With the way things are going it looks like we are heading to socialism. We have two candidates that are talking negatively about the rich and those who have made it. These are people who have never done anything for society except sponge off of other people's wealth.
We have one candidate in particular who is using class warfare populism to get elected and promises free handouts to those who do not contribute to society while bashing those to do contribute to society. He promises to raise taxes on the rich and small business to pass along "tax breaks" to those who do not produce.
As the world runs away from Socialism and into the warm, welcoming arms of free markets, we move the wrong way.
Should the producers and the brains of the world give up and let them have their sorry socialist world. Simply put, should Atlas stop supporting the entire weight of the world and simply shrug?
Funny how we forget that day 22 years ago today. Remember vividly. Sitting eating in my 4th grade cafetaria, the noise of the lunchroom broken by a teacher telling us that the space shuttle Challenger exploded.
Lest we forget. We should remember them today.
There is talk afoot about lowering the drinking age to 18. I think it's a good idea.
Over the strong objection of federal safety officials, a quiet movement to lower the legal drinking age to 18 is taking root as advocates argue that teenagers who are allowed to vote and fight for their country should also be able to enjoy a beer or two.The proposal, which is the subject of a national petition drive by the National Youth Rights Association, has been studied in a handful of states in recent years, including Florida, Wisconsin, Vermont and Missouri, where supporters are pushing a ballot initiative
I generally think this is a good idea. I concede that any younger than 18 or so is a bad idea because people younger than that have a different biological response to alcohol than adults, and it's best to let them be a little older.
18 year olds can go to college, get credit cards, join the army, vote, and do most everything else except drink a beer. The 21 year old age was an arbitrary age and should be changed.
But of course the "for the children" nanny types are against that.
I moved up from a Flippery Fish to a Crawly Amphibian on the Truth Laid Bear's ecosystem.
I remember in the early days little old me was a big ol Mammal. But now every asshole and their brother has a blog. So now dorks like Daily Kos and the Huffington post get all the reads. They don't even do their own writing!!
Hell, I can have a guest blogger, and I have, but unless you are doing a group blog, do your own writing.
If you want to see how the myth of global warming has gotten out of hand, look at history, and how people who questioned the "norm" where harrassed or even killed.
From Walter E. Williams.
There's a much more important issue that poses an even greater danger to mankind. That's the effort by environmentalists to suppress disagreement with their view. According to a March 11 article in London's Sunday Telegraph, Timothy Ball, a former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg in Canada, has received five death threats since he started questioning whether man was affecting climate change. Richard Lindzen, professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT, said, "Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves labeled as industry stooges." Nigel Calder, a former editor of New Scientist, said, "Governments are trying to achieve unanimity by stifling any scientist who disagrees. Einstein could not have got funding under the present system."Suppressing dissent is nothing new. Italian cosmologist Giordano Bruno taught that stars were at different distances from each other surrounded by limitless territory. He was imprisoned in 1592, and eight years later he was tried as a heretic and burned at the stake. Because he disagreed that the Earth was the center of the universe, Galileo was ordered to stand trial on suspicion of heresy in 1633. Under the threat of torture, he recanted and was placed under house arrest for the rest of his life.
If you even question global warming you are made fun of, insulted, and in the case above, you receive death threats.
Here is an great example of why I left the Republican movement and the modern conservative movement for a Libertarian movement.
Dennis Prager says a Muslim elected to Congress should not take the oath on the Koran. Not only that, but he says allowing it is unamerican.
Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.
Is he fucking high? America was built on religious tolerance. And though I'm no friend of Islam, if a Muslim wants to swear his oath to this country on the Koran, he should be allowed. It is his holy book.
The purpose of using a Holy book to swear oaths is to be held accountable. Being that you believe in God, swearing to serve your country on that Holy book is important. God is the ultimate authority. If you are to be held accountable to anyone, God should be the one you are accountable to.
To say that it undermines American civilization is Conservative bigotry. It is ignorant and is a reason that Republicans have left the party in droves.
It is made up of closed minded assholes like Dennis Prager.
Want to see a list of the top 100 most influential people in America's history.
My man Ben is #6.
