Delta Mike Charlie

Open Letter to Sen. Eric Oemig on Impeachment Resolution Proposal

2007-02-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

Just a bit of background on this posting, I worked with (now State Senator) Eric Oemig at Microsoft and I enjoyed very much working with him. He was a software developer and I was a software tester on three versions of Outlook.

However, I think that he's forsaken the priorities of Washingtonians by proffering this impotent bill to call for the impeachment of President Bush over intelligence failures that led to the war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. This bill would do absolutely nothing except show the rest of America that Washington State has a bunch of rabid liberals running the three-ring circus (House, Senate and Governor) and have nothing better to do than chip in our two cents worth.

This was my comment to my friend Eric/State Senator Oemig on this foolish proposed resolution. To my utter amazement I, Ken Schram, Nancy Pelosi and several Democrats in the legislature actually agree on something for a change. I think that should give him the wake-up call to get the business of Washington done before getting on his soapbox to appease his MoveOn.org supporters.

Hi Eric,

I am pretty disappointed that you've seen fit to chime in on national politics before addressing the needs of Washingtonians (and I know you'll say "blah, blah, blah democracy"), but if I'm not mistaken, the Congress did vote on giving the president authorization to use force if he felt it was necessary and it was overwhelmingly passed.

As you know, the Clinton administration also thought Saddam (may he rest in pieces) had WMDs as well as the much heralded (on the Left) United Nations. So, could it be that President Bush was also surprised that we did not find massive stockpiles of WMDs in Iraq (indeed some were found, but not nearly in the quantities that were expected)?

I guess I'm not sure what you expect to see happen from this idiotic stunt (sorry, I call them like I see them - and I still count you among my friends), but I think that we really should be working on things that will benefit Washingtonians and less on trying to punish the federal government/administration for intelligence failures that it could not have foreseen.

Do you really think that a resolution passed out of the Soviet of Washington is going to carry much weight with Congress (even though it's now controlled by Democrats)? Speaker Pelosi has already said that Impeachment will not be considered, so how exactly is this helpful to anyone?

Yours,

David Carson
Redmond, WA
Former 45th Legislative District constituent

Herr Bundeskanzler, wie schlafen Sie nachts?

2007-02-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

On today's Opinion Journal page (link here) is a story that just makes me furious that I ever visited the Republik of Austria and spent even a single, solitary Schilling in the shops of Vienna or Salzburg. As wonderful as those cities (rich in history, music and the arts) are, I question my love for the close cousin of Germany because of the actions of their former Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel.

The so-called right-leaning former-Chancellor of Austria made a fatal blunder. Not one that he paid for, but for which American soldiers and Marines have paid the ultimate price. How does a conservative (by European standards) decide that selling 800 sniper rifles to Iran is in any way a positive thing? What the hell does he think they're going to do with them, use them to shoot crows at landfills?

The sale of Steyr-Mannlicher sniper rifles in 2004 was vigorously opposed by the Bush Administration (rightfully so) and was obviously after we were fully engaged in warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq (both Iran's neighbors). Good grief, what was this moron thinking (apparently that because Austria wasn't sending any troops to Iraq, what could ever be the problem?)?

Damn it, damn it, damn it! Good Americans have paid the price in blood for Schüssel's idiocy, gluttony and malfeasance! What do you want to bet that somehow S-M has made sure that Schüssel has been remunerated for his counter-intuitive position on the sale? This goes way beyond interest in seeing your country's commercial interests succeed. This goes to the issue of arming an enemy not just of your – supposedly close – ally, but of all civilized nations.

Wie schlafen Sie nachts oder schauen sich im Spiegel, Herr Bundeskanzler?

(Translation: "How do you sleep at night or look yourself in the mirror, Mr. Federal Chancellor?")

The Afghan Rambo

2007-01-26T04:52:00.000-08:00

I got a forwarded email from a good friend (thanks Charlie Browne - yep, that's his name alright) and I wanted to share it with everyone, so I contacted the originator (who would like to remain anonymous for now) to ask permission to share this great story about the spirit of one Afghan man who's been dubbed by our troops as "Rambo" because of the way he approaches life and his country's survival as a free democracy. You'll understand what I mean more when you read CJH's account of an incident recently in Afghanistan:

Hi everyone.

