Americans are starting to seriously sour on the current crop of Democrat leaders (or should that be the current ‘crap’ of leaders?). Senate Majority Ego, Harry Reid, seems to have decided he is above the law and has designated himself judge and jury regarding Governor Blagojevich. Because only if Blagoyevich was found guilty and/or impeached would he have lost his powers as the top Executive of the State of Illinois. And since that has not happened, then Reid has unilaterally taken the law into his own hands by barring a legally designated Senator from participating in OUR government.

Harry Reid has attained the Inside-The-Beltway God Complex that inflicts many who serve in Congress - and boy does he have it bad. He thinks some yahoo Senator from Nevada can tell the State of Illinois who their Senator can be. His ego is knows no bounds.

What Americans are sick of is people who abuse the power of the offices they have been entrusted with. And I can say a few political leaders are getting sick of it as well. I think former MD Lt Governor Michael Steele has said it best:

There is “no legal reason not to seat” Illinois’ Roland Burris to the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, Maryland’s former lieutenant governor, Michael Steele, told CNSNews.com on Monday. 

On talk radio yesterday Steele explained the situation correctly. Governor Blagojevich has the authority to designate Burris as the interim Senator to replace Obama. And since there is no law requiring the Secretary of State to confirm the Governor’s choice, the lack of a signature by the Secretary of State does not have any legal bearing. Therefore Harry Reid just made up some faux law to suite is power mad ego.

Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein is not happy either:

On Burris, Reid said Feinstein was simply wrong. 

Talking to reporters earlier on Tuesday, Feinstein had said that failing to seat Burris would call into question the validity of “gubernatorial appointments all over the country.” 

“That’s not valid, her statement,” a smiling Reid told Politico. “I told her that. OK?” 

I am sick of people in power trying to live beyond their responsibility. Personally I think impeachment of Reid is called for since he clearly has highjacked our nation’s Constitution to suite his political whims. Since Reid has broken his pledge to uphold our laws, he is the one who should be ejected from his top Congressional position.

It is time for Americans to demand Reid step down from Majority Leader - and probably from his Senate seat. We don’t need demi-gods in the Senate. We need representatives of We The People who not only make the laws, but follow them.

If current trends continue President-Elect Obama is going to really screw with the far left and far right in this country - and perhaps retain a strong centrist base from which to execute two terms in office. Right now Obama is really defying many of claims he will govern as an extreme liberal, defanging the far right as their dire predictions of pending doom fail to materialize and driving Obama’s far left base insane as they find another centrist democrat ignoring their risky policy schemes.

So far Obama seems to on a pretty reasonable line with Iraq, keeping Secretary Gates on board and dumping any talk of a hasty and risky retreat. In Afghanistan he is promoting an increase in forces and investment to drive a security and policy wedge between the Taliban and the rest of the Muslim community there. And let’s not forget Obama voted to keep the NSA-FISA surveillance changes Bush put in place after 9-11.

And Obama is taking a lot of heat for siding, albeit quietly, with Israel on its efforts to destroy the murderous terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

And in what has to be driving the left absolutely nuts is Obama’s plan to provide a huge tax cut package in his stimulus plan - a tax cut package that actually reduces the tax burden on Americans, over two years, to a greater extent than either of the tax cuts enacted by Bush and the GOP led Congress:

 President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are crafting a plan to offer about $300 billion of tax cuts to individuals and businesses, a move aimed at attracting Republican support for an economic-stimulus package and prodding companies to create jobs.

The size of the proposed tax cuts — which would account for about 40% of a stimulus package that could reach $775 billion over two years — is greater than many on both sides of the aisle in Congress had anticipated. 

…

Mr. Bush’s 10-year, $1.35 trillion tax cut of 2001, considered the largest in history, contained $174 billion of cuts during its first two full years, according to Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation. The second-largest tax cut — the 10-year, $350 billion package engineered by Mr. Bush in 2003 — contained $231 billion in 2004 and 2005.

As with tax hikes, once tax cuts are enacted it is nearly impossible to convince Americans higher taxes will do them good. We all know there has to be some compromise to the left in any stimulus package, so there will be lame and useless government program growth. But what is interesting is how this approach really drives a stake into the far left liberal policies of taxing the rich, and how that defangs the liberal left and doom & gloom crying far right.

Obama is turning out to be quite a surprise.

Only someone who cannot distinguish terrorist states from democracies would equate Hamas to Israel. These are the people who ignore the targeted killings of hundreds, thousands or millions in order to find wrong doing when the west defends or liberates. 

And today the NY Times has come out of the closet and proclaimed their anti-semite support for terrorists:

Israel Strikes Before an Ally Departs

For nine days, as European and United Nations officials have called urgently for a cease-fire in Gaza, the Bush administration has squarely blamed the rocket attacks of the Palestinian militant group Hamas for Israel’s assault, maintaining to the end its eight-year record of stalwart support for Israel.

Just a note of clarity, since this is one extremely biased piece. Officials of the UN would include Iranians and Syrians. And most European Union nations back Israel. Anyway,more on this strange liberal bit of sick fantasy:

Mr. Bush, in his weekly radio address on Saturday, said the United States did not want a “one-way cease-fire” that allowed Hamas to keep up its rocket fire, and Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday echoed the point, declaring that only a “sustainable, durable” peace would be acceptable.

Clearly no sane person would want a peace deal which stopped Hamas from reigning death down on innocent Israelis

On Dec. 19, just one month before Mr. Obama’s inauguration, Hamas declared an end to an Egyptian-mediated truce with Israel that had taken effect in June, and rocket attacks from Gaza have been increasing since then.

Mr. Obama has disappointed many commentators in the Muslim world by steadfastly declining to condemn the Gaza operation, and he maintained his silence over the weekend as Israel began a ground invasion.

So the NY Times admits that Hamas increased it rocket attacks (from deep within civilian centers) - but whjo cares if a lot of Jews are dying? Obama is supposed to condemn the killing of terrorists launching rockets at civilians? This open appeasement of terrorists can only lead to bolder and broader terrorist attacks. Support the attacks on Israel today and you will see attacks on the US and EU tomorrow!

The disregard for human carnage here is stunning. As long as Israelis are being mowed down it is OK, but to take out killers who are in the open, spouting their plans to kill civilians, is wrong? The US is better off without the cesspool of the NY Times and its warped value system. And thank God President Bush still has his priorities straight. Terrorists need to die, democracies need to survive.

