The Republican party torn asunder?

In a complete about face, Bush is now trying to appease the left by embracing the myth of global warming

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=azDnIuQABog8&refer=worldwide

Should I say Hello Arnold?

And Al Gore must be correct, he says that there is a consensus among scientists on Global Warming. Read here Nasa's top scientist Michael Griffin questons Global Warming http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3229696&page=1 Oh no! That is like questioning the second coming to the Global Warming religious fanatics. What heresy! Will Griffin be fired from Nasa? Sounds like a consensus to me.

What is going on here? Ok, Bush got the economy going by decreasing taxes, he correctly and steadfastly fights the war on terror - congratulations, but...

1) His prosecution of the war has been dubious at best. He fights the war as if we are playing tiddly winks. The benefit of the doubt always goes to the terrorist.

2) He lambasts his base for being against a massive amnesty plan. He thinks his base is full of idiots. if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig. He says trust the government to secure the borders - we've done that. He is offering the Mexican-Americans citizenship, and what do they do, they boo Miss USA. Bush is destroying the Republican party. Any proposal by Kennedy and La Raza should be suspect anyway. Imagine a party of White Americans called, "The Race." Even the New York Times reported Bush's disdain for his own Republican party -

President Bush today accused opponents of his proposed immigration measure of fear-mongering to defeat it in Congress, and took on his own conservative political base as he did so.
“If you want to scare the American people, what you say is the bill’s an amnesty bill,” Mr. Bush said this afternoon at a training center for border enforcement agents located in this town in Georgia’s southeastern corner. “That’s empty political rhetoric, trying to frighten our citizens.”

This amnesty bill is our answer to 9/11?


3) He signs into law a massive medicare drug plan when medicare is already going bankrupt.

4) He signs the McCain-Feingold finance reform bill which has turned out to be a bonanza for the left, the corrupt George Soros and moveon.org.

5) His loyalty to those who work for him is so strong, he refuses to fire anyone who proves to be incompetent (i.e. Mineta)

6) His spending has been out of control (even without Iraq). Reagan tripled the deficit, but Reagan's purpose was to bankrupt the Soviet Union which he successfully did. There is no point to Bush's spending.

I believe that going to war with Iraq was a necessary evil. To this day, I believe there were WMDs in Iraq. Hussein had eight months to get rid of them, and even if he didn't have them, the plans were there to reconstitute them.

Mr President, there is a reason your poll numbers are low. Get it through your head, the left will always hate you. What is next? - A private screening of Michael Moore's Movie Sicko.

We need someone to give back the power to the people and return us to the conservative movement from whence we began.

Today's wallstreet journal opinion piece by Peggy Noonan is a must read.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110010148

In part Noonan writes

What conservatives and Republicans must recognize is that the White House has broken with them. What President Bush is doing, and has been doing for some time, is sundering a great political coalition. This is sad, and it holds implications not only for one political party but for the American future

I have a liberal friend who always says, "Bush is an idiot!!" Was she right? My fear is Bush has opened such a wide chasm, the Democrats will regain the white house and then we will all be in trouble.

Mr. President, if the Democrats win in 2008, it will be your fault. You are a neo-liberal, and you have abandoned conservative values.

A dictator in Venezuela?

If you haven't read about Chavez shutting down the only television station RCTV that opposes chavez, read the following timeline of a Fox Journalist.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275912,00.html

11:58 p.m.: Like clockwork, the channel goes off the air. The music stops; the TV now features a spinning “TVes” logo, which stands for the new socialist, Chavez controlled TV station.

People are crying and screaming. Grown men have tears spreading down their cheeks. The night is steamy and tempers begin the flare. People seem to understand that they have lost more than their favorite Venezuelan network; they are continuing to lose their country to a man intent on becoming a dictator.


Jimmy Carter and Cindy Sheehan must be jumping up and down for joy. I wonder what Ortega is thinking in Nicaragua, of course he doesn't have the oil Chavez has. Pay attention United States, Chavez presents a real threat to our security especial the way he has been using his oil money to buy the loyalty of other Latin American Counrities.

