Wednesday, June 23, 2010

You Can't Do That

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans today overturned the Administration's moratorium on off-shore drilling imposed by the Interior Department. Calling it arbitrarily imposed and rash, the Judge concluded that the government acted wrongly in stopping all drilling just because one rig had an accident.

The Interior Department had halted approval of any new permits for deep-water drilling and suspended drilling of 33 exploratory wells in the Gulf.

Here's what the Judge had to say in rendering his decision:

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an unprecedented, sad, ugly and inhuman disaster," he wrote. "What seems clear is that the federal government has been pressed by what happened on the Deepwater Horizon into an otherwise sweeping confirmation that all Gulf deep-water drilling activities put us all in a universal threat of irreparable harm."

His ruling prohibits federal officials from enforcing the moratorium until a trial is held. He did not set a trial date.--Fox News

This was definitely the right thing to do. The moratorium would have crippled the world's energy supplies, cost thousands of jobs, and further damaged the economies of both the states directly affected by the spill, as well as the nation at large.

We expect the White House will appeal. You didn't expect them to admit they overreacted and made a mistake, did you?

This decision, if upheld, would also place limits on the Executive branch's authority. Many feel the President exceeded his authority in imposing the moratorium, or directing that it be imposed. The President's powers ARE NOT unlimited, and there must be a basis in law for his actions.

And now to ClearOurBrainZ !

We cannot afford to let emotion overcome reality as it relates to our energy policy. We have to have increased domestic production of oil and gas while we transition to cleaner technologies.

The moratorium was a kick in the pants to Louisiana and the other gulf state's economies, already losing money from the lack of tourist business this summer.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Your comments, please.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Pay to Play, Say Bureaucrats



It seems our Glorious Leader is not the only one skilled in "The Chicago Deal".

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar's minions are good at it, too.

They are shaking down the Border Patrol for millions of under-the-radar dollars meant to cover environmental damage stemming from their everyday duties along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Shaking down you and me, really. It's our tax dollars they are playing fast and loose with.

"The Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Border Patrol, last year signed a deal with Interior -- the administrator of America's park lands -- to cough up $50 million for environmental "mitigation" needed in the wake of the construction of a border fence. That was after DHS had already spent or committed millions more for expected environmental damage caused by the Border Patrol over the years."--Fox News

Here's some of the rat-holes that Interior is pouring money down:

-- $200,000 to study the extent of unauthorized vehicle routes in the habitat of Sonoran pronghorn, which are endangered.

-- $1.75 million to close and restore those vehicle routes.

-- $20,000 to move pronghorn back to the Valley of the Ajo if they don't migrate by themselves in three years.

-- $14,000 to do weekly aerial surveys of the pronghorn during the 2010 fawning season.

-- $35,000 for monitoring the maternity roosts of lesser long-nosed bats.

-- $140,000 to study "unknown roosts" for lesser long-nosed bats.

Never mind that the drug cartel convoys, the hordes of illegal immigrants with their trail of discarded trash, human wastes, abandoned possessions, and the beaten paths so many have worn through these areas.

Never mind that Americans cannot use their own national parks and wilderness areas.

Never mind that we have lost control of these areas to the drug cartels and human smugglers.

We gotta protect those bats and pronghorns. Kumbaya.


The environuts are feasting on this as well:

In talking about the funds chiseled out of the Border Patrol to pay for "mitigation" of environmental damage resulting from securing the borders as listed above, mentioning the towers which house cameras and other sensors, DOW weighs in.

Matt Clark, southwest representative for Defenders of Wildlife(DOW), described those examples as "well-thought-out mitigation measures." He said the towers might not look harmful to the environment, but that the generators attached to them and the vehicle traffic necessary to maintain them make a dent."--Fox News

"If anything, he said Border Patrol should be putting up more money to pay for damage. He described the harm from the border fence as "insidious," separating species from their own kind as well as food and water supplies. Though not an ideal situation, he said the mitigation money can be used to purchase land elsewhere and preserve habitat for the affected species. "--Fox News

"I think mitigation dollars can be put to good use," he said."--Fox News

Time to ClearOurBrainZ !

There is legislation in the works to address this, and allow the Border Patrol to do it's job. But, it doesn't address the "fees" being charged the Border Patrol by Interior. The Border Patrol needs all it's resources just to do its job.They are supposed to be safeguarding our nation, not acting as a piggy bank for Interior and the evirodummies. Let's fix this legislation and face reality.

Don't get me wrong....I'm in favor of preserving these areas. I'm in favor of taking good care of the environment.

But people, and the security of our nation, must come first.

It won't do much good to preserve and protect these "sensitive" areas if they are overrun with drug convoys and hordes of illegals.

It won't do any good to protect these areas if we have ceded control of them to Mexico and the drug cartels.

People first.

Our nation's security first.

We can do both. Protect the environment, within reason, and secure the borders.

