With Supporters Like This...

So Obama is the Messiah? When I see him walk on water and return from the dead after three days then I might believe...

Comforting Angels

People talk a lot about guardian angels. I am lucky to have two special angels in my life right now. Given all the problems happening in my family it would be hard to carry on with my day-to-day work. I don't sleep well, my mind is filled with worry but I honestly believe that these two are in my life for a reason.

First I have Romeo. OK, go ahead and laugh, but Romeo just appeared in my life when I was going through some rough times and now, over nine years later he's still here. When I first heard about my father Romeo seemed to go into a comforting mode... when I am here by myself he hops up into bed and curls up near my pillow. When I am laying down he always comes and lays next to me. He follows me around and is always watching out for me (ok, sometimes it is because he wants food but not ALL the time). Just having someone in the house makes it much easier to come home these days.

The other is my beau. I needed someone in my life with a big heart and now I have someone who has chosen to be with me regardless of my faults and frailties. He always lets me know he loves me and cares for me but more importantly he backs up his words with his actions. Even though we don't live together he tells me every morning he loves me and every night he lets me know that he is there.

So, there you go. For all the crap that is happening, God makes his presence known through my two angels. I don't know how I would cope without them.

Obama Supports Iraq Invasion?

Given that the "Obama Doctrine" as espoused in the second debate is based on morality (apparently even over national interest), I think that the pre-invasion situation in Iraq would warrant us going in to liberate an oppressed people. Thanks for the support Obama! I suppose that means if Obama is elected president we go next to what is probably the longest running conflict in modern history, Sri Lanka, followed by sending troops into Zimbabwe to oust that blight on humanity Robert Mugabe.

Hawaii

Market tanks, dumb and dumber running for the top office in the country, family medical problems... can't take it right now so I thought I would post something to lighten the mood (well, my mood anyway).

The first hotel, Ala Moana. BEAUTIFUL property. Our room was an ocean view on the 28th floor:


It was wonderful... my beau literally took me. I didn't pay for air, hotel, sights... first time in my adult life this happened and he hit a home run (and raised the bar for my turn).

One of the first places he took me was someplace I always wanted to see, the USS Arizona Memorial:




Our activites included climbing Diamond Head (even have a certificate to prove it * grin *). This is a shot from the top of the mount looking back towards the hotel area:



We changed hotels to the Waikiki Grand Hotel literally across the street from the beach. This was a cool little hotel, recently remodeled and we got a nice little suite with again an ocean view. Here is the view from across the street from the hotel:



This place was really the "surfer side" of the hotel strip:



After the move we spent a day at the north shore. Here I am during our hike of Waimea Valley Park headed to the water fall:



Then there was the day we spent snorkling and relaxing at Hanauma Bay. This is a pick from the trail leading down to the beach area:



The time with my beau was magical, near perfect and far too short. But God willing we'll back back.

Aloha!

Obama Is Just Another Politician

I am still amazed at the people who seem to view Senator Obama as the second coming of the Messiah (though at the Democratic National Convention he looked more like Apollo with that silly backdrop). With all the financial mess going on what does Obama do? He distorts McCain's record and McCain's words on the matter. Since he has little to no record of his own to tout he twists what McCain says to try to make himself look better and play off the fears of the masses. On a recent speech (the one thing that Obama has proven capable of doing) in New Mexico he says of McCain:

He has consistently opposed the sorts of common-sense regulations that might have lessened the current crisis. When I was warning about the danger ahead on Wall Street months ago because of the lack of oversight, Senator McCain was telling the Wall Street Journal — and I quote — 'I'm always for less regulation.'

What McCain actually said was:

I'm always for less regulation. But I am aware of the view that there is a need for government oversight. I think we found this in the subprime lending crisis — that there are people that game the system and if not outright broke the law, they certainly engaged in unethical conduct which made this problem worse. So I do believe that there is role for oversight... I'd like to see a lot of the unnecessary government regulations eliminated, not just a moratorium.

