The Utah Hornet's Nest

Utah Republican Party- No Atheists Welcome?

2011-12-19T22:22:00.003+01:00

From the preamble of the Utah Republican Party Platform, it reads "We, the Republican Party of the Great State of Utah, affirm our belief in God and declare our support for government based upon a moral and spiritual foundation." Nowhere in the preamble of the State Democratic Party is such a mention of a belief in God. The Democratic preamble deals with values and civic responsibility, but no mention of God.

Which God is it they affirm their belief in? Yawheh? Thor? Allah? Poseidon? If one does not believe in one of these Gods, can one feel comfortable as a member of this party? Or does it just have to be some higher power that you can believe in? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that what Republicans mean, is that they affirm their belief in the God they believe in, which is a God that resembles, but is different than the triune God of the Council of Nicaea? I assume that Utah's approve deity as mentioned in their preamble is likely the council of three deities that make up the Godhead of the majority LDS Church.

The problem as I see it with coupling God with your politics, is that so many people have their own vision of what God is. I've noticed in my nearly half-century of living, that people who are kind and compassionate, envision a kind and compassionate God, while those who are judgmental and capricious emphasize the judgmental and capricious God of ancient scripture. People who seek power or relish in their own, envision an all-powerful deity and love to hear praise of this deity's power and glory, as if they are living vicariously in God's shoes feeling the adulation of their inferiors.

Belief in God can mean many things, and the fact that one says he believes in God tells me nothing about whether I want them in office. I can only assume that the Republican Party puts language like this in their platform because they truly believe that their God is on their side, and that God is a silent supporter of the Republican Party. If that is the case, they believe in a pretty sorry God indeed.

Chaffetz and Lee- Specifics Please

2011-08-11T19:06:00.002+02:00

There continues to be press about teabagger darlings Chaffetz and Lee getting accolades for opposing the debt ceiling legislation as not being aggressive enough on spending. That being the case, I have one simple request for these guys, detail what you would like to cut and how much those savings will accrue through time. Certainly they wouldn't just make blanket political statements without having something specific in mind to cut. Is it social security? Is it medicare? What is it? People have a right to know your intentions.

Or is your intention purely political demagoguery? If I am not making it financially, I would look at a breakdown of my expenditures. I would weigh my options. I might consider working a second job to bring in additional revenue. This is how grownups deal with the real world. Nothing so far has shown me that Mike Lee and Chason Chaffetz are grownups. They live in a magical world of pure ideology. If we just do this magical thing (cut taxes and reduce spending(whatever that is)), there will be prosperity in the land and all will be well in Zion, errr, America.

Magical thinking and public policy are bad combinations. Perhaps Rep. Chaffetz and Sen. Lee have some concrete cost savings they aren't telling us. Until they provide their own realistic solution, I can only conclude that they are merely second rate demagogues living detached from reality. I hope they prove me wrong.

Crisis Averted

2011-08-02T18:46:00.001+02:00

That will be the headlines. “Crisis Created and Nearly Implemented” is what should be the headline. This was the fruits of the 2010 elections. Republicans, who for years had no problems with massive deficits, and as a matter of routine increased the debt limit without blinking an eye, now took aim on deficits during a Democratic Presidency and an economic recession of Republican making.

The cause of the deficits is really pretty simple. You have a nation at war, that doesn’t want to pay for it. You have a nation that has made commitments to its seniors, who when it has become too expensive, has decided not to fund it.

The Republican solution for everything is to lower taxes. Their hero Ronald Reagan did that and they revere him to this day. Ronald Reagan lowered taxes and began a massive re-armament of the military that resulted in a substantial growth in the deficits. Ronald Reagan’s major complaint against Jimmy Carter was his massive $64 billion deficit. In response to Republican criticism, Carter had already reduced taxes. Reagan once in office massively reduced them while never committing to any politically difficult cuts, such as in medicare or social security. And Reagan did this during a period of high interest rates, leveraging the country at a high cost for future generations.

Fast forward to the teabag led revolt against common sense. These people are from my generation and I know where they got their political compass. They understand half of Reagan’s legacy, but not the other half. People prone to make heroes out of people are very capable of selective memory and self-delusion. Mike Lee, Jason Chaffetz and their ilk live in this delusional world of hero adulation, and have lost touch with reality. They created a crisis that didn’t need to be out of shear misreading of history and what it means today.

Running deficits is not the best idea, certainly of the magnitude we are running currently. However, these deficits are being made during an economic downturn where interest rates are low. Tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans which have been preserved in the fatally flawed compromise that even right-wing nutjobs like Mike Lee voted against left those cuts intact. The Republican reasoning for lower taxes for the wealthy is that they are the ones likely to invest money in our economy. However, capital is mobile. Much of the tax cuts implemented by George W. Bush went to real estate, and to foreign investment, areas that had little lasting impact on our economy. The manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy continues to suffer while we buy cheaply made goods from China. This is the real problem we face. Not some mythical creeping socialism in the paranoid minds of Mike Lee, Glenn Beck and others.

This bad deal didn’t need to be made. Action is needed, but not the actions that are being taken. If the economy turns around, the deficits will shrink. This deal lessens the likelihood that the economy will turn around. And this is the result of right-wing black-mail. To quote James K. Galbraith from Salon “This deal validates the making of real policy under the appearance of extreme threats. That process will not end here. And while Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid escaped in the first round, they are set up to fall in the second. The deal creates a new junta to force those cuts before the end of this year. The process is repellent, cruel, undemocratic, and designed to leave blood on the ground but not on anyone’s hands”. From self-deception, comes self-destruction.

So What Has Happened?

2011-04-26T00:59:00.001+02:00

I have not written much in a while and have spent more time asking people I know of all stripes questions in order to try to understand where they are coming from. Obviously, I'm not tuned into the "tea party patriots", "biblical constitutionalists" and other right-wing movements which dot our landscape and I am at a loss to understand what is going on with the mindset of so many in our ailing Republic. There are several themes I've gathered listening to people and hearing them out.

First- the government is the enemy. No one ever uses the term "our government" any more because "the government" has become a catch all scapegoat for all that ails people. All problems can be twisted into "the government did it". Corporations move operations overseas, and the problem is "government regulations made them do it or environmental policies are driving our jobs overseas."

Second- "they" losely defined has taken over "our country" (not government) and "we" need to take it back. "they" seem to be a conglomeration of minorities, liberals, feminists, non-Christians, etc. There is this "they" out there that is a powerful coalition that wants to make our country some mamby pamby, lovey dovey country of intellectuals and slum dwellers. I'm still digesting and analying what's going on here, but it is quite bizzare.

Third- Manifest Destiny version 4.0 After westward expansion of America ended, in the 19th century (version 1.0), imperialist expansion via Spain's crumbling empire (add Hawaii) (version 2.0) and American Cold War Hegemony (version 3.0), we now find a new trend in America. The idea of America as a vessel for Protestant Christian culture has been reborn in Manifest Destiny version 4.0. George W. Bush tried this with version 3.5, but bungled it with his ill-thought out invasion of Iraq. This version has worked out the bugs of the premature release and has more traction behind it. This is the pure form, ideologically rich with symbolism and not as tainted with the greed of version 3.5. The world should fear this version.

Fourth- Timidity among the left- If you lead, people will follow. There has been a lack of leadership on the left that has left movements to the right relatively unchecked. The President's willingness to compromise has compromised his mandate. Liberals and moderates wonder who it was they helped to elect, and why is he letting nutcases walk all over him. They cling to Jon Stewart and Colbert to give them to calcify their spine. If you've got to go to Comedy Central for your political edification, you are in trouble.

These are just some of the trends I see. Like my credit score, "it ain't good." But atleast I know, it wasn't the government's fault my credit score ain't good.

The Future of our Republic

2010-10-28T16:21:00.002+02:00

The future of our republic will be decided elsewhere. Utah's essentially single party status has made them irrelevant to national politics and merely play a role as defining the outer reaches of conservative and nativist extremism that's possible if the Republican noise machine succeeds nationally.

Places like Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Nevada and Pennsylvania will likely determine whether the Democrats continue to control the Senate, and a broader belt of midwestern and far-western states will determine whether they control the House. The Mormon belt and the Bible belt are now the solid red bastion of conservative extremism, and is it any wonder, that these areas are also those areas with the most devout followers of fundamentalist religious faiths? Correlation doesn't always equate with causation, but I have a hard time not linking these two.

My concern is long-term about the future of our country. Keyne's maxim that "in the long run, we're all dead" may be true, but I have children, nephews and neices and I care about future generations of our country. If we are to create creative solutions to the problems of today, and to our future, we will need to as a society have a great deal of attributes antithetical to religious or political dogmatism. We will need flexibility, creativity, accountability and transparency. Religious dogmatism is anti-thetical to all those things that we will need to create the best solutions to whatever problems we face in the future.

The feedback loop goes as such- people during periods of stress and uncertainty, look to ideologies that provide certainty. These ideologies result in poor solutions to pressing problems which results in greater stress and uncertainty, followed by more dogmatic adherence to certainties. This is what I fear for our country. Eight years of Bush created a disaster economically and morally for our country. Conservatives response to this has been that the problem was Bush's lack of adherence to "true" conservative principles. Conservative ideologies, like a drug to an addict, provide escape from reality but temporary comfort, but provide a scarcity of creative solutions to the problems we face as a country. And like an addict, when the addictive behavior creates more problems, the solution is more of the drug.

We face an intellectual and moral crisis in this country. Those who look backwards into the past for solutions to the present limit our options and bind us with inflexibility. This is the paradigm I see in Mike Lee and tea partiers. And I don't believe me and my little blog will make a difference in the intervention our country desperately needs if we the people, will take responsibility, and look to flexible solutions, not dogmatic myths about ourselves. The politicians are a symptom of a problem that goes much deeper. It lies in us, the American voter and people and our susceptibility to demagoguery and delusion.

The answers to our problems are rarely simple. Let's move forward looking for the best solutions, not to dogmas based on authority. Progress in our Republic is still possible, but I fear this election will stunt our growth and bind us for generations to come. I hope I am wrong.

Question for Republicans

2010-10-18T19:35:00.002+02:00

I want real answers, not the usual Republican spin about “waste and inefficiency” that is in government. Republicans have controlled the executive branch of government for 20 out of the last 30 years. It was the Democratic President, Bill Clinton who finally brought the deficit under control, but let’s spare that debate for a second. Let’s look to the future. Republicans want to continue the W. Bush tax cuts. What specific expenditures are you willing to cut to pay for it? I WANT SPECIFICS (note, we liberals try not to use all CAPS when writing because it makes us look like angry conservatives, but I’m willing to meet them half way).

The vast majority of the federal budget is in the areas of social security, Medicaid, Medicare and National Defense. Once you get beyond these areas, any material cost savings (ask your Republican accountant friends what material means) will have to come from these areas if they are to really affect the deficit. Spending through earmarks barely show up as a factor compared to the obvious elephants in the room. So what is it? Do we cut the military? Social security? Medicare? Tell me. Keep in mind that baby boomers are now beginning to retire and the projected costs of social security and medicare are only going to increase, no matter what inefficiencies you business geniuses can find.

So what is it? As a car buyer, I’d like to know what is under the hood. Is it a four, six, eight cylinder, or lawn mower engine? Or is this just the typical Republican "cut taxes and borrow" engineless Lamborghini that looks so good in advertisements, but doesn’t exactly get me to work? My eyes are weary from watching posturing teapartiers and other clueless know-nothings yell at the top of their lungs that government needs to be reined in. Well here’s your chance. Chaffetz? Lee? Bishop? Rein it in. Specifically what are you going to cut? Is there any engine in this car you’re selling, or do we need to get Fred and Wilma to show us how it really works.

More Bagging on Tea Partiers

2010-09-09T19:36:00.002+02:00

Insanity is defined by some as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Terminal insanity is doing more of the same because the problem before was you didn’t take a pure enough form of the drug. Tea-party Republicans are like alcoholics, deciding that the pinot noir version of conservatism was insufficient, and we need to go to straight bourbon, or in the case of Sen. Inhofe, only vodka without a chaser.

Self-destruction is often the result of self-deception. How true this is of today’s xenophobic, conspiracy mongering, Beck worshipping, followers of nonsense peddled from the Marketing Firm of Piddle, Pooh and Woo (aka Fox News). The age of enlightenment had a brief and tenuous re-birth, only to awaken the demons and demagogues who may have faced a temporary set-back, but have not changed their goals and aspirations.

This being said, I acknowledge that the tea partiers come in different stripes and many in the corporate elite are worried. There is a populist element to this uprising that should worry them. For years, your corporate Republicans have worked hard to sell middle-class Caucasians of voting against their own economic interests in favor of corporate interests by diverting their attention with social issues and by fostering cultural wars. Their success has now created a monster that may devour them as well. TARP, was as Republican as a flag lapel pin, and many Liptonites don’t subscribe to that brand of Republicanism. Where will all this sort out in the backrooms of Republican-ville, I can’t tell at this point.

During September of 2004, I had the pleasure of meeting with Sen. Bob Bennett and listened to him tell our group that his election was assured, and that it was going to be a Republican year. He rather smugly indicated that social issues were going to doom the Democrats this year. I thought it rather arrogant at the time that he considered his re-election a matter of fact with two months to go in the campaign. Even so, Bennett was an effective Republican senator who represented corporate interests as well as any good conservative could. He was pragmatic enough to work with others to make sure Utah got its share of funding projects for things like roads and public transit. Replacing him will be an ideologue who has more passion than wisdom, whose devotion to irrational dogma is not out of political opportunism, but out of deep-held belief. This new brand of Republican believed Reagan’s rhetoric, never seeing that the rhetoric was purely a political strategy rather than a recipe for good governance. And he will represent one vote in fifty in our Republic. And there are enough like-minded individuals who could join his ranks, that those of us devoted to enlightenment ideals should be very concerned.

Taking the Country Back?

2010-09-08T00:38:00.002+02:00

As I’ve watched movements in public opinion, I’ve been struck by how many angry Caucasians are railing about “taking their country back.” What do they mean? Is it a Republican President they want? A Republican Congress? Do we need to remind them of how great it was having that dream team dominating our government? Just how far back do people want to take us?

Conservatives by definition are opposed to change, and perhaps a President with too much melanin is more than they can handle. In listening to so many people who’ve had their hemorrhoids patriotically inflamed by Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, a lot of them focus on a concern about “socialism” as if they know what that is. How many of them if pressed might think of socialism as any government program that they don’t think will benefit them? Services that do benefit them must surely be exempt from the socialist paradigm.

Mostly what I’ve seen in this country, is that the monster that Republicans have created coming back to devour not only Democrats but their own. The conservatives of the past didn’t fail because conservatism doesn’t work, it failed because conservatives weren't conservative enough. If only a more pure brand of conservatism would be employed, surely our country will return to some mythical past that is more a creation of conservative minds than of careful and reasoned scrutiny.

Restorationism certainly is appealing in the hornet’s nest, as the predominant religion teaches itself as a restoration of “true Christianity” in contrast to the fallen away versions that dot the landscape. Restoring a non-historical myth is as Mormon as funeral potatoes and jello salad. It doesn’t surprise me the appeal this has to the faithful here. The question I haven’t figured out, is what kind of landscape do these people really see as their ideal future. How much of the twentieth century do they want to abandon? Civil rights? Deposit insurance? Social Security? Regulations on clean air and water? Until I hear specifics from those who garb themselves in a drink they don’t drink, I don’t know what to think of these people.

If you want to take America back, let me know where you want America to go back to. Or as Sen. Bennett hinted, there is much more heat than light in this movement, and though the water is boiling, the teabags have yet to be immersed.

New Gardening Blog

2010-09-07T21:52:00.002+02:00

I Obi wan liberali, being of somewhat sound mind, have decided to add to my blogging repertoire. Since some of my latest posts over at the "hornet's nest" have been more about gardening and nature than strictly in the world of politics, I have decided to create a new blog for that purpose. This will free me to take on fellow gardeners who may be deranged enough to be tea partying morons during the weekdays but shovel wielding gardeners on the weekend.

Just a word about the name of the blog. I got back into gardening over the past few years for several reasons. One has been financial. Times have been tough at the Obi residence and raising food to eat has been one method of surviving in the wreckage left by W. and his neocons. Second,I found myself heavier than I wanted to be and my doctor told me to lose weight or die. I have turned to a vegetable centered diet, and combined with regular workouts has resulted in a weight loss of fifty pounds so far. Third, environmental considerations have led me to want to produce food locally to not only feed myself, but family and friends. Giving others the bounty of your collaboration with nature is deeply rewarding. Also, I garden with the intention of not only feeding humans, but critters as well. Whether it's hummingbirds, robins, spiders or one of many species, I try to be somewhat accomodating, even though I lose some food to nature. The rewards however, are more butterflies, hummers and other birds, and other creatures that add biodiversity to my residence.

For me, gardening isn't about a victory over nature, it is a collaboration with nature for mutual benefit. There are limits to my collaboration, as squash bugs are not tolerated because they don't just eat the juices from squash plants, they infect the vines with a virus that kills the plants. So there are exceptions.

I hope in this blog to discuss gardening concepts and share ideas with others about what has worked for me and what has not. I may also recommend certain plants and their uses and warn people of invasive plants that are bad choices to foster in your garden.

So, if you are interested in gardening and nature, read along and we can hopefully learn from each other.

So here it is. Come pull some weeds with me.

http://obisvictorygardenandnaturepreserve.blogspot.com

Celebrating Earth's Biodiversity

2010-04-23T23:10:00.002+02:00

With Earth Day's passing yesterday, I would like to talk a bit about biodiversity. We really do live on a remarkable planet. Just driving down the road, you can see a wide variety of plants and animals. On our dinner table, you see the same thing, plants, and animals that eat plants, all consumed with little thought to their origin or their makeup. As someone plagued by what Edward O. Wilson calls "biophilia", one of my favorite things to do is just pittle around in my yard and watch the wildlife. And I plant as many different types of plants as possible, knowing full well, that a diversity of plants will bring a diversity of animals.

One hobby I have that also enables this biophilia is hiking. Recently, I was in St. George for a golf tournament. I arrived a day early, in order to get a day of hiking in. The St. George area is a marvelous place to hike with an interesting assortment of flora and fauna. At the northern edge of the Mojave desert, you have many species of plants unique to the mojave interspersed with plants that thrive in the colder, slightly moister great basin desert. Joshua trees, a signature plant of the mojave mix with stansbury cliffrose and other common great basin regulars. Turbinella oak, an evergreen oak with holly-like leaves replace the gambel oak of the great basin, but sage brush (artemisia species) and rabbitbrush (chrysothamnus) are found in both desert environs.

I enjoy taking a pad of paper with me and documenting what plants and animals I see, any interesting tracks I get a good look at as well as make notes about any interesting geologic formations and rocks that I see. Seeing basalt overlaying sedimentary navajo sandstone created an interesting contrast between two different types of rocks, one old and rapidly eroding, and one younger, but heavier and denser and less prone to erosion.

The point I would like to make in this post, is to look around and observe the great beauty and diversity we have the good fortune of surrounding ourselves with. Enjoy this diversity, even if we get a bee sting once in while, or poked by a cactus. We also have to remember that though the earth's biodiversity is resilient, it isn't omnipotent. God did not create this, and God will not protect it, that job is left to us.

And with that, I wish everyone a happy earth month.

Earth Day Shout-out to the All-American Penstemon

2010-04-15T17:22:00.006+02:00

With Earth Day only a week away, it is time to talk about our local environment again. In my previous post, I gave some thoughts on the use of native plants. One family of plants I’d like to highlight is the wonderful flowers known as penstemons. Penstemons are truly American plants, having evolved on this continent. There is some debate as to which botanical family to place them in. Most references put them in the family Scrophulariacaea, but Wikepedia has them in the family Plantaginaceae. I’m not a trained botanist, so I’ll leave the debate to them, but I generally consider them in Scrophulariaceae for what it is worth.

Penstemons are snapdragon like flowers of which many are stunningly beautiful. They have co-evolved with insects and other pollinators of North America. Many penstemons are red, and clearly co-evolved with that unique American bird, the hummingbird. As a hummingbird lover, I’ve planted plenty of wonderful red penstemons such as P. rostriflorus, P. barbatus, P. eatonii, P. cardinalis, P. pinifolius, and P. subulatus. Pink varieties such as P. pseudospectabilis and P. parryi are also good hummingbird magnets.

Many penstemons utilize insects for pollination, and many of them are the most strikingly beautiful penstemons. P. cyananthus (Wasatch penstemon), P. palmeri, P. strictus, P. angustifolius and P. grandiflorus are among the pantheon of beautiful insect pollinated species. Bumblebees in particular like several of these species. P. palmeri, with it’s big pink snapdragon like flowers fit a bumblebee just perfectly. I’ve seen many small butterflies take a real liking to diminutive penstemons such as P. rydberghi, P. procerus and P. virens.

Because penstemons evolved on this continent, their co-evolvers in the animal kingdom utilize these flowers liberally and they are wonderful plants to add to your garden if your intent is to attract different types of wildlife to your yard. I’ve also seen birds eat penstemon seeds, particularly during the cold winter months, so leave some penstemons standing through the snowy winter months.

Some considerations regarding penstemons that you should know. First, they can be difficult to germinate depending on the species. Many need cold treatment for a month or two in order to break the seeds out of dormancy. Also, most penstemons don’t like getting too much water. Penstemons and petunias tend not to make good bed fellows. Soil needs to be fairly well-drained. It also takes some patience with penstemons, because many don’t bloom their first year. They also aren’t as available as other flowers, primarily because they take more effort to grow. But for those willing to make the effort, it is truly worth it.

So you want to be a real American? Grow American. Try some penstemons. The critters will thank you, as will your eyes.

(Photo Notes)
Top Photo- Penstemon cyananthus (Wasatch Penstemon)
Bottom Photo- Penstemon rostriflorus among roses, the hummingbird's favorite flower in my yard.

Some Thoughts on Planting Native Plants

2010-04-01T00:43:00.002+02:00

When I ask people about flowers or shrubs in their yard, I sometimes ask them, “are they native?” Invariably, the answer is that they don’t have a clue, with one exception, quaking aspen. Why does it matter? First let me address this issue in a couple of ways.

First of all, there seems to be a culture here in Utah where the ideal is to recreate a British countryside look. Lots of grass, well manicured bushes and shrubs, meticulously spaced seems to be the desired look for most Utahns. It is almost a status symbol to have a large lawn that is green and weed free. Some homeowners associations demand it and some city ordinances enforce the maintaining of green zones of grass. The second ideal people look for is a bug-free yard. Companies make a fortune killing the few remaining bugs that dare access such a sterile landscape. What is left is a monoculture of lawns, boxwoods and Norway Maples, with weed barriers, sterile mulches and sparse plantings of understory bushes and flowering plants.

Some ambitious Utahns may put in some Dutch bulbs for the spring, or some annuals for the summer. Petunias, marigolds and perhaps impatiens is the limit of plant diversity in many yards with a few irises thrown in for good measure. Admittedly, for most people, they want their yard to look as good as possible with the least amount of work. And the results are an abundance of non-native, often invasive plants that aren’t bothered by “pests”. And the result is predictable. Few species of animals living among us that are adapted to only a few types of plants.

As we approach the planting season for our yards, I’m going to make a plea to my fellow Utahns. Let’s be a little tolerant of our little bug friends. Let’s help them out. If you want to keep them out of your house and want to call the Orkin man, that is fine, but bugs are what makes our overall ecosystem work for most species, including our own. The same pesticides that kill unwanted bugs, also kill honeybees, native bumblebees, butterflies and their larvae, as well as a host of crawling things that actually make the world an interesting place to live in.