The best example of how the liberal bleeding heart creates ideas that are all hype with no substance (i.e., all hat and no cattle in the vernacular of the Western US) is how the ‘free’ housing built by Jimmy Carter by cheap labor (volunteers with little to no building skills) are now falling apart:

RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart.

Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity.

Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

…

One man pulled up his floorboards to find rubbish 5ft deep under his kitchen. Other complaints include cracking walls and rotting door frames that let in rats and ants. Many residents have complained of mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

These are rush jobs built by unskilled labor (even if they are overseen by skilled builders). It just goes to show that you get what you paid for. What is not humorous is how the dreams of these people are now in shreds. No one will want to buy a cheap charity gimmick house - not for a prime price at least.

I worked many summers in home construction. And I can tell you that when I started I was completely naive of the engineering and quality required to build a good home. After watching gifted builders work I realized it took more than swinging a hammer to build something of quality and durability. Which is why you don’t want the following people working on your home:

A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied for the calibre of its celebrity supporters, who range from Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Helena Bonham Carter.

Celebrities think they can do anything - when in reality they know how to do very little outside their gilded Hollywood enclaves. Playing Santa Claus seems like such an ego trip, but to do it right and not disappoint requires skill and experience. Is there any better representation of the disasters of liberal policies and how they stand the test of time?

It seems the recent increase in surgical drone strikes on al Qaeda and Taliban leadership, hiding out in the some of the tribal areas of Pakistan, has been very successful:

The top hierarchy of al-Qaeda has taken such a hit from US missile strikes that Osama bin Laden and his deputy have had to replace people in the terrorist organisation with men they have never met, according to Western intelligence sources.

A dozen of al-Qaeda’s “senior management” have been killed by Predator drone attacks, which have been so effective in locating their targets that the militant group has been forced to move from traditional outdoor training camps to classroom-style facilities that are hidden from view.

…

Predators, armed with Hellfire missiles and precision-guided penetration bombs, have already succeeded in targeting two individuals believed to have ranked number three in the al-Qaeda chain of command: Hamza Rabia and Abu Laith al-Libi. They have also killed Mohammed Atef, reputedly the chief of military operations, and several of the group’s most experienced explosives and biological weapons specialists.

…

The only al-Qaeda commander to have been killed by other means in the past 12 months was Abu Ghadiyah, who was in charge of the production line of suicide bombers from Syria into Iraq. He died during a controversial US commando helicopter raid across the border from Iraq in October.

I for one want to thank President Bush and all the people who worked in his administration and stayed focus on the mission - destroying al Qaeda. Bush was misrepresented by lesser people in the news media and the Democrat Party, but history will sort that all out. In the end it is not rhetoric but results that matter. The Democrats predicted and fought for failure in Iraq. They lost. Bush pushed through the tough times and fought to victory in Iraq. The lesser people are glaringly clear.

I have been holding off on commenting on the Israeli actions in Gaza against Hamas, primarily because the handwringing from the Surrendercrats on the left has just been too embarrassing even to discuss. I tend to view these events similar to how Alan Dershowitz recently described the situation:

Israel’s decision to take military action against Hamas rocket attacks targeting its civilian population has been long in coming. … Over the past four years, Palestinian terrorists – in particular, Hamas and Islamic Jihad – have fired more than 2,000 rockets at this civilian area, which is home to mostly poor and working-class people.

The rockets are designed exclusively to maximize civilian deaths, and some have barely missed schoolyards, kindergartens, hospitals, and school buses. But others hit their targets, killing more than a dozen civilians since 2001, including in February 2008 a father of four who had been studying at the local university. These anticivilian rockets have also injured and traumatized countless children.

…

The firing of rockets at civilians from densely populated civilian areas is the newest tactic in the war between terrorists who love death and democracies that love life. The terrorists have learned how to exploit the morality of democracies against those who do not want to kill civilians, even enemy civilians.

Picture your family members being harassed, threatened, injured or killed as they simply tried to live their lives. Maybe on the way to school they are attacked. Maybe they just miss being killed shopping for food. Maybe bullets fly by them playing in the playground. And further imagine all this coming from one street in your neighborhood, where some really evil criminals live. Imagine the police doing nothing and you have to protect your family and do so by trying to avoid the street, staying away from the killers. 

And then imagine you have to physically fight off an attack, and the police finally show up and claim YOU are guilty of committing a violent crime by attacking your attackers.

That is the twisted world view of the liberal left and all those criticizing Israel. The Islamo Fascists openly cry for the destruction of Israel and Jews, yet the world looks the other way as Nazism 2.0 washes its filth over mankind. I applaud Israel’s actions and wish them God Speed in their hunt for Hamas criminals. Right now the Israelis are in Gaza hunting down terrorists one by one.

Witnesses said the Israeli forces had punched across Gaza, bisecting its northern and southern parts, and had taken over certain strategic areas, including what the military has described as rocket launching sites.

More here.  I am also of the opinion that Israel took this step prior to Obama taking office because they felt they had to act before Democrats took over the reigns of power. Not so much because of anything Obama has said directly (though is plans to sit down and talk with that minor threat called ‘Iran’ was a disturbing combination of policy statements), but more because he appears to be too weak to stand up to the liberal Democrats (or I should say Surrendercrats) now running Congress. I believe Israel realized they had to move before the new US leadership put barriers up to any action.

It would not be the first time that the impression that America is receding from the fight against evil has resulted in fighting.  Every time we appear weak, distracted or unwilling to fight the stress points in the world erupt. This should be of no surprise really. Our focus keeps the lid on independent actions. Release that focus, that pressure, and the wounds start bleeding again.

Democrats and the liberal left are moaning for the damage Hamas has brought onto itself. It is a pathetic act of bleeding heart idiocy. While America may have tired of the War on Terror under Bush (probably thinking we have sent a strong enough signal of how we will respond), the country has not become sympathetic to terrorists. They expect terrorists to learn the lesson, not become causes for American largesse and support.

Anyone who thinks America will chose Hamas over Israel is truly naive. Israelis do not raise their children to be suicide bombers against the evil West. It might seem like a minor detail to some thick heads, but it is a core difference to most people.

Update: Ugh - Miami provided another major let down. Congrats the Ravens. - end update

Yesterday’s NFL Wild Card games were excellent - mainly because the games were not really settled until the very end. In my mind, that’s what makes good Football.

The Arizona Cardinals, playing at home for the first time in many decades, took out the Atlanta Falcons - where the Falcons actually had the better season record. Arizona won home field advantage by being one of the division winners, which seemed to set the tone for Saturday. John McCain got one small victory it seems.