Compare the two... Obama comes off like a typical, old-time, slandering, word-twisting politician (which he is). Now McCain's people aren't really any better when it comes to Obama's words or record (what there is of it), but McCain's isn't setting himself up like Obama. When it comes to the two, Obama was the one who set himself up to the higher standard... and he is the one who falls hardest into the mud.

Speaking in Florida, Obama the fearmonger also said that the drop the market experienced recently would have affected the retirement benefits of today's retirees. Absolute nonsense. The private account plan suggested by President Bush and backed by McCain would not have applied to anyone born before 1950 which, if my math is right, wouldn't even touch those taking early retirement at age 62 this year! Let's ignore the fact that the entire thing is voluntary, Obama is just flat out lying about its impact to the good folks in Florida.

Again, this does not sound like a new type of politician. I'm almost as old as Obama and it sounds like the same type of crap I hear every four years so I am curious just why Obama thinks he is different.

Back in San Diego

Just a brief note to say we're back. Once I have rested up I'll give you the skinny on the trip.

Hawaii - First Full Day

Agenda:

Visit Pearl Harbor Memorial

Hike Diamond Head

Spend time on Waikiki Beach

Continue search for best Mai Tai in Hawaii

Details to come later...

Another "Funny But True" Cartoon

Taking My Father's Advice

When it comes to politics I tend to think like my father... that lawyers should not be allowed into politics. I find it interesting that the top of the Democrat ticket has two lawyers and the top of the Republican ticket has no lawyers. Hmmmm...

Mayor Versus Community Organizer

So much has been made about Governor Palin's jib at Obama's experience that I thought I would take a few moments to address it. Just for the record, she said the following in her acceptance speech:

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities."

I have a few questions about the left's reaction to the statement:

First, what is wrong with it? As a mayor you do have stated, defined responsibilities in your city charter. You have a constituency that put you there, people have real needs that they expect you as the figurehead of local government to do something about their problems, keep the city safe, etc. What about a community organizer? Obama doesn't really tell us much about it other than the fact that he was one. What he does tell us is the following:

Despite some meaningful victories, the work of Obama--and hundreds of other organizers--did not transform the South Side or restore lost industries. But it did change the young man who became the junior senator from Illinois in 2004, and it provides clues to his worldview as he bids for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"I can't say we didn't make mistakes, that I knew what I was doing," Obama recalled three years ago to a boisterous convention of the still-active DCP. "Sometimes I called a meeting, and nobody showed up. Sometimes preachers said, 'Why should I listen to you?' Sometimes we tried to hold politicians accountable, and they didn't show up. I couldn't tell whether I got more out of it than this neighborhood."

This quote can be found in an Obama-friendly article from The Nation. Not much else seems to be found out about his community organizer works other than the fact that Obama comes from the Saul Alinksky school of community and labor organization. If you have read his "Rules For Radicals" book and have any knowledge of how community organizers often (though admittedly not always) worked you wouldn't find much to quibble with over Giuliani's statement either.

Being a community organizer is nothing to be ashamed of and rallying people to a common cause and purpose can be a great thing to accomplish in one's life, but I still don't understand why people were upset at Palin's comparison.

Second, the Democrats seems to say that McCain's call for people to community service as a contradiction to what they heard from Palin and Giuliani. Well, if you are honest and look at the list of things McCain said about becoming involved in your community (be a teacher, a fireman, a minister, a nurse or doctor, etc) there are differences. Just stop and think about what a community organizer does and what the duties (often defined and measured) of those jobs are. They are not gender specific, they are not race specific, they are not politically inclined, they are hired often for defined skill sets, they have to meet goals and requirements (usually). How does that compare with the activities of a "community organizer"? And let us not overlook the fact that Palin herself can be considered a "community organizer" as she was head of the local PTA. I haven't heard much of that time from her, but I wonder if her activities as a "community organizer" were more successful that Obama's self-admitted mixed record was, which leads me to my next question...

