Libya: Quick victory or long mess?

Drudge Report currently has quotes from both Presidents Bush and Obama posted from March 19th 2003, and March 19th 2011. The two are almost identical.

Bush: "American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger..."

Obama: "Today we are part of a broad coalition. We are answering the calls of a threatened people. And we are acting in the interests of the United States and the world..."

There are too many things wrong with this whole picture. First of all, why are the liberals all of a sudden such warhawks? I always find it interesting when Presidents launch military action when they themselves are under fire. Remember when Slick Willy launched Operation Desert Fox the friday evening right before he got impeached? After a month of wishy-washy non-committal soundbites about Libya and before that Egypt, Obama decides to embark on half-hearted military action. Obama has already said that at no point will any infantry or land troops be deployed there. I am not arguing that they should, but how will opposing forces take us seriously if we already are setting limits on our actions?

Another thing wrong with this whole ordeal is our role in general. Why are we letting the UK and France lead the way? Senator Lindsey Graham, a general softball player usually, just pointed out on Fox News: Sunday, that America has always enjoyed being the leader of the free world and should continue enjoying that role. The RINO is right.

But at the end of the day, we simply shouldn't be doing anything about this. As striking as the similarity of quotes from the Presidents is, one can't compare different situations across the board. Iraq was a threat to The United States. Libya is not. When Iraq kicked off we had a president committed to victory. Now we do not. When Iraq kicked off we were involved in only one other war in the middle-east. Now we are already involved in two.

It looks as if we're in this now though. Now that we're in it, we need to be in it to win. Either we get rid of Ghadafi, or pack up and come home.

At least the sailors got to have some fun and see something cool instead of sitting around playing poker and reading Penthouse all day.

Current discussion in The House about withdrawing troops from Afghanistan

Right now you can watch the discussion on CSPAN on whether or not we should stay in Afghanistan or not. The resolution would call for all troops to be out of the country by 31 December 2011.

As I type this Ron Paul is speaking and citing financial reasons, and the death of US Servicemembers as reasons to get out. Along with that he is claiming that we are at this point merely doing it to "save face," that war was never actually declared, and that all we're doing is providing more incentive for the taliban and al quaeda.

He may have some points. I do think Bush should have tried to get a declaration of war against the Taliban, and certainly since this conflict has been going on for a decade the cost has started to build up. Maybe if Congress and the liberals had let our armed forces fight the enemy, and cared for our servicemembers as much as they do about the radical muslims, the war would be won by now. Maybe if congress quit trying to run wars, which they've done ever since the The Forgotten War in Korea, we would start having success again. Maybe if the progressives and the liberals had let our military fight a total war, hadn't limited their ability to call for artillery or air strikes, and had focused on killing bad guys and defending our country instead of talking and worrying about whether little girls in that country can read or not.

Duncan Hunter, a Republican Representative from California who served in the Marine Corps and deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan has also spoken. "Feel free to quote me if you want to quote someone who has been there" he said. He spoke about how we were there to defend our country and get rid of our enemies, not nation build. He hit the nail on the head. We shouldn't be nation building. We should be killing dirtbags.

Unfortunately our inept Congress hasn't let our Generals fight the way we should. In doing so we've been there much longer than intended. Money has added up. Men have died. Let's let General Petraeus and the men over there blitzkrieg that hole and finish this fight.

Major League Baseball needs to get tougher, not wimpier

When my family lived in Rochester NY, we would frequently attend Rochester Redwings games, a AAA team. They usually had good teams and at the time played in an old ballpark called Silver Stadium. I remember during one of the first games I went to with my Dad, I asked why there was a net behind home plate. He explained that it was so a sharply hit foul ball wouldn't fly back and seriously injure a fan. Then some guy behind us said something that as a 7 or 8 year old I thought was absolutely hilarious. He said, "Yeah, I've always wished that net wasn't there, so that I could see some pitcher throw a really high fastball and catch some guy right between the eyes!"

What happened to the Braves minor league manager, Luis Salazar, certainly isn't funny. After getting hit with a foul ball while in the dugout last week, he had to undergo surgery to have his eye removed. Truly a sad story. (Here's the story at ESPN.)

But now the sports world is talking about going nuts with protective measures in professional baseball. Ideas including making pitchers wear helmets and caging the dugouts are getting thrown out there.

