Monthly Archives: September 2008

Pensacola

aSide Order

As hurricane Ike headed to Texas, the surf went up on Pensacola Beach, which attracted, of course, surfers. As a public safety issue, the ‘red’ flags were out. That means that people are supposed to stay out of the water. Since law enforcement doesn’t usually apply the red flag warning to surfers, for obvious reasons, you have to wonder what this officer was thinking? Was he going to drive out there and apprehend a surfer? Was he going to ride the waves in his 4-wheeler? Most likely, he was just too close to the water and learned what storm surf can do, the hard way. One thing is for sure, he will get at least 15 minutes of fame on YouTube.

Look for this headline in the Pensacola News Journal, ‘Surfers Rescue Officer, From Surf.’ So far, there has been no mention of this in the local media and it is election time in the Sheriff’s Department.

This is turning out to be a video day on aSide Order. Here is one that happened not too long ago. It has a by-line, ‘you can ‘t fix stupid.’ Here’s a guy who goes into a gambling casino, sits at a card table, and bets a bag of weed. You have to see it to believe it.

link: Man attempts to bet marijuana at a casino

This video epitomizes the dumb blond stereotype. If you have to go pee, you probably should do it before watching this.

link:How the blond thing got started.

And finally. Have you ever heard of a baseball player being so good that he wasn’t allowed to play?

Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player – too good, it turns out. The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

link: 9-year-old boy told he’s too good to pitch

2008 Election, Energy, Politics, Russia

Obama's Energy Plan For Independence Runs On Hope

In the last few days, Democrat candidate for President Sen. Barack Obama gave us the benefit of two one-on-one interviews to get to know some of what he has planned for an Obama administration. One was with Bill O’Reilly last week and the other was at Columbia University in New York tonight called the ServiceNation Summit Forum. In both settings, Obama addressed his plan for energy independence. And where energy independence is concerned, he has no plan, and here’s why.

With Bill O’Reilly on the subject of energy independence, Obama said he has a plan. It is to spend $150 billion (coming from oil companies) over ten years to develop solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. To be realistic about it, $150 billion over ten years is not all that much considering the task at hand. He didn’t say anything about nuclear power until O’Reilly asked him about that specifically. He then said ‘oh yeah, sure we’ll expand nuclear power.’ He did not mention drilling for more oil and gas. Instead, he rested his case on the hope that we will be able to actually become energy independent with scientific breakthroughs that he hopes will come. And he justified this position by saying ‘Kennedy didn’t know how we were going to get to the moon.’ I’m beginning to see what he means by hope and change. The change is we’re going to govern on hope.

Obama addresses energy one more time near the end of the interview when discussing the problem with Putin invading Georgia and threatening the United States if we put a defensive missile system in Poland, and what he would do about Putin. Obama’s said short of a military response, there are two levers we can use. One is economic which would require help from Europe. Because Russia is economically tied to Europe and to a lesser extent the United States. The other he said, was to ‘get our energy policy straight.’

Fast forward to tonight at Columbia University. The sum of his statement on energy was this one sentence. From the transcript . . .

We’re going to have a bold energy plan that says that we are going to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 20 or 30 percent over the course of a decade or two.

Twenty or thirty percent over a decade or two? In a matter of a week, his plan went from 10 years to 20 years. And he is not sure by how much he can do it. 20% OR 30%? Is that even a goal? And even at that, there is no independence. Right now, we import 70 percent of our oil. Do the math with me here. If Obama can cut that by 20 or 30 percent then his definition of energy independence is to import 40 to 50 percent from foreign sources instead of 70 percent.

If this is what Barack Obama calls energy independence, and getting our energy policy straight, then he isn’t the one to get us there.

links: O’Reilly interview video | ServiceNation Summit Forum transcript

Pensacola

Paradox In Pensacola

In reference to a post a couple days ago entitled Pensacola Welcomes World, wherein the subject was about a survey of young people who believe Pensacola is a loser of a city. I happen to disagree. I mean there are things here that could use improving, mostly in a political sense. But the city, the beach, the people, for the most part is fine. Then again, I’m not among the generation that was polled.

So I quickly became amused when in today’s paper I see another ‘Best of’ survey is being done by the Pensacola News Journal. That wasn’t what was amusing to me. What was amusing to me were the categories. I ask you, does this look like a community in distress?

  • Best Massage
  • Best Facial
  • Best Pampering for the Day
  • Best Hair Salon
  • Best Nail Salon
  • Best Tanning Salon

related links: Best of the Bay | Pensacola Welcomes World

Race Relations

Achievement Gap, 'Public' Schools Failing Students

Here’s a statistic of what public education in Philadelphia is doing to its students.

