A Long Way to Go

This morning I got up and had my usual cup o’ Joe and started browsing through the Sunday morning headlines.

One particular headline caught my eye in the Dallas Morning News. It read, “Northern Iraqi Women Increasingly Attempting Suicide” with the byline, “Feeling hopeless about life, some women in Iraqi Kurdistan set themselves on fire, then suffer through survival.”

It was a pretty powerful headline for early morning reading and so was the article.

A couple of blogs back, I posted a link that highlights some of the policies that have actually been successful for the president in 2007. The troop surge is one of them.

Now that stability is finally taking hold because of that surge, it seems that humanitarian aid programs need to be increased through (dare I say it) the UN. The DMN article highlights a glaring need for it.

With their jobs nearly complete, the big guns of the 1^st Calvary and other divisions in Iraq are drawing to a close, but the humanitarian efforts will continue for years to come. I hope that we put as much attention and effort into the mission that is the Iraqi people as we did in dismantling an oppressive regime.

We gave them a new beginning. It’s our job to make sure they have the opportunity to live it.

DMN Article: Northern Iraqi Women Increasingly Attempting Suicide

ER

Funny Quote

I was on a forum this afternoon catching up on current events and opinions when I came across the quote below. It's probably not as funny as I think, but I found it amusing none the less.

If you have a friend that's a midge, I apologize in advance.

Quote: Support the 2^nd Amendment. The Democrats can have my guns when midgets rule the earth."

ER

A Very Good Year . . . Sort of

Back to politics for a moment, it seems our president had a decent year, minus the approval ratings of course.

Washington Times: Bush’s Very Good Year

ER

TFA: Deadliest Catch Redux

I’ve always had respect for the mountains. They’re beautiful, majestic and exhilarating at the same time. At the age of seven, I remember standing at the peak of Mt. Engineer in Colorado with my dad’s jacket on to keep me warm. It was an amazing view that I barely remember. Ever since then, my love for the mountains has been imprinted on my soul.

The ocean on the other hand is a different story. I was indifferent. Other than the footage I’ve seen on various Discovery Channel shows and the tranquility of walking on a beach, I really didn’t know what to expect.

When we departed Norfolk for Fort Lauderdale in early April, it was a cool, crisp and calm afternoon; it wouldn’t stay that way.

Later that night around Cape Hatteras off of the North Carolina coast, we would be hit by a late season cold front that we knew was coming but wasn’t sure what kind of weather it would bring.

At about one o’clock AM that morning, we found out.

Asleep in my rack, I awoke to the knocking of loose items and the slamming of open doors. I found myself levitating above my bed like Sigourney Weaver in Ghostbusters. When I stood up, it took every muscle I had to keep myself from running into walls and people.

It became obvious we were unprepared and the boat was a mess to say the least.

After stumbling through hallways and dancing up a flight of stairs, I finally made it to the bridge. I wanted to ask the captain how long we would be in these conditions, but just as I was at the top of that mountain twenty-one years ago, I was stunned and awestruck by what I saw.

Looking out the front of the bridge toward the bow of the boat, images of Deadliest Catch immediately came to mind. With the flicker of lightning reflecting off of the waves and the sharp, cutting beam from the spotlight on the mast above, I would watch the bow ride up a wave only to come crashing down and meet the next one head on. Waves would overtake the deck, and mist from the waves crashing into us would fly over horizontally in a left to right motion driven by a driving, howling wind.

It was a humbling experience for someone who had never been to sea before and a new respect came from it.

Thankfully, the remaining four days were quite pleasant, but that night is definitely one I’ll remember for years to come.

ER

The Floridian Adventures (TFA): A Feather in the Window

I found out about the Planktos opportunity (or challenge) in mid-March earlier this year. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity. Create the computer infrastructure for the Weatherbird II, travel the sea and see all these exotic places we were to travel to boot. Who wouldn’t turn it down, right?

So, at the beginning of April, I accepted Planktos’ invite.

Planktos bought my ticket on this initial interview. I would join the crew in Norfolk, Virginia and go through a five day trial run that would take us to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Now, when I fly, I’m a Southwest loyalist. In this particular case, I didn’t have a choice and thought nothing of it until I saw the ticket stub in my email inbox. AirTran Airlines was the carrier I would be flying and before this point, I had never heard of them.