The GOP debate May 15 - if I may opine

So, who got to watch the GOP debate last night? I think, there should have been at least ten more people to add to the ten they already had. Then, maybe it could have been like a church social. Every candidate should have been required to wear a “My name is _____” tag. - You know those tags you are suppose to wear at church. I am a political junkie, but I swear, I didn’t know half the guys up there. I mean who was that guy with two first names, Ron Paul or Paul Ron – Geez!

Now everyone knows that President Reagan was the greatest president of our time. But, I think we should make these debates a little less boring by making them into a game. Ok – ready, anyone who invokes the name of Reagan will automatically have to sit down. By the end of the game, I would bet five would be the only ones left standing.

For those people who no one knows, those impecunious characters that have trouble raising enough money to stay in the race for more than a week after the initial primaries, need to get their names out with a one line zinger that will be in the newspapers the following day. Of course, I am not talking about Ron Paul who blamed 9/11 on the U.S. for our policies in the Middle East. Yes, everyone will know who he is, but at the same time, we will wonder if he got his talking points on some conspiracy website or from Rosie O’Donnell. He is the one person that if nominated, I would consider Hillary Clinton. The diatribe from Ron Paul did, however, give a great opening to Gulinani when he rebuked Ron Paul, asking him for an apology at the same time. And, the fight is on…..

Guliani must have listened to the press from his last debate. He needed to talk less about abortion and more about 9/11; Ron Paul gave him this one.

Tom Tacredo said we need a Jack Baur – good one. Romney said, “My fear is that McCain-Kennedy would do to immigration what McCain-Feingold has done to campaign finance and money in politics, and that’s bad." – Nice. Huckabee said “we’ve had a Congress that’s spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop.” when asked about taxes and spending. John McCain used the same drunken sailor line he used in the first debate – Time for new material. Ok, one of the candidates (I can’t remember the name) said that there are as many scientists who believe global warming is not caused by human intervention as scientists who do. Finally – someone is challenging the global warming myth. It’s about time since it is quite popular. Even the left got to most of the Republicans on this one.

McCain was McCain. He defended his Kennedy-McCain Immigration bill stating the Fort Dix six were here illegally on visas. Didn’t anyone tell him that at least two of them came from the Mexico-Texas border? He defended his no-torture policy, and he said we need to reach out to our friends. Did anyone tell him about the change in presidency in France with Sarkozy who has stated he wants to be our friend in spite of our differences, or with pro-American Angela Markel in Germany? There is the new conservative party leader Stephen Harper in Canada. When confronted with his anti-Republican issues like the McCain-Feingold bill on finance reform (which gave rise to the corrupt George Soros), he said, “I don’t intend to block things.” You are telling me – even if it means lying in bed with the most liberal of Democrats. Not, in my wildest dreams would I vote for McCain.

The more I learn about Mitt Romney, the more I like him. I think Giuliani would make a good president. Before 9/11, I would automatically exclude a candidate if he were not pro-life, but that issue has been somewhat pushed aside for security. It is said that Giuliani is the only one who could beat Hillary. Of course, we need someone who can beat Hillary, but Hillary has been making so many guffaws lately – it might turn out similar to the Sarkozy-Royal elections in France I want to hear more about Fred Thompson. Fred Thompson responded to Michael Moore http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=611 regarding his challenge to a health care debate when Thompson wrote an op-ed about Moore’s trip to Cuba. We may be in for a good surprise from Thompson. NBC said they do not expect Thompson on Law and Order next season. http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/9940.html . There must be a reason.

Is it too much to ask for a candidate whose first priority is the Security of the United States including the Security of the borders without amnesty, a candidate who believes in reigning in spending, understanding that tax cuts grow the economy, knowing that all life is valuable beginning at conception, and that global warming is just a ploy for more government intervention.

Well, that’s my take….

Congratulations France

It has been my contention that the typical Frenchman is not anti-American. This was a myth propagated by Chirac, the left, and the liberal media both in the United States and France, and the proof was in yesterday’s French elections where Sarkozy won with 53.06% of the vote beating France’s Hillary Clinton's Ségolène Royal.

This is not good news for the Clinton camp. First, the democrats lost their issue that Europe is not our friend. France will now be an ally of the United States. “Freedom” Fries can now retain the name of “French” Fries. Bill O’reilly has lifted his boycott of France.