Notre Dame's mascot is a short red headed man with a beard, wearing green. Running around and getting into fights.
 | I think this image is pretty insulting to Irish. To depict Irish as angry drunk people who want to fight is wrong (at least hypothetically). |
If you follow the NCAA you know they are cracking down on ethnic nicknames. If your school has a ethnic nickname, then you can be cut out of endorsements and post season play.
But are the Irish to follow these rules? In a word NO!
he University of North Dakota has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA over the latter’s mandate that the school drop its team logo and nickname, “The Fighting Sioux”, or face sanctions and fines in post-season play. This is all part of a larger NCAA ban on American-Indian based nicknames and logos in postseason tournaments.Why, you may ask? Because these nicknames are considered “hostile to Native Americans.” So, what do the Irish have to do with this? Well, there is a fairly well known college football team out of Indiana whose nickname is “The Fighting Irish” and last I heard the NCAA wasn’t particulary concerned over hostility towards our friends from the Emerald Isle.
Seems that Notre Dame gets all the breaks.
Fuckers.
The Republican controlled Senate, led by Bill Frist, thinks that it needs to prohibit free speech by disallowing the burning of the American Flag. He wants to do this by changing the Constitution.
This would put us with States such as Cuba, China, Nazi Germany and Iran as Countries that do not allow the burning of the American Flag.
Though it pisses me off when someone burns the flag, that is what living in a free country is all about. We should not limit speech simply because we find it reprehensible. If you are protesting something America does, what better way to get attention than to burn the American flag?
Another reason why Republicans are out of control, and need to lose power this fall.
Then, maybe we can get some fiscal discipline in Washington.
The whole furor over the price of gasoline has gotten out of hand and
is being caused less by actual high gas prices, but more by a populace
ignorant of basic economics and of science.
Forget the fact that gasoline, adjusted for inflation, is not that
expensive. We have been paying too low a price for oil for a long time.
During the 90's when gas was about 99 cents a gallon, it was mainly
because of collapses in Asian economies With the current rise of China
and India as world powers and energy consumers, we are now paying
proper prices for gasoline.
Another reason for the recent sudden spikes in oil prices is because of
government meddling in requiring Ethanol be added to all gasoline.
Ethanol is worthless fuel additive. It's wasteful, expensive, and
basicly just a subsidy for corn farmers.
If you take into account costs of growing and harvesting corn,
producing and transporting the ethanol, ethanol uses more energy to
produce than we get from it. People think Ethanol is the answer. It is
actually worse for the environment and more expensive.
According to a recent Business Week article, Ethanol costs about 6
units of energy to produce for every unit it produces. Ethanol cannot
be transported through pipelines, and must be transported via truck.
This takes away trucks which would normally be delivering gasoline to
filling stations, reducing gasoline supplies and using fuel itself,
further adding to the cost of what you pay at the pump.
So if you combine a knowledge of basic economics and science, you can
clearly see who the real culprit is for our "outrageous" gas prices.
A few months ago I dusted off my old video cassettes I made of From the Earth to the Moon. I believe it was on HBO new around 96 or 97. My favorite episode is "Spider" where they go about building the Lunar Module or "Lem" as they called it in the show. It's also Sarah's fav.
One thing sruck me. It was funny to see ads for this new show, "Sex in the City"? Hmm, I wonder how that did.
So Debra Lafave will not got to jail. Apparently, she is a victim. She, as a 25 year old teacher, had sex with a 14 year old boy. Taking into accounty the unbelievable luck of the 14 year old boy to make it with teacher, it is still against the law. If a 25 year old man had sex with a 14 year old girl, you know he would practically be chemically castrated.
With all the Muslim riots in the Middle East, and the furvor over these cartoons, I thought I'd post an example, just so you know what the hub bub is about. Especially most of the mainstream media won't.
Want to know about some of our past Presidents? Then look no further.
20 things you probably never knew about some of our Presidents
A Russian scientist is predicting that in the middle of the 21st century we will experience a mini ice age, due to low solar output, and that "gloabal warming".
