March 21, 2008
The Passport Breach
First we find out that a couple of state department contractors looked at Obama's passport records three times, all politically significant dates this year. Then we read today that someone looked at Hillary's passport records sometime last year. And now, there are indications that someone looked at John McCain's passport records. Are they related? Are they the same couple of people, or are they all from the same contracting firm? Who did they report to? What other work do they do? What are their histories? Why hasn't the State Department released their names yet?
Given the record of this administration, it is not surprising that this only came out because a reporter had some inside information and not from the State Department itself. It is also not surprising that the State Department has not released any names yet. There might be a good reason, but the record leads me to be suspicious of their motives. I expect the State Department will stonewall any investigation
Posted by Chip Spear at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2008
Fabulous Fumble of the Week - Eliot Spitzer - 3/16
Tough call this week. We have Eliot Spitzer with his sexcapade, then Geraline Ferraro and her untimely comment about Obama only being where he is because of the color of his skin, and then there is O.I.L. whose concern for the economy in his speech in NY this week was laughable (NYT).
So who wins? I would say that we can eliminate O.I.L. This is nothing new. It is not like we should be surprised by his idiotic comments, or his lack of responsibility. It is second nature to the guy. Geraldine is a big story, but I don't think it is as seismic as Eliot's. Yes, what she said was stupid, and sure it got a lot of play, but she is a small figure in the campaign without significant impact.
Eliot, on the other hand, is rather special. Describe by many as arrogant, self-righteous and smart, it is quite something to see the Governor of the second largest state fumble so blatantly. Of course, I should would love to know what is going on in the head of his wife.
Posted by Chip Spear at 3:06 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2008
Scholarships and Varsity College Sports
Bill Pennington, of the NY Times, has written a great series about the downside of College Varsity athletic scholarships. I would recommend it for anyone vaguely interested in the craziness of high school and college athletics. You can find one article here, and another here.
I have some connection to college sports. I played football at a Div. I school when I was a freshman, then quit and moved to a swimming pool, where I played varsity water polo for three years. I left the sport for many years, but returned about 7 years ago as a volunteer coach for the now club water polo team of my alma mater. To some degree I see what the impact is on many of the students and the strain it places on their lives. I have become a huge advocate of the club college sports scene. I will write more of that at another time. Please read the articles. Mr. Pennington does a great job of describing many of the conflicts with our current athletic system.
Posted by Chip Spear at 9:04 AM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2008
Workouts
Yesterday I ran 4 miles. Today, after work, I worked out with a Bullworker, an amazing little machine that provides a great strength workout. I have been using one of these things regularly for the past four years and find it terrific. They are inexpensive, lightweight, very portable and easy to store. How can you beat that? You can find one through Amazon here.
Posted by Chip Spear at 8:52 PM | Comments (0)
America's Racist Society
There is no question that we still live in a very prejudiced society. Whether it is racial, sexual, religious, physical or whatever, we seemed consumed with labeling people in categories, analyzing reactions by categories then try to deny that we are acting in a way which confirms those categories. Yesterday, comments by Geraldine Ferraro came to light which some construed as racist. She said that Barack Obama got to his position partly because of his race. (CNN)
"In her first interview with Daily Breeze, published late last week, Ferraro said "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept," Ferraro told the newspaper. She also said Hillary Clinton had been the victim of a "sexist media."
Is this racist? Is it true? It could very well be. People are certainly voting for these candidates because they are black or a woman or white, depending whether you are Barack, Hillary or John. Pollsters and media folks continually break down voting patterns by race, sex and religion almost daily. Does anyone really think that these candidates have achieved their respective positions without taking advantage of some cultural "wave"? Granted this is not the only reason, but I am sure it is a factor. People are excited about the fact that a "black" (he is half white and half black) and a woman are the two leading Democratic candidates. I would contend that many people are supporting their respective campaigns for that very reason. Now a high profile person points that out, and she is blasted by the media. What is their goal in doing so? Perhaps they are helping to stir the pot to generate more viewers. They certainly do what they can to keep race and sex a big part of the political scene. Whatever the real motives, and I am sure they are multifaceted, it sure is interesting.
Posted by Chip Spear at 8:46 PM | Comments (0)
Sex and Prostitution
So what is it about the MSM that thinks politicians have some unusual sex drive that sends many of them to prostitutes? Are politicians really that much different than all the rest of us? I would think the huge flurry of interest is because these are public figures who will help either sell airtime or magazines. One should remember that prostitutes live off the needs of the larger society, not just celebrities and politicians. We are only aware of the media magnets, not the general population. All these articles are factually ridiculous.