Bureaucratic infighting and empire building is unacceptable. All I see in this administration in finger pointing.

Where is the leadership?

Good question.

Your comments, please.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Energy, Industry, and the Enviroment


Everyone is very upset over the recent oil spill, still ongoing in the Gulf. The demands of many to stop all offshore development of our petroleum resources is understandable.

But it won't solve our problems. We must have energy to grow, nay, just to survive. Where are we supposed to get that energy? That petroleum we MUST HAVE for our industries, our industrial feed stocks, and our future growth? From other countries? Many of which are hostile to us, or so unstable themselves that energy production is difficult, sporadic, or impossible? Are we to stand, hat in hand, politely asking for the resources we need to survive?

We are headed there, it seems. Our elected leaders are taking us there rapidly. All you have to do is watch or read the news, and you will see it happening. The drilling moratorium now in effect is driving oil production out of American waters. Jobs are being lost, never to be recovered, at least not for several years, perhaps decades. You see, oil production is a long-term process. It takes years to get to the point of actual production of petroleum. Years!

If we drive production away from the Gulf, it will take YEARS before it can be re-started. The economic impact will be tremendous. Jobs, high-paying jobs, lost. Soaring energy costs--heating oil, gasoline, diesel, industrial feed stocks--all will increase in cost--a lot.

We are in big trouble.

Short-sighted political types are making idiotic decisions that are impractical and just plain stupid. We are like sheep following the Judas goat to slaughter. Lots of bleating, but not much brains. We must not be stampeded into killing oil production in this nation. We need it too badly. Our economy needs it. We will wither on the vine without it, literally. Even our food production relies on energy. The huge farms and food factories that feed us must have energy. Where is it to come from? Right now, that means oil. We don't have anything else ready to go. We will in the future, but right now we have to have petroleum.

And who is to blame?

We are. We elect the rascals. Shall we blame them when they act like rascals and idiots? We put them there. We wanted change. Or a majority of us did, according to the results of the last election in 2008.

We got it. But is isn't exactly what we had in mind, is it?

Not what those who voted for the current regime had in mind, I feel safe to say. The recent results of mid-term elections, and the election of a conservative Republican to Ted Kennedy's senate seat seem to foretell more change. Does it seem that way to you?

Back to the subject: Energy. Where is it to come from, and how are we to produce it in the quantities our civilization requires now, and in the future? And, how are we going to meet these needs without poisoning our planet and thereby extinguishing ourselves? Or descending into war to ravage each other over the leavings?

I see only one solution.

We cannot, at this stage in our technological development, manage closed fuel cycles in any form of energy production. We just don't know how to do it....yet. Until we learn, we need to take steps to keep from killing ourselves by inches. That's what's happening right now. We are fouling our own nest. Rapidly.

We must have energy, and heavy industry, but we can't live with the by-products, wastes, and the pollution that they will produce. There are just too many people on the planet, folks. Do the math. We are quickly reaching a point where it will be a very nasty place to live. Is that what we want? Of course not!

ClearYourBrainZ !

Reality check: We need energy. Lot's of it. We need industry, resources, and lebensraum. Especially the latter....you can only put so many rats in a box until they turn and consume each other.

How?

Move energy production and heavy industry off the planet. It's our only long-term and feasible option. Granted, we are in the infancy of any space industry. We don't have efficient and affordable lift capacity, though we are making progress with our fledgling commercial space flight operations. It will continue to get cheaper and more developed.

The demand, which is what drives business, is there, and will accelerate. As competition increases, costs will drop.

Dreaming, just dreaming, you say.

Nope.

It's happening. Go find out.

It just looks far away, but it's closer than you think. And, it's the future. We only have so many resources on this planet. We either go to space and expand, or we reach the point where everything falls apart. That simple. We either go find the resources we need, or spiral downward to a subsistence level. Civilization most likely won't survive the plunge, almost certain.

We could accomplish the above in a generation, perhaps two. Perhaps less, properly motivated.

The choice is ours. We are capable of doing what needs to be done.

Will we, that is the question.

Your comments, please.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Invasion USA


The Chuck Norris movie, depicting a mass of terrorists attacking the US, was fiction.

The novel by author William W. Johnstone, is fiction.

The closure of 5 federal land areas on our southern border to the public, is FACT. It's happened.

Violent drug traffickers and Mexican drug cartels have taken over these areas, along with the human smugglers bringing illegal immigrants across our borders in a ceaseless flow.

Escorted by squads of automatic weapons-bearing thugs, truckloads of drugs and people are entering our country in droves.

Law enforcement officers are being killed.

Citizens and landowners are being killed.

People who live in these areas are living in fear of their lives.

Our country is being invaded by criminals and thugs, with the apparent complicity of the Mexican government. At the very least, Mexico is doing little to stop the flow.

Here's what's happening RIGHT NOW !

1) About 3,500 acres of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, closed.

2) At Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, which shares a 32-mile stretch of the border with Mexico, visitors are warned on a federally-run website that some areas are not accessible by anyone.

