Miscellaneous Reflexions Incisive thoughts on government, society, and some deeper thoughts. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 27 3830

Articles from Miscellaneous Reflexions

Merry Christmas 2007-12-24 19:48:45 Merry Christmas ...

The Gutless Democrats 2007-12-21 02:28:17 They've talked about changing course. They've talked about withdrawal dates. They've even talked about ending the war, but when it came to actually doing any of these things the Democrats wimped out. The new budget was approved with funding for the Iraq war. With this funding there will be no change in course, no withdrawal dates, and no end in sight. I can't help but wonder if the Democrats actually believe what they say or are just playing politics. When questioned about why they can't bring any change in the Iraq policy, the Democrats respond by saying they need more seats in the Senate. It seems to me they are using this to help in the next election. If this isn't the case then they are afraid to cut off funding for fear of what will happen in Iraq if the war was ended. The Democrats are afraid that if they end the war and things get worse in the middle East the Republicans will gain political capital for the next election. Either way the Democrats are just playing ...

Beyond Treason 2007-12-20 03:22:26 Several months ago a neighbor of mine gave me a DVD to watch titled Beyond Treason. Last night I finally watched it. I thought I knew what to expect, but it was far worse then could be imagined. Beyond Treason shows how our government has intentionally and knowingly exposed our military personnel to many dangers. I've heard the stories of the 1950's and 1960's, but was unaware it continues to this very day. Although I shouldn't be, I am very shocked that I haven't seen any media coverage on this DVD. Even if the information in it were incorrect or misleading, the news media should be reporting that. Beyond Treason makes very serious accusations against our government. The American people deserve an answer to these accusations. I urge everyone to watch this DVD and decide for themselves. ...

In Nature's Path 2007-12-19 02:38:59 It is hard to question the fact that we are at the mercy of mother nature. Hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, and tornadoes can have devastating effects. Many people say the weather related activity is a result of man-made global warming. You hear talk of how the storms are getting more intense, flooding is getting worse, and even threats of water shortages from drought. I'm not questioning if these things are true, but shouldn't we consider the fact that we have placed ourselves in nature's path? As we continue to grow our population and spread out, we are adding more homes, businesses, and people. If a hurricane passes through uninhabited land its' effects would be less devastating then if it passed through a major city. As we reshape the land and cover the ground with asphalt and concrete there is less of it to soak up the heavy rains. Even water shortages would be lessened if there were fewer people drawing on the supply. Although ...

Enough Ronald Reagan 2007-12-18 02:31:21 If I had a dollar for every time the Republican Presidential candidates and their campaign advisers mentioned Ronald Reagan, it would be a very merry Christmas. It seemed harmless at first, but it is now clear that mentioning his name is nothing more than a campaign strategy designed to pull emotional strings. For many people things were better in the 1980's than they are now, which leaves us feeling good about that era. This tactic is all about recreating that feel good mood and creating a sense of comfort. Like the radio stations that play music from our younger days, we are familiar with it and that makes us feel comfortable, so we listen. We can't afford to elect a President just because he or she makes us feel comfortable. We must see through these slick tactics and rise above our emotions. In this emotionally responsive society it will be difficult, but we must be sure and give serious thought. Besides, even if you believe Ronald Re ...

Body Language 2007-12-17 02:23:34 With all we have to consider in making a choice for our next President, body language seems like a waste of time. After recently seeing an evaluation of Presidential candidates I got to thinking about body language. Although it is somewhat interesting, I question the accuracy of the interpretations. The human mind is complex, most people are able to think about more than one thing. Evaluating body language assumes that the person being evaluated is only thinking about the thing which he or she is talking. If someone had a big argument with their spouse, their body language would most likely be different then if they didn't have one. Even while giving a speech the human mind is able to have thoughts rolling around the back of the mind which might affect body language. I'm sure Hillary Clinton's body language would be different if giving a speech while knowing Bill was alone with a beautiful girl versus giving a speech while he is in the audien ...

If the Grinch Stole Christmas 2007-12-13 18:04:56 After learning the meaning of Christmas that day,the Grinch thought everyone must see it this way.So he searched for a place where the meaning was lost,wanting to help them no matter the cost.As the Grinch left Who-ville through the big city gates,he said "I think I'll try the United States".When he arrived things were worst than he thought,the people only cared about the things that they bought.With all of the presents the meaning was lost,these people are shopping before the first frost.The Grinch said "I'll come up with a plan that's what I'll do,so they'll understand Christmas just like a Who".The very next summer the Grinch knew that he must,cover the country with some magic Christmas dust. The dust would cause a mental delay,forgetting the season until Christmas day."When they awake with no presents about, they'll thank me they will" the Grinch shouted out.But when they awoke on that Christmas day,the people were angry and bad words they did say.The Dads shouted out " ...

Their Creator vs. Our Creator 2007-12-13 07:15:25 "... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..."There are some of us who need to go back and read the Declaration of Independence. On numerous occasions I have heard people quote it replacing "their" with "our". Just this past week I heard it about a half dozen times by Presidential candidates and the news media. I believe our Founding Fathers intentionally chose the word "their" to avoid endorsing any particular religion. More importantly it stated that no matter who or what you believed to be the creator, you are entitled to these unalienable rights. If they had used the word "our" it would completely change the meaning of the sentence. I know there are some who want that changed meaning, but our founders were wise enough to know the threat it would pose to liberty. It is tragic and ridiculous that religion has become such a divisive issue. With the wide diversity of beliefs it is perfectly clear that there will never be one set of beliefs on whic ...

