font-family:arial;"><strong></strong></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Source: <a href="http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1590/t/2705/blog/comments.jsp?key=346&blog_entry_KEY=21129&t">http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1590/t/2705/blog/comments.jsp?key=346&blog_entry_KEY=21129&t</a>= </span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">; <a href="http://www.cindyforcongress.org/">http://www.cindyforcongress.org/</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Author: Cindy Sheehan, et al </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Sheehan Blog Entry:</strong><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The past few weeks have been a little strange at Cindy for Congress and, I guess the things that have been happening could just be coincidences, or a run of bad luck, but the climate for the possibility of campaign hanky-panky certainly exists. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Campaigns have been compromised since the beginning of campaign history, but these days with legal warrantless wiretapping and political party conventions sponsored by AT&T and the constant call of "all hail to my political party" and obeisance to the banksters above what's good for our nation, maybe what's been happening on my <span style="font-family:arial;">campaign isn't coincidental or "Mercury retrograde," or whatever.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Starting with the necessity of "changing a light bulb" (bugging my phone) in my hotel phone at the DNC (brought to you by AT&T) while I was out of the room, Cindy for Congress has had an increasing number of attacks. Two weeks ago, we were begged by organizers of a "radical" music festival called "We the People(Sheeple)" forbade me from speaking after having begged me to be there. An article in LA Beat said that the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigoso was involved in the decision to silence my voice. Not only did we go down to L.A. at our own expense, but also we took an entire day of valuable campaign time to do so. </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The past week, though, has been incredibly trying. First of all we had to file a restraining order against a former volunteer whom, with hindsight, we now know was probably spying on us for the Pelosi camp. After we let this person go, his emails to us became increasingly hostile and threatening. After that happened, the tail lights in our campaign-mobile were busted out (the campaign mobile that has Cindy for Congress signs all over it and pictures of it were in an AP story.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Towards the end of the week, four young men walked into our office and they were acting quite suspiciously as they pretended to be registering to vote. One of our interns was helping them when I heard her yell: "No! Stop!" I heard an awful noise and ran out of my office to see the young men run off. They had grabbed one of our computers (leaving a jar of donations on the front desk) and beat our intern over the head when she tried to stop them. Our front windows are almost totally covered with signs and posters and it would be hard to see what we have from the street…we did, thankfully, recover the computer which has sensitive material on it and we are even more thankful that Somer is okay. (She's tough like her boss).</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">After several days of harassment, I got home late one night to discover a jury summons in my mailbox. I have been summoned to jury duty the week of, you guessed it, the elections!</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The final (and in my opinion worse) weird thing happened on Saturday night. We had scheduled a group of "robo" calls to go out today (Monday, Oct 13). At 10:30 Saturday night, we started getting phone calls and emails blasting us for sending out the calls at 10:30 on a Saturday night, which is not only illegal, but extremely annoying. The company had approached us to donate 10,000 calls to us and then was charging us a small fee for the rest of the calls. 38,000 early/absentee voters received this call and my office has been overwhelmed with angry voters who won't be voting for me now and some of the good will that we have been building here in San Francisco for the last year went down the drain in just a few minutes. Was it just a "glitch" in the system, as the owner of the robo-call company claims, or overt sabotage of the campaign? Isn't it sad that we have to be paranoid about all of this? To be sure, our office is in a rough part of town, but the frequency of the harassment is certainly intensifying.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">The stakes are high and I have a feeling "they" won't stop at anything to assure that the tyranny of incumbency continues.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Selected Comments (ie her nutty followers):</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">I worked on Nader 2004. Everything you describe sounds very familiar to what happened to Ralph...very Democratic [big D]. Hey, Cindy, you're in the same league as Ralph Nader! CONGRATULATIONS! </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">AT&T and other telco giants have sworn before Congress to keep their distance from "deep packet inspection," or DPI, which allows network managers to inspect, track and target Internet content. But these execs aren't telling the public the whole truth about their Web-filtering plans. Timothy Karr, SavetheInternet.com </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">That shows Nancy as pathetic. She is desparate to keep her job. Nancy knows she will lose. She knows more and more Americans are on your side and not her's.Nancy is a dishonest person. She does not care about Jesus or anything period. Nncy is only in this for the power of the job, not for public service aspect of it. Nancy wants the power and is desparate to keep it because she knows all of her taxes will be struck from the IRS taxcode. Nancy wants to continue her oppression of the American people. She is determined always to raid the Social Security trust fund and blow all of that money on pork projects. We are dealing with a thief here and that's exactly what Nancy is. She tells her Democrats to disregard the constitution. Nancy is helping them raid the Social Security trust fund as well.She is a criminal. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our Rude treatment in LA. Invite a candidate to speak at a major rally, only to arrive and get ZERO help from anyone at the festival, only to find out you can't speak at the event! great! Waste the campaign funds for us with a BS stunt by the Democratic party, who donated THOUSANDS to the event we we're "asked" to attend. Pelosi and their lot are PATHETIC. We will bring them down, together. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Wish I still lived in there so I could be more involved. You are at the level of Kucinich, Wellstone and Nader now, as others have said. You know what it feels like to do the heavy lifting. We have infiltrators in our Quaker and environmental meetings all the time, and all our phones are bugged. As you know, many people who call themselves activists, such as the so-called activists at the LA rally, are really in this for themselves and to further their reputation and to perhaps run for office themselves, but they can't. They find it easier to hassle their own side than to actually do something risky. A common story if you have been active. I sincerely recommend your staffers get you some acupuncture while campaigning. It will help you through the stress, re-set your mind and protect your vital organs. There are many who many offer special treatment for you, based upon the good you do and who you are. Just ask. I also recommend it to all politicos. We are going to need our strength. Things are quickly changing. Halloween is here. Cindy-- You always have the best blogs, worth reading. You can take the worthless Democratic pundits and shove them. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Cindy you are a champion for all the common people. I have no respect for these democratic shills and as mentioned previously Pelosi is a plutocrat and traitor to all the people except for the superrich whom she serves. Thanks also to Mckinney and Nader who continue to fight for us despite the trashing and abuse they receive from the demorats and their allies. We must build a powerful movement that Cynthia Mckinney has proposed to counter the repulsive corporate mess and to gain a true democracy. WE CAN DO IT! </span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-82496620643746656462008-10-22T08:17:00.000-07:002008-10-22T08:52:15.522-07:00SF Keeps Walking the Line of Insanity<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Source: </span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27306120/">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27306120/</a>; Associated Press<br />Author: Not Available<br />The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><br />updated 3:03 p.m. PT, Tues., Oct. 21, 2008<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">SAN FRANCISCO</span></p></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">In this live-and-let-live town, where medical marijuana clubs do business next to grocery stores and an annual fair celebrates sadomasochism, prostitutes could soon walk the streets without fear of arrest.<br /><br />San Francisco would become the first major U.S. city to decriminalize prostitution if voters next month approve Proposition K — a measure that forbids local authorities from investigating, arresting or prosecuting anyone for selling sex.<br /><br />The ballot question technically would not legalize prostitution since state law still prohibits it, but the measure would eliminate the power of local law enforcement officials to go after prostitutes.<br /></span></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Proponents say the measure will free up $11 million the police spend each year arresting prostitutes and allow them to form collectives.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">"It will allow workers to organize for our rights and for our safety," said Patricia West, 22, who said she has been selling sex for about a year by placing ads on the Internet. She moved to San Francisco in May from Texas to work on Proposition K.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Measure faces an uphill battle<br /></strong>Even in tolerant San Francisco — where the sadomasochism fair draws more than 400,000 tourists and a pornographic video company is housed in a former armory — the measure faces an uphill battle, with much of the political establishment opposing it.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Some form of prostitution is already legal in two states. Brothels are allowed in rural counties in Nevada. And Rhode Island permits the sale of sex behind closed doors between consenting adults, but it prohibits street prostitution and brothels.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">In 2004, almost two-thirds of voters in nearby </span>Berkeley rejected decriminalization. But proponents of Proposition K say their proposal has a better shot in San Francisco, which they believe is more sexually liberal than the city across the bay.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">After all, the world's oldest profession has long been established here. During the Gold Rush, the neighborhood closest to the piers was a seedy pleasure center of sex, gambling and drinking known as the Barbary Coast.<br />These days, on certain corners, prostitutes sell their bodies day and night, ducking into doorways and alleys when police pass by. One recent afternoon in the Mission District, six prostitutes were plying their trade on a single block.<br />Police made 1,583 prostitution arrests in 2007 and expect to make a similar number this year. But the district attorney's office says most defendants are fined, placed in diversion programs or both. Fewer than 5 percent get prosecuted for solicititation, which is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><strong>A magnet for prostitution?<br /></strong>Proposition K has been endorsed by the local Democratic Party. But the mayor, district attorney, police department and much of the business community oppose the idea, contending it would increase street prostitution, allow pimps the run of neighborhoods and hamper the fight against sex trafficking, which would remain illegal because it involves forcing people into the sex trade.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The San Francisco Chronicle editorialized against the measure, saying it could make the city a magnet for prostitution.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">If the proposal passes, "we wouldn't be able to investigate prostitution, and it's going to be pretty difficult for us to locate these folks who are victims of trafficking otherwise," said Capt. Al Pardini, head of the police department's vice unit. "It's pretty rare that we get a call that says: 'I'm a victim of human trafficking' or 'I suspect human trafficking in my neighborhood.'"