Jim in KFalls

Measures 66 & 67

2010-01-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

I voted on Saturday for Measures 66 & 67. If you're an Oregonian, please make sure you cast your ballot!

Guy Fawkes Day!

2009-11-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

"Remember remember the fifth of November, the gunpowder, treason, and plot. For I see no reason the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot." - British Nursery Ryhme

"...Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine- the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, thereby those important events of the past usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, a celebration of a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others...but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you,..More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot."

"One thing is true of all governments - their most reliable records are tax records. "

Quotes from: V for Vendetta. (emphasis mine)

My Opinion On Health Care and Health Services...

2009-11-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

... and what I think it should and shouldn't be.

Regarding Health Insurance
- You should also be able to buy into a plan and not have it revoked due to your health situation unless you can no longer make the premiums.
For example, If I developed MS, my provider shouldn't be able to cancel my insurance without first giving me an opportunity to make the premiums. Conversely, If I purchase a plan for 5 years, and 8 months in I develop MS, I should be able to keep that rate for the 5 years until the plan contract expires. The insurance company can then say "Based on your medical history, to continue with the coverage you have, you'll need to pay $x.

- You should be able to purchase your health insurance from any private organization in the country (I limit to the country because I just don't see it working effectively with organizations outside the USA).
I should be able to purchase my insurance from a company in NJ if they can provide me with the lowest rate for the coverage I'm looking for. I don't see this working effectively with a company in Laos where my insurance premium is likely half of their GDP.

- You should be able to purchase the coverage you want or need, but not what is mandated. With exception to some basic coverage for children - such as regular doctor visits, immunizations, etc. - but only if you have children. Further you should have to purchase basic coverage for your children or split the cost between the two parents.
I know this sounds somewhat contradictory, but children are unable to purchase health care or insurance for themselves. A parent should be taking care of his or her children before taking care of themselves, I shouldn't have health insurance while my children do without. On the other hand, I shouldn't have to purchase maternity coverage if I'm a widowed Dad with two young boys, or Prostate or Child coverage if I'm a 24 year old single woman. States should decide what is the minimum coverage for children. Speaking of the 24 y/o single woman - she should be free to purchase maternity coverage at any time. If she gets pregnant and then looks for materity care, then of course the premium would be more. If she gets maternity care and gets pregnant, she has the choice of purchasing child coverage before or after the child is born, but doing so after might cost more than doing so before.

- Insurance should not be provided by an employer, rather, an employer can contribute to your insurance premiums, but should do so in a way that is fair for all employees.
For example, If I work at CompanyA - and I find a great health insurance plan with provider 1 - I should be able to keep the plan if I begin employment with CompanyB. Conversly - if CompanyA pays $500 to Provider1 for one employee - they should pay $500 to Provider2 for another employee if that employee has a plan through Provider2 - the employer should not be able to choose preference or offer discounts between Provider1 and Provider2.

The Employer can offer different rates for the number of people it will cover - for example the employer could say we'll pay up to $500 per covered family member up to 10 family members, or some machination of that. Or "we'll offer a cafe amount of $5000 to be spent on what ever coverage you want/need and anything excess will be credited to you as compensation." It will be up to the employee or individual to shop his or her insurance premium and keep their employer up to date on where the premiums need to go and how much to send them.

The government should not mandate the minimum or maximum a company can contribute to this sort of practice.

Regarding tort reform
- Its one thing do suffer a malady from a natual cause and not be able to do anything about it, but to suffer at the hands of someone who was neglegent or wreckless is not only wrong but criminal - and the victims of such crime should be compensated justly.
I'm not sure of the balance here, but whatever tort reform that is put in place cannot totally take the liability off of the person or group performing the procedure or service. For example, If I forget to put the lug nuts back on a tire and the tire falls off and damages the car or kills someone, I or the company I work for should pay to have the damage fixed and/or replaced. If I leave a scalpel in someone's body cavity and it causes further complications, then I or the company I work for should pay for the damage and rehabilitation of the person I injured. On top of that some additional form of compensation should be made if my neglegence or malpractice kills someone in both situations.

On the other side, if I'm an ER doctor and I'm working to save someone's life and they die because I couldn't get a test run or had no idea they were alergic to some anti-biotic or medication. I shouldn't be liable or responsible. There has to be a "reasonableness" factor to every situation. Also, if I'm a doctor and I run a couple of tests and the test results point to DiseaseA. I loose liability when the patient chooses my treatment, and the problem ends up being DiseaseB.

People will quickly discover that GP's with higher rates most likely have higher insurance premiums due to higher malpractice insurance due to a higher malpractice rate. This will keep good doctors in place and bad doctors out of business.

Misc.
Consultation and reviews of medical records should be a free service provided by doctors and hospitals. And I say this because I should be able to take test results, diagnosis, and treatment options and have them reviewed by other doctors before making a decision on treatment. I think being allowed to do this freely would increase the number of treatment options available to patients and decrease the possibility of wrong treatments being prescribed to patients. I'm sure if people could afford to go to 3 or 4 specialists for various opinions they would - but most can't and thus the problem of mis-diagnosis and treatment runs rampant. Doctors should be required to spend at least 10% of their time performing this task and hospitals should have review boards dedicated to this task as part of their certification. People should be able to send their medical history to any doctor or hospital in the nation and get feedback on their medical treatment. Then it becomes a choice for the patient to choose their treatment. Hospitals should be able to outsource this to doctors as well, but must have a minimum number of dedicated staff based on the number of patients they see each year. Hospitals only should be allowed to break the cost of dedicated staff down and include it in their billing.

Where this fails is in Physical exams - a doctor in Naples, Florida cannot physically examine a patient in Albuquerque, New Mexico to see if the lump on their neck is a tumor or a goiter - however they can recommed that the patient have an additional test or procedure done to help diagnose the problem. In this case the patient will need to visit a doctor and pay for a physical exam, test, or procedure. They can then send the results off again for additional opinions.

In all cases - if a person doesn't have coverage for something that they need, say they didn't buy cancer coverage or can't afford to buy cancer coverage and they develop cancer, it should be on them to pay the bill for it, and not government or the taxpayers.

Hypothetical...

2009-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

First let me say, by no way am I accusing anyone of anything with this post. I'm simply asking a hypothetical question.

Say two pilots were flying a plane from Point A to Point B, and along the way they neglected to land at Point B. Instead, they over shot Point B by about an hour.

Now some pointed questions that popped into my mind:

Is the plane being hijacked?
As it turns out, no the plane was not being hijacked.

Are the Pilots dead or dying?
Again, no. It turns out they were both alive and well.

Were the other crew members able to communicate with the Pilots?
Not sure, but from what I understand they were not.

What were the Pilots doing?
In this case, they say they were lost in conversation.

Ok, so here is my hypothetical, and again it is completely speculative and should not be used to cast judgement on anyone.

Could the two Pilots have been having sex in the cockpit of the plane? And
if so, would this ever be reported to the public?
And I'm a serious here. In today's age, would something like this be reported? And if not, Why? I would certainly think that this sort of behavior would be grounds for the FAA to revoke their license (which happened today). Would likely result in the loss of their jobs. (which again is likely due to the fact they cannot fly anymore). But more importantly, is it something that the media would report on? I personally feel it would be newsworthy, but I'm not sure that view is shared by our major news outlets.

Knives at School and a larger problem

2009-10-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so there have been two stories now (highlighted by foxnews.com) about kids with knives at school 1 2. So there are a whole bunch of problems with the way Schools are handling these situations. First, why is a pocket knife considered a weapon? I can understand a dagger or a sword as a weapon, but a pocket knife? Come on. Second, what is the fuss about - I mean unless the kid uses the knife as a weapon there is no reason they shouldn't be allowed to possess it. Consider that other things can be used as weapons but are not banned from school under "Zero Tollerance" policies: Baseball bats, books, pencils, umbrellas, drum sticks, a power cord.

When I was in school there was a kid who broke the table leg off of a table in class and went after one of the other kids in the class. This was well before the Columbine and Thurston high school shootings. The point is anything can be turned into a weapon, and to single out a knife, which for thousands of years has been used more as a tool than a weapon is just insane. Consider how many knives are used every day in America, how many of those do you think are used as a weapon?

Next - are all knives banned on school campus, even the ones in the school kitchen? How about the wood shop? Or can a sharpened piece of metal in the metals shop be considered a knife or weapon?

I understand the fear here - but to be honest, you're not going to prevent a determined and angry person from bringing a knife or any other weapon on campus just because you've implemented a "Zero Tollerance" policy. Kip Kinkel brought a gun to school 2 times, and both times he knew it was illegal and against school policy to do so. The first time, he was expelled for bringing the gun to school - the second time, he killed two kids and injured several others. But if you read about him, you'll learn that the kid who tackled him had experience with guns enough to know that Kinkel was reloading and that he had a chance to stop the situation before it got worse. The kid who did that, himself had been shot once already and was shot a second time trying to disarm Kinkel.

What I'm saying folks, is you need to get a grip on your schools - become more involved in the policies and correct the problems. The time to be complacent has passed. You've let too many things be decided by being silent. The problems you see before you will not dissapate unless you act to correct them. Just because something doesn't affect you directly now doesn't mean it won't at some point in the future. If you, like me, see a problem with your schools - do something about it. One voice alone, will not be able to solve the problem.

Huh?

2008-12-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

You suppose there will be a conflict of interest if Hillary becomes SOS?

Political Definitions

2008-12-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

So its been forever since I blogged, so I thought I would pick up again with something light. I'm going to try and do a series based on political buzzwords. The first up is: Budget Cut

Usage: "My employer cut back my hours, thus I'm forced to make some budget cuts."

Definition: (Noun) - The act of reducing budgeted expenditures

Government's Definition: What occurs when there isn't enough money to fund Public Art, Diversity, Raises for Public Office Holders, Public Health Care, Schools, Roads, and Police Protection.

Commentary: In government's definition of Budget Cut things such as Schools, Roads, and Police Protection are the first items to be considered when trimming the budget. Why? Because these are the items that government knows the public wants most, therefore when trying to extort more money from the tax base, if they cut Schools, they have more leverage in obtaining said funds. No one is going to vote for "Tax increase to fund Diversity" or "We don't have enough money for Public Art".

