The Violence Worker!

I'm Bummed

I'm really bummed about Boeing losing the Tanker deal.  I wouldn't have been involved with it in any way, but still, it hurts to see the work and the profits go to Airbus.

Since I work for the Big B, all I will say is that I'm very disappointed.  I think it's a shame we will be relying on the European Union for such an important piece of hardware.

VW

That Sound You Just Heard...

Was the sound of the Democrats heaving a huge, collective sigh of relief at the news that New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced that he will not run for President.

It's been my contention all along that even though Bloomberg is a Republican, he would take more votes away from the Democrats than he would the Republicans.

VW

Congress Strikes Out

So Congress is asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Roger Clemens lied to them or not.  Talk about important business! 

From NBC Sports:

WASHINGTON - Roger Clemens’ denial of steroid use warrants further investigation, Congress said Wednesday in asking the Justice Department to determine whether the star pitcher lied under oath in testimony to a House committee.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman and ranking Republican Tom Davis sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, urging more scrutiny of Clemens’ statements in a Feb. 5 sworn deposition and at a Feb. 13 public hearing where he said he “never used anabolic steroids or human growth hormone.”

I used to be a huge baseball fan back when I was a kid.  I followed the Detroit Tigers for years and still cast an occasional glance at their stats. Guys like Al Kaline, Willie Horton and Norm Cash were the guys we idolized.

I guess we should have known that at some point performance enhancing drugs would be used and maybe they did even back then.  Who knows.

The point to this is that regardless of when they started using them or if Roger Clemens used them, it isn't a Congressional matter.  It's a baseball and law enforcement problem. 

One would think that with a war going on, with terrorists looking to attack us and the economy starting to head for points south, there would be a lot more import things for the Congress to investigate.

No wonder this country is in the trouble it's in.

VW

Back To Normal

I've turned off the TypeKey requirement for now.  Things appear to be back to normal.  If people get stupid again, I won't hesitate to turn it back on or even require comment moderation.

Thank you all for your patience.

VW

Why Obama Should Not Be President.

UPDATE:  For more blog entries in the series, go here:

http://www.violenceworker.com/my_weblog/why_obama_should_not_be_president/index.html

I realize that liberals do not understand this concept, but regardless of what they think, the facts are that the United States is free and remains that way as long as we keep a strong, technologically advanced military.

Listen to this:

This should scare the living hell out of you!!!!

• I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.

You mean like what was used to shoot down that satellite?  This hearkens back to the days of Reagan and "star wars".  I'm sure that there are parts of it that need work or improvement, but to toss out a program because it is, as yet, unproven is just plain wrongheaded. 

At one point in time, airplanes were unproven technology and yet in 1909, the military bought their first rudimentary military airplane.  Talk about unproven technology!!!!  Good thing Obama wasn't President!

• I will not weaponize space

Too late, Bucko!  It already is.  The Chinese are already deploying them.  To not do this puts a lot of technology at risk.  Your TV (Even cable is transmitted to your town via satellite), the internet, GPS and a host of military technologies depend upon Satellites.

• I will slow development of future combat systems

This one should scare the living hell out of you!!!!!  The post WWII US Military has relied on technology to give us the edge.  During the Cold War, the Soviets had us in numbers.  They had more men, missiles, airplanes, and bullets, but we had them in technology.  We could get there faster, kill more of them then they could us and do it with precision accuracy.  It was our edge, our ace in the hole.  And now, this man wants to destroy it!

The Chinese, through espionage and other means, are trying to catch up and take the lead in technology.  It would be absolutely irresponsible to allow our technological edge to completely disappear. 

• I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons and to seek that goal, I will not develop nuclear weapons...

The world is nuclear.  The genie is out of the bottle and will not be put back in.  We must be ready to counter any and every threat.

Obama will destroy the military and their technological edge.  In a battle, that could mean the difference of a few lives lost and hundreds or thousands, not to mention his plans call for putting our entire safety as a nation at risk..

