27 January 2012 OS Reflects On His Month

There hasn't been much time or energy to write during this first month of 2012, due to schedule and a nasty nasty nasty respiratory bug that traveled home with Mr and Mrs OS from their vacation in England.  Yes, flu shots were administered last fall, and it didn't seem to make a bit of difference this year.

Still, some wonderful moments occurred, such as a trip to Louisville to hear the Royal Philharmonic with Pinchas Zukerman on the podium, and performing the Bruch violin concerto as well. Brahms 4 occupied the second half, featuring flawless string playing, and inspiring work from the principal flautist. A piece like this is the musical version of wire-walking in one's BVD's--if it goes well, no one notices, but if things go slightly pear-shaped it's immediately evident. The highlight of the evening was Zukerman's 'pep talk' to the audience after the main concert, followed by an inspired performance of Elgar's Nimrod. He reminded the audience of his first visit to their fair city in 1969, and urged them to get their orchestra underway again. The packed house cheered for him as he spoke.

It may take a long time, given the bitterness in the air. This bit of labor rant, complete with every device of class envy the author could muster was published in response to this perhaps ill-time and advised public pronouncement by one of the Louisville Orchestra's board members. Turns out that the orchestra members had been claiming unemployment benefits, on the basis they had been locked out. The State of Kentucky had recently ruled that, in reality, the musicians are on strike. Not only are they not eligible to collect, they owe the money they collected back!  Not a happy situation, to say the least.

The turnout at Royal Phil was impressive--every seat filled. There is an audience for this music, but not for a snake-bit situation as exists locally. The solution may be to have other orchestras play in Louisville while on tour for the next 3-5 years, put the LO on ice, let tempers cool and reason have a chance to reassert itself. 

It was also a month that included one of those frustrating 'customer representative' experiences with OS's wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless. They sold him a phone that didn't work, after assuring him all was well. It cost many hours to straighten out the snafu. The worst experience was with Danny, who didn't see the logic in making an adjustment in the bill that might begin to faintly recognize the chaos created. Danny, and presumably Verizon, are perfectly happy to let thousands of dollars a year from a long-standing customer walk out the door, while informing his friends and family of the shabby treatment.

OK, Danny. You win. Verizon must not need customers, so OS is happy to recommend his readers shop elsewhere, as he plans to do as well. The money for your salary, package and pension will miraculously materialize from somewhere as the customers snap the checkbook shut, so don't-chew-worry-yohself-one-bit. You're Danny, from Verizon. Nothing bad could happen to you.

Finally, the election fever is upon us. Never have words seemed to mean less, or the stakes been higher, or the world situation more fragile. So, that's why we follow Newt's ex-wife breathlessly, and pore over Mitt's tax return (500 ***** pages? That's a tax code we can live with?), debating whether he pays enough taxes. How's about instead we allllll learn how to build substantial worth by honest means?

Herman Cain seems like a footnote now, but OS rues his absence. There is something about the man that frightens people like Obama, Mitt, Newt, McCain, Biden. His approach is simple, he's basically come back from death's door in recovering from cancer, and he knows how to relate to people.

But life is looking up--baseball spring training begins soon, and the NCAA tournament and The Masters aren't far behind.  Today's round in Abu Dhabi with Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods in the same threesome brought joy to the heart, as did Louisville's wins at Pittsburgh and at home. 

Still in recovery mode. Till next time.

OS

We Were The Obama Generation

If anything deserves to go viral, this is it. These kids don't talk about social issues, or race, or birth certificates, or the Middle East, or Solyndra, or Fast-and-Furious, or GM, or...

They just talk about the math they face, left them by Obama.

Publish Post

B'Bye, Timmy! Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out

The critters begin to depart the ship as it begins its really serious list...

He'd be gone before now, except that Himself would not be able to get anyone willing to endure the confirmation process in order to serve until next January, and not even Obama thinks he'd get away with some bogus 'Recess Appointment' nonsense. The markets (especially the US bond market) would hit the 'risk off' button and hold it down the day after he tried that.

Next up? Lessee, who is most likely to be a subject of discussion in the fall campaign?

Oh, Mr. Holder, let's talk about that Fast and Furious operation, why don't we? Or...maybe not...

OS Has A Question: Who Are The Afghanis Captured By Border Patrol In South Texas, And What Pray Tell Were They Doing In McAllen?

The local newspaper article is very short on details, but the bare facts of the story are chilling enough.

