My Other Second-Best Idea Ever

Resign from the United Nations!

Everyone knows that the UN is an expensive, inefficient country club for authoritarian governments around the world.

It is corrupt beyond description and counter-productive to the welfare of the community of nations. In short, it is a dismal failure with no possibility of redemption.

The UN should be put on notice that at the end of this year, they will no longer enjoy diplomatic immunity in the U.S., and they will have to apply for visas like other foreigners. Visa restrictions will apply to UN personnel just as they do to other foreign visitors.

I think Geneva would be the best location for them to set themselves up - at their own expense. My wife thinks Jerusalem would be a more appropriate venue (she can be pretty cruel at times).

My Second-Best Idea Ever

I have a great idea that almost nobody will like....move the nation's capital to the middle of the country!

One of my biggest complaints about Washington, D.C. (among many, many others) is that it is bogged down by thousands of parasites. You know, think tanks, policy centers, lobbyist organizations, etc.

They (the parasites) have entrenched themselves strategically in and around D.C. causing, among other things, congestion, development of an army of Washington "insiders," and an elitist culture that is completely out of touch with the rest of the country. All in a tiny parcel of real estate with one of the highest crime rates in the country (not even counting political crimes).

The 3 branches of government could be situated in close proximity to each other with whatever agencies that provide administrative support.

The major departments (Transportation, Veterans, Commerce, Labor, etc.) could be spread out to occupy the many military installations that are being closed. The Feds have a lot of real estate that the military no longer needs - many with excellent airfields and other facilities.

But what about the cost of transporting officials from their remote locations to the seat of government for all those meetings they have to attend? One word....Teleconferencing.

What we have now in D.C. often resembles a cesspool - metaphorically speaking. Spreading out the Federal government would help to clean up the mess and make it harder for the parasites to exert their influence on lawmakers and high ranking officials.

It's just a thought. Brazil moved its capital out of its metropolitan setting and put it smack dab in the middle of the jungle. Their second best idea was to develop an ethanol-fueled society.

Maybe the Brazilians are on to something.

Blogs

Why do people blog?

Some do it for money through advertising. Some do it to help promote a particular agenda - typically political.

Some do it simply to provide information on various topics with no ulterior motives other than to help those who need that information to improve their lives (those altruistic bastards!).

Why do I blog?.......I don't know. I don't have anything important to say except to express my opinion (much like shouting into a jet intake...it's futile, and nobody will hear it, anyway).

I normally avoid any semblance of following a fad, but I must admit that this particular fad (blogging) is appealing to me. It's much more satisfying than simply writing my thoughts in a journal - perhaps because the technological aspects of publishing a journal on the internet satisfy some of my less noble desires that are normally hidden in the deepest crevasses of my twisted little mind.

I just don't know.

But thank you for asking.

Coercive Interrogation

What is torture?

Placing a prisoner's head (or other body parts) in a vice and applying pressure until he talks?

Stripping him naked and making fun of his shriveled up wee-wee?

There are sadistic methods of torture to satisfy the sick minds of some captors, and there are more effective, and generally humane, methods of getting someone to talk.

The effective (and humane) methods usually involve physical and psychological discomfort if the prisoner is the belligerent sort.

When dealing with terrorists, I've got no problem with interrogation techniques that others may consider cruel - including water-boarding. I'm content to leave the choice of techniques to the professionals.

If we were dealing with captured soldiers, for whom the Geneva and Hague Conventions apply, I would be against using even unnecessary discomfort. Military prisoners deserve the respect of their captors (who are legally required to care for their safety and personal needs). Captured soldiers are not criminals.
Terrorists, on the other hand, are pirates and brigands and are, therefore, not deserving of respect or consideration.

I do not doubt that some captured terrorists have valuable information that, when extracted, may save lives. However, to avoid having to deal with whining liberals, depletion of our combat resources, and to discourage further terrorist activities, I am in favor of a take-no-prisoners policy. Just kill 'em and move on.

These are bad people, and they need to be eliminated - totally. Don't forget what they would be more than happy to do to you if you happened to fall into their clutches.

Leaking classified information

So what's the big deal.

If a newspaper (or anyone) publishes classified information (that is legitimately classified in the first place), the government should rightfully demand to know the source of that leak.

If the newspaper refuses to divulge the source, arrest the reporter, editor, and anyone else who refuses to cooperate and charge them under the laws governing unauthorized use of classified information. Oh yes, and confiscate all equipment and real property that was used in the commission of the crime.

Believe me, those folks would start talking.

Then the leakers themselves could be prosecuted under the same espionage laws.

This would put a stop to unauthorized disclosure of classified information, but I don't think the politicians really want to do that. You see, classified information (even that which is vital to national security) can often be (mis)used to gain a political advantage. It's one of the games politicians play.

If the New York Times is hauled into court for its violation of existing secrecy laws, then I'll concede that I'm wrong about this.

Otherwise....

God chooses our rulers?

Katherine Harris of Florida wants to be a U.S. Senator.

You might remember her as the Florida Secretary of State back during the 2000 Presidential election. It has often been implied that she pulled some dirty political tricks to help Bush win that election. That might be true, but I've seen nothing that would convince me of that.