"Due to our proximity to the International Boundary with Mexico, some areas near the border are closed for construction and visitor safety concerns."--Organ Pipe Cactus NPS website

3) Ironwood Forest National Monument, a 129,000-acre federal parkland in the Sonoran Desert, visitors are warned of dangerous illegal activity in the area. The federal NPS website for Ironwood Forest NM says "look for fast-moving vehicles and pedestrians on back roads."

4) Dennis Godfrey, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management's Arizona office, said roughly a dozen signs were posted earlier this month along the Sonoran Desert National Monument advising that travel in the area is not recommended due to "active drug and human" smuggling.--Fox News

5) Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and the Coronado National Forest, which covers nearly 1.8 million acres in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, too dangerous to use.

The federal government, and the Department of the Interior, say they have no plans to re-take or reopen these areas.

They have effectively ceded these lands, part of the sovereign territory of the United States of America, to Mexican drug lords and bands of illegal immigrant smugglers.

The hands of local and state law enforcement and the Border Patrol are tied. Federal rangers and the Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior are only allowing law enforcement and the Border Patrol to enter these areas on foot or horseback. This is to protect the environment and preserve these fragile areas, they say. Of course, the bad guys, the drug smugglers and the human traffickers, ignore this like they ignore the rest of our laws, roaring north in rugged off-road vehicles, escorted by thugs armed with automatic weapons. Even the illegals entering on foot these days are often escorted by armed "coyotes".

Kind of makes it hard for the "good guys" to do their jobs, don't you think?

No, really? Ya think?


Invasion USA.

More and more areas, further inland, 30, 50, 80, 100 miles north of the border, are being invaded. Lawlessness is becoming pervasive. People are afraid. People are being killed, gunned down by thugs who flee back to Mexico.

They need our help.

However, all is not lost, in spite of how bad it sounds! Help is on the way!

Our government is responding!

They are sending 1500 clerks in National Guard uniforms to do paperwork. Hurrah!

They are filing lawsuits against the state of Arizona to keep them from enforcing the law. Hurrah!

They are announcing their plans against Arizona in foreign countries before informing Arizona, or us....thanks, Madam Secretary.

They are applauding the President of Mexico for telling us how terrible we are. Hurrah!

They are grandstanding on television and across the media spectrum every day, showing us all that they are in charge. Hurrah!

They are thumbing their noses at their oaths of office, and the Constitution.

Their motto seems to be: "No problem is too large to be ignored, and it will go away if we ignore it long enough."

Somehow, I don't think this will work. I can hear the defenders of the Alamo spinning in their graves all the way up here in Tennessee.


Time to ClearOurBrainZ !

What is the reality here?

Our federal officials have failed to protect and defend the United States of America as required by their oaths of office. And, as required by the people of this nation.

Failed. Not misspoke, misstepped, or erred, but FAILED! We need some new blood in these positions, and as the Duke would have said:"We're burnin' daylight!" Time is running out for us to act.

Soon, we will be left with no choice but to take military action to reclaim our land. We need to move now to stop this invasion, and move forcefully. With overwhelming strength. No one, not one drug lord, gangster, coyote, or illegal immigrant, no terrorist infiltrator, should be left with any doubt as to our resolve and commitment to defend the territory of the United States of America. There should be no doubt that we control our borders.

None.
We need to get tough.
We need to get mean.
We need to face reality.

That our government is tacitly accepting this situation is totally unacceptable.

Call your Congressman.
Call your Senator.
Email them.
Write them.
Write the White House, the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service.

Demand that they do their job. Demand that they reclaim our lands.
Raise hell. That is what it will take. They are afraid of us, afraid we will fire their butts.

They are right.

Perform or perish, ye elected and appointed ones.

Your comments, please.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Have I Got A Deal For You !


Well, it seems the White House successfully twisted the arm of the BP executives, forcing them to cough up 20 BILLION DOLLARS over the next 4 years to "mediate" the effects of the oil spill on the businesses affected. That's 5 billion $$ a year. Not an insurmountable amount for a large company like BP.

But it's a LOT of money. Money the company loses, money that won't be used for exploration and production. Money that won't be returned on the shareholders' investment.

I also think the media has played a very large role in keeping tourists from visiting their normal haunts at the beach, further adversely impacting the coastal economies. What is their share?

How about the government's responsibility to inspect the drilling rigs offshore, and enforce existing regulations, that they absolutely failed to do? What is their share?

Other companies will be liable as well, since this was a joint project. The legal eagles will fight that battle.

I don't object to BP posting such an "escrow" amount to be distributed to those truly impacted by the spill. There are many families and small business people who are devastated by the effects of this accident. It remains to be seen how these funds will be REALLY distributed, and how much of them will be absorbed by the "overhead" and "expenses" of paying them out.

