The King's View

The King's View on Michael Jackson

2009-07-06T21:12:00.009-04:00

This is another of those articles that I'm sure is going to infuriate a few people, but I don't mind that one bit. I grew up in the 80s. Michael Jackson's music is something that I often listened to on radio, and probably even danced to when we went out on the town. I like several of the songs that Michael Jackson performed, and his videos were very creative for the time. Ok, songs like Beat It weren't sophisticated, but other songs like Gone too Soon, hit a note with most of the population who followed the Ryan White story.
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In truth I didn't pony up a penny to own any of his music - I guess I didn't like it enough to include it in my collection of pop and rock. But I still appreciated it, and Michael's talent for singing and dancing was probably better than most in his generation of 80s Pop Artists. Of course, those were my high school into college years though. I'm talking back when Michael Jackson sort of looked normal, and really only went as far as wearing sunglasses inside and showing off one single glove as part of his stick. We could all live with that. We all remember artists like Boy George, Ozzie Osbourne, and many in the Glam Rock groups who seemed a heck of a lot stranger than Michael Jackson, or at least I thought so.
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Then at some point in the early 90s, something really went terribly wrong. Not satisfied with his talent and merit driven stardom, he began to move to the absurd. The business of bleaching his skin, changing his facial structure, numerous nose jobs, and all of the rest of the maddening antics sort of went a step above being merely flamboyant and bizarre. And his persistent statements that it was not carefully manuevered set of operations, but rather nothing more than a disease was scoffed at by even those he called his friends. That was just Michael. I guess we all sort of got it - he lacked some self esteem, and he didn't like the way he looked, and we guess he had the money to do something about it - over and over and over again.
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The results were both unnecessary and eerie. Whatever he intended - greater acceptance perhaps, seemed to have the opposite effect. He went from normal, perhaps ordinary, to frightening.
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But these aren't the most bizarre components of this man's life. For whatever reason, like it or not, the facts are that Michael Jackson had a perverted and sick obsession with young children. There's enough evidence to make him more than suspect, and its enough to turn this father's stomach. You can read more here about Michael's sick behavior and the charges brought against him. You can also read this NBC News report which outlines the matter in some detail with dates and events as they unfolded.
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Unfortunately, Michael Jackson's hardcore fan base, many who see Jackson as a folk hero in the black community, and minority community tend to yell the loudest when it comes to defending Michael and his so-called character (maybe its to hide their own abnormalities, who knows). But this is a time old tradition - to attack the accuser, and detract away from the real matter at hand. Calling something a lie doesn't necessarily mean that it actually is a lie. Claiming something didn't happen because it wasn't caught on video tape or seen before 20 eyewitnesses doesn't mean it didn't happen either.
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The court documentation was been viewed by hundreds who pretty much report the same sick findings. While its true that many of the families who let Michael "borrow" their children aren't from well to do, millionaire backgrounds, and perhaps those are the people that had the most to gain in the trade offs between letting their child stay at Neverland or in Jacksonland unchaperoned, and unprotected. Yes, some of them did get greedy in the end, maybe the payments or favors became too much for Michael to absorb. I guess we'll never know since the victims in most cases dropped all cases via settlement. Did it ever occur to anyone that people of these means are probably the only source for this kind of arrangement? Sure they are scumbags that aught to have their children taken from them, but that's another story for another time.
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But you have to honestly ask yourself. It's hard to imagine settling several cases like this and not fighting tooth and nail to reclaim your reputation if indeed it were a lie. But many have seen the sealed documents, and they aren't pretty, and one can understand why Jackson rushed to put this to bed quietly.
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Then there were incidents not a sickening, but just as fool hardy, like dangling baby Blanket over a railing in front of a crowd. Just a prank quipped Michael. Just more irresponsible behavior by Michael Jackson, the world said. And Michael dealt with all of this by exiling himself to Europe so that he would be far away from the U.S. Justice Department and California judicial system which didn't see him as quite the untouchable perfect little superstar that he saw himself as.
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Michael Jackson died of a drug overdose, hardly heroic, hardly tragic in the way the media would have you believe. He expected to die in this fashion because its a well known fact that he told close friends, including one time wife Lisa Marie Presley that he was going to die in the same manner that Elvis did, and we know how that turned out. So the autopsy showed plainly that Jackson died of an overdose of seven or so prescription drugs (Xanax, Zoloft and painkiller Demerol in the mix). Sure, maybe he did or didn't intend on killing himself that night. We don't know if he was living close to the edge or decided enough was enough.
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So why am I raining on poor Michael's parade?
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Because in their rush to make Michael Jackson a Saint and a Martyr, the media seem to leave out some important facts which if reported, make Michael Jackson out to be much less than that shining star that people should want to emulate. And everyone loves a happy ending, even if the hero is really an imperfect villain. Jesh, just another victim of the filthy rich Hollywood stress farm that make a man do evil things, I guess.
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This weekend the circus is growing by leaps and bounds. Even Rev. Al Sharpton has found a way to insert himself so he can cry "racism" if an ounce of criticism is leveled at Michael Jackson for his past sick indiscretions (now only deemed as accusations since all the payoff paychecks have been cashed).
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So I guess we have two Michael Jacksons in this story. The Michael Jackson who died this year from a self induced drug overdose, selfishly leaving behind three children he either adopted or fathered (we don't really know). And the one who died in 1992 just before the sleep-overs began. If you want to remember Michael Jackson, please take a step beyond the direction the self-interested media has taken - all show and wonder; be fair, please don't forget just what a monster, and a predator that he became. There is more to life than glamor, music, and breaking music chart records. It's the person behind the music that really counts. And there are probably hundreds of people on the sex offender lists that did someone a good turn now and then. But not all crimes or all favors balance out.
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I won't miss Michael Jackson. Not one bit. Nor will his victims, or the families of the victims. But its not going to be beyond me to occasionally listen to his music if it comes on the radio now and then. I promise not to storm off to the stereo in front of my house guests to change the station if Billie Jean comes on. Honestly. So my small hypocrisy only goes so far. But not as far as some ideologues, media creatures, and zombie fans who sadly don't find anything wrong with the present picture, or see the sick, dark life that Michael Jackson chose to lead. Perhaps those are the ones who should listen to the lyrics to Man in the Mirror just a little more closely.

Remember Tianamen Square and think of today

2009-06-04T10:08:00.026-04:00

For most of us who grew up in the 80s, we distinctly remember the CNN image of the one man who stood up to a column of tanks in Tienanmen Square. Why, after such a bloody massacre already in progress by the Chinese Military, the tanks didn't run him down or he wasn't shot, we never really understood. Perhaps the Chinese censors didn't want to deal with the international press' question on this one topic. For what we know now, this individual is still rotting away in jail.

I was prompted to this memory thanks to Glenn Hauser's World of Radio Program episode 1462: http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1462.mp3 , a show I enjoy that generally deals with the world of radio and communications. Listening to the concern of the Radio Bejing announcer provided in the clip really hit home. It is our understanding that this individual is also sitting somewhere in a jail cell for delivering this broadcast, along with others who made the transmission possible. To this day, we do not know the announcers name and the Chinese communist government has forbidden its utterance.

It's particularly alarming when you think about our current state of affairs. For years, American Presidents have stood up to totalitarian regimes - in China, the Middle East, and Europe through both actions and words. Yet today, our present administration has gone down the dark path of trying to diminish America values by apologizing to our enemies over our pro-democratic positions. Positions like standing up for individual freedom, human rights, and democracy. And for standing up for religious tolerance, freedom of speech, press, and assembly.

It's remarkable that Americans don't see the unique and disparaging behavior of Barack Obama as he makes his so-called historic visit to the Middle East. The contrast between great Presidents like Ronald Reagan or Theodore Roosevelt, and someone like Barack Hussein Obama are enormous. Where Reagan stood up and saw America as a shining city on a mountain, Obama sees only darkness and decay. Where Reagan admonished Communist Leaders to "tear down this wall", Obama tells Arabs that Americans should not export our values and beliefs. Where Reagan pushed for democratic reforms, Obama praises communist and Islamic fundamentalists leaders, and treats them as worthy equals on the world stage. While Teddy Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill to defeat thugs and bandits, Obama only yesterday told Arab leaders that we acted inappropriately with our military when Islamic murders murdered thousands in the twin towers.

