Accidental Wisdom

Sarah Palin Switched Colleges 6 Times in 6 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:28:00 +0000

According to the Associated Press, Sarah Palin swithced colleges 6 times in 6 years before getting her degree in journalism with a concentration in sports broadcasting.

Federal privacy laws prohibit the schools from disclosing her grades, and none of the schools contacted by The Associated Press could say why she transferred. There was no indication any were contacted as part of the background investigation of Palin by presidential candidate John McCain's campaign.

"Our office was not contacted by anyone," said Tania Thompson, spokeswoman for the University of Idaho in Moscow.

So apparently "vetting" Ms. Palin didn't include looking up her academic record? Remind me not to hire McCain's vetters for my HR department.

Also, maybe Ms. Palin is counting Moscow, Idaho as foreign policy experience? (Just kidding.)

Here is the rough chronology:

Fall 1982 - University of Hawaii at Hilo, left after a few weeks because of the weather

Fall 1982 - Hawaii Pacific University, majoring in Business Administration

Spring and Fall 1983 - North Idaho College, two year college, majored in "general studies".

Fall 1984 and Spring 1985 - University of Idaho

Fall 1985 - Matanuska-Susitna College in Alaska

Spring 1986, Fall 1986, and Spring 1987 - Back to the University of Idaho to finish her degree.

No transcripts of any of her grades have been released to the public from any of these colleges. Although a journalism major with a focus in broadcasting, there is no record of Palin ever having worked on any college newspaper or radio station.

So, since we're interviewing Ms. Palin for potential leader of the free world, I have this question. Ms. Palin, what were your grades? Let's see those transcripts. Obviously, we'd expect no less if you were interviewing to be manager of Denny's, so please provide those transcripts as soon as possible. It's nothing personal. It's just that after 8 years of George W. Bush, we're not quite sure we want another C student in the White House.

The Real Truth About Barack Obama!

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:27:00 +0000

The following is from an email that is circulating on the Internet. I found it to be a great counterpoint to the many lies that are being spread about Senator Obama. Please feel free to spread this information far and wide. -- Travis

Subject: The Real Truth About Barack Obama!

As enthusiastic volunteers in the Barack Obama campaign for the Presidency, we have put together a list of facts about Barack so that you will know the truth about him. Please follow the links we have included for documentation of these facts. If you value the truth as we do, please spread this information via email, blog, or any other means, to everyone you know.

Did you know that Barack Obama is a devout Christian? He has been a member of the same United Church of Christ congregation for 20 years, and was married there to his wife Michelle in 1992.

Did you know that Barack Obama often leads the US Senate in the Pledge of Allegiance?
Did you know that Barack Obama is a strong friend of Israel and has spoken out strongly against anti-Semitism?

Did you know his grandparents from Kansas were part of the "Greatest Generation?. His grandfather served with Patton's Army during World War II, and his grandmother, a real "Rosy the Riveter", worked in a bomber assembly plant back home.

Did you know that Barack Obama was opposed to the war in Iraq from day one, before we invaded, even while he was running for the Senate, and knowing his opposition might be politically unpopular?
"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world and strengthen the recruitment arm of al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars." --Barack Obama, 2002

Did you know Obama favors transparency over secrecy in our government? Did you know that Obama worked with Republican Senator Tom Coburn to pass one of the strongest government transparency bills since the freedom of information act? He's calling it Google for Government and you can see the results at www.usaspending.gov. Sen. Obama has also released his own tax returns for public review.

Did you know that after graduating with honors from Harvard Law School, Barack practiced civil rights law and also taught Constitutional Law for 10 years at the University of Chicago, one of the nation's best law schools, where he was consistently rated by his students as one of their best instructors? Did you also know that he was the first African-American elected president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review?

Did you know that Barack Obama is an outspoken advocate for women's rights and has been a principled defender of the civil rights of women?

Did you know that despite the grueling schedule of running for President, Senator Obama remains a devoted family man, making time to do things like pick out a Christmas tree with his wife and two young daughters, or hurrying home to spend Valentine's Day with them? Did you know he hasn't missed a single parent-teacher conference while running for President?

Did you know that Barack Obama has a stellar environmental record, including having the highest rating from the League of Conservation Voters (96%) of any Presidential candidate, Democrat or Republican?

Did you know that Barack Obama has been an elected legislator longer than Senator Clinton?

Did you know that Barack is a member of all of these Senate Committees: Foreign Relations; Veteran's Affairs; Health, Education, Labor & Pensions; Homeland Security and Government Affairs?

Did you know that Senator Obama has sponsored or co-sponsored 15 bills that have become law, and has introduced amendments to 50 bills, of which 16 were adopted since he joined the Senate in 2005?

Did you know that Senator Obama sponsored legislation working together with Indiana Republican Senator Richard Lugar, to keep Americans safe by keeping dangerous weapons out of terrorist hands? The two senators also visited the former Soviet Union to inspect the decommissioning of nuclear weapons. Sen. Lugar said of Sen. Obama, "He does have a sense of idealism and principled leadership, a vision of the future."

Did you know that Barack Obama is the only candidate running for president who voted against using cluster bombs in Iraq and the only candidate who supports banning the use of landmines?

Did you know that, as an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama succeeded in passing legislation requiring the videotaping of police interrogations, gaining the respect and support not only of fellow legislators but that of the police, who had initially opposed the legislation?

Did you know that Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, Ulysses S. Grant, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton were all younger when they took office than Barack Obama will be?

