Posse Incitatus

Easing in on the Big Easy

I started this blog Monday, intending to finish it later that night or Tuesday.  However, a combination of late dinners and early morning starts to my conference meetings, plus faulty wireless service at my hotel, has delayed completion.

After arriving at my hotel in the French Quarter about 2 p.m. Monday, I went up to my room to unwind a bit from being cooped up in two different airplanes.  There was only one seminar — on a type of software my employer has been using but is ready to ditch in favor of a competitor that's better and cheaper.

So I took the opportunity to go out and walk around, soaking up the sights and sounds of old New Orleans, and taking a few pictures.

The French Quarter is a lot bigger than I ever dreamed.  I've heard so much about Bourbon Street, I pictured this neighborhood as mainly being one long street of tawdry shops, massage parlors, saloons and tattoo parlors.  But in actuality,  it's about an 80-block area.  Seven east-west streets including Bourbon St., and 10 north-south streets.  I wish I had time to check it all out and take copious photos.

"The Quarter," as some locals call it, is everything I imagined it to be, and then some.  Incredible architecture, talented street musicians of all stripes, a stunning variety of great restaurants, colorful characters milling about... I can only imagine how wild Mardi Gras must be.

New Orleans has something in common with Las Vegas: Both are over-the-top.  But New Orleans is authentic and culturally rich.  Las Vegas is artificial, superficial, and devoid of New Orleans' history.  And besides, I'm no fan of the Rat Pack (I've long found it incredible that anyone likes Frank Sinatra, whom I consider to be one of the most bland singers ever).

As a lover of history, I enjoy staying in a hotel with a Beauregard Room and finding streets named after other legendary generals such as Robert E. Lee and Napoleon Bonaparte.  It is fascinating seeing buildings that are two centuries old and walking down the old and narrow streets, which often are traveled on by horse-drawn carriages.  Observing the ornate structures with their terracotta exteriors, wrought iron railings and fronts that crowd onto the narrow sidewalks, it is easy to be transformed to another era.

The Doobie Brothers' second album was called "Toulouse Street," and Sting had a song called "Moon Over Bourbon Street." And then there's "Born on the Bayou" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.  The great jazz trumpeter Louie Armstrong was from the BIg Easy (the city's airport is named after him).  And then there's the irrepressible New Orleans native Dr. John.  Lots of imagery here, that's for sure.

On Thursday I will have the opportunity to tour flood prevention infrastructure that was added and/or upgraded since the disastrous Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  I am really looking forward to it, and plan to take many pictures.  I hope to get a close-up look at some of the neighborhoods devastated by the flooding in the aftermath of Katrina, and see how they are doing today.

In a few past blogs I have chastised the news media for idiotic reporting in the wake of Katrina.  Blame Bush was the mantra, and they beat it to death.  While the Bush administration could have done better (certainly there was someone better qualified than Michael Brown to head FEMA), much of the blame lies at the local and state level.

Emergency management starts at the local level; the second tier is the state.  FEMA is not designed to be a first-responder agency.  The inept Mayor Ray Nagin and Gov. Kathleen Blanco dropped the ball, big time.  But it goes beyond that.  Locally-controlled levee boards (in effect, good-ol-boy clubs consisting of know-nothing Billy Bobs), misused and abused the money that was supposed to go toward levee maintenance and upgrades.  New Orleans may have its charms, but it also has a bad reputation as one of the most corrupt cities in the nation.

The good new is, an engineer with whom I spoke told me the Louisiana legislature passed a law after Katrina mandating that levee board members must have certain technical qualifications. 

At any rate, my sense is that the bitterness and finger pointing have subsided, and many New Orleans residents have an attitude of let's consider the lessons learned, and work hard to ensure something like Katrina never happens again.  Experience is a great teacher, albeit a cruel one at times.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Miscellany

CONGRATS TO WILDCATS — The Kentucky Wildcats are back in the Final Four for the first time since 1998.  Congrats to them; they looked pretty impressive with their 76-69 victory over North Carolina today.  Kentucky must be a solid team, as they were able to defeat Ohio State (my pick to win it all) to get to today's tilt.