However, the issue of why the question appears is much more interesting. Again we need to explore the motivation behind the headlines, like why bring up the issue? How does it play out in the media? Does it help sell papers or attract more viewers? The issue of truth is completely different. I would even say that all those "expert" opinions are rather suspect. I have not heard one of them try to differentiate between politicians and the rest of us.
Posted by Chip Spear at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2008
O.I.L. (Our Illustrious Leader) Keeps Pounding for Yards
GW keeps pounding away at anyone who stands in his way as he continues his march to unrestricted Presidential power. He never backs down, he never doubts. His methods are consistent and have generally been very successful, haven't they? The Dems have been exceedingly ineffective to stop him from his torture requests or his recent moves to protect the telecom companies from prosecution for helping the Administration wiretap Americans without a warrant. (NYT)
"The flash point in the debate has been the question of whether to protect AT&T and other major phone companies from some 40 lawsuits pending in federal courts, which charge that the companies' participation in the eavesdropping program violated federal privacy laws and their responsibilities to their customers.
Mr. Bush says the companies acted out of patriotism in responding to what they believed was a lawful presidential order. He has said that the lawsuits are being pursued by money-driven class-action lawyers and that they should not be allowed to threaten the financial solvency of the phone companies."
Why change your strategy when it works?
Posted by Chip Spear at 1:32 PM
That Uncontrollable Urge
Sex, sex, sex. Ah, old Mother Nature sure likes to throw a curve or two into our lives, now doesn't she? Or at least it does for Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York. Of course, he is not the only one who has succumbed to urges that he or she rationally knows will derail their chosen path. Certainly Eliot knew that his actions were illegal and would lead to his downfall if caught. He knew that he was potentially destroying his marriage and family. He knew that he was putting his career in jeopardy. He knew he was being hypocritical, given his prosecutorial history as Attorney General of NY and Governor. And yet, he still hired a prostitute and had her cross state lines.
So, why would someone in his position destroy so much of his life? What is driving him? That is a silly question really, in the sense that it is so complex that one almost shouldn't even bother asking. But of course, we do. Why does anyone go to a prostitute when they are in a supposedly happy marriage? Obviously they are not getting what they sexually want from their spouse. And therein is the problem.
Is it the culture, or is it something that is inherent in the differences between men and women? Why is it that men have had a desire to continually seek sexual satisfaction outside of their marriages? Do men want to cheat? Or perhaps they are inclined to have sex, more often, in many different forms than are acceptable to their mates? I am sure this also has something to do with the quality of their relationship, but not entirely. This condition is so pervasive, and historical that I feel it extends well beyond the quality of a relationship. One can't individually blame all men or women for this. Maybe it is the Venus/Mars thing.
Posted by Chip Spear at 8:57 AM
March 9, 2008
Bad Attitudes
Jerry Doolittle's blog, Bad Attitudes, has posted some terrific entries over the last couple of days. I urge you to check it out.
Posted by Chip Spear at 7:08 PM
Sunday's Workout
Today was a swimming day, not too far, about 2000 yards. I swam a 500 warm up, 12 laps free, 4 back and 4 breaststroke. Next, a 250 kick, 5 laps kick, 2 fly and 3 breast. Then I swam a reverse ladder. I start at 10 laps, take a 15-20 second break, then swim 9, a 15 second break, 8 and so on. Today I swam the 8 and 7 lap segments breaststroke to break the routine a little. Usually when I do this workout I finish with a set of 4 to 6 singles butterfly, but I think I cracked a rib skiing a couple of weeks ago. My ribcage is rather sore and the butterfly makes it worse, so I am holding back a bit.
Posted by Chip Spear at 12:01 PM
March 5, 2008
Foreign Policy Experience
What exactly does "foreign policy experience" mean? I really don't know. Do you have foreign policy experience if you sat on an Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of the Committee on Foreign Relations in the Senate? Or do you have foreign policy experience if you were an ambassador to Costa Rica? Or if you wrote a book about a European war?
The point I am trying to make here is that this is a very complicated. I am not so sure that sitting on a committee or even traveling around the world on some trade commission junket makes you better able to make decisions. I would contend that spending time in Europe does not necessarily prepare you for solving a crisis in South America, or in SE Asia. Those cultures are very different, with distinct problems and ways of looking at the world. I don't think anyone is really knowledgeable enough to say they are really experienced to solve the problems of the world.
There are so many countries, with so many issues, cultures, religions, races, and everything else that exists, that no one person can really know "foreign policy". Perhaps what one should ask is whether an individual running for President has the strength and humility to know how much and little he or she actually knows about a situation. Then, will that person bring in the right experts for advice, and god forbid, actually listen to what they have to say. I would contend that is much more important.
Posted by Chip Spear at 9:43 PM