My 9/11 Memory

Originally published on my Facebook profile 9/11/10.

Jonelle (my wife) and I had just returned from Raleigh, NC on a job-hunting expedition (which went badly.) We weren't living together yet. My dad woke me at approx. 9:30 in the morning after the first plane hit the WTC. We watched ABC News that morning. After the second plane hit, I called Jonelle. She said it looked like something out of a comic book. If only....

Shortly after, WTAE (local ABC affiliate in Pittsburgh) broke into the coverage. Sally Wiggin, the longtime anchor, looked extremely troubled. My first thought was that a plane was flown into the US Steel building in Pittsburgh. At the time, it was the tallest building in the US between New York and Chicago. I had worked there for PNC Bank from Summer 1998 until Spring 2000, and there were still people I knew that worked there.

She reported instead on Flight 93.

More fun links....ok maybe not "fun" except one.

A few interesting, under-the-radar links:

Krauthammer at his awesomest.

For anyone that thinks the MSM is still unbiased. The fact that ABC is attempting these shenanigans is semi-surprising. I thought with Jake Tapper getting a little more play; they were starting to get their house in order.

The final serious article is from a liberal questioning other libs about why multiculturalism has seemingly trumped Islamic religious abuses. It's quite good, but I have serious issues with the second-to-last sentence:

This muddled thinking allows the American religious and political Right to misrepresent itself as the chief defender of Enlightenment values.

So wrong. No one ideology has an exclusive license to defend Enlightenment values. "Political correctness" and relativism have become greater priorities for the Left than freedom and liberty. The Right is filling a moral vacuum. Ideally, all Americans (and anyone else who considers themselves part of or allied with "the West") would be united against stoning, genital mutilation, execution for apostasy and honor killings that mar Islam.

Now that I got that off my chest; here's something we all can enjoy.....

Some articles from the past couple weeks...

Haven't had much time to blog lately...life seems to get in the way. But here are some articles from the last 10 days or so that moved me to post them to my Facebook page.

From Ace of Spades - he doesn't mince words. http://minx.cc/?post=304568

A local story from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review about the former President of Indiana University of Pa. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_694989.html

If you care how your tax dollars are spent; you will be disgusted.

Another GZM-related article from Big Peace: http://bigpeace.com/abostom/2010/08/17/real-shariah-in-america-will-rauf-denounce-these-fatwas/

A great editorial on how tolerance that makes you think about whether the Left is reprising Chamberlain: http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jphillips/2010/08/16/ground-zero-mosque-exposes-rift-between-leftist-elites-other-70/

This cartoon:

Ann Coulter nails the Left on their inconsistency....again: http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_695602.html

A nice article from Bloomberg on the failure of the Obama administration's Keynesian economic policies: http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_695602.html

Finally another article on the GZM and tolerance by the inimitable Christopher Higgins: http://www.slate.com/id/2264770/

For now, I'm tired, but I plan to post more soon.

What President Obama should've said Friday night...

As anyone who pays attention now knows, President Obama on Friday night came out in support of the proposed mosque/community center to be built two blocks from Ground Zero. In his speech to Islamic leaders at an Iftar, which celebrates the breaking of the fast during Ramadan, the President cited our Constitution, President Obama stated per Politico:

“Ground zero is, indeed, hallowed ground...but let me be clear: As a citizen and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”

In the humble opinion of this writer, this is what President Obama should've said to the assembled Islamic leaders:

"Per our Constitution, Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.

As President, I cannot speak out against the proposed mosque. However as a citizen, I implore the planners to reconsider the location. The leaders of the Cordoba Institute have stated several times that their rationale to build this mosque at this location is to "build bridges" between Muslims and the rest of America. Protests by the families of 9/11 victims, New Yorkers and fellow Americans indicate that this project will have the opposite effect.

Freedom of religion is enshrined in our Constitution and must be protected. However, freedom of speech is likewise enshrined. While local, state and federal authorities will protect your right to worship, we will also protect the rights of others to speak out against what they deem to be a grave insult.

