Concerns

Pete Mallard sat across the coffee table from President Shaw, aware that the President had quickly grasped the significance of the event. Shaw’s habit had always been to meet with groups, not individuals, so a private meeting with his NSA showed a quick grasp of the stakes.

“Pete, this smells to high heaven”, began Shaw. “The plot was pretty damned complex, with fake news credentials and a stolen van and all, but they don’t go for anyone else?”

Shaw stood up and paced as he spoke.

“And why not a bomb, or just go for a mass attack? This was too chancy.”

“But it worked” reminded Mallard.

“Yes, it worked” agreed Shaw. “That’s strange too. The right place at the right time? Too lucky.

“So, I don’t buy the ‘usual suspects’, Pete. We need to find the indirect attack.”

First Decisions

President Shaw looked grimly across the coffee table at Tom Sands, his Press Secretary, and Pete Mallard, his National Security Advisor, as well as Agent Hill and a number of staff officials.

“How bad is it?” he asked.

“Seven dead including Donald Reynolds, plus the attackers, Mister President”, said Tom Sands. “Another five injured, all critically, including Ms. Green.”

“The dead are the President-elect, two from his campaign staff, an agent from his detail, two of Green's staff and an agent from Green’s detail.

“The injured are Ms. Green, two from Reynolds’ detail, and two more from her detail.

“The attackers appear to be Middle-Eastern, one female mid 20s, and five males, also mid 20s. They were wearing CNN shirts, carried credentials and had a CNN van. We’re chasing down the materials on that angle. The credential question is why we slammed the lid on the press-“

“Lift it. NOW” interrupted Shaw. Sands paused, but after a moment he and a man from the AG’s office got up and left to carry out the order.

“OK, I know the security drill” said Shaw, “but what next?”

“Frankly, Mr. President” began Pete Mallard, “that depends on what happens next. This was a conspiracy, which means we need to know what was their next planned move. We can guess, but right now that would be sure to be a mistake.”

“Agreed” said Shaw. “Then I need you to find options for me for each possible route. And Tom?”

Tom Sands stopped at the door.

“I will address the nation tonight. I need a draft by noon, and keep me updated on conditions.

“Also, get me phone numbers for the families of the victims. If I can’t go anywhere right now, I still need to reach the people who lost loved ones here. Start with Peggy Reynolds.”

Wildfire

President Shaw was about to enter the Press Briefing Room for a quick chat about Reynolds’ win, when Jack Hill, his detail lead, abruptly grabbed his arm and led him away. The angry noises Shaw could hear from Hill’s earpiece told him something was very wrong, even before Hill said a word.

Inside the briefing room, things were even more surreal. Cell phones rang in a dozen places at once, and as newspeople answered them they saw every exit closed off by men with heavy weapons. The regular White House employees had been removed, and the men who replaced them looked very angry indeed. A man most had never seen before stepped to the podium:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the inconvenience, but this is an emergency situation and we require your immediate cooperation.

“There has been a shooting involving the media, and I’m afraid we must require everyone to sit down and keep your hands in plain sight.”

For a moment, there was a stunned silence, prolonged as reporters began to realize the deadly earnest of the men holding guns on them.

Across town, Heather Connolly was about to enter her car to go to her Senate office, when her detail lead was stopped by a large group of Secret Service agents Heather had seen before at Camp David. Her pique at the delay was vented at the Secret Service, who Connolly found a hindrance and too sure of their importance to the world. The she saw Sam Wilson come from the group towards her, walking with a grim urgency that she knew meant bad news.

“Let me guess, bomb scare at the Hill?” she suggested, but Wilson ignored the remark.

“Someone shot Reynolds and Green and damn near everyone in a block’s range” he said bluntly. “No word on their condition, yet, so we’re still going to the Senate but no press appearances for now.”

“Why the hell not?” demanded Connolly, “Does Shaw want to control the spin on this?”

“It’s not that,” replied Wilson. “The guys who did this had media credentials and a CNN van. The Service thinks they may not be done.”

For the first time in many days, Heather Connolly was at a loss for a reply.

Peril

President-elect Donald Reynolds met in the second-floor foyer with Vice-President-elect Green, as a small entourage led the way. Over the protests of his detail, Reynolds wanted “low-key” security, something no one commented on – publicly.