Before I departed DFW, I told a friend of mine what carrier I was using. She looked at me with a crazed look and said, “What? Are you f*****’ crazy? They’re the Wal-Mart of the skies with the worst safety record possible.” (Note: To validate her point, I came to find out later that AirTran buys a majority of their airplanes used from the major carriers like American and Continental which translates into cheaper prices).

Cautious, but not deterred, I obviously took the flight anyway. This flight happened to stop over in Atlanta where I would board a connecting flight to Richmond, Virginia.

The flight from Dallas was unremarkable and round one was over when we landed in Atlanta. Round two of the trip however would be a completely different story.

After boarding the McDonald-Douglas MD-80 that would take myself and the other passengers to Richmond, it was obvious the plane was showing its age. Resolved, I found my window seat anyway, sat down and continued reading my Time magazine I bought in Dallas. When we started to push back from the gate, I put my magazine down, buckled up and turned to look out the window.

Now, when you look out an airplane window, you expect to see a wing, the tarmac or vehicles running around, hurrying to their destination. Well, not this window.

On most aircraft, the windows have two panes - an inner pane, and an outer pane with a void of air separating the two panes. In this particular void, there wasn’t just air. There was a whole, unblemished bird feather resting at the bottom of the window.

After staring in amazement, I began to ask myself how the hell a feather got there and what is wrong with this plane?

By this point in my stunned awe, we had already taken off and ascended into the clouds. Five minutes passed with me staring at the window when I was brought back to reality by the Captain coming on the PA system:

“Uhhhhhhh, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t want to alarm you, but the aircraft is doing some odd things. It just came out of maintenance last night and seems to be having some odd mechanical problems. Because of this, we’re going to turn back to Atlanta. We’ll give you updates when we get on the ground.”

And with that, the plane veered hard to the left, did a 180 and flew back to Atlanta.

When we got back to the airport, I found a nice little bar where I parked it and had some well deserved glasses of Scotch.

I eventually made it to Richmond, but I should have heeded that feathers warning. It was an omen of interesting things to come.

ER

The Floridian Adventures

As many of you know, I had a unique opportunity this past year to travel to Florida and install a computer network on a research vessel. It was interesting to say the least and over the next month or so, I’ll be posting some of those stories with the abundance of time I seem to have on my hands right now.

I’ll preface all these stories by saying when I initially showed up on the research vessel Weatherbird II, I thought I would be diving face first into a computer project that would take the better part of a summer.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

With the budget problems of a start-up company (Planktos) and the misconceptions of a job title, it was an adventure to say the least.

The stories are yet to come, so stay tuned.

ER

The Nature of Politics

Some people say that I can be a bit too political at times.

With that, I have no argument.

Politics, which can be a very boring read, I know, but is important none the less. When you feel strongly about a particular subject, isn’t it better to have passion than dispassion? Zeal over apathy?

Politics isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about getting involved in this great American experiment.

No matter what your views, voicing them is your right and duty. It’s why we fought on the hallowed grounds of Yorktown and in turn, why we fight today in the chambers of Capital Hill.

It’s easy to get discouraged and overwhelmed in an over-sized political theater such as ours, but always remember that you matter.

I say all this because in the coming year we will be bombarded with ads, debates and expert opinions (including yours truly). Listen diligently, get involved if you want, but more importantly, let your voice be heard.

In doing so, remember my three important points when it comes to having a rational opinion: always have an open mind, never rush to judge and never be afraid to hear the other side (it’s alright to change your views when you objectively listen to what is said).

ER

Smearing Free Speech

I really don’t know what to write. The Democrats have pulled a Vladimir Putin. They’re trying to quiet free speech by targeting a prominent member of the American media through the powers of the Senate. Rush Limbaugh does stand on the other side of the political fence with who’s in power at the moment, but construing his words for political gain on the Senate floor is way beyond the line. Further more, they’re trying to twist Rush Limbaugh’s words so they can regain footing with the American people on what they have describes as a “failed war”. They have all but admitted defeat on the War on Terror, but now they’re back peddling by taking someone’s words out of context for their gain.

