Global Warming Nuts Call for Worldwide Meat Rationing

They're at it again.  The global warming acolytes at the Food Climate Research Network have issued a new report saying that everyone everywhere "will have to be rationed to four modest portions of meat and one litre of milk a week if the world is to avoid run-away climate change."  (Story from The Guardian.)

What's worse, the report's author warned that voluntary efforts to change the world's eating habits would fail so he "urged the government to use caps on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pricing to ensure changes were made."  In other words, he's calling for food police to force you, me, and everybody else to eat what he and his pals think we should eat . . . all to save the planet from myth of global warming.

Back when he hosted a nightly talk show on KMOX, local legend Jim White used to say, "save me from the good people."  Right now I say . . . save me from the crazy, vegetarian, would-be do-gooder, socialist, global warming nuts.  

And bring me a t-bone, medium-rare.

00 Joe

Last week Joe Biden's tall tale about his helicopter being "forced down" in Afghanistan was in the news.  (The helicopter actually landed safely in a field because of inclement weather.)

But that wasn't the first time Biden had exaggerated his "dangerous" foreign exploits.  Last year during a debate, when he was still running for the Democrats' presidential nomination, Biden claimed that he had been "shot at" while in the Green Zone in Iraq.  He wasn't.  In reality, "some sort of projectile 'landed' outside a building where he and another senator had spent the night."  (Link to Fox News story here.)

Apparently Joe Biden wants to paint himself as an action hero - James Bond on a fact-finding mission.  Should we call him Double Oh Joe?  

House Rejects Bailout

The big news of the day (besides our town's football team firing Scott Linehan - to which I must say . . . it's about time!) was the U.S. House of Representatives rejecting the Wall Street bailout plan pushed by President Bush and Democrats in Congress.  (Local representatives' votes.)

The issue is incredibly complex and most of us simply don't have the facts or economic expertise to know what must be done and when to salvage the American economy.  I won't pretend here - or anywhere else - that I know the right answer to this apparent crisis . . . but taxpayers bailing out lenders who made bad decisions and lent money to folks who can't pay it back certainly has a stench about it.  Why shouldn't bad businesses be allowed to go under?

And just as important, where are we going to get a fresh $700 billion or so to pay for this?  I don't believe that the government's got the money.  Are they just going to borrow it from the Chinese or print more of it, devaluing the currency?  Or are you and I going to be asked to buck up and pay higher and higher taxes since Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and their friends were irresponsible?

A friend of mine at lunch today made a good analogy to this situation . . . it is like a child asking a parent to take him to Disneyworld.  "Sorry," says the responsible parent, "we just can't afford to go right now."  "That's okay," says the child, "just write a check."

Are most of our national leaders as naive as the child in the story?  Or do the rest of us just not understand?

The job of leaders is to lead.  That hasn't happened yet.  If this bailout is really necessary then George Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, and the rest of its supporters need to make a stronger case and convince America.  Make your case for this bailout or come up with a new, responsible plan.

Hastings Apologizes

Last week Florida Democrat Alcee Hastings ranted (or should I say rambled?) against Sarah Palin calling her a gun-toting moose-stripper who "don't care too much about what [she does] with Jews and blacks."

Today he apologized.  He added that his comments "were not smart and certainly not relevant to hunters or sportsmen."

For a change Congressman Hastings, I agree with you.

Debate Dud

It took me most of the weekend to watch most of Friday's debate on my DVR.  Not surprisingly, it ran over the allotted time so I suppose it is possible that something exciting happened after my recording cut off . . . but I doubt it.

Neither John McCain nor Barack Obama excelled.  Neither looked presidential.  And neither explained a single position with more detail or insight than a typical stump speech or talking point.  On the other hand, neither candidate made a huge gaffe, so likely both are claiming victory.

The format flopped.  Despite Jim Lehrer's efforts to get the candidates to address each other directly, they didn't.  Neither seemed to have been briefed on or okayed the plan.  Certainly neither was ready to interact directly with the other.  And, most galling to me, neither McCain nor Obama answered a single question directly.

Maybe it is naive to expect more from these guys in this context - but I did.  

I do wish that there was another viable choice in November.

Chavez's Advice to America and Saint Louis Conservative's Advice to Chavez

Saint Louis Conservative's favorite* lunatic dictator, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, is at it again.  Now, he's chimed in with advice to America on how to deal with the current financial crisis.  He's "helpfully" suggested that we drop our Constitution because it is "capitalism that caused the ruin."

Capitalism and the freedoms guaranteed by our current Constitution, Mr. Chavez, form the foundation of what has made the United States of America the greatest nation on the planet.

