A SNAPSHOT OF MY PICK FOR PREZ ...

So who’s my pick for the Republican nomination in 2008 right now? Well, before answering that question let’s establish the fact that there is a difference between who I think SHOULD be the nominee and who I think will actually get it. I’ll answer both questions though in this blog …

The man I think who is the most likely to actually win the nomination is John McCain. The reasons I say this are because Hillary seems to be almost the de facto Democratic nominee at this point. The MSM really, really, really wants to see Hillary on the top of the ticket – and won’t rest until she gets there. The poor Dem’s have little choice in the matter it seems.

As Hillary becomes more of a factor – the Republicans will start to breathe a little easier with regards to their base – knowing full well they can nominate a liberal Republican and still count on the right-wing vote. John McCain is the beneficiary of this situation, I don’t consider him a liberal – but I surely don’t consider him a conservative either. John McCain would literally wipe the floor with Hillary because he’ll have the support of the Republican base – and will actually steal some of Hillary’s traditional Democratic base. Why would traditional Democrats vote against Hillary? Well, wait for the campaign and you’ll see. Hillary is protected by the MSM right now – but in a “get down” campaign, her flaws are going to come streaming through in high-definition. This is going to leave the Democrat’s saying “What the hell have we done here?” – the month before the final election in November.

That’s my prediction right now – and things can change. But it looks to me like John McCain. It won’t be Condy Rice (no experience / doesn’t want to run anyway). It won’t be Bill Frist (who makes bad political decisions and has a strong tendency to stick his finger in the wind – which Republican voters hate). Won’t be Rudy because he’s too liberal (although Rudy would also wipe up the floor with Hillary in a head-to-head show).

Now, as far as whom I THINK SHOULD GET the nomination …

The answer is …

GEORGE ALLEN

I like George because he’s an honest man – and he’s a Reaganite. Here are some of his assets …

He’s a likeable guy – a REAL guy who doesn’t stick his finger into the wind too much. He’s a leader; he’ll run down a tough path if he thinks it’s the right path. He’s a communicator – sure, he can look just as stiff and “stuffed shirt” as any other politician, but when the chips are down he can communicate with an audience because he’s not an empty suit. George Allen “has it” where it counts. He’s a guy with a smile on his face – a smile equals optimism and Americans like to elect optimists (Democrats take note here because this is one of Hillary’s SERIOUS flaws). George Allen has a solid elected background as a Congressman, a Governor, and a Senator – so he’s seen the game from all sides. Additionally, although he’s been all three – he hasn’t been any of them for very long – which is an asset because it means he’s not entrenched in the weirdo-world of politics inside the Beltway. Allen has only been in national politics for about 15 years – not long enough to be considered a real “insider”.

Virginia law does not allow a Governor to succeed himself – but in his one-term in the Governor’s mansion his list of accomplishments are exemplary. He made vast and real improvements in education and in the economy. His support of high-tech industry paid huge dividends for Virginia. This is a guy who understands the global economy and what it takes to compete in it.

On the downside, the things working against him politically are …

Allen has been known to “dip” tobacco on occasion. His anti-abortion views are fairly binary and well-known. He’s been wishy-washy on the subject of stem-cell research, and it’s difficult to ascertain exactly what his position is at the moment. Since 2001, he’s generally been for it but has started backing down on his support for the research just recently. While Governor of Virginia he approved a “Confederate Heritage” holiday observance and has been quoted referring to the Civil War as a southern struggle for independence. So there’s plenty of cane for his political enemies to make syrup with in his political record.

The things that disturb me about him – his waffling on stem-cell research and his position on the Dubai Ports World deal (it appears he sided with the rest of the uninformed politicians against George Bush). George Allen is beginning to look like a man running for president – and that will not serve him well. He needs to pick sides, and let everyone know where he stands. Historically he’s done that, but now that he’s running for president – he seems to test the waters a lot more.

Still, with all that – I’d like to see this guy take the nomination because I think he’s a good man with a good heart who also happens to be a born leader. He’s a 21^st Century Conservative. He’s smart, and he can take this country places. I think he would make a great President.

Now, I’ll say this – I could change my mind on this tomorrow because there’s another guy out there that I’m researching that I (so far) like a lot. He’s a Yankee by the name of Mitt Romney. I haven’t seen anything about Mitt that I don’t like but – as a Southern Republican I’m going to look 12 times at any candidate from Teddy Kennedy’s home state before I commit to him. Maybe there will be some more on this later on down the line – especially if George Allen doesn’t shore up his positions on the issues. Whoever I end up supporting has to be a guy or a gal with real guts.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything in this blog so I thought I would stop in and write something. Rather than just blather on one topic ad nauseam, I thought I’d use a shotgun approach and talk about a lot of different things …

First, my house – which flooded 5.5 feed in Hurricane Katrina…

It’s coming along great and I’m about 50-60% done with the repairs. My wife talked the insurance company into replacing the whole roof and we even splurged a little and upgraded to architectural shingles – which look great. The weather is getting warmer around here so I did a bit of work outside on the yard this weekend. My beautiful centipede lawn was completely killed by Katrina. The flood completely killed the old turf and deposited a large number of weeds all over the yard. However, it also brought in a lot of Bermuda seed – and I have some pretty Bermuda coming up in a lot of patchy spots. I think this Bermuda was carried in by the flood off the levee – as the levees around here are planted heavily with Bermuda grass. I actually prefer Bermuda to Centipede – so I’ll go with the flow on this one and replant the yard in Bermuda. Bermuda certainly survived – even seemed to thrive as a result of the flood – so if, God forbid, another flood comes – I shouldn’t have to worry about replacing my grass again.

On the inside of the house the sheetrock is replaced, textured and painted. The downstairs bathroom is reinstalled with all the trimmings. My wife and I finished laying the tile in the kitchen this weekend and already have half of the cabinets installed. Sooo, the inside of the house is starting to look like more of a house again.

But we’ll keep chugging on the repairs. Kind of funny, we no longer have to plan what we’re going to do on weekends – we already know that every weekend we’re going to be repairing the house. No other option and we probably won’t get any real weekends for at least another year. When you’re doing it all yourself, the going is slow.

Now on to some national events …

The Dubai Ports World (DPW) Deal …

Chalk up another victory to Osama Bin Laden – as the Liberals come through for him again by driving a wedge between the US and its strongest Arab ally in the war on terror. The Terrorist’s Rights Party pulled out all the stops on this one folks – even boldly venturing into racist territory to get this DPW deal turned off. Sunshine Patriots of the Republican Party even helped ole’ Chucky Schumer and the Dem’s pull this one off. Thanks guys! Not only are we NOT any more safe without this deal – but we’ve firmly shown the UAE that even if they help us fight Osama – we still look upon them as a bunch of sand-splattered camel jockeys with terrorist sympathies. If anyone thinks the UAE is going to buck the trend in the Arab world and continue to help us fight terror – they’ve got another thing coming. We’ve effectively proven to Dubai that there’s no upside for them if they help us. Thanks to all the Democratic and Republican idiots who orchestrated this!

