FedEx vs. Government Bureaucracy

FedEx vs. Government Bureaucracy -- Newt Gingrich

An amazing video clip on YouTube. If you haven't seen this, Newt makes a great illustration of how there is unlimited potential to improve our cumbersome, burdensome, plodding government bureaucracy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15D3ElV1Jzw

An Inconvenient Truth -- A Tale of Two Houses

I actually learned about the following from my Mom's liberal friend -- what was she thinking??? The following as extracted from the 'net and verified via Snopes.com

LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHICH BELONGS TO AN ENVIRONMENTALIST.

HOUSE # 1:

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00permonth.Innaturalgasalone\left(whichlasttimewecheckedwasafossilfuel\right),thispropertyconsumesmorethan$

20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern "snow belt," either. It's in the South.

HOUSE # 2:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every "green" feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE # 1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE # 2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas. Also known as "the Texas White House," it is the private residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

Quote of the Day - 26 July

"I think the most common reaction I get from people, if they actually hear me give an entire speech, is they are amazed at the difference between the media image and the person I am in person."

---

Newt Gingrich

Quote of the Day!

"My one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on earth in which there is liberty."

-- So dreamed Italian artist Constantino Brumidi who in 1854 embarked on a 25 year career of painting and decorating incredible frescoes on the ceiling of the Capitol Rotunda and on the walls and corridors today's Senators and Congressmen pass by on a daily basis.

"The Apotheosis of Washington" fresco on the ceiling of the Capitol Rotunda is considered Brumidi's masterpiece.
Shown is a segment of the "Frieze of American History" by Brumidi, part of a panorama along the base of the Capitol Rotunda depicting important events in American History (this one showing the landing of the pilgrims).
A conservator restores Brumidi's artwork on a corridor of the Capitol building.

Rudy's 12 Commitments to America

I don't yet know a lot about Rudy's campaign and platform. I know he's more of a fiscal, hawkish conservative, but more socially liberal. I don't care much for his pro-choice platform, but for a pro-choice politician, he's got a pretty good strategy on how to handle the abortion issue. Anyway, until I saw his "12 Commitments to America," I didn't much care about his run for the presidency. But, after reading these, I'm probably a little bit more of a Rudy fan. What do you think?

Rudy 12 Commitments to America:

• I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists' War on Us.
• I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation.
• I will restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending.
• I will cut taxes and reform the tax code.
• I will impose accountability on Washington.
• I will lead America towards energy independence.
• I will give Americans more control over and access to healthcare with affordable and portable free-market solutions.
• I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children.
• I will reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges.
• I will ensure that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
• I will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents.
• I will expand America's involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation around the world.

Deport Them Now!

I heard about this site on Fox News by Michelle Malkin. It seems like a pretty good cause you may be interested in joining:

Deport Them Now . com

Ruminations

I think I've decided to start writing more often. I enjoy it and it lets me spill some gray matter onto my screen -- for all to see no less. I'm pretty sure it's therapeutic. Most guys won't admit problems with depression or would acknowledge being in a rut or having a case of the doldrums. I mean who wants to search for a shrink if you're not convinced you need one. There is a creative streak in me that I think needs an outlet, and I think blogging may help fill a void. I think it can help ail me during times when I feel down or at least unmotivated.

I struggle not with what to write, but with what not to write. I'm pretty much sure I won't suffer from "writer's block." It can be fairly easy (at least for me) to just blurt out what you're thinking or feeling at any one time. I just want to choose the right venue. I mean, there are so many things I would want to write about, and the difficult decision is whether I do it all in one blog site -- a personal one where I can write about anything I want; or, should I have tailored ones that address certain subjects. For instance, I'm pretty sure I would get a lot of mileage out of a political and philosophical blog site like the one you're on now -- Culture War. But how credible would that be if I started to share personal reflections on things that had nothing to do with the Culture War? I don't think it would be fair to readers who could care less about the personal trials and tribulations of one man's journeys. They may want to get away from things that remind them of their own sorrows or ups and downs in life by reading some good ole' angry content related to our unique American Culture War (actually I'm a pretty positive, forward looking person, so hopefully there won't be much anger).