So I request again that the Cordoba Institute reconsider their choice of location. Regardless of their decision, I highly encourage complete transparency in the financing, building and operations of your place of worship. Already the trust of fellow citizens has been diminished and must be rebuilt.

I predict failure on both fronts will lead to alienation from fellow Americans. In the months after 9/11, the vast majority of Americans understood the tremendous differences between the terrorists who committed those heinous acts and other, peaceful Muslims. I fear those crucial differences, in the minds of many, will diminish, leading to widespread alienation that will be difficult to overcome."

Some articles that I found interesting...

Most of these are from early this week. I know it's kind of lazy to post links, but I thought these were good. They're not all political either.

Some good news for pet owners: http://post-gazette.com/pg/10223/1079046-51.stm

‎"the ideal they share: a future society that will end all alienation, vice, and unhappiness forever by submerging the individual in the bliss of the righteous collective."

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/its-ideology-stupid?

And the revolution continues to eat its own children:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/10/democrats-advocacy-groups-blast-cuts-food-stamps-fund-m-jobs/

Does this sound like heaven on earth?

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/s_694267.html

My wife and I have eaten at Harris Grill twice in the last couple months and really enjoyed the atmosphere.

Why I like Fantasy Football

I'm entering my seventh year playing fantasy football. Some people don't grasp and even belittle the concept. I think it serves an interesting purpose in the cubicle/service industry age in which we currently find ourselves.

1. It builds camaraderie among co-workers and associates. My first league contains mostly co-workers and it was great way to get to know people outside of the work setting.

2. There's a mental aspect to the game that can't be denied! A lot of people, even fellow players, believe luck is the dominant characteristic. In my experience, I've found that you make your own luck and when bad luck hits; how you react can make the difference between having a respectable, winning season and having a miserable one.

3. For me, the competition is a lot of fun. It fills a competitive need that my other activities just don't provide. While I am physically active, I don't participate in any competitive sports. Didn't do it in high school either, mostly due to lack of ability. Winning and losing and corresponding thrill and agony are a lot of fun. Even the losing part!

4. I have a couple friends who play in family leagues and it seems like a great way to bring family together.

5. When your team isn't having a good year, it's a great distraction.

Coming off two championships last year and having negative experiences in the past (a two-win season, losing in heartbreaking manner in the playoffs a couple times), I've experienced it all now. I'll continue to play and enjoy the game. And I recommend it to all football fans. The key to enjoying it is to not get obsessed (which I was the first couple years) and remember IT'S ONLY A GAME.

The "should-be" standard-bearers of the NFL

After Brett Favre's 3 attempted retirements, I think it's safe to say everyone (fans, media, probably teammates, coaches and even Brett's dog) is sick and tired of his prima donna act. Between him, Big Ben and Brady's model wife telling every mother to breast-feed, it's easy to forget that there are exceptional quarterbacks in the NFL that aren't embroiled in some type of controversy.

First up, Drew Brees of the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. He is an all-around good guy, eschewing the larger market Miami Dolphins to join the Saints when he hit free agency only a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Big Easy. Happily married, he's thrown himself into the community. Brees also has overcame a negative relationship with his now deceased mother. The fact that he is the league's smallest starting QB makes the tremendous success he's had on the field all the more impressive.

Aaron Rodgers is the other QB that I wish was more prominent in the national conversation. ESPN the Magazine (sorry, can't link it) has a great article on the Green Bay Packers QB and how he worked through disappointment after disappointment throughout his football career, including a non-relationship with would-be mentor Brett Favre. Rodgers also QBed both my fantasy teams to championships last year, which I suppose makes me somewhat biased.

When following the run-up to the start of the NFL season this summer, don't forget about these quarterbacks from "flyover country." Not only are they good guys, but they'll probably outplay those other guys that get all the attention.

Go Mo!

Well Missouri has passed Proposition C overwhelmingly with over 70% of the vote. The MSM is already trying to poo poo it due to the Supremacy Clause and by claiming much of the support came from voters opting for Republican ballots. (MO has open primaries, allowing voters to choose their party regardless of registration.)