If our experiences with the Katrina relief funds administration are any example, it will be rife with fraud, waste, and mismanagement. Even the 9/11 funds distributed by Kenneth Feinberg, currently known as Obama's"pay-czar", had these problems. And, that was less than half of the amount he's going to be in charge of this time.

You don't think there are not already schemes afoot to grab some of this "free money", do you?

Of course there are! Loot always draws crooks. This will be no different.

Sure, we caught and prosecuted lot's of people for stealing Katrina money that didn't deserve it, or need it....they were just crooks. But, the money was most always not recovered, or very little was.

What I object to is the President of our country shaking down a private company for money. That's the appearance of this, no matter how the Administration tries to "spin" it. It smacks of "The Chicago Deal", and gangsterism. It looks really bad. I don't believe the Constitution gives the Executive Branch this kind of power.

I realize we don't have a lot of facts. We are not privy to the behind-the-scenes workings of a deal like this....and it was a deal, worked out beforehand, that much is obvious. You don't really think that such a quick sale was made around a table at the WH, do you?

This "conference" with the BP execs at the WH was strictly for show. BP had surely decided, on advice from their legal and financial teams, what needed to be done. After all, the $75 million dollar cap on spills is the law. I think BP is making an aggressive move to show their willingness to cooperate and do the right thing.

The wrong thing, is for an American President and our government to make Hugo Chavez-like moves to force a private company to give the government what amounts to a huge political tool(the money) to solidify it's position and shore up its crashing popularity with the American public. This isn't a banana republic, Mr. President....it's the USA. You aren't doing yourself or your administration any favors by acting like a dictator.

More facts will emerge in the coming days and weeks. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Will this turn into a free-for-all feeding frenzy that will devour BP, and drive oil production completely out of the US? It very easily could. Politicians are not known for being farsighted. They can rarely see beyond the next election, if that far.

As for the argument that this disaster will drive the rapid development and implementation of "green" and "renewable" technologies to replace "evil oil", we all know that it will take decades to do anything even approaching such a level of use and adaptation. It has to be practical, and actually work. We are only in the infancy of developing and utilizing such technology.

We are going to need that "evil oil" for some time to come. Even if we had the "green" technology ready to go right now, cheap, efficient, and practical, we will still need petroleum for many of our industrial feed stocks. Where do you think plastic comes from, huh? And thousands of other products you use every day.


Then there's the latest federal commission created by our Glorious Leader. Filled with eviros and an anti-oil leader, Fran Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council. She isn't just suspicious about drilling, she outright opposes it.--Fox News

Composed of academic and environmental advocates with ZERO experience and knowledge of the oil industry, this body is charged with ensuring that a disaster like the one we have underway in the Gulf never happens again. They all espouse a similar ideology – one that is opposed to drilling and oil.

And these geniuses are going to decide what to recommend our national policy on oil production should be?

I think someone should ClearTheirBrainZ, except they haven't used them in so long they may be hard to spot.

My guess, is that they will spend lots of our money(that we don't have), eat at many fine restaurants(all while discussing the Public's business, of course), and jet around on government aircraft. I say, we give them a budget and a timeline for completion....just like in the real world. It would be interesting to see if they could perform.

I doubt it. How about you?

Your comments, please.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Mr. Fix-It Has The Answer


Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, has introduced a bill that would REQUIRE oil companies to drill relief wells at all new drilling sites offshore. Pre-emptive drilling, he calls it.

What a crock! Another know-nothing thinks he has the solution to something that might happen. Where exactly did Sen. L. get his engineering degree in sub-sea geology? Has he years of experience in this highly technical field?

Nope.

But that doesn't stop him, and others of his ilk from taking any opportunity to get their mugs on the news. Just political posturing, expulsion of more hot air from small minds.

Not only would this plan be very costly, not just to the oil producers, but the consumers(us), but it would INCREASE the risks of a blowout, since multiple wells would be drilled into unknown geological formations. That's the reason they call them "discovery wells", Senator.....not just to find out if the deposits are present, but to learn about the geologic structure they are penetrating. What do you think they do with those core samples, huh? Use them for fishing weights? What do you think they use the samples they examine while drilling the wells? Your answer, Senator?

That's what I thought. You know less about this field than the guy who delivers your heating oil.

Passing laws to fix engineering problems is just plain stupid. You can't legislate engineering.
Demanding that companies try your inane ideas without any data to support such a position means you aren't using your head, except to hold your ears apart. Logic, reason, testing, the scientific method....ever hear of it?


I don't pretend to have the solutions to any of this, I'm no engineer. But, many of YOU are. Many of you are working hard to mediate the impact of this event and are working on practical solutions. Keep it up. We are a smart, innovative bunch here in America. Show us your stuff, boys.

The Obama administration's idea to create an "escrow" account administered by a "third party"(government cronies) is a really bad idea. It would just disappear into the bank accounts of lawyers and other slush-fund pigs. I hope BP is smart enough to realize that.

ClearYourBrainZ !