During election season many emails are circulated about the candidates. Some are true, some aren't. It's often difficult to determine the truth. We encourage you to visit the following non-partisan sites that do a good job of fact checking the candidates.

http://www.snopes.com/
http://www.factcheck.org/

Goodbye Huckabee. Hello Huckary! Why she lost.

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:51:00 +0000

It is easy for an Obama supporter to be down this morning. After all, didn't Obama lose Texas and Ohio yesterday? The real answer is no, he did not. Sure he lost the popular vote in those states, and if the primaries were decided on popular vote that would matter, but they're not. Hillary lost big yesterday, and gained a new nickname in the process.

The Clintons will bask this morning in the headlines that they won Ohio and Texas. Meanwhile in the back room they'll be lamenting that they cannot possibly win the nomination on this track. For while they won yesterday, they needed to do so by at least 20% in each state to make any real progress, and they didn't come close. In fact, when the math is all settled and the caucus numbers are in from Texas this weekend, it is highly likely that the Clintons will have accomplished a net loss of delegates yesterday, and there are now a whole lot less delegates left to pick up.

So although we lost Mike Huckabee yesterday (Sniff. Sniff. Wasn't he fun?), we gained his equivalent within the Democratic party, Huckary Clinton, if you will. Her continuation in the race now, though it it mathematically almost impossible for her to win the nomination, serves only to lessen the chances of a Democrat winning in November, as she waits for, and actively encourages, some slip-up by Obama that will throw things her way.

The difference, of course, is that Huckabee had more class. He knew that covering McCain in mud was no good for his party, and so he ran his campaign with dignity, running on his own merits, and not tearing down Republican chances in November for the sake of his own vanity. No such luck with Huckary.

It is tempting to say that Obama, moving forward, should go really negative on Huckary, but after listening to his victory speech last night I've concluded that that is both unnecessary (after all he's winning), and inconsistent with his message. I do believe he has to put some thought and effort into a few key areas.

He has to counter this email mumbling campaign of lies about his background, patriotism, and accomplishments. I think you saw a move to the more overtly patriotic Obama last night. Another email campaign needs to be started that counters the lies, and he needs to speak out forcefully on these issues. In addition, he needs to be even more ready (though his response time has been miraculous) to counter Huckary slime when it occurs.

Finally, I think he needs to strategically put Huckary on the defensive during the critical time 2-5 days before a vote, when we know she's going to throw the kitchen sink at him. If this takes a slightly more negative approach at those times so be it. That kitchen sink needs to meet another kitchen sink in mid-air. Personally, I think she is vulnerable on electability, and that people need to be reminded what a Republican campaign against the Clintons will look like.

So, Obama supporters. I don't want to hear any of this, "The sky is falling. It's the end of the world!" stuff today. Barack Obama is winning. Huckary Clinton is unfortunately decreasing the chances of a Democrat in the White House next year with every day she stays in the race. She is forcing the expenditure of what will amount to another $100 million by each candidate in the next 3 months. (Get out your check books... again, and again.)

Today will be tough to take I suspect. As Huckary and the main stream media play to the ignorant among us, but by the weekend the momentum will be back to Obama, and he'll still be on his way to the nomination.

Mr. Gore. It's time.

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:19:00 +0000

An Open Letter to Former Vice President Al Gore

Dear Mr. Gore:

A year ago, the political horizon looked much different. You were my candidate. My sincere hope was that you would enter the United States Presidential race as a candidate. I wrote to you, joined all the "Draft Gore" organizations, wrote about the topic. Had you entered the race, I would have worked, donated, and done everything within my power to see that you were the next President of the United States. When you finally indicated that you would not run, I was very disappointed, but that opened up a space in which I needed to look for another candidate.

Into that space stepped the tall, lean, Lincolnesque senator from Illinois, Barrack Obama. In Barrack Obama I found a candidate who not only shares many of the values that I believe we share, but who has the courage to speak out against that which is wrong, even when it may not be politically expedient to do so. In Senator Obama I have found a candidate with an uncanny ability to inspire Americans of all ages and backgrounds to work together for purposes bigger than ourselves. All of the energy which, had you been a candidate, would have gone to you, I have transferred to working for the election of Senator Obama.

I think I understand, in part, why you did not run. You have done so much good outside of the Presidency, educating us all about climate change, speaking out so vehemently against the war, and after what you went through in the last campaign, how can anyone blame you for not wanting to put yourself and your family through that again. However, Mr. Vice President, your nation needs you again. We need you to step up to the fore once again. We need you to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President.

We all know that the position of President of the United States is the one position in the world with the most potential to make a difference in addressing climate change issues. While both Democratic Party candidates for President talk the talk when it comes to the environment, it will take much more than that to make a difference. It will take the ability to convince this country, and the world, not only that climate change is a serious issue, but that we must band together with a common sense of purpose and a willingness to sacrifice. We are blessed that onto the stage has stepped a candidate like Barack Obama, the likes of which probably only comes around once in a generation, with an innate ability to communicate and inspire.

Some say that you will not endorse anyone in the Democratic primary; that endorsing at this point would be a risk; that should you choose the wrong candidate you would risk alienating the winner and decrease your chances of working with the eventual President. When I hear that I laugh. That caricature is not the Al Gore I know. It is not the Al Gore who, while some were triangulating political positions, spoke more forcefully than any other in opposing the Iraq war. It is not the Al Gore who has so eloquently championed the cause of combating climate change. No, this is not the Al Gore I know.

