IndividualContributor

Happy New Year. New Year's resolution: start posting again!

Economically, 2007 will not be a good year. The housing bubble began bursting in 2006 but what's to come in 2007 will dwarf that misery.





Predictions:

Gold: $850 / ounce
Silver $16 / ounce
U.S. Dollar down 15% against the Euro
The DOW down 25%
NASDAQ down 20%
Mortgate foreclosures double previous all time high

The year 2007 will be remember, studied and talked about for decades.

A little off topic, but ... after vacationing in Desin, Florida the last two summers, I have grown to love the place. When I checked into real estate there, I was shocked. That led me into reading about coastal real estate in general and eventually I was reading about the "housing bubble".

I have become so interested in purchasing property in Destin, I have begun monitoring properties and staying up to date on real estate in general.

To that end, I have a new blog I will post to regularly (probably even more regularly than I have this one - sorry).

The blog is:

destinbubbleblog.blogspot.com

Give it a peak.

My first reaction when I heard that Israel had bombed and killed 4 U.N. observers in southern Lebanon was, "Damn! The Israelies are going after ALL the bad guys". Of course, I don't really think U.N. personnel should be targeted, although the tenants at 760 United Nations Plaza in New York are in fact mostly bad guys.

Just as Hizbollah hides behind women and children as they attack innocent Israelis, they also hide behind U.N. observer bunkers. And just as Israel doesn't stop attacking Hizbollah for fear of killing innocents, they don't and shouldn't stop attacking Hizbollah for fear of killing U.N. personnel.

The REAL villain here is not Israel but, once again, Kooki Kofi. He knew the U.N. observers were in harms way, he knew Hizbollah was firing on Israel while in very close proximity to U.N. bunkers and he did not call them home.

I wouldn't put it past the evil Mr. Annan to intentionally not recall the observers in hopes that Israel would kill some of them so he could shout, "See - those evil Israelis are targeting innocent U.N. personnel now. What won't those evil Zionists do?".

Kofi - you murdered those U.N. observers. The blood is on your hands.

Open Letter to Israel,

Thank you.

Thank you for unapologetically defending yourself.

Thank you for going tooth and nail against your destroyers without regard for "innocent civilians".

Thank you for not fighting a PC war like George Bush.

Thank you for not making a "proportional response".

Thank you for hitting your enemy as hard as you can.

Thank you for reminding the U.S. how a war should be fought.

Thank you for being the only island of support for individual rights in a sea of oppression.

Thank you Israel, for being there.

Thank you for acting.

Thank you, in advance, for destroying Hizbollah.

Thank you.

- Quentin

Why does western left liberal rhetoric in effect support Islamic fundamentalists? Its because they are more afraid of Christian fundamentalists than they are of Islamic fundamentalists. They are more afraid of Bush than they are Ahmadinejad. They have no real affection for Islamists. They just hate Bush more.

Why are they more afraid of Christian fundamentalists than Islamic fundamentalists? Because the Islamic fundamentalists run backward, 3rd world countries and have pitiful excuses for militaries. On the other hand, the Christian fundamentalists (i.e. Bush & Co.) run the most powerful country in the world with the strongest military in the world. They hate the fundamentalists they believe have the most power and that's the U.S. under Bush.

They are mistaken of course. With the inevitable exception of a few nutcases, Christian fundamentalist are fundamentally impotent. Christian fundamentalism was tamed in the protestant reformation and Christians are only Christians for a few hours on Sunday mornings. When is the last time you heard of a Christian fundamentalist beheading someone?

Reality check for Western left liberals: get some perspective. Christian fundamentalists have virtually no chance of turning the U.S. into a bloodthirsty theocracy akin to those in the middle east. Islam is our real enemy, not Bush and the Chrisitian fundamentalists.

I am not in favor of gay marriage. I am not against gay marriage. I am against any state sanctioned "marriage" be it between same sex or opposite sex partners. Why does the government have any hand in marriage to begin with?

