bloviators.net BloviBlog

‘Oh My!’ indeed.  Does anyone think North Korea’s successful test of a nuclear weapon and the subsequent launch of several short, medium, and long range missile systems is something to pay attention to?  I am not talking about the kind of attention where we go running to the UN with the misguided impression that they’ll actually do something about it, I mean the kind of attention where America decides to stand up and do what needs to be done.

This is how the recent history of the world has played out every time:

European nations sit around and talk about the power of negotiations.
The effectiveness of sanctions.
The need to resolve things peacefully.

Those all sound great on paper, but in the real world things don’t always work out like they do in the movies.  Somehow that point is lost on most of the world.  Sure, we all live on the same planet, but some of us have a, shall we say more rosy view of how things work.

The Bloviator is concerned about what North Korea is doing.  I would suggest that you think for yourself rather than listening to what you hear in the media every day.  There is reason to be worried here.  There is cause to pay attention.  This is more important than whoever won that damn ‘American Idol’ contest this year.  While I am concerned for the 30k+ troops we have in South Korea waiting to apply the beat-down if necessary, I am more concerned about the possibility that North Korea will sell this technology to more dangerous nations.

The Bloviator thinks this week has been one big sales demonstration.

Kim Jong Il is the leader/dictator of a poor and isolated nation that desperately wants to make it in the big leagues.  What better way than to make some noise, blast off some firecrackers (potentially capable of carrying a nuclear warhead) and show nations like Iran what’s on the market.

I sincerely hope that our president is paying attention and doing something behind the scenes.  If we continue to waste our time with the UN we will get nowhere, while North Korea continues to develop their weapons systems and potentially starts to sell them to even more dangerous nations.  Perhaps this is the “test” that Vice President Big Mouth mentioned on the campaign trail last fall.  Let us all hope that we are doing the right thing.

America, up to now, has had a proud tradition of stepping up and acting to do the right thing, even when such actions are not popular to the rest of the world.  America is supposed to stand up for freedom and prosperity, and not apologize for doing so afterwards.

The Bloviator, for one, would rather be safe and proud of what his country has done than be ‘liked’ by the rest of the world.  America acts first and asks for forgiveness, not permission, when the stakes are this high.

Ok – so I promised I would be back, and what a week to get back into the bloviation game.  Nancy Pelosi.  All I can think of to say about this mess that Madam Speaker has created is ‘wow.’  It would seem that the democrats, in their blind rage of efforts to discredit everything the former Bush administration did, have opened up a Pandora’s box that now seems to include everyone – including the very people who started this mess in the first place.

Let’s think logically for a few moments.  If you know that your fingerprints are all over something, are you really going to go straight to the police to file a complaint?

Let’s think even more logically for a few moments and take a few steps back.  The word “torture” has been thrown around by a lot of people on the left…”torture memos” and “torture photos” are all over the news.  “Enhanced interrogation techniques” (or EIT) are the subject of every other news story on the 6 o’clock news each night.  If all you did was listen to the media coverage (like, I should point out, the rest of the world does) you would think we were cutting off fingers, shooting prisoners in the knees, and breaking toes one at a time until prisoners talked.  This is, contrary to what you might be hearing on MSNBC, is just not the case.

To put it as simply as possible, something your brother did to you when you were 9 years old, like throwing a beetle on you, making you eat bugs, or throwing sand in your face is just NOT TORTURE!  By and large, these are the types of EIT tactics that the government has used.  We’re talking about making someone listen to Pantera with the volume turned up (hmmm…no different than sitting at a traffic light in Jacksonville during Spring Break).  We’re talking about a prisoner who was made to sleep in a cell at Guantanamo with the air conditioning turned up so the room was cold.  Ok – come on here, Git-mo is pretty hot, I mean, it’s in Cuba, so is turning on the AC really that bad?

I could go on and on, but I digress…back to Speaker Pelosi and her constantly changing story about what she knew, didn’t know, was told, wasn’t told, forgot about, and now it seems, was lied to about.

So first she didn’t know anything about it.  Then it turns out she was at a briefing where she was told about the EIT’s we were using, but she’s so intelligent that she thought they were talking about something they would do in the future.