We are at a critical point in this Presidential campaign. The reality is that after next Tuesday, if we haven't chosen a nominee, we at least will have placed one candidate at a significant advantage over the other going forward. So Mr. Gore, the time is now. Please step up and step forward at this time, and endorse Senator Barack Obama for President.

Sincerely,

Travis Stark

When Gender Tops Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:01:00 +0000

The boys ganged up on her at the debate and she played the gender card. Then there were lies, and more lies. Then of course there were the well-timed tears, and Bill complaining about how his wife was being treated unfairly. Then the Clinton machine descended as I stood alone with Obama signs in hand at the polls among the horde of New Yorkers for Hillary.

And in the end, it was all about gender, as thousands of older woman voted for Mrs. Clinton because she was female. It's enough to make one cynical. So this morning New Hampshire lies gratefully abandoned by the political tsunami that arrives every four years. A few tattered campaign signs litter the roads until they can be thrown away. The candidates leave New Hampshire behind as they head for new territory. New Hampshire did its duty, and failed, perhaps demonstrating our collective intelligence. Soon the electoral tide will come to your neighborhood. May you do better.

Late Note: When Maureen Dowd agrees with me, I know I'm probably on track.

A Once in a Lifetime Candidate

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Well, since I'm quite sure that not everyone watches Iowa election results as if it was the SuperBowl, in case you haven't heard, Barack Obama won the Iowa Democratic Presidential Caucuses last night. If you haven't heard his victory speech, you owe it to yourself to listen to it, if only to make you feel just a little good about life. Here's a link:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cNZaq-YKCnE

It was amazing to watch Chris Matthews and his MSNBC panel last night gushing over Obama's speech, literally in some cases with tears in their eyes. It's unfortunate that there doesn't seem to be any video out there today of Chris saying that anyone who was in the Peace Corps in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, up though today would vote for this guy. There is video of the comments of Howard Fineman and Eugene Robinson, who were on Chris' panel.

I've been sure Obama was my candidate for about a week. (Not bad since I have to vote in 4 days.) My wife was waiting for a sign to choose between Obama and Edwards. Apparently the sign I put on our front lawn yesterday wasn't enough! ;-) She called me a few minutes ago to say she got her sign. Seems a friend at work has a friend who was talking to an Obama supporter and asked some questions about the FAA. The Obama worker didn't know the answers to the FAA questions, but he talked to Obama about it. Obama did his research and the questioner got a phone call that went something like, "Hi. This is Barack Obama. I hear you had a question about the FAA." The questioner laughed as I would have and said, "Ya. Sure.", to which the caller responded, "No. Really! I'm Barack Obama. Let's talk a minute." My wife took the fact that she heard of this incident first thing this morning as a sign. Tomorrow we're off to an Obama rally. We're not a sit-at-home-and-wait family when it comes to politics. :-)

You really do owe it to yourself to give Obama a look. Perhaps once in a generation a candidate comes along that has the ability to transcend politics as usual; who can unite the country around something bigger than ourselves. I think we may be seeing that candidate.

Have a great day!

THE BIG ENDORSEMENT!

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:41:00 +0000

I almost forgot! Forget about the Des Moines Register. Don't pay any attention to the New York Times! Use the Manchester Union Leader to house train your puppy (always a good idea for that paper)! Today, the day of the Iowa caucuses, a scant few days before the New Hampshire primary, today Accidental Wisdom announces our endorsement for President of the United States of America! Listen up Iowans! Hark my fellow New Hampshirites!

Our choice for the our next President is...

Barack Obama

Sure I get frequent mail from the Write-in Gore in New Hampshire folks, but really, the guy has made it quite clear he doesn't want to run, and who am I to waste my one vote on him.

No, since I have to cast my primary ballot next Tuesday I have spent considerable mental cycles on considering the options. Of course I can rule out all the Republicans off the bat. Who would have thought that they'd all decide to run to the right of George W. Ya, like I'm voting for that!

Then there's Hillary Clinton, and I've already explained in this space how Hillary is the Republican candidate in the Democratic primary. So, after looking at all the candidates and evaluating electability, that pretty much left me with Obama and Edwards. Of the two, either of which I think would be a fine President by the way, I liked Obama, but like many I had questions about his electability and whether or not he was what he seemed, or just another politician.

Well I went to see Mr. Obama a couple of weeks ago, and I can tell you that I believe him to be the real deal, exactly what he seems, a statesman the likes of which we have probably not seen in four decades. Not a cookie cutter Democrat or Republican but someone who can appeal to the good in people. A President of the United States, and not of the special interests.

What struck me first about him was his intelligence. How refreshing to listen to someone of exceptional intelligence after four years of being embarrassed every time the leader of our nation speaks. After a while you start to get the secret, that this guy is running for President based upon the principals most of us believe in, based upon true patriotism, and not phony lapel-pin-wearing pandering. He's not standing, finger in the wind, ready to change his views based upon what it will take to get your vote. Here is someone who not only talks about the Constitution, but is a scholar of it, knows it, loves it, and would protect it. Here is a guy who just might be able to restore America to the nation we all yearn to be proud of. Here is a candidate we can vote for because of who he is, and not because he's the lesser of multiple evils.

Next Tuesday I will cast my vote for Barack Obama. I don't ask you dear reader to do the same. What I ask is that before it gets to be your turn to vote, that you open your mind, and listen to what he has to say.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:42:00 +0000

What is it about January the first. Something in us loves a fresh start, no matter how arbitrary. Birthdays are one of those starts. In a few weeks I turn 49, and of course I plan on turning around all of my bad habits by the time I turn the big FIVE-OH. But the classic slate-clearing day has to be New Years. Hoist the champagne and start breaking the resolutions you just made. Year after year the same old same old.