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The proposition would also prohibit police from accepting federal or state funds for sex trafficking investigations that involve racial profiling. Such investigations often arise from raids on brothels that advertise as Asian massage parlors.<br />"We feel that repressive policies don't help trafficking victims, and that human rights-based approaches, including decriminalization, are actually more effective," said Carol Leigh, co-founder of the Bay Area Sex Workers Advocacy Network and a longtime advocate for prostitutes' rights.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">A question of neighborhood safetyBut San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris said the ballot question mistakenly assumes prostitution is a victimless crime.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">"The crime of prostitution does not exist by itself," Harris said. "Along with it come pimps, johns and other crimes that really impact the safety of neighborhoods."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">If the measure passes, supporters say, prostitutes would not feel the need for pimps as protection. But opponents insist it would embolden pimps who trap drug addicts into prostitution by plying them with drugs.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">"The proponents usually paint a fairly rosy picture of two consenting adults and a monetary exchange at the end," Pardini said. "They don't factor in the people that are being exploited and people that are being controlled, the ones manipulated both physically and chemically."</span><br /><br /><em><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<br /></span></em>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-63572374314898314502008-10-21T12:36:00.000-07:002008-10-21T12:57:04.789-07:00Senator Biden Points Out the Obvious<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Source: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122452286805950719.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122452286805950719.html</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">; and the always quote-worthy Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Biden</span>.<br />Author: James <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Taranto</span><br />The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">IP</span> contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.<br />The author of Stag's Leap would also like to thank Senator <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Biden</span> for stating the case against Obama more clearly and more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">succinctly</span> than the GOP has been able to do for the entire campaign.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">If the prospect of an Obama presidency doesn't make you nervous, Joe Biden's latest comments, reported by ABC News</span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#000000;">, may change the way you feel:<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>"Mark my words," the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."<br /><br />"I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate," Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. "And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you--not financially to help him--we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."<br /></em><br />As Commentary's Jennifer Rubin </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">notes, this adds up to a pretty good argument for electing a president who is experienced and tough--i.e., John McCain. "This is material for an ad that's a lot more credible than Hillary Clinton's '3 a.m.' ad," observes Rubin. "That one came from his arguably frantic opponent–this one is from his running mate."<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">..... Biden's comments yesterday, by contrast, make one wonder why Obama chose as his running mate someone with a propensity for running off his mouth.<br /><br />In an odd way, Biden's gaffe is reassuring, too. It suggests that the Democrats are not really naive enough to believe that if Obama is elected, everyone will like America again and the world will stop being dangerous.<br /><em>(end Taranto)</em></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span></em><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">SL: There is very little that I need to say in addition to Sen. Biden's statement. This might be the best case against Obama period. We know his economic policies will be bad. We know his social policies will be bad. We know his energy policies will be bad. We know his foreign policy will be bad. But, this points out the glaring weakness. Say what you want about Pres. George W. Bush. However, no one in their right mind believes that Al Gore was the right person to address 9/11. Whether we prosecuted Afghanistan and Iraq in the right way, there is no way that Gore could or would have answered that tragedy in an acceptable manner. He would have folded his tent and found a way to blame the United States for the attack. So to get back on track here - what Biden is saying is that if we elect Obama, we will face a serious international crisis. Why would we want to bring that on ourselves? Seriously, why?! There is no way this man has the internal strength or belief in America to stand up to a challange. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">I am not going about using scare tactics and the politics of fear. No, I am just re-stating what Sen. Biden said about his runningmate. I do not wish America to be challanged if we are unfortuante enough to elect Obama as the next President. However, this has been a legitimate fear of mine and I do believe it will happen. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Now a conspiracy theorist could say that an international incident could be generated by the Obama Administration just to prove he is worthy. Eh, as much as this is a thought that could cross my mind, I do not subscribe to conspiracy theories. But, as I said before, I do believe that the United States of America will be challanged if Obama is elected. And I know that this man does not have the courage nor the love of Country to stand, fight and win. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">If his running mate is worried about this, then every person with common sense should think long and hard about whether America should and could endure an international challange, especially given our current economic issues. Obama would most likely give a decent if not good speech. But, I do not doubt he would find a way to place blame on the U.S. And, moreover he does not have the conviction, determination, courage or love of Country to do what is necessary to prevail against evil. </span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-60161045047852424972008-10-21T10:53:00.000-07:002008-10-21T10:58:16.749-07:00The Most Confused Prius in America<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJLgTUqXjvTAI5N4sil3kjclVEZdmekhyphenhyphen0n_LRg_1o3fxZfuRtjehyq0XLToMcXaMppkgQ8q-qy-dhLF3awDihYhDS1PiegvEDRvcrh0OEzQpbpL91HkX3bJiy38XGK8i3OTEOb2EqrFb/s1600-h/Prius.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259667059968724434" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJLgTUqXjvTAI5N4sil3kjclVEZdmekhyphenhyphen0n_LRg_1o3fxZfuRtjehyq0XLToMcXaMppkgQ8q-qy-dhLF3awDihYhDS1PiegvEDRvcrh0OEzQpbpL91HkX3bJiy38XGK8i3OTEOb2EqrFb/s400/Prius.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div></div><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">This just might be the most confused Prius in America. Found this on a US News and World Report blog this morning. I'll post the link to it for all:<br /></span><a href="http://www.usnews.com/blogs/fresh-greens/2008/10/20/is-this-the-most-conflicted-prius-owner-in-america.html"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">http://www.usnews.com/blogs/fresh-greens/2008/10/20/is-this-the-most-conflicted-prius-owner-in-america.html</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">As USNWR says, <em>"bend your mind around that irony, won't you?"</em></span></p>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-16025773672414462932008-10-21T09:39:00.000-07:002008-10-21T10:05:12.357-07:00Eating on $15 a Day<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Better yet, I should title this something to the effect of "surviving the lower middle market on a pauper's pittance." </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Title aside, I have decided that with my glorious $15 / day of dinner money, I should start commenting about what I eat and where. Unfortunately, with this tiny sum of expense money available to me, my options will be somewhat limited. That, and my new-found commitment to working out will also limit the time I can devote to this. Nevertheless, perhaps I can at least give my fellow Excel <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">monkeys</span> and cube compatriots some tips on finding a decent bite in the city / financial district.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">This will actually be a separate blog, and I will put up the link when I have the opportunity to devote a site to this new endeavour.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Your faithful Analyst</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-84819853406248358832008-10-21T09:29:00.000-07:002008-10-21T12:10:16.445-07:00Socialism is a'comin'. Say "goodbye" to your economic freedoms folks.<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em>Source: </em></span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122455099434052597.html"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122455099434052597.html</em></span></a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><em><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Author: Paul H. Rubin</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">About the Author: Mr. Rubin is a professor of economics and law at Emory University. He held several senior economic positions in the Reagan administration, and is an unpaid adviser to the McCain campaign.</span><br /></em><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</em> </span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><strong>Get Ready for the New New Deal</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><em>Obama is much more dangerous to economic freedom than FDR</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">In 1932, Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president as the nation was heading into a severe recession. The stock market had crashed in 1929, the world's economy was slowing down, and all economic indicators in the U.S. showed signs of trouble.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br />The new president's response was to restructure the economy with the New Deal -- an expansion of the role of government once unimaginable in America. We now know that FDR's policies likely prolonged the Great Depression because the economy never fully recovered in the 1930s, and actually got worse in the latter half of the decade. And we know that FDR got away with it (winning election four times) by blaming his predecessor, Herbert Hoover, for crashing the economy in the first place.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br />Today, the U.S. is in better shape than in 1932. But it faces similar circumstances. The stock market has been in a tail spin, credit markets have locked up, and a surging Democratic presidential candidate is running on expanding the role of government, laying the blame for the economic turmoil on the current occupant of the White House and his party's economic policies.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Barack Obama is one of the most liberal members of the Senate. His reaction to the financial crisis is to blame deregulation. He even leverages fear of deregulation onto other issues. For example, Sen. John McCain wants to allow consumers to buy health insurance across state lines. Mr. Obama likens this to the financial deregulation that he alleges got us into the current mess.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">But a President Obama would also enjoy large Democratic majorities in Congress. His party might even win a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, giving him more power than any president has had in decades to push a liberal agenda. And given the opportunity, Mr. Obama will likely radically increase government interference in the economy.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Until now, this election has been fought on the margins, over marginal issues. But it is important to understand how much a presidential candidate wants to move the needle on taxes, trade and other issues. Usually there isn't a chance for wholesale change. Now, however, it appears that this election will make more than a marginal difference. It might fundamentally change America.