Thursday, August 31, 2006

A Waste of $20 Million

It is truly amazing how the U.S. taxpayers' money is being wasted by the Bush Administration. It is even more amazing that such actions come from Republicans who claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility. The Washington Post reports that U.S. military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year, $20 million public relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of U.S. and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq. The proposal reflects Donald H. Rumsfeld's concern that the media does not cover positive aspects of Iraq. This is further evidence of the Administration's fantasyland mentality that if they say things are good they actually are. I know $20 million is a drop in the bucket of the federal budget but couldn't that money be better spent on helping victims of Hurricane Katrina, improving inner city schools, feeding the hungry, or supplementing the scientific and medical research budget of the National Institutes of Health.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Salvaging Iraq

While the disaster in Iraq gets worse by the day, the Master of that Disaster, Donald Rumsfeld, lacks any plan for the future and his brilliant strategy seems to be attacking critics of the war. Let me let you in on a little secret Secretary Rumsfeld; criticizing the Iraq war critics does not help with the war in Iraq. Stay the course and we will not cut and run are slogans not a plan. I would suggest the Bush Administration go to Plan B, or C, D, or E for that matter, but that presumes that they had a Plan A to begin with. The Democrats' plans for a pull out or redeployment in the near future will get our troops out of harm's way and that is a step in the right direction. However, we need to figure out a way to salvage the situation. There is no particular reason Iraq needs to remain intact. It was arbitrarily created by the British after World War I. From what I read Kurdistan is operating as a sovereign nation and we ought to recognize it and help the Kurds out since we hung them out to dry during the first Gulf War. We then may need to cut a deal with the Sunnis and even some former Baath Party members and let them get their piece of Iraq. The pro-Iran Shiites in Iraq seem to be the problem and it would not hurt to get some pressure on them as well as Iran. We may have to deal with some unsavory people but that never stopped the United States before, especially during the Cold War. Having a three way civil war is not ideal but I like it better than having our brave soldiers blown up everyday.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Standing Up For Principles

I could write pages about all the life lessons, values, and principles taught to me by my Mom and Dad. One of the most important things that I learned from my parents is the principle of standing up for yourself and what you believe is right. While my parents taught me to respect authority, they also told me that you can challenge it. They do not accept the conventional wisdom that you cannot go against management, you cannot fight city hall, or you cannot win against those who are rich, powerful and well connected. I have seen my parents use these principles throughout my life. Sometimes they have won, sometimes they have lost, but more importantly they always put up a good fight.

I recently used the principle of standing up for yourself and what you believe is right with respect to my annual performance evaluation. I have been at my job for 17 years and have always received excellent ratings. This year was no exception but when I looked at the ratings a little closer I noticed that I had been downgraded in one category. This was a surprise to me because there was no indication during the year by management that my skills had diminished. Moreover, the justification for the lower grade was identical to the justifications I received for a higher grade in prior years. I knew the downgrade could be attributed to management’s thinking that there is “grade inflation.” While I have no doubt there are employees receiving grades that are not deserved, I know that does not apply to me.

I decided to talk to one of my bosses. I explained why I was dissatisfied with my grade in one category. Then he said the wrong thing to me: “Do you really want to make a big deal about this?” This is something that would irritate my Dad and it had the same effect on me. The answer should have been obvious to him otherwise I would not have asked for a meeting on the subject. He said he had to talk to some of the other managers and would get back to me. It is unfortunate that many times when you stand up for your principles people show you a lack of respect by trivializing your concerns.