This is yet another harbinger for Democrats and their supporters that their control of the House, and hopefully the Senate as well, will likely slip through their tax-and-spending mitts in 90 short days.

REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!

Back

After an over six-week sabbatical, I've decided to broaden the horizons of this humble blog to include other items of interest and other goings-on in my personal life (without getting too personal, of course.) Politics and conservative/libertarian thought will still be a focus, but a lot of other things will, hopefully, pop up here in the near future. Entertainment topics, sports, comic books (yes, I like those things) and music will all be featured here from time to time.

And with only 90 short days to go until the most important election in 30 years, I don't think there's a better time to give this (yes, I know) a third serious-go.

Laurie David has really low standards...

...and I think Larry would agree with me.

http://www.starmagazine.com/al_gore_laurie_david_affair/news/16986

http://www.wowowow.com/pov/dear-margo-secret-al-gore-affair-larry-david-laurie-silence-bp-disaster-479021

Of course, Laurie is denying it.

Marrying Larry David is one thing; at least he's funny.

Obama is a lame duck...thank you MSNBC for making it official.

To the everyone who did NOT vote for President Obama: your lame duck dinner is done.

CLICK HERE!

The Oil Spill - What no one is saying...

It's interesting that many on the Left want to use the Gulf oil spill as a justification to ban all off-shore drilling. Not surprisingly, Charles Krauthammer sets them straight.

However, while this is a good argument for shallow-water drilling as well as drilling off the Alaska coast, I find it neglects land-based sources of energy. These sources including oil from oil sands, natural gas and coal (taking into account the recent Massey mine tragedy of course) would generally be safer for workers and problems that do occur could be much more easily confined rather than sloshing up and down coastlines. (In econ speak, we could reduce the externalities.)

If the Obama administration was serious about increasing energy production at home, they would use this disaster as justification for increased energy exploration on-shore. Instead we get the same old bromides about cap-and-trade and carbon emissions about an "danger" that fewer and fewer people believe exist. Thanks, President Obama for always having your priorities straight.

Critz wins. But wait, there's hope...

Well Mark Critz won this round. One encouraging sign is that Republican turnout has room to grow in November. The Democrats had the more interesting statewide primary races for the U.S. Senate and Governor. That will NOT be a factor in November.

As for the other races, I'm pleased by the results. While Spector would have been an easier target in the General; I take some satisfaction that he has lost in the Primary to, what appears to be, a decent human being.

Who did the other 2% vote for?

Early results (on Hannity of all places) show Critz with a 58-40 lead with 20% of precincts reporting.

Who did the other 2% vote for? If it's Russell and the difference results in a Critz win it will be a shame.

Election Day - A good one so far...

This has been a special day for an unlikely reason. My father had surgery today and pulled through better than anyone expected. I'll spare the details, but I was pretty concerned going in...

We also have a good friend, who will be having a complicated surgical procedure done tomorrow. We're praying for the best news...again.

Hopefully the good news will continue as results are reported in tonight's Special Election between Tim Burns and Mark Critz. Latest polls showed the race too close to call. I'm guessing nothing will be known for sure until morning.

As for the other races - for Senator, I am supporting Pat Toomey. He's is the type of fiscal conservative that we need more of in Washington.

For Governor, I believe Tom Corbett is the best choice. His actions as PA State Attorney General show integrity and a commitment to reform in the State Capitol.

Wow! A short post. Didn't think I had it in me.

An Open Letter to Bill Russell Supporters

A recent poll from Susquehanna Polling and Research shows the Democrat, Mark Critz, building a lead on the Republican nominee, Tim Burns in next Tuesday's Special Election for the 12th Congressional District. The margin listed was 44 to 38 in favor of Critz. It's important to remind those supporters of Bill Russell who are considering writing him in what is at stake.

The Democrat, Mark Critz, will most likely go along with Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat leadership in voting for amnesty for illegal immigrants, a revised cap-and-trade bill and other items destined to increase our debt and further strip away our freedoms. Considering the narrow margin that passed the much-maligned health care bill, it is possible that Mr. Critz could be a deciding vote on at least one major piece of legislation between now and January 2011.