Illegal immigration is an issue that resonates both in Europe and in the United States. The candidate who comes out strong on both terrorism and immigration will win the next presidential election. I have yet to see any candidate come out with any tendentious view on illegal immigration. This means that Hillary does not have a lock on the next presidency. (Note: The alleged terror plot on Fort Dix was mostly perpetrated by illegal aliens from the Middle East.)

Sarkozy, the president of UMP, the French conservative party wants a liberalized economy based on American and British examples. He is a skilled orator, and wants to be a friend of the United States. His main issue was immigration. The French are tired of the parasitic immigrants pouring in from impoverished African nations. As in the United States, most French politicians are afraid of speaking about illegal immigration for fear of being called racists. Apparently, Sarkozy understood the French frustration about immigration. He wants to design a quota system to allow skilled immigrant workers into the French economy, and stop the flood of illegal immigrants, (what a novel concept – Can anyone tell Bush that?).

According to Forbes magazine, France leads the world in taxes. Forbes uses a misery index. Misery, of course, means the higher taxes you pay, the more misery you live in. Forbes adds all taxes imposed by the government, corporate Income tax, personal income tax, wealth tax, employer and employee social security and the Vat and a misery index is derived. France’s misery index is 166.8 (See the May 21st issue of Forbes) and the USA’s misery index is 115. Sarkozy favors a five point or larger reduction in the top corporate tax rate while Royale wanted another individual flat tax on top of the existing progressive income tax and flat tax. This is why it is so hard to get ahead in France because of the heavy tax burden.

To be fair and balance it is interesting to read a French perspective on their tax burden. http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/03/forbes-misery-france-oped-cx_pf_0503favre.html

Whether or not Sarkozy can fulfill what France needs to grow its economy is yet to be seen. France has been well entrenched in its welfare system since World War II. Its guaranteed employment may also be hard to unravel as evidenced by the recent riots in the French suburbs. This has contributed to France’s double digit unemployment rate. But the fact Sarkozy was elected bodes well for the future of the country, and demonstrates that the French want change.

An article of le monde says, (translation below).

Le président élu Nicolas Sarkozy a déclaré dimanche que les "amis américains" de la France "pouvaient compter" sur son amitié et que la France "serait toujours à leur côté quand ils auraient besoin d'elle".
"Je veux lancer un appel à nos amis américains pour leur dire qu'ils peuvent compter sur notre amitié", a déclaré M. Sarkozy, peu après l'annonce de sa victoire.
"Je veux leur dire que la France sera toujours à leur côté quand ils auront besoin d'elle. Je veux leur dire aussi que l'amitié c'est d'accepter aussi que ses amis puissent penser différemment", a poursuivi le nouveau président.
M. Sarkozy a également appelé Washington à prendre "la tête du combat" en faveur de l'environnement, "parce que ce qui est en jeu c'est le sort de l'humanité". http://www.lemonde.fr/web/depeches/0,14-0,39-30789207@7-354,0.html

Transalation

The president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy declared Sunday that the American Friends of France “can count” on their friendship and that France “would always be on their side when they need it.”
“I would like to make an appeal to our American friends by telling them that they can count on our friendship” declared M Sarkozy, after announcing his victory.
“I would like to say that France will always be at their side when they need it. I would like to tell them also that Friendship means we can think differently”, continued the new president.
M Sarkozy has also appealed Washington to take “the lead” in favor of the environment, “because what is at stake is the fate of all humanity.”

When he refers to the environment, he is talking about global warming. OK – so it’s not perfect (nobody told the French that global warming is a fraud perpetrated by Al Gore and his ilk), but it still is a step in the right direction.

I predict in the next elections in Spain, Zapatero will lose. Spain is also a friend of the United States – it is their current administration that is anti-American, not the populace. Zapatero won as a knee-jerk reaction resulting from the bombing of Madrid. 90% of Spain (and France) are against the war in Iraq, but Spain would have reelected Aznar had it not been for the capitulation caused by the Madrid bombings. Aznar was a driving force in Spain’s economy, and Zapatero is turning out to be a disaster. I predict that at the end of Zapatero’s term, the socialists will lose power again, and the conservatives, “el partido popular” will regain power, and Spain will once again be a friend of the United States.

The left will be relegated to the hallways of the naiveté of the United States Educational System.