Nuclear Iran …

Folks I’ve blogged on this one many times in the past and things aren’t changing here. We’re now involved the same-old story … with the U.S. and the United Nations attempting to dance with an unwilling dance partner. And, as predicted, we all look weak and stupid for even trying. I’ve said it before … hands off on Iran. Let ‘em develop their nukes and let them KNOW that we will be covertly fostering revolution within their own country. Also let them know that we will have a viable anti-ballistic missile defense system in place BEFORE they have deliverable nukes. Assure them that any nuke they shoot will be blown from the sky and let ‘em know that our own nukes will be headed to Tehran if that happens. We should adopt a policy of completely blowing Iran off the map if they get even a little irresponsible with those nukes. People tell me that this policy is irresponsible and wrought with lunatic-fringe recklessness. Well, news flash – it makes a lot more sense than the MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) policy that kept the peace throughout the cold war. I like to call this the Iran “YAD” policy, which stands for “Your Assured Destruction”. The “Your” in that phrase referring to IRAN.

Hillary and the Road to the White House …

Hillary continues to be “pumped-up” by the MSM as the 2008 Democratic candidate of choice to replace “Dubya” in the White House. I’ve said this before … Hillary as the Democratic nominee? Make my day! Bring her on because she can’t win. She’ll draw more Republicans to the polls than any effort managed by Karl Rove to “get out the vote”. Running Hillary makes the job of the RNC much easier. My prediction, if it looks like Hillary is going to take the Democratic nomination then Republicans will run a centrist – like John McCain – and they’ll feel secure that the right-wing base will turn out to vote for that centrist, because the right-wing of the party will vote even for a pro-abortionist Republican if it means that Hillary goes to Pennsylvania Avenue again if they don’t. Again, “make my day”.

The Tennessee Straw-Poll …

Was anyone watching this and who cares? Of course Bill Frist won it – he’s from Tennessee. Unbelievably though, I’d tell you that Bill Frist is about the only candidate that Hillary COULD possibly beat. And the reason for that is because Bill Frist has fewer political skills than even Hillary does. Right now my prediction for a Republican nominee is John McCain. I’m not a McCain man – because although George W. is often ACCUSED of being a “shoot from the hip egotistical manipulator” – McCain actually IS one. I’d still vote McCain over Hillary though, and hold my nose in the voting booth whilst I pulled the lever! The positive thing about a McCain presidency is that it would never be boring. He would always be up to something!

TAKE A BREATH! LOOK AT THE FACTS!

There’s a lot of bantering today over the deal for Dubai Ports World (DPW) to take over port operations in many American ports. It’s hard to find a Washington politician, Democrat or Republican, who isn’t vehemently against this deal.

Folks, this is strictly a political issue, there is no security concern here – the Democrats invented this issue because they’re looking for a method to portray Bush – the man who has pursued global terrorism with an unprecedented focus and zeal – as being actually “soft” on terror. Dems also think this might be a way to turn their political misfortunes around – as most of them now know they’re going to be consigned indefinitely to the back bench unless they can beat the Republicans on the number one issue in America today – security from Islamofascism.

Republicans like Bill Frist are phoning in to support the Democrats on this issue, only because they read the polls too and are afraid the Dems might actually get a foot in the door.

Okay, so let’s stipulate here that handing over major port-operations to an Arab country at a time when we seem to be at war with, and hated by, the entire Arab world – well, let’s just stipulate that that doesn’t sound like a very good idea. However, let’s calm down a moment and look at the facts here.

First – you guys know that I am a RABID ANTI-ISLAMO-FASCIST. I believe in utter ruthlessness in dealing with these guys and all options are on the table in my book when it comes to dealing with them. I personally believe that every terrorist we catch should be tortured just for general principle – but that’s me. I have no sympathies for these guys so when I tell you I think this DPW port deal is not a bad thing – I ain’t sayin’ it because I love terrorists.

Let’s look at the facts folks – and I’m going to put forth a series of arguments that have to be taken in their entirety. Some of these arguments, taken individually, can be debated to one degree or another – but taken in total – they illustrate to me that this DPW deal is not a bad thing.

POINT ONE: President Bush came out firmly today in support of this deal. I believe his quote was … “The UAE has played by the rules, they have cooperated and are an important ally in the war on terror … it would send a terrible message if we did not allow this transaction to go forward.” Lest we not forget … the number one enemy of terrorists is not the U.S.A. – it’s George W. Bush (personally). The man is hated globally by Islamo-fascists – which is precisely the reason I love him so much. So this is not a guy who would throw terrorists an opportunity. Additionally, President Bush has been taking a lot of credit for the fact that, since the sucker-punch of 9-11, the Islamo-fascists haven’t been able to lay a scratch on the United States. What this means is that – IF THE TERRORISTS EVER DO GET ANOTHER HIT ON US – President Bush will take the entire blame. So I don’t think Bush would support this deal if he thought there might be a chance that American security would be compromised. But don’t take this argument on it’s own – move on to …

POINT TWO: If DPW takes over port ops in American ports – they aren’t going to start importing Arabs in to run them. In fact, the same faces you see running our ports today, will be running our ports after DPW takes charge of them. Don’t take this argument on it’s own – move on to …

POINT THREE: DPW has been providing port ops for our Naval vessels in Middle-Eastern ports for years – without incident. “What about the USS COLE?” You say? Well, DPW wasn’t even peripherally involved in that incident, and besides – the COLE wasn’t tied to a pier when she was attacked – she was anchored in the open harbor when she got hit. The fact is, DPW has been providing port operations for our Naval vessels overseas for years. I’ve worked with these guys personally and they are a professional outfit. Don't cling to a racist stereotype which depicts these guys as dusty camel jockeys - these are professional people who operate on a global scale. They are international capitalists. If they had any inclination to aid terrorists I think that inclination would have already manifest itself as an attack on a large Naval combatant like say, an Aircraft Carrier moored overseas in some place like Jebel Ali. But we saw none of that – not even during the most tense parts of the Afghan and Iraqi wars. But don’t take this argument on it’s own …

POINT FOUR: DPW has benefited in spades from Capitalism. If they give any aid to a terrorist attack – it’s going to seriously attack their bottom line. Capitalism is a beautiful thing – the love for money will make a company turn away even from its parent government’s principles in favor of making money. Witness Microsoft and Google in China. But don’t take this argument on it’s own …

POINT FIVE: The United Arab Emirates is the “red light region” of the Arab world. Ever been there? Nothing can’t be had for a price – it’s a capitalist’s playhouse. It’s also the adult Disneyland of the Islamic world. The UAE is on old Osama’s list for elimination. In Islamo-fascist circles, the leadership of the UAE is detested as sub-human, worthy only of one’s utter contempt. To them, the leadership of the UAE is WORSE than the U.S.A. because the UAE has turned away from Islamic principles and has aided the enemy – America. The UAE has no reason to help Islamic terror – doing so would mean their own downfall – their own very painful and … **permanent** downfall. Don’t take this argument on it’s own …

POINT SIX: Stopping this DPW transaction would drive a wedge between the US and an important ally in the war on terror. That’s exactly what Osama Bin Laden wants – I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to oblige him. Don’t take this argument on it’s own though.

