A situation report from the Cumberland Plateau in Monterey, Tennessee

Having been in the Marines, we are well taught not to be optimistic in our reports to higher headquarters. Just the facts will do just fine. No one wants to hear a report suggesting we are holding just before the channel goes dead.

This idea suggests this report.

The Mexican invasion is skewing everything, locally. About four years ago there was a quadruple murder locally, and between the local very competent police and the county and state police, it is still unsolved. Most locally think it is do to all the false identities, most from Guatemala. Most also hear the murders are a payback for failing to pay the other half of sneaking across the border and working here in Monterey, Tennessee. The other half types are called coyotes.

And then there is our government doing things that send what were local jobs overseas. Hats and Candy and clothes are the local examples.

That’s the situation report.

The best and the brightest Americans are simply being run off

The politics of personal destruction, the criminalization of policy differences, the Senate use of advise and consent to black ball those of another ideology, all are having a cumulative effect. Debating and discussing ideas seems so passé these days. One might observe good job on developing and using this method of political war and ego gratification, while also saying they are running a country down. Short term gain, long term loss.

There is a repeating and cumulative pattern of the USA doing dumb things when the USA could have done things better. The first four years of winning the peace in Iraq is one, planning ahead discussing the coming Social Security and Medicare debacle is another, and defending our borders while taking advantage of immigration is another. Perhaps it is just politics gone bad, but more likely it is the poor quality of our elected leaders and their hired minions. Nothing against anyone serving, but the cohort is much reduced by all the frictions today. It is tough enough serving our country in all means, but why put up with the latest recriminations and 2 to 3 year approval processes for judges for example. Why not just stay at home and do well, and let D.C stew in its own juices?

Nothing goes on in perpetuity. This includes the best and the brightest stepping forward for a few years of American citizen public service. What has the last few decades happened nationally is against this old idea. Since there is little likelihood of politicians and hired staffs taking the initiative, it is up to the voting citizens to do so.

No “new” government program is required. Electing politicians who think this way is required. Politicians who can exist without super organized politically activist with money types are the saviors of this American dream.

Fortunately, there is payback. If they take us down the tubes through their politics, their probable benefits will also disappear. Now that is incentive.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

The counter is “divide and rule”. Which way is it to be in America?

Our ancestors went through a victorious revolution, tried making a country under the Articles of Confederation, and ended up assembling a Constitutional Congress in Philadelphia that created a Constitution that governs us to this day. All public oaths to this day are to support and defend the Constitution, not any political party or individual. That there was much friction at the Constitutional Congress is a given, but somehow the delegates thought, debated, argued, and compromised somehow enough to create a well thought of Constitution rather than some least common denominator. The comparisons to today’s Senate debating and voting on a comprehensive immigration bill that most Senators don’t have time to read, and it is being drafted by staffers vice principles even as the Senators hold news conferences, is a sad state of affairs.

America needs leaders who will lead, as in represent our National Interests as their first priority. United we stand, divided we fall. And the sad state of affairs today is a deeply divided group of Americans and their politicians that are not doing what earlier Americans at the Constitutional Congress did. The obvious group of such future leaders are those who visit RCP and other such sites. The political equivalent of sports scouts for drafts will probably find most candidates from this group of Americans, but there is always competition in the best American way.

“You know” who runs America today? It seems like the politicians and their parties, and the media do. After all, why are there no questions even asked in the debates about future Social Security and Medicare financing? “You know” the citizens really do own our country, and “uniting” vice “dividing” is the best path to our future.


Promoting debate, tolerating dissension, encouraging the vote, and thinking “uniting” vice “division” is the way to go to reuniting a future America in the best Philadelphia way. A whole new group of American leaders and thinkers exist, just get out of their way. And they are probably not Democrats or Republicans, just Americans.

Hope for our American future is a mixed bag

Of course the hopes are foreign and domestic.

As much as the media and the old Europeans and the self “proclaimed” enlightened report and declare the USA citizens and their government as some kind of war-mongering only super-power without constraint, they have missed the mark. It might help to live here to gain some insight. Just ask someone from the executive or congress. Most Americans are being falsely reported … and most Americans don’t care about these false issues. There’s only so much time in the day.

The real concern for many is the domestic side of things. Between the media reporting and the hard working political activists, there is being promoted an image of American values and society as some kind of evil. The alarming ideas to many are who pays for all this, and why are they paying for this. Is anarchy the goal? And why don’t the bill payers try their agenda in some other country less tolerant? Of course the answer to most is that they will be killed by the opposition in these other countries.

It sure looks like America is being bullied by those who live and get politically and financially paid here and are tolerated.

Are these payers of domestic opposition just anarchistic? Are they in their mind loyal opposition? Do they have an idealistic view of the future? Are they threatening our families and our values? Are they willing to stifle our Constitution in pursuit of their political goals? Do they have sympathies with our latest enemies of the American way of life? Are they trying to take over without using the vote?

Are Americans asserting their trained cultural values taught by parents? Or are they asserting their goals and values? Or are they not asserting anything, as in nothing is worth defending?

If that is how it sorts, as in nothing is worth defending, then so be it. Let them and our children experience the next two hundred years version of the dark ages. Let the others, as in the caliphate way, become dictators and tell us how and what to think. And most upsetting is when they invoke the Sharia law. And all this is from a failing tribe from a small part of humanity.

The coming generational frictions do not have to happen

Like many marriages in trouble it comes down to money. Who is going to pay the baby boomers’ Social Security and Medicare promised payments? After all, the collected monies are already spent, and there is no money in the treasury to pay these unfunded deficiencies. The number crunchers for both demographics and the budget agree that the system will soon be busted as soon as the baby boomers “come online”. It will take either a major reduction in benefits, or a major increase in taxes for the workers. Both options will bring generational political warfare if present things do not change.

With something this obvious and this serious to our American socialist ideals, one would think this would be a repeated debate point in the long extended 2008 Presidential campaign. Yet it even appears this question is off the table, or screened out by the likes of CNN before a YouTube debate. Perhaps all this is doing the candidates a favor, but it is not doing our Country a favor. Nor do our present political leaders seeking election or reelection do our Country a favor by avoiding discussion and hard talk about this third rail of American politics. Is the election about them (and their egos), and their and their staff’s perks, or is it about our Country? They should keep in mind their perks may also disappear.

To avoid this most difficult subject invites future civil war or revolution, or at least some new kind of Nation-first political party. Perhaps some of the hired staffs might survive, but certainly today’s politicians who avoid this subject will not. Just take the retirement benefits (pay and medical) and go away. And again, hope the benefits do not disappear.

There are things that can be done today. Mostly it surrounds the 2008 local, congressional, and presidential elections. If we citizens are to avoid a future train wreck over Social Security and Medicare’s promised benefits compared to the future’s ability to fund it, now is the time to vote. All this after asking the questions that are presently being avoided as a political favor to our politicians. How about us?

A realist might express frustration at politicians like FDR (1930's) who set up this whole process and even at our earlier congress’s and ancestors that voted for it. Now the bills are coming due. There was much debate at the time about the institutional and national costs of making citizens dependent on government financial income, as well as funding reconstruction from private vice government sources after the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Hurricane Katrina is a more modern example.

In either way, we citizens are left holding the bag in 2007. Voting should sort things out, one hopes. The alternatives are much worse.