Marriage is an phenomenon that is cultural and/or religious in nature. Making laws regarding culture and religion is not a charter of government. Keep marriage where it belongs - in churches, synagogues, mosques (for the religious) and in private homes, on beaches, ships or other settings for the secular. If a same sex couple (or opposite sex couple, for that matter) decides to enter into a committed relationship, they can call it anything they wish to call it. They can say they are "life partners" or "married" or "joined" or "frolicking through life together" or anything else they want to call it. No one can dictate what they call it nor prevent them from calling it whatever they please. If they wish to consider themselves married and announce publicly they are married, that is their right.

Now, there should be a legal concept that is a corollary to marriage - what is usually called a "civil union". This is in fact necessary as it is a contract and contract enforcement is indeed a function of government. The need for contract comes into play when a couple (same or opposite sex) decides to part ways. There has to be legal avenues where each party is ensured fair distribution of assets and/or legal custody and support of minors. This is a totally separate issue from what the union is called - it is a legal issue. And from a legal standpoint, every couple is entitled to equal protection.

This whole thing about legalizing gay marriage is so much a waste of time. Get government out of religion and culture, and while you're at it - out of every other aspect of our lives it doesn't belong in.

The Bigger the Belly, the Better the Flop

Every year, wide-wasted water-lovers gather in Denver to compete for the coveted crown of biggest belly-busting fool in the pool — and the biggest splash takes all.
But these floppers aren't in it just for the fleeting fame — this year's winner will be treated with a trip to Cancun.

Rumor has it, Mikey Moore will be on the beach in Mexico this summer. But don't throw that harpoon just yet ... it may be a fat, pompous Canadian porker and not a beached whale.

The other day on my way into work, I heard a radio spot sponsored by a local church. I'd heard these spots before. Whatever the topic, it's usually in one ear and out the other. Its typically the usual Christian, altruistic bromides about helping your neighbors.

This particular morning though, the good reverend Wright, speaking "Wright from his Heart" (his slogan, which is appropriate, because its obvious he's not using his brain when he speaks), spews the most laughable attack on evolutionary theory.

He claims that one question never answered by evolutionists is "What put evolution in motion?". His proposition: If you don't know all the answers, then it MUST be God! But If God set things in motion Mr. Bryant Wright, who set God in motion ... hunh? No answer? Blank out? That's what I thought. No answer from Mr. Wright.

He totally ignores his own premise. He says "there must be a designer for something as complex as a human being" but then does not apply that very premise to God. Who designed God? Its not good enough to say "Uh ... no one. He's just always existed." Talk about begging the question - give me a break. When you graduate from Logic 101 and re-examine your premises, give me a call.

Then he goes on to say that there is so much "evidence" for intelligent design it can't be ignored. He tries to make the case that if someone was walking along in the forest and found a personal computer lying on the ground, then by the logic used by evolutionists one should conclude that the computer evolved from lower forms. Wright says, since we all know that the computer was designed by an intelligent being (humans) and that because humans are complex too, humans must have been designed by an intelligent being as well. Any guess who that being would be? Well God, of course!

This line of "logic" is so full of holes, Darwin himself could swim through it along with a few hundred of his favorite species. The biggest fallacy is his conclusion that if man is intelligent and designs complex things, then since man himself (and the rest of nature of course) is complex, he too must have been designed by an intelligent being and that being must be God.

The fact that man is intelligent and can design complex machines in no way implies that since man is complex too, he must have been designed by an intelligent being as well. Quite the contrary, we observe very complexes processes in nature all the time and find no evidence (nor need) to stipulate a god to create them.

Systems that are very complex can be produced by a series of very small randomly-generated steps (see Richard Dawkins book, The Blind Watchmaker). Scientists have shown this over and over. There is simply no need to introduce the concept of God. And speaking of simply, ever heard of Occam's Razor? The best explanation is the simplest. Inventing a supreme being to explain those things we don't understand just isn't simple - it adds more complexity. There must be a supreme supreme being to have created the supreme being. And a more supreme one after that, ad infinitum. A little too much for me.