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A Russian astronomer has predicted that Earth will experience a "mini Ice Age" in the middle of this century, caused by low solar activity.Khabibullo Abdusamatov of the Pulkovo Astronomic Observatory in St. Petersburg said Monday that temperatures will begin falling six or seven years from now, when global warming caused by increased solar activity in the 20th century reaches its peak, RIA Novosti reported.
The coldest period will occur 15 to 20 years after a major solar output decline between 2035 and 2045, Abdusamatov said.
Dramatic changes in the earth's surface temperatures are an ordinary phenomenon, not an anomaly, he said, and result from variations in the sun's energy output and ultraviolet radiation.
The Northern Hemisphere's most recent cool-down period occurred between 1645 and 1705. The resulting period, known as the Little Ice Age, left canals in the Netherlands frozen solid and forced people in Greenland to abandon their houses to glaciers, the scientist said.
I like how he said global warming was natural. Well, duh! Another scientist that says "Global Warming" caused by man was a hoax.
GM has been under the microscope lately for it's lack of making money, but Ford is next under the lens, and they are set to cut thousands of jobs
The automaker has been hurt by falling sales of its profitable sport utility vehicles, growing health care and materials costs, and labor contracts that have limited its ability to close plants and cut jobs. The United Auto Workers union will have to agree to some of the changes Ford wants to make.
The problem with American automakers is that their cars suck. They are boring. Though well made, they still trail Japanese automakers in quality. Part of the problem is that they don't make what the consumer wants. Take for instance these new retro muscle cars like the Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, and whatever that one that Chevy makes. Great styling, 300 some odd horsepower, and you can't even get it in a stick shift!!
And just try to work on an American car. My wife's old Chevy was a nightmare to change the turn signals.
Here is my take on the Meiers nomination, and it parallells closely the writings of David Frum over at NRO.
He writes
1) Hewitt foresees all kinds of Republican political opportunities in 2006. He's deluding himself. 2006 will be a high-intensity, high-turnout year for Democrats, as was 2004. The only way Republicans avoid disaster is by doing an even better job with turnout and intensity. And how intense are you feeling right now? The right nomination could have helped save Rick Santorum and Mike DeWine. This nomination could well demoralize the Republican voting base enough - in conjunction with immigration, over-spending, and the mishandling of Katrina, plus continuing trouble in Iraq - to cost at least two Senate seats.
I am a conservative, but I am really unhappy with Bush. His handling of the war on terror since bumbling the rebuilding of Iraq, utter failure to stop spending. I thought Democrats spent a lot. This President is setting records.
And now this nomination. It stinks of cronyism, and just weeks after FEMA director who was unqualified (but got the job because of being frindly with President Bush) and had to step down because of being horrible at his job.
I AM demoralized, and as one of the fighters in the trenches of conservatism, this nomination is a spit in the face by Bush. He may have just killed the conservative movement.
Gasoline prices are not that high. According to Walter E. Williams, noted economist, and inflation measures gas prices are only slightly higher than in 1950.
In 1950, a gallon of regular gasoline sold for about 30 cents; today, it's $2.50. Are today's gasoline prices high compared to 1950? Before answering that question, we have to take into account inflation that has occurred since 1950. Using my trusty inflation calculator (www.westegg.com/inflation), what cost 30 cents in 1950 costs $2.33 in 2005. In real terms, that means gasoline prices today are only slightly higher, about 8 percent, than they were in 1950. Up until the recent spike, gasoline prices have been considerably lower than 1950 prices.
And also that means that although gas was only $50 a gallon, someone who makes $30,000 a year today would have made $5,000 a year in 1955.
So, I guess congress has to do something to warrent their esteemed position. Just doing nothing and NOT spending too much of our money is out of the question. What are they up to? Tinkering with the Constitution.
Led by Senator Orrin Hatch, the House of Representatives is pushing a proposal to make it Unconstitutional to burn Old Glory.