Boy, we've come a long way. Today's images, 20 years remembered, of one man standing up to a column of tanks - the machinery of the barbarian proletariat to the image of an American President bowing down before and shaking hands with dictators, rogues and Mulahs. A President apologizing for democracy. My God, I ask, what have we become?

Americans. Is this the change you really want? It's a sickening though that we have three more years of this traitoristic behavior to endure. Today, we look elsewhere for our heroes. A we remember one man, who blocked a column of tanks and was willing to die for basic freedoms that we squander. What a pity.

I know you've all missed me...

2009-05-01T07:16:00.004-04:00

Hi, old friends. Yes, I'm going to be back to blogging again!

However, the format will probably change considerably from past versions. I don't expect to lose readership, since I'm most likely at ZERO readers after being off for four full months.

So what's the new format? Ahhhh, less on the political end, basic life stuff. But no long essays....

I can't keep up with writing long dissertations on topics as it lends to much delayed publishing of my work, and considerable time spent on my time to create the articles. I want to move to more general topics, shorter columns with a more interactive flair. My main goal has always been to practice my writing - in these days of IM and Twitter - we spend much time devoted to using numbers in place of words to fit our message into a 180 character limit. I can't imagine what kids are sending into teachers.

So what's been keeping me from blogging? Honestly, I've been wrapped up in homelife - working to death, and spending time with the kids. I've also been bit by the Facebook bug and Twittering.

Facebook is a lot of fun, and I've reconnected with so many friends from the past that's its been incredibly comical. You get to find out just how so and so made out after all these years. I've also met several new people from around the globe and I get a real kick out of reading status updates from Australia, Great Britain, and the States. It's funny to read everyday dramatics with kids from people going through the same things you are.

Twittering the the tool for the ultimate busy-body. Do I need to know what someone is thinking every 20 minutes? Do they need to know what I'm thinking? I guess the answer is yes since my follower and friend list are growing every day. Hell, maybe it's just a tool to help prevent against a second of boredom.

I'll probably devote some time to both Facebook and Twitter soon.

Those of you who still check in to see if The King still writes, please drop me a line on my comment board. It would be great to hear from old friends and foes! LOL.

Look forward to hearing from you. Look forward to keeping you entertained!

Tired of Connecticut State Employees' antics; Just get over yourselves

2009-02-22T13:52:00.004-05:00

Ok, I recognize the the title of my post is going to piss off some decent, hard-working Connecticut State Workers. Not all of you are out there leaning on a shovel watching traffic, or joy-riding in state owned vehicles. In fact, some of you are necessary (stressing the word some) to keep order and keep the roads clear from ice, and do whatever it is that you do for the four productive hours that you are on the clock.

Look State Worker, I have to remind you that you should see your job as nothing short of a privilege. You know this all too well because its the reason that you opted to find a state job over one in the private sector - the cushy job, union protection, FABULOUS benefits including plush vacation, holidays, healthcare (as compared to the rest of us), and retirement are well worth the stint.

But the gravy train is over. It's your stop and you're going to have to get off.

The whole planet, especially our part of it, is as Barack Obama seems to repeat (29 or so times in one speech) in crisis. Layoffs are occurring all over Metropolis, from cell phone salesmen to high powered money lenders. Everyone is feeling the pinch. Well, now its your turn to share the burden. Did you think hiding behind that state union was going to save you from the reality that we all share? Do you clowns think you are somehow beyond accountability seeing as you are on the taxpayers' clock?

Did you think Blumenthal and the rest of the union thugs were going to bail you out? Well, guess what? It's not about you, its about all of us.

But one thing I can't stand is your persistent Baloney. Wheeling old people out of old folks homes in the dead of winter to try and kick up sympathy for your pathetic selves while using them as propaganda tool is beyond pathetic, its cruel. Trying to scare people with the fraudulent statements that everything is going to shut down unless all one zillion of you stay employed is insane. What is means is that I guess your union is going to have to deal with the slackers and get rid of the deadwood. Hell, tenure, smenure. Maybe its time that the union put productivity over tenure and make a few new decisions about who stays and who goes.

Look State Employee, you've had it made forever. Now its time to act like Americans and share the painful burden with the rest of us. You are the monkey on OUR backs now and Obama's Government is fast becoming not just part of the problem, but the source of it.

So leave the old people alone, stop whining and start cutting. Start with the lazy ones first, and can your union reps one at a time. United you stand, and we all fall.

Next time Barack Obama comes to town, you can thank him for the $900 trillion dollars that he spent on all of his friend's projects. It's Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid that are putting you and your friends out of a job.

Fallen Angel

2009-02-06T07:55:00.001-05:00

Two weeks into his administration, it appears that the anointed one, Barack Hussein Obama, has fallen to Earth. Indignant as they are, even his loyal followers are about to realize that he’s far from the answer to their prayers that they’ve been conned into believing.

During his rather rude and meager inaugural address - where he sought to publicly embarrass President Bush, Obama bragged that he planned on setting the highest standards by ushering in “a new era of responsibility." Meanwhile, the Messiah’s picks for Cabinet exposed the upstart genius for his lack of ingenuity, and ability to execute a basic vetting process for forming a legitimate and uncompromised government.

People like Nancy Killefer and Bill Richardson were exposed as liabilities and dismissed quickly by the media, but they at least escaped the embarrassing scorching that Tom Daschle and Timothy Geithner faced. Daschle was a sure win for Obama since he was largely respected on both sides of the aisle - before it became known that he didn’t pay $128K in taxes; Daschle was forced to withdraw in a somber speech five feet from the President. It was an awkward TV moment for a would-be-all-knowing President.

Geithner is a different story. He won the nomination, but at what cost? He can be seen limping around the Capitol, clearly bleeding, compromised, and illegitimate. This economic crisis was caused by cheats, liars, and incompetents, and yet Americans are expected to believe that an individual of the same character as the villains that got us in this mess is somehow supposed to save us. Fat chance. Some of us see a hourglass floating above Geithner’s head with the sand of time running out. Even Larry Kudlow believes that this Treasury Secretary’s days are numbered.

Being weaker than weak, and trying to separate himself from the perceived inflexibility of his predecessor, Obama summoned the network anchors to the Oval Office so they could film him pouting and admitting he made a mistake. But he made four mistakes, not one. And Americans need to see competence and leadership, not a man falling on his sword admitting his mistakes – particularly those that are probably typical to the selection process. Worst of all, pandering to a ruthless media will be his undoing. Winning point with Katie Couric doesn’t mean, winning points with Americans.

So much for the ongoing Cabinet process; all we can wonder is what’s next.

Another distasteful move by Obama was his decision to go on Arab Television – Al Arabiya. Obama’s fateful words “All too often, America starts by dictating…” didn’t sit well with American viewers. The concept of blame America first is right out of the liberal manifesto penned by the Democratic National Soviet Committee. Obama doesn’t seem to see the correlation between the good and evil that has been waged over the past eight years, starting with several planes hitting the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and crashing in a field in Pennsylvania which took hundreds of innocent lives, and ruined many more. Then you can throw into the mix the thousands killed by Saddam Hussein and Taliban extremists all over the Middle East. Yet Obama excuses all of it to start an apology campaign at the expense of innocents and American strength.

The reason this is so dangerous is that Strength through Weakness is the liberal’s relativistic world view. This falls along the same crazy thinking that inspired Obama to tell viewers that he would sit down with Iran’s sinister President Ahmadinejad, and work out a deal and compromise. Obama comes from a world of Utopia dreamers, and not the land of realists that we’ve been blessed to keep us safe this past eight years. Obama plans to turn us from the lion on the block to the wishy-washy Charlie Brown version of a our former selves. Frightening thought since weakness emboldens tyrants.

And whose bright idea was it to diminish the President’s stature by getting him to engage in a war with Radio Talk Show personality Rush Limbaugh? Talk about bizarre and unfitting behavior. That’s the ideologue in Obama – thinking his victory was more than it is, he launched his own war of words against conservative talk radio. And it seemed that by any objective evaluation – Rush won that one (with half his brain tied behind his back). Fact is, Obama helped the GOP find a focal point that’s long been absent from dialogue.

