Nothing to Say

I'm not sure why I have been so silent lately. I had started this blog thinking I had all sorts of things to say. Since I have retired I find that if it is not politics I have nothing to say. Lately even politics has been letting me down. So much of what passes for politics in this country is nothing more than members of opposing parties mouthing their party line. Obama and McCain while quick to blame the other for our economic problems have no real answers or solutions to our difficulties. McCain wants to help the rich and big business, the normal Republican party line. Obama keeps saying that we need a new politics to answer the problems but he is very short on explaining what this is or would entail. As long as this is what they do for campaigning it holds little appeal for me.
I rather find myself looking forward to the Olympics and for me that is strange. I'm an auto racing and football fan not a track and field or gymnastics fan. Maybe it is the fact that it is in China. I have always wanted to see China and walk the Great Wall and see the Forbidden City. Also I want some real Chinese food. I know that what passes for Chinese food here in America is only a pale shadow of what the Chinese really eat. Don't get me wrong I'm no Andrew Zimmer looking for the really odd and mostly repulsive things to eat but I want more vegetables, fish and tofu and less batter dipped and deep fried chicken and pork. So I will watch the Olympics and dream of traveling.
I'm 2 months into my retirement and I have only missed going to work a couple of times. I still think that I will eventually reenter the work force but for now I'm okay with staying at home and trying to become a house husband. I do know that if I work again it will be a no stress job. After 24 years of working as a Fire/EMS 911 operator I really don't want a job that entails me making decisions that could affect a person's life. But for now doing little house work and walking the dogs is just fine with me.

Obama and Time Horizons

It seems that Obama is not the only person who wants to see a timetable for troop withdrawals from Iraq, it seems the Iraqi government wants one too. In fact I believe that this is not the first time that the Iraqi's have stated that they want US troops to leave. Now Bush is talking about a "time horizon" for withdrawals. Like most people I'm wondering what a time horizon is. I believe it is just playing with words. When one is looking to see when the sun will rise or set on the horizon you consult a timetable. So lets just call it what it is, a timetable for withdrawal.
The problem for Bush and McCain is that they have painted themselves into the corner by saying that withdrawing troops is losing. They are trying to have it both ways by saying that the surge has reduced violence in Iraq but to withdraw would put the surge in danger of failing. Bush and McCain have never defined what success would look like. I believe that Obama is correct when he says " Bush and McCain have no plan for success in Iraq only a plan to stay in Iraq". Why else would McCain be willing to stay in Iraq for 100 years.

Impeach Congress

The recent shameful vote by Congress to allow President Bush to tramp the Constitution into the ground and provide cover for the Telecoms is grounds for impeachment. The President and every member of Congress is sworn to uphold the Constitution and the last time I looked the 4th Amendment is still part of that document. The bill that was passed basically tells the President that he can ignore the law and the Constitution and deprive the citizens of this country the protection of the law and due process. Additionally the President was able to protect his partners in crime with a blanket immunity. While this President has worked tirelessly to destroy the Constitution this one Bill is the largest loss of rights for the citizens of this Country ever enacted and it was done with the help of the Congress.
The 4th Amendment guarantees our right to protection from unreasonable search and seizure. The Amendment says that the government must go to the court and show probable cause to search or seize evidence in a criminal case. The President says that he needs the power to search and seize without the courts because this would impede the ability to capture dangerous terrorists or stop terrorist attacks. There is a court that was set up for just this situation. The government can even start the search before going to this court. They have 48 hours to do this after the search starts. The court has approved 99% of the requests that have come before it over the 30 years that it has been in operation. Bush still maintains that this is to intrusive and slow for the needs of national security.
This Administration has maintained since September 11 2001 that the courts. the laws and especially the Constitution have tied the hands of law enforcement and national security. This President has run rough shod over the Constitution and the courts and has given himself more power than any president has ever held. The President wants us to be afraid of terrorists but we have more to fear from our own government.
Senator Obama voted for this travesty saying that it is a compromise. He had started his campaign for president saying that he was against the blanket immunity that Bush wanted in the bill, now its a compromise. What compromise, the Bill gave the President everything he wanted and no protection for the citizens of this country from eavesdropping and loss of privacy. Senator McCain has backed the President without question since 2001, so his support is understandable. So we can expect no help from either of these two to help restore the Constitution. The Congress brought articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton for lying. I say not upholding the Constitution is also impeachable. So impeach George Bush, John McCain and Barack Obama and the rest of those that don't believe that the Constitution is worth upholding.

Not Sure What to Call This

The 4th was not as bad as I thought it would be. I think the Village Idiots were out of town. That is not to say there was no fireworks but it was more quiet than I thought it would be. Tee Tucker still had lots to bark at and Harriet still hide and shivered for all she was worth. There were at least two mortars in the area launching some rather impressive rockets. Again no police or fire department people in the area to stop or ticket them. At least this year the aerial display in the neighborhood only lasted about 30 minutes and not the 2 hours of several years ago.

I'm getting rather tired of the presidential election. It just seems to drag on and on. McCain and Obama have been sniping at each other but nothing really definitive or important has been said on either side. The pundits and talking heads are just speculating and looking for hidden messages and motives behind statement or action on the part of the candidates. While I would rather see Obama win than McCain there is precious little difference between them. They are both playing to the center and being very cautious. 

I know that many people thought that the war would be the big issue but it has been over shadowed by the economy. Gas prices are still going up and food prices have been jumping up also. People are out of work and the mortgage problem is still not getting any better. Neither candidate has a very well thought out economic plan and so far they are just spouting the party line. They need to get a well thought out plan and start talking about it. As I have stated before people will vote their pocketbook before just about anything else.