I'm still alive but freezing my tail off. We got 8 inches of snow last week and it reached 5 degrees below zero that night. That's not why I'm e-mailing though.

You may have heard about a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul last Thursday. It was at one of our FOBs (Forward Observation Bases) about 27 miles from here.

But the real story is why no one was killed.

We employ several thousand Afghans on our various bases. Not to mention the economy that is fed by the money these locals are making.

Some are laborers and builders, but some are skilled workers. We even have one Afghan that just became OSHA qualified, the first ever. Some are skilled HVAC workers.

Anyway, there is this one Afghan that we call Rambo. We have actually given him a couple of sets of the new ACU uniforms (the new Army digital camouflage) with the name tag RAMBO on it.

His entire family was killed by the Taliban and his home was where our base currently resides. So this guy really had nowhere else to go.

He has reached such a level of trust with US Forces that his job is to stand at the front gate and basically be the first security screening.

Since he can't have a weapon, he found a big red pipe. So he stands there at the front gate in his US Army ACU uniform with his red pipe.

If a vehicle approaches the gate too fast or fails to stop he slams his pipe down on their hood.

Then once the gate is lifted the vehicle moves on the 2nd gate where the US Army MPs are. So he's like the first line of defense.

Last Thursday at 0930 hrs a Toyota Corolla packed with explosives and some Jack Ass that thinks he has 72 Virgins waiting for him approached the gate.

When he saw Rambo he must have recognized him and known the gig was up.

But he needed to get to that 2nd gate to detonate and take American lives. So he slams his foot on the gas which almost causes the metal gate to go up but mostly catches on the now broken windshield.

Rambo fearlessly ran to the vehicle, reached thru the window and jerked the suicide bomber out of the vehicle before he could detonate and commenced to putting some red pipe to his heathen ass. He detained the guy until the MP got there.

The vehicle only exploded when they tried to push it off base with a robot but know one was hurt.

I'm still waiting for someone to give this guy a medal or something. Nothing less than instant US citizenship or something.

A hat was passed around and a lot of money was given to him in thanks by both soldiers and civilians that are working over here.

I guess I just wanted to share this because I want people to know that it's working over here.

They have tasted freedom. This makes it worth it to me.

(Name and Rank withheld for security reasons), US ARMY
Operations Officer
(location withheld), Afghanistan

Our Dumb Troops in Iraq…

2006-11-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

If this isn’t the best response to an unrepentant ass’ comments, I don’t know what is.

Hat Tip to Sandy, Carla, Karen and 620 WTMJ Radio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Get Those Size 13s Out of Your Mouth

2006-10-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

Relevant links on the Kerry "Truth" about our Troops:

YouTube Video of Kerry’s Comments
Non-response Response from John Forbes Kerry
Kerry Responding with a Feisty (and Lying) Defensive Press Conference

My post to his (and my) Blog:

Mr. Kerry,
You are an arrogant SOB who has a disdain for the United States Military (by your actions after you came back from Vietnam and again now). Your comments about education level are a) not true and
b) could not be construed to be any sort of "joke" aimed at President Bush. You didn't even mention the president or the Iraq policy in that section of your comments...
I know that our military (and the American public) are both smart enough to discern your real meaning which is why I am not worried about losing the House or Senate. Democrats will hamstring our military and create another Vietnam. Americans will not do that a week from today.

Ethics Complaint Filed Against Rep. Rodney Tom

2006-10-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Press release just issued by the King County Republican Party in response to a complaint filed yesterday in Olympia.

Bellevue – King County Republican Party Chairman Michael Young released the
following statement today:

Yesterday a complaint was filed with the Legislative Ethics Board in
Olympia alleging that Rep. Rodney Tom requested and accepted per diem
compensation on days when he was not in Olympia and missed a total of 94 votes,
one of the worst attendance records in the Legislature. Rep. Tom’s terrible
voting record is bad enough, but intentionally skipping days of work while
taking additional compensation, which is intended to be a reimbursement for
meals and lodging expenses while working, constitutes a serious breach of the
public trust and should be thoroughly investigated.