As I get older I see two sides to the beginning of a New Year. There's the positive side, the opportunity to look back on what went right last year, and to anticipate (and hope for) good things in the New Year. There's the reality that no matter how bad things are, things are so much worse for so many, and to be grateful for that. In short, it's a time to count one's blessings, and plan for continued success.

But life isn't always like that is it? And that's the flip side of New Years for me. In my darker New Years Eve moments there are thoughts of those love ones lost in the past year, and the gruesome nagging premonition that my circle of friends and family is likely to be smaller next New Years than this one.

There's the business aspect, and worrying not worrying about whether my businesses will see success this year, but rather whether they'll even be around next year.

There's the socio-political aspect, worrying about increasing war, and incompetence of government. Worrying whether yet another immoral unethical unintelligent poser will make it to white house.

There's the impending high school graduation, and sending the last child off to college. A daughter, and knowing how much I miss my son when he's away, and the tears that will inevitably come as I proudly drop my little girl off at some university.

But it does no good to dwell on the negative. That way lies madness. So I choose to look on the positive side of the first of January, knowing it's just a day, but clearing the decks anyway. It's all new. Anything is possible. Here's to a great 2008. Happy new year all.

Goodbye Jeanie

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:53:00 +0000

I think that I've reached an age, just shy of my 49th birthday, when many too many of the funerals I attend are for my friends. When you're young, if you're lucky, most of the funerals you go to are for elderly relatives, or at least people who are a lot older than you. A grandparent, a great-aunt, your parents' friends, and that gives you one viewpoint on death.

This year I lost two good friends to rare oddball diseases. First, my friend Sharon to pulmonary hypertension, and now, last week, another friend, Jeanie, to aplastic anemia. It's one thing to sit at a funeral with your relatives and people you don't know well. It's quite another to sit, as I did today, in a church with your friends, your peers, the people who revolve around your life every week, and shed tears of mourning for one of your own.

Jeanie was one of those bright lights in this life, that when it winks out, the world is noticeably darker. Always a smile, a giggle, an infectious laugh, a kind word for all. She was the eternal volunteer: Girl Scouts, band, sports, myriad of her kids' activities. Jeanie was always there to help, to lead. She was there with the pixie smile working her butt off.

I don't make friends easily. Many of my friends are first my wife's friends. But I'm proud to say Jeanie was my friend. She's not with us now in the way she's been before, but she lives on in all the hearts she's touched in her life, mine included.

Backup. Backup. Backup.

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:06:00 +0000

So it's been a while. Yes. I know.

Recently, it having been a couple of weeks since I'd backed up my PowerBook, I decided to do a SuperDuper backup of the machine. Now I've always known that my backup strategy had a window of vulnerability. While doing a full backup, the backup disk is first erased, and then the new backup is copied onto it. Well what happens if the backup fails after the backup disk has been erased. A small window to be sure, but a window none the less.

Of course back in the day we did rotating backups. I used to do an incremental backup daily and a full backup once a week, rotating between two different sets of media for the week's backups. I even used to store one set of backups offsite in case the building burned down. That was before my source disks got to be around 100 GB each. It just seemed so expensive to maintain multiple actual hard drives to backup my 100 GB PowerBook internal drive.

Well, as you might guess, a rock came through my window of vulnerability. After my backup disk was erased, but before the backup had gotten very far, I had a hard crash on my PowerBook drive, basically destroying the drive. I was left with no source drive, and no backup.

It is somewhat cleansing to have to start from a blank hard disk again. I lost photos, music, financial records, years of email, correspondence, designs, etc. Some I was able to tease with recovery software off of the backup drive. Most are gone.

I did get a brandy new internal drive for my PowerBook. Buy AppleCare for your Apple laptops. It's worth it.

So that's why I haven't been around. I've been busy recovering my digital life. Things are a little better now, but it's quite an ordeal. So the moral of the story is? Backup. Backup. Backup. I've bought multiple bus powered Firewire drives to do backups. I've upgraded to Leopard and I'm using Time Machine to keep my backups constantly up-to-date. I'm taking no chances. This disaster cost me enormous time and money, and it's not ever going to happen again.

Biorhythms

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 13:13:00 +0000

Ever have one of those days? You get out of bed, and right away you know that something's wrong. That metaphorical black cloud settles over your head. You bang your shins. You trip over the cat. You cut yourself shaving. You stumble downstairs and take the dog out. Wiping yesterday's dog excrement from your sneaker, you stumble back in to yell at your wife and kids for no good reason. The car doors are frozen. The coffee's cold. In summary, nothing is going to go right for you today, mostly because you won't have it.

Everybody's off for work, or school, and I'm settled into my daily thing. I record Rachel Maddow in the evening, to listen to the next morning, and I've turned it on now. Bad idea. There's no good news on a day like this. Deadliest year ever in Iraq. Impeachment move a joke in House. And we head seemingly unerringly toward a Hillary vs. Rudi election, and a highly possible Giuliani presidency, and what then? How does one live in the ruins of a great country under that.

As I look out my window at my tiny corner of woods, the trees are mostly bare. A few stalwart souls stand in once colorful, now faded display, resisting the inevitable march to winter. I was thinking this morning that in Australia it's spring, and they're looking out on life in bloom, the smell of fresh flowers on the warm moist air. If you could get on a plane every November first and fly to the southern hemisphere, and then back again every April Fool's Day, it would almost be like cheating death. Endless summer. The death of winter. Somehow it would be a sin. We're not meant for it. We need days like this, and if not for winter, would we really appreciate the spring?