See, cutting the police budget has all sorts of impications for tax payers - i.e. more criminals on the streets, slower response times, less or no police coverage, etc. And government know it, therefore they will institute programs that directly benefit them, such as pay increases for state workers, knowing that they can cut the budget for police and schools and that the tax payers will find a way to fully fund the important programs.

So remember the next time you read in the newspaper that Government is going to have to make Budget Cuts that what they are really doing is funding what they want at the disservice to you.

Welcome...

2008-10-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

...To Socialism

More Dangers of combining the EPA and Activist Judges

2008-08-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Read about Lynn Moses, an Idaho man who had a contract to remove debris (Gravel, Sand, Fallen Trees, etc.) from a stream bed to prevent flooding of his town, Driggs Idaho. He was sent to prision today for 18 months.

In 1980 Mr Moses petitioned the city of Driggs to develop a subdivision. His petition was granted, but there was a stipulation that he had to implement a plan to prevent flooding in his subdivision by keeping gravel bars and sand bars from building up in Teton Creek, adjacent to the subdivision property. Teton Creek used to be a flowing body of water, until 100 years ago when irrigation diversion left the stream bed dry for all but two months of the year, and only when there is more water in the irrigation system than can be used. Teton Creek has essentially become an overflow for the irrigation system.

In 1995 a staffer at the Army Corp of Engineers (ACoE) sent a letter to Mr Moses saying he needed a permit from the ACoE to continue to remove the debris from the creek bed. The same staffer urged the US Attorney's office to prosecute Mr Moses for not obtaining a permit. But the ACoE had dictated years prior that unless the streambed contained water for at least 3 months out of the year, they had no jurrisdiction over the waterway. The US Attorney's office refused to prosecute for this very reason.

Sometime between 2000 and 2002 - the EPA (Envronmental Protection Agency) - was granted the ability to prosecute people who dump polutants into streams through the Clean Water Act. The EPA got wind of what was going on and filed an indictment against Mr Moses, claiming that he was dumping polution into the streambed and thus into a wetland.

The presiding judge in this case refused to allow Teton County Commissioners to testify to the original agreement nor would he allow the ACoE Staffer to testify about the refusal of the US Attorney to prosecute in the 90's. Before deliberations, the Judge instructed the jury to dissregard any evidence from 1980 to 2002, thus the only information that the jury was allowed to review was evidence supporting the claim from the EPA. The EPA on the other hand claimed that Mr Moses deposited polutants into the stream, yet no evidence was submitted to support that claim. The EPA claims that "Fallback" which is material that falls back into the streambed from the shore, constitutes depositing polutants into the stream, but no guideline as to how much fall back is allowed exists, nor could the EPA prove that fallback occured. Finally, the EPA claims that the streambed is native habitat for the Yellow Cutthroat Trout and that the fish spawn in that stream - but that is physically impossible considering the stream only contains water for up to two months out of the year.

Never-the-less, with the restrictions on what Mr Moses was allowed in his defense, and what the EPA claimed - the jury had to return a guilty verdict. Mr Moses reported for his 18 month prison sentence today at 2:00.

Change we can believe in

2008-06-19T15:06:00.001-07:00

During the Ohio primary against Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama skewered her for her support of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), calling her out on what many Ohio workers thought was the reason they lost their jobs. Obama promised that if he were president he never would have signed it in the first place and that if he became president, he would try to renegotiate the terms with Canada and Mexico.You may recall that his economic advisor told the Candadians that Obama really wasn't serious about this, that it was just campaign rhetoric.

In an interview with Fortune to be featured in the magazine's upcoming issue, the presumptive Democratic nominee suggests he doesn't want to unilaterally blow up NAFTA after all."Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified," he conceded, after I reminded him that he had called NAFTA "devastating" and "a big mistake," despite nonpartisan studies concluding that the trade zone has had a mild, positive effect on the U.S. economy.Does that mean his rhetoric was overheated and amplified? "Politicians are always guilty of that, and I don't exempt myself," he answered.

I don't think I buy the "nonpartisan studies...positive effect" business, but if this isn't hypocrisy at is finest, what is?

Pregnant at 9 - gives birth at 10?

2008-05-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Wow - I hope Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez goes to prison for a long long time and is then deported back to where ever he came from...

Interesting conundrum...

2008-04-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

This article states that the phone number used to report the Polygamy abuse in Texas belongs (or belonged) to a woman in Colorado who was earlier charged with reporting a fradulent claim but was released. Authorities also found several items suggesting a connection between the woman and the polygamest sect.

So lets assume for a moment that the woman was supposed to be the 16 year old victim who claimed she was being abused in Texas. Wouldn't this mean that law enforcement invaded the compound under false pretenses - more on this in a minute?

Don't get me wrong, I AM TOTALLY AGAINST CHILD ABUSE AND ABUSE OF ANY KIND, but from my understanding there was only one complaint of abuse and the person who was supposedly abusing the 16 year old girl has not been charged only questioned. It wasn't until after the authorities invaded the compound did they discover additional situations of abuse.

I personally believe that polygamy is wrong, that child abuse is wrong, and that if abuse was occuring, which it was, that people should be prosecuted and serve prison time. But as the events unfold, it is starting to look more and more like one of those "Law and Order" episodes where the accused gets off because of screwups on the part of the Police and/or DA - it would be ashame and could also make it more difficult for the authorities to investigate alligations in the future.

What is also equally disturbing is that Texas DHS (Department of human services) has removed 400+ children from their mothers. I can't imagine that all 400+ children were abused to the point that they needed to be separated from their mothers. Albeit their mothers would probably flee if the children were returned to them, I still think another solution could be arranged that would put the children back with their mothers until the legalities of this case are worked out.

On the subject of DHS - In my opinion the club that DHS waves is way too big. Consider this case of the American boy in Oregon who was to be removed from his foster family to live with his grandmother in Mexico simply because she is his blood relative. DHS seems to cast aside what is best for the child - better education, better health care, better quality of life. Or this case where DHS wants to send another American citizen, this time a little girl, to live with relatives of her half siblings in Mexico instead of being adopted by her biological grandparents here in Hillsboro. It just seems that DHS can do what they want to whomever they want when they want, and that isn't right.

But now back to the "False Pretenses" point - Is invading a Texas polygamist compound under false pretenses the same as invading Iraq under false pretenses? You know the whole “There were no WMD in Iraq” versus what is looking like the “33 Year old Colorado woman impersonating the 16 year old Texas victim” thing.

Whatever...

2008-04-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

According to Politico Barak Obama had this to say:

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small
towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's
replaced them...And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush
administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these
communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.

And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or
religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment
or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

There simply is no way people are upset at the facts like these:

By 1997, 3 years after it was signed, over 394,000 jobs were lost in the USA due to NAFTA

A Catholic nun was killed in Klamath Falls by an Illegal Alien who served only 16 months in a mexican prison before being released.

"Since the passage of that measure (NAFTA), the United States has lost half of its textile mill jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

It takes going to the supreme court to retain your constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

And why is it a bad thing for people to cling to their religion in times of adversity? Perhaps there would be more jobs for people if things such as the Endangered Species Act wasn't as oppresive to farmers and taxes weren't imposed under the guise of education and public safety to cover pork spending (Specifically the $77.5M Light Rail - MAX line extension in Portland).

Heaven forbid...

Two years later...

2008-03-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

... and I'm still pissed at OMSI

And for those idiots who think this is science, then please explain to me what is more scientific about having dead babies in jars than having models in an exhibit room designed for children. I still can't figure that one out...especially considering that the children who were with us on this trip weren't intrigued by the "scientific" aspect, rather, they were intrigued by the sensationalism of the morbid exhibit.

You know what - I have more questions to ask:
- Is it a child in a woman's womb the day before it is born, or is it a "fetus"?
- Is it a child in a woman's womb when it moves around on its own, jumps when it gets startled or hears a loud noise, is it not aware of those things?
- Aside from an umbilical cord and a breath of air, what is the difference between a child in its mother's womb and a child that has just been born?
- Why is it wrong to defend an unborn child's right to be born and live, but we must protect a murderer from being executed? - On that same note, how is a single woman more capable of determining that her child should die from an abortion, but a jury of 12 is wrong in determining a killer should die from an execution?
- If life is so prescious that we need to protect whales, salmon, elephants, rain forrest etc - then how come a blind eye is turned when it comes to unborn babies?

Bias in judicial legislation

2008-03-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

This story almost sounds too good to be true. A 17 year old "foster" child who says he has always dreamed of serving the country has been denied the opportunity that non-foster children would be allowed to do.

Shawn Sage tried to enlist in the Marines early (you must be 18 to enlist without strings attached) but was apparantly denied because he is a foster child. Marilyn Mackel a children's court commissioner denied Sage's petition to enlist in the USMC's Delayed Entry Program because she doesn't agree with the Iraqi War and says that recruters care nothing for the men and women that they recruit rather they are simply concerned with numbers. However, had Sage not been a foster child, the case would never have gone to court.

If that truely is the case (the actual court transcripts have not and may not be released to the public) - then this judge should be disbarred and removed from her post. If she is legislating based on her bias instead of law in this case, then what other cases have been decided based on her biases?

Hypocritical...

2008-02-28T14:39:00.001-08:00

Congress wants to mandate drug testing in professional sports (and in Texas for amature High School athletes and all Extra-curricular activities in Tennesse)- but won't mandate drug testing of people in public office(This failed!) or other government workers?

Go figure...

Quit wasting our time and money on Roger Clemens and focus on fixing our border, our economy, our energy issues, etc.

Can we build a wall now?

2008-02-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

If the Virtual border fence doesn't work - can we go back to the old idea of building a wall?

While we are at it, how about taking away the incentive for illegal aliens to come here in the first place - prevent employers from deducting the wages of anyone without a valid SSN or work visa.

What are the two quickest ways...

2008-02-28T10:44:00.001-08:00

...to make the cost of anything go down?

Increase supply or reduce demand...

