If I were King

I would start each day with a question.  I would ask myself, what is my role?  From the answer I would then be able to determine what tasks are important enough to fill my day, what can be delegated, and what should be ignored. 

As the King I would set out to learn the realm, meet the people, understand the economy, gain insight into the fiefdoms that make up the government, and observe the surrounding kingdoms.  I would set forth to survey the borders, and understand the threats, both external and from within, for without that understanding I, as King, would not know how to define my role.

It seems to me; not being a King, if the monarch looks into a mirror and says to himself, “How can I become a bigger King?” the priorities he will set will be small and self-serving.  His role will be to impress the other Kings and Queens of the land so that they will see him worthy to rise to rule an even greater kingdom, but when he leaves the kingdom it will not be a better land because he was there.  He will have the castles unfurl the flags, he will have the soldiers march to and fro, the trumpets will announce his arrival, and he will stride heroically around the land looking very king-like.  But, the borders will not be strengthened, the crops not improved, the economy will not grow and the people made to see a brighter future through his leadership.

He will command his court to move first in one direction and then another, as his fortune swirls and changes, like the winds sway the banners of the castle to and fro.  He will see in himself a great King, who only needs to show other great Kings he is like them, forgetting that that without humility and concern for the subjects, greatness is an illusion.

On the other hand, if the King were to say to himself, “I must unite the lands, I must bring prosperity in times of change, and I must steady the kingdom -- so that the subjects know the course I am steering” than much could be accomplished, without thought of self-image and aggrandizement.  He will make his role one of peacemaker, seeking wise council not from his closest friends, but from those with whom he disagrees.  He will speak with his court and set them on a path of stability where change and the reason for change is understood, and their roles in strengthening the kingdom support the common good.

If you were King, what question would you start your day with?

Politics -- Funny and Idiotic

I admit, I am just a bit twisted in my sense of humor.  It is both a curse, and a blessing.  Certainly a curse for my wife, who must put up with my humor, but it helps me with the silliness in the serious business around me.  For example, when I am dealing with a vendor and government buyer who thinks it is perfectly reasonable for the government to pay $15,000,000.00 to change the mounting location of a sensor on the ass end of a C-130.  I am reminded of Senator Everett Dirksen who allegedly said, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money!”

But I have to say; I am totally befuddled by some to the foolish and idiotic things some conservatives and liberals think are important to put on the World Wide Web when they are attempting to slam the other side.

In the name of fair play I will point out things I find funny from both sides, alternating between the two.

From Being Liberal (FB):  “I don’t mind paying taxes to help the poor, but it pisses me off when I’m paying my taxes to subsidize the rich.”  Right, like you have a say in where your tax dollars go!  If you vote for bigger government you get bigger government, not more responsive, just more bureaucratic.  The government spends far more than it takes in, so if it helps you sleep at night, then believe your tax dollars pay the President’s salary.  Oh wait; he is in the 1% isn’t he?  Maybe your tax dollars can pay the salary of the White House maids.

From Keep America, American (FB):  Actually the name is all I really need on this.  If we wanted to keep America, American wouldn’t we be talking seriously about sending all the European-Americans back to Europe, all the African-Americans back to Africa, all the Asian-Americans back to Asia, and so on?  Shouldn’t only the Native American’s get to have a FB site named Keep America, American?

From Democratic Party (FB on March 21):  “The House GOP just passed a budget that slashed the social security net and gives the wealthy a huge tax cut – paid for by seniors, students and the middle class.”  Actually, members from both parties voted for the 2013 continuing resolution (H.R. 933) through the rest of the fiscal year and the President, a Democrat signed into law.  In point of fact, the continuing resolution did not slash social security or grant the wealthy any new, huge, tax cuts it merely extended existing provisions, but then I am open to being educated on specific measures that may have done what is alleged.

From multiple sources: Commenting on the Google decision to depict Cesar Chávez in its Easter doodle.  If you haven’t figured out by now the leadership of Google is a left of center organization, supporting the progressive movement, while making the major stock holders billionaires on the backs of its software engineers, just like any true capitalist enterprise, then where have you been for the past ten years?

From Blue Street Journal’s photo (FB):  “Don’t Blame Obama…[lots of words] Blame the GOP” (regarding the Senate’s slipping the “Monsanto Protection Act” into HR 933) and the President signing it into law.  Okay lets get our stories straight.  The best I can figure out a GA Republican Senator, John Isakson, actually inserted the Senate Amendment into the law, but the Democrats control the Senate so this isn’t really the GOP sneaking around and holding a gun to the President’s head now is it?  It is a clear case of the Senate Democrats not liking the blow back and looking to shift the blame and using the tools available to them.