What is going on here? Are we really that scared of everything, that there has to be a protective measure taken for almost every danger or tragedy imaginable? Every pitcher knows when he steps on that mound what he is up against, just as every player sitting in a dugout better know that he should be paying attention. Ty Cobb used to sharpen his spikes in front of the opposing team so that when he'd slide into a base the basemen wouldn't be as aggressive in trying to tag him. Now in the last few years players have been wearing shoulder and elbow pads because they don't want to be hit by a pitch.

From a PR standpoint, baseball already tends to get made fun of by those loyal to other sports as the game which involves minimum amount of contact and doesn't require players to be in as good of shape. Now people are considering caging the dugouts?

It's really not so much a reflection on baseball as it is a reflection of our society. Not every danger can be prevented. It's just life. After all, the American League already has the DH for all the wimpy managers who can't figure out how to work a pitcher into the lineup. Let's keep the wimpiness level at that.

Or better yet, get rid of the DH as well.

From Bloggingheads.tv...

I admit I haven't watched the whole video yet since it's over an hour long, but what I've seen is interesting. I suggest clicking on the "The Future of the Nuclear Industry" section and hearing what Mr. Rod Adams has to say about it, and how the media has been somewhat misleading about the power plants in Japan. Also check out his blog, Atomic Insights. I just discovered his blog and have heard him talk on Blogging heads and believe him to be a pretty smart guy.



Links: AtomicInsights.blogspot.com
Bloggingheads.tv

Chalk outlines of Walker...really?

The hypocrisy is amazing, not to mention the free pass that the media gives the dub-dubs (Wisconsin Whiners.) In Wisconsin they've been drawing chalk outlines on the ground and writing "Walker" on the drawings. Time Magazine is suggesting that Walker is a dead man walking. Sometimes the hate of the left blows my mind.

Russian bombsquad finds vibrator...

Yesterday Breitbart (read here) reported that a Russian bombsquad was called in because there was a "ticking" coming from a package. Turns out it was...not a bomb. It's definitely understandable that the Ruskis are on edge considering they have had to deal with terrorism of late.

It just seems like Russia can never do anything right. It was once said by PJ O'Rourke that "Commies love concrete but they don't know how to build it." Their infrastructure is falling apart. Their struggle to become relevant has always been hindered by their total ineptitude. Their revolution was a colossal bloodbath which put in a worse regime than was in before. They can't win wars. They can't shake the KGB. Russia is that big looking guy at the gym who, when you finally work out with him one day, turns out to not be very strong. Luckily for him there are enough nerds in the gym that have fallen for his act.

The Russians can't even remember to take the batteries out of a vibrator before putting it in a package.

Are governments across the country starting to make sense again? The answer is a resounding....Maybe

Here in New Hanover County in southeastern North Carolina, the County Commission struck down a proposal to fund an "Arts Council." According to WECT News the deal would have cost at least 50 large. Sure this is a local story, but are people across the country starting to realize that cities everywhere, counties, states, and the nation simply can't afford to fund these dippy programs for much longer?

I'm not getting my hopes up. Liberals love to spend, especially when they don't have any money to do so. The GOP needs to stick to it's guns. Libs, by their very nature only care about ramming their programs and ideology through. It seems conservatives get complacent. Things like my county here striking down dippy funding for dippy programs is encouraging. However, governments across the country, such as in Wisconsin, need to be vigilant.

Here's the story:

NHC Commissioners vote down Arts Council funding.....

This is just great

From The Telegraph:
Dead Men Risen: The snipers' story
Operating from a remote patrol base in Helmand, two British snipers were responsible for killing 75 Taliban fighters in just 40 days. In one remarkable feat of marksmanship, two insurgents were dispatched with a single bullet...

I salute you good Sir.

I am admitting I watched some lame TV last night...but I did at least get something out of it

Last night I watched part of a show called "Undercover Boss" on CBS. It's one of those feel-good shows that I don't like to admit to watching, yet found myself watching anyway. I watched it once before and both times it's been a fairly boring show. The show consists of a CEO or the President of a company who goes undercover in his own factories, stores, or warehouses to see what the job is like for "the working man," (as if the CEOs aren't working men) and to get to know them a little bit on a personal level. If the people have good attitudes and work ethic, the boss ends of giving them a raise or a promotion, money to put in a college fund for the workers' kids, or some type of other reward.

