Weather Extremes

You have certainly heard of the XFL (Extreme Football League) and the WWF (World Wrestling Federation), but have you heard of the EWF (Extreme Weather Forecasting)? Sure, you have. All you have to do is watch a TV weather report. Whatever weather reporter happens to appear before the "weather map" predicts extreme weather more often than not, apparently to err on the side of caution rather than attempt accuracy. Today, they are forecasting snow for the greater Kansas City region (or TV viewing area) in depths varying from 1-inch to 21-inches. The "bullseye" or oval area of greatest snow accumulation (up to 21-inches) is predicted to lie on a southwest to northeast axis south of KC proper. KC itself could get 10 to 12 inches of snow. My problem is that the extreme weather forecasts of the past that have not been realized make me skeptical of the current forecast. Only time will tell if today's forecast is a good one. The weatherperson will always say, "Rather safe than sorry." I think the weather people would rather be able to crow about a prediction that was on the money than admit that the hype of an extreme forecast was just that- postioning themselves to recieve kudos.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Been there lately? I hadn't visited Sin City since the early nineties. Wow! Has Vegas ever changed. It has spread out from here to Sunday. Gargantuan resorts line Las Vegas Boulevard, aka The Strip. Alas, it has acquired the Branson syndrome, bumper-to-bumper traffic. Makes you wonder where all those people are going and why they don't use public transit facilities. I guess they are in cars because quite a few of them are Californians who drove over for the weekend. Maybe, they were looking for a place to park. There were so many cars on the street, it didn't seem like anyone parked. Maybe, they don't ride the bus, because they wouldn't get where they are going any faster. The buses travel in the same bumper-to-bumper mess. There's a monorail, but it's not cheap and it's located far enough off the main drag to discourage use. And, the sidewalks. They are crowded with people, elbow-to-elbow and cheek-to-jowl. When you get tired of walking, there is no place to sit, except in front of a slot machine or in a food service area. They tell me that you used to be able to get a good meal for a reasonable price, but those days are over. Serve yourself buffets start at around $10 for breakfast and $14 or more for a dinner. Well, I still recommend that you visit Vegas, if you get the chance or some reason other than games of chance. Like they say, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' And rightfully so. Who would wish the traffic, high prices, and lack of public amenities on their home turf.

Response to a comment

Manual Goldenshower (obviously an alias ) left this comment concerning my posting on Monday, November 6th:

"Dave, do you seriously believe that letting the terrorits (sic) take Iraq will bring peace? Of course you don't. So what is your REAL reason for being willing to let them have Iraq?"

Because the comment was left anonymously, I have no means of engaging in a dialogue with 'Manual' other than by another post.

I have examined my earlier post and nowhere in it have I found any assertion or expression that "letting the terrorists take Iraq" will bring peace. 'Manual', you apparently feel that the only acceptable outcome from our leaving Iraq should be a state of peace, as when a war is concluded. Perhaps, this is why you assumed that I also held such a belief. Let me instead ask you a question: Do you believe that a victory in Iraq will end the peril from Islamic terrorism? Of course, you don't. So what is the real reason for our being in Iraq?

Some say, "Oil". Perhaps. Reportedly, they have a lot of it. But, our leaders (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al) have denied that oil was the reason for invading Iraq. And, apparently it wasn't, because the Iraqi Islamist's insurgency has kept oil from being a source of funding the reconstruction of Iraq, just like their executions of construction workers have frustrated rebuilding.

Others say, "WMD". Well, that didn't pan out. Many said there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before we invaded. And, guess what: there were none. So, apparently it wasn't WMDs that justified the invasion or our remaining there. Although, I've heard it, "Yes, they were there." Sure, Saddam had chemcial and biological agents and he looked at the possibility of becoming a nuclear power (which third world dictator hasn't?), but by the time we got there, the WMDs were not to be found. Perhaps, they were moved to Syria or Iran. So, why haven't we invaded those countries, if getting rid of the WMDs was so important?

Yet, others, say we did it to spread democracy, to give democracy a toe-hold in the Middle East, so it would flourish and spread, thus changing the hearts and minds of Islamists who seek our annilihation. Frankly, I don't care a whit if the Iraqis have democracy. Discussion of the idea of a democratic Iraq is another issue altogether. Their culture doesn't seem to support it. Islam doesn't even support nationalism. At the same time we are supposedly bestowing the benefits of democratic government, we are busy training the Iraqi army to be an effective modern fighting force. I must ask, to what end or purpose? Will the Iraqi army be our ally in the invasion of Iran and Syria? Of course not. Will the Iraqi army be our ally in fighting the Islamists? Don't count on it. Will it be to provide internal security, like Saddam's Republican Guard, for Iraqi's next dictator? Could be!