Torture 2007-12-12 03:13:45 Torture is back in the news and the debate is still a heated one. To torture or not to torture, that is the question. I find it ironic that those who support torture are pretty much the same people who talk about returning to moral values. They say that getting away from moral values is leading us to become more immoral. Wouldn't the same apply to torture? If we accept it now what does that hold for the future? The defense of torture is that it is being done to save lives. Based on this reasoning shouldn't we be torturing gang members to find out about gun or drug shipments? These things take many lives so it is something we would want to prevent. How about the drug user, should he or she be tortured to find out the name of the dealer? Then we could torture the dealer to find out the name of his supplier. This also would save more lives. I have to admit, five years ago I would have accepted torture, but this belief was based mainly on emotion. After spending time ...

The Mortgage Crisis 2007-12-10 02:45:11 Again we are faced with a problem where people are having difficulty making payments. Again the proposed solutions are legislation or government bail out. And again we are talking about problem management. The proposed solutions will do little more than create a temporary fix, leaving someone else to deal with the problem later. How about if we actually talk about solving the problem by getting people earning enough money to be able to afford their payments. Some people got loans that they shouldn't have, others got hustled into loans they didn't understand, but there are still many people who are unable to afford their mortgage payments due to the rising cost of living and the stagnant wages. This current crisis has placed these people in the shadows. All of the talk is about those who are in the adjustable rate mortgages. Unless we look closely, the rise in foreclosures will be blamed on these types of mortgages. Although they are partly responsible, there is much more to this pro ...

Credit Card Crunch 2007-12-07 02:06:22 This past week there were Congressional hearings on the unfair practices of the credit card companies. It seems they have found a new way to jack up interest rates through a change in your credit score. Many of the people facing these increases are good customers and pay their bills on time. As usual there is talk of more legislation, which is nothing more than problem management. To actually solve the problem we need to look a little deeper--Americans have too much credit card debt. With the growing cost of living, stagnant wages, and less benefits many Americans find themselves turning to credit to survive. The actual solution to the problem is to create an atmosphere where wages go up so that people are able to afford things. If everybody was making good money they wouldn't need to turn to credit as much. With a reduced need for credit, the companies would find themselves in a more competitive market where unfair practices may adve ...

Presidential Debate on NPR 2007-12-06 03:53:16 National Public Radio hosted a Democratic Presidential debate this week. I have to say it was one of the best formats out of all the debates. The candidates sat around a table with no audience, no buzzers, or bells. There was only three topics covered over the course of two hours--Iran, China, and immigration. This allowed more than thirty or sixty seconds for the candidates to respond. Along with being the most informative debate it was the most civil. It was more of a discussion about topics that have meaning to our country's future. There were no questions about diamonds or pearls, or any talk of meaningless subjects. I think National Public Radio did an outstanding job and deserves a lot of credit.It would have been nice to see this format in all the debates. I would have actually liked to seen it taken a little further and just have single topic debates. There were enough debates this year that every topic could have been covered. This would have allowed all the candidates ...

The N.I.E. on Iranian Nukes 2007-12-05 03:08:02 The National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear intentions and capabilities has been released. The big news is that Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003. This contradicts the NIE report from 2005 that said Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons. Add to that the wrong assessment of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction and it becomes hard to know what to believe. How can we be sure they have it right this time? Maybe Iran has just done a better job of hiding their pursuit of nuclear weapons. Maybe they were never even pursuing nuclear weapons but wanted everyone to believe that was the case. I'm sure it is hard to make definite assessments on matters like this, which is why we need to be cautious in using information like this for initiating war. This report presents a problem for the President and Vice-President who have been talking as if Iran was close to having nuclear weapons. Even more controversial is the fact that they have been doing this talking while they s ...

Increased Violence in Afghanistan 2007-12-04 02:56:22 Violence is on the rise in Afghanistan; it has been the most violent year since the war began. At the same time we are seeing a decrease in violence in Iraq. We have been told that this decrease is due to the troop surge, but I now wonder if some of that decreased violence is a result of the announcement of the surge. I still find myself troubled by the fact that we announced our military intentions to the enemy. I feel this gave them time to develop a plan to deal with the surge. Is it possible that the enemy's plan was to pull out of Iraq and move their operation to Afghanistan? Some people have commented that having a surge was going to be like playing wac-a-mole. Of course, those people figured the enemy would move around Iraq. With the increase in violence in Afghanistan it is possible that the enemy moved there.Since the invasion of Iraq it seems that Afghanistan has been put on the back burner. Even the media seems to pay little attention. We continually&nb ...

Restriction vs. Responsibility 2007-12-02 18:00:00 It seems that imposing restriction has come to represent the solution to our nation's problems. Some believe in restricting what is on television and the internet, others believe in restricting what we eat, and some even want to restrict our behavior. There are so many laws, rules, and regulations that it is impossible to enforce even a small percentage of them. For the last few decades we have been piling on the restriction, but has it really done anything to solve our nation's problems? As we continue to add more restriction, our problems continue to grow. We have become so engrossed in what and what not to restrict that we have lost sight of what should be most important, responsibility.I hear people talking about restricting some of what we see on television, and to be honest most times I wouldn't care if these things were gone, but what about discussing being a responsible parent and not letting our children have access to these things? We put cable TV in our children's ...