Closing Gitmo

Today President Obama signed an executive order to end the detention of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay. I disagree with this from my core, and actually celebrate our ability to imprison these monsters away from American soil. I think it's even funny that we do so on the shores of communist Cuba.

So this executive order begs the question: Where will we send the prisoners? Most of these terrorists will still need to be detained, so we have to send them somewhere. Today I heard the suggestion (from Glenn Beck) to send them to Alcatraz. I think this is a fantastic idea. I am quite sure the loudest voices to close Gitmo have come from Bay Area Liberal types, so they should welcome them right? Besides, lovely San Francisco is a sanctuary city, so when we release some of these evil-doers, (or they escape), we won't have to ship them back to the battlefields of the Middle East where they immediately begin shooting at our boys again. They can just stay in San Francisco as illegal aliens, living alongside some of their biggest advocates! According to Glenn Beck, housing these terrorists at Alcatraz would allow Nancy Pelosi to "keep an eye out" to make sure the detainees were treated well. (How could they possibly be treated any better than they were in that tropical paradise called Guantanamo? Sending them back the Middle East was the only torture.)

Obama stealing Bush "rhetoric"

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Token "first post" for 2009

It's January 4, 2009, and I have yet to post anything. Since I'm leaving this week for a company meeting in Newport Beach, I'm just going to post about whatever comes to mind (isn't that the essence of a blog anyway?), and hope it comes out coherent and mildly entertaining.

Political:
I saw today that Bill Richardson withdrew his name from the nomination to the Obama cabinet post. My prediction is that this is the first of many similar situations with the incoming administration. I don't even think Rahm Emanuel will make it to inauguration day.

Has anyone noticed Obama sprinting to the center after the election. This is a good thing, and I hope it continues, as reality continues to set in for our new leader.

Personal:
I truly hope that 2009 has some good things in store for my family. My wife has been through hell with her health lately, and we have prayed for the blessing of a healthy year in 2009.

I have some selfish wishes for 2009 as well. I really am hoping to get away this Spring to the slopes for a few days. I haven't snowboarded in 3 years, and really need to log some hours on the board!

Sports:
Texas A&M and the Dallas Cowboys are home for the season, so my football year is over. I'm a Gator fan by birth, so I can stretch my football season til the 8th, but after that, it's all Aggie basketball, Mavs basketball, and Aggie baseball.

Aggie football just has to be better in 2009. Can it get any worse??

Entertainment:
I saw on Fox News today that Elvis Presley made $52 million last year. An entertainer who died in 1977 makes more money than most entertainers alive today.....only in America!

Finally, all my Christmas decorations are taken down and put away. I feel really good about that, as it closes the lid on 2008 for good!

Happy New Year.

Global warming scam continues to crumble

Political leaders from across the globe have sold their souls to the climate change hysteria scene, but more and more scientists are coming back to the hard facts. We will look back in 20 years and laugh hysterically at the idea that man was changing weather and putting the Earth in peril with CO2.

Even CNN is jumping off this sinking ship:

Dr. Jay Lehr, an expert on environmental policy, told “Lou Dobbs Tonight” viewers you can detect subtle patterns over recorded history, but that dates back to the 13^th Century.

“If we go back really, in recorded human history, in the 13^th Century, we were probably 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than we are now and it was a very prosperous time for mankind,” Lehr said. “If go back to the Revolutionary War 300 years ago, it was very, very cold. We’ve been warming out of that cold spell from the Revolutionary War period and now we’re back into a cooling cycle.”

Lehr suggested the earth is presently entering a cooling cycle – a result of nature, not man.

“The last 10 years have been quite cool,” Lehr continued. “And right now, I think we’re going into cooling rather than warming and that should be a much greater concern for humankind. But, all we can do is adapt. It is the sun that does it, not man.”

pump prices vs. crude prices

During the run-up and subsequent fall of crude oil and gasoline prices, I heard Bill O'Reilly repeatedly demonize the evil oil companies and the "speculators", whoever they are. O'Reilly talked of the quick escalation of pump prices from oil futures, and that the prices wouldn't fall when crude prices dropped.

I am eagerly awaiting the correction from O'Reilly, now that his conspiracy and price gouging theories have been completely debunked. The facts are, that as oil prices continued to escalate, gasoline prices in the U.S. rose at a much LESSER rate. You can actually see on the graph a period where crude prices rose at a much greater rate than fuel prices. Market pressures kept pump prices down. As crude prices began to fall, the pump prices stayed flat at first, then plummeted. I listened in dismay one night, when O'Reilly had Neil Cavuto as a guest on his show, to explain this. Just as Cavuto began to inject some common sense and basic market knowledge into the O'Reilly Factor's position on this issue, Bill predictably filibustered him and went to commercial.

So here we are today, with crude prices at a 4-year low, and pump prices are right where they were the last time crude oil was below $50/barrel. The market works.

Bailouts

Call it what you like, even the "loan" being pondered for the "Big 3" U.S. Auto companies is just a bailout.

Here's what keeps bothering me about the bailouts of the banks, auto makers, and anyone else: The worse you perform, the more egregious your failings, the greater your payoff from the government. Take a look at the auto industry. The proposals on the table today have Chrysler and GM getting much more money than Ford. Why? Because Ford hasn't screwed things up as badly as the other two. Isn't Ford the better investment? I understand why GM needs to survive, but please.....

The banks are no different. The big bailout payouts are going to the most screwed up banks, while Wells Fargo, who performed well through all the chaos, gets nothing? I think I'd rather give the money (or maybe just the market share) to banks like Wells Fargo, who are less likely to need more bailout dollars again later.

Just remember, government taking away the chance for ultimate failure, also means they take away the chance for ultimate success. This applies to individuals as well as businesses.

Pump prices today in Denton, TX

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