From Here to Paternity

John wants a paternity test but Rielle said nope in August -- now she says yes!  Read more here. And now Edwards is under investi- gation on whether he illegally used campaign funds to pay her off. Details here.
** Don't forget to watch Elizabeth Edwards on Oprah Thursday, May 7th. **

And cast your VOTE to the right
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Waterboarding or civilian deaths?

Which is worst? Waterboarding or civilian deaths? My question is provocative for a reason. I do have a point to make -- not an anti-US military point but something more philosophical. Today, the US armed forces is investigating reports that civilian deaths occurred during a clash between Taliban and Coalition forces. President Obama has publicly stated that he thought Bush made a mistake in switching to Iraq before completing the fight against al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the process of carrying out this mission, civilians will be killed. Undoubtedly, civilians are not purposefully targeted but become collateral damage -- an unfortunate reality of war. It is my assumption that President Obama would regrettably agree that civilian deaths are the price we pay for protecting America. My question is this -- why would torturing suspected al-Qaida be any different? VOTE to the right ----------------------------------------------->

Style over Sustenance

The message coming from the First Lady volunteering at a food bank could have been about helping Americans struggling to put food on the table -- if they even have a table.  Instead the message is about a pair of $540 shoes. Does this encourage Americans to volunteer?  Or does it perpetuate the selling of the Obama family image?

I don't think Michelle Obama is a bad person or that she did this purposefully.  However it reveals a concern I harbor about the new administration -- a concern about style over substance (or in this case style over sustenance).  Wearing a pair of expensive Lanvin shoes, even if unintentional, sends out a message of status and elitism. Most people can not afford these shoes and even those who can aren't able to buy them because they are sold out.  Presumably most people receiving services at the food bank are poor.  More than lacking $540 shoes, they lack power.  

Without power, poverty endures.

Fairness flashback -- On July 30, 2008, The Huffington Post did an article on John McCain's expensive shoes. 

President Obama Feeds the Five Thousand

 ¹³When Obama heard what had happened, he withdrew by Air Force One privately to 1000 feet above Lower Manhattan. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot across the Brooklyn Bridge. ¹⁴When Obama landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵As evening approached, the Cabinet came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away with food stamps, so they can go to Albertsons and buy themselves some food." ¹⁶ Obama replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."¹⁷"We have here only Michelle's pair of Lanvin sneakers," they answered. ¹⁸"Bring them here to me," he said. ¹⁹And he directed the people to sit down on the bridge. Taking the $540 pair of sneakers and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the soles. Then he gave them to the Cabinet, and the Cabinet gave them to the people. ²⁰They all ate and were satisfied, and the Cabinet picked up twelve basketfuls of broken Lankin soles that were left over. ²¹The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

(source: First Lady Michelle Obama volunteers at a Washington D.C. food bank in style -- a J.Crew cardigan, capri pants, and $540 sneakers from French design house Lanvin. (Read the full story here at the New York Daily News).

Vote your thoughts to the right ---------------------------->

Maybe Louis Caldera should head FEMA.

In my opinion, any unusual flight activity over New York City, especially after 911, should have Presidential approval first.

Air Force One is the President's plane. How did he not know about the photo op? The fact that Louis Caldera was able to initiate and green light this decision alone causes me concern. Or did he initiate it?

The White House Military Office, which Mr. Caldera heads, is under the Executive Office of the President which is overseen by White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. Did Rahm approve the flyover?

Come to think of it, if Air Force One is solely the President's plane, who exactly are we promoting it to? I'm curious if they will actually use the photos now?

In releasing his apology, Mr. Caldera used the words "confusion" and "disruption." How about trying "fear" and "panic?" And he says that "federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey." So it's proper to notify them yet tell them it's classified. What exactly are they supposed to do with information they can't repeat?

Vote what should be done top right -------------------------------------------------------->

The Whine About Swine

Bird flu killed 257.
SARS killed 774.
The 1918 Influenza Epidemic killed 50 million.

Health officials in Mexico report that swine flu has already killed 103 and sickened 1,614. No one knows for sure whether we face a pandemic or not. Swine flu is worrisome because people who died in Mexico were mostly older than age 3 and younger than age 60 (the 1918 Influenza was most deadly for people ages 20-40). Typically young children and the elderly are most vulnerable.

A vaccine for swine flu is estimated to take four to six months to develop and have ready. Hopefully Porky Pig was not prophetic when he said, "Th th th that's all folks!"

(Don't forget to cast your vote on the left) ------------------------------------------>

The Cyber Conspiracy

The super secret National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security spar over cybersecurity control. Add to the mix, a White House power grab under the Executive Office of the President.