DO NOT INCREASE TAXES

Build a refinery or three, tap into our domestic oil deposits, build nuclear power facilities, invest in affordable electric cars that people actually want to drive(Tesla Motors?)

I'm not saying ignore Solar, Wind, or Hydro power, but Nuclear provides the biggest bang for the buck (pardon the pun). It is as safe as anything else we have, it is efficient, and is more eco-friendly than Coal, Natural Gas, Oil, etc.

Bio-fuel is great too, however you must still blend bio-fuel with petroleum fuel for automobiles to function correctly. Diversifying to automobiles that are electric eliminates petroleum fuel all together. Making cars that people will actually drive redirects the demand for petroleum based cars entirely.

Sure there will still, and I imagine always, be a need for petroleum based automobiles - especially in the commercial sector to move goods from point A to point B - but applying electric cars where it makes sense (large metropolitan cities) and combining them with personal solar power cells would virtually eliminate the cost of personal transportation - especially in the Southwest.

More Useless PC Drivel...

2008-02-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama - Sen. Barack Hussein Obama

Was that too scary...

Steroids in Baseball

2007-12-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

I don't follow baseball much anymore, actually much since the strike years ago. However, the list of players that used steroids is out so I thought I would comment.

SO WHAT!

So they used a substance to help them hit the ball, pitch faster, run harder, get in shape easier. So What. If it is now outlawed, then implement strict testing procedures, more frequently, put a financial and legal penalty on the table, and be done with it.

It doesn't matter who used juice in the past, if you want it to change, make it change and be done with it. It is a waste of tax payer money and time to continueously investigate such a trivial topic. Spend out tax dollars doing something worthwhile like securing our borders.

Its only entertainment folks, just like television. Only you don't hear about any congressional investigation into movie stars that use drugs or drink like fish. Its pointless.

NO Guns in Klamath Falls Public School System

2007-12-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

This is according to Klamath Falls City Schools Superintendant - Cec Amuchastegui. She thinks it would be a good idea to prevent teachers and other employees from carying guns at school. This in direct violation of Oregon Constitutional Law.

So my opinion on this is we should abide by Oregon Law, we should respect the Conceal Carry Statutes and allow teachers who want to carry to excercise their rights.

So for anyone who is against this, my challenge is: please cite me some study or evidence that says having guns in the classroom would be a detriment to our children. I don't want the "Well someone could accidentially get hurt" argument, because someone could accidentially get hurt or killed doing a variety of things including ridding a school bus. Give me some hard evidence!

Huck Chuck & Fred

2007-11-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

Okay so you have heard that Mike Huckabee has been endorsed by Chuck Norris (you know the guy who doesn't sleep, only lurks). Well it appears they have done a commercial together:

Now if only they could get Fred Thompson on board...

Keep your eyes on this case...

2007-11-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: According to Michelle Malkin, the SCOTUS has pushed this case off for at least a few weeks...

But wouldn't it be shocking if they re-examined the Constitution and found 2 missing letters from the Second Amendment:

“The right of the people to keep panda bear arms shall not be
infringed.”

I would expect the Supreme Court would uphold the 2nd amendment, but one can never be too sure...

Carbon Tax

2007-11-08T17:01:00.001-08:00

2 days after passing Measure 49 (Government's right to take, manipulate the price of, or otherwise restrict your use of - property) - The wack jobs running Portland have decided to tax builders who build new homes that do not "EXCEED BY 45%" the city's current greenhouse gas regulations.

What a load...

How will the newly acquired tax dollars be used you ask? The article doesn't mention what those tax dollars will be used for, therefore we must assume that they will be used for Public Housing, MAX Train Security, or Road Maintenance. (ahem...bullshit...ahem)

"There's more green building going on in Portland, Oregon, than anywhere, and there's not a mandate now, ...What's broken?" - Randy Sebastian, president of Renaissance Homes of Lake Oswego

Ditto...

2007-10-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
- Hunted Ed, Liverpool

Witch Fire

2007-10-23T10:57:00.001-07:00

For those not following there is a very large fire racing across the hillsides/mountains outside of San Diego. It is titled the Witch fire after Witch Creek where it started.

You can view the affected areas here: Map

This issue is fairly personal in nature as two relatives lost their homes this morning, and several other relatives' houses are still in danger...

If you have family in these areas, that you haven't spoke to yet, please give them a call and see if they are alright...

Atlanta's Quest for Water

2007-10-19T16:29:00.001-07:00

With the water crisis we had in the Klamath Basin several years ago, I thought I would comment on the situation happening in the South right now. In case you have missed it, check out this article.

A couple of things first off - the comment: "We're so far away from that, nobody's doing a contingency plan..." - isn't that what got the folks in New Orleans in trouble two years ago. I mean FEMA was criticized up one side and down the other for their lack of effort in helping the people of NO. Wouldn't it make sense to begin preparing for a catastrophic drought now instead of 60 days from now? At least get things together in the event you need to call upon them.

"Perdue's office on Friday asked a Florida federal judge to force the Army Corps of Engineers to curb the amount of water draining from Georgia reservoirs into Alabama and Florida. And Georgia's environmental protection director is drafting proposals for more water restrictions. " -- Am I to understand that instead of releasing water to Florida and Alabama, they want to keep it in Georgia? What use do you think the water leaving Georgia is used for? If I'm not mistaken there are several endangered animals that live in the Florida everglades - it would seem like an environmental injustice to cut those animals off to save the humans...right?

75% of Fake bombs get through airport screenings?

2007-10-18T16:16:00.001-07:00

So you read this and you think, okay this is pretty bad 60-75% of "Fake" bombs get past airport screeners at our nations busiest airports (Chicago, LAX, San Francisco, etc.). Then you have to wonder, how many "Real" bombs get past airport screeners?

Imagine Khalid and 3 of his buddies attempt to get on an airplane with their Molotov cocktail. Odds are 1 gets caught right. Please remember that on your airline flights this holiday season.

Oh and one final question - how bad would is suck to be right behind one of those "Undercover" agents who gets caught trying to smuggle a "Fake" bomb onboard an airline?

Bullets

2007-10-18T15:35:00.001-07:00

Measure 49 - When you read the words "It fixes the problems with measure 37" - you need to first ask yourself: "What are the problems with Measure 37?" Then remind yourself that there aren't any problems with Measure 37. People forget that Measure 37 doesn't prohibit government from preventing you from using your land - it simply makes it cost prohibitive for government to do so. It also lets you use your land in a way you could use it when you bought it - how/why is that wrong? Also, if I wanted to divide 10 acres up amongst my 4 children when I die, do you realize that M49 wouldn't allow me to do that without forking tens of thousands of dollars over to the governement? Please don't be fooled by M49 - it isn't designed to protect farms, forests, and other wildlife areas - it is designed in a way that lets government dictate what you can do with your land. And finally for all those who wear indigo colored glasses, pretend that in 10 years Oregon becomes an evil Crimson state - do you want Republican officials telling you what you can/can't do with your land?

Measure 50 - Simple math here folks. Lets say the State of Oregon collects 200M from smokers to fund an SCHIP (State Child Health Insurance Program), and lets also say that the number of smokers never declines and never increases (aka stays the same) - who makes up the money 5 years from now when the cost of health care increases by 10+ percent? Who makes up the difference when the number of smokers declines (as is anticipated by all those in favor of M50) and results in fewer dollars going into the program? Furthermore, lets say M50 does pass, and 5 or 10 years down the road we decide it is a bad thing, do you realize it will take a State Constitutional Amendment to repeal M50? And finally - if Hillary Clinton is elected and Socialized medicine is passed through congress, what would become of our State's SCHIP?

Waiting - With this whole "Give birth control to 11 year olds" thing - I'm waiting for the lawsuit claiming someone's 11 year old daughter ended up pregnant or someone's 11 year old son ended up with an STD because the school refuses to teach abstinance over birth control.

In essence what the schools are saying is "Kids are going to do it anyway, we may as well try and protect them" instead of teaching kids what the consequences of having sex are.

The Proposed Iranian Oil Bourse

2007-07-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

I posted on this well over a year ago...

So now it begins...

The question is, will Japan break ranks and pay a foreign currency for Oil or will it continue to pay US Dollars?

Nothing to see here, move along, move along...

2007-05-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

"It is not amnesty. This will restore the rule of law." - Senator Arlen Spector (R-PA)

To quote Penn & Teller: BULLSHIT!

This is amnesty, and this will erode the "rule of law". Passing this legislation will give the finger to the millions of immigrants who abided by our laws, waded through the process of becoming a legal citizen, and paid thousands of dollars just to come here.

Here's to hoping that senator Spector and all those who support this legislation, hang on the proverbial gallows at their next election cycle.

Saxton to work for JELD-WEN

2007-05-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

I've known about this for a couple of days now, but beings it is in the local Herald and News - I felt it was safe to report it. Ron Saxton - republican nominee for Oregon Governor - has taken a position with JELD-WEN here in Klamath Falls.

I do think he will be putting aside his desire to be governor and probably his controlling interest in the Portland area law firm, but one can never know for sure.

Thoughts on Imus

2007-04-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

I just have to ring in on the whole "Nappy-Headed Ho's" statement. This whole incident has been blown out of proportion. Yeah Imus said some incredibly stupid things. He was even suspended for such comments, but now he has been fired over the whole thing.

Okay maybe he should have been fired in the first place, but it sure gives off the impression that CBS has caved into the will of "Sharp-Jackson" (Al Sharpton & Jessie Jackson). They first suspend the guy for two weeks and when "Sharp-Jackson" says "That isn't enough" then they terminate the guy's contract. What is CBS going to do if "Sharp-Jackson" doesn't think termination is enough - turn the company over to them, pay restitution to some NAACP Political Action Committee, Donate to the Obama for President campaign? I mean come on...grow a backbone...