POINT SEVEN: DPW has extensive experience operating ports overseas where the terrorist threat is much greater than here in the U.S. These guys are experienced and do business professionally. Think about it - after seeing what happened after hurricane Katrina do you really want a New Orleans outfit running the Port of New Orleans? No? Well, that's essentially what you're saying if you're against this DPW deal.

FINAL POINT: DPW won’t be taking over port security – that remains in the hands of the Department of Homeland Defense (DHD). The Dems acknowledge this, but also say that DPW will learn our security modus operandi if they take over our port ops. My response to that is that DPW already knows our security modus operandi – because they operate massive numbers of foreign ports and they have seen our security operations with respect to our Naval ships visiting those ports. They already know how we do business – they don’t need to be physically present in the U.S. to learn them.

As I’m writing this – Bill O’Reilly is on the television and has just come out in support of the DPW transaction – he’s bucking popular American sentiment and he’s just re-earned my respect for him. He even included a couple of arguments in his editorial that I left out above – arguments on how it would simply be an empty gesture of racism to block this deal. He’s right.

It’s important to analyze the facts of this case – and not get caught up in the political hysteria that currently surrounds this issue.

Take a breath folks – this is not a bad thing.

GET A GUN DUDE!

Sorry I’ve been away so long … new job and of course, I’m still devoting a lot of my off time to rebuilding my house after Katrina.

I had to comment on a little item of news I became aware of a few days ago. Seems the National Rifle Association (NRA) is taking flak from the liberal MSM for using truthful facts in trying to make a point.

What I’m referring to is this latest effort by the NRA to point out that gun ownership isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As the latest example to make their argument, they’re pointing to the events and conditions that prevailed on the Gulf Coast right after Katrina.

The leftist MSM is upset about this. They point out that the NRA is exaggerating the problem and using the hurricane for political reasons.

Here’s my opinion – a guy who lived through the aftermath of Katrina.

In a nutshell … the NRA is RIGHT.

I had a gun, actually several guns, and I’m awfully glad I had them.

Here’s the story, and pay close attention, because this can happen to YOU even if you don’t live in a hurricane region. The fabric of civilization is fragile, and you’re fooling yourself if you believe otherwise …

I evacuated my home on Sunday the day before the hurricane. I took all of my guns (approximately ten) with me because I didn’t know when I’d be able to return to my home and I didn’t want looters to steal the guns and use them for evil means. That’s responsible gun ownership – you take the guns with you and maintain positive control over them at all times.

When Katrina hit, she knocked out power from Baton Rouge, La all the way to Mobile, Al. She killed power as far north as Jackson, MS in some places. The Gulf Coast was completely dark. This is “lesson in civilization #1” – our civilization requires POWER. POWER to run police stations, fire stations, hospitals. POWER to run police radio base stations. When power is knocked out, police have a problem communicating with one another, ergo – a potential situation of lawlessness occurs because the police cannot effectively bring their (few) assets to bear on maintaining lawfulness. This occurred BIG TIME in New Orleans – not only because of the problems communicating – but because many of the police deserted New Orleans and others even became part of the criminal element. This also occurred, to a much lesser extent in some areas of Mississippi.

When there is no effective enforcement of the law – a situation of lawlessness occurs. This is evidenced by the looting, rapes, and general evil that occurred in New Orleans after the hurricane.

For two weeks after the storm, I didn’t travel anywhere without a gun – two guns actually. The first was a .45 Cal Colt 1991A1 semi-automatic pistol. The other was a sporterized 7.62mm Russian issue SKS rifle (the kind the Soviets and other communist bloc nations used before adopting the AK-47. Many Viet Cong carried the SKS during the Vietnam War – because it’s a workhorse and you can throw it in the mud, run over it with a truck, pick it up, and it’ll still fire.)

I carried those guns because I didn’t want to be a statistic of the Katrina crime wave that swept the whole Gulf Coast after the storm.

And …

I had to USE those guns.

Not against criminals though – against a DOG.

This brings me to the other point about the usefulness of a gun after the partial collapse of civilization. They aren’t just useful against criminals that would do you and your family harm – they’re also protection against packs of hungry dogs (or other animals) – animals that in this case were abandoned by their owners and took over my neighborhood searching for food.

When I showed up at my house to check the damage the storm caused, one of these dogs quickly spotted my wife and decided she might make a tasty snack.

I didn’t shoot the dog – one warning shot from my pistol was enough for him to get the message. However, I didn’t fire that warning shot until all other means to repel it had failed. This included throwing a stick at it, a rock, and jumping up and down and screaming at it. The dog kept advancing on my wife because it was hungry and hadn’t been fed in a week.

That warning shot quite possibly saved my wife’s life. Even if she had survived a mauling – there were no hospitals up and running to treat her. There were no doctors around. Civilization and what you and I take for granted had almost completely collapsed. No ambulances – no doctors, no hospitals.

My father-in-law went into Chalmette, LA a few weeks after the storm to visit a friend living in a FEMA trailer. His friend told him that, after the storm, the looters came for his stuff. He had a rifle and some ammo – and completely ran out of ammo in fending them off.

The bottom line in this is that – if you had a gun – you could MOVE. You could venture out and find food, ice, water, gas. You could assist others in need. With no gun – sure, you could move about – but you were completely at the mercy of the criminal element – and many Gulf Coast residents discovered this the hard way.

After the storm – you needed a gun. If you didn’t have one, you wished you did. If you had one – you were glad you did.

If you’re one of those who believe that civilization will never crumble around you – then go ahead and criticize gun ownership. If you don’t think a meteor will suddenly fall into your hometown and send everything into lawless chaos – then go ahead and criticize. If you don’t believe your hometown power-grid will ever become lifeless for an extended period of time – then criticize the NRA. If you don’t believe Al Quaida will detonate a dirty bomb on your block – then live in complete bliss my friend.

In my humble opinion, you’re an idiot if you believe that civilization, in your lifetime, is indestructible. And, also in my humble opinion, you’re setting yourself up to be a crime statistic if you don’t have a means to defend yourself and your family after a major catastrophe.

I have ten guns – you’re not getting any of my guns after a civilization collapse – I need them. You can get your own guns.

If you want to be prepared – you need a gun. And, my father-in-law’s friend in Chalmette will tell you – you need a lot of ammo to go along with that gun.

The NRA is right on this folks.

A HOLE IN TIME ...

Occasionally, while watching a news show, some reporter will refer to an event that happened, maybe 15 years ago that I don't remember ever happening.

I've always followed the news closely, and I have a fairly good memory - so it puzzles me when someone mentions an event that I have no clue ever occured.

When that happens, I immediately jump on Google to look the event up to get information on it and some clue as to why I never heard about it. When I find the information - I look at the date the event occured to determine what I might have been doing that day that caused me to completely miss the event.

Now, I'm an old US Navy Submarine Sailor and, nine times out of ten - I'll find that the strange event in question occured during one of those times when I was deployed on a Submarine on a Cold War patrol. Voila! That's the reason! If I was at sea on my sub during the time the event took place - I never heard about it because we didn't get much news while submerged on those patrols. Usually we got almost none at all.

