In spite of a couple of weeks of struggling through this mucky swamp-like morass of California mud for way too long, 49er is finally about back to normal. Posting should resume soon. Thanks for checking in.Sunday, February 18, 2007
He's slogging his way back!
In spite of a couple of weeks of struggling through this mucky swamp-like morass of California mud for way too long, 49er is finally about back to normal. Posting should resume soon. Thanks for checking in.Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Light posting next five weeks
Cheers
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Fallacies and wishful thinking
Last Friday night a 16 year old youth was tragically shot and killed by police after a car chase and attempted arrest in East Palo Alto when the juvenile allegedly pulled a gun on arresting officers. A second person, an 18 year old cousin, was arrested at the scene.
"The two are suspected of robbing and shooting a man earlier that night (in the same general area)."The San Jose Mercury News story linked above goes on to quote friends and family of the young man making ridiculous statements.
"`They shot him like he was a grown man,' said Fou Malimali, 25, a close friend of Longi's. "It's going to fall right back on them,'' she said. "Now it's going to be like, `They're dirty cops.' ''There is more tragedy to the story. The young man may have had "mental" or "developmental" problems. Read the whole thing. There are even more examples of illogical, twisted thinking, if not outright denial of reality.
Hello! It was night time when this occurred. He was a person suspected of robbing and shooting somebody just a short time earlier, and was apparently in the act of "pulling" a gun from his waist. Does anybody actually expect peace officers to allow themselves to be shot at until they are able to make a confirmed age determination? That's wishful thinking. The two officers themselves are definitely not 'dirty cops'. Instead, they are a credit to their departments and assets to their communities. A conclusion like that quoted in the story is a logical fallacy.
It is interesting to note the Mercury News frequently allows "comments" to its on-line stories. Since this particular entry seems so blatantly an attempt to curry favor with the area's Polynesian community, the editorial staff apparently wisely decided to disallow on-line comments this time. Good thinking.
It's sad to see so-called 'jounalists' prostituting themselves with wishful thinking pieces like this one.
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Thursday, December 21, 2006
Illegal Immigration Issues
There are too many assumptions being bandied about by well meaning folk over what the "average" conservative US voter 'thinks' about illegal immigrants, etc.If I may speak for a large number of fellow conservatives, what frosts our backsides is the "illegal" part of the situation. Our answer: If it's agin' the law, just don't do it! The US's entire national immigration program responds so slowly as to place folks who follow the 'rules' in a diminished or inferior position when it comes to obtaining entry permission, etc., etc. That's not fair!
And it very unfortunately financially 'rewards' those who take the law into their own hands, ignoring the proscribed process. That's just not right! That part needs to be fixed before we start talking about more and more programs designed to 'fast-track' the application system for those that are already here and want to "legalize" themselves.
This ties in with the post below to the extent that most liberals (democrats) seem to want to excuse the "claim jumper's" lawlessness (or to be more charitable "forgetfulness") on humanitarian grounds. And while that is quite tempting to do, it's also a 'feel good' solution that unfortunately teaches the wrong lesson concerning US culture and the responsibilities of US citizenship.
Somehow we need to quickly re-establish fairness in the system and then solve the extremely human problem of families divided by distance or living while eternally keeping an eye looking over their shoulder, ever watching for 'la migra'. For the most part these persons are happy to be here, consider the US their adopted country, and after a few years will never, ever 'go back home' unless to visit loved ones. They consider themselves to have become "Americans", regardless of their official status.
The phrase "Borders, language and culture" is more than a conservative creed. It is an essential foundation for nation building. A society ignoring those words is living in anarchy. Living with them encourages genuine and humane societal progress.
The US corporate and agricultural world has paid too little lip service to this issue for far too long, riding cheaply and virtually painlessly on the coat-tails of tax-paying citizens and anxious illegal immigrants alike. It's now time for them to step up to the plate and take responsibility for themsevles, and disgard their self-imposed "blinders" when it comes time to verify employee's employment eligibility. It's only the fair thing for them to do.