Last but not least, is the creation and politicking for the support of a massive $900 trillion dollar spending package, code-named – stimulus, that is made up of ideological treats and treasures, National Review has a lowdown of some of the more obvious problems with the bill here.

The American response to a bill that has such an emphasis on “nice to haves” and pork spending at a time of crisis has been astounding. Republicans have been unified but fairly weak, and Democrats like Senator Ben Nelson (NE) have had to step in and insist that the irresponsible spending schemes be removed, if passage is to be assured. Obama’s rhetoric has been very disappointing, calling on Congress to pass the pork package or else doom is certain. Americans were really expecting him to take a stand for common sense particularly during a week where he rightfully called for corporate greed-demons to stop collecting millions in bonuses on the backs of bailout packages funded by taxpayers.

Yet, mighty Barack instead of taking the same tact with his own party went on television to try to sell winterization as a job stimulus program. Tisk, tisk. The new President is either a buffoon or a liar. So what will it be?

What a glorious two weeks for the anointed one. I’m sure he’ll get his spending package approved by reigning in the politicos. And when that fails, then what? The blaming of Bush will only have so much mileage since the passage of this do-noting package was crafted, pushed, sold and voted on by Obama and his Democratic ideologues.

It’s going to be a long four years, but we only need to get to two to effectively turn the tide.

The end of an "error"; Colin McEnroe finally canned by WTIC

2009-01-04T20:26:00.007-05:00

There are wonderful days, and there are more wonderful days. But the news that WTIC's longtime voice of the far left, Colin McEnroe, is gone from the AM airwaves. The very thought reminds me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when hundreds of munchkins came out to sing, "Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead." Happy, cheery faces, celebrating the downfall of their most dreaded foe. And so it is, Colin McEnroe (although not literally) is dead.

It's hard to image what might have been McEnroe's downfall. The socialist world thought of McEnroe as the true poster boy for Connecticut liberalism. I have to admit that I would listen to his program from time to time just to get the left's perspective on issues of the day. McEnroe was usually on target every time with the Democrat Party's official positions, which made me assume that he often would be briefed on what to say and what not to say. McEnroe never strayed from the party line.

But generally speaking, his program lacked depth. Much of his time was embarrassingly spent counter-arguing Rush Limbaugh's comments from the day's earlier time slot. Hearing him say "Rush said this" and "Rush said that" sort of irked me because I'm not a fan of Rush Limbaugh either and could care less about what Rush thinks, let along what Colin thinks of what Rush thought. I used to find myself saying, God buddy, can't you find your own material or are listeners doomed to listen to you rehash what Limbaugh spewed for three hours. Ahhgggg!

McEnroe also spent hours and hours engaging in character assassination of President Bush. It was more of the same drab, boring dialogue that often forced me to hit the scan button. Anyone can read other people's blogs or stories and try to make them their own. Sort of the lazy-man's version of a radio personality. Hearing him chat with "Lucrutis" sort of became stale and old after the 90th time.

There are a number of times over the past several years that I happened to spar with McEnroe on his program. But I stopped calling when he decided that it was best to handle me by changing the topic and becoming unnecessarily rude, and cutting me off. Of course, this was fairly typical behavior by him when he realized that he was either outwitted or didn't have an counter-argument to the facts at hand.

Part of the problem with McEnroe's style is that rarely would he allow someone of a different opinion to sway him on even fairly-neutral topics. McEnroe's best (if not only) strategy to any caller who was kicking his rear or counter-arguing him on points was: 1) Go to commercial (he would only take on bright repeat callers at the end of a segment) so he could make a quick off-topic remark and hide behind the traffic report, or 2) poke fun at the caller and hang up.

McEnroe was never interested in the truth which is why Republicans had such little respect for him. He was simply the mouthpiece of the Connecticut Democrat party. His attempts to make people like Bill Curry respectable news sources on issues of the day was comedy in itself. For McEnroe, it was never about dialogue, it was about singing the party line to the audience.

Off-mic, he was deemed socially inept. And people who worked with him often quit, or found "better" jobs. While I can't go into that detail without exposing individuals, I can only say that their arguments were a replication of what we often heard on the air... name calling, back-stabbing and completely untrustworthy behavior. As one person told me, working with McEnroe meant dealing with a five year old that would stab you with a steak knife if you weren't looking.

But what I miss most is probably - McEnroe's mumbling incoherent garble on the microphone. With nowhere to go (often admitting it on air) we'd hear rambling sentences that simply didn't make sense at all. What he lacked in knowledge, he also lacked in personality and show content. It's sad that it took WTIC so long to realize that the Colin McEnroe show was non-revenue bearing gibberish taking up space in the afternoon between more successful shows.

What's hard for Connecticut liberals to realize is that if McEnroe were truly successful, he wouldn't be getting the boot.

Today, Connecticut is a better place without WTIC 1080's daily broadcast of a mean-spirited 1960s throwback. Don't be surprised if he shows up elsewhere, there are still enough stations that need cheap filler between 3 and 6.

Just thank God those stations don't have 20 thousand watts.

Colin McEnroe

2009 Predictions

2009-01-03T20:56:00.005-05:00

The great King has predictions (some fun, some real) for all of you. The problem is that you will have to figure out which ones are serious, and which ones are meant to irk you or make you laugh.

From the King's Crystal Ball -- here goes:

1. The conflict in the Middle East will widen. Some Arab states which are usually neutral or quiet about Israeli aggression will use leverage found through condemnation by some European States as an opportunity to change political position and move toward a more critical position of Israel. This will make for strange bedfellows in the Middle East and create problems for Western Democracy's survival in the Middle East.

2. Vladimir Putin will continue to tighten his reign of tyranny on Russia. Russians will not contest Russia's continued slide back toward a totalitarian state. News stories will surface about the "disappearance" of pro-Western representatives and advocates. Obama will do nothing.

3. Putin will start additional military action in neighboring states with the goal to put back together the old USSR. This won't mean redrawing maps, but putting his lackeys in power, and working toward setting up near satellite states. Obama will make a few speeches but not offer the same strong condemnations that Republican administrations have in the past.

4. A far right party will emerge in Germany and this will be due to economic devastation which is largely unavoidable globally. Chancellor Merkel and the coalition will be out of office and replaced with a left-leaning government.

5. Republicans will not be able to reorganize themselves due to infighting. Moderate elements of the party will sabotage any attempt to return to conservative values and positions. Instead, the party will drift from principle and attempt to placate the media by placing minorities and women in leadership positions to attempt to illustrate "a new Republican Party". More conservative third parties will emerge, weakening the Republican base further, and aiding Democrats in more previously Republican controlled districts. The damage will be irreversible for decades to come.

6. Barack Obama will advance his agenda but nothing he implements will have teeth. For example, Global Warming initiatives will be limited to tax credits and such for businesses that implement green initiatives. Most of it will be lip service. But a number of pointless businesses will emerge that will do little but create a 'green sector'. The victories will be short lived, as Global Warming arguments fade as the US encounters extremely cold winters. The comments by the EU president that global warming is fraud won't help.

7. More left wing states will adopt same sex marriage. The wear and tear on insurance and disability premiums will be costly. The courts will have rounds of more complex divorce proceedings that will further erode the judicial system's ability to handle cases. Some high profile same sex divorces involving adopted children will splash headlines.

8. There will be several attempts on Barack Obama's life. He will live in a bubble making him less accessible by even his own party members. His wife's anti-white tendencies and opinions will make the news and she will quickly become the most dislike first lady in history.

9. Joe Biden will become Barack Obama's biggest liability. His temper and comments will make media headlines and cause incredible embarrassment for Obama.

10. At least one, maybe two Supreme Court Justices will announce resignation. Obama will seek a black nominee to offset Clarence Thomas political leanings and representation on the bench.

11. Iran will announce that they have a nuclear bomb. Whether they do or not is questionable.

12. Israel will air strike Iran in 2009.

13. America's voice in the world will diminish now that Obama will take the Presidency. Since Nations know that Obama is not a hawk or interventionist, rogue states will be left to do what they please. The vacuum will not be filled as Europe continues to sink into isolationist positions (yet calling on the US to do something).