But the best game to watch was the OT win by San Diego last night over the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were sporting the best season record of the day, the Chargers the worst. This one went back and forth, and included a cheap trick play by Indianapolis which I was hoping all night would not be the final score. I was rooting for the Chargers and of course enjoyed the nail biter more than a Colts fan would. 

My team plays this afternoon. I have hope the Miami Dolphins will continue their amazing season. But being a Dolphin fan for over 3 decades has taught me to be prepared for any outcome. Enjoy bantering about the playoffs in this NFL WIld Card open thread!

I have written extensively about the evils of Embryonic Stem Cell Research (the killing of young human beings for spare parts) verses the proven rewards of Adult Stem Cell Research. With the liberal left now taking the reigns of power one would expect the gates of Hell to swing wide open as greedy people attempt to mine the needs of the desperately ill for wealth and fame.

But interestingly, there may be a window of opportunity for conservatives to do something good and stop America from becoming the inventor of the human spare parts factory - the embryonic version of a concentration camp. Apparently some people are starting to listen and think about what it means politically to establish factories of human beings, from which to try and grow spare parts:

Both President-elect Barack Obama and Democratic Congressional leaders have made repealing Bush administration restrictions announced in 2001 a top priority. But they have yet to determine if Mr. Obama should quickly put his stamp on the issue by way of presidential directive, or if Congress should write a permanent policy into statute.

The debate is not academic. Democrats who oppose abortion say such a legislative fight holds the potential to get the year off to a difficult beginning, even though the outcome is certain given solid majorities in both the House and the Senate for expanded embryonic stem cell research.

“It is a very divisive issue, and it is a tough way to start,” said Senator Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat from Nebraska. “You don’t want to stumble out of the box.”

In addition, many of the Democratic gains in Congress, particularly in the House, have come in more conservative areas, with strategists estimating that up to 70 Democrats could find themselves in competitive races in 2010. Those potentially vulnerable lawmakers provide another consideration for leaders weighing whether to set an early test vote on what for some is a politically sensitive subject back home.

What is stunning is these vultures continue to chase this white rabbit called embryonic stem cell research, even though the data shows the embryos are dying for nothing:

Last year, it seemed that the human embryo dispute was about to become moot. Two groups of researchers, followed shortly by a third, independently reported that they could convert human skin cells into embryonic stem cells, bypassing embryos altogether. And immediately, the field of embryonic stem cell research began to explode. Laboratories that had steered clear of the field because of the sheer difficulty of working within the constraints of the ban on federal financing realized they could simply make their own stem cells from skin cells and study them, with no impediments.

But stem cells from human embryos are still very much needed, researchers say. 

That last line is pure BS. There is no genetic code in the embryonic stem cells that are not also in the adult stem cells. Once you can control gene expression, you can do it with the transformed skin cells just as easily. What these ‘journalists’ don’t report is how abysmal the embryonic stem cell myth has panned out. 

For those who want to know, verses be lied to by people salivating over the money they will be raking in over the dead embryos, here are some basic facts.

Scientists have been working at a rapid pace over the past year to refine a process that allows them to replicate human embryonic stem cells, without the controversial use of a human embryo. It involves genetically reprogramming adult stem cells to an embryonic, or pluripotent, state.

…

Already, scientists have pinpointed a number of advantages IPS cells could have over embryonic cells. For one, an IPS cell manufactured from an adult patient’s own stem cell would be an exact genetic match — so unlike an embryonic cell from a donor, it could theoretically be reproduced and reintroduced into the patient without risk of immune rejection.

And more here:

Embryonic stem cells to date have had limited success in animal tests and has yet to produce a single viable treatment in humans. For that matter, they have not yet been safe enough to enter into any human clinical trials. One difficulty is because of their pluripotency, they become disorganized and produce teratomas (tumors) that lead to cancer. Also because embryonic stem cells come from another human, there is the risk of immune rejection. 

Adult stem cells, which include umbilical cord blood stem cells, have provided benefits in over 70 diseases based on peer-reviewed published reports. From helping people with brain cancer, diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart disease, Parkinson’s, sickle cell anemia, lupus and others. An adult stem cell treatment recently cured a man with multiple sclerosis and he has been MS free for 5 years now. The advantage of adult stem cells is that they do not form teratomas, and often the stem cells used to treat the patient are their own, therefore avoiding any immune rejection issues, and there is no big money involved.

Note that the embryonic stem cells are not safe for human trials, yet the come from the destruction of humans. Anyone who doesn’t see the deadly hypocrisy is as blind as a Nazi or Jihadist who believes Jews are apes and therefore can be killed, burned in ovens or gassed. Sorry to be blunt, but that is a scientific fact. Embryos are human beings, legally distinct from the mother (just apply the legally accepted genetic testing used in courts across the land). To believe the embryos are not human is to demonstrate a criminal level of ignorance.

So why do some people continue to promote what has been a dead end?

Curiously, another unknown in this debate is the need for human eggs for this embryonic and cloning research. Most eggs are donated by IVF (in vitro fertilization) patients, but a growing source are young healthy women. How are these young women enticed to donate their eggs? Money. Ads are placed on college campuses stating $50,000 or $100,000 for egg donations. This is why feminist organizations have voiced a great concern that women will be sought out has embryo farms.

What kind of human race are we becoming? Why are we letting the all mighty dollar - and fear mongers preying on the ill - push us into becoming equivalent to the very evil that too many of our fellow Americans have fought and died to stop over the years? We fought to stop evil from turning this Earth into Hell, where a master race derived sustenance from inferior races. And now instead of sub-human jews in ovens we have sub-human embryos in petri dishes waiting to be sacrificed for others. I fail to see any critical difference in either example.

The history of stem cell research, under George W Bush’s moral wisdom, has shown we don’t need factories of young humans grown so we can rip their early bodies apart and suck out the cells.  Cells which will create their organs, tissues, brain, heart and - yes - soul.

There is a physical tie between the flesh and the soul, we all know this. Break that bond and the soul departs the flesh. It is a tie that is colored and shaped by our genes. This cord between the spiritual and the flesh is written in our DNA - in our stem cells.  In all our cells.  Except to allow that soul to live, grow, experience, learn and share its gifts we must protect the human being. It matters not whether the human is 6 hours old, 6 weeks old or 6 months old - it needs our protection and support.

I am not religious, but I am spiritual. And I know each individual’s unique perspective and characteristics are created at inception. Never to be recreated again. While life can create infinite copies of the animal, it only creates one instance of the individual. People who want to explore our spiritual tie to reality should begin  by understanding how that tie is created between the individual soul and the individual’s body.