It's a strange feeling - whenever I find an event that occured during my lifetime and I completely missed it. It's like I wasn't even on the planet when it occurred (though I was) - it's like A HOLE IN TIME. Like I died for a few months and then was suddenly ressurected - with the memory of what occured in the world before a submarine deployment - and after the deployment when we returned to port - but absolutely no memory of what transpired in between.

I'm having the same experience now - only it's not due to any submarine deployment I was on - it has to do with being without any news media at all (save emergency radio broadcasts) for about two months after Hurricane KATRINA struck.

You see, if you were outside the disaster area of Katrina - if you live in a section of the country that didn't lose power, cable and satellite - then YOU GOT TO WATCH the news unfold on the Hurricane events as they occurred.

I didn't - my brain contains only the information that I personally witnessed immediately after the Hurricane.

Here's an example - I just found out YESTERDAY that New Orleans had over 200 buses in the city which could have been used to evacuate people before the hurricane. Instead - the buses were left to flood - then our local politicians blamed George Bush for not sending us buses. So Ray Nagin and Kathy Blanco had the evacuation transportation right at their fingertips - and neglected to use it!!!!?????

Wow! I never knew that!

And I also didn't see THIS EXCHANGE between our Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu and Chris Wallace on Fox News. I've never been a fan of Mary landrieu - but now I'm convinced this woman is from Mars! She looks like a complete idiot in this video!

Why am I bringing all this up?

Well the first reason I'm bringing it up is to highlight the fact that, if I didn't hear about an item or an event that was published in the national media in the days immediately following Katrina - it's a good bet that THOUSANDS of other Louisianans like me missed it too.

Wonder what the ramifications of that will be for local politicians who screwed up down here - but we never heard about it? Chances are, we won't hold them accountable for something we didn't know they did (or didn't do in the case of the flooded buses).

The second-reason I'm bringing it up is because, even though all of this stuff is old news to you folks out there in the heartland - I'm still going to be dragging it up in this blog in the future because, to me and my neighbors - this stuff isn't old news - it's new news to us because we never heard about it! And we NEED to talk about this stuff because we need to hold these politicians accountable. We need to punish the ones that failed us - and reward the ones that came through for us in our hour of need. Of course - that latter category is going to be a SMALL one!

So I apologize in advance if I hit some items here in the future that makes you wonder about my sense of timing - and commenting on news in a timely manner. Bear in mind - you probably know a lot more than I do (even though I lived through the mess) because you were in constant touch with cable news.

As I "catch up" on this "hole in time", I'm finding that my anger toward local politicians in this State is HIGHLY JUSTIFIED. In fact, it's making me even more angry.

Of course, God help me - when I'm mad I have to write!

Don't say I didn't warn you!

AN INSTANT IN TIME ...

Yesterday was a great day at the Senate Judiciary Hearings for Judge Alito …

Democrats are so used to getting away with smear tactics and just downright nasty behavior and treatment of others that they often forget that the American public STILL has limits on what they consider acceptable behavior. These days, admittedly – the limits are “way out there” – especially when it comes to the behavior of Democrats. But they are STILL out there.

And the Dems on the Senate Judiciary committee forgot about that fact.

The Dems, desperately seeking a chink in Alito’s armor – were unable to find one.

For them, that’s unacceptable.

So they then diligently set out to “create” a chink by resorting to “McCarthyesque” interrogation and smear tactics with a barrage of personal offenses cleverly thrown into the mix. My only guess is that these tactics were used in the hopes they could get Alito to come “unglued” and make some statement that would turn the hearings on their ears.

The exact opposite happened.

While “Joe McCarthy’ing” Alito – they sped right down the highway of slime so fast they completely crossed the line of what Americans consider “acceptable” behavior – even the low standard we all have for Democratic behavior.

They never saw it coming.

And at the opportune moment – the Republicans on the committee, led by Linsey Graham – pounced.

Republican questioning shifted abruptly to a style which highlighted the outrageous behavior of the Democrats.

“Are you a bigot, Judge Alito?” said Lindsey Graham.

Almost before Alito could get out a “no” response, Graham followed with …

“Of course you’re not a bigot.”

Then Graham went into a long list of emotional reasons why he knew that Alito wasn’t a bigot. The signed statements of judges of all colors who endorsed Alito as a good man; the way Alito and his wife raised his kids. In a voice filled with emotion, Graham cynically drove home the point of the outrageous behavior of the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee.

And then Graham finished with …

“I’m sorry Judge Alito, I’m sorry that your wife and your family had to sit here and listen to these outrageous accusations.”

At which point Ms. Alito – sitting right behind her husband with tear-filled eyes, got up quietly and left the hearings.

GAME OVER DEMOCRATS.

That one instant in time of these hearings clinched it. Alito will be the next Supreme Court justice.

This morning, the news is abuzz about this instant in time – and how dreadfully the Dems blew it yesterday. Blogs are filled with words like “McCarthy” to describe their questioning tactics of Alito. Suddenly, after 38 years, people are starting to ask the question …

“What right does TED KENNEDY have to question the integrity of anyone? Isn’t he the man who is responsible for the death of a young woman – caused by one of his drunken adulterous attempts to “get laid”? Didn’t he also attempt to cover up her death? What right does he have to throw stones at ANYONE???”

According to Roger L. Simon ...

"While Alito may have been associated with a creepy Princeton alumni publication of twenty years ago, Kennedy was associated was something much worse than that - and we all know it. Those of us of a certain age remember well his dazed expression when questioned about the events on Chappaquiddick, the answers that never added up, the story that never computed (still doesn't) and the moral, emotional and intellectual contortions we (supporters like me) went through to try to believe him."

and ...

"When Mrs. Alito walked out of the room, I thought of Mary Jo Kopechne."

I might add myself to that – what political party puts such a man out in front to represent it?

And from Tom Bevan over at REALCLEARPOLITICS ...

"Since 1969, when his presidential hopes drowned alongside Mary Jo Kopechne, it has always been a pathetic peculiarity of modern American politics to watch Senator Kennedy indignantly lecture others about ethics and morality – especially on the occasions when he has simultaneously engaged in distorting records and smearing reputations."

But enough of the hypocracy of Teddie Kennedy - which this blog has pointed out all to often. As much shame as I feel for the corruption of politicians in my home State here in Louisiana - voters in Massachusetts should have shame an order of magnitude greater than mine keeping Kennedy in office for these 38 years since he drove Mary Jo Kopechne off a cliff in Chappiquidock - leaving her there to die - and then attempting to cover it up.

Papers and Blogs are also filled this morning with not-so-flattering photos of Democratic committee members. The expressions on their faces tell a thousand words.

The game is over. Today, expect for the Dems to launch into LONG dissertations in an attempt to “clarify” the reasoning behind their questioning tactics – but don’t expect anything even close to an apology. It won’t happen.

But what will happen is … Alito will be our next Supreme Court Justice. He likely would have made it through anyway – but that spontaneous “instant in time” when Ms. Alito had to walk out of the hearings – clinched it.

