Goodbye 2005, welcome 2006.

Goodbye 2005.
It's during this last week of the year that I start to contemplate and reflect upon events that have transpired and people of note that have passed on.
Out with the old and in with the new.
As far as the old is concerned, every television station is cranking out their version of a "look back" with retrospective commentary and video clips.
The year 2005 was a busy year. Probably not any busier than previous years but so well covered by the media that it seemed that there was a non-stop series of natural and man-made disasters, tragedies and scandals.
A tsunami which claimed over 200,000 lives. An earthquake producing an estimated death count of over 100,000. Staggering numbers too high to rationally contemplate. Other well-covered events included Hurricane Katrina, the death of Pope Paul II, a report that an estimated 30,000 Iraqi plus over 2,100 US deaths so far in the WOT and removal of the Saddam regime. Governmental political squabbling taken to such an extreme that it would have our country's founding fathers shaking their heads in disbelief if they were around today.
These were not the good old days.
What will 2006 bring us?
Is the expansion of China's economy going to bode well for the average US worker? If we worried about manufacturing jobs drying up when NAFTA went into effect, this should really remove any doubt. Lay-offs in manufacturing will continue.
The budget deficit is completely out of control. Are the chickens coming home to roost soon? Stay alert on this one because it will have severe consequences.
When will our troops start to come home from Iraq and Afghanistan? Rumors are flying that at least the next rotation may not be replaced with a full complement. We should be that lucky. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Will Pat Robertson make some more outlandish predictions invoking the wrath of God on sinful cities? Please Pat, cool it for all our sake.
Will the far-left wing of the Democratic Party continue to worry more about suspected terrorists' rights than they do about our right to a safe and secure homeland for our families? Yes, as long as George Bush is still in office.
Will Google diversify even further? How about pharmaceuticals or medical services besides the books, classifieds, music, videos, mail and blogs.
Are the NY Yankees going to dominate baseball for the next five years with the recent acquisition of Johnny Damon? I don't think so. It may give them a slight edge but as recent history has shown, no guarantee. I will again root for the "less than rich" underdog teams in MLB and continue to hate the Yankees (except for Jeter).
Will the White Sox repeat? Maybe, but I'm rooting for the OTHER Sox!
Go Red Sox.

Good news? Dems.. NEVER!

Just like the Grinch who stole Christmas, the hard-core left wing media leaders have another hyped "news" item to counter the successful and joyous Iraqi election event. The New York Times is again "sticking it" to the Bush administration and in direct extension, our country's efforts in the War on Terror and international reputation. One can recognize that this type of anti administration hype, when chronic, does extend its scope of effect and collateral damage to us as citizens of this country. I am all for "freedom of the press" but when there is a concerted effort to consistently put the government in a bad light, one has to wonder what the underlying agenda is. We are again being insulted, subtly and by extension, by these obvious and irresponsible partisan journalistic tactics and underlying anti-American bias. Yes, anti-American! It certainly is not pro-American, is it?
If we were playing soccer and these journalists were on our team, we would loose every match because they would make sure of that outcome.
This "earth-shattering" news flash from MTV, which is totally reliant on the Times piece, is just another hyped scandal in a series of attacks on the Bush administration.
Young Americans, take note: Bush OK'd spying on Americans.
What actually happened is that shortly after the devastating attack of 9/11, the Bush administration OK'd surveillance on communications between suspected terrorists overseas with their US sources by the NSA without the usual time consuming process of obtaining judicial warrants as a rapid response to confront any impending terrorist attacks. A logical, legal and necessary move to safeguard the country's citizens. Congress was consulted on this and all was OK. In 2004 this process was ended since it was no longer needed.
So why is this suddenly such an affront to our civil liberties?
BECAUSE THE LEFT NEEDS TO GET THE SUCCESS OF IRAQI ELECTIONS OFF THE FRONT PAGES ASAP. God forbid should the public at large get the impression that our country did something right and by extension give the Bush administration some credit.
Now, I know that some readers might say; "well that's just politics". I say, its the type of politics that drags the USA (and us as citizens) through the mud. It's an affront and an insult because it lowers our country's esteem and in extension, our very own dignity.
I am going to make a prediction here. Readers take note.
The next time there is a news report of some favorable outcome which reflects positively on the Bush administration there will be a "counter" news flash with something/anything of a negative nature which will remove and squelch the good news. Let's see.. I know. We start pulling some troops out of Iraq.... Lefts response: "Not quick enough, not enough troops."
It would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic for this great nation.