I love it, taking per diem when you aren't at work... Oh, but the press will probably spin it like this: Oh, he was a Republican then (even though he was voting like a Democrat), so it's clearly the Republican Party's fault for not policing him.

DunnerMeister

Muslim Mows over Pedestrians in San Fran

2006-08-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

So, I love the headline: Hit-and-run driver unstable, family says

Nothing like the one I would write if I was the editor: "Islamic Crazy runs down 14 Pedestrian"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060830/ap_on_re_us/hit_and_run_spree

The first paragraph says absolutely NOTHING about this guy being a Muslim and it just drives me to the brink when this is totally ignored by the press...

SAN FRANCISCO - The driver in a bloody hit-and-run spree that killed one man and injured more than a dozen people was mentally unstable and feeling stress from a recent arranged marriage, according to relatives.

Debbie Does Derby Days!

2006-07-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

I went to the Redmond Derby Days parade this Saturday and I was struck by the difference between two campaigns in the 48th District legislative race. The candidates were Bret Olson who’s running and his likely opponent in the General Election, Deb Eddy for the open seat left by Rodney Tom’s defection to the Democrat party.

Bret’s adult volunteers handed out balloons and his younger supporters gave out candy to their peers and Bret and his wife rode and waved to parade-goers.

From all I could tell, Ms. Eddy’s folks just carried signs and just chanted slogans to get noticed. In fact, I didn’t even see the candidate herself walking the parade route or riding in the parade vehicle. Maybe she had somewhere else to be, but spending an hour on meeting your potential constituents doesn’t seem to be too much to ask.

Then I noticed a weird and disgusting message that the Eddy campaign seems compelled to communicate. If you look closely (or click to enlarge), you’ll see there’s a sign prominently placed on her parade car.

It says:

Debbie Does
Democracy

She gets things done.

This slogan is a play on a movie from 1978 called “Debbie Does Dallas” which by some accounts is the best-selling pornographic movie of all time. This doesn’t seem to be a particularly responsible or compelling slogan for a state legislative campaign considering its origin. I don't have any problems with adults who choose to consume adult material in the comfort of their own home, but to co-opt a movie title of this sort doesn't seem to me to be particularly family-friendly. It does however seem to fit perfectly in line with the Democrat Party's moral compass.

DunnerMeister

Open Letter to Redmond City Council

2006-05-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Editor (King County Journal),

It is clear that Mayor Ives seems to be intent on punishing certain groups of voters for voting “NO” on Proposition 1 last Tuesday. Why else would she desire to wait for the demographics report on the vote to come back unless it was to penalize those who don’t share her luxury view of Redmond city government?

Again, she refuses to get the message of nearly two-thirds of Redmond voters which is: taxes are high enough; find another way to balance the budget.

In the last 10 of her 15 years at Redmond’s helm, the number of city employees has doubled. When the population has only grown 20% in that same stretch, there must be room to trim overhead.

It would seem that nothing short of the Redmond City Council standing up to Mayor Ives’ continued call for “revenue solutions” – a couple of members have already shown marked improvement in the wake of Proposition 1’s defeat – is going to cure Redmond’s fiscal problems. Revenue is not the problem, spending is!

Mayor Ives would do well to engage in the priorities in government exercise that truly scrutinizes expenditures against the city’s stated mission. And maybe the city’s mission is super-sized and should be carefully examined as well? The taxpayers have demanded it and now it’s time for our elected officials to execute on it.

David Carson
Financial Accountability in Redmond
Redmond, WA

Redmond's officers and firefighters shouldn't have to beg

2006-05-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Isn't it outrageous that the services that are supposed to be the most important are the first to be sacrificed in the event of a shortfall? On second thought, it's not ridiculous. It's either insanity (it's doubtful that the council and the mayor could all be insane) or it's a tactic to preserve programs that are less important by threatening those that have the most significance to residents of Redmond every day: police and fire protection. That's exactly what Redmond has proposed and it should be resisted by the voters.