Thank you very much there … Democrats! I’m wearing a huge smile on my face today!

MORE BUZZ ON RECALL

The campaign to recall Governor Kathleen Blacstare is now 24 hours old - and we have a bit more news on it as the MSM and Bloggers start poking and prodding the initiative.

Marsha Shuler of 2theadvocate.com reports that the recall effort, for the moment at least, is apparently a grass-roots effort begun by 51-year old St. Martinsville resident Kat Landry. However, according to the article, Ms Landry may get some help from the Louisiana GOP ...

State Republican Party chairman Roger Villere said Landry could get some help from the GOP.

“It’s something we might get on board with,” said Villere, who said Republicans are particularly upset about Blanco-ordered delays in elections for Orleans and Jefferson parishes.

Villere said getting one-third of the state’s voters to sign recall petitions in the next 180 days “is a tall order. It’s a real challenge.”

The GOP appears to be taking a "wait and see" approach before committing to the effort - at least publicly. And judging from the grass-roots flavor of the R.E.C.A.L.L. website, Ms Landry hasn't received much in the way of monetary or IT support from State Republicans ... yet.

Additionally, the Louisiana Democratic party hasn't come to Blanco's defense yet - clearly a sign that even they believe the recall is a grass roots effort consisting of Kat Landry and very few others. It's likely they are (wisely) remaining quiet for the moment in order to avoid calling too much media attention to Ms Landry and her efforts. At this point - major media coverage could ignite this recall like a wildfire throughout the State - possibly giving Ms. Landry the momentum to accomplish a very difficult task. So the Dem's are remaining quiet for the moment - hoping the issue will die a quick death. When you see them start commenting on their state web site about the recall - that'll be a clear indication that either they believe the Republicans are rendering tangible support to Ms Landry - or the issue is gaining steam.

For the moment - nary a word about this recall is posted on either party's website.

We shall see though. This effort to recall Blanco may not be eventually successful - but it won't be ignored. If Kat Landry comes up with the funds for a few radio spots - the major political parties won't be able to sit on the sidelines very long.

I predict this is going to be an issue here in Louisiana.

AN ENLIGHTENING LETTER ...

I'm a regular reader of THE DEAD PELICAN ...

Something that caught my eye tonight on that site is this letter from Chris in Slidell.

The Dead Pelican (TDP) points out that Louisiana is now losing some of it's best and brightest people - who are giving up on this state ... for keeps.

As Chris states in his letter - he's not leaving just because of the problems caused by Katrina. He's leaving because Louisiana's problems started well before the hurricane ever took aim at our coastline.

TDP isn't the only one that's noticed this exodus of talent from the state - I've noticed it myself. Everyday there are fewer familiar faces at my workplace. "Quitting" this state has become an epidemic.

That is why it's important to RECALL GOVERNOR BLANCO.

She is INSPIRING NOTHING but the exodus. No one, not even her supporters, have any confidence that she can create even a tiny spark of optimism for this state. Folks, we need a man or woman in that office that CAN INSPIRE OPTIMISM.

The ball is now in our court - the people of Lousiana. If we do nothing and accept the corrupt, dark, discouraging political system that Kathy Blanco heads - we deserve our fate. We absolutely have to rise ... NOW! We have to move on this folks!

I like to think that I'm tougher than guys like Chris. I like to think that my neighbors who came back after the storm with me to rebuild are tougher than Chris also. In some ways, I see this storm as a sort of a "natural selection" process that has the potential to leave Louisiana with a newer, stronger, pioneer spirit that will breath new life into this State.

But even if I am tougher than Chris ... he's right about our political system. None of us will have a decent life for ourselves or our families unless we cut the head off this corrupt, impotent serpent - this obese disgusting monster that serves no purpose other than enriching itself. We have GOT TO reform this system folks. Ask yourself, "is there ANY single proposal the Governor has made to reform our political system?"

The answer is, of course ... "no".

My next question is "why not?"

The answers are only too obvious.

MAKE ROOM GRAY DAVIS!

The movement to recall Governor Blanco is ON!

More here ... R.E.C.A.L.L.

That means we now have 180 days to collect the required signatures on the recall petition. We need to get hot ... NOW!

Why does Governor BLANCSTARE need to be recalled?

1. We live in a hurricane-prone section of the country - and that's not a news flash. The Governor of this state needs to be a person with A PLAN. Kathy Blanco was elected as Governor of this state - and she full well knew about the dangers that hurricanes posed to her state ... yet, when Katrina hit, SHE WAS CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED WITH NO PLAN. We need a Governor who acts ... not one that "reacts". We need a Governor who will take the reigns of leadership after a catastrophe and announce "I'm in charge ... the buck stops here" - not one that cries and points fingers of blame at the President and others who live 1,000 miles away and have a whole country to worry about. Kathy Blanco had ONE STATE to worry about - the State that elected her Governor. The State of Louisiana. She failed us in our hour of need. Kathy Blanco needs to be recalled.

2. We need a Governor who will take charge, make no excuses, and devise a plan to deal with hurricanes when they threaten our coastal areas. Kathy Blanco's State was just clobbered by two hurricanes in one season. The scientists predict up to 20 more hurricane seasons of elevated storm activity. Kathy Blanco knows the forecast and has seen the affects of these storms. The next hurricane season is only eight months away ... BUT KATHY BLANCO STILL HASN'T TAKEN THE TIME TO DEVISE A PLAN FOR IT! That's right, she was caught flat-footed for the last hurricane season and still hasn't learned her lesson. If another Katrina-sized storm comes up the MRGO - we're going to be paying to see the same bad movie all over again. Kathy Blanco needs to be recalled.

3. We need a Governor who will lead this state into abolishing the "good ole boy" cronyism that has plagued us in the past. Not only is Blanco a part of the "good ole boy" network of political corruption in this state - but she was raised in that corruption, excelled within that perverted system, and protects it to this very day. Folks, we will not successfully rebuild this state and more people will die in future hurricanes if we don't rid ourselves of this grotesque system. We need a new Governor who will sweep the floor clean. Kathy Blanco needs to be recalled.

4. People died in New Orleans folks ... but not because of Hurricane Katrina. They died because the levees ... FAILED. Kathy Blanco refuses to even push for levee board reform. Had she backed it during the last special session - it would have passed. Kathy Blanco doesn't want levee board reform because she believes in the current system of political cronyism. More importantly - she's BEHOLDEN TO IT. Kathy Blanco needs to be recalled.

5. We need a Governor who can LEAD ... not one that opens a meaningless, two-front war against the Mayor of New Orleans (a member of her own party by the way) and the President at the same time - and at the very moment that people are dying. We need a Governor who tackles the issues, not one that cries and points fingers of blame. Kathy Blanco needs to be recalled.

6. How are we are going uproot the system of political corruption we have here in Louisiana folks? Look around, we're the laughing-stocks of the nation people! The corruption is so deeply rooted here that it can only be swept away using radical measures. There is no better way to start that process than by FIRING THE PERSON WHO "LEADS" THAT CORRUPT SYSTEM. Kathy Blanco needs to be recalled!