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Unlike FDR, Mr. Obama will not have to create the mechanisms government uses to interfere with the economy before imposing his policies. FDR had to get the Supreme Court to overturn a century's worth of precedents limiting the power of government before he could use the Constitution's commerce clause, among other things, to increase government control of the economy. Mr. Obama will have no such problem.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">FDR also had to create agencies to implement regulations. Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Labor Relations Board (both created in the 1930s) as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and others created later are in place. Increasing their power will be easier than creating them from scratch.<br />Even before the current crisis, there was a great demand for increased government regulation to limit global warming. That gives the next president a ready-made box in which to place more regulation, and a legion of supports eager for it.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">But if the coming wave of new regulation from an Obama administration is harmful to the economy, Mr. Obama will take a page from FDR's playbook. He'll blame Republicans for having caused the market crash in the first place, and so escape blame for the consequences of his policies. It worked for FDR and, so far in this campaign, blaming Republicans and George W. Bush has worked for Mr. Obama.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Democrats draw their political power from trial lawyers, unions, government bureaucrats, environmentalists, and, perhaps, my liberal colleagues in academia. All of these voting blocs seem to favor a larger, more intrusive government. If things proceed as they now appear likely to, we can expect major changes in policies that benefit these groups.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">If those of us who favor free markets for the freedom and prosperity they bring are right, the political system may soon put our economy on track for a catastrophe.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-11705564452716409792008-10-14T13:50:00.000-07:002008-10-14T14:02:54.280-07:00Funny Thought of the Day<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">My readers* should know that I read OpinionJournal.com daily (at least twice) and am a devoted reader of James Taranto and Best of the Web Today. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Here is his witty response to the issue of ballots being mailed out with 'Osama' instead of 'Obama':</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Thanks to several readers, we think we've figured out how officials in Rensselaer County, N.Y., rendered Barack Obama's last name as "Osama." It's the same thing that tripped up Dan Rather: Microsoft Word. Some versions of this software--including the one we use, Word 2002--do not recognize "Obama" when doing a spell-check, and suggest "Osama" as a correction.<br />This almost certainly means the person responsible was a Democrat. After all, who else would see "Obama" and reflexively respond by clicking "Change"?</span><br /><em><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">(end Taranto)</span></em><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I mean really folks, how can this NOT be funny to you. "Who else would see 'Obama' and reflexively respond by clicking 'Change'?" That is just classic.. pure comedy. Of course, I wager that not a single liberal laughed when reading that line. Lighten up folks. And the shot on Dan Rather? Again, pure gold here folks. Taranto's witt strike again.</span> </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em></em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>*Yes, I acknowledge all two of you.</em></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Source: </span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122400254172032937.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122400254172032937.html</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><br />Author: James Taranto<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.<br /></span></p>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-5465500902307360292008-10-14T12:45:00.000-07:002008-10-14T13:58:15.071-07:00Playing the Blame Game<p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Source: </span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122359863551021415.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122359863551021415.html</a></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Author: Peggy Noonan<br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</span><br /></p></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">"But these were not the great causes. Neither party has clean hands. Or rather, both parties have dirty hands. Here is the truth, spoken by the increasingly impressive Sen. Tom Coburn: 'The root of the problem is political greed in Congress. Members . . . from both parties wanted short-term political credit for promoting homeownership even though they were putting our entire economy at risk by encouraging people to buy homes they couldn't afford. Then, <span style="font-family:arial;">instead of conducting thorough oversight and correcting obvious problems with unstable entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, members of Congress chose to . . . distract themselves with unprecedented amounts of pork-barrel spending.' That is the truth."</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;">(end of Peggy Noonan)</span></em><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Is it me, or is Coburn just about the best Senator and/or Congressman in general that there is? Yeah, that is what I thought! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Nothing more needs to be said my friends. There is plenty of dirt and blame go to all around. Granted, more of it falls on the left side of the aisle rather than on the right. But, if we choose to break it down:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Congress / Agencies / Fannie / Freddie / Washington - you are at fault</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Wall Street - you are at fault</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Mortgage Brokers - you are at fault</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">The American People - you are at fault </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Oh... the American people are most at fault here. People, sit back, look in the mirror and please, please absorb the blame and point the finger at yourself..... </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">I shall leave it here for now and finish these thoughts later. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-52197382100027148492008-10-09T09:32:00.000-07:002008-10-14T12:46:50.481-07:00Out-dated, but nevertheless necessary, defense of Palin<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Source: </em></span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122296647361498763.html"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122296647361498763.html</em></span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Author: James P. Lucier</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>About the Author: former Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Relations Committee<br />The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the Intellectual IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It's true that Alaskans look at foreign policy from a different perspective. They know the world is a globe. They look at their neighbors from the polar projection, while the lower 48 are still thinking east and west along the old Mercator projection maps, maps devised for the navigation of sailing vessels in the 16th century, and published by the Flat Earth Society. The Mercator projection is perfect for backward-looking pols such as Barack Obama and Joe Biden.<br /></span><a class="" href="http://spectator.org/index.asp" target="_blank"></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Thus a governor of Alaska has to be more cosmopolitan in world outlook than her insular colleagues in the lower 48. Surrounded as Alaska is by the seven Arctic nations (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden) Alaska has a truly strategic location, unmatched by any other U.S. state. It has a contiguous boundary with Canada of 1,538 miles, but none with the lower 48.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />It is also closer to the Russian Federation than any other U.S. state. There are no international waters between Russia and Alaska. The boundary in the Bering Strait splits the two-mile difference between Big Diomede and Little Diomede Islands, two bleak rocky islets that may have been part of the prehistoric landbridge crossed by Todd Palin's people eons ago. One hundred forty-six Inuit-Americans still live on a 3,000-year-old village site on Little Diomede, so if Sarah Palin lived there she sure could see Russia from her front porch.<br /><br />If you are curled up that close to the Russian bear, you want to be sure that he is sleeping quietly. You are very attentive if he moves to make sure that he is not going to roll over on you. You have a sixth sense about Russian fighters and bombers intruding into your territory, or daring to come as close as possible. You are relieved when U.S. military planes scramble from Elmendorf Air Force Base to escort them back. Meanwhile, you make nice. You invite the Russians on trade missions, and you invite them to international conferences.<br /><br />On August 12, Governor Sarah Palin addressed the 8th Annual Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region held in Fairbanks, hosted by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and sponsored by the University of Alaska. The Russian parliamentarians were included along with the Canadian, Danish, Finish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish legislators. They focused on human health in the region, particularly among the indigenous peoples common to all the nations. They talked about preserving renewable, non-renewable and alternative resources. Governor Palin reported on Alaska's progress with the new gas pipeline and with alternative energy.<br /><br />Alaska is a busy place. Its international airport is on the great circle route, the shortest distance between Washington, D.C., and the Orient. It happens to be the last gas station open until midnight (figuratively speaking) before the long hop over the Pacific to Tokyo. This contrasts with, say Delaware, which is a drive-through patch on the road to Jersey.<br /><br />Despite having a population of only 670,000, Alaska exports $3.9 billion a year, mostly to China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and other Pacific Ocean nations, as well as to Canada Russia, Finland, Norway and a raft of other European nations. Investment comes from abroad too. Canada has invested over $3 billion, and that was before the contract agreement with TransCanada Alaska on the new gas pipeline. Governor Palin and Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie renewed the Alaska-Yukon Intergovernmental accord in March.<br /><br />UNTIL JOE BIDEN was nominated by the Democratic National Convention to be Vice President of the United States, it had never occurred to anyone that the chief qualification of a vice president was to be an expert on foreign policy. It was a drastic step but necessary when the Democrats saw they had a problem. Clearly, Barack Obama's much-touted advisory board of 300 foreign policy experts was inadequate. They had to shore up a nominee whose only foreign policy experience to date had been to interfere in the elections in Kenya on behalf of his cousin, Raila Odinga. They realized he needed one more expert, the 301st, to give the nominee that gravitas necessary to wow the foreign policy establishment.<br /><br />Thus the nomination of Joe Biden was inevitable. After all, how could you trump a man who was not only the third most liberal Senator in the world's greatest deliberative body, but also Chairman of the august Senate Foreign Relations Committee? Suddenly, it was a game-changer. The vice-presidency was all about foreign policy, and when Sarah Palin was nominated by the Republicans she was held to the new standard. With Palin's inexperience, how could she compete with Biden's 36 years of inexperience, of being wrong year after year on every issue? Of a man so used to reaching out to other nations that he plagiarized his speeches word for word from a British socialist, Neil Kinnock, the leader of the British Labour Party? Of a man who has been around so long that he remembers watching FDR go on television in 1929 and rally the nation when the Great Depression hit? (Those who were unaware that television existed in 1929 should recall that it was invented in 1928 by Al Gore, before he invented the Internet.)