WASHINGTON - The U.S. House on Wednesday passed a constitutional amendment banning flag desecration, advancing the proposal pushed by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who puts the likelihood of Senate approval at "excellent." "This year shows we have the best chance we've ever had," Hatch said Wednesday. While the House has passed the measure five times since 1995 in the run-up to the Fourth of July, the resolution has never received Senate approval. Hatch, who has 53 co-sponsors for his Senate version, will urge a vote later this summer. If passed by two-thirds of the Senate, 38 states must then ratify the amendment. "The flag is our national symbol," Hatch said in an interview. "We have young men dying and young women dying over in Iraq and Afghanistan as we speak. We're fighting for the principles that flag represents. "Secondly, I do not believe that urinating on the flag, defecating on the flag, burning it with contempt constitute free speech. Those are acts of physical desecration." Utah Republican Reps. Chris Cannon and Rob Bishop, who both supported the House proposal that passed 286-130, echoed those comments. The American flag "is our ultimate icon, and when it is attacked, we are all attacked," Cannon said.
What a bad idea. The purpose of the First Amendment is to allow political discorse and free expression of ideas. Even though I really don't appreciate seeing it burned, as prople who want the flag protected admit the flag is a symbol, and symbols can be powerful, and even more powerful when used in a forum that allows protestors to show their disdain for what they believe that symbol represents.
If this Constitutional amendment passes, it may be the first unconstitutional Constitutional amendment. In Texas V. Johnson, Antonin Scalia said that flag burning is protected speech. At is core is that the First Amdendment is all about!!
Michael Jackson not guilty? In what universe?
What the fuck do you have to do to get a conviction in California?
I think they need to give jurors IQ tests in California. Because as it is now, the jury system in California is a total, utter, joke.
And to Mesereau. You are a scumbag schill for a child murderer. As all lawyers, you are sub-human piece of worm shit. With your smug smile, go to hell.
To Jackson supporters. Please take musical appreciation class. Jackson's music is pretty bad, and despite what he says, he has very little talent.
Please.
I'm no big Catholic or anything, but a Italian online newspaper has gotten into big trouble for publishing a picture of the pope dressed in a Nazi uniform.
Here is the picture in question
Now, I think it's unfair to accuse Pope Joe, as I call him, of being a Nazi. It was required by law to be in the Hitler Youth. It was Hitler's way of brining up good Nazis. I guess it's just fun to pick on Germans.
Now, I also think the web-site should have been shut down. Not for putting up a picture of the Pope in a Nazi uniform, but because the picture is of such bad quality, that even a 10 year old with MS Paint could have done better.
Generation Y, born between 1980 and 2000, are thought by many to be a bunch of whippersnappers who no morals or personal responsibility.
But a recent study shows that although Generation Y strives for independence and informal relations, many are still very religious.
Still, religious identity plays a significant role in the lives of Generation Y, Ms. Greenberg said yesterday. More than half said they regularly pray before meals, and a third or more said they talk about religion with friends, attend worship services and read religious materials every week.
We'll see how they grow up.
It appears the Pope is sick. When he does die, there is great ceremony.
So when the Pope dies there are several things that happen in regards to his funeral, and then the eventual reelection of a new Pontif.
Here is a guide to what is due to happen when the Pope dies:
** Once a pope dies, his camerlengo (chamberlain) officially confirms his death, seals his private apartment and prepares the funeral and the conclave to elect a successor.
** The camerlengo and three elected cardinal assistants decide when the pope's body is to be taken into St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing. They also make sure the Pope's "Fisherman's Ring" and his lead seal are broken so they cannot be used by anyone else. No autopsy is performed.
** Funeral rites last 9 days, with the date of the funeral and burial to be decided by the cardinals between the fourth and sixth day after his death. Popes are laid to rest in the crypt underneath St. Peter's Basilica. They are traditionally buried in a casket of cypress wood which is sealed inside a larger lead casket and then covered with an outer pine box.
** The College of Cardinals oversees day-to-day business during the interregnum. Their power is limited and much of the central Church administration grinds to a halt.
** The conclave to elect a new pope starts in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel between 15 and 20 days after the death. The cardinals, who are confined to the Vatican for the duration of the conclave, decide the exact day. For the first time, they will not live in the Chapel or nearby rooms in the Vatican Museum, but in a new residence on Vatican grounds.