Between the social conservatives panning Evolution and DNA, to the Scientologists who think medicine (and therefore biology) is myth, we have a generation of people who deny reality in a lame attempt to understand our ties to it. Why are we here on Earth? While I don’t know the answer, I do know the wrong answers. We are not here to hide from reality and make up lies to suit our quirks and greed. We are not here to make up excuses to destroy each other for personal gain.

If we are, than I am on the wrong planet. I hope I am not. And while this ghoulish rush to destroy life alarms me to my core, there are others out there on a different path. They are the ones exploring the power of adult stem cells to help humanity.

Now we have to decide as a nation, as a sentient race, which path do we want to be remembered for taking. Now we must chose who we are, and who we will be, and what kind of world we will be leaving our children. The legacy of humanity is on the line - our collective soul is being defined.

This financial mess has released the worst in people - greed. Instead of being responsible for their own state budgets and messes, now governors (mostly Democrat) are going to the Feds and asking to take my hard earned tax dollars and spend them bailing out states I don’t live, work or spend in.

Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country’s 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession.

The governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin — all Democrats — said the initiative for the two-year aid package was backed by other governors and follows a meeting in December where governors called on President-elect Barack Obama to help them maintain services in the face of slumping revenues.

I pay my state income taxes to my state - Virginia. To hell with this crap. State leaders are being paid obscene salaries to manage the state funds and services. If they cannot do their job resign. But don’t come begging those of us who are managing to our budgets and living within our means to bail out those who are not. Don’t come begging when you have plenty of money, you just don’t have the discipline to be responsible with it.

This whole bailout mess is a crock of BS. Who is going to bail out the American taxpayer?

George W Bush set the nation on a path to resume humanity’s exploration of space. I will admit up front that to participate in such an endeavor has been a life long dream of mine, and in the past few years I have been honored to be part of the effort to revive the exploration of space. I am therefore very much an advocate of such national investment. Especially since NASA’s measly annual budget of $13B is less than the country spends on pizza each year. For comparison, the DoD will consume the equivalent of NASA’s annual budget this year before Obama is sworn into office.

As can be seen in the above graphic, representing a concept for the new and improved Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) which is now named Altair, NASA is going back to the Apollo model. But everything is much larger and more capable than the old Apollo systems. Just check out the size of the astronauts next to the Altair in the diagram to get a feel for the differences.

The Space Shuttle fleet (what is left of it) is being retired in the coming few years, and will be replaced by unmanned cargo rockets and a new crew exploration capsule called Orion. For missions supporting the space station all that is required to replace the shuttle is the Orion and a launch vehicle to get it into low earth orbit (LEO) to catch the space station.

Early Orion Concept Drawing

It has been almost three decades since NASA has attempted to develop new manned space flight capabilities. The Space Shuttle is the product of the late 1970’s and is the last manned space system to be deployed. It’s maiden flight was in 1981. I for one can attest that the challenge to NASA is pretty large, since a large majority of its current work force has not been involved with such a large and complex effort. But it does have some of the best minds at work on the problems that always arise on such large programs.

One area that has been challenging is the crew launch vehicle, named Ares I. It is derived from both the Shuttle and Apollo missions. The first stage is basically a 5 ring solid rocket booster from the Shuttle (the two rockets strapped to the sides of the tank on). The second stage is a modernized J-2 liquid fuel engine from the Apollo days (the yellow cylindrical segment below the Orion Service and Command module in the picture below - click to expand).

There have been some challenges with this concept and the result has been some delays in replacing the Shuttles. Now President-Elect Obama has come out with an interesting approach to these challenges:

Obama’s transition team is considering a collaboration between the Defense Department and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration because military rockets may be cheaper and ready sooner than the space agency’s planned launch vehicle, which isn’t slated to fly until 2015, according to people who’ve discussed the idea with the Obama team.

…

Obama has said the Pentagon’s space program — which spent about $22 billion in fiscal year 2008, almost a third more than NASA’s budget — could be tapped to speed the civilian agency toward its goals as the recession pressures federal spending.

NASA faces a five-year gap between the retirement of the space shuttle in 2010 and the first launch of Orion, the six- person craft that will carry astronauts to the International Space Station and eventually the moon. Obama has said he would like to narrow that gap, during which the U.S. will pay Russia to ferry astronauts to the station.

NASA is not happy to be having to go to the DoD for support. It means lost budget and control over the program. And, in all fairness, manned space flight is a very different level of engineering than sending up lifeless robots.

Additionally, there is a reason Ares I is named as it is, because the Ares IV is the larger version which will need to launch the Altair and Earth Departure Stage (EDS) into orbit so Orion can dock with them and head off to the Moon (see image below for Ares IV details - click to enlarge). The mass being contemplatedfor  transport to the Moon requires a heavy lift capability for Altair and its Cargo (habitats, process stations, rovers, power generators, etc). Whatever is done for Space Station support needs to also be a path to lunar exploration.

But on the flip side, NASA has already teamed with DoD on many efforts. So this is not something new. The DoD also teams with NOAA now on weather satellite systems. Removing redundant and overlapping programs is a very good thing to do. NOAA, NASA, DoD and Commercial space don’t all need to develop their own launch vehicles. It is much more efficient to use common architectures and components (and industrial base) to develop and maintain a fleet of launchers, with individual models tuned to specific uses. 

I have to admit I have been worried Obama would delay or cancel the new exploration of space. But this move indicates bold, out-of-the-box thinking that looks at innovative ways to save money AND meet the objectives. NASA would do itself some good by being more open minded and less inclined to turf wars. While the DoD launchers are not human rated, it doesn’t mean they cannot be converted with less cost and risk than a completely new development. A new development which has some serious challenges left to solve.

Engineers at the Ares I project office here are working with experts from across the country to better understand the thrust oscillation issue in the first stage, a five-segment version of the four-segment reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM) that is fired in pairs to power the space shuttle stack off the launch pad.

“Conservative” calculations of the potential frequency and amplitude of a thrust oscillation that could occur in the first stage as it nears burnout, and of the way that vibration links to the rest of the vehicle, suggest that it could set up a resonance that would damage critical components and harm the crew (AW&ST Dec. 10, 2007, p. 60).

A thrust-oscillation “focus team,” convened in November 2007, has since calculated that the problem may not be as severe as it appeared earlier in the fall. But the work continues under a looming March deadline, set so designers on both the launch vehicle and Orion can start work in earnest on mitigating the effect, if necessary, before preliminary design review (PDR) at the end of the summer.