To pause for a minute:  First – I’m so proud that my house speaker is so smart that she can’t even understand the present, past, and future tense in an important briefing.  That makes me feel real good about the direction our congress is headed.  Second, even if she thought they “were” going to use these techniques but hadn’t yet, if she objected to them shy didn’t she speak up?

So next those pesky facts that politicians hate so much started to catch up with Pelosi.  Her story changed from not knowing that they had used EITs to now saying she wasn’t consulted, just told about it.  That didn’t make much sense, so then she threw one of her aides under the bus and claimed that he went to some briefing and told her, well, something.  That’s not very clear based on her comments.

Confused yet?  Well so was the press, even the liberal press, so they continued to press the speaker for answers.  It came to a head earlier this week when Pelosi gave a press conference that could have been a public service announcement to keep children from doing drugs.

This is the best part, at least to The Bloviator.  If you look past all of the erratic and spastic body language (the speaker looked like she was dancing the robot during the presser) the basic point she made was that the CIA must have lied to her.  This is about the stupidest thing The Bloviator has ever heard, especially since there is a stack of documentation to support what really happened during the briefing.  Apparently Pelosi is either the one lying herself, in some desperate attempt to blame the Bush administration for something she herself was aware of and condoned at the time, or she has somehow been able to convince herself that the garbage she’s spouting is the truth.

One way or another, she’s single-handedly been able to take an issue away from the left and point the gun straight at herself.  We’ll see how it plays out – The Bloviator predicts that nothing will come of it, as Pelosi is from the San Francisco district where just about everyone is drinking the Kool-Aid – but it’s a fun ride nonetheless, and at the least she has been able to make this issue so toxic that no one seems interested in it anymore, including the White House.  Press  Secretary Robert Gibbs essentially said in a briefing a few days ago that he, and by proxy Obama, weren’t touching this with a ten foot pole, and that’s fine with The Bloviator.

So, sit back and watch the fireworks.  I cannot wait to see what she says next.  Maybe she’ll claim that aliens from space (working in conjunction with the Bush administration of course) modified her memory.

Ok, so yes, it’s been a little while since The Bloviator has, well, bloviated.  So sorry, all that jazz, but I will try to find the time to make regular updates again.  There is so much going on right now, too, we’ve got the swine flu, a sorry ass government, a gargantuan debt, and a race to determine who the next Supreme Court justice will be.  There is no shortage of things to be pissed off about, that’s for sure.

We will also be restarting our weekly wrap-up column in addition to the random postings related to the stupidity of the day.

Just remember, until I get my next post up in a day or so, don’t pay attention to anything Joe Biden says!  Just because he’s a moron and tells the country that he intends to avoid all travel, wear a gas-mask, and dig an apocalypse bunker in the backyard of that massive compound he lives in doesn’t make things unsafe!

Ok – I’ll try and be delicate in how I phrase this, as I am, and have been, an avid fan of NatGeo’s programming for years now. I am an amateur astronomer and avid science, physics, and space geek. This being said, it is understandable that I’ve spent many waking hours either watching educational specials on TV and many more hours actually looking at the cosmos through my own telescopes.

I have been excited about the “Journey to the Edge of the Universe” for weeks now, my TiVo has been waiting many, many days to record this special. To my glee, I found it was a 2 hour program. Jackpot, right? Two hours of great National Geographic programming about my favorite topic, the cosmos.

Less than five minutes into the show, however, I am sitting dumbstruck by how, well, bad, this program is. Maybe “bad” is the wrong word, as I see lots of positive comments by other posters here, but at the very least, I am disappointed. Weeks of anticipation have culminated in Alec Baldwin’s poor attempt to recreate what the great Carl Sagan did decades ago on his own program “Cosmos.”

I am glad so many people seem to have gotten some pleasure out of this program, and I hope a lot of people have learned something from it, however at only 38 minutes in I have concluded that there is nothing new this “Journey” has to offer.

I hope not to offend anyone who thinks this was a great program. I hope your eyes have been opened to the vastness of the universe and what we know…what we think we know…and what we don’t know about it, but I promise you, there are scores of better produced, more educational, and less trite and non-patronizing programs out there.