And another thing - where does Al Sharpton get off saying there needs to be laws governing what people can say, albeit on the airwaves, but still...If I don't want to listen to someone on the radio or television, I simply turn it off. Furthermore, why are people so "offended" by what someone says? People's feelings get hurt way to easy now days...Perhaps, those with feelings that get hurt so easy, should move to Canada or France where everyone gives a rip about their feelings - I know that I don't. And further, who is actually a victim in this situation? "Sharp- Jackson", Don Imus, the ladies basketball team? If it was the ladies hoops team, then they should be the ones standing up and calling Imus out. Wanna bet that "Sharp-Jackson" hasn't even met with the members of the hoops team? How does he know they have a problem with the comments? It's just another crusade for the sake of having a crusade...and does nothing but prolong racial divisiveness...

It's so easy a caveman could do it...

2007-03-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

CNN tells me that ABC is going to produce a pilot show staring the Geico Cavemen. The show will be set in Atlanta (Wonder if Foxworthy or Cableman Larry will make guest appearances) and be centered around 30 something-cavemen trying to fight the prejudice of being cavemen.

I don't think it will be a huge success, rather a novelty that will fade after a season or two - If for some reason it ends up being a huge success, you could see spin-off's like: Sex in the Cave (Like Sex in the City only with cave-women), Who wants to be a caveman (Like The Apprentice, only the catchline will be "You're Clubbed!"), MXC 3MBC (Like MXC, only 3M years ago), and Caveman Island (A remake of Gilligan's Island using cavemen).

On another subject I think the caveman show will be better than Gay Porn Day.

Now everyone can be Green

2007-03-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine turned me onto this website. It is basically a lobby group that is selling decals and stickers let you feel good about doing something to save the environment.

The company is called TerraPass, and they have calculators that will allow you to determine how much CO2 is produced by your car, home, or airline flight. For a simple fee, you can purchase stickers that say you are now CO2 neutral (aka Green). The fee you pay gets turned into "Environmentally friendly energy projects" - aka political committees that lobby government to enact eco-terror laws. In my case, it would cost me about $80 to make my car CO2 neutral. I wouldn't have to change anything, not how often I drive, what type of car I drive, nothing - yet I could be Green....

On a side note, I got a kick out of some of the magazines they advertise in - in particular: TreeHugger magazine...

Devil's Advocate

2007-01-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

I find it funny that on Pelosi's website only 34:05 hours have passed since the house conviened. I know, I know, only 34:05 hours have been spent in session and dealing with the 6 issues she promised would be passed in the first 100 hours of her sitting on the throne. But I digress...

I skimmed over the context of the bill that was passed regarding the 9/11 commission recommendations, and without reading it in detail nor digesting what others have to say about it. My initial impression seems favorable. In particular the section regarding shipping containers entering the US from abroad.

So I thought I would scan the blogosphere and see what everyone else thinks about the bill...

--

On to another topic or should I say rant - I want to discuss just some general issues that leave me shaking my head in disbelief. First is the issue I mentioned in my previous post today (and back in October) - I can't belive we are prosecuting people for doing thier job, but I guess it isn't something new - we are prosecuting the Pendleton 8 for roughly the same thing...

Minimum wage...Our country is doomed if we continue to raise the minimum wage. We are doomed to become a "service" country rather than a manufacturing and producing country. The argument that the minimum wage needs to be raised because the cost of gas, health care, food and clothing has increased is simply nuts. The price of goods are going to increase at a faster rate than minimum wage will increase which means the same group of people that government is trying to help are going to be in the same, if not worse, situation they are in now.

Furthermore, not only does minimum wage drive the cost of goods up, it also causes false Hi and Low wages for entry level positions. Consider Burger Donalds who hires average high school kid to come work for them. Using Minimum wage laws - average high school kid makes $7.5/hr (no more/no less)...Now lets say we didn't have minumum wage. What would said high school kid make? $5.00/hr, $7.5/hr, $9/hr? Wouldn't said high school kid have a better chance at a higher paying job if minimum wage didn't exist. Wouldn't said high school kid have the advantage of saying McKing's across the way is offering benefits and/or a higher wage to flip krabby patties...I think minimum wage, like unions, were good when they first came to be, however like unions, it has served its purpose.

The War - I support the plan of moving 20K troops to Iraq, in fact, I would support an additional 20K more troops in, however, if they are going to Iraq to do what we have been doing for the last 2 years (I say 2 because the first year was waging the war, the last 2 have been occupation) - then I don't support leaving any of our troops there. I have heard people talk about placing these troops on the borders of Siria, Iran, etc. - and I think that is a good idea, but I worry that placing a large number of troops on Iran's border is going to do nothing but piss Abadinijad off. My wish is that the problems facing the troops in Iraq can and will be solved quickly, but I don't think the people we have in charge who have created the problems can come up with the solutions to those problems.

Which brings me to the President. I find it laughable that people can say, I support the President, but I don't support the things he is doing. Do I think we need a change at the helm - sort of. I think the President needs to change his stance on a lot of issues, but I don't necessarily think he needs to step down. Supporting Amnesty is wrong for the country. Supporting NAFTA and CAFTA is wrong for the country. Supporting Minimum wage increases is wrong for the country. But the fact of the matter is, in the past 2 years, we have had some wacky things come from the administration - Harriet Meyers and Port Gate to name a few...Furthermore we have heard nothing but crickets regarding DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), we are spending money like mad on lots of wrong things and very few of the right things - such as border security, port security, real id, education, military incentives... So do I support the President... I'll let you call it...

Real ID, National Security, Border and Port Security - where the hell are we on this one? 5-6 years since 9/11 and all we have is a registry of who can and can't fly on airplanes along with xRay machienes that double as peep show windows? Its time to offer up contracts to any company that doesn't begin with Halliburton and is not owned by any firm with opperations outside of the USA to develop technology to wage the war on terrorism here in the USA. This can mean companies to develop techonology to detect people with explosives from getting near an airport, companies who profile people entering the country and assess risk to those people, and any other company who wants to sit at the table and make this country safer. Real ID needs to be done yesterday - and anyone who doesn't have one, should be issued a federal citation to comply with a penalty of imprisonment. If we allow the government to say DNA is admissible in court as evidence, and can be collected without violation of 5th amendment rights, then it should be part of Real ID. Everyone coming into this country should be issued a federal ID card and a sample of their DNA collected. If they are on temporary visas then then they surrender the Real ID card when they leave the country - further more, how hard is it to flag the people whose visa has expired and have not turned in their Real ID and go after them? Why can't this be done? If they are in violation, just like so many illegal aliens who love to say they come here for work, then let them work in prison. They can grow their own food to sustain themselves unless they want to go back to their country of origin, in which case, we purchase them a 1 way trip to their home country and subtract the cost from the amount of aid we give said country. Easy Fix....

Enough ranting for tonight...comments welcome...

Update on one of my earlier posts

2007-01-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

I wrote about this subject way back in October, Fox News just picked up where the last article left off. It seems the two Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting an Illegal alien while he fled have not received a presidential pardon and will begin serving their prision terms.

To recap - two Border Patrol agents shot Osvaldo Aldrete Davila a man who fled as the two agents tried to apprehend him. It was later discovered that Davila was an Illegal Alien and was also transporting about $1M worth of Pot across the Mexian border. To Prosecute the two Border Patrol agents, the Federal Prosecutor gave Davila immunity for the drug possession and immigration violation charges, in exchange for his testimony in the case. Now Davila is suing the Federal Government for $5M because his ass got shot...(litterally)...

The article also explains that the two agents were trying to "Cover Up" the fact that they shot the guy, and didn't follow protocol.

I'll be the first to admit that if they didn't do their job the way they were supposed to, they should be repramanded for it, but to serve prison terms for doing their job is lunacy...This sends a strong message to border patrol agents - DON'T SHOOT YOUR GUN...EVER...AND DON'T TRY TO APPREHEND DRUG SMUGGLERS...

DESPERATELY SEEKING...

2006-11-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

...Someone who does internal software for a semi-large company whose business it is not to write and deliver software and does not live or work in KFalls.

I have some general questions about the way you write, develop, and manage your company's software.

Please leave comments...
Thanks

Priceless...

2006-10-31T08:28:00.000-08:00

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” - John F. Kerry 10/30/2006

Pardon The Dust...

2006-10-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

But I am doing some testing...
To see if things are working the way I expect them to...

2006-10-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

Another way to tell that our government is serious about securing our borders...
I caught this article from the Washington Times describing the events that led to the conviction of 2 border patrol agents in Texas. It seems a guy(Illegal Alien) resisted arrest by the two border patrol agents when he tried to smuggle 730+ lbs of dope into the country and was shot in the butt by the two agents who thought he had a gun. A Texas judge sentenced the two agents to 11 and 12 years of prision time respectively for shooting the man who, was given immunity on the drug charge for his testimony and is now suing the federal government for $5M. Crime pays...

According to Michelle Malkin - when White-House Media Dispatcher (WMD) Tony Snow was asked about the incident and if the President would be issuing a pardon for the two border patrol agents - Snow replied that the President has the power to issue pardons, but it was a rediculous idea to issue a pardon in this case. Furthermore, Malkin also notes that a border patrol agent in San Diego who was caught smuggling 100 illegal aliens into the country only got 5 years in prison.

This incident is simply rediculous...if you evade law enforcement expect to get shot at. What is worse, is these two officers were doing their job and are now imprisioned for doing the right thing. They were protecting our country from slimeballs who want to sell drugs to our children, steal our money, and distroy our way of life. The White House needs to be pressured on this issue, and these heros need to be freed!

2006-10-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Rock and a Hard Place
Michelle Malkin (For those who don't read her blog - you really should) - has a post about the guy, Abdul Rahman, from Afganistan who converted from Islam to Christianity, was tried in an Afgan court, got off on a "technicallity", then fled to Italy and was granted an asylum.

Now terrorists in Afganistan have taken an Italian reporter captive and will exchange him for Rahman. So here are the "Rock and a Hard Place" questions:

Do you trade Rahman, who is not a native citizen for the reporter who is?
Would it make a difference if the reporter was someone you knew?
Would it make a difference if the reporter was someone you were related to?

The simple answer is - You don't deal with Terrorists. But I would be hard pressed to not trade if it was someone I knew, and would probably make the trade if it was someone I was related to.

2006-10-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

This from the Callous News Network (aka CNN)
Many of you have probably already seen the sniper video aired by CNN. CNN has posted their "reasoning" for showing the video here.