14. Democrats will raise taxes on majority of Americans; Obama will do a 180, blame Bush, and call it patriotic and a sacrifice. Republicans will do little but make a lot of noise.

15. Economic problems, and the move toward a left leaning government will cause a rise in violent crime, hate crimes and all other crimes. Police and security agents will be unable to handle the rise in crime.

16. Change will come to America. And it won't be pleasant for anyone.

Bad Economy = Few Choices

2008-11-22T18:45:00.003-05:00

This is a tough period for those either seeking a new job or career, and those seeking to upgrade their job to a better job. Jobless figures and a downturn in economic analysis is very unfavorable. News organizations have been running stories about "how to keep your job in a bad economy" which doesn't help things either. It's a story that seems to snowball. The news is partially sensationalized.... the worse it is, the better the viewership ratings. It's definitely a bad time to be a job seeker.

For the employee, this means almost walking on eggs shells at work. We all know that bonuses and increases will be limited due to economic factors. Of course, the company also takes advantage of the endless media blitz by indirectly reminding you that you are happy to have a job at all. My view is that if you worked to make the company profitable, its the company's obligation to reward you. That's part of the deal, you work hard to get rewarded. It's individual accomplishment that matters, and companys' can't put the world's burden on your shoulders, particularly when you make them profitable over the past year. (Now if you are a lazy incompetent, you don't have a case here).

Of course, revenge is a dish best served cold. When things do turn around (and they will), companies that short-changed their employees when they didn't have to, don't deserve any loyalty or any favors. The King's advice is give them a week's notice at most, and remind them that staying any longer in the current role is costing you money.

So dear employee. Keep a chit list. All the HR baloney can be checked at the door. The fact is that if they really valued you, they would have showed it by giving you what they owe you. When its time to walk, its time to walk. It's not personal, its simply just business.

As for the burned bridge. Yeah well, its not your fault they burned the bridge. Why would you ever want to return to a place that used frivilous excuses to not give you your due.

Return of the King/Barack's Bad Choices

2008-11-18T20:47:00.002-05:00

Everyone is entitled to a little time off now and then.

The truth is that the last several months - particularly since the Convention, its been a tough pill to swallow to recognize that the GOP's candidate was doomed. An old, tired, moderate Republican who was willing to split the difference too many ways. An old war hero who ran his campaign into the ground, or worse his campaign helped run him into the ground. It's hard to tell which was which, but alas it didn't matter.

And to make things worse, the geniuses in the McCain campaign decided to keep us entertained by finding mediocre vice presidential candidate who instead of helping the ticket, served as an easy target for comics and Saturday Night Live audiences. The hockey mom that either on bad advice or no advice got slaughtered by Katie Couric and others. It was embarrassing. Let's make our own history, put a woman against a black guy and see if we can gain ground. The campaign stunk so bad that they made her substitive experience questionable while Obama's lack of experience doing much as out of bounds.

In the wings, stood Barack Obama who is barely qualified to manage a corporate retail office nevermind serve as CEO of the Free World. While folks like me barely could muster a cheer for McCain, we had silently hoped that an inexperienced, black upstart with an arab name and no resume would fall on his own. But the winds of change blew a storm that knocked the GOP on its arse.

Obama's cry of change and the emptiness of his plans beat out the old and tired. Conservatism was never in play. The names that McCain called out - Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan must have been turning in their graves at the thought of being involked by the likes of Big Mac and his empty rhetoric. The debates were embarrassing for the GOP. Everyone I know cringed; they tried to find a beacon of hope in pure confusion and darkness.

So election night came and went. I didn't want to write long diatribes about what was and what could have been. Mac lost me at the convention, and he probably lost America then too.

So I decided to take a few weeks and recharge.

So now the war for America is lost. And as of this writing it looks like the left wing will take the Senate with a filibuster proof majority (now that Alaska and Minnesota appear lost). So now we have a full blown war for the heart and sole of the GOP.

So what is it going to be? Are we going to be the liberal media's dream child? With John McCain as our leader wobbling too and fro and selling us out on the issues that mean the most? Or are we going to go back to what made us successful? Conservative principles - both economic and social. Will the party have the courage to make Newt Gingrich the next GOP Chairman? Or are we going to find some middle of the road collaborator who'll settle for second best, or worse choose a minority to impress high-minded liberals at the NYT?

Well the first shots have been fired.

Obama has already started down the road of making terrible choices. His new cheif of staff, Rahm Emmanuel is a well known liberal who has long time relationships with the Clintons and the rest of retreads from Bill Clinton's eight years of embarrassment.

But the worst choice possible for Barack has to be the shortsighted decision to put Hillary Clinton in the role of Secretary of State. Hillary and Billary will be calling the shots and Obama will lose and sense of control for the rest of his tenure. Is he just out of his mind? The Clintons and their allies back in power? Hillary serves Hillary's best interest. Obama can expect no loyalty and no support whatsoever.

If this turns out to be true. The choice of Hillary Clinton will be Obama's first undoing.

What a shame.

The big question

Republicans have nothing to be proud of this morning

2008-11-05T06:10:00.002-05:00

There are a lot of mindless articles on the web this morning that are talking about a new beginning for the GOP. Articles that claim that this election is good for conservatism, etc etc. I think before we can start our opposition movement, we need to clearly address the failure of our Republican leaders both national and local.

Be very careful today of those Republicans in power who are going to try and chaulk up this defeat to an inevitable loss due to the economic crisis, or George W. Bush's tenure. Obama won this election because the Republican Party and the Republican Nominee, John McCain were not up to the task. The Republican National Chairman should resign this morning for the sheer number of loses across the country (although luckily we avoided the magic number of six to avoid a fillibuster proof Senate).

John McCain may be a war hero, but he was a lousy, inept candidate for President. Disjointed, unimaginitive, stiff, old, and out of touch. This campaign was identical to the Dole campaign just a few years ago. John McCain barely had a chance. And the GOP and its old boy network of leaders decided that favors and backroom politics were to take precedence over practical evaluation of exactly what makes up an electable candidate.

Everyone deserves to primary, but in an eight-way race over a short period, sometimes a weak underdog emerges - no one had the dignity and courage to tell John McCain that at the end of the day - he just wasn't electable.

Democrats were better organized, grassroots organizations worked day and night, whether legallly or illegally - their foot soldiers never stopped working. The GOP never rallied their troops, and to be fair, our candidate never inspired them to work. And the decision to have John McCain throw President Bush under the bus as often as he did damaged the GOP and hurt him with conservatives beyond repair.

This is a terrible day, but final analysis is that Repubicans own this defeat.

Soon we will learn if we are willing to embrace that defeat, place blame where it lies and get rid of our leaders who led us down the path to failure. For now, don't buy into the the "it was unavoidable argument"; that's just an excuse and a lie.

Doomsday Arrives

2008-11-03T19:48:00.004-05:00

At the time of this writing, we are hours from real election day. I use this term because all of the early voting madness is the kind of stuff that fraud stories are made up of... I mean the horror stories about Acorn, telephone voting, and drive up voting, etc during what has become election month.

With Republicans trailing in most polls its hard to fathom anything but an Obama win. That is unless the polls are all inaccurate, and there's a huge left wing conspiracy - well, we know there is at CBSNBCMSNBCABCPBS - all of which is very much in the Obama camp, certainly by everything we hear and see. The bias has never been so unbelievable open as it has this election cycle.

That being said, Republicans have run a terrible campaign. Shamefully inept, if not poorly coordinated. If Republicans cannot muster a win against a man who loves socialists and socialistic policies, then we are our own worst enemy. If a war hero and patriot with a strong record of accomplishment cannot defeat an unknown, unaccomplished, weak candidate like Obama then we deserve to lose.

If Republicans cannot defeat a man who for 25 years has attended the Church of a white hating, race bating minister who says "Goddamn America", who Barack Obama gave $50k over the last two years, then we deserve to lose.

If Republicans cannot defeat a man who hung out in the apartment of a traitor, Bill Ayers, who bombs buildings and served time in the Federal Pen, claiming afterward that "he did not do enough" then we deserve to lose.

If Republican allow a Democrat to lie openly about Democrat tax policy and let him get away with it, if not outright obsconding the tax issue all-together, then we deserve to lose.