So Alice, how was the trip?

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:43:00 +0000

Why can I not think of anything to write about besides politics these days? It's a sickness.

Ever wake up and feel like you came through the looking glass with Alice? Every now and then that feeling hits me like a well placed Louisville Slugger.

Today our illustrious President tried to defend his pick for our new Attorney General, Michael Mukasey. Mr. Bush doesn't believe it's kosher to ask his guy whether waterboarding is legal.

Bush said it was unfair to ask Mukasey about interrogation techniques on which he has not been briefed. "He doesn't know whether we use that technique or not," the president told a group of reporters invited into the Oval Office.

EXCUSE ME! What in Heaven's name does whether we're waterboarding people have to do, in the slightest, with whether it's legal? This little vignette demonstrates so well the Nixonian attitude toward the Executive Branch held by our current administration. After all, it was Nixon who said, "when the president does it that means it is not illegal." Congress should scuttle this guy's nomination now. I don't think the sheep will, but they should.

I used to be fond of saying that 90% of the American public was stupid. The President and company must agree with me. In fact, he must think we're all stupid. They think they can do whatever they want to our country and we won't notice, or at the very least we won't do anything about it. Well, I have to give them one thing, we did elect them... twice. Maybe they're right.

Where Have All the Neocons Gone?

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:56:00 +0000

We are blessed to live in this day and age of the Internet. For an information junkie like me, having so much information at my fingertips is a dream come true. Did you know, for example, that you can find hundreds of old time radio shows online for free? This morning I was listening to an episode of Escape from 1950, starring Vincent Price and called Three Skeleton Key. It's a story about starving rats fleeing a sinking ship to invade an island lighthouse in search of fresh flesh. The story reminded me of a news item I saw today.

Apparently, key neocon warmongers have signed on as advisors to the Rudy Giuliani campaign. Here's a quote from the New York Observer from Norman Podhoretz, a Giuliani advisor.

America should be working to overthrow governments in Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt and “every one of the despotic regimes in that region, by force if necessary and by nonmilitary means if possible,” he said. “They are fronts of the war. You can’t do everything at once. And to have toppled two of those regimes in five years or six years is I think a major achievement. And maybe George Bush won’t be able to carry it further, but I think he will. It may have just been given to him to start act one of the five-act play.”

I have nightmares about a Giuliani vs. Hillary race. I think in that scenario Giuliani wins, and you know that saying, "Well, it's not the end of the world!"? Well it doesn't apply.

Another $46 Billion? Not So Fast.

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:41:00 +0000

It's been a while since I blogged. One will forgive me for focusing on business, and feeding the family when really we are so close to the Armageddon. It really is that you know. No more or less. The President made a mistake in talking about World War III the other day, but really it's what they want. Massive fear. Gear up the old military industrial complex. How about we see if those nukes we got actually work?

I find myself lately thinking of the World War II Germans a lot. They had to know they were being led by a madman. Didn't they? Yet I've never read anything about how they must have felt helpless. Helpless to make a difference. Helpless to do anything to stop the insanity. Does anyone know of a book that looks at WWII from that standpoint?

The President has thrown another $46 billion war bill at Congress, and my suspicion is that they've already got their checkbooks out, but they shouldn't have. They should know that this is where the rubber meets the proverbial road. We're smart enough to know they can stop the war in Iraq by not approving the money. We know that they can refuse to approve the additional money without a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Some say they're afraid to take that step, but I say they should be afraid not to, because this is why we elected them. We're not stupid. We know where their power lies. It's in the purse strings, and it's their turn to step up and be counted by history; to be statesmen instead of politicians; to stop governing by how it will affect the next election and start governing by doing what is right. It's time.

Because that's the big lie now , isn't it? The lie that the poor beleaguered Democrats can't stop the Iraq debacle because the big bad Republicans won't let them. The truth is that they can stop it anytime they want. They have the votes to prevent a spending bill from passing. They have the votes to filibuster the President's 46 billion if necessary. What they don't have is the courage. It's not that they can't stop the war. It's that they won't. It's a choice, and they choose not to.

There are consequences to cowardice. That nice safe cushy seat may seem not so comfy when you're facing a primary challenge. Your name on the list of those who voted to fund the war may not seem so insignificant when the next election rolls around and that tight race you're in becomes even tighter because your base stays home rather than choke down another vote for you. Most important, there's the consequence of having to answer to your children and grandchildren when they get old enough to realize that you could have stopped it, but you didn't, and they ask the question on all of our lips. "Why not?"

The Decision Once Again

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:14:00 +0000

He wakes with a start, sitting up in bed, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The dream again. It had been gone for a while, a few months of peace, but lately the dream is back, every night.

It's 2000 again. They are sitting in his hotel room: his wonderful wife; a few “trusted advisors”; some close friends; the hangers-on. He has two choices. He can hang in. Fight on. It would be bloody, and he’d probably still lose. Alternatively, he can fold, play the statesman, say it is for the good of the country, and rest. The dream is so vivid he can feel the old weariness, hear the inner voice that just wanted it to be over, the weight of the decision weighing him down once again.

But in the dream it's different. In the dream he fights on. There are tears, groans, cheers, and this time, this time he wins. He is tested to be sure, and he rises to the occasion. More tears. This time of a broken nation. But he reacts well. He does the right thing. He catches the bad guys. He helps heal the nation, and with that banked good will he inspires the people to move on. Education, technology, infrastructure, energy independence, the environment. Oh the progress he makes – in the dream that is. That’s when he wakes up, every time. The feeling of loss is palpable. The sense he’s let his country down closes in on him like so much wet cotton.

