Foreign Policy

The days of the US taking a single-minded approach to foreign policy is past. I'm not convinced it was ever a good idea but regardless, its an idea whose time has come and gone. I'm not a fan of President Obama and did not vote for him, so let me just say that right out of the gate. He is doing everything he said he'd do in his campaign and that is to change the face of the US government. I disagree with the direction he's taking but that's why I didn't vote for him. I'm not going to get into his domestic policies in this particular rant: there's enough fodder there for quite a few posts/rants. This particular post is in regards to his rather disastrous thus far foreign policy.

It is popular among certain groups of intelligentsia to malign the United States or previous administrations and that's fine for them to do as private citizens. No nation is perfect and we have plenty of skeletons in our closet, however I do not want to see my President, the leader of the United States going into other countries and apologizing for the previous administration. That's airing dirty laundry that doesn't need to be aired and it's taking a pot-shot at someone who is no longer a threat to your own policies. It has no place on the international stage. If a Democrat wants to stand up in Congress and say they hate all Republicans, fine - I'll applaud their honesty if nothing else. But to have the sitting President go in front of the leaders of other nations and basically say "hey that guy I replaced was an idiot and I'm sorry you had to deal with him" isn't being politically savvy. Its not a way to get other leaders on our side. It doesn't buy political points with anyone. All it does is make it look like you cannot get past the previous administration and are more interested in pointing fingers than getting results. If behind closed doors you say it in the course of negotiations, that's fine. Stating it in a speech is amateurish and childish.

When is someone going to do something positive with South America? Here's a quick catch-up to those who haven't been paying any attention to our fellow Americans south of the isthmus. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is more than just a petty dictator who hates America and will malign the United States to anyone willing to listen: he has dreams of turning South America into one unified government under his despotic rule.

He came to power in Venezuela after failing in a coup to take over the nation in 1992. He then went to visit his friend and colleague in Cuba, Fidel Castro and came back with a number of Cubans loyal to him. They became citizens of Venezuela and through the use of the Bolivarian Circles voted him into office in 1998 mostly by strong-arming those who weren't going to vote for him, much like ACORN does here in the United States, only more successfully. The same tactics have been used in his "re-elections" that good ole' Jimmy Carter "certified".

The official story however is that he worked hard after being released from prison to earn the trust of the public. He created the Fifth Republic Movement on the ideas of basically dismantling then recreating a new republic. He claimed that the constitution at the time preserved the two parties in control of Venezuela. Basically he took "hope and change" to an extreme and used community organizations organized by people from Cuba get himself into the top spot.

Once in office, his Bolivarian Circles became his grassroots organization: they found his political opponents who he then suppressed and denied services to. They intimidated the politically ambiguous into voting for him and act as a sort of Hitler Youth for his administration. He started making overtures to other governments and created the Union of South American Nations which he rightfully thinks will be the first step to creating a single continent-wide country. He has also been working with FARC to undermine the governments in other South American nations that are not on good terms with him. His allies in Ecuador and Brazil are particularly stringent in their support of their fellow socialist/communist. At one point, Venezuela and Ecuador had their military units stationed along Columbia's border as a threat.

But wait! you say - isn't Columbia pretty much owned and run by the Drug Cartels? Not really, not anymore. Presidente Alvaro Uribe of Columbia has been rather successful in driving them out or lowering their influence, so much so that much of Mexico's problems stem from the fact that Columbia is no longer a safe haven for them run by a puppet government. Columbia is perhaps our staunchest ally south of the border at this point.

So why should we care?

Draw the connections. Venezuela has ties directly and through Cuba to Russia and China and therefore to North Korea. As a member of OPEC, Venezuela also has ties to Iran, Lybia and Saudi Arabia and therefore to Hamas. Hugo Chavez has been very vocal in his support of FARC and has 'demanded' that the US and the UN Human Rights Council removes them off their Terrorist Watch lists. Venezuela also undermines the United States' foreign policy at every opportunity at one point even calling the sitting President of the US the Devil himself.