I guess much more can be said, and will be said over the next several weeks.

Say a prayer, call your fairy-God mother, say a Hail Mary. There is this strange notion that perhaps if you wish upon a star that McCain may pull this one out. The notion that the world is lying to every pollster seems a bit remote even for this Sci-Fi fan, but who knows.

I guess we will tomorrow night.

This article was so well-written; it deserves to be posted here

2008-10-13T20:45:00.002-04:00

This column appeared in the Washington Post. It couldn't be more accurate.

October 13, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
Fire the Campaign
By WILLIAM KRISTOL

It’s time for John McCain to fire his campaign.

He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s. The Obama team is well organized, flush with resources, and the candidate and the campaign are in sync. The McCain campaign, once merely problematic, is now close to being out-and-out dysfunctional. Its combination of strategic incoherence and operational incompetence has become toxic. If the race continues over the next three weeks to be a conventional one, McCain is doomed.

He may be anyway. Bush is unpopular. The media is hostile. The financial meltdown has made things tougher. Maybe the situation is hopeless — and if it is, then nothing McCain or his campaign does matters.

But I’m not convinced by such claims of inevitability. McCain isn’t Bush. The media isn’t all-powerful. And the economic crisis still presents an opportunity to show leadership.
The 2008 campaign is now about something very big — both our future prosperity and our national security. Yet the McCain campaign has become smaller.

What McCain needs to do is junk the whole thing and start over. Shut down the rapid responses, end the frantic e-mails, bench the spinning surrogates, stop putting up new TV and Internet ads every minute. In fact, pull all the ads — they’re doing no good anyway. Use that money for televised town halls and half-hour addresses in prime time.

And let McCain go back to what he’s been good at in the past — running as a cheerful, open and accessible candidate. Palin should follow suit. The two of them are attractive and competent politicians. They’re happy warriors and good campaigners. Set them free.

Provide total media accessibility on their campaign planes and buses. Kick most of the aides off and send them out to swing states to work for the state coordinators on getting voters to the polls. Keep just a minimal staff to help organize the press conferences McCain and Palin should have at every stop and the TV interviews they should do at every location. Do town halls, do the Sunday TV shows, do talk radio — and invite Obama and Biden to join them in some of these venues, on the ground that more joint appearances might restore civility and substance to the contest.

The hope for McCain and Palin is that they still have pretty good favorable ratings from the voters. The American people have by no means turned decisively against them.
The bad news, of course, is that right now Obama’s approval/disapproval rating is better than McCain’s. Indeed, Obama’s is a bit higher than it was a month ago. That suggests the failure of the McCain campaign’s attacks on Obama.

So drop them.

Not because they’re illegitimate. I think many of them are reasonable. Obama’s relationship to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is, I believe, a legitimate issue. But McCain ruled it out of bounds, and he’s sticking to that. And for whatever reason — the public mood, campaign ineptness, McCain’s alternation between hesitancy and harshness, which reflects the fact that he’s uncomfortable in the attack role — the other attacks on Obama just aren’t working. There’s no reason to think they’re suddenly going to.

There are still enough doubts about Obama to allow McCain to win. But McCain needs to make his case, and do so as a serious but cheerful candidate for times that need a serious but upbeat leader.

McCain should stop unveiling gimmicky proposals every couple of days that pretend to deal with the financial crisis. He should tell the truth — we’re in uncharted waters, no one is certain what to do, and no one knows what the situation will be on Jan. 20, 2009. But what we do know is that we could use someone as president who’s shown in his career the kind of sound judgment and strong leadership we’ll need to make it through the crisis.

McCain can make the substantive case for his broadly centrist conservatism. He can explain that our enemies won’t take a vacation because the markets are down, and that it’s not unimportant that he’s ready to be commander in chief. He can remind voters that even in a recession, the president appoints federal judges — and that his judges won’t legislate from the bench.

And he can point out that there’s going to be a Democratic Congress. He can suggest that surely we’d prefer a president who would check that Congress where necessary and work with it where possible, instead of having an inexperienced Democratic president joined at the hip with an all-too-experienced Democratic Congress, leading us, unfettered and unchecked, back to 1970s-style liberalism.

At Wednesday night’s debate at Hofstra, McCain might want to volunteer a mild mea culpa about the extent to which the presidential race has degenerated into a shouting match. And then he can pledge to the voters that the last three weeks will feature a contest worthy of this moment in our history.

He’d enjoy it. And he might even win it.

Fannie and Freddie

2008-10-07T18:31:00.001-04:00

Ain't it the truth!

Red Sox advance; Yankees don't

2008-10-06T22:40:00.003-04:00

Just thought I'd remind everyone that the Boston Red Sox are in the playoffs once again. Meanwhile the so-called Bronx Bombers are once again sitting out the play offs. Thank God for the YES Network - where old games showing the Yankees winning each night - can be rehashed as if it were live TV.

If the Yankees Network and Yankees Organization had any class, they'd just simply shut down their operation until next year and stop pretending that the Yankees are relevant.

Meanwhile, the Sox have their hands full this time around. To win any one of these series is going to take work, particularly since both the Angels and Tampa Bay whipped our butts in the regular season serieses.

There is nothing magical about this year. It's been pretty painful if you ask me. Injuries, controversy, and stitching together enough wins to make it into the playoffs.

I consider any playing time in the post season gravy this year. If the magic runs out, it runs out. I'm just glad the Yankees aren't in it.

Don't bail out Wall Street

2008-09-30T15:34:00.004-04:00

It must be nice to live in a place where you can make unsound financial loans and when they go bust - simply call on the tax-payer via Washington to bail you out.

$700 million dollars is a lot of money to fork over for risky mistakes made. Or perhaps they weren't mistakes - the greedy saw a way to get greedier by making short term gains and hoping to stick someone else with the bill.

Everyone in their right mind, sees this. Yet the President and the Congress seem ready to take the plunge on behalf of all of us. What sickens me is not just the millions in bailout money, but its the fact that Congress seems willing to fork over millions to pet groups like Acorn and other scandalous organizations. Plus why not tack on few million in earmarks for districts like Joe Biden's.

What the hell is going on?

We send the most irresponsible people to Washington to bail out an even more irresponsible group of people. And the threats just keep coming. Bail out the Wallsheeters or their will be total economic collapse. Sure.

Call your Congressman and tell them to go tell Wall Street and the corrupt executives that agreed to risky mortgage loans to get new jobs and bail themselves out. What a insane, socialistic country we are becoming.

Choosing Obama: Rationale and Analysis

2008-09-17T10:47:00.005-04:00

The most complicated thought process is understanding why someone would support Barack Obama. I think that generally speaking when you lay everything out, he's an incredibly hard sell. But there are those - those looking beyond merit and experience, who are squarely in the Obama camp.

Let's analyze their arguments to see what we come up with.

Rationale: I'm voting for Barack Obama because we've had eight years of George Bush and Republicans and we can do better.

Analysis: George Bush can take both credit and blame for a lot of things. This writer has found many faults with Bush as a leader, communicator and President. But President Bush's biggest downfall is his inability to articulate positions and ideals in a manner understood by his general audience. This gap hurt him and Republicans tremendously because principles and ideals could not be advanced by the man at the top. If you can't communicate economic policy or defense policy in other than non-complex terms, or draw analogies (or paint the picture) then its hard for folks to buy into your way of thinking. In fact, the Bush Administration has been mostly about the various military conflicts abroad, and less about domestic policy - which required far more attention than it received.

Few people, even on the Republican side, are sad to see George Bush leave office.

Republicans dug their own hole with the public by proving that they are no better than Democrats at dipping into the til to spend money on pet projects. Newt Gingrich spoke most plainly to this by saying that Republicans began to act like Democrats, except that the pork spending went into Republican districts. Republicans were promoted to control of Congress after putting together the Contract with America and committing to hold the line on frivolous spending. Republicans were seen to be no better than Democrats, and as memories are short - Republicans got the boot. And they deserved to get the boot. The problem with this argument though, is that Democrats have controlled Congress over the last two cycles and have been less productive then just about any Congress in the history of the the United States.