Never ever let the truth interfere with a good story

Or the corollary … nothing screws up a good story like an eyewitness.

These lines used to be funny and silly principles of story telling by hunters and other assemblies of men and women around camp fires or mess halls or domestic parties or sorority group-think.

Now they have become much more serious. The old (80’s) Julie Brown song “The Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun” has become reality to our schools all too often. The trend is what is alarming. After all, exaggerations and story telling and stretching the truth have been around forever. Isn’t that what Hollywood is based on? Even most people accept “politicians lying” as a redundant term if there ever was one.

The trend that is both emerging and is most alarming is making up stories, as in lying. The idea of a responsible journalist making up composite characters from “stories” may be a lofty principle from the journalistic academic ivory towers, but in the real world the idea has been abused to the point of lying to advance an opinion of the journalist or their editor. Or the corollary also applies, that is that of the eyewitness, who can also mess up or corroborate the story. Here there is a gap that people like John Kerry or “Scott Thomas” can exploit for their own personal reasons.

The trend seems worse when observing Senator Reid from Nevada. And he is only an example. He can make the most outrageous statements and accusations, and there is seldom a peep out of our media. Is the reason group-think, political, or just plain ignorance? Perhaps it is some of each, depending on the journalist or editor, and the politician? In all cases, it seems the parents who paid for all this college education may have been ripped off. And also in all cases, there are few or none who will uphold standards these days. Hence, Reid’s apparent criminal behavior over his land deals is not even being looked at by the Senate’s Ethics Committee. Talk about the fox guarding the chicken coop.

Another possibility exists. The trend of lying could simply be the cross culture pollinization of eastern and western values, where in the east the “art” of duplicity is well respected. In this world, the westerner will always come out second best these days. But the trend here in the west is not this, but a cultural change in the value of honesty and telling the truth, as painful as it often is.

Another possibility also exists. Can those who read and write so well, and get paid for it by their sponsors, actually be believed as having experience and expertise in that which they publish about? Can we be smooth-talked by pundits? Can we be smooth-talked by politicians seeking our vote? Can the status quo presented to we citizens about the two choices between republicans and democrats be our only choice?

Now more than ever one must take every thing they hear and read using common sense and “with a grain of salt”. And when the opportunity comes, register and vote.

The pendulum does swing, even for Ward Churchhill and the Colorado State school system

Honesty and the standards to enforce honesty in teaching counts. Our kids count in their education. The assumption about sending our kids to achieve an advanced education is based on hope, and statistics, and of course our families’ willingness to pay and endure. The most important things are the facts and the recorded history of a college education benefiting our kids. We send’em, but many are not ready and fall by the wayside, albeit happy in most cases. In the same vein, if they make the grade and survive, then they have the fiber to better lead our country, their families, improve their marriage prospects, or whatever.

The disturbing thing about PhD doctor Ward Churchhill is his proclivity to make up the facts, or plagiarize, or otherwise misinform our kids about the facts. This proclivity is immoral, unprofessional, and thank goodness the Regents asserted their standards by firing him.

Much the same standards appear to be applied to journalism. In many lifetimes historical institutions like the BBC , NPR, or commercial news in the USA are going under based on the latest leaderships’ frittering away their historical inheritances. What a shame. Let’s see what a journalism degree is worth in our future. Not much most think.

What most care about is their kid’s education, and the standards they are paying for and expect.

In this the pendulum has swung.

Liberalism and socialism … idealistic ideas gone bad

The trash heap of history is full of well meaning ideas intended for the collective good. The world is full of communes in the history books that failed in spite of members putting their money and effort where their mouth was. Rugby, Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau is such an English example. The trash heap also includes such efforts as the Soviet Union where leaders put the citizens’ money towards the idea, as well as the leaders’ personal well being. Millions died as part of the idea.

Now again comes the idea of socialism resurrecting itself for America’s future, at least in some politicians’ minds. Most socialist ideas are from left over politicians from the baby boomer time, but the failed idea is never the less being brought up again, albeit in the guise or cover of other ideas. There are modern applications of socialism and its consequences just in Sweden. Anyone doing homework or living there will probably say the idea is not worth it for America. Again back to the trash heap. America has a better way to live and improve itself…for the collective good.

We Americans do not need to listen to failed ideas again, though we certainly will be forced to listen. No amount of hating Bush, or frustration over the President’s mismanagement of winning the peace in Iraq should change the political order of things in America. It’s like apples and oranges. We can use the vote to take corrective action without “throwing out the baby with the bath water”.

Historically, America is at a low point in terms of the quality of our leaders, to include those elected or appointed by them, those running, and those media leaders who now use their power to editorialize their opinion and those they support. It has not always been this way, and the pendulum will swing the other way. If America can avoid the failed or rejected socialist ideas during the interim pendulum swing, so much the better. If Americans can avoid any kind of quasi-religious do-gooders who self appoint themselves to act on their socialist goals, also so much the better.

Pax Americana

Is there anything we can do to keep us sleeping more comfortably at night?

Is there anything we can do to make us more nervous about sleeping at night?

Is there anything we can do to better talk to each other as Americans?

Is there any reason to try?

Have we changed?

Have the elected politicians changed?

Do many respect how special the United States of America is?

Do many think Pax Americana is normal and a birthright?

Is there a better way?

Does a better way mean values and standards? Or does a better way require another storming of the Bastille?

How many prefer anarchy and pitchforks?

Is America a beacon for western thought and values?

Can honest and intellectual debate change people’s minds? Or must the debaters grow old and die off? Does sincere self-righteous belief about the truth trump the rule of law?

How many prefer the vote to the alternatives? How many think the vote is a birthright?

Exploiting fault lines is a two way street

Islamic enemies of the West have used our values against us in their campaign to accomplish their caliphate goals. Madrasah schools in the East that are now too often indoctrination centers for young people are one example tolerated by the West. Mosques that are really compounds for organization, meetings, gathering and distribution of funds, and recruiting centers are another example. That there has been an aggressive expansion of mosques through construction of buildings and assignment of paid mullahs out of Arab training centers to locations in the West (and some of the East) is now a decades long and subtle program; a program plan now overshadowed by the Western war on terror. While all this suggests some central control going on under the radar for decades (probably correct), it certainly suggests a disparate group of idealists (many would say religious fanatics) with common goals exploiting our Western values. The most frustrating example is when caught, most demand Western value rights and legal benefits, and then they get them. The same demands in the East, as in the Red Mosque in Pakistan, are often met with death, and the mullah is disguised as a woman, to boot.

The same enemy group is starting to show itself less as Islamic religious fanatics than as Arab and Persian Islamic religious fanatics. This belief suggests things may be more tribal and less religious, though the two are undeniably linked from the enemies points of view.

Here is the first fault line we of the West can peel away. While Islam has 1.4 billion followers, the Arab and Persian peoples (and their leaders; the enemy being religious thugs, idealists, and opportunistic egomaniacs) are a much smaller group. Let us peel off the biggest Islamic nation, Indonesia, for example. And then its version of Islam with all its animist subtleties is not highly regarded by the Arabs and Persians, who have a more autocratic and higher view of themselves anyway.

“Exploiting fault lines” and “peeling away” are code words or buzz words for just recognizing our enemies are not ten feet tall, and have their problems, too. Like a living thing, they have a brain and a heart, and the rest of the body, and a savvy person will exploit any vulnerability to kill this enemy. Then we Westerners can have breathing room to wonder why, and do what we always do; try to improve the lot of humanity.