I think it is an abomination that CNN would show such a thing. Imagine being that soldiers parents, friends, brothers or sisters. What is the purpose of airing this video - to show what life is like in Iraq? I can't begin to speak for everyone, but I don't really want to know what life is like in Iraq. I want to know that we are doing everything we can to secure a victory in the most timely manner with as few casualties as possible. I know that there are far fewer US casualties since the war started than there are: (pick a statistic) abortions, homicides, drunk driving related deaths, etc. - But from day to day is our military doing everything it can to eliminate the terrorists and homicidal killers in that nation?

What I find worse is the lack of response by our government. This war needs to end, now, and I don't mean by simply leaving Iraq. I mean by defeating the enemy swiftly and by using all of our might against them to do so. Don't try and tell me that Iraq cannot support itself. If it can't then what are we doing that is preventing them from sustaining themselves? Do we need more troops in the country, more resources, if so, why aren't we doing more to get it done?

I'm going to play Arm-Chair Quarterback for a minute - I think we need to double the number of troops in the country, we need to invoke martial law in Iraq, we need to monitor every civilian in the country in one form or another, we need to adequately supply our military with the things they want (and need) - until the violence stops or diminishes significantly. The people of Iraq cannot be free until they no longer have to worry about being blown up when they leave their homes. Remember "Iraqi Freedom" is the last bastion of reasoning left for going to war in the first place - if they aren't free, then what are we doing that is preventing that?

Finally, I'm not against the war, however I am against a war that is not fought in the right manner - by that I mean I do not believe our military is being allowed to use decisive force. Further, if CNN reporters are allowed to communicate with terrorists without the knowledge of our military then we are doing something extremely wrong...

2006-10-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Governors Election
So I am going to do a 180 here. I will most likely vote for Saxton in the governors race this november.

Let me first say I don't like it. I'm not convinced he will be a good governor for Oregon. However faced with the other candidates Saxton has the most potential upside.

I'm not going to go so far as endorsing him or advocating for him, but I will say that the only reason I am voting for him is because he is not Ted Kulongoski. I don't think he is the best person to run the state, and frankly think there are too many coincidences and catch phrases surrounding Saxton to make him an effective leader.

Why not vote for Starret - well, she has done and said some pretty loopy things that really dissuade me from voting for her. I will say that I am happy that she has attended some of the Anti-Illegal Alien protests, but I can't buy into her reasoning about National Guard troops. They are here to protect the nation, not just the state.

But I digress - I will most likely vote for Saxton and pray that he does the things he has stated he will do...

2006-10-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Foodstamps in Four Hours
I'm going to try a new approach with this one...

Would you rather help the homeless, starving children, impoverished Citizens of America or would you rather feed the ILLEGAL ALIENS who come here to break our laws.

Can you guess which one Southern California and the Department of Agriculture has elected to do?

2006-09-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

Coverup?
I was first turned on to this article by the author of this blog. Pay close attention to the DNC talking point #5. Mansoor Ijaz, a senior member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Clinton administration insider, helped setup opportunities for the Clinton administration to take out Osama Bin Laden. Ijaz worked with the Clinton administration from 1996 to 1998.

Now we have this going on. Members of the Clinton administration are crying foul over an ABC special that, fictitiously, suggests the Clinton administration didn't do all it could to prevent 9/11. Clintion is even calling for the special to not be aired.

Does this fall in the field of a "coverup"...?

2006-09-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

See Bad Guys have rights too...
This is breaking news over at the Clinton News Network. It seems we are going to provide additional rights to those who have orchestrated the events that killed thousands of Americans. Does anyone know what the political angle is here - there doesn't seem to be a sensible one?

2006-09-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

WTF?

I just caught this article...notice some key paragraphs:

In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the "peace agreement" between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.

and this one...

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."

Perhaps it is time to reconsider how much aid we provide the nation of Pakistan and to lean a little differently on our stance with the Kashmir situation. If Pakistan doesn't want to help us out, then why should we help them?

2006-08-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Things to do for Vacation this year...
This is unbelievable. Of all the things to do on your vacation, pretending to be an illegal alien is not one I would sign up for. Can you imagine what the sane people of Mexico think about people who come to their country and pay money to pretend to sneak back into their own country?

I think it would be funnier if they left the idiots out in the middle of the desert with no identification or means to get back to civilization. Call it 'Survivor Guadalajara'...

2006-08-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

On the topic of the Governor's Race...
I must say that I am a little dis-heartened by the position some people have taken on the race. It seems the general consensus is to vote for Ron Saxton because he "appears to be the most conservative" candidate in the race and that he would be better than re-electing Ted.

While I understand that argument and pretty much agree with it, I am still 75% sure I'm not going to vote for Saxton this November. Curse me, tell me I'm foolish and I'm keeping the state blue, whatever...My reasoning is more philosophical than practical.

It is my belief that the nation as a whole has, and will most likely continue to, become more and more liberal as time progresses. Now sure there are things like voting rights for women, slavery, segregation, civil rights, etc. - I understand that those were the conservative issues of their time and should rightfully have been overturned, however other issues such as abortion, assisted suicide, marijuana use - shouldn't even be topics up for debate.

Where am I going with this - It is my opinion (as it is my blog) that the continual compromising on political candidates and political issues is what is to blame for the degradation of morals in our society. What concerns me most with Ron Saxton is his inability to convince me that he is going to do the right thing for Oregon. If you read my blog, you most likely have read other blogs whose links are on the left and you have most likely read their opinions, observations, and criticisms of Saxton. Those opinions, observations, and criticisms I believe are well founded and a forcast of what we should expect if Ron Saxton is elected. I further believe if the conservative citizens of Oregon elect Ron Saxton - they will be compromising on their core beliefs and further widening the gap between true conservativism and where our state and society are at today.

You can say that I supported Atkinson in the Primary and you would be true, you might even say that I am saddened that he lost his primary race and you would still be true, but you can't say that because Atkinson lost his primary race I am going to bitch and complain about Saxton because I'm unhappy with the choice of the Republican party - that simply isn't a true statement. As I stated above - I have deep concerns that Ron (and Ted for that matter) are going to do the right thing for Oregon. With Ted - he simply panders to the left and to the unions in this state, with Ron, he can't keep a consistent policy and doesn't seem to take a firm conservative stance on the major issues facing the state (Illegal Aliens, State Spending Limits, etc.).

The question I have for my fellow bloggers who are going to vote for Saxton is:
- With Atkinson we all firmly believed in him and his views on the important issues, do you feel the same way about Saxton, or are you compromising your values in hopes that he will do the right thing and if you are compromising your values, is that a vote that you will be proud of?

2006-08-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

UN-FREAKING-BELIEVEABLE

2006-08-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Crickets...
So we are a half hour into todays Lars Larson Show - and the only mention of Ron Saxton's flip flop came via someone who wrote in (or on a blog) - the guy was defending Ron Saxton's most recent position on the "anchor baby" subject...

Like Coyote points out - Lars only gave Jason Atkinson 45 minutes to return a phone call to the Lars Larson show before changing his endorsement to Ron Saxton.

All I ask is that Lars be consistent on this issue...

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
Lars just mentioned this topic and said he questioned the Ron Saxton campaign and the campaign said he wasn't going to discuss the anchor baby topic because it wasn't popular. He then said he asked about the government spending limit issue and the Saxton campaign said they would discuss it after it made the ballot.

Finally - Lars then took the "Why don't you take a hard stance on Ron for going soft on the illegal alien issue" - and lars asked "Has the GOP party become squishy on the hard topics? Perhaps if you can't take a position on a hard topic issue (such as illegal immigration) then perhaps you shouldn't run for office..."

So I'll give some credit where credit is due - Lars is holding his (Ron Saxton's) feet a little closer to the fire - I just hope that he treats Ron the same way he treated Jason...

2006-08-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Flip Flop
I'm going to echo what is here and here.

Ron Saxton, it appears, has finally waffled on the biggest issue of the GOP primary and Gubanatorial Election Cycle. If I understand correctly, Ron will not prevent the children of illegal immigrants from becoming citizens of the United States. Rather - he will continue to allow those same children to receive birth certificates.

A little backdrop on the story - the GOP has taken the stance that the 14th amendment to the US Constitution does not in fact give citizenship to the children of illegal aliens, rather it gives citizenship to the children of those who are under the jurrisdiction of the USA. Because illegal aliens are here illegally they do not fall under the jurrisdiction of the USA, therefore, their children are not eligible for citizenship. If you are a citizen you can petition the state in which you live for a birth certificate, which is the proof of citizenship for American citizens. Vital Statistics is a State run agency which falls under the direct control of the governor.

What Ron Saxton has said, via Howard Dean's good friend Felix Schein, is that he will not discuss this subject because it is a Federal issue, not a State Issue - which also indicates that there is no intention of changing the status quo.

This coming from a guy who in the GOP primary said he would dislodge the children of illegal aliens from the public school system...

However, I'm sure this will all turn out to be semantics...

2006-07-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Thoughts
Is this a case where government has gone too far? Are the arguments even closely the same between this kid and Terry Schiavo?

Should we all have a say so in how we want to be treated medically? Some religions prohibit blood transfusions, should government step in and say you need to take blood?

I think this is a case of "Government protecting the people, even from themselves..." I just don't think it is right for government to do that though. Infrastructure and Defense, the rest is up to the people...

2006-07-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

News from the Icky
I caught this today and thought is was pretty sick. Apparantly in her next movie Dakota Fanning plays a 12 year old little girl who suffers through "tremendous abuse", including 1 scene where she has to appear naked to be raped!

What sort of rating do you think this movie will get? Rated R probably - What I find just as incredulous is the fact that her (Dakota's) parents didn't bat an eye at the scene, in fact, they say it has Oscar written all over it...

Also note that the funding for the movie originally went dry (due to lack of companies wanting to be involved with the movie), yet they magically found "new sources" of money. I'm thinking ACLU, NAMBLA, and any other sick and demented person who is into the whole "Child Porn" bit...