And how do we help our bug friends? Plant many different types of plants, weighing heavily towards native plants that have evolved on our continent concurrently with the bugs that utilize them. You may see some eaten leaves in the process, but you can’t have butterflies, if you don’t have caterpillars. And most birds depend upon protein rich insects as food for their brood, even many seed and fruit eating species. During the next months, I’m going to post about some of the wonderful native plants that I have had success with and encourage people to use them in place of grass and non-native ornamentals. The critters that will thank you include butterflies, moths, bees, spiders, robins, kingbirds, hummingbirds, finches and juncos. If you have small children, introduce them to the different species you see and encourage an interest in them.

For the record, I have my fair share of lawn. I have small children and a well kept lawn is a valuable play area for small children. But I also have large tracts that I use for vegetable and fruit gardening as well as wildlife forage. And yes, I consider wildlife to be anything not domesticated. I don’t treat all wildlife equally. Mice that come inside are exterminated. Squash bugs that take a nab at my butternut bushes will not survive the summer. But I try to be as tolerant as possible of wildlife in my yard and relish the fact that I’ve seen some rather unique species come to my yard. I’ve heard my share of whisperings from the neighbors about all the darn bees that come to my yard. Well, I haven’t been stung once in my yard, though one of my daughters was once. Considering how much time we spend in the yard, that isn’t a big concern unless you have allergy problems.

One more note before I end this post. Some plants are better than others at attracting critters, particularly the right kinds of critters you want in your yard. So many people plant aspen trees in areas that are not suited for them, that I recommend you stay away from them. Insects, disease and wind will really take a toll on weakened plants such as an aspen in the wrong location. There are many better choices. Also, some closely related plants native to the area are great choices. For example, gambel oak, a white oak, which usually grows as a bush is a good native plant to have in your yard, however, it grows best as a bush. However, a closely related white oak, “bur oak” grows tall and majestic and provides the local wildlife with the same type of forage they would get from a gambel oak, but in a more tree-like form. I will address issues like this in more detail in future posts.

So let’s let the critters have a break. We’ve taken so much of their territory from them, let’s share some of our space with them. And I promise, you'll see more butterflies, moths and birds as a result.

Book Review of Jerry Coyne's Excellent Defense of Darwin's Theory

2010-01-29T23:05:00.001+01:00

With the 150 year anniversary of the Origin of Species, we have been deeply rewarded with a couple of first class books in defense of the biological sciences which has Darwin's elegant theory as the base of those sciences. It is unfortunate that books of these types are needed, but to those of us who find biology interesting at a novice's level, we get to be rewarded as excellent writing scientists such as Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne grace us with an interesting and passionate exposition of the evidence for evolution and the profound power it has in explaining so much of the natural world in which we live.

Jerry Coyne in his book, "Why Evolution is True", does an excellent job of looking at what Darwin proposed and when he proposed it. He points out persuasively that at the time, there was still much that was speculation on Darwin's part, and it is indeed remarkable just how much he got right. The author discusses the difference between a scientific theory and a theory in the popular language. Likening the theory of evolution to the "Germ Theory of Disease" or the "the Atomic Theory" provides a reasonable comparison for Darwin's "Theory of Evolution." A scientific theory goes far beyond the theory I had this year that the Vikings would win the Super Bowl.

Coyne does a really good job of outlining some interesting cases where the "Theory of Evolution" provided predictions that make sense only in the light of evolution, as well as retrodictions that can only be explained by evolution. He also provides examples from the fossil record which show consistent patterns of evolution and intermediation from one species to another. Coyne addresses common creationist arguments and persuasively shows that the underpinning for creationism and it's dressed up off-spring "intelligent design" is religious and unscientific because it is trying to prove an already accepted outcome.

One of the best parts of the book is when Coyne gets into vestigial features of animals that an intelligent designer would never create. The bodies of all animals only make sense when you retrofit previous features into the current life patterns of current species. Coyne uses interesting examples such as the human appendix, the location of the prostate gland, and the odd development of animals as embryos clearly belaying their past evolution.

Not as strident and caustic and Dawkin's book, it has great power by just how matter-of-fact Coyne is in showing the evidence and putting that evidence in context. He also shows why there is a need for his book, with the United States in particular, facing an intellectual onslaught from those who cling to bronze-age myths in the face of overwhelming reality.

Thanks to Professor Coyne for writing this book in the tradition of others who have preceded him in making the case such as Futuyma and Pennock. Coyne's and Dawkin's excellent books make a great set of overlapping, mutually supporting, but slightly different approaches for making the case for Darwin's elegant theory.

Enlightening and Interesting Defense of Darwinism

2010-01-05T00:23:00.000+01:00

With the 150 year anniversary of the Origin of Species, we have been deeply rewarded with a couple of first class books in defense of the biological sciences which has Darwin’s elegant theory as the base of those sciences. It is unfortunate that books of these types are needed, but to those of us who find biology interesting at a novice’s level, we get to be rewarded as excellent writing scientists such as Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne grace us with an interesting and passionate exposition of the evidence for evolution and the profound power it has in explaining so much of the natural world in which we live.

Richard Dawkins in his book, "The Greatest Show on Earth", starts off comparing deniers of evolution to hypothetical deniers of ancient roman society or to the less hypothetical deniers of the holocaust. Dawkins points out that those who deny evidence do so for ideological reasons and are unlikely to be swayed by his book. It is the author’s intent to give enough ammunition to those not snared by superstitious or nonsensical ideologies that they can confidently oppose such ideas in the public contest for the hearts and minds of the public as a whole.

Like Darwin, Dawkins starts with a lot of evidence from the world of artificial selection to show what can be done through different selection pressures and does a good job of connecting artificial selection to natural selection and explaining what selective pressures occur in the natural world from both “natural selection” and its subset “sexual selection.”

Likening it to uncovering a crime, Dawkins goes through the evidence bit by bit and shows that the evidence is overwhelming except to those who have been blinded by dogma or disinterest. Dawkins gives some great examples to show how Darwin’s theory has been used to direct new findings in the study of genetics, paleontology, etc. Such examples as bipedal African apes, or four limbed “Titkaalik” fish, show the power of understanding Darwin’s theory, and how you can look for evidence and find exactly what you hypothesized you would find.

For those of us who already accept the reality of evolution, the book provides additional interesting insights that Dawkins’ previous books such as “The Selfish Gene” and “The Ancestor’s Tale” got our minds salivating for. Though it is unfortunate that a defense of Darwin’s elegant theory is necessary in a world where tribal bronze-age dogmas die hard, for those of us enamored by the incredible wonder and beauty of the natural world, such a defense is deeply rewarding and awe-inspiring.

When Evidence Doesn't Matter

2009-11-25T22:59:00.002+01:00

I have a very dear friend of mine who is a devoutly religious Southern Baptist. She believes what to me are alot of goofy, unsupported things, such as a worldwide flood, an earth just over 6,000 years old, and that the human species, like all species was specially created by God, with man created in God's image and all other organisms put in place by God for God's divine purposes relating to his special creation, mankind. To me this is goofy, but in the real world I live in, I am perhaps the goofy one, asserting foolishly that based upon the best available evidence, the earth is around 4.5 billion years old, all animals and plants evolved through natural processes from a common ancestor, including humans. I base my thinking upon evidence that to me seems convincing. Evidence, catalogued by the best minds, in a systematic way, with an ability to falsify things that don't hold up to scrutiny. Everything I believe is based upon evidence as I see it, recognizing that evidence is fallable as is my interpretation of the evidence. Because of that fallibility, I am willing to entertain other ideas if additional evidence can make me rethink what I had concluded previously.

The other day, this friend of mine approached me with some piece of evidence for what she described as "intelligent design." It was a pretty lame piece of evidence relating to the complexity of the eye, but had a simple explanation. But I asked her, what level of evidence would I have to present to convince her that man evolved from common ancestors of other primates, mammals, etc. My dear friend told me, "that no amount of evidence could sway me from the truth that I know deep in my heart to be true."

I then said, "but you approached me with what you believed was evidence that evolution was false." "I could be convinced that evolution didn't happen." "Cambrian trilobyte fossils partially digested inside a icthyosaur would make me rethink some of what I currently think about the evolution of species. A homo erectus fossil amidst brachiosaur remains would do the same thing." I said in as nice a way as I could, that "why should I even consider any evidence you present to defend your case, when no degree of evidence would convince you to reconsider yours.

Recently, two excellent books were published outlining some of the best arguments for evolution since Douglas Futuyma tackled the issue in the 1980's with his book "Science on Trial, the Case for Evolution." Jerry Coyne's "Why Evolution is True" and Richard Dawkin's (arguably my favorite author) "The Greatest Show on Earth" in slightly different manners tackle the issue with great eloquence, passion and insight. I'm currently drafting my book reviews of both of these excellent books. These books aren't written for my dear friend and her associates. Evidence doesn't matter to these individuals because it isn't the basis for which decisions are made in their personal paradigm for evaluating truth. But to those for whom evidence does matter, even in some aspect of your life, I recommend reading both of these books. Not only will you understand how convincing the evidence is for evolution, you come away with a new appreciation for just how awe-inspiring life is on this pale blue dot, in the far corners of an insignificant galaxy.

Dark Ages America- A Book Review

2009-09-30T00:25:00.001+02:00

Morris Berman certainly doesn't take an optimistic look at the United States and the direction it is going. For those of us who are alarmed at what has become of our country, "Dark Ages America" will resonate loudly on many levels. Berman addresses America's problems in terms of economics, geo-polity, intellectual, as well as the spiritual. He says many things that many of us know to be true deep down, but hope it's not as bad as it appears. He gives us much evidence that it probably is that bad.

Berman paints a picture of Americans that is disarming. Isolated and alone, with a pervasive parochialistic view of themselves, living in suburbs, using consumption as a sort of catharsis for deeper spiritual alienation, Americans in Berman's view have lost much of what made America great, even though that greatness may have more of a mythic quality than many of us realize.

Though Berman tears into neocon imperialism, he makes it clear that Americans got the government they wanted and deserved. Spiritual and intellectual decline is at the foundation of what made the neocon paradigm resonate with an insecure and vulnerable public. He rejects the typical liberal point of view, that Americans were just deceived by clever charlatans. Berman sees something more ominous underneath it all. He's sees an apathetic, uneducated, gullible public, ripe for the plundering of those in the know and with the wherewithal to plunder them.

One area of Berman's book that I disagree with is his assertion that our nation's moving away from the Bretton Woods agreements by Nixon was a defining part of American economic decline. Fixing a currency and tying other currencies to it is something that rarely works for very long, and it is unique that the Bretton Woods agreements remained in force for as long as they did. America's economic decline has to do with theoretical view of free trade that compromises the national interest and the interests of American workers.

More than anything, Berman pokes holes in American's own personal mythologies regarding our country. Our imperial entanglements are well-documented, as is our economic dependence upon resources from far away lands. More than circumstances, Berman sees America's problems as internal. The problem isn't our leaders, but our people. Our problem isn't the books authored, but the few people that read them. It isn't that Americans misread history, it's that so many citizens haven't read our history to begin with. His book is an indictment of our collective strengths and weaknesses. And he puts together a strong case.

Carrying the Torch

2009-08-26T20:06:00.002+02:00

With the passing of Sen. Edward Kennedy, my heart sank, even as I knew his passing was imminent. When his brother John F. Kennedy said that "the torch has passed to a new generation of Americans", who would have thought that his little brother Teddy would have been the one who carried that torch most effectively. Despite character flaws that afflict all of us, Ted made a real and significant contribution to our country. For those of us who see through the pretty packaging to see the callous and disturbed reality of American conservatism, we've lost an eloquent ally.

For those who want to understand that callous and disturbing reality of American conservatism, I invite you to go to KSL.com and read the comment section regarding the death of Sen. Kennedy. Also look at how those comments are received by the Utahns who frequent that news outlet. I would love to say that I am astonished, but the sad reality is that I've come to expect it. One reason I have stopped posting so much is that I've lost faith and heart in my fellow Utahns. I've seen too much anger, entitlement, and sheer ignorance for me to stomach. Perhaps a lesson I can learn from his experience is maintaining optimism in the face of so much loss.

In 1980, I cast my first vote for President of the United States. It wasn't at a polling place, but at what we now refer to as a "precinct caucus". I voted for Ted Kennedy over Jimmy Carter, whom I felt had showed a lack of leadership and had given into conservatives on too many issues. Ted was unashamed of his liberalism, even more so than I was. Politically, I was more moderate, but I admired Kennedy for his leadership and for his sticking to his guns. The conservative movement, led by Ronald Reagan, and nourished by tax protesters, and other fringe groups threatened the progress that had been made in civil rights, equal opportunity and environmental responsibility. In this environment, a vote for Ted seemed the prudent choice.

I still remember the dirty looks I got with my Kennedy bumper sticker back in 1980. Alot of people told me I was number one on their list with hand gestures. I was heart-broken when Kennedy lost the nomination yet doubly determined after Kennedy gave his great and compelling convention speech. Despite setback after setback here in the hornet's nest, that flame continued in the depths of my soul, to try to make a difference in the public realm. I have continued my involvement in politics, but have felt lately like that flame was beginning to die. The senseless futility of trying to reason with birthers and their lot, is just not worth it.

Ted Kennedy fought the good fight, but he did it with a grace I've never possessed and never will. His advesaries acknowledged his effectiveness and his genuine sincerity. He carried his brother's torch for my entire lifetime. I can only hope that I can regain enough heart to try to carry my part of that torch, that the vision of a more just and rational society, is not not just an illusion, but a real possibility for our Republic.

Rest in peace Ted. You've earned it.

Frugality Essay II- Reducing Energy Costs

2009-07-21T00:14:00.003+02:00

There are far greater resources than this blog on how to reduce energy consumption, but let's face it, as a society, we have been gluttons for energy use on many levels, including the size of our homes, the size of our cars, the distances we travel to work, our dependence on the automobile, etc. There are other areas of energy consumption than the usual that people talk about that I would like to address in my essay. But here are a few tips I offer for reducing energy consumption. Don't do so to reduce CO2 emissions, do so to save money, and let your savings also help the environment.

1- If you have to drive, don't drive large trucks and SUV's unless your profession requires it or you have large numbers of people to haul. I commute from Tooele to SLC every day. I try to ride the bus as often as practicable, but when I take my car, I am amazed at how many single occupant trucks and SUV's I see commuting everyday. You see them pull up at the Maverik and fill up, and off they go, driving like lunatics with their pedal to the metal. It's always good to either have a truck or know someone who will let you borrow one. But unless it is essential to your business, people who commute in large trucks and SUV's are wasting money, they are supporting the trade deficit, and by sending funds to countries that harbor and teach radical islam, they help fund terrorism.

2- Passive solar saves more money than you think. Passive solar, for those not familiar, is all about landscaping. It is about understanding where the sun shines at different times of the year, and taking advantage of the sun, or protecting us from the heat it produces depending on the time of year. Air conditioning is a major expense, as is heat. If you don't think the sun produces heat in the winter, just look into the hills. North facing slopes will be covered in snow, and south facing slopes will often be free of it, even during some fairly snowy years. What it means, is that you want to plant deciduous trees on the south part of your house, which, shorn of their leaves in the winter, will allow heat to hit your house and windows. Oaks, maples, and other dense trees on your south side of your yard can cool things down remarkably during the hot summer months, but allow enough sunlight in to make a difference during the winter. As for the north side of your house, plant conifers which will block cold north winds during the winter. A little unrelated gardening tip. Plant a large conifer such as a blue spruce in such as way that it provides shade to fruit trees such as apricots or preaches in the spring, which will cause them to bloom later and less subject to be caught in a frost.

3- Watch less television and read. Television uses up alot more electricity than a lamp with a compact fluorescent. If you have more than one television, make a rule that both shouldn't be on at the same time. Limit TV time for everyone, and I think you'll see not only less energy consumption, but less snackfood consumption as well. Ditto for video games. Lazy bodies build lazy minds. Staying physically and mentally active vrs. parking in front of the cerebral dimmer will save money, energy and ultimately, give you a better quality of life.

4- Buy local and buy simple. Wherever you are, there are those who raise food or make goods for sale. Goods that have less transport, use less energy in general. And if you really want to support local agriculture, buy honey locally. It may cost you a little more, but the honey will generally be better than you can buy in the store, and you will be supporting pollinators that just may be pollinating your own garden. I always recommend farmer's markets and roadside stands whenever possible. And if the neighbor lady is selling homecanned raspberry jam, you generally can't go wrong. Also something to consider, foods seem to be the most nutritious when they've been processed the least. And the processing is an energy consumer. Potatoes use less energy than potato chips. Fresh broccoli from a farmer's market uses less energy than frozen broccoli, unless it is winter time and the fresh stuff at the store comes from Argentina. Don't buy strictly on the basis of energy consumption, but it doesn't hurt to add it into the equation.

This is all for now. Live long, and live responsibly.

Frugality Essay I- What We Eat and Public Health

2009-06-22T22:58:00.003+02:00

You want to save money? Then take care of yourself. There is a relationship between private health, and private wealth. Given this reality, there is a relationship between public health and wealth as well. We as a country spend an enormous amount of money on medical care. Can we as a country reduce this cost? What is our role as individuals? This is an enormously broad subject, but the implications are significant enough where I think we should at least begin the conversation. There are a few ideas that I would like to explore and discuss regarding frugality and health, but this essay will focus on frugal eating and personal health.

Some people erroneously believe that eating healthy means eating expensive. I would like to challenge that notion and give some examples of frugal and healthy eating choices.

1- On Obi’s frugal list of healthy foods are whole grains. As a recovering Mormon, I remember well people with cans of wheat in their basement (two years supply). You want to save money and improve your health, open the cans and use them as a surprisingly inexpensive and filling food. But don’t think wheat is all there is. I’ve come to really appreciate rye, barley, oats, triticale, spelt and other grains. And you would be surprised how adaptable whole grains are for inclusion in your diet.

Everyone knows that oatmeal is a healthy breakfast alternative. There are a wide range of choices that are relatively inexpensive. This morning, I had rolled rye that I purchased at Whole Foods. I estimate the cost of a good sized serving, including soymilk and berries, at $.1.05. Compare this to something from the drive-thru at McDonalds. Another favorite of mine is 7-grain mix either from Whole Food’s bulk bin or Bob’s Red mill. You save money if you can find it at Whole Foods.

I boil whole grains and use it in yogurt, as a substitute for hamburger, and as a filling addition to canned soups. I also make whole grain bread. For a Democrat in Utah, pounding whole wheat bread dough can be very therapeutic. And the smell you get from home made whole grain bread is well worth the effort.

2- Anyone who has read my blogs know I’m full of beans. And that, is a good thing. Yeah, I’ve been known to rattle the neighbor’s windows a time or two, but in so doing, I’ve got sound nutrition in an inexpensive package. Beans are extremely adaptable and you can add all kinds of home grown veggies into them, such as tomatoes, spinach, corn, peppers, onion, etc. Also, add some boiled rye or barley (see item 1) and you’ll get a very complete protein without the addition of expensive and fatty meat products.

As a Mormon missionary, I had $250/month to live off of. That included rent. A favorite we came up with was “slumgraten”, which was beans mixed with anything else you had left in the kitchen. It was filling, nutritious, and cheap. You want to save money, stay full, and eat healthy, open a can of beans, whether black, pinto, garbanzo, etc.

3- Don’t read the leaves, drink them, and tea-leave me, you won’t be sorry (pretty weak, I know). I admit, this is an uncomfortable subject to bring up with the Mormon crowd, but if D & C 89 were to be re-written today, it would probably say, drink tea, and ban the soda. Tea is loaded with anti-oxidants and both black and green tea are rightly viewed as healthy drinks. Add a little fresh citrus, and it is even better for you. But let’s do some comparison shopping.

Obi wan loves his diet coke. However, when times are tough, an area I can save a lot of money is by shunning the cola for tea. Here is how it plays out. I can get a 44 oz. refill at Maverik for $.95 or get a 12 oz. bottle for $1.25. Let’s compare to tea. I recently bought 100 Lipton tea bags on sale for $2.50. So a cup of tea costs a whopping $.025. Well, since I like my tea strong, I steep two bags for a whopping $.05. Now admittedly, I got a good price, and you might prefer one of the premium teas. Let’s say you found a really expensive tea with 20 bags for $4. That is still only $.20/cup. That is still over six cups for the price of one bottle of soda. Now admittedly, you may want to sweeten your tea, but even so, the cost of the sweetener is insignificant compared to what you would pay for soda.

Green tea, arguably the most healthy tea, is a bit more. I paid $3.45 for a box of 40 tea bags. That is still much more inexpensive than soda. Just remember, that steeping your own tea is the only way to save money here. Bottled teas will cost you as much or more than soda. But making tea is not rocket science. A cup of water and a microwave is all you need.

4- My last suggestion for now, is to rethink your landscape. Many edible plants are also quite attractive and can be used in your yard. Herbs such as basil, oregano, chives, and many others both add flavors to dishes while looking good mixed with flowers. Fruit trees are a great idea (excepts out on your curb or near paved areas) and often look very attractive in the spring. Apricot, peach, cherry, as well as less common trees and shrubs like serviceberry, look good while also providing fruit. In the right location, grapes also provide an adaptable and edible vine.

Teach your kids early and often which plants are edible and which ones are not. Some flower’s leaves actually taste good and are edible like agastache foeniculum and other members of the mint family. Asparagus is an attractive plant when it isn’t producing succulent spears. Experiment with different edible plants and give your children space and opportunity to grow their own food.

I hope this is a good start on our journey towards practical frugality. Eating healthy won’t eliminate trips to the doctor’s office, but will reduce the risks associated with chronic ailments. Medical costs are the leading cause of bankruptcy in our economy. Let’s take care of ourselves and teach our children good principles in nutrition as well as frugal living.

Frugality: A New Paradigm for Life

2009-06-15T17:08:00.002+02:00

There are certain parallels in history that provide lessons for us. One of those lessons is the need for frugality, no matter what your circumstances. As this decade winds down, I’ve been thinking what defines the last decade. I recognize the risks involved in defining a period, because there are exceptions and inconsistencies that need to be given their due weight. But when I think of this decade, I think of entitlement and excess.

We saw this at both the personal level, as well as the government, a sense of over-reaching that was careless and costly to our long-term future as a people and Republic. To some extent, I don’t know whether to attribute this to excessive optimism, or pathological delusion. One of the books which so categorized the period, and influenced to a great extent, neocon economic and social policy was “Dow 36,000.” In this book, the notion exists that the markets are on an upward trend and it is best to get on board. There is no underlying growth in productive capacity or production behind these phenomena, just an increase in the value of existing assets as bid up by a public with greater access to markets and with a demographic population bubble desperately saving for a retirement (baby boomers) that is looming in the near future.

This in retrospect was faith-based economics. Ultimately what creates wealth is productivity and production, not the bidding up of existing assets well above what their return on investment suggests. Economic faith, without a foundation in works, creates a soufflé, ready to collapse under the weight of any shock or crisis in the kitchen. So was it with this paradigm during 2008. Both at the government level, as well as the personal level, Americans lived beyond their means. Cuts in taxes were made without any plan to lower spending. Americans racked up credit card debt in order to keep up with the ever increasing variety of electronic toys available. Much of it was financed on the basis of rising home prices, unrealized gain on existing assets (people's home values). People sought to catch the wave of outer rim of the bubble, Using equity gained from their old home, to buy a bigger new home, with the intention of using ever increasing equity to build their future. POP!! You know how that went.