Even if scientists can't (yet) trace every step from simple photo-receptive cells to the human eye, any *plausible* exlanation (even with gaps in knowledge) shows that stipulation of a God is unnecessary.

Wright says he "just doesn't have that much faith" in the ability of some non-intelligent process (evolution) to produce such complex entities. Hey Bryant - trying applying some of that skepticism to your Bible!

Mr. Wright needs to put aside his "feelings" (irrational "feelings" to be more precise) and speak "Wright from his Brain" instead. There is not now nor has there ever been any empirical (or otherwise) proof of the existence of a supreme being. No reason to stipulate it.

Can we all stop believing in ghosts and the Easter bunny and Santa Clause now?

The problem with Reagan's amnesty program 20 years ago was that it was NOT accompanied by a securing of the border. Millions still streamed through.

Send troops with congressional approval and lock down the border FIRST. Stop the problem from getting worse FIRST.

Then we can take time to deal with the current approximately 11 million illegal aliens through registration and putting processes in place that identify, fine, background check and medically screens those already here. Deport based on this criminality and medical reasons. Keep those that are productive. Issues visas and a path to citizenship.

Again: FIRST STOP THE PROBLEM FROM GETTING WORSE - SECURE the border.

Then process those already here in a way that places responsibility on them to register, show gainful employment, and give them a reasonable path to, but not automatic, citizenship.

We need immigrants but we need them to enter our system in a legal, orderly way.

Its sad indeed, but truer every day: America is committing suicide.

What it means to be American is being lost daily in a toxic soup of multicultural, self-defeating, self-hating, self-deprecating,
anti-capitalist, anti-reason, nihilistic, politically correct bromides.

We are headed toward the sad distinction of having defeated the most honorable, fair, equitable, sane, moral, ethical, profitable, productive, life promoting, life enhancing nation the world has ever known - our own
country, the U.S.A. We are at battle with ourselves and we're winning the battle to defeat ourselves, losing the battle to save ourselves.

Liberals long ago concluded that the capitalism and the U.S. Are evil. Only big government socialism is the answer. Individual responsibility is an illusion.

Now, the conservatives are joining. Seems they have adopted a slightly revised version of an old adage: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" only the conservatives have adopted "We beat 'em, now lets join them". That's about as irrational a position you can take.

And Bush leads the pack. Here's a laundry list of why Bush has joined the socialist libs:

Prescription Drug Program - let's take the lead in wealth redistribution through socialized medicine

No Child Left Behind - let's continue and increase funding for state indoctrination of our children

Gasoline Prices - lets' investigate "big oil", they must be price gouging - too much profit is immoral

War in Iraq - let's fight a PC war, sacrificing our soldiers for the sake of mosques, holy days and "innocents". We've got to be sensitive!

Iran - let's forget they are the NUMBER ONE state supporter of terrorism and negotiate with them - we don't have the principles to fight them

Illegal Immigration - let's prosecute the companies that bring us goods at lower prices by employing those who want the jobs at lower wages ... And while we're at it, let's keep it illegal for needed workers to come here ... Can't make it easy for anyone to succeed now, can we? Success is evil.

Faith Based Initiatives - screw the founding fathers and the constitution - let's promote religion - faith based and state based religion

The list goes on. I'm sick of it. I pray for the days of 2 party gridlock.

I've been blogging very little these last few of months. Let me correct that: I've not blogged at all for 2 months.

I took a contract first of February that's kept me almost totally consumed. But the contract is up May 5 and I've a lot of pent up blog-energy to dissipate.

Look for lots of Bush bashing, Republican bashing, left liberal bashing and last but not least, a WHOLE lot of Iran bashing.

Long time, no blog.