“Hey Carol” asked Don, “where do you want to go for breakfast? I’m thinking I want to try Franky’s down the street. I’ve heard they have awesome pastries.”

“Don, aren’t we supposed to meet the press at the Verizon Center?” asked Carolyn.

“They can wait a few, while I enjoy a good bear claw” replied Reynolds. And with that, the party took the stairs to a side door and found 9th Street. Not 50 feet away, a news crew jumped to its feet, and Reynolds groaned. Carolyn chuckled.

“Hey, invite them along” she suggested.

“Good idea”, agreed Reynolds. He waved at the crew, a woman and five men wearing CNN International shirts. Carolyn thought it was odd that they carried three cameras, but Reynolds now seemed elated, despite his earlier attempt to duck the media. The woman was saying something about a building, and Carolyn realized she wanted it as a backdrop for the interview.

“Now, just a few quick questions, please” smiled the woman, who seemed exotic to Carolyn, olive in complexion and a little stilted in English. Frank was walking back towards their van, which had an open back door with cables running to and from the cameras.

“Remember to smile”, said the woman, and the men raised their cameras in unison.

Something clicked in Carolyn’s mind as she saw Frank pull out his weapon, yelling “Gun!”

There was a heavy sound like ripping metal, and something slammed into Carolyn’s shoulder, spinning her and slamming her backwards. Her head bounced off the sidewalk as she heard automatic gunfire from everywhere, and the world went black.

The Duck in Repose

Robert Shaw was enjoying himself, munching on a croissant while tossing bits of the bread to his collie. Across the table, next to the space recently vacated by the President’s wife, Alan Pearsall tried to decide whether he should try to maintain a dignified air, or play along with the President’s playful mood.

“Welcome to weird-out Wednesday, Al” remarked President Shaw, to which Pearsall did not reply.

“Yep, every loon and moron with a microphone and satellite feed to a TV station will be dissecting the election for the nation, with some of the wackiest conspiracy theories you ever heard of”, continued Shaw.

“Mr. President, you’ve been looking at Kos again?” inquired the Vice-President.

“Well, it does make for some good comedy” said Shaw, “and you should be flattered, Al. They think that since I’m leaving office, you’re going to ‘control’ the next President just like you ‘controlled’ me.”

“How is that?” asked Pearsall. “I have no connection to Governor Reynolds at all.”

“Ahhhh,” sighed Shaw, “but that just ‘proves’ that you’re subtle and devious, and so on.

“Now me, they still say it’s all luck that I won two terms and had a good run and all. That, or an evil plot of your machination.”

“Wait a minute, now I’m confused” said Pearsall. “Is that one from Kos, or CBS?”

“Well, they do both like the theory” admitted Shaw, “but it’s a bit more coherent than Helen Thomas these days, so I gotta guess it started with Kos.”

“So, anything special today?” asked Pearsall, though he knew the schedule already. Shaw sometimes liked to shake things up.

“As scheduled, we will meet President-elect Reynolds and Carol Green at 10, take some photos and start folks seeing the new POTUS in the Oval Office. Think I can sneak Bingo into the pics?” asked the President, as he scratched behind the collie’s ears.

“What about the Speaker’s request?” asked Pearsall, asking about the Speaker of the House Panini’s demand on television Tuesday, that President Shaw come to the House to answer questions from the Armed Services Committee about the Global Warming effects from military operations. Panini had implied that she would attempt to subpoena the President if he did not volunteer a visit.

“That’s why I’m in a good mood, Al” remarked the President. “In just a few months, the angry monkey parade will have a new Grand Marshal, and I can get back to being a regular guy again.”

The Scorned Woman

Heather Connolly glared across the breakfast table at her husband and campaign manager. She felt a strong need to break something or hurt someone, but Jeff Connolly had warned her that the media might look badly on a show of temper after losing the election.

“Look at Gore”, he warned. “He was so nasty after losing Florida, no one remembered his good points and in oh-four he had to sit out the election. Don’t be like Gore, sweetie.”

Heather hated being called ‘sweetie’, but Sam Wilson dragged Jeff away before she could launch an effective evisceration of her husband. Heather was not especially happy with Sam either, but one of Sam’s qualities was that no one could stay mad with him.

“Look Heather,” began Sam, “for right now we have to cut our losses. The sharks are looking for any holes in the results-“

“Like Pennsylvania? Like New Jersey?” shot back Heather. Losing those two states seemed impossible to her, which meant a fast one by somebody on Reynolds’ campaign. That, or else Shaw and Pearsall had played some games behind the scenes to make a difference.