So, here's my free advice to you . . . "shut the ____ up."

*Two other contenders for "favorite lunatic dictator" come to mind but both were disqualified.  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran is certainly a lunatic but he answers to "Supreme Leader" Ali Khamenei and, therefore, doesn't qualify as a dictator.  And nobody's really sure that North Korea's Kim Jong-il is still alive.

Ethical Stem Cell Breakthrough!

Amidst all the troubling news out there today comes this story of triumph and hope . . . stem cell researchers at Harvard University have reported discovery of "a safe way to coax adult cells to regress into an embryonic state."  These cells are "indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells and could be transformed into any type of tissue."

Last year, scientists made a similar breakthrough but concerns were raised that the technique used left traces of potentially harmful retroviruses in the cells.  Those concerns have now been eliminated.

Also eliminated with those concerns are any arguments in favor of harvesting stem cells from aborted babies for use in research.

Jibberish

ABC News reports that Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-Florida), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, participating in a panel discussion sponsored by the National Jewish Democratic Council said, "If Sarah Palin isn't enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention . . . Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks.  So you just think this through."

Leadership or Overreaction? . . . Rationality or Selfishness?

Today, John McCain suspended his presidential campaign to return to Washington and lend a hand at hammering out a government bailout plan to, hopefully, help the current economic crisis from snowballing.  He has called on Barack Obama to join him, but Obama declined.  He will return to Washington tomorrow to meet with McCain and President George W. Bush about the issue but he's planning on debating McCain or an empty chair Friday . . . whether or not a debate would be a distraction.  (Link to Associated Press story here.)

Both of these candidates (and Joe Biden for that matter) are elected representatives serving in the U.S. Senate.  Since they haven't resigned to run for president, shouldn't they be continuing to do their jobs as senators as the race proceeds?  Especially when crisis seems to be looming? 

McCain going back to Washington to focus on the task at hand shows character and leadership.  What is most important to him right now is working toward fixing the current economic mess - not running for president.  That says something about him.  At first blush, I thought that this move was overreaction, but I think that it might actually be a sign of leadership.  

If historical issues are being considered in the U.S. Congress, U.S. senators should be devoting their attention to those issues instead of cramming for a debate like it was history test.

But Obama said no.  He'll keep on cramming and plans to show up for the debate even if McCain won't be coming.  Is this the rational move?  I mean, Obama's priority is winning the White House and falling in line behind McCain's bold move wouldn't look very presidential.  And taking time to study will probably help his presentation.

But on the other hand, Obama is a senator.  His refusal could simply be selfishness.

How this all plays out should be interesting.

Democrats Defeated - Drill, Drill, Drill

David Obey, the Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, admitted defeat today and said that the provision continuing a ban on offshore oil drilling will will be dropped and the ban will be allowed to expire.

I suppose that the Democrats finally realized that utilization of American resources in the face of a global energy crisis might make sense after all.

Kudos to the Republicans in the House of Representatives for keeping the issue alive  . . . and winning the fight!

Now, what about ANWR?

Economics, This Blog, and Leadership

The elephant in the room for the past several days has been the nation's financial situation.  You haven't read much about it here.  Here's why - I'm not sure what to make of it.

The situation seems dire but bailing out bad investments certainly seems like "financial socialism" and a very bad idea.   But I don't have enough information to know whether or not we're so deep in the doo-doo that we have no choice.

It is times like this that we should all realize that we elect leaders to lead our nation through crises.  Real leaders aren't worried about poll numbers or legacy building.  Instead they analyze situations (where they have more information than we do) and guide us down the chosen course.

And that's why character and integrity matter in the upcoming presidential election.  Which of the two candidates do you want steering the ship through troubling times?  And who do you think has the ability, courage, wherewithal, and fortitude to face up to this and whatever future crisis might arise?

The answer is clear.  The man for the job is John McCain.

Hulshof Gaining Steam

A poll released today by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch showed Republican Kenny Hulshof gaining on Democrat Jay Nixon in the race for governor.  In the previous P-D poll taken in July (while the family squabble with Sarah Steelman still raged on) Nixon had a seventeen point lead.  Now it is only seven points, 50%-43%.  And there's a 3.5% margin for error.

Tuesday is six weeks before election day.  There's still time for Hulshof to salvage the race.

Farther down the ballot, there's a mixed bag for the GOP.  Peter Kinder has a big lead for reelection as lieutenant governor and Brad Lager has an 8 point lead in the race for treasurer.  But Benedict Arnold (a.k.a. Chris Koster) leads Mike Gibbons 46% to 40% in the attorney general's race and Robin Carnahan leads Brad Lager by eleven.