Today, they saw the raw data, and were collectively horrified. One in 10 white students is classified as mentally gifted; just 3 in 100 black students are. Black and Latino students make up 79 percent of the district’s 165,000 students, but make up just 54 percent of students in the district’s prestigious magnet schools. Those groups make up 90 percent of all children labeled “emotionally disturbed,” and most of the students at the district’s lowest-performing schools.

Am waiting for Barack Obama to come out against school choice and vouchers. What do you think the parents of those kids would choose? More money into failing schools, or a choice to which school they can send their child? The schools system wants to pour good money after bad to train their teachers instead of replacing them. Teachers are supposed to know how to teach before they get a classroom. These schools can’t even give their students schedules on their first day. Sounds a lot like bureaucratic Washington doesn’t it?

Students did not have rosters on the first day of school, a glitch that will take weeks to sort out. Rev. Bryant Robinson, a member of the Germantown Clergy Initiative, was there on the first day. “It was dysfunctional. It was chaos,” Robinson said. Students were roaming the halls, unsure where to go, he said.

And, when schools excel, instead of concentrating on how to bring students up to the set standard, they want to lower the standards for racial and ethnic reasons instead of maintaining academic excellence.

The superintendent also took aim at some of the district’s special admittance schools. She said she can’t understand why the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush, which opened last week in Northeast Philadelphia, requires students not only to audition but also score in the 85th percentile on state exams. “We know the numbers of African American and Latino students who are scoring at that level,” Ackerman said. “We are keeping these people out.”

Is it any wonder that the education system there is in shambles when their focus is more on race than academics?

This is a political season. Which of the two presidential candidates has the right answer to fix our educational system?

link: SRC stunned by achievement gap in Phila schools

2008 Election, Politics

RNC’s Night And The Obama Campaign, part 2

The Republican National Party’s convention ended on a much different note than last night. Last night was for the base with the introduction of Gov. Palin, a conservative by most peoples definition. She also answered her critics, primarily Obama himself, with a smile and in a humorous way. Tonight, John McCain gave us his life’s story, putting into context his theme of America first. He pointed out some differences between what Obama wants and what he wants which were issues characteristic to the parties, not attacks of a personal nature.

McCain spoke of his record of reaching out in order to serve Americans of all parties. He asked for the support of democrats, independents, and undecideds, promising to fight for them all. I thought it was unusual to go there at a party convention, but then, that’s John McCain. And, I think he was somewhat successful in his attempt to enlarge the political tent.

McCain also hit on specifics that most Americans want and need to know about like education, the economy, security and the war, freedom, jobs, trade, and the size and role of government. Voters now have a clear choice.

As for the Obama Campaign, they seem to have been taken off message because the only thing I’ve heard Obama talk about for the past week is John McCain. His war room is sending out campaign contribution emails making up stories about the McCain campaign. Obama is touting his role as a community organizer as one of his qualifications to run the country. And about Sarah Palin, Obama is claiming that being a mayor is no qualification to be vice president. So last night, in explaining the difference between a community organizer and a mayor, Gov. Palin was responding to Obama’s claim when she pointed out the obvious, the difference is responsibility.

So the Obama campaign immediately sends out emails saying that by her explanation, Gov. Palin does not care about the jobless, the homeless, and the hopeless. It is as though they were looking at a different show last night than I did. By responding in this way, and buttressed by the media-wing of his campaign, Obama is beginning to look like a whiner by making up stories about his opponent. All the while he is not getting a positive message out to the voters. And to that, I say to the Obama campaign, keep it up.

UPDATE 9/10/08: One week later, the addition of ‘Sarah Palin’ makes this post still current. As for the Obama Campaign, they seem to have been taken off message because the only thing I’ve heard Obama talk about for the past week is John McCain and Sarah Palin.

This post was originally posted on Sept 4. The day after Gov. Palin’s introductory speech at the RNC.

Pensacola

Pensacola Welcomes World

In response to an article in the Pensacola News Journal, citing a survey of the ‘quality of life’ in Pensacola, there are plenty of places worse than Pensacola to live. And that’s not to run down Pensacola, that’s just a fact.

We moved here in ’82 and love it. Sorry if I appear to be out of touch with the younger crowd that was surveyed, but IMHO, Pensacola isn’t all that bad. What is bad, and what gets all the negative vibes going, is all the political friction in the city and county governments here. It’s kind of like scrapple, if you knew what goes in it, you probably wouldn’t want it. And it tends to stoke the frustration of the younger, characteristically impatient, set.

FWIW, our family has lived in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Louisiana, and now (and lastly) Florida. And in each state, our kids would lament, why do we have to live here? There’s nothing to do. There are no jobs. There are no girls. (we have 3 boys) They always seem to feel like the grass is greener over there, or there, or anywhere than where we are living at the time.