Third, OK, so she was the mayor of a small town and he was a "community organizer". I don't really care so much as to what they did but more interested in who was effective at doing their job. Obama's own words in the Nation article seem to indicate mixed results at best and we don't have any firm details on what he accomplished. Even the New York Times (in a mixed review of Palin's Mayoral tenure) stated:

In Wasilla, Ms. Palin is widely praised for following through on campaign promises by cutting property taxes while improving roads and sewers and strengthening the Police Department... She is largely viewed as having had her hometown’s best interests at heart when she pursued big projects or an overhaul of city taxes. By the time she ran for re-election in 1999 — again facing Mr. Stein — things had smoothed out. She was returned to office by a large margin, 826 votes to 255.

Granted there were headaches, many of them caused by the fact that she ran against the "old boys'" network and some of the due to her heartfelt conservatism and even a few I would question, but overall she seemed to accomplish what she set out to do and the overall view of her in her town seems to be quite positive.

So again I don't understand the problem, but even Obama seems to take this as a thorn in his side. In a recent interview with Anderson Cooper Obama still seems to consider her only experience as that of a mayor:

“My understanding is that Gov. Palin’s town, Wassilla, has I think 50 employees. We've got 2500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe 12 million dollars a year – we have a budget of about three times that just for the month,” Obama responded.

What is missing in this response is that Cooper asked about her experience as Governor of Alaska and mayor of Wasilla. I find it rather interesting that Obama ignores her being governor. He mentions bills he sponsored for New Orleans post-Katrina but if you search the actual record you find two he sponsored, four he co-sponsored with about a 50% success rate of passing. Not the greatest of accomplishments but he can be credited with trying, but for someone who claims the ability to work in a bipartisan manner this is not the greatest track record. He seems to be trying to compare every facet of his political career with that of Palin's time as mayor. What was his budget and staff during his "community organizer" years since that is the latest comparison with the second on the GOP ticket?

Honestly, I think Obama and Biden need to tread very carefully here. Palin may not have a fat resume but she does have some very strong positive accomplishments. Also Obama is so focused on Palin that he is leaving himself open to McCain. As former President Bill Clinton asked... suppose you have two candidates, one whom you only agree with half the time but they can deliver on those things and one you agree with all the time but you don't think they can deliver on any of them... whom would you vote for? But of course, he wasn't talking about this :-)

McCain Ad Foreshadows My Next Post

Sorry, been busy the last couple of days with work, homework, and taking my next wine certification exam so nothing remotely original at this point, but this ad gives you a thumbnail sketch of what I will be writing about in the next couple of posts.

Not Laboring On Labor Day

What started out not so great turned out to be a fine weekend. Though my beau and I were separated in the early part, we were able to spend Sunday and Monday together. Sunday we met with our friend Sarah and headed to the Del Mar Racetrack (Sarah had purchased tickets through the UC-San Diego Retirement Association) and we spent about 4 hours having fun losing money (seems that we had to balance last year's winnings, but since none of us are big betters the losses were small). It was fun just spending time with a friend and getting caught up on life's events. We continued the camaraderie by heading to dinner and sharing more talks and laughs over pasta and Chianti. Monday was slow and lazy... sleep in late (almost 8 AM!), walk down to Shade's for breakfast, take in an early movie, and just be together. Spending such time with the one you love makes the reality of having to part all the more difficult, yet it fires the anticipation of our next time together.

Excellent Summary Of The Story Thus Far

I think Ed Rollins did a fantastic job with this commentary on the tickets of the two main political parties. Enjoy.

McCain's Pick

Last night I had a premonition... McCain was going to pick Sarah Palin as his running mate. After watching Obama's speech I kept going over the short list of possible VP candidates and why * I * wouldn't pick them (Romney, somewhat negative against McCain in the primaries and has the wealth issue that voters seem to be against; Huckabee, no, no, no preachers and honestly a bit of a rube; Giuliani, main issue is defense and that is McCain's forte; Ridge, too pro-choice and would alienate "God's Own Party", etc, etc, etc). Then I got to Palin. Young woman, mother (married her high school sweetheart), solidly pro-life, strong conservative credentials, solid blue-collar credentials, former sports journalist, administrator with a background of reform. Only real negatives: some will see her as a "pander pick" and she is a first term governor (before that was a mayor for two terms). The question to me was can she be presented in such a way as to blunt these criticism (which the McCain campaign has leveled in one form or another at Obama)? I think it is possible but they have to be careful.