Unbelievable.

On a side note, I find all this ridiculous anyway. The Dems are taking the time to condemn the words of a private citizen when they should be concentrating on more pertinent issues.

ER

FoxNews: Senate Democrats Condemn Limbaugh


Clear Channel's Response

Dreaming of an '08 Victory

With the entrance of Fred Thompson into the Republican race of nominees, a strong GOP ticket has finally made itself apparent.

The current murky waters of the Republican field makes this statement a little difficult to understand at first, but let me explain.

On the right, you have Mr. Thompson who invigorates the GOP base every time he speaks. In a recent Rasmussen poll, he has 25% of likely primary voters in his pocket right now. The conservative wing couldn’t be happier on the former senator’s entry. Mitt Romney who has 13% of possible voters does the same with the base, but he has less clout and his religious belief does not fall in line with main-stream America.

While Thompson shores up the hard right, Giuliani with 23% leaning his way is a magnet for the middle. His moderate views on social issues but hard stance on foreign policy separates him from anyone else in the Republican field. Plus, his infamous label of “America’s Mayor” will always be a boon for his candidacy, and his cross party appeal will draw from independents and Dems alike. The Republican middle has proven to be a broad and growing voice in the Republican Party. All though it doesn’t have as large a voice as the far right, the GOP’s middle will play a significant roll in the primary and general elections come next year. McCain with 10% of the vote pulls from this block of voters as well, but campaign exhaustion and lack of enthusiasm has run its course in the McCain camp.

Considering Romney and McCain’s imminent exit (likely after Super Tuesday results on February 5^th if not before) and not even taking into account the lower half of the Republican field, Thompson and Giuliani will likely fight it out until the primaries in March. Either way, there is no question that Thompson or Giuliani will take the nomination.

Who ever wins, it will be in the best interest of Thompson or Giuliani to pick either as their VP on the November ticket. Thompson will cleanup Romney’s leftovers and Giuliani will mop up McCain’s giving birth to a ticket that encompasses the whole of the Republican Party by making the moderates and conservatives enthusiastic and energized for a November victory.

Let this be fair warning to the Donkey camp - A Giuliani-Thompson 2008 ticket might just clean house come November.

The Skinny on Kyoto

By request (and because I haven’t blogged in over a month), I’ve been asked to explain the Kyoto Protocol and what it asks of the international community.

This subject actually falls in line with who I’m working for now – Planktos. Because of the Kyoto Protocol (and maybe the intended by-product of the accords), a whole new industry was created because of the demand for a carbon offset market.

I’ll explain the simplest way I can (with personal opinions staying on the sideline):

The Kyoto accord calls for industrialized nations to offset their CO2 emissions by lowering their CO2 output to an acceptable preset level, and if not or unable to because of economics, to purchase “carbon credits”. Carbon credits are produced by companies like Planktos by sequestering carbon dioxide – basically just pulling CO2 from the air and preventing it from re-entering the atmosphere. There are many ways to do this. The most recognizable and most accepted way is to plant more trees, but there are other, wackier ideas like creating a sulfate barrier from the sun to lower global temperature (basically mimicking a volcanic eruption but on a global scale).

In Planktos’ case, we are utilizing a proven technique called iron fertilization to sequester carbon. It’s a technique that has 20 years worth or research backing it.

In turn and once these credits are validated by an international standard (Kyoto), they are sold to nations or companies on a carbon market to offset emission that go over a preset standard as established by Kyoto.

What does this mean for the US you ask? Even though we don’t adhere to the accords, a majority of the companies in the US voluntarily lower their carbon emissions. Plus, this has given us the opportunity to explore more seriously the alternatives to fossil fuels.

Either way, the brief and short sum of it is that the Kyoto Protocol asks the world to stabilize greenhouse gasses by any and every means possible.

To get more info on Kyoto, you can go here: The Kyoto Protocol

ER

Talk Radio’s Unquestioned Influence

Over this past weekend, Senator Trent Lott said that, “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.” In response, talk radio all over the US had a field day declaring that if they had so much power, why don’t they represent the American people?

