If you know the enemy and know yourself,

you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. So said Sun Tzu in The Art of War...

September 11 reminds us of the capabilities and intent of our radical Islamic enemies. They are not interested in getting along, sharing the planet with non-Muslims, land for peace, or any other negotiation. They want us to convert to Islam, or die. It's that simple to them. So we know our enemy.

How well do we know ourselves? It's gut-check time. It seems that many people (USA, UK, and other Europeans included) want to keep their heads in the sand as to the nature of the threat we face. Claiming that those of us who clearly see this threat are "fear-mongering" or are "blood thirsty" doesn't make the threat go away. Do we have what it takes to eliminate these people who wish us harm?

We did in the second World War. We were forced to flex our muscles and show the world what the USA is capable of accomplishing if it chooses. Had we not, my guess is that a hell of a lot more people would be speaking German now, and the genocide would have continued unabated. It's time to take the gloves off, let the CIA do some really dirty work (assassinations and other covert operations), and kill the enemy before it happens to us again. I think Blair and Bush see the threat pretty clearly, but the U.S. Congress is a different matter.

If you haven't yet made it down to Ground Zero in NYC, I strongly recommend you go. It's hard not to get angry when you see it.

Moral Relativity

is not a good thing... But it may increase the returns on some mutual funds... I noticed in last Friday's Wall Street Journal that some of the "socially responsible" mutual funds are relaxing their restrictions on the stocks that are eligible for their portfolios. The lack of "vice" companies has held back the performance of these funds for some time now. Shame on the funds for easing their morality- I thought it was their #1 motive in their investments.

I have no moral problems with the vice stocks- in fact, I am the proud owner of Altria stock (cigarette manufacturer). My morality makes me believe that you have the right to pollute your body with anything you wish, just don't let your habit infringe on my rights. Some choose nicotine to pollute themselves, I choose chocolate. Nevertheless, I am a good death merchant, and always smile when I see someone buying Marlboros at the gas station...

Vice stocks always seem to do well when the economy slows- so if you believe we're in a slow-down, go get some vice stocks!

So the Crocodile Hunter Died

He was clearly passionate about his work, and he died doing what he loved. Not a bad way to go.

Well Here We Are, a Year Later,

and no one seems to have learned anything from Hurricane Katrina. The Army Corps of Engineers says that the New Orleans levees are back to pre-Katrina levels (able to withstand a category 3 hurricane). Ray 'Chocolate' Nagin is still in power... Huh? How did that happen? Definitely one of those 'get what you deserve' sort of things, agreed?

People are still moaning and pissing about the Federal Government's response to Katrina- why aren't there more blank checks from Congress?

Several newspeople today still spoke of Katrina's "wrath," as if the storm had the capacity to think! Don't forget the global warming, etc, etc, ad nauseum.

The bottom line- New Orleans is no better prepared for a category 3+ storm than it was a year ago. The only difference is that there are now fewer residents to get caught up in the floods if it happens again. As I said in previous posts, no one took the time to consider any bold new ideas for New Orleans. So New Orleans remains a very susceptible town to hurricanes, not to mention any terrorists who have designs on the levees. I hope that the people who have the desire to recover and relocate can get it done before this tragedy inevitably repeats itself.

Motorcycle Trends

I believe that the height of the popularity of the motorcycle 'cruiser' has been, or is very close to being, reached in this country. SO many custom choppers/etc.

Recently, custom sport bikes are all the rage. 'Adventure' riding is also becoming popular, and should be so for the next several years. The next trend will be the restoration of old classic motorcycles... Mark my words. Competition on ebay is already starting to heat up for old bikes and parts. Better scoop up that great fixer-upper while you can!

Israel / Hezbollah Cease Fire

Uh- yeah. A big opportunity wasted by the Israelis...

I Think it Would be Interesting

if one of the U.S. oil companies would sell gasoline derived solely from North American oil sources. (I realize that the majority of our crude oil comes from Mexico and Canada) They could call it 'Certified North American Gasoline'. This would be interesting because we would learn how much more some people would be willing to pay per gallon for gasoline to know that they are not funding Middle Eastern or Islamofascist countries...

It Seems

That Bill O'Reilly is on a Big Oil Jihad, the likes of which haven't been seen since Lou Dobbs and globalization... He thinks that BP is shutting down their Alaskan operation to shock the markets and line their pockets even further with higher oil prices. He spoke on the Radio Factor today about how preventative maintenance could have prevented this shut-down. Bill- this shut-down IS the preventative maintenance! Would you have BP keep pumping oil through that system without shutting it down to replace the pipelines? Come on! There is no sense in rolling the dice on what could potentially be a big oil spill.

I've said it before- the government makes more than double what the average oil company makes on a gallon of gasoline. Until it's the other way around, I don't care to hear about your Big Oil conspiracy, Bill.

Off to the Lake

This weekend for some family time and scuba diving. Can't wait! Gotta put some new (to me) scuba equipment through its paces. If I keep up all my expensive hobbies, I'll have to move my retirement age back a few years. Oh well, it's worth it...

I Think I'll Vote Libertarian

Well, I would have anyway, but here is a Democrat contender for Congress (vs. Jo Ann Emerson) in Missouri's 8th District:


In case it's hard to read, E. Earl says that a Democratic Congress will:

Create Jobs *
Raise Minimum Wage **
Close the Border
Bring Down Gas Prices ***
Revive Lost Industries ***
Level Global Trade Field +
Balance the Budget
Lower the Trade Defecit ***
Re-Energize the Family Farm +
Re-Direct Government to the People +

* not the function of government
** destroyer of entry-level jobs
*** impossible in the long term, due to economic forces beyond the government's control
+ total B.S., feel-good political rhetoric

Clearly, E. Earl was no economics major. A Congress of any political makeup can really only accomplish three of these goals. Raising the minimum wage is easy enough for Congress to do. Closing the Border, a different story. We better get to work on the Great Wall of the Southwest soon... Maybe E. Earl will lend a hand in its construction! Last, but not least, E. Earl and friends could balance the budget... While I recognize that in E. Earl's world, that's a code phrase for "raise your taxes to balance the budget," it could actually be done with radical spending reduction as well. That would take a tremendous amount of leadership...

Kudos to E. Earl for not race-baiting or playing a class-warfare card in his ad. Classy, indeed.