Cheers
On Good Intentions and Belittlement
This will likely be a two-parter, the second addressing (in a day or so) what 49er perceives to be a typical US attitude towards illegal immigration - and illegal immigrants. (Trust him, the two subjects are related).For now, however, one can't help but observe once more a dichodomy between what most of the world expects in the way of societal behaviour from leaders of the US and what they accept from the secretariat of the UN. 49er holds that GWB and KA are almost universally held to significanty different standards of personal integrity and job performance.
If a fair-minded reader can't see at least a modicum of truth in that assertion, then all the linkage in the world will not improve on our mutual intercommunication and understanding. So I now bid those individual readers good-bye! You will benefit from nothing further here.
For the rest of us, however, IMHO there is something much more sinister at play here. For I consider that KA has been held to a much softer world-wide standard than GWB. And if that is true, then it almost certainly reflects a personal bias on the part of the viewer. Further, this has become a destructive bias that significantly lowers world-wide expectations of the retiring UN secretary general's job performance and leadership ability. A bias that in effect says, "We recognize that KA simply can't do as competent a job at the UN as we expect GWB to do in the US."
49er further maintains that most of the world doesn't support that point of view with 'evil intentions'. Instead, the universal world has encouragingly wished to frequently give KA the 'benefit of the doubt', even when faced with conflicting information. There is nothing "wrong" with this mindset, unless it repeatedly gives the object of attention a virtual "pass" on maintaining any objective level of personal integrity. Which it eventually has done.
49er regards the repeated good intentions of the liberal world toward Mr. Annan to have in effect belittled him, saying further, "Since you don't have the ability to do the same job, nor have the same integrity, as we expect of Mr. Bush, we will accept whatever you do as being 'OK'." And that, dear readers, is a deadly, deadly, and self-fulfilling bias.
Be honest about the double-standard, or in the interest of fairness eliminate it. The leader of the UN should be held to the same standards as the leader of the US, or any other nation. IMO.
Cheers btw, Nothing here is intended to be defending the record of GWB.
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
"World History - As it Really Happened"
The following is compiled from several sources, including varied iterations from at least my friend JAMES JOHNSON (12/13/06), Ran at DAIMNATION (10/27/06),and Dawg at TechRepublic (3/9/06). There may have been others. Whoever originated it is pretty much a genius, IMHO.
Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and *lobster in the winter. [*Note: only the unorthodox.]
The two most important events in all of history were the inventionof beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundations of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:... Liberals and Conservatives.
Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ's and doing the sewing, fetching and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement. Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women.
The rest became known as girliemen.Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy and group hugs and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.
Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant . Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.
Most modern liberals like gourmet* imported beer (with lime added), but many prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are also standard liberal fare. (*weak or watery)
Interestingly enough, one sub-set of liberals has been identified which claim to prefer the lustier beers and ales originally brewed in England or Australia. There is some DNA evidence to suggest these "liberals" are actually misguided "closet conservatives" attempting to retain some level of societal security by appearing to 'blend in' with their 'neighbours'.
Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of Liberals' women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.
Conservatives drink domestic* beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living. (*stronger flavor)
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. [Does 'enlightened' refer to the nightly bonfires in Vénisseux and Grigny?]
That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were taming America . Afterwards, when it was safe to do so, they crept in after the Wild West was "civilised" and created businesses dedicated to getting more for doing nothing.
Here ends today's lesson in world history: It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to this historic recollection before forwarding it. [Don't know why... They got it for nothing.]
Conservatives will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this historical essay that they will link to it immediately and pass it on to other true believers. And also on to other liberals just to [goad] them.
Greetings of the "Season"
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. This is not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And is further offered without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee(s).
By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable without alteration of the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes by himself or others, is void where prohibited or regulated by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.
This wish is warranted to perform as expected as a commerically acceptable expectation of good tidings for a period of no more than one year or until the issuance of a subsequent or replacement holiday greeting, whichever occurs first. Your only right under this warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher."
