Overlooking the more experienced candidate for the more likeable one, the American public chose Bill Clinton in the election of 1992. This inability to see past the charm and the manipulation of public sentiment will happen again in 2008. The American public thinks this is American Idol and will choose the more likeable candidate once again. The problem is, likeability does not translate into competence.

We don’t need a snake charmer in the white house. We need a competent, experienced, and skilled leader. But the American public is too full of whimsy to elect one.   They are still stuck on Harry Potter, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings where the wise wizard always knows what to do and leads the warriors down the correct path to victory. If Americans think charm and grace go hand in hand with wisdom and judgment, they are sadly mistaken, and we will all be led down the path to defeat.

Charming enough to charm the snake from the basket, Barak Obama will win the presidency and proceed to set the precedence that public likeability is more important than competence and experience.

 

"Hero" should be reserved for people that put their own lives in danger to save another human being from death.  Without these two elements present--knowing full well that you are putting your health and safety in danger, and saving another person from death or injury--then it is not a heroic action.

For example, it has become fashionable to call someone who has been on the job a long time and has had a positive impact on people's lives a hero, but in fact, they are not heroes.  They may be "role models", but they are not heroes.

Now they are all gone.  WWII veterans are dying at the rate of 2,000 a day, but that number means little to me.  The ones in my life have already gone.  I will miss them.  Thank you guys, not only for your sacrifices to ensure our freedoms, but for providing us with everything we could ever want while we were growing up.  In no small ways, you continued to sacrifice for our benefit, even after the war was over.

This coming winter, you are all going to freeze to death (or go broke paying your heating bill). Me, I have enough wood chopped and seasoned to last a lifetime (according to my wife, who never understood why I wanted so much wood stacked in the back yard). But the rest of you, well, lets just say, you won't be complaining about the price of gas for your car this winter. No, compared with the cost of heating oil and natural gas, gasoline will be like penny candy.

And why is this Bonnie Rait's fault. Because she and others like Jackson Browne started, pushed and forced the whole "no nukes" policy on the whole nation. (well, at least the whole nation of baby boomers) Nuclear power is the only global climate friendly source of energy there is, and those california pot heads ruined any chance that we might develop it in time to save millions of people from freezing. It will come down to food or heat for some people in the northeast this winter. Sing about that Bonnie...

I just realized that the old U.S. Route 66 is no more.  That's too bad.  I was lucky enough to have driven Route 66 back in the early 70s and it was quite an experience.  I will never forget the loneliness and desolation of the Texas panhandle, Arizona and New Mexico.  And the open highway with wind (very, very hot wind) blowing in the windows...well, that was one experience that left a lasting impression on me.  America was huge, beautiful and hot as hell. 

For all of you folks that are trying to preserve the old highway landmarks (dingy old gas stations for one thing), I wish you luck.  The problem is that when you restore an old gas station, there is no way to give it the atmosphere it once had as a miserable, old, dirty, aging hole in the wall.  But I give you credit for trying.

One of the national shames that no one talks about is the number of deaths of teens due to car accidents on our american roads.  Each year, 5,000 teens between the ages of 16 and 20 die on our highways and 400,000 are seriously injured.  It is not hard to conclude therefore, that the teenage GIs in Iraq are safer than they would be if they were home and driving around.

 

                 Islam as a System

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam:
The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.. www.frontlineorg.za/books_videos/sti.ht

Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult. It is a complete system. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components. The religious component is a beard for all the other components. Islamization occurs when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their so-called 'religious rights.'

When politically correct and culturall y diverse societies agree to 'the reasonable' Muslim demands for their 'religious rights,' they also get the other components under the table. Here's how it works (percentages source CIA: The World Fact Book (2007)).

As long as the Muslim population remains around 1% of any given country they
will be regarded as a peace-loving minority and not as a threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful uniqueness:

United States -- Muslim 1.0%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1%-2%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2% and 3% they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

>From 5% on they exercise an inordinate influe nce in proportion to their percentage of the population.

They will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature it on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply. (United States).

France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- Muslim 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islam is not to convert the world but to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims reach 10% of the population, they will increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions (Paris -- car-burnings). Any non-Muslim action that offends Islam will result in uprisings and threats (Amste rdam - - Mohammed cartoons).

Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 10-15%

After reaching 20% expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings and church and synagogue burning:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40% you will find widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks and ongoing militia warfare:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

>From 60% you may expect unfettered persecution of non-believers and other religions, sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels:

Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%

After 80% expect State run ethnic cleansing and genocide:

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- M uslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace -- there's supposed to be peace because everybody is a Muslim:

Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 99.9%

Of course, that's not the case. Muslims then start killing each other for a variety of reasons.

'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; and the tribe against the world and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'

It is good to remember that in many, many countries, such as France , the Muslim populations are centered around ghettos based on their ethnicity.. Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. Therefore, they exercise more power than their national average would indicate.

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.. www.frontlineorg.za/books_videos/sti.htm

It has always been my opinion that the highest paid teachers in the land should be the elementary school teachers.  The real future of our country is in their hands.  They are the ones most responsible for producing a citizen that is well educated, aware, curious, intelligent and caring. 

Believe me, it is more important to the country to have good elementary teachers than it is to have good professors.

Just watched "Thirteen Days, The Story of the Cuban Missle Crisis" and am reminded that throughout history, the perception of power is one of the most important protective devices a country has.  Any sign of weakening and other countries are ready to take advantage.

The thing that all americans must keep in mind is that dictators and autocratic  leaders like Krushev, Castro, Stalin, Ahmadinejad, etc only respect one thing-strength.  If you are not strong, they don't miss any opportunity to expose that weakness and take advantage of it.

I fear how far down the respect chain we will fall with Obama as president.