The Destroyer of Finance

 As the saying goes: Are you ready to tussle?

             Wait wait… that’s not right.  Fight?  Enter into physical confrontation? 

         No… I remember.

 ARE YOU READY TO ENGAGE IN DIRECT CONFLICT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A bad week in a tough town.

 Clinton gets testy, ramps up her “who can beat McCain” strategy… and already has one loss, apparently.

 Obama, on the other hands, drains $40 million out the pockets of the American worker in the month of March.  How dare he weaken our economy like that at a time like this!  It has got to be a really rough year for non-profits to raise money.  Between people being owrried about the economy and giving money to politicians, how much money is going to be left?

I swear to God, it’s like somebody took America by the East Coast, and shook it, and all the normal girls managed to hang on.

 Continuing with abrasive stances, Argentina has apparently forgotten that, well, maybe the Falklands really ARE British Territory. 

In her speech Kirchner called for Argentina to strengthen its representation in international bodies to denounce “this shameful colonial enclave in the 21st century.”

 I may be totally off here, but since 70% of the residents are of British descent and are full British citizens, um…

 NATO agrees that poking Russia with sharp sticks is fun, green lights the US missle defense.  And this after agreeing to invite the Ukraine and Georgia to the NATO “lifestyle” party someday (but not just yet).  Poor, lonely Russia.

I’m retired, I invented dice as a kid.

 Zimbabwe still swings in the wind as Mugabe’s party was officially lost control of one of the chambers up parliament, but suspends vote counting for “logistical” reasons.  Tip number 1 to Zimbabwe: your council of senior leadership is called the “politburo”?  Sure recipe for disaster.

 I am so close to making the cut!

 Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, cited a four-week study of 1,500 couples in 2005 that found the median time for sexual intercourse was 7.3 minutes. (Women were armed with stopwatches.)

 How hot is that?  Playing with a stopwatch while doin’ it.

Don’t quit your gay job.

Yertle the Turtle?  I’m a Satanic Toad… with armor!

The Future Is A No Brainer

 To supplement a general malaise in the realm of US politics, I’m forced to turn to adding in general international events.  In the end, it’s probably more entertaining that hearing about how Clinton and Obama are still biting each other in the throat for the next 3 or 4 months.

Shut up. Sit your monkey ass down. Chill out.

 Ukraine appears poised for an invitation to join NATO.  This has the potential for long term benefits, but boy I bet Russia is major pissed.  Ukraine would probably be a willing donor of troops to NATO missions and take up some of the demand on other Euro militaries.  Also, the Ukraine produces a nifty variant of the T-80 tank which I wouldn’t mind taking a look at to fill a role in the US military as a sort of general utility tank.  I’m not saying it’s as good in tank to tank combat as the M1, but it’s certainly cheaper.

 Zimbabwe still unsure whether Mugabe lost the election or whether he’s going to rig them.  No, there’s not really a third option.

You think Einstein walked around thinkin’ everyone was a bunch of dumb shits?

 Our high school system is awesome.

Seventeen of the nation’s 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates reported in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland, according to a report released Tuesday.

Nationally, about 70 percent of U.S. students graduate on time with a regular diploma and about 1.2 million students drop out annually.

The report found troubling data on the prospects of urban public high school students getting to college. In Detroit’s public schools, 24.9 percent of the students graduated from high school, while 30.5 percent graduated in Indianapolis Public Schools and 34.1 percent received diplomas in the Cleveland Municipal City School District.

His [Colin Powell] wife, Alma Powell, the chair of the alliance, said students need to graduate with skills that will help them in higher education and beyond. “We must invest in the whole child, and that means finding solutions that involve the family, the school and the community.” The Powell’s organization was beginning a national campaign to cut high school dropout rates.

 So, some selective excerpts.  I believe there are a number of issues at work: inappropriate pay for teachers, inappropriate curriculum at schools, and a disincentive to work in society.

 For teachers, it is sometimes the case that they are not paid enough.  More often, however, is that some of the teachers are paid equitable wages while others are not.  That statement is regardless of skill level, by they way.  All I am talking about here is that if you are an english teacher or social studies teacher the competition for your skills in the job marketplace is probably limited outside of of the teaching world.  Sorry.  If, however, you have the background to be a math teacher or science teacher, chances are pretty good that there are any number of opportunities for you to find well compensated careers outside of the teaching realm.