Good thing President Obama apologized to the world then, isn't it? Never mind that the alliance is forming right under our very noses of a global network of terrorist supporters. Never mind that the very act of apologizing places you in a position of weakness. Never mind that because of the still tunnel-vision aspect of foreign policy North Korea, who has nukes and missiles to put them on, has been relegated to be dealt with by Russia and China who are both supporters of North Korea.

Our enemies are circling and forming alliances. They are approaching foreign policy with a global view and unless and until we do the same and assume a position of strength, we will continue to set ourselves up for failure. If we're lucky in another fifty years, historians will be wondering if President Obama turned a blind eye to what was happening so that we'd have an excuse to enter World War III just like our historians wonder the same about President Truman and World War II.

3rd Shift Woes

I work 3rd shift now and I have worked 3rd shift at previous places of employment. One thing I've noticed during that time is that having a 24/7 operation requires much more effort on the part of management. Otherwise, there will be things that 1st shift knows that 2nd and 3rd don't and stuff that 1st and 2nd know that 3rd doesn't. I believe - and I am now in a management position - that keeping everyone properly informed is a function of management.

To me it doesn't matter what you do, who you do it for or where you do it, your job is to make your boss look good. Their job is to make sure you have everything you need to make them look good. That's it. How you go about making your boss look good depends on your job and situation but that's it. If everyone followed this 'work philosophy' then work would be much easier to deal with.

Then again if everyone just did their own jobs that would help too.

I'm in a rather bad mood and I don't really know why.

It's Official!

I hate this administration. When I say "this" I really mean "both the state and the federal administrations that are conspiring to make me bankrupt". They've conspired between the two of them to seize an additional 3.7% of my income. I've lost a noticeable chunk of my take-home pay thanks to these two morons.

That's right - morons. I'm flat out stating it: Deval Patrick and Barak Obama are fiscal morons. JFK that Democrat pipe-dream once said that it is an irony of the economy that lowering taxes increases the state income yet these two have imagined that doing the opposite will increase it even more. Because of that I've lost what is equivalent to my car loan payment to the feds and the state.

Please, someone explain to me how this can possibly help the economy by taking more money out of the people who drive the economy: the paying public? Think of it this way: if you want people to spend more money, should you take money away from them? How will that encourage us to spend money? How will seizing a car company or two as well as controlling the banks help? The last guy that did that when he got in power was considerably shorter and had a goofy moustache. But wait! President Obama is going to make Chrystler and GM make cars that are more eco-friendly and efficient! That'll make people more likely to buy them!

That other guy had a similar idea: he made a government controlled car company make a new division that would sell cars for the common people of his economically devastated nation. They called it the Folks' Car a.k.a. Volkwagon.

Yes, I am comparing the socialist nationalist policies of our President with the socialist nationalist policies of Hitler. Are you going to report me to the American Youth Council? Will you shut me down with the Fairness Doctrine?

Anyone who votes for anyone who is currently in office - regardless of what party - is an idiot. They're all in on it. Every last one and I don't care which parenthetical letter follows their name. They're all guilty of selling out the American Dream and the Constitution they're supposed to defend from all enemies foreign and domestic.

I'm not unhappy - I'm getting pissed off.

We need a return to the Constitution. We've swung far enough to the left it's time to swing back to the right. Enough Progressive nonsense: its time for some Conservative nonsense! They've gone too far. I've been holding my tongue. I really have. With all the international policy disasters, the poorly thought out economic policies, the frankly devastating response to the current financial crisis (which is not truly improving in spite of what the talking heads on the propaganda channels say), the aspirations to nationalize healthcare and all hospitals as well as the frighteningly inept approach to North Korea I think I'm ready to say that in my not very humble opinion that the Obama Administration is a failure that does not deserve a second term. The banks have not started loaning money. Until that happens the economy is not on the recovery trail. I don't care what the stock market says.

Today is a weird day

So David Carradine died by apparent suicide while filming a movie in Bangkok.  President Obama gave a speech in the Middle East and I almost liked it.

Today is a weird day.

More sketches

More sketches ....

AAAAHHHHH!!!