2006-07-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

Insurance Woes
Lars had an intersting topic of discussion yesterday. I e-mailed him about it but only got the 100,000 foot answer, so I'll post the discussion and listen to comments:

Lars,
I have to disagree with you regarding the premium people pay for having poor credit.

If we apply the principle to other areas of life, then cable, electricity, water, sewer, drivers’ licenses, health insurance, and all other goods and services should become eligible to use the same practice – simply using the logic that people with lower credit scores typically have more trouble paying their bills on time. What is created by this effect is a self fulfilling prophecy where the poor-to-middle income demographic who usually have the lower credit ratings end up paying the premium while the middle-to-upper income demographic ends up with a rate break.

Further, because a credit score is partially rated on the number of times your credit is run, and the difference between a good credit score and a bad credit score can be 1 point – it is safe to say that having your credit run could cause your insurance premiums to go up. Also, every time you get one of those “You’ve been approved for a credit card…” flyers, the company that is issuing the credit cards has already run your credit just to see if you qualify for the promotion.

Also, for those people who are victims of identity theft (such as myself, and having my credit tarnished) are those people supposed to just eat it and pay the premium? (The Oregon State Police haven’t caught a suspect or suspects in my case, but I have an OSP case number – I can’t do anything about my credit because I can’t prove which actions were caused by which suspect)

Finally, I doubt this would even be a topic of discussion had the insurance companies offered a “program” that enticed people to use the credit rating system for their insurance premiums, or offered a plan that was not subject to credit ratings – but instead they forced it on people, and in some cases terminated their insurance – then they wonder and complain when people get upset and take legal action.

The system rewards those people who do not have a car, house, or large credit payments (Loans, Credit Cards, Credit Accounts, etc.) – And I personally don’t think it is fair to have to pay a premium on my auto insurance just for buying a home or a car.

Lars replied

"all of those other services are not provided by competition"

In which I replied

I beg to differ –
Cable: ComCast, Cox, and Charter all offer private cable service
Power: Pacific Power and PG&E offer power service
Health Insurance: Aflac and Aetna offer private health insurance
Each one of those are private companies, should they be able to run your credit before providing you a rate?

With regards to driver’s licences – if the argument is people with poor credit have a higher risk of poor driving, which mind you I don’t believe is the actual argument, then why should DMV issue drivers licenses to people with poor credit?
Water and Sewer – I believe the actual argument is people with poor credit have a higher risk of not paying their bills on time – if that is the reason, then should water and sewer (or any company who offers goods and services) have the ability to increase the rates for those people with poor credit?

Besides, what does competition have to do with a private company determining rates based on credit ratings for their goods and services?
And finally, why advocate a business practice for a specific line of business, while not advocating the same practice for all businesses?

I personally believe credit should be used for just that – credit - determining which people get loans, which people can get which credit cards, etc.

Just to verify that health insurance companies don't run credit, I originally made this on the fair assumption that HI companies don't run credit, but I validated this via the company eHealthInsurance. I spoke via chat with a representative, Kim - the chat is as follows:

The next eHealthInsurance representative will be with you shortly
You are now chatting with 'Kim'
Kim: Welcome to eHealthInsurance's live chat service. How can I help you today?
Jim in KFalls: I was wondering if you run credit for a person applying for health insurance?
Kim: Health Insurance companies do not run credit reports. They underwrite their applications based on the health history of the applicant.
Jim in KFalls: So you differ from Auto Insurance Companies in that respect?
Kim: Correct.
Jim in KFalls: Okay - thank you!

Furthermore I found this tid-bit of information that said the Texas Public Utility Commission was going to implement a similar plan of charging customers based on their credit score, however due to public outrage they put the plan on hold.

2006-07-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

You would think they had something better to do with their time and money...
Ever since Boob-Gate at the superbowl a few years ago, the FCC has been on a crusade to "Stop Indecency on Television". This is the latest. They want to review sports broadcasts to see if fans, players, coaches or others have used vulgar words that have made it on to television airwaves.

It sure seems like a stupid crusade considering they allow soft porn (Music Videos, Soap Operas, G4TV, etc.) to run without restrictions. I wonder what is more taboo or tramatic to children, after all wasn't that the point of having the restrictions in the first place - to protect the children?

Never the less, the FCC is spending um-teen millions of tax dollars every year to police the airwaves in search of the 7 deadly words - ("Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cock-Sucker, Mother Fucker, and Tits - and Tits shouldn't even be on the list" - George Carlin)

2006-06-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

Why does this make national news...
Front page of the Clinton News Network (CNN) is this article which details the execution of a man who killed several people and was sentenced to death. The article explains that Lamont Reese uttered the words "This is some nasty..." before gasping for air and dieing.

Certainly CNN doesn't report on every execution in the state of Texas, or elsewhere for that matter. Why would they choose this execution to highlight? The article makes no case for his innocence, in fact, it details how he, his girl-friend, and others sprayed a crowd with bullets.

Could it be that the 4 words he uttered before death will be used in some "We should abolish the death penalty" crusade? That's the only reason I see this article making national news...

2006-06-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

Al’s Disciples
Not only is Al Gore jet setting around the country spreading his global warming nonsense, but it now appears Weather Man Al is going to be teaching others how to spread the “good word”. What I find particularly interesting is how, after only 1 century of modern manufacturing, Man is turning the earth into a giant microwave especially since in the 60’s & 70’s (from what I have heard, I wasn’t around back then) the big global crisis was that the weather was getting colder and an Ice Age was among us ? Now I know that Al invented the weather, and I know that what he says is the gospel but what bites me about this topic is he is indoctrinating others to his kookie campaign.

Show us some proof Al. Show us that 300, 200, 100 years ago we didn’t have massive hurricanes, that the earth was colder than it is now. Show us that the SUV’s we drive to and from work every day put out more pollution than the trains, tractors, and cars from the 1950’s. Show us that all of the pollution that man makes is far more than the pollution and toxic gasses that the world’s volcanos put out every year. Explain to us how the effects of a single volcano eruption that caused the planet to go dark for 3 days and the climate to be altered for 40 years pales in comparison to the toxic effects of burning gas. Then explain to us how the technological changes we have made to our automobiles, industries, and other modes of transportation don’t/won’t have an impact on the future of our planet. Only then will I consider believing that the planet is in critical danger.

UPDATE: I caught this article which puts into perspective the Al Gore way of thinking…

2006-05-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

More ethical fodder for the Abortion Debate
I read earlier this year that they were pondering allowing babies that had a specific gene to be aborted because the gene is linked to a certain form of cancer. Now this story comes out in the UK that says babies are being killed because they have club feet, extra digits, or webbed fingers - all of which are correctible with a simple surgery. The article goes on to insinuate that babies are being killed simply because they aren't perfect.

First we make it legal to terminate a baby, then we make it legal to terminate a baby because the baby isn't wanted, now we make it legal to terminate a baby because it could have a minor birth defect. What's next, do we start terminating babies who won't have a certain hair color, eye color, personality...

2006-05-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

Can someone explain this to me?
If a barrel of oil costs $74 (cost for a barrel of oil in June of 06) and a barrell yeilds 19.5 gallons of gas (19.4 according to this article) - how come gas prices are not over $4.00 a gallon by the time you add in taxes, refining costs, distributor markup, shipping, and retailer markup - the math yeilds $3.79 a gallon?

Also make sure you catch this line from the second article above:

Oil products are cleaner. Thanks to improved
automobile technology and cleaner burning
gasolines, today it would take 37 new cars to
produce the same tailpipe emissions as one
new car in the 1960s.

2006-05-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

The Senate has voted to approve Amnesty...sort of...
The Senate voted yesterday to allow illegal aliens who may have used forged documentation to obtain a job, to obtain social security benefits (here). This, according to Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, is Amnesty.

Please remember this comment come presidential primary time:

"We all know that millions of undocumented immigrants pay Social Security and Medicare taxes for years and sometimes decades while they work to contribute to our economy," said Sen. John McCain..."The Ensign amendment would undermine the work of these people by preventing lawfully present immigrant workers from claiming Social Security benefits that they earned before they were authorized to work in our community," he said. "If this amendment were enacted, the nest egg that these immigrants have worked hard for would be taken from them and their families."

That's right - let's payout Social Security benefits to Illegal aliens now, and come 15 years when Social Security will not be able to pay for the Baby Boomer generation, we'll be forced into Hillary Health Care and Al Gore Lock Box Retirement plans.

The Senate also voted to allow foreign workers to apply for permanent residency without having a job lined up, after voting to require foreign workers to apply for a green card only if they had a job...What are they thinking...(I actually voted for this requirement before I voted against it?)

Let this be a wake up and a reminder come this fall - elect politicians who will support ridding this country of illegal aliens.

2006-05-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Okay so this is a couple of days late...
But I thought it would still be a fairly intuitive topic to discuss. The president, in his national address Monday night made the following statement:

"I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the law, to pay their taxes, to learn English, and to work in a job for a number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to apply for citizenship, but approval would not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law. What I've just described is not amnesty, it is a way for those who have broken the law to pay their debt to society, and demonstrate the character that makes a good citizen."

So now I have some questions. If illegal aliens are to "pay back their debt to society" by paying taxes, tell me how it would be possible to pay back 5 years worth of taxes and other government services on low income wages (~$25,000 a year) and still support their families. Further, where is this money going to go? Are the tax payers going to receive a check or a tax rebate?

The answer is there is going to be no "pay back" these people are simply going to be given legal working status in the country and are going to continue on with their lives. They are going to continue to use the same government services and, because they live with low incomes and will be exempt from most federal and state taxes, they are going to continue to be a draw on the economy.

The president is trying to eliminate the ciminal aspect of illegal immigration. What the President is saying, "pay their taxes, learn english, and to work in a job for a number of years...to pay back their debt to society" is what we expect from every person in the USA not criminals. We impose this same requirement on our children - they go to school, learn english, graduate from school, get a job, and pay their taxes. Most criminals go to jail, do community service, repent and then society accepts them back into the fold (for the most part, there are exceptions to this principle but the idea is widely accepted as true). Imposing a punishment equal to what is already expected of normal american citizens isn't a punishment but a reward in this case.

