Why Are We Screwing Around With North Korea?

Like many of my fellow American, those who understand the ramifications of a nuclear stand off, I have been watching the events in Iran and North Korea with great interest. Iran is talking some garbage about America, but they are so wrapped up in their own internal problems that a 3 legged dog with a BB gun could take them out, so I am not too worried about Iran. North Korea, on the other hand, is a horse of a totally different color.

North Korea has been riding on a high since the White House and Congress forced Douglas MacArthur to walk away with his tail tucked between his legs. Less face the fact, North Korea actually did not win the conflict in the 1950's. We, America, played the bitch card and gave it to them. Ever since 1953, North Korea has been strutting around like a rooster with its chest puffed out, feeling as if they have accomplished something big. Instead of tying MacArthur's hands and forcing him to play the punk role, we should have sent him reinforcements, put a few extra carriers in the theater, and allowed the man to finish what he started. Our government failed McArthur, and now we are seeing the fruits of our labor.

So, what do we have now America? North Korea tested a couple of missiles, and has plans on testing more. North Korea has a fully weaponnized nuclear powers program. North Korea is talking about blowing the United States off of the face of the earth. Is it me, or did I somehow fall asleep during the Superpower 101 lecture? Sure North Korea has a few nuclear weapons, ours are smarter. Sure North Korea has a large army, ours is better trained. We will not even consider the North Korean Navy, because after a 72 hour encounter with the US 3rd and 7th Fleets, the North Korean Navy would be a mute point.

Here's the bottom line America; North Korea is playing the game of "Who's Got The Biggest Balls". If you notice, North Korea was afraid to speak too loudly while Bush was in office, because that crazy Texan would not have though twice about slapping those silly little grins off of the face of the North Koreans. The North Korean government feels that our current leader, President Barack Obama, is weak, inexperienced, and afraid to respond in kind. Ok, I see the North Korean bluff and raise them one ass kicking. If the North Koreans want to deal with American Presidents, so mote it be, we will allow them to deal with George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Harry Truman, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. I am more than certain that the aforementioned Presidents of the United States would be more than happy to enter into a discussion with the North Koreans. Oh, I almost forgot, for the slower people who may be reading this posting, put "USS" in front of each of the Presidents previously mentioned. The North Koreans want to see who has the biggest balls? Whoa, Whoa, Whoa Kemosabe! Big, Big Balling Is My Hobby!

We are the United States of America. Our government forced us to dunk and run the last time, and now the very cockroach we should have killed before is back again. Our government should have allow Douglas MacArthur to finish the job. Had they done so, we would be able to sit back and allow South Korea to handle our light work. So, why are we fucking around with North Korea? Let's show them who the hell they are fucking with.

On Observation

I've been silent for a few weeks, and busy with other endeavors. Still, I would not be one to forsake my true calling.

There has been a lot happening in the news lately. A new Supreme Court Justice was nominated, General Motors became Government Motors, The Obama's decided to have a date night, The Republicans complained because they were not invited on the Obama's date night. You know what? For this posting, I am going to lay off of my traditional targets, and focus on something else that caught my eye today.

Raise your hand if you were not aware that privacy in our nation was severely reduced after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Come on now, don't be shy, I am certain there are a few of you out there who can not understand why our every move is being monitored. Well now, there are not too many hands up, are there?

Recent news has revealed that two states are using highway speeding camera, and it is creating an uproar from many in our country. One AOL reader classified the use of highway speeding cameras as "Big Brother Gone Wild". Some are claiming the highway speeding cameras to be an assault on American Civil Liberties. As if saying the cop in the bushes with the radar gun was not. These highway speeding camera is the highway patrol's way of unmanning the front lines. Think about it from a cost perspective. They average highway patrol officer spends as much as 20 hours per week monitoring speeders. At an average wage of $25 per hour, the state is spending $2000 per month per highway patrol officer monitoring speeders. The average cost of operating a speed camera is actually less that $5.00 per hour. Using the same 20 hour factor, the state ends up pay approximately $400 a month for the camera. $1600 may not be much to you, but it sure impact the bottom line of many state budgets.

