Monday, September 25, 2006

Come and Gone

The Primaries have come and gone ... finally. I was getting really tired of seeing the same types of ads day in and day out on tv especially the ones that just gave general statements and zero substance. I honestly couldn't care less about this candidate or that candidate's heart or feelings regarding issues. All I need to know is that they will do what is right and best for the state and country. The more someone basis their position on feelings, the less I'm inclined to put my trust in their judgement. Feelings come and go, they change frequently and easily. A rational and practical methodology of reaching decisions that remains constant is something you need.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Primary Countdown

Two days left until the Primary Elections and the political ads are becoming more and more prolific. Most don't say more than than the usual ambiguous rhetoric ... so and so has such and such endorsement, so and so has this and that quality, this candidate has heart, this candidate fights for the issues, blah, blah, blah. A few showcase the candidate's record in public office and that's where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

Showcase the issues and express a definitive plan for the next few years and the chances are, people will vote for you since you have a specific position and solution to implement.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

So what's new?

There is such a big deal being made about the Pope's speech and the reaction from certain demographics is unsurprising. What would have been really amazing is if that group of people did not engage in the standard moaning and groaning and whining, but it was not meant to be. I don't think anyone was surprised at the "outrage" being expressed about the comments made by the Pope which just goes to prove what he said was absolutely true.

There are times I really have to wonder about the way things are being done and seriously ask what the rationale and justification for apparent idiotic policies are. I can only trust the people in the know are doing the right thing, but as time passes and more seemingly dumb things are done it becomes much harder to continue believing that.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Upside down

I heard this story yesterday morning and it just gets more and more irritating and annoying as time passes. Duane "the Dog" Chapman was arrested by US Marshalls and being held for his apprehending of the Max Factor heir / serial rapist in Mexico three years ago. (bounty hunting in Mexico apparently is illegal, but that's a topic for later)

What is the world coming to? This is like something out of a really bad movie. The guy catches a rapist and brings him back to the US (without the Mexican authorities' help, I believe) and now our marshalls are being helpful to bringing Dog in? Honestly, WTF?

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Ruminations

In a stream of consciousness moment, I'm just typing whatever comes to mind at the moment. Gas prices seem to be going down ... Lex Brodie's has a gallon of regular at $3.089 which is about $.06 - $.08 lower than the past couple of days. I wonder if it will actually dip below $3 / gallon over the next few days and weeks ... one can always hope. The primary elections are starting to get close and the advertisements for the various candidates are becoming more frequent. One senate seat is up for grabs and there are quite a few people vying for the position currently occupied by Daniel Akaka. It's actually a relatively quiet day today; weather is very nice ... sunny and breezy. I feel complacent at the moment, but I don't intend for that to last for very long since I know all the important issues haven't gone away.

/end stream of consciousness

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Long Life

In a bit of good news, Hawaii ranks #1 in life-expectancy in the nation at 80 which actually does not come as much of a surprise. Of course, I'm probably spoiled with relatives living a long time, both grandmothers passed away in their 90's and my parents are going strong... you'd never be able to tell how old they are. They're both still coaster enthusiasts and always tack on an extra day at the beginning of their trips for theme parks.

God willing they'll be around for many years to come and my kids (when I have them) will get to know them. Besides, my mother needs a shot at getting revenge on me for all those childhood years, right? Have to see if "the mother's curse" comes true in my case. "I hope when you have kids they turn out just like you" My wife is probably dreading that one, but I honestly don't know what she's concerned about. I was a great kid. *stops tooting own horn*

Monday, September 11, 2006

Rememberance

Being in Hawaii puts me 6 hours behind EST and I was asleep when it happened. We are so far removed from a lot of the country geographically that many events are over when the news finally reaches us.

The day started out as many others have in the past and I got ready for work like I always do. I dropped my wife off at work and went to work at Fort Shafter. I can't remember where I had first heard the news, but I do remember standing in front of the television in my living room in disbelief. I thought I was watching a movie or something being played, not the morning news. That disbelief turned to horror and a sickening feeling as time passed and more of the details were reported.

The images of people trying to find loved ones was especially heart-wrenching as well as all the scenes of people walking out of ground zero covered with soot and grime. I had a profound sense of helplessness as I watched, unable to do anything from so far away. The call for blood donations came in and my wife and I went down at the first opportunity to donate. It was the least we could do for the people on the front lines.

Being contracted to work at Fort Shafter, I remember going in and told that all non-essential and civilian personnel would no longer be allowed on base on a temporary basis while events and details were sorted out. It was like that for a while and for months after it took 30-60 minutes every morning to get on base.

The aftermath is especially memorable because I have never seen Waikiki look as empty as it did in the following days and weeks. It was no surprise that things looked dead as tourism took a complete nosedive... it honestly looked like a ghost town and eeriely quiet. Our local economy rebounded eventually, but it took time and everyone had to pull together to help each other through it.

September 11, 2001 should be remembered by everyone for a variety of reasons, the least of which as the reason why we must remain steadfast.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." ~ George Santayana

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~ Benjamin Franklin

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance ... words spoken by many and have never rung more true.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

I Approve This Message

This is a fairly unimportant thing compared to the grand scheme of things and I do not know what about the phrase irks the living snot out of me, but "I approve this message" has rapidly become a point of utter dislike bordering on contempt.

I am not even certain who started tacking that ludicrous statement on the end of political ads, but honestly, it has to be the most inane thing I have ever seen thus far. The really sad thing is that both sides do it. Both sides field candidates that stick that piece of fluffy redundancy on the end of the ad as if saying that makes it more credible or valuable somehow. All that shows is that PC and other related things are utterly out of control and needs to be stomped out immediately.

