2009......what a year

Well here we are, getting close to the end of another year. Around this time of year, we usually get those "look back" type of TV news programs. I haven't had a TV set for over two years now, so I wonder if they still do those types of programs. Well, this post will look at some of the things I learned this year.

One thing I learned early this year is that an "historic" event can be a dud.

How so? Well, the American presidential election of 2008 gave us the "historic" moment. For the very first time, a black man was elected as president.

OK, historic for sure. How was it a dud? Well, less than one week into the new job, the "new" president ordered the bombing by drone aircraft of targets in Pakistan. In his first year in office, Go-bomb-them has dropped more bombs on Pakistan than W. Shrub did in four years on the job.

We also learned in 2009 that the Nobel Peace Prize can be awarded to a person for "expectations" rather than any actual work towards peace. How else does one explain how Go-bomb-them was even nominated for this "prize"? The nominations for the "prize" closed in late February. He took office on 20 January. So, after being on the job less than two months, he was nominated for this "prize". What peace did he help to make in that short time? Did he bring peace to Iraq? Did he end the war in Afghanistan? Did he bring peace to the Palestine/Israel conflict?

Sadly, the answer to those questions is a resounding no. What he did do in that time was to bomb Pakistan. He also made no comment about the brutal invasion of Gaza. The "excuse" for the no comment on the Gaza disaster was that he had not yet assumed the office. True, yet at the same time, a very weak excuse to me.

So, just what had our president done in his short time in office to warrant the "peace prize"? Well, he got elected on the slogan of "yes we can". He was billed as "change we can believe in". He had raised the expectations of people all over the world.

Oh, so he was nominated for the "prize" based on the expectations people had of him? OK, but by that sort of standard, why not give a high school diploma to every child on his/her first day in kindergarten? We could tell them they were getting it for our expectations of them. Why not? If it works for a "peace prize", what limits do we apply to "regular" people? Do we hold a child to a higher standard than we do a president of a world power? Inquiring minds want to know.

I also learned that when is finally awarded this "peace prize" that it is A-OK to dismiss those who have really worked for genuine peace. You know, people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.. They were described as "naive" by Go-bomb-them in his acceptance speech. In that same speech, he told the world that peace requires war. Was that a "1984" type moment? War is peace? Slavery is Freedom? Oh bother, he really did make it seem that war makes for peace. I had no idea that when giving a speech while accepting a "peace prize" that it was OK to tell the world how war is such a necessity. I never have claimed to be very smart, but somehow it just doesn't seem right to give a speech on how two very well know people who worked hard to achieve real peace were "deluded" as it were. I never would have thought it proper to give a speech accepting a "peace prize" while you tell the world how war makes for peace. Call me stupid, but somehow that just doesn't seem right to me.

Yes, dumb old charlie sure would have figured that if you were being awarded a "peace prize" you should talk about peace and other peace makers. I don't think talking about how "good" can come from war is the right thing to do at that time. Then, maybe I do need some "educating". Yes, I must be very damn stupid at that. I mean, if the president of the US of A makes the sort of "peace prize" speech where he puts down genuine peace makers and reminds us all how "good" war can be, well then, it must be OK to do that.

Is it just me. or does Go-bomb-them look more and more like W. Shrub every day? Sure, the guy still talks in complete sentences, but, well, just what is he really saying?

Before he even got on the plane to fly off to get his "prize", he announced that he would be sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. OK, now, here I might need some help. He sends more troops to a war, thereby escalating a war. Then he goes off to pick up a "peace prize"?

No wonder the elephant gang likes him. Toss in that "prize" speech and they may dump the moose burger bimbo for Go-bomb-them.

By the way, I saw on some web site where one of the late night comics, I think(?) it was Leno, said that Go-bomb-them was nominated for an Academy Award. He got the nomination for a Democrat acting like a Republican. No matter which of the TV guys said it, it sounds damn close to right to me.

