Christmas blahs?

It's only the second full day of Christmas break, and already I'm restless. Yesterday I read an entire book (Dean Koontz's "Odd Hours") so I don't really want to start another one yet. I've got Stephen King's "Lisey's Story" sitting in front of me now, so maybe I'll start it.

You can tell how bored I am by the fact that I'm updating my blog for the first time in more than four months. All of my fans will be very excited.

I need to come up with some angle for this that will make me famous. I think I could talk politics fairly well, but we've got too many doing that already. I guess I need to get famous some other way so people actually care what I say about stuff. Or I could update this regularly, then when I commit some horrible crime (or am the victim of some horrible crime) the media can report on what they found on my blog. If something happens to me in the near future, they'll be very disappointed.

Cash for (not-so) Clunkers

I have to admit that I'm a little put off by what my liberal friends in government have done with the Cash for Clunkers bill. We're taking perfectly good cars off the road and destroying them.

From a financial standpoint, it's a good program -- if you're spending stimulus money, this is a great way to do it. But they should have made the qualifications on trade-ins stricter, i.e., the car must be at least 10 years old and you must improve gas mileage at least 10 mpg.

I have seen videos online of cars that had no business being taken off the road being destroyed. This will cause a shortage in the used car markets and could negatively impact those poorer folks looking for a cheaper vehicle.

I blame the limousine liberals -- of course, they've traded in their limos for Priuses.

First post

This is pretty weak for a first post. But you've got to start somewhere.

The Da Vinci Code

I just got through reading The Da Vinci Code. I felt like one of the few who hadn't, but I refused to buy the hardcover and it wasn't available at the library most of the time. I admit that DVC is nothing like Faulkner or H.G. Wells (the last two authors I read) and it won't go down in history as great literature, because the dialogue is often clumsy and Dan Brown likes to beat his readers over the head with his explanation of scientific/historical elements.

That said, it was a good book. A lot of folks probably would think it to be sacreligious or heretical, but most of them haven't read it. Of course, they'd probably still think that after reading it. But it provokes thought, and if you're sure in your faith, then either you dismiss it or allow it to broaden your horizons while keeping your eyes on the prize. While it's based heavily on fact, it's a work of fiction at its core. But it will make you think, and that's something people need to do more of.

I expect it to be a pretty good movie, too. I like Tom Hanks, and I think the story, while somewhat cumbersome with all its religion and art and science, will translate to the screen quite well.

Yep, that's a blog all right. Yammering about stuff no one but me should care about. Now I know why I don't do these things.

(First appeared on MySpace)

From IMCT - February 27, 2005

Although it's kind of like watching hogs breed, with a sick fascination we can begin to follow the 2008 fight for the Republican nomination for President.

Already, the hopefuls are jockeying for position, even though the primaries are three years away. In order to win the nomination fight -- which is actually decided in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and (if the race is tight enough) South Carolina -- you must lay the groundwork in those early states well ahead of time.

Among those making unofficial campaign trips to early states are Tennessee Senator Bill Frist, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Arizona Senator John McCain. One name that apparently won't be in the running in 2008 is Bush, as in Jeb, the Florida Governor who has said he won't run.

An early poll shows Giuliani leading among those creeps who vote Republican, edging McCain, with Bush third and Frist a distant fourth.

At one point, I worried about a Giuliani candidacy, because he's such a feel-good character for leading his city through the 9/11 tragedy. But after watching Campaign 2004, Giuliani might be just the ticket for Democrats to beat. Just like a so-called "Northeastern liberal" a la John Kerry couldn't get elected President, I just don't think it would be that easy for a Northeastern Republican to carry the GOP's Southern base, especially if the Dems countered with any kind of red state Southerner or Midwesterner.

When it got down to the nitty-gritty, I'm just not sure those morals voters (who did or did not exist, depending on who you listen to) would flock to the polls for Giuliani in the numbers they needed to in order to elect Bush.

Obviously, Romney is a long, long shot of this group, a Northeasterner with limited recognition. His only claim would be that he's a Republcian who managed to win in a Democratic state, but that would actually be a negative to the national GOP.

Frist has the regional appeal as a Southerner, but also has limited recognition. (I would say questionable business practices by the company his family owns, HCA Inc., would hurt him, but Bush proved that theory wrong.)

Gingrich could be a spoiler, and I hope to see him run. The national party would never let him win, because he doesn't comform to the neo-con philosophy (that's not in any way a compliment to him, but...) He could cause some division and draw off some of the core conservative votes, serving much the same role in the GOP primary as Howard Dean served in the 2004 Democratic primary, as an ideological alternative before the party machinery cranks out its anointed one during the primary season.

McCain is one that should worry Democrats. Luckily, he's too far to the center on key Republican issues to ever pass muster with that GOP machinery, but he could certainly hinder any Democratic efforts to recapture that middle-of-the-road red-blooded American that the Dems will have to figure out how to appeal to it they are to begin winning elections instead of sliding into an increasingly marginal role.   

From IMCT - February 22, 2005

This whole weak dollar thing isn't getting a lot of attention overall, but at some point it should become a concern in the U.S., even if you don't spend your days on the floor of the stock exchange.

Today came word that the South Korean central bank would "diversify" its currency holdings, and other countries are expected to follow suit. In this case, "diversify" is a fancy word for "dump the dollar."

I didn't get a lot out of my financial class in high school, but it makes sense to me that if banks don't want to hold our currency, they might shortly not want to hold out debt -- and we've got a lot to hold. At the very least, a weak dollar would seem to make our debts even larger.

Not to sound like Chicken Little, but that sky does seem to be getting a little closer to earth lately.  

From IMCT - February 22, 2005

OK, Bush made it clear today that we are not planning an attack on Iran. He then made it clear that we might be planning an attack on Iran.

Here's your fearless leader's quote:

"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table," Bush said.

Are we all clear on that? (Here's the story.)