So where do we go from here? Conventional wisdom suggests that we “stimulate” the economy in a most Keynesian of fashion. It is true, that demand will stimulate production, but we must be cautious where the benefits of that production go. Is it to retail employees at Walmart, or to manufacturers in China or the Philippines? Is it to provide second or third homes for the wealthy, or is it to update sewage systems, water systems, and roads?

Ultimately, what I’ve concluded is that Americans have become somewhat spoiled and entitled. The time has come for the resetting of priorities in our personal lives and as a government. This doesn’t mean we have an inactive government. Our strength as a country comes both from the public and private sectors. But we need to think strategically as a people, and prioritize wisely where we deploy our finite resources.

To some, this may sounds like retrenchment. I rather like to think of it as realignment. It is a realignment of our objectives and our culture. Whether it will work or not, I have my doubts, but I am going to explore this paradigm and discuss ways that we can as individuals, and as a nation, restore our foundation in the areas of economics, health and quality of life. It may be an interesting voyage, but I’m willing to see where the trade-winds take us.

Some Thoughts On Torture

2009-05-03T20:12:00.002+02:00

Let's face it, our nation under the previous administration had a systematic program that encouraged the use of torture for intelligence purposes against individuals deemed to be our enemy. What amazes me is the silence of so many Americans regarding this practice. And even among those who are appalled, it amazes me how easily they turn into apologists for those who committed these acts, giving credence to their motives, as a way of justifying a desire to let them off the hook for crimes committed against humanity.

How often have we heard criminals justify their actions with best of intentions? Some were trying to feed their family or their habit. How many murders were "misunderstandings" gone awry. How many went along with a friend who committed atrocious acts and rather than having the courage to intervene, allowed friendship or devotion to supercede any sound moral code?

First of all, let me say, that the decision of whom to prosecute and whether to prosecute is not the President's. That should fall to the Attorney General. However, the complicated thing here, is that the A.G.'s office, though under a different administration, was a party to the criminal violations for which the evidence is ample and overwhelming. Because of the past role of his office, the legally ethical thing to do is to call a special prosecutor, someone beyond rapproach, to investigate who did what and what criminal culpability they have.

This is not a political or a partisan issue. It is a legal matter of the utmost importance in a nation that other nations look to as a role model for fair and impartial administration of the law. Politics of all kind need to be separated from this issue. The evidence of wrong-doing is public, and there are plenty of witnesses who have publicly said what happened. If our nation does not come clean on this, we'll have no moral authority in the world to combat other nations who engage in the torture of those they decide to detain.

There are maybe 6 or 7 (depending on your point of view) defining moments in our nation's history when people made the right decisions for the right reasons which defines our greatness as a nation. Failure to separate political realities on the torture issue and the war crimes that have been committed, from the legal necessities of enforcing the statutes, treaties and constitutional provisions that have been violated will either help us cement our greatness, or set a precedent that will haunt us for generations.

RIP Bill Orton

2009-04-19T05:27:00.002+02:00

I just heard the news that former Congressman Bill Orton had lost his life in an ATV accident at Little Sahara. Bill Orton came to the Congress via one of the worst political mistakes in recent memory, when Karl Snow's campaign to replace Howard Nielson produced an add showing Karl Snow and his family, and a single Bill Orton and his. Even in conservative Republican land, that add was offensive enough to land Bill Orton a job as a Democratic Congressman in one of the most conservative districts in the country.

And Bill Orton took advantage of the situation. He worked hard and did his homework. I remember watching him at meetings discuss in detail issues that were complex. He took his job seriously, and served his constituents well. He was a bit conservative for my taste, but given his district, I was willing to cut him some slack.

After losing his Congressional seat to Chris Cannon, he remained active in the Democratic party and ran a very respectable race for Governor, I believe, in 2000. Bill continued to speak out on issues important to him and remain involved. And all Utahns owe him a debt of gratitude for his service to our state.

I very much appreciated the times I was able to work with Bill over the years. I didn't always agree with him, but always respected him and I wish the most sincere condolensces to his wonderful family.

Ode to the Tea Party

2009-04-16T17:35:00.002+02:00

I have been inspired to come out of retirement. I owe it all to the "grass-roots" tea parties that dotted out nation yesterday. I may have to limit my scope in what I post, but I think I've worked it out so I can atleast post periodically.

Here is my Ode to the Tea Parties

Obi’s Ode to the Tea Parties

Black tea, grean tea, tea, tea, tea,
I heard it from Sean Hannity,
Damn those taxes damn Obama,
Damn his wife, his dad and mama,
Just like patriots boarding ships,
Let’s chuck the bags and shun the sips,
And fight our cause for God and nation,
This thing called taxes from representation,

Our cause is just our brain cells few,
We’re mad at those who voted blue,
We’ll yell “let’s take our nation back”,
“Let’s storm the dam, let’s make it crack,”
Eight years of Bush just ain’t enough,
Of runaway spending and talking tough,
There’s so much more that we can trash,
In our economy that we helped to crash,

And never mind the Constitution,
Let’s overthrow the institution,
Let’s protest loud, they’ll hear our plea,
With help from Beck and Hannity,
We’ll party on with bags and strings,
We’ll see if Glenn Beck cries or sings,
Let’s protest this Obamanation,
Taxes left from the Bush Administration,

We’re born again we’ve seen the light,
Deficit spending is our fight,
Ok for Bush but shame on Obama,
Let’s foam at the mouth as we ramp up the drama,
Our grass-roots movement pimped by Fox,
Buy some Lipton by the box,
As we who’ve always voted red,
A movement given up for dead,

We’re still around our cause is proud,
With Rush and Plumber guy leading our crowd,
As Glenn Beck’s gets all misty-eyed,
Waving the flag and filling his pride,
With angry words from Atlantic to Pacific,
Rhetorically lame no proposals specific,
Our tea party may not make much sense,
But at least we’ve got anti-oxidants.

The Schwartzeneger Plan and It's Implications

2008-12-20T06:23:00.002+01:00

In California, Gov. Schwartzeneger is contemplating forcing state employees to take a de facto pay cut, by requiring them to take a certain amount of pay without leave. Laying off employees is also being considered. I understand that there are shortfalls, but I wonder how state employees of California feel about them taking the hit because others made bad economic decisions.

I'm sure this will also come to Utah. The past several years, with budget surpluses and a booming economy, our legislature has cut taxes, primarily to the well to do, but not entirely, also reducing the sales tax on food. When revenues are down, does the legislature restore the old tax structure, or do they decide to put the burden of the economic downturn upon Utah's public employees?

Let me get this out of the way first, and it is a perception I get from talking to so many conservative legislators over the years, that they consider public employees as inherently lazy, with bureaucracies that are top-heavy and inefficient, with plenty of fat that can be cut if they can be prodded through accross the board budget cuts.

I have spent some time around those in state government, and I can say unequivocably, that this perception is grossly exaggerated. My wife worked for the state for some time, and found herself overwhelmed with a caseload she couldn't possibly handle, and when there was a failure to meet all the impossible legislatively mandated requirements, that were inadequately funded, the blame never fell upon the legislature, but upon "those evil bureaucrats."

My wife works for the state, and so my position is biased. I'll admit that. But putting the full burden of budget shortfalls upon state employees, who are only trying to do their jobs the best they can seems short-sighted. Also consider, that state employees who are laid off, will take their accrued leave with them, creating a short-term cash-flow problem, increase the cost of their unemployment insurance, as well as further exacerbate our economic problems by increasing the unemployment rate and causing fewer people to be able to spend money to buy cars, houses, appliances, etc.

Utah legislators would be wise, to find solutions to their budget woes short of layoffs or reductions in the effective pay to their employees, many of whom have made sacrifices to remain in their jobs when better opportunities were available to them. Many came to believe strongly in the efficacy of the services they were providing and felt a considerable degree of job satisfaction in serving the public and making a difference in their lives.

Anyway, something to consider.

Change I'm Having Trouble Believing In

2008-12-19T19:25:00.003+01:00

The Rick Warren inaugural invitation is a real slap at those who supported Obama as a principled yet pragmatic leader. Certainly, his willingness to put people in his cabinet who may have divergent opinions has showed that pragmatic side. However, inaugurations carry powerful symbols that can't be ignored. Rick Warren's lack of respect for homosexuals and non-believers should disqualify him from giving him such a forum.

So what is the change we were supposed to believe in? Was it merely competent government? Or was it a fundamental change in direction and change in the ways things are to be done. More than anything, will Obama use the bully-pulpit to speak out against intolerance? Or will he continue to give a forum to those who wish to use the apparatus of the state to harm those they demonize?

We'll all survive a prayer from this wingnut. Since there is no God, I'm pretty sure whatever Rick Warren says in his prayer will not be given any divine traction. But enabling intolerance isn't respecting a diversity of opinion. Some opinions aren't worthy of respect. Do I respect the way muslims treat women? No. Do I respect the way Mormons treated people of African descent for the majority of their history? No I don't. And I don't respect many of the viewpoints of Rick Warren and am troubled that this man will have a prominent seat at an inaugural that was supposed to represent a change in direction for our country.

Happy Holidays from This Atheist

2008-12-17T02:34:00.000+01:00

Especially, I send season's greetings to Utah's prominent wingnut Sen. Chris Buttars, Bill O'Reilly and others who are seeking an exclusive celebration of the season for their own mythologies, namely Christmas. Good ole Christmas, December 25 specifically originally was the birthdate of the Zoroastrian god-man Mithrais. Many of the ancient God-men were born on the winter solstice, representing re-birth, and common theme among the ancient "pagan" religions.

Even to an atheist such as myself, the idea of celebrating "rebirth" has a certain allure. The idea that the darkest of the long dark nights has ended, and the amount of daylight will progressively increase until the peak of the summer solstice. It is a time of reflection, regarding what was accomplished this year, and what was left undone. It is a time to reflect upon those things that provided meaning and joy during the past year. Belief in deity is not necessary to celebrate the season. Uniting in celebration with others for a season that represents giving, brotherhood, and rebirth should be something that unites not divides. When someone like Senator Buttars comes along and devalues the experience of others wanting an exclusive franchise upon the season, it highlights his own myopic exclusivism and a disregard for others who may think differently.

During this season, as in all seasons, I seek to find the best in people and to promote peaceful coexistence. Because of this, I am giving Sen. Buttars a free pass. He is a victim of childhood indoctrination and most likely intolerant and harsh parents. So I hope Sen. Buttars has a very enjoyable holiday season. When he convenes in January as a Senator and seeks to use the apparatus of the state to impose his beliefs on others, I will speak out against him in the most strongest terms I can. But in the meantime, to everyone, I wish you all an enjoyable holiday season, even Sen. Buttars. And if telling Sen. Buttars, Merry Christmas, will soften his grinchy heart and bring him into the fold of sane humanity, I say to Sen. Buttars, Merry Christmas.

Why Utes are Not Intimidated

2008-12-10T06:46:00.002+01:00

Admittedly, playing an Alabama team that was #1 in the nation for several weeks on the surface is quite intimidating. Florida, a team that is peaking at the end of the year beat them, and relegated them to playing a team out west, I'm sure an insult to a team with such great hope.

But UTes aren't intimidated. Why? Let's look at Utah's history. Forget the bygone 1980's when BYU reigned supreme and Utah football tried desperately not to suck, usually unsuccessfully. But in 1989, Utah first turned the tables and sent Sean Covey to the infirmery and told a young Ty Detmer, "come get us" in a 52-28 victory.

Later, under new coach Ronnie Mack, Utah fared quite well. They beat a desert swarm team led by Teddy Bruschi and Dan White and finished in the top ten. Ronnie Mack teams regularly beat BYU teams and began regularly going to bowl games, ultimately beating a Carson Palmer/Troy Polamalu led USC team, only to stumble the next year and lose his job.

Well, Urban Meyer took the amazing talent and resolve of what Ronnie Mack accumulated and within a couple of years was busting into the unbustable BCS and in an amazing 2004 season demolished every foe they faced. Their offense was unstoppable while their defense was very formidable. Who knows how good that undefeated team was. We'll never know because of the corrupt and prejudiced bastards who run the BCS who ultimately put the Utes up against an over-matched Pittsburgh team. This team was so good, for all we know, they may have beaten Auburn, Texas or even, gasp, USC, a team they have beaten before and don't fear in the slightest.

Now fast forward to this year's team. The team started out slowly, with an offense that was inconsistent and sputtering, but with a defense good enough to keep Utah in games and win games by shear will and nerve. At times, I've wondered openly whether Andy Ludwig, Utah's Offensive Coordinator, has an IQ anywhere above the richter scale. But bless those Utes, they have prevailed and gone undefeated.

At this point, it begs the question, will Utah be intimidated by a very solid Alabama team? My answer is no. This program has faced as much talent as John Parker Wilson and this Coffee fellow. Utes have stared down Teddy Bruschi, Carson Palmer, Troy Polamalu, Drew Bledsoe, Marshall Faulk, and a few decent athletes from that team down south. We can hold our own with anyone. Utes have traditionally played up to, and down to their competition. It has been a rare occurence when good competition during the last decade has sent them to the woodshed with a serious thumping.

Utah can, and will compete with a very good Alabama team, so long as they play their A game. Getting to a BCS game isn't enough. In order to be in the picture in the future, they must make a statement that says, "yes we belong here." And I have every confidence that they do. This program has faced some amazing athletes and teams and has prevailed. This bowl game, to be fought in the historic and culturally significant city of New Orleans provides this current crop of Utes to say, yes we are good enough, to not only compete, but to win.

Go Utes. This cyber-jedi is using all his midichlorians to ensure your success.

Obi's 2009 Legislative Predictions

2008-12-10T05:43:00.002+01:00

1- Budget shortfalls will not result in rolling back tax cuts that benefitted the wealthy, but will create additional fees that are regressive in nature.

2- Downturns in the economy will result in budget shortfalls that will cause the legislature to layoff state employees, therefore exacerbating Utah's jobless rate and create a further downfall in Utah's economy.

3- The downturn in the underlying assets behind Utah's retirement programs will result in the legislature pushing the idea of converting Utah's retirement system to a "defined contribution" system and away from a "defined benefit" program. The fact that the underlying stock values are low, the conversion will occur that minimizes costs to the state, but decimates Utah's state employees.

4- Sen. Nuttars will try to use the apparatus of the state to promote his narrow, myopic view of the world and will create just enough embarrassment among the Republican caucus that they will only pass half of Nuttar's agenda.

5- Sen. Howard Stephenson, Sen. Curtis Bramble and Rep. John Dougall will create a privatization initiative that lines the pockets of the company they co-found under government contracts.

6-Some do-gooder Democrat will sponsor some ethics legislation and will face eternal ostracism for suggesting that ethics are a problem for their esteemed colleagues.

7- New tax exemptions for businesses will be proposed while services for disabled orphans and veterans will be appropriately slashed in order to make prudent fiscal policy-making decisions and to balance the budget.

8- Gayle Swastika and her phone tree will warn all Republican legislators, that failure to support Sen. Nuttar's agenda will result in some right-wing whack job challenging them in their next convention/primary election. Repubs will pass 50% of Sen. Nuttar's agenda.

9- Republican legislators will pass resolutions demanding that all Americans become as pure and truly American as Utahns truly are. They will pat themselves on the back for their steadfastness against the forces of evil. Non-mormons, liberals, atheists and anyone with an IQ above 80 will develop severe nausea.

10- Democrats will go along with the most obnoxious Republican initiatives because they know that their failure to do so will result in their lack of electability and/or the revokation of their temple recommends.

I welcome the predictions of others.

Zions Bank: We Haven't Forgotten Who Keeps Us in Business

2008-12-05T06:53:00.002+01:00

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10969465?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Hurray for the red white and blue. And for those who don't know, Zions also has a majority holding in the Utah Legislature.

And on the Executive Branch level, the Utah Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) is regulated more by Zions than Zions is by the DFI. It has been that way since the late 1990's. Regarding the Bank/Credit Union disputes, when Zion's President Harris Simmmons said jump, DFI head Ed Leary (or to those of us in the business refer to him "Mrs. Simmons") said "how Hi?" on his way up. And the incompetence of Ed Leary and Utah's bought and paid for legislators resulted in all of the major Utah Credit Unions deciding to be federally chartered rather than state chartered because Simmons had succeeded in getting a bill passed which would in essence tax the large credit unions out of business. The result, Utah lost tax revenue from credit unions that previously had paid certain state taxes.

Zions Bank officials have always argued for deregulation, of them. But when they can harm competitors through the apparatus of the state, using their bought and paid for legislature, they are perfectly content with it. They are also content to get federal money to buy up failing banks in order to secure their deposits and provide some liquidity to their corporation.

For those who think that the only moochers of government dollars are the truly big national banks, don't be so naive. Even regional banks such as Zions have their eyes on federal money to bail them out of some bad decisions or to take advantage of the bad decisions of other bankers. As an observer of Zions for many years, I suspected that Harris Simmons ultimate goal was to suppress the competition and consolidate Zion's position sufficiently that he could get top dollar for a major merger with one of the big players such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase, or Washington Mutual. However, with the big boys realing, I think Zion's next strategy will be to buy up as many small struggling financial institutions as possible, with federal assistance. But I could be wrong. But don't think they will eschew federal money while also asking for as little oversight as possible from state and federal regulators.

Consolidation will give Zions Bank a good position to reap serious profits when the economy turns around. And if Zions starts showing serious losses, they are now big enough in the intermountain region to be assured that the feds will bail them out rather than let them flounder.

This is my rare post regarding financial markets in Utah. For reasons I keep close to my breast, I may remain silent for a while as events unfold in an ever-changing and volatile financial market place.

Der Fuehrer goes off on the Utah/BYU Outcome

2008-12-05T05:23:00.003+01:00

I laughed myself silly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6CROOR2QN8

No reward for righteous living. Small consolation, but BYU has never lost a fireside.

Congrats to Secretary Rice

2008-12-03T06:36:00.002+01:00

I come from a long line of renaissance men. My father was a politician and a musician. How impressive is it for our first black secretary of state, to perform classical music before a British Monarch? Pretty significant when you think about it. Condi Rice found herself in a very difficult situation, surrounded by a boatload of alpha males who were supremely sure of themselves such as Rumself, Cheney and Powell, and ultimately she outlived all of them in relevance.

I actually have a fair amount of respect for Condi Rice. Do I agree with all her decisions and whether she had the backbone to say "George, I don't think the evidence warrants our invasion." Yeah, Condi Rice has faults, as do most of us. But she also had the courage to "reset the assumptions" regarding American policies in Iraq and ultimately send Rumsfeld into historical malignancy.

Admittedly, Condi is a mixed bag, as are most of us mere mortals. But I was moved by how she was moved by Obama's election. Her performance before a foreign queen, displaying her skills not in diplompacy, but in the arts, speaks well for her. And I honor her in this post, by acknowledging that despite her checkered record, she can still uplift in the realm of the arts.

Nice job, Condi.

Gratitude and Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T08:21:00.002+01:00

Being ungrateful to those who have benefitted you is to me one of the greatest inujustices you can engage in as an individual. As an atheist, I don't atrtibute bad things, nor good things to this supernatural hand. But I do recognize that my life has been positively benefitted by many individuals. Gratitude for those individuals should not be a once a year thing, but since it is Thanksgiving (or atleast it was a half hour ago), I feel I should say something about those who have benefitted me during the year.

First of all, I am grateful to be employed. In our current economic environment, being unemployed does not sound like a place I want to be. I'm glad that my employers have looked at my job performance and found me worthy of further service and compensation.

Second, I deeply appreciate my family. I have three wonderful daughters and a wife who is educated and informed. Both my wife and myself have masters degrees and I am grateful for the standard it sets for my daughters. I value education and I wish my daughters to also value it.

Third, I appreciate my country, for rejecting the fear and supernaturalism of the Republican message espoused be John McCain. I also am grateful for the rational, evidence/competence based paradigm our future President espouses.

Fourth, I appreciate those who serve in our military, who have been put in a very difficult situation, fighting a war in mesopotamia that we never should have fought.

Fifth, I appreciate all those who have defended our country in the past. From my ancestor Samuel Boynton who fought the British at Lexington and Concord, to the 2nd Maine at Little Round Top, to the Marines who stormed Fallujah in the second battle for the city, I honor those who have fought and died for our country and express gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

Sixth, I also express gratitude for the many religiously devout members of my old ward who invested their time and energy to make me a better person. Though I have rejected their faith-based beliefs, I have never disavowed the scope of their positive influence upon my life.

Seventh, I express gratitude for the freedom I have to express my opinions, whether they are popular or not. And I appreciate all those who have challenged what I have written for it has made me think better. One of the great diffences between the religious paradigm and the scientific one, is that challenging the status quo in one realm is heresy, while in the other realm, it is an essential part of the dynamic.

Eighth, I appreciate the fact that I am so spoiled with physical comforts and time to think, that I am granted the ability to pontificate upon the ideas that I hold dear.

Ninth, I appreciate that I still have a mind to engage in worthwhile dialogue. My mother died far too early from the effects of alzheimers. It yet still may get me, depending on how the genes and environment things work out. But given her fate, I value every year where I am capable of meaningful dialogue.

Tenth- I value everything I've learned that makes my life interesting and meaningful. Whether it is geologic information that makes rock formations come to life, or biological insights that unite me as a member of a great and diverse family of animals, plants, microbes and other organisms, I appreciate all I've been able to learn and how it has given me perspective.

And to those who occasionally read my blog, I am thankful for you. Your insights and wisdom have been invaluable, even when you have been wrong.

Dealing With Bush's Misdeeds

2008-11-25T05:25:00.003+01:00

One of my basic concerns, is that the Obama adminstration will engage this subject through the prism of political pragmatism, rather than a sincere belief in the rule of law. The Bush administration has thumbed it's nose at some of the most basic American principles regarding torture, habeas corpus, wiretaps, you name it. Also, this President and his henchmen have solicited legal opinions from their legal counsel from both within their administration as well as the supposedly objective Justice Department that have eviscerated our nation's most basic freedoms.

Personally, I believe David Addington is a man so worthless that he should be spending his golden years cleaning trash along the stretch between Wendover and Lakepoint. John Yoo should be stripped of any licensure with the Bar and should spend the rest of his days making license plates somewhere appropriate. These men prostituted themselves to the worst abuses of executive power and they did so willingly. These men in their own ways are war criminals for their justification for acts that our founders would have shuddered from. These guys are the tip of the iceberg. (Suggested reading, "The Dark Side" by Jane Mayer)

We as a country have lost so much standing to the rest of the world, that it is essential that those responsible, including the decider, moron in cheif, be held accountable for their unlawful acts. To do otherwise is to say that the enforcement of our laws is dependent upon who breaks them. It says that the ideals we have tried to import don't apply to those who would import them. It leaves us with no moral authority in the world.

On the basis of the precedents set by the Nuremberg trials, George W. Bush, Richard Cheney and his legal counsels, including Alberto Gonzalez, David Addington, and John Yoo are in fact war criminals. Will the world consider us hypocrites if we don't treat them as such? I think they should. They may be satisfied with the fact that we've changed course, but ultimately, our message to the world should be that "no one is above the law", not even the President. When a President picks and chooses which laws he will enforce, and subjugates those laws to his own perogative, George W. Bush is not only an incompetent President, but a criminal who abused the power of his position to subvert the law and redefine it in his own terms. And his doing this has created a great constitutional challenge to to our laws. Can the President do this with impugnity?