With all joking aside, that might not be a bad idea.

Think about it. When we elect our representatives, they are supposed to represent the majority and prevailing ideals of the constituents in their districts. Theoretically, that’s the way it’s supposed to work, but when our representatives get to Washington, lobbyists (and other factors) take over and our elected official’s personal ideals supersede the constituents that elected them. Because of this, a disconnect forms between Washington and the home front.

To prove this disconnect, the Gallup organization released a poll yesterday that shows confidence in Congress is at an all-time low – a 14% approval rating. Our representative democracy is something that every American should be in awe of and is probably one of the most prestigious institutions of government to ever be conceived, but regrettably it is balked at and frowned upon by a majority of Americans.

Now, let me also say that there are people on the other side of the coin. Not every representative we elect is like this. I’d even say that the description above represents a minority of elected officials, but unfortunately that minority runs the majority which is where talk radio kicks in.

The voice of the American people is no more prominent than on talk radio. Radio hosts go on the airwaves every day from Glenn Beck to Sean Hannity to listen to and discuss the politics at hand. Granted, talk radio is dominated by conservatives, but at the other end, printed press is dominated by the left. Either way, the every day American is flocking to the media to have their opinions heard because our Senators and representatives in congress have a deaf ear. They’re too tied up in their own political gain and self image.

Politics is a passion of mine and I love the debate and pragmatist nature of it, but if I were to ever be elected to public office, the voice of the people would always be my first duty. To make this point more clear, I’ll use my opinion on the current immigration bill as an example.

I personally think the bill presented by Senators Kennedy and McCain is a very good bill (read previous blog posts for more detailed opinion), but when it comes to immigration, I’m in the minority of my party. Most Republicans don’t like this bill and want it thrown out of debate all together. Even though my personal ideology clashes with the majority of my constituents, my vote would always be representative of the people that elected me. That’s the way it’s supposed to work and that’s the way the founding fathers intended it to work.*

I write this not to jab out our system. I admire what we have created and what America is, but just as our Constitution is a living document, our republic is a living and ever changing democracy which requires our awareness and vigilance. It’s so very important that we, the people, remind our elected officials that representing us is meant to be an honor and a privilege, not a right to power.

Talk radio and the media – whether it be the left or right - will hopefully open the eyes of Washington and get them reconnected with the people they serve. It will hopefully remind them that they are there for us, not them.

ER

* Let me note that by saying yes, we are a majority rules society and in most cases the majority gets what they want, but only within reason. We are a republic for this basis alone - not to be ruled by the mob, but to be ruled by reason and deliberation.

Points of Interest:

• Reporters give Dems money over the GOP 9 to 1
• Senator Claims: Boxer/Clinton Want 'Legislative Fix' for Talk Radio
  

Continuing the Giant Leap

Ever since I was a kid, I have been enamored by the marvels of our space program. I wear this awe on my sleeve and most everyone knows it.

Tonight’s launch will be no exception when the exploration of space continues. I’ll be glued to a TV or internet connection to watch the first lift-off of many to come this year.

Once these last missions by the Space Shuttle are completed by 2010 and ISS construction is complete, our sites will be set on the moon once again. When you consider the possibilities for technological advances for reaching the moon again (and permanent settlement for that matter), it’s inspiring to think what mankind can do and has already done.

I personally can’t wait to witness a moon landing as my father and mother did in 1969, and I can’t wait to see the words of JFK put back into action with NASA leading the way.

Here’s for continuing that giant leap.

ER

Moving Forward on Immigration, Part II

Newsweek just posted an article online by Fareed Zakaria titled America’s New Know-Nothings: Reagan’s Lessons for the GOP on Immigration.

Now, if you don’t know who Fareed Zakaria is, he is the editor for Newsweek International, is a frequent guess on This Week with George Stephanopoulos and hosts Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS.

His article (which I request that you please read) can be read here and expresses my opinion on immigration almost to a T. It’s very well put.

ER

Moving Forward on Immigration

Senators from both parties announced a compromise bill yesterday that would overhaul an immigration system in need of change. Some of the points in this bill look promising, but it will take a lot for both sides to completely agree on them all.