That those who protect our city are groveling for your support in public is disgusting and unseemly. We should never be placing the necks of our police and firefighters on the proverbial chopping block to save the programs that could be trimmed or eliminated. We cannot risk those vital services because those are a matter of life and death. Priorities? Aren't police and fire protection the most essential services that any city can provide? Should it not be fully-funded to keep Redmond a great place to live?

There were those on Redmond's city council who wanted to build and finance the city hall differently, but the responsibility for this debacle lies squarely in that body. However, Redmond's residents should not be punished for their serious lack of financial sense. Redmond doesn't have a revenue shortfall (revenues continue to rise significantly above inflation), it has a surplus of spending. I urge a NO vote on Proposition 1 on May 16th.

David Carson
Redmond

David Beamer Got It Right

2006-05-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

The father of Todd Beamer, one of the first to fight back on September 11th, 2001 wrote an excellent piece in the Wall Street Journal last week. I had the chance to see United 93 over the weekend and what I realized is that I harbor a real and visceral hatred for those who perpetrated 9/11 on America.

Seeing planes impact the World Trade Center towers in the early part of the film evoked a deep emotional response that I hadn't expected since I have seen the footage many times since. The rage I experienced when seeing those images again coupled with the emotions of those who were experiencing it as it happened that terrible day was difficult to watch. You can see the disbelief in their face. You can see the stunned look that something is terribly wrong. The other sense I got then and again while watching the movie was that someone has a hatred so vast that they would fly planes into buildings in order to injure America's psyche.

What David Beamer writes about how this director and cast really got it right and I cannot disagree in the least. He goes on to talk about the "blessed opportunity" that they had to fight back and not allow these terrorists' will be carried out. These people were exactly what is great about America. The selfless, determined and aggressive nature in which they took on these vermin is absolutely compelling and inspiring.

DunnerMeister

Hasta Café Manager

2006-05-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/268720_marchjob02.html

Mr. Santiago has my respect for adhering to his principles in firing Mr. Wolfe after he failed to schedule anyone for work so that the employees could attend the immigrant rights rally in Seattle. This was an open and defiant act on Mr. Wolfe's part and when an employee openly defies their superior it undermines their credibility and authority. Managers are there to carry out the lawful will of the owner of any small business. Mr. Wolfe failed his employer.

Mr. Santiago has risked his treasure in these ventures and must spend much time away his family to see his investment grow. When a manager undermines the authority in this fashion, the owner has no recourse but to punish an insolent manager. The strongest punishment that Mr. Santiago could mete out was to fire his manager. I say Bravo!

It is my sincere hope that Mr. Santiago will stick to his principles and not bend to the will of those who would undercut his ownership rights unlike Laitala Enterprises who reversed their decision to fire workers who attended the previous rally without permission. Lord knows that operating any business in tax- and regulation-laden Seattle has enough challenges without open rebellion of supervisors and employees.

DunnerMeister

Give the City of Seattle a Dictionary…

2006-05-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Gregg Hirakawa, Grace Crunican (Director) and Greg Nickels (Mayor) all need to be taken to task for the News Advisory that the Seattle Department of Transportation put out on Friday that uses the term "citizen" for those who are planning to march in this demonstration on May 1st. Of course, the word "citizen" is used deliberately here as some liberal attempt to color the ongoing immigration debate. Accuracy in language is important and this is used in an attempt to lend more validity to this group's goals and it should be rebuffed.

If that weren't enough, they also use the term "Citizen" on their website for what they call the "Citizen Inquiry Form". Memo to the City of Seattle. Not everyone that's a resident of the Emerald City is a citizen.

If you wish to send the City of Seattle a nasty-gram, here are the places you can go:

"Citizen Inquiry Form"
Gregg Hirakawa (spokesperson)

DunnerMeister

Finkbeiner will not seek re-election to Senate

2006-04-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

OLYMPIA…Senator Bill Finkbeiner announced today that he will not run again for his Senate seat this fall. Finkbeiner serves the 45th District which includes Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, Duvall and Sammamish.

