More Scary Obama Policies

Powerful piece in the WSJ this morning regarding the Obama Administration acquiescing to shoe-bomber Richard Reid's ridiculous free speech/religion demands.

Mr. Obama has repeatedly suggested that the security challenge of bringing more than 100 trained and dangerous terrorists onto U.S. soil can be solved by simply installing them in an impenetrable fortress. This view is either disingenuous or naïve. The militant Islamists at Guantanamo too dangerous to release believe that their resistance behind the wire is a continuation of holy war. There is every reason to believe they will continue their jihad once they have been transported to U.S. soil where certain federal judges have signaled a willingness to confer upon them even more rights.

The position of civil rights activists with regard to these prisoners is plain. “If they cannot be convicted,” says ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer, “then you release them.”

Meanwhile, in order to appease political constituencies both here and abroad, the Obama administration is moving full steam ahead, operating on the false premise that giving more civil liberties to religious fanatics bent on destroying Western civilization will make a difference in the Muslim world. In a letter sent to his father as he began his hunger strike, Reid provided a preview of how he will exercise his newly enlarged free speech rights, calling Mr. Obama a “hypocrite” who is “no better than George Bush.” His lawsuit remains active while the Department of Justice works out a settlement that satisfies the man who declared, “I am at war with America.”

Obama can't decide what to do with Gitmo, first wanting it close, and then basically following President Bush's policy. He lets the human rights for terrorists lobby decide for him, but he needles his way through the policy to create just enough of a loophole so he couldn't be held accountable if, God forbid, there is another attack on this country. It's been eight years since 9/11, but I don't think for a second that the possible for another one has evaporated in those years. Yes, thanks to President Bush and his policies, we haven't had another attack on our soil. But I'm afraid if the rights of these evil men are placed above those of the rest of us, the chances of another one will only increase.

Best U2 Songs

Inspired by that last post....in no particular order

Mysterious Ways
One
Who's Going to Ride Your Wild Horses?
The Fly
Walk On
With or Without You
Where the Streets Have No Name
Faraway so Close
Lemon
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Bad
Beautiful Day
All I Want is You

Best R.E.M. Songs

Two lists:

Paste
Pop Candy

I'd go with Near Wild Heaven, Half a World Away, Belong, Country Feedback, Losing My Religion (and I never used to get that CD!), Sidewinder, Man on the Moon, Nightswimming, Pretty Persuasion, Begin the Begin, Fall on Me, Finest Worksong, Driver 8, Try Not to Breathe...I need to think about it more!

Ten Things Going On Part II

1. Happy Birthday to my mom!!
2. I need to spend my $5 of borders bucks soon, and I'm not sure what to spend it on...I am reading A Magnificent Catastrophe. I finished Founding Brothers and Upstream, finally, in the last couple of weeks.
3. I need to get my snapfish pictures framed, finally!
4. I need to use my Gap 30% coupon on Thursday for new clothes!
5. Figure out the Vegas trip plans. Buy a new outfit to wear there, not get too stressed about J's shower, and try to have a good time.
6. Figure out when to do the car inspection.
7. Beat Steve's wordmole record!! Grrrr....
8. Buy an anniversary card!
9. Pack for Chincoteague!
10. Celebrate a year of wedded bliss!

Some Fun Detroit Facts

Read HERE.

Not so sure about the sold-out Ford Field games these days, but no doubt that Detroit is one of the best sports towns in the country. With so much bad, you gotta have some good in there, too.

Bankrupt

Detroit public schools are just about bankrupt.

Behind DPS's predicament are many of the same problems that have haunted the city's auto industry for years: excess capacity, high labor and pension costs, fleeing customers, ineffective management, outside competition and -- except for a handful of respected programs -- a reputation for low quality.

Even after millions of dollars in budget cuts in the spring, including 29 school closings and thousands of layoffs, the district started the fiscal year this month with a $259 million deficit. To meet payroll and pension obligations, the district has had to seek advances on state funding and other stopgap measures.

DPS's enrollment -- which largely determines its allotment of state funding -- is about half what it was in 2001, as suburban districts and charter schools have siphoned off tens of thousands of students. By this fall, DPS will have 172 schools open and more than 100 vacant. Meanwhile, the high-school-graduation rate is 58%; coupled with the enrollment losses, only about one-quarter of students who start high school in the district graduate from it in four years, according to outside estimates.

But DPS's problems go beyond the type that sank GM and Chrysler. Wide-scale corruption has depleted district coffers, which held a $103.6 million surplus as recently as 2002. In June, Mr. Bobb's new team of forensic accountants found DPS paychecks going to 257 "ghost" employees who have yet to be accounted for. A separate Federal Bureau of Investigation probe in May led to the indictment of a former payroll manager and another former employee on charges of bilking the district out of about $400,000 over four years.

How telling is this: enrollment has dropped nearly in half this decade: from 159,000 to a projected 83,000 in 2010. Between ghost employees, drop-outs, economic devastation, a mayor who was just in jail, a former city council president who is heading to jail, and a myriad of other problems, I'm not surprised that Detroit public schools rival the auto companies for most incompetent local business. But these schools, described as a "national disgrace" by Arne Duncan, can't just be eradicated because of the unions. Too bad the entire system can't be scraped in favor of universal charter schools or school choice. But no one is really to go that far for change.

Concert

Last night we went to see Elizabeth & the Catapult and Greg Laswell at the Rock & Roll Hotel. E&C was a lot of fun, and I really adore her song Taller People. It's anti/pro greedy Wall Street, and it sets a good tone for the times. Laswell was eh; I was actually a bit disappointed. Maybe I sensed a lack of energy? I don't know...I think I like the CD much better. But I like the Rock & Roll hotel, the venue is a smaller 9:30 Club, and it's nice to be able to walk a couple blocks home afterwards. And to hit Argonaut beforehand.

Amazing Statistics

By year's end, Michigan is expected to have lost 950,000 jobs since 2000, or 20.3 percent of its workforce, according to a recent University of Michigan report, largely because of dramatic restructuring in the U.S. auto industry. Per-capita income in Michigan has fallen from 16th to 33rd over the same period. In the first quarter this year, 10.4 percent of all Michigan mortgages were past due -- the fourth highest of any state.

More on Obama's visit here.

So we pay their mortgages, their college education, and then what: their food bills (food stamps)? Clothes? Cable? Internet? It never ends...

12:34:56 on 7/8/09

Cool fact...in a minute, it will be 12:34:56 on 7/8/09. Cool, huh? Once in a century!

Been a busy house-guest filled week. Not sure what the plans are for tonight, but they do involve going out. I guess. We survived the Fourth of July and some major awkwardness with a poorly planned BBQ. I need to be more outspoken, not rude exactly, but more direct about what I want to do or don't want to do. My avoidance of conflict is not a quality trait at times. I will say the panoramic views of the city with the individual fireworks was absolutely amazing. Love Independence Day.

I am enjoying these things, though:

--the new blackberry and wordmole
--the Gomez CD, which I downloaded for an Amazon bargain!
--Beth's big salads
--Fitting in a few quality workouts
--The mild-ish summer we're enjoying. Liking the 80 degree days!!
--that coverage of the Michael Jackson passing is, no pun intended, going to be dying about it now that his memorial service occurred. His beautiful, loving, eloquent daughter Paris is quite the tribute to him and how he seemed to be a pretty good dad. Hopefully he will be allowed to rest in peace, despite the fact that the media is still prying in to all of his affairs.