** 120 cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. They need a majority of at least two-thirds plus one to elect him. When the conclave has elected a pope, he is asked if he accepts and which name he wishes to take. Once this is done, he dons papal vestments -- tailors keep several sizes ready -- and sits on a throne in the Sistine Chapel to receive the other cardinals who file up to pay homage and pledge obedience.
** The world will know a pope has been elected when an official burns the paper ballots with special chemicals to make white smoke pour out of the Chapel's chimney. They use other chemicals to make black smoke indicating an inconclusive vote.
** Soon afterwards, the dean of the College of Cardinals steps on to the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to announce to the crowds in the square "Habemus Papam" ("We have a Pope"). The new pope then appears in his papal robes and gives the crowd his blessing.
About 5 years ago I saw this low carb bullshit fast approaching. That fad is dying the death it deserves.
I've been telling my friends this. And now I'm telling you:
The next big 'trend' in dieting will be Volumetrics. Volumetrics is where you eat food that has less calories for the amount of food. You know that fiber or foods high in water fill you up on fewer calories.
Here's the science. Don't say I didn't warn you
The Rip Van Winkles (Democrats) of the U.S. Senate the other day bowed at the shrine of Franklin Roosevelt in a fashion reminiscent of the pagan religion haters that they are, to gain support for their inaction on Social Security reform.
What's funny is that FDR originally wanted personal private accounts
In a written statement to Congress in 1935, Roosevelt said that any Social Security plans should include, "Voluntary contributory annuities, by which individual initiative can increase the annual amounts received in old age," adding that government funding, "ought to ultimately be supplanted by self-supporting annuity plans."
No wonder those same Dems love the American public school system. It breeds a nation of people ignorant of history. Maybe they can go to Brown University
Sometimes photos are the only things we have of someone. They are a frozen frame of a moment in time that will never happen again.
When my house burned down in college I lost a lot of things. Furniture, houses, and clothes can be replaced. The memories of photographs cannot.
NFL films is working with Kodak to restore those images. They are nearly complete, and now relatives of those lost on 9/11 can view images of their loved ones.
NFL Films is known as the keepers of the flame, a nickname legendary Bears coach George Halas bestowed on the company. For 40 years, fans have treasured their Emmy-award winning work. Each year, Steve Sabol's company processes 1,000 miles of film. More than 100 million feet of film sits in the vault. No one knows film like NFL Films.And now, because of the hard work of the people of NFL Films, relatives of World Trade Center victims may soon have the fondest of keepsakes returned.
The Port Authority says some 8,000 images of photos found at Ground Zero have been made available on a password-protected website beginning this past week. The PA and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. are notifying relatives of the victims about the site, which can be accessed through the victims' "reported missing" number.
The NFL and NFL films are indeed a class operation. My hats off to them. It goes to show that American companies are not all bad.
There is also a very comprehensive write-up about this story right here.
Michelle Malkin points out that whenever an accident involves an SUV, it is the SUV, not the driver who is responsible.
I also watched ER the other night and they said that they no longer referred to car wrecks as Motor Vehicle Accidents, but Motor Vehicle Incidents.
It just proves that changing the name of something doesn't change what it is. If wrech was too negative, change it to Accident. Soon the word accident gets a bad connotation, so now its "incident". What happens when people realize that an "incident" is still a wreck?
According to a recent study a third of High School students can not comprehend the idea of Free Speech.
From USA Today
One in three U.S. high school students say the press ought to be more restricted, and even more say the government should approve newspaper stories before readers see them, according to a survey being released today.
The survey of 112,003 students finds that 36% believe newspapers should get "government approval" of stories before publishing; 51% say they should be able to publish freely; 13% have no opinion.
Asked whether the press enjoys "too much freedom," not enough or about the right amount, 32% say "too much," and 37% say it has the right amount. Ten percent say it has too little.
The survey of First Amendment rights was commissioned by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and conducted last spring by the University of Connecticut. It also questioned 327 principals and 7,889 teachers.
The findings aren't surprising to Jack Dvorak, director of the High School Journalism Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington. "Even professional journalists are often unaware of a lot of the freedoms that might be associated with the First Amendment," he says.
Is this a problem of the High School agenda not wanting to teach the Constitution or that public school teachers can't teach it?
today as Benjamin Franklin day.
