Random Thought For The Day

It occurred to me that America's foreign aid could be considered the world's heroin. We tantalize countries with it. We get them hooked on it. They crave it. They can't live without it. If we cut them off they suffer dearly. They will do anything to keep getting it. Things like lowering tariffs on goods so that corporations can crowd the locals out, accept genetically modified (patented) seeds, build factories and provide low-cost workers, etc. Just a thought.

But We Don't Live In a Police State

I wonder if our police, fire fighters and utility workers will receive training as Terrorism Liaison Officers like they have in Colorado where they keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

"Suspicious activity" is broadly defined in TLO training as behavior that could lead to terrorism: taking photos of no apparent aesthetic value, making measurements or notes, espousing extremist beliefs or conversing in code, according to a draft Department of Justice/Major Cities Chiefs Association document.

Those look like fairly objective criteria that any one of us could use to spot a terrorist. Look closely and you'll see suspected terrorists are practically running rampant among us. I often see people taking pictures in public, people taking notes in restaurants, people talking about hell and damnation, and people wearing special devices on their ears walking down the street talking out loud about something I know nothing about so they must be talking in code.

As a matter of fact, every time the water and gas guys come by my house they are taking notes. Wait a minute...um...I need to make a call.

Dad, Can I Borrow the Car Keys?

Head's up, everybody, another 16-year-old is on the road. Josh is now a licensed driver.

America Does Not Torture

A year ago a group of high school Presidential Scholars asked President Bush to "to do all in your power to stop violations of the human rights of detainees, to cease illegal renditions and to apply the Geneva Convention to all detainees, including those designated enemy combatants." His response. “We agree. America doesn’t torture people.” Last April we learned that Bush knew and approved of high level meetings where "harsh interrogation techniques" were discussed. This included waterboarding. This was done in order to protect the American people. I have to hand it to Christopher Hitchens. I don't agree with everything he says, but I have to tip my hat to him for this. He decided to undergo the enhanced interrogation technique--torture to the rest of the civilized world--known as waterboarding. Attorney General Mukasey says waterboarding is not clearly illegal and refused to call it torture. Vice President Cheney said using waterboarding is a "no-brainer."

Mr Hitchens's account reads like a horror story. But the video is very low key and doesn't really convey the effect, at least in my mind, of a person being tortured. I would have expected someone to be squirming and fighting. Perhaps he didn't because he knew he had an out. Perhaps he was too freaked out. I would've been.

Regardless, I have it on good authority from the President of the United States that we don't torture people. By X'ing out the definitions of torture in the dictionary and moving them under "enhanced interrogation techniques" we have legally covered ourselves. Now I can visit any foreign country and proudly proclaim that my country does not torture people. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel a whole lot better.

Americans for American Energy

I received the latest newsletter from Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who continues to faithfully represent congressional district 5. In the newsletter she says that she and her husband cringe every time they fill up their tank. Gas prices have skyrocketed and everyone is affected even if they don't drive. I'm with you so far, Cathy. In response, she is one of the original cosponsors of the Americans for American Energy Act. We need to meet America's energy needs with American resources and this plan does that. Okay, I'm still listening. What does this do?

* Defines hydropower as a renewable resource
* Increases the supply of affordable natural gas from America’s ocean resources by giving coastal states more freedom in whether to develop energy off shore
* Lifts the ban against off shore energy exploration
* Promotes safe and environmentally responsible exploration and development of ANWR
* Develops America’s vast oil shale resources
* Helps expedite the production of domestic coal-to-liquid fuel
* Promotes renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy
* Promotes greater energy efficiency by increasing and extending personal and business efficiency tax credits and deductions
* Adopts common sense regulatory relief and policy reforms to streamline and modernize policies that hinder energy exploration, production and transmission

Oil is a finite resource but gas prices have not skyrocketed because of a shortage. And although offshore drilling is restricted there have been thousands of drilling permits issued. It takes 10 years for new drilling to start producing. There is absolutely nothing there that addresses the skyrocketing price of gas that is happening now. What would? Well, over the past 15 years Congress has removed the Depression-era regulations that prevented speculators from driving up the price of goods--a strong contributor to the Great Depression. Oil speculators are free to do as they please and they, along with the oil companies, are making a killing--at our expense. You'll notice that the Americans for American Energy Act does nothing about that. Most of it involves the extraction of more oil at the expense of the environment. It's enough to make you cringe, isn't it?

Part of Dad's Job

Late last night my daughter knocked on my bedroom door. There's a big black bug in the bathroom. Can you come and get rid of it? It's huuuuuuge! Now who could turn down such a plea for help?