Ever have one of those days where no matter what you do you can't seem to get things done right?  It feels like I've had one of those sort of years.  I need a break - a night out with my beautiful bride should work.  I hope so.  My other ways of blowing steam haven't been working and I really really really need to blow off some steam.

Work stuff is terribly frustrating.  There are things I need to do yet the universe seems stacked against me.  I feel like I'm dragging an elephant uphill by the tail and it's struggling against me.

*sigh*

Calgon take me away!!

An Iranian Mosque was bombed last night.  Surprisingly, the Iranian government is blaming the US.  I wish I could say I was surprised.  I also wish I could say I was sure we didn't pay these jokers to do this.  This is the problem when you have a dictator who hates the US coupled with years and years of media coverage that also hates the US.  

My kingdom for a return to impartial investigative journalism!

Some more sketches

Here's some sketches that I've done fairly recently.

State of the World Today - or - Israel Will be a Mushroom Cloud in a Year and its All Your Fault

Alright I had a conversation with one of my best friends today and I've been obsessing about it ever since.

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor - I don't care.  Really, it doesn't matter to me.  Why you may ask?  Simple - there are bigger problems to worry about and the President has the privilege of selecting justices to the Supreme Court.  I think it's a bit hypocritical of the Democrats to be so much behind her considering they filibustered Miguel Estrada who was a Latino nominee from humble background.  She may or may not be a racist or a sexist or an elitist.  But I don't care all that much.

What's the bigger problem?

Kim Jong Il launching a number of missiles into the Sea of Japan over this past weekend.  His withdrawal from the armistice that ended hostilities in the Korean War.  His statement that if South Korea allows or participates in any blocking of ships heading to North Korea that would be a declaration of war.  Most importantly what concerns me is my President's lack of action on it.  Yes, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did expound rather eloquently on how this sort of behavior Won't Be Tolerated and there will be Serious Consequences but there was no teeth behind her remarks.  She said that while the Speaker of the House was in Singapore basically entreating Bejing to take over our foreign policy in regards to North Korea.  

Speaker Pelosi has no authority to entreat on the behalf of the US Government with foreign officials but let's face it - she had to leave the country before she made things even worse for herself.  Besides, someone had to go behind the scenes to suck up to China on behalf of President Obama.  

In a conversation at the Electric Speakeasy some time ago (a year or more) I said that we were witnessing the beginning of World War Three and the axis powers would be China, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.  But wait - China's on our side, aren't they?  They're outraged at North Korea's actions.  They said so!  So did Russia.

Suuuure they are.  I heard John Batchelor on the Curtis Sliwa show the other night saying that China and Russia both are very happy with North Korea being the rogue nation and filling that role for them.  

Something to remember and/or realize: China lobbied hard to host the 2008 Olympics.  Why?  Because it was China's way of showcasing itself to the world.  It was a reboot - if I may use geek speak for a minute - of their international image.  Hosting the Olympics was a way to scrub the events at Tienanmen Square ten years ago from the international mind-set.  That's important because China believes that the 21st century belongs to them.  They're more than happy letting us think they're our friends while they underwrite our debts and sell us products that are made and sold on the cheap.

Remember the song 16 Tons?  That's the US relationship with China right now; like coal miners with the coal companies at the turn of the last century.  They cover our debt and sell us things that we're buying from them on the credit they provide.  If that makes no sense to you, then you're starting to think.  It's insane for the US to think that China has no ulterior motive and that they agree with us on what North Korea should or should not be doing.  Remember that it was China who stopped us at the 38th parallel way back in 1953, not North Korea.  

For those of you educated in the public education system: that means that China is North Korea's ally, not ours.

Then China and Russia engaged in joint military maneuvers last year.  Countries don't do that unless they're allies.

John Batchelor stated that it's fairly common knowledge among the international intelligence communities that Iran and North Korea are allies and have constant communication.  Iran and Venezuela are both members of OPEC.  Cuba and Russia are still allies (that hasn't changed in my lifetime), as are Cuba and Venezuela.

To recap - China is allies with North Korea who is allies with Iran who is allies with Venezuela who is allies with Cuba who is allies with Russia who is allies with China.