Having large families should be frowned upon as an environmental misdemeanour in the same way as frequent long-haul flights, driving a 4x4 car and failing to reuse plastic bags, according to a report to be published tomorrow by a green think tank.
The paper by the Optimum Population Trust (OPT) will say that if couples had two children instead of three they could cut their family’s carbon dioxide output by the equivalent of 620 return flights a year between London and New York.

John Guillebaud, co-chairman of OPT and emeritus professor of family planning at University College London, said: “The effect on the planet of having one child less is an order of magnitude greater than all these other things we might do, such as switching off lights. An extra child is the equivalent of a lot of flights across the planet.

“The greatest thing anyone in Britain could do to help the future of the planet would be to have one less child.”


Well, considering it takes 2.1 people to just maintain current population levels, Europe needs much higher levels than that to support their massive welfare system. But Europe is on its way to extinction. Their current levels are way below that around 1.7 in Britain while Muslims are propagating at the rate of 7 to 1. The left's delusional mindset continues to believe global warming is the greater threat while Muslims clandestinely Islamize Europe.

It doesn't take a genius to know that comparing the Muslim birthrate in Europe to the rest of Europe's birthrate to figure out what Europe will become. The only good news coming from Europe is Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy won France's presidential election. This could bode well for the United states, and France could once again become an ally of the United States.

I guess the French realize their mass immigration from North Africa is not doing them any good, and their massive welfare system is bankrupting the country. The French seemed to realize the left is bad for the country. Mexico realized the same thing.

My fear now is the United States won't realize it in the coming elections, and it is Bush's fault, but if the left takes over here - God Help Us!

Harry Reid and the war in Iraq part two

I thought I would comment on what both Sims and Angel said in a separate post with regards to The War in Iraq and Harry Reid. So this is part two.

First Sims says that we are no longer allowed to do the Saddam/Hitler analogy anymore, and why not? The analogy still holds. Hitler first entered the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone in Germany. According to the Versailles Treaty, Hitler was not allowed to enter. It was France’s responsibility to defend it but not without British support. The prime minister of Britain at the time was the inept Neville Chamberlain who was practicing his policy of appeasement. This policy of appeasement meant that if you gave reasonable demands to dissatisfied powers the “dissatisfied powers” would be appeased. This dissatisfied power was Germany. Therefore, Britain would not support France when Germany entered the Rhineland. This emboldened Hitler since he met no resistance. When he entered and annexed Austria, he became even more emboldened. After Austria, Hitler was bent on destroying Czechoslovakia so he met with France and Britain and made a deal that he would only enter the Sudetenland in North Western Czechoslovakia where many Germans resided. Chamberlain went home announcing to the British that he had made “Peace in our times”. The Czechs felt abandoned by their western allies. By this time Hitler, felt invincible and convinced himself that the western powers were too weak and would not fight. He became more emboldened with every step he took as he continued his conquest. Hitler was worried that Britain would ally herself with Russia to defend Poland, so Hitler circumvented Britain by signing a non-aggression pact with Russia in exchange for Eastern Poland and the Baltic states. This allowed Hitler to take over Poland. Again, he was emboldened.

There is no difference to what is happening now. First North Korea obtains the Nuclear Bomb and now Radical Islam continues with its plans to obtain a nuclear bomb because they know the West will not fight. They are right. The Democrats continue their appeasement efforts by insisting on talking with madmen. Tell me – what do we plan to offer to Iran to stop them from building a nuclear bomb? Do you really think they care? They will take what we give and break any agreement made just like Hitler and just like Kim Jong. Just as in the 1930s, Hitler believed we were too comfortable with our way of life, so too Radical Islam believes we will not fight for our way of life. President Ahmadinejad has already said he intends to annihilate Israel, and why do we not take him at his word? Pelosi has become the new Chamberlain. Ahmadinejad kidnapped the British soldiers to prove how weak the West was. He accomplished his goal, and he succeeded in humiliating the West.

When the Democrats take over, we will leave Iraq, but we will return. We will have to, and the blood will be 100 times what it is now. I do agree Bush has mismanaged the war, but that is because he has been trying to appease the left. If you are going to fight a war, you go and fight a war, not play tiddlywinks.