 Yet math teachers get paid equally with english teachers.  Do we wonder why math is such a hard teaching position to fill in schools, and why it is such a struggle to boost math skills in the students?

 Secondly, I bolded what I thought was a key statement in the article: the kids need to graduate with skills.  That includes, but should not be exclusive to, skills that will help advance higher education.  However, it should also include skills for succeeding in the labor workplace.  We need a system for kids that are probably never going to go to college to learn some sort of trade, and yet we’ve seemed to discourage such programs in a narrow minded attempt to force every kid to go to college.

 Finally, there is a disincentive to work in our society.  The elaborate social welfare safety nets, while filled with good intent, are a drag on the motivation of people at the bottom of the economic ladder.  If you can bust your ass at a job and make $14k a year, or you can hang out with your friends and ring up $10k in welfare/social programs… hey, one is just as shitty as the other except for the amount of free time you have.  So you get a string of low paying jobs that alternate with unemployment, and that sort of mindset pretty much prevents putting together any sort of career or advancement… or success.  Of course, if a kid has grown up with the expectation of not finding success, why should he care about algebra?

Now you know why he built that bomb.

 Quite a sad state of affairs.

 If I knew I was going to feel like I had a hangover, I would have done something to deserve it.

What We Do In Life Echoes In Eternity.

 Conspicuous consumption much?

 Finally — FINALLY — some mainstream media starts drawing connections between Obama and Bloomberg… just doted lines, but you’ve got to let these guys start somewhere.

 Clinton pulls out an old Clinton classic: might be violating FEC rules by using foreign citizen to raise money.  Well, it’s not money from the Chinese army this time.

Frost…sometimes it makes the blade stick.

 In politics, when people start getting desperate, they start getting weird: Got Gore?  Other than good ole’ days syndrome, I don’t see what this has going for it: it would shatter the fragile enthusiasm of the sorry democratic voter, it’d piss off the women, it wouldn’t make the black vote all that happy, and it would give the lie to the “party of the little guy” mantra by saying “yeah, we know how you all voted and stuff, but our committee decided this was the best thing to do, so you’re all going to live with it.”  Granted, that’s how democrats run the government and it’s how the nomination procedure USED to work, but it’s a little heavy handed these days.

 China-Tibet is getting a little tense.  No government wants to be seen by their own people as condoning China’s actions, and yet no government wants to be seen by China as trying to “meddle” with their domestic problem (and risk economic backlash).

 Iraq faces big test fighting the Sadr militias.  If the national army can successfully scatter the most powerful militias, the event would go a long way toward re-establishing some sort of national identity… not to mention self confidence amongst the soldiers.  The economist has a good article on Iraq and the ethics angles.

 Shadows and dust.

 If I attacked the darkness, would they cancel their tour?

The first casualty of war is innocence.

 Feds reconfirm the blindingly obvious, tell us that Social Security and Medicare are in trouble.  I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to reduce benefits.  The only other option is a crushing tax burden.

 A new poll concludes that the democratic voter base is PATHETIC.  If you think “pathetic” might be a little strong, then maybe “sorry” would work better for you.  In a year with a terrible economy and an unpopular war, it couldn’t be easier…  but spite is fun, no?

 The world does it’s song and dance every four years as suddenly the media gets interested in who other people want to be our president.

Death, what do you all know about death?

 In more shocking news, I’d like to announce that I can sympathize with Clinton on the whole Bosnia trip deal she’s been caught up in.  It happened 12 years ago and memories do get distorted over time, especially when someone leans over in the helicopter and say, “We’re going to have to cut the welcoming a little short because there’s some gunfire in the area.” as I imagine happened.  The added excitement, over time, transforms into “landing in a certain way and running to safety because of the sniper bullets flying by my head.”  You tell yourself something enough, you start to think it is true.

 On the other hand, the suggestion that either the Secret Service or the military would allow the First Lady to land in an area where there is even the chance that she might come under fire is preposterous.  Both of those branches of the government have every right to feel insulted by her day-dream manifestation of her own ego, and there’s is no way that she didn’t know she was deliberately stretching the truth, even if her own memory was distorted.

Have you ever gotten into a mistake that you just can’t get out of, King?

 Such bitterness.  Childrens… really.