I will be pursuing my concerns until I receive the appropriate satisfaction. As my daughter gets older, I will teach her about standing up for herself and what she believes is right. I hope that I will do as good a job as my Mom and Dad did with me.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

A Tasty Treat

Last Saturday my wife, daughter, and I went to the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Maryland. The weather was great and it was a lot of fun because my wife and I got to see our daughter enjoy the animals and go on her first pony ride. I also discovered a tasty treat at one of the food vendors: Fried Oreos. Do not dismiss the idea until you have tried it. I saw the sign for Fried Oreos and was a little skeptical. After all, aren't Oreos designed to be eaten right out of the bag with a nice tall glass of cold milk. But being an adventurous eater I decided to try it. The Oreos were dipped in a funnel cake type batter and deep fried for a minute or two. They were then sprinkled with powdered sugar. The Fried Oreos are unbelievable. The cookie and cream get very soft, almost melting, and blend together with the fried dough. The powdered sugar gives it another hint of sweetness. If you see it at a state or county fair try it. You will not regret it. I am sure this delectable delight would alarm most cardiologists. But if you do not eat some good "bad food" at a fair, what is the point.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Why Lieberman Lost

Most people will tell you that the reason Senator Joseph Lieberman lost the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont was because his strong pro-Iraq war positions did not play well with Democratic voters in Connecticut. While that is certainly true, I believe another important reason he lost was that voters realized he was an arrogant, self righteous, pompous a**hole (pardon my language). I think it began with his "how dare someone challenge me" attitude and just went downhill from there. He chastised groups like MoveOn and liberal bloggers who challenged his positions and countered with how he had a 90 percent plus record for voting with the Democrats. Yet at the same time he was getting signatures for petitions to run as an independent. Other Democrats supported the war but none became President Bush's personal cheerleader. I think his lack of character and class was confirmed when he said he was going to run as an independent because "For the sake of our state, our country and my party, I cannot and will not let that result stand." He even had the nerve to say that Lamont's anti-war views help terrorists. I have something to say to Senator Lieberman and other smug politicians out there. Your jobs are not permanent, people can and should challenge you in primaries, you work for us, and we can fire you come election time. His actions during the primary are an example of the feeling of entitlement exhibited by many entrenched incumbents on both sides of the aisle. I wonder if one day soon the electorate needs to kick all the rascals out and start over. I think we would gain more than we would lose.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Enough Mel Gibson

I think the media has spent way too much time on Mel Gibson and his drunken, anti-Semitic outbursts. Aren't there more important things going on in the world? Does it really matter how he apologizes or what he does to show he is not anti-Semitic? The carefully crafted written apology is obviously the product of a Hollywood PR spin machine. Moreover, how much credibility would you give a public apology by Mel Gibson himself at a press conference or similar forum. He is an actor for heaven's sake! He gets millions of dollars not to be himself. I think people have also overlooked the fact that this supposed family-oriented, religious man was driving drunk putting himself and others in danger. That conduct is just as deplorable as anti-Semitism and has a greater possibility of immediate destructive consequences. I also do not care if Patrick Swayze or Jodie Foster do not think he is anti-Semitic. Obviously Mel Gibson has a number of personal problems that need to be addressed. So let's just forget about it for now and judge him by his future actions. If he engages in similar conduct in the future we know it was not just an isolated incident. Meanwhile, if you do not like what he did, do not go see his movies when they come out.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Fighting Radical Islamic Terrorists

As you can tell from my posts I am not a fan of the Bush Administration. However, I support President Bush's decision to allow Israel to continue its operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel's fight against Hezbollah is just one more battle in the war against radical Islamic terrorists. Lest we forget, it was Hezbollah who blew up the American Embassy in Beirut in 1982 and killed over 250 of our Marines. Al Qaida, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, the groups operating in Iraq, the terrorists who blew up trains in India, and others must be dealt with swiftly and harshly. You cannot negotiate with people who are not only not afraid to die but think that blowing themselves up is an express ticket to heaven. The United States, Israel and other western nations must defeat the radical Islamic terrorists now before things get out of control. We also must let the Muslim nations of the world know that they cannot have it both ways. They must stop supporting the terrorists by giving them money and safe haven. In this case, the principle "if you are not part of the solution you are are part of the problem" applies. The No. 2 leader of Al Qaida, al- Zawahri said "It is a jihad (holy war) for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq." I think we have to take this type of rhetoric seriously. Otherwise, we could be headed down a similar road as when the European countries did not take Hitler seriously in the 1930s.