Happy Birthday Ben. You are a Great American.
**Update**
Jen at Jennifer's History and Stuff makes mention of it too.
Photo credit from Michael Deas, Painter.
UsAirways seems on the brink of death, and there are many in Congress and across the country who cry out for us to bail out these losers.
And what happened at Christmas cemented in my mind the need to just put them down like a sick race horse.
Windsor Locks -- Thousands of people were stranded in airports across the country Christmas day because of computer glitches and a massive employee sick call.ÂDangerous weather and airline problems delayed and cancelled flights across the country. When travelers like David Berv finally arrived at Bradley International Airport, they remained destined to suffer further.Â
The "massive employee sickcall" seems a little suspicious. Could a union illegial strike be to blame?
Anyways, these dinosaurs deserve to die. They are overpriced and incompotent while offering overpriced shotty service.
Just like Woolworth died and left room for K-Mart, K-Mart is dying and making room for Wal~Mart. Someday Wal~Mart will die and make room for someone else.
The way free markets work is that you must innovate or you die. UsAirways, United, and Delta don't innovate. JetBlue and Southwest do.
Here is a good example. For JetBlue or Southwest, flying from BWI to Tampa, FL on March 5th and Returning on the 12th they offer fares ranging from $79 to $219, one way. For USAirways, their rate is $219-$459. Much more expensive.
I say them them die, and allow innovaters to take over.
I saw FahrenHYPE 911 last night. It was good.
Ron silver said something very strong in it. He said the same people who are against the war now were the same types who didn't want to stop Hitler in 1938. In 1945 when we saw 8 million jews killed and a whole continent destroyed, they knew they were on the wrong side of history.
Though they didn't learn. They are on the wrong side of history, and if there is a nuke attack in New York, it will be 9 million dead, and they will be at fault.
He called them Long in the tooth 60s hippies.
Emperor Misha points out that Kerry couldn't have been under Treblinka Square in the KGB archives because Treblinka Square doesn't exist.
Well Treblinka does exist, but it is in Poland and is a former Nazi concentration camp in Poland. Another Kerry lie. Perhaps that's where he saw the atrocities he claimed our soldiers perpetrated in Vietnam?
Or maybe he was there instead of being in Cambodia?
It appears that panic has stricken in to all those happy people who like to complain about the cost of gasoline. A barrel of oil has hit the mark of $50. Never mind the fact that we could of drilled for oil in ANWR, but gas isn't that expensive.
If you go to a store and get a small bottle of water like Aquafina, you'll probably pay 1.25 or so for a Litre!! That would make water 3.75 a gallon, slightly more than a gallon of milk which is about $3.00 a gallon.
The beer I had the other night at the local pub was 2.00 for a 12 ounce serving. That would have made beer about $20 for a gallon. And there were times I've seen the same people who bitch about $2 gas drinking 10 or more of these beers. And that is at the local bar. Never mind when you go to the city or a ballgame.
Now beer and milk come from a local source. The local dairy, or the brewery that is probably close by. Water is everwhere. If you put a bucket outside during Ivan you'll had a gallon in no time.
Now gas comes from oil that is drilled far away. It is put on tankers shipped overseas where it is refined, process, and taxed heavily. One gallon will make the average motor vehicle in America move it's 2 ton frame with you in it 55 Miles Per Hour for about 25 miles.
So people who claim that vacations will be cut short or that junior will have to due without his red rider BB gun because of the cost of gasoline to drive their car or oil for their homes should cut down on milk, bottled water, soda, and beer. Those are all more expensive than oil.
Here was an excellent shitty use of your tax money. It appear that U.S. Airways, already a recipient of millions of dollars of our money in a federal bailout, is seeking protection from creditors again
Barring a last-minute change of heart by its recalcitrant unions, US Airways appears all but certain to seek bankruptcy protection on Sunday, people briefed on the situation said yesterday.In that event, the airline is considering a bankruptcy filing without debtor-in-possession financing, a standard feature of most Chapter 11 cases. Instead, it would rely on cash on hand to finance its operations and would explore whether it needed additional financing in the future, these people said.