Bush is joining the big oil bashing chorus. A finer socialist I've never seen.

Bush sucks.

This whole production about the UAE "taking over" of six major American ports is simply wrong-headed and an emotional reaction. I had the same reaction when I first heard it. I thought I was peering through Alice's looking glass. It just made no sense.

But now that the facts are coming out, its pretty clear to me that this is a big non-issue. DP World is not in charge of security - Homeland Security is. DP World will only manage a portion of port operations, not security. I they will own nothing. Employees will still have to be U.S. citizens or legal residents of the U.S. DP World has a long record of playing by the rules and has in fact been very supportive of the U.S. in the war on terror. They have stepped up as early adopters of Department of Energy and other initiatives to battle terrorism and secure our ports. DP World already manages ports around the world.

So why are members of Congress lining up, Republicans and Democrats alike, to challenge the deal? Pure politics, what else? There is a mid-term election coming up later this year and most members of Congress want to shore up their constituents perception of their position on national security. This is a perfect opportunity to be able to say how diligent they are in looking out for the security interests of the U.S. Not only is this disingenuous, it is certainly prejudging and probably racist - it assumes that any company based in an Arab country must be supporting terror.

Why does this not surprise me?

On the front page of CNN's website today was a story about the Saddam and WMD tapes. The recordings incriminate Saddam and that reinforces in the minds of the American public Saddam and his ties to WMD's. Does CNN not realize some people might start supporting the war again? Can't have that, can we?

But upon reading the article, I found no less than five cherry-picked references as to how great a friend to the U.S. Saddam has been:

"[Saddam said]the U.S. would fall victim to terrorists possessing weapons of mass destruction but that Iraq would not be involved"

"Hussein also said on the tape that he warned British and U.S. officials of an imminent attack employing weapons of mass destruction"

"Terrorism is coming. I told the Americans a long time before August 2 and I told the British as well, I think," Hussein tells then-Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. "I told them that in the future there will be terrorism with weapons of mass destruction."

"He added, however, that Iraq would have no part in it. "

"This is coming. This story is coming, but not from Iraq," Hussein said."

CNN sings the praises of Saddam. Why am not surprised. Jees ... what a load of crap.

Why can't we call a spade a spade? Lets be precise in how we refer to our enemies. We need to name our enemy clearly. Our enemy is Islam.

Our enemy is not:

Radical Islam
Fundamentalist Islam
Islamic Extremists
Islamic Insurgents
Islamic Militants

We do not need to qualify Islam in any way. ISLAM. PERIOD.

The sooner we recognize and name it clearly and out loud, the better.

The White House Press Corp's and the MSM infatuation with the Cheney shooting story is like Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

The virtually meaningless incident in Texas where Cheney accidentally peppered his friend with bird shot not only raised the ire of the White Press Corp but has sent the entire MSM into a feeding frenzy over the past week.

Meanwhile, a former Vice President trashes the U.S. not only on foreign soil but on foreign soil in a region of the world with which we are at war. Muslims throughout the middle-east are incited by our former Presidents and Vice Presidents and their mullahs to random violence, mostly destroying Western embassies and businesses presumably because their "feelings are hurt" over a few cartoons published in a Danish newspaper. Iran, the driving force behind the Islamic jihad against the West, is on the verge of creating a nuclear weapon that can be delivered into Tel Aviv as well as threatening Europe.

And the press wants to talk about a hunting accident? The press wants the American public to believe Dick Cheney is more of a threat than Islam - an ideology sworn to our destruction? The psychopathology of the media these days is unfathomable and would be funny if it weren't so serious. The press is fiddling while Islam ignites the West. And its likely the press will continue to fiddle. I hope we don't get burned, but its hard to be optimistic.

Bush should tell Tehran, Damascus, Riyahd and Cairo that if they don't cease and desist all terrorist and terror supporting activities in their respective countries, we drop one nuke in each city. If they don't stop, they die and problem solved. If they do stop, problem solved.