2006-05-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for some moderation....(insert monday night football theme here)
Get ready folks - the State of Oregon now has a choice between who they want at the helm of our state for the next 4 years, a sleepy do nothing liberal and a liberal waffle in disguise. Unless you have been in a coma for the last 24 hours, you most likely know that Ron Saxton and Ted Kulongoski each won their party's nominations for governor.

As for the moderation bit, I predict over the next few weeks we will see Ron Saxton start changing his stance on key issues such as immigration, PERS, and taxes to a more moderate/liberal stance to appease those "swing" voters. He was on my local radio station this morning and has already said he is looking for a few democrats to add to his campaign staff. This in addition to Felix Schein his campaign manager.

The obvious question is going to be asked over and over until november - will you support the Republican nomination? - My answer is no, just because he is the Republican nominee doesn't mean he shares the same core values that I do - further, the way he ran his campaign the last few weeks of this election cycle flat out disgusts me.

Perhaps the conservative movement will be able to overtake some other key positions in state government such as Secretary of State, but we'll have to wait few years to find out.

2006-05-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

Can someone please explain...
...Why someone who lives in Washington should have a say in the Oregon Election process?

2006-05-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

A 6000 troop welcoming commitee
At first glance this looks like a promising start - 6000 troops to help patrol the southern border. However dig into the article a little deeper and you will notice "troops will not be involved in apprehending or holding illegal immigrants and would remain largely out of sight" and, the article says, they will only be there on a "temporary" basis. So with the new Senate Bill it really makes one wonder - is this just a ploy by the Administration to pass an illegal alien amnesty plan?

Details of the Senate bill indicate that the standards for immigrants to become citizens is relaxed, the quotas for the number of people will be doubled, and the number of family members a citizen can bring with them will be doubled.

This isn't good news by any means.

Americans need to stand up and nip this thing in the butt once and for all - enact laws and elect officials who will fight to keep illegal aliens out of the United States.

2006-05-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

Mind if I explode?
This story out of Japan says that local 7-11's will begin selling canned Oxygen. We all know how flamable pure Oxygen is, how long until a smoker picks up a bottle of Oxygen and case of cigarettes and lights up like chernobyl?

I guess they could also have Darwin Award nominations at the local 7-11 too...

2006-05-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

Ken is brilliant...
He picked up on this comment in the Willamette Weekly regarding Ron Saxton...

"He runs to the right to win the primary. That's OK as long as he scrambles back to the middle this November."

Don't be confused people, there is a candidate in this race that pandering to crowd to get the vote - don't expect him to follow through if he wins...

2006-05-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

What could you buy for $21 billion dollars... a year...
That is the figure put out by the American Hospital Association for uncompensated health care services. Remember most hospitals are Non-Profit, thus the money that goes uncompensated is reimbursed by the Federal Government.

You can buy just over 40 Billion bricks for that price...

2006-05-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is the right idea!
I lived in Phoenix when Sherrif Joe Arpiao initiated the Pink Underware scandal. But this idea takes the cake. He along with about 100 other sherrif's deputies are going to start rounding up illegal aliens and throw them in Jail. What is interesting about this idea is he isn't going to involve the Federal Government, rather he is using an Arizona law meant to prevent smugglers from bringing goods into Arizona to lock these people up. What are these people smuggling, well themselves of course.

Too bad Oregon has laws that prevent state and local law enforcement from arresting these people...(psst search for "181.850" in this article)

2006-04-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

Get ready for more illegal drugs
I caught this article that claims Mexico is proposing to legalize cocaine and pot. This will only mean more drugs coming across the porus southern border. We need to plug the holes in the border, the sooner the better!

2006-04-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

HELLO!
What is wrong with you people. The California senate endorses the walkout? I guess I should expect this from a state as blue as the bottom of a swimming pool, but I never would have thought that a government body would go off the deep end like this.

As for Oregon, I hope that a changes in our governing body will enact laws to repel the alien horde. If not, perhaps the people need to take action through initiative.

2006-04-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

More on Oil and Gas...

I posted on this article a few months back but I thought it would make sense to bring it up again because I think it describes another underlying reason as to why we are so dependent upon Oil.

The author of the article says the dollar is based on Oil. What would happen to the dollar if non-oil burning automobiles caught on in the world.

Lets think Hydrogen. If a Hydrogen car were manufactured that could run as good as my SUV, get better gas milage, and cost a fraction to fill up - people would be all over that. But what would happen to the Dollar and to our economy? Could we simply change the backing of our currency to something else, if so, what?

Gully made some good comments in my previous post, government regulation is largely to blame for high oil prices and high gas prices. The EPA prevents new refineries from being built and new wells from being drilled off the coasts. Lobby groups work to suppress drilling in ANWR. Federal, State, and Local taxes comprise a large percentage of the cost per gallon. Perhaps we need to relax government regulation?

Next consider why oil prices have risen in the last 10 years. What has caused the price of crude to jump from about $12 a barrel to $73? Here's a conspiracy theory - could a country (or coalition of countries) be stockpiling all of the available oil to purposly create a shortage, or is it simply Supply and Demand. Has the demand for gas finally outweighed the available supply?

Finally, consider gas prices in Europe, people there are paying upwards of $6.50 per gallon of fuel. They certainly have more to complain about than we do, right?

2006-04-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Gas Problem...
This story has prompted discussion with my wife over what should be done to quell rising gas prices. I keep making the point that government should not interfere with capitolism and if you regulate gas companies' profits, then you open the door to regulate other businesses as well.

Her point is the nation and everyone in it is dependent upon gas unlike any other industry, which makes the oil/gas industy unique. We need it to go to the grocery store, to commute to work, to take our children to and from school. She feels we should cap the amount of profit an oil company can make.

Thinking about her point makes some sense in that as gas prices rise, other taxes rise either in gas tax or to cover the cost of gas for public use (Police, fire, schools, etc.) Further, it drives up the cost to ship food to the consumer which raises food prices. So not only are we paying more at the pump (pimp in some circles), but we are paying more for the goods and services to sustain our lives.

So the question for the day is, should the fundamental principle of capitolism be pushed aside in this situation and should gas/oil companies' profits be capped?

2006-04-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

Saxton DOES NOT Support Sanctions against Employers of Illegals
This is a followup of my previous post and of posts here
http://www.pdxcityclub.org/mp3/pdxcityclub04-14-06.mp3
33:05 mark and lasts about 1 minute and 40 seconds

2006-04-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

In Todays Fish-Wrap
I caught an article from the Oregonian this morning about the Republican debate at the City Club of Portland. There are some key things worth mentioning here:

Atikinson says "he was leaning toward voting for new restrictions on the payday loan industry". I don't necessarily agree with restricting the PD loan companies. Saxton says it should be up to the marketplace to decide (Lars's opinion, and mine as well)
Saxton says he does not favor state actions against employers who hire illegal aliens. This is a huge decision by the Saxton team - Lars is all for employer sanctions and tax penalties for companies who hire illegal aliens.
When the topic of creationism vs evolution in the classroom came up, Atkinson says he feels it is a local decision, while Saxton initially did not have a comment, then said he didn't want mandates from the state, and then his campaign manager says he favors evolution.
Back to payday loans. At the end of the article Saxton appears to change his stance on the PD loan issue, this time he says he'd accept further regulation of the industry, if the legislature decided to act. (Does this sound like he wouldn't veto a bill if it was approved by the legislature?)

Be aware people, there is one candidate who has been consistant on the issues, while another who flip flops almost every chance he gets. So much so that his opinions change in the span of an evening. Is this how we want Oregon to be led?

2006-04-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

Check this guy out...
He came to the US FROM MEXICO to visit his father, ended up hiding out in the local High School, got caught, was sentenced to be deported, got his plane ticket but never caught the plane. Instead - he turns up again, this time in Boston with knife inside some guys house.

Note the line that says he just loves it here in America...he loves it so much he obeys all of our laws...

2006-04-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the label of those who do not support the GW program...
This story would have you believe that the top GOP lawmakers do not support charging aliens who cross the border illegally with a felony. But read closer and you find that the same bill also provides Guest Worker Status for illegals already in the country. This story is a double-edged sword and fails to criticize the 191 democrats who voted against the same bill. But get ready because the MSM is going to latch on to this ideology and it is going to be what you hear about for the next 3 weeks.

2006-04-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

What does Jeff Kropf do?
I just heard Lars talking to Jeff today - Jeff is down in Arizona using his air plane to patrol the leaky border which is great in my opinion. It got me thinking - Jeff has said he is a farmer in his off time and the farmers I know are typically busy at this time of the year. Is he still in the farming business, because I know his public service job doesn't pay enough for him to live out of poverty let alone take time off to patrol the US border.

Don't get me wrong - I support Jeff's efforts, I'm just curious how a farmer can not be busy at this time of the year.

2006-04-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

They just come here to work in the fields...Yeah Right!
I found this bit of information interesting – check out the graph on page 19 of the PDF
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/61.pdf

It estimates that 4.9% of the total workforce in America is made up of illegal aliens. Of the 4.9% they are broken down into categories of employment. Farming (Agriculture) holds only 13% of the illegal alien population. Private Households and Food Manufacturing are the only two industries that have a higher concentration of illegal aliens. The report also estimates that 11.1 million people are in the USA illegally (With the majority of them arriving since 1990) Of the 11.1 million people roughly 6.2Million are from Mexico and 2.5Million are from other Latin American countries. Of the 11.1 Million people, the report estimates that only 7.2 Million are part of the American workforce (making up 4.9% of the overall workforce in the USA) 3.9 Million are either in prison or are not working.

Oh and these numbers are interesting too
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

This says 7 million people (4.7%) are claiming they are unemployed. It seems we could get rid of our unemployment by simply ridding ourselves of our illegal alien crowd.

2006-04-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is crap!
Compromise is how it is being labled. I especially liked the line:

"The key sticking point involved the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, and the struggle to provide them an opportunity to gain legal status without exposing lawmakers to the political charge that they were advocating amnesty for lawbreakers."

In other words - no one has the spine to say this is amnesty because they don't want to look bad. Don't be confused people, this is amnesty.