“Like anything that can help us.” Replied Sam. “But this one wasn’t close enough for one state to break Reynolds. Derek has accepted it, hell even Duke is facing up to it. I know it’s a hard hit, but maybe you need-“

“-a drink” retorted Senator Connolly.

“and by the way,” she said as she shot Sam a glare across the top of her glass, “do NOT ever, ever talk to me again about meeting with Reynolds and Green. The only way I want to see either of them face-to-face, is when I find something to subpoena them to appear before the Senate.”

“Geez, already thinking impeachment” started Jeff Connolly, but Heather silenced him with another look.

Day of Decision

Carolyn Green checked her appearance in the mirror for the eighth time that morning, still not accustomed to what seemed banefully narcissistic, but which her staff claimed was one of those critical areas of public approval, especially now. She sighed inwardly as she wondered, again, just how she had let herself be talked into taking on this challenge. Well sister, she told herself, you said you wanted to make a difference and by God, you’ll do that one way or another.

Carolyn did not turn on the television that morning; she already knew what the news was saying. The election results had been mercifully predictable, which no doubt annoyed the media types. If God was truly merciful, Carolyn mused, He’d let America have some boredom for a while. President Shaw had called in his congratulations just after Texas made the win official, and – as expected – four hours before Derek Jordan conceded the Presidency to Don Reynolds. Governor Reynolds enjoyed a pleasant phone conversation with Senator Jordan, which was more than Carolyn could say; her attempt to reach her counterpart, Heather Connally, was met with a series of lame excuses by her Chairman, Sam Wilson. Sam was a good guy but a bad liar, and Carolyn could tell Heather was bitter from the loss. Horace Duke, the party chair, called around 5 AM with an ‘explanation’ about why Heather Connally was not available for public appearances or to talk with Ms. Green, but the whole tone smacked of hypocrisy, and calling her private line at 5 AM was simply a cheap shot. Connally would return to life as a United States Senator, where Carolyn had no doubt she would obstruct every move made by President Reynolds.

Carolyn looked around to make sure everything was ready; the hotel room would be tended by Secret Service as well as the 4-star staff, but Carolyn hated to leave a mess or forget things. Her own campaign chairman, John Lake, had set up a breakfast meeting for President-elect Reynolds and herself, along with party Chair Fred Barrett, and of course a crowd of press. Thus the need to act and look perfect, today of all days. Carolyn left the bedroom and nodded to Frank Gorshin, the head of her Secret Service detail. Frank was so good at so many things, that Carolyn had more than once asked him to become her Chief of Staff, but he had always told her he’d have to think about it. Frank brushed a cuff with a subtle movement of his hand, issuing a fast click signal to alert the team that the VP-elect was on the move.

The Problem With Reason

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case out of Washington D.C., where a long-standing law prohibiting honest citizens from owning and keeping handguns for their self-defense and the defense of their families is being challenged as a violation of 2nd Amendment rights. It would seem, at first, to be a clear division of positions – one either contends that the 2nd Amendment was written regarding individuals, or it was not. But, a longer inspection makes things a bit sticker. For Liberals, the fact that the Bill Of Rights was clearly written to protect the people from a repressive government makes it hard to claim that they should be denied the right to protect themselves from criminals. But for Republicans, the notion that an individual has the right to bear arms runs into trouble as soon as you ask how far that right extends; taken to extremes an insurrectionist collecting an armory of weapons could claim he was protected by the Constitution. One is forced to depend on Reason, no matter where one’s ideals and emotions originally direct their opinion.

The problem with that Reason, however, is that people tend to ignore it when it won’t say or do what they demand of it. An obvious example is the pervasive paranoia on the Left, which increasingly blames things on President George W. Bush, no matter how absurd the charge, but the Republicans have their own share of myopia on that count, as the 2006 mid-term elections bear out. America was hardly thrilled with the Democrats, yet the GOP managed to convince the voters that they should change the party in power. As a result, the nation is thoroughly disgusted with Congress, yet has given no clear signal who should lead; the Anarchists must see this as their golden opportunity. Certainly the focus of political ads for the Presidential campaigns has been largely stylistic, with little to no substance for anyone to use to decide who should get their vote. The serious voter must be close to despair.