Admittedly, I have total disregard for George W. Bush. I think he offered the greatest challenge to constitutional government our nation has faced. Any Senate and Congress that understood their role within our constitutional framework would have impeached him and sent a clear message that ultimately, we are governed by laws, not people.

But now, the question is, whether we just move on and consider the Bush experience as an abberation to be buried, or a precedent to be undone through the legitimate legal framework our founders envisioned. As an attorney, I sincerely hope that Barack Obama understands the depth and breadth of what is at stake, and prosecutes those who violated our laws. If he fails to do so, on what basis do we imprison petty thiefs who break into our cars to feed their families, while those who deliberately urinate on our constitution go scott free willingly accepting fellowships at the "American Enterprise Institution."

This may sound strident and shrill to certain ears, but when you get pulled over and ticketed on a technicality, don't cry to me. The laws that apply to you, are only for you and me, not those who work in behalf of the highest levels of the executive branch.

Red/Blue Schizofrenia

2008-11-24T21:01:00.002+01:00

Ok, I live in a red state but vote decidedly blue. I graduated from a red school and wear red atheistically and would never be caught wearing a blue shirt unless it was a dress shirt or pants. So I wrote this poem in hopes everyone will know where I stand.

The Red and the Blue

I vote for blue and root for red,
I’m sure I will until I’m dead,
A moderate liberal is my creed,
A Utah Man it’s red I bleed,

I take on those who offer myths,
I think of cougar fans as stiffs,
No honor code I drink merlot,
Just like some cougar fans I know,

I hang with people zoobies scorn,
Like liberals, gays and lowly born,
Admit I must I still break bread,
With those in blue instead of red,

My mother, brother, sister too,
Attended school, that school of blue,
And even some have voted red,
Didn’t they hear a word I’ve said?,

And love them still though pity most,
These folk I love amidst such a host,
Long-suffering often's been my fate,
Voting blue in this red state,

But lift my chin cause who’d a guessed,
An Obama win and the BCS,
Have made it spring in this dreary fall,
Destroying the Y- THAT SAYS IT ALL

Congratulations Utes and Obama
You’ve made my year

Utah 48 BYU 24
Obama 365 McCain 173

The Reagan Paradigm Shattered to Pieces

2008-11-21T05:11:00.003+01:00

"Government isn't the solution, government is the problem." That was the message Ronald Reaqan gave us, and his followers for three decades have pushed de-regulation and allowing as much freedom as possible in the private sector. And the results? Like an intersection without stop signs or stop lights, we've found ourselves with our critical intersections full of crushed cars, frantic paramedics and economic gridlock resulting from this series of disasters.

And where do the incompetent business people, who for years have decried government intervention into their realm, look for help? The government! OUR GOVERNMENT! Financial institutions make decisions that assume one possible scenario where they can be profitable. When that scenario doesn't pan out, is it the government's responsibility to bail them out? I am on the record as saying no. The candidate I supported, along with his opponent acquiesced and said it was ok to bail them out because the scope of the influence of these incompetents was too sevier to let them go down in flames. I'm swallowing my basic instincts and saying ok, I don't want my opposition to be responsible for our economy go from severely bad, to catastrophic.

Now, enter the people whose incompetence makes AIG executives look like Nobel Laureates. AUTO INDUSTRY EXECS. These first class, high paid, corrupt, incomparably incompetent dufuses now want the government to bail them out because they were dumber than a screen door in a submarine. That evil government, that has prodded the unwilling to save lives with seatbelts, airbags and some basic concerns for fuel efficiency, are now going to be asked to bail them out because government was right about what they should have provided, and because they didn't provide it, they are now bordering and chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Reagan where is thy wisdom, when government is more inspired than the private sector? Why is it that your favored class now comes to those evil bureaucrats seeking favors without condition? Should we impose true market conditions upon you? Or will you just blame the UAW for your faults? Oh yeah, their the guys. For the record, let's compare your salaries/benefits/stock options to those execs who work for Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, etc. Let's truly examine where the disparity exists.

My father, as a patriotic American made a good faith effort through the eighties and nineties to buy American. However, he got really tired of having to buy new transmissions every other year, or have to have fuel pumps fail every 18 months. Getting stranded in Montana in January finally sealed the deal. He's been driving Toyotas ever since.

What sealed the deal for me was when my mother called me at her work because she couldn't figure out how to change a flat tire on her Chevy Suburban. The jack they had assigned to her vehicle would only fit under her vehicle when the tires where inflated. So I took my Toyota Celica jack and raised the suburban high enough to get the suburban jack underneath the vehicle enough so I could change her tire. The carelessness and incompetence of GM made an unmistakable impact upon me regarding the thinking of those who worked in Detroit. Do I want to bail out these idiots? Not until they can demonstrate to me that they deserve to be bailed out. Nothing I have read from Consumer Reports has indicated that they deserve our consideration.

The failures of the auto industry and the financial industry are complex with multiple variables. But government was not the major factor in their failures. Unmitigated capitalism was the failure. This isn't about ideology, but a manifesto for economic realism. The failures of corporate governance as well as government oversight are well documented. But the answer is not to further remove governmental controls, but to make them more rational and meaningful.

The paradigm that set my generation upon a negative view of government accentuated by Reagan, was fatally flawed. Reagan was no prophet in fact he was a false prophet. He was a radical ideologue who had no real understanding of economics. Where we are now, is a repudiation of his shattered legacy. When a liberal like me is a lone individual concerned about government taking equity interests in financial institutions, I can only conclude that conservatism is philosophically incoherent, inconsistent, and ultimately irrelevant.

Thoughts on Bi-Partisanship

2008-11-18T05:45:00.003+01:00

Admittedly, I have mixed emotions on Barack Obama's tendency to invite Repubblicans into his administration, looking for the best and brightest, emulating both Kennedy and Lincoln in certain aspects of his proposed administration.

It is true, that we want people who are qualified for their jobs who have the expertise necessary to succeed in the objectives that I hope President Obama clearly articulates to his cabinet. Admittedly, many people who worked within both the Bush and Clinton administrations found themselves under different regimes with different guidance. I can relate to that. I also spent my time working in government, and was required to take, and defend actions, that I did not necessarily agree with. That comes with government service. I am hopeful that those who serve President Obama, regardless what misteps they may have been required to defend in the Bush Administration see the light and take a new, and more moral course regarding rights under our constititution.

Chief among these is John Brennan, someone whom I perceive is well-meaning and highly intelligent, who has defended some of Bush's worst offenses. He is now Obama's primary intelligence source. Is this man flawless? Absolutely not. Check out Glenn Greenwald's expose on him at Salon.com.

The question is, is can those who supported the worst of Bush use their experience and skills to acheive Obama's goals and objectives and turn away from the practices of what I would consider to be the worst administration in American history.

Also, consider the possibility of keeping on for a time, Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. Admittedly, I endorsed his taking over DOD from Rumsfeld. I have always viewed Gates as a pragmatist and a realist. I am not peacenik, and have always rendered my scorn at Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld for their lack of realism. Pursuing American interests is not the same as unilaterally pissing off our allies to make a statement. Bush and his cadre were hotheads, morons and nincompoops. They misused our military, but having made commitments in Iraq and Afganistan, I was willing to give administrators a certain degree of latitude so long as they gave me evidence they were worthy of that latitude.

I know I sound like I am rambling. There is a part of me that wants to clean house. However, there is a part of me that understands that our President needs fulfill his role as a uniter. Obama has a unique mandate to bring disparate views to government and make decisions based upon serious dialogue rather than strict adherence to an incoherent and inconsistent ideology that was espoused by the neocons.

I'm willing to give Obama a couple of years to see what he will do with his administration. I actually am encouraged that he is willing to put people with disparate opinions in that adminstration of his. So long as he articulates to subordinates that once the decision has been made, they must support and implement those decisions, I'm willing to give him enough rope to either pull us out of the shithole Bush has placed us in, or wrap it around our necks.

But, unlike most Republicans, if I perceive our necks are being constricted, I will speak out. I'm giving a degree of perogative, not a blank check. Most Republicans gave Bush a blank check for essentially six years, with disastorous consequences for our Republic. The Democrats that I believe in believe that government can be effective, if it is rational, transparent, and open to new ideas. Reagan was wrong when he declared that "government is the problem." "Bad government is the problem." Republicans have proven the latter dictum. Bush's incompetent administration of government doesn't mean that government is inherently ineffective, only that government dominated by those who disdain government action usually make governmental actiion in our behalf worthy of disdain.

****Corrected per a good suggestion from David Miller

Cal 8 Prop- A Sad Legacy

2008-11-11T19:42:00.002+01:00

I've been waiting to simmer down my angst regarding the passing of Proposition 8 in California before I post something. I'm finding it taking longer than I thought it would. Even though this isn't about me, it is about what it means to be an American and whether we have equal treatment under the law. Proposition 8 sought, and now will acheive the goal, of rolling back rights granted to homosexuals to enjoy the "civil" rights of marriage.

The two major villians in this drama just happen to be two major religions whose members, under guidance from their leaders, ponied up the bulk of the funds promoting this sad proposition. Admittedly, when religious leaders wish to use the apparatus us the state to impose their own religious dogmas on the rest of the population, I get really irritated, and it becomes hard to me to maintain the calm, reasoned discourse that I aim for in my posts. It just seems so arrogant to send a message, that those of us who agree with us, deserve more rights than those who we disagree with. And through this, when LDS officials try to piously sound like they love gay people, but just want to preserve the institution of marriage, it sounds more smug and insincere to those of us who either haven't consumed their koolaid, or have disgorged it before it consumed us.

Having donated alot of money during the time I believed in Mormonism, having spent countless volunteer hours to "build" their kingdom, I feel a certain responsibility for this. Yes those donations were tax exempt and were part of my Schedule A on income taxes. My donations to political action organizations promoting gay rights are not. There seems to be an underlying unfairness, where the government subsidizes bigotry, but taxes efforts at equality. Am I the only one concerned?

I don't have a problem with the LDS Church defining marriage for their members. Frankly, if they wanted to bring back plural marriage, I would have no problem with it as a religious practice with a couple of caveats (consenting adults, filial economic support, etc.). But I strongly object to the LDS leadership wishing to take their religious beliefs and imposing it upon those who mean them no harm. For a church that used to sanction the marrying of teenage girls to old patriarchs to smugly and condescendingly decide that gays cannot take advantage of the civil institution of marriage, is mind-bogglingly arrogant and hypocritical.

Veteran's Day Thoughts

2008-11-11T18:53:00.002+01:00

Every Veteran's Day, I make it a point at some point to watch "Saving Private Ryan." For some reason to me, the end of the movie, with an elderly James Francis Ryan looking over the grave of Captain Miller, who died trying to preserve Private Ryan's is very moving, as is Captain Miller's last words to Private Ryan, "earn this."

There seems some universality to this message that is hard to lose sight of, and that is that Private Ryan represents all of us Americans. We should seek to earn what our brave soldiers have provided for us by being the best citizens possible. What entails being a good citizen? I suppose alot of things. One thing I don't believe being a good citizen, is being a rubber stamp for any ideology or party. I believe the least we can do, despite our busy schedules is to take seriously our role as the "deciders" when it comes to elections. It means, we have no excuse not to know who our elected officials are and what they are doing. Is it easy? Heck no. But it is a heck of alot easier than dislodging the Wehrmacht's 352nd Division from their stout defences on Omaha beach.

Part of being a good citizen is understanding basic civics and American history. I think a real appreciation for our country, warts and all, comes from understanding where we have been, what mistakes we have made, and what progress we have made correcting those mistakes. When we say we are proud to be an American, there should be some tangible, authentic reason for that pride, not base tribal and national identity like we are just as likely to have to our alma mater's football team.

Part of being a good citizen also entails having the tolerance to find good in imperfect Americans, but the courage to challenge imperfect ideas that may have wide followings among Americans. Courage also applies to a willingness on our part to discard our own ideas when careful scrutiny shows their fatal flaws.

Being a good citizen also entails a sincere attempt at being law abiding. I'm not implying that anyone who has broken the law, from jaywalking through more serious offences cannot be a good citizen. All of us our flawed, but a desire to be law abiding, being honest with our taxes, and helpful to our fellow Americans is something we all should aspire to do.

Now, let me touch the sensitive subject of military service. Admittedly, I come from a long line of civilians, my grandfather barely missing out on World War I, my father barely missing Korea, and I being too young for Vietnam. I have to go back to the American Revolution where my Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather Samuel Boynton fought the British to find a direct ancestor. (Of interest, an even farther back ancestor, Edmund Beaufort, was blamed for the loss of the hundred years war in the 1400's). But I've toyed with the idea of some sort of mandatory military or civilian service. One reason for this, has been a propensity of individuals with no personal stake in a war, seeming to promulgate such wars. Most of my close relatives openly supported the Iraq war, but their sons and daughters served LDS missions, not our overstretched military. I like President Obama's idea of providing education assistance for public service.

A few years ago, while visiting the Gettysburgh battlefield, I remember looking down from Little Round Top to the Devil's Den (See picture at top of this blog) and was moved at what transpired there. General Sickles blundered by sending his Corp into a vulnerable salient, that ultimately, and accidentally saved the day on Gettysburgh's second day of battle. The bloody fighting in that salient gave just enough time for other troops to arrive at the spot I was standing upon at Little Round Top and prevent the Confederates from turning the Union left flank. After the battle, Sickle's old Corp., was so battered and weakened, it had to be merged with another corp. The troops in Sickle's corp didn't ask to go into that vulnerable salient and ultimately lose the bulk of their comrades in arms. But they did their duty. Some times we disagree with the decisions made as far as whether to go into battle, or whether the battle should have been fought the way it was. But in the end, we should never lose sight of the sacrifices of the men and women who did their best, regardless of the circumstances.

To the Veterans out there, I salute you all and say thank you. For those who have lost loved ones serving our country, a thank you sounds inadequate. What I can offer you and the loved ones you lost, is my most sincere attempts at being a good citizen who has earned their sacrifice. I may never get there because your loss is too heavy and my own faults too many. But in the end, that is all any of us non-Veteran citizens have to offer.

Rachel Maddow, One Formidable Talking Head

2008-11-07T06:06:00.002+01:00

After watching nearly a decade where the talking heads that dominated our news were people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter, along came the liberal answer. Rachel Maddow and Keith Obermann represent formidable answers to the neocon talking points. And their ratings have consistengly increased relative to the Fox News propagandists. Now admittedly, you could argue that Maddow and Olbermann are mere propagandists. However, I find it interesting that both welcome conservative viewpoints. Rachel Maddow's relationship with Pat Buchanon is particularly interesting. But you have to admit, openning up your dialogue to the man who talked openly about the cultural war our nation faced is quite compelling.

Admittedly, I like both of them, but maybe it is because they reinforce things I have been thinking for years. But Maddow in particular seems especially formidable. The "bull shit detection kit" advocated by the venerable Carl Sagan seems to be firmly within her arsenal. And though she uses satire and a touch of sarcasm to make her point, the point is well-spoken and hard to argue with.

There was a day in this country, when liberal voices were muted and isolated. That day is past. The Comedy Central team of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, added to the formidable two-some of Olbermann and Maddow on MSNBC makes a liberal viewpoint available to the general public. And if their viewpoints are questionable, go ahead and question. They seem open to the challenge. Do you really think Hannity's and Limbaugh's screeners will allow a liberal viewpoint past them?

I think not.

The Nightmare is Over and I See A Vision of Hope

2008-11-05T05:13:00.003+01:00

I woke up today with a fright. Somehow, McCain would win, and this election would represent American retrenchment and pessimism. But ultimately, our nation opted for hope, and a sense we still can as a country right the ship. And as I write this, with tears in my eyes that I am incapable of suppressing, I think, what a message we as a nation we sent to the people of the world, that we truly are a United States of America. That a bi-racial fellow with African DNA coursing through his bloodstream, should ascend to the highest office in a nation that once enslaved someone with his level of melanin, shows just how far we have come as a country.

This is a great moment in American history, one that historians 100 years from now will reference with great import. We have been witnesses to this historic moment. We are fortunate to be here at this time, where the greatness of our ideologies aligned with the with our nation's realities. To see white men, white women and minorities all give a plurality to Obama. This is monumental, and though Utah voted for McCain, I stand proud of my two Obama bumperstickers, and the middle fingers I've endured.

One thing I'd like to say about John McCain. The gracious statesman that was John McCain reappeared tonight in his concession speech. The call for unity and support showed McCain as he is, not as what his political consultants wanted him to be. The Rovian disunity campaign showed the ugly underbelly of neocon malice, but it undermined McCain and he stands as a tragic figure, embracing those who destroyed him, to gain the power that eluded him before. I hope McCain will regain his bearings and continue to contribute to our body politic in meaningful ways.

As the dark clouds of our recent cold front descended upon our valleys, I recalled vividly the dark clouds of the paat eight years. I nervously watched the results come in, but in the end, with tears in my eyes, I feel a sense of hope, optimism, and pride in our great nation.

The Cross-roads Defining Who We Are

2008-11-01T06:34:00.002+01:00

This election truly is a cross-roads. Americans seem to sense it, and I believe that the number of people who vote will be off the charts from what we saw in 2004. One candidate speaks of hope, and opportunity. One candidate talks about fear and guilt by association. One candidate seems to be able to articulate specifics, one rhetoric atleast two decades old. One candidate calls upon Americans to stand up, one calls upon us to retrench to failed philosophies that have led us into the abyss we are in.

I wrote a personal essay after the 1994 election, where I stated, "America hungers for a positive voice, a hopeful voice, and we somehow failed to give it in 94, but what is troubling, is the extent to which Republicans won on such a negative voice." That negative voice dominated our discourse for over a decade, and even created it's own propaganda ministry to further it. It took prolonged warfare, economic collapse, and a new type of Democratic leader to awaken Americans out of the dark, regressive slumber of conservatism.

Barack Obama tries to let conservatives off the hook by going after Bush and his neocon chronies, but never attacking Republicans as a group. I understand the wisdom of doing that if you are to govern effectively as President. But as someone who will not be governing, I'm willing to throw a few grenades into the Republican mindset, and emphatically state, that the problems we have today were your making, not mine. I keep hearing Republicans talk about the need for accountability and personal responsibility, but it was you who gave this incompetent President a blank check, not me. I doubted the wisdom of the Bush doctrine of attacking a country on the basis of what they might do to us in the future. You did not. When I expressed those concerns, my patriotism was questioned by many of you. My love of country was dependent upon slavish agreement with bad policies that you supported blindly.

Ok, enough of my rant. This election will tell us whether we as a nation look forward to address our challenges or look backward to scapegoats. Barack Obama to his credit looks for solutions and keeps an open mind. Myself, I'm still coming around because I see plenty of scapegoats and many of them are my neighbors and people I care about. I'm trying to look forward, but am haunted by failures of policies that I spoke against for the last eight years. Like John McCain, I see scapegoats and am struggling to move beyond them. But it is a different set of scapegoats. I see the Republican party as the scapegoat, and he sees immaterial people who have been effectively out of power as the scapegoat. One of us lives in the real world, and one does not. John McCain is living in a dream world and should not be trusted with the mantle of Presidency of our Republic.

Ok, I feel much better.

Speaking Unity vrs. Fearmongering

2008-10-31T01:55:00.002+01:00

Perhaps the most telling part of the campaign for President this year is the contrast between Obama's emphasis for hope, and the McCain campaign's continuing Bush Doctrine 2.5 of demonizing the enemy. Attacking what a candidate says is really fair game. And that isn't necessarily preying on people's fears. However, when you try to raise questions about someone's love of our country, their patriotism, their past associations, question their devotion to their religion, their family, or any other related item, it shows that a candidate has no ideas, only complaints.

Our country is at a cross-roads. The precipitous decline of our Republic under a Republican President is traumatic for all Americans. After the events of 9/11, most of us Americans, including Democrats put our country first and our party affiliation second. And we paid a price by allowing an out of control executive to seize powers and set precedents that were unhealthy for our Republic. And rather than unite us, this President took us to war against a country that hadn't attacked us, under false pretenses. And when people questioned this dangerous precedent, they were labelled as unpatriotic and smeared by the best propaganda network money can buy.

It isn't any wonder, that when these tactics are used now, they only seem to resonate with those who are innately fearful themselves. FDR, when our nation faced even more dangerous crises reassured the country by saying, "there is nothing to fear but fear itself." Obama takes a similar stand, that hope, combined with carefully crafted policies can turn things around.

We as a nation, can descend into despond, and we can find plenty of demons to be fearful of. We can find scapegoats galore, both internal and external that we can blame our decline upon. Fear can drive us to retrench from our role as a force of optimism and ideas in this ever changing world. But we can also decide, that we are not done yet. The promise our founders gave us, is but a shadow of what we can be in the next hundred years as a force for good in our world. Part of taking that role, is to admit our miscues, and to rebuild bridges and trust with other nations and their citizens. Obama is the only one who can do that who currently has a chance of winning.

And to us Democrats, should Obama win, let's vow to never give him the blank check Republicans and some Democrats gave his predecessor. Let's ensure that he conducts his government competently and with the transparency and oversight any effective government must have to succeed. Our role as citizens doesn't end after November 4. Our contribution to this Republic must be constant and vigilant. So whoever wins, you can be sure I won't be silent. Even being called unpatriotic didn't shut me up before. And it won't work any time soon.

My Message to Barack Obama

2008-10-28T03:50:00.002+01:00

It's time to end the Bush ads. The only people who have not seen those adds are living on an island and don't vote. In a previous post, I argued that now was the time to go positive. I still believe that. The only risk Obama has of losing is that he doesn't adequately convey the reasons people should vote for him, not against McCain.

Obama has run a great campaign, and McCain has been inept on many levels. But if Obama doesn't finish strong, he could still lose this race. A strong finish is about reasons to vote for Obama, and not against McCain.

Again, let me say this as emphatically as I can. DUMP THE EFFING BUSH ADS!!!! They served their purpose, but now the American people need a reason to vote for change, not against Bush. Obama can seal the deal with the right message at the right time. Now is that time. There are multiple messages that can be conveyed positively. One of those is the ability to embrace and inspire conservatives to support him. Run with this asset. Declaw those who will swipe at you this last week.

Obama's politicos have pushed the Bush ad four days too long. Now is the time to send a message of unity and leadership through carefully and professionally crafted commercials. Get your act together Obama campaign, and our Republic has a fighting chance.

Our Nation Needs Leadership, Not Ideology

2008-10-26T06:09:00.002+01:00

But let me condition this phrase. Hitler showed leadership as did Mussolini in addressing the problems their countries were faced with. But I don't sense Obama in the same light. He asks reasonable questions and proposes reasonable solutions. He doesn't seek scapegoats, but is willing to look for solutions.

Our nation seems to crave reason after blindly following dogma for eight years. Obama is smart enough to understand that though we made a mistake by invading Iraq, we must somehow make our exit of Iraq within our national interest. He understands, that our real problem is Al Qaeda and it's resurgence in Afganistan and the unruly parts of Pakistan. He's examined the situation, not on the basis of liberal or conservative ideology, but on the basis of American national interest.

Now, admittedly, I am the rare liberal who agreed with the idea of the surge. I never thougth the "light footprint" idea of Rumseld/Casey would work. I disagreed with the invasion of Iraq, but my biggest complaint was the inept adminstration of reconstruction in Iraq. De-baathification and the dissolution of the Iraqi army were critically bad decisions that seemed to be made by subordinates of the President, not by the President himself, which shows you just how passive and weak the President was in determining the most important policies of his adminstration.