Democrats cannot claim to be part of the solution since their Congressional record is beyond dismal. Even with a poor communicator like George Bush in office, Democrats couldn't muster a counter-argument to any policy. Senate Leader Henry Reid (D) came across bitter and angry; and made himself irrelevant. And Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) seemed at best distracted and disengaged. Surely, no Congress has ever done so little with so much ammunition. And Democrat activists are coming unglued about the lost opportunty to have possibly advanced their agenda. And with both Presidential nominees coming from the U.S. Senate, we must admit that they are both part of the problem, and both fall within the 7% approval rating that Congress so justly deserves. That rating is far below the President's approval rating even at its lowest peak.

The other part of this faulty argument is that John McCain is not George Bush. In fact, the leadership styles are very different. Are the political stance different? Not quite sure on that one. We know that McCain has differed with his party on more than one occasion, but just because some agrees on where we need to get to, doesn't mean that they would follow the same path. In this respect, tying McCain to Bush is dishonest by any intellectual standard. While its true the platforms for Democrats and Republicans are different, approaches, plans and ideas should be evaluated on an individual basis, not a party line evaluation - particularly when it comes to John McCain.

Rationale: Obama is new and exciting. He's not an insider.

Analysis: It's true that Obama wasn't an insider at the start of his U.S. Senate career some 147 days ago before he was a Community Organizer. But one would have to say that he's probably just as much an insider as anyone is in the political establishment. The process to become a U.S. Senator, regardless of party, is rooted in favors, money, donations, pacs, special interest groups and a litany of other things that candidates seem to be always rallying against.

It's true he's new. But he's too new to know how things work. We do not elect dictators that come in on day one and start calling the shots. And moreover there are plenty of entrenched politicians in Congress, Lobbyists, and civilians lifers in every department that tend to be the ones that make the engine chug. Barack Obama has barely been in the Senate, he's barely proposed any solutions, and he's not managed to get a single piece of legislation approved by his peers. How do people expect him to come in and advance change on a global scale, when he cannot advance change in his own Chamber?

Rationale: Barack means change.

Analysis: Change to what? Change what? Barack Obama hasn't laid out any detail plans that reflect change we can believe in, let alone change we can't believe in. He's made the same general statements that most politicians wish to adhere to: better lives for middle class, getting along with our neighbors, ending the war on terror, better health care for everyone, on and on and on. In this respect, he's no different. But in one respect, given that the election is only two months away, he hasn't given out a hint of how all these wonderful goals can be achieved.

The only change we see is the one that he has gone out of his way to point out - that's he of a different ethnic background, and comes from a non-traditional background. But that alone isn't reason enough to select Obama.

Rationale: I hate Republicans. I'm voting for Obama.

Analysis: This by far is the most legitimate reason to vote for Barack Obama. The reason is that because behind this rationale, there is not need for discussion on merit, experience, resume, or detailed plans; its pure emotion and pure politics. There is no way to change the mind of someone that thinks like this (and there are those on the conservative side that will vote for McCain by the same argument).

Depending on where you come down on certain issues - we call such voters "one issue voters" that either McCain or Obama will be your candidate no matter what. For example, a die hard pro-abortion person will choose Obama, and a Christian conservative pro-life voter will choose McCain. But these issues are few and far between and make up a minority of the population. Their votes are already cast. It's the people in the middle - the independents, the loosely affiliated - those that may be members of a party but don't adhere to much of the platform, and those that are members of a party but may be so by chance or because they chose a party 20 some odd years ago.

If people really want new and untested. If they want to break the mold - they thing that seems to really excite the media because they enjoy a fairytale ending, then Obama will win in November. If Americans take the election seriously, and want the Nation governed by an experienced (work and real life) person, then McCain will get the nod.

My guess is that the college crowd (those who are still living in a bubble), the unions, the liberals, and minorities will show en masse for Obama. And the conservatives, the small business owners, the Christians, and the guy who watches his wallet will probably hold his nose and vote for McCain (against the unknown underachiever).

As for Palin and Biden. They add little; they are merely distractions from the main event.

Back from vacation....

2008-09-13T20:03:00.002-04:00

Just a quick entry...

We all just got back from a fabulous week at Cape Cod.

So much to rant about, and so little time. Two and half hours of driving, followed by unpacking, followed by bedtime routine leaves me to put out this meager entry...

I'm off to have a beverage or two. And then ... I'm sure I'll be out like a light.

Obama time

2008-09-01T09:25:00.008-04:00

Democratic operatives have been fast to create something out of nothing after Barack Obama's less than perfect nomination speech. A careful review of the speech finds that Barack has the usual list of Democrat complaints about George Bush, big plans for big spending to give out free stuff, and no details about how the complaints he raises can be addressed.

Barack Hussein Obama has received more than a free ride over the past several months. In part, the media aided Obama by giving him favored treatment over Hillary Clinton - as a neutral observer with no horse in the race - that is pretty much a fact. In some ways it was enjoyable to watch the Clinton's get a dose of their own medicine after eight years of the same treatment that Republicans received while Bill was turning the White House into a fundraising center.

The Obama factor is an interesting one. The free week long commercial always puts the candidate (particularly the Democrat one) in a positive light. The media laid off of Barack for the week, and didn't question the lack of specifics on energy, defense, or economic positions that he mentioned. There was a lot about Barack being different. The media loves the fact that Barack is black, has a non-traditional name and is the underdog of underdog's in a white man's world. They can't help but root for him and want to push him over the top to shake up what is considered the "status quo".

Hillary Clinton was quoted during the primaries as saying that "[Barack] he can't win." She is right. When push comes to shove its hard to imagine Barack Hussein Obama, just a few years after 9-11, becoming President of the United States.

Honestly, we really don't know much about Barack Obama which is because there isn't much to tell. His leadership and business experience is literally non-existent. All he can boast is that he was a "Community Organizer" in Chicago. No practical executive experience is a scary concept when you are applying to be CEO of the largest, most important agency in the free world.

Something different isn't a substitute for qualification nor competence. And when we start seeing debates and tough questions about what Obama will do or won't do in different situations will be all telling. So the free ride is just about over (although I expect that some media circles will cheer lead for Obama all the way through the November election), and sooner rather than later conversation will turn to substance and qualification.

The Obama camp know they are defeated. Whatever Obama says will not be based on experience but rather coached talking points by hired Democrat operatives. Everything you hear from Obama will be 'manufactured' and packaged - which is why experience does matter in the end.

This week Republicans are setting up for their convention. Although it will be preempted by Hurricane Gustav (if not ruined). Watch carefully as the media's analysis turns cynical and dark in contrast to last week's nearly enthusiastic support by the media outlets.

According to CBSNBCMSNBCABCPBS - Democrats can do no wrong, Republicans are always wrong. That's the message. It will be up to McCain and Palin to show America that they aren't Bush III, and they are more than a reasonable alternative to an upstart, unqualified, inexperienced Obama.

Hillary's Unity...

2008-08-27T06:36:00.009-04:00

It must have been agonizing. Standing there in front of throngs of supporters, wishing that she was giving an acceptance speech rather than filling the Tuesday night runner up spot.

There is a lot to be gleaned from Hillary's less than mediocre performance last night. First, we can zero in on her relentless talk about herself - why she ran, what she's done, who she is, and how grateful the Democrats should be that she has made them what they are today - well, OK - she didn't say that, but she came close.

If I were Barack Obama I would feel pretty good this morning that I didn't choose Hillary as my running mate. I would be excited that I wouldn't have someone upstaging me at every whistle-stop tour across the 50 states. And I'd be elated that bumbling sour-puss Bill wasn't going to be lingering with his half-baked comments and allusions to what could have been with Hillary in office.

Liberals Democrats will spend the day praising Hil' for her courage, and strength last night and a false allusion that she came out gang busters for Obama. They will spin this into something that it clearly wasn't - a heartfelt, personal, and genuine endorsement of Barack Obama. Or a personal plea for his nomination based on his positions and her respect for him. It's hard to make the case that a speech that amplifies your own positions and underscores your own accomplishments with a few tag along assertions that Barack believes what "I" believe in is anything more than sour grapes and gratuitous rhetoric.