The United States is a country truly unique in the world. And yet, American politics is no more lucid and civil than many other places. To run for President requires a campaign fund larger than the value of some corporations, it depends on a serial contest in multiple venues, where candidates must hone an image sufficiently distinct to stand out, but sufficiently common to remain appealing as a member of the established community. It’s a lot like any large demographic, a majority of middle-road performance, with a few noteworthy for their failures or success. The American condition is different, because when it works, the system produces leaders who listen to the people, respond to their needs, and whose vision advances the country, more often and with better foresight than any other nation on the planet. But the way we get there is far from reasonable at times. It is chock full of emotion and symbolism, of sometimes trite, even banal displays of the obvious. The most reasonable candidate is often the first rejected.

American business is still the template for the world in many ways; organization, marketing, and distribution are obvious arenas where U.S. companies excel. Yet the United States is also home to some of the most bone-headed economic decisions ever made by a non-Communist/Socialist government. American CEOs run the range from some of the most insightful and innovative leaders in the world, to some of the most insipid and trollish boors on the planet. Reason gets a migraine just trying to explain why that is so.

The American Education system is regular derided for its poor quality, in part due to a determined emphasis to place socially “conscious” issues on equal footing with practical developmental tools, or even superior. Yet the lion’s share of innovative products, medical breakthroughs, and applicable discoveries continues to go to the United States. Apparently, geniuses somehow understand the limitations of the public education system and find alternative avenues for self-education and intellectual growth. Yet again, Reason is baffled by the results.

Reason is an essential quality of a complete adult, yet it constantly finds itself trumped in decisions of the moment.

Assassination: Still a Threat

Today is a grim anniversary, marking 44 years since President John F. Kennedy was gunned down while in a motorcade to a speaking engagement in Dallas, TX. The event is singularly memorable in American history, the kind of gruesome reminder that terrible things can happen anywhere, to anyone.

Some people get the notion that this is old news, that the day when assassinating a President should be worried about is long gone. The actual record since that horrible day in 1963, however, is not promising:


April 14, 1972 – Arthur Bremer traveled to Ottawa (where he believed security would be looser) to attempt to assassinate President Richard Nixon. The security proved tighter than he expected, and he abandoned that attempt,. Choosing instead to try to kill Governor and Presidential candidate George Wallace.


February 22, 1974 – Samuel Byck hijacked a DC-9 at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, with the intention of crashing the plane into the White House to kill President Nixon. He shot three people, killing two of them, but committed suicide when police stormed the plane.


September 5, 1975 – Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of serial murderer Charles Manson, attempted to shoot President Gerald Ford.


September 22, 1975 – Sarah Jane Moore, also a member of Manson’s “family”, shot at President Ford. Oliver Sipple, a bystander, grabbed her arm, which caused her to miss.


March 30, 1981 – John Hinkley, Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan in front of the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.


October 29, 1994: Francisco Duran shot at the White House from the outside fence with a semi-automatic rifle. He fired at least 29 shots.


May 10, 2005 – Vladimir Arutyunian threw an RGD-5 hand grenade at the podium in Tbilisi, Georgia, where President George W. Bush is giving a speech. A malfunction kept the grenade from detonating.


It must also be noted that attempts, successful or not, were also made on Presidents Jackson, Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Harry Truman.

There are also unconfirmed reports that attempts have been made on the life of every President since Kennedy, but that the Secret Service does not release information which might compromise its procedures or which might promote interest in an assassination attempt. One example is the reported attempt by a group of Middle Eastern men to “interview” President George W. Bush at the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort early on the morning of September 11th. They were turned away, but later were witnessed close to the motorocade.

Controversy continues to surround the JFK assassination, but it’s by no means old history.

Will You Answer What Congress Won’t? The Top 20 Questions pt 20

Back in late 2004 and early 2005, I sent emails, faxes, and letters to every member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In it, I asked them for their answer to a set of twenty questions which the readers of Polipundit wanted asked. The text of the letter was posted here.

52 Readers in 38 states joined the effort, asking their district Representatives and Senators to answer the questions. Response from our elected Representatives and Senators was poor, predictably so. Most Congressmen and Senators simply ignored the letters, emails and faxes. In the end, only seventeen answered with any degree of substance, and not one answered more than two questions.