The second fault line to exploit is the funding of our enemies. Building mosques and madrashahs, and running them costs money. Travel for suicide bombers to go to training schools in Syria, and then to their assembly area in Iraq, costs money. Support of the recruiters costs money. Export of extreme Islam to Indonesia, or the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Kashmir, or Pakistan, costs money. Support of Hezbollah and Hamas costs money. Sending recruited suicide cells to the West costs money. Buying all the suicide bombing equipment costs money.

Most of this money to fund all this comes from Arab and Persian oil income. And the collectors of all this money are few, as in maybe scores or hundreds in terms of tribes, dictators, and nation state treasuries. To attack this income source (and its comptrollers) as a war fighting decision to peel away the blood life of our enemies is obvious. It appears our western political leaders have chosen otherwise. Wouldn’t US Congressional hearings on this subject be interesting?

The third fault line to exploit is one of the brain, or our enemy’s ability to command and coordinate. One can argue that fellows like Osama Bin Laden have been so isolated in trying to hide, or hide his death through his peers, that they have little to no real effects on day to month to year operations. If this idea is correct, then we (our governments) in the West have done a good job in slowing things down.

The simplest way to summarize all this is the idea of center of gravity. What is important to our enemy? And how are we exploiting their vulnerabilities in our national defense? If ever there is a subject and time for congressional hearings, it is now. Our Constitution suggests all this. Do our present congressional leaders even have a hint as to what to do? Do they care about what the voters (their constituents) even think?

For lack of knowing what to do they do what they know

They most popular version of this is that the military is always preparing to fight the last war. But it is just as applicable to our political leaders and their hired staffs inside the D.C. beltway.

After winning the war, when the priority for training the Iraqi security forces went to the military and not the gendarmes, or constabularies, or quasi-military police forces, a large red flag went up for many. Most experienced military TV pundits spoke about a window of opportunity closing, and they gave a time table. And then the window closed. The needed Iraqi family income jobs and local security never materialized. The American military was doing what it knew and what it was trained for, and it was very professional about doing it . And the State Department, AID, and numerous NGO organizations did what they thought was their part of winning the peace, usually under the guise of nation building as they had been trained. Clinton even published an order in the late 1990’s requiring all bureaucracies to work together, though in best D.C. fashion no chain of command and budget authority went with it.

And now in the best WWII leadership examples, the top General in Iraq and the Ambassador are voluntarily working together better than anyone else since the winning of the Iraq war. They are savvy and practical and smart and worthy of all support possible from the inside the D.C. beltway as well as the country. And having a Navy fellow at Central Command takes advantage of his earlier experience, professional education, and his assigned almost pro consul type duties. It also provides good balance to playing it by ear rather than doing what we know.

At least the Executive has admitted mistakes, and taken corrective action by his choice of new players to accomplish his goals. Maybe he can avoid fighting the last war, and actually fight this new war.

The saddest most exasperating part of the whole Iraq experience is that of our Congress and their hired staffs. Their performance to date has made the military look like total true professionals. In a group of 535 arm chair generals and secretaries of state and librarians of congress, along with their hired staffs, most, primarily democrats, come across as focused on the 2008 elections for their power’s sake, and not our national interest. The citizens revolt against the two tries of the Senate and the Executive to force their immigration solution down the citizens throats shows the disconnect between citizens and politicians is there, and quite strong. Most appalling about Iraq is the obvious intentional and disingenuous practice of many in Congress to vote a time table without any discussion of an alternative or the consequences of leaving on an announced, and quite short time table. This is irresponsible. Even if there is an unannounced (so far) plan to blame the forecasted results on someone else, do they think the citizens are that dumb enough to buy it when their jobs and families are threatened? If politicians vote polls and the election of 2008 for their political gain and at our citizen expense, then they might not like the resulting polls, to include the vote. But by then it will be too late for them.

Another group also suffers from the lack of knowing what to do syndrome. There is a whole cottage industry inside the D.C. beltway of for-hire campaign managers, media advisers, pollsters, focus group organizers and analyzers. They apparently also are managing the last campaign, or war.

The ideas are not like the old 60’s love it or leave it themes. This is serious national business of which the congress is 1/3 of government. This is not the Vietnam war nor it is some last gasp counter culture feel good exercise. This is not the 1930’s expression of American isolationism and pacifism. Nor it is some cynical instinct about history. This is America in the early 21st century and our collective future, as well as many like us in the world.

One can think of the future as old world compared to the new world. Or one can think we will only do what we know because we know not what to do. The results to date are poor as to the politician’s (and their hired minions) ability to think about this, and vote our national interests. Maybe it’s back to Vietnam, and the counter cultures last hurrah, albeit at our expense. Or maybe it’s not.

First priorities for the reading public

Is it America, or the pundits income sources and contracts, or the even their expertise in their opinions?

Can they just attach a bio type internet link for those who care to read their background and expertise.

Thought control and governance in America’s future

Will thought control end in fire or ice?

One can call thought control information control and distribution. It has an old term of propaganda. The newer term is spinning the news, or facts, or information, or whatever. The professionals at this in America are now media masters, usually for hire. The audience for propaganda and spinning is always selective, be they local or regional or national. Usually media masters pay pollsters to provide a poll result, usually skewed towards the paymasters desired outcome, later used for profit and media spin. If in doubt, just work in a family business where cousins spend most time debating and constructing and agreeing on the poll questions before they might ever accept the votes of the same people.

In the old not too distant past, one had to actually debate and discuss facts and proposed policies among their peers, who were still accustomed to listening and being thoughtful, and deciding their opinion. Most of this debate was local, as to public education policy or about the local sand quarry proposal.

Much of that not too distant past still exists, thank goodness. But the times they are a changing. More and more people are choosing to use hired government officials to try get their way. In this course of action, they can pay or vote or bull their way to their desired option, vice debating the idea and winning in this court of ideas. Depending on where one lives, most of these courses of action still fail…so far.

One area where local control seems to be under attack is in public education, an American tradition. For logical reasons there has been consolidation of curriculums at the state and federal levels. Even testing and books are now a big business in implementing all this. But the output is disappointing in the quality of kid’s ability to exist in the workplace. This is a fancy way of saying they are ill-educated, or better said, we have failed them. And the answer is not more money to the system, it is rather holding people accountable for results…kinda like the military’s “up or out” system. Teaching is not a career, but an opportunity.

This idea applies to how America is governed in our future, near and far. We must educate our future citizens better than the last two decades or so have done. Then if they vote to govern and tax themselves in their way, so be it. Most of this idea means competing in the arena of ideas, which of course is difficult in times of so many attempting to stifle debate or just ignore others in pursuit of their ideas.

The Democratic Party is disintegrating in front of our American eyes. So is the whole socialist agenda, and well as the presently hired media people. Alive and well are many benefit payment programs. Here is an historic opportunity to lead Americans whether they are presently republican or democrat. Most important is to stifle propagandists and now media masters, and promote discussion and debate. This is so American.

And you know what. Our future voters may go the socialist route, but at least it will be an educated choice. Many will guess otherwise.

So is it fire or ice? Only time will tell.

Foul language in Hollywood movies

Did the tail wag the dog? If so, can the dog reassert itself?