From multiple conservative blogs and news media like Fox News:  Slamming the President for signing the “Monsanto Protection Act.”  Seriously, did you bother to look up the facts at all?  You don’t get to slam the President on this one!  What! you can’t find a problem with his vacations or something?  While I’m at it, I wonder how much this legislation cost Monsanto?

The World is a Dangerous and Unfair Place

    I woke up this morning, which is a surprise considering how dangerous the world is.  I read and watch so much news that reinforces that premise that I just am not sure how I make it through the day.  I am terribly concerned that at any moment I will find that Tempurpedic mattresses have been found to cause cancer in Canaries, which would be tragic, if I had a Canary.

     Each day we face Global Warming, which causes bigger storms, warmer oceans, droughts, floods, beach erosion, shorter ski seasons, and longer winters.  To fight this we are adding ethanol, in increasing amounts, to our gasoline so that soon our lawn mowers won't work and there will be food shortages.  Unless we use genetically modified food, that the FDA has approved as safe as can be determined, which should be pretty safe as long as the right government is in charge of the FDA, setting the right standards to help with Global Warming, which we already know, is very dangerous.

    On the other side, we are being attacked with ever increasing ferocity by aliens, both domestic and intergalactic.  Someone is hurling meteorites at us, and they are getting better at it.  Fortunately, so far, they have only hit Russia, but they are definitely getting better at it.  On the domestic side, we have aliens that are demanding equal rights with non-aliens, and if they don’t get it they will do something bad, like vote, flood the healthcare system, or maybe lobby for Puerto Rico to become the 51^st state, which would mean they would then have to do all the things a State has to do.  If that happens, what would be next?  Surely Guam wouldn’t want to become number 52?  Speaking of Guam, I worry that if we put too many US Marines on Guam will it really tip over as some in Congress have voiced concern with?  Having islands tip over is both dangerous and unfair, but I am not sure if it unfair to the marine life or the non-marine life.

    I worry about guns, a curse on society, brought to us by the Chinese in an attempt to dominate the world.  If the wrong people have guns then they kill people, if the right people don’t have guns they can’t stop the wrong people who do.  It is a vicious circle started by Genghis Khan, Kubla Khan, Kukla, Fran and Ollie, and ending with the birth of Ku Klux Khan.  We need to find a way to get all guns out of the hands of people who will use them for evil.  I fully support the current and ongoing efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to buy up all the bullets, because once we have used up the existing stocks of bullets the problem should go away and the world will be a safer place for those who don’t have guns.  As long as the right government is in charge of Homeland Security, setting the right protections against domestic aliens, and limits on the rights of the citizens for self protection and determination.

    Don’t even get me started on North Korea, a country that is doing its best to fight the causes of Global Warming.  If you look at a picture of the world at night you can see a country that doesn’t believe in keeping the lights on after dark.  It is limiting its use of nuclear power to strictly military applications, thereby reducing the potential for a China syndrome type accident, probably because China is a next door neighbor.  On the other hand, what good is having a nuclear weapon, and being a basketball-loving dictator, if you can’t use it (the weapon not the basketball) once in a while.  I am worried about a nuclear war, because if there is anything that does not go well with nuclear weapons it is an isolated country known to support terrorism.  Thankfully there are only a couple of those around, but if we had one of those wars, think of all the Carbon Credits Al Gore would have to sell them to zero balance out the effect of a mushroom cloud, or three, on Global Warming.

    And finally, since we are talking about dangerous and unfair, why do I have to iron my own shirts?  Just because I am the one who wears them and gets them wrinkled?  That is just wrong, and dangerous!  I don't know how I sleep at night with all this dangerous and unfair stuff out there.

Swirling Around Thoughts

Yesterday, the US Supreme Court heard the case on California’s Proposition 8 (a voter adopted law to restrict same sex marriage).  A lower federal court overturned it, and the State did not challenge that ruling, but the propositions supporters did and their lawyers argued to overturn the district courts ruling.  I thought they did a miserable job of justifying why only a man and a woman can marry, but then the respondents didn’t establish any great argument before the court as to why it was discrimination to set that as a standard.

Today the Court heard a challenge to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act or (DOMA), a law where the Congress and the President felt they had the right to define what was a legitimate marriage, and it could only be between a man and a woman.

I will undoubtedly upset some in my family, but I think the lower court’s ruling in Prop 8 should be overturned, while at the same time I think the DOMA should be found unconstitutional.  Both choices stem from a belief that the right to define and regulate marriage is a State’s Right and not federal issue. 