I was looking at the set of questions this week, and you know, they still look like good questions to me, so I am going to ask you for your opinion on them. This will take a while, since I am putting up one question for each post, but please give this your serious consideration. And folks, this is not about politics or smacking down the other side; this is an opportunity to explore the issues of substance for our country. Sad that Congress was not up to it, but maybe we can get the conversation going. Thanks in advance.


20. What should the United States’ relationship be with the United Nations?

Will You Answer What Congress Won’t? The Top 20 Questions pt 19

Back in late 2004 and early 2005, I sent emails, faxes, and letters to every member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In it, I asked them for their answer to a set of twenty questions which the readers of Polipundit wanted asked. The text of the letter was posted here.

52 Readers in 38 states joined the effort, asking their district Representatives and Senators to answer the questions. Response from our elected Representatives and Senators was poor, predictably so. Most Congressmen and Senators simply ignored the letters, emails and faxes. In the end, only seventeen answered with any degree of substance, and not one answered more than two questions.

I was looking at the set of questions this week, and you know, they still look like good questions to me, so I am going to ask you for your opinion on them. This will take a while, since I am putting up one question for each post, but please give this your serious consideration. And folks, this is not about politics or smacking down the other side; this is an opportunity to explore the issues of substance for our country. Sad that Congress was not up to it, but maybe we can get the conversation going. Thanks in advance.


19. What should our short and long term strategies be in Iraq?

Will You Answer What Congress Won’t? The Top 20 Questions pt 18

Back in late 2004 and early 2005, I sent emails, faxes, and letters to every member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In it, I asked them for their answer to a set of twenty questions which the readers of Polipundit wanted asked. The text of the letter was posted here.

52 Readers in 38 states joined the effort, asking their district Representatives and Senators to answer the questions. Response from our elected Representatives and Senators was poor, predictably so. Most Congressmen and Senators simply ignored the letters, emails and faxes. In the end, only seventeen answered with any degree of substance, and not one answered more than two questions.

I was looking at the set of questions this week, and you know, they still look like good questions to me, so I am going to ask you for your opinion on them. This will take a while, since I am putting up one question for each post, but please give this your serious consideration. And folks, this is not about politics or smacking down the other side; this is an opportunity to explore the issues of substance for our country. Sad that Congress was not up to it, but maybe we can get the conversation going. Thanks in advance.


18. Should judicial nominees be guaranteed a “yes or no” vote in Committee? Why or why not?

Will You Answer What Congress Won’t? The Top 20 Questions pt 17

Back in late 2004 and early 2005, I sent emails, faxes, and letters to every member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In it, I asked them for their answer to a set of twenty questions which the readers of Polipundit wanted asked. The text of the letter was posted here.

52 Readers in 38 states joined the effort, asking their district Representatives and Senators to answer the questions. Response from our elected Representatives and Senators was poor, predictably so. Most Congressmen and Senators simply ignored the letters, emails and faxes. In the end, only seventeen answered with any degree of substance, and not one answered more than two questions.

I was looking at the set of questions this week, and you know, they still look like good questions to me, so I am going to ask you for your opinion on them. This will take a while, since I am putting up one question for each post, but please give this your serious consideration. And folks, this is not about politics or smacking down the other side; this is an opportunity to explore the issues of substance for our country. Sad that Congress was not up to it, but maybe we can get the conversation going. Thanks in advance.


17. What actions do you support for education reform?

Sunday Night, Thoughts on a Fired Coach

I just finished and submitted a 37-page Marketing plan for one of my classes. I’d tell you all about it, except for a few things:

1. The plan was for a real business in the area, so a lot of the information is privileged;
2. Marketing is one of those bad habits people get into, and except for a rare few who use morals in their work, it’s not something I would want to encourage;
3. Proof-reading the paper bored me no end, and I wrote the dang thing, so I would be cruel indeed to inflict it on an innocent public.

It’s not enough I had to write it and send it in electronically; I also have to print up a hard copy on quality bond paper, and have it bound and mailed in to the professor. So, I am sitting here waiting for the printer to put out the product, which at “best quality” is taking longer than it did for Hillary Clinton to figure out that advocating drivers licenses for illegals was not a good way to win the Donk nomination, mush less the White House. So, I am plunking away at my keyboard while the printer does constructive work. Well, I also have to iron my clothes, but if there’s anything more boring than what I am doing now, it has to be ironing.