Movies used to have little to no foul language in them, though foul language existed in society. In the late 1960’s the restraints on foul language in movies changed to be more “realistic”. The logic seemed fair enough; it just reflected how we spoke anyway. And then it may have been a symptom of the counter culture having its way, again.

Somehow it morphed into foul language for shock value which often meant extra income for movie makers. And a regenerative effect seemed to take hold where movies and society both fed each other in the greater use of foul language for both shock value and just using language. Having been in the Navy and Marines, foul language is a familiar exposure whereby judging the increasing use of foul language in movies is a clear trend to many.

After the recent Live Earth concerts, it is notable how many entertainers commented on the use of foul language by fellow entertainers, and perhaps as a major change in society, vowed not to use foul language in their future public concerts. And the apparent ability of using shock value words to generate movie income is also on the decline. Whether the public is just tired of hearing foul language in movies, or just voting with their pocket books is for the historians to research and argue. The pendulum is definitely beginning to swing the other way.

Some will call the decline of foul language in movies censorship. Others will call it good business practice. Most will say self-censorship is also self-control and good manners.

These days, the most common complaint about the movies probably isn’t sex or violence, but the use of profanity, especially when it’s gratuitous or unnecessary. Is this simple enough?

The cruel crude facts about Iraq today

It’s a mess. Half the problems today are caused by how the “win the peace” has been prosecuted by the D.C. crowd, Executive and Congressional and hired minions (though the D.C. crowd would say managed vice prosecuted). Poor successive strategies, lack of unity of effort by the various bureaucracies based in D.C., and the poor oversight and head knocking by the President are the main culprits. The other half of the problems are from our enemies there. They are the historical fighting Iraqi factions born out of the legacy of creating an Iraq out of Mesopotamia; and the Iranian support of these factions as well as Al-Qaeda using all its outsider suicide bombers. Back last spring the Iranians let it out that they would conduct a summer campaign in Iraq to influence the Congressional vote, and now they are doing it. Some group(s) are paying for all this opposition, so half the mess is a funded hot war against us.

The latest strategy out of D.C. is sticking. It is a strategy about we in the US, and our way of life and benefits. It is not about an Iraqi democracy intent. It is about our established democracy. The strategy is to fight them there (they are many in numbers and origins) to best preserve we and our way of life here. Historians can write about all the interim more idealistic and even some more exploitive strategies, but these are all in the past. The latest strategy also finally recognizes the Iranian regional war going on since 1979 (when the mullahs evicted the Shah) has finally gone overt and more in the open.

Nobody expects the US to be in Iraq fighting forever, especially since we won the war and are now fighting for our future peace. We have little precedent for what to do, though the Brits do during their mandate time in the same area. The main friction here in the US is mixing apples and oranges, or the past with the present. Now that the most basic strategy has evolved and is sticking, it dictates not treating the Iraqis as equals, but dictating to them. And it dictates no safe havens for the Iranian war both in Iran and Syria. And it dictates a time, though nothing as silly as Congress trying to mandate an “announced” time. Just plan a time, and execute.

Given keeping a withdrawal schedule secret is probably not politically sustainable, then we go the Brit route. Make the schedule smart from our point of view, and announce it. But certainly stop the Iranian influence in Iraq as their part of their regional imperialistic efforts and Persian empire revivals. Our allies need this.

Stopping the Iranian influence in Iraq is cheap talk for going to war, assuming diplomacy fails with these masters of manipulation. This war would be small, as is Iran, and occupation is not involved. They are probably in a high hover as they try get over the near term hump in asserting themselves and their regional hegemony and their nuclear goals. If we want out of Iraq, which we do, we must take care of the Iranian problem (they started) along the way.

So there it is, the cruel crude facts about Iraq. We will pull out sometime, that’s a no-brainer. There will be massive immigration problems we should plan for. But if we do it best we will do it based on the local situation and not US congressional politics; then we should also be safer at home.

The difference in the time schedule possibilities is probably a matter of a year, maybe even months. The reason for waiting is the President’s choice of his current military commander and his Ambassador. Both are sharp as tacks, and should be provided the chance to do their best for our benefit.

Running the RAM and economic policy

A RAM is a water powered pump that is still used mostly in the third world, to include Putnum County, Tennessee. It uses an ingenious 1879 (or so) design that pumps 24/7/365 spring water. Today’s RAM is number three here, the first being in 1905, the second in 1958, and the third in 2002. The company, Rife Ram, did one upgrade in 1962, which was a relatively minor upgrade. Recently we did a maintenance effort after 5 years, and it payed off. No machine can be expected to run for 50 years without maintenance. In the RAM’s case even the mineral free (freestone) spring water input causes rust over time. And this RAM uses a lot of stainless steel. Bottom line, this water powered pump provides good drinking water and flush toilets, etc. Since the water is pure spring water, it must be remembered to brush daily with fluoride toothpaste.

We have a GIS of the place and area, and all the sources of the springs are on the place, as in rural. Plus the water has been checked by Tennessee Tech nearby. We are so lucky to have good water naturally.

During the recent 5 year maintenance, we had problems, mostly in the restart. A call to an engineer at Rife Ram solved the problem in his solution, and all is well now. But along the way, we did jury rig a part using a hack saw and metal grinder, and even used rust lock paint to protect the galvanized part after the work was done. All is well as one can drink spring water from the tap, and flush toilets 24/7. Even the yard dogs seem appreciative. And since then, the actual parts have been orderd and delivered by UPS. I choose to let well enough alone, since all is working well.

Should this kind of leave well enough alone and benign neglect idea work for our National economic policy? Only the voters will decide.

What comes after the global warming hokey passes into history?

Three forces will be in play. First is that of the eco-religious types. Second is the anti-western and anti-capitalist types who have adapted environmentalism as their means to an end. Last are the conservationists who also include the human impact factor, i.e., environmentalism is about humans and how we interact with the world.

There are two common denominators. The subject is complicated and not all the science is close to being known, especially about how humans try manage complex natural systems. Said in simple terms, we are poor at playing God. The other common denominator is the ignorance of the population and the media. At a minimum, a basic course in thermodynamics would help, but few take this course. About two years ago National Geographic magazine had a picture of a cooling tower with the steam arising from it. But the reporter labeled it as smoke, and even the editors let it pass. Now that is ignorance.

The eco-religious types will always be around because faith substitutes for science and facts. And so many end of the world scenarios can be wrapped in “mankind as the enemy” causes, especially if supported by cherry picked reports prepared by those who make a living doing research for a living. The US federal payments for global warming research today is somewhere between two and seven billion dollars, depending on which report to believe. This is big business. And while President Eisenhower is famous for his warning about a military industrial complex, the other half of his warning was about a science industrial complex. And like the waves washing ashore at the beach, different end of the world scenarios will come and go as has been going on in the past.

The anti-western and anti-capitalist types who have adapted environmentalism as a means to an end are a serious threat to western values and the future of humanity. If they can exploit the ignorance of most of the population and media, and implement any treaty such as Kyoto, then they will have gained traction. And too many are quoted as saying Kyoto is just a first step. Of course, politics in the west and most of the world provides a good balance as politicians (mostly western) set goals, and then immediately ignore them. And even the business green initiatives, a more trustworthy reference indicator, act in the best profit sense first, so there can be win-win solutions. Of course it does not take these anti-capitalist types to make this happen, though they may claim credit for what is happening anyway.