<br />Gone are the days when Teddy Roosevelt, annoyed in pre-air conditioning days by the constant tinkling of the crystal chandelier in his White House office sent it over to the Capitol office of his vice-president, Charles Fairbanks (surely you remember Charles Fairbanks, don't you?), with the statement, "Take that thing over to the vice-president's office. He has nothing to do. Maybe it will keep him awake." And the chandelier hangs there today, the somnolent Fairbanks long departed.<br /><br />No one asked whether Harry Truman, the gutsy guy from the Prendergast gang, knew beans about foreign policy. Yet he ended World War II by bombing Hiroshima, set up the United Nations, formulated the Marshall Plan, and executed the Truman Doctrine that stopped Communist expansion in Europe dead in its tracks.<br /><br />Nor were Alben Barkley, Lyndon Johnson, Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford, Walter Mondale, Dan Quayle or Al Gore chosen to fill the foreign policy gap. The only exception was Dick Cheney. The critics said he knew too much about foreign policy.<br /><br />So we find that Charles Gibson and Katie Couric have raised the bar. Their interviews with Governor Palin were all about foreign policy, at least the part they put on the air. It took a journalist from Montana, Frank Miele, to go to the transcripts of the whole interviews to show that 70 percent of what she said was left, metaphorically, on the cutting room floor. As Miele wrote, "You will see two Sarah Palins. The one sitting across from Charlie Gibson was nuanced, insistent and thoughtful, but the one that Gibson cut-and-pasted in the editing room was a cross between Ma Kettle and Dr. Strangelove." Gibson ridiculed her for suggesting that that the Russian invasion of Georgia was unprovoked (just as Obama had called upon both sides "to use restraint"-- both Georgia whose territory had been invaded and Russia whose ruthless assault had been long-planned). Gibson seemed incredulous when she suggested that Alaska's border with Russia gave her some understanding of Russia's actions.<br /><br />Katie Couric also left the best parts of Palin's interview on the cutting room floor. With her beady eyes focused, she moved in to gimlet the governor on the question of proximity to Russia, "as part of your foreign policy experience," which Palin had never claimed. It's too bad that Palin got flustered at that moment, after having been burned so badly by Gibson's treachery on the issue. "As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska," she said without getting her syntax in gear. That made it a must-go sound-byte in the editing room.<br /><br />Of course Senator McCain got the same treatment. In the McCain-Obama debate, six times the name "Ahmadinejad" rolled smoothly off McCain's tongue, but one time momentarily it seemed to get caught in his throat. Anyone want to guess which one of the seven Ahmadinejads got featured on the network reporting the next day?<br /><br />A MORE COMPREHENSIVE answer from Palin might have pointed out that Russian fighters routinely violate U.S. air space over Alaskan waters, and U.S. military planes based in Alaska scramble to escort them out. She could also have pointed out that Russian submarines and icebreakers enter Canadian waters without a by-your-leave, and in the Arctic Ocean they have staked Russian claims to ownership of the North Pole, and the 8 billion tons of oil and gas that lie underneath. This is the kind of stuff on which Palin was briefed as commander of the Alaska National Guard. If Palin was a bit thrown off her stride, it may have been because she was unsure of the fuzzy line between classified and unclassified intelligence in her first incursions into network TV.<br /><br />Amazingly, neither Biden as chairman of the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee, nor Obama as chairman of the subcommittee on Europe have ever held hearings on the matter of Putin rearing his head. In fact, Obama is already such an expert that he feels no need to hold any hearings at all in his subcommittee. With a revanchist Russia laying claim to Georgia, perhaps Putin is beginning to think of Alaska as part of what the Russians call the Near Abroad. Perhaps, in some of his revanchist moods, he covets Seward's Icebox as Russian territory which the Czar disposed of too quickly. Is it possible that he is seeking abrogation of the 1867 Seward-Stoeckl Treaty? Probably not; he is just acting that way. But it would be a good idea for Biden and Obama to take a day off from campaigning and hold a hearing on Russia's designs in the Arctic. They might learn something if they call as their first expert witness the Governor of Alaska.<br /><br />Some of the hoity-toity conservatives in the National Review crowd were shocked and appalled at the Palin interviews. Wrinkling their noses at the smell of mooseburgers cooking on the grill, they could hardly eat their pheasant under glass, stuffed with pate de foie gras and truffles. They called for Palin to be thrown under the harpsichord.<br />Well, we shall see. At least the Palin-Biden debate will be broadcast in full and not be cut up by those who have knives out against her. Can the indomitable Palin hold her own once Biden fires up his gaffe-o-matic? There's just a chance, maybe a good chance that she can knock off the old geezer and field-dress him on the spot.</span></span><br /></span></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-16065651800420522412008-09-11T14:24:00.000-07:002008-09-11T14:38:28.921-07:00Society Failing Athletes<p><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">Source: <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8550254/Sad-to-say,-but-Young">http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8550254/Sad-to-say,-but-Young</a></span></em></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br />Author: Jason Whitlock – FoxSports.com and Kansas City Star<br /></span></em></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />About the Author: Columnist for the Kansas City Star, he has won the National Journalism Award for Commentary for "his ability to seamlessly integrate sports and social commentary and to challenge widely held assumptions along the racial divide." </span></em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the Intellectual IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</span></em><br /></p></span><p><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></p></span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span> </p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span> </p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm going to do my best to avoid turning this into an I-told-you-so column.<br />But the truth is, I told you before the 2006 draft that Vince Young was primed for NFL failure. He entered the league with an attitude, mindset and supporting cast totally unprepared to survive the pressure, challenge and responsibility that goes along with the most prestigious and difficult job in all of sports. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">When I explained all of this in 2006, my naive and misguided critics called me an Uncle Tom. Yeah, they ripped me for attempting to issue a young black kid a warning about what awaited him in The League and the attitude he would need to cope and excel.<br />Some people foolishly think it's every black media member's job to assist in the mental and emotional crippling of black youth. We're supposed to blow rainbows up the asses of every black athlete who "makes it" and assure him/her that anyone who utters a word of criticism is a jealous bigot or irrational sellout.<br />So, no, I'm not surprised Vince Young tried to quit in the middle of Sunday's game after throwing a second interception and hearing boos from Titans fans frustrated by his inability to read a defense or throw accurately. I'm not all that shocked that two days later Jeff Fisher called the police and asked them to hunt down his inconsistent quarterback. I'm not surprised the Titans team psychologist is apparently worried that Vince Young is suffering depression.<br />And I'm really not surprised that Vince Young's mother told The Tennessean that her baby boy needs a little space and a lot of love and support.<br />The question is, when Young rebounds from his emotional abyss and recovers from his knee injury, what kind of love and support are we going to give him? Are the people who already love Young going to replant their heads in Young's rear end and their hands in his wallet? Or will a few people within Team Vince do the right thing and level with him about what he needs to do to make it in the NFL as a quarterback?<br />Vince Young, like a lot of young African-American men, desperately needs to hear the truth from the people who love him. Too often we pave the road to failure for black boys by believing the cure for bigotry — and there is still plenty of bigotry in America — is the ability to recognize it in (and blame it for) everything. That cure has more negative side effects than most of the drugs trumpeted by the pharmaceutical companies in television commercials. That cure serves as a convenient crutch, and turns a talent such as Vince Young into a quitter the moment adversity strikes. That cure helped land Michael Vick in jail.<br />Everyone told Vince Young and Michael Vick the NFL would be easy. They'd revolutionize the QB position with their legs, and they could pop bottles, roll with a posse and pretend to be Jay-Z in their spare time.<br />It just doesn't work. Not for Young or Vick. Not for Matt Leinart. Not for anyone who wants to star at the position and avoid the boo-birds.<br />No one revolutionizes the starting quarterback position. The position revolutionizes the person playing it. Just ask Donovan McNabb. He figured it out and changed his game. Over the objection of idiots, McNabb developed his skills as a pocket passer. He concentrated on becoming a student of the game. If he can stay healthy over the next three or four years, McNabb will surpass Warren Moon as the best black quarterback ever to play the game.<br />Unfortunately, there are still people, especially black people, who don't appreciate McNabb. They think he let "us" down by de-emphasizing his athleticism, and they criticize him for being cozy with his organization the way Peyton Manning is with the Colts and Brady is with the Patriots.<br />McNabb doesn't get to enjoy the luxury of being a company man the way other franchise QBs in their prime do.<br />But McNabb has never threatened to quit or asked out of a game because the Philly fans were too rough. McNabb understands that in some instances the scrutiny of a black quarterback might be a tad more intense than that of a white one. He also understands that the best way to combat it isn't whining. It's performance. It's work ethic. It's professionalism.<br />It's not a coincidence that McNabb comes from a supportive, two-parent household.<br />I bring that up not to castigate Vince Young and his mother. I don't even know the story of Young's upbringing.<br />I raise the issue to point out that in modern professional sports — with the astronomical players' salaries — ownership and management examine the upbringing of the athletes and factor that into their decision-making.<br />Vick's failure, Young's potential failure and the guaranteed money they were given will make ownership more reluctant to anoint another kid from the 'hood a franchise quarterback straight out of college.<br />It's not about color. It's about fitting the profile of someone who can handle all that goes along with being an NFL quarterback. If I'm an owner, I spend my quarterback dollars on young men who were raised by strong fathers. It wouldn't be an infallible system, but on average I bet I'd hit more winners than if I turned over the leadership of my team to a kid who isn't used to having a strong male authority figure.<br />As black people, we need to ask ourselves whether we are doing a good job preparing our boys for positions of immense leadership, responsibility and scrutiny.<br />You are going to get criticized playing quarterback. If your instinct is to dismiss the criticism as racist, maybe you shouldn't play the position. If you are surrounded by people who spend every waking minute telling you that you can do no wrong and that everyone who criticizes you is a bigot, then maybe you shouldn't play quarterback.<br />The position requires thick skin and genuine self-confidence. If you need four or five male groupies with you at all times, a half million dollars of jewelry around your neck and wrists and a dozen tattoos to feel confident, then maybe you should play wide receiver or start rapping.<br />The average NFL fan has no idea how much time a franchise spends working on self-esteem issues with a typical player. You think these guys are self-assured. Many of them are not. They self-medicate with booze, drugs, steroids, bling, women and attention-getting stunts such as name changes.