Thursday's Thoughts

Ok, today is actually better, if you live at Paradise in Mt. Rainier NP, but not in the lowland where it's still overcast with the sun trying hard to evaporate the clouds to appear, unfortunately with little success. And they're predicting showers with rain overnight to showers tomorrow. But some Websites for weather is predicting sunshine and mostly clear skies. Go figure.

Ok, I've read my normal Thursday newspapers and what did I glean from the articles?

Clinton. Hillary not Bill. Why are the Clinton supporters and workers reluctant to support and help Obama without something in return? I've read numerous columns and blogs says she should be the Vice President or Obama should promise concessions to them for policies, etc. Yes, it's politics but they're acting like sore losers in game won in the bottom of the 17th inning with two outs and a man on third when the batter hits a single into left field.

I'm not discounting what Hillary has done, but she shouldn't be the VP candidate just because. And her backers, supporters, workers shouldn't get defensive (like they'll take their marbles and go home). To them, get real. To Hillary, sorry you lost, but get on with your career and focus on the future. You still have a lot to give the country, the people, and yourself.

Onward. Did you know the Homeland Security Administration has said they can't make the 2012 deadline to screen all inbound cargo containers? Yup, they told Congress they could and Congress funded the effort. Now they're backtracking to say they really didn't promise but said it's a goal.

So much for actually being homeland security? Have they done anything productive or right yet?

Did you know $85 Million in donations of clothes, dry goods, etc. stored in warehouses to be distributed later is still in the warehouses? Yes, none of those donations have left the warehouse. So when did they plan to donate the items? They don't, and plan to turn it over to GSA to surplus.

So our donations are surplus? And they'll generate money for the government instead of Katrina victims.

This one I love. A British anti-terrorist left secret government documnents about Al Qaeda and Iraq were left on a commuter train. So, if you found secret documents, what would you do. Possessing them is a crime, but losing them isn't. Really. And doing anything with them if you found them is treason, but if the senior official who lost them leaked them instead, it's also not a crime. But selling them, either the founder or the official, to another government is treason.

Go figure.

Why is Bush still not ruling out an attack on Iran? I have a feeling he will attack Iran sometime this fall. He'll have to wait until about September to sell it, but sometime in October or November he'll pull the same routine we saw on TV when he told Saddham to leave Iraq, except he'll say we can't wait for Iran to send a nuclear bomb to Iraq or worse provide them to a terrorist group to bring into the US.

It's called marketing a war, and if anything the Bush administration is good at, almost the only thing they're good at, is selling war. Cheney is the best. But this time all of us are smarter to their bait and switch tactic with words into deeds. But Bush has nothing to lose and he can leave the mess to his successor to cleanup and tell the public it was a mistake, especially when Iran retaliates against our forces in Iraq and the Gulf.

If you thought the 8-year Iran-Iraq was messy, just wait to see what Iran can do. They're better armed with Russian equipment and technology along with the stuff they still have from the 1980's from the Shah. The body count would not be pretty and pale in comparison to the loses in Iraq. Stay tuned folks, and watch out when Bush talks.

Did you notice the price of things, although going up, don't seem to be going up more than you thought? That's because you're buying smaller quantities. Over the last 3-5 years companies have been slowly producing and selling smaller and smaller packages. A half gallon ice cream carton dropped to 1.75 quarts and now 1.5 quarts. And the price still went up.

And canned goods? They're simply adding less product and more water or syrup to take up the weight. And you thought you were buying and eating more? No, you were buying less and more of them to eat the same.

And this is especially true of the lowend and cheap foods. So, buying cheap isn't anymore. The price may not change much but the contents are.

I'm done for this week. I've said more this week than I have in months, so I'll shut up for the weekend. I've got lots to do.