If you are still reading this, you must be as bored as I am. But, at least it’s free, except for the wasted time.

But to the topic. Earlier today, Baylor University’s Athletic Director officially announced the firing of Head Football Coach Guy Morriss. Morriss was 18-40 in five seasons at Baylor, which team lost all 8 of its Big XII conference contests, and frankly stunk up the place all season. That by itself could be a shame, except for a couple points which annoyed me and made me question Morriss’ integrity. The first part was the discovery early this summer, that Morriss had put his house up for sale. Well folks, you usually only do that if you figure you are going to have to move, and when a coach does something like that in advance of a season, it’s darn hard for me to believe he’s going to give his best effort into his job. Certainly, I watched his post-game statements with that fact in mind, and I did not like at all, what I heard and read. Also, this is a coach who promised, from before the season started, that the 2007 Baylor Bears were going to a bowl. When they reached 3-1, it might even have looked like a possibility, but a closer look at the season revealed that such a claim was hopelessly optimistic at best, and from what I could tell, completely dishonest in light of actual conditions. As the conference season got underway and progressed, Coach Morriss started becoming evasive about why his promise was not coming true, and worst of all, he started blaming the players for the losses, even when glaring errors in coaching became obvious. I could go on about the football side of things, especially my hope that Mike Singletary, College and NFL Hall of Fame Linebacker and legend to Bear fans, will be the next head coach of the Bears – pretty much no one else would have a realistic chance of recruiting real talent for Baylor right now, much less shaping the team into a winning program anytime soon. But as I read the news about Morriss’ firing, I did not feel any pleasure, not even a real sense that he deserved his dismissal. Part of that comes from having to acknowledge that I am a fan, not a professional coach, and the Big XII is a hard place to win – three of the top 5 teams in the AP rankings right now are from the Big XII, after all. I may have seen errors on Morriss’ part, but I cannot really say whether or not he was the right man for the job. I know in other places that sometimes someone enjoys success because of hard work someone else did before him. Also, I have to wonder what it is like, to work where every mistake you make is known to, and ridiculed by, countless thousands of people who can’t say they would have done better in that place.

So, Guy Morriss, while my farewell to you is not reluctant, it is sincere in my goodwill, and my thanks for your work.

Welcome, Readers of 'Sadly, No'

I received a strange and rather peculiar communication today, which alerted me that I have guests here at 'Stolen Thunder'. So, I took a virtual stroll and found the fine lodgings of the distinctly Left-of-Center blog "Sadly, No". So, first off, thanks to everyone for the visit. Second off, yeah that's my dog at the top. Beautiful animal and a great companion, and much better to look at than I am. Just in case you were wondering ...

But I feel obliged, as well, to respond to a rather silly comment made by one of your readers on your site. The reader, in a piece which rather nastily tried to smear Lorie Byrd (but people will amuse themselves in their favorite fashion, and for some folks that means lies and insults when that's all they know). The reader, in a comment which linked to here - thank you - remarked that "Another Wizbang! contributor has a site (VERY SERIOUS) of his own". Well, it's true that I also write on Wizbang!, but I do not see why that obliges me to maintain my personal site free of wit, personal perspective, and simple good humor. This is my site, and while I open my thoughts to the consideration of anyone inclined to stop by, I alone choose the mietre and timbre of the writing here. I carry the mood I do just now for the following reasons:

1. A little more than a year ago, I was diagnosed with Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, an unusual form of abdominal cancer where the cells are free-floating, and generally do little more than block the body's internal fluids unless they go malignant, at which time the cancer attacks several organs at once and in that case is commonly fatal. A bit like carrying around a grenade in your gut, so please excuse me if my perspective values certain common elements of Life rather highly, in the knowledge that if something goes wrong it could go very bad very fast. I am fortunate to live in a city with arguably the world's foremost Cancer treatment hospital, and I am happy to say that my present prognosis is quite hopeful. Even so, I am hardly about to forget that Life can end at any time, and so I try to focus on the things which matter. Your mileage may differ;

2. A few years ago, I fell victim to that condition so endemic to bloggers, the notion that I was important and deserved to be heard because I was so damn smart and profound. Well, I woke up from that. I post if I have something to say, and maybe sometimes I think it's good stuff, but other times I'm just making noise to amuse myself. Hey, I know a guy who posts his video games on You Tube, and Al Gore gets awards out the wazzou for spouting off on things where he is absolutely illiterate. The nice thing about the Blogosphere is that there is no 'gravitas' litmus test, and those who think there is, well, I mentioned that 'I'm so important' virus, and those guys still have it.