Ares I was an attempt to reuse Shuttle components. While a laudable goal it has proven to be somewhat problematic. NASA needs to know when an idea may have past its peak, and when to look at options that are both politically and technically more advantageous.

One of my biggest questions regarding Obama’s incoming presidency is whether he will continue the pressure and attacks on the remnant Taliban and al Qaeda forces hold up in Pakistan’s lawless tribal regions, specifically the FATA agencies of North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Bajaur (see map above, click for larger image).

In recent months the US has ramped up precision strikes on Taliban and “foreign militants” (e.g., al Qaeda) cells in the FATA region of Pakistan as the Pakistan Army fights insurgents in Bajaur and Khyber. In the last two days there have been two more strikes against those planning to attack us here and abroad:

A suspected US missile strike Friday killed at least three foreign militants in the northwest Pakistan stronghold of a local Taliban commander, a senior security official said.

The strike was the second in as many days in the South Waziristan tribal area on the border with Afghanistan, where hundreds of extremists fled after the US-led invasion in late 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime in Kabul.

…

“Two missiles were fired on Taliban offices near Ladha village in South Waziristan, killing three foreign militants and wounding two others,” the security official told AFP.

The official said he had no details on the nationalities of the foreigners.

Ladha, located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Afghan border, is the stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud, who leads the country’s umbrella Taliban organisation, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

One news organization monitoring the activity tallies the number of US attacks on the region now up to 30 for the year, many coming in the last 3 months:

U.S. forces in Afghanistan carried out about 30 missile strikes in Pakistan in 2008, according to a Reuters tally, more than half since the beginning of September.

The attacks have killed more than 220 people, including foreign militants, according to a tally of reports from Pakistani intelligence agents, district government officials and residents.

This is all good news (except to the peace-at-all-costs types) because our enemies cannot really plan and prepare an attack when they are constantly running for their lives and being picked off in groups of 3-6. And I am certain we are not wasting our fire (and our international reputation) on low level nobodies. We are taking out leaders.

And there are some indications that the combined actions of the US and Pakistan are creating some results. I ran across this awkwardly worded bit of reporting from the area:

He said, the military offensive forced closure of the highway from Peshawar to the Afghan border after a series of attacks on truck depots in and around Peshawar that saw hundreds of NATO vehicles torched. “The road will be open in a day or two for all types of traffic, including NATO vehicles,” the administrator of the Khyber tribal told. “We have achieved 80 percent of our objective,” he added, saying a total of 159 people had been arrested or turned themselves in since Tuesday, including 116 Afghans who were illegal migrants or involved with suspected extremists. More than 30 suspected militant hideouts had been destroyed, he said. 

“The detained Afghans will be interrogated and those proven innocent will be deported, while those found guilty will be punished,” he said.

This indicates Pakistan is rounding up the foreign agents hiding out in the area who are causing most of the challenges and threats. Much of FATA and nearly all of the NWFP regions have risen up in opposition to the Islamo Fascists in the region. There has been an Awakening in many areas, just like the one that turned the tide in Iraq in 2007 (see here, here and here for examples). It is no surprise, after years of war, that many are tiring of the trouble these outsiders are causing and are turning them in - one way or the other.

President-Elect Obama has made it clear he wants to send more troops into Afghanistan, to try and tip the balance like we did in Iraq. But one thing we did in Iraq, in addition to sending more firepower, was use that firepower to go after our enemies and free the locals from violent oppression. One of the mistakes the UN and NATO have made over the years (and the US to be honest) is showing force but not using it. Especially with the UN and some EU countries, their forces are all show - barred from making attacks that can win the battles and the war.

That is how America suffered losses in Vietnam and Somalia - by being too stingy and restrained. It is when we apply our power in an overwhelming manner - like we did in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan - that we achieve victory. Time will tell, but I fear we have another spineless liberal democrat as we had with Clinton and Carter. This is one time I would be happy to be proved wrong so I could throw my support behind the President-Elect and his efforts to annihilate our enemies hiding out in the mountains of Pakistan.

Fate has a habit of slapping down human arrogance in a such a manner as to establish historic examples of how mankind should not take itself too seriously. This decade’s lesson on hubris will be tied to the man-made Global Warming fanatics led by Al Gore and the UN’s IPCC. For nearly 3 decades these people have been crying the end of the world is nigh because of runaway Global Warming caused by increases in CO2 levels caused by mankind. 

What these fanatics never admit is that the record warmth in the late 20th century, which peaked in 1998, is not the hottest period mankind has experienced in the last 5,000 years. Nor was it the second hottest, or even the third hottest. As the following historic chart shows, the top three warm periods in the last 5,000 years coincide with massive advancements in mankind’s civilization.

The hottest and longest period of warmth was during the Bronze age, when the Minoans were leading humankind into a new era. The second place warm spell, which was about as warm but much shorter was during the Roman Empire, another period where humanity advanced significantly. The 3rd warmest spike in global temperatures was in the Medieval times right before the Dark Ages - when the Little Ice Age brought disease and famine and heartache to the world.

The Little Ice Age was the coolest period of the last 5,000 years, and we have been slowly warming up ever since. The thawing from the Little Ice Age brought humanity the Renaissance, the Industrial Age, the Computer Age and the Internet Age. As usual, when we are not required to fight for survival we have the opportunities to grow and evolve.

Now fate is preparing to slap all humanity down with a heavy reminder of how large and dominating nature is, and how small and helpless mankind is. If people though Katrina was a powerful act of nature, we may on the verge of seeing something even more humbling. And it will not be Global Warming:

As we’ve noted, 2008 has been a year of records for cold and snowfall and may indeed be the coldest year of the 21st century thus far. In the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month of October.

Global thermometers stopped rising after 1998, and have plummeted in the last two years by more than 0.5 degrees Celsius. The 2007-2008 temperature drop was not predicted by global climate models. But it was predictable by a decline in sunspot activity since 2000.

When the sun is active, it’s not uncommon to see sunspot numbers of 100 or more in a single month. Every 11 years, activity slows, and numbers briefly drop near zero. Normally sunspots return very quickly, as a new cycle begins. But this year, the start of a new cycle, the sun has been eerily quiet.

The first seven months averaged a sunspot count of only three and in August there were no sunspots at all — zero — something that has not occurred since 1913.

According to the publication Daily Tech, in the past 1,000 years, three previous such events — what are called the Dalton, Maunder and Sporer Minimums — have all led to rapid cooling. One was large enough to be called the Little Ice Age (1500-1750).