I also learned that if you claim to be a "student" of the Great Depression and happen to be the chairman of the Fed, you can be named as the "Time" magazine person of the year. And not just because of those two "qualifications" either. Nope, you can be Fed boss and a "student" of that economic mess and do everything possible to not do what should be done and still get that magazine cover. Not being an economist, I may not have the "clout" to tell Ben his job, but had FDR and his folks done what Ben and his crew have done, that depression of the 1930's would not have ended even with World War Two to bail them out.

I am not a "student" of that time period, but I have read where the government tried to end the depression by creating jobs for those who had none. There was massive federal spending on all sorts of projects. Jobs were created. OK, some were just "make work" jobs, but, they did get people back to work with a regular pay check. What has Ben done? Well, he gave huge, some might even say obscene, amounts of money to the very folks who caused the current economic mess. Yes, folks, old Ben gave Trillions to the "too big to fail" banksters. Now, here again, I show how damn stupid I am. To me, a regular old dumb ass if there ever was one, a "student" of the Great Depression would have gone for things like government spending on jobs to repair the infrastructure. He would have set the money for construction of our aging roads, bridges, and other projects that need to be done. In fact, many of those items have been in great need of money for repairs for years. It was not that long ago that we had a bridge fail in Minnesota. Remember that one? We have many more bridges that are in very bad shape. We have millions of people without jobs. Skilled people without jobs. We have an aging infrastructure. Seems to me, any real "student" of the Great Depression would be able to see that granting the money for those jobs would have been the way to go. But, that would just help the working class. I suppose that is why Ben chose to help those "poor" under paid banksters. Yep, help for the working class might sound like socialism to the elephant gang. Might get Limburger, Beck, O'Really and that crew all hyper. Faux Noise might raise some crap over that sort of thing. Dear me, we can't get those folks upset now.

So, maybe being a "student" of something now means that when a situation comes along that is very close to what you have studied so much, you do just the very opposite of what the folks you studied did. And, then you can be the "person of the year" and have the whole cover on "Time" magazine. No doubt that magazine cover and $5.00 will get you a small, plain coffee at Starbucks. Big damn deal.

We have also learned that one can get elected to the US Senate and not act like any sort of decent American. Yes, I bring up Joe LIEbermann now. Old Joe used to be a member of the donkey gang. He and they didn't get along so good, so Joe quit to be an "independent". LOLMAO!!!!! Sorry about the laughter, but Joe has never been independent. He has been, and always will be, a tool of AIPAC. He is a forever "Israel Firster". On the health care bill grinding its way through Congress, Joe has threatened to hold his breath till he gets his way. Screw him. Let him do it, I dare him. He is a little coward. The other day, Senator Franken got old Joe. Joe was giving some yammering yack or other and asked for an extension on his time. Senator Franken said "no". Poor joe, nobody has ever dared to say no to him before. He said he didn't take it personally. Bullshit! Everything is personal with that rat bastard. Let the little weasel stew in his own shit for now. I never have cared much for Al Franken, but he sure did one decent thing this time. I still think Franken is a pompous ass and never thought he was funny, but I give him a thumbs up for this. Just proves that because I may not like the guy that he can't do something good now and then. Nice move Al.

It may be nasty of me to pick on "poor old" Joe, but he has been doing everything he can to make sure that regular Americans never get a decent health care plan. All the while, he enjoys a gold plated health care package at our, tax payer, expense. Sort of an,

"I got mine. Screw the rest of you." That is what we call an attitude folks. And Joe has a very nasty attitude. Past time that somebody slapped his ass down. Just wish it had been a much harder slap.

The folks who spent two weeks in Denmark learned something also. They learned that Go-bomb-them was not going to ride in like the old US cavalry to "save the day" for them. He did show up the day before the end of that climate meeting. He had some back room meetings with China and some other folks. He did sign on to a statement also. Um, well, big deal. That "statement" isn't really much of anything, as the folks who had been there for the past two weeks found out real soon. The compromise that Go-bomb-them signed onto does not set goals, does not set time limits, doesn't really do much of anything.