Yes, she is a woman (and an attractive one at that) but I don't think McCain will be hurt by that as much as some have stated. This isn't Geraldine Ferraro again. Palin is tough with a strong (if limited but longer than Obama's) track record of reform. She seems to be a principled conservative rather than a politically expedient one. My one big issue with her (but will play well with the "God's Own Party" crowd) is on gay rights but right now I think there are bigger fish to fry and I am willing to step back on this at the moment.

The Democrats seem to be salivating at the "experience" issue. Before they do, let's be honest... all three (McCain, Palin, and Biden) have more experience than Obama and of the four only Palin has ever run anything (and from all accounts somewhat successfully at that). Her apparent weakness seems to be foreign policy (as is Obama's) but McCain is at the top of the ticket and it will be his advisors that will be helping shape foreign policy not hers. What she brings to the table that neither Obama nor Biden has is the fact that she has been a governor and a reform-minded governor at that. She has had to deal directly with budgets, hiring and firing people, and being the only target when people are not happy (at least in the Senate you aren't the only pig... you've got 99 other porkers there with you). In fact, again if you're an honest political geek and look at accomplishments and not rhetoric, you will see that when it comes to reform and bucking political establishments that the McCain/Palin ticket is the real reform-oriented ticket.

So is she bullet-proof? No, but in politics no one is (not even the "anointed one"). Do I think she can do the job? Yes, at least as well as the man at the top of the Democrat ticket.

McCain/Palin 2008!

Open Plea to John McCain

PLEASE, OH PLEASE, OH PLEASE Senator McCain pick someone with some administrative skills for your running mate. The thoughts of an all legislative race fills me with terrible dread. Pick someone who has actually lead and done something creative and meaningful with their time on this planet. Obama blew his choice, please do not make the same mistake.

XOXOXO

Michael

Obama's "Dick Cheney" Pick

If you can, think back to the 2000 election cycle when it was time for the Republican nominee-elect, George Bush, to select a running mate. The minute the choice was announced, the clearly anti-Bush media started saying that Cheney added gravitas to the supposedly weak top of the ticket. Given that whether or not you like him (and you know that I am no fan of Dubbya) Bush was running as a relatively successful governor of a very large state (he was well into his second term after having won with 69% of the vote) while Obama has been in charge of... nothing. So if Bush needed gravitas it is easy to see that Obama needs it in abundance. But whereas Cheney has done something outside of government, what is the Democrat's ticket heavyweight record? Ummmm... nothing really. He was admitted to the bar in 1968 and elected to the New Castle County, County Council in 1970 and after serving a whole two years ran for the Senate at the seasoned age of 29. He won and has been in the Senate since. THIS is the guy who is supposed to mollify the ticket's elitist image and to be the blue-collar face to the American people? And as for added gravitas, the one thing Biden brings to the table is weight, the weight of 35 years of Senate votes and two horribly failed Presidential runs in his own right. So Cheney brought "gravitas" to the ticket... what does Biden bring?

Age and perceived experience (even though being a Senator lends very little to any type of administrative experience which is the branch of government covering the Presidency), maybe a run for the AARP vote to offset McCain's advantage? If nothing else it provides a wonderful contrast showing the weakness of the top of the ticket.

Wonderful quotes about Obama that the McCain campaign can tie into those of Hillary Clinton... so let me take a moment to thank both of them. Just think of the money you saved the Republicans for writing the ads for us.

He's Catholic and it is well known that Obama is extremely weak among Catholic voters, so maybe a plus but I don't think so.

Deliver Delaware to Obama. Um, don't think that is a problem for "The One".

Poise and eloquence in getting the message out? Well, perhaps if he plagiarize someone else's writings (see is 1988 campaign for the top of the ticket), but remember this is the guy who called Obama "clean" and said you can't go into a 7-Eleven without an Indian accent.