The paper is on the nightstand. It has been there for a week now. He picks it up.

“Ours is an urgent call to service on behalf of the country we love, the democracy that’s slipping away from us, and a world and planet that are in peril. We write on behalf of our children and grandchildren and plead with you to lead us to a brighter future.”

It's a lot to ask of one man, of one family, going through it again. It would shatter everything. He smiles at how the press would drool over it, but he knows that behind the shocked grins are real teeth. Oh he knows.

The ad is looking for a hero, but do heroes have these doubts? He knows they do. Enough navel gazing. He has a big morning ahead. Showered, shaved and in his best suit, some coffee in his system, he goes out to meet the car that will take him to the press conference. It's time.

Congress. Listen up! Defund the war.

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:17:00 +0000

When I started this blog it was not my intent to constantly talk about war and politics. In large part the purpose of this blog is to vent what's on my mind, and I don't think I realized how much politics and the war are right at the forefront of my thoughts. As much as I try to get away from it; as much as I pretend to be paying less attention than I used to; I guess the truth is that my heart breaks for the state of our nation. I promise to talk about other things, but for now, the two of you who may occasionally read this will need to forgive me.

So did you catch it? It was in the news for maybe a split second before being displaced by more speculation as to the parental suitability of the Britney bimbo and important notification of who got thrown off Dancing with the Stars. The item you're forgiven for possibly missing is that in a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll about 2/3 of Americans favor reducing or eliminating funding for the Iraq War. I've got to give the Shrub credit. I would have said it was virtually impossible to get 2/3 of Americans to agree on anything. Maybe he is (finally) a uniter.

Meanwhile, David Obey, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said yesterday that he won't let any supplemental war funding bill out of committee without a stated goal to end U.S. involvement in combat operations in 2009 and a commitment to allow adequate time at home between deployments of our soldiers. That is the best news I've heard in a long time. Let's hope it holds.

As for the rest of Congressional Democrats, WAKE UP!. The majority of Democrats, in fact the majority of Americans, expect you to end the war, and woe be unto you if you don't.

Mark October 12th on Your Calendars

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:27:00 +0000

What's October 12th? That's the day that the Nobel Peace Prize recipient for this year is announced. If the stars are in alignment the winner may be one Al Gore. I'm hoping that the winning of the Peace Prize will be the final straw that pushes Mr. Gore to declare his candidacy for President in the 2008 election. If he runs (Please God.) he has my vote.

10 more days.

Why the Republicans Want to Run Against Hillary

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:59:00 +0000

It's funny isn't it? Not a single primary has been held, and yet all the talking heads on the cable networks have declared that Hillary Clinton will probably be the Democratic nominee. The Republicans are almost unanimous in their certainty that it will be Hillary against whatever they can throw against the wall in '08. Even our illustrious President, in an unprecedented early injection of his opinion into the mix, has said the nominee will most likely be Hillary. Sounds almost like somebody published a talking points memo, doesn't it?

What's behind this almost obscene early endorsement of Hillary? It's really quite simple. Hillary is the officially endorsed challenger of the Republican party. She is the candidate they would most like to run against. "Why?" you ask? You've got to hand it to the poor Republicans. Look at the situation they find themselves in. Their incumbent is so unpopular that virtually anyone looks more presidential by comparison, and they know that the odds are that the Republican party is going to take the fall for the debacle that is W.

But why Hillary? Simple. Hillary may look OK in the Democratic primary, but in the general election her negatives are SO high that she simply cannot be elected. Here's a list of types of people who will not vote for Hillary.

Republicans. They hate her. They REALLY hate her. They'd sooner die.
People, mostly men, who find her shrill, dishonest, not genuine, and a business-as-usual politician.
People, maybe mostly men, who don't think that being first lady is any kind of real preparation for being President. Once Hillary botched health care and got cut out of the loop, didn't she mostly just figure out what china to use for dinner with visiting dignitaries?
It's all about Bill. There are people, and I include myself, who believe that Bill Clinton does not deserve to ever be back in the White House, even as First Gentleman. Clinton was a decent, maybe even a good President, but he embarrassed those of us who supported him. He soiled the office. He cost us 8 years of George W. Bush. He should NEVER be back in the oval office in any capacity. That is not to say that he deserved to be impeached over having an affair, but his behavior doesn't really deserve the reward of being sent back, does it?
People who think that cheating on your wife, probably multiple times, is a bad thing. They'll blame Hillary for Bill. That's just the way it is. (Note that Giuliani cheating on his wife in the mayor's mansion never gets a mention however.) Likewise, people who think that the Clintons have more of an arrangement than a marriage.
And did I mention the biggest reason that Republicans would rather run against Hillary. They're betting, and they're probably right, that some large percentage of neanderthals in this country are not ready for a woman President. In this year of all years they think they'll need those voters.

So, from the Republican point of view, if Hillary is the nominee, they hold onto all of their base. They also gain a decent percentage of independents and even some Democrats who will vote, but can't hold their nose long enough to pull the lever for Hillary. The also get the sexists. More important, they can count on a fair number of people who might have voted for one of the other Democratic candidates to just stay home.

The Republican situation doesn't look great no matter what, but their best shot, maybe their only shot, is running against one particular candidate. Republicans for Hillary! Watch. It's going to be more and more unanimous. Watch more and more of the right try to say it's a foregone conclusion. You heard it here first.