"The first word that comes to mind when I think about representing my district in the Legislature is 'grateful'," said Finkbeiner, who was first elected to the House of Representatives fourteen years ago. "I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve in the Legislature, but at this time my family and I have agreed that the time is right to step aside and give someone else an opportunity to represent the district as Senator while I turn my attention to a career outside of politics."

Finkbeiner was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 at the age of 23 and elected to the Senate in 1994. He served as majority leader in 2005 and as far as anyone can remember was the youngest majority leader in the state's history. He also served as minority leader in 2004, deputy majority leader in 2003, and Republican assistant floor leader from 1999 to 2000. Finkbeiner has served on many Senate committees, including Education (served for 8 years, 4 years as Ranking Republican); Energy and Utilities (now Water, Energy & Environment) (Committee Chair); and Transportation. He currently serves on three Senate committees: Transportation; Financial Institutions, Housing & Consumer Protections; and Rules.

"One of the things I am most proud of is how I was able to impact the Legislature itself and make it run a bit differently." Finkbeiner said. "I was especially pleased that during my term as majority leader, only one bill out of 776 passed on a party line vote. The rest passed with what I like to call a 'philosophical majority.'

"Also, when I arrived in 1993, we had no e-mail and the bill reports weren't online. I knew that putting these tools in place would give the public much greater access to their lawmakers and the legislative process. So I pushed hard for us to get them up and running, and we did it. When I look today at how easily citizens can access their legislators through e-mail or look up a bill and come to Olympia to testify on it, I am proud to have been part of that cultural change.

"As for what's next, I will continue the privilege of representing the people of the 45th District until the end of the year. I will also continue pursuing my master's degree. It's an exciting time in my life, and I am looking forward to putting everything I have learned in school, the private sector and the Legislature to use in future endeavors.

"Finally, I want to bid a fond farewell to all the senators I have served with, but especially to the members of my caucus. They have been tremendous to work with and work for. It has been a real honor to serve with them."

Finkbeiner said he would announce his future plans in the next few weeks. His term ends Dec. 31.

- 30 -

For more information contact Rebecca Japhet (360) 786-7516 or Japhet.Rebecca@leg.wa.gov
For the latest news and information from the Senate Republican Caucus
visit the Senate Republican Media Center at http://www.src.wa.gov/

DunnerMeister published in the King County Journal

2006-04-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

My letter appears today in the King County Journal's Letters section about Redmond's massive property tax levy proposal.

Also, it looks like a group has formed to fight the City of Redmond's proposal: F.A.I.R. - Financial Accountability In Redmond. Time to get on the train!

DunnerMeister

Massive 53.8% Tax Increase in Redmond

2006-03-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

The Redmond City Council has proposed a mind-boggling 53.8% increase in the local portion of Redmondites' taxes to fund the "budget gap" that they created by not reigning in Mayor Rosemarie Ives' socialist agenda.

It's disgusting and it needs to be repelled!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=11635852

Quote:

REDMOND -- A property tax hike that would add more than $300 on a
half-million-dollar home will be on the May 16 ballot in Redmond.
The City Council this week decided to seek the increase of 65 cents per $1,000 valuation to fill a budget gap and also for increased public safety, including construction of a new fire station in the north end of the city.

My letter to the King County Journal:

Redmond's proposed tax increase on homeowners is a full 53% increase on the taxes that the City of Redmond takes from homeowners and it's an outrage!

The outrage is that Mayor Ives got her Taj MaCity Hall built when there were no controls on the spending for the new facility and the city's estimates on operational costs are, surprise, not in tune with reality.

They're going to hold Redmondites hostage to pay for law enforcement and fire protection when some fiscal discipline on the Mayor's part and better oversight on the City Council's part could have kept taxes reasonable.

This is a black mark on all of those who purport to be fiscally responsible on the council.
I can't wait until next year to vote them all out!