George W. Bush wasn't a decider, he was a tragically inept third party to others who controlled his administration. George W. Bush substituted the perception for control for the absence of control. That kind of institutional incoherency seems to be the antithesis of what Barack Obama is all about.

John McCain is a noble American who means well but has surrendered his morals for political pragmatism, only to find that what he thought was pragmatic, was merely dogmatic. He is a tragic figure, one whom I used to respect, and now pity more than despise. Obama has been the unflappable leader while McCain has showed himself as an erratic politician. I mourn the loss of the 2000 McCain. Our nation desperately needed him. But McCain out of what he considered political pragmatism supported that which in his heart caused him grief. And now, he looks into the abyss of his surrender of principle and common sense and tries to convince us it never happened.

McCain could have shown us leadership and wisdom, but he decided upon a safer course, but one that was disastorous to our national intersts. The cool and collected Sen. Obama will likely win the Presidency simply because he appears like a leader. And leadership is what our nation needs.

The Limits of Guilt By Association

2008-10-25T06:41:00.002+02:00

I've served on my share of boards and commitees that have sought to acheive a positive end in our society. Ultimately, I admit, that my concern is the cause I'm enlisted in, not the background of the individuals I serve with. I'm not going to do BCI check on everyone I serve with. If I hear rumors that someone on the committee had previously done something questionable, particularly decades ago, I'm certainly willing to measure the value of the cause with my association of some cohort who had made some bad decisions decades ago.

The attack against Barack Obama regarding William Ayers is so ridiculous, I sit here puzzled. It's like George Bush's declaration to George Tenet regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, "is that all you got?" Though various associations, I have worked with and even been related to people who are listed as sexual predators. Did I approve of their actions? No I did not. But I was associated with them, and I still value my relationship with them.

I don't limit my associations to perfect people. If I did, I know I'd be hanging with liars. The Bill Ayers thing really disturbs me because we associate with people all the time, some we know have a shaky past, some we don't, but most of us, are willing to overlook past mistakes, and admittedly I fit that mold. The attacks against Barack Obama regarding Bill Ayers and ACORN seem to be born by desperation, rather than by principle.

Many of us liberals want to focus on the relationship of the Palin family to the secessionist Alaskan party. Most of that deals with a desire for fair play. But you know, I've got friends and relatives who don't see it, who are blatant racists. I try to influence them the best I can, but I care for them never the less. Guilt by association has become far too commonplace in our political dialogue, and neither party is innocent, but the Republican party is particularly guilty of this nefarious sin.

Let's listen to what politicians list as their priorities, and whether they jive with ours. If after they are elected and they lose sight of those objectives, let's call them on it. But this guilt by association thing has got to stop if we are to value each other as Americans, warts and all. Demonizing people we disagree with drags us down to their level. I feel a deep profound disappointment in the McCain campaign in their guilt by association tactics. I sincerely wonder how anyone who values our constitution can then go vote for John McCain who has expressed such a willingness to disrespect it.

Barack Obama- The Manchurian Candidate

2008-10-25T05:29:00.002+02:00

Ok, let me digest this. Barack Obama is being endorsed by Colin Powell, Scott McClellan, the entire Goldwater family, the former Republican Governor of Massachusetts who endorsed Flip Romney, Christopher Buckley, etal. Alright, let it go from stomach, to intestines and colon and wonder, "what in the hell is going on here?" Is it possible, that Obama was a neocon plant, who just happened to be black, and talked liberal talking points? Did the neocon faction find someone who would do their bidding while talking about such silly notions as "middle class tax relief?"

I'm confused and as Nancy Workman would say, "discombobulated." I hate to admit that because I know the readers of my blog expect certainty. But hey, I am uncertain. People who have so graciously forwarded conservative motives now seem to have regrets and wish to make amends. Is this real? IRL, I was demonized for opposing the stuff that conservatives are now disavowing. Do I now have fellow demons to cohort with?

Dudes, I am confused. I don't know what Republicans stand for any more, so I don't know how to oppose them. I know that the base, that John McCain and his running mate have appealed to, are as deluded as Jewish Nazis, but damn, how could someone anticipate the neocon movement to dissipate into irrelavance as fast as the "boxers" or the "order of the garter?" Yeah, I'm discombobulated. I will trust to fate, that the American people will realize, that what they voted for in 2000, 2002, and 2004 served them about as well joining the bottom end of some delusional multi-level marketing scheme. I hope, they are wise enough to know "they've been had." But I doubt it here in Utah. Most Utahns seem to relish their subservience to malice. However, they usually misinterpret "that malice". But I could be wrong.

But anyway, I'll plug away, in my usual role as the tilter of windmills who ultimately get shreddedby the blade.

So McCain Now Disavows George W. Bush

2008-10-24T17:42:00.002+02:00

So now I've read that McCain is critical of the lame duck President. His deficits, signing statements, warrantless eavesdropping, etc. WHERE HAS HE BEEN FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS!!!! Did it take him looking into the abyss of electoral defeat before he saw what so many of us have worried about for years? Who is John McCain? I mean really? And I thought Flip Romney, the conservative former liberal Governor of Massachusetts was perplexing.

If the Republican party base wanted change, they would have picked someone like Ron Paul. But in the primary, without mentioning George W. Bush, all the candidates (except Paul) all parroted his policies and foreign policy outlook. It seemed to them, that all was needed was better marketing. Mitt, with his flawless hair and corporate demeanor could repackage the failed Bush policies? Right? Well it didn't happen. Huckaby, with his evangelical views and a slight bit of folksy populism, could repackage 80% of the Bush agenda, right? Naw, didn't happen.

So McCain, trying to out-conservative his conservative rivals became the defacto spokesperson for the neocon world view. Well, when that worldview shows it's weak, and disgusting head and the implications of what has transpired the past nearly eight years, what is McCain to think? "Maybe I should have spoke up?" Hey, I hold alot of Democrats guilty for their failure to do so as well. But McCain is in a special place. He proudly supported George W. Bush, after some reservations about his tax cuts (probably while his feelings were still hurt because of being Roved over in 2000).

But I have to be honest, that I never thought it would get to this, that a so-called Maverik would declaw himself, and then want to regrow them for the last two weeks before the election. The claws are gone, and your credibility is in shambles. You've picked an undereducated, under-qualified running mate who has done nothing but bring out the worst, in your already mentally ahakey base. I don't know what to think about John McCain at this point. In 2000, I was an admirer of him. In 2008, I vascillate between pity and scorn. He is almost like a Shakespearean tragic figure like a McBeth or King Lear.

Truly perplexing time we are living in. Atleast Greenspan apologized. When will George W. Bush and John McCain?

Time To Go Positive

2008-10-21T06:29:00.002+02:00

In the rough and tumble world of politics, alot of groundwork is taken by candidates to undermine the other candidate and to create a sense of fear about supporting them. I have watched too many politicos who seem oblivious to the idea, that in the last two weeks, people want to believe in a candidate, not just disbelieve in one. It is a matter of timing, and Democratic politicos (consultants) tend to misread voters and take desperate acts when they should be focusing on the positive.

A classic case of this was Wayne Owen's campaign in 1992. The political consultants that surrounded him wanted him to go after Robert Bennett and try to tie him to watergate. These well-paid, yet incompetent nincompoops turned a small margin for Bennett into a solid victory for a bald-headed do nothing Senator. I still after a decade and a half feel a certain disdain for the politicos who so badly misplayed their hand.

My opinion, not as a political consultant, but a person involved in politics for a long time, says that now is the time for Barack Obama to turn positive. It is time for him to focus less on McCain and on the vision he hopes to lead this country. It has been a rough and tumble campaign, with alot of divisive discontent among Americans. Now is the time for a leader to emerge, to try to unify our country as best they can. Someone to recognize the basic goodness of most Americans.

Now is the time to inspire hope by Obama, and not fear in McCain and Palin. It is time for those who wish to govern, to establish their bona fides by acting like a leader now. Americans are desperately hungry for this. Turn off all commercials that could be construed as negative and that even mention McCain and Palin. To Obama, talk about your vision, your goals and your commitment to the rule of law, to economic fairness and to a desire to strengthen our country and regain the moral high ground that has been surrendered by eight years of George W. Bush.

This election, should no longer be about John McCain. Don't mention him. It is time for Barack Obama to show himself as the leader who will enter office with confidence, competence and a clear set of goals and objectives. Americans are starving for such a vision. In the environment of such a projection, any attacks on Rev. Wright will fall on deaf ears. Americans are desperate for a unifying leader, not more scapegoats for our failings as a nation and culture.

My message to Obama- LEAD!!!! Our nation desperately needs leadership and vision. It has lacked it for eight long years and now is the time to show McCain as a divider, not a uniter. But it is time for Obama to speak to his vision, not against McCains. It is time to reassure us about an Obama administration, not scare us about a McCain/Palin administration. Now is the time to wear the mantle of the position you hope to hold, not worry about your opponent.

Admittedly, Obama's politicos may or may not follow what I have to say, but I am confident from the many political wars I've fought in the past, that the advice is sound.

Thoughts On Powell and Zakaria

2008-10-20T17:10:00.002+02:00

The two most prominent opinion leaders to come out and endorse a presidential candidate are of course, Colin Powell, and Fareed Zakaria. Both endorsements are important but in different ways. Admittedly, Zakaria is a moderate/liberal with a realist bent on foreign policy. He has been a critic of the Bush Administration's unilateralism regarding Iraq (though he supported United Nations action to overthrow Saddam's regime). He was one of the first to point out the dangers of de-Baathification and the disbanding of the Iraqi army. He recognized early and often, that Gen. Shinsecki's estimate for how many allied forces would be needed for Iraq reconstruction was far more sound than the Wolfowitz pie in the sky nonsense. However, Zakaria has a certain independent streak when he talks about liberty, vrs democracy and how it is likely to evolve in from country to country. A big believer in private property, free trade, the rule of law, etc., he sees democracy evolving out of liberty, not liberty evolving from democracy. Obviously, someone who is a deep thinker, but also someone with an independent streak, the fact that he endorsed anyone for President is a bit of a surprise to me. Clearly he understands how important this election is and what it will mean to America's relationship with the rest of the world. In that regard, his endorsement of Obama makes sense.

As for Colin Powell, I knew it would take only a mili-second before conservative propagandists would try to spin this as a racially based decision. But everything I've read about Colin Powell suggests that this is an extraordinary break with those he broke bread with for most of his career. "The Powell Doctrine" is still studied as a formidable foreign policy paradigm, one that would have given the administration of George W. Bush a far greater chance of success, than the Rumsfeldian/Wolfowitz approach. Having been used to further their aims, he has never spoken out against that, though some of his closest confidants have. Powell is someone who measure his words and his actions carefully. Powell's endorsement by itself sends a strong message, but the reasoned justification for the endorsement was a very powerful and relevant statement as to where we are, and what we need as a country. Powell's calling out of Republicans for the demonization of muslims showed Powell to be an American in it's truest sense, not in it's limited neocon version.

All in all, an extraordinary weekend. In addition, newspapers that have never endorsed a Democratic candidate for President have done so, without remorse or a look backwards. These are extraordinary events in a troubled time.

Distributing Bowen Lawn Signs

2008-10-19T08:16:00.002+02:00

This morning, I spent a great deal of time distributing Morgan Bowen lawn signs in my native Tooele. As I went from sight to sight, I was amazed to find zero signs from Rob Bishop. Bishop isn't running a campaign, because he thinks his position is a calling, not something he actually needs to run for. He actually may be right. I have total disdain for Rep. Bishop, but I am in the minority, because I have actually tracked his actions/inactions and have taken note. A vote for Rob Bishop makes as much sense as installing a screen door in a submarine. Much of my contempt for Utahns stems from their blind and idiotic support from a guy who has accomplished nothing other than slavishly supporting an extremely inept President. Utah voters in the first Congressional district are an embarrassment to our Republic. Finding an informed voter in Davis County is like trying to find a Christian Ayatollah. And it doesn't get much better in the newer sub-divisions in my native Tooele.

I'm still trying to find out the basis of the stupidity I'm surrounded by, but I'm still trying to figure it out. But religion seems to be the strongest influence for stupidity over reason. But I could be wrong.

Just saying.

Them

2008-10-19T07:36:00.003+02:00

"Don't you know about them?" One of the greatest lines in a great movie, "Twelve Angry Men." A classic case of guilt by association. Someone is guilty because, "he's one of them." In "Twelve Angry Men" such a thought is so un-American that it alienates the guy who held it. But in our culture today, such thoughts and words resonate, and influence votes. That is how far our republic has declined. That is how far the Rovian world view of wedge strategies has worked into the manichaean world view of good vrs evil. Our populace, seeming to be less American, and more Taliban over time, might still elect McCain despite how inept and catastrophic has been his Republican would be predecessor.

When you are losing your shirt, your retirement, and the roof over your head, your fear of "them" might just take second stage. But it also might give you a scapegoat for your own bad actions. It was "them" who took out bad loans and destabilized our finacial system. It wasn't me and my over-reaching ambition, it was "them" getting mortgages they shouldn't have.

We need a "them". It certainly beats a careful examination of our own decisions. It is certainly easier to find a scapegoat for our problems than to admit our own bad decisions. Republicans who have had effective control over government for nearly a decade, want to divert attention to their own mismanagement by looking for a "them" to blame things on. It is an act of blatant intellectual dishonesty, and a window into the soul of a soul-less group of people whom we never should have given a modicum of authority to.

Why McCain May Still Win

2008-10-18T06:58:00.003+02:00

I hate to tell you this, but the American people, may not be ready for a black, well-spoken, intellectual, President. Admittedly, the economic crises we are facing is making some who would otherwise never even consider an Obama vote second-guess. But in the end, Americans in general are uneducated, and risk averse. My prediction, is that many people of a conservative nature, who out of desperation have leaned towards Obama during the last three weeks, will drift back towards McCain, simply because, that is what they know. Many Americans claim they want change, but when ultimately, they have to vote on it, they will chicken out.

If McCain wins, pundits will wonder how a candidate can win every debate, run a superior campaign, and ultimately lose. Ultimately, it will show more about the American people and their ideosyncracies than it will about any other factor. Let's face the facts, most Americans believe in a world that is less than 10,000 years old, still believe that Adam and Eve were the progenitors of all humans and have great reservations about science as a means of discovering truth relative to revelation as documented in scripture.

As a country, we are only as good as our citizens are. We cannot expect reasonable voting patterns, when reason is eschewed for myth and superstition in most aspects of American lives. How people think will determine how people vote. Appealing to reason in this country is like trying to look at a nebula with a microscope. For those of us liberals who look at polls and think, just maybe, reason may prevail, I still wonder, can it really. Maybe I'm a pessimist. Perhaps I've been conditioned by having been on the losing side so many times in this blindly conservative state.

But part of what I've learned, is that many Americans would rather suffer, than learn from their mistakes. If Obama wins, it will be closer than rational people will suspect, but I still think McCain, despite his erratic and angry demeanor, may still carry the day. And what it will say about America, is that they are no longer reliable as an ally, and formidable as a foe. For they have abandoned the real world, and are living in a mythical fairy land. And though their weapons are formidable, their dogma is but a shallow shell of contradictions and platitudes. The world still holds out hope that someon with the capacity to reason such as Obama may prevail in the world's only superpower. I also share that hope. But my confidence in the American voter, isn't all that great. Most Americans still believe Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11 and think Iraq had stockpiles of WMD. These people will vote in November. Obama's election as President would be an absolute miracle.

Debate Thoughts- It's all About Barack

2008-10-16T04:47:00.003+02:00

What struck me was just how much this debate was about Obama, and not about McCain. Admittedly, I am an Obama supporter and I see there were missed opportunities that Obama missed. But McCain still seems angry, and takes too much stock in stoking fears about Obama, than building confidence in him as our next President. It was almost like Obama was running for re-election and McCain was asking people to reconsider.

Another thought, in all three debates, Obama looked more Presidential. Though this was McCain's strongest debate, he still didn't look as Presidential as Obama. This was still about attacking Obama and creating doubts about him, not confidence in McCain. Obama was the cool collected one. He's the guy who can negotiate with the heads of other countries and not lose his cool, yet remain firm in defending America's interests. That is what Obama projects. Americans need reassurance. They don't need someone with issues who appear angry and distracted.

I know Republicans will do their best to say McCain won this debate, but the fact is, though it was McCain's best debate, Barack still won. He was the one who talked about what he would do, and though he contrasted himself with McCain, he didn't appear to detest McCain.

After this debate, I cannot imagine a scenario whereby John McCain becomes President. Obama is the better candidate and I believe he will be the better President.

To Arrogance With Ease

2008-10-15T19:35:00.001+02:00

One thing my years of being involved politically has taught me, is just how easily an elected official can go from being driven by a desire to serve, to the type of entitlement attitude that comes with arrogance. Most of the politicians I have met, on both sides of the aisle, have began their campaigns with a desire to serve the greater public good. Some may have pet issues or interests, i.e. education, board of realtors, labor unions, public employees, etc., but most really do appear to have the best interests of their constituents in mind.
Now jump a couple of elections into the future, particular for those public officials who appear invulnerable to an electoral challenge, a few things often happens to them.

1- Lobbyists representing special interests have convinced them of their importance and have rewarded them for their access to them.

2- The lack of a realistic electoral challenge leaves them the impression that they can do what they want without repercussions.

3- Because so many are deferential to them, failure of someone to show adequate deference is considered disrespectful to the position they hold.

Admittedly, this doesn’t happen to all elected officials. But it does happen often. The psychological rewards for being treated as important becomes an intoxicating drug for some in politics. Many don’t realize the addiction until they inexplicably lose an election and find themselves suffering the terrible withdrawal of returning to irrelevance. Even those who retire, often feel the loss of status like the loss of a loved one. As hard as many have tried to remain grounded, I’ve seen some of the best of them succumb to the feelings of entitlement.

When I watched the exchange between Morgan Bowen and Rob Bishop regarding donations made to Rob Bishop by Energy Solutions, it occurred to me just how far Rob Bishop had fallen with such ease into the realms of arrogance. It was quite magnanimous of Rob Bishop to atleast grace the rest of us with his presence at a debate of sorts, but he let us all know in no uncertain terms, that he is on Energy Solution’s payroll, and he is proud of it. And he knows he will win re-election, because he is Rob Bishop and a Republican.

Rob Bishop not only drank the koolaid, he ran out of koolaid and found something truly intoxicating. And the people of his district, wearing a certain beer-goggles of their own, don’t mind the slurred speech, because it is speech they understand and resonates with them.

Thoughts on Bailouts

2008-10-15T03:55:00.002+02:00

Isn't it interesting that pro-capitalist conservatives have pushed for governmental intervention into our capital markets. Even going so far as to the federal government take equity interests in major financial institutions. Perhaps a "prophet" like Thomas S. Monson could have looked into his Urim and Thumin and anticipated such a monumental circumstance, but honestly, this exmormon atheist didn't see it coming. I have been concerned for years that so many individuals and corporations were basing their decisions upon best case scenarios regarding the future values of collateral and the income of those whom they lended to. If those assumptions didn't hold true, what would be the result? Some financial institutions hedged their bets and acted prudently. However others sought maximization of profits disregarding the risks. And though the government allowed such actions, they did so under pressure from the lobbyists from these organizations. But ultimately, this failure was a failure of corporate governance. Boards of directors have a responsibility to those they represent, to not only maximize profits, but to mitigate risks. Many of these boards batted .500, and though that works in baseball, it doesn't in finance.

And now we find ourselves with a federal government being asked to intrude itself as equity partners in financial institutions. As partners, they should have a role in corporate governance and you could feasibly see members of the board from the federal government, all while federal regulators, serving a different function examine their books and making recommendations to minimize risks. I know in credit unions, regulators evaluate credit unions using a 'CAMEL' rating. These stand for Capital, Assets, "Management", of which management includes the role of the board. So now, you may have federal regulators regulating board members who may be members of the federal government. Say what?

Honestly, I am still digesting what has happened during the past couple of weeks. I am an old school financial institution junkie. I take great pride in the role my own financial institution has played in economic growth for small and medium sized businesses. I view the federal role as a regulator, not as an equity partner. Admittedly the model for many other countries is a federal/private partnership in the financial markets. This isn't the United State's tradition, despite some important and often times useful regulations and oversight.

I have my concerns about where we are going, not because of ideology, but because of workability. This may all turn out fine. But this is an awkward and paradigm changing process for the federal government. The federal government, treated as the scapegoat under Ronald Reagan, is now asked to be the white knight. To say this change in policy and outlook is monumental is to be an understatement.

Lies, Denial, or Some Warped Fantasy World?

2008-10-13T20:51:00.002+02:00

Sarah Palin puzzles me. Certainly she read the same report that I did, which indicated that she violated Alaskan state law in the Troopergate scandal. And somehow, she manages to get out of that some sort of exoneration. Did Saddam Hussein's propaganda minister just dress up in drag and get himself nominated to be Vice President in our country? Or is it that Palin knows if she says a lie, her supporters will blindly agree with her, despite the evidence to the contrary? Or is she atually in some sort of denial? Unable to face reality, she creates her own? Does she live in some warped fantasy world where up is down, and 2+2 = 5.4?

Glad it wasn't a murder charge. I can see her yelling at the judge, "why am I going to jail, I was acquitted."

Sarah Palin Abused the Powers of Her Office

2008-10-11T08:00:00.002+02:00

Atleast that is what we hear from a bi-partisan, 10 Republican to 4 Democrat commission called to investigate the matter. Now why is this important? Employees of any state government potentially face severe pressure. Should a state audit of a prominent Republican (or Democrat depending on the state) legislator show a failure to adequately report income, or possession of taxable property, could they use their power to exempt themselves from those audit results? Could elected officials use their office to use the apparatus of the state to damage a state employee with whom they have a grudge? These issues have been dealt with quite adeptly by most state governments by providing certain protections to state employees. In the case of firing the Public Safety Commissioner in Alaska, he was an appointed person, serving at will. However in the case of Sarah Palin and her husband who seemed to be most willing to use her wife's position as a means of attacking someone he had animosity with, his brother-in-law, lobbying to fire such an individual using his wife's status as governor, not because of anything he did on the job, but because of matters personal to the Palin family, there are serious ethical questions regarding her role in the firing of the Public Safety Commissioner.

Sarah Palin was certainly willing to fire others who didn't carry her personal water so-to-speak, including a librarian in Wasilla. But as Governor, I sense she never thought that anyone would challenge her in this large but remote state. But that was before she became a national figure. Palin has showed herself as someone with far greater ethical challenges than someone who engaged in illegal activities decades ago (such as William Ayers who has worked with people from both political parties). These activities are current and relevant. They indicate an immature mind, that is unable to separate her family's interests from those of her elected office. It shows a tendency to view her office as something to further her future, rather than a responsibility to be taken seriously to serve her constituents with fairness and resolve. So on what basis does Sarah Palin now attack Barack Obama? Those who have worked with him suggest he is an honest and forthright individual. And Sarah Palin? There is a credibilty gap wider than airline miles one can accumulate flying between San Francisco and Guam. Is Steve Urquart, my friend, still convinced that she is the savior to the Republican ticket? I'm viewing her as an ankle bracelet with a fair amount of lead.