On point that I’m personally happy to see is the path to citizenship that will be given to those illegal immigrants already here by granting them a “Z visa” (some bullet points can be seen here).

Many of you know that I’ve written on this subject before and my main disappointment through the whole immigration fight has been how callus my party has been on the separation of immigrant families by categorizing them as a “threat to national security”. Granted, 12 million are here illegally, but 99.9% of them are here to make a better life for themselves. Forcing them to uproot and go back to their country of origin by performing mass deportations (mainly Mexican nationals) after they’ve been established here for years is heartless, cruel and quite frankly, un-American. President Bush himself (an exception to the majority of my fellow Republicans whom I called out above) said that this bill is “one that will help enforce our borders but, equally importantly, it will treat people with respect.”

This bill is a major step forward, and I applaud the efforts of Senator Kennedy and Senator McCain in bringing it forward to the Senate floor. Here’s hoping for an open-minded debate.

ER

Lucky Number Eleven?

Currently, there are ten candidates that are vying for the GOP nomination.

Out of the four current front runners, Giuliani has the clear lead. Giuliani’s moderate conservative views (whom I’m leaning toward at the moment) appeal to a large political middle, but his personal life might turn out to be a liability. Standing 14 points back, John McCain is a very likable and respected old warhorse, but at the same time he doesn’t seem to have the political correctness when it comes to censoring his words before they spew from his mouth. Newt Gingrich has a very loyal following, but that won’t translate to a broader base. And last, Mitt Romney’s grassroots conservative bell ringing is appealing to the right, but can he overcome the questions that middle-America raises about his Mormonism?

Out of this early field of candidates, it’s hard to pick one that you can lash onto. Can a late hour eleventh candidate be the answer for the GOP?

Enter Fred Thompson – former senator, actor and future presidential candidate?

Without spending any money, he seems to have vaulted himself nearly to the top of a crowded field. The most recent Gallup Poll shows him third and only seven points behind McCain. That alone is amazing when you consider his entry is still only speculation.

Either way, the buzz surrounding the former senator is gaining momentum and causing Republicans like myself to notice. November, 2008 is a long way off and a lot could happen, but if Thompson officially enters this field, I guarantee I, along with many others, will reevaluate our choice for the GOP nomination.

ER

Backing the Boost

I find it interesting that eight Arab states support the President’s troop increase more that politicians here at home . . .

USA Today: Troop increase gains support of 8 Arab states

*** Update *** (01.18.07)

Fellow Texan Silvestre Reyes (the new chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence) was quoted as saying that he was for an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 troops in Iraq in the December 5^th issue of Newsweek.

What a difference a month makes.

Soon after the President announced his proposed plan of a 21,500 increase, the Democrat from west Texas told the El Paso Times that a troop increase of that size was unthinkable.

Sounds like he was taking a page out of Kerry's play book, saying he was for it before he was against it.

Article: From The Washington Times

Civil Rights and the War on Terror

Immigration reform is a touchy subject. Ever since the topic came up before the midterm elections last year, I’ve wanted to voice an opinion I am very passionate about. Therefore, in honor of the Martin Luther King holiday and how entangled immigration reform has become with civil rights, I see no better time.

For those of you that live in Dallas, you’ll remember the half-million Mexican-Americans that marched on downtown in April of 2006 in the name of civil rights. It was an impressive demonstration, not only for its sheer size (the mass of humanity was unreal) but for the peaceful message it was trying to portray in a Cesar Chavez fashion – the right of the immigrant worker.

Most of you know that I’m a Republican through and through. Most of my beliefs connect with Republican ideals. On foreign policy I’m as hawkish as the next conservative Republican, but when it comes to a handful of domestic issues, I have found myself very much a moderate (a surprise to some of you, I’m sure). For example, I believe in a woman’s right to choose and I would like to see stem-cell research go forward.

Immigration reform is no exception.

Immigration was the topic one day last week on Sean Hannity’s radio show (which is what finally brought me to write about this subject almost a year after the civil rights marches of last year). The discussion was centered on illegal immigration through our southern boarder and how porous it can be. Hannity discussed the national security risk it posses, which is true, but the majority of these people are Latin American (11 million plus to put a number on it last I heard). He even went as far as to use the War on Terror as an excuse to expel our country of all illegal immigrants (which to use the war as cover for deportation made me extremely upset).