My co-blogger's bride hails from Kentucky and is an avid fan of the Wildcat hoopsters.  I am happy for her and the fans of Kentucky.  North Carolina, which has claimed two national championships since 2005 — and destroyed my Spartans in the process — has won more than its fair share.  Step aside, Tar Heels, and let someone else enjoy the limelight!

THE BIG EASY — For the first time in my life, I will be visiting New Orleans.  I leave Monday morning for a four-day conference.  Glad to get a break from the normal routine, and looking forward to experiencing the culture and history of New Orleans (not to mention its cuisine!)  I finally went out and bought a new digital camera since my son abused and destroyed the one I purchased nearly three years ago.  Can't wait to take pictures of the interesting architecture.

MIDDLE EAST UNREST — I am amazed and impressed that so many people in the hellhole nation of Syria have the courage and conviction to gather on the streets and protest.  Many of them know full well that they could be shot on site, and regrettably, dozens have been gunned down.  Frustration, anger, and desperation with hopelessness, poverty and oppression may be completely trumping fear in the minds of many Syrians.  Indeed, some may figure death is no worse than the rot they've had to endure for so long.  Meanwhile, the ruthless thug Bashar al-Assad has no qualms about sending his storm troopers out to kill and maim.  It sickens me that Vogue magazine wrote an inane and gushing puff piece about Assad's wife, Asma al-Assad.  Yeah, right.  We care so much about her pearls, makeup and accessories.  Give. Me. A. Friggin. BREAK!

AIRHEAD ALERT — UCLA student Alexandra Wallace was stupid enough to videotape herself bashing Asian students, then put her rant up on the Internet.  She has been harassed and threatened so much, she now says she plans to drop out of college. You can tell by listening to here in this video she ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.  I wish more young people would THINK before they post (or upload).

MICHAEL MORON — The king of demagogues continues trying to line his own pockets, most recently by saddling up to throngs of useless idiots and dupes at the Wisconsin State House rallies in Madison.  The Detroit News ran an excellent piece about Moore's hypocrisy and "do as I say, not as I do" ways.  P.T. Barnum was right when he said "there's a sucker born every minute." Unfortunately, most of them have fallen for the big fat propagandist who prefers non-union labor for his projects.

 

Are We in the Last Days?

The Three Stooges episodes filmed back in the 1930s and 1940s used to portray black people in subservient, foolish roles.  That's unfortunate, but par for the course in that era.

That being said, by quoting a black actor on one of those old episodes, I am in no way making fun of African Americans or black dialect.  It's just that, this particular statement sums up what's been going on in our world of late.  In a 1940 episode, "A Plumbing We Will Go," a black man who played a chef proclaimed, "This house has sho gone crazy!"  To paraphrase him, "This world has sure gone crazy!"

Revolutions in the Middle East, increased tension between Israel and Palestinians, a devastating earthquake, tsunami and lethal nuclear plant destruction in Japan, genocides in Africa, floods across the globe, wicked tornadoes, solar flares, and worldwide economic calamities... Understatement Alert: Things are not going well.

I recall Jesus' words in Matthew Chapter 24, when he states that in the last days, "you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars" and how "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."

Cataclysmic events, torture, sexual abuse, brutality and carnage are going on worldwide (much of it out of sight and out of mind — Cuban prisons, for example).  But aside from all of this, there is also a sickening trend toward egotism, narcissism and endless self-gratification going on throughout the world.

The Book of Timothy, chapter 3 discusses some hedonistic and self-centered trends that will be present in the last days:  "For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,  unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..."

Often, it's people who have great wealth and are so comfortable they've forgotten what it means to struggle, who engage in these behaviors.  Our standard of living has enabled us to ignore the millions in the world who suffer daily, and instead focus on our own trivial wants and needs.  We fuss over dropped calls on the wireless, a lack of froth on the cappuccino, slow Internet servers, or poor service at a restaurant.  Greed and the search for self-gratification ruin marriages and tarnish long-standing professional relationships.