NSA dominates the technology and expertise, but can we trust them with access to personal information, especially considering past surveillance of emails and phone calls?

Some envision a partnership between NSA and the DHS. However, last month, Rod Beckstrom, former director of the National Cyber Security Center, resigned due to his perception of NSA control over cyber efforts.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that cyber spies infiltrated the Pentagon's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project - the defense department's costliest weapons program ever. Could this be a hoax promulgated by the Pentagon to sway public support to favor their cybersecurity ambitions? Hmmmm . . .

Torture Musings

Fearturing:

Rodney the Republican
Larry the Liberal

ACT 1

Rodney: It is hypocritical for Congressional Democrats to call for public hearings and criminal prosecution when many of them knew about the enhanced interrogation techniques since 2002 and approved of it.

Larry: First of all, it's called torture and second of all, Nancy Pelosi, who at the time was the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN she was not told that waterboarding or other enhanced methods would be used but only that Bush officials were under legislative counsel and that if and when they would be used Congress would be briefed at that time.

Rodney: Why didn't she raise any objections? Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), who replaced Pelosi as the committee's top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee in January 2003, filed an official protest.

Larry: True, but . . .

Rodney: And another thing! The CIA admitted that a videotape of an interrogation of one of the waterboarded detainees was destroyed in 2005 against the advice of the Bush Justice Department and the White House and yet President Obama says prosecuting anyone from CIA is off limits. This makes absolutely no sense. The CIA wanted to use these techniques and felt they were important. If it's torture then why aren't they being held accountable? It's just President Obama's political theatrics.

Larry: All I know is that even the U.S. military has officially regarded waterboarding as torture since the Spanish-American War. So regardless of the politics, torture is wrong.

CA State Dems are Politically Incompetent

I feel outraged!

I am sick and tired of politicians acting irresponsibly by spending money without fiscal discipline and then trying to increase our taxes.

THE PROBLEM

California faces a budget deficit of $18 billion dollars.

CALIFORNIA'S 2/3 REQUIREMENT

In California, taxes can only be raised by a 2/3 vote in the Assembly and Senate. Although Democrats are by far the dominant force politically, they need Republican crossover votes in order to reach the 2/3 threshold.Republicans refuse to vote for a tax increase.

MY OUTRAGE

The Democrats are trying to use a loophole in the law to increase fees with a simple majority vote - as opposed to the two-thirds vote.

The scheme is to call some of the revenues "fees" instead of taxes. I believe this is both illegal and against the will of the voters.

On Thursday, California Democratic lawmakers voted in their proposal. The governor vetoed the measure but failed to point out the illegality of what the Democrats were trying to do. The measure is not completely dead though because Democrats plan to re-negotiate with the Governor and pass a similar measure.

HOW WOULD THIS AFFECT CALIFORNIANS?

- Sales taxes would increase by three-fourths of a cent.
- Gas taxes would go up by 13.5 cents per gallon.
- A surcharge of 2.5% would be added to income taxes.

I am totally blown away that Democrats would actually try to raise taxes during a recession. 1 out of 12 people are out of work in California and over the last 4 years, more people have left the state than moved in. Time for another recall!

Blog block

It's been several weeks since my last blog. Many personal issues have occupied my time. I fell sick with a nasty flu and didn't want to do anything. On a positive note, I had a wonderful time celebrating with my parents, family, and girlfriend in Vegas.

Okay, also I have felt scattered because so much stuff is going on in the world. I started drafts on 10 different blogs and I keep jumping around and not finishing any of them.I'm having blog block!

So ...

I need your help with the topic of my next blog! Here's the list, but feel free to suggest your own.

THE LIST
- The California budget crisis and what should be done about it.
- Can a President really be moral or does the duty to protect make it necessary to take immoral actions in the name of saving our country? Are these actions really immoral?
- Is Obama really someone new and inspiring or just another well packaged politician?
- Did Obama tout certain positions during the election in order to get elected with no intention of carrying them out? If so, does that make him a bad person or a smart politician? Is it just compromise and political reality?
- Was this whole financial bailout a waste of money? Does anyone in Washington really know what they're doing?
- Can we afford Universal Health Care? Can Congress improve quality and compassionate care for those of us that currently do have insurance?
- Community mental health is a broken and hazardous system and most people would be horrified to know the internal workings of the system. I could share.
- Are Democrat plans to tackle renewable energy, stem cell research, and expanding children's health insurance the right priorities?
- What strategy should Republicans take next if they want to win?
- Are California politics so bought and influenced by special interests and arranged in safe districts that there is little hope for real change?

Alright, so what the heck should I blog about next? Place your vote at the top right of this page.