I've thought about doing something to help me be more motivated to lose weight. I thought about having a blog site dedicated solely to that challenge. I would want to document my day to day struggle with losing weight and have a site folks could go to "relate" with their own personal challenges. A site where I could have a little give and take. I empathize with their struggles and they with mine, and we have this happy little circle of continuous affirmations and admonitions till we finally arrive "home" to that perfect place we want to be in.

So, is it better to have one "catch all" blog site, or a number of different ones? And, maybe I don't want friends, family, and readers from one blog to know me or follow me to the other ones. What then? I have a feeling there is going to be something strangely comforting, and soothing by intimating personal reflections anonymously.

Anyway, I've got to bolt. It's off to the movies, or whatever. If you have any opinion or advice on what you've read about, please reply and let me know.

Shalom as Debbie would say.

A Mean Spirted Angry Reply to A Forwarded Email

We're Back!

I had something that motivated me enough to publish it on my blog site. The following is a little give and take with my Mom's ultra, rabidly liberal friend she's had for like...40 years or something. Anyway, my sister mass forwarded one of those emails that was wrongly attributed to -- in this case Jay Leno -- and see the vitriol that came back attacking, not really the content of the original email story, but who else? The lib's favorite target, President Bush. Here's her email response (to the story mentioned at the hyperlink below):

Jay Leno is far too bright to write drivel like this. It's not true that he is its author--see http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/l/leno%20commentary.htm for verification.

Hmmm....wonder why so many Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Let me count the ways....

• Could it be because the current administration dropped the ball (an accident?) when we could have taken Osama bin Laden when we had the chance?

• Could it be because 3,611 young Americans have been sacrificed solely to put money into the coffers of the oil companies (Halliburton, Cheney, and the like)?
• Could it be because the surplus left by the Clinton administration has turned into a 7 trillion dollar deficit that we and our descendents will be paying off for years and years?
• Could it be because we were deceived into believing that Iraq something to do with 9/11 and that they had weapons of mass destruction--both false?
• Could it be because CIA warnings of impending attacks were ignored? (And maybe still are...)
• Could it be because of almost daily reports of corruption and lies within the sleazy Republican party?
• Could it be because our Constitution has been disregarded and for the past six years?
• Could it be because Bush's arrogance and contempt have isolated us from the rest of the world?

• This list could go on and on, ad finitum....maybe even to the point of opening the eyes of some die-hard neo-cons to see the truth.

All I can say is that it's a good thing Jesus is a forgiving god...the ones responsible for taking this country in the wrong direction and for killing so many innocent people would never make it into heaven without it.

P.S. Re the "liberal" media...92% of talk shows are conservative based, and 85% of mainstream newspapers and television stations are owned by big business, hardly "liberal" folks.

Name withheld, to well, not piss her off and by extension my Mama, or subject me to getting sued (that's a big hint right there though!!!!)

One thing that bugs me about how she responds to these kinds of things, is to not just politely reply back to the sender, but to share her "wisdom" with everyone on the original "To Line." I don't know whether her angry replies make me mad or just make me want to laugh. I do know that she usually inspires me to write something back, like I did here below:

If it's one thing I can't stand more than phony email stories propagating unabated thru cyberspace, it's bogus and rude replies to them.

It's true that Jay Leno didn't draft the said essay. If you're ever in doubt of this kind of thing, just put some key words from the story into a truth checker like snopes.com. We'll do ourselves a favor by doing this before sharing stories when their authenticity is questionable. So, Jay Leno didn't write it! Somewhere along the long line of people hitting "send" about a million times someone added a Leno joke and others made the mistake of thinking Jay wrote it all. It's easy to see how this can happen via email.