What I have seen, though, is her interview in the September 7 online edition of the Florida Baptist Witness in which she stated that "...God is the one who chooses our rulers."

Someone should point out to Ms. Harris that we don't have rulers in this country. We have elected officials who supposedly represent the interests of the people.

She may have simply been pandering to a religious group, but anyone who thinks that any of our elected officials are our "rulers" is not fit to serve in any government position.

Yes, I know that some of our elected officials (and not just a few of their appointees) sometimes fancy themselves as our rulers.

Sunsets

Cameras can never really capture the full beauty of a sunset, even though real photographers often come close to achieving that goal.

The rest of us must settle for our modest snapshots and rely on our memory to admire the sunsets we have recorded.

Afganistan opium production

Reports I've read claim that opium production is steadily increasing in Afghanistan. The Taliban and Al-Qaida are said to be raking in millions in de facto taxes from this drug trade (although, I suspect that they are not the only ones).

We probably don't have enough napalm bombs to take out all the poppy fields, but there is, perhaps a practical solution to the drug production problem over there.

What if the U.S. and other concerned nations bought the entire poppy crop of every Afghan grower and destroyed all that could be harvested?

We could then train, fund, and otherwise assist Afghan farmers in cultivating other crops that would be much more useful to the people in that part of the world.

Then, if anyone decided to go back into the opium trade, we could use our limited supply of napalm bombs to destroy the crops (and the farmers that grew them).

It might be more economical in the long run and would definitely be more effective than anything yet tried. At any rate, it would reduce the supply of opium and increase the supply of food and other cash crops.

Yeah, I know it would make us look like bullies, but I can live with that.

Things I like

Head Country BBQ
Computers (when I don't hate them)
Airplanes
Beer (for medicinal purposes, of course)
Maps
Army Surplus stores
Cats
Coffee (not those sissyfied, fru-fru drinks...just coffee!)
My Davis Vantage PRO weather station
Guns
Dogs
French poetry (just kidding)
Retirement

The list goes on and on....

An over-reliance on reason?

Former Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami gave a long, soporific speech at the National Cathedral on Thursday.

I couldn't bear to read the entire speech, but LGF clued me in to one of Khatami's comments that the West is the greatest victim of "over-reliance on reason." This may explain why it is impossible to reason with the Iranian government and other jihadist elements around the world - they reject reason in favor of their religious superstitions.

At Harvard on Sunday, Khatami denied supporting terrorist organizations. Of course, he also denied that Hezbolla is a terrorist organization.

Who let this creep into our country, anyhow?

Yes....I know....sad isn't it?

BTW.....has anyone decided just how to spell Hezbolla (Hisb'alla, Hizbulla, etc.)?

Wrong runway

Recently, a Comair jet attempted a takeoff from the wrong runway at Lexington/Blue Grass airport with tragic results.

Click on the airport diagram to see a larger picture of the airport layout. Notice that when taxiing from the terminal to Runway 22, an aircraft has to cross the approach end of Runway 26. I would be willing to bet that many aircraft have inadvertently lined up on Runway 26, but either recognized the mistake or were corrected by the tower controller prior to takeoff.

It is my casual observation, over a long flying career, that ATC prevents many aircraft accidents by pointing out pilots' mistakes in time for corrective action to be taken. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those times.

I have never made the mistake of taxiing onto the wrong runway (as far as you know), but I can imagine several scenarios in which I could have.

Speaking of old airplanes

This summer, I had the immense pleasure of going for a ride in a B-17. The "Liberty Bell" is a flying museum supported by the Liberty Bell Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping our history alive.

I was fortunate to have my son and my daughter's fiance along with me for the ride, and we all had a great time.

An AT-6 (or SNJ) buzzed us during the flight, adding an additional thrill to the occasion.

Derelict airplanes

When I was a kid growing up in west Texas back in the '50's, I'd often see something like this as we drove past little county airports. I mean, every little county airport seemed to have several old airplanes sitting out behind a hangar apparently ignored by everyone except a little boy riding in the back seat of his parents' car.

I remember thinking that whoever owned them would be happy for me to tow them off for free, and I could keep them safe from the elements until someday when I was grown up and could fix them up and fly them.

This picture from Yugoslavia reminded me of that childhood dream.

Airport knife scare

The AP reports that a man was arrested for having a knife hidden inside a book in a secure area of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Thursday. The Ft. Worth Star Telegram has the scant details of the incident.

A 21 year old "legal permanent resident of the United States" from Yemen, with a one-way airline ticket back to his home country, carrying a knife concealed inside a book....hmmm. Nothing suspicious about that. Besides, he said he didn't know how the knife got there.

No details given about the type of knife or the title of the book. How to Get Your Own 72 Virgins, perhaps?

Fropa

Fropa (frontal passage) often brings a welcome period of fresh, cool air as one airmass replaces another.

I will attempt to follow that theme by reporting local (Dallas/Ft. Worth), national and international news bits gleaned from newspapers, TV news, and other blogs. My comments on such items will include my opinion regarding their accuracy, honesty, and relevance.

On occasion, I may comment on non-news topics I find personally interesting.

If you happen to read this blog, and chances are that you won't, please feel free to post comments. Note, however, that trolls and other miscreants who simply want to be abusive will not see their comments published - so don't waste your time.