3. If you're still reading this, you're mistaking me for someone important. I'm just a Dad with a job and a ton of work, who happens to blog. If the stuff here sounds good to you, thanks. If not, hey, at least I'm not hitting you up for money or your vote.

Again, thanks for the visit.

Will You Answer What Congress Won’t? The Top 20 Questions pt 16

Back in late 2004 and early 2005, I sent emails, faxes, and letters to every member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In it, I asked them for their answer to a set of twenty questions which the readers of Polipundit wanted asked. The text of the letter was posted here.

52 Readers in 38 states joined the effort, asking their district Representatives and Senators to answer the questions. Response from our elected Representatives and Senators was poor, predictably so. Most Congressmen and Senators simply ignored the letters, emails and faxes. In the end, only seventeen answered with any degree of substance, and not one answered more than two questions.

I was looking at the set of questions this week, and you know, they still look like good questions to me, so I am going to ask you for your opinion on them. This will take a while, since I am putting up one question for each post, but please give this your serious consideration. And folks, this is not about politics or smacking down the other side; this is an opportunity to explore the issues of substance for our country. Sad that Congress was not up to it, but maybe we can get the conversation going. Thanks in advance.


16. Do you believe the continued existence of a central bank (the Federal Reserve) that issues fiat money is in the best interests of the U.S.?

Will You Answer What Congress Won’t? The Top 20 Questions pt 15

Back in late 2004 and early 2005, I sent emails, faxes, and letters to every member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In it, I asked them for their answer to a set of twenty questions which the readers of Polipundit wanted asked. The text of the letter was posted here.

52 Readers in 38 states joined the effort, asking their district Representatives and Senators to answer the questions. Response from our elected Representatives and Senators was poor, predictably so. Most Congressmen and Senators simply ignored the letters, emails and faxes. In the end, only seventeen answered with any degree of substance, and not one answered more than two questions.

I was looking at the set of questions this week, and you know, they still look like good questions to me, so I am going to ask you for your opinion on them. This will take a while, since I am putting up one question for each post, but please give this your serious consideration. And folks, this is not about politics or smacking down the other side; this is an opportunity to explore the issues of substance for our country. Sad that Congress was not up to it, but maybe we can get the conversation going. Thanks in advance.


15. What are the limits to the authority of the Federal Government?

Will You Answer What Congress Won’t? The Top 20 Questions pt 14

Back in late 2004 and early 2005, I sent emails, faxes, and letters to every member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In it, I asked them for their answer to a set of twenty questions which the readers of Polipundit wanted asked. The text of the letter was posted here.

52 Readers in 38 states joined the effort, asking their district Representatives and Senators to answer the questions. Response from our elected Representatives and Senators was poor, predictably so. Most Congressmen and Senators simply ignored the letters, emails and faxes. In the end, only seventeen answered with any degree of substance, and not one answered more than two questions.

I was looking at the set of questions this week, and you know, they still look like good questions to me, so I am going to ask you for your opinion on them. This will take a while, since I am putting up one question for each post, but please give this your serious consideration. And folks, this is not about politics or smacking down the other side; this is an opportunity to explore the issues of substance for our country. Sad that Congress was not up to it, but maybe we can get the conversation going. Thanks in advance.


14. Confidence in the validity of elections has fallen sharply in some places. What would you recommend to repair and rebuild that confidence?

Will You Answer What Congress Won’t? The Top 20 Questions pt 13

Back in late 2004 and early 2005, I sent emails, faxes, and letters to every member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. In it, I asked them for their answer to a set of twenty questions which the readers of Polipundit wanted asked. The text of the letter was posted here.

52 Readers in 38 states joined the effort, asking their district Representatives and Senators to answer the questions. Response from our elected Representatives and Senators was poor, predictably so. Most Congressmen and Senators simply ignored the letters, emails and faxes. In the end, only seventeen answered with any degree of substance, and not one answered more than two questions.