One comment from the busted Copenhagen meeting was, "Yes we can, but no, he won't". Sort of sums up a whole lot about the president of the old US of A. I'd say that applies to a great many things. Things like peace and health care for starters. HEalth care? Yes we can, but no, he won't. Peace? Yes we can, but no, he won't. I say that we Americans have first "dibs" on being damn disappointed in Go-bomb-them. We elected him, and he is an American. The rest of the world is upset over this climate deal? Too damn bad, he screwed us even more, and we are stuck with him for at least three more years. Denmark this week just showed the rest of the world what he has shown us for the past 11 months.

So that is my look at the year 2009. A look at a few of the things I have learned this past year. Oh, and guess what? We still have 11+ days left in the year! That means we might even get to learn a few more neat things before we say goodbye to 2009. I'm not sure if that makes me happy or just wary.

semper fi

dopenhagen? brokenhagen? (fill in the blank)enhagen

Well, somebody once told me that it is not polite to rub it in. Screw polite.

The "climate summit" or whatever the hell was "supposed" to have happen in Denmark is now officially over, finished, done.

And man alive, are some folks highly pissed off about it all. And I am not talking about Al, not my pal, Gore. Some of the countries who thought that Go-bomb-them would arrive, fresh from the "peace" prize deal, and "save the world". Yeah, sure he would. Well, guess what happened? Go-bomb-them arrived alright. He then proceeded to have "closed door" meetings with China and maybe somebody else. When he "emerged" from the back room deal making, there was a "consensus". Yes boys and girls, our "dear leader" has made some back room deal with China, India, and maybe Russia and Brazil to "help" those poorer countries "mitigate" the effects of climate change. You heard where Hi-Larry told the world how "we", the US of A, is going to put up $100 billion for this. More borrowing by us now. Well, what will that $100 billion get those poor folks? I don't know, but if I had money to invest in this "help", I'd put some money into inflatable air mattresses or rubber life rafts. You know, the sort of item that folks who are about to be flooded might find useful.

I really shouldn't joke about this, but the whole truth is, global warming is NOT happening. No, I do not refer to the "leaked" emails that show how the data has been doctored. REAL science shows that, if anything, the globe is cooling. Just look at the climate in the old US of A recently. We have had record low temperatures and early snow falls. Record early snow for many areas in fact. Also, the real data show the the globe is not warming. The doctored data also did away with the "uncooperative" Medieval Warm Period. Well, hey, that didn't fit the "model" so, the data HAD to go. Isn't that how you "do" science? Toss out any data that does not support your pet theory? Oh, you don't do that? Oh, dear, well, back to the old drawing board then. Also, Al, never my pal, Gore is the big loser here.

But, back to Go-bomb-them. He says the "deal" that was made in Denmark is a good start. Well, maybe, maybe not. If you are Al, never ever my pal, Gore you don't like it much as the spotlight is now off you. Maybe that is permanent, then the deal will be good for sure. Gore has been riding this "global warming" for way too long. He and his pals now have to figure how they will scam us out of all that money they were going to make from "cap and trade" which is carbon trading. Carbon trading, which needs to die a very swift and painful death, is just the new derivatives for the stock market and the banksters to get even richer off of. Gore was dead sure to be very rich from that scam as well. After all, Gore has set himself up as THE guru of "global warming". Maybe now he will just go home to Tipper and sulk for the next 30 years.

OK, NOW, back to Go-bomb-them. Sorry about that detour. Sort of sorry,maybe. Maybe not.

