Sarah Palin Interview

Did you see the ABC interview of Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin by Charlie Gibson? Wow, what a feisty gal she is! ABC’s Charlie Gibson did his best to set up questions to cast doubt in mind of viewers. Each time, Palin pounced back (it seems her “Sarah Barracuda” nickname was well earned). I know its Gibson’s job to trip up candidates (it’s good for the ratings), but I think Charlie was taken back by just how prepared she was and the directness of her answers to the point where her responses (and tone) were phrased in such a way as to let Gibson (and the viewers) know she was on to him. Like her or hate her, she was giving at least as good as Gibson was dishing out, and I think that took him and a lot of others by surprise. Check out the interview at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNPGnZurs1k&feature=iv


Cluster Bombs and Cluttered Lives

Everyone knows war is Man at his worse (although there have been countless examples of incredible bravery and compassion). We do the unthinkable to each other in the name of some cause or another. Scars, both personal and national often run deep and are slow to heal. “War is hell” as General Sherman once said, but it’s often hell that those who have little or no stake in the combat have to pay, especially the children. There’s a site I suggest you check out. It’s called Survivor Corps. This organization is about helping survivors learn to cope, adapt, and go on with life. You can find out more about them at: http://my.survivorcorps.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=295


Book Review
"The Myth of the Oil Crisis" by Robin M. Mills

Much has been written about the pending peak of oil and gas production, and the subsequent decline of civilization as we fall back into a pre-industrialized society. Oil has been blamed on everything from triggering global climate change to being the catalyst of geopolitical wars. The result of which has led to calls for developing alternative energy sources such a nuclear, solar and wind, as well as creating more efficient vehicles. Now comes along Robin M. Mills who, in his book entitled “The Myth of the Oil Crisis”, to dispel notions that neither oil nor gas has reached peak production.

Mr. Mills discusses in a concise and easy understandable manner the various viewpoints concerning oil production, such as the Geologists, the Economists, the Militarists, the Environmentalists, and the Neo-Luddites. To help the reader appreciate the topic better, Mr. Mills provides a brief history explaining how we’ve reached our current economic situation along with a “who’s who” among oil producers. Mr. Mills goes on to discuss the pros and cons of “near-oil” alternatives such as oil shale, coal, biofuels, gas liquids, and potential alternatives such as wind, solar, and nuclear. Of course no discussion of oil would be complete without discussing the dangerous would of geopolitics and climate change.

“The Myth of the Oil Crisis” is an excellent book for those seeking a better understanding of our dependence on oil, how we got that way, and what we can do about.


Poll Results

In our first poll, you were asked how important religion as to you. 40% of you said religion was very important, while 30% said it wasn’t important at all. The balance of you said it was somewhat important. According to a 2001 census report, 24.5% of Americans describe themselves as Catholic while 16.3% are Baptists (with the Southern Baptist making up the largest segment). Methodists made up 6.8% and fourth were the Lutherans at 4.6% (the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America are the largest group). Judaism made up 1.8% of the US population. What’s the fastest growing religion in America? It’s Wicca! (http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html)

The second poll asked you if you thought Senator Obama was getting to much media coverage. Interesting, we had an equal 50/50 split! Personally, I think the media has been titling coverage toward the Obama camp.


Liberty Tree

The Liberty Tree was a famous elm tree which stood near Boston Commons and was the scene of many of America’s first stirrings of independence from England, beginning with the Stamp Act. As many of you may know, I’m an advocate of small government and the concept of individual sovereignty. In short, I don’t like government sticking its nose in my personal life. I believe the role of government should be confined mainly to providing a level playing field and doing only those things that either individuals can’t. In my opinion, we’ve come far from the original intent of our Founding Fathers. As a result, I’ve add a “Liberty Tree” to the left hand side of my blog. This will feature links to organizations who share the idea of limited government, individualism, protecting American jobs, and protecting our national sovereignty. There aren’t partisan sites since I believe the issues cross all lines. So, please feel to check them out, and let me know if you come any others.