It seems clear to me that, short of an unthinkable genocide of the Iraqi population, the situation in Iraq cannot be resolved with a victory.

There have been other reasons for our being in Iraq offered by various people. Even today, Bush at a press conference said we are in Iraq to bring the terrorists to justice. If he's referring to the 9/11 terrorists aboard the planes, there dead. If he's referring to Bin Laden, he's in hiding.
Whatever the reason, the fact is we are there and should not be. That's the real problem and those that got us there have no plan to get us out, short of just picking up and leaving, which is a door they have nailed shut.

So, 'Manual', my REAL reason for being willing, as you put it, to let the terrorists have Iraq: We don't have it, aren't willing to prosecute the war in a way that will win, and have no other options. My best advice is to read a book by Sam Harris, The End of Faith, particularly Chapter 4, The Problem with Islam. It should give you some insight into the problem with being in Iraq.

What Will Ryun Do Next?

One may always hope for a Christian conservative to lose to a moderate like Nancy Boyda. It happened and we can be proud of Kansas's split congressional delegation. Jerry Moran may end up voting with Moore and Boyda more often than not, leaving Tiahrt as a minority of one.

I'll bet Ryun won't return to Kansas. My hunch is that he will go to work in Washington, D.C. for some fundamentalist Christian group like Family Research Council. Before Ryun went to Congress, he was founder and president of Jim Ryun Sports, Inc., a national client public relations company, based in Lawrence, Kansas. My guess is that a ten year dormancy will make that business hard to resurrect. Once tasting the Washington lifestyle, even Lawrence would seem mundane. We'll have to wait and see, but it seems to be the pattern.

What Rights?

In the national debate about dealing with Islamic terrorism, our troops fighting in Iraq are said to be defending our rights. First, when the term, troops, is used, images of the cavalry to the rescue are evoked. Second, the fighting has turned into a police action. Third, would someone please explain to me which of my rights are under attack in Iraq. I know full well that the Islamic terrorist wants to destroy western civilization, which would be bad for me and my family. But, what rights do Americans have in Iraq? What right do Americans have to be in Iraq? Oh, yes. I almost forgot, we are fighting the terrorists in Iraq so we don't have to fight them here in the good ole USA. If you believe the latter assertion, I guess you will believe that your rights are being defended in Iraq. Perhaps, it is time for some critical thinking.

Quoting Rudolph Hess

While reading Sam Harris's, The End of Faith, I came across this quote of Rudolp Hess:

"The National Socialism of all of us is anchored in uncritical loyalty, in the surrender to the Fuhrer that does not ask the why in individual cases, in the silent execution of his orders. We believe that the Fuhrer is obeying a higher call to fashion German history. There can be no criticism of this belief." (Rudolf Hess, in a speech, June, 1934)

Immediately, I sensed similarity of this quote to letters to the editor that I have seen in the KC Star a couple of times a week defending President Bush. Most of these letters bemoan criticism of Bush as unpatriotic, even unholy. I guess now I see why some pundits refer to the Patriotic American Conservative Party faithful as fascists.

Smile, you're on national TV

Ted Haggard, evangelicus supremus, has a nice smile. He must have practiced flashing it for hours and hours into a mirror. He turns it on and talks through it whether he is preaching to the faithful at his megachurch (read "money-machine"), appearing in a documentary about the religious right, or answering a TV reporter's questions about his brush with 'meth'. If I were before a congregation, I'd smile, too. Likewise for a film appearance. But, if pressed about my buying and using 'meth', there would be no smile on my face. Unless, of course, I was a pathological smiler.

Three Month Absence

I have been silent during the run-up to the November election. Why, because I guess politics, the type with a capital "P" for party, just doesn't interest me. I'm more of an issues person, and that's what party politics avoids. Candidates and their helping handlers would rather be in an attack mode, denigrating their opponents. We have all seen and heard too many ads that espouse half-truths and twisted facts. If what is said is true, it makes one wonder how the candidate for office ever managed to get in a position of running for public office. Truth is that the politicians think the voters are stupid. Otherwise, they wouldn't treat them like idiots with all the bilge they pump out. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the election to be over.