How to Live Forever

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:51:00 +0000

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have bad news for you. Barring some very significant medical breakthrough in the next hundred years or so, someday you will cease to breathe. Your heart will stop beating. Your brain will cease to be electrically active. You will die. You may take heart however from the fact that, like the proverbial pebble in the pond, the ripples of your life may continue virtually forever. You may gain some degree of immortality.

There are, of course, relatively easy ways to be remembered forever. Do something infamous. Adolph Hitler and Osama Bin Laden are not likely to ever be forgotten by history. You can be exceptionally good at what you do. Babe Ruth and Thomas Edison will not be forgotten. You can even gain immortality by being majorly incompetent. George W. Bush comes to mind. And of course, folks who have left behind major works of literature, audio, or video recordings live on in a way. I have a friend who, among other recordings, played on the seminal recording of a Christmas song you hear annually. I've discussed with him what it must be like to have that semi-anonymous immortality.

But what of the rest of us, those of us who will never achieve fame, can we live on long after our mortal bodies have rotted away. Well, depending upon your own religious persuasion you may say, "Of course," and argue that we'll live on in heaven or maybe come back to earth as a cow, but that's not the kind of immortality I'm talking about. I'm talking about the immortality that comes from being remembered, and from having the actions of your life ripple on throughout history. The good news is that this type of immortality is within all of our grasps. Here then are a few short steps to becoming immortal.

Love someone.
Find your soulmate. Love another human being with all of your heart and soul. Commit to them and entwine your life with theirs in such a way that after you are gone others will look upon the two of you as the prototype of the perfect relationship. An unfortunate side effect of this is that when you die you will leave this person utterly heartbroken. This is unavoidable.
Be a true friend to as many people as possible.
My Dad used to say he had many acquaintances, but only a very few friends, and I'll have to say I'm probably the same way, but if you truly want to be immortal be a friend to many, and I mean a true friend. Be there. Really listen. Give of yourself. Be the kind of friend you'd like to have.
Care.
Care about others. Care about the environment. Care about animals. Be the most caring person many people know. Be a grown up flower child. Work for peace, and justice, and care about leaving the world better than you found it.
Teach.
"Teach your children well," the song says, but it's bigger than that. Pass on what you know to a child, whether it be your own offspring, your niece or nephew, or the child of a friend. Know that when you are just living your life, little children are watching you, and adjusting their world view accordingly. Professional teachers have the biggest opportunity. A third grade teacher may directly influence a thousand children during her career. Those kids will go on to affect others, who will affect others, ad infinitum. Volunteer to help kids. Promote education. You'll be achieving easy immortality.

If you're lucky, you know someone who will never die. Their life lives on in yours, and in the lives of everyone who knew them. The ripples in their pond are innumerable. Your job then, maybe your sacred duty, is to take that spark of their life, and pass it on.

The gray clouds parted briefly, as if to give her a better view of the solemn gathering. We stood on the bridge, the midday tide change behind us, watching the ashes drift swiftly to sea, pursued by a wake of flowers. Salt water flowed unbidden, caught on my lip and was gone. Must have been the wind. Goodbye Sharon. You are with us always, immortal.

It's not bias. It's intelligence.

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:42:00 +0000

I had to move the car this morning in order to put the trash out. The consequence of our new trash system, where huge red trucks come with their robotic arms to pick up our one allowed trash barrel, dump it out, and set it down neatly again by the side of the road. Problem is that with the new robot approved trash barrel, I can't get the trash out of the garage without moving the car.

In the roughly ten seconds it took to move the car out, I heard one tiny little snippet of talk radio. Some, from what I've seen typical, caller was on the line. "Hello. Hello. Is this the host?" "Ya. I'm me you're you and you're on the air. What's on your mind?" "Well. I just wanted to say that I agree with you that the media is heavily biased towards the democrats."

Ding. Right there. I knew what I was going to write about today, this myth that the media is biased towards a political party. Real media, by which I exclude Faux News and 99% of talk radio, is biased not toward a political ideology, but towards sanity. That is not to say they get it right. Heaven knows they are largely market driven cowards, but I think that one of the characteristics of a true journalist is that you have to have somewhat above average intelligence and be intellectually curious.

That is not to say that the remaining die-hard Bush defenders are morons. That would be cruel. Some are unintelligent, to be sure. Many are anti-intellectual. You see them tearing down some of the best candidates as "effete intellectual snobs." Some are uninformed. Some are extremely gullible. Some suffer from an acute psychological inability to admit they are wrong. Many have been playing the republican role so long that they don't know how to do anything else. Some of those in the public eye are just playing a role period, cashing in on the rest to make a buck. The remainder, and I choose to believe it's actually a small number, are just plain evil.

Another Bump in the Road

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:54:00 +0000

So what did I tell you. Apparently the Shrub-in-Chief has gotten his little bump in the polls from the Patraeus hearings.

According to the poll, just 30 percent approve of Bush’s handling of Iraq, but that’s an eight-point improvement from July. The increase comes primarily from Republicans, men and independents, the NBC/Journal pollsters say.

I don't understand these die-hard Republicans. Maybe it's like an abusive spousal relationship, i.e., "This time he won't hurt me," "This time he won't lie to me," or maybe it's just a refusal to admit when you're wrong.

I heard a radio talk show host yesterday espousing how "We" had gotten ourselves into Iraq, and however it was we got here doesn't matter, but that now we need to find a way out with grace. Yada. Yada. Yada.