And, check out what passes as art. The "artist" that pitched this idea has to be lounging somewhere on the French Riveria and laughing his ass off. This is what we get for 2% of the budget of the entire project?

DunnerMeister

Cantwell in the 'Hood' with Sen. Obama

2006-03-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

Robert Jamieson is at it again. His latest editorial about Sen. Cantwell is just a real piece of work not for what it says, but for what it doesn’t say.

Mr. Jamieson/Editor,

Everything you said about Sen. Cantwell is true, but that's not what struck me about your editorial of March 18. No, the irony that slapped me upside the head as I read your column was that the Garfield PTSA was funding several programs to teach students what should already be on the learning docket in a high school.

How is it that Garfield High School students aren't learning how to read with the funds that employ English teachers right now? This is the real tragedy here; liberals don't see that the very teachers unions that they back to the hilt are the ones that resist standards and turn out illiterate students at an alarming pace.

Another point that seems to escape your naturally critical eye is that we're currently in deficit-spending mode which means that even if we were not engaged in Iraq, it doesn't necessarily follow that we'd be spending that money on education or other social programs.

The sooner that we realize spending more money is not the answer to some problems, the sooner we'll stop failing our children that are stuck in public schools that aren't making the grade. Competition (school choice/vouchers) in education is what it will take to fix this ugly report card.

DunnerMeister

Senate Majority Leader Brown gives our Soldiers' Families a Black Eye

2006-03-09T01:29:00.000-08:00

Today, Senator Lisa Brown (D) pulled the lowest of stinking, dirty, rotten tricks on her Republican counterparts by quickly adjourning the Senate before taking up SHB-3293 which would have protected funerals of servicemen and women from protesters. Recently military funerals of those KIA in Iraq and Afghanistan have been protested by the evil and disgusting Fred Phelps on the grounds that the US Military (by virtue that they allow homosexuals to serve in the armed services, but not openly) is pro-gay or some such thing.

This bill would have kept such protesters 500 feet from the funeral where they cannot upset the grieving family. Because of Senator Brown’s actions on March 8th, 2006, these families will not have these common sense protections in Washington State. According to Sen. Brown, apparently these men and women who have given their all for America don’t deserve a decent and undisturbed funeral service. That is just so unbelievably pathetic that it’s beyond my ability to express ideas that adequately describe the depths of disgust that I and many others are experiencing today.

I think that it needs to be said in blunt terms: Senator Lisa Brown (and by association her Democrat colleagues in the Washington State House and Senate) are absolutely and unequivocally UN-patriotic! To pull a stunt like this on the last day of the session when everyone knew the deal that was brokered to bring it before the Senate is a slap to the United States Military and all of those who believe in the freedoms that they protect.

Here is my rhetorical query to Sen. Brown about her actions today:

Sen. Brown,

Question: What's worse than a lying, thieving Senate Majority Leader who chooses not to protect fallen American servicemen and women at their very funerals by pulling a last-minute dirty trick on the opposition party?

Answer: A bunch of stupid Republican Senators that actually trust this person to keep their word.

Your actions today are disgusting and reprehensible. How you can look yourself in the mirror in the morning without retching is beyond me. You have a stronger stomach than I.

I have to say that I’m disappointed in the Republicans in the Senate because they know what a conniving, two-faced twit Senator Brown is, so why didn’t their bill go first since they weren’t in the majority and calling the shots? Everyone knows that the Republicans would have kept their word or the Seattle P-I would be writing about it until Kingdom Come.

This is a sad day not just for this goofy state, but for America.

Unfortunately there is virtually no recourse other than to beat Democrats over the head with it at election time. That's just what I'm going to do.

DunnerMeister

Dubai Ports Deal Helps Our Standing in Arabia

2006-03-08T17:22:00.000-08:00

Allowing DP World to proceed with the deal to take over operations at six US ports is not the huge risk to national security that it might seem when one considers the facts of the matter, but it is surely an unpopular concept to 90% of Americans.