The conservationist group is a natural attractor for most citizens. This group always thinks about the human impacts as part of the reasoning process. This group always recognizes the balance between humans and the environment, and attempts to make rational decisions. While also suffering from the problems at playing God, at least humans are factored in. The best example for our US future is the impacts of the now off-limits impacts of the agriculture and timber industries. Agricultural water run-off of fertilizers and pesticides will come under attack sooner rather than later. The conservationist group is best prepared to devise policies that recognize we also need to eat, or make biofuel.

Predicting the future is impossible, but often tried. Counting on the human influence is usually the safe bet.

That the conservationist group is a natural attractor for most citizens will make it the main effort after the global warming hokey passes. Here in the US the most simple ideas to conserve will become popular. Just turning out the lights when one leaves the room like our ancestors did is one obvious example because it saves money. Changing the thermostat or using fans because it saves money is another example. Car pooling may come back for energy and home budget reasons. Agriculture practices about water run-offs will probably change. The whole point is there are common sense solutions for this group that puts things in balance.

One hopes this environmental future about after the global warming hokey passes does not become a national party issue, though certainly both parties will try to do so. If anything is a National Issue, this is one. Voting citizens must be ruthless in not letting this devolve into some party issue. Our National future and advancement is at stake.

Why do we make the enemy ten feet tall?

They have serious problems, too.

The Iranians have started a hot war with the U.S. that they may win given a U.S. restraint strategy that we use. Normal diplomatic comments are to not attack them, even in self defense, as an attack will only unite them against the attacker, us. But how long does this take if it means Iran dominates the region, or takes out Tel Aviv with a nuclear weapon. This is not a cold war, but a hot war. Of course all this is predicated on the present small cabal in Tehran having unlimited time to conduct their strategy. If they were ten feet tall, they might have all this time, but they are not ten feet tall, and this small cabal can be easily replaced. What replaces them may not be any friendlier than to the U.S. than the present cabal, but think about it from the present cabal’s point of view, which is about their self preservation. And most arm chair generals assume any U.S. attack on Iranian safe havens (for the regional hot war they are fighting now in the open), or even the protected nuclear sites, include some kind of invasion and occupation. But suppose it was less, as in air and missile strikes, perhaps with some special operations type forces that just set back the enemy as well as send a message to the Iranian people that they are not the target. Now that would make the small cabal even smaller, given we can make the case that they started the hot war for their own imperial purposes.

And don’t forget the Iranians do not have inexhaustible funds. They have promised much to so many, but simply do not have the funds to meet their promises. Just ask Hamas in Gaza recently about $300 million promised but not paid. Or ask the Russians about a monthly payment of $20 million for their Bushehr nuclear plant work. Why should they be given time?

The Syrians are definitively not ten feet tall. Their present president got his job by nepotism, and now daily suffers from the problems associated with nepotism. He and his father’s minions still run things, mostly funded as Iranian proxies, which is a less than ten feet tall stature. The main strength of Syria is its strategic location, and that the U.S. treats them as a safe haven for all they things they do in their interests vis-à-vis Lebanon, and for the Iranian imperial interests is a policy only. Even Syria became the repository of the Iraqi WMD’s, and that is becoming a liability.

North Korea at best is two feet tall. One need only look at a night satellite photo of the earth to see how poor and badly off the country is do to the communist dictatorship and its economic policies and one wonders how the present dictator survives. Of course he got his job through nepotism, also.

The present fad country of the time period is China, and they too are not ten feet tall in any measure to include economically or militarily. Their expansion is so rapid it reminds many of the U.S. robber baron times, but they simply don’t have the political system in place to expand and protect its people. They are prime for a civil war, perhaps just a revolution, but either is coming soon, as in the next five years. Here’s two hints: severe environmental problems causing birth defects, and nepotism practiced by the ruling communist northern Chinese tribes.

There is at last Russia. As the former Soviet Union, much U.S. military education in the past made their military look ten feet tall. Then there were dissenting opinions based on just interviewing former conscripts, such as by Andrew Cockburn. And then I looked at really neat pictures and movies about Soviet capabilities, and I was intimidated. Later their abysmal performance in their Afghan invasion, and my observations of their equipment in the first Gulf War led me to understand the idea of just how short our enemies can be. Now history even adds in the poor state of their space and ballistic missile programs, and their nuclear navy programs, and I take more of what I read about Russian capabilities with a grain of salt.

Just look at now Russian aviation exports and again it is impressive, until you look at how many are still running in five years. The recent purchase of Mig-31’s by Syria, with Iranian financing and sharing is a good example of sounding fierce, and being a lamb. Earlier purchases of 1980’s Russian jets are all parked. This is definitely less than ten feet tall.

These days we have many enemies, some focused on the U.S., and some focused on western values in general. All are not ten feet tall, in fact, most are our size or smaller. They too have their own problems which I expect we exploit in all ways: diplomatically, financially, militarily, and propaganda wise. If we don’t use all means, then we are not professional enough, and need to hire (vote in) a new team.

We have been attacked and declared war on by regional powers before, to include Japan and Germany. It is happening again with Iran. We must fight back, or surrender. Measuring the enemy’s height puts things in perspective, since we are closer to ten feet tall than the Iranians.

Can this be multiculturalism applied to foreign policy? Are we all culturally equal, as in what has been made in the New World in America equal to the Old World in Iranian despots desire to return to some old past that they still run? Do we have to reduce our height from ten feet tall down to their height out of some academic principle or idea? Why? Do we have something worth fighting for?

The military has one idea we can use in this area. Try evaluate the enemy’s capabilities which is easier than trying to evaluate their intentions, which is difficult. Given all this, we can pick the time and place to act in our National Interest. And when we do, we should arrive ten feet tall. In the perfect world we would descend on Iran diplomatically, financially, and militarily. This will probably not happen. So fight back in a come as you are mode. Maybe we might seem nine feet tall, which is pretty tall.

They said they were going to do it, and now they are doing it

Back in the spring the word came out from the Iranians they planned a summer campaign with the purpose of changing the Congressional vote to leave Iraq.

And it is working, it appears.

That this campaign is so out in the open and overt, and is killing Americans and Iraqis, shows a haughtiness and confidence brought by decades of experience in successfully dealing with the Americans, Democrats and Republicans. Other than the Iraqi based U.S. military reports about all the evidence mounting against the Iranians about this campaign, nothing much comes out in D.C. about this, with the exception of Senator Lieberman and the recent Senate bill voted 97-0 warning the Iranians. And the media provided little coverage to reflect the low value this vote had in D.C.

As long as Iran has safe havens in Iran and Syria, then they can do a kind of “slow bleed” strategy that keeps training safely going and sending in supplies and bombers to kill Americans slowly and surely, as well as fuel the sectarian violence that may tear apart much of Iraq. As long as they can demonstrate more patience than us in following a campaign plan and losing people, then time is on their side, or most importantly, they have to believe this is so. That they have alliances of convenience, as with Al-Qaeda, only makes our side’s job that much tougher. This is especially painful when counting the high percentage of suicide bombers that come out of Wahhabist sources in Saudi Arabia. It is also painful seeing Russian and Chinese diplomatic support for Iran used as a way to drag us down.