To National Geographic: If you think of this program as a “gateway,” an attempt to get those not proficient in the lore of space interested in the cosmos, good for you. I only wish you would have billed the program as such and I could have saved some time on my TiVo’s hard drive. However, if you see this program as your triumphant gift of education, knowledge, and wonder to the world, then you should truly be ashamed.

 
Okay everyone – The Bloviator has to formally apologize for the utter failure to post, well, anything on the blog here.  I could use the excuses of being busy, visiting some family, traveling on business – which are all true – but really, The Bloviator has been tired.  Tired of the election, tired of where it seems that our nation is heading, and utterly tired of hearing about Barack Obama.

One quick comment, and then hopefully I can resume the normal posting schedule of at least an article every other day or so, including resuming the normal Weekly Wrap-Up schedule tomorrow.

The quick comment – what the hell is with Obama standing in front of signs stating “The Office of the President Elect?”  Yes, he won the election, but it didn’t take very long for Mr. Presumptuous to start milking the “I’m the f-ing President” angle, did it?  And did you notice, his Presidential seal is back on those placards?  

Here’s an image to illustrate the point – and again, more to follow in tomorrow’s Weekly Wrap-Up…

Is the United States Headed Towards Socialism?

I plan to add an in-depth column to bloviators.net in the next few days in which I will discuss our government’s many moves towards a socialist society.  Until that time, and because I am honestly tired of bloviating about the financial crisis, I wanted to touch on a few points related to our steady march towards a government controlled socialist society.

I fear that most Americans are unaware of the socialistic storm that has been raging all around us for some time now.  This is not to say Americans are not paying attention – in fact I think the contrary is true.  It is easy to see major governmental changes when they come as a part of rapid reform, takeover, war, and many other methods.  The recent and rapid nationalization of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae make good examples (yes, I promised not to talk about the financial thing).  Setting aside some of the more recent moves the government has made into the private sector, though, one can still find an alarming number of areas where the federal government has been making gradual moves towards takeover.

Is National Healthcare Worth the Cost?

It is easy to lose one’s way in today’s political environment, which has largely become a world driven by polls and the whims of public opinion rather than what is really best for the country.  An excellent example of socialistic policies enjoying a large amount of popular support are proposals to nationalize the healthcare system in the US.  On the surface it sounds great – we all care about of fellow Americans and want them to have the best medical care possible – so what’s the problem, right?

The idea of a national healthcare program is not a new one.  Several countries, and even some states within the US, have already put plans like this in place.  The programs are marketed in such a way that they make the people who “have” feel guilty that others “have not.”  The only problem is that healthcare is not a right – it is a privilege.  It is a privilege no different than the privilege we have to drive a car, yet you don’t see the government stepping in to buy everyone in the country a car, nor do you, or should you, feel guilty when you drive past a bus stop and see people waiting for the bus.  If you want to stop and give someone a ride you are free to do so, but don’t make everyone else on the road stop and pick someone up too.

Healthcare is no different.  Sure, giving someone a ride is a little different than providing medical care, but the principal is the same.  If you feel guilty that someone cannot afford healthcare do something about it.  Volunteer your time at the hospital or a local clinic.  Donate to any number of charities devoted to helping those in need.  Go to your local nursing home and read to the residents.  The beauty of America is that you are free do do whatever you want.  The opportune word here is “you.”  ”You” are free to do whatever “you” want.  The problem is when you start letting your guilt affect the rest of our lives.  Your freedom ends when you try to compel the rest of us to help alleviate your guilt.

I will go into more detail about how nationalized…more accurately socialized…healthcare will affect you in my column in the coming days, and I am willing to bet you might not realize the extreme costs associated with such a plan.  I am not just referring to the financial burdens these programs will place on the taxpayer, although that is a big part of it, but also the overall levels of decreased (yes, decreased) care we will all receive as a result.