Attack-dog capabilities, the one job he may be qualified for.

The problem the Democrats face are now two-fold... Obama is a young lightweight, Biden appears to be bit of an old lightweight who in a 35 year track has accomplished few major legislative wins.

We now have three Senators at the top of the two tickets... I'm even more curious now to see who McCain picks. In many ways I am starting to pull for Romney (bit of a shock for me) because SOMEONE has to have experience in running something. Obama blew his chance, will McCain do the same?

Charity Wine Tasting For Momma's Kitchen

Last night my beau and I attended a charity wine tasting for Momma's Kitchen, a local organization that prepares and delivers food for people with HIV or other critical illnesses at no charge (a very worthy cause in my opinion). We arrived there at 7, just missing the whites being served but we did get a glass of sparkling wine before sampling the reds and diving into the finger food supplied by some of the better local restaurants (including one of my favorites, Bite). From what I could tell all of the wines were from one producer, Alice White. If you want to read my review of the wine check out my other site under a posting of the same name.

The event appeared to be a success with the bulk of the crowd staying the entire time allotted. We are now looking into ways we can further support this organization.

A Year And A Day

According to Wikipedia a year and a day has noted:

The period of a year and a day was a convenient period to represent a significant amount of time. Its use was generally as a jubilee or a permanence.

Historically (England) the period that a couple must be married for a spouse to have claim to a share of inheritable property.

In mediaeval (sic) Europe, a runaway serf became free after a year and a day.

When a judgement (sic) has been reversed a fresh action may lodged within a year and a day, regardless of the statute of limitations. U.S.

Today I add one more item because today marks a year and day since I met my beau. I think this fall under the first bullet point. Last night we celebrated by doing all of the things we did on our first date. As he said last night... now we can start counting in years. :-)

What Russia Wants (In One Cartoon)

Putin is on record stating that the worst event of the 20th century was the breakup of the old Soviet Union. The traditional method of the old Soviet Union in dealing with their opponents was either take them out or break them then take them. Putin is showing such tactics again with his desire to get rid of Mikheil Saakashvili, a Western educated and pro-west ally and replace him with someone more amenable. Russia's moves against Estonia and more recently Georgia (be honest, Russia has gearing up for this, mounting troops at the border for over a year) and hints at Ukraine desires have shown Putin's true colors. Unfortunately what we actually can do is limited. Estonia is a recent member of both NATO and the European Union which provides some cover, but there are other former Soviet satellites out that that should be afforded some support. Russian officials have been quoted as saying that Moscow sees no "rational arguments that this expansion [of either NATO nor the European Union] will aid the security interests of these states". Personally, I see with what just happened in the case of Georgia it just have done so.

Russia and Prophecy

My background (and current status) in the Christian realm is that of "dispensationalist". As such, I take a pretty danged literal interpretation of Biblical prophecy (as well as following a literal, but not wooden, heurmeneutics). One of the more interesting areas has been that of the prophetic books of the Bible, particularly the final war against Israel as announced in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 (read here). For several years Gog and Magog have been associated with Russian but after the brave stance of Ronald Reagan (pardon me while I stand) helping bring about the "end" of the Soviet Union people started to poo-poo this idea. What a difference a generation makes (given that a Biblical generation is about 20 years this is pretty much right). Now Russia is again rich, arrogant, and on the move. Witness the attacks against the former Soviet state of Georgia. It is no secret that Vladamir Putin thinks that the dissolution of the old Soviet Union was the worst thing to have happen and if you look closely it is possible to see the beginning of the reunification of the USSR of old. Europe is ineffective to trying to stem the tide and if Georgia falls is even more at the mercy of Russia as its main conduit of petroleum would come back completely under Russian control. If you are a Christian I ask you to pray for the people of both Russian and Georgia. Pray for the leaders of Georgia as they make a stand as one of the few democracies who sides with the United States. If you are not, I ask you to do a search on past statements of Putin and see if you can discern what his intentions might be.