Science and engineering will cap this well, and what is learned from this accident will be applied
across the industry. Rational thought, logic, and hard work cannot be replaced by words on a piece of paper. Yes, we have a big mess in the Gulf. It will be cleaned up.

What about the ships, mostly foreign flagged, who dump their wastes overboard near our coasts?

That needs to be addressed as well. We have laws in place for this. Enforce them. We might look at requiring any vessel who comes here to be equipped with waste recovery/retention systems, and make them keep a log of it. Surprise inspections would be a good way to keep them honest.

Just some thoughts.

Remember.....reality won't be affected by blustering and posturing. Only hard work and logical
thought, calm assessment of the facts, and methodical experimentation will produce results.

We should be about it.

Your comments, please.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

He Said, They Said--Say What?


White House energy adviser Carol Browner on Friday rejected accusations from a panel of experts who claim the administration misrepresented their views to justify a six-month ban on offshore drilling in response to the BP oil rig disaster.

"A blanket moratorium is not the answer," they wrote in a letter claiming Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar's report "misrepresents" their position. "A blanket moratorium will have the indirect effect of harming thousands of workers and further impact state and local economies suffering from the spill. We do not believe that punishing the innocent is the right thing to do. We encourage the secretary of interior to overcome emotion with logic," the experts, picked by the National Academy of Engineering, wrote. --Fox News

Lawmakers in the Gulf Coast region are saying the same thing, arguing against the moratorium imposed by the Obama administration.

Salazar has acknowledged that the moratorium was his decision, not theirs(the expert panel). Browner argued that the administration did nothing wrong.

Why did they(the administration) bother to consult the experts? Anyone know? To cover their butts?

Back to the show....

So, our illustrious Secretary has decreed that we shall not drill, pump, maintain, or explore. I'm sure that will solve everything, aren't you?

Let's just put tens of thousands more Americans out of work, shall we? That will make everything better, won't it?

What our "officials" are really doing is frantically trying to cover their butts after being caught with their pants down. Nothing makes an august functionary more angry than being tagged out for not doing their job. Look at Salazar now, "rallying the troops" down on the Gulf(at our expense, flown there by private Air Force jet, complete with 5-star service. You didn't think he was staying at the Motel 6, did you?).


Let us ClearOurBrainZ !

What are the facts?

The MMS failed to do their job. Witness the recent abrupt departure of the head of MMS. Who ya gonna call?

BP and the other companies involved dropped the ball big-time. They certainly didn't want this spill to happen, but somewhere, someone cut some corners. Now their chickens have come home to roost. You can bet that heads will roll, those who weren't barbecued in the explosion and fire on the doomed rig. A whole sequence of bad or poorly-considered decisions were made, snowballing into disaster.

The government is more in the way than assisting in the efforts to stop the leak and clean up the mess. Mostly they are just churning the water with rhetoric and demands, while being capable of actually doing little to solve the problem. Not just at the Federal level, but at the state and local level as well. Lot's of hot air, but not much accomplished. Unless, of course, you count the political grandstanding and sound bite opportunities they are indulging in at every opportunity.

Remember, the best people aren't in government, just the politically connected ones. The real talent works in the private sector, where the money is. We don't need over-rated government clerks and bean counters trying to tell engineers how to solve a problem. Oversight? Sure. Keeps them(industry) honest. Control? Nope. We need to make a profit to stay in business. The government is only good at loosing money. And wasting it.

Who ya gonna call? Even the Coast Guard admiral said the same on more than one occasion. He really made the "journalist" who asked that question look like an idiot, didn't he? I'll be he made some enemies in the press that day. They(the media) don't like it, either, when THEY get tagged as idiots, even though many of them obviously are.

BP is not liable, or should not be, for losses incurred because the Obama administration decided to kill all offshore drilling, the exact opposite of what their own experts recommended. The experts DID NOT recommend that. The Secretary of the Interior did, most likely at his boss's direction. It is ludicrous to expect BP to pay for losses they did not cause, but were caused by the stupid actions of our government. This kind of blame game politics is what we have come to expect from this administration. They are incapable of rational thought and actions. THEIR OWN EXPERTS told them NOT to shut down everything, but "Father Knows Best!", so they disregarded the information and advice they themselves asked for. Now we will all pay for their stupidity.

Your comments, please.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Indoctrination Of Our Children:By Our Teachers!


So, we have teachers who are telling our children that the US is evil and Mexico is good? That California is occupied Mexico and doesn't belong to the United States?

Using their position as a platform for politics?

Telling students to ignore or refuse to obey the law?

No wonder California is full of crooks and gang-bangers. They learn it in school. And it's all funded by our tax dollars! What a deal!

I guess that kind of work is a good deal, if you can stomach it....and have no scruples.

"A video posted on YouTube shows LA social studies teacher Jose Lara interviewing teachers and students on May 28 at the headquarters of an organization calling for a Mexican revolution on U.S. soil. Soon after he shot the video, many in the group left for an overnight "freedom ride" to Phoenix to protest what Lara tells the camera is a "racist and outrageous" law."