Again, Tuesday - tomorrow - is six weeks before election day.  With the presidential ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin energizing the Republican base, November 4, 2008, could be a good day for Missouri after all . . . but we're a long way and a lot of hard work away from victory right now.

Biden learning from Hillary

Back in March, Hillary Clinton told her whopper about her harrowing trip to Bosnia, "landing under sniper fire."  And we all know what that did for her political career.

Now, it seems, that the Democrats' V.P. candidate, Joe Biden, is learning the art of exaggeration from Hillary.  He's apparently out on the campaign trail talking about searching for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan "where [his] helicopter was forced down." 

Joe Topper blogging at abcnews.com checked out Biden's tall tale - or, should I say, subtle stretching of the truth.  There was a helicopter carrying Biden, John Kerry, and Chuck Hagel.  It did make an emergency landing in Afghanistan.  But it wasn't forced down by terrorists, as Biden certainly is implying, but by a snowstorm.

Seriouser and Seriouser

The And Now Things Get Serious Department has, unfortunately, become a daily feature.  Today's feature . . . Russia is sending a squadron headed by the nuclear-powered cruiser, Peter the Great (and its 20 nuclear cruise missiles and 500 surface-to-air missiles) to participate in joint naval exercises with Venezuela in the Caribbean.  A little close to home, don't you think?

And, does anybody really think that Barack Obama is more ready to deal with situations like this than John McCain?

The Palin Effect

Personally, I know that John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate energized and gave me hope for the November election.  When once I was debating the merits of staying home and looking forward to the hopeful rebirth of a conservative GOP after the seemingly-assured, resounding defeat of "moderate," now I'll be in line at the polls bright and early, with bells on.  

But things have changed . . . 

In July, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll, McCain trailed Barack Obama in Missouri 48% to 43%.  Since then, McCain has climbed 6 points and taken the lead over Obama, 49% to 45%.

Palin is now drawing Obama-esque crowds, 60, 000 people turned out to see her in Florida today.

And, though it is almost certainly too good to be true, the San Francisco Chronicle hints that California might be back in play since Palin's nomination with a headline stating that her effect on the race "sparks fear among Dems."  (Wow, wouldn't those 55 electoral votes change things?)

The upcoming debates will, I think, be the deciding factor in what seems to be shaping itself into another close election race.  And, for the first time in many years, the debate between the Vice Presidential candidates (October 2, 2008, at Washington University in our town) is likely to matter as much or more than any of the three Presidential debates.

Updates

Again from the Big Fat Who Cares Department, Britain's Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, has denounced Sarah Palin's politics as "horrendous."  Memo to Secretary Blears . . . Americans stopped giving a _________ about British opinion in 1776.

And from the And Now Things Get Serious Department, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez has announce plans to purchase combat aircraft from China.

And now things get serious . . .

the Russians are planning to sell missile defense systems to Iran and Venezuela.  (Story here).

An argument for guns . . . and Darwinism

Today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported today on an attempted armed robbery of a City bar foiled by a gun-wielding bartender Monday.  When the criminals walked into the bar, pulled a handgun, and ordered everyone to hit the floor, the bartender pulled his own gun and fired, hitting one of the robbers, Demetric Harbin, twice in the rear.  Harbin was arrested, but his compatriot escaped (you can't win them all).

Criminals shouldn't be the only armed people in the world.  If gun control advocates had succeeded in eviscerating the Second Amendment, this robbery would likely have succeeded and who knows what else might have happened.

It is also fortunate that neither Harbin nor his fellow robber was smart enough to determine what kind of bar they intended to victimize . . . the bar, Pooh's Corner, just happens to be a hangout for off-duty and retired police officers, like the unnamed bartender hero.

Hillary Clinton . . . Fashionista

I found this photo on the web.  It is a cheap shot, I know, but I simply couldn't resist.  

If SHE's coming to your party, I'm not!

In a page taken right out of high school, Hillary Clinton has reneged on her promise to appear at a September 22 protest of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's appearance at the United Nations.  Why?  Because the protest's organizers also invited Sarah Palin to appear.

Hillary's stated reasons seem shallow.  As her spokesman put it, Palin's "attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event . . . Senator Clinton will therefore not be attending."

Partisan?!  How is it partisan if it features Democrat Clinton and Republican Palin?  In reality, of course, the event isn't partisan at all.  But to the Clintons, apparently, any appearance by a Republican in an election year is, by definition, partisan.

Ahmadinejad should be something Republicans and Democrats can agree on.  But Clinton is so upset by the mere presence of Palin - the new girl - that she's decided to stay home and pout.

Very mature, Hillary.