Here's the bottom line America; Most of us speed on the highways, and that creates situations where accidents occur and people die. Someone has to monitor the speed on the highways, and ensure the safety of all who drive them. If you were the governor of a state, what would you rather pay for that protection, $2000 per officer per month or $400 per camera per month? I am not a financial analyst, but it seems to make sense to go with the more cost effective option. Now, about this whole big brother thing. News flash, the government has had the ability to monitor Americans since just prior to World War II. Phone lines have been monitored for decades, cellular communication is tracked, as is the use of the internet. Think about your Social Security Number, and how easy it is to find you with that. It is the government's way of maintaining a database record on you. Big Brother has been watching since 1940's, and perhaps even earlier. Problem is, many people in the past were not aware of the Big Brother concept until Orwell wrote his book 1984. For all we know, Big Brother could have been watching us since 1498, 1849, 1894 or 1948. One never knows, does one?

H1N1 Alert from LAN Air

Due to a sanitary alert declared as a result of Swine Flu cases detected, LAN will provide passengers with confirmed itineraries (within a single ticket) to and from Mexico and USA and booked until May 31st, 2009, with the following options:

1. A change of date without penalty (even if restricted by fare regulation), subject to CLASS availability and within ticket validity; complying with the rest of fare regulation.

2. Passengers staying in Mexico or USA may return earlier penalty-free, even if “minimum stay” fare regulation (*) is not met and subject to class availability.
(*) Changes that overrule minimum stay fare regulation must be processed through LAN.

3. Reissue as “form of payment” without penalty (change of destination), even if restricted by fare regulation and subject to the current policies.


Travel agents may reissue without penalty provided that the rest of fare regulation is complied.

The reservation should be modified and agent should request the waiver (Change due protection) to his/her LAN Sales Support Agent to reissue and enter the following SSR message:

SR CKIN LA CHG DUE SWINE FLU ALERT

The changes may be done until flight departure date. NO SHOW passengers may not apply for this procedure.

Refunds will be subject to fare regulation.

Changes should be done according to procedure above to avoid agency debit memos.

Should you have any questions, please contact your LAN Sales Support Agent.

Additional information on affected travel due to sanitary alert:

International flights to and from Mendoza, Argentina have been cancelled, therefore LAN passengers with valid tickets through May 31st, will be given option for:

involuntary rerouting via Buenos Aires
penalty-free date change (within validity and fare conditions)
change of destination (within validity and fare conditions, may incur charges
depending on destination)

Bad Week For Republicans.

The news was just full of interesting tidbits over the course of the past few days. Unfortunately it was news was not so good for the Republican Party.

The Grand Ole Party (GOP) was dealt a devastating blow when Senator Arlen Specter elected to turn coats and affiliate with the Democrats. In doing so, he removed the GOP's sole hope for a filibuster thereby virtually rendering the senate republicans impotent. Indeed, there is not be much that senate Republicans can do to prevent the passage of Democratic legislation for the next seven quarters.

Not to worry. After all, the GOP still maintains majority control of the Supreme Court, right? Well, that was then, and this is now.

Justice David Souter, who was appointed to the bench by George H. W. Bush, decided to retire. Funny, I used to think that the Supreme Court Justices held the post until they died. Silly little rumor mill.

The departure of David Souter gives President Obama the ability to appoint a justice to the nation's highest court. Talk about a massive power shift. President Obama's appointment will create a balance of sorts within the Supreme Court eliminate the conservative power base which removed the voices of the family of Terri Schivo.

So where do we stand America? How about on the brink of some major events of historical proportions? President Obama now has at least until the next mid-term elections to move as much of his agenda as possible. It will be interesting to see just how many of those campaign promises become reality.

This is a critical point in the history of our great nation. The once vocal majority of the GOP is quickly becoming a silent minority. Save for the mouths of people like Limbaugh, O'Riley and Hanity, the GOP does not have any real political weapon that would have the remotest of a possibility of derailing the DNC's train. The ball is now in the court of the Democratic Party. Let's see if they go for 3 or simply settle for 2.

My Uh Fellow Um Americans Uh Um

Faster than a speeding conjunction! More powerful than a participle! Able to leap run on sentences in a single bound! Look! On TV! It's Ivy League! It's Big Ten! It's Teleprompterman!

OK, now let's get a bit serious. I am sure that many of you, like me watched with baited breath as President Obama addressed the nation on the outcome of his first 100 Days in office. I am equally sure that those with a critical nature, like me systematically picked apart the speech as if it was being presented by a member of a third grade debate team.