All these problems on our side demand solutions in D.C. by the Executive and the Congress. The solutions are above the level of the regional commander at Central Command. And the time has passed when covert action is alone all we do. Solutions and courses of action must be explained to the American people, who must be included in the information loop. Given the apparent bad luck our Nation has with the current mostly poor leaders in D.C., we may be left holding the proverbial bag until things worse than regional genocide come to pass, like the nuclear annihilation of Tel Aviv and a nuclear dirty bomb in the U.S.

What is important to Americans?

Certainly homeland security is very important. So is economic security to allow opportunity for raising families. So is benefit's security for all those millions of Americans who receive some kind of payments from the government. And so is immigration control that benefits the Country, and not the immigrants.

What is not very important to Americans says much, also. Iraq and the middle east is not important, unless one counts in the unwillingness to lose the war there, and unless one worries about we and mostly our allies being held hostage to some future middle eastern oil embargo. Since we Americans get very little oil on a percentage basis from the middle east, the problem is more about our allies. Even the Iranian overt and out in the open regional aggression is not important to Americans, though it should be.

One could generalize that the most important things to Americans are domestic in nature, and the least important things to Americans are foreign in nature. That there are crossovers is obvious when one looks at homeland security and taking the fight and war to the religious zealots that wish to kill us and take over here in America. The benefits and detriments to the pacts about globalization and free trade, as negotiated, also appear as hot button crossover issues.

What is important to Americans and their politicians can be different, the most recent examples being the two different tries by the Senate to force an immigration bill; and the repeated tries to legislate an Iraqi withdrawal in the face of obvious vetoes and liberal use of pork to buy votes. This suggests we have the bad luck as a Nation to presently have poor leaders in the Congress or their staffs that think less in National Interest terms and more in political advantage terms. Either they don’t listen or they don’t care what the citizens think. The time for Congressional term limits has come to help turn this listening problem around.

It is depressing that most of the national media, the D.C politicians, their hired D.C. staff minions, and the D.C. pundits also ignore or tune out any divergent thoughts. This is dangerous to our Country’s future since so many decisions and strategies do have impacts and outcomes. The so-called defeatist types come to mind. This small sub-group of Americans do not represent what is important to Americans, yet they dictate all that is happening these days as if there are no consequences to their precipitous actions, to include future votes and their diminishing salaries. These people have had their run, and are failing in their ideas and methods to dominate America to their way of thinking.

The federal elections of 2008 will be very important to our Country’s future. The two main parties are both suffering from too obvious focuses on political power just for the sake of political power. The Democrats seem especially dominated by the most extreme anti-war types whose policies, if implimented, never discuss consequences. And most polls show most Americans say they are independents vice one of the two main parties. And most will probably vote what is important as an American. The results should be seismic.

Not all change is for the better

Whoa be the parents who let their child out of the house to roam the neighborhood for the day. After all local government child services may come after them for, well, being normal. This is a societal change that is not good. But the fear of the government is real, and pervasive. Our kids suffer as a result.

Not too many decades ago, societal values about kids roaming the neighborhood during the day and neigborhood were different.

Insulated kids protected against all threats to their health by constantly overbearing parents and government are more inclined to be ignorant of common sense threats to their health. The most dangerous and scary things that will do us in are simply never exposed to kids, at least while they are kids. Hence while in the old days there were never any deaths by car accidents in high school, and maybe a few in college, now they are the norm. Certainly because of richness, more kids drive cars today, but most don’t think they can get hurt or die (which of course is also normal). Yet free range kids learned among themselves there are more simpler and safer ways that is denied them today in the experience upbringing. So why we socially accept these high death rates from autos in high school and college while we still hover over them at younger ages is a change that is not for the better.

When kids run in packs in a neighborhood, there is a natural immunity to all the weirdo’s and sexual predators that may come in.

Nobody expects today’s parents to change their ways. Perhaps their kids as parents may change the societal standards. There are good reasons for doing so.

Thought control is not American

Yet more and more overt acts and statements of sentiments are reported in the main stream media. That statements like treason, Nuremburg type trials, and legislative actions like McCain-Feingold and Fairness Doctrine can or could be applied to what we think and say is simply un-American.

Those that say give an inch and they’ll take a mile have a point in this discussion. Perhaps this idea alone is how we have devolved to the possibility of criminalizing thought. Others say, and I am one of them, that the Clintons brought to D.C. in 1992 the political art of the politics of personal destruction, criminalizing political opposition, and using detectives to dig up dirt. Others have taken this and expanded it in the give an inch and take a mile idea. Even if innocent, any citizen politician prosecuted is losing money in defending himself and most importantly, his reputation.

Why volunteer for government service of two to four years? It is easier and better to stay home and do well there. The family point of view is no charade, but a real consideration.

The trend line of legislating thought control is still there. How so many Americans came to this way is still astonishing! Even the most ardent socialist do-gooder in the American vein would not promote this, I think. So there must be other more worldly types (in their mind) who want to dominate the world in their way, and they have to suppress other ideas anyway they can, to include legislating when they have the control, albeit temporary it seems.

Particularly disturbing is the comfort of American security from which they can be themselves. As long as others provide this American security by culture, law, and civility, this assault on the American way will continue.

Rural influence

There are things we learn in school, and things we learn out of school. Watching my 15 year old boy bush hog some of the local food plots for wildlife was both unnerving as I thought he might use the tractor to hurt himself, and my normal desire to do it myself and my way. Even giving him a mission statement with examples did not satisfy my desire for his safety from himself. Well he did accomplish the mission, and by the way, did it better than I might have done. And along the way he lived.

While he bush hogged selected fields, my 12 year old daughter found a baby rabbit, which she is nursing to the best of her ability. Even the yard dogs seem to respect what she is doing, or at least they have not tried to eat the baby rabbit.

None of this took government. Most of it takes my money and time. None of this is taught in school.

National interests, that is American interests, count too

The President hit a home run today in his one hour news conference in D.C. While I as another armchair general disagree with much of the strategy before and today, at least he laid out his logic. Good on him. Most appealing was his repeated referrals to our National Interest, as compared to focus groups and other polling data as a method of ruling. The icing on the cake was to read the first AP report about what I had just watched and listened too, and the report was so different that one of us was out of touch. Given all the mainstream media prejudice and injection into American politics I read about, now I have observed a real world case. If this keeps up, a lot of AP people should seek employment elsewhere. And all we want is the news. The business model idea is so simple, and up front.

The other thing that seems to stick out today is common sense about pulling out of Iraq in a precipitous manner. The era of the minority anti-war types dominating the democrats and the sympathetic media has reached some nadir. The main theme is about us, and what are the consequences to our national security. Thank goodness someone has said Iraq is about us, and not the Iraqi people. Since politicians have yet, in general, to even discuss the consequences of a time table pull out, thank goodness some of the media have.

The 2006 congressional elections have energized some groups, depressed some groups, and been so full of Iraq anti-war stuff to the detriment of addressing more serious things like social security. It is amazing how some groups have announced their cause is mandated by the election results. Most of us know the actual results show an almost evenly divided public and an evenly divided Congress. This is where National Interests should predominate. A Nancy Pelosi can try impose her view on the nation, but in the end it is the nation that decides.

There is much work to be done as this Nation evolves. Those who focus on political power and the benefits are dinasours. The main effort must be on our National Interests. Call it selfish, call it national, or just call it common sense. And the rest of the world will benefit.