In the case of Prop 8 the majority of the state voted in favor of it when the State Supreme court struck down an earlier law.  Opponents then filed for regress in Federal Court, who did by judicial fiat what the opponents could not do at the polls.   If it is true that Prop 8 would not pass today, then it should be put again to the voters to determine what the law of the state should be, and not directed by the courts.  As was noted in the questioning by the judges, at what precise point in time did the prohibition of same-sex marriage become unconstitutional?  I would go one step further and ask when did the approval of who can marry become a federal issue?  Was it 1996 with the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act?

In the case of DOMA, I think the federal government has impinged upon one of the basic rights of the states, and says to them, “if you don’t see it my way I will withhold federal funds,” and to the citizens who have met the requirements for marriage, as defined by the state, “I don’t care, you are not afforded equal protection.” 

I believe each state should have the right to determine, within its constitutional authorities, what the majority of its population believes to be right for that state as long as an individual’s right to self-determination is protected.  I know some will argue that restricting marriage to only heterosexual relations discriminates against homosexuals.  I think this argument is just as weak as the one that says marriage can only be between a man and a woman.  Marriage within a Church may carry moral requirements, and I certainly believe the Church as a right to establish those requirements since membership in the Church is an individual choice, but by the state it is purely a licensing practice that establishes a contract between the parties, who will ultimately gain financial and other security benefits from that contract.

There is one critical federal point I would like to note here.  In our constitution there is specific language to how the states must deal with the laws of other states.

Article 4, Each State to Honor all Others.  

Article. IV.

Section. 1.

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

Section. 2.

The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.

A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.

While I have my doubts the founding fathers would have considered the implications of same sex marriage, I believe the provisions of this article remains a governing precept, and if a couple are legally married in one state, that marriage must be recognized in all others, and the federal government, even if the others choose not to approve of same sex marriage in their own laws and regulations. 

I believe there is adequate precedent for this, as I can recall that even in my life there was a time when people who sought a quick divorce would establish residency in NV until it was granted, then when they returned to their home states that divorce decree remained valid and in force.

But then I am not a lawyer, just an individual with an opinion.

Observations, Nothing More

I saw some bumper stickers today, posted at Legal Insurrection, that reflect a misguided belief that Jesus of Nazareth was a Liberal.  I can find no indication in the bible that Jesus held any political belief other than to convey the word of God, and point out where the Pharisees and Sadducees had moved away from it.  The closest political statement I find is with regard to Roman taxes.

I suspect Ms. Palin will get some pointed attention from the political pundits, especially on the left, for her accusation the President is a liar for promising transparent government and delivering the opposite.

 Phil, the groundhog from Punxsutawney, predicted an early spring.  It has arrived at the same time it did last year when he predicted a longer winter.

Mr. Torre, the former manager of the NY Yankees, should probably consider retirement. 

There is something magical about an early morning fog, unless you want to go somewhere, and then it is just a pain in the butt.

If Mayor Bloomberg has decided to set his salary at $1 a year, is it based on his value to the city or some other standard?

How do you set a value for life?  Is it based on how the individual feels, or how the government feels about the individual?

If killing children is wrong, then why do so many feminists endorse it?

It seems a lot easier to pontificate if you are a politician than if you are a Pope.

Union’s serve a useful purpose, but I am not sure what purpose union leadership serves other than to feather their own nest.

It is easier to point out the faults of others, than it is to quietly accept them.

In baseball, being right 30% of the time is pretty good; in politics it would be spectacular.

Economists should be seen, not heard, political economists shouldn’t even be seen.

The Problem with Squirrels

As we pursue our dreams, we are taught to stay focused, to keep our eye on the ball, our nose to the grindstone, and a sharp lookout for the ship of opportunity on the horizon… Well, you get my drift.  We are informed to be successful we must set goals, and to pursue excellence.

As Scott Adam so wonderfully observes in his Dilbert Comic, those who rise to the position of Chief Executive may not follow the same path as those who try and live by the axioms our parents passed along.  These are people who see a grander vision, who steer the ship to a star that others may not yet see, at least until a squirrel comes along to distract them.

Then, when they look to the heavens to find the invisible star by which they chart theirs and their company’s course, it never seems to be in the same place.  The best that the oarsmen can hope for is that it’s not directly opposite of the direction they have been rowing.

Dilbert by Scott Adams - the Rocket

Dilbert by Scott Adams - The 4th Kind of Greatness