What good does playing that phrase do other than sway people that are gullible and believe everything they see on TV . . . "He/She approved the message so it has to be actuate/factual/truthful". I suppose it makes the candidate feel better about themselves and reassures them that their own campaign put out the ad, but come on! A little bit of old fashioned work by one person screening ads will find the bogus ones real quick, if they even exist. With the current slander/libel laws available it would be a miscalculation as well as wasteful to put out an ad trying to screw over your opponent.

Like I said, it is not an especially huge item on the radar of important topics, but it is just a small indication of how stupid things are getting and a foreshadowing of how lame things will get if things of that nature are perpetuated.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Sah-nah-tah-ah-nah

The title is an inside joke for anyone that watches ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. I first saw his routine almost 15 years ago and have been laughing ever since. He has an ensemble of 5 characters now and also does a bit of stand-up which is quite an expansion from the 1 character I originally saw.

Anyway, there was a traffic mishap on H-1 yesterday, the main freeway for those that are not familiar with local roads. The name itself is amusing since it is an "interstate" but does not travel interstate, but that is a discussion for another day. A large piece of machinery being transported from Pearl Harbor to Schofield hit a concrete pedestrian overpass and managed to close the freeway since crews had to clean away debris as well as remove the mauka (mountain-side) section of the walkway. This had the very unfortunate effect of snarling traffic all over the island since rush hour traffic was all funneled onto a secondary highway. I do not believe my speedometer left the 0 mark for most of the trip home, a distance of maybe 15-16 miles.

Normal traffic was restored by this morning, but the event still has people talking since a 2-hour drive does not happen every day and of course, everyone wants to know who was at fault for what appears to have been a preventable incident. One of the hazards of living in Hawaii . . . limited space and only a couple of roads to get from one spot on the island to the other. Relatively speaking, I doubt it is much of a hardship. It may be irritating when it happens, but not really something to go ape-nuts about.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Need a Vacation from Vacation?

It was a "long" weekend, relatively speaking, but it never seems like it is ever long enough. Sometimes I feel like I want to take a couple of years vacation from all the craziness in the world and just chill out to enjoy the beautiful and peaceful things around.

I went to enjoyed the pool at the rec. center yesterday and was surprised to see it open since it was a holiday and I just expected everything to be closed. It was not especially hot or cold, but the clouds were forming for a good rain. Spike was having a CSI marathon so I just vegg'ed out in front of the television, though there was a 2-hour thing on the National Geographic Channel about the science of martial arts. I must say that all the data they gathered was mind-boggling.

On a more somber note, I heard on the radio this morning that Steve Erwin, the Crocodile Hunter guy, died yesterday. I always found him to be entertaining, if not over the top and just crazy sometimes. He was definitely a pioneer in that field and had a passion for animals in their natural surroundings, a fact that always makes things much more dangerous.

I seem to be on a stream of consciousness kick this morning so I will leave things there. It was probably the long weekend that made everything feel sluggish.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Confidence and Over-confidence

Playing online chess is both relaxing and frustrating, sometimes both at the same time. One thing is for certain, though, no matter how well you might believe you are doing you should never let yourself become complacent or over-confident since that is an easy way to make a mistake big enough to cost you the game.

I am reminded by that all the time and fell into the trap on a number of occasions. Fortunately, it is only a game and the mistake was not exceptionally heinous, but suffice is to say it will require more effort and work to win than previously.

In life, where the stakes are much higher, dilligence is a requirement and necessity to preserve the things we all value.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Labor Day

Another year, another Labor Day . . . What will you be doing this year? A lot of people get together with friends and family for relaxation, good food and fun. The weather has been really nice lately and hopefully it will continue over the next few days . . . perfect beach weather with the sun shining and the cool breeze blowing.

Most of the time I really dislike holding to a schedule and seem to do things on the fly about 80%-90% of the time with work related things being the obvious exception since almost everything in that arena has to be planned out weeks, months even years in advance. So, I do not have specific plans for the holiday outside of the expected family and friends getting together to hang out. The water park, Hawaiian Waters, might be a good idea since I have not been there in years and most likely a good idea given that the beaches will most likely be exceptionally crowded as they typically are on a holiday. At least traffic will be non-existent or at least one can hope.

It is definitely a time to do a little bit of reflecting on local and global concerns, being thankful for the good things being a necessity. Making sure things are not taken for granted take effort and being complacent is a very easy place to fall into during the good times.

6 of one, half a dozen of another

There was a public debate on PBS between Senator Daniel Akaka and Representative Ed Case last night. The Senator's seat is in play and there are more than a few people that would love to take it from him and not just on the Republican side. A few Democrats have stepped up to challenge the incumbant and as far as who will actually come out on top is anyone's guess. The leader in the polls really depends on who you talk to; Rep. Case's side will say he is ahead and Sen. Akaka's side will say he is ahead.

One has to say Rep. Case has some chutzpah since he is going against the "accepted" way of doing things and challenging the Sen. for the seat rather than letting the reigns be passed to him as they were passed to the Senator. For me, outside the obvious age difference and seniority difference there are not a whole lot of things to differentiate between the two. Rep. Case is saying many of the things that resonate, however, looking at his voting record and other public records does not line up with the rhetoric. For the time being, that is all it is . . . the same rhetoric being parroted; one side has years of experience, the other side wants a change.

We honestly have heard all of it before and for all intents and purposes, nothing really has changed. I suppose I should have watched the debate to keep myself informed about current local events, but found myself surfing over to Sci-Fi to catch the end of "Exorcism" and "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" instead. A debate between a couple of Democrats just does not spark a great deal of interest in my head since they will only repeat the things they have been saying since before I was born.