"Four days later, the school board president implored the superintendent of schools to ensure that students in the district be taught that Arizona's law is "un-American" and Jim Crow-like. The law, passed in April, empowers law enforcement officials to question the immigration status of people they think may be in the country illegally."

"Lara, who made the video, teaches at the Unified School District's Santee Education Complex with Ron Gochez, another social studies teacher who came under fire last month after he was identified making incendiary remarks in a widely circulated YouTube video that shows him speaking at a 2007 rally for La Raza, a revolutionary group calling for Mexican revolt inside the United States."

"In that video, Gochez referred to Americans as "frail, racist, white people, and to California as "stolen, occupied Mexico." The video's posting led to a groundswell of anger and a flood of calls for Gochez's firing, but a school district investigation found him fit to continue teaching history to public school students."

"Both Lara and Gochez are active in numerous revolutionary groups, including Union Del Barrio, a La Raza organization that Gochez helped establish across the street from Santee High School."--Fox Nation

For you fact-checkers, I did research this story across many sources, from the mainstream media to the tinfoil hat crowd. The reports on the basic story were all the same, after I subtracted the usual bias and slant inherent in those kinds of sources.

So, this self-professed Marxist, racist, reconquistadore, fifth-columnist, communistic socialist pillar of the community, is just exercising his right to free speech. That's okay. We can exercise our right to ignore him. At least, until he tries to put his words into deeds. THEN, we can judge him....according to the law for which he has such contempt. I don't see anyone holding a gun on him to make him live here. If you, as a US Citizen, cross the line to become a revolutionary, a traitor to your country, the USA, Sir, you will have to be ready to pay the price. If you are lucky, you will just be found guilty of treason and sent away for a long stay in a comfortable prison.

If you're lucky.

Whew! That was quite a rant, you say. Yes, it was written that way on purpose. I wanted to get your attention, to show how easy it is to veer off into emotional rhetoric. Did it work?

This situation in California is but one example of the kind of things happening in our schools today. I'm sure any of you could cite many more. This example above is just one of the most visible and blatant. They can't even discipline or fire the guy! What a system!

For the ClearBrainZ:

To the (hopefully) concerned Parents of children in this school system: You could bulldoze these idiots right out of your schools, and your school boards and administrations, by following some simple rules.

Leave out the emotion.
Get the facts.
Face the reality.
Determine the solution(s).
Try again if you fail, until you get it right.
Be relentless, but patient.
Repeat as necessary.

They wouldn't stand a chance.


Your comments, please.

TH5CS6JS38DZ

Friday, June 11, 2010

They Must Think We Are Stupid.

TH5CS6JS38DZ
A small excerpt to illustrate the contempt and disregard some of our officials and politicos have for us.

The Secretary of the Interior "modified" a report by a panel of experts the Administration asked to look into the subject of offshore drilling. They did their job, but the Secretary chose to modify their report, most likely at the direction of his boss, to reflect the results he and the Administration wanted.

"The experts, recommended by the National Academy of Engineering, say Interior Secretary Ken Salazar modified their report last month, after they signed it, to include two paragraphs calling for the moratorium on existing drilling and new permits."

"Salazar's report to Obama said a panel of seven experts "peer reviewed" his recommendations, which included a six-month moratorium on permits for new wells being drilled using floating rigs and an immediate halt to drilling operations."--Fox News

They also said that because the floating rigs are scarce and in high demand worldwide, they will not simply sit in the Gulf idle for six months. The rigs will go to the North Sea and West Africa, possibly preventing the U.S. from being able to resume drilling for years.

They also said the best and most advanced rigs will be the first to go, leaving the U.S. with the older and potentially less safe rigs operating in the nation's coastal waters.

Right on the money. Literally.


Time to ClearOurBrainZ !


So, what is the problem here?

Well, first, the Secretary added two paragraphs calling for the moratorium on existing drilling and new permits. THE REPORT RECOMMENDED EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE!!! Why did they (the Administration and their minions) even bother to commission the report if they already had decided what they wanted to do? To cover their butts?

Secondly, the Secretary LIED, saying that a panel of seven experts "peer reviewed" his recommendations. A flat-out lie. What is his excuse? He offers none. He doesn't have to. He's the big cheese and we are just the serfs. Back to the fields, serfs, and be quiet about it.

We can't trust you, Mr. Secretary. Resign. You now have zero credibility and cannot be trusted to take care of our business. Even your own subordinates refuse to disclose their plans to our elected Representatives.(see my earlier post on this)

Mr. President, you hired this bozo. It's time to cut your losses, and ours, and correct your mistake. Are you a leader, or not?

Your comments, please.

TH5CS6JS38DZ

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Disconnecting the BrainZ

TH5CS6JS38DZ
BP's oil spill in the Gulf region continues to dominate the news.