Holiday Cheers and a h/t to JAMES JOHNSON
Friday, December 08, 2006
The Eagle has landed
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Saturday, December 02, 2006
A brief recess

Saturday, November 25, 2006
Fun with Canadians
Last week 49er had a great time volunteering most of the week as a courtesy car driver at the Pebble Beach Invitational, or as we call it around here, "The Callaway".Carried lots of interesting golfers and family members between the courses, etc., but had a particularly rewarding time one afternoon with a trio of what turned out to be Canadian amateurs. As they were joking around while loading up the car after their round, they exchanged a few "ehs" and "abouuts". So as things quieted down when we reached the highway I asked, "What part of Toronto are you from?" They laughed and laughed. Turned out all three worked as stock brokers in the city now, but only one was a native Ontarian. Another was originally from Vancouver, and the third was Albertan, from Calgary.
They seemed tickled that an old geezer Yank could 'spot them', because - as they said - most often they're able to fly under average US radar. After exchanging pleasantries and being invited to "come visit them", I couldn't resist ranting a little bit concerning my last posting re: Calgary, just below. I told them that right now Calgary was not on my good list, and then explained why - after they'd asked. They said they hadn't heard of the issue, but agreed it stunk, too.
At trips end they came around to my side of the car to shake hand,s saying something to the effect that "Wow! A Yank who knows more about what's going on at home than we do". They were good guys, and had fun. So did I.
Wondered if bill and stephen might enjoy hearing this tale, too.
Cheers
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Canada, Oh Canada! Where hast thou gone?
Recently 49er commented in Outside The Box on another matter in Calgary thusly:
Calgary’s reputation as the last of CA’s ‘wild west frontiers’ has finally caught up with itself. Thus comes ‘civilisation’. Probably overdue. The cusp period will probably last another generation, but afterwards the city and province will likely become an even much more pleasant place in which to visit or live. Congrats on maturing."That comment was wrong. If Calgarians - and Canadians in general - support the actions of their LEOs in situations similar to the story above, IMO they are not MORE civilized than others, but less. Shame on them for trading freedom for mindless and short-lived "comfort".
And here's another tip: What you think you have now ain't gonna last. The monkeys are now running your zoo, and you're about to run into a terrible shortage of bananas.
Wake up!
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Saturday, November 11, 2006
The Day God Spilled the Paint

This is not 49er's photo. Nor his honey's. She did have it emailed to her today, and thought it too breathtaking to not share. So a little further expanation.
The photo was apparently taken by a lady named Barbara Mathews, on May 14, 2005. It was said to have been taken in central California on the east side of the Carrizo plain, in the Temblor Range, about 50 miles due west of Bakersfield, California. Most of the year this country is bleak, barren, brush-covered and good for little else than cattle browsing or sheep-herding. Running through or near this range are several active earthquake faults, including the dread San Andreas. Further north about an hour is the most active earthquake zone in the North American continent, Parkfield.
Many of 49er's internet friends are from beautiful parts of the world. He generally agrees with and accepts their local self-assessments. The point to this photo is simply that God is able to bring beauty to anything, no matter how fleetingly.
Cheers
Two Year Tactical Plan
- Challenge demos to come up with a real plan.
- Encourage repubs to return to their basics.
- Expose real demo weaknesses.
- Waken the rearguard to search for closet skeletons.
- Develop a knowledgable 'shadow' government.
- Encourage and develop viable 08 candidates.
- Don't fear intraparty disagreements.
- Encourage newly elected demos who might be a tad less liberal than old-guard "Pelosi-ites" to think and act for themselves. To not become dhimmocratic zombies.
Cheers.
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Friday, November 10, 2006
A Brit "gets it"!
As the only living Englishman who doesn’t regard the modern Republican party as the Devil’s Spawn, I might be expected to be in mourning today. On the contrary. This was mostly a good week.Good intellectual analysis is really fun to consider. Thanks, Gerard Baker, for bringing back a little joy this week.