This war did need to be fought. First, no one knew that Sadaam did not have WMDs, it still has not been proven. He had eight months in which to get rid of the WMDs.. The New York Sun and other sources have reported that the number two man in Sadaam’s army has said they have been flown to Syria, (not out of the realm of possibilities.)

The man who served as the no. 2 official in Saddam Hussein's air force says Iraq moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the war by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger seats were removed.
The Iraqi general, Georges Sada, makes the charges in a new book, "Saddam's Secrets," released this week. He detailed the transfers in an interview yesterday with The New York Sun.
"There are weapons of mass destruction gone out from Iraq to Syria, and they must be found and returned to safe hands," Mr. Sada said. "I am confident they were taken over."
Mr. Sada's comments come just more than a month after Israel's top general during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Moshe Yaalon, told the Sun that Saddam "transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria."

Sadaam did pose a threat to the United States. There is no definitive proof he was involved with 9/11, but we know the goals were the same. He paid the families of suicide bombers 25,000 dollars each. If you remember Bush’s state of the Union, he said we will go after anyone who helps terrorists. This is a fight for our survival. Repeat after me, “Nuclear War."
Whereas during the cold war, the Soviets and the United States had a policy of mutually assured destruction, we cannot count on that with Radical Islam, because Radical Islam bases their beliefs on Islamic ideology. They will die for Allah.

Hmmmm, so now you are comparing the deaths of Al-Queda to people who are killed in car crashes. I suppose you can make those analogies all day, but it is a straw man’s argument. Al-Queda killed 3,000 people, because that is all it could. If the twin towers were full, you could have had 50,000 killed. Al-Queda wants to kill as many people as it can.

One death is no less valuable than another, but sometimes sacrifice is necessary to keep our freedoms in tact. You say, "Stop with the talking points and ask yourself, why do you hate our troops?" Now that was a talking point. I would suggest you ask our volunteer army if they want to retreat or if they want to finish what they started. The Democrats would be spitting on the troops like they did in Vietnam, but they hold back because of all the bad press they received.

If we retreat from Iraq now, this will only embolden the enemy, and I do not think that is what we want. Take a look at the propaganda that is disseminated throughout the Middle East. It is talking points from the Democrats. Al-Queda is just waiting for the day for us to retreat.

With regards to Angel on my sources, you can check Glencoe’s World History.

The war in Iraq and Harry Reid

And so it begins. “The war in Iraq "is lost" and the US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country”, Harry Reid, announced Thursday, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US congress. This is the beginning of the dismantling of the War in Iraq and the US defeat.

We already know the analogies to the 1930s. Hitler walked into the Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia virtually unopposed beginning the war in Europe. The world was too cowardly to confront Hitler. It was only until December 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor that prompted the United States to enter the war. By that time Hitler had amassed a huge military machine in direct violation of the Versailles Treaty. The war in Europe had already been waging in Europe for four years. The US had to ally herself with Russia (an alliance of convenience) in order to defeat a determined enemy. The war ended in August 1945 and caused an estimated 50 million deaths, 20 million of those deaths were civilian. To put that in perspective that is 1/6 of today’s population in the United States. The huge casualty losses were a direct result of ignoring the warning signs Hitler gave in the 1930s.

The Democrats love to compare Iraq with Vietnam. If they return to power in 2008, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The war in Iraq will turn into another Vietnam, not as it is now, but as it will be with the Democrat’s defeatist attitude. When we left Vietnam, it caused South Vietnam forced to capitulate. Our so-called defeat gave rise to Pol Pot.and his Khmer Rouge in Cambodia who exterminated 1 to 2 million people. Hundred of thousands of South Vietnamese were also enslaved. We were not affected much when we left Vietnam, because we were separated by an ocean. That ocean however no longer exists in this age of long range missiles. History repeats itself; Reid calls the war lost, Pelosi cozies up with President Bashar Assad, and the Democrats stop funding the war. Who in their right mind does not think the Democrats will not give up and just leave if they are in power? Iraq will become a breeding ground for Al-Queda and all other forms of terrorists. The Democrats will still use their policy of appeasement while Iran prepares for its bloody assault on the state of Israel. Iran will become a Nuclear Power with hegemony over the entire region. In all likelihood, Iran will attempt to annihilate Israel, and that will be the beginning of the elimination of the Infidel. If you are unfamiliar with the Infidel, that is anyone who is not Muslim, (sounds like us).