History in Iraq.

Today is a historical day for the people of Iraq. They left their homes and walked to polling stations to cast their ballots. As is their custom, entire families took the time to express their wish to have a voice in the outcome of who will represent them. Consider that this ancient land known as the "fertile crescent" where Ur-Nammu and Hammurabi so many thousands of years ago decided to codify rules of behavior into the first recorded set of laws.
These families are taking a heroic step into a direction that will ultimately bring stability to their lives. It will not happen overnight but I sense that they know this and are willing to give it a try. This process will put in place an elected form of government which will represent their constituency for four years. After that time, the people of Iraq will decide again and by doing so perfect the process even more.
I salute the Iraqi people for their courage, wisdom and sacrifice and hope that their efforts will produce freedom and happiness for their children.

Merry Christmas.

Here is a link that is very much worth going to. It was forwarded to me just the other day. It's a 3 minute show so enlarge the page, turn up the sound and enjoy this choreographed display of artistic ingenuity.
Anyone know the music?

Friend or Foe?

Are Senator John Kerry and DNC Chairman Howard Dean aiding and abetting our country's enemies?
We are currently in a global war on terror. This war has been taken to the places where the extreme elements of Islamic fundamentalism manifest themselves the most. Afghanistan and Iraq. The US troops stationed in these areas need our support and encouragement because they are risking their lives for us and the Afghan and Iraqi people. What they don't need is politicians back home saying things like "the war cannot be won" and that they (our troops) are "terrorizing women and children".
I would like to address these two distinguished gentlemen as follows:

Senator Kerry, for your information, dangerous terrorist infiltrators that hide in residential areas still need to be pursued and captured. This means that searches sometimes have to be made in these residences for possible hiding places. Occasionally this has resulted in the annoyance of the local populace. Your comments that they are terrorizing women and children is an over-exaggeration just to gain some cheap political points at the expense of our troops. This is just another one of your comments that negatively impact on our country.

Doctor Dean, your comment about "the war not being able to be won" can only be described as "classic defeatism" which will result in lowering the morale of our troops. It also sends a message to our enemies. The message? Stay the course, the will of the American public to fight terror is on the wane.

The USA needs every friend it can get these days but with friends like these, who needs enemies?

Dark Energy, should we worry?

It was recently confirmed by more accurate measurements that a phenomenon described as "dark energy", first observed a couple of years ago, is affecting gravity in such a way that it accelerates the expansion of the universe. This newly discovered expansion "effect" has galaxies racing away from each other at rates much faster than previously determined.
For a while now cosmologists took it for granted that the universe would end in one of two ways.
The "Big Chill" has the universe expanding forever. A dark and cold destiny as the stars would gradually disappear from the visible plane and matter itself would disintegrate and drift apart into ever more minute components.
The "Big Crunch" has the universe expand to a critical point and then implode into what can only be described as a super dense accumulation of "all that ever was".
Take your pick.
Gravity sucks, at least that is what Einstein's theory of relativity tells us. Energy and matter (stuff) creates gravity. The more stuff, the more gravity lets itself be known. If there is a small amount of stuff in the universe, there may be just enough to keep the expansion going endlessly resulting in the big chill. If, however, there is a lot of stuff,in other words, a lot of gravity, the expansion may cease and the process is reversed into a big crunch.
Now comes this dark gravity to instill another dimension of doom and gloom. Should this news disturb us in some way or should it merely be a curious scientific point of interest?
It does spark a hint of sadness, though. I guess the sadness is really the acknowledgment of mortality. Not our own but for the world.
Hey, but cheer up! We're talking BILLIONS of years here, so "break out the booze and have a ball. If that's all there is."
Yet, after all is said and done, there is another aspect to all this that is to be considered. This aspect depends on how we view our very own existence and our belief (or lack of it) in a creator. Belief in a creator does tend to change everything.