VW

I'm Not The Only One

My friend Flag Gazer has a good set of rules of at her blog.  This is someone who quite possibly has never written an unkind word about anyone and yet she draws the wrath of those who hate the military.

In response, she has had instituted comment moderation.  She also laid out some rules of etiquette that all of us should remember.  I really think it's tragic.

Her rule number one is this:

1. This is my house - be respectful or leave.

Our blogs are ours.  Even the free " Blogger" blogs are home to a lot of folks.  Unlike blogger, TypePad IS NOT free. I pay for this.  I bought the domain name.  I pay for the bandwidth.  I pay to use the platform.  It's not expensive, but they do a wonderful job and I don't have to know a bunch html to customize it and use it. 

The point is, I pay for this and no, I don't make any money.  I don't care.  I don't have the time to turn this into some kind of megablog anyway.  This is mine and I make the rules and I can change them on a whim.  Another Retired USAF type is one of my guest authors, BobF.  I give him freehand to write and post what he wants.  He can do what he wants with what he posts.

So we are not the only ones here at The Violence Worker experience the wrath of the immature left.  I'm beginning to think it's a harbinger of things to come this summer.

So if you have a moment, please go over to Flag Gazer's "home" and leave her a little encouragement. It may not get posted immediately, but she will appreciate it. 

VW

The Fat Lady Chronicles

Please visit the Fat Lady Chronicles.  The URL is http://www.flcblog.com.  The gals are back after a long hiatus and ready to talk about food, politics and whatever else strikes their fancy.

They told me they wanted their own domain, not some subfolder off of The Violence Worker.  (It still is, it's just that you don't see it) and they wanted me to keep my nose out of it (except when they need help with the interface and the design, but that's wimmin fer ya!).

OK, I got them their own domain, I redesigned the look with new colors and fonts and they promised me faithfully that they would be diligent in posting.

So now, make it worth their while.  If it doesn't interest you, then show it to your wife, Mom, sister, grandmother, daughter, friend or your dog.  If you are a blogger, how about a reciprocal link?  Let me know.

Anyway, it's good stuff and it's hilarious.  Just remember, Nothing is over until these gals sing!

Thanks,

VW

I'm Sorry I Have To Do This

This will remain on top for awhile.  Please scroll past it for new posts.

VW

It seems that some loving and tolerant liberals have decided to target me.  Fine.  The problem is that none of them are man enough to leave a valid email.  It's usually not a problem, but I have a couple of persistent little jerks that have the maturity level of a three year old. 

That said, I'm forced to change the rules for awhile.  From now on, I will require TYPEKEY authentication which means you will have to register with Typekey with a valid email address.

I will, if need be, turn on comment moderation.  I don't want to do that so for now, you'll have to register with TypeKey before you can comment.  If you have a TypePad or other Six Apart account, you can use that info to register with TypeKey.

If things calm down, I'll think about loosening the strings a bit.

VW

Cuban Election Shocker: Raul Voted President!

In what could be called a total shock, Raul Castro was elected by Cuba's Parliament to be President!

Never mind that that there wasn't anyone running against him.  Don't bring up that fact that if there was an opponent, he or she would either be dead or languishing in a Cuban jail.

The Press hails it as some sort of surprise. 

It isn't.

Over at the Commie News Network (CNN), they have have some interesting reader reactions.

This from a Matt Lozier of Fort Thomas, Kentucky:

While it must be said that dictatorship and socialism lend themselves to harsh political tactics and corrupt economic practices, and that Castro's government is certainly guilty of many human-rights abuses, it must also be said that many of his administration's policies have created compelling scenarios in the social arena. Castro's prioritization of education, public health, and the arts have seen success that is uncommon in a region of the world (Latin America and the Caribbean) whose economies and politics are so often marked by extreme polarization of rich and poor.