President Obama's opening remarks were incredibly strong, but it was easy to tell that they were scripted, and displayed for the President on a remote teleprompter, which may have been located somewhere to his immediate right side. Yes, the President's opening remarks about the state of the economy and the Swine Flu epidemic were extremely powerful, but that was about the only part of the hour long song and dance that was.

Opening the floor for questions, it became immediately obvious that the President had preferred individuals to which to turn. Most of the questions were subdued, and appeared to be designed to evoke a non-committal response from the President. Indeed the questions were designed to be clear an too the point; however, as many of us have previously observed, being clear and to the point often tends not tho be the forte of the President.

One of the very first questions centered on the Government's readiness to combat the swine flu epidemic. Now to the average layman, that we seem to be a question which could be answered in as little as 30 seconds. Goodness knows George Bush proved that just about any question could be answered within a matter of 30 seconds. President Obama, seemed to drum on for more than 10 minutes, often restating himself. At times it appeared as if the President was either fishing for a response, or waiting to be advised of how to respond. Several times during the dialog about the Swine Flu, the President's eyes could be observed as shifting low and to the right, as if he was reading his answers. That same behavior was even more prevalent while the President was responding to the question of whether or not the United States could secure Pakistan's nuclear weapons to ensure that they do not fall into the hands of Bin Laden and his band of thugs. After more than 5 minutes, President Obama still left the reporter begging the question. Had the question been posed the George Bush, the response would have been something to the tune of "They do not want to even think about trying to get a nuclear weapon" with the "They" relating to Bin Laden and the Taliban.

Then there was, and this could have been me, but there was the constantly annoying "Uh's" and "Um's". I honestly lost count after 50. The President has a law degree from Harvard, certainly he must have taken public speaking at some point during his tenure in college. Professor Smith would have thrown a desk at me if I resorted to "Uh's" and "Um's" during a speech, yet they seemed to be the primary basis of President Obama entire vocal presentation this evening.

Here's the bottom line America; as President of the United States, or any senior states-person for that matter, one should be able to effectively present him or herself vocally and without the assistance of a teleprompter or someone using a remote audio device. It was clear as to when the teleprompter was turned off, because that was the point where the "Um's" and "Uh's" began to take over. Heck, why not just throw in a "You know what I'm saying" for the road? In the world of public speaking, a teleprompter becomes a crutch. As with any crutch, after continued usage, it will eventually break. Save for one small exception, George W. Bush, America Presidents have typically been fairly articulate speakers. I am not to sure what happened with G. W. Bush, because his father G. H. W. Bush was an excellent public speaker. After this evening's speech, I am honestly beginning to question President Obama's public speaking abilities as well. Perhaps that is the reason he avoided appearing on Tavis Smiley's State of the Black Union show. Tavis, with his immense vocabulary would have completely embarrassed the future President of the United States.

Not Yet Goose, It's Time To Buzz The Tower

In this case, the tower was the entire island of Manhattan, NY and the aircraft was Air Force One.

Most of us remember the images of 9/11, and those of us who don't we either not born yet, or just plain retarded. The events of 9/11 occurred nearly eight years ago, but the images are still fresh in the minds of many people, especially those who lost loved ones in the World Trade Center Towers.

Some people are still nervous about airliners flying at the standard prescribed altitudes, so imagine the shock and awe experienced by many at the sight of a 747 flying low and just over the skyline of Manhattan.

The United States Air Force was directed to get pictures of Air Force One flying by the monuments of the United States. This action was supposedly authorized be a high ranking official in the Department of Defense, but there was one small problem; the Mayor of New York was never notified, and as a result, neither were the people of New York.

So here we have people at work in the New York high rises, observing a jumbo jet airliner seemingly flying directly at them. The even forced an immediate mass exodus from the offices, and mostly likely cause a few first responders to poop in their pants. In short, the flight sent the entire island of Manhattan into a state of alarm.

Look, I am all for the photo ops, just like the next guy, but hey, we have to use a little common sense. New York City is already on pins and needles when it comes to dealing with air planes; why add to the fear?

Here is the bottom line America; the act in and of itself was totally insensitive. No two ways about it, the act was a truly boneheaded move. At an absolute minimum, the Mayor of New York should have been advised of this alleged photo op weeks in advance. Doing that would have allowed the Mayor to communicate with the residents of Manhattan and prepare them for the event. The Department of Defense, indeed the United States Military, and to a grander scheme the White House, are not above the law. No one in this country is above the law. Stunts such as that Top Gun Air Show Fly By should have been cleared through the local elected officials first.