Anyway, all and all the show is pretty boring. However, both times I've watched there has been one thing that's caught my attention and has got me thinking. The one I watched a couple of months ago was about the CEO of a convenience store chain. One of the workers he hung out with was a Russian man named Igor who came here after the Soviet Union collapsed. He drove a truck around the city during the night and delivered to all the stores. The CEO asked him what his motivation was for getting up and driving all night. Igor explained that it was because in no other country could a man have such a wonderful job and opportunity, and that he if he worked hard enough, maybe he could manage one of the stores. In the episode last night there was a couple from El Salvador working for a moving company who expressed similar sentiments, saying that the company had provided them with extraordinary opportunity.

In both shows the foreigners had the best attitude and were the most grateful. They didn't hate the companies or complain at all. They didn't seem to feel the company owed them, they seemed to feel as if they owed the company. They certainly believed in American Exceptionalism. I really can't picture them being one of the dub-dubs, (Wisconsin-whiners.)

It's too bad that so many people in this country reap the benefits of American Exceptionalism yet only denounce it at every turn.

Japan...

According to the LA Times, the UN is having difficulty even setting up any relief missions because of the massive damage done to the infrastructure. (latimes.com.)

According to the Times of India, Japanese officials are saying that the death toll could easily pass 10,000.
(timesofindia.com.)

Often times I argue that we shouldn't help other countries due to the constant ingratitude the rest of the world shows. This isn't one of those times. While I have utter disgust over countries that continually and openly spit in our face, such as countries in Europe, forces of good do things for more than reward and praise.

I'll check my pithy lingo and semi-inappropriate jokes at the door and say that I am worried about what will become of this country.

Party time at the White House

There is turmoil all over the middle east. We have troops in Afghanistan engaging in regular combat. We have liberal zealots in Wisconsin sending death threats to 18 of the Republican legislators in that state, (wausaudailyherald.com.) There is devastation in Japan. Israelis are getting killed by Palestinian terrorists, (Reuters.)

Don't worry. The parties in DC won't stop. It's party time! (Yahoo News.)

Liberal Fairy Tales!

From Rightwingnews.com:

Are you sick and tired of those "conservative" fairy tales? Are you an American liberal or someone from Europe who thinks those fairy tales teach values that no longer need to be promoted in today's world? Well, RWN is coming to your rescue with our "Politically Correct Fairy Tales!"

The Three Little Pigs

There were once three little pigs. The first little pig built his house out of straw. But the big bad wolf easily knocked it down. Then he ran to the 2nd pig's house which was made out of sticks. But the wolf came there and knocked it down too. Then both pigs ran to the American pig's house which was made out brick. When the wolf came there, the American pig pulled out a gun and blew his stinking head off. Afterwards, both little pigs who lost their houses started building their houses out of straw again. When the American pig asked them why, they accused the American of being an "arrogant jerk" and of "acting unilaterally". But they secretly knew the American would always save them, just like he did in WW1 and WW2 so they could afford not to be prepared.

The Moral of the Story: Even though Americans are helpful, they're real creeps!

Ha

Government, not the oil industry, is the problem

Well today was the facebook led "Gas strike." People have good reason to be upset about the rising prices of gas, but to take it out on the oil companies is to be misguided. Considering the innovation of the companies, the convenience they bring, and until recently the cheaper than milk prices, to be angry at the oil industry is simply wrong.

The constant regulation and persecution by the government is the problem. Instead of simply demanding the oil companies to drop prices, (which would result in shortages) we should demand regulation to be dropped. Perhaps my economics professor puts it best in his book "Economic Principles and Issues." He writes:

"Sometimes the government acts like parents in order to change behavior that is deemed unacceptable.

"According to Obama-and others that supported this idea-the oil companies made too much profit in 2007 and 2008 from the historic increase in crude oil prices. These critics charged that rather than earning increasing profits by providing better and more reliable petroleum-based products, the oil companies were simply raking in billions of dollars in extra cash as a result of nothing more than rising prices.

"Exxon-Mobile, for example, reported net after-tax earnings of $40.6 billion in 2007, which amounted to $1,400 in profits every second.