<br />Remember when Terrell Owens' assistant claimed he had 25 million reasons to live? It was an accidental moment of clarity and honesty. Too many players have their whole sense of self-worth tied up in their contracts.<br />It doesn't take much to crack a man with no real identity, especially if he's grown accustomed to having all of his shortcomings rationalized.</span> </span><br /></span></span></p>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-60195970710782046432008-09-04T12:49:00.001-07:002008-09-04T12:57:30.216-07:00Biden Foreign Policy<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><strong>Biden Was Wrong On the Cold War<br />Peter Wehner </strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><strong>September 4, 2008<br /></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has electrified many conservatives and strengthened John McCain's claim that his administration would be far more reform-minded than Barack Obama's. At the same time, it has triggered accusations that Gov. Palin is far too inexperienced to be vice president, and has little knowledge of national security issues.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Mrs. Palin's lack of mastery of national security issues is often contrasted with Mr. Obama's vice presidential pick, Joseph Biden Jr. Mr. Biden has served in the Senate since 1973, is currently chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and is often described as a "statesman."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">In fact, decade after decade and on important issue after important issue, Mr. Biden's judgment has been deeply flawed.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">In the 1970s, Mr. Biden opposed giving aid to the South Vietnamese government in its war against the North. Congress's cut-off of funds contributed to the fall of an American ally, helped communism advance, and led to mass death throughout the region. Mr. Biden also advocated defense cuts so massive that both Edmund Muskie and Walter Mondale, both leading liberal Democrats at the time, opposed them.<br />In the early 1980s, the U.S. was engaged in a debate over funding the Contras, a group of Nicaraguan freedom fighters attempting to overthrow the Communist regime of Daniel Ortega. Mr. Biden was a leading opponent of President Ronald Reagan's efforts to fund the Contras. He also opposed Reagan's efforts to send military assistance to the pro-American government in El Salvador, which at the time was battling the FMLN, a Soviet-supported Marxist group.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Throughout his career, Mr. Biden has consistently opposed modernization of our strategic nuclear forces. He was a fierce opponent of Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. Mr. Biden voted against funding SDI, saying, "The president's continued adherence to [SDI] constitutes one of the most reckless and irresponsible acts in the history of modern statecraft." Mr. Biden has remained a consistent critic of missile defense and even opposed the U.S. dropping out of the Antiballistic Missile Treaty after the collapse of the Soviet Union (which was the co-signatory to the ABM Treaty) and the end of the Cold War.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">In 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and, we later learned, was much closer to attaining a nuclear weapon than we had believed. President George H.W. Bush sought war authorization from Congress. Mr. Biden voted against the first Gulf War, asking: "What vital interests of the United States justify sending Americans to their deaths in the sands of Saudi Arabia?"<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">In 2006, after having voted three years earlier to authorize President George W. Bush's war to liberate Iraq, Mr. Biden argued for the partition of Iraq, which would have led to its crack-up. Then in 2007, Mr. Biden opposed President Bush's troop surge in Iraq, calling it a "tragic mistake." It turned out to be quite the opposite. Without the surge, the Iraq war would have been lost, giving jihadists their most important victory ever.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">On many of the most important and controversial issues of the last four decades, Mr. Biden has built a record based on bad assumptions, misguided analyses and flawed judgments. If he had his way, America would be significantly weaker, allies under siege would routinely be cut loose, and the enemies of the U.S. would be stronger.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">There are few members of Congress whose record on national security matters can be judged, with the benefit of hindsight, to be as consistently bad as Joseph Biden's. It's true that Sarah Palin has precious little experience in national security affairs. But in this instance, no record beats a manifestly bad one.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><p></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Source: </em></span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122049148440397625.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122049148440397625.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries</em></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em><br />Author: Peter Wehner - Wall Street Journal </em></span><a href="http://www.wsj.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>http://www.wsj.com/</em></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em> </em></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>About the Author: Mr. Wehner was a former deputy assistant to President George W. Bush; and is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.<br /></em></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em><br />The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the Intellectual IP contained in this post that is outside of any separate commentary that may be added. This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes.</em></span> </span></p>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-78787309631206735702008-09-04T11:07:00.000-07:002008-09-04T12:09:19.420-07:00BHO Talking Points - Take 1<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">My dear readers*,</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">After a fantastic vacation taking me across Northern New England, I return to slaving in the cube. This, however, does not mean I was absent minded. No, my friends, my mind was as active and as sharp as ever. Unfortunately, I spent my time relaxing instead of putting my thoughts to paper. A true shame, as this was the time I could have devoted to solidfying this passion and these ideas bouncing to and fro among my grey matter. Forgive me, but recharging the very drained batteries was extremely necesary. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">So here I am, refreshed (although in all honesty, I could have used another week) and ready to go. What a two weeks it has been - we had BHO, pretending to be President (again) and offering more of the same carefully disguised in lofty rhetoric, buzz words, and pandering to moderates and conservatives. Eh, not buying it folks. Not buying it. What else? Oh yes, the "surprise" pick of Palin. I was (and still am) jacked up on this pick, and was awake in the early hours of the morning to follow the email traffic of my insider connections and watching the news. Truthfully, I have been psyched about this woman for many months now. I knew the name and vaguely knew of the record of her last two years in office. However, I was officially turned on to her when one of my insider connections (and good friends) started sending me more and more information on her, policies, record, etc. I have been sweet on her and hoping she would be considered for the VP for at least a good three months or more. I know, doesn't seem like that much time, but it is still more time than most people have given in though to BHO over the last year and a half. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">So where am I going with this? Right. To those good 'ol talking points of BHO fans, particularly used by the young adult vote on the left. Here are two interesting (shall we say) ones I overheard. (Paraphrasing, as I can't remember the exact wording.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">1) "He gets it"</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">2) "He will surround himself with experts [to understand the situation(s)]"</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Wow.. I was simply stunned to hear these as key points / reasons / rationale to vote for BHO. I mean floored. I expect better rationale from people than these. I won't devote the time to "he gets it" right now. However, it is time to disect point #2. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">"He will surround himself with experts [to understand the situations(s)]"</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">No way? Really? Are you kidding me here? That is what a responsible politician / leader of any party should do. That is exactly what a damn cabinet is, what advisers are for. This is not a novel concept. How on earth can any person with any political savvy and/or understanding really think this is a novel concept. Picking (so-called) "experts" to be in your "brain-trust" or inner-circle is part of the everyday process of American politics. It is part of the responsibility of assuming such a role. This is to be expected, not applauded. Many Presidents and politicians in positions of influence and power have had fantastic, award-winning, intelligent cabinets / advisers. Some have been filled with those pushing singular ideas. Some have been empty and lacking any wisdom whatsoever. Furthermore, while experts are good and their opinions are always a must to have, (potentially) detached personalities should not be the only thing on which one bases their policies decisions. Last, and certainly not least - what happens when groups of "experts" get together? Not always good things. Long Term Capital Management.... ring any bells? A group of Nobel Prize-winning economists get together to form a hedge fund. What happens? Oopsies. It blows up. At the end of the day, experts and expert opinions are just one slice of a large pie. Black Swans are what make history (good book, and another post for another day). Experts cannot, and will not ever be able to predict these events. As I was saying, expert opinions are just one slice of a large pie of information. And, at the end of the day, it is not the information, but what one does with the information. History judges the politician / decision-maker / executor of policy much, much more harshly than it does the advice giver(s)....... remember that. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">I will work on how to even approach "he gets it" over the next couple of days. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">In the meantime, back to the cube and back to figuring out a few of my own dilemmas.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Enjoy my friends.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><em><span style="font-family:arial;">* Readers is a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span style="font-family:arial;">stretch, as I have what, 2 confirmed / loyal readers</span>?</span></em></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-35458884144312104462008-08-15T08:40:00.000-07:002008-08-15T08:50:23.276-07:00The Russian Bear is Stirring Again<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Source: </em></span><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/14/beck.georgia/index.html"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/14/beck.georgia/index.html</em></span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Author: Glenn Beck, CNN.com</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;"><em></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Intellectual IP belonging to Glenn Beck. For actual article, please see link above. </em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;"><em>The author of Stag's Leap makes no claim to the Intellectual IP contained in this post that is outside of his own, separate commentary. </em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;"><em>This article is posted here on Stag's Leap strictly for discussion and education purposes</em> </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">"This is for America. This is for NATO. This is for Bush."<br /><br />These were the phrases that the president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvilli, told me were on Russian bombs falling before, during and after the numerous cease-fires that have come and gone since the Georgian-Russian conflict began.<br /><br />He went on to say that he believed the Russians were not fighting a war with Georgia; in reality, they were fighting a war against the idea of Georgia, the governing principles behind it.<br /><br />To have a flourishing democracy in a neighboring country is seen as a threat. It is a stark contrast from Russia's brand of state-controlled pseudo-capitalism. The Russians, he said, "want to kill the idea of freedom, and by proxy they imagine they fight a war with the United States."