Why should we have our soldiers and citizens in a long protracted PC war? The moral thing to do is to protect as many innocent Americans as possible.

A Pew Research Poll that said 27% of Americans believe Iran to be the greatest threat to the U.S., up from 9% in October 2005. The poll also reported 57% believed if it developed nuclear weapons, Iran would attack the U.S. or Europe. And 86% said Iran would give nuclear weapons to terrorists.
There will be popular support for military action against Iran. The perfect storm continues to build.

Haven't posted in a couple of days. Started new contract Wednesday.

I'm stopping at the beer store on the way home. I'm going to load up on Tuborg and Carlsberg.

Since the Muslims countries are boycotting Danish goods, the Western countries MUST step up and buy more Danish goods.

"If you Americans look with this great sympathy on our case, couldn't you then raise a consumer support of DK in the US? The opposite of a boycott. A movement of: "Buy Danish!" Please?

You can easily eat and digest all our famous Danish cheese at your millions of breakfast-tables from Seattle to Atlanta. Then the boycott (which is escalating fast down there now) will be harmless.

I am going to do my part. Here are some links where you can purchase Danish goods:

White Clover Dairy (a Danish owned company in the U.S.)
DAK (Danish Crown Hams)
The Danish Foodshop
Danish Deli Foods
Danish porcelain
LEGO (yep, the building blocks for kids)
Carlsberg Beer (no sorry, I don't think you can buy alcohol online)
Tuborg Beer (no sorry, I don't think you can buy alcohol online)

Update: Michelle Malking has a list of Danish products.

Sometimes when historians look back on a war, they list a single event that is recognized, even if symbolically, as the spark that set things in motion for that war.

The murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Duchess Sophie is said to be the incident that proked World War I. The events of 9/11 mark the beginning of America's war on terror. I say "America's" and not "global" because up until now, it hasn't been a global war on terror. Sure, a few of America's allies have joined in, but most of Europe has been sitting on its hands.

The Danish printing cartoons of Muhammad will go down as the spark that initiated the true beginning of the global war on terror. The rouse of multi-culturalism is beginning to peal away from Europe as the Danish, Norwegians, French, Germans and others push freedom of speech ahead of Muslim sensitivities. Its about time.

I for one hope the Europeans have indeed woken from their 50 year slumber, as we did with 9/11. The enemy is at all our doorsteps and the enemy is Islam.

I believe the perfect storm has finally gathered. The most virulent terrorist state, Iran, now has a nuclear bomb (yes, I believe they do - and if they don't already, they will very, very soon), Hamas, a long time, self-professed, terrorist organization has just gained control of another middle east state, the Muslim street is in a furor over the Mohammad cartoons while the Europeans begin to realize they are in for the fight for their culture, freedom and way of life.

I hate to say it, but it had to happen sooner or later. And sooner is better than later. I had thought that the trigger to outright, full-fledged, no holds barred global war on terror (as opposed to the limited, pussy-footing, polictically correct war we've been fighting so far) would only come when America is hit with another 9/11 on a much more massive scale. But now I believe there's a good chance something so seemingly innocuous as a few cartoons might have yielded the necessary spark. I hope so. We don't need another 9/11 in America. We need a 9/11 times 1000 in the middle east.

How come there are never any new curse words coined? Did someone think them all up at once a long time ago? Is the set of curse words available fixed? I can't recall ever hearing of a new curse word coming on the scene.

I don't get it. The cartoon depictions of Muhammad in the Danish newpaper Jyllands-Posten has elicited much anger in the Muslim world as well as a boycott of Danish goods.

Several newspapers in Europe have reprinted the cartoons in support of the Danes:

The cartoons were reprinted Wednesday in the French newspaper France Soir and in Germany's Die Welt. The papers asserted a "right to caricature God" and a "right to blasphemy," respectively.