Which isn't to say that wealthier people are generally more narcissistic; of course not.  It's just that it takes a special self-discipline, an ability to be grounded and humble, to avoid having wealth taint your attitude, behavior and lifestyle.  Many who worked hard and devoted their brainpower and talent toward being an inventor or building a business from the ground up deserve every penny of their riches.  And if they've earned it, they are probably less likely to squander it. 

But people who quickly acquire wealth, such as lottery winners, Wall Street investors, young pro athletes or musicians who suddenly sign that big contract and have millions of dollars overnight... these folks often aren't equipped with the self-discipline, maturity and character to handle the wealth responsibly.

Again, I'm no saint, and do not intend to sound like a preacher.  But when I think of a lot of today's ubiquitous celebrities and Hollywood types, Wall Street tycoons who are like Gordon Gekko on steroids, obnoxious and brash politicians (Barney Frank, anyone?), and too many other examples of dysfunctional people abusing their God-given talents and blessings, St. Paul's counsel to Timothy apparently was spot on.

Aside from scripture, there is that Mayan calendar thing... Supposedly, the Mayan calendar ends on Dec. 21, 2012, and cataclysm could follow.  But then again, it all could be needless hype like the Y2K scare of the late 1990s.

On a radio talk show recently, I heard "Dr. Doom," Maj. Ed Dames, a former psy-ops military intelligence officer known for his remote viewing abilities.  He predicted the next major earthquake to strike in the United States would be on the New Madrid Fault, which experienced major quakes in 1811-12.  It is centered near the borders of southeast Missouri, western Tennessee, and western Kentucky. Conveniently, Dames did not name a date.

However, Dames also predicted that within the next couple of months a solar 'Kill Shot' will cause the collapse of Earth's magnetic field and lead to huge power outages, with dangerous activity from the sun continuing through late 2012.

We're on a  wild ride.  A few months ago I said there's a "geometric progression of caveat emptor" with regard to Wall Street investments.  Let me expand that geometric progression to include that rough days are ahead. Be prepared.

 

More Granholm Incompetence

The good news for Michigan is that Gov. Jennifer Granholm left office nearly three months ago.  The bad news is, the negative results of her incompetent administration keep manifesting themselves long after she's gone.

Take this Detroit Free Press report, for example, about the state's Unemployment Insurance Agency, which overpaid about $72 million worth of benefits, and failed to pursue more than $200 million in penalties for fraudulent claims.

I was well aware of how mismanaged the corrections and human services departments were under Gov. Harvard Law Degree, but I didn't realize the unemployment agency also was a mess. The last thing fiscally devastated Michigan needs is to be paying out too much in unemployment funds (some of it went to illegal aliens) and failing to collect penalty money we are due from fraudsters.

It is likely that Granholm chose many cronies for top positions in government because of friendship, loyalty, and/or similar leftist ideology.  Because she sure didn't appear to use due dillegence when it comes to competence and relevant experience.

WOE IS DETROIT — The long-suffering city of Detroit is getting trashed again in the national press following the release of census figures showing the Motor City lost a whopping 25 percent of its population between 2000 and 2010.  The city's population dropped from about 950,000 in 2000 to about 713,000 in 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Census.

Mayor Dave Bing said he's confident a recount would show a significantly lower reduction in the city's population.  He said another 40,000 persons counted would put Detroit above a threshold to qualify it for additional federal funds.  That in itself underscores exactly what the problem has been for Detroit and Detroiters for decades: Handouts.  Billions of federal dollars have poured into Detroit, and too much of it has ended up in the pockets of crooked politicians and other shysters.

Way too many Detroit residents have behaved irresponsibly, whether it's dropping out of high school, dealing drugs, impregnating or getting pregnant without a stable family structure, and the list goes on.  There's no way the press can continue to spin this as white flight and racism, because tens of thousands of blacks fled this troubled city in search of safer neighborhoods and better schools.