Knee-jerk reactions and wild-eyed hyperbole continue on all fronts. From the demand by Sen. Robert Menendez to raise the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 damage liability cap from $75 million to $10 billion, to the feeding frenzy of the lawyers gorging on the well-chummed waters in the Gulf and surrounding areas, hysteria and strident calls to "do something" abound.

The line of folks standing with their hands out, wanting BP to compensate them(give them money) stretches beyond the event horizon. Everyone wants a piece of the action. Demands by many to "do something" are shouted at every opportunity.

The trouble is, "doing something" without getting the facts, and carefully considering the effects of any actions taken, is a recipe for failure.

The fact is, BP doesn't have a bottomless wallet. They can't pay everyone who makes a demand without performing due diligence to ensure the claims are valid and just. They have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to insure that the company survives and moves beyond this event.

They also owe the public the task of ensuring that future risks of environmental damage are minimized in the future. I think they have done a good job so far, being responsible and doing their best to mitigate the damage. It's a complex engineering problem, as well as a severe blow to their reputation as a respected company. They have a lot of work to do.

That will take a long time. Exxon is still dealing with their spill in Alaska, and that was 20 years ago.

Of course, that doesn't faze any politician bent on maximizing the exposure he/she can get by spouting off at the mouth. The media gleefully pours gasoline on the fire.

Many in the media, especially in the coverage of the spill in the Gulf, have become actors rather than reporters. The story yesterday of the intrepid, brave journalist swimming in the spill with just the top of his head showing was really funny. What was this supposed to accomplish, besides showing us how stupid he was to be swanning around in a toxic sludge?

That was acting, Sir, not journalism.

I'll bet he sues BP if he gets ill. What do you think?


On our southern border:

The furor continues over the death of the young man on the border in El Paso, TX.

The killing of the Mexican by U.S. authorities — the second in less than two weeks — has exposed the distrust and rage of the Mexicans. They believe this was an act of murder.

Chihuahua state Gov. Jose Reyes Baeza blamed the two killings on racism fueled by Arizona's law.

"We believe that this killing, the second in recent days in the border between the two countries, is due to xenophobia and racism, derived from the approval of Arizona's anti-immigration law," Reyes said.--Fox News

The race card is played again....isn't it getting a bit worn?

We almost had an act of war occur regarding this incident:

Shortly after the boy was shot, Mexican soldiers arrived at the scene and pointed their guns at the Border Patrol agents across the riverbank while bystanders screamed insults and hurled rocks and firecrackers, FBI spokeswoman Andrea Simmons said. She said the agents were forced to withdraw.

"It pretty quickly got very intense over on the Mexican side," she said, adding that FBI agents showed up later and resumed the investigation, even as Mexican authorities pointed guns at them from across the river.--Fox News MSNBC

To the rescue, ride the noble heroes in the White Hats:

Amnesty International has joined the ranks of those criticizing the U.S. Border Patrol, calling for a "full, impartial and transparent investigation" into a shooting this week that left a 14-year-old Mexican boy dead.--CNN

Isn't that special? Of course, AI long ago lost any credibility they might have once had, having degenerated into a self-serving pig trough of big salaries and perks for their "workers". Where does their funding come from? How "transparent" are they?

Too many questions, but few answers.

ClearYourBrainz !

Try to ignore the "noise" coming from the media, and get the facts. It won't be easy. We are mostly spoon-fed what the media wants us to hear, and what will boost their readership/viewership. We should try, however.

Ignore the loudmouths with the small brains. They are too numerous already. Hopefully they won't reproduce too much.

Look at the data, consider the consequences of any actions we might take. Face reality.

No shouting. Calm analysis of the facts. That will produce the optimum results.

Your comments, please.

TH5CS6JS38DZ

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The Intifada Comes To America

TH5CS6JS38DZ
A Mexican teenager was killed by a US Border Patrol agent Tuesday night after the agents came under assault by a stone-throwing crowd while apprehending persons crossing the border illegally.

Sounds a lot like Palestine, doesn't it?

This is a common occurrence for Border Patrol agents, said T.J.
Bonner, president of the union representing Border Patrol agents. "Rock throwing aimed at BorderPatrol agents is common and capable of causing serious injury."
"It is a deadly force encounter, one that justifies the use of deadly force," Bonner said.-- Fox News

We don't really know what happened there in the riverbed of the Rio Grande river yesterday. All we know is what the media is reporting. NPR News delivered a story on this, describing the US Border Patrol agents as "surrounded" by a group of people throwing stones.

You can read the story on this incident published by the Mexican media here. It's in Spanish, you can translate it with your browser. Notice the slant and bias in stories from all the various media outlets, both here and in Mexico, and abroad. All have a different "take" on the story.

The FBI is investigating. If the agent acted wrongly, he will pay the price. He will pay the price even if he acted correctly; he has to live with the fact that he took a life. Right or wrong, the agent will carry that grief to his grave. No one will "win" in a situation like this.