And where is the American MSM? CNN says:

"Muslims consider it sacrilegious to produce a likeness of the Prophet Mohammad. CNN has chosen to not show the cartoons in respect for Islam."

Of course they do. They not only respect Islam - they support it every day. I don't respect Islam nor do I support it in any way.

Its VERY clear to me that there's a double standard here. The MSM apparently believes that since its offensive to Muslims, it needs to be censored. But if its offensive to the men and women in our armed forces (and the one to the left here drew a letter of protest from the Joint Chiefs), well its free speech - give me more.

Personally, I'm not offended by the cartoon. I do think its in poor taste and may offend some of our military. But I also think our soldiers understand free speech is one of the things they are fighting for and pretty much accept and ignore it.

I am SOOOO sick of the MSM's catering to our enemies. And I don't understand why they continue to support them. All studies show how the liberal MSM is losing readership. Why don't they recognize they are digging their own graves?

Why is it that on TV commercials for eye glasses stores, the people wearing the glasses don't look like they really wear glasses? Next Lens Crafter commercial you see, tell me if you don't think the people look unnatural.

I watched Flight 93 last night on A&E. Excellent - intense - jaw dropping - tear jerking. The film was put together based on conversations between Flight 93 passengers and their families and officials on the ground. According to an AP story, it was the most watched A&E program since 1984 when A&E was launched:

LOS ANGELES - A television movie about one of the doomed Sept. 11 airplanes was A&E's most-watched program ever, a sign that audiences may be ready for a coming spate of movie and TV projects dramatizing the terrorism of five years ago. "Flight 93," about the hijacking of the United Airlines plane and passengers' efforts to retake it, drew 5.9 million viewers when it premiered Monday, the cable channel said. It was the most-watched A&E program since the channel launched in 1984. [emphasis mine]

Audiences may be ready? Excuse me? The MSM has avoided airing footage ever since that day almost 4 1/2 years ago. I'm sure their supposed reasonsing is that the event was such an emotional trauma for Americans then it must not be healthy to see it aired again and again.

I call bulls**t.

The MSM doesn't air it because they don't want people to remember. They don't want them to to see those horrific images again because they want memories to fade. Why? Because support for the war on terrorism will fade. And they believe the folks certainly won't support a war against Iran when they can't even remember why we're fighting in Iraq. (And yes - the war in Iraq is part of the global war on terror).

Well I remember. Please don't you forget. And to help with that, here are pictures to remind us all here and here and here and here and here and here.

And there are thousands more out there. We need to be reminded of what was done to us. We need to stay angry about it. We need to stop Iran now before the next 9/11 is nuclear and there are 300,000 or 3,000,000 dead instead of 3,000. Note to Bush: invade Iran this year.

Life's a bitch and then you die. Everyone has seen that bumper sticker on a car. When I see it or hear it I think, "I'm sure glad I'm not that poor schmuck. It must miserable being him."

I love life. In fact I love it so much, I never want to die. There's virtually no end to what there is to learn and experience here on earth, not to mention the vast expanses of the universe - or even the infinite number of parallel universes.

But, as they say, "Nothing is certain but death and taxes." But wait - is death all that certain? Maybe not. (Taxes are yet another story for another time). The average lifespan of humans in industrialized countries is now mid to late 70's with 120 being pretty much the upper limit. But, underway right now is a venture, similar to the XPrize (privately funded space race), called the Methusalah Mouse Prize or Mprize:

"a scientific competition designed to draw attention to the ability of new technologies to slow and even reverse the damage of the aging process, preserving health and wisdom in a world that sorely needs it. "

Aubrey deGrey at Cambridge University helped found this "contest" that awards cash prizes for advances toward doubling the age of mice. deGrey believes it can be done in 10 years with that research leading to the same results in humans in another 10 to 15 years. Dr. deGrey established SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence) to promote research into "curing" aging. The goal is to not only live for hundreds or thousands of years but to live in a healthy, active state - not in a debilitated, sickly stupor.