Who in this State is willing to put their family's personal welfare and safety in the hands of Kathy Blanco for even ONE more hurricane season? Haven't we seen enough?

This recall effort is going to be an uphill battle folks. The odds are against us - the corrupt political system in Louisiana is against us. Blanco is completely indifferent to this recall effort - she knows that we haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding with it. She isn't losing any sleep folks.

If we want to save this state - if we want to make it great - we need to show her the business-end of a ballot box! We need to get so many signatures on this recall that Blanco sees the writing on the wall and opts to resign, vice facing the indignity of a landslide rejection at the polls. We need to show Blanco, and the rest of the corrupt Louisiana political machine, we need to show 'em who actually runs this state.

Hell YES! Get mad about it - you've got a right to be. This isn't a game folks - do you really want to be sitting here next August when the new hurricane season starts with Kathy Blanco in the Governor's mansion?

Do you really?

LITTLE TJ

Just walked outside for a smoke ... it's dark here right now and the whole neighborhood was filled with the sound of Mexican music blasting from boom boxes. I think they were all tuned to the same Mexican station. Didn't know we even had a Mexican radio station down here in NOLA.

Reminds me of Tijuana.

Of course, the music is from all the Mexican workers working to rebuild the houses. This is not a racial post - hell, I'm HAPPY to see these guys!

But it is ironic enough to make me smile!

IT'S ON BABY!!

It may be hard to find a King Cake in New Orleans these days but ...

MARDI GRAS IS ON!

Today, officially, is the first day of the Mardi Gras season and Mayor Ray Nagin says "there will be a Mardi Gras" this year. Reports claim that the Mayor had his first "King Cake Party" of the year this morning in the city offices. I don't know where he found the cake - but I wish he'd let us all in on where he got it!

Down here in NOLA, everything is contentious these days - I don't know anyone who lives down here who isn't suffering from some form of mental illness brought on by the hurricane - and that includes me. We're just all "touchy" these days - the littlest things distress and anger us, and the topic of Mardi Gras is no exception.

Should New Orleans really be having a Mardi Gras this year? Many folks say it's downright stupid to attempt to pull off a Mardi Gras this soon after Katrina. I'll agree with that - it IS stupid. But ...

I think it's just what NOLA needs right now. Sometimes, it's smart to do something stupid. Going to the moon with 1960's analog technology - that was pretty stupid. When the American colonists took on the greatest superpower in the world, Great Britain - that was stupid. When Jobs and Wozniac took on computing Goliath IBM with their little Apple computer - that was pretty stupid. Johnny Unitas made a career in Pro-Football by constantly pulling off stupid plays - which was smart, because it made him unpredictable.

So let's agree that sometimes a stupid move can be a smart one.

But is Mardi Gras in New Orleans one of those "smart" stupid-moves?

Well, I think it is - and here's why...

First, although Mardi Gras isn't the heart and soul of the city of New Orleans - it's a pretty good avatar for it. Mardi Gras didn't begin in New Orleans. By most accounts - Mardi Gras started in Mobile, AL. However, it very soon migrated over to NOLA - where it hit fertile ground and grew like a wildfire. Mardi Gras is, for all intents and purposes, a New Orleans production. The city is synonymous with Mardi Gras.

New Orleans isn't the National Hockey League - we're not going to take a year off. And taking a year off didn't really help the NHL now did it? If we were to take a year off from Mardi Gras - it might very well be the end of it altogether. If we want this city to come back with the same cultural feel it had before the storm - we need Mardi Gras this year.

Still, I hear the arguements against Mardi Gras - and some of the arguements sound good on the surface - but dig into 'em and you'll see why NOLA needs "Festival" this year.

Here are some of the more popular arguements against Mardi Gras this year ...

1. "We aren't in the mood for it."

I know you aren't in the mood for it but then again, how many things do you force yourself to do when you aren't in the mood for it? Did you go to work this morning? Were you really in the mood for it? How many band recitals for your kid's have you "forced" yourself to attend when you really weren't in the mood? You do those things because you need to do them because they're important - and Mardi Gras is no exception. More on this below.

2. "How can you expect us to embrace a party this soon after a catastrophe that caused us to lose so much?"

The answer here is - to keep you from losing MORE. No matter what you lost, if you're reading these words you survived the storm with at least your life and your identity intact. However, what kind of IDENTITY are you going to have when YOUR city has lost its identity? If you want NOLA back with all the trimmings ... the King Cakes, the Gumbo, the ZULUS - you need to start rebuilding that identity. That means supporting Mardi Gras this year.

3. "No way we can put on a Mardi Gras this year that is even close to the one we had last year."

I agree, but who cares? It's a silly question because the only people we're competing against is ourselves. No matter how lame Mardi Gras NOLA is this year - I still have no doubt it'll be better than anything Mobile and Pensacola can put on. Think about it. No way is Mardi Gras NOLA going to be "eclipsed" by some other city. Even our WORST Mardi Gras beats anybody else's "best".

4. "The tourists won't come."

Who cares? What if say, you didn't have enough money to pay for Christmas presents? Would you still celebrate Christmas? I sure hope so, if not - you shouldn't have been celebrating it in the first place. Mardi Gras wasn't developed for tourists. Mardi Gras is a NOLA tradition that just happened and the tourists gravitated to it. We don't do Mardi Gras just for tourists - that's obsurd.

5. "What will the world think about us having a party when we're supposedly so devastated by the hurricane?"

Who cares? If anyone outside of NOLA thinks bad things about us - to hell with them! All anyone has to do is come down here and walk accross the Poland street bridge into the 9th ward and they can SEE for themselves that we are devastated. Does the devastation necessarily mean we have to ACT devastated? Any shallow minds out there that think we should be walking around like sad-sacks can take it and stick it in a very dark place. That's just my humble opinion.

6. "The city can't afford it."

First, the city doesn't really put on Mardi Gras - the Krewes do. The Krewes are full-up round and most of them are ready to go. They're funded through their members. The expense to the city comes in the form of police security and cleanup. If NOLA can't come up with the funds, there are 20 corporate agencies out there who have said that they are willing to sponsor at least $2 million ... EACH. That's $40 million if we really need it. We've always been against corporate sponsorship of Mardi Gras - but we could do it if we absolutely have to this year.

7. "Shouldn't we take that #40 million and put that into the rebuilding effort rather than into a party?"

Do you think if we call off Mardi Gras these corporations are going to just "donate" that $40M to our rebuilding effort? No chance!

8. "Most of our folks aren't back from the storm yet."

This is actually another reason FOR having Mardi Gras. Let me tell you what - New Orleanians are living all over the country right now - and there is one word to describe their disposition -- BORED! Many of them will come back to NOLA just to see Mardi Gras - with no real intention of staying. But once they've seen Mardi Gras - and seen that we aren't a bunch of manic-depressives on Prozac - they'll end up STAYING.

I think that pretty much sums up most of the reasons I normally hear.

Mardi Gras will be a labor this year - there's no doubt about it. But ... call it "mandatory fun" or whatever - it will do the city good, it will do US good. When the goin' gets tough -- the tough run out in the street and try to catch a Zulu coconut! That's New Orleans folks.

