Obama Wows Em

Living in Montana I have learned something very quickly. As a resident of this state you have no say in presidential politics. At least until this year. With Hillary vowing to take this the distance both candidates have been spending a good deal of time in Montana. Barak Obama spoke here yesterday at a local high school. This morning the headline reads, "Obama Wows Em". http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/05/20/news/local/18-obama_s.txt

What strikes me there is the blatant opinion of the editor. Obama Wows Em. All of them? That is impressive. Surely this reporter didn't interview everyone at the event. Perhaps that one little statement isn't so bad. After all the whole point of that headline is to sell newspapers. Then I got into the body of the story where I found the following....

He got a standing ovation Monday for calling for more school, more homework and on a 70-degree day less than two weeks before graduation.- Not bad. This is a fact.

When he declared that no military veteran in America should ever be reduced to sleeping on the street in a cardboard box, the crowd roared as if they'd all, at some point, put cheek to concrete in exhaustion. - This is colorful, but presumptive.

Even when the boo birds booed, which they did when Obama evoked high oil prices and tax breaks for the rich, their catcalls flattered the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. - Translation. Obama can do no wrong.

With all that said, after the first 4 paragraphs the writer for the Billings Gazette was factual and striaght foreward. Not appearing to take sides. Problem is most readers don't get past the first few paragraphs of the story where things are wrapped up in a neat little bow.

This isn't the worst example of opinion creeping into journalism by any stretch. It occurs everywhere, Yes including fox news.

I attended a workshop at the Missouri School of Journalism where the professor told those in attendance that the reporter has the duty to explain for the reader/viewer whether the results of the story are good or bad for them. I couldn't disagree more. That statement encourages reporters to editorialize their work. This is supposed to be one of the best journalism schools in the country.

That statement works off the basis that readers/viewers are to stupid to understand the ramifications of the story. If it is complicated bring in experts to explain. That is not the job of a reporter.

Life Isn't Fair

What a load of crap. Seriously where in the world do these people get their law degrees. What is wrong with the justice system today when "paper money" discriminates against the blind. We will now follow the fate of Russia as we spend our country into the toilet attempting to right every wrong that has happened through out life.

You will be forbidden from speaking because you might be discriminating against a deaf person in the room. At first you will think sign language is the answer but, no, there may be a blind person in the room missing out. The last straw will be the systematic adjustment of all toilets to a mere 11 inches off the floor. Sure it will be uncomfortable for you, but all those midgets around the country will be far more comfortable.

Terrible things happen. You can't fix them all. That is life. When I was a child a can remember crying because my brother had gotten more (insert whatever here). I bawled to my mother who told me "life isn't fair". Was my mother the only person in the country teaching this lesson?

The Gun

This is a 50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle. It's range is pretty much limited only by the curvature of the earth. Okay, so maybe I'm exagurating a little, but not much. It was a birthday gift for my friend at a cost of roughly 7 thousand dollars. As shown it would probably sell for around 6 thousand, but this one is custom built.

What on earth does a private citizen need with a gun like that. Well, I'll be honest. You don't "need" it. There is nothing in the United States that can be legally hunted with this gun. It isn't practical for home defense. Unless of course you are Randy Weaver (search Ruby Ridge).

Still, I want one. I am told shooting this gun is amazing. The change in barometric pressure alone is like being slapped in the face.

At 3 dollars a round this isn't a cheap hobby by any stretch. So, I think I'll wait for now. Hopefully it won't be outlawed by time I get around to affording it.

My List

I was "tagged" by Godfather at The Slow Bleed. I don't normally participate in things like this, however, I am making an exception for the following reasons.

1. I like The Slow Bleed and want to promote the site and ideas found therein.
2. I enjoyed finding out a little bit more about the individuals who responded.
3. It only takes a minute.

So here goes. And just one more thing according to the rules I am not required to explain any of the following.