Mayor Bing and the current Detroit City Council are obviously far superior to the crooks and lowlifes who preceded them.  But the Detroit School Board remains a dysfunctional mess, and Detroit Public Schools are like a chip off the old block.  Until Detroiters resolve to tackle all of these problems, and work harmoniously with suburban people who want to help out (see Robert Thompson, about halfway down) the city doesn't have much future.  New businesses and industry won't want to come to a city that is in as bad a shape as a patient with terminal cancer.

There have actually been some positive developments in downtown Detroit in recent years, and in a few stable neighborhoods.  The city successfully pulled off the 2006 Super Bowl, 2005 Baseball All-Star Game, and 2009 NCAA FInal Four.  It does have some redeeming qualities, believe it or not.  But it also has serious deficiencies, and I hope this latest census thunder clap will wake some people up.

BELATED CONGRATS TO THE BLUE — The Michigan Wolverines gave Duke all they could handle in the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament last Sunday, losing a thriller, 73-71.  Michigan had trailed by as much as 15 points, but came storming back with a barrage of 3-point shots and tough defense in the last few minutes.  This was the 900th victory in Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski's Hall of Fame career. Kudos to him.  Here's one Spartan who wishes to congratulate the University of Michigan for a fine basketball season.

 

Oh-Bomb-'em... What the Heck!

Our "weather vane" president continues to get buffeted in many directions by various advisors.  Word is that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was instrumental in persuading President Obama to get the United States involved in degrading Libya's air defense infrastructure and hitting its ground troops.  Joining her were U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, Special Assistant to the President Samantha Power (of "Hillary is a monster" fame), and State Department consultant Ann-Marie Slaughter, a Sandinista apologist back in the 1980s.

A circus has resulted, as Obama has stated "Gaddafi must go," but also has indicated U.S. involvement will be only brief, and that the ultimate goal is installation of "a democratic system" in Libya.

The United Nations, Arab League, NATO, and several individual nations including France and England, are doing a discombobulated dance to figure out who leads.  Reminds me of the funny Geico commercial in which the rhetorical question, "Does it take two to tango?" is followed by a humorous rendition of the tango involving three people.  Only in the case of Libya, it's half a dozen, or perhaps a dozen, major players.

What is it about the Left and collaborative foreign policy?  Their mindset seems to be that whatever the majority wants to do, that's the way to go.  Never mind plentiful examples to the contrary, such as the pacifist demeanor of much of Europe as Hitler and fascism filled the post-World War I vacuum in Germany. 

The hallowed "international community" wanted Slobodan Milosevic to stand trial before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.  Following his arrest in spring 2001, he languished for five years, finally dying of a heart attack in his jail cell in 2006 before any verdict was reached.  Another example of a much-vaunted, but in truth often unworkable tenet put into practice.

There are a couple of other points to make.  For starters, we don't have a clear idea who and what the Libyan rebels represent.  It's probably several factions that have banded together, but according to this analysis in Rolling Stone, Americans and their allies have basically taken action to support a haven of jihadism — a region of Libya that supplied plenty of jihadist mercenaries and suicide bombers to Baathist thugs and al Qaeda in Iraq during the dark years of 2004-2007. Too, Libya is splintered into tribal groups as is the case in Afghanistan.  It gets really dicey trying to craft a democracy out of a culture bitterly divided by ancient blood fueds.

There is also the angle of intervening to stop the slaughter of rebels and civilians by Gadaffi's ruthless troops.  The United States ignored Pol Pot in Cambodia following our Vietnam pullout in 1975, not to mention Idi Amin in 1970s Uganda, and the hideous Hutu-Tutsi genocides of the mid-1990s in Rwanda. In more recent years, we helped push Milosevic aside when he was commiting genocide vs. Bosnian civilians and rebels in Kosovo.  We also put a stop to Saddam Hussein's vicious brutalizing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis with heinous methods such as acid baths, rape rooms, and industrial shredders into which people were fed feet-first. 