By this time, a draft will definitely be necessary, and full mobilization of the economy to the war effort will occur again. This is what happened in World War 2 because the warning signs are not being heeded, and there is no reason to think it will not happen again. Radical Islam already believes it has won, and as the propaganda from the left here is disseminated throughout the Middle East, the average person on the street also believes it.

I fear for our country especially if the Democrats regain power.

At this writing, President Bush is speaking about Harry Reid’s comments. It’s about time he countered such ridiculous assertions as those made by Reid immediately instead of waiting. Bush says the surge is working. Baghdad where most of the sectarian violence was occurring has diminished because of the brigades and force level increase in the area. Bush is showing maps to where the Brigades were and what they are doing now. They are receiving tips from locals on where to find insurgents. Bush says Al-Queda is the greatest threat to peace in the United States (Al Gores says its global warming.) Day by day Bush Says Iraqi and U.S. troops are making incremental gains since the new strategy. They have captured car bomb squads. The violence has dropped by half.

The Democrats would have you believe otherwise. All is lost. The United States is evil. The Virginia Tech massacre was nothing compared to the murderous rampage Bush is engaged in. Islam is a religion of peace. Global warming is the greatest threat to mankind, not terrorism. God help us all!!!!

American Idol

I have to admit for the first two seasons I didn't really pay much attention to American Idol, but by the third season, I started watching it and I must admit I was hooked. Of course, American Idol would be nothing without Simon Cowell.

I did not put much weight into the supposed eye roll when Ryan Seacrest made his comments about Virginia Tech. I didn't even notice it. You can tell this world is out for blood and looking for anything to tear the next guy down. It would have been cold-hearted for anyone to roll their eyes when someone offers up their condolences about the massacre at Virginia Tech, so it would have been hard to believe Simon would even do such a thing. So when he straightened out the record http://www2.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7862874693928863015, I for one thought it was a ridiculous assertion anyway.

But there was one good highlight last night. Sanjaya was booted off. I guess Howard Stern couldn't keep his following. Sanjaya should have been booted off before the first twelve. That is one guy who cannot sing.

Now if you want to check out a hot singer, click on this.



Now is that American Idol worthy or not?

Virginia Tech

From the Spanish Newspaper ABC.es http://www.abc.es/20070417/internacional-estados-unidos/hombre-armado-causa-mayor_200704170716.html

La repetida y explosiva mezcla de armas de fuego, personalidades psicóticas y centros educativos en Estados Unidos ha vuelto a estallar violentamente ayer en la Universidad Técnica de Virginia, produciendo escenas más típicas de Bagdad que de un idílico campus especializado en ciencia y tecnología. El brutal asalto perpetrado por un «rambo», no identificado por las autoridades al cierre de esta edición, se ha cobrado las vidas de 32 personas, además de una treintena larga de heridos, algunos en estado crítico. Cifras facilitadas por la agencia Associated Press y que colocan este tiroteo como el más letal en la historia del gigante americano.

Translation

Once again the repetitive and explosive mixture of firearms, psychotic personalities and educational centers in the United States combined yesterday to shatter violently the University of Virginia Tech evoking scenes more typical of Baghdad than an idyllic campus specializing in science and technology. The brutal assault perpetrated by a “Rambo”, was not yet identified by the authorities at the closing of this edition. It cost the lives of around 32 individuals. Helpful figures by the Associated Press put this massacre as one of the most lethal in the history of the American giant.

And in another article in the same paper http://www.abc.es/20070417/internacional-estados-unidos/discipulos-columbine_200704170712.html

Lástima que los fantasmas del pasado no hayan escarmentado a un país que ayer volvía a repetir una trágica pesadilla de la que quizás los más de treinta de cadáveres sirvan para regular de una vez por todas la mala costumbre del uso de armas que reina sobre buena parte del país.

Translation

It is a pity that the same ghosts of the past have not learned their lesson in a country where the tragic nightmare repeated itself from that which more than 30 corpses serve to control once and for all the bad tradition of the use of arms that prevails over a good part of the country.