Illuminating Road Rage Incident

2008-10-10T04:28:00.003+02:00

Driving home from work, I was in the fast lane hoping that the guy in front of me just might speed up a bit when someone in a white Suburban passed me on the right, assuming that I had power over the slow-poke ahead of me, who ultimately made a left turn into Lakepoint. He pulled in front of me with perhaps ten feet to spare. He then proceeded to give me "the finger." As it ends up, I found myself at a red light right next to this finger-waving nincompoop. I watched him say in great and clear lip synch, "Obama Sucks!" and he proceeded to flip me off again, this time with two hands. Oh yeah, I have two Obama bumper stickers on my car. In my lack of wisdom, I should have anticipated road rage from some demented nutjob who probably sincerely believes Obama is a terrorist, a Manchurian candidate or the antichrist, or whatever.

I sense great anger, anxiety and fear coming from people about the possibility of having a President with the middle name Hussein (notwithstanding our long-standing positive relationship with King Hussein of Jordan). I sense fear that someone other than a devout right-wing Christian just might have the power of the executive. But I was surprised that this numbnuts acted the way he did. I haven't acted aggressively to anyone with a McCain/Palin bumper sticker. They may be dumber than a post, but that is their prerogative. To the dude in the white Suburban, take a chill pill, though I was driving alone, I might have been driving my kids somewhere. I don't mind you risking my life (I have oodles of life insurance), but keep in mind, I might be with others in my car. So get a grip, take a sedative and pull yourself together. I'm not your mortal enemy because I have two Obama bumperstickers on my car.

Getting the Public Involved and Educated?

2008-10-09T18:56:00.003+02:00

David Miller sort of posed a question similar to this to me, and I've been thinking about it, but I'm struggling with solutions. The political blogosphere has the ability for frank and honest discussions between those who care about issues, coming from both sides of those issues. But what do we do about those who decide to vote out of public duty, but don't do their homework on what the people they elect actually do and have actually done? Our nation will only be as good as our average voter, and honestly (I know I'll be accused of being elitist), I don't have alot of faith in the average voter.

Most of the people I ride the bus with, don't understand the electoral college, the separation of powers doctrine, who the last five President's were, or even who their State Senator is. Many of them do vote, however, some of them Democrats, more of them Republicans. On what basis do they vote? I haven't been able to get my hand around this. Is it name recognition? Who has the most and prettiest signs? Do they know the candidate personally and think well of them? Is party affiliation the driving force? I'm sure the reasons are all over the board.

I think one thing that would help, is the insistence upon a civics course in order to graduate from High School. I would also encourage high schools to allow clubs associated with political or issue/based affiliations. Perhaps each high school can have it's own political blog and allow for posts and discussions with perhaps some moderation from a faculty member. Maybe it is happening already? I'm staring at my 30 year reunion coming in a couple of years, so I'm not in touch with the younger crowd. But my experience has taught me, that someone engaged in political discussion in high school, tends to remain engaged and interested and is more likely to read the paper or watch the news.

And what about the rest of the electorate. How do we get them engaged, not only in voting, but discussing openly the important issues of our day? IRL, I have never shied away from political discussions (even though I've been chastised a few time) in public. I've even been willing to take a position opposite my own, if it will cause discussion. But I am often perceived as a weird outlier, someone who gets caught up in politics too easily. I can almost hear them say, "ol Obi, there he goes again."

i apologize for the rambling. But I am open to suggestions in how to get Americans engaged in their own governance. Good government rarely comes hand-in-hand from an ill-informed electorate. But I don't know what to do to raise the bar for that electorate.

The Politics of Hope- Presidential Thoughts

2008-10-07T19:31:00.003+02:00

As John McCain and his resume deficient running mate seem to go deeper and deeper into their smear campaign, I've been thinking how refreshing a message of hope might be as politicians search for scapegoats for the problems facing us. I'm reminded of the 1932 campaign, where the dour, and angry, Herbert Hoover, seemed to get over-run by events. FDR, his opponent, didn't exactly play his hand as far as policy issues and what he proposed to accomplish. However, he did project confidence and hope. I believe a message of hope, is needed here in the country. Certainly, FDR wasn't the first or last to talk about hope. Reagan was perfectly willing to do it as well. But what this race has gone down to, is "guilt by association" and questioning one's motives. Can we all agree on a couple of things.

John McCain wants our country to do well
Barack Obama wants our country to do well
Unless the evidence solidly contradicts it, John McCain should be taken at his word
Unless the evidence solidly contradicts it, Barack Obama should be taken at his word

More than anything, what our country needs is leadership. Aspects of leadership that I want in a President:

Projection of hope and confidence
An understanding of the most vital isses
The ability to ask hard questions of subordinates
A vision of where America needs to go (even if the how-tos haven't been worked out)
A willingness to recognize, that as President, his constituency is ALL Americans
A clear understanding of the separation of powers and the roles of the executive, legislative and judicial branches
Someone who will ensure we have a strong military
Someone who will be judicious in the use of this military so it can remain so
Someone who can build alliances, not alienate them
Someone who other nations will want to be allied with
A basic understanding of the role of regulators
An understanding of the distinction between their administration, and their re-election campaign

I know it is a long list, and I'm sure others could offer additional sound things to look for. Based upon these criteria, I feel much more comfortable voting for Obama than I do McCain. Others may see it differently. But the McCain campaign now seems to be more about Obama, than it is about McCain. McCain isn't projecting hope, he's telling us not to trust Obama when he projects it. The power of positive thinking will not end the crises we are facing. However, true leadership is about inspiring our nation to come together and overcome the obstacles we are facing. Not projecting worse case scenarios should "the other guy" get elected. The McCain campaign has resorted to the politics of fear, and maybe that is just a projection of the fear they have that the election may be lost. Fear still plays a role with my own thinking, I admit. If elected, I'd be scared shitless of a McCain heart attack or stroke. But I am willing to extend some hope, that if elected, McCain can rediscover his independent streak. It's a faint hope, but it is there.

But in the end, our candidates can either project hope, or fear. Even if it is a naive hope, it beats the quagmire of fear. For fear is paralyzing. Fear causes one to search for scapegoats, not solutions. Fear can easily disintegrate into paranoia, finding enemies where they don't exist, and losing trust in allies you have a history with. And in the search for scapegoats that fear inspires, who knows what "them" are to wear that label? And pretty soon, we are again, the "Disunited States of America" where your standing as a citizen is subject to whether you fit within that "them" group or not. In the words of Aragorn from "The Two Towers", "there's always hope."

My Apologies for Being AWOL

2008-10-06T07:32:00.003+02:00

A week ago last Wednesday, I entered the hospital with a temperature of 105.4 and a tell-tale rash on my right leg. I was seriously ill. I tried not to let on to my family or friends, but I wondered whether I was going to end my mortal existence. I spent six days in the hospital hopefully watching my temperature spikes go from 104.2to 103.2 and ultimately to the incredibly hopeful 101.5. When I posted my last post, regarding the bailout of businesses that made tragically bad decisions, I was feverish, distracted and worried about my health. I hope I made some sense. Six and a half days later, I actually was allowed to go home.

I am much better, but I am still weak, and tire easily. I'm still opposed to short-term buyouts of companies that make long-term bad decisions. I'm frustrated by the precedents that are being sent, that corporations can make irrational decisions and be bailed out by the fear, that our failure to do so will have tragic consequences.

It may surprise some conservatives, but I am a capitalist. I have a great belief in the capital markets, but I also believe in internal controls and corporate governance. Apologists for corporations who are in trouble blame the federal government, and say, "the government let us do this." Let me tell you, if you base your business decisions based upon what the fed will let you do, than you deserve your fate. Ultimately, boards of directors, and executive management made business decisions that were sound only under very limited assumptions. No prudent asset liability management (ALM) scenarios were taken into consideration. Our predicament is a result of the failure of corporate governance, and no one should be fooled by the idea, that "the feds made me do it."

There were financial institutions that DID act prudently. These institutions aren't looking for white knights and for government bailouts. They are still profitable, though their return on assets is decreasing as their charge-off rates are increasing. I disagree with my fellow democrats that payout from our government is the answer. I'm willing to articulate that opinion as a liberal capilatist. Even so, I recognize the political reality, where government must be seen as responsive to any economic crisis. But we must always view any actions as precents, and the precedents being set alarm me considerably. The government has a valuable role to play in regulating financial institutions. However, bailing out businesses who made bad decisions only ensures future speculative and ill-formed decision-making.

I hope I've made some sense. I am tired and weak, and it pisses me off that my weakness has resulted in my silence these last critical days. Anyone want a MRSA infection? I'd be glad to give you mine. I'm tired of being tired. I'm tired of being poked more than a Malaysian prostitute. I'm tired of being confined to sitting around with my leg in the air. But it is good to be back stirring the pot, because frankly, that pot seriously needs stirring.

The Opportunity Cost of $700 Billion

2008-09-24T20:59:00.002+02:00

As the talk continues of the federal government bailing out $700 billion for bad loans, we should also step back and ask ourselves what is the long-term cost of this, both publicly and privately. The federal government is currently racking up impressive deficits and therefore borrowing heavily from the private sector capital markets. Where will the $700 billion come from? The capital markets. Capital which could go to productive businesses will instead go to poorly managed ones. Even as someone who believes in some reasonable governmental interventions into the private sector, this one doesn't make any sense at all for our country. It makes alot of sense for the executives of failing or floundering financial institutions who gambled with everyone's money and guessed wrong.

$700 billion is alot of money, money that could rebuild our infrastructure, reinvest in newer more productive manufacturing equipment, could provide feed money to green industries, and dare I say it, be used for off-shore oil platforms. The opportunity cost of 5% of our country's GDP being spent cleaning up the work of incompetents is like repainting the Titanic even as the lower decks are flooding. And the cynical, fear-monguering Republican hierarchy does what they do best, tell the American people "if Congress doesn't give us unprecedented power, lack of oversight, and the freedom to do what we want, the economy will unravel." So let me get this straight, Republican advocates for deregulation who helped create this mess, tell us "we now need more power, even less oversight, or we'll blame our bad decisions on Democrats."

I'm hopeful that the American people aren't so stupid as to fall for this. However, I've had my hopes dashed quite regularly before.

I'm Venting, But Hear Me Out

2008-09-24T07:49:00.004+02:00

For the record, I play a major role with a major financial institution. I'm not ashamed of that fact even as my conservative colleagues within that organization have razzed me in the past for my liberal/Democratic point of view. We had a photo-op with a prominent Utah Republican official and I was subjected to kind-hearted harrassment that "my liberal friends would be appalled by my gracious appearance with this official."

I've been involved in the financial services industry since the early 1990's. I am a big believer in safety and soundness, and articulated that conviction tirelessly since my assuming the role I currently play. I remember discussions in board meetings regarding whether to give 100% equity loans to those who had impeccable credit scores. And yes, we did grant some loans under that basis, most of which panned out. But we did no sub-prime lending nor did we give any interest only loans.

However, in our financial institution, we had internal auditors who were quite willing to second guess loans that didn't seem to fall within the parameters of a responsible lending practice and policies were set that required loans to fit certain parameters. Those who worked on commission knew, that ultimately, their loan would face oversight and would be subject to scrutiny. How different was it for some of our competitors? I'm still sifting through that.

For the record, I am a big believer in the capital markets. I've seen wise lending practices grow small businesses to medium businesses, and medium businesses to the point where they could go public. These are success stories that I savor. They give meaning to my efforts and help me sleep at night.

Now, we have an unreliable, and proven corrupt executive branch, that wants to bail out those who didn't act with the same restraint, and based their strategy upon a risky policy of continual real estate inflation. They based their actions upon a paradigm that lacked a sound basis of economics and basic economic history. There was only one scenario that could possibly justify the loans they granted. There was a lack of documentation regarding incomes. There was collusion of the most nefarious sorts, between developers, appraisers, and mortgage brokers.

First of all, as a licensed appraiser, I am appalled at how worthless my profession has become. Securing a deal with a developer renders you worthless to make a independent opinion of value. Go back to your basic USPAP courses you morons. You have contributed to this mess, and if I had it my way, your annual renewal of your license should be quadrupled, while the entrance fee for newcomers into the profession should be a fraction of that fee.

In the end, alot of people made alot of bad decisions for the wrong reasons. People of modest means, here in Utah, wanted to live in Celestial Wards on Telestial salaries. So how did that work for you? Not so good I suppose. But the financial institutions, whether they are banks, credit unions, mortgage companies, or whatever others who would loan you money, some did so judiciously, and some did so with poor documentation and with tragically bad advice to their clients. And in the end, insurance companies, eager to link their revenue streams (which are long term) with their payouts of mortgages (which are long-term) failed to grasp just how tragically inept people had been up the line. Mortgaged backed obligations (MBO's) became the portfolio of many and the doom of many.

I've been involved in the financial services industry since 1990 (18 years), and I will tell you this, that nothing makes less sense, than what the federal government, under the Bush Administration, is proposing. If companies that make bad decisions are bailed out and rewarded for those decisions, I can guarantee you that a wise and prudent use of our nation's capital shall not occur in the forseeable future. For we shall reward incompetence, and taking risks that are not justified.

The idea of giving the Treasury Secretary, (under Bush or Obama), the ability to buy out failing companies is deeply disturbing. The current secretary, asking for $700 billion, our nation doen't have, to bail out bad decision-making privately held companies makes me really uneasy. I understand the importance of public confidence in our financial markets, but it is unreasonable to suggest, that the federal government should shore up companies with public dollars, without extracting reasonable returns on that money. And now, under this scenario, you have interjected the government, not in a regulational role, but as an ownership interest. Conservatives, through their irresponsible policies, may actually create the socialistic paradigm that they say they fear. Should the government give carte blanche support to those who have made disastrous financial decisions? If so, should they demand an equity interest? From the government's perspective, acting like a business, it should secure it's loans to these corporations with the collateral necessary to justify these loans/buyouts. Is our nation ready for a government equity interest in our major financial institutions?

This is business courted socialism, and even as a liberal, I'm very concerned.

Surprise- Trib Reports Budget Shortfalls Reported for Utah

2008-09-23T15:04:00.004+02:00

With Utah experiencing unprecedented prosperity during the last six years, the legislature in it's wisdom decided to significantly reduce taxes. Now that the economy has turned south, well, I guess it was inevitable that budget shortfalls would occur. And during this period of prosperity, how much was put into a rainy day fund? My guess is probably far too little.

This creates quite a challenge for conservative lawmakers, because, first of all, they won't admit they made a mistake by voting for the tax decreases during an election year, so they will look to other options. Many critical services (they say education will be held harmless) will likely take a serious hit. And that is just for this particular year. Next January, when a new crop (most likely, the same crop) of legislators meet in January, they will also have to decide additional budget cuts based upon projections just as gloomy as the ones that predicts the budget shortfall for this year.

This Republican legislature, which already helped pay for their tax cuts by retro-actively cutting the benefits of state employees at retirement, will probably also look at these employees as the ones who will take the hit for their fiscal mismanagement. That is just my guess based upon what they've done in the past.

All in all, I'd say that Utah is in trouble. We are one of the last states to be hit, but we'll have to wait to see if we will be one of the hardest hit. But like Bush's doctrine regarding going into Iraq, where best case scenarios become the basis of future action, this legislature has acted on the basis of projections of future revenue growth that in a historical framework were outliers, and not typical. They went too far with their tax cuts, and have endangered the funding of many state services. And will the public hold them accountable? Based upon past performance of Utah's electorate, I'm not holding my breath.

Don't Worry, God Will Provide

2008-09-23T06:18:00.002+02:00

It is an interesting time at my day job. My southern baptist secretary has said in the past, that a woman should never hold the position of President, because God has not ordained women to lead. I've been reluctant to ask her about Sarah Palin, one actuarially likely ruler of the free world should McCain gain election in November. Her opposition to Hillary was based upon "biblical principles", but I haven't heard whether those principles apply to the recently elected Governor of Alaska.

I suspect there may be a paradigm shift going on with my fine secretary. A devout Christian, who believes firmly in an inerrant Bible, may be able to overcome her gender, and like Ruth through her humility and prayer guide our nation to further the Christian cause.

And as far as the large number of pressing issues facing the next administration, don't worry, with a devout Christian in the second spot, God will provide. God will bless us all for our electing a believer, not a deceiver. God will bless us because we didn't allow eight years of failure determine our future. After all, Moses floundered in the desert for forty years, as a test of our fortitude. And yet God provided. Manna from heaven, like lost manufacturng jobs, will certainly come if a true believer ascends to national prominence. This economic crisis is the result of us falling from grace. Once a true believer is in place whispering spiritual wisdom into the ears of an aging, pliable, former maverik, our nation shall gain a powerful ally, God the father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, manifest with single purpose to turn our nation into a Christian nation, a nation that will throttle rival mythologies. A nation that will act with a righteous fatalism, and do all it can to bring forth armegeddon and bring about the second coming.

Oh, if I were a true believer, I'd put away the concerns about gender. Perhaps Paul overstated his case against women, perhaps when the chips are down, God has a special surprise for all of us, that a woman shall lead us to salvation, to a nation ready to welcome his second coming, to a nation willing to destroy Satan's adversaries to mark the way for his return. Notice should got out to atheists, homosexuals, feminists (unless saved by grace), intellectuals, mormons, and other non-believers, that the time has come, and Sarah Palin, with the grace of God, shall lead us to that terrible, yet wonderful time, where righteousness (as we define it) shall prevail, and wickedness (as we define it) shall utter it's last breath.

Ok, now why is there a green pod next to me.

Tiny Flying Vertebrates

2008-09-20T04:58:00.002+02:00

While in Hawaii, I took a little cruise to the Captain Cook memorial to do a little snorkeling. On the way, I got to see some flying fish, tiny little fish whose ray-fins have been elongated to allow flight for a certain period in the air. I had never seen these fish before, but was amazed as I watched one fish fly seven feet in the air, and change directions slightly mid-air. Most impressive. When I got home, I also had the experience of watching one of my most favorite vertebrate flyers, the hummingbird. I have purposely planted flowers that bloom in the early fall, that provide nectar to hummers as they fly south. Usually, my yard is dominated early by black-chins, who are displaced in mid to late July by the more aggressive broad-tails. However, the broad-tails head south quickly with the first cold spell, and I usually see migrants such as a few rufous, black-chins and an occasional calliope. The calliope's are the smallest of these, but are extremely accrobatic. Amazing creatures, I was blessed to see on tonight as I barbecued hamburgers for my family, feeding from one of my salvia lemmonii plants.

Evolution is a wonderful thing. The fins, that evolved in such a way that allows a flying fish to escape predators by flying for 50-100 yards have evolved into wings that move so fast with the hummingbirds, we are powerless to see the details of their feathers. Ultimately, those fins evolved into limbs that allowed vertebrates to walk on land, grasp prey, and in our case, evolve an opposable thumb and be able to create complex tools, including the computer upon which I am typing.

These flying vertebrates are indeed impressive. Even those who have created wings with tools, not just flew with fins in all their adaptations.

Thoughts on the Mortgage Crisis

2008-09-20T04:08:00.002+02:00

On my trip to Hawaii, I had the opportunity of having a barley based beverage with the CEO of a major financial institution, the institution I work with. As we discussed the financial crisis, we felt a certain pride that our institution, though facing challenges, wasn't losing asset values and is still profitable. Over the years, we've lost alot of business to the various purveyors of creative financing that qualified people who should have qualified for a modest $130,000 home, but got into a $300,000 home instead. The whole basis for these loans was a paradigm that was sustainable under one set of assumptions. The assumptions were that the income of the individual getting the mortgage would increase, and that the value of the house would increase, creating instant equity that would give the borrower flexibility to refinance, or even perhaps, move to an even more impressive home.

Well, the assumptions behind this paradigm, just like the assumptions regarding the continual rise of stock prices in the 1920's that drove people to borrow money to put into the stock market, proved to be wrong. And these people made the wrong decisions and those companies which bought these mortgages as investments made bad decisions. And the instability created by these decisions is creating waves in our financial markets and panic among investors. And unfortunately, it is creating an environment where the government somehow feels the need to bail people out of their bad decisions.

People, and institutions overbuilt in the residential market, driven by tax incentives, and by a drive for easy profits and quick equity. Risks were assumed, but they were assumed ignorantly, on the basis of the future looking exactly like the past. This is symptom of a people who have no knowledge of history or basic finance. And our government bailing out those who hadn't learned the lessons of history only reinforces the idea, that you can essentially speculate with other's money. And the other's our us, the U.S. taxpayers.

Comments on Palin's Interview with Charlie Gibson

2008-09-13T05:43:00.003+02:00

First of all, she obviously didn't know what "the Bush Doctrine" meant. She tirelously reverted to the same talking points and showed no ability to intellectually discuss any issue of any import.

Governor Palin, if a light-weight like Charlie Gibson can make you look weak and uninformed, you are unqualified to be a heart-beat away from the Presidency. Your media background may have served you well as someone who can talk the talk, but it is clear to me, after Gibson's interview, that you can't think the think. And it has nothing to do with your gender. It has to do with your education and mindset.

BTW, I may be incommunicado for a while. My laptop is experiencing battery problems and I have decided not to bring it with me to my trip to Hawaii. I will be on the big Island from tomorrow night through Thursday. I don't know if the resort I stay in will have free internet access (though I believe they should), but even so, I plan to golf, scuba, and sightsee a heck of alot more than comment on politics. If I don't respond to your comments on any post, it isn't because I don't care, it is because I am otherwise engaged.

Admission- I love Richard Dawkins

2008-09-11T06:26:00.002+02:00

I have to give props to Richard Dawkins, the author of two of my favorite books, "The God Delusion" and "The Ancestor's Tale". And to Dawkin's credit, he understands how important the modern media of the web is to furthering your beliefs. Please check out his website at http://richarddawkins.net and check out his address at Cal State Berkely. Our nation needs more Richard Dawkins, and far fewer Christian televangelists and apologists for implausible mythologies.

I don't worship Dawkins, but I encourage all true believers in superstitious mythologies to watch his lecture and dispute his wisdom. Interestingly, we atheists are despised more than just about any group in America. But I will speak for myself, that I won't let that from speaking my mind in the realm of challenging religious dogma unsupported by evidence or common sense.

American Governance 101- Impacts on American Society

2008-09-10T00:31:00.003+02:00

David Miller has during the past year highlighted many of the opinions expressed in "The Federalist Papers". Clearly one of the things that influenced the design of our American political system was a desire to create checks and balances on power. Checking the power of executives or monarchs was not a new concept. The English from the time of King John when the Magna Carta was signed (under durress), English monarchs had subjected themselves to some sort of constraint from barons, earls, and other landed gentry. Edward I, while trying bring Wales under his thumb while also trying to further English interests in France and Scotland, found he needed money, and the only way to raise the kind of money needed was to convene those who could provide him the money. Edward III, fighting an expensive war against France (the hundred years war), also needed to raise money, and this monarchical need for money led to the rise of power among what was evolving and English legislative branch of government.

Though the United States rebelled against the English monarch George III, it did so out of a lack of representation within the growing legislative structure in Great Britain. When our nation was founded, many of the concepts of English polity were adopted, however, being even more fearful of executive power, the United States ultimately adopted means by which to further reign in an overreaching executive. Courts, another institution much developed by the English provided the other pillar of balance, ensuring that government abides by it's own laws, while judiciating the laws that are adopted.