It angers and disgusts me that so many gullible know-nothings have been influenced by Michael Moore's depiction, in "Fahrenheit 911," of a hunky-dory Iraq pre-2003 invasion (happy kids flying kites, smiling, prosperous families, a good standard of living everywhere).  Plenty of mistakes have been made in Iraq, and it remains to be see what the future holds for that long-suffering nation.  But there is no doubt in my mind that many Iraqis and their relatives are grateful to our nation for ending Saddam's wicked regime.

In the past couple of years, activist actor George Clooney has repeatedly clamored for intervention in Darfur to stop an ongoing genocide.  Regrettably, there is far too much torture, death and mayem across the globe, and there is absolutely no way the United States can or should try to be the world's police man.  The fact is, even when our intentions are noble, as in Iraq and the Balkans, our efforts are often not appreciated. There is STILL an impression among many Middle Eastern Muslims that the United States is anti-Muslim and on a 21st century crusade, despite the fact we've saved probably millions of Muslims from torture and death.

Predictably, some on the Left have raised the knee-jerk "no blood for oil" cliche regarding Libya.  Liberals often seem hard-wired to do certain things: Go ape-shit with rage about George Bush, demonize a certain bogeyman (Ken Starr in the 1990s, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney in the 2000's, the Koch brothers these days).  Linking any kind of military action to oil, other natural resources, or wealth in general is the default position of the liberal mind.

But it's not just the Left that opposes our involvement in Libya.  A motley crew ranging from Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul to Ralph Nader and a bunch of lefty lawmakers including Dennis Kucinich, Gerald Nadler, and Sheila Jackson Lee, stands in opposition.  Many members of Congress from both parties are upset that Obama did not consult with them prior to commencing military action.

These next few days and weeks will be telling.  I return to an analogy I made a few months ago about Obama.  Now that he's had ample time to "show us what he's got," Obama has proven he's not ready for prime time.  The American people — even many who voted for him — are like the parents of that sure-thing quarterback who FINALLY gets to play in a real game.  He was a guy who everyone thought was the most talented and had the most potential, but who sat on the bench. Finally, due to an injury to the starter, the inexperienced sure-to-be-superstar gets in the game.  He proceeds to throw four interceptions, fumble a couple times, get sacked innumerable times, and overall gets his confidence badly shaken.  As his team gets pummeled, his parents and close friends sitting in the stands are mortified, and feel terrible for him.

The big difference, though, is the 16-year-old quarterback will realize he's in over his head and feel terrible about it. He won't hesitate to criticize himself, apologize, and vow to do better. But the man-child in the White House is so off-the-charts with his narcissim, and such an egotist, that he is totally unaware he's doing a lousy job and proving himself to be a follower, not a leader.

Change we can believe in.  In two more years.  Yes we can!

 

 

 

The ship steers itself

The Hated Instapundit is awash in smug as liberals struggle to make sense of their fearless leader's decision to launch an undeclared war on Libya without any Congressional input or national debate.

As a card-carrying Republican neocon warmonger, I've gone on record as supporting some sort of action to overthrow Gaddafi, but at this point, I find myself deeply distrustful of event.

Some weeks ago, we could have pushed Gaddafi aside with a nudge and a proclamation.  Official recognition of the rebel government followed by a warning that massive US military assistance would drop Gaddafi in his tracks would probably have caused his remaining loyalists to abandon ship.  No one wants to die for a cause that is already lost, and I doubt Gaddafi could have recruited mercenaries eager to face smart bombs from 30,000 feet in obsolescent tanks.

But instead, the Obama administration prevaricated and now we find ourselves in a situation of profound uncertaintly.  Who is calling the shots?  What is our goal?  What is the strategy?

Even within the NATO coalition, it is unclear which member nation is taking the lead.  France seems to be in charge (!), but U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) is running the operation.  All well and good, but who is giving direction to USAFRICOM?  As Austin Bay notes:

AFRICOM is an “economy of force” theater– developmental aid and military training are its key missions. For the moment, however, it is a combat headquarters.