Welfare Programs and the True Unemployment Rate

The Bloviator believes that a major driving factor in the socialization of America is the collective guilt those who we will call “the haves” feel towards those we’ll term the “have nots.”  However, another equally strong driving factor is our government official’s need to be in control.  Since the dawn of time some people have needed to feel they are in a position of power above the rest of us.  In the cave man days it was the tribal chieftains.  In Egyptian times it was the Pharos.  The Romans had senators and an emperor, the early church installed the Pope and the clergy, countless countries had (and many still have) kings and royal bloodlines, and all the way through the present every society has leadership of some kind that make the rules for the rest of us.

In the United States our founding fathers did their best to construct the basis for our society, the Constitution, in such a manner that our government would be by the people and for the people.  Remember that many of our founding fathers were driven out of other oppressive regimes at the time, and that our country was born out of our disdain for the unfair control and taxation of King George and the English crown.

It is because of this that it is all the more sad that it has only taken us a little more than 225 years to pervert the visions of our founding fathers and circumvent the very checks and balances they created to prevent just such actions.

As with all prior governments, our current elected leadership has become drunk with power.  They need this power; they need to be in control.  For them to keep that power they need for us to depend on them.  What better way to get the people dependent on the government than to create a welfare state?  If you happen to be on the receiving end of the “government cheese” are you going to vote for a different party, or are you going to cast your vote for those who keep the welfare flowing?  Even The Bloviator would be tempted by a free ride, so I understand how we are getting to this point even while I fight against it.

At last count, the national unemployment rate was 6.1%.  By historical averages that is not such a bad rate.  However, you need to understand that the 6.1% figure only accounts for people who want to work but cannot find a job.  In the year 2000, nearly 12% of the American population were living below the poverty line (at the time, that meant they were making a household income of less than $18,000 per year).  Factor in the elderly receiving Medicare benefits, more poor families receiving Medicaid benefits, and the elderly receiving social security benefits, and you have a substantial segment of the American public receiving government assistance of some sort.

We only talk about the unemployment rate, however it is much more sobering to talk about the overall dependency rate, which is many times higher, all funded at the taxpayers expense.  With all those programs for so many segments of the population it is inevitable that we will eventually reach a tipping point whereby the majority of the population is dependent on the government in one way or another, at which time there is no turning back.

It will be at that point that we are truly a socialist country.  Federal income tax data from 2001 shows that the top 5% of income earners paid 53% of all federal income taxes.  The top 10% of all income earners paid nearly 65% of all federal income taxes, and the top 50% (that’s half the population of income earners) paid 96% of all federal income taxes.

With the top 50% of income earning Americans paying 96% of all income taxes The Bloviator fears we may have already crossed that point of no return.  How much more of this can our society take?

So, it has finally reached this point.  It used to be that I would read the morning paper on the bus or the train, or maybe over one of my morning breaks at work, and just silently complain to myself about the idiocy portrayed on those printed pages.  

Once the leftist bias of the print media became too much to stand that behavior morphed into listening to news and talk radio, accompanied by more silent complaints along with a few verbal expressions of anger or dissatisfaction with something one of our beloved elected officials had done.

However – talk radio is more a medium best suited for times I am in the car, which is not all that long, so we must thank the heavens for the Fox News channel.  Well, more correctly, I must thank the heavens, but those who have the misfortune of being in the room with me while viewing curse me while I curse the morons in our government.  Let’s just say thank god for TiVo, or those around me would never be able to hear anything as I just cannot seem to keep myself from yelling at the television.  I know that television only works one-way, but that does not stop me from trying!

So, largely driven by an effort to preserve my relationships at home, bloviators.net is born, and along with it comes my new BloviBlog.

The BloviBlog will serve as one of my primary outlets to vent frustration and to call attention to utter stupitidy in as near to real-time as I can type.  Out of a compromise to keep my mouth shut (or rather, to trade random acts of verbal bloviation for the silent tap-tap-tap of the keyboard) the world as a whole can benefit from my knowledge and my (sometimes sick) sense of humor.  

Don’t you all feel lucky?

Now the initially daunting task of building this website is ahead of me, to be followed by the even more difficult task of actually finding a way to get people to pay attention to what I have to say.

More to follow- 

The Bloviator