<br /><br />Although the name Georgia is familiar to the United States, the country isn't. Most Americans don't know its remarkable story. The first time I spoke to Saakashvilli a few months earlier, it was under much more pleasant circumstances. I found him to be a young, energetic and well-spoken reformer who in many ways understands our founding fathers better than most Americans.<br /><br />He spoke to me about his vision for Georgia, the vision that transformed it from a failed state to a burgeoning democracy with a quickly growing economy.<br /><br />He said, "the government is going to help you in the best way possible, by doing nothing for you, by getting out of your way. Well, I exaggerate, but you understand. Of course we will provide you with infrastructure and help by getting rid of corruption, but you have all succeeded by your own initiative and enterprise, so you should congratulate yourselves."<br />Saakashvilli turned one of the most crooked nations on the planet into a place where people want to do business. His way of dealing with Georgia's incredibly corrupt police was amazing. No talk, just action.<br /><br />"The first thing we did a few years ago when I became president: We fired the entire police force of the country." That's right, about 40,000 officers were fired, by his count. New recruits were brought in, and he told me that the public confidence in the police skyrocketed from 5 percent to 70 percent.<br /><br />The notion that Saakashvilli believes in the ideas that formed our country isn't a surprise. He attended Columbia University Law School and studied our founding fathers, becoming determined to give the people of Georgia the same opportunities and freedoms that we take for granted here.<br /><br />Imagine a nation with ideals forged in the traditions of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and James Monroe, sitting in what once was the Soviet Union. Now imagine how much that might be appreciated by ex-KGB agents like Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister.<br /><br />When I spent a half an hour with Saakashvilli on my show this week, his mood was much different than in our earlier conversation. I told him that if Americans knew the story of Georgia, they would realize how important it was. I asked him to speak directly to America, tell us what is really happening and why we should care.<br /><br />He said, "when the Soviet Union collapsed, when the Cold War was over, when I went to study in the U.S. and finally I realized my dream, I never thought that this evil would come back again. I never thought the KGB people would again try to run the world. And that's exactly what's happening now. What`s at stake here is America's -- America's ideals. If it will collapse in Georgia, it will collapse in other countries and in other places as well."<br /><br />Luckily for Georgia, the world has generally aligned against Russia's aggression. Whether there are any teeth behind the talk is still unknown. Saakashvilli expressed gratitude for the supportive comments made by President Bush and both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama.<br /><br />Even the United Nations issued a statement to express "serious concerns at the escalation of violence." Incredibly, that didn't seem to stop Russia. Who would have thought? If things get worse, I'll expect the U.N. to issue a harshly worded letter, a disapproving glare and maybe even a mildly annoyed "tsk tsk."<br /><br />It's hard to know for sure what is really behind this conflict. Analysts have theories; citizens have sides. But even if you look past the 'he said, she said," in the end, it still goes back to a war being fought over ideals.<br /><br />Back in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan led the effort to bring down the Soviet Union, partly by spending them into oblivion. We had the resources, we unleashed our economy, and we won (at least temporarily). We won by using the same principles that Saakashvilli talked to me about.<br /><br />But he wasn't the only one watching and learning. Russia learned as well, and they now appear to be doing the same things that we did to them back in the '80's. Unless we wise up, we risk seeing the same result. We taught them this game. We can't allow it to be used against us.<br /><br />The long-term solution is to make ourselves stronger and more self-sufficient so that when these problems arise, we<br />can't be held hostage. We need to become energy independent and financially solvent. But in the short term? I'm just glad I'm not president so I don't have to make these decisions. (Yes, I know you are, too.)<br /><br />For now, we have to do what we can to strongly support Georgia, start to get our own ship in order, and take seriously the messages sent by the bombings.<br /><br />"This is for America. This is for NATO. This is for Bush."</span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-82329478772315940022008-08-10T14:19:00.000-07:002008-08-10T15:51:53.195-07:00Rose-Coloured Olympic Glasses<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><em>Russia's Natalia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Paderina</span> and Georgia's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Nino</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Salukvadze</span> hugged after winning Olympic silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the women's 10-meter air pistol competition.<br />The rivals kissed each other on the cheek after standing on the medal podium with China's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Guo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Wenjun</span>, who won the gold medal in the event.<br />Waving flower bouquets high, the women smiled broadly at the audience.<br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">"If the world were to draw any lessons from what I did, there would never be any wars,"</span></strong> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Salukvadze</span>, 39, said afterward, according to media reports. The reports described the two as friends.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Are you serious here folks? Look - I love the Olympic spirit (or what it used to be). I believe peace is an admirable goal and all. But let's stop smoking the pro-China and other Olympic ganja being passed around here. I won't go off on all the pro-China crap. But rather stick to this silly and childish quote. These two are friends. These two respect and appreciate each other. But come on, one hug bringing about peace? You have got to be kidding me. This is a fight over territory, land, resources and respect. I am sure that people in Georgia and Russia, especially those in the region do not want the conflict as it hurts them severely. But, even if every single civilian in the region did not want conflict, one cannot say this would not happen and there would be no wars. In this case, there is the Russian <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">government</span> under Putin, driven to achieve past "glory". This government takes a hard stance on matters of territory and perceived threats by internal terrorists or past breakaway "republics" (let us use this in quotes here because they are really republics in name only). Moreover, this is just as much a conflict about resources as it is territory. I take both sides with a grain of salt as to the reasons. But, the bottom line is there is oil in the region, and if nothing else access to resources and securing a pipeline at the very least. Even if every Georgian and Russian in the region hugged, held hands, made daisy chains, smoked some herb, and did all that other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">hippy</span> bullshit; this conflict would still be going on. Why? Putin and an aggressive Russia and long-standing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ethnic</span> issues.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Moreover, conflict will always exist. It frustrates me how people think conflict can be eliminated and just disappear. Do the vast majority of people want conflict, violence and war. No. Does the elimination of religion eliminate the cause for war? No... no it does not anti religious liberals. Religion, like anything else is a cog in the wheel for defining all causes of war. Does adhering to the new religion of strict environmentalism eliminate most resource-based causes for war? No... no it does not Earth-worshiping environmental liberals. The quest for resources will always exist and in many regions resources will always be in demand. War and violence will always exist be it about beliefs, ancestry or resources. And furthermore, war and violence will always exists because of jealousy and hatred. Those two emotions cannot be eliminated. Can the threat and the existence of violence and conflict be mitigated? Yes, yes it can. This can be done through teaching responsibility, respect, conservation, morality (yes left-wing liberals, basic morality is a necessary part of a peaceful life, teaching that everything is relative... except for the worship of the environment... doesn't bring peace), etc. will bring a more stable and peaceful world. But, without bringing in pop culture to the equation - as Alfred says to Bruce in The Dark Knight <em>"Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Folks - there will always be evil in the world. There will always be those who do, just want to watch the world burn and inflict pain on innocent people. We can mitigate this... but all the free <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">health care</span>, money to the third world, free education, etc... that will not eliminate this. Why? Just as good is inherent in the world, so is evil. Evil will always exist. And we must, therefore, always be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">vigilant</span> of this and be prepared to do what is necessary to ensure that the good in the world endures. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">So, will a bunch of worldwide hugs save humanity? No.<br /></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><em>Addition: </em><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121824156547126077.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks"><em>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121824156547126077.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks</em></a><br /><em>See for additional input from a source far wiser than myself.</em></p><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-68587493754034897082008-07-29T10:45:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:53:26.977-07:00Faith In Humanity Slipping Away... Quickly<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>Source: </em></span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,393141,00.html"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><em>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,393141,00.html</em></span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br /><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LifeStyles</span> Condoms wants <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Miley</span> Cyrus to be its <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">spokesgirl</span>.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br /><em>The company says it has offered the 15-year-old Disney star — who has said she won't have sex until she's married — $1 million to represent the brand.</em><br /><br /><em>"Pop culture proves that teens are more ready than ever to discuss the subject of sex," says the company's VP of marketing, Carol <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Carrozza</span>. "We believe that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Miley</span> is both influential and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">relatable</span> to this afflicted set — and is the obvious choice to get the message of safe sex out to teens across America."<br /></em><br /><em>But Cyrus' rep says they never got an offer.<br /></em><br /><em>"We never received an offer, nor would she consider the offer," her rep tells E! News.</em></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Look... somehow I doubt that she never received an offer. Granted, $1mm is nothing to her. However as rumors fly she is pushing for "edgier" rolls and contemplating full nudity in one possible roll. I really think something like this is up her alley (no pun intended). Additionally, by the time this girl is 18, I would be surprised if she remained "pure". To avoid the fast-paced life of sex and drugs in entertainment is almost impossible. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><br />The best thing for this poor child <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">starlet</span> would be to fall off of the face of the earth for a few years and come back at 19 or so. Otherwise, I fear her becoming the "perfect storm" of Britney, Paris and the rest combined.