Did you notice that the US is not listed in there?  Yeah, I did too.

So, North Korea is testing missile technology and basically pissing off half the civilized world in that area while simultaneously pursuing nuclear technology (thank you Mr Clinton) along with their ally; that other rogue nation, Iran.  Make no mistake, once Iran has a nuclear weapon, they will use it on Israel.  

How do I know?  Because they've said they would, and I believe them.

It doesn't even matter who develops nuclear weapons first; Iran or North Korea, because once one has them the other one soon will.  

What bothers me most about all of this is that this is all our fault.  When I say "our" what I really mean is "your".  Yes, you, the average US citizen.  It is your fault that Israel will be blown up by a petty dictator wannabe.  The 'average' US citizen does not vote.  The 'average' voter does so based solely on party affiliation rather than actually paying attention to the issues.  They consider themselves to be educated on the issues because they hear a five minute news headline overview during their commute to and from work.  They're more worked up over American Idol than they are North Korea's aggressive stance.  

We elected a man into the White House who is a socialist by his own admission, who has no leadership experience in any form and we elected him because we were more enamored with the color of his skin than with the substance of his character.  There's a word for that sort of behavior and it was in the avoidance of that word that caused us to act in that fashion - how messed up is that?

Because of that, our President has made gaffes on the international stage of such staggering proportions that it blows my mind.  Our President is so enamored with the idea of achieving some form of "victory" over Iran through 'peaceful' talks that he's literally ignoring the powder keg that's developing in the far east.  North Korea is the lynch pin that may light off a World War the likes of which would make my grandfather's war look like a skirmish.

You think the casualties from Iraq were too much?  We lost more men in one day of fighting in Iwo Jima than we did in the five years we've spent in Iraq.  We failed to learn the real lesson of Vietnam which is when you are involved in a war you declare war and leave politicians out of it.  We hamstring our military and intelligence agencies then decry them any time they do something that might possibly be conceived as being offensive.  We tell them they need to be effective and get the job done but they can't do anything that might actually be effective.

The result of our inaction and our inability to actually exercise our rights with any form of responsibility is that World War Three is sitting on our doorsteps and the enemies have no fear of death, nor do they care about hurting innocent civilians.  When North Korea or Iran attacks with a nuclear weapon, their target won't be a military installation.  Iran's target will be Jerusalem.  North Korea's will be Seoul or Tokyo.  The death toll from such an attack will be in the hundreds of thousands if we're lucky.  Considering Iran's ties to Hammas and possibly other terrorist groups, we'd be lucky if there isn't some sort of dirty bomb attack on US soil.

But no, we're more concerned with what the Chosen One is going to do next.  How is He going to save the economy.  How will the evil Republicans attempt to block the pure as driven snow Sonia Sontomayor's nomination to our highest court.

We're going to ignore the failure of Obama's international policy.  We're going to ignore the fact that one of his first acts as President was to place the Census under the control of the White House and that his domestic economic policy is to seize control of as many industries as possible.  He's already seized control of the banking and automotive industries.  He's making moves towards "Big Business" like Big Oil.  We're going to ignore that the economy is not really on the road to recovery - the decline has slowed down.  Economic experts without a political axe to grind are all saying the same thing: this isn't over yet, the full impact hasn't hit us yet.

I believe in the the Spirit of America.  I truly do.  I believe that the American people can still save our country.  What scares me is that the longer it takes us to resolve our problems using the first amendment, the more likely we'll have to resolve it with the second amendment.

That's not a world I want to raise my children in.

Sample art

I said I was an artist.  I tend to draw in a line art comic book style and normally of characters from various role playing games that I enjoy.  Here is one of the characters, a man named Arcadian Spector.  Once I figure out this whole blogging thing I'll post a larger sketch.

Education System

Why is it that the people in charge of the education of our children can't seem to understand what it is they're doing?  When I say "people in charge" I really mean the policy makers; the Superintendants and Unions and Department of Education types.  The dreaded and much-maligned 'pencil pushers' that no one ever seems to admit to being.