Anyway, regardless of who wrote it, I disagree that it's "drivel." Somone appended a real quote attributed to Jay Leno that was fairly consistent or supportive of the spirit of the author's story -- that is, to tell spoiled, whiny Americans to take a deep breath and reflect on the good life in America and to thank God. Leno's "joke" at the end adds an exclamation to the story -- should we really "take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance" during challenging times? A story that espouses us to be positive in a post-911 world is drivel?

Let's discuss the rest of this nasty response:

Jay Leno is far too bright to write drivel like this. It's not true that he is its author--see http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/l/leno%20commentary.htm for verification.

Hmmm....wonder why so many Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Let me count the ways....

It's not uncommon for a citizenry to think this about its country seven years into a government administration. Like the spirit of the original email story, what the hell do we have to bitch about here in this wonderful place we call home? Liberals always leave you wanting....wanting their solutions and vision for the "right direction," their solution to the war on terror.

Could it be because the current administration dropped the ball (an accident?) when we could have taken Osama bin Laden when we had the chance?

Let's see, so President Bush dropped the ball he inherited from Clinton when 9/11 occurred....what...months into Bush's administration? Clinton screwed up by not taking UBL out years ago and by presenting the new administration w/ a legacy of unchallenged terror atrocities (note 1, attached). And by writing "dropped the ball (an accident?)", are you honestly suggesting this was an intentional policy move? Yes, that must be it...We have no more Cold War enemy, so let's keep UBL around to keep the fat cats capitalists fatter and richer, to expand the Military-Industrial-National Security Complex, to keep it churning to the delight of our rich white buddies. How insulting to me and my friends in the military and the intelligence communities!

Could it be because 3,611 young Americans have been sacrificed solely to put money into the coffers of the oil companies (Halliburton, Cheney, and the like)?

This is so naive and bogus! A war for oil! You're better off suggesting it was to avenge Saddam's assassination attempt of Bush Sr. BTW, Halliburton and Cheney are not "oil companies." If the U.S. did control Iraqi oil fields/revenue, why are gas prices so high? Why has there yet to be a profit turned from the Iraqi petroleum industry? If we control their fields, why are petro dollars being used to fund terrorism and war material that kills our troops and those of our allies? So, are we funding the war against our war? Nonsense!

What's the beef w/ Haliburton? Yeah, it's a world-renown construction company. So what that Cheney is on its board. It just happens to be one of the few companies in the world uniquely qualified to rebuild a country's infrastructure. Would you prefer Russia or France, participants in the UN's oil-for-food scam, to rebuild Iraq and to benefit under the protection of American blood?

Could it be because the surplus left by the Clinton administration has turned into a 7 trillion dollar deficit that we and our descendents will be paying off for years and years?

I don't know. Do you think something might of happened shortly after Clinton left office that may have contributed to the deficit? Something like the worst terror strike ever on U.S. soil? Oh, and the worst natural disaster on U.S. soil? Oh yeah, President Bush caused those! I forgot! Since 9/11 a whole new cabinet position has been created, the Dept of Homeland Security was created, the intelligence community was expanded and restructured, the Coast Guard was expanded, a new Northern Command was created in the military to protect us here at home, and New Orleans was rebuilt. We've all seen how despite all this, the deficit is shrinking, we all have gotten to keep more of our hard-earned money (thanks Bush!), the economy is strong, nearly all Americans and well over 12 million illegal aliens have jobs, and we are the most productive nation on earth. Who do you know doesn't have their own car, a computer, a big screen or flat panel t.v., an I-Pod or MP3 player, a DVD player, a cell phone, etc. etc???? Yeah, we're hurting! What president did not operate on a deficit at some point anyway?

I'm also old enough to understand that Presidents most often share the burdens and blessings of macroeconomic policies put in place by the administration before them. And, Economics 101 teaches us the economy is subject to a constant cycle of ebbs and flows, ups and downs.

Could it be because we were deceived into believing that Iraq something to do with 9/11 and that they had weapons of mass destruction--both false?