McALLEN — U.S. Border Patrol officials confirmed three Afghan nationals were detained this week in the Rio Grande Valley.

Border Patrol confirmed the detentions, but would not say where or when they occurred.

Enrique Mendiola, assistant chief Border Patrol agent for the Rio Grande Valley sector, said "with the current decline in illegal cross border activity" human smugglers may see moving people besides Mexican nationals as a "business opportunity."

"Average smuggling rates for other-than-Mexican nationals far exceed those of Mexicans and Central and South Americans," he said in a statement.

Mendiola noted the Department of Homeland Security is working with governments in Central and South America to "identify and disrupt transnational smuggling organizations and routes, that sometimes can span the globe."

Federal court records showed no arrests involving anyone accused of smuggling Afghan nationals. No further information was available late Friday evening.

Hmmm....perhaps they were just poor innocent souls seeking a better life NorthOfTheBorder.  Isn't that the constant meme of The Left, explaining to us all ever so patiently why border security doesn't matter, illegal immigration is no problem?

Or, perhaps, they traveled here for some other reason.

How did they get into Mexico? Whose money was spent to get them halfway across the world? How many more are there, the ones who weren't captured?

Planet Gore Asks Mr. Obama re Keystone Pipeline: Which Side Are You On?

Well, at the least, it's not just OS asking why Obama seems to be siding with those who wish to see the West destroyed.

At a time when the need for action to deal with the threat of the Iranian nuclear bomb program demands that the government do everything in its power to assure supplies of liquid fuel from non-mideast sources, the Obama administration is doing the exact opposite.
Instead of seeking to create energy security, it is maximizing our energy vulnerability.
Instead of seeking to reduce oil prices, it is acting to increase them.
Instead of seeking to expand our economy, it is acting to contract it.
Instead of seeking to stop the Iranian nuclear bomb program, it is acting to protect it and help fund it.
Instead of seeking to strengthen America and weaken our enemies, it is acting to weaken America and strengthen our enemies.
The question that needs to be put to the Obama administration is this: Which side are you on?

November cannot come quickly enough.

OK, Lemmee See If I Understand Correctly...Reviewing ObamaThink

Now, the Iranians are making noises about disrupting the sea lanes in the Persian Gulf, through which much of the current oil supply for the West travels. In response, the US has dispatched two naval carrier strike forces, which is a lot of tonnage and firepower in a pretty small corner of the world.

It seems to OS that this would be an expensive undertaking, seeing that we are 15 TRILLION dollars in debt, and Obama will demand to raise the debt ceiling. Hell, he may just tell Treasury to sell the bonds, Congress be damned!

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff is booking it to Israel to consult with our ally, who managed to ratchet up tensions in the area by doing something proactive about Iran's plans to build nuclear bombs and use them to kill Israel.

That means we may have a war on our hands already, in reality. That's expensive, seeing as we are 15 TRILLION dollars in debt.

If we were self sufficient for all our energy production, oil, coal, hydro, nuclear, whatever--then we wouldn't neeeeeeed to spend much money or mental energy on the Iranians. We could tell them to take their oil and brew it into tea and consume it themselves.

So, this would explain why Obama won't allow the construction of an oil pipeline from Canada to our Gulf Coast, right? Why, that might make us more self-sufficient, wouldn't it? And, private monies would be spent on its construction, as opposed to public monies spent on carrier groups patrolling the Persian Gulf, right?

This would also explain the EPA's efforts to shut down one of America's most productive coal mines as well, correct?  Isn't it cheaper to employ private money to mine and ship coal than to have carrier groups watching over oil tankers at taxpayer expense, seeing as we are, well, 15 TRILLION dollars in debt?

So, we have to sit back and wonder: Is Obama a blithering idiot, is he simply not able to hold more than one thought in his mind at a time, or is he deliberately attempting to torpedo the future of this country? Or is he perhaps corrupt, in the pay of some and not in the pay of others because they bid too low?

It appears to OS that there aren't many alternate explanations.  The situation makes no sense, and is deeply dangerous.

This is how wars get started. This is how people get killed by the tens of thousands and millions.

This is really what we can't afford.

This is why we must have grown-ups at the helm.  November 2012 cannot come soon enough.

Another Iranian Nuclear Scientist Blown Up Before He Can Blow Up The World

HT Marathon Pundit, who shares this news from Yid The Lid. (Now that's a blogger-name, ya'll...)