Our nation bears responsibility here also. We have failed to secure our borders, we have failed to reach an agreement on immigration issues, and we have failed to enforce our own laws regarding the same. There are no easy or simple answers to this situation in which we are currently embroiled.

It's past time we get to work.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon said Tuesday that his government "will use all resources available to protect the rights of Mexican migrants."

And what "rights" would those be, sir? Are they US Citizens?

No.

Okay, we will "read them their rights" after they are caught illegally present in OUR country:

"You have the right to be arrested, because you broke the law."
"You have the right to be detained, then deported, because you broke the law."
"You have the right to apply to enter our country legally, and be welcome here."

That is the common-sense, conservative version.

Here's the version I see coming from the left:

"You have the right to enter our country at will."
"You have the right to free medical care, welfare, and education for your children."
"You have the right to thumb your nose at our laws, and demand your "rights". A large number of "advocates" stand ready to assist you. "


To our Mexican neighbors:

Our sincerest sympathies for the family of this young man who died Tuesday. His loss will be forever felt by his family and friends.

President Calderon, please don't throw gasoline on this fire. Come to the table and let us work together to craft a solution to our mutual border and immigration problems. Our peoples are neighbors, we need to work this out without more bloodshed. I would tell you to clean your own house before criticizing how dirty your neighbor's home is, Sir. It is often said that "Good fences make good neighbors." There's a bit of truth in that, but working together makes BETTER neighbors.

Will you take that step?


Time to ClearOurBrainz !

Do we want our border situation to degenerate into what exists in the Middle East?

NO ? YES ?

We'd better get to work, and right now, or that's what will happen.

It's already begun.

Contact your Representative. Contact your Senator. Make your voice heard, loud and often. Demand action. They will listen, or we will replace them with someone who will. It's our choice to make.

What will you do?

Your comments, please.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

A Work In Progress


Sorry to find out that I was having a problem with the comments function on the blog. I've fixed it. I've not posted much this week, being consumed with searching for a job. I'll try to get some new posts up this week. Thanks for your patience!

Re-read some posts and leave some comments !
Steve

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Dangers of Gunboat Diplomacy

TH5CS6JS38DZ
Israel learned a nasty lesson in the dangers of gunboat diplomacy with its interception of the aid ships bound for Gaza. Public opinion, fanned by the media interviews of the ship's participants, has already convicted Israel of "crimes".

Was this a setup? Of course it was! Turkey, a NATO ally, was heavily involved in the facilitation of this fiasco, at least according to the media reports. It is very obvious to anyone with a brain that this operation was designed to provoke a strong response from the Israelis. The "activists" who were participating were just the pawns, used by those who would incite more violence for their own ends. They(the "activists") were naive to think that Israel would just let them sail into port with impunity.

Israel is not without blame itself. Poorly considered tactics, intelligence failures, lack of preparedness, and other factors made this incident a bonanza for their opponents. I'm sure their enemies are laughing their butts off at their gullibility.

It is obvious that the radical elements among the passengers were ready for the assault by the soldiers who boarded the largest vessel. Look at the video. Does this look like non-violent resistance to you? Not hardly.

The "activists" were prepared to resist with violence. Here's a cache of weapons found on board.

Whoever was in command of this operation played right into the hands of their opponents. Stupid. Really stupid.

What is sad is the fact that the soft-headed and naive "activists", who most likely had good intentions, allowed themselves to be used by unsavory elements to foment violence. It's clear that violent types were secreted among them, ready to ignite the fire.

That fire is now burning Israel in the blaze of public opinion.

The fact that the same public opinion is mostly ill-informed and clueless, lacking in any evidence of what really happened on board that ship, seems to be overlooked by the media. Oh, they put a small line at the end of their articles stating that the facts or statements cannot be independently confirmed....how nice of them! Such journalistic integrity!

Many of the "statements" given by some of the released "activists" are totally crazy. Even a child can tell they are grossly exaggerated. Those with an ax to grind are known to bend the truth "a bit". No, really? These good people? I'm shocked!(laughing)

There should certainly be a thorough investigation. But even if that investigation shows Israel is in the right, it won't matter. People will already have made up their minds what happened, and changing them will be almost impossible. We all know how difficult it is to get someone, especially governments, to admit they were wrong.

Time to ClearOurBrainZ !

Reality check:

What do we know?

Not much. We know the ships were sailing into a security zone in defiance of Israel's warnings.

We know that they were warned repeatedly to stop.

We know that Israel offered to let them dock, and transfer the supplies they carried to Gaza. They refused.

We know that they attacked the Israeli solders who boarded the ship, using pipes, baseball bats, knives, and firearms. We saw it on the video.

We see what appears to be a deliberate attempt to provoke Israel into a violent over-reaction. It worked.

More facts will emerge.

Should we wait to see what the real facts in this matter are, or just go ahead and condemn Israel anyway?

Your comments, please.