Now, I am going to give credit where it is due. The President addressed the matter behind closed doors with the authorizing official. Although I feel that the President was correct in admonishing the one who authorized the fly by, I also think the President, in his capacity of Commander In Chief of the US Armed Forces, should issue a formal and unscripted apology to the people of New York. Perhaps make an impromptu trip to Manhattan and speak to the people directly. At least in doing so, the President will show that he is still in control of the United States Armed Forces, and he is truly concerned for the overall well being of the citizens of Manhattan.

Gee, Let's Tell Them How We Do It.

When I wore the uniform of our great nation, I was once cautioned about loose lips and their impact on the overall security of all parties concerned. Indeed somethings are better left unsaid. Well, that notion seems to not apply in our present day in age in America.

Recently we've heard in the news about the decision to close Guantanamo Bay, and release the suspects presently held in that facility. Well, let us call them political prisoners, because the jury is still out on whether then acted alone or if 9/11 was an inside job. On any account, an executive decision was made to let them go. Only time will tell if that decision was a sound one.

Now, albeit that it is bad enough to free the political prisoners, for they will have many stories of how the American "Big Bad Wolf" was so mean to them. Hey, it's just their word against our word. Everyone knows that Hear-Say does not hold up in any court of law, unless some form of evidence is provided to justify the other party's allegations. What is that considered? Would that be Adverse Adjudication? Things that make you go, Hum.

If you have been following the news, like me, you know that the Obama administration recently decided to release certain key memos from the Bush administration outlining the methods employed at Guantanamo Bay. What a big "Wow" that is! Our nation is already limping from the stomp on the toe of releasing the political prisoners, and to ease the pain, we shoot ourselves in the foot by providing those same prisoners with credibility. What's dumb? Swinging from one tall building to another. What's dumber than that? Swinging without a rope to hold on to. Let us ask John McCain if the Vietcong were openly honest with United States about all of the methods used on our POWs during their stay in the Hanoi Hilton.

Here's the bottom line America; President Obama is trying to do the right thing, but he is doing it for all the wrong reasons. The release of the memos would have occurred anyway, but not for another 15 to 25 years and they would have been made available under the Freedom of Information Act. Much the same as for the documents of the Warren Committee. So there was really no justifiable reason for rushing the release of the Guantanamo Memos, save one small exception. President Obama has a woody for Former President George W. Bush. Any opportunity to slander the former President is being exploited, and that simply is not right.

Like many people in America, and this may or may not come as a shock to people, but I was not overly fond of George W. Bush either. I likened him to a child who was not allowed to play with G.I. Joe dolls, so he decided to turn the entire US Armed Forces into one big G.I. Joe play set. I did not find George W. Bush to be the most articulate of individuals, nor did I consider him to be intelligent; however, despite all of my concerns, and dislikes about George W. Bush, I would never have gone as far as to completely undermine him in the face of the entire world. President Obama's release of the Guantanamo memos, although supposedly well intentioned, merely served to undermine the administration of George W. Bush. I know there are many people who will disagree with my assessment, but let us call it what it is. Releasing the memos is one man's attempt to win over the confidence of the world by destroying the credibility of another. Little Johnny and Little Billy are in the 4th grade. Little Billy likes Little Sally and tells Little Johnny that he is going to send Little Sally an "I Like You" note. Little Johnny leaks to Little Sally's boyfriend Big Mikey that Little Billy likes Little Sally. Big Mikey beats Little Billy up on the playground at recess. A rose by any other name.

Whether we like it or not, those memos should not have been released. Not now, especially considering that we are engaged in a war against the principle of terrorism. In releasing the memos, we smeared our own faces with the same mud we've thrown at others. Loose Lips Sink Ships, or in the case of these memos, Loose Lips Sink Our Nation's Credibility.

The Honeymoon Is About Over

Hello my fellow Americans. Seems as though I have been in a state of hibernation for a few months, but in truth, I have not.

Truth be known, the All Seeing Owl never really sleeps. I just observe from a high vantage point and absorb interesting bits of information. You know, information like what is going on with North Korea, the events in the Gulf of Aiden, our economy which seems to be in a perpetual coma. Yes, I watch from afar.