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">LifeStyles</span> should have offered this contract to Jamie Lynn Spears. Perhaps it could have prevented her "oops". Although, as rumors have it, neither she nor the "father" ever really were sure who the baby belongs to and apparently Miss J.L.S. had a VERY hard time keeping her legs closed and enjoyed the company of Lil' Romeo's "crew".</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Poor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Miley</span> Cyrus... in a few short years (or less) we will be seeing your unmentionables on tabloids and your sex tapes on the Web and hearing rumors of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">YouTube</span> videos of you, boys, and piles of blow on tables. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">GET OUT BEFORE THE BUSINESS RUINS YOU!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-27063165275112298682008-07-29T09:25:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:15:00.550-08:00LOLz, My New Favorite Form of Entertainment.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQfr0G6J_zbAwrd-PXU7F843H-rsHajJ0jEPdB6LW-MBlaBDYctWunhq0eqiGa7t96uvshskGPJi497QULsgS8-9A6K3Gp8YfQcWxXF-adwYBZfP69BStL6H_Cm8auUgmHGzjDcQ3YUsG/s1600-h/Obama+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228475245885625394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQfr0G6J_zbAwrd-PXU7F843H-rsHajJ0jEPdB6LW-MBlaBDYctWunhq0eqiGa7t96uvshskGPJi497QULsgS8-9A6K3Gp8YfQcWxXF-adwYBZfP69BStL6H_Cm8auUgmHGzjDcQ3YUsG/s400/Obama+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIHEL07v4l1XUR2G1sr6LwN0uDQgcrsLJhLXyL23vFAPQUw2wsN71XNS0FGOStin23hjgE0QDTDOYI4t7HWEJNg9zdZDb8xmNpdABrsnNVHvzbbQhvkVjXu7vz7TTYyPSX-HeVO8dx6LS/s1600-h/Obama+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228475137596865570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIHEL07v4l1XUR2G1sr6LwN0uDQgcrsLJhLXyL23vFAPQUw2wsN71XNS0FGOStin23hjgE0QDTDOYI4t7HWEJNg9zdZDb8xmNpdABrsnNVHvzbbQhvkVjXu7vz7TTYyPSX-HeVO8dx6LS/s400/Obama+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j_JoKkOXJ6uzh35yBfIgnfPgbQ2PA4epweRi1B3EnRQgrCbaRUQpupSH2J3LxNvQrCpSRZa0he0OmdPTIuZgdVogc3_RSi6t8E-TEKP28f0IA3D5NDLf-KOXzGxMD4DodyLauL6ySlAE/s1600-h/courtingthejew128584513295509787.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228474694510075778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j_JoKkOXJ6uzh35yBfIgnfPgbQ2PA4epweRi1B3EnRQgrCbaRUQpupSH2J3LxNvQrCpSRZa0he0OmdPTIuZgdVogc3_RSi6t8E-TEKP28f0IA3D5NDLf-KOXzGxMD4DodyLauL6ySlAE/s400/courtingthejew128584513295509787.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvppj_Hz8xYzt3lc7xVsE6Z_fBCab8Ok_ac4Jex7xtoUgLxIvWEE54LxO2ueOemgwiAbUsTFhiu9Oka_Tp7fcEF-KRMcHY9jMHV4tA3U2NZKk7cSMM32Cj2hX13QGbScCGTGCS7b6FVSE5/s1600-h/courtingthejew128584513295509787.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-90417614279475893652008-07-29T08:54:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:15:01.017-08:00The Next Erin?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF9Evq19U837FBASFX1HpQsGCbUAWqYLzmiWREu0Mx3eh-e1tNrBRfC_ekeMzwo_qiPu1stgfqGh8F4gGOr569D7IBsePECP8Ud07aMtMphr_ReaAUP8GSA9bHXwNAv1mjALZ28AZ7s9D/s1600-h/Heidi+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228470948951930274" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF9Evq19U837FBASFX1HpQsGCbUAWqYLzmiWREu0Mx3eh-e1tNrBRfC_ekeMzwo_qiPu1stgfqGh8F4gGOr569D7IBsePECP8Ud07aMtMphr_ReaAUP8GSA9bHXwNAv1mjALZ28AZ7s9D/s400/Heidi+3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-Ze0DvXpo-KFA87ONrd3e5DS-wg0-qtL4BeMPFTXuZt-b4BwLKAksIWdrTpkxL-BybCjH63uKKUnvdlzUh-4vEjJH1QYtwChVKGtSC9IV2InN0q6X8G3OEX-0zpeBP_JBNz6LbQtNAzp/s1600-h/Heidi+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228470754129598834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-Ze0DvXpo-KFA87ONrd3e5DS-wg0-qtL4BeMPFTXuZt-b4BwLKAksIWdrTpkxL-BybCjH63uKKUnvdlzUh-4vEjJH1QYtwChVKGtSC9IV2InN0q6X8G3OEX-0zpeBP_JBNz6LbQtNAzp/s400/Heidi+2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">I hate to say this... as much as I love you Erin Andrews, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZuvAoqAu_M1OTI9bcWMNZdmfhDF1ND5nQ4FbVGflsppc2YLVkTbh5KLXWF02QMV8Q3fJ8btxWq7KWSdABDOLM14BXeW4rxWLYIFaJKfaUHoM1e2_lPX_MPSZEZghapQsNmSvXoMZHPNS/s1600-h/Heidi+1.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228465595832845250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZuvAoqAu_M1OTI9bcWMNZdmfhDF1ND5nQ4FbVGflsppc2YLVkTbh5KLXWF02QMV8Q3fJ8btxWq7KWSdABDOLM14BXeW4rxWLYIFaJKfaUHoM1e2_lPX_MPSZEZghapQsNmSvXoMZHPNS/s320/Heidi+1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a>but you </span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">have a competitor up at NESN.</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">As per the NESN website: </span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Heidi Watney is NESN’s Boston Red Sox Reporter. She joins Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy on the network’s baseball coverage providing live in-game updates. Heidi also serves as the reporter for NESN pre-game and post-game show. Joining host Tom Caron and NESN’s rotating cast of studio analysts, Heidi reports on key news and stories from the ballpark and conducts interviews with players, coaches and management.</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Watney comes to NESN from Fresno, California where she has served as a weekend sports anchor and reporter for KMPH Fox-26 News and a sports talk radio show host for 1430 ESPN Radio KFIG. The University of San Diego graduate began her career as a sports reporter/assistant producer for KUSI News in San Diego, California.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">USD girls are gorgeous..... ahhh good for you NESN. Manny might be Manny. But Heidi is GORGEOUS. </span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-27402082182020119232008-07-29T08:43:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:30:05.876-07:00What Bush and Batman Have In Common<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><em>A RePost of a WSJ Article from July 25, 2008<br />The original article can be found here: </em><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121694247343482821.html"><em>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121694247343482821.html</em></a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><em>There, that should cover all that legal BS-y junk. Now, enjoy a good article.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Original Article: </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . .</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Oh, wait a minute. That's not a bat, actually. In fact, when you trace the outline with your finger, it looks kind of like . . . a "W."</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br />There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war. Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.<br /><br />And like W, Batman understands that there is no moral equivalence between a free society -- in which people sometimes make the wrong choices -- and a criminal sect bent on destruction. The former must be cherished even in its moments of folly; the latter must be hounded to the gates of Hell.<br /><br />"The Dark Knight," then, is a conservative movie about the war on terror. And like another such film, last year's "300," "The Dark Knight" is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans.<br /><br />Conversely, time after time, left-wing films about the war on terror -- films like "In The Valley of Elah," "Rendition" and "Redacted" -- which preach moral equivalence and advocate surrender, that disrespect the military and their mission, that seem unable to distinguish the difference between America and Islamo-fascism, have bombed more spectacularly than Operation Shock and Awe.<br /><br />Why is it then that left-wingers feel free to make their films direct and realistic, whereas Hollywood conservatives have to put on a mask in order to speak what they know to be the truth? Why is it, indeed, that the conservative values that power our defense -- values like morality, faith, self-sacrifice and the nobility of fighting for the right -- only appear in fantasy or comic-inspired films like "300," "Lord of the Rings," "Narnia," "Spiderman 3" and now "The Dark Knight"?<br /><br />The moment filmmakers take on the problem of Islamic terrorism in realistic films, suddenly those values vanish. The good guys become indistinguishable from the bad guys, and we end up denigrating the very heroes who defend us. Why should this be?<br /><br />The answers to these questions seem to me to be embedded in the story of "The Dark Knight" itself: Doing what's right is hard, and speaking the truth is dangerous. Many have been abhorred for it, some killed, one crucified.<br /><br />Leftists frequently complain that right-wing morality is simplistic. Morality is relative, they say; nuanced, complex. They're wrong, of course, even on their own terms.<br /><br />Left and right, all Americans know that freedom is better than slavery, that love is better than hate, kindness better than cruelty, tolerance better than bigotry. We don't always know how we know these things, and yet mysteriously we know them nonetheless.<br /><br />The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them -- when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love.<br /><br />When heroes arise who take on those difficult duties themselves, it is tempting for the rest of us to turn our backs on them, to vilify them in order to protect our own appearance of righteousness. We prosecute and execrate the violent soldier or the cruel interrogator in order to parade ourselves as paragons of the peaceful values they preserve. As Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon says of the hated and hunted Batman, "He has to run away -- because we have to chase him."<br /><br />That's real moral complexity. And when our artistic community is ready to show that sometimes men must kill in order to preserve life; that sometimes they must violate their values in order to maintain those values; and that while movie stars may strut in the bright light of our adulation for pretending to be heroes, true heroes often must slink in the shadows, slump-shouldered and despised -- then and only then will we be able to pay President Bush his due and make good and true films about the war on terror.<br /><br />Perhaps that's when Hollywood conservatives will be able to take off their masks and speak plainly in the light of day.<br /><br /><em>Mr. Klavan has won two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. His new novel, "Empire of Lies" (An Otto Penzler Book, Harcourt), is about an ordinary man confronting the war on terror.</em><br /></span><br /><br /></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-23440517629145690822008-07-29T08:36:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:27:27.165-07:00Blackwater: About Damn Time<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><em>RePost of a WSJ Article from July 29, 2008<br />To cover all that legal BS and such, the original article can be found here: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121728728103991373.html?mod=todays_columnists">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121728728103991373.html?mod=todays_columnists</a></em><br /><em>There, that should make everyone happy.<br /><br /></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">When Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg announced a new antismoking campaign the other day, they put their money in line with their mouths. The former Microsoft chairman and the mayor of New York together pledged $500 million to target what Mr. Gates called "one of the greatest health challenges facing developing countries."<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The same day they were announcing their campaign, the president of Sudan was on a visit to Darfur. Presumably it was his way of responding to news that the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court is seeking an arrest warrant against him on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Yet Omar al-Bashir did not appear to be a troubled man.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">At one rally, the AP reports, he broke into a little dance -- and state television ran footage of supporters "waving banners reading 'No! No! to the prosecutor!' and 'We are with you, al-Bashir!'"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br />Mr. Bashir's visit to Darfur is a good reminder that for much of the developing world, and especially for the people of Africa, the gravest health threat does not come from Philip Morris. As the headlines from the Sudan and Zimbabwe illustrate, the gravest health threat typically comes from a combination of murderous government and Western powers unwilling to use their force to stop them.