We know there has been a decade of cooling since 1998, which has accelerated this year. We have seen the solar activity drop and the world’s ocean currents respond as predicted prior to a large cooling off. There are now many scientists who think we may see at least two decades of cooling - maybe more. 

While I like to be right, I don’t like to be right to the point vast numbers of humanity suffer to make the point. But if we are heading into a cooling period with a shrinking economy, things my get a lot worse before they get better. And all the while humanity will marvel at the silly arrogance of those who once claimed to be all-knowing and able to predict the future with perfection.

And to think it all comes down to those strange sunspots. Maybe if people understood the scale of sunspots they would understand why their absence can have such a huge effect on the Earth. I have found something to help humanity gain that perspective - and a good dose of humility as well.

A size comparison of the Earth to common sun spots

Again, my apologies for the light posting. Between the holiday events and shipping our Marine recruit off to boot camp we have been swamped. And I have been extremely demoralized with the idiocy coming out of the extreme right. We have major national issues at hand and some people have just lost all perspective on what is a national priority. I fail to see how a lame racist parody is going to help the economy, reduce the burden of government or keep this nation safe from attack.

Call my a mushy moderate, but there are a lot of challenges ahead and conservatives need to work with the people in power to make good decisions on these issues. When the GOP lost control of the reigns of power, their ability to push the country in one direction were limited. With a broad spectrum of conservative views guiding the nation we could make measured progress (not extreme leaps). Now we can only take baby steps and try to keep the country out of the ditch of liberal extreme policies. Understanding the limitations of what is feasible or realistic is the first step in sound leadership.

Anyway, enough of that. What has me intrigued is the Blagojevich situation, which like most things happening the news media is either misunderstanding or misreporting. It seems to me Fitzgerald has jumped to a bunch of lame conclusions and has almost no case against the Governor of Illinois. Mainly because trading political support for political actions is not really illegal. Blagojevich can point to Hillary horse trading donations support from Obama for supporting his candidacy as basically an equivalent act to his push for donations for his political support.

And there is an interesting little gem of a paragraph in the criminal complaint that illustrates exactly how weak the case is against Blagojevich when it comes to trading on Obama’s open senate seat (paragraph 88):

Set out below are summaries of certain of the conversations referenced above. This affidavit does not include all calls dealing with the corrupt efforts of ROD BLAGOJEVICH, JOHN HARRIS, and others to misuse the power of ROD BLAGOJEVICH to appoint a United States Senator for the personal gain of ROD BLAGOJEVICH and his family, nor does this affidavit set forth other calls where ROD BLAGOJEVICH and others discussed a possible appointment to the Senate seat based on considerations other than financial gain for ROD BLAGOJEVICH and his family, discussions which took place with greater frequency after efforts to arrange for a private job for ROD BLAGOJEVICH in exchange for appointing a particular candidate to the open Senate seat did not meet with success.

Emphasis mine. Talking about wild (and possibly illegal) activities is not sufficient to convict of committing a crime. Without committing any crime there is no criminal act in these cases. Clearly Fitzgerald has information that shows that Team Blagojevich dumped the idea of personal gain after a time. A time in which Blagojevich could claim he was feeling pressured by Team Obama to insert their choice - Valerie Jarrett.

And this is where the timeline gets really interesting. What still bothers me is the idea Rahm Emmanuel, a seasoned political veteran, would ever attempt to push a candidate for the open senate seat which would be at odds with his new boss - the President-Elect. Check out the order of events compiled by the Chicago Sun Times:

Nov. 3 – Blagojevich says if he doesn’t get “anything of any value” for the Obama seat, he “might just take it” for himself. [Criminal complaint.]

Nov. 4 – Obama wins the presidency.

Nov. 4 – An aide to Blagojevich suggests he should put together a list of things he’d accept for the Senate seat. Blagojevich responds the list “can’t be in writing.” Blagojevich tells Harris the “trick . . . is how do you conduct indirectly . . . a negotiation” for the seat. [Criminal complaint.]

Nov. 5 (approximately) – Blagojevich meets with Tom Balanoff, head of the Illinois chapter of the Service Employees International Union, to discuss the soon-to-be vacant Senate seat. Blagojevich understands Balanoff to be “an emissary” to discuss Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett’s interest in the seat. [Criminal complaint.]

Nov. 6 – Obama picks Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.

Nov. 6-8 – Emanuel and Blagojevich have one or two conversations. Emanuel recommends Jarrett for the Senate vacancy but “did so before learning — in further conversations with the president-elect — that the president-elect had ruled out communicating a preference for any one candidate.” [Obama internal investigative report.]

Nov. 7 – Jarrett speaks with Balanoff. “Mr. Balanoff told Ms. Jarrett that he had spoken to the Governor about the possibility of selecting Valerie Jarrett to replace the President-elect” and that the governor raised the prospect of being appointed Health and Human Services Secretary. Jarrett and Balanoff agree that “would never happen.” Jarrett “did not understand the conversation to suggest that the governor wanted the Cabinet seat as a quid pro quo for selecting any specific candidate to be the President-elect’s replacement.” [Obama report.]

Nov. 7 – Obama indicates he’ll play a limited role in the Senate selection. “I think there’s going to be a lot of good choices out there, but it is the governor’s decision to make, not mine,” he tells reporters.

Nov. 9 – Jarrett decides she doesn’t want the Senate seat [Obama report],but her decision isn’t made public until Nov. 12.

Sometime after Nov. 9 – Obama discusses “other qualified candidates” for the Senate seat with Emanuel and adviser David Axelrod. They include Jackson, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, state Comptroller Dan Hynes and state Veterans’ Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth. “The president-elect understood that Rahm Emanuel would relay those names to the governor’s office.” [Obama report.]

Nov. 10 – Blagojevich discusses naming one of his deputy governors, Louanner Peters — identified as “Senate Candidate 4″ — to the Senate “before I just give f—ing [Jarrett] a f—ing Senate seat and I don’t get anything.” Later, the governor discusses leaking to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed that Blagojevich is “seriously considering” Jackson for the open seat “to send a message to the president-elect that there are options for the Senate seat beyond” Jarrett. [Criminal complaint.]

Nov. 12 – Jarrett announces she isn’t interested in the Senate seat.

Nov. 12 – Balanoff again meets with Blagojevich, who tells him “he had heard” Obama wanted others beside Jarrett to be considered for the seat. Balanoff says he’d find out if Jarrett wants him “to keep pushing her for senator.” [Criminal complaint.]