President Bush is in a very tenuous situation because the idea is so unpopular that even liberal Democrats who decry racial profiling until now are beside themselves in appearing tougher on homeland security than Republicans and yet the president rightly does not want to cause an international incident with the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is a supplier of crude oil as well as an ally in the war against IslamoFascist terrorism.

So, what can be done here? If we went with what the most brilliant woman in America (if not the planet) wants to do, we'd alienate the UAE in favor of a policy that wouldn't allow foreign government-owned enterprises from operating terminals on American soil. This would be a pretty serious blow not only to the relationship with the UAE, but also with China and Singapore since they operate terminals on the west coast that are government controlled entities of these two countries. Doesn't seem very smart coming from the America's Wünderfrau President-in-waiting (God forbid!).

Or, we could go ahead with the deal as planned which seems unlikely in this case when all of the Democrats and some of the Republicans (all of which are up for re-election) seem to be sticking their fingers in their ears and wailing "Nah nah nah, I can't hear you" despite the Bush Administration doing a better job of explaining the situation to folks who should be more intellectually honest about the real impact of this on national security. But, if they were more forthright, they wouldn't be politicians now would they?

So, it seems that President Bush is between a rock and a hard spot. It's my guess that President Bush and Dubai Ports World will likely come up with an operational plan which creates a blind trust organization with a management team to be made entirely of Americans and any profits on the enterprise shipped back to the UAE so that the influence of any UAE nationals on the operation are minimized. This should appease the blithering idiots in Congress who can't deal with complex issues and see the enormous downside to this deal being scuttled.

This is why we leave foreign affairs up to one person – the president; 535 people making decisions on how we should work with or against other nations would be a massive debacle. Much like this issue has become despite only having one decision-maker. Chalk this up to it being election season. The mule deer are rutting and no one is safe out there.

DunnerMeister

The Seattle Times: Out Leftie-ing the P-I?

2006-02-18T02:06:00.000-08:00

I know you say, “How can this be?” I guess the Times is fighting the P-I for the same liberal market for their newspaper circulation since readership is generally dwindling.

I’m going to have to rethink the idea that the Seattle Times is the responsible and sane Seattle newspaper after Ryan Blethen’s inane and ridiculous editorial which likens the Bush Administration to the party Orwell wrote about in “1984”. Has he lost a cog?

The humorous part about this whole NSA terrorist eavesdropping issue is that not a single claim has been made that the administration has used this inappropriately or on targets other than suspected terrorist operatives and you know that they'd be all over the media if they had. Indeed, the only time it concerns American civil rights is when one of these suspects calls or is called by someone inside the US. That, by definition, is not “domestic” spying. When you make a call to Germany or the UK, is that considered a domestic call or an international call? Emphatically international.

What about tipping off our enemies to the methods we are using to nail their filthy, jihadist hides to the wall do you not understand? The more we divulge about such programs, the less effective they will be in identifying and eliminating those who would do us harm. I guess you think that it’s fine to use Predator drones to kill them, but it’s a terrible crime to listen in on their phone calls? How idiotic is that.

This idea that assertive actions should be dampened by the passage of time is to underestimate the nature, viciousness, and endurance of our enemy. I sincerely hope we are never attacked again by Islamo-fascist terrorists (and this sort of program is designed to prevent exactly such things), but if we are it will be a painful and unwelcome I-told-you-so that will leave American liberalism on the scrap heap of history.

Where, Mr. Blethen, has any of your rights been violated or freedoms diminished? You cite not a single one. I say we give no civil rights to terrorists or those who may plot with them.

DunnerMeister

Hagel coughs up a bagel

2006-02-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm not so sure that presidential wannabe (yeah, right, over my dead body) Sen. Chuck Hagel is long for the Republican Party with moronic statements like this:

And Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a Republican and Vietnam war veteran, told The Omaha World-Herald, "If he'd been in the military, he would have learned gun safety."

Senator Hagel is moving into what I call "John McCain" territory (despised for everything but his military service). Unbelievable!

Maybe the Vice President should offer to take the good Senator hunting. :)

DunnerMeister

Better make a peep or get shot by the Veep.