Christopher L. Chiames, the airline's senior vice president for corporate affairs, declined to say yesterday whether a bankruptcy filing, which would be the airline's second in two years, was imminent. "All along in this process, we've acknowledged that a bankruptcy filing might be necessary, but no decisions have been made," he said.
The final say is up to the US Airways board, which has not met to discuss the issue, he said. But the board can meet by telephone and could do so on short notice.
The airline sought Chapter 11 protection in August 2002, a filing that also took place on a Sunday. It emerged in April 2003, backed by a $900 million package of federal loan guarantees, the largest awarded by the Air Transportation Stabilization Board.
Now, I am usually on the side of business. But in this case I say let them go out of business. It sounds harsh, but in a free market, if they can't compete and make money, why should I bail them out?
After the September 11th attacks, it was proper for the government to assist the airlines that suffered near catastrophic economic damages. But that being said, there are many airlines that are making money and doing well.
Jet Blue and Southwest come to mind. If they can make it, offering a great service at a reasonable price, and making money too, then they should be the new standard bearer. No one cried when Woolworth died away to make way for K Mart, K Mart is sliding away making room for Wal Mart, and no one will cry when Wal Mart goes away for the next big thing.
It's how the free market works.
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For some reason I had weird dreams last night. Probably because I went to bed in a slightly inebriated state. In one of my dreams I was looking for this ol time shampoo my dad used to buy before he lost all his hair called "Gee your hair Smells Terrific" |
Remember this stuff?
From the period of 1944 to 1948 a secret, pro-Nazi, fascist group of SS officers and German soldiers called "Werewolves" terrorized Allied sympathizers and allied soldiers. Using tactics which can only be described as guerrilla they posed a moderate security threat to the rebuilding of Germany. They often were dressed as civilians, and almost never fought as conventional soldiers. They frequently committed acts of violence not only against the Allied occupiers, but also against other Germans who they viewed as being anti-Nazi.
Allied-supported government leaders were assassinated including the American-supported and democratically elected mayor of Aachen, the first major German city to be liberated. The werewolves came to the house of the Mayor dressed as downed pilots and killed him when he came to the door.
In a 3-month period of 1945 there were 300 incidents of violence and sabotage in which the Werewolves were suspected. They blew up railroad tracks, schools, and in some cases attempted poisoning the food and liquor supply.
In a way to further their cause they also used media to their advantage. Using bootleg radio transmitters, pro-Nazi graffiti, and by dropping leaflets, they promoted the citizens of post-war Germany to rise up against the evil occupying forces of America, England, France, and the USSR.
Though the body count of Allied soldiers was light to non-existent, they did make the rebuilding of Germany a tougher job than it had to be. These Nazi sympathizers wanted a return to a statist, fascist Nazi led government.
Things eventually got better, but during the reign of the Werewolf citizens were terrorized and frightened to cooperate with the occupiers for fear of reprisal. This small, but dedicated, bunch of Anti-American insurgents did not want to see the end of the fascist Nazi ruling party that they were a part of. The ultimately knew that if Germany became a free state, all hopes of seeing their world of hate and genocide would come to an end. With freedom would come an end to the world they wanted to live in.
You can learn a lot from history. Just look at Iraq today. It took years for post-war Germany to be totally free of anti-coalition Werewolves, and we still have a military presence in Germany almost 60 years after the surrender. We won the war in just a few months, and have handed over sovereignty to the Iraqis. News was met with guarded optimism and calls to talk radio
I heard Ron Kuby of the Curtis and Kuby show today discuss how we have lost the war in Iraq. He says the continued attacks and sabotage by the insurgents have proven that we have lost. I say to Mr. Kuby that he has to look no further than the history of our own military post-war occupations to see that the road to instilling democracy in previously dictatorial countries is a bumpy one but it is one that can and must be traveled.
What we have done in Iraq is momentous. What we have done we have done faster, with less civilian casualties and less American soldiers killed than any other wary in American history.
And just like the rebuilding of Germany and Japan after World War II, the naysayers are saying it can't be done. But history has proven them wrong 60 years ago, and history will again judge them as wrong this time.