In other words, it’s the guns – not the people who kill (according to the Spanish) not withstanding that the perpetrator was a South Korean Immigrant. Virginia Tech campus does not allow guns, and this perpetrator apparently had guns in his rooms. The old adage still holds true, it will be the criminals who hold the guns.

Of course, massacres happen in Europe too where Guns are theoretically outlawed.

Germany
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/04/27/germany.shooting/

16 killed in Dublin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_massacre

I have but one thing to say. Hurricane Katrina was an example of why the second amendment needs to be defended. I live in California. I would hate to be without a gun should an earthquake hit or should a nuclear bomb be detonated. In such scenes, pandomonium sets in, and chaos will ensue. The innerself goes after what it can to survive. I would not want to be unarmed where I could not protect my family from such scenarios. Then again, you shouldn't be able to purchase a gun like you can a pack of cigarettes - that is a little extreme.


My heart goes out to the families of the deceased.

A Windows Vista Nightmare

I always want to have the latest and greatest when it comes to high technology. This was no different with Windows Vista. It seems like forever that Microsoft has been developing this new operating system. Wasn’t it almost a decade ago when they called it by the codename, “Longhorn.”?

My ten year computer was wearing out, and it was frustratingly slow, but I was determined to wait for this next generation operating system. Microsoft kept delaying its release of Vista, so finally I broke down and decided to buy a Dell computer when they offered to give me a free upgrade to Vista when it finally arrived. Not a bad deal - right? – wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Dell came. It was a nice computer 250 gigabytes of space on the hard disc, and it was fast – That is a lot of space, (of course, I remember when 40 megabytes was considered to be a lot of space). I loaded all my programs, 50 hours of video, my photographs, and I had only used a quarter of the space on the computer. For the next few months, I was a happy camper playing with my new toy.

Then my Windows Vista upgrade came. My first thought was, “should I do an upgrade?” or should I do a clean install? A clean install means wiping the computer clean and starting from scratch – all files and programs are lost. I had just recently read an article from the Tech Blog of Dwight Silverman http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2007/01/upgrade_or_clean_install_evolved_thinking.html where he states, “A conversation I had last week with some Microsoft product managers has changed my mind somewhat on the issue of whether to do a clean install versus an upgrade install of Vista.” I breathed a sigh of relief. I mean after all, it is quite a hassle to back everything up, and then reinstall your operating system. And then in the same blog, the author writes, “Previous versions of Windows were installed file by file. But with Vista, it's done as an image -- a snapshot of the OS is dropped onto the hard drive, then configured to match your hardware.” Well, what could be easier? This guy not only spoke with Microsoft Product Managers, but Vista takes a snapshot and doesn’t do it file by file. The only difference was a clean install would take maybe 20 minutes while an upgrade would take several hours. Not a problem! So I thought.

Time to upgrade. Now, I do have to admit that in every section of the instructions, it said Backup your files!!!! But why? After all, I just read how easy it was to upgrade. Besides, I am a man, and men don’t follow instructions – it’s that simple. We buy our children bicycles for Christmas, and we never read the instructions. We may have a few parts left over, but the bicycle still works. I just figured instructions were part of the packing material. I mean – come on, we don’t even read maps when driving? I instead quickly opened the upgrade package, left the instructions in the box, and put in the disks and followed the instructions on the upgrade when it appeared on the screen.

Once again, it said to backup my files. Now my Dell computer had 250 gigabytes of space and I had 50 hours of video on it. I didn’t have anything with which to backup my files anyway, so again, I ignored the instructions. I mean I felt so confident in Dwight’s Tech Blog, that I did not feel the need to backup.

I finally reached the place where it said, “begin upgrade” or something like that, so I clicked on it, and went to watch television. Three hours later, I looked and it was still doing the upgrade. It was about midnight, so I decided to go to bed, and when I woke up, I looked and it still said it was doing the upgrade. Now, I knew it took hours but this was ridiculous. I called Dell’s tech support, and he said, “Sounds like the upgrade didn’t work. “Did you do a backup?” My only reply, “oops!”

Tech support proceeded to tell me I needed to do a clean install. I was overcome with fear. I could only think of all the files I was going to lose. He said he would walk me through it. I said I would call back. After I hung up, I figured out how to get to the dos prompt, and then a light went on inside my head.