As Instapundit noted at the first link, the anti-war left is stirring uneasily.  Unlike the "bad" wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have no real cause in Libya, other than national interest in deposing someone we don't like.  Is that reason enough?  Maybe for me, but I doubt for most Americans.

And even for hawks like me, intervention of this sort must be limited.  Given what a hash Obama has made of the crisis so far, I have little confidence he will manage to avoid long-term entanglements.

EUROPE REBORN?  As a student of history, it is fascinating to watch the US drop back to a role it has not played since the 1930s - following the lead of the European "Great Powers," France and Great Britain.  Is this the change we voted for?

Highly Revealing Perspective

One thing that amazes me -- or maybe it doesn't, since so many young people are suspectible to brainwashing by leftist professors -- is the way college students continuously direct their rage about higher college costs toward government.  State aid has been cut to universities across the nation, and student loans and grants often don't keep up with the rocket-like rise in tuition rates.

But the fact is, students (and parents) ought to be directing their anger and disgust toward the piggish institutions of higher education, many of which are totally undisciplined with keeping costs in check and cutting back. 

Over the years, it seems that the more student loan and grant money Uncle Sam offered, the more universities jacked up their tuition rates.  Sort of like the "nature abhors a vacuum" principle.  Academia, which in my mind is one of the most pompous and hypocritical entities in the universe, couldn't bear the thought of a glut of government aid being available but unused.  So they just kept gouging the shit out of students and parents.

Let me put things in perspective.  When I graduated from Michigan State University in 1983, tuition for juniors and seniors was about $31 per credit hour.  Today, it's about $370 per credit hour.  This is an increase of over 1,000 percent in 28 years.  So let's do a little comparison, for the sake of perspective on how obscene this increase is.

In 1983, the average price of a new house was about $82,000.  A brand new Dodge Ram pickup truck cost $5,665, according to this web site.  If those two commodities had increased at the rate of tuition at my alma mater, a new home would today cost an average of about $984,000.  And a new Dodge Ram would cost about $67,000.

As Bob Dole said during the throes of Bill Clinton's dirty laundry and perjury being aired worldwide: "Where's the outrage?"

Personally, I hope that affordable community colleges nationwide, as well as online learning, continue to grow by leaps and bounds, and that grossly overpriced four-year universities will see a dramatic drop in enrollment by students and parents who are fed up with outrageous tuition gouging.  It is insane for students to run up $40-70K of debt to earn a bachelor's degree, especially in this pathetic economy when their job prospects following graduation are dismal.

Now, turning to our nation's grievous fiscal condition, it's been apparent from the get-go that Obama administration propaganda about reducing deficit spending was ludicrous and utterly disingenuous.  After all, when we're talking about annual deficits well over a trillion dollars, $60 billion in cuts is like using a teaspoon to remove a little snow from the driveway following a foot of snow, then bragging that you helped shovel the driveway.

Or, as this funny but true blog from Powerlineblog.com states, it's like saying you're going on a diet when you buy a Big Mac meal, eat the entire sandwich, drink the soft drink, and consume all of the fries except for one third of one fry.  Nothing like cutting back, eh?

This is the type of analysis that it doesn't take an accountant or finance major to figure out.  It's really quite simple -- and obvious.  But our brain-dead mainstream media just doesn't put forth any effort to delve into these things.  No wonder newspaper circulations are dropping like a rock, and network news is becoming as fossilized as the dodo bird.

MEA goes over the cliff

As noted yesterday, the Michigan Democrats are apparently bent on mass suicide.  I thought their idea of a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing union privilage was stupid, but now here’s the Michigan Education Association president urging its members to support illegal work stoppages to protect their gold-plated retirement and top-of-the-nation wage scale.

The letter advises employees that they could be fired for striking, but reads that:

"It is simply not possible to replace all or most school employees in the state…It is to, say the least, a time-consuming and expensive process for school districts."
The letter also warns "There may be some inconvenience for your students.”