Wrong.

"We" are not responsible for this mess. At least I'm not. If you voted for George W. Bush in 2000, if you were deluded enough to for some reason vote for him in 2004, YOU may bear some responsibility, but I had nothing to do with it.

No News is Good News

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:52:00 +0000

My friend John Farr has been on a self-imposed exile from news and blogs of late. I think he's arguing that the news is terrifying and doesn't change. He's got a real point.

I recently read a great book called The 4-Hour Workweek, which, in small part, makes a similar argument regarding news. The author, Timothy Ferris, lists a whole bunch of time wasting activities he's given up. One is reading news. Mr. Ferris hasn't read a newspaper in years. He glances at the headlines at the newsstand as he walks past. Anything really important he figures he can get from that.

Of late, I've tried to spend less time on the news. I've always been somewhat of a news junkie. I used to read two newspapers at breakfast, surf the web for other news, listen to Air America Radio all day, and watch the cable news shows around dinner time. I've cut my newspaper reading to a skim of the local paper at breakfast. I've set up iGoogle to give me a homepage with the latest headlines. That way I can further edit what news I care to read. It really has freed up some time.

If you think you can't live without the news, go camping. Try spending a few days in the woods, away from television, radio, Internet, and newspapers. When you come back you'll find something miraculous. Nothing has changed! The democrats and republicans still hate each other and the latter are still evil and the former are still incompetent. The country is still run by a moron and we're still on the brink of irrevocably disastrous moves. The world has not changed a bit because you dropped out of the information stream for a bit, and your blood pressure is probably lower.

Betray Us Patraeus

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:59:00 +0000

I'm now convinced that part of the military training of all of our general officers must include several courses in marketing. From Colin Powell's PowerPoint presentation that got us into the war in Iraq to the dissembling yesterday of General David Patraeus, it would seem that our generals are possibly more expert at the fine points of selling war than fighting them.

So what came out of yesterday's dog and pony show. Well we learned that the general recommends that we begin withdrawing troops from Iraq soon, and that we possibly get to the pre-surge level of troops in Iraq by next July. How convenient given that we can't sustain the present troop levels past next summer given our over-stressed military. As for the rest of the troops, well it would apparently be imprudent to speculate as to when those folks might be coming home, but I'm betting it's after the 2008 election.

Betrayus was careful to specify, upon starting his speech, that his report had "not been cleared by nor shared with anyone in the Pentagon, the White House, or the Congress," but it does seem at least slightly coincidental that just last week the Shrub in Chief started talking about possible troop reductions.

Oh, and the military can proudly point to reduced violence in Anbar province. Well, that's nice, except the surge was around Baghdad, and the reduced violence in Anbar is because the area is more under the control of local warlords than the U.S. propped up central government. So much for the "breathing space" for the purpose of the Iraqi government getting their act together that was sold to us by Shrub back in January as the purpose of the troop surge. Man, they must really think the American public has collective Alzheimer's.

So, Republicans can now breathe a collective sigh of relief as some cover has been provided for doing nothing significant about the course of the war until after the 2008 election. They can point to modest recent troop withdrawals. (Doesn't the concept of upping the troops so that you can later reduce them remind you of furniture store sales?) They can also have their cake and eat it too! They can point out that the number of troops in 2008 will be the same as when the Democrats took control of Congress, so they've really done nothing.

As for our congressional democrats, don't they just make you so proud. Ever seen such a group more collectively interested in covering their own collective behinds than in doing the right thing? One thing Republicans can count on is that that group won't do anything courageous or risky to their re-election chances between now and the next election. Wouldn't want to be viewed as being anti-military.

There's a route I travel often, on which there's a sign on the side of a hill. It says, "Support our troops. End the war." Our yellow democrats would do well to repeat that mantra to themselves daily. And I'm tired of hearing that with their slim majority they can't do anything. No money. No war. Cut off funding for anything but maintaining the safety of our troops. Period.

Oh well. Ain't it all just grand?

Osama Bin Who?

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:13:00 +0000

Oh ya! That guy! Apparently Osama Bin Laden is supposed to release a new video on the 6th anniversary of September 11th. I heard someone yesterday say, "Well, I won't watch it. I have no interest in what he has to say!" Well, I'll watch it, and I'm very interested in what he has to say.

First and foremost, I'll want to see if it's really him, and how his health is. Here we've been chasing a 6 foot 5 inch man whose face has been plastered around the world, and who is rumored to have kidney disease and possibly need dialysis, for 6 years, and we haven't caught him. I figure if the most wanted man in the world is going to do a video I want to see some signs of stress; maybe a wrinkle or two; a twitch; some gray or receding hair.

Of course my bet is that the sheeple of this great constitutionally limited democratic republic will be all atwitter after seeing ol' Bin, and we'll actually see a spike in the approval rating of the worst President we've ever had. You watch. I'd bet on it. People will rally around W and he'll be gratified. Tell you what. Instead why don't we get rid of the mental child in the big white house and put in someone who, instead of invading sovereign countries where Bid Laden is not, will go flush out the bastard from his hidey hole and put him away in a small room in Levinworth for the rest of his life. Just a thought.

So roll that footage OBL. We'd like to see what you've been up to.

John H. Farr

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Stark) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:05:00 +0000

The first link added to our list to the right is the website of John H. Farr. Why? Because John is an artist, a crafter of words, a painter of pictures, and I only recently rediscovered how I love reading his stuff, not to mention viewing his beautiful photographs. He's also only semi-sane, and I really like that in a human being.