Again, while he has committed many wrongs against his people in the name of his socialist ideals, I think that pragmatists should accept that not every action of his government has been tyrannical or abusive.

NEWSFLASH for you, Genius!  You could say the same about Stalin or Hitler!  Only an idiot left-winger would make such a stupid statement!

In Cuba, most people are dirt poor.  The average monthly wage is only about 19 dollars a month. While Cubans have a high literacy rate, what does it matter when the government limits what you can read?  And anyone outside of Cuba that can read should know that the health care facilities for the peasantry isn't aything to write home about.  Even Castro flew in doctors from Europe!

Another gem from another genius, a Tom Praska of Minnetonka, Minnesota:

I hope the Cuban people can avoid becoming slaves to the corporations, as has happened here. Maybe they do have a better way! They all get health care and educations. We don't.

Trade away every civil liberty we have to get free health care and education!  And they say Bush wants to take away our rights and shred the Constitution!! 

And here is a real Einstein, a Robert Vadas of Potsdam, New York:

I only hope that Bush's calls for democracy in Cuba are not a mask for reintroducing multinational companies, inequality and the rise of another wealthy caste in that forsaken country.

Let's dissect this little nugget of liberal wisdom, shall we?

He calls Cuba a "forsaken country".  The definition of forsaken is abandoned, forgotten, and in this context, I would wager he also means rundown.  The place is a rat hole.  So if the Communism of Castro is what turned Cuba into a rat hole, why wouldn't a solution that has made this country the wealthiest on earth be the wrong one?

I'll leave you with this one positive comment (There are a few others, but this one was most poignant) left by a Cuban born US Citizen, Major Manny Dominguez, USAF of Charles Town, West Virginia:

My mother was able to escape Castro's government in 1967 when she was only 18 years old and I was 2 weeks old; my father was not allowed to leave with us. Since I was 18 years old, I have been repaying this/our country for the gift of freedom it gave my family. Today I am a major in the U.S. Air Force.

Although I see Castro's resignation as a first, good sign, it is not the time for us Cuban-Americans to celebrate yet. We should not lift the embargo until free elections are given and a democratic Cuban government is in place to work with the US. The Cubans who came in the '60s who helped build what Miami is today, are eager to lead and help restore Cuba to its pre-Castro glory and the largest middle class in the Caribbean.

Thank you, Major Dominguez!  And thank you for your service.

VW

I Hear The Masses Screaming, "Run Ralph, Run!"

Ralph Nader, the gadfly of Presidential politics, announced this morning on "Meet The DePRESSed" that he is a candidate for President of the United States.  Below is a video of his reason why from MSNBC.

 

"Dissent is the mother of ascent,"  It's classic populist Nader.

He is running to raise taxes and institute single payer socialist healthcare.  He wants to end the war immediately and cut the defense budget.  Essentially, he wants to put an end to free markets and run us right into the ground and grind whatever industry is left in this country to a halt. 

Nothing like an old school lefty putting their hat in the ring.

He used to worry Democrats and amuse Republicans.  The Republicans are still amused, but the Democrats are now merely annoyed with him.  They haven't liked him because many of them believe he drew enough votes away from Gore to give Bush the election.  He managed to get 2.7 percent of the vote in 2000. 

I don't think he has much of a chance of siphoning many votes away from the Democrats this time.  CNN says that in 2004, he only drew 411,304 votes or about1 percent (My math says .34%).  That's not enough to influence much of anything.  It would be if it were just one or two states, but scattered across 50, it's relatively insignificant. 

I'm absolutely sure that he knows he has no hope of winning.  His only purpose is to try and influence policy and even that is tantamount to tilting at the proverbial windmill.   

While some Republicans might see this as great news (and it isn't bad news), I just don't see it having any effect on the eventual outcome no matter who wins.  He won't even qualify in enough states to matter.

So run Ralphy, run. It's unfortunate that you won't hurt the Democrats, but run if you want. No one really cares except for a few kooks like yourself.

VW