by Alex Gimarc                                Mon., June 9, 2008

Interesting Items 6/09 -

Howdy all, a few Interesting Items for your information. Enjoy -

In this issue:

1. USAF
2. Issues: Economy
3. Warner - Lieberman
4. Haditha

1. USAF. SECDEF Gates demanded and got the resignation of the USAF Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force last week. The resignations followed release of an investigation into sloppy handling of nuclear weapons by the USAF the last couple of years. In one instance, weapons were loaded onto a B-52 and flown across the country by accident. Following landing, they sat on the ramp, hanging from the wing of the aircraft until someone realized the mistake. In the second instance, nuclear trigger components were shipped to a contractor in Taiwan. The Taiwanese brought the mistake to the attention of DoD which retrieved the triggers. Investigations into both events discovered a lackadaisical approach to the security of nuclear weapons materials which was unacceptable. One of the things that fell out of the USAF reorganization of the early 1990s was the combination of offensive strategic forces, formerly under the control of Strategic Air Command (SAC) with offensive tactical forces under control of the Tactical Air Command (TAC) under the overall structure of TAC. In the 50-year struggle between the fighter guys and the bomber guys, the fighter guys won. Unfortunately they didn’t bring the old time SAC attention to security detail with them and over the years, things apparently got pretty lax. I expect they will not be lax any more. In is always unfortunate when there are firings this high up the food chain. But if this serves to get the attention of everybody involved, SECDEF Gates will have done a very good thing indeed.

2. Issues: Economy. The economy is the second area where conservatives running for election in November have a real advantage over their democrat opponents. Although the media will attempt to tie the stumbling economy firmly around the collective necks of President Bush and Republican candidates, they ought not to be allowed to do so. All we have to do is revise the old Reagan question: Are you better off now than you were tow years ago? During the Bush years from 2001 to 2006, average gasoline prices rose from $1.44 to $2.10. Republican candidates were excoriated by both the media and democrat candidates for that price increase when they were defeated in 2006. Since 2007, the Pelosi – Reid democrat-controlled congress has presided over a price at the pump increase from $2.10 to over $4 per gall on today. That number is expected to increase past $5 per gallon by July 4 th. So are we all better off now? The second p art of this would be the sharp increase in the unemployment rate last month from 5.0 to 5.5%, the largest increase in decades. Why would there be such an increase in unemployment, especially since the statistics didn’t include youngsters out of school yet. My guess would be that the sharp increase in per gallon prices for fuels has driven out money that would have been normally been used to hire new people. So as usual, the poor and undereducated get hurt first. Expect this number to make another jump next month when the schools let out and the effects of the Pelosi – Reid increase in the minimum wage to hit the fan. Finally, the House passed a $3 trillion budget, festooned with pork last week. Under this congress, earmarks have more than doubled, which is pretty impressive even for democrats. They have attempted to levy trillions of dollars of new taxes via the Warner – Lieberman cap and trade legislation. They are allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire in 2010, which will raise taxes on an already sputtering economy by hundreds of millions of dollars. Is this responsible? So how do conservatives fix all of this? We do it by holding the line on taxes and spending. We do it by fighting the cap and trade legislation. We do it by getting the feds out of the way of oil and natural gas exploration. We do it by getting the obstructionist greens out of the courtroom. We do it by decreasing regulations, decreasing spending, and decreasing federal intrusion. All of this is old time conservative economics – spend little, tax less, and keep out of the way of entrepreneurs. Also look for ways to downsize the overall size, power, intrusiveness and scope of the federal government. Pound the message home and ask the following questions: Here is what you were told two years ago by the democrats. Are you better off now than you were then? If not, why not? And if not, why reward them with a larger majority? I don’t think that this election will be the disaster for conservatives we are all hearing. It doesn’t take too many $80 filling station visits to finely focus the mind as well as the wallet. We had better be able to make the case to a bunch of voters that aren’t paying attention very well just yet. Fortunately, things change pretty quickly in the information age. We got into the current mess pretty quickly, as it only took the democrats a couple years to thoroughly muck up the economy. It will turn around just a quickly. And as I have said before, the game this year is at the state and local levels, where we as conservatives need to put just as many conservatives on the ballot in November as humanly possible. Then in November, we need to defeat as many democrats a humanly possible, for they will caucus with Pelosi and Reid once inside the Beltway.

3. Warner Lieberman. The Senate shut down debate on the cap and trade legislation after a mere three days of yammering. During the festivities, Barbara Boxer (D, CA) brought out substitute legislation in the form of a nearly 500-page amendment. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY) forced the senate to read the entire amendment out loud to the senators. This legislation ends up being the vehicle to transfer trillions of dollars out of the pockets of Americans into the federal treasury which will then be transferred to the pockets of those the democrats deem fit to receive the money. In other words, it traffics upon the fraud of manmade global warming, which now has been discredited to the point where its advocates now prattle on about climate change. The goal of this legislation is to cut carbon emissions by 70% by 2050. Why 70% and 2050? Nobody knows. It could just as well be 15% and 2100, but there wouldn’t be the federal mandate to levy crushing taxes upon the economy. The vehicle to enforce the emissions cuts is a series of new taxes on things that emit carbon dioxide. One of the things you learn during the years is that anything the feds tax, they control. Imagine giving those self serving, sanctimonious fools inside the Beltway control over everything that could emit carbon dioxide. For those few of you that think this is a good thing, think again, for carbon dioxide is one of the gasses we humans – and every animal, for that matter – exhale when we breathe. Once you buy into the principle that carbon dioxide is a bad thing, and give the feds the ability to tax and control it, you give them the ability to control everything. Of course, with this sort of massive increase in taxes also comes a corresponding expansion of the federal bureaucracy, which must administer it. And when the bureaucracy expands this greatly, businesses st art carving out exceptions to the new taxes, new rules, and new intrusions into the bureaucracy. Interestingly enough, one of the descriptions of fascism is that property rights are retained, but the government tells you everything you can do with that property. Government also ends up picking winners and losers. This legislation is the single largest expansion of federal taxation and power since Hillary Care of 15 years ago. It will be back next year. Be ready.

4. Haditha. Haditha was the location of an action where eight marines were accused of killing people that shouldn’t have been killed. The Islamist – friendly media made the accusations and the Marine chain of command pressed charges against the eight. Congresscritters jumped on board with hair raisin charges of war crimes being made by that embarrassment to the Corps, John Murtha (D, PA). To date, charges against five of the soldiers have been dropped due to lack of evidence. Last week, a sixth was found not guilty in his courts m artial. Two more await their courts m artial. One of the accused has filed a defamation lawsuit against Murtha for accusing him and his comrades at arms of war crimes. And that case is proceeding. I do not expect this verdict will hurt that lawsuit any. Malkin, Thurs.

More later –

           - AG

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776.