Amazing.  Absolutely amazing.

At the rate these guys are going, all public sector unions will be outlawed by the end of the year – and it will be by popular acclamation, not “dictatorial” Republican governors.

Conservatives have long opposed public sector unions, but most of their arguments were based in theory rather than practice.  For example, when one notes that unionized employees serve their union rather than their employer (the taxpayers) and raised the specter of illegal actions, union supporters could always claim that this was extreme and would never happen.

Now we see that even law enforcement unions are acting more like Mob enforcers than sworn officers of the state.

It is clear that the MEA and other public sector unions care far more about feathering their own nests than serving the public.  Even if the MEA backs down, it is intolerable than an unelected and unaccountable group of people should hold effective veto power over the state of public education in Michigan.

Think about that:  The MEA president is not subject to a statewide popular vote; she is operating above the law.

The unions keep screaming “This is what democracy look like,” but let’s go to the very first section of Michigan’s Constitution, shall we?

1 Political power.

Sec. 1. All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their equal benefit, security and protection.

What the MEA chief is proposing is in direct opposition to this.  An unelected, unaccountable cartel now holds effective veto power over the state’s school system.  Unless their demands are met, they will shut it down.

Whether one likes or hates Gov. Rick Snyder, he was elected by a majority of the voters in November.  Should he exceed his mandate, he is subject to recall, just like the Legislature.

How do we recall the MEA?  How do we – the people paying the salaries of its members and lining its leadership’s pockets – have any say in what this group of renegades do?

Indeed, this abuse of power is why teacher strikes were outlawed 20 years ago.  That alone is what allowed the MEA to survive.  Should they violate the law, they will have demonstrated that they can no longer be trusted – the danger is simply too great.

If the local unions have any brains at all, they will resoundingly reject this call, as it will result in their utter destruction.  Michigan has double-digit unemployment and many of those workers are highly educated and would jump at the chance to teach.  The MEA has set up a guild system to keep those workers out, to create an artificial labor shortage in order to boost their wages.  A teaching certification now takes five years – but in the face of necessity, those rules will go out the window.

Districts will finally be able to make flexible hiring choices and when the dust has settled, I bet the best and most dedicated teachers will choose to stay with their kids and the families they are helping rather than a corrupt power-hungry cabal.

A passive bellicosity

One of the most striking things about President Obama’s “war message” for Libya is that it relies heavily on the passive voice.  This is not a ringing call to arms, it is a recitation of bad things that just seem to have happened.  (From the White House transcript, emphasis added.)

Instead of respecting the rights of his own people, Qaddafi chose the path of brutal suppression.  Innocent civilians were beaten, imprisoned, and in some cases killed.  Peaceful protests were forcefully put down.  Hospitals were attacked and patients disappeared.  A campaign of intimidation and repression began.

See, things happened.  People were beaten, protests were put down (forcefully!), hospitals were attacked and patients just disappeared (literally?  Did they vanish into thin air?).  Finally (remember, in rhetoric, we save the greatest outrage for last), a campaign began (to intimidate and repress, no less).

This is just plain weak.  There is no other word to describe it.  Put it in active voice, and it sound much more assertive:

Instead of respecting the rights of his own people, Qaddafi chose the path of brutal suppression.  His soldiers beat, imprisoned and killed innocent civilians.  His government forcefully put down peaceful protests and attacked hospitals and abducted patients. 

Must stronger.  Of course, I leave out the last sentence because Gaddafi’s entire 42-year-reign of terror has been one long campaign of intimidation and repression.  Let’s not act as though it is something  new.

Okay, so that is the charge sheet against Gaddafi.  Now here’s how he describes our heroic response:

In the face of this injustice, the United States and the international community moved swiftly.  Sanctions were put in place by the United States and our allies and partners.  The U.N. Security Council imposed further sanctions, an arms embargo, and the specter of international accountability for Qaddafi and those around him.  Humanitarian assistance was positioned on Libya’s borders, and those displaced by the violence received our help.  Ample warning was given that Qaddafi needed to stop his campaign of repression, or be held accountable.  The Arab League and the European Union joined us in calling for an end to violence.