I do not possess a college education in spite of the time I spent in college, I want to make that clear from the get-go.  But it seems to me that the older I get the less that little piece of paper means.  When I was in middle school, a college education was something only few people ever had and it meant a lot.  By the time I got to college age, it was the next expected step and not a big deal if you had one.  Now some decades later it seems that anyone who can chug a beer will get a degree regardless of how much they actually deserve it.

That, to me, is symbolic of what's plaguing our education system: no clear goals.  In my state we have a test that was designed to test the education system so naturally the education administrators have made it the litmus test for graduation.  That's like using a hammer with a screw - yes, it'll work but it's not how it was meant to be used.  

If I Were In Charge 

This is how it would go.  You show up on your little tyke's first day of school.  You meet the teacher and introduce your young one to them.  They had you a packet that has as it's contents:

Emergency Contact information

Pertinent medical information about your child (allergies, known issues that might affect the education environment, pediatrician's name)

Expectations

That section would show what you can expect your child to learn by the end of each grade and what the teacher expects from you the parent.

Every grade would have clearly defined goals and objectives, as would each 'block' (grade school, middle school and high school).  I'm a big one for improvising and making things up as I go along but when it comes to an organization, clear goals and objectives are necessary.  Any organization, be it a military unit, corporate entity, non-profit or government division needs to have a goal to work towards.  Otherwise everyone is just doing day-to-day events that they think applies to their job.

There would be no homework.  Reports and projects are fine, but daily homework is pointless.  What is the purpose of sending a child home with work they should have learned at school?  Especially now that math has apparently changed from the way it was done over the past several centuries; ever do a math triangle?  Have you ever composed a math sentance?  Yeah, me neither.

There would be Reading, Math, Art, Music and Gym in grades 1 and 2.  That's it.  At grade 3 science is added.   At grade 5 US History is added.  At grade 6 social studies and foreign language are added.  At grade 7 civics is added.  

You will notice that there are no computer courses.  The technology industry is changing much to fast for our education system to keep up with.  The computer was designed with a slide rule and so were integrated circuits.  The computers used today look and behave nothing like those that existed ten years ago and our children are in school twelve years.  The IT industry spends billions making computers easier and easier to use - they're in our cars, watches, television sets, radios and even in stoves and refridgerators for crying out loud.  It's called ergonomics; it means that its meant to work intuitively.  Only our education system would think they need to teach someone something that's designed to be intuitive.

Every student would be given a written immigration test in English before graduating high school.  If they fail, they don't graduate.  They will also be expected to balance a checkbook and create a budget.  High school will have as it's goal to teach every student the skills they need to survive in the world.  That means sewing, cooking and cleaning as well as hygene, how to figure simple interest and balance a checkbook, how to read and write with proper grammar and spelling and how and when to vote.

They will not be taught that liberalism is the highest social ideal.  Nor will they be taught that conservatism is the solution to the world's problems.  They will be taught what liberalism is and what conservatism is (preferably by a teacher who is of the opposing viewpoint).  They will be taught above all else that you are responsible for your own actions.  That's something that parents should be teaching and teachers reinforcing.

There will be no "zero tolerance" of anything.  Zero tolerance policies accomplish nothing.  They serve only to encourage the people in charge to ignore whatever issue they're trying to have no tolerance for.  There will be no career counseling.  It is not the job of the school to prepare a child for a job, it is the job of the school to prepare the child for life.  We all start in menial minimum wage jobs and move on from there.  There's no reason to change that.

This may seem harsh to some of you dear readers and if it does then I apologize.  Life is not fair and giving our children too much assistance or protecting them from anything that might bruise their egos is counter productive to what parents should be doing.  Parents should be teaching their children that when you get knocked down you get back up.

Educators are not paid to be day care or substitute parents.  

Starting out

Okay, my family started a blog and I figured I might as well, too.  This way I can comment on their blog without them knowing.  MWAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA - *ahem* right.

So anyway, things you'll see on here:

mindless rambling

political commentary

societal commentary

life observations

odds and ends that catch my attention