A Surreal Scientific Blunder

This makes me wonder how many other, smaller, less noticeable errors exist in the data.

A surreal scientific blunder last week raised a huge question mark about the temperature records that underpin the worldwide alarm over global warming. On Monday, Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), which is run by Al Gore's chief scientific ally, Dr James Hansen, and is one of four bodies responsible for monitoring global temperatures, announced that last month was the hottest October on record.

Silence is agreement, so "Speak Up!"

Dr Helen frickin' kicks ass, in my opinion. :)

Too often I have been silent when I should have spoken up. I often prefer to keep the peace because I don't like a bunch of hollerin', but sometimes it is necessary to speak our minds, to make ourselves known.

Work demons got me!

Work is once again consuming all of my time. Sadly, I expect it to consume much of my time through December. Folks always want a lot of big changes done to their web sites before the end of the year. I can't complain though - it pays the bills. :)

Jonah Goldberg speaks for many conservatives

In his post, Jonah says much of what I would like to say.

Found via a post by Tim Blair.

President-elect Obama

Congratulations to Barack Obama for winning the election. May he serve the nation well and let wisdom guide his action.

Civility and Grace

Well, today is the big day and while the polls favor Obama, it is by no means clear that he will win.

However, should Obama win, I hope none on my side of the isle will resort to the kind of anger and hate that has consumed much of the left these past eight years. That kind of hatred is irrational and unproductive.

In a democracy, the loser must be willing to lose and to respect the position of the winner.

Of course, to be willing to lose, folks have to believe the system is fair and relatively free of fraud. An issue I have commented on before and I'm sure I will again before too long.

Regardless of the outcome - I don't think it is the end of the world. Things may not go the way we want, but that just means we need to continue to work for what we think is right.

"A civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, and just as well funded." - as the US military

Senator Obama has called for the creation of "a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, and just as well funded" as our military. What the heck is he talking about? A civilian force just as powerful as our military would allow Obama to bypass Posse Comitatus - thus allowing them to operate within the US for the purposes of law enforcement. Doesn't this concern anyone in the press? They make a huge fuss over wiretapping folks making calls to suspected terrorists outside of the country, but they make no peep about a proposed new force, on par with the US military and unrestrained by Posse Comitatus.

Herschel Smith at Captain's Journal asks some good questions about this Obama proposal. I know it is too late now to affect the election, but should Obama win, I would hope someone in the press would ask Obama about this. Joe the Plumber can't ask all the good questions for the press.

Obama on Defense

It is difficult to understand Obama on defense. On the one hand he says that he will expand the military so that it can meet future needs. On the other, he says the following:

"First, I’ll stop spending $9 billion a month in Iraq. I’m the only major candidate who opposed this war from the beginning. As President, I will end it.

Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems. And I will institute an independent defense priorities board to ensure that the quadrennial defense review is not used to justify unnecessary spending.

Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons. I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material, and I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBMs off of hair-trigger alert, and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenals."

All of these are bad ideas, save for perhaps the hair trigger alert issue w/Russia (I'm not sure that is even an issue any longer). Cutting wasteful spending ain't a bad idea, but it is obvious we disagree on what is wasteful. Missile defense systems don't seem like a waste to me, but something badly needed.

Time and time again, history has shown stronger, more technologically advanced civilizations have dominated the less advanced. To be strong is not enough, we must be the best so as to discourage any aggression against us, and by doing so, save lives - ours and the would be aggressors.

"Thirty Reasons to Vote for John McCain"

John Hawkins has published a list of reasons for McCain at Townhall.com. His post also serves as a list or reasons to not vote for Obama.

Thirty Reasons to Vote for John McCain

I fear what Obama will mean for our courts, our economy, our defense, our health care, our markets and trade, and to through all of these, I fear what he will mean for our freedoms. With strong Dem majorities in both houses, there will be nothing to stop him.

While I have my concerns over McCain as well, they are tiny in comparison. One simple reason for this is that McCain will have a Dem controlled congress. As long as they fight, they are not actively destroying the nation I love.

Why I'm voting for McCain/Palin

I'm generally not a fan of McCain. I think he is a man of strong character, I support him on national defense and I think he will select responsible judicial nominees, but his belief in catastrophic global warming, his position on illegal immigration, and his campaign finance bill all seem wrongheaded. Toss in the fact that he doesn't seem opposed to growing government and we have a candidate that I'm no too keen on.

As for Sarah Palin - So far, I'm a fan. She seems to be more in keeping with my sensibilities and her willingness to challenge spending and corruption within her own party is most appealing. Might this be part of the reason some of the country club-blueblood Repubs have rejected her? Regardless, I see her as an opportunity for the limited government and limited spending conservatives to regain some power within the party - a group sorely underrepresented in recent years.

So, while I'm not a big McCain fan, he still is a might sight better than Obama. Additionally, his victory would put Palin on a leadership path within the party and hopefully begin a return to more conservative values and that is enough of a reason for me to support their ticket.

"Report Released Shows No Evidence Palin Violated Ethics Law"

I'm gonna keep this in case Palin continues to pursue higher office. Just stocking up on ammo because these stories have a way of becoming undead plastic turkeys. No matter how many times the record gets straightened out, there will always be those willfully ignorant on the left that need gentle reminders.

"Gov. Sarah Palin violated no ethics laws when she fired her public safety commissioner, the state personnel board concluded in a report released Monday."

Very Busy

I have not been able to post the past week due to freakin’ ton of work. It probably doesn't matter too much as the site has very little traffic. I doubt anyone has even noticed. lol