 Today is Tuesday, and my name is not B. R. Eastman.

A spicy Thai western.

 What’s Thai got to do with it?

 Really?  Sometimes I wonder about our society.  It’s like we place to much emphasis on the wrong things.  I’m probably just imagining things, since there is nothing more important than achieving maximum juggage.

 NY Gov. Patterson is still hanging out in the confessional.  Two words: Full.  Throttle.

 Meanwhile, Clinton might want to consider dialing back on the exaggeration a little bit.

“I went to 80 countries, you know. I gave contemporaneous accounts, I wrote about a lot of this in my book. You know, I think that, a minor blip, you know, if I said something that, you know, I say a lot of things — millions of words a day — so if I misspoke, that was just a misstatement,” she said.

 Look, yeah, I know I said I wasn’t married when we were chatting at the bar last night, but, you know, I was talking a lot and so, you know, if I lied, you know, it was just a misstatement.  Sorry, got to go, don’t call me.

You’re just a nameless corpse

 No to be outdone on the “Doh!” meter, Obama take break from campaign… in the Virgin Islands.  A campaign as long and torturous as this one certainly earns the right to a break every now and then.

 But dude, if you are trying to paint yourself as a man of the people, who is connected to their hardship and “feels their pain”… the Virgin Islands?  It’s bad enough you’re a rich lawyer living in a big expensive house.  How ’bout you kick back in your digs in ‘Nois for a few days instead of jetting off to the freaking Caribbean?

I know now I can never own your heart, but I can still own your body!

Detroit knows how to elect them a mayor.  Marion Barry Jr. or something.

 To close, the New Republic has some hand ringing and angst over the Democratic nomination fight.

 Soooooooooooo

 Bleeding over into the realm of “economy,” French wonder why their economy has trouble competing on global stage, think think mustaches and arrogance are cool.  Read it.  I promise it’ll make you giggle, and if it doesn’t then you’re a communist.

 The pollsters are firing on all cylinders in Pennsylvania, and so far Obama hasn’t really made a dent in Clinton’s lead there.  A win in a Democratic leaning yet still battle ground state like Pennsylvania would be another piece of Clinton’s “I can win enough electoral votes” strategy to secure the nomination.  If she can say “I won California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida (even though it didn’t count) and that’s 62% of the electoral votes I need to win” it’s a powerful argument to a party that seems to be focused on the mechanics of WINNING as opposed to the mechanics of being the best party.  And never mind that Clinton (or Obama) won’t win Texas.

 Speaking of elections: China can’t catch a break, Kuomintang returns to power in Taiwan as Olympic pressure mounts over Tibet.

 Well, so much for the weekend news cycle giving me extra fodder for Monday.  Geez.

 Tha krunk, tha krunk, tha krunk is on fire!

May the schwartz be with you.

 When I claim that one of the Democratic party’s mortal weaknesses is a “fragile” voter base (one one that “Fatigues” easily… or whatever other similar term I’ve decided to apply that day), you probably have one of three reactions:

• You have no opinion of your own, so you accept my statement as true.
• You know my statement is true, so you don’t even think about it.
• You think I’m some bitter partizan republican hoping that if I say it enough it’ll be true, but really all the democrats in the world are going to unite, hold hands, light some god damned candles, and take back the government for the people.

 You can think what you like, now let’s look at this article. 

 Before we conclude that 20% of the party’s supporters are pouty babies, I’d like to give my estimated break down of the 20% of people who seems to be very cranky.

1. Probably at least half of the 20% won’t end up voting for anyone, and wouldn’t have voted anyway.
2. Possibly half of the remaining 10% will realize that they never actually agreed with their candidate’s positions anyway and will legitimately switch to McCain.
3. The last 5% will get real and vote for whoever is the democrat.

 Don’t you love political angst?  This also isn’t to imply that McCain is going to win by a landslide.  It’ll still come down to a narrow margin in a few states.

 Funny I found some time ago at economist.com, I believe.  They both have really big teeth, apparently.

 Come back here, you fat bearded bitch!

 More good times in China.  China is in a really tough spot here because they don’t want to make a big scene right in advance of the Olympics, yet they can’t be seen as responding with apathy lest they encourage other rural areas to resist their rule too vigorously.

“Down with the Man!”

 Hey China baby!  Do you remember what happened to this guy?