Now, let me be frank for a moment. The purpose of this blog is to point out that not all illegal immigrants are terrorists, especially in the southern boarder’s case. About 75% of all illegal immigrants in this country are Mexican or from Latin America, and to put all them under the umbrella of terrorism as Hannity did is beyond outrageous.

Let me be even more frank. When was the last time a Mexican immigrant flew a plane into an American building? When was the last time a hard working Latino farm or construction worker here in the United States murdered innocent women and children on a bus or train on the way to work in the name of Allah. I hate to say this (and not too sure who to quote, for I’ve heard it from many different pundits), not all Muslims are terrorists, but most terrorists are Muslims. It’s unfortunate, but painfully true. It’s the reality of terrorism.

President Bush’s view on immigration reform (which isn’t very popular with the extreme right of the Republican party) is a plan that can work and a plan that I personally agree with.

In this recent struggle of civil rights, I hope we don’t lose sight of the rights these aspiring American immigrants have. While we need to be self aware of terrorism in this country, we don’t need to have fear or place a label on an immigrant coming here, legal or not. Not every immigrant has an ulterior motive and to use terror as a catch-all for all immigrants is a farce and a slippery slop this country needs to stay away from.

I obviously use Mexican-American families as a point in this blog, but my point applies to all ethnic backgrounds. If we are going to deport any illegal immigrants that are already here, let’s not lump them together and classify them all as enemies of the state. To do so would play on a fear that true terrorist are trying to instill in us and at the same time would isolate us further from the world than what we already are.

Civil rights and liberties are something that we need to keep a constant vigil on to maintain. It’s the price we have to pay in our grand Republic we live in. Once we allow ourselves to use the War on Terror and fear to dictate our freedoms, the vigilance is lost to the present moment which can easily snowball out of control.

ER

Note: The subject of civil rights and the War on Terror obviously transcends and is not localized to the subject of immigration reform. Immigration is just the subject I have chosen.

Update (01-17-06): Interesting development in Terrorist Surveillance Program.

Re: Protestors

I feel that Haley had such a good blog posting that I just had to repost it here (with her permission of course). I couldn’t have said it better myself.

From Haley’s blog . . .

Protestors

Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is not to talk about whether the war is right or wrong, if we should be in Iraq right now or not, or whether or not you or I think George W. Bush is doing a good job as the President. That being said, I don't want to hear anything about the previous things if you are going to comment on my blog.

I was watching the news last night, finally out of my little bubble I have been living in the past two months where I had no clue what was going on in the world. There was a 19 or 20 year old from Mansfield (I think) that was killed in Iraq on New Years Eve. This morning I was watching Good Day on Fox 4 and they mentioned a 21 year old medic (from Ennis, I believe) that was killed by a truck bomb whose funeral was today. Then they brought up the fact that there would probably be protesters at his funeral. I have a huge problem with that. I don't care if you protest the War, that's the beauty of living in America - freedom of speech. I do have a problem with people protesting the War at a Soldiers funeral. Soldiers risk their lives every day so Americans can have all the rights we have grown accustomed too, and possibly even take advantage of. I can only imagine what the Soldiers families are going through - losing a son, daughter, parent, cousin, etc. - and then there are strangers showing up at the funeral with signs and chants saying the Solider died for no reason at all. Excuse me?!? The Soldier died fighting for something he/she believed in. There isn't a draft going on right now, nor has there been one since the early 1970s. These "kids" that joined the Military have done so on their own accord. They most likely all have a different reason for joining, but their name was not picked out of a hat, nor was anyone forced to join. They joined because they wanted to, not because they had to. They are overseas fighting for something they believe in, not for nothing. Don't degrade the fallen Soldiers by protesting at their funeral. Show all of the military some respect and support, whether or not you believe what they are doing is right or wrong, they are fighting for you.

The New Year

It’s been almost two month since I last posted a blog - shame on me!

But to come to the point (a late point at that), let’s all have a drink to a great 2007.

More posts to come . . .

ER