Support Mardi Gras ... don't let the bastards wear you down!

ELECTION RIGGING FOR DUMMIES ...

Here is a GREAT article from Neil S. Kavanagh concerning the desperate attempts of a corrupt Louisiana political machine (led by BLANCO and her Democratic cronies) to hang onto power. Can I just say to Neil ... "Ditto for me!"

“Election Rigging for Dummies”

WELCOME TO THE "BIG LEAGUES"

What do all these organizations and individuals have in common?

1. The Aruban Government after the Natalie Holloway disappearance
2. The Boulder, CO Police Department after the death of Joan Benet Ramsay
3. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin right after Hurricane Katrina

And now …

4. The International Coal Group, Inc.

What they all have in common is that all of these organizations or individuals learned the “hard way” about the big leagues of main stream media public relations.

International Coal is the latest to get hit squarely on the head by a runaway press that they couldn’t control.

And they were doomed from the outset.

I don’t know about others – but whenever a big story like the West Virginia Miners pops into the sights of the MSM – I’m intensely interested. Yes, I’m paying attention to the story but I’m also paying VERY close attention to the public relations game being played out between the media and whatever organization is in the “hot seat”. I want to see just how long the “hot seat” organization can hold it’s own against the MSM. In most cases, these organizations are WAAY out of their league – and lose control of the PR effort very early on.

The main challenge for any organization under the public spotlight is to keep the issues on a relevant level – and not allow the press to drag the situation into chaos. The organization has to do this without looking too defensive – or too “guilty” if you will. The MSM has a knack for finding little inconsistencies that are often irrelevant and turning those anomalies into “the” story. In the case of International Coal – and up until late last night – the anomaly du jour was the fact that word leaked that the mine had been cited for hundreds of “safety violations” prior to the current mishap.

But ICG kept control during that whole flap.

In fact, up until last night – I was extremely impressed with the ICG PR effort and the way it handled the press. First of all – they put Ben Hatfield, the President and CEO of ICG out in front of the press early on. And here’s a note to any big companies out there who are looking for great executive talent – after Ben Hatfield is fired by ICG – HIRE HIM!

Hatfield did a great job on the PR front – up until last night. He held regular press briefings and did better in those briefings than any TRAINED Public Relations guy or gal I have ever seen. When Ben Hatfield spoke – you got the opinion that his number one concern was getting these Miners out. You got the impression that he looked at these guys like family and would do ANYTHING to get ‘em out alive.

And when it’s the President and CEO, the very top guy in the organization, pulling this off – it clearly sends the message that the whole company is doing exactly the right things to help out a bad situation. Not many CEO’s can do this – Tom Benson, the owner of the New Orleans Saints can’t do it. Neither can most of the CEO’s of the tobacco companies or the record companies or the oil companies or …

So how was Ben Hatfield able to pull it off?

Well, he was successful in pulling it off because – it wasn’t acting. Ben Hatfield really cared for these Miners and would have resigned on the spot if that would have brought them up alive. Maybe he’d have done even more to get these guys back alive. His words, demeanor, and actions sent a clear message to everyone – even through the jaded filter of the MSM – that he cared for these guys and wanted them out safe.

Ben Hatfield wasn’t acting – he was being genuine. The man has a good heart – and that’s reason enough for any big company to bring him aboard after he’s fired from ICG - which he almost certainly will be.

Ben was able to successfully deflect the questions about the safety violations and keep the press on the issues of bringing the Miners out alive.

He was successful up until last night – when another anomaly raised its ugly head.

This “anomaly” apparently took the form of a mine foreman, or an EMT, or … somebody who misunderstood a communication from the rescue workers on the scene. Someone who thought they heard that twelve Miners were found alive – and then went and told the family.

The family told the press apparently – and the press, the MSM – the college guys who are supposed to be so thorough in their reporting - broadcast the news as gospel without even checking the sources.

And then it turned out to be exactly opposite – the twelve Miners were, in fact … dead.

I can forgive a Miner’s family member who’s been sitting in a church for over 40 hours waiting, hoping, and praying that their loved-one would come out alive. I don’t expect that such a person would stand on journalistic procedure to challenge “good news” that they’ve been desperately praying to hear.

But I cannot give a pass to the MSM. You boys and girls got it wrong – again.

Just like you got it wrong …

1. When Dan Blather ran around waiving “authentic” letters concerning President Bush’s military service.
2. When you published the story about the “Arms Cache” in Iraq that terrorists raided after our soldiers supposedly neglected to secure those arms.
3. When you screamed out that the U.S. was flushing KORANS down the john in GITMO.
4. When you giddily predicted that John Kerry would win the last election.

You got it WRONG boys – again. So don’t come preach to us about your “professional standards” – show ‘em to us and maybe we can talk someday – but not until then. In my opinion – you guys are now in the back of the line – waaay behind the guy you love to take shots at – Drudge. Enjoy your new position – you’ve earned it.

Getting back to Ben Hatfield though – he did a very admirable job of keeping things under control. However, he should have briefed the rescue workers – and every member of ICG on the scene to NOT TALK to anyone except the company guys. Maybe he did brief them and someone just wasn’t listening – I don’t know – but the error caused ICG to lose the PR effort late in the last quarter of the ballgame. If the erroneous report hadn’t occurred, we’d all be celebrating this morning the fact that, against all hope, ONE member of the Mining team survived.

Instead, ICG is being pummeled over the error – which was, by the way, an innocent error on ICG’s part – if they were even involved in it.

Organizations need to realize that when the media comes to town and puts the spotlight on you – you’re in trouble. You need to call EXPERTS. You need to call in someone who is experienced in dealing with media circuses – someone who can keep control of the MSM. If not, the MSM will make YOU – the main story.

Ben Hatfield almost pulled it off though – but not quite. I give him an “A” for effort but in this game – if you lose (even by a single point) – you need to seek employment elsewhere.

So why did Ben Hatfield and ICG wait for three hours to correct the report?

Don’t take offense, but they were trying to figure out how to “unscrew” a pregnant woman. Of course, that’s impossible – no matter how long you ponder the problem.

Had the MSM not beamed the erroneous report to the entire world the second they heard it – then I suspect ICG would’ve immediately come out with a correction.

I also suspect that when Ben Hatfield saw the entire MSM embracing the report – he may have thought it might be true – he certainly wanted it to be true. I think he may have thought … “My information must be wrong – otherwise, why would this news be universally adopted by the MSM?”

And it probably took him and ICG awhile to come to the realization that the MSM actually had the story wrong.

So rather than asking the question of Ben Hatfield … “Why did you wait 3 hours to correct the report?”

I think we should be asking “Why did the MSM latch on to the ERRONEOUS REPORT without verification and then broadcast it almost instantaneously?”

And that is the question that the press should ask themselves today.

They won’t though.

TRIBUTE TO MINERS ...

Like everyone else, I have been watching the story of the 13 coal miners trapped in a mine in West Virginia with great interest. This morning we find that all of the Miners (and yes, I capitalized that intentionally) died in the mine save one … a young man named Randall McCloy.