It would be nice, and convenient, if everyone who grew up here could continue to work and live here. But to expect that is being a little selfish, if not unrealistic. There are only two ways to get a job. Create your own by starting a business, or work for someone else who did. And to do the latter takes some initiative, some guts, and some determination. On second thought, that’s what it takes to do either. All the ingredients of a success story in the making. It may even include moving away from home and making your own home in a city or place where your job takes you. Having been there, done that, I can attest to the fact that America is full of nice places to live with nice people living there. Human nature being what it is, nice people will gravitate to nice people. Miserable people will gravitate to miserable people. The choice you make is the path you take.

In Pensacola, the weather is great, hurricanes notwithstanding. Being from the Jersey shore, hurricanes don’t bother me. But more than that, the people here are great. Compared to people in the northeast, there is a discernible difference in attitude. A little more laid back, a little more friendly. There is a reason that people are not migrating to the north as fast as they are moving south. That is something that the people in Florida, Pensacola included, can be proud of.

link: What’s your quality of life? by Rebekah Allen

2008 Election, Politics, War On Terror

Obama's Sleight-Of-Hand Move With Your Money

Since about the time the Democrat(ic) party decided to change their mind on the war in Iraq, which took all of about 4 months after it started, what has been their complaint? After the ‘he lied to get us into war’ and ‘there were no WMD’s,’ Democrat’s main concern was its cost. We can’t afford it. It will break our economy.

True, the cost of the war is great. Unfortunately, the cost of losing it is greater. Early on in their chorus of the immense cost of the war, I suspected that they were basically looking at the ‘cost’ of the war as opportunities lost for all sorts of entitlement and other socialistic programs that build (read ‘buy’) voter constituencies.

Today, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) just proved my suspicion was well founded. Apparently, Obama and his party have gotten used to spending $10 billion a month on the war, and they have seen that the country is still here, and still growing, despite all the obstacles and challenges that have happened to us since the war began. They are no longer saying that we can’t afford it. Instead, in responding to President Bush’s announcement to draw down troops in Iraq, and to put more troops in Afghanistan, Obama is saying that he has better uses for that $10 billion a month.

It’s time to change our foreign policy. I will succeed in Iraq by responsibly removing our combat brigades and pressing Iraqis to stand up for their future. I will rebuild our military. I will finally have a comprehensive strategy to finish the job in Afghanistan – with more troops, more training for Afghan security forces, more development resources, more anti-corruption safeguards, and more of a focus on eliminating the Taliban and al Qaeda sanctuary along the Pakistan border. And I will stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq so that we can invest in our economy here at home.

What is the answer to the enormous cost of the war? When it ends, the cost also ends. Who knows, we might need it again some day.

link: Senator Obama’s Remarks on President Bush’s Speech

Media, Politics

MSNBC To Undergo A Libectomy

2 Comments

Olbermann? Matthews? Too opinionated? No. Do you think? There’s no problem with either of these libs with having strong opinions. The problem is they are cast as ‘news anchors.’

MSNBC is removing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as the anchors of live political events, bowing to growing criticism that they are too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign.

Both of them would be a better fit with the rabid Air America Radio crowd, which if it was ever surveyed, was probably the majority of their audience anyway.

related links:MSNBC Drops Olbermann, Matthews as News Anchors | Meltdown at MSNBC | pMSNBC Libs Ignite On Scarborough

2008 Election, Politics

'What If' Is Not A Strategy For POTUS

It’s no secret that playing on Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) age has become a talking point, albeit ‘winning’ strategy on the Left. Obviously, those that do this have not met McCain’s ninety-six year old mother. This is how it goes, ‘yea, he has military experience, but because he is so old, if he dies in office and Palin takes over, then where will we be? She has no experience.’

This strategy works well with the unsuspecting masses because it takes no thought whatsoever. First of all, it presumes their new nemesis, Sarah Palin, has no experience. Actually, she has more executive experience than both men on the Democratic ticket combined. And as an added bonus, she is not part of the Washington crowd. She is the one who is ‘in touch’ with Americans and their ‘values’ that the Left would like you to believe they have. And the Left will exploit those at the bottom of the barrel to ‘prove’ it.

Secondly, this ‘what if’ strategy acknowledges that there is a war going on and that the world is a dangerous place that requires the United States to be and to stay strong militarily. This flies in the face of the mantra of McCain’s opponents, who have been saying for years that our military should come home and just get out of the zones of conflict where we are currently engaged, then our enemies will not bother us. In other words, quit.

If you’re going to be using the mortality of a candidate to make a judgment, then you can’t ignore this one. The real kicker in this ‘what if’ strategy is, it totally ignores what will happen to our country if Obama becomes President and lives. To me, that would be worse for our country than if McCain becomes President and dies.