The first and most obvious reason for optimism is the confirmation of Tuesday’s elections that democracy works. Republicans lost not because the American people have suddenly seen the wisdom of the collective leadership of the European Union or the editorial pages of the world’s press but because they deserved to lose
Cheers
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Term Limits
Isn't one term enough for ANY citizen politician? And wouldn't that pretty well rule out or nullify most activities of professional [spit, spit] politicians?
While we're looking at the federal government, why do we still need two houses? Lets combine them all into one house, elect them to a single four year term, half elected during presidential election years and the others two years later. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
Go back to the idea of a concerned citizen contributing her/his efforts for one term to the process of representing one's neighbors in the nation's capitol. It would no longer be one's lifeswork. Worthwhile to do well, yes, and great on the resume, but not a long-term career thing. Think of the pork-barrel money this could save!
As an added relief to the federal budget the single term idea could be used for congressional (and presidential) entitlement reform. Pay them a good wage, sure, but nothing close to the regal structure we currently have in place. Give them a good retirement benefit, pay all reasonable living expenses, but put the onus on them to go back to honest work afterwards and reenter the private sector if they wanted to improve their eventual retirement nest eggs.
No, it won't work. Too many oxen would be gored. And it could place the burden on voters to actually be responsible for tough decisions at election-time. No, that won't do. We would rather drink our kool-aid, roll over and go back to sleep. Too bad. Snooze, snooze, snooze.
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Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Bush's third bi-annual report card
Domestic policies D; Foreign policies B+; Staffing appointments D-; Legislative liason D; Military leadership D-; Political skills F; Public Speaking skills D-; Personal ethics B.
Discussion:
Bush completely went against his base by blocking any meaningful improvement of our border control and the flagrant illegal immigration crisis he not only ignored, but helped flaunt. That alone sank any other domestic policy gains into a vast morass of ineptitude.
Foreign policies were hit and miss, with no obvious failures in 49er's POV. Just because the rest of the world hates him is virtually irrelevant, IMHO. Because they don't vote, they don't count. Sorry. 49er doesn't always agree with their leaders, either. Tough.
Allowing Rove to stay on after the 2004 election was stupid, stupid, stupid. Weirdly brilliant - or maybe brilliantly weird - his brainpower was long ago overcome with dogmatic egomania - all to Bush's harm, but GWB seemed not to care.
Rummy should have been gone almost a year ago. His brilliance in 2003 faded to stubborn resolve by 2005, and his worth tumbled to nothing long ago. That GWB failed to understand this contributes to his "bumbling, stumbling" reputation. Totally unnecessary. Blind leading the blind.
Tony Snow's appointment was brilliant, though. Regardless of who brought it about.
Bush should have recognized how far left his majority party legislators had strayed in 2002, and by the 2004 elections dealt with it. He didn't. They didn't. The "republicats" ran amuck. And they blew it for 2006. Serves them right! Only saving grace was his ability to reach out to some elected democrats and build a few wobbly bridges during this current mid-term.
War is brutal. It breaks things and people. In 2003 the war was well fought. In 2004 it began slipping into a "rules of engagement" mindset. Stupid. War is best fought hard, fast, ugly, brutal and over! Too many post 2003 opportunities unrecognized and forever lost. Also, "rules of engagement" slowly evolve until they become counter-intuitive to the actual waging of a war. So from mid 2004 on we have been more in a WOC (criminals) situation, not WOT (terrorists). Unnecessary and costly in lives and assets.
GWB's seen as politically fiddling while Rome’s been burning for more than two years. He’s failed to either see it, or else to respond. Can anyone identify “a river in Egypt”? He apparently can’t.
49er thinks he’s probably a nice guy. Would probably make a fairly good neighbor, except for a classic lack of introspect ional skills, there are no known major gaffes.
Cheers
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Why 49er's happy his team lost - if you care
If the people wanted unethical slime balls in office they've always been able to vote for democrats. As in the old Bop Hope movie, democrats have been shown to stand around, idly, like zombies not knowing what to say or do very well, and they've done an excellent job of capturing that particular share of the market. For so many elected republicats to think they could simply take democrats' places in that environment was not only foolish and short-sighted, but incredibly stupid. Since big government doesn't work very well, why continue to "grow" a larger - but still dyfunctional - government. Dumb!
