Late-season variegated daisies adorn spots in the flowerbed.
November 2005
Kullyfonyans Lose, Not Ahnold
Stan Katten, a former RAND Corp. analyst and a San Pedro, California resident, wrote an interesting article about the real losers in the November 8th special elections (emphasis added):
People, not governor, are real losers in special election
Immediately following the Nov. 8 special election, several editorials and opinion columns said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the big loser because all four propositions he supported were soundly defeated. Wrong! The big losers were all the people of California.
Why, given all the political mistakes Schwarzenegger allegedly made, including calling for the special election in the first place? Well, we elected a non-politician to be governor, didn’t we? Weren’t we fed up with career politicians who made most decisions to retain their offices rather than for the benefit of the people? Then, like the maverick, unpredictable, gullible voters we are, we failed to give the governor the tools he needed to do our work.
So aren’t the majority who voted for the dysfunctional status quo, and thus all of us, the big losers?
Katten concludes who the actual losers were:
Don’t capitulate to Democrats
Where do we go from here? The governor said he recently had a very good meeting with the legislative leaders, who said they sought to solve the state’s problems in concert with the governor because they thought that was what the people wanted. (They didn’t want this earlier in the year?)
Let’s fervently hope so, but compromise with the Democrats heretofore has meant “do it our way,” and their way means bankruptcy or higher taxes, already among the highest in the nation, or huge bond issues, which are higher taxes in disguise, paying $2 for every $1 spent.
No, the governor wasn’t the big loser, and the unions weren’t the big winner. All the people of California were the big losers, and the election likely was only the beginning of their losses.
Read the whole article in the Daily Breeze.
The Moron Magpies
Some of the talking heads on the left make no more sense than the Moron Magpies, Beckel and Jeckle . . .
Did these birds ever say anything that made sense?
Appologies to Paul Terry and Terrytoons©.
Thanksgiving Thoughts from a Soldier in Iraq
Putting Thanksgiving in perspective, I present an excerpt from an email I got today from a soldier in Mosul, Iraq.
As I sit here and write this on Thanksgiving, although I have a lot to be thankful for this year, I thought I would share a little with you about what I am thankful for today. I am thankful for my family, they have been there for me, and without their guidance, I would be completely lost. I am thankful for God, that he has seen fit to protect me this last year, that he helps my battalion make it safely back home, that he continues to protect the troops that will still be here, and that he has taken into heaven with open arms, the men and women who have given their lives in this war, who he just couldn’t live without in heaven. I am thankful that I was born in America, and not a country like Iraq. As strange as it may seem, I am thankful that Americans still have the right to voice their opinions about this war (whether I agree with them or not), if America still has the right to voice it’s opinion, that means we’re doing our job over here, and doing it well! Most of all, I am thankful for my fiancé, who has braved one of the most ultimate in hardships this last year, and stuck with me throughout it all. For certain, true love does exist. Finally, I am thankful that there are people back home who understand what we are fighting for, and proud of us.
God Bless!
Sincerely,
Sgt. Furman
Mosul, Iraq
And now you know why I’m so proud of these guys; let’s support them any way we can.
Inset photo credit Army Combat Training Centers
Thanksgiving Day
Damsel asked what I am thankful for on this day. Here’s a few things, although the list is certainly bigger than this.
- As I look at other places in the nation and the world today, I am thankful for the climate in California.
- I am thankful for technology and the ability to sit here and view pictures from Mars and deep space; to share thoughts, images, music and humor with others.
- I am thankful to have been given the talent and motivation to succeed in my career.
- I am thankful for our home and the shelter and comfort we enjoy.
- I am thankful for jazz, blues, classical, and symphonic music; and to have good taste in my preferences.
- I am thankful for and proud of our men and women serving in the armed forces, and the protection they provide.
- I am thankful and proud to be a right-thinking American.
- I am thankful for and proud of the United States of America and the freedom we enjoy.
- I am thankful for food, family and football on this day.
- Most of all, I am thankful for Damsel and the life and love we share together.
I Been Everywhere (Almost – USA)
Whenever I have the chance, I tell people I’ve been to every state but two: North Dakota and Iowa – and, that it’s my intention to score those additional states soon after I retire, perhaps sooner.
Damsel, during a not-so-long-ago visit with our friends near Wilmington, North Carolina, disclosed that we would be going to West Virginia on that trip, so I could score that state (which, prior to that, I had not previously visited). She also told Roger, our friend, that the Cap’n also needed to go to the “duh” state. “The duh state?” Roger inquired. “Yep,” Damsel replied, “Iowa — where Duh Moines and Duh Buque are located.” Damsel always knew how to crack Roger up — he couldn’t stop laughing for several minutes, and at any mention of Iowa thereafter, a resumption of chuckles and mirth.
Of course, Iowa would have really been a DUH State if their seven electoral votes had been cast for John Kerry in 2004. As it is, we still plan to go there for a visit to American Heartland.
Loophole Offers Easy Diploma for Deadbeat Students
Yet another symptom of the failing California educational system . . .
California – Loophole offers hope after failed exit exam – sacbee.com
Maybe California high school seniors who can’t pass an exit examination in math and English this year won’t lose their chance for a diploma after all. Though state law requires passage of the high-stakes test, there’s an apparent, largely unknown loophole.
Part of the California Educators’ “No Deadbeats Left Behind” strategy? Our blue state attitude towards education is disgusting.