A write-in vote for Bill Russell in the Special Election, in a majority Democrat district, will only split conservative and independent votes; throwing the election to Critz. To Mr. Russell's credit, his campaign ads have been focused on the Republican primary.

The rationale for writing in Mr. Russell seems to be based on a perceived lack of fairness in how Mr. Burns was selected for the Republican nomination. Let's review a few issues relating to this process:

1. Mr. Murtha passed away February 8th. With the primary already scheduled for May 18th, that's only little more than a 3 month time span. So we are dealing with a tight time frame and a term that is already over 50% complete.

2. Governor Rendell, for once, made the prudent decision to schedule the Special Election on the same day as the primary. Considering the current fiscal situation in the state, Murtha's passing was actually well-timed (if such a thing can be said) from the taxpayers' standpoint. Had Mr. Murtha passed on a few months prior, the pressure to hold a stand-alone special election would've been enormous and costly for taxpayers.

3. Mr. Russell ran a spirited campaign against John Murtha in 2008, a very difficult year for Republicans.

4. Mr. Burns announced his campaign for the Republican nomination several months before Mr. Murtha showed signs of ill health.

And yet, some Russell supporters are apparently not satisfied with just pursuing the Republican nomination for a full term. While allowing all Republican voters their say in the Special Election nomination would've been ideal, for the reasons stated above, it just wasn't practical or cost-effective for taxpayers.

Had John Murtha lived, we would simply be left with a spirited primary race between two dissimilar candidates with similar views.

Instead we have a truncated process and hard feelings from a substantial block of conservative voters. If Mark Critz prevails over Tim Burns in the Special Election due to write-in votes for Mr. Russell, Murtha will be laughing at his conservative constituents from the grave, knowing that if he had to move on to his final reward when he did, at least the timing would throw his opponents into disunity and chaos.

While it is considered rude to speak ill of the dead, I believe having Mark Critz win this race solely because of divisions within the Republican Party would be Mr. Murtha's final insult to the principled citizens of southwestern Pennsylvania.

Obama Administration expands Affirmative Action...to Terrorists?!?!

In a not-so-startling development, the Obama administration announced a new program designed to "increase diversity among those who seek to implement man-caused disasters within our borders."

The program will be implemented in phases and overseen by Department of Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano. "There is a tremendous need to increase the diversity of man-caused disaster makers beyond the typical adherents of the religion-we-can't-name who's prophet-can't-be-seen-shown-or-ridiculed. We need more white, African-American, Latino and east Asian targets for predator drone attacks. The Jonas Brothers just aren't enough."

Applicants will be trained in various tactics including bomb-making, IED placement and target shooting at military installations across the United States. Of particular interest will be white, Anglo-Saxon males who have attended Tea Parties in the past 12 months. "This is a target demographic," according to the Secretary.

Evading airport security will also be emphasized. "We have to prove that our policy of targeting grandmothers and infants for greater inspection at airports is sound, so any retired folks that are bored at home we encourage to apply. Especially if they're white."

But the program isn't just seeking to increase ethnic diversity among man-caused disaster makers. Religious diversity is very important too. "Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus -- all will be welcome. But no atheists or Wiccans, please. We do have a reputation to uphold."

Reaction to the new program was mixed with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell decrying the added expense to increase the diversity of individuals who try to kill us. MSNBC's Contessa Brewer however was upbeat in her assessment:

"I'm glad our government has finally realized that it isn't whether an attempted man-caused disaster is successful or not, but that the perpetrators reflect the diversity of our society. The fear I have of outdated bigotry has subsided and my frustration has finally been abated."

The Left's weird relationship with risk and the misery that results...

While I was on vacation a couple stories broke that crystallize how the elite Left views risk of various types. The first of these was the Icelandic volcano eruption and resulting ash cloud that enveloped much of Europe. Much of the airspace over Europe was closed for up to six days stranding travelers and wreaking havoc on commerce and the European airline industry. (Fortunately my own European vacation was not affected as my wife and I arrived in Paris a few hours before the eruption and returned a few days after the bans were lifted.)