Emphasis mine. Does anyone believe Rahm Emmanuel was acting independently when he proffered Jarrett’s name between November 6th and 8th? The silly Obama Report claims this is the case, that Obama did not want to push any single candidate. Of course he changes his tune less than a week later when he sends Emmanuel to Team Blagojevich with another list of names! What changed with Obama’s thinking? Nothing - its just a lame excuse that has to be proven in a court of law to be wrong. But common sense would dictate that if Obama was sending names on 11/14 (just a wild guess), then he probably wasn’t trying to be neutral on 11/7.

Recall that Team Blagojevich was having a large strategy telecon with people from DC on 11/10, where all the various options were being discussed. At this meeting the idea of Blagojevich getting an Obama cabinet position were discussed and rejected. From the complaint as I noted previously, we have one side of the discussion in snippets, with gaps where someone is responding to Team Blagojevich’s trial balloons:

[statement 1] ROD BLAGOJEVICH mentioned the Senate seat, the dynamics of a new Presidential administration with the strong contacts that ROD BLAGOJEVICH has in it, and asked what if anything he can do to make that work for him and his wife and his responsibilities as Governor of Illinois.

…[Gap 1]… 

[statement 2] ROD BLAGOJEVICH suggested during the call that he could name himself to the open Senate seat to avoid impeachment by the State of Illinois legislature.

…[Gap2]… 

[statement 3] ROD BLAGOJEVICH agreed it was unlikely that the President-elect would name him Secretary of Health and Human Services or give him an ambassadorship because of all of the negative publicity surrounding ROD BLAGOJEVICH. 

Now look at the interaction of Balanoff and Jarrett, with a focus on the dates and subjects:

Nov. 7 – Jarrett speaks with Balanoff. “Mr. Balanoff told Ms. Jarrett that he had spoken to the Governor about the possibility of selecting Valerie Jarrett to replace the President-elect” and that the governor raised the prospect of being appointed Health and Human Services Secretary. Jarrett and Balanoff agree that “would never happen.”

Only 3 days before the large telecon Balanoff offers up the same trial balloon, and he and Jarrett concur it would not happen (for obvious reasons given the taint on Blagojevich). What is really too much coincidence in timing is these discussions happened BEFORE the telecon, but after Rahm floated Jarrett’s name to Team Blagojevich - with all the authority a Chief of Staff would carry.

The other coincidence that is too much to ignore is Balanoff works for the SEIU, the same organization proffered in the 11/10 telecon as a possible stealth option for a kickback to Blagojevich. We know Jarrett was in Obama’s inner circle. But we also know that Balanoff was seen by Team Blagojevich as an emissary from Team Obama!

Nov. 5 (approximately) – Blagojevich meets with Tom Balanoff, head of the Illinois chapter of the Service Employees International Union, to discuss the soon-to-be vacant Senate seat. Blagojevich understands Balanoff to be “an emissary” to discuss Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett’s interest in the seat. [Criminal complaint.]

It seems clear the Balanoff, on 11/5, meets with Team Blagojevich as a representative of Team Obama on their preferred candidate. On 11/7, Balanoff reports back to team Obama in the person of Valerie Jarrett. Simultaneously Rahm Emmanuel is offering Jarrett as a candidate - clearly representing Obama. Is this all just wild coincidence?  I think not, mainly because 2 days after the teleconference Balanoff is again reporting Team Obama’s wishes to Team Blagojevich:

Nov. 12 – Balanoff again meets with Blagojevich, who tells him “he had heard” Obama wanted others beside Jarrett to be considered for the seat. Balanoff says he’d find out if Jarrett wants him “to keep pushing her for senator.” [Criminal complaint.]

Nov. 15 – Obama announces that Jarrett will become a White House senior adviser.

Two days later, after the 11/10 telecon, Balanoff is back with Blagojevich. Clearly efforts were being made to resolve the stand off and agree on a candidate. The complaint only refers to some vague ‘time after 11/9′ when Emmanuel and Obama come up with the list of alternate candidates. I, for one, would like to know when this happened. Was it after Balanoff met with Blagojevich on 11/12?

Why is Balanoff key to this puzzle? Well one report makes it pretty clear:

On Nov. 12, an Obama transition official sent word that Jarrett was taking herself out of Senate contention. But just a few days before that, the Craig report reveals that Jarrett met with Illinois labor leader Tom Balanoff on Nov. 7, to, I was told, “explore her interest” in the Senate.

Balanoff, I’m told, asked for the meeting. That Jarrett would want to talk to Balanoff was logical, because Balanoff, the head of the Illinois SEIU — ran one of the few groups still on speaking terms with the isolated Blagojevich. Balanoff also goes way back with Obama, to his days as a community organizer in Chicago.

It was at that meeting that Balanoff told Jarrett he had talked to Blagojevich about picking her for the Senate and then asked — really feeling her out, it seems — if Blagojevich could be secretary of health and human services.

It seems clear why Jarrett has hired legal counsel in this matter. Balanoff is a key intermediary between Team Obama and Team Blagojevich. If all these discussions were on the up and up - as Team Obama claims - why use Balanoff to talk to Jarrett? Why not keep going through Emmanuel? The only reason I can think of is the stealthy buffer Balanoff provided to Team Obama. Is it any wonder that the SEIU is at the center of the most stealthy kick back scheme and also playing the role of under-the-radar carrier pigeon?

There are many questionable actions surrounding this mess. Not only do we have long time ally of Obama in the SEIU carrying messages between Jarrett (team Obama and the lead candidate for the senate seat) and Blagojevich, the SEIU is also mentioned as the best path to hide a kickback. But there is also the strange denials and claims of purity from camp Obama. Along with the weird timing of Team Obama’s white wash report (conveniently all key players where out of reach of the news media). Lots of good questions here, few transparent answers.

I think Blagojevich is going to be a royal pain in the side of Obama and Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has decided he will ignore Team Obama and go after Blagojevich. But Blagojevich is not going to go quietly. His selection of a candidate for the open senate seat is a clear signal he plans to attack the Democrat political machine. And I would wager he has some serious and devastating information to lob in their direction. We will know soon enough.

Updated

I tell you what, the conservative movement is now totally destroyed. Some idiot running for RNC chairman took a sweet child’s song and twisted it into an ugly, racist, turd of supposed humor:

The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, “Barack the Magic Negro” is not only offensive, it is shocking and saddening in the extreme. It flies in the face of America’s deeply held hope for a new era in which common ground and mutual respect characterize the exchanges between our national leaders.