Last night we heard about woman's suffrage, 35 years of fighting for children, and and an endless campaign for national health care (which has pretty much fallen flatter than flat). We heard the usual mud-slinging comments that can be heard on the Senate floor by just about any Democrat against Republicans - we dislike Bush, no McCain, no-way, this administration... blah, blah, blah. What people wanted to hear is not trashing of the Republican Party but specific policy reasons to support for Hillary, er I mean Barack.

Well, we got what we got. And of course she had to make this speech. You can imagine what the news reports would have printed this morning had she said less than what she said last night or declined to make a speech at all. What we saw last night was the start of Hillary's 2012 Presidential Bid.

And when the smoke clears, and Barack turns out the loser - the apologies will flow. Those who failed to support her will find themselves dethroned from posts, and chased away from every nook and cranny of the Democrat Party. The Clinton machine got caught flat-footed once, they underestimated an upstart novelty that they thought wouldn't last beyond March. The Clinton's won't make the same mistake again. Clinton loyalists will be positioned in every office across the land, from major city mayors to small town dog-catchers.

For now Barack Obama is really on his own. He'll find his treasurer chest filled by all the Bush-haters who will be out in full force - mostly those from Hollywood and abroad, who will do their damnedest to paint McCain as Bush - which no one buys at all. Most of the people shouting his name are on emotional overload with little to offer of substance and policy.

So after two lousy nights in Chicago and a lackluster convention so far, it looks like Barack will need to hit a solo home run to find momentum. This morning he's down four points, this surely can't be what they wanted out of Hillary night.

A musical weekend ... fife and drum, swing, blues, and German Oktoberfest music!

2008-08-25T19:59:00.028-04:00

It's hard to qualify what a fabulous weekend we had in such a short entry, but I'll do my best to break down each element and give it its due.

Saturday I took my older daughter to the Westbrook Muster. The Westbrook Muster has a tremendous reputation for being one of most well-attended fife and drum events in New England. This years' muster didn't disappoint and the weather was beautiful to boot. We saw a number of quality corps step up and show their best stuff. I took some B video off of my Canon A520. I have a few samples of some of the fun. My first bit is of the Ancient Mariners, who have a great reputation for entertainment and quality playing. And my second is a clip I took at the end of the parade - a tradition where those who've already marched (and those unaffiliated) jump in and play together.

Fife and Drum music is just fabulous stuff. There is no magic to it - no amplifiers, no electronics, no tricks, and echoboxes - just music in its purest, simplest form. It's the result of hours of practice. The fife is a simple instrument - a bored piece of wood with one hole for blowing, and six holes to regulate air flow which results in notes. Then you throw in the snare drum and bass drum and you have a corp.

The music is uplifting, clean, and patriotic. After listening to a few corps marching by you find yourself humming melodies hours later - tunes that they used to teach us to sing at "assembly" before the PC crowd took over our schools and decided that singing songs praising America was out of step with their insane desire to "blame America for the world's woes." And of course some of the tunes mention God - which is a no-no with the commie left.

So after a fun-filled day of music and great conversation with members of various corps, it was time to head home. We opted to drive back to Westbrook to Bill's Seafood - a great little place next to the singing bridge in Westbrook on Route 1. The jazz band there is tremendous on Saturday nights - the lead singer and sax man is an Englishman - who's name escapes me but I can tell you he is a Burnley fan and a great musician. It's worth going for the entertainment alone!

Of course on the way back from seafood and jazz, we stopped back to take in the Jam Session under the lights. My fifteen month old was smiling and laughing and taking in the sites. We hooked up with a few friends who were kind to offer some watermelon for the kids while we listened to the music.

Sunday morning, feeling a bit tired we headed over to the Open Air Market and Festival at Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, Connecticut and enjoyed some food and treats while listening to the East Coast Ramblers Jazz group. I wish I could find a link for the group, they are worth seeing again.

Wearing and tired, we made a last minute decision to fulfill a promise to stop by and see our friends Freddie and Ronnie (and Wendy) of Scha-Musi (Schachtelgebirger Musikanten) and friends of the Alpine Taenzer dance group at the Hartford Saengerbund Bierfest. We danced, we sang, I even participated in a fun Schuplatler contest (and co-won with one other guy). It must have been the mugs of Spaten Oktoberfest and the fact that I was sporting a Manchester United shirt that bolstered my madness to participate (actually my wife pulled me out of a conversation I was having with a band member from the star band - Hornberg Musikanten.

My little episode was both photographed and video recorded for prosperity. I think my oldest daughter (3 years old) really enjoyed the whole show. It's not every day that her daddy gets up on stage and acts like a character from National Lampoon's European Vacation!

We ended our afternoon digesting homemade potato pancakes, drinking (limited) Spaten, and dancing to the sounds of Hornberg. What a fabulous group. I'll try to revisit this post and put up a few pics I took from my digital camera.

So fife and drum, Jazz, Blues, Swing, and German BlasMusik! What a weekend. Music uplifts! And to see your children enjoying it through singing and dancing makes it all the better!

Is McCain only days away from throwing away the election?

2008-08-20T10:22:00.005-04:00

Sadly, major news stations are reporting that presumptive Republican Nominee John McCain is just days away from selecting his Vice-Presidential Candidate. The alarming news is that McCain is actually considering Liberal Democrat Joe Lieberman as his running mate! Such as suggestions is repulsive to the conservative and even moderate end of the party.

First of all, a life long Democrat and social liberal like Joe Lieberman has been a Democratic party line voter for years. A little bit of rhetoric showing he understands the Republican viewpoint doesn't make him the "moderate" that the media often portrays him as. Singularly, he has been a supporter of United States military action in the Middle East, and has shown concern for reducing violence on television - but these votes alone do not qualify him to hold a post that should be reserved for a Republican - after all this is supposed to be the GOP nomination.

Herein lies more of the problem with John McCain. He boast of being a maverick, but is he too much of a maverick? Too out of touch with his party? Unwilling to fight for the principles that have defined the GOP over the years?

It's nice that he has a few friends across the aisle, but the Presidency is about more than putting your buddies in high places. And moreover, did anyone at GOP headquarters ever think that a life-long Democrat would be a heartbeat away from the Presidency should McCain's health deteriorate? Then what would happen when it came to cabinet, courts, economic policies, etc?

Let's hope John McCain isn't REALLY thinking about Joe Lieberman as his VP choice. In doing so he will alienate the Republican base, give his party no one to support, and give Barack Hussein Obama an assured win in November.

And surely, John McCain would have secured his place - as the worst nominee - in GOP history. To which I'm sure he'd reply as he does to everything else in our grand old party - "So what?

What a mess!

I can honestly say that if Lieberman is on the ticket, I may have to sit this one out or vote third party. And why not? If my party won't nominate Republicans then why should I support them?

Let your state chairman know that this doesn't sit well with you. And that you do have an alternative should Leiberman land on the ticket.

English Premier League Back in Action

2008-08-18T16:49:00.005-04:00

It was great to see the English Premier League return to full form this past weekend.

My new adopted team - Hull City managed to pull off a 2-1 win over Fulham. Newcastle United drew with league champions Manchester United, Aston Villa beat Manchester City 4-2, and Blackburn pulled out a win in the 94th minute.

What a start to the League!

All I can say is thank God for the DVR!

The Dark Knight: Review and Opinion

2008-08-05T08:06:00.001-04:00

WARNING: This post contains spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie and don't want it ruined then PLEASE do not read on.

I've always been a fan of the Batman franchises even going back to the days when I was ten years old; although admittedly I didn't subscribe to Batman or pick up the Batman comics as a collector. I liked his role in the Justice League of America (70s/80s) and his team ups with other DC (Detective Comics) stars over the years.

When contrasting the various iterations of Batman over the years, the Batman TV character of the 50s and 60s was silly and pathetic. That show was more a spoof on Batman then a show intended to portray good versus evil with all the complexities of crossing the moral lines of whether or not vigilantes are outlaws and whether taking the law into your own hands (or perhaps let's just say dishing out punishments) is ever justified. Both recent movie series' (Keaton and Bale) have tried to deal with the complexities of the man behind the mask, both men seem to stop short of directly inflicted murder. And the Joker and his villainous friends know Batman has his limits. And the villains use this to their advantage at every turn. But this is what separates Batman or The Dark Knight from becoming a vigilante villain.