Life's a Beach and I Never Want to Die.

UPDATE: (Comment) Hope wrote the following.

"i wonder why anyone would want to live to be 120, i've seen my great grand father who passed away last month he was 125.at 125 you dont know what day it is, or if its day or night, most of the friends you made have died 40 years ago,you've got no spouse.yo9u can't be a part of any conversation cause you can't hear what people are saying and if you can listen you don't understand.cant get up when you sit down.you pee on your bed all the time and don't realise it and the rare day when you do realise what has happened to you, you beg god to end it."

Quentin Replies:

Hope, you missed a key part of the post: "The goal is to not only live for hundreds or thousands of years but to live in a healthy, active state - not in a debilitated, sickly stupor."

The key is that with this technology, if realized, you will remain healthy, of sound mind and sound body - even a younger body. Follow some of the links for more info on that or stayed tuned for Part II of Mouse Trap.

I blogged yesterday about being disappointed in Bush's SOTU address - specifically, the part where he spoke about energy and America's dependence on foreign oil. Jerry Taylor at the Cato Institute has similar thoughts.

"The President offered bracing new rhetoric about where he would like to take energy policy in the coming year, but he suggested little more than a bit more money for the same old programs that have failed in the past. In short, it reminds me of the metaphor about 'old wine in new bottles."

My point exactly. A "bit more money". Taylor also says "if those technologies have economic merit, no subsidy is necessary". I agree to a point. What I suggested is tax incentivies for the research. Don't give money to a corporation to do the research - incent them by lowering tax burdens. Paying a man for something is a lot different than not robbing him.

Oil's well that ends well. Or is it?

I was both encouraged and discouraged by Bush's comments in his State of the Union (hat tip to LGF) last night.

Encouraging: For an oil man like Bush to utter the words "U.S. must kick oil addiction" was like Osama saying "al Queda must kick terrorism addiction". I was astonished.

Discouraging: Only a 22% increase in funding for alternate energy research? Since 2001, we've spent $10 billion. We spent almost 10 times more on the war in Iraq in one year. Seems to me, we should be spending ten times that amount on tax credits to private industry for research and development in alternate energy technologies. Its one of those pay me now or pay me later (and pay dearly) - in big dollars and lives lost fighting in the middle east.

What a shame.

Iran has decided to rewrite history - its decided the holocaust never happened. So the Islamic Journalist of Iran has put together an "international" holocaust conference:

Tehran, 5 Jan. (AKI) ... "President Ahmadinejad has placed at the centre of international attention, a very important question on the truthfulness of the version that Europe and the Zionists have imposed on the world on the murder of Jews during the years of the great war, and therefore we are of the opinion that it is useful and necessary to organise an international conference on that theme, where all the historians and researchers, even those that do not believe in the official version, will be able to express themselves freely," Mehdi Afzali, spokesperson of the Association of Islamic Journalists told Adnkronos International (AKI).

Oh-my-God! So Hitler's Reich wasn't responsible for murdering 12 million people after all. And I'm guessing Stalin did not preside over the murder of 40 million? And of course Mao's reforms weren't responsible for the death of 30 million peasants. And the million Cambodians that died - nothing to do with Pol Pot.

And the American left - where are they? Not a peep, I'll bet.

There's a bad (crescent) moon arisin' but it ain't werewolves that are coming out. Its Iranian nukes, and they may be coming to a city near you.

We are headed for a showdown in the middle east over Iranian nuclear capabilities. And the show won't be over until the fat lady sings. In this case, the fat lady is American military might and it will sing, one way or the other.

Here's my best and worst case scenarios:

Best case scenario: U.S. invades Iran in the next 9 months. Four thousand U.S. troops die and 40,000 Iranians die. Iran's nuclear facilities are destroyed. The U.S. leaves and lets those left in Iran put together pieces in whatever manner they want.