Mirrors of this three-pronged series of checks and balances exist all throughout American society, both in government, civic organizations and in business. A corporation has stockholders who elect a board of directors which act as a legislative branch. They hire a CEO and management team that acts as the executive. They usually have a body that also acts as a sort of judicial body that ensures that corporate by-laws, generally accepted accounting principles, and sound internal controls are maintained. Audit committees, outside auditors, internal auditors and other mechanisms are created to ensure that management follows the rules that the legislative branch (board of directors) approve.

This basic organization has many benefits. For one thing, when it operates properly, opportunities for corruption are limited. However, when boards become rubber stamps for management (the executive branch), and the judicial processes of oversight from auditors are lax, corruption is more likely. Also, inefficiencies can be created when people forget which hat they are wearing. A board member should not interfering unnecessarily with the day to day operations of a business any more than a city councilman should be directing city employees daily tasks.

One of the hallmarks of the American system of checks and balances is accountability. When all those who serve within the three-pronged sets of checks and balances do so with integrity, independence and a knowledge of what their role entails, decisions are made with the best available information, and decisions are communicated and implemented in a way that allows the organization to progress.

In my life time, I have had to wear various hats in each of the three branches of governance. Each of these roles creates unique challenges. Working within the legislative branch, the challenge is to ask the right questions of the executive so the decisions made by this branch are as good as possible. A major challenge within the executive role is how to respond quickly and flexibly to a changing environment when constrained by the dictates of the legislative branch. A major challenge of serving in the judicial role is having the courage to challenge the executive when they are violating legislative mandate, or challenging the legislative branch when they have decided to violate higher laws and policies (i.e. pass a policy that is in violation of GAAP or federal statute).

All in all, the American governance model handed down to us by our founders is a remarkable model. When the model works well, it means people understand their role and perform it well. We should evaluate candidates on how well they understand their role and execute it.

Obi wan Sports Report- Cynognathus 85 Sidetrack 72

2008-09-09T22:26:00.002+02:00

From the Political Bloggers League, the first week saw the "liberal Cynognathus" (Obi wan's team) go up against the "Sidetrack". The Sidetrack, anchored by the Oakland Raiders defense (which got 0 points), fared about as well as a liberal gay rights activist running for the Hurricane City Council. Not that the Cynognathus did much better (it will probably be a long season), but atleast I know I'm in Merrill Cook territory, and know I have a victory behind me.

BTW, I can't believe my luck. I picked up Tom Brady on waivers. Who in their right mind would waive Tom Brady? Now I've got em.

We should be fair to Sarah Palin

2008-09-05T06:12:00.002+02:00

To do otherwise, would be an insult to her. To treat her with kid-gloves because she is a hockey-mom with lipstick? That is one neutered pit bull. Since we know so little about her, I think careful scrutiny is in order. Did she really seek to ban books her and her evangelical Christian brothers and sisters had issues with? If so, let's discuss what that means. As mayor and governor, did she capriciously fire appointees because she valued their dogma and loyalty more than their competence? Fair question. Competent executives value competent subordinates, not yes men and women. If her "executive experience" counts for anything, we should scrutinize the decisions she has made and on what basis she evaluated her staff. Fair questions of any executives, particularly those who have held executive positions for such a short time, over such a small number of individuals.

Kneedeep pointed out to me that Palin has more executive experience than Obama and Biden combined. That may be true, but I value competence far more than experience. Good executives ask tough and insightful questions of subordinates. Good executives seek divergent views. Colin Powell once said, "if you hire a yes man, one of you is redundant." Early returns from Alaska suggest that Palin wanted loyalty more than competence or diversity of opinion. Palin was an ideological right-wing autocrat who seeked to impose her own warped views upon the citizens of Alaska. I'm willing to entertain evidence to the contrary, but like most people, I know only fragments of what her little experience tells us about her.

One thing that dawned on me, in retrospect, was that without giving my IRL information out, that I, Obi wan liberali, have more executive experience than Joseph Biden, Barack Obama, John McCain, and Sarah Palin combined. Though I haven't been a governor for just over a year, and a mayor of a small city, when looking back at the number of FTE's that report to me, and the timeframes that I have managed them, I could make a solid argument that I have more executive experience than all of the candidates combined. Of course, it is true that I have more executive experience than Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Harry Truman, and John F. Kennedy combined before they assumed the Presidency.

Obi wan for President.

Thoughts On Palin's Speech

2008-09-04T05:31:00.002+02:00

She may be underqualified, she may be a banner of books at her local library, she may be a radical evangelical Christian who implores prayers to enable pipelines to provide gas to Alaska citizens. She may be the mother of a daughter who became pregnant, something not important to me, but something that seems unimportant to those who would find it important if it was the child of a Democratic candidate. She may have less executive experience than a two term mayor of my home town of Tooele. But, she makes an effective attack dog. And let's face it, Republicans love attack dogs.

Now admittedly, she fared well given how ineffective those who preceded her had been. The sarcasm level was a bit over the top, but she tried to reinforce the current myth of John McCain as a maverik, when in fact he has appeased the worst authoritarian conservative nationalists in order to gain the nomination. She showed herself to be an effective and articulator of Republican talking points, while also appearing to show a measure of independence. That a John McCain running mate would bad-mouth the same lobbyists who have dominated and financed John McCain's campaign seems a little hypocritical. Is she running against John McCain and his mentor W, or is she just trying to separate McCain from Bush in ways that are rhetorical rather than real. Is she a breath of fresh air, or is she a vacuum for reason?

Notwithstanding, she if an effective spokesperson for the evils of conservative authoritarianism. I doubt John McCain will be as effective at promoting that agenda.

Joe Leiberman's Speach- I Just Lost Dinner

2008-09-03T04:59:00.002+02:00

What in habeaus corpus maximus was Al Gore thinking, in selecting such a war-mongering, two-faced traitor as Joe Leiberman as his Vice Presidential nominee. After watching his speach at the RNC, I have to wonder, do the people of Connecticut feel like Amway representatives at the bottom of the downline? His slavish support for Sarah Pallin, a person he doesn't know from a hole in the wall, showed just what a tool he was for the McCain camp, and totally uncredible, despite his experience in the U.S. Senate.

Leiberman seems to be completely unpeturbed about George W. Bush's most egregious law-breaking and John McCain's slavish support for that erosion of our Constitution. Leiberman seems to suppport any military action against any enemy of Israel, even when such actions are against the interest of the United States. What little respect I held for Leiberman prior to tonight's speech is pretty much gone.

Leiberman has sold his soul, and pretends that he is riding the middle. With our Constitution hanging by a thread, Leiberman has taken up the "Order of the Scissors" and is willing to cut away, and market it as bi-partisan expediency. At the time, I thought Ned Lamont's campaign against Leiberman was misplaced. In retrospect, the citizens of Connecticut should be embarrassed to have elected a man of this low caliber. But I give them some solace, that I too was fooled by him. I too have sought the middle ground at times with authoritarian conservatives. However, I was grounded by a basic understanding of what our country was about, Leiberman does not appear to me to be so grounded. Good bye Leiberman. I hope you got a good deal on your soul.

The Conservative Counter-insurgency Movement

2008-09-02T21:09:00.002+02:00

You see it in forms both subtle and pervasive. Republicans and their lock-step supporters within certain law enforcement agencies, treating dissidents as insurgents. Organizations that pose a threat to the status quo, are targeted and any means necessary are used to marginalize and weaken them.

What we have seen as conservative attitudes have become ever more strident, is systematic infiltration of organizations that conservatives find threatening, whether they are gun-control advocates, vegetarians, peace activists or even garden-variety environmentalists. Even forms of civil disobedience are portrayed as "terrorist activities", lumping basic protesting with exploding IED's near an Iraqi eheckpoint. The treatment of protesters in St. Paul Minnesota illustrates the lines of thinking of law enforcement towards those who seek to express their point of views through protest.

The Cheney pre-emption doctrine has now been applied to American citizens. Police raids of houses that contain people who disagree with Republicans in St. Paul illustrates how close we have become to a police state. Where the government can conduct surveillance on us, without reasonable oversight, the very mechanisms that Nixon wanted to utilize with his plumbers are surpassed with speed and zeal. Where law enforcement and conservative activists purposely infiltrate groups they are threatened by, you get a sense of just how radical and totalitarian the movement has become.

It just seems in looking at the big picture, that with so many conservatives viewing politics through the lense of manichaean absolutism, that any means must be deployed to prevent undesirable ends. Armageddon is imminent, and all must take up arms in whatever way possible, to ensure this nation sides with Jesus. All I can say is, I'm glad the Republicans didn't hold their convention here. For all I know, I would have needed a new door.

Amidst Our Political Posts- An Ecological One

2008-09-02T05:35:00.004+02:00

Working in my yard yesterday, just prior to the rains that turned my yellowing yard a dark green, I observed one of my friendly hummers (female broad-tailed) drinking from my salvia lemmonii (lemmon sage for you amateurs). One thing I discovered was that there are various mojave and sonorra desert species, that time their blooms for the mexican monsoon, that are also surprisingly frost tolerant. Perhaps it is a leftover of the geologically and biologically recent ice age, but there are several desert species that bloom late in the year, and provide pollinators late season nectar. It helps hummers get the fuel to make the long flight south. It helps bumblebees, honeybees and other insect pollinators get a late season burst that ensure their survival through the winter.

I find it rewarding to see hummers I haven't seen all season, show up on their way south to refuel in my yard, which they seem to remember from year to year. Even rufouses and calliopes grace my yard, for they know that there will be blooms of salvia lemmonii, zauschneria latifolia, salvia pinguifolia and a few late blooms of the great hummer magnet, penstemon rostriflorus.

I have a real appreciation for pollinators, not only hummingbirds which I have a special love for. Bumblebees, hovering flies, and a whole score of different kinds of butterflies and hawkmoths grace my yard. Such biodiversity is a reminder, that pesticides may kill those pests we dislike, but kill the pollinators for which we have a symbiotic relationship with.

I have had neighbors complain that my yard attracts too many bees and other stinging critters. Surprisingly, I have been stung once. I have two older daughters, age 11 and 9, and only one of the two have been stung, once. But my daughters have shared an appreciation for nature as they've watched so many interesting creatures enter my yard.

We in Utah, seem to appreciate sterile, and well-manicured yards. This may come as a shock, but I don't ascribe to such conformity. I like the fact, that my yard is built to attract critters, not just home teachers (which still visit me curiously). I'm sure there are some who think I should "clean up my yard." The reality is, that I have designed my yard not to create the chemlawn ideal of pest-free sterile landscape. I have designed it to NOT conform to the rest of the neighborhood. I have tried to provide as many different species of plants as possible, because I learned early and often, that different plants attact different species. Here is a small sample of the plants in my yard.

Trees- Non-fruit
Abies concolor- white fir
Acer grandidentatum- bigtooth maple
Betula nigra- river birch
Cercocarpus ledifolius- curl-leap mahogany
Forestiera neomexicana- New Mexican privet
Fraxinus pennsylvanica- green ash
Picea glaucuns- Rocky Mtn Blue Spruce
Pinus aristata- bristlecone pine
Pinus edulis- Pinyon pine
Pinus ponderosa- Ponderosa pine (duh)
Quercus gambellii- gambel oak
Quercus macrocarpa- bur oak (because I like Bach and Handel- get it?)

Shrubs
Amelenchier alnifolia- serviceberry
Amelenchier utahensis- utah serviceberry
Buddleia daviddii- butterfly bush
Cornus sericea- red osier dogwood
Cowania stansburiana- stansbury cliffrose
Juniperus species- various
Salix exigua- coyote willow
Shepherdia argentea- silver buffalo-berry
Solidago canadensis- Canadian goldenrod

Perennials
Achillea milleforium- yarrow
Acquilegia caerulea- rocky mtn columbine
Agastache cana- hummingbird mint
Agastache foeniculum- blue licorice mint
Agastache rupestris- licorice mint
Agastache urticifolia- coyote mint
Asclepias speciosa- Large obnoxious milkweed
Berlandiera lyrata- chocolate flower
Centranthus ruber- jupiter's beard
Crocuses- various
Echinacea purpurea- purple coneflower
Heuchera sanguinea- ?
Iris- bearded various
Lavandula- several species
Monarda fistulosa- Bee balm
Narcissus- Various Daffodils
Nepeta faasenii- Blue catmint
Penstemon angustifolius- ?
Penstemon augustifolius- Grand-leaf penstemon
Penstemon barbatus- Scarlet bugler
Penstemon cardinalis- Cardinal penstemon
Penstemon cyananthus- wasatch penstemon
Penstemon eatonii- Firecracker penstemon
Penstemon digitalis- husker red penstemon
Penstemon parryi- Parry's penstemon
Penstemon pinifolius- pine leaf penstemon
Penstemon pseudospecabilis- Desert penstemon
Penstemon rostriflorus- bridge's penstemon
Penstemon rydberghi- Rydbergh's penstemon
Penstemon strictus- rocky mountain penstemon
penstemon secundiflorus- ?
Penstemon virens- Blue-mist penstemon
Penstemon whippleanus- whipple's penstemon
Perovskia atriplicifolia- russian sage
Salvia lemmonii- lemmon's sage
Salvia pinguifolia- Desert sage
Salvia superba- Blue spire salvia
Stachys coccineas- ?
Ratibida columnifera- yellow coneflower
Leucanthemum superbum- shasta daisy
Tulipa- various tulips
Zauschneria latifolia- humminbird weed

I may have missed a few, but what I've tried to accomplish is a biodiversity within my yard. I hope others will do the same. Pollinators have an important symbiotic relationship with us. Providing them with nectar sources is more important than providing well manicured, yet sterile yards. If anyone wants any of the species I have identified, let me know, I just might grow you something.

Obama's Lost Opportunity- The Rule of Law

2008-09-01T05:24:00.003+02:00

First of all, I've been on the record as saying Obama "hit the ball out of the park" with his magnificent nomination acceptance speech. That being said, I feel one area that was not adequately addressed was just how radical the Bush adminstration's view of executive power has corrupted our Republic and undermined generations of countervailing views on the balance of powers within our government. The fact that McCain supports this radical view of republican democracy should alarm anyone concerned with the health of our republic.

It is instructive to remember, that our founder's rebellion against monarchical authority was based in part on a fear of too much power held in the hands of one person, unaccountable and undeterred by the will of the people. It wasn't base tax burden, but taxation without representation, that infuriated American patriots to rebel from the monarch whom they had sworn allegiance to.

The radicalism of the Cheney/Addison/Yoo doctrines of unfettered powers in the executive branch during undeclared wars, against un-nation states is so radical, that even many conservative legal experts have cringed. The willingness to abrogate the Geneva Conventions, conventions we not only supported as a nation, but helped frame, shows that a fundamental shift has occured in our Republic. The lack of noise from people other than those labelled radical liberals and right-wing libertarians (Paul supporters) indicates that many Americans are willing to surrender the basic foundational republican structures of our nation in order to gain a measure of security. To me, this is an appeasement to terrorism. Those who have taken these measures, have surrendered our foundational freedoms and institutional structures to a bunch of radical, islamic fundamentalist, who in my mind, are first class idiots.

The willingness of this adminstration to justify spying on it's own citizens outside the parameters of FISA, is alarming, but perhaps no mention of this was made because Democrats have been complicit and share the responsibility for this surrendering powers to the executive. Our willingness to accept torture and detainment without recourse, shows that as a nation, we have descended to the morals of third world dictators, not constitutional government which respects the rights of the individual.

At some point, Obama needs to define the difference between someone committed to the rule of law, and someone committed to unfettered executive power. Americans must be able to rid themselves of the green pod at their side, that says, so long as I'm granted the illusory perception of safety, I'm willing to have people spy on me or detain me if I'm considered a threat to the government.

The moral high-ground surrendered by this administration leaves us vulnerable. It leaves us short of allies and short of ammunition against those who would use force to impose their will on others. Though Obama needs to speak to the general populace, he also needs to awaken them to the tragedy that has occured under his would be predecessor. He needs to lead us through enlightenment, not pander to us based upon what his pollsters and out of touch political consultants tell him.

I support Barack Obama. Barack and his amazing abilities to communicate with the citizenry can and should be used to convey both our loss and our hope for restoring what we've lost these last 7.75 years. I know I sound like I'm preaching, but I truly fear for the Republic my old mentor J.D. Williams advocated to me as a remarkable institution of checks and balances and devotion to liberty for individuals. Barack is clearly better than his opponent, but I want him to show a commitment to our basic, fundamental beliefs in the rule of law. Barack, "yes you can."

Grand Slam- Obama Hit It Out Of the Park!

2008-08-29T06:29:00.003+02:00

Admittedly, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry loaded the bases. But ultimately, it was Barack that smacked the ball over the fence and created a major score for our Republic. Kudos to Barack for defining what it is to be an American, not defined by ideology, but by commitment to fellow Americans. One of the things I have admired in Obama, is his ability to empathize and understand the issues Americans face. One shouldn't declare Chapter 7 bankruptcy because one develops an incurable disease, or houses a disabled child. One's devotion to our country isn't dependent upon our slavish willingness to declare war on anyone who we dislike.

I have my disagreements with Obama. But I sense that Obama atleast views those issues with a much similar lense with me, than they do with the amoral self-interested neo-cons that have dominated our Republic since 2001. Obama's interest, is in restoring American progress, rather than retrenching into an auro of fear. He understands that giving up freedoms to terrorists gives them a victory over us. He understands that giving tax breaks to the wealthy doesn't necessarily fuel our growth, but the growth of companies in other countries.

I was proud of Barack Obama tonight. He addressed the issues most important to Americans. He showed himself to be a formidable adversary to the authoritarian conservative quest for power over us insignificant little people. Barack Obama made it clear, that he is on our side, not the side of those who lay us off and ship our jobs overseas. He made it clear that he cares more for humans, than he does for ideologies. He made it clear that strength comes from our relationships, not from our reckless use of military force. Obama showed us that he is willing to take on the school-yard bully and defend American values, even if that defense ticks off the elites that would suppress us.

I came out of this convention with a renewed hope that had been lacking of late. My confidence in the intelligence and basic goodness of Americans has been temporarily restored. The hope that seemed so illogical only a week ago, has been renewed and invigorated. We as a Republic, may still overcome our serious obstacles. We still may be able to heal the rifts that demonize those we disagree with. Barack Obama showed tonight what our nation needs, and it isn't what we've had since 2001.

Tonight validated what so many of us had sensed for a long time, that our nation was adrift and lost. That reason had been replaced with fear and superstition. That those who were priviledged with access had found new and creative ways to rob us of our own dreams and aspirations. That a fundamental deep-seeded belief in the rule of law was being violated and subverted by those with the power to subvert it.

The choice at this juncture is about whether we will be influenced by power or principle. I believe that Obama stands as the principled candidate in this race, and that is why I endorse him. I used to admire McCain. Today, I see him as a toady to the authoritarian conservatives who would deprive us of our rights, demonize us for our differences, and create a nation of elites and serfs, eliminating the middle class that has characterized and emboldened our Republic.

McCain made a faustian bargain, where he gave up integrity, for power. Power has now become his end, not a means for a positive end. In some degrees I mourn for McCain, that he gave up so much, in the quest for power. But leaders don't bend to public opinion, they move it. McCain has bent to opinion, while Obama has moved public opinion. This election isn't about experience, it is about leadership. Obama has showed it, while McCain has abandoned it out of slavish devotion to political expediency. If we want a strong and effective leader, Obama is our man, and McCain, despite his many fine qualities, is not.

Lunch at "The Club of Fools"

2008-08-28T20:59:00.003+02:00

I ate lunch today at a private club I'm a member of. Since I was alone, I ate at the bar next to two knuckleheads whose combined IQ registered somewhere along the richter scale. First of all, they are talking about the porn sites they visit, then the football teams they hope win (big BYU fans :0) and then as the news turns to Obama's upcoming speech, I had to listen to these neanderthalic ditto-morphs dig into Barack Obama and hear what an "a-hole" he was, what a "god-damned communist" he was and how those greek columns (rather than evoking King's speech at the Lincoln Memorial) shows what an "arrogant elitist pussy" Barack Obama is.

So I did something very uncharacteristic, notwithstanding my calling out Cliff Lyon for his berating those he disagrees with. As I paid my bill and was leaving, I told these fat, middle-aged, uneducated baffoons, "this supporter of that arrogant elitist pussy would like to thank you- for I've now found people less intelligent than my houseplants, for they atleast know which direction the sun is shining. Have a nice day."

You can probably guess their intelligent response- "F*** U."

Atleast my food was good.

Jon Stewart Hit the Nail on the Head

2008-08-27T22:56:00.003+02:00

Last night watching Jon Stewart, I just about sprayed my glass of water all over the room, as he lampooned our MSM and what they said Michelle Obama had to do in her speech, such as "show that she loves America." Of course, because she is a Democrat, she has to prove that, since everyone knows that Republicans love America. But then Stewart hit the ball out of the park when he said, "they just hate half the people in it" or something to that effect. Damn, that was good.

Arizona Hillbilly- My Musical Tribute to McCain

2008-08-27T01:16:00.002+02:00

To the tune of "The Beverly Hillbillies".

Now a listen to a story bout a guy named John McCain,
A maverick turned conservative he turned out rather lame,
He’s running now for President to be another Bush,
But I’m just hoping Jonny fails and lands upon his tush,
Dairy-airy that is,

Now election’s coming soon and Jon he hasn’t got a mate,
He’s hoping who he picks will somehow save him from his fate,
I hope he picks the guy who just like Jon he likes to flip,
You know of whom I’m talking bout that pretty boy named Mitt,
Black gold, texas tea, (or is that brylcream)

(Banjos)

Now economics isn’t something Jonny likes to do,
And thinks that he is middle class with problems just like you,
He’s married to an heiress with whom he cheated on his wife,
Another moral Christian who is ardently pro-life,
Amen, brutha John

Now John he is a warrior and he wants to start some wars,
He’ll bomb Iran and Russia while diplomacy he ignores,
He’ll tap his buddy Lieberman to run the D. O. D.,
And all the foes of Israel we will fight to set them free,
Of their oil that is

Now John once was a gentleman with high-minded ideals,
He tried to curb corruption and those backroom shady deals,
But running now for President he’s had to plug his nose,
He needs the kind of people who employ the Karl Roves,
Swindlers that is,

(Banjos)

So now it’s time to say goodbye to Jonny and his quest,
I hope these next four years that Jonny gets a lot of rest,
With four more years of Bush we’ll all be living in a tent,
And that is why Obama needs to be our President.

Ya’ll vote for Obama now, ya hear.

Famous last words from John McCain

2008-08-26T07:06:00.003+02:00

From his interview with Jay Leno, "I respect Barack Obama" and "I want to run a respectful campaign". Good luck bucko. You've employed the most heinous and nasty team to further your campaign. The smear campaign that I predict from McCain's surrogates will be unprecedented. It will be interesting to see if this "public minded" McCain will refute his surrogates. Also, McCain was asked by Jay Leno,"how many houses he owned", and he deflected the answer with his desire to keep people in their homes. McCain has become a tragic stooge for those he used to oppose. His desire for power has overcome his instincts for basic goodness. There was John McCain who was willing to be a maverik and serve the public, but that maverik is long gone. He has sold his soul to the same corporate sponsors that bought the so-called moderate George W. Bush.

John McSame has sold his soul for the "ring of power". The "straight talk express" has become the "same talk express." He now represents a continuation of the worst legacy our nation ever experienced. If John McCain had remained the John McCain of 2000, I might actually support a Republican for President. As it stands eight years later, I question the sanity of anyone who would support such as a defector from reason and straight talk. McCain has sold his soul, and I mourn the loss of that soul. But anyone who votes for McCain must wonder, "what does he actually believe?" Personally, I can't tell you. But that uncertainty swamps any ideas that Barack Obama may have broken bread with, gasp, moslems.