"What is not often mentioned, however, is the fact that over the past five years the oil industry's net income was 5.7 cents per dollar of revenue (translation - out of every dollar earned, 94.3 cents went to operating costs), while the average for all other industries was 5.5 cents.

"The reason oil companies have been cited for 'excessive greed' is simple. First, since we have all been impacted by rapidly rising gasoline prices, we are more likely to get angry with the companies who sell us gasoline. Politicians therefore can gain votes by turning our anger into political persecution of those companies without mentioning the fact that Exxon-Mobile paid $30 billion in corporate taxes in 2007.

"Nevertheless, as he campaigned in 2008, Barack Obama promised to tax the profits of oil companies at a higher level and send part of the money to the American people."*

Perhaps if we quit voluntarily leaving our fate up to corrupt organizations such as OPEC, and started drilling in shallow water, Alaska, or North Dakota, prices would magically go down. The real "gas strike" wasn't executed today by a half million disgruntled facebook users. It's been led for years by our very own government, and we can see how effective that has been.

* Robinson, Steve. (2010). Economic Principles and Issues. Dubuque, IA. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. pg 147.

From the Navy Times...

Report: Too many whites, men leading military

By Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Mar 7, 2011 15:09:55 EST

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military is too white and too male at the top and needs to change recruiting and promotion policies and lift its ban on women in combat, an independent report for Congress said Monday.

Seventy-seven percent of senior officers in the active-duty military are white, while only 8 percent are black, 5 percent are Hispanic and 16 percent are women, the report by an independent panel said, quoting data from September 2008....

Perhaps 50 or 60 years ago there was truly some serious discrimination going on in the military. However, today I really believe it to be one of the most color blind institutions in the country. If white males are at the top of the ladder, then white males must be earning those spots.

And sorry, if women are naive enough to think they can handle combat jobs, there are seriously misguided. The issue isn't their strength or skill sets, (although that certainly could be a question) the issue is the problems it would/will cause among the men. Putting a woman in the middle of nowhere in a group of majority men who haven't seen a woman not wearing a burka in months, isn't safe. Am I saying our servicemembers are rapists or predators? As a whole, no. However, there are scumbags in any walk of life, and to tempt fate is not a good idea.

Howbout the fights it would cause among the guys? I've seen what happens in a bar with a bunch of guys when one woman walks in. Stupidity reigns.

The military is no place for political correctness.

While all this stuff goes down in the middle east, let's not forget our allies in Israel

According to the Jerusalem Post, (click here for the story) which ran the story this morning, Israel is one of the least popular countries in the world. The J-Post was quick to inform the reader that no Israelis were actually polled in the study which was done by the BBC.

It should be no surprise that the poll's finding were such as they were. While no Israelis were polled, people from Egypt were. The US and the UK were the two countries that had become the most negative towards Israel in contrast to ten years ago.

It seems funny that as the liberals (and many conservatives) are raving about how the people in the middle east have been "peacefully" protesting, (not exactly a true statement) and that finally the people of the Middle East are standing up to these atrocious leaders, that all the liberals have done is speak out against Israel for defending itself against these hostile regimes since it's creation. Perhaps the Israel haters should thank Israel for being our only real ally in the region.

Does anybody else feel like lately it's been amateur hour?

The idea that Obama's administration has no clue, or rather, has no care about what's been going on in the Middle East has been circulating for some time now. In particular the accusation has been all over the blogosphere today. The "Pantano for Congress" facebook page posted an article from the NY Daily News claiming this, (click here for the story)and I can't say as I disagree. Pictures of the President golfing while places all over that region of the world are in turmoil hardly seem professional.

For the record, I don't consider myself educated enough to have a strong stance on everything that has been going on of late over there. I'm no Gaddafi fan, but I'm also no expert in foreign relations. The same could be said for Egypt. Yet the rest of the world, and Americans as well for that matter, need to sign, some reassurance, that the current administration has the confidence and the resolve to take some sort of stand as all this happens.

Sometimes no decision is worse than bad decision. I am not in favor in any type of US intervention in Libya. However, as the newest reports from Reuters and the Wall Street Journal come out, it looks that our president is dodging the issues. In Libya no revolution looks to be taking place. It looks to be Civil War. For something that is that long and drawn out, the world needs to know where we as a country stand. To do otherwise looks like we simply don't know what to do or say. Frankly, it looks like amateur hour.