For those Americans born in the last thirty years, who could imagine being attacked by jihadists from hell just for our values and how we think?

The USA Senate as a great deliberative group is a joke on the USA

More and more they come across as politicians with a longer time between elections. That is as the founding fathers intended. But these days the normal 1/3 up for reelection every two years seem more like House Representatives. So much for reflection and deliberation, and more to survival as a politician from where ever. Just who invented the idea of this group of Americans as some great deliberative group should get some award. Maybe they borrowed the Roman Senate idea, and of course Rome went down the tubes.

Most would expect such a deliberative group to discuss and debate the Iraq issues from a National point of view, that is what is in our National interests. When that happens, it appears, hell will freeze over. Until then things are more like inside D.C. pressures and the insidious influence of the media types. Apparently they have more influence than the common citizens who think National interest first, and of course vote.

One wonders about the quality of our national leaders we have elected? Did most Senators assume their main job was home matters and to distribute the national wealth? Now that our Nation has been attacked, do many know how to think and vote in the national interests. The evidence is simple as few speak about our nation and many speak about the veracity of the enemies who want to change our way of life. More appalling is the total lack of discussion in this great deliberative body about the consequences of pulling out of Iraq, and some time table.

Mismanagement of the Iraq war is no excuse to take the course of action of quitting. Our national interest is just that. There is a long term national interest in fighting and winning the war against those who also share a long term vision to terminate us. This is not a hearts or minds thing, it is survival. And the USA Senate today is in need of some replacement.

American politics is not a blood sport

The professional upgrade of American politics in the last 50 years has introduced polling, enhanced television as a medium, introduced position papers vice live values discussion, used focus groups to rule, introduced the politics of personal destruction, and made the Nazi propaganda machine look like the early version it was. This professional upgrade has taken advantage of the dumbing down of American education and the results on the younger population, who have little idea about what the melting pot or even the present buzzword of multiculturalism means, or the effects on their future lives.

It is less complicated to finish out an older person’s life by enjoying the fruits of the land earned by our ancestors. To me fruits of the land include electricity and forced air heat and flush toilets. To the younger types these things are too often perceived as rights, but they are not. Just move to the third world, to include rural Mexico to see the difference between “fruits of the land” and so called “rights”. More importantly, it is less complicated to just let all the political rights people in America enjoy today just to disappear in a third world surge of ideas avidly promoted by some Americans who don’t know any better. It is one thing to naively claim I am American and I have rights in rural Mexico, or some other third world country; and what is coming in our country without any corrective action.

Sure there are those like the wacko environmentalists who really want to end humans on the earth, and then some kind of expected nirvana will return. But most naively still expect humans to be around, and probably the dominating species. Even this idea is not one of education and educated opinion, but more one of gut feel and feelings about what seems right.

And what seems right in American is so spoiled, so status quo, so ignorant and naïve, that truly many Americans think that what they have in life is normal, automatic, and will continue forever. If only this were so.

Things have gotten to the point where our way of life is under attack from the jihadists from hell, and the response from the Congress and the media is irresponsible to this older person. Either they don’t care, are undereducated, or are over confident about the status quo existing in perpetuity.

I fear for our future. It is easier to just get old and go away, and let the next generations live in their own cesspool, which certainly is coming the way things seem to be going. And the next generations will be led by the present professional politicians and all their schemes that work in America. After all, today’s politics is about them and media blood sport, not we Americans and our way of life.

Who’s in charge of America?

The voter’s are!

In this topsy turvy time it seems like the virulent 16% anti-war types are, or the ever pathetic media types in their own world, or even the inside the beltway of D.C. types who live in their own self-important world are in charge. At least that is what is reported.

Add in the ultra liberal San Francisco control of the former national democratic party still using the influence of their predecessors’ good work, and another façade has been added to the American political landscape.

But at times like this, it is best just to wake up and go to work, and do the political basics, to include voting. A lot of politically embarrassing things are being said and done, often without reported challenge, that will come home to roost. The era of do-gooderism and good intentions is coming to an end when these people begin to threaten our and our children’s way of life. There are choices and consequences, to include choices and consequences to psychobabble. And in swarm theory, and experience, the swarm of Americans are fickle and will change course in a moments notice. Hence do the political basics today.

This idea is not about power. It is about America, a way of life, and our future, and our children’s future.

This post is also not some hidden message about all the Iraq problems we as a Country have. It is about all the domestic and foreign problems we have as Americans. Given the present report card on our present political leaders, mostly in D.C., we Americans have done a poor job electing our representatives. In the immigration debate it took a hard worked coordinated message from the citizens to the inside the beltway types, twice, to send a message that won the Senate vote. Life would be easier if we voters just elected them up front. How about that as a course of action?

Having lived and worked and done the budget battles inside the D.C. beltway, one will get caught up in the mentality there. Most Americans just don’t know how it is. Even the best intentioned people forget the more blue collar issues that drive most Americans in their family lives and jobs in the rest of America when they (inside the D.C beltway) get caught up during their D.C. service fighting for their cause.

The solution is simple. Vote. And suck it up in the meantime.

Dealing with a bad poker hand, and protecting our National Interests

It seems like the main friction these days is between the lack of faith in the executive’s management of the Iraq war (with gross congressional mismanagement added in), and most American’s impatience with the overall mismanagement and their family’s blood being bled for some D.C. group’s latest effort to unscrew themselves. Complicating the mismanagement history is the strategic issue of protecting us and our families from this group of infidels from hell. Even the latest surge strategy has reached media hyperbole, that is to say what we are being reported has nothing to do with reality. The last complicating factor is that of the democratic party trying to exploit all this terrible situation for their own political election benefit. The inside of D.C. flavor really stinks.

Yet we citizens are stuck with protecting our national interests since few in the executive or congress seem interested. What a sad state of affairs!

So most who have been dealt a bad poker hand fold. And it looks like this is what is happening inside of D.C. today. Some others take a longer national point of view, and play again with new opportunities. Our national opportunities have everything to do with our kids and future, just as a reminder. Dinosaur politicians who pontificate surrender or quitting are losers. How about we fix our problems, and go for the win.

The simplest things are too often the hardest to achieve

Said another way, gaining unity of effort is too often very difficult when it comes to Iraq. We’ve been there over 4 years, and yet there is still no one person in charge. Our effort depends on D.C. inter-agency cooperation, primarily Defense and State. Thanks to the present leaders there, the local cooperation is the best it has been, but there is still no one person in charge, who of course should be President as chief head knocker. Even the creation of a new job of coordinator is another fig leaf.

And the Congress appears to be clueless, caught up in democratic party investigations (as in 300 investigations in 100 days). Even Senator Lieberman tells us what Iran is doing in overt war actions that are getting our people killed, and negating our Iraq policy intents, and yet all one can read is questions about whether or not he is suggesting war. We Americans are having a really bad string of bad luck with political leaders who do not recognize the obvious that Iran is doing, and even hold one hearing to check out the intelligence, at a minimum.

And our allies are watching, too.

And as long as America again allows a safe haven, this time in Iran, any local strategy, to include a surge strategy, is doomed to fail in the end. This whole mess is way past using covert means; the American public must be informed and the Congress must vote on an Iran war, even if limited in its objectives. Let’s hope the 535 congressional armchair generals stay out of the tactics, which they are incompetent at.