If such an event had happened in the US, the Federal Aviation Administration would have informed the airlines of where the ash cloud was and advised against flying into it. Individual airlines, and subsequently their passengers, would have been able to decide for themselves if the risk merited grounding their aircraft. Not so in Europe, where bureaucrats know best.....how to play the "c.y.a." game that is.

It took British Airways, KLM and Air France to send up test flights 3-4 days into the ban, showing no damage to the plane engines, before the regulators would relent. In the meantime, those airline and others have lost hundreds of millions. Stranded passengers have lost thousands as they've racked up credit card debt and dipped into savings to sustain themselves in airports all over the world.

Now to be fair, this event was unprecedented, however test flights should have began within a day or two. A day or two closure was probably prudent, but the individual airlines should have been permitted to assume the risk and consequently their passengers as well.

Meanwhile, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has sparked outrage from the Left with one democrat congressman proposing suspending all current offshore drilling. This is a wonderful idea if your idea of a good time is paying $5/gallon for gas. I suppose the next time there's a fatal traffic accident all automotive traffic should be suspended as well.

BP, and other energy companies, assume considerable risk when drilling. Obviously, considerable fines will be levied against BP (assuming they are at fault and this isn't a bizarre "ends justify the means" form of eco-terrorism) and steps must be taken to minimize the chances of an event like this happening in the future.

On a related matter, John Kerry and others continue to push their cap-and-trade scheme, ostensibly to save the world from Global Warming, a phenomenon that has been widely discredited since the Climategate emails story broke in November. On an unrelated matter, the Obama administration apparently thinks Iran will just hold a giant fireworks display (Location: east coast of the Mediterranean) when they master nuclear weapons. Oddly, they think nothing could possibly go wrong while taking over 1/6th of the economy with a massive health care bill that many of their Congressional supporters didn't even read.

So to sum things up, the Left believes any risk regarding the environment as too great, but hostile radical Islamic regimes having nukes is just something we need to learn to live with. Those Islamic terrorists that want to kill and subjugate everyone that doesn't worship Allah the way they do? Well, they're just misunderstood. At least European bureaucrats just want to cover their own asses.

Decisions, decisions...

Unfortunately, the frequency of posts has suffered quite a bit after a promising start. Fortunately, I will be taking my long-planned vacation for 11 days. If I have time, I may post while on vacation, but I am not planning on it. After I return (on the week of the 26th), I plan to increase my frequency, in part, by concentrating on shorter posts. Wish me luck on that.

Until then, here's a quick preview of what I hope to be talking about soon:

1. The PA-12 Special Election and GOP Primary. The Special will be one of the only races where a direct rebuke of the Democrats agenda is possible. As I promised before, this will be controversial and rile some people up. With the election not until May 18th, I feel it's best to postpone comment until we get a little closer.

2. My profile of a little band from England that has inspired me to blog and get more involved. And reasons why I think they may just be a tiny bit Libertarian and why they'll never admit to it.

3. How the term "critical thinking" has been absconded by the Left. And what the Right can do about it.

Read and React: Obama Limits When U.S. Would Use Nuclear Arms

Taken from the New York Times.

One of the only things I have been happy about regarding President Obama has been the use of Predator drones in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border regions against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. I've also been pleased that he has pushed our allies to supply more troops to the Af/Pak theater. This new nuclear policy is the equivalent of placing a one ton block on the other side of a scale that holds a couple one pound weights.

I am deeply disturbed by this. Obama is basically sending an invitation to any terrorist actor or hostile nation to attack us using any means BUT nuclear. What will he do if an American city comes under chemical attack? Unleash the mustard gas? Please.

Our nuclear weapons are our greatest deterrent against ANY type of attack by ANY nation. To limit the use of nuclear arms to a small list of nations that doesn't include Iran (for now), Venezuela, Syria, Libya or Cuba is foolish at best, masochistic at worst.

It's time for a brave Congressman (or woman) to draw up Articles of Impeachment.