1. Family
2. Good friends
3. Riding my motorcycle
4. Playing baseball/football
5. Children laughing
6. Adrenaline
7. Good Debate
8. Flying
9. Being outdoors
10. Making a difference

No tags on this one. Hope you enjoyed the list.

Blood Sport

Let men be men. Lets face it, guys enjoy fighting. Most guys anyway. We enjoy the battle even if we lose. On May 24th I'll be watching the latest Ultimate Fighting Championship fights. Yes it is brutal and sometimes bloody. So what is wrong with that.

Stop feminizing men. Let us be warriors. Let us fight for what is right. Let us celebrate what it is to be a man.

To be a man you should;

Show love to your family sometimes through physical affection.
Support your wife if you have one.
Encourage your kids if you have them.

Some would like to end the list there. However, There is more to this story.

Be the provider for your family. (Shelter, food, clothing..etc)
Be the spiritual leader for you family.
Protect your family from harm.
Fight for what is right.

Usually fighting for what is right just means standing firm and using words. On occassion, however, it means using force.

This was not a complete list. Feel free to ad to it if you like.

A Scope We Do Not Understand

In the United States of America we were devastated on 9-11 when the world trade center buildings were struck by terrorists and came crashing to the ground ending the lives of around 3 thousand people. This was one of the most horrific scenes we had ever seen, and one of the most deadly on our soil ever. Then came hurricane Katrina and we lost another 1500 or so in Louisanna and Mississippi. Thousands more were displaced from their homes. A disaster, yes.

However, In other countries when natural or man-made disasters occur the death toll often rises much higher, much faster. In China right now 15,000 have been confirmed dead following a massive earthquake. Another 40,000 are buried under the rubble. Many of those are likely to be confirmed dead in the days following.

In Burma the International Red Cross is estimating a death toll between 68 and 127 thousand. What!? To put that into perspective for you that is more than 42 times the death toll of the attacks on 9-11.

What causes the death toll to rise so dramatically. I can pinpoint a couple factors. First is the concentration of population. With more people in the area you are no doubt going to have a higher casualty rate.

Second is wealth. In very poor areas you don't have warning systems on television and radio blaring instructions for you to take cover. If you did you wouldn't have a basement in which to take cover. You can forget about evacuation because there are so few roads in and out of these places, and the number of individuals owning vehicles is very slim. When it comes time for rescue efforts, there are fewer helicopters, boats, generators for light, equipment.. etc to enhance the ability of the volunteers, military or other rescue staff.

In this country we simply do not understand magnatude of these disasters. You can say what you will about how our government mismanaged the response to Katrina, however 90 percent of those in the area were evacuated. Something not possible in other countries. There was warning of the impending threat on television and radio. Something not available in many countries.

Were there mistakes, sure. Should "Brownie" have lost his job, not for me to decide. I can say however, that had this been another country many more would likely have lost their lives. For that I am thankful.

Economy Depressed?

Factor number one on the minds of most Americans today is the economy. Lets just clear something up to start with. We are not currently in a depression. We might be heading for one. It may be inevitable, With out a doubt our economy is slowing down. We are not in a depression. Yet.

I have a couple of theories on this. First is the election cycle. In my theory the election cycle causes economic slowdowns through self fulfilling prophecy. Polititions on both sides of the aisle berate how the other side is going to hurt us financially. When that happens americans pull closed the purse strings.

Second, we have as a country and individually borrowed ourselves into oblivion. At some point we must pay the piper. Whether or not you agree with the recent wars on terror, we have spent alot of borrowed money to finance it. We spend money as though there is an endless supply. There is not. It comes from the pockets of hard working Americans. Our leaders would do well to remember that.

So, other than end the war, how will our democratic candidates fix our economy. Through healthcare, through allowing more immigrants into the system, through government subsidies on stem cell research, and research into alternative energy sources. All I have heard are options that cost money.

On the other hand I'm not sure McCain has a sure fire solution to the economic situation either. The one thing I know is that spending money in the form of loans to the Chinese that our children must repay is not the answer.