For over two decades now republicans have been being elected by voters to "govern", but in the past twelve years too many of them have only found time to prove they are as slimy as democrats, some even more so. We don't need two slimy parties. So the nation has now chozen to return to the original, patented-protected slime balls. Well done! Good choice.
The party that represents every weird and short-sighted agenda in the world has proven in the interval since the Truman years that it can't govern. So democrats now have a short window of opportunity to somehow show they've changed. News flash! They have, but not for the better! The next two years will bring us even more political disasters.
49er's prediction is the surviving republicans will shortly winnow out republicats from places of responsibility within their midst, retake the party helm, and prepare to resume "governing" in two years when voters have grows bored with weirdness, etc. per se, and throw those bums out - again. Let's hope the surviving and newly chosen republicans have learned to appreciate their roots a little more than has been recently shown. Repeat after me, "Less government is better government". Now go write it on the board 100 times. And relearn the humility rule. One is never as good or as smart as one thinks. No matter what one's mother says.
Cheers
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Sunday, October 29, 2006
Time Out
Will probably resume activities in a day or so.
Cheers . . . . and go Raiders! (please?)
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Thursday, October 19, 2006
How to turn success into failure
First of all, why are we even talking about the successes or failures of a teen-ager? Why can't she just BE a kid? Well, IMO the answer to those questions lies deep in the heart of misplaced parental ambition. Recently turning 17, for some time now Ms. Wie has had a business manager, Nike products endorsement contract, professional caddie, and all the other trappings of a successful professional golfer. What she doesn't have, however, is the winning record she has been capable of achieving.
Maturing very early in life, and blessed with a tall, strong, athletic, rangy frame and body, with intelligent or thoughtful development of her obvious skills and potential, Ms. Wie could have become by now the enfent terrible of the LPGA. Instead, she has mostly fizzled and flopped her way the past three plus years, picking and choosing events while trying to play in this PGA event and that. In the process earning a dismal record following the quixotic path chosen by her parents that has put her on public display as a freak of nature playing against professional men. Where the results were quite obviously foreseeable (Bill, note word usage, please).
Instead of using the advantage of her early physical development to train their daughter how to compete and WIN, her parents have been teaching her how to get attention. As if that were the same thing. Its not at all, and at 17 the young lady will probably soon be overtaken by her just now maturing peers, and - again foreseeably - if she doesn't learn how to finish off - or hold off - opponents during the final rounds of golf tournaments, Ms. Wie may be a washed up has-been before she reaches her majority. And even Nike's millions will have amounted to rot.
With all his strenths and abilities, Tiger Woods still had to learn how to WIN. Michelle Wie, though becoming rich and famous because of her potential, has somehow never learned the mind-game to match her golf-skills. Shame on her parents. Their misplaced ambition has likely gained them a financial windfall, but may have ultimately lead to their daughter's professional downfall. Not a fair trade, I'd say.
Even so, 49er can't help hoping he's wrong and the young lady manages to turn things around. It would be a nice result, but for some time now she has been on a much more rocky path and the ultimate destination might turn out to be not what her family at first intended.
Cheers.
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Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Twisted Logic (?) or Death Wish (?)
What a crock! Her position is exactly contrary to reasoned common sense. If her screed were to become settled "law", this point would give extreme comfort to those who now conduct conflict and violence whilst hiding deep within the folds of a civilian populace, thus placing innocents at risk. An exactly opposite result of what a civilized society should intend.
Nothing said here is gloating - or glossing over - innocent casualties. That they occur at all is tragic. But if a state is forbidden to defend itself, such as happened recently vis-a-vis Israel and Lebanon, simply because of the possibility of unknown bad side effects, civilization is doomed and anarchy shall eventually rule the world.
Logical and reasoned? No, IMO this view is simply cultural self-hatred taken to a sicker level.
Cheers
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