Now, some of my conservative readers may raise the question of if I was so critical of George Bush, then what would cause me not to be critical of Barack Obama? Indeed, several of you may have tagged me as hyper liberal. Please allow me to assure you that nothing is further from the truth.

You see America, it is like this. I view the first 90 days of a new President's first administration to be a "Honeymoon Phase", what most of us view as a probationary period, or the umbrella period associated with the Lemon Law. For those of you who really know me, I am neither liberal nor conservative. I am that middle of the road standard that is not afraid to voice an opinion about any one or anything.

In the words of Denzel Washington, "Rush Limbaugh ain't got nothing on me". I am Numinous Owl, the "All Seeing Owl", the one who is so direct he'll make Rush Limbaugh seem line, Howard Stern think twice, and Al Sharpton just sit back and scowl. That is right, I am that Numinous Owl. I am the one who said George Bush allowed his thirst for revenge to get us wrapped up in a quagmire to which there is no real escape even before Barack Obama talked draw down in during his campaign. I was the one who made it clear that George Bush's favorite acronym is DAISNAID. Indeed I was the one who openly said that it would be in Hillary's best interest that she tell Bill to shut the heck up because he was talking too much.

It does not matter if it is Republican, Democrat, or some make believe third political party. The All Seeing Owl believe in equal opportunity, and believe me, we stand by the Constitutional notion that all politicians are created equally. Without a doubt, the All Seeing Owl with not discriminate when it comes to addressing the issues which threaten to rip away at the fabric of our beautiful nation.

I watched from afar as the era opened and the Honeymoon Phase began. In 3 days, the Honeymoon will be over, and then it is back to business as usual.

It's The Billion Dollar Deal or No Deal

Heard you all missed me. Well guess what? I'm back.

Now, for those of you who felt I was a tad hypercritical about the Bush administration, this is for you.

What in the hell is going on in the Obama White House?

Like many Americans, I watched his speech on February 9, 2009 relating to the progress of the economic stimulus (or economic recovery, or economic spending, or what ever the flavor of the day is) bill. You know, the bill that began as a $720 Billion Dollar package, inflating to a $925 Billion Dollar package, only to drop to a $812 Billion Dollar package? That piece of fiscal legislation which required 3 Republicans to be baited in order for the bill to pass in the Senate. Tell you what, let's just call it "The Bill", because that is what it is going to amount to, one big and flowery bill.

I am not certain if I am the only one who sees this, but I can not help but notice the incredible accordion effect impacting "The Bill". Couple that with the fact that President Obama seems ill-prepared to defend "The Bill" effectively, and now we have the recipe for a serious fiscal nightmare.

As I listened to the President's speech, I kind of got the impression that I was listening to another one of his campaign speeches. You know the one's I am referring to. The speeches about the "past eight years" and the "failed Bush policies". Hell, we all got the point during the election. Bush was a moron, but now he is gone, so now we need to pick up the pieces and move on.

At times during his speech, President Obama resembled Joe Frazier who was backed into a corner waiting for one of those trademark Ali "Rope a Dopes". Indeed the President skirted the question of one reporter, who's name eludes me presently, but she reminded me of someone's frail grand mother who asked what appeared to be a harmless question about 3rd world nations with weapons of mass destruction.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of President Obama's speech what the number of torpedoes fired at it by the President himself. The President seems to trip over his tongue when he tried to break down "The Bill" line item by line item. At points during that evolution it seemed as if the President was not even familiar with the items contained in "The Bill". Without a doubt, product knowledge seemed to be lacking.

Then there is the issue of overkill. The President of the United States is an educated Harvard Alumni, and I am certain that his professors cringed over the amount of empty verbiage that flowed from the mouth of the President. To say that the President talked too much would be an understatement. What is the old saying? Better to say little and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt. It was bad enough that the President was not as well versed with the contents of "The Bill" as he should have been, but his verbal overkill did precious little to bolster the confidence of the average American.

Bottom line is this America; A salesman is only as good as his knowledge of the product he is selling. The Obama White House lost complete control of the "The Bill", and now they are making every attempt to blame the Republicans. Allow me to go on record by saying that I am not holding the Republicans completely blameless either. After all, they may be attempting to do to Obama what their predecessors did to Clinton; however, the ultimate blame still falls on the President. "The Bill" is President Obama's (please pardon the pun) Billion Dollar Baby, and he needs to be more familiar with it so he can do a more convincing job of selling it.