From Russia...Love Withheld

Pretty interesting news yesterday, it seems that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as arrested 10 people. The Washington Post has a story on it as well as most news agencies.

While I am very interested in this story. I am not surprised by the news at all. Vladimir Putin is the current Prime Minister of Russia but that is only because he had already served two terms as President. So, when he ran up against a term limit issue he hand picked his successor, Dmitry Medvedev , and became Prime Minister a position that I believe has no term limits. Putin is old school KGB he joined up in 1975 and, I feel, is Cold War all the way. I think that America has not been as diligent as they should have been in dealing with him. For us to think that just because the Soviet Union fell apart means that Russia wants to be our friend is short sighted and really dangerous. The international world is not a safe place and these countries that have long been our enemies, Russia and China, to name just two, are not going to sit on their hands while we devote all of our time and considerable resources to the Middle East.

Now, I realize that part of the problem is that the Middle East is sitting, due to no fault of ours, on our oil and we need it to run our cars and big machines. But I think if we continue to act like Russia and China are countries that we do not need to be concerned about we are going to be in big trouble in the next few years.

I believe that there has been an 11th arrest in the Russian spy case and I bet there is going to be more. This case is going to be something to keep an eye on and I am sure that both sides of the American political coin are going to be spinning it for all it is worth. But, I do not think these arrests are intended to discredit President Obama, this is a far bigger issue then mere political maneuvering and if that is the sole intent of these arrests then we as a country deserve what is coming to us.

A Little Break

Hey everybody, I know my posts have been a little spotty lately but things should be back on track soon. I am in the middle of kind of the busy season at work so that is the reason why. I hope by next week I am back on pace. I will try to post a couple of times this week but I am not sure when I will be able to find the time. Thanks for sticking with me.

6-21-10 Monday

Good Monday to you folks. Today is the first day of Summer and in Oregon at least the sun is shining and I had a nice drive to work. I believe that it is supposed to be in the seventies for most of the week and that is good enough for me.

There was a interesting piece this morning on the radio about one of the myriad of business in the gulf of Mexico that are being affected by the broken oil pipe. It was one that I had not thought of but it was an ice making plant. The Huey Ice Company located in Dulac, La. They make blocks of ice for the boats to carry to keep their shrimp and other seafood catches cold. Well in the height of a normal season they might make as much as 90,000 pounds of ice a day. But, since the shrimp season has been canceled they are just kind of creeping along. It was interesting to me and not from a political point of view in terms of the pros or cons of drilling or anything like that. But, it was pretty even handed discussion of how business in the area are being affected. I was aware that shrimp fishermen were being affected but it just did not occur to me to think about all of the other things that were going to have problems as well. The people who repair the engines on these boats and lots and lots of other maintenance kind of things that are really going to not need to be done if the boats are not in the water actively being worked.

I found it interesting to me because it highlighted for me the amount of stuff that I take for granted when I think of how something impacts the area. I just hope that one good thing that comes out of this mess down there is that these oil companies will update and really take seriously their methods when it comes to safety and clean up. I think this has really highlighted the fact that they have let this lapse for far to long.

6-17-2010 Thursday (Glenn Beck & Soccer)

I want to write something really witty and pithy here but I am not feeling it today. That concerns me a little bit because I like writing but if I need to be all worked up about it then I am not sure it is very healthy for me to be writing.

I would really like to get fired up over the that fact Glenn Beck is just being a bozo about the World Cup.

“It doesn't matter how you try to sell it to us, it doesn't matter how many celebrities you get, it doesn't matter how many bars open early, it doesn't matter how many beer commercials they run, we don't want the World Cup, we don't like the World Cup, we don't like soccer, we want nothing to do with it.”

But, I mean it is Glenn Beck and I honestly think that he doesn't have a filter. He just seems to riff on the radio and I am not even sure if he writes anything down. His commentary on Soccer is much like his commentary on most things in the world and America. I just do not think he gets it. I hope one day that I could have a radio or television show and just say things to get people fired up. I would really enjoy the amount of money that I could make from such an endeavor. There are lots of things that I know absolutely nothing about but I would not let that stop me.

I will have my voice be heard!! Now, who wants to pay me?

6-15-2010 Tuesday

Aaargh!! Shake fist!! Big Government!! How dare they? Dirty Liberals!!! Why I oughta!!

I got nothing today folks you have a good day.

6-14-2010 FLAG DAY

Today is Monday the 14th of June, 2010 and is Flag Day. The resolution for Flag Day was adopted by the second Continental Congress in 1777. Then in 1919 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed officially June 14th as Flag Day. Following that in August 1949 National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

The isn't an official federal holiday and the only U. S. State to celebrate it as a state holiday is Pennsylvania. So if you notice more American flags then usual flying around your cities and neighborhoods this is the reason why.

All simple patriotism aside, I like the American flag I like the stars and stripes. But, I also really like flags in general. If I could I would like to have a collection of different flags of the world as wall hangings in my house. I think they make for a pretty distinctive look and most countries have pretty nicely designed flags and emblems. That is one of the reasons that I like the World Cup so much. It feels like to me even more then the Olympics that the fans are often very proud of the country and they show that in so many different forms of clothing and banners and the like.