Do people die as a result of Batman's speedy chases in the streets of Gotham? Or from his misfired guns that seem to often miss their target? We don't know, we probably don't need to know.

Going on record, I did enjoy the Keaton films. They were the closest thing to what the comics portrayed Batman to be. This is how we wanted Batman to be portrayed. And I admit that I like prefer Keaton as Batman over Bale, although I also like the more realistic approach of the latest series slightly better than the Keaton series. As the saying goes, "you never get everything you want."

The latest Batman series which starts with Batman Begins takes a very different view of how Batman came to be. For us traditionalists, we lose this one element we know to be true - Joker murdered Bruce Wayne's parents. That element seems to be lost, but it doesn't spiral the storyline, it was still a thug who murdered Wayne's parents, but the Joker doesn't get the credit this time.

But the trade off is that the latest installment series is somewhat more realistic (if realistic even applies here). We learn about who Batman confides in, we learn how his toys are financed and built, and we see iterations of costumes and toys that require perfection. We gain some satisfaction that its not necessarily Bruce Wayne how at night stitching up new costumes, but that even The Dark Knight requires a little help from his friends. And Batman is even challenged by his co-workers on his manner of ethics - in the latest case, our noble Wayne Enterprise Chairman, Lucius Fox, threatens to resign since Wayne has rigged every cell phone in the city into one network to act as sonar to find the villains. Fox declares it as unethical, but agrees to use the technology one time - and it saves thousands.

I like other elements of the movie that brought character definition to the land of Gotham. We see the rise of Lt. Gordon to Commissioner - and they had me going for a minute, I was temporarily perturbed about them killing off Gordon about midway through the movie. I did enjoy his wife's response to seeing Gordon alive.

I enjoyed the fact that it was never intended that Wayne was going get the girl (ref to Vicky Vale: Keaton series). And that she died loving Harvey Dent, and only Alfred the Butler knows the truth, and destroyed all evidence of that fact.

I liked that the Joker is alive and well, although very saddened to know that that performance will be singular to Keith Ledger who passed away earlier this year.

I enjoyed seeing The Scarecrow return for a brief cameo.

I like the reference to Catwoman, which sort of tells you that there is a lot that has been going on between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. That's the kind of stuff that allows your own mind to fill in the gaps. In the land of comics, writers and directors allow the readers and fans to have their own space for creativity - we can fill in the blanks with our own stories.

I liked the sub story of the annoying copycat Batmans. And how the serve as a detriment to Batman's reputation and often wind up as victims of their own stupidity.

What I didn't like...

The Death of Two Face. I thought this character could have had legs.

Wayne Manor is still being rebuilt.

The story line around employee Colman Reese. Hard to believe he didn't spill the bean about Bruce Wayne's identity to someone. This was a shady element of the storyline. Also, hard to really comprehend why Joker would try to stop Reese revealing Batman's identity.

The Death of Rachel. I liked the character.

The movie seemed to drag at times. Seemed a bit long.

Bale as Batman is OK. At times his portrayal of Bruce Wayne is a bit off. Some of this may have to do with the writing of the character, but all in all - at times the Wayne character comes off too aloof and rude. Bruce Wayne was never rude before this series.

All in all, I give it a B+. There is more hype around this movie than should be.

I'm sure there will be future installments to come.

Obama sighted at Hammonassett Beach

2008-07-27T18:54:00.010-04:00

Just back from his world-wind tour of the Middle East and Europe, Barack Obama was sighted over West Beach at Hammonassett State Beach Park in Madison, Connecticut.

Obama was easily spotted from as far as 5 miles away descending toward the beach. He was easily identifiable as black, round head with menacing eyes and large tentacles; most notable was that he was alleged to be full of hot air.

Reports were that he was pickpocketing bystanders from on high in order to demonstrate his new found proposed method for taking new revenue from middle class wage earners in order to advance his new spending agenda based loosely on the Robin Hood legend of take from those who have and redistribute to those who don't work.

Of course, this isn't Obama - it only looks and acts like Obama. It's actually a kite that we saw from Meigs Point. Pretty cool though.

"Look out Lady, Obama is headed for your pocket!"

Obama's Propaganda Tour

2008-07-26T08:03:00.001-04:00

This article was originally posted on Radiofreewesthartford.com

Even the neutral observer would have to agree that the last few weeks for Barack Obama have been nothing short of stellar in terms of publicity and photo-opportunities. Meeting with heads of state, dining with kings and diplomats around the globe gives the Senator would-be standing in the world community. In contrast to the Victory Tower in Berlin – which Obama used as his most recent campaign backdrop, John McCain’s visit to the Sausage Haus, a German Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio was a sad attempt to either poke fun at or upstage Obama in some way. Its days like these that make you wonder whether or not the McCain campaign takes Obama as serious as they should. While Obama spoke in front of thousands of people to a world-wide audience, McCain should hands with a half a dozen people over beer and bratwurst in a dark lit restaurant.

The troubles of the McCain bid are a story for another day. To be fair, McCain and his campaign team are their own worst enemy. Tired, uninspiring, and reactive won’t produce the intended result in the media age of energy and glitz. That isn’t to suggest that substance and policy don’t matter – it does – but delivery is also a key element of any successful leader. And right now the McCain campaign has a long way to go to inspire even its own supporters.

Lately, and in the eyes of the media, Obama can do no wrong. Both the American and International Press coverage has been incredibly friendly – if not overtly pro-Obama, as few reporters have challenged him on his policy positions. Yesterday’s Lehrer NewsHour was a perfect example of how the media is aiding the Obama campaign. The PBS show invited three European journalists who instead of providing straightforward news analysis, opted to sing praises of Obama while at the same time being very clear that McCain, while somewhat respected by Europeans, represented views not welcome in Europe. The continuous references by our national media to “Obama-Mania” sweeping the continent are enough to make you question the fairness in news coverage. Could PBS’s news coverage do any more to support Obama? Jim Lehrer, once regarded as somewhat impartial, should be ashamed at the coverage of his news team. Not one challenging remark to anything Obama says or does. And his somber delivery of the news summary isn’t a substitute for fair, impartial reporting. Oh sure, he’s not responsible for the words of his guests, but he is responsible for the questioning by the segment host, and selecting guests with alternative opinions and mindsets.

In fact to show further evidence of further bias, yesterday afternoon MSNBC decided it was time to run a short story on President Bush’s twisting of words and phrases in the same segment as Obama’s European tour. Purpose? Overtly try to diminish our current President in order to make Obama look appealing and more presidential. It’s a sad commentary on MSNBC when executives can use their programming to help the Democratic Party achieve its goals.

Most of us know what Barack Obama’s international tour is really about. It is frankly nothing more than a planned attempt to quickly improve an otherwise poor resume – which lacks in experience on the international stage and understanding of complex international policy issues. The lack of substance in Obama’s speeches reflects his inexperience. Anyone can talk about a defeating tyranny, collaboration among nations, and working together for a brighter tomorrow. But those are the words of a dreamer and not a pragmatist, particularly when they aren’t backed up by substance and plans of any sort. Surely the media must recognize that for all the hype, Obama’s words equate to nothing more than poetic cheerleading on the world stage - words that appeal to emotion rather than thought. When previous American Presidents gave speeches in Berlin, they had something to say – not so with Barack Obama who says little, and calls for an empty appeal for change.

Obama says, “Now is our time.” Who’s time, and to do what? These are empty statements. And yet the propagandists in the network newsrooms found amazing ways to shape this into a meaningful speech of some sort. No one dared question his point and its purpose. No news anchor dared go against the script.

The fact is that this whole tour is embarrassing and shameful. United States Presidential Campaigns have sunk to a new low. Would-be candidates taking their propaganda, dog and pony shows on the road in front of international historic landmarks is sickening. Shouldn’t the media be asking if the words of Mr. Obama meet the same quality and stature of what the memorials he campaigns in front of stands for?

Well, of course not. That’s not the media’s job. For the last several years, their mission has been the same, well documented and observed – to tow the line of the Democratic Party, and to cast a dark shadow on Republican viewpoints (except of course when the Republican goes against his own Party). If this is a sign of what’s to come, McCain surely has an uphill battle.