I was looking at the set of questions this week, and you know, they still look like good questions to me, so I am going to ask you for your opinion on them. This will take a while, since I am putting up one question for each post, but please give this your serious consideration. And folks, this is not about politics or smacking down the other side; this is an opportunity to explore the issues of substance for our country. Sad that Congress was not up to it, but maybe we can get the conversation going. Thanks in advance.

13. What is your proposal for lowering the National Debt?

Just a Reminder: It’s a Bad Idea to Ignore History

The readers who know me are well aware that I said early on, that a Republican would win the White House in 2008. I did not make that prediction in 2004 or 2005, but 2006 when it seemed as though the Donks were doing a ‘reconquista’ on everything the Reagan Revolution had given to the American people. And I made that prediction on the basis of two key traits:

[] While they are absolute morons at times, Republicans in general will put the country ahead of everything else, and the voters know this;
[] Democrats always end up going to extremes, having abandoned the center to the degree that they cannot find it, even when they most need it.

In short, I am confident that the GOP will nominate someone capable enough for the job, who will demonstrate love for America and a commitment to American interests, and I am also confident that the Donks will ignore history to a degree sufficient to cost them the election. Lord knows, they’ve shown that propensity beyond dispute in recent years. A simple example of this can be seen in the results of past Presidential elections, and what it means for 2008. The following are the results of Presidential elections since World War 2 by the class of candidate’s occupation, that is the role most voters identified with the candidate:

2004 - President defeats Senator
2000 - Governor defeats Vice-President
1996 - President defeats Senator
1992 – Governor defeats President
1988 – Vice-President defeats Governor
1984 – President defeats Senator
1980 – Governor defeats President
1976 – Governor defeats President
1972 – President defeats Senator
1968 – Vice-President defeats Vice-President
1964 – President defeats Senator
1960 – Senator defeats Vice-President
1956 – President defeats Governor
1952 – General defeats Governor
1948 – President defeats Governor

Looking at that run, we see the President running 10 times, winning 7 of them (70%). Vice-Presidents ran 5 times, winning twice (40%). Senators ran 6 times, winning once (17%). A retired General ran once and won (100%), and Governors ran 8 times, winning 4 of them (50%). If we considered just those numbers, Wesley Clark would look much more formidable (but it would be foolish to over-count the results of one instance), but in general the results tell us that whatever a party wants in a candidate, nominating a Senator is a bad idea. Sure, JFK won as a Senator, but that was against Richard Nixon, and even then it was a squeaker and some folks would argue that Kennedy, umm, “had help” in that election. It’s a lot more interesting to see the other five Senators:

1964 – Senator Barry Goldwater from Arizona; a popular champion of Conservatism and seemed a formidable match against Lyndon Johnson. But Goldwater only collected 38.5% of the popular vote, and won only 6 states;

1972 – Senator George McGovern from Minnesota; very popular with the Left, who believed Vietnam would be the issue to drive Nixon from office. But McGovern claimed only 37.5% of the popular vote, and won only 1 state;

1984 – Senator Walter Mondale from Minnesota; the Democrats though his ‘straight-talk’ style would appeal to Americans. But Mondale claimed only 40.6% of the popular vote, and won only 1 state;

1996 – Senator Bob Dole from Kansas; the GOP believed his war record and impeccable personal integrity would win over voters against the scandal-ridden Bill Clinton. But Dole took only 40.7% of the popular vote, although he won 19 states;

2004 – Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts; Democrats thought his medals from Vietnam would make him credible as a critic of Bush and the war in Iraq. Kerry did the best of the losing Senators, claiming 48.3% of the popular vote, and like Dole he won 19 states.

So these five nominees were all impressive at the time to their party, and carried something like charisma into the general election. But when the ballots were counted, they won a collective average of 41.1% of the popular vote, and an average of only 9 states. Whether Democrat or Republican, in peacetime or war, running a Senator as the party nominee is a poor choice, tactically.

So, looking at the two major parties, what does this mean about the races? The Republicans have a Mayor and a Governor in the lead, with another Governor and two Senators a bit behind. Kick out the Senators from the GOP race and you still have three healthy contenders. For the Democrats, things are a bit different. Both of the heavy front-runners are Senators, and so is the guy in third place. Only Governor Bill Richardson and Representative Dennis “I See Green People” Kucinich are left if you scratch off the Senators. So, it looks very much as if the Democrats will nominate a Senator to run against a GOP nominee who is not a Senator.

Bad odds if you’re a Donk fan, but hopeful for Americans.