I and my co-writer of “Puff,” Lenny Lipton, have been eagerly awaiting an end to the mean-spiritedness, outright disrespect and bigotry that was commonplace prior to this last presidential election. What might have been wearily accepted as “the way it was” in the campaign, is now unacceptable. Obama is not a candidate. He is the President-Elect, and this song insults the office of the Presidency, the people who voted for him, as well as those who did not — and taking a children’s song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism.

Ideological idiots. Obama is very popular and now respected, and this stunted adult goes off in a fit of 3rd grade thinking and tarnishes the brand of conservatism that Reagan and the Bush’s had turned into a respectable political movement. With this muck sticking to the word ‘conservative’ I will not be associated with the movement anymore. I have limits to what I will tolerate and this is well beyond it. This guy needs to be marched off the public square.

It would seem the GOP and its extremist wing have a generation of growing up to do before they are ready for prime time and leadership again. I see no path to salvation with the current crop of haters. From the obsession with Obama’s middle name to this scum-duggery, the right has completely self-destructed. Unless the GOP treats haters like this (and Savage, and Levin and others) like their close cousin David Duke and disavows them their tolerance for what is wrong is just intolerable for most Americans. 

Now, with the GOP and the extreme conservatives basically a lost cause, here is how the Democrats can gain lasting control of the political stage in America. Basically shed the liberal and leftist demons and come clean, and you will have the center of America for decades to come. Here’s my list of actions the Dems could take to push the right out of play for a long, long time:

1. Accept Iraq as a hard fought victory. Give up on blaming Bush for having tough challenges and a determined enemy. al Qaeda declared Iraq the prime battlefield of the war with the West and lost. Noe only militarily but it lost the hearts and minds of the Muslim Street. In 2001 al Qaeda was the future of Islam on the Muslim Street. Today it is the Enemy of Islam. Build on this.
2. Accept Al Gore is a scientific idiot. The world economy is in a shambles. Much of this was predicted as the Baby Boomers go from producers to consumers as they transition into retirement. The world cannot afford to invest trillions into crack pot mumbo-jumbo about Global Warming. We will have decades of economic challenges as the US market contracts with the retirement wave of Boomers. Give up on Global Warming and move to real issues, like saving the Rain Forests and Whales, etc.
3. Forget about soaking the rich. We all want to be rich. Reduce the burden of government because we are going to be taking on a huge burden of aging Boomers. Make room by cutting government.
4. Don’t allow factories of young humans to be harvested for spare parts. Realize that the Adult Stem Cell options are outperforming Embryonic Stem Cell path (which has produced zilch so far - unless you count tumors and cancers). Show respect for life while preserving the right of parents and mothers to decide their own medical issues.

Really, four simple adjustments away from the liberal fringe and the center-left could hold for years and years. Especially given how bankrupt the right has become. One thing the left cannot afford to do is become impotent. That is what destroyed the conservative coalition. Years of getting nothing done (but plenty of screaming and blaming and demeaning comments) was the death knell of the conservative movement.

America surely doesn’t need more than that. For the sake of the people and this country I hope the Dems, with their newly acquired control, make things better. But to do so they need to moderate their own extremists. The current economic stress will not support radical liberal policies. Best to dump those ideas right now.

Addendum: I have to expand on this because of the lame excuses I have been reading in the comment section about this crap. Some are trying to claim this bile is OK because some racist liberal started the theme in the LA Times. Sorry, that is a load of crap. From what I am learning once the theme was established Limbaugh and one of his small-minded racists friends decided to expand on the theme and make the full up parody, with the excuse that the LA Times piece gave them license to be as idiotic as the LA Times.

Here’s the difference between Repulse-icans like Limbaugh and his KKK ’song writer’ and me. If I had read the LA Times piece I would have been just as disgusted and repulsed as I am now. I would not see one racist schmuck’s efforts as a green light to let out my own extended version of racist muck. If Johnny jumps off the bridge could all like minded jerks please follow!

These excuses, that the bad behavior is OK because someone on the left behaved badly, are pathetic. All these faux patriot, who love and respect America more than any others, can’t seem to muster any of their love and respect for the President-elect. You don’t have to support him or even like him. You do have to respect the office and this country.

This is so over the line I am ready to shutter this website. It is just beyond the pale. The mentality surrounding this is that of an electronic mob, where all boundaries of civility, maturity, responsibility and respect have gone out the window and have been replaced by hate. How far a jump is it from the electronic mob to a real mob, and all its threats to life and liberty? How far is the jump from any form of mob-think to lynch mob-think? If all the rules of decency and respect are gone, how long until the rules of law are thrown out as well?

The more people try to excuse this crap the more they repulse me. There is no excuse. There is no way to tolerate this. All I see is a bunch of insecure whities trying to keep ‘the man’ down by playing on Obama’s race. President-elect Obama has enough challenges to face and personal limitations as it is. Race is not one of them - not in my book. 

I am sick of how this sewer rot spoils the image of Americans, Caucasians, etc. I thought we had moved beyond this. Clearly, some insecure schmuck’s have not.

Yeah, this DC-area, born and raised native roots for the Redskins, but his heart is with the Miami Dolphins. My grandmother (maternal) got me into football accidentally - by buying NFL stuff for me on birthdays and Christmas. Just happens she was a snowbird living in Pompano Beach, FL. And at that time Miami was having their immaculate season and were the top of the league. Have been a fan of the ‘phins ever since.

I was really surprised to see Miami come out as the Division lead last week, and was hoping beyond hope their turnaround from last year (1-15) could be something magical - and this weekend they proved it is something magical:

The rookie coach stood in front of his team inside the visiting locker room of the Meadowlands, pausing in silence for nearly 10 seconds as he choked back tears on this unforgettable day in Dolphins history.

He wanted to tell his players the biggest lesson that could come from all of this, the one aspect of this thrilling season that can transcend even sports, but coach Tony Sparano first needed to collect himself. Eventually, he did.

”Don’t ever let anybody say that you can’t,” Sparano said.

 

Perhaps no team in NFL history has proven to believe that mantra more than this one.

As a result of a 24-17 win against the Jets on Sunday — and a season that included 10 other Sunday afternoons that ended much the same — Sparano and his storybook squad has masterfully crafted one of the greatest turnarounds sports has ever seen.

”AFC East Champions,” Sparano said to his players. “How does that sound? Why not the Dolphins?”

I also have family in San Diego, so last night’s Charger destruction of Denver was sweet as well. Looks like this year, unlike most, I have a host of teams to root for going through the play offs!