News Bites

I haven't posted for a while now. So, to catch up, here are some quick takes on the news:

1. It was exciting to watch the Space Shuttle Endeavor take off for a mission. It's too bad that space flight has reached the ho-hum state for so long and that we barely notice an event like yesterday, even as masterful a technological event as that was. We'd rather read about a psycho astronaut in a vengeful love triange than to focus on the amazing science of a space launch. But, for what it's worth, I enjoyed it.

2. For a short time, I'll cut Barry Bonds some slack. His home run this week which surpassed Hank Aaron's record was a significant achievement. You have to wish that he would get some time in the sun to celebrate that milestone. But....and unfortunately there is definitely a but, you know it's a tainted record. It's not hard to predict that he will be tried in some tribunal for steroid usage and that the record will be taken off the books. But it was quite a slam, and I'll give him props for a day. He might be all bulked up, but he still had to hit the pitch off a major league pitcher.

3. The surge in Iraq. All of the articles that I'm reading on the conservative sites indicate that there are positive signs that the change in strategy is working. That we might achieve some sense of victory after the blood and treasure paid. Apparently, victory is a problem for Democrat office holders who are heavily invested in Bush's humiliation by defeat. If you hate Bush so much that you dread a victory because it might let George Bush off the hook, you are seriously misguided and should be ashamed of yourself.

4. The presidential debates are burning themselves out already, and it's still way way way too early for average Americans to tune in yet. Does anyone hate all of the candidates yet?

5. At least we're getting the candidates on record, for later use when we tune in. I'm convinced that most of Barack Obama's voters, who are swooning at his every appearance, have very little idea what his positions are. I'm paying attention though, and it's no surprise to me that every position he does stake out on a substantive issue are opposite of mine. When the Supreme Court ruled that partial birth abortion could be curtailed, Obama railed against that decision as an injustice. I couldn't disagree more. When a Federal judge last week struck down a city ordinance in Hazelton PA punishing illegal immigration as unconstitutional, Obama opined that it was a victory for all Americans. Wrong again. It was not a victory for the legal citizens of Hazelton PA. Obama is a classical far left liberal, whose every policy position would be bad for America. That's my take. I'm not swooning.

6. The bridge collapse in Minneapolis does not have me as worried as I thought. Yes, bridges need repair. But I think that they do a pretty good job staying on that, for as massive a project as it is.

The first thought that ocurred to me when I first saw the story, and when I learned that there were workers already repairing the bridge was: Did the repair activity cause the collapse? Did they cut the wrong cable, remove the wrong bolt, have the wrong plan, or put too much heavy equipment on the bridge? Is anyone else asking this? I imagine the investigators are, and they will learn something from it. I'm not too worried that it will happen again.

7. Kudos to George Bush last week for pushing the Congressional reform of the FISA statute to allow wiretapping foreign nationals without a warrant. The Democrat position on this is ludicrous. Are you really wanting to fight a war with court warrants? Do you even acknowledge that we are at war?

The Democrats, and their media supporters, are intentionally distorting the content of the reform. Claiming that George Bush wants to wiretap you and me. Nonsense. The intelligence agents need to be able to monitor foreign actors - potential terrorists - as it happens and not miss a beat. That beat that they miss waiting for a warrant could be the go order for a terrorist cell in the U.S. If so, that's on your heads Democrats.