Worst case scenario: U.S. does not invade Iran in next 9 months. Iran starts war by sending a nuclear warhead into downtown Tel Aviv or a dirty bomb explodes in New York. Millions are dead or dying from radiation sicknesses. A nuclear exchange ensues. Fifty million Muslims in the middle east die. U.S. spends next 50 years and $2 trillion rebuilding middle east.

Unfortunately, I think the worst case scenario is more likely.

For years alternate energy sources - solar, wind, hydrogen fuel cells, etc. - have been hyped as an answer to our growing dependence on foreign oil. With the tension in the Middle East - especially the Iranian threat - that dependence has become a major thorn in our sides and in our wallets.

Bush talked the talk on alternate fuels in his first year in office, but didn't put much money behind his mouth. Now he's set to talk the talk again in his upcoming State of the Union Address. Let's hope this time he walks the walk - and puts some serious money where his mouth is. I sincerely believe that if Bush issued a challenge to become less dependent on foreign oil by 50% by the end of the decade (like Kennedy challenged us to land a man on the moon by the end of the 60's), the American spirit of entrepreneurship and ingenuity would kick in and it would be done.

Someone needs to setup an "FPrize" modeled after the X-Prize (privately funded space race) or the MPrize (aging research). Award big dollars to innovators in alternate fuel research. Private industry and the free-market can get the job done and fast if its financially rewarding via prizes, tax credits, etc. Bush could start the ball rolling - but will he?

There'd be no revenge quite as sweet as taking away a mullah's cash cow. The middle-eastern oil rich dictatorships would crawl back in their shacks and caves, unable to fund the Islamo-fascism as it does now.

I just looked at my portfolio and my alternate energy stocks (I hold several hydrogen fuel cell stocks and one solar energy stock) are skyrocketing today. While these stock are typically very volatile, I can't help but believe that the trend over the next several years will be up, up, up. (But please, do your own due diligence before buying any stock).

According to various studies (here, here) underage drinking is the major cause of death in 15 to 20 year olds in the U.S.

Every parent's nightmare is to bury a son or daughter. And these days, I hear all too often about teens involved in fatal car crashes. In north Fulton County Georgia (northern Atlanta suburbs) where I live, not a week goes by I don't hear about teens being killed in auto accidents. Usually alcohol and/or racing is involved. Last year, my 17 year old daughter had two friends killed in separate automobile accidents: one involving alchohol, the other racing.

Saturday night at 2am, I got a call from my teenage daughter. She was at a party (another teen's parents were out of town - party time). There was lots of alcohol and her ride had left her. She called me and said, "Dad, can you come pick me up? Everyone has been drinking and I'm afraid to ride with any of them." I got directions and headed out to pick her up.

HURRAY! All those talks about drinking and driving and calling home with no questions asked paid off. I picked her up and queried not once about the whole ordeal. I just told her she had done the right thing and I was proud of her for it. Way to go daughter of mine! If you have a teenage son or daughter and you haven't had the conversation - do it.

Kudos to BB&T CEO John Allison and his executive team for just saying NO to eminent domain abuse.

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- BB&T Corp. (BBT), inserting itself into a controversial public-policy debate, said it won't finance private development projects that take place on land that the government has seized from citizens through eminent domain.

"The idea that a citizen's property can be taken by the government solely for
private use is extremely misguided [and] just plain wrong," BB&T Chief
Executive John Allison said in a statement.

Seriously, I had already been thinking of switching all my banking to BB&T after discovering the bank's philosophy some time ago. I will be visiting my local branch this Saturday to start the ball rolling.

A hat tip and thanks to Stephen Green, the VodkaPundit for getting me off my rear end and actually starting this blog. Stephen wrote an article - Bathrobe Individualism - in the Fall 2005 issue of The New Individualist for the Objectivist Center that inspired me to actually try my hand at this insanity. Thanks Stephen, I think. I reserve the right to curse you later.