Again, things just sort of happened.  Assistance short of showed up and warnings were given.

Active voice is saved for the list of things we will not do:

I also want to be clear about what we will not be doing. The United States is not going to deploy ground troops into Libya.  And we are not going to use force to go beyond a well-defined goal -- specifically, the protection of civilians in Libya.  In the coming weeks, we will continue to help the Libyan people with humanitarian and economic assistance so that they can fulfill their aspirations peacefully.

Note that first sentence:  He wants to be clear.  But he isn’t clear.  I have no idea what we will be doing.  There is no well-defined goal at all.  We are going to protect Libyan civilians, but how?  And for how long?  All we know is that it won’t take ground troops.  Otherwise, there is zero clarity in our goal.

Long-time readers know that I am a big fan for doing things the old-fashioned way.  I think it’s a shame that punitive expeditions have gone out of style.  Gaddafi is a perfect candidate for one.  As soon as his people started to rise up, we could have announced that we recognize their right to remove him and clearly said that unless Gaddafi surrendered power and left the country, we would hunt him down like a dog.  He probably would have left within minutes. 

Even if he didn’t, it would have crippled his response – after all, who wants to hang around a guy who can be killed at any minute by a GPS-guided bomb?  Those cheesy rallies in Tripoli’s big square?  I don’t think so.  We could have whacked him with an inert (concrete filled) 250 lb. bomb.

There would be no need for an exit strategy, just pure vengeance.  Get Moammar out of power and we would have been finished.

Instead, we have an open-ended commitment to a coalition we don’t lead in favor of an opposition movement we know nothing about.

And to think people called George W. Bush dumb.

 

March Madness

The Michigan State Spartans, blessedly, were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in their first game.  The 78-76 loss to a young UCLA squad was like a microcosm of the Spartans' frustrating 2010-11 season:  Michigan State started off with poor shooting (4-of-17) and too many turnovers, digging itself a big hole and trailing by as many as 23 points. 

But thanks in part to UCLA's poor free throw shooting (the Bruins missed 17 shots from the charity stripe) and hot 3-point shooting by the Spartans, MSU closed the gap to just two points with about four seconds left.  MSU had the last possession, but senior point guard Kalin Lucas, hounded all night by tenacious defenders, was called for traveling as he tried to maneuver into position for a final shot. 

Lucas, who was scoreless in the first 32 minutes, finished with just 11 points. He has been a warrior for most of his career, and as I've said before, if he'd remained healthy throughout the 2010 NCAA Tournament, I believe Michigan State would have won it all last year.  Unfortunately, his final game as a Spartan reminded me of the disappointing performance by Lucas' predecessor as starting point guard, Drew Neitzel, who finished a sterling career with a sub-par performance vs. Memphis in 2008.  It's a shame when a star player has to finish his career with a bad performance, but it happens.

Meanwhile, the better-than-expected Michigan Wolverines, who swept MSU in the regular season, destroyed a pretty decent Tennessee Volunteers squad by a 78-48 score.  Ironically, in light of the FAB FIVE FALLOUT I alluded to yesterday, Duke is next up for the Wolverines.

As regular readers know, I've had plenty of issues with U-M and its fans.  But this is not a Michigan team I despise as I did the Fraud Five.  Their coach, John Beilein, is an eminently likable guy.  And for the most part, the players seem like decent guys. Hey, I even have an older sister who is a U-M grad (we'll forgive her).  And I really, really dislike Duke.  It's partly because the brain-dead Dick Vitale slobbers all over himself sucking up to Duke every chance he gets, babbling as if he's being paid by the word.  But it's also because Duke seems to get preferential treatment from the refs time and time again.

So, that being said, and at the risk of incurring the wrath of my co-blogger and a few other people I know who read this blog and cheer for MSU, I'll say it here and now: I'll be pulling for Michigan vs. Duke!

Let the madness march on...