2D LAR guys, this is for you...

The Marines of 2D LAR BN are out training in Californian in an exercise called Mojave Viper. In 2006 when we were out there, the following videos were watched on someone's laptop about 15-20 times per day. Whoever it was didn't have an internet connection, so someone must have downloaded the videos. Many in the platoon had a genuine interest in the art of film making. In honor of the Jarines stuck in the CA desert right now, check out these inspiring videos.

Romney's not the man, so who is? We are running out of time

To me there's little doubt that Romney is jockeying for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination. There is also little doubt that the man won't win. If the man can't win, then let's not waste time getting excited about anti-Obama policy speeches he is giving, (which the Politico reported on today) and focus on finding an actual conservative who can beat the current President.


First of all, it will be impossible for him to take a strong stance against Obamacare considering his Romneycare is almost as much of a joke. He also has not been a consistent conservative over the years, which November showed us is what most Americans want.

But for the most part, he isn't cool enough. That's right, he isn't cool enough. That being said, neither is Huckabee who comes off as the perfect guy to fill the role of a dorky parent showing up at a high school embarrassing their child. He should stick to playing guitar on his Fox News show. Palin is no real candidate either as she consistently seems to lack a true message. She is good at shallow speeches about freedom and such but hasn't provided any real answers for anything. One of the coolest moments I've personally had was rendering a salute to John McCain. However, he's transparently wishy-washy about his true values, old, and not nearly the politician that he was Naval Officer. Besides, the man already lost once! Gingrich may have a chance, but he's hurt his chances by his personal life choices in the past. Brett Favre said he may run but he hasn't given a decision yet. Hopefully he won't run because it would be embarrassing to America for text-pics of...The President...to get out.

Mike Pence and Chris Christie, perhaps the best two out there have announced that they don't want it. That alone may make them the best for the job.

And there you have it. Republicans sense of complacency about 2012 is getting dangerous. The Dems certainly are much better politicians than the Republicans, which is no coincidence after all, considering their lust for power. However, in this day and age Republicans must learn to think politically.

We need to learn to do what the Donkeys in 2008 did. We need to find a good looking cool guy. Except, when we find that person, they need to have a plan and some sense of patriotism. I'm not getting my hopes up though.

A future teacher's feelings about the "teachers" in Wisconsin

"The educational system is broken."

"We have got to reform."

"Teaching your subject area is actually a lower priority than preparing a student for the future and being a positive example and role model."

These are typical things heard about the educational system, especially if you are studying to be a teacher. Whether the statements are true or not is debatable. This blog has certainly not been "on top" of the situation in Wisconsin. Come to think of it, I've been seriously slacking on this blog across the board. (Ok, this time I mean it...I will be posting regularly again.) However, as a student studying history, as well as working to get certified to teach at the high school level, I have to say something about and to these "educators" in Wisconsin. Grow up.

Any teacher that has missed a day of school needs to be fired effective immediately. No second chances, no excuses. When students purposely miss class and it is found out they receive disciplinary action. When they lie and they are found out, disciplinary action is taken. The "teachers" in Wisconsin must pay for their actions. Teachers enjoy saying touchy-feely things to students such as "you are the future." Right now it is being taught that in the future if you don't get every single thing your way it is ok to be immature and to whine about it. Teachers like to glorify their own positions as being role models, especially for the kids who don't have a great home life. The "teachers" in Wisconsin are telling students it is ok to get what you want by dishonest means as they blatantly are getting fixed doctor's notes to excuse themselves from reporting for work. Teachers like to brag about how they prepare their students for the real world. What the "teachers" in Wisconsin are doing is showing their students that when you aren't happy about something you don't have to show up to work and that your employer will let you get away with it.

As for the demands of the "teachers" in Wisconsin, again, grow up. I'll say the same thing I said to other Marines who complained about the pay in the service. You chose the career, deal with it. Sure, hope and work for a raise, and attempt to get the best pay for your skills within reasonable measure. Yet at the end of the day, people that enter specific careers know what their future holds concerning the pay.

The "teachers" in Wisconsin are supposed to teach children. Instead they act like children.