Saddam was a swore enemy before and after 9/11. One of the world's most notorious terrorists, Abu Nidal, sought and was given refuge in Iraq. What evidence is there that Iraq was NOT a breeding ground and friend to terrorists? In a post 9/11 environment, during a period when the Taliban and Al Queda was being ejected from Afghanistan, Iraq was a problem. WMD's are weapons of mass destruction. They can be chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological in nature. Here's what happens when you come in contact w/ "pretend Iraqi WMDs," you know, the ones that aren't there (note 2, attached).

Could it be because CIA warnings of impending attacks were ignored? (And maybe still are...)

History is replete with examples of Presidents not acting on warning intelligence. Does anyone remember Pearl Harbor? Just ask your self what President was in power during UBL's ascendancy and during a rein of "warm up" terror atrocities by Al Quida? Clinton! What's worst -- a failure to act on a warning, or, a failure to respond adequately to deliberate terrorism? By the way, the Director of Central Intelligence, the former leader of our intelligence community and the CIA during this period is a Democrat.

Could it be because of almost daily reports of corruption and lies within the sleazy Republican party?

"Lies and corruption" is not a hallmark of the GOP. This is pretty much a qualification to be a POLITICIAN. You slander and libel the folks who are Republicans when you call the entire party sleazy. Liberals, and the enlightened Democrats who apparently champion diversity and compassion always hate to hear diverse opinions. So, just get rid of the sleazy Republican Party, let's have one Democratic party, and we'll be one happy country where corruption and lies have magically disappeared. Maybe Hugo Chavez can come run for Presidente.

Could it be because our Constitution has been disregarded and for the past six years?

You need to expand on this? Do you mean terrorist civil liberties have been violated? Do you mean terrorists have been humiliated by a few of our bad apples while our innocent journalists and re-construction contractors are beheaded without much of a peep in the press? Do you mean 12-20 million illegal aliens (AKA as "undocumented Americans" by the libs) have not given more benefits then those for real Americans?

Could it be because Bush's arrogance and contempt have isolated us from the rest of the world?

Maybe it's Bush's principled belief instead of arrogance and contempt. When I think of arrogance and contempt I think of Clinton being pleasured in the Oval Office while he looks in my eye on the t.v. screen saying "he did not have sexual relations" and saying non-sense such as "it depends on what the definition of...is, is.." Talk about sleazy!

This list could go on and on, ad finitum....maybe even to the point of opening the eyes of some die-hard neo-cons to see the truth.

I love being a "neo-con."! Did you know that the term "new conservative" or "neo-con" has its genesis as a result of liberals who came over to the other side!? They broke from their party because it was so screwed up.

All I can say is that it's a good thing Jesus is a forgiving god...the ones responsible for taking this country in the wrong direction and for killing so many innocent people would never make it into heaven without it.

Our leaders are involved in the simple self preservation of our nation and way of life.

Do not be judged, lest you be judged your self.

paraphrasing Matt 7-3:4 "why do you see the speck in another's eye, when you don't see the board in your own?"

Why is that liberals always have issue more with Americans, including their own President, than with our own enemies? Why is their wrath not directed towards the ones that really "killed so many innocent" people, continue to do so, and espouse to continue to do so? Why is there no anger against a religious following whose simple silence speaks volumes about their attitude towards the extremism that threatens the peace and stability of their own religion, their own neighbors and the country they call home?

Name Withheld

P.S. Re the "liberal" media...92% of talk shows are conservative based, and 85% of mainstream newspapers and television stations are owned by big business, hardly "liberal" folks.

Does anyone really question whether liberalism and the antithesis of "political and moral diversity" permeates our t.v. media, Hollywood mass media, newspapers, foundations, and colleges and universities?

What evidence is there that "liberals" don't head up these media conglomerates? And, what's wrong w/ "big business" anyway? We live in a capitalist, free market here in America. In a world of globalization and global competitiveness, shouldn't we welcome the success of American big businesses? Big business pays big tax revenue and employees lots of tax payers. Money and market share goes to the media people want to listen to. Most Americans identify w/ or at least are entertained by these talk shows, and that's why they are as successful as they are. One only needs to chart the path of "Air America" to see what listeners think of liberal talk radio.