And last there is the so called intelligentsia, or more commonly described as those who have influence in academia, the media, and the professional political class. While they often tear the USA down, seldom is offered corrective courses of action for which they can be held accountable, or even the consequences of their failure of their ideas. Since most recognize that what we have in the USA is unique in human history, and can fail from domestic and foreign attacks, then practicing and promoting policies that preserve this America is in our National Interest. Any other politics that do otherwise seem irresponsible behavior. For sure any such practices make the simplest things most difficult to achieve.

The view depends on where you sit

Those who work inside the D.C. beltway have a view from where they perch. Their view is important from their point of view. Most Americans live elsewhere, and their view is just as important, though immediate control of the vast public monies and policies is more limited. But rest assured, the control is there. After all the politicians and their hired professional staffs cannot exist without the voters who make it happen.

Exposure to this is as simple as being from elsewhere and reading the newspapers from the rest of the Country vice the Washington Post. If one wants to add in the media’s view, then even New York Times and its subsidiary Boston newspaper reflect much of the same. The view depends on where one sits. And the newspapers published outside of D.C. better reflect the citizens we are today. Thanks to the Internet, one does not have to travel and read as in the pre-Internet days.

The incestuous power of living and working and socializing in this D.C. beltway type environment is mesmerizing, and vicious. Whether the rest of the Country knows it or not, those in our capital have vast powers over our lives and our children’s lives. Mostly it is about money, but also it is about what our Country does. And it is about what “they” think is important.

This voter is particularly alarmed by Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen who choose to bail out of Iraq. I am sympathetic to those who cite the mismanagement of the “win the peace” by the executive branch. My political alarm is one as simple as when and where do we finally fight, as in the problem will come home to roost for us and our children. My political alarm is also one of those inside the D.C. beltway are responding to D.C. forces, not American forces. This begs the question, just who is in charge? Where is the Congress in all this, especially given the Iranian overt war actions?

To bleed my American heart out, the view of what is important in our Country applies more to domestic issues. Social security and Medicare and Medicaid promises for which most people and companies pay taxes are the simple and obvious choices. Or how about free trade and globalization effects on communities in America. While I am a believer, politicians explaining all this is a requirement for a future vote.

Last the view also depends on time in service, as in professional politicians and their staffs making a “career” out of serving inside D.C. It’s a lucrative retirement compared to most Americans, and suggests that idealism is fine, but so are benefits. This whole phenomenon is recent, as in the last half century. This is a lead-in to another call for congressional terms limits of 12 years, to include staffs. If one believes that power corrupts then limiting time in Congress for those elected and their staffs, will benefit our National Interest.

New Leaders are called for

After a generation of the baby boomer types dominating almost everything in America, to include government, advertising, media, moral standards to include the sex out of marriage exploitation of the pill, and abortion, and the environment, the compass is due for a change in a more human direction. This group had their chance, and now the American world moves on.

Does the American world have the leaders who will lead this change in compass? Yes, and they are not professional politicians, a group which has arisen under the baby boomer generation. And the World includes so many others from the rest of the World that so goes America may go the rest of the World, given time.

So where do these future American leaders come from? The answer is us, and to be more specific those with real world business experience. Idealism and good intentions are out the door, results are more in the door.

Agendas will change. All the moral relativisms will become more like trying to help the poor, and letting the efforts fail if the poor fail. The best part will be consequences, and the willingness to live with it if many of the poor fail, as they probably will. The whole friction will be so American and so much better than what the baby boomers delivered in their failures to try make things better. The good news for the future is that Americans are so populist in their soul, we will try, and try, and try again. The really good news is that Americans will be less, and less, tolerant of do-gooder intentions without accountability. In this is the next hope for a more perfect America.

The other agenda for Americans is our personality applied to foreign thoughts. Since we are inherently anti-war and isolationist, any future leader worthy of the title must guide us in our best national interest, and explain it to we the citizens. We do have reasons to fight for our way of life and our country, if explained in plain English. We are so special as a New World country, and maybe even an Old World country alternative, much improved. Any future leader must of course be themselves, and this future leader means acting like a parent, which if they are not is disqualifying.

America has lacking Executive and Congressional leaders today. Call it bad luck in history. We do have a good group of waiting leaders just waiting. Some may be charismatic by voter ideas, not media ideas. The American media is part of the past and to be ignored.

Always look on the bright side because it usually is

Reading all the pundit articles and many editorials about the Senate immigration failures got my attention. I thought it was mostly about lack of faith in the federal goverenment to do the basic "defend the borders" things, as older laws had promised, but were never delivered by our government. I even thought it might be about the disconnect between our so called elected leaders and we the citizens, those who elect them. Now days later, there are too many articles suggesting I am some kind of racist, or cultural KKK type, or similar articles. Whoa, hold the horses. After the first Senate failure, the second attempt was a good try, but to now miss the message, or ignore the message, is serious business. Just who is in charge?. Is it the Senate, the immigrant do-gooders, or the People?

Well it looks like the voters are in charge and not the elected politicians. That is the bright side about America! And the 4th of July is a good time to remember all this, and say thank you to all who got us to the bright side.

Why don’t they think like us?

Because they are different from us. That’s it. One does not need to have an academic PhD to recognize this simple fact of life. What our values are and others values are do vary. Even a Hindu mother in Indonesia raising her daughter in her cultural way is to be respected. We are so different, and that is it. We should recognize and respect the others, full well knowing this is not some academic idea of USA multiculturalism. Rather other cultures have good ideas and foods, and if assimilation and the melting pot ideas work naturally, we are a better New World nation for it. This is the story of America.

The story continues. Assimilation continues. Many do gooders argue a change to our Nation’s personality. It is a good debate, and the most obvious voter side of the debate today is to assimilate, or leave. America is a wonderful land, special as the old world made it, and worth both defending and using as a way to advance life on the rest of the earth.

One can reasonably extend this USA and New World idea to the rest of the world. That “they” don’t agree about women’s votes, or arranged marriages, or male facial hair beards, says they do not think like us. So what are we to do with these types of people, surrender, convert, fight, or go along some how, to include killing most of them in battle. This veiled sentence is about the Islamic crazy’s. It is the Hindu mother in Indonesia that should get more attention.

If the world were perfect

People would not be beheaded. Women could vote universally. Ideally most other people would think like us. Our western values would get a chance as east meets west. Alas it is not so.

We actually have enemies, as in the real thing. Why is exasperating to many idealistic westerners, but the reality is there are groups who wish to do us in, and more importantly rule us. The religiously motivated groups who wish to impose their indoctrinated version of heaven on earth are the latest culprits, hard to believe as it is. The intensity of this religious zeal is astounding to many in the west. Soon the intensity of the Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and many Animist responses will appear. Religious zeal knows no bounds.

What has bounds is reason. The mid east is not our focus of action, or our center of gravity. The power of oil income practiced by shabby desert tribes is on the decline. Their problems are not our American problems given a little pro American leadership and policy. Today it is a big deal, but tomorrow it is back to the desert tribes. Even a little domestic drilling in the future will send powerful messages throughout the world.

Our American center of gravity is the New World idealism, mixed with business and the the New World, mostly American, way to drag the rest of the Old World our way. Certainly the real world suggests business things, but along the way the western ideas of women’s suffrage and the promotion of western values as the basis of any new world should be our center of gravity.