There’s more to the story though – much more. Because a late night, early morning public affairs snafu has turned what otherwise would have been a very good PR effort on the part of International Coal Group Inc. – literally on it’s head.

I will talk about that – but in another blog entry.

For this entry though … I just want to say a few things about coal Miners.

Coal mining belongs in that unique category of occupations that you might call “Extreme Occupations”. It’s not a 9-5 desk job – it’s more akin to the occupation of a Police Officer, or a Fireman – or just about any military occupation you can name. Mining is a dangerous, underpaid job just like all of those occupations.

It takes a special breed of person to sign-up to live the life of a Miner.

Coal Miners, since before the American Revolution even, have helped build this country into the greatest nation that has ever existed. We couldn’t have done it without them – their sweat and blood, and the black fuel they harvested from these deep holes powered the industrial revolution. It powered the vision of “manifest destiny”. It linked the western-most reaches of our country with the industrialized eastern half – when there was very little in between the two.

Coal continues to play a major role in powering the Information Technology revolution – as hard as it is to imagine it. When you turn on your computer – there’s a fair chance that electrons screaming through the power supply to bring it to life are being supplied by a coal-burning electric plant.

As a nation, we wouldn’t have come far without coal.

But coal doesn’t jump out of the ground and load itself onto boxcars – it has to be harvested by tough men and women. Men and women who are brave enough to travel miles underground to get at it. Men and women who will brave considerable danger to get at it. It requires smart men and women who have the guts and ability to enter a hole, make their way through miles of the earth’s crust to get at this coal and then make the transit out … ALIVE.

It requires a Miner – and that’s why that title ought to be capitalized.

Fortunately for this nation, we’ve always had an ample supply of these Miners – and thank goodness we did. Some will say that a Miner chooses his occupation by necessity – rather than by desire. There’s probably a little truth to that – but that’s the way a lot of us choose occupations. We choose based on our circumstances, and our talents and abilities. I would say that the talents and the abilities of a Miner are considerable. Stupid people don’t survive long in this occupation folks. Anyone want to argue with me on that point?

Who do YOU admire more? Someone like Donald Trump or a Miner? No offense to Trump – but my admiration of him is dwarfed by the incredible admiration I have for people who work in occupations like that of a Miner. Sure, this nation needs people like Trump – but we don’t need many like him.

But …

We can never have enough of the people who carry in them the spirit that a Miner has.

My heart goes out to the families of these lost Miners. What I would tell every one of them is that they should be proud of their loved one for the job he or she performed that contributed so much to this nation’s security and welfare. We all owe these families a debt of gratitude.

The next time you look at your power bill and complain about the cost of electricity remember these brave individuals who bring up the coal.

Remember the Miners.

HURRICANE TOURISM IN THE BIG EASY ...

Much discussion these days over the ethics of the "Hurricane Damage Tours" that have sprung up in NOLA since KATRINA.

I'll have to say, when I first heard about these tours - I was disgusted. How could anyone profit off of running tours into the Lower 9th Ward or any of the other devastated areas of New Orleans? How would I feel if, in the middle of my rebuilding efforts, a tour bus of 100 tourists from around the country pulled up to my house and started snapping pictures?

"Outrage" would be an understatement of how I first reacted to the news of these tours.

Then I thought about it ... and here are my thoughts ...

Tourism was the number one industry in NOLA prior to KATRINA. A large part of what made NOLA what it was - was tourism. How can we back away from it now just because we might not feel so good about it? I think we should dance with the one that brung us. We made a lot of money off these tourists before the storm - ridiculous amounts of money. I don't think it's good form to just turn them away because we don't feel like dealing with them now.

Without these tours - the tourism industry verily will not make it through this disaster. They have to have a product to sell - otherwise, they go out of business and won't be there when we finally decide that we're "comfortable" with tourism again. Unfortunately -- "disaster" is the number one free commodity in New Orleans these days. And if there are people who want to pay for it ...

Many of the objections I've heard about these disaster tours involve the motivations of the tourists themselves - claiming that they must have some sick, macabre streak in 'em. Well, to a point ... I agree. I won't even go into the 9th Ward because I don't live there and I would only be going there to gawk at the devastation - which is actually the agony of others. However - regardless of the motivation of the tourists - a great deal of good can be realized from this.

Everyone of those tourists takes what they have seen back home with them - and they give their friends and neighbors a first-hand account of the destruction down here. Those of you who live here know - pictures and video do not capture the sheer magnitude of the tragedy - and they capture even less of the associated agony. To see this storm in context - you have to physically be here to look at the footprint it made on the Big Easy. These tourists take valuable first-hand testimony of the tragedy back to the "heartland".

And why would we want them to do that?

Well, some will say we want 'em to do that so they'll tell their Congressional representatives to send US more money. I don't agree with that - and I don't think great numbers of them would.

These tourists are mostly fellow-Americans. They need to know just how fragile civilization is. Most of them have no appreciation that the fabric of their civilization is delicate and can be ripped from them at a moment's notice.

That's why some of them bash President Bush for wiretapping Al Quaida phone calls. It's clear that these people believe that the stakes aren't very high here - that this is some kind of Monopoly game board where the money is all "play money". If you lose the game, you take smoke-break, grab a soda, then come back to the board for a "redo". That's not the way real life is.

Real life is different - and you can go from rich-American to Third World citizen in the blink of an eye...

If Al Quaida lit off a nuke in any city in America - what would happen? Would our society survive? What would happen to the stock market? What would happen if they managed to light off TWO nukes? What would be the "breaking point"? The point at which chaos would rule the streets in America - much the same as it did in NOLA in the days after KATRINA? How many States would "seceed" from the Union if they thought that Union was about to go under? What would the Union do, if anything, about the States that did seceed? Think about it. What would happen if old Osama got lucky and did something like this? Would there even be a "right to privacy" left for anyone to enjoy in a nation of anarchy?

Civilization is fragile. WE know that here in NOLA. We know what a treasure electric power is, what a treasure a cell phone is, what a treasure the Internet is, what a treasure a warm, dry house is. We know, because we lost those things on August 29th. And it's been a struggle to get them back - we still don't have them back.

But not all of our fellow-Americans know this. Many think they are guaranteed to died in the same comfortable surroundings they were born in - only more comfortable. They don't expect to die like many of the old-folks who died in our nursing homes did after the loss of power. They don't expect to have to put "stiches" in their 5 year old themselves without anesthesia because there is no medical help to be found - anywhere. They don't expect that their dead body will be left "matter-of-factly" on the pavement of the "break-down" lane on I-10.

And that's another reason I think these tours have some value to the average American - so they can see, first hand, Americans who are living in the THIRD WORLD in their own country. Many will ask the question ... "could it happen to me?" - and they SHOULD ask that question because the answer is "YES" - it could happen to them. Might not be a hurricane - could be a terrorist attack, or a meteor landing in Nebraska.

Most Americans take their freedom and civilization for granted - they can't imagine losing either. This leads them to do some pretty stupid things - like voting for people like John Kerry for President.

So in a way, these tours could do a patriotic service to the rest of our American brothers and sisters.

I'm for 'em.