Earlier today, two guys on a motorcycle attached magnetic bombs on the car of an Iranian scientist who just so happened to be the deputy director at Natanz enrichment facility killing him and wounding two others, the Fars news agency reported.

The magnetic bomb which was planted by an unknown motorcyclist under the car of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Behdast, a professor at Tehran's technical university, also wounded two other Iranian nationals in Seyed Khandan neighborhood in Northern Tehran.

Ahmadi Roshan, 32, was a graduate of oil industry university and a deputy director of Natanz uranium enrichment facility for commercial affairs.

 Coincidentally the killing of Roshan was similar to previous assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists (amazing how that happens), and it happened almost two years to the day after a another Iranian nuclear scientist participated in an explosive finale. 

On January 12, 2010, nuclear scientist Masoud Ali Mohammadi, a senior physics professor. He was killed when a bomb-rigged motorcycle exploded near his car as he was about to leave for work. In November 2010 it was two for one day in Iran,  a pair of back-to-back bomb attacks killed one nuclear scientist and wounded another. Both scientists were involved in Iran's "peaceful" nuclear program.

An just six months ago, a motorcycle-riding gunmen killed Darioush Rezaeinejad, a scientist involved in developing high-voltage switches, a key component in setting off the explosions needed to trigger a nuclear warhead.

Vice-Chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Kosari blamed the usual suspects the US and Israel, saying said, "In this case the footprints of the Zionists and the world arrogance are seen too."

The Chair of Vice Mr. Kosari is being a bit too rash. Since the Iranian government claims to be developing their nuclear technology for peaceful use, the CIA and Mossad agents should be very aware of their intentions and would never assassinate a scientist who is developing a way to generate clean energy.

No, this must all be a horrible coincidence....hey accidents do happen and the Iranian scientists should be more careful.

Personally, OS concludes that Iranian physicists must have some sort of innate allergy to motorcycles.


Either that, or we can attribute the phenomenon to Global Warming.

Or blame it on those Tea Party fanatics.

Or George Bush.


Given the horrific evil that is a daily phenomenon of life in Iran, and the refusal of the Obama (Could we please have our drone back?) Administration to back the efforts of the Iranian street protesters and dissidents, we should rest easy knowing the US had no role in this removal of intellectual assets from a regime who vows to develop nukes and use them on us.

If You Run Unopposed, And Still Only Get 82% Of The Votes...You Might Be Up To Yer Hips In Trouble

Really, ya'll.

Amid the hoopla of Mr. Romney's monumental 39% of the New Hampshire GOP primary, it is quietly noted that TheWinnerOfTheNobelPeacePrize, TheOne, Himself, the Duffer-in-Chief managed to draw his own crowd to the Democrat primary, 18% of whom trudged to the polls to vote against the incumbent.

It would be interesting, would it not, for the traditional Democrat voters of South Carolina, Florida, and the Super Tuesday states (and there are a lot of those voters out there) to register their disaffection with TheBelovedLeader in their primaries by writing in a candidate of their choice from their party.

Yesterday's event will be dismissed by TheGreatAndGood, attributed to New Hampshire cussedness. But what if 20% or more of the Dems in each state going forward decided to make a statement in their primaries?

Just sayin...it could make life interesting...

The SEC Attempts To Paper Over Its 'Rakoff Problem': Rolling Out The Big Guns--Press Releases!!

OS spent Saturday late morning doing the weekly grocery-pharmacy-dry cleaner-liquor store shopping run with the sainted Mrs. OS. Jet lag began to catch up to him, rather delayed after attendance at a fabulous Westminster Choir College concert last night. More about that another time, if the spirit moves. However, if any of OS's readership are in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, eastern Tennessee, or West Virginia these next few days, it's worth the drive to hear these young people--a completely inspirational evening of music.

In the parking lot, the humorous moment of the morning: A car, owned by a Tea Party member, with the window display announcing 'You can't cure stupid, but you can vote it out of office.'

It did provide a grin, and food for thought as OS shopped for groceries.

At the next election, this country desperately needs to elect grown-ups, people who will demand (and make happen) certain basic truths take hold, such as Judge Rakoff is insisting upon: Banks who defraud investors, customers and the country at large, walking away with $700 million, cannot be asked to settle for pennies on the dollar with no admission of wrongdoing. The defrauded never are compensated, and the truth is never known. The government becomes complicit with the criminals, and essentially charges 'protection tax' to keep the whole corrupt game in play. It's a recipe for tragedy, sooner or later.