 Anonymous Chinese male remembers strict Jaywalking laws too late.

 You don’t remember?  I remember… or more correctly, I don’t remember.  I do remember the images and video on the TV in 1989 capturing the most iconic symbol of political resistance of modern times.  I do remember thinking, in slightly different lingo (since I was 8 years and change) “that guy has huge balls.”

That’s the stupidest combination I’ve ever heard of in my life! That’s the kinda thing an idiot would have on his luggage!

 See, know one knows what happened to him.  Especially not the Chinese gov’t.  Wink, nod?  Ok, in truth, there’s no proof he was executed and depending on the version of the legend he’s either dead, hiding in China, or living in Taiwan.  Sort of like Elvis.

 One of the founding principles of the creation of the US was the right of the people to overthrow an unjust government (which is tough, by the way, if owning guns is illegal), and I support that principle.  My only words of mitigation to that idea are A) you better be very sure you will be better off under a new gov’t [see: africa anti-colonialism movement and how that turned out], and B) like Tank Man, you better realize there will be a heavy price to pay.

See, there’s two sides to every Schwartz.

 Would Tibet be better off even if it were to succeed in casting off the Chinese gov’t?  I don’t have enough information to know for sure, but it seems hard to envision a big improvement.

 More to the point, it will be interesting to see how China will survive being boycotted by Hollywood stars.

 The forecast for today is that it was very rainy yesterday.

The only privacy left is inside your head.

 So Obama can give a speech, eh?  Who knew?

 More worthless polls: O’bama’s lead over Clintontron is pretty much gone, but both now “lose” to McCain.  Remember all of, what, two weeks ago when the polls had both beating McCain?  T-I-M-E W-A-S-T-E.  I only bring it to your attention to make sure everyone knows not to get into a tizzy.

Actually, I believe the term “shyster” is reserved for attorneys of the Jewish persuasion. I believe the proper term for me is “eggplant”.

 But let’s not bury the LEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!1 LOL!

 Supremes hear arguments in 2nd Amendment case!  In possibly the most important court ruling since I’ve been alive, the court is poised to rule on whether the 2nd amendment is an individual right to own guns or a collective right to have a militia.  All the media agrees: Court will rule in favor of individual rights.  From a NYT article (guess how the author spins it):

 A majority of the Supreme Court appeared ready on Tuesday to embrace, for the first time in the country’s history, an interpretation of the Second Amendment that protects the right to own a gun for personal use.

 For the first time, eh?  I think the Supreme Court apparently disagrees.  I also enjoyed this exchange:

Mr. Dellinger asserted that at the time the Second Amendment was drafted, “the people” and “the militia” were essentially synonymous; therefore, he said, the amendment, its two clauses properly interpreted, gave people the right to own weapons only in connection with their militia service.

That assertion promptly ran into objections.

Doesn’t the argument that the people and the militia were one and the same “cut against you,” Chief Justice Roberts asked. If the militia included everyone, he continued, “doesn’t the preamble that you rely on not really restrict the right much at all?”

 Funny stuff.  I think it ought to be clear that the right to a militia depends on the people having ownership of such guns that would allow not only for the arming of said militia at any spontaneous moment but also for the practice and familiarity that only comes with ownership.  You also have to keep in mind that militias aren’t/weren’t always standing organized bodies.  They were often spur of the moment formations coming together to deal with the unexpected.

In guerrilla warfare they taught us to use our weaknesses as strengths.

 The only real debate appears to be how much restriction on ownership is allowed under the clause.  The Brady/gun control crowd is very sad today, so give them a hug.  Ruling expected late spring/early summer.

This is an energy independent blog.

Prepare for the Extraordinary.

 New York seems to have a governor that has learned from the failings of his predecessor.  He does appear to be quite smart by getting this out of the way, although there are probably some disappointed journalists in New York now.

 The questions becomes, of course, why does it matter?  Whether or not you think it OUGHT to matter, that fact is that it DOES matter.  Wait, what is IT?  Is it that he had an affair?  Or is it that he was banging hookers everytime he got out of town?  Was it that he inhaled X years ago, or that he got a DWI X+1 years ago?  Maybe it is because his preacher has some highly abrasive commentary, because he teamed up on his wife with another dude, or maybe because he had an intern stored under his desk.