<br /><br />Oh, Darfur gets plenty of news coverage from sympathetic reporters sickened by the carnage and devastation they have seen. What the people of Darfur do not get is an armed force capable of taking on the Janjaweed -- a horse-mounted militia. The Janjaweed has murdered men, gang-raped women, beaten children to death, and left poisoned wells and burnt-down villages in its wake. All this Mr. Bashir encourages and supports to help maintain his grip over Darfur.<br /><br />Enter Erik Prince, the chairman and CEO of Blackwater Worldwide. Yes, that Blackwater. Most of the attention the company has attracted has been for its security work in protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq. But much more of their work is training: from border and narcotics police in Afghanistan to police and maritime forces in countries ranging from the United States and Japan, to nations in Africa and South America.<br /><br />Mr. Prince says that the 9,000 or so African Union soldiers in Darfur, as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force, are a good start. But he says that to be effective they need better training, communications and equipment. That is more or less the same message from a report released yesterday by the Darfur Consortium, a coalition of 50 African-based and Africa-focused NGOs. "One year ago the U.N. Security Council stood unanimous and promised Darfurians the strongest and largest protection force ever," says a coalition spokesman. "Today that force is just over a third deployed, lacks even the most basic equipment and is unable to protect itself let alone civilians."<br /><br />Mr. Prince has a remedy. He believes that with 250 or so professionals, Blackwater can transform about a thousand of the African Union soldiers into an elite and highly mobile force. This force would also be equipped with helicopters and the kind of small planes that missionaries use in this part of the world. It would be cheaper than the hundreds of millions we are spending to set up a larger AU/U.N. force. And he says he'd do it at cost.<br /><br />Blackwater would not do the fighting. Its people would serve as advisers, mechanics and pilots. Aid workers and villagers would be equipped with satellite telephones that include Global Positioning Systems. When they call in, the troops would respond.<br /><br />"I'm so sick of hearing that nothing can be done," he says. "The Janjaweed is a truly unfettered bully. No one has stood up to them. If they were met by a mobile quick reaction force of African Union soldiers, the Janjaweed would quickly learn their habits were not sustainable." And to ensure accountability, he says, the U.S. could send 25 military officers to observe how Blackwater is doing and serve as liaisons.<br /><br />At this moment, the U.N. is again debating a resolution on Darfur. Others are still hoping for a boycott of next month's Summer Olympics, hoping to pressure Beijing to pressure Mr. Bashir, who supplies the Chinese with a healthy percentage of their oil. Still others are working to tighten sanctions.<br /><br />But nothing appears to have had much of an effect on Mr. Bashir's behavior. And if we are honest with ourselves, nobody really expects any of this activity ever will.<br /><br />Then again, that's the point: Strongly worded resolutions, sanctions and boycotts are generally what you do in place of decisive action. I understand that the whole idea of Blackwater helicopters flying over Darfur probably horrifies many of the same people frustrated by Mr. Bashir's ability to game the system. But it's at least worth wondering what that same Blackwater helo might look like to a defenseless Darfur mother and her daughters lying in fear of a Janjaweed attack.</span><br /><br /></span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-1527430756178340182008-07-29T08:32:00.000-07:002008-07-29T10:25:52.094-07:00Let's Have a Real Recession and a Depression While We Are At It!<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><em>RePost of a WSJ Article from July 29, 2008<br />To cover all that legal BS and such, the original article can be found here: </em><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121728762442091427.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries"><em>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121728762442091427.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries</em></a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><em>There, that should make everyone happy.</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Article:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">What if I told you that a prominent global political figure in recent months has proposed: abrogating key features of his government's contracts with energy companies; unilaterally renegotiating his country's international economic treaties; dramatically raising marginal tax rates on the "rich" to levels not seen in his country in three decades (which would make them among the highest in the world); and changing his country's social insurance system into explicit welfare by severing the link between taxes and benefits?</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br />The first name that came to mind would probably not be Barack Obama, possibly our nation's next president. Yet despite his obvious general intelligence, and uplifting and motivational eloquence, Sen. Obama reveals this startling economic illiteracy in his policy proposals and economic pronouncements. From the property rights and rule of (contract) law foundations of a successful market economy to the specifics of tax, spending, energy, regulatory and trade policy, if the proposals espoused by candidate Obama ever became law, the American economy would suffer a serious setback.<br /><br />To be sure, Mr. Obama has been clouding these positions as he heads into the general election and, once elected, presidents sometimes see the world differently than when they are running. Some cite Bill Clinton's move to the economic policy center following his Hillary health-care and 1994 Congressional election debacles as a possible Obama model. But candidate Obama starts much further left on spending, taxes, trade and regulation than candidate Clinton. A move as large as Mr. Clinton's toward the center would still leave Mr. Obama on the economic left.<br />Also, by 1995 the country had a Republican Congress to limit President Clinton's big government agenda, whereas most political pundits predict strengthened Democratic majorities in both Houses in 2009. Because newly elected presidents usually try to implement the policies they campaigned on, Mr. Obama's proposals are worth exploring in some depth. I'll discuss taxes and trade, although the story on his other proposals is similar.<br /><br />First, taxes. The table nearby demonstrates what could happen to marginal tax rates in an Obama administration. Mr. Obama would raise the top marginal rates on earnings, dividends and capital gains passed in 2001 and 2003, and phase out itemized deductions for high income taxpayers. He would uncap Social Security taxes, which currently are levied on the first $102,000 of earnings. The result is a remarkable reduction in work incentives for our most economically productive citizens.<br /><br />The top 35% marginal income tax rate rises to 39.6%; adding the state income tax, the Medicare tax, the effect of the deduction phase-out and Mr. Obama's new Social Security tax (of up to 12.4%) increases the total combined marginal tax rate on additional labor earnings (or small business income) from 44.6% to a whopping 62.8%. People respond to what they get to keep after tax, which the Obama plan reduces from 55.4 cents on the dollar to 37.2 cents -- a reduction of one-third in the after-tax wage!<br /><br />Despite the rhetoric, that's not just on "rich" individuals. It's also on a lot of small businesses and two-earner middle-aged middle-class couples in their peak earnings years in high cost-of-living areas. (His large increase in energy taxes, not documented here, would disproportionately harm low-income Americans. And, while he says he will not raise taxes on the middle class, he'll need many more tax hikes to pay for his big increase in spending.)<br />On dividends the story is about as bad, with rates rising from 50.4% to 65.6%, and after-tax returns falling over 30%. Even a small response of work and investment to these lower returns means such tax rates, sooner or later, would seriously damage the economy.<br /><br />On economic policy, the president proposes and Congress disposes, so presidents often wind up getting the favorite policy of powerful senators or congressmen. Thus, while Mr. Obama also proposes an alternative minimum tax (AMT) patch, he could instead wind up with the permanent abolition plan for the AMT proposed by the Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D., N.Y.) -- a 4.6% additional hike in the marginal rate with no deductibility of state income taxes. Marginal tax rates would then approach 70%, levels not seen since the 1970s and among the highest in the world. The after-tax return to work -- the take-home wage for more time or effort -- would be cut by more than 40%.<br /><br />Now trade. In the primaries, Sen. Obama was famously protectionist, claiming he would rip up and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta). Since its passage (for which former President Bill Clinton ran a brave anchor leg, given opposition to trade liberalization in his party), Nafta has risen to almost mythological proportions as a metaphor for the alleged harm done by trade, globalization and the pace of technological change.<br /><br />Yet since Nafta was passed (relative to the comparable period before passage), U.S. manufacturing output grew more rapidly and reached an all-time high last year; the average unemployment rate declined as employment grew 24%; real hourly compensation in the business sector grew twice as fast as before; agricultural exports destined for Canada and Mexico have grown substantially and trade among the three nations has tripled; Mexican wages have risen each year since the peso crisis of 1994; and the two binational Nafta environmental institutions have provided nearly $1 billion for 135 environmental infrastructure projects along the U.S.-Mexico border.<br /><br />In short, it would be hard, on balance, for any objective person to argue that Nafta has injured the U.S. economy, reduced U.S. wages, destroyed American manufacturing, harmed our agriculture, damaged Mexican labor, failed to expand trade, or worsened the border environment. But perhaps I am not objective, since Nafta originated in meetings James Baker and I had early in the Bush 41 administration with Pepe Cordoba, chief of staff to Mexico's President Carlos Salinas.<br /><br />Mr. Obama has also opposed other important free-trade agreements, including those with Colombia, South Korea and Central America. He has spoken eloquently about America's responsibility to help alleviate global poverty -- even to the point of saying it would help defeat terrorism -- but he has yet to endorse, let alone forcefully advocate, the single most potent policy for doing so: a successful completion of the Doha round of global trade liberalization. Worse yet, he wants to put restrictions into trade treaties that would damage the ability of poor countries to compete. And he seems to see no inconsistency in his desire to improve America's standing in the eyes of the rest of the world and turning his back on more than six decades of bipartisan American presidential leadership on global trade expansion. When trade rules are not being improved, nontariff barriers develop to offset the liberalization from the current rules. So no trade liberalization means creeping protectionism.<br /><br />History teaches us that high taxes and protectionism are not conducive to a thriving economy, the extreme case being the higher taxes and tariffs that deepened the Great Depression. While such a policy mix would be a real change, as philosophers remind us, change is not always progress.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><strong>Obamanomics Is a Recipe for Recession</strong><br />By: Michael J. Boskin<br />July 29, 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Mr. Boskin, professor of economics at Stanford University and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President George H.W. Bush. </span>The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7176209948749835877.post-84592741364450167422008-03-24T15:45:00.000-07:002008-03-24T15:50:24.430-07:007 Diamonds<em>You guys certainly put out.</em><br /> - potential client<br /><br />Are you kidding me? This is supposed to be the motivation which keeps me working hard? I am not too terribly motivated via the carrot and stick method. Yes, bonus is a tremendous motivation. But, at the same time, it still is not a majority of my motivation. But when it comes to being jerked around and being thanked in such a manner as that which opens this entry, it does become hard to maintain motivation. Alas, I return to work for the very same potential client who jerks us around and makes me feel as worthy as "Kristen" aka A.A. Dupree.<br /><br />Your fearless Analyst friend.......The Staghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986633800308433558noreply@blogger.com3