I also really enjoy maps as wall hangings. When I was a kid my parents had a subscription to National Geographic and one of the things that I absolutely loved about that magazine was the maps that they would insert periodically. I still have some of them tucked away and I really wish in retrospect that I would have saved more of them. I need to get those hung up.

There was an interesting piece this morning on NPR about Medical Marijuana. Now, all politics aside as far as the moral issues of Marijuana as a drug. I like that more and more states are deciding for themselves if they want to legalize this as a medicine or not. I know I am probably beating a dead horse her because I have already written in length about my pro federalism feelings but I really do like the idea that more and more states are stepping forward and using the citizen initiative process to effect change. To me this is true democracy in action and truly the power of the voter being heard. This isn't big pharma or the Government controlling the testing of and controlling the access to a pretty effective pain killer.

Have a good day folks, take some time to look at some flags and look at some maps and just be nice to each other out there. I vow to do that regardless of political persuasion.

6-10-2007 (Thursday)

I am still waiting for Adam Smiths "invisible hand" to fix this oil leak problem.!

6-8-2010 (Tuesday)

Hey folks, I hope Tuesday finds you well. I do not have a lot to rant about today. I am mainly writing to listen to the sounds of the voices in my head and the click of the keyboard. I sometimes wish I was a little more angry so that I could really get fired up and go off on some sort of nonsensical rant about fluoride in our water or the Government seeding our clouds. But I am not feeling it today.

It is almost like there is so much going on in the world that my sense of outrage is spread out and diluted. I would love to really narrow down and focus it like a laser on something but right now I am just not feeling the need.

One thing I am excited for is the World Cup. The first game is this Friday and it is Mexico against the host country South Africa. I realize that not all of my readers are interested in the World Cup and to them I say tough beans. I shall be writing a little bit about it as the tournament progresses.

You folks have a great day.

6-7-2010 (Monday)

Well I went to the Timbers game last night. It was a good game up to a point. The team looked good. The passing was strong and they seemed to actually be looking to attack and to force the other team to react to what the Timbers were doing offensively. That was the first half and part of the second half. The Timbers started the game running a 4-4-2 that isn't set in stone because one of the players. Alex Nimo by name is allowed the flexibility to roam pretty much where ever he want's to on the pitch. This works extraordinarily well for the Timbers. The game was still a 0-0 tie after the first half and after a very heavy rain shower during halftime the Timbers came out looking just as strong in the second half. The end result of the action was a Timbers goal by Ryan Pore off of a nice pass by Nimo to Bright Dike who then led Pore into to the open and Pore just basically slid it past the keeper into the corner.

At that point it seemed like the Timbers decided to close up shop and not attack anymore. Then a few minutes later they subbed Dike out and switched to a either 5-4-1 or a 4-5-1. I feel like that was a horrible, horrible mistake by the Timbers. They had the Carolina Railhawks on the ropes and they stopped punishing them. Had the Timbers continued attacking they could have score another 1 or 2 goals easily. But, they didn't they took their foot of of the accelerator and soon after the 90yh minute in stoppage time the Railhawks scored to end the game in a 1-1 draw. It was an absolutely terrible way to end a ball game.

I think it was a game that the Timbers gave away due to a very bad coaches decision. I am concerned about how the team looks so far this season and I really hope they can get it together enough to get into the playoffs. I would love to see them win the title before they move to the MLS next season. But, the way they look right now I am not sure if that is going to happen.

6-6-2010 (Sunday)

Today is a match day for the Portland Timbers. If you do not know they are the minor league soccer team that I support. But, next season they will be moving into the Major League Soccer (MLS). I am so excited for it. I look forward to a good season and so far this season has been very fun. I should be back later tonight with an update for you as to how the game went and as to how many hipsters I saw. Oh yes I have not forgotten about the new Theocracy and the "Electric Hug-suits" .

6-2-2010 (Wednesday) Selling Space To the Highest Bidder

This morning on the float ride to work I was listening to NPR and they did a piece about the Falcon 9 will those of you who do not know the Falcon 9 is a rocket that was built by SpaceX a private company that hopes to be part of the future privatization of space travel. Now I do not have a problem with this in and of itself and I understand why the idea might seem appealing to an administration that is trying to cut costs in some areas.

But, I am wary of privatizing anything after the fiasco that was the privatization of the military during the latest Iraq war. While I believe it is possible to make a case that there was a slight amount of savings for the American military during the war. I think overall the fiscal cost as well as the way that the American military was changed using this model hurt far more then it helped. Things have to be weighed on a scale that is made up of far more then dollars and cents. There is an emotional cost to things. There is a societal cost to things and our actions in Iraq or I should say the actions of private security firms like Haliburton and Blackwater have hurt America and will continue to hurt America for generations to come.

But, my ranting on that aside. Here is the link to the story NPR FALCON 9 give it a listen and then swing back by. Am I wrong to be concerned about this? I really think that this in the end could cost America far more then any savings we are gaining right now. What do you think?