Very American. Fire enough bullets and hope to hit the target.

 Really, IT isn’t so much what he (or, I suppose, she) did… although future politicians might want to hold off on the illegal activities (like pot, hookers, and dwi).  “IT” is the real or perceived attempt to decieve the public.  Nothing makes voters crazier than the denying politician, and it’s extended to the point to where there is perceived deception when something is discovered even if it’s a private matter that has nothing to do with the job or even the present.

 So the new Gov. of New York is smart for being real up front.  Being honest with the public seems to diffuse any situation… well, except if its something illegal.  Like hookers.

 Remember that honesty is always the best policy, unless you’re trying to, well, you know.

I was hoping I’d get to nail you again…I didn’t think it’d be literally.

 Obama gives a big racist speech today.  Read it here.  I haven’t read it yet.  Suck it.

 Also, Florida gives up.  It’s about time.  What is wrong with that state and voting?

 Ah… Tibet… stuff…

 And Austin likes ze German Siemens.

I just flew in, and boy my arms are tired!

A battle fought in the stars. Now… comes to Earth.

 Obama’s minister has some hot sports opinions.

In a sermon delivered at Howard University, Barack Obama’s longtime minister, friend and adviser blamed America for starting the AIDS virus, training professional killers, importing drugs and creating a racist society that would never elect a black candidate president.

As for Mr. Wright’s repeated comments blaming America for the 9/11 attacks because of what Mr. Wright calls its racist and violent policies, Mr. Obama has said it sounds as if the minister was trying to be “provocative.”

 Really?  It sounds that way?

Meeting with Jewish leaders in Cleveland on Feb. 24, Mr. Obama described Mr. Wright as being like “an old uncle who sometimes will say things that I don’t agree with.” He rarely mentions the points of disagreement.

 Now, we get to enjoy the hypocrasy dance!  Paul was attacked because David Duke donated money to him, McCain has drawn criticism for being endorsed by Rev. Hagee, and they certainly aren’t the only ones.  Both were told to renounce and/or condemn the associated people.  Now, we’ll likely see the same sort of progression with Obama and his minister.  Republicans will make the same demands they said were unreasonable before, and Democrats will use the same defenses they said were inadequate before.  We’re having fun here, no?

 But, damn, that guy loves the abrasive sermon.

Tell me about the loneliness of good, He-Man. Is it equal to the loneliness of evil?

  My hot sports opinion of the day is that one of the best ways to exhibit the societal decline in our sense of enterprise and willpower is to look at the social section of the political realm.

 Social conservatives, as the term is used in media parlance today, show a lack of willpower, enterprise, and ingenuity in that segment of our society.  Why?  No longer is it a personal duty to go out and bring people to the (a) faith, now it ought to be the government’s job.  It’s not the role of the believer to be a missionary to the sinner and show them the way to a better life.  No no… that’s the government’s job.  It’s not a parent’s role to raise their children to abstain from sex and drugs (and that evil rock n roll).  Government!  Government should stamp out abortion!  Government should stamp out pornography!  Government should stamp out all sinners!

 Sure, that used to be the role of the community of believers (of any faith, really).  Be bearers of light to those in darkness.  Now, in a very twisted exchange, many people lack the will to stand up (or out) for their religious beliefs face to face with another, or don’t wish to invest the time and effort to do so, but wish the government to take over their role.  Mental laziness.

I wish I could change things.

 On the other side, the social “progressives” have a similar fault with welfare.  Charity used to be a personal act, but it seems now that people have decided that they can’t bring themselves to donate to a charity on their own, so they’d like the government to take care of it for them.  The government will remind them to pay up their donation, the government will do the leg work of allocating it to the “proper” people and charities, and the government will take the blame if nothing happens.  This saves the people the chore of choosing to make a personal sacrifice in benefit to their fellow man, the effort of finding a worthy charity, and the burden of wondering if you made a difference.  I choose to lay this at the feet of social “progressives” based on the statistic that those identified as conservatives give more to charity than those who identify as liberals.  The same mental laziness, just a different focus.

But you can’t. That only happens in fairy tales.

 We wonder why our school system can’t seem to educate the kids, but the answer ought to be obvious by looking at the behavior of the adults.

 Ok, so there’s my soapbox for the day.

I am Skeletor! Throw down your weapons and pledge yourselves to me!