The way it works is any illegal who has been here between 2 and 5 years must return home and then can enter the USA as a temporary worker. Those illegals who have been here more than 5 years do not have to return home, rather they automatically gain legal status. And for those who have not been here 2 years, they must return home with no definate means to return.

So get ready for the influx of fraud as people scramble to forge documents that say they have been here for 5+ years. Before you know it people crossing the border will be packing documents such as pay stubs, utility bills, etc. dated 5 years back.

Please call/write your senators - this bill is bad and needs to be killed!

2006-04-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

Watch this backfire...
This is interesting...too bad they aren't walking out of the nation and back to where they came!

To bad they can't take the day off from absorbing government aid too?

2006-04-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

Tom Delay
This prediction is from one of my close friends, Jerry in KFalls, and it makes sense, so here goes: "Expect Tom Delay to be indicted in the next couple of weeks in connection to the Jack Abramoff scandal"

As for me, sorry the blog has been sparce lately, I've been out of the state for about a week...more blog will follow.

2006-03-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

In a followup...
According to the Clinton News Network (CNN) the guy on trial for his life in Afganistan for choosing to become Christian is going to face Psyciatric doctors to determine if he is "mentally capable" to stand trial. If he isn't then the charges may be dropped. What is foolish about this case is that Afganistan's constitution seems ambiguous. It says people are free to choose their religion, however it also says those who are not muslim must be put to death.

It's like saying you're free to pay your taxes, only the punishment is more severe if you don't.

2006-03-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

Terror versus Terror
I caught this article today that claims Europe's Neo-Nazi population is threatening a "Massacre of all Islamic Supporters" at the World Cup Soccer tournament in Germany this year. What is ironic is both groups are viewed as Terrorist factions and if this truly does happen it could be the catalyst that sparks off more violent muslim protests all throughout Europe like we had earlier this year.

I think it is about time the world ceases to permit "tollerance" for this kind of behavior - it is destructive and does nothing to further humanity.

2006-03-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

The Religion of Peace
Stating it is an attack on Islam, the prosecutor in this case is reccomending the death penalty for a man who converted from Islam to Christianity. What is just as bad is the Judge in the case makes the comment "We're not against any religion in the world. But in Afganistan, this sort of thing is against the law."

In light of the potential punishment, the defendant in this case has the balls to look Islam in the face and reject it...

2006-03-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

2006-03-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

Number 1000
I'm getting ready to turn 1000 since Super Bowl Sunday...thanks to all who support!

I'll have more interesting blog in the next day or so...thanks to all who have been patient!

2006-03-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Daniel who pointed this out...
It is disturbing - but is brought to you by the wacko's at Indymedia...
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/03/335359.shtml

2006-03-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

Dorchester
After almost a week, I have finally trudged through all of the Dorchester posts. Congrats to those who were able to attend. Gully's prediction has passed, but I still feel the best thing for the Republican movement is for Mannix to drop out and seek a position somewhere else. Some have said that Mannix should seek a Judicial post. There was some rumor that Jason's campaign was merely a precursor for a run at Secretary of State. Perhaps Mannix should consider one of those seats.

2006-03-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

Portgate gets bigger
The senate voted yesterday 62-2 to not go through with the Dubai port deal. CNN - So what does this mean? It means the majority of people believe this is a bad idea. GW has said he will veto any bill that prevents the deal from happening, too bad congress has included that clause into a bill that would provide aid to the Gulf Coast and additional funds for Iraq and Afganistan. So the question now becomes "Will the president vote for the war in Iraq, will he vote for aid for Katrina victims, or will he veto the bill because of the Dubai issue?"

In my opinion, he should let the Dubai port issue go and take care of his people at home...

2006-03-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

Now this is sad...
This is way off the political topic, but I wanted to take a minute and remember Kirby Puckett who died yesterday from complications of his stroke.

The best memory I have of Kirby Puckett was when I went to an A's game in Oakland. I was 17 at the time and we would go to the games early to see if we can get an autograph or a ball or something like that. I was standing next to the Twins's duggout next to a guy and his 4 year old son. Kirby comes out and starts talking to us and then specifically to the guy with the little boy. He then says "wait a minute" and goes back into the duggout and comes back with a bat, a ball, and a Twins hat. He then proceeded to autograph all 3 and hand them to this guy and his kid. He then took about 15 minutes and signed autographs for a couple dozen people before the game began...

I thought this was a class act, and is how I will always remember this Hall of Fame baseball player.

2006-03-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

How many strikes is this...?
Cindy Sheehan better think twice about protesting in California. After this incident she may fall under the 3-Strikes Your Out law in California. :-)

2006-03-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Win one for the Military
In a topic covered many times on Lars's show, the Supreme Court decided unanimously that colleges who accept federal money must allow military recruiters to solicit recruits from their campuses. (cited in many places, but I'm choosing here)

What I can't believe is how the "Law Professors" could argue against the military based on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. You would think they would have a better argument than that - it seems weak in my opinion.

2006-03-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Clarification on my issue with Lars
Some have asked about my issue with Lars since my post yesterday. I thought I would give some clarification as to why I think I have been black listed.

About a month ago, when Jason Atkinson was on Lars's show and he answered to the dissatisfaction of Lars regarding Illegal Aliens and the Guest Worker Program, Lars began to attack Jason in a manner that I feel was above and beyond how he was treating the other candidates including the liberal and democrat candidates.

It was at this point that I decided to poke back. I made the decicion to post blog entries in support of the candidate that he was attacking. Considering he was only attacking Atkinson, my posts were aimed at supporting Atkinson. However, if he began poking at Mannix or Saxton in a way that I felt was out of line, I would post in support of that candidate as well.

Today on Lars's show he hosted a round table discussion. While Lars made it clear that Jason was not attending, he did not in my opinion form an attack on Jason or his campaign, rather he stated that Jason has chosen not to attend the discussion forum any more - thus I will not be posting an anti-Lars position today.

Further - I want it to be known that I still largely support Lars and what he does for Oregon and Washington. He is hugely successful and rightfully so. Based on my support of Atkinson and his support of Saxton we can agree to disagree on who the right candidate is for governor of Oregon. I appreciate what he is doing with the round table discussions - I think it is a brilliant idea and serves the voters well to be able to hear from all of the candidates not just the elite few.

Do I think Jason is wrong for not attending the Round Table discussions? No - based on the way he was treated on Lars's show last month and how he was treated at the debate in Medford a few weeks ago, I can't say I would want to go into a discussion where the moderator has taken what I have to say and spun it into something that I didn't say.

Finally, the reason I feel I have been black listed from Lars's show is because I have sent in several e-mail in the last month asking questions and making comments on topics he has been discussing and absolutly none of my e-mails have been read or none of my questions have been asked since I began poking back. Am I whining and crying over this, no. Lars is free to hold a grudge if he feels that I am treating him unfairly on my blog. I will still continue to listen to his show, I will still contribute my e-mail to him, I will still come out to see him when he visits KFalls, and I will still support his show long after the Republican Primary and Governors race has passed. I will not support Lars on anyone else when they feel they need to attack another person based on their beliefs, they may challenge a persons opinion or stance on an issue, but to make blatently false accusations about a person is entirely wrong in my opinon.

2006-03-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

Notes on the weekly round table meeting
Attending: Kevin Mannix, Ron Saxton, ??? Ames

Why are you running for governor?
Ames: Try to reduce government, state is overspending in corrections, criminal population is largely hispanic and we should move those people back to mexico
Mannix: Touted his Measure 7, 17 and Victim's Rights Amandment.
Ron: Change State Government, will bring real world experience:

GPS Tracking in Automobiles - What should we do with the system?
Saxton: - Kill it, it is an example of government out of control
Ames: - Against it and would kill it
Kevin: - Never would have started it

What would you do with the Oregon State Police?
Kevin: Hire 50 more a year for 4 years = 200 new officers. Fund OSP.
Ames: Fund them, they are the most important asset, need more forensics, where can we use volunteer police force, create a volunteer force
Saxton: Leadership and funding, better coordination, what are the roles of OSP, create support services, says there are leadership issues in OSP that don't want funding

Eminent domain for private use?
Ames: Opposed, to eminent domain unless government pays for it
Mannix: No taking for private property for private use. Only for true need for the public, not a park, not a grocery store
Saxton: Govt shoud not be using for private use, but can for a bridge landing

That is all I could get to - had to run to a meeting...if anyone else listened to it, please feel free to comment...

2006-02-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

Lars's Monthly Round Table Meetings
At the cost of being black-listed...

Lars just mentioned Jason Atkinson dropped out of the monthly round table meetings that he was holding on his show. He then made the statement "Jason apparently didn't like the questions they we were giving him...he feels illegal immigration is our fault."

I don't know, I think Jason feels like when he is on Lars's show he gets attacked, and the answers he provides are spun into answers that are Lars's and not his. Lars doesn't appear to treat Mannix or Saxton the same way so what are people to believe?

* - Just a note, since Jason had his visit on Lars's show about a month ago, Lars has switched his support from Jason to Saxton. Lars has then gone and made attacks towards Jason and his campaign. For each attack Lars makes, I like to make a counter attack on my blog. Since I have started doing that, my e-mails into Lars's show have not been read on air. While this may be coincidence, I am starting to wonder if I have been black listed from his show...

2006-02-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

Is this a legal Campaign Contribution?
I caught this article from the Clinton News Network (CNN)...

2006-02-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

Ándale, ándale, arriba, arriba

I couldn't resist...the dude was speeding on I-5 and this was the first thing I could think of

Drugs — Pedro Valdovinos-Ceja, 34, no known street address, Medford. A sheriff’s deputy Wednesday arrested Valdovinos-Ceja on charges of possession and delivery of marijuana and being an illegal alien. He was lodged in jail without bail.

2006-02-27T11:13:00.000-08:00

Wow...
I found this article two clicks in from Gully's site. This article explains a lot and could cause serious problems for Amercia if we don't address it soon.

It explains what I feel is the most plausible cause for the war in Iraq, not WMD, not to help the Iraqis, but to solidify our "Empire" based on "Oil for Dollars".

Thoughts?