2006-02-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

I'd still go hunting with Vice President Cheney if I ever had the opportunity to do it because:

When are you going to get to go hunting with a sitting VP again? Not when the Democrat gun-grabbers are in office.
The guy's just lucky that he didn't get his head blown off; you gotta let your pals know you're back with them or this kinda thing can happen.
Ah, birdshot doesn't hurt that much. Just ask my brother about the BBs when we were kids.
VP Cheney's got another 100,000 hunting hours before he nicks someone else, so the timing couldn't be better.
He's a shoot first, ask questions later kinda guy. I like that!

I'm sure he'll get one helluva ribbing the next time he speaks to the National Rifle Association. I bet he won't live that one down…

I wouldn't be surprised if MoveOn.org encourages him to take Justice Antonin Scalia out hunting again?

DunnerMeister

Tories Keep Campaign Promise to Arm Border Guards

2006-01-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

Newly-elected Tories will support arming Canadian border guards

All of you Americans say, "What the H – E – Double Hockey Sticks? They have border guards that aren't allowed to carry a sidearm?"

Yep, in the Liberals massively finite wisdom, they concluded that arming Canada Border Services Agency officers would "escalate the violence" when armed individuals attempt to enter Canada with weapons. So, many border guards have, and rightfully so with no means to protect themselves, walked off the job when a threat became evident. You'd almost think that they were Frenchies (oh, wait, some of them are!) with their hands in the air and rifles on the ground.

But, not Vic Toews. He's the former opposition's justice critic for the Tories. He's come right out and said that as soon as they can be outfitted and trained, they will have weapons to protect the borders of the Great White North.

Ok, for all of you total morons that support the Liberals in Canada, let me let you in on a little secret. Criminals will always be able to procure weapons, so your law enforcement should be screened well and trained even better to deal with this possible threat. Taking away the means of defending themselves either ends up with an entire agency being the butt of jokes or, worse, assuming room temperature at the hands of some hand canon wielding slimeball.

The Tories promised that they'd arm the border agents if they won and it looks like they've already started to move on that pledge. If you can't trust a federal agent after training them thoroughly on how to use the weapon, how to minimize collateral damage and the scenarios where they should be used, then you just need to let someone else run the county. Fortunately that's exactly what the Canadians have done in firing the Liberals. Good riddance to ineffective rubbish.

DunnerMeister

Jason Atkinson, candidate for Oregon Governor profiled in WorldNetDaily

2006-01-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

Jason Atkinson, candidate for Oregon Governor profiled in WorldNetDaily

He's an absolute mover and shaker at the tender age of 35, he grew up in Rogue Valley (as did the DunnerMeister) and he's the pragmatic conservative dark horse in this year's gubernatorial race in Washington's neighbor to the South. What's not to love?

I have personal experience with Jason Atkinson. He came to a court hearing in Washington State for my brother-in-law who was his constituent at the time and was in legal trouble in Seattle. Yep, a seven hour butt-busting drive to stand by a constituent in a criminal hearing where Senator Atkinson thought justice wasn't being served. And this wasn't a big campaign donor or even a close long-time family friend. It was a constituent who wasn't getting a fair shake and he hoped his testimony could make a difference. Even though he wasn't successful, it shows his devotion to serve those who sent him to Salem. Now that's commitment!

Good luck Jason! We're pulling for you!

DunnerMeister

Murderer and Would-be Bush Assassin Convicted

2006-01-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

CNN: Would-be assassin from the former Soviet republic of Georgia gets life in prison

Vladimir Arutinian was sentenced to life in prison in the former Soviet satellite of Georgia on January 11th. He was convicted of attempted murder of the US and Georgian president as well as the murder of a senior police officer that was killed while trying to apprehend Arutinian.

The would-be assassin threw a live grenade within about 100 feet of the presidents and deserves the death penalty for his deeds, but Europe is "too enlightened" for that. No word on if this guy is affiliated with any Muslim extremist groups. My momma told me not to judge a book by its cover, but I wouldn't be surprised if that turns out to be the case.

DunnerMeister