Mish, Heaven bless 'im, continues to track the Rakoff v. Citigroup and it ally, the SEC, who has decided to issue press releases to douse the fires of public disdain.

He points out that the last person prosecuted and jailed for securities fraud by the SEC was (drumroll please...) Martha Stewart.

Really.

While essentially ignoring billions of dollars in repeated fraud allegations against Citigroup, the SEC brought full weight down on Martha Stewart over (drum roll please) ... $45,673.

Martha Stewart went to prison and was fined $30,000. Since then, no one has gone to prison or even been criminally indicted in $trillions of dollars of fraud in the global financial crisis. And unless someone does admit criminal action, the SEC reserves the right to do more whitewashing without seeking admission of guilt.

OS continues to follow and harp on this and the MF Global scandal, because they strike at the heart of this country's ability to function. If the Martha Stewarts and those more humble go to jail, and firms like Citigroup and individuals like Corzine go free after surrendering their pocket change, we will one day reach a tipping point, where the citizenry decides to either simply sit on its hands and refuse to participate in a fixed game--which may already be occurring--or it (more ominously) blows up, or some combination of the two in sequence.

Neither option is desirable, each leads to poverty, despair, decline. It is not the kind of world we wish for our children and theirs. Unlike some more nihilistic souls, OS spends his energies begging that these things not happen.

One thing that struck OS on his vacation in England was that much of the peaceful and prosperous way of life he witnessed there, and enjoys here, is due to a robust system of banking. Currency gets exchanged, card transactions complete within seconds, goods get imported and exported and onto the shelves while fresh, and at reasonable cost. Cash and credit, borrowed and paid back, lubricates the intricate machine. If the banking system is crippled, everyone loses, the farmer, the merchant, the employer, the employee, the school, the church, the charity, on it goes. It's happening already, in ways great and small.

The Citigroups and the Corzines, the SEC, the Fed, and all the lawyers and politicians will end up blowing the system to bits. It will never operate perfectly, but it doesn't need to in order to work wonderfully well. It needs to operate in a culture that assumes honest dealing underpins the system.

You can't cure stupid, and you can't rid the world of all the Corzines--but you can vote for grown-ups, and insist they insist on governance where virtue is rewarded and crime punished. 

It's not that much to ask of them. If they do that one thing, a lot of the other problems will sort themselves.


 

Turning Toward Home: Vacations' End, 2012's Beginning

Bags are packed. Cab is called for the morning. The folder with the last round of reservations and itineraries is sorted and placed in the carry-on. The final small gift bought, the final meal before cleaning out the apartment's fridge.

Time for the vacation to end. Time to go home. Already, since yesterday, OS feels himself get into gear for life back home. Tomorrow includes a business meeting in London, even. The time off was so sweet while it lasted.

England is quite a place. The alarming headlines, even if true, don't tell the story of the people who live here. They are resilient, mainly cheerful and good-humored. I visited small houses, with small kitchens, lived in by people who drive small cars. The walls are lined with books, the small gardens are often small masterpieces of design. They don't understand places like Brentwood, Tennessee, with its square miles of big brick boxes with pick-ups in the driveway driven by people who haven't read a book in years.

The old WWII sign 'Keep Calm and Carry On' (and variations) has popped up again, on shirts, mugs, fridge magnets, etc. It summarizes what OS has seen here--a determination to muddle through and be happy anyway. They have seen worse, and their parents and grandparents much much worse. It's not hard to spot where the Luftwaffe did its dirty work seventy years ago, and one hears old East London accents well away from the old neighborhoods, as the inhabitants had to be relocated in the war's wake. Each little church and school seems to have a plaque recording the names of the boys lost to the two world wars--and the lists stretch on and on.

As far as the recession goes,  if the streets full of shoppers are any indication, there's not that much of a downturn still in place. Groceries brim with fresh everything, and prices there are pretty reasonable. People aren't driving old cars, the trains are full but not overrun, and run on schedule. And with rare exception, people here seem uninterested in staying aboard the EU ship while it scuttles itself. A cabbie refused a Euro coin proffered, half in jest, saying, 'No mate, not interested. It won't be worth anything soon enough.'

Again, this is the south of England, in a university town, so the impression may be skewed. But morale seems pretty high, which OS did not expect.

So, home again, to the wild wooly United States, and OS's beloved small-town life.

He will miss this place as he departs.