If I dug back into the recesses of my mind, I bet I could remember my dos commands. COPY [/Y-Y] [/A][/B] [d:][path]filename [/A][/B] [d:][path][filename] [/V or COPY [/Y-Y][/A][/B] [d:][path]filename+[d:][path]filename[...][d:][path][filename] [/V] and others. I figured out how to copy from my C drive to another drive using these antiquated commands which we now take for granted.

I rushed down to Circuit City and I bought a 250 Gigabyte external drive. I couldn’t believe how far the prices had fallen. My last backup was with the Iomega zip drive (remember that company whose stock went through the stratosphere during the dot-com mania at then lost about 90% of its value almost overnight), and it only held 100 megabytes of data. That cost 100 bucks back then, but this new external drive cost 125 dollars. And thus I began my trek into the world of dos prompts using copy, cd, dir, etc. and voilà, I had backed up my system, and I was now ready to do a clean Install.

Once again, I was on the phone with Dell Tech and they walked me through it. When I was done, my dell printer didn’t work, and even when I downloaded the latest driver, I was not able to scan into a PDF format or use the OCR feature. The individual with whom I spoke told me I had to buy additional software for this privilege, and there was nothing else he could do. I don’t think so…

I proceeded to threatened him that if he didn’t provide me with what I needed. I would sell my dell stock, call Morningstar (analysts of stocks), and blog my experience on the Internet. Somehow, my ramblings seem to get their attention. The individual has more power in this day of the Internet. I was told a specialist would be calling me the following day. I was called the following day, and I was given a temporary workaround, and the new driver would be ready by the end of April, so I am in wait mode for that. Dell has had trouble with customer service in the past, and according to Morningstar, improving customer service is one of their priorities.

My camera also didn’t work. Before, I was able to use the S-1 port but it no longer worked. Dell said I had to call Sony. I understood that – it was not a Dell product. Sony told me I needed a firewire. Another trip to circuit city, I purchased a firewire – it didn’t work. Found out, it was the firewire I went to circuit city again, purchased another one, and now it works.

My Spanish Dictionary from Spain, “La Academia Real de España” www.rae.es didn’t work, so I sent off an e-mail to Spain, and a few days later, I received a reply saying I would receive a copy as soon as they updated their software.

Vista has spy ware incorporated in their software. I wonder why they didn’t incorporate a virus checker too. I am glad they have at least the spyware. The virus checkers I used with AOL and SBC do not have upgrades for Vista yet. So, you either have to use Microsoft’s live one care for 49.95 a year (cheaper at Amazon.com) or some other third party such as McAfee.

Now – my opinion of Vista after all is well and done. I like the spyware protection it offers. The firewall and protection and security are much better. The new Aero technology is quite cool. Its hard to understand this Aero technology without looking at it. Microsoft describes the new Aero technology as follows:

Windows Aero is the premium visual experience of Windows Vista. It features a transparent glass design with subtle window animations and new window colors. Part of the Windows Aero experience is Windows Flip 3D, which is a way to arrange your open windows in a three-dimensional stack that you can quickly flip through without having to click the taskbar. Aero also includes taskbar previews for your open windows. When you point to a taskbar button, you'll see a thumbnail-sized preview of the window, whether the content of the window is a document, a photo, or even a running video.

I like the gadgets you can put on the side of your screen. For example, I have a currency converter, continuous news, a calendar, a clock. The photo and video gallery is much improved from the XP edition. It still hangs up on occasion – I have come to expect that from Microsoft. I wonder what the reaction would have been with Henry Ford if his cars just stopped as you were driving to some out of the way place, and then you just had to restart (reboot) the vehicle again to continue to your destination. Oh, I can't forget, backing up to external media is a breeze with Microsoft Vista. I wouldn't go back.

I can now say I have kept up with the latest and greatest, and now I am the first on the block to have Microsoft Vista even though it was a harrowing experience getting there. I would recommend waiting for six months before purchasing it however. Companies are scrambling to release their upgraded drivers, etc, and I would presume by then most of the bugs will be worked out. Your internet provider will most likely have virus software by then too.

To avoid all of this hassle the following is the article I should have read -
http://pcworld.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/003020.html