McCain would be a disaster for this country. Do I agree with Obama on many key issues? The answer is no. But I fear our Republic cannot survive another authoritarian conservative President. And McCain is that President.

Michelle "freeking" Obama

2008-08-26T05:55:00.002+02:00

All I can say is wow! What a great address from a future first lady. She seemed to talk from her heart about those things important to her. Michelle Obama is smart, and has opinions. Personally I like a first lady with opinions. Eleanor Roosevelt pushed Franklin to address issues he was uncomfortable dealing with for political reasons. And let's compare her to McCain's first lady. A woman who cheated with McCain with McCain's first wife, disfigured and disabled by a car accident. There is an intellectual depth about Michelle Obama that I respect, but more than that, she appears to have a soul and heart. To her credit, I think she touched alot of people. And ya know, admittedly, I am a sucker for kids. I have a 18 month old myself and keep in mind, that seeing those kids act as naturally as they did, was very effective.

A very nice night for the Obamas.

Calling All Political Bloggers- Fantasy Football

2008-08-25T16:26:00.002+02:00

Liberals, put down that glass of pinot noir and that slice of brie. Conservatives, put the koolaid back in the fridge and you can finish your jello salad later. Fantasy football is a great way to relieve you of the stress of possibly getting called out for your unsupported assertions. It's a great way to make even games between the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders interesting. It is a great way to win, without having to deprive anyone of their fundamental rights. It's harmless, it's fun and it is free.

Over at NFL.com, I have created a Political Bloggers league. The automated draft will be on August 28. Sign up, rank your players and let's play ball. In year's past, I have generally signed up in either fundie Christian or Conservative leagues to act as a foil, and though winning those leagues has been rewarding, this year I'm going for something different.

So far, only the Sidetrack has been added to me team, "the Liberal Cynognathus". Show your mettle and let's duke it out in a forum that is fun, and which the results don't affect the future of the free world.

Thoughts on Joe Biden

2008-08-23T19:28:00.003+02:00

Admittedly, I endorsed Joe Biden for President before the Iowa Caucuses. Certainly, it wasn't because he voted in favor of allowing Bush to invade Iraq, it was despite that fact. On a broad range of issues, I have found Joe Biden to be a thoughtful and articulate U.S. Senator. He and Chris Dodd seemed to me to be the most experienced and well-grounded candidates and I picked Biden.

Geographically, Joe Biden doesn't add that much to the ticket, as I would expect for Obama to win, that Delaware should be considered a given. Perhaps Biden has some traction in western Pennsylvania and northern Virginia, but even that is mere speculation. What Biden does provide, is an intelligent and competent individual who could take over the Presidency if Obama should suffer a fate like JFK. At Biden's age, it would be ludicrous to assume that after eight years of an Obama administration that he would be the favorite for the Democratic nomination. Biden is selected on the basis of his ability to be an excellent Vice President. What this signifies, is that Obama wants competent individuals in his administration, and he's starting out with his V.P.

Biden, a nice choice.

So Who Am I?

2008-08-23T05:25:00.002+02:00

There is still time to vote in my first and perhaps only poll. Am I truly a liberal, am I a moderate or conservative? Based upon the conversations so far, some liberals think I am Neville Chamberlain, an appeaser of the right, while the majority think I'm too liberal to invite to dinner. At this point, I am just interested in perception. Your opinion matters to me, because how one perceives oneself in usually far short of how others actually see you. I appreciate your feedback.

Lessons Learned- The Bramble Pizza Incident

2008-08-21T16:42:00.002+02:00

Admittedly, Sen. Curt Bramble is an outlier. He has an arrogance that few of us will ever acheive, even if we practice diligently. But let me speak from personal experience, that those who serve us, deserve our respect and courtesy. The people who serve us in the food service industry aren't doing it because they like it, but because they need to pay the same bills that afflict all of us. Some are paying for college, some for missions, some for their sons or daughters on missions.

Pizza delivery drivers do this for a wide variety of reasons, none of which deserve an ounce of scorn or belittlement. The same goes for waiters/waitresses, bartenders, shuttle drivers, etc. I paid my way through college as a waiter. I am not ashamed of that fact. I learned valuable lessons in how to deal with the public. I learned how to organize my actions in such a way that would maximize the level of service I was able to provide. I came away from that experience believing that anyone, who serves the public, should get their start waiting tables, and I learned to value a waiter/waittress who did their job well. When I do get exceptional service, I make it a point to ask the server to bring me the manager. I then, with the server present tell the manager that I received excellent service and just wanted them to know that. I encourage others to do the same.

The lesson from Sen. Bramble's experience is this. Rather than seeing himself as a public servant with a responsibility to behave as a statesman, Sen. Bramble acted as a man with entitlements based upon his titles. We should expect more from someone who serves in a position with this much authority, because it is clear, that his motives are internal to himself, rather than external to the benefit of his community. Power, as an end, has a great appeal to those who for whatever reason, need it to compensate for their own personal weaknesses. Being elected to a position of such prominence provides opportunities to serve, or be served. This one incident outlined graphically which opportunity Sen. Bramble is inclined to grasp.

Political Bloggers- Fantasy Football League

2008-08-21T00:53:00.002+02:00

Over at NFL.com, I have created a fantasy football league open to the public. It is an automated league where the draft occurs on August 28. The league is called "Political Bloggers League" and I at this point have the only team, "Liberal Cynognathus". If anyone wants to join, please do. I'm a big football fan and I know some have expressed an interest, and if you haven't signed up for a team, please come join me for a little off-topic fun.

My First Poll- On Me

2008-08-20T19:22:00.002+02:00

By Utah standards, I've usually considered myself quite liberal. However, I have liberal friends who think I am way to conservative on some issues. For example, I opposed the Iraq War, but favored the surge. I disagree with Obama's middle class tax cut because of it's effects on the deficit. Even so, I welcome a little insight into how I am perceived. Am I a liberal? moderate? conservative? or undefinable? I would appreciate your vote one way or another.

Often Unrecognized Influence of Federal Income Tax Policy

2008-08-20T15:23:00.003+02:00

Because the federal income tax is the largest and most costly tax in our country, it also influences economic behavior more than any other tax. Businesses take into account tax avoidance strategies into their decisions about what new investments to make in plant and equipment, how much inventory to hold, and even whether to show profits and declare dividends.

One of the most influential tax policies regards the deduction for mortgage interest. I can't remember where I read it, but I'm pretty sure that Americans spend more per capita on personal housing than any other nation. Wealth that could be used to invest in business is invested in housing that tends to be excessive relative to the rest of the world.

You want to see where the Reagan tax cut went, go drive along Bonneville shoreline into the various subdivisions where mansions exist that provide housing that is excessive for anyone's need. Americans with their houses live like Dukes and Earls, not the burgesses (bourgeoisie) that most capitalists pretend to descend from.

Go to places like Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs, and you see one case after another of people on fairly modest means occupying houses barely within or outside of what they could afford without the income tax considerations. For most people, the most valuable assets they have are their houses. Investments in the private sector tend to be retirement related if they exist at all for many Americans, and often, because of tax considerations, their houses have second mortgages on them to pay for everyday living expenses. This creates a dependence upon the value of one's house as the only asset one can exploit. And when the housing market goes down? Many are left with few options.

I believe our country would be better suited to pursue wise, and frugal residential land use. People don't need to live in a starter mansion, or have three or four mansions. I believe there should be a cap on the mortgage interest deduction of around $20,000 per year. This won't prevent people from getting into a home, but it will limit the incentive to overbuild and over-invest in real estate rather than in plant and equipment. Investments in plant and equipment increase American productivity. Investments in real estate, create short-term, and limited returns that ultimately do little for our economy.

Happy V-J Day

2008-08-14T19:30:00.002+02:00

It's hard to believe it has been 63 years since Emperor Hirohito relayed to the allies that he was willing to unconditionally surrender his empire in order to stop the bloodshed that was soon to come through invasion of the islands that make up Japan. Certainly, the bombs that dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki may have influenced that decision, though there are many who contend that before the bombs dropped, that the Emperor was consulting with his high command over the possibility of surrender.

It is easy to criticize Truman's decision to drop the bombs on civilian targets. I think it is clear that the new President really had no idea just what he was using to end the conflict. But I find it instructive, that this horrific weapon has not been used in a conflict since then. But the development of nuclear weapons has loomed like a shadow upon our civilization. Nuclear proliferation continues to be a major threat. And as the people of our nation, as well as the people of many other nations, have become more religious, and more prone to seeing the world through other-worldly eyes, one wonders at what point will a mushroom cloud signify our own Brunhilde's float down the Rhine.

Certainly, the Japanese learned an important lesson- it is cheaper to buy raw materials than to invade other countries to acquire them. As Germany imports oil from the caucuses region where Army Group South stalled in the summer of 1942, it's clear that Germans of the last 60 years learned a similar lesson. Japan, a nation with few raw materials, has bounced back to become a manufacturing mega-success and a nation that has not taken up the sword since the last kamikazees gave their all to their emperor.

There are lessons to be learned from World War II. One of those lessons, is how a nation can be galvanized when they are attacked without provocation. Japanese could certainly argue that our embargo of them left them few options, but few Americans would have seen it that way as they saw their fleet and their citizens attacked on the Island of Oahu. Americans rallied from the early set-backs in the Phillipines and in Algeria, and went on an offensive that ended along the Elbe and with two mushroom clouds over Japanese cities.

Americans seem to have lost a sense of who they are and what they are about. Hopefully, lessons of the past will illuminate where we need to go in the future.

Georgia- The Results of Losing the High Ground

2008-08-14T15:09:00.002+02:00

Step back for a second, away from the neocon vision of American invincibility and unilateralism, and recognize for a second, why Russia can ignore Bush, Rice, Cheney and any other neocon stooge. Let's compare the situations. Russia invades Georgia over actual and verifiable aggression against South Ossessia. The U.S. invades Iraq over, ahem, what Iraq might implausibly do the United States at some future time.

So on what grounds should Putin think he is losing face by invading Georgia? The United States has already lost the moral high ground, is over-committed militarily, and now is a "super-power" in name only. The neocon vision is now complete. Unfortunately, Russia has it's own neocon, and his name is Putin. So neocons, fire away with all your rhetoric at Russia for it's invasion of Georgia. But know this, they learned all this from you. Aren't you proud?

Open Season on Dems and Liberals I Suppose

2008-08-13T23:42:00.002+02:00

After a right-wing lunatic went on a rampage at a Unitarian church, I was hopeful that would be the last of the senseless violence. However, sad news today, as the Arkansas Democratic Chair has been shot and killed. I know people's passions can get pretty worked up over politics, but come on people. I'm sure it is too early to know why this lunatic did what he did, but it wouldn't surprise me if he felt he was doing his patriotic duty. Sigh....

From Tragedy to Triumph

2008-08-12T22:16:00.002+02:00

When I was very young, I remember this little blond girl who lived about a block away. She was the oldest of several little girls. I also remember when her mother tragically died a few days after giving birth to her last little girl. I remember well, just how much this tragedy affected her, being the oldest, and really being the only one old enough to understand the gravity of the loss. Her father remarried a woman who also had girls of similar age to the girls he had from his late wife. Katie, as I'll call her then faced the new challenge of trying to get along with new sisters. It didn't help that her new sister, her age, was beauty queen pretty, and was very popular.

Knowing the family well, I watched from a distance the struggles Katie went through, the feelings of inadequacy that would sometimes come to the surface. I always felt a great deal of empathy for her and her situation. Katie went on to marry, and raise a wonderful family. I remember running into her years later at a community event. She had organized the whole thing, and after talking to her, it dawned on me that she had done this before, many times. And she does it quietly, often with little or no recognition. And as I got to talk to her son, it was also apparent to me what a wonderful parent and role model she was.

I came away with a great deal of respect for Katie. She overcame alot of heart-ache as a child from the various tramas she endured, but came away strong, resourceful and committed to her family and community. As I temporarily part from politics, it is my memories of people like Katie that recharge my batteries. Thanks Katie.

Chardonnay Drinking Catholic

2008-08-11T05:49:00.003+02:00

One person I have drawn inspiration from is a guy who will never be well-known for what he does on a daily basis. Lenny, is a guy who hangs out at a couple of watering holes. He loves to drink chilled chardonnay and hangs out with people he calls friends. What I admire about Lenny, is how unjudgmental he is, and how willing he is to put is arm around someone who has hit rock bottom. I've talked to people who were just short of sticking a gun in their throat, who came to Lenny's watering hole to garner the courage, who were intercepted by Lenny, and were reminded of their value as a human being by Lenny.

Lenny, has many faults, but he has an uncanny ability to understand where people are relative to their morale. When people are at their lowest, he lifts them up with encouraging words. The gal whose husband has left her, can count on Lenny hugging her and telling her how great it is to see such a wonderful looking young lady here at his watering hole.

People, when they've made serious mistakes in their lives and have faced public humiliation and legal problems, can count on Lenny to stand by them in their hour of need. This is a trait I deeply admire, though in IRL I would never admit it because he's a Cowboys fan. But he through his actions, reminds me of my responsibility to treat people as people, despite their faults.

Guys like Lenny are the kinds of people I need to remind me of who I am and what I'm about. The heartless and cold-hearted quest for political power you see from the McCain campaign is stark in it's relation to my bar-hopping, unjudmental friend. People, even those who have suffered mistakes or misfortune matter to Lenny. You read the comments of conservatives who willingly castigate everyone who may have fallen on KSL.com or Desnews.com, and you understand the soul of a conservative. I applaud my friend Lenny, who takes imperfect people and seeks to inspire in them hope, that they still might live honorable lives.

Lenny despite his many flaws is the kind of guy who inspires me to move on and fight the good fight against authoritarianism. Lenny sees value in the least of people. I just hope to be strong enough to follow his example.

Recharging My Personal Battery

2008-08-10T19:18:00.002+02:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have tired of the highly charged, partisan political debates as of late. Though some would say, that I have contributed to the partisan debate, what I've seen during the last month and a half, is the descent of the Republican party into their typical Rovian smear campaigns that brought us eight years of a disasterous Bush legacy. What has disappointed me in the past, and continues to disappoint me today, is how effective such gross manipulations and dishonest propagandizing is to a seemingly cerebrum deficient electorate.

So, atleast till the Olympics is over, I'm going to focus on the positive. I'm drawing back from my memories of people who I knew at a local level who made a real difference and continue to do so. It is a reminder that there are good-hearted people out there who make a difference every day. People who overcome obstacles yet make a difference in ways that usually go unnoticed. The individuals I will highlight will be given an alias, so don't try to look these people up. But trust me, they are as real as the star that heats our planet.

But recognize, that in the end, this is selfish on my part. The purpose of this analysis is to be able to stand back, and regain some of the trust I have in the basic goodness of many Americans. I need to remind myself of the role models out there that go beyond rhetoric and follow their consciense and their hearts.

Resetting Assumptions on Energy Use/Mass Transit

2008-08-07T21:12:00.004+02:00

The rising price of energy has caused me to rethink many of the assumptions I have about how I should live my life. Like many Utahns, I love to drive my car. I get to listen to the music I want to listen to, or the radio show I want. I can multi-task down the street with and egg mcmuffin in one hand, and a diet coke in my cupholder. However, that freedom has become rather costly.

So, I have decided to make a concerted effort to use mass transit. Through my employment, I already get a free bus pass, and that makes the opportunity cost of commuting in my vehicle doubly high. So what is the cost of a daily commute? My commute is 60 mile a day roundtrip. My car gets about 25 mpg on these commutes. So it takes 2.4 gallons of gasoline every day to go to work and back. 2.4 times $4 per gallon equates to $9.60 a day. For five days, that equates to $48/week or nearly $200/month.

If you take into account all factors such as vehicle wear and tear, you could use a basic mileage rate to estimate the costs of commuting via personal vehicle. Let's say you use $.50 per mile as the reimbursement rate, and you multiply that by the 1,200 miles I use in that commute, that is $600/month that can be saved by using mass transit.

Where I have to reset my assumptions the most is whether to use mass transit on my days off. I must confess, that I have never, no not once, used mass transit in Utah for anything other than commuting. However, tomorrow, I'm taking a day off work to see my doctor. I visited UTA's website and they have a trip planner at http://www.utabus.com/ridingUTA/tripPlanner/default.aspx that allows you to put in your beginning and destination points and you are given options on how to get there. A trip that would've taken 45 minutes, now will take me two hours using mass transit. However, I would save $25.60 in gas and a total cost of $80 for all things considered. For a four hour roundtrip, I would save $80 or $20/hour. Though that isn't what I make in my day job, I haven't made that kind of money before in any of my part-time jobs.

I've tried to approach energy use rationally and implement a conservation approach on the basis fiscal responsibility and self-interest. I already miss the freedom to take off during my lunch break and go to the restaurant of my choice. However, packing a lunch is also saving me money as well. I also dislike the extra hour I take every day to commute using mass transit. But on top of saving money, I recognize that I am doing my part to reduce our dependence on oil that seems to flow most freely from one of our planet's most unstable regions. Oh, and there is that greenhouse gas thing as well.

Tiring of Politics- I Need a Second Wind

2008-08-06T17:49:00.002+02:00

As I've observed the blogosphere and the ramping up of the rhetoric, mostly from the Republican side, but also from the Democrats, my basic faith in humanity is on the wane. Conservative pundits and bloggers have their talking points, which they mindlessly and robotically shout in unison, and liberals get their talking points, which they post and in similar fashion.

Basically, this election is about whether the basic values of our Republic, and the rule of law, will be restored to some measure. The reckless lawlessness of the Bush administration has deeply undermined what generations of Americans fought for with their guns and with their words. Wrapping the evidence around a policy for war, perhaps the most egregious act of corruption, is added to torture, illegal eavesdropping, illegal signing statements, and a callous unwillingness to have open government, hiding behind "executive priviledge" like a criminal taking the fifth.

This election isn't about inflated tires, but about deflated values. And though I don't agree with Obama on everything (see my post on Obama's middles class tax cut), an additional four years of Bush/Cheney/McCain is not an acceptable alternative if we are to preserve the basic decent values our Republic stands for. Americans as a people need to be reminded of just how far we have sunk as a society in only 7.5 years of Bushian misrule. And McCain and his neo-Rovian strategies to gain power by any means shows that the Republican party has not changed and responded to the public they wish to govern. Power as an end, rather than a means to an end, and the misuse of that power to line the pockets of friends and donors is the legacy of the Bush administration. McCain's lack of criticism of this corruption shows just how much he has put away the maverik and replaced him with a lackey to the rich and powerful.

And so, if I recharge my jets during the coming weeks, I'll re-enter the fray with the same vitality I have as before. But I need a break. I need to go observe some people doing the right things for the right reasons to restore my confidence, not necessarily in the government, but in the people who vote in November. It is the people I'm concerned about and their preponderance for being easily led and manipulated by appeals to their worst instincts that concerns me. So if you don't see me post every day, it doesn't mean I don't care, it means I need to restore my confidence in those I care about.

ABC News and the Drumbeats for War

2008-08-01T19:27:00.003+02:00

Glenn Greenwald has a priceless post today at Salon.com outlining the culpability of ABC News in providing false information that helped along the drumbeats of war against Iraq. The story deals with the suicide of the lead suspect in the anthrax case, an individual who worked for the federal government at Ft. Detrick in Maryland where he had access to anthrax. Going back to the time of the anthrax attacks, ABC News Brian Ross had as his big news story, that the anthrax had traces of bentonite in it which was consistent with anthrax used in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. This was one of the first linkages of Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 series of attacks. This information turned out to be false. The only persons who would have known whether bentonite had been found in the anthrax, would have been the very same set of experts who worked at Ft. Detrick, the source of the anthrax.

Brian Ross said he heard it from 3-4 sources and it was a big scoop at the time. However, in the interests of hindsight, Brian Ross of ABC News either manufactured the bentonite idea, or he was duped by one or more individuals who wanted to create a link between the anthrax attacks and Saddam Hussein. I can't think of a third plausible explanation. So Greenwald, to his credit begs the question, "why protect your sources now?" They clearly lied to Brian Ross and since the anthrax attack was a criminal violation, doesn't Brian Ross have a responsibility to release what information he knows. If the individual(s) responsible used him as a member of the press to acheive political objectives out of this criminal act, is not Brian Ross an accessory?

I asked that question of Brian Ross from ABC News's website and am not anticipating a response. This is a unique case, The very individual who through a terrorist attack on the United States, and tried to implicate islamic extremists in the attack, may have also contacted the press in order to implicate Iraq itself. That a federal government employee could foment war through a terrorist attack on the United States with the goal of implicating a country that had nothing to do with it, is hard to fathom, but it appears to be the most plausible explanation to what happened. And ABC News and Brian Ross need to come clean on this thing fast, or they should not be trusted as a reliable news source.

What Obama’s Middle Class Tax Cut Would Mean to Utahns

2008-07-31T23:25:00.000+02:00

Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama has floated the idea of providing a “middle class tax cut” of $1,000. His campaign appropriately points out that this would eliminate the income tax for millions of people. What would be the impact here in Utah? I guess it depends on what you consider to be “middle class.” My wife and I for the first time last year, broke the six figure mark for Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). I live in a modest house in a relatively inexpensive community. We have two vehicles, one a 1996 model, the other a 2002. Our federal income tax burden was around $10,500, equating to a roughly 10% effective tax rate relative to AGI.

In Utah, the average federal income tax for AGI groups are as follows:

0-5K---------------$10
5-10K--------------$87
10-15K------------$262
15-20K------------$482
20-25K------------$792
25-30K----------$1,130
30-35K----------$1,437
35-40K----------$1,777
40-45K----------$2,130
45-50K----------$2,554
50-75K----------$3,875
75-100K---------$6,747
100-250K-------$17,121
250-1,000K-----$88,804
Over 1,000K---$708,958

From http://tax.utah.gov/esu/income/fed2006/soi2006.htm#35

For filers reporting AGI less than $25,000, Obama’s plan would for the most part eliminate their income tax liability (depending on whether they file as single or married filing joint) and assuming that Obama considers middle income to include up through $100,000, the cut would reduce by over half the tax burden of filers filing between $25,000 and $45,000. As you increase in AGI, the percentage of a decrease in your tax burden goes down significantly. I don’t know whether the decrease would somehow disappear once someone reaches a certain threshold or would the decrease be in effect for everyone’s income to a certain degree.

For the record, I am supporting Barack Obama, but I don’t necessarily support the tax cut he is proposing. The myth that the middle class is over-taxed by the federal government makes good politics, but it doesn’t hold when given careful scrutiny. With deficits out of control, a declining dollar, wars being fought in two countries and crumbling infrastructure needs, I don’t think it is time for a tax cut. I believe a tax cut will make things worse, not better. A short-term infusion of money may help people pay their increased gas costs, but in the long run, we need to be spending money developing clean and renewable energy and developing better mass transit systems.

And though I am in favor of progressive tax policies, I think the current income tax is already fairly progressive. All Americans need to pay their fair share. Eliminating people from paying taxes reduces their investment in our country. To some extent I agree with Fareed Zakaria, in his book “The Future of Freedom”, that the need for taxes makes government responsible to the public. Our nation was not founded out of a rebellion against taxes, it was a rebellion about taxation without representation. And as our government spends more money than it takes in, the old adage is true, “if you are spending too much money, you don’t solve the problem by quitting your night job.”