Many other world leaders are very disappointed with Go-bomb-them. They were certain that the new "peace" prize winner would be on their side in this "global warming" deal. He sold them out. Like any sane American could not see that coming? How many of you are surprised that Go-bomb-them sold out the "poorer" countries on this deal? Come on, be honest. How many of you are really surprised about it? How could any American who has been awake and sentient this past year be surprised that he "sold out"? He has done that to America since the inauguration. Now, the other world leaders get to feel like those Americans who voted for him. Screwed. Hey, what can I tell you/them? The guy is just the typical American politician. He knows who pays his bills. Yep, the big banksters. They don't want to waste money with global warming. They don't want to waste money on global cooling either. they just want MORE money, any way they can get it. The more, the better. Legal means or any other way, as long as they get tons more money, that is all they care about.

OK, so the average, sane American should have seen this "sell out" in Denmark coming. Well, so should those world leaders who are so surprised. Why? Did they read or listen to the "prize" speech? I have only seen portions of the damn thing. I said recently here that I decided not to read it. I have not read the entire speech yet and may not. I have seen enough of it and I have read some analysis of it by others to know that it stunk to hell and back. After hearing or reading a speech by a person who won a "peace" prize use the acceptance speech to praise war, well, they have no excuse to say they are surprised now.

This brings up another point. One reader of this corner asked if I heard the speech. I told him no, I didn't listen to it. He said I should read it and then blog on how pissed off it made me. Well, I still didn't read it, see above. BUT, I have seen enough of it to be pissed off to a degree. So, here ya go buddy, my "pissed at the "prize" speech rant".

Go-bomb-them "won" the Nobel "peace" prize this year. For what, nobody really knows. The nominations closed in February. He took office in mid January. Within his very first week in office, he authorized drone air strikes on Pakistan. OK, now before the nominations closed, he was nominated. For what? What peace did he achieve in, oh be generous, and say six weeks in office? He didn't have a peace plan for the Palestinian/Israeli mess. He didn't end any war. He DID escalate the sort of war in Pakistan. I say sort of war as we are not "officially" fighting there, yet. It is a sort of war in Pakistan from our side of things. More like our Afghan war sort of "spills" over across the border into Pakistan.

OK, so, he was nominated for the "prize". Fine, even though we still do not really know why. Later, we find out, lo and behold, he has WON the "prize". How? Beats the hell out of me, ask the Norwegians. THEY voted on the damn thing.

Now the rant regards the "prize" speech. Parts of the "prize" speech that I have seen get this old veteran highly pissed off. NOT as angry as I might be if and when I ever read the entire yak-yak. It wasn't JUST that during the "prize" speech he dismissed BOTH Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. No, now that alone was bad enough. BUT, he didn't stop there. He went further. He made the remark that war is necessary to achieve peace!!!!!! What the HELL!!!!!! We "have" to have war in order to have peace???? Since when?? YES, sometimes, after a war there is a period of peace. Wars do not bring peace however. Negotiations bring peace. War and blood shed, slaughter, rape, and all that comes with war is NOT needed to have peace. Peace only requires the opposing sides to sit down and talk like sane, rational human beings.

And to think that SOME Americans actually thought the guy was a "peace" candidate during the 2008 campaign! Well, if anything, the "prize" speech sure as hell ruled him out from being a "peace" person to me. I did not believe the guy when he was running for this current job he has. I voted for Ms. McKinney. THAT would have been real change. A black woman as president of America. Wow, that would be history for sure.

This "prize" speech just shows that Go-bomb-them loves was as much as W. Shrub. Go-bomb-them, I think, actually enjoys being a "war president". Just as W. Shrub did. Some commentators have said that we are now in the third Shrub presidency. I am not 100% certain of that, but this "prize" speech sure goes a long way to convincing me of that.

So, cheer up folks. Go-bomb-them did not sell us to Gore and the "greenies". Not by a long shot. Am I happy about the outcome of Copenhagen? Not really. I am glad that they did not get a legally binding document from it. That would have been disaster in my opinion. What they got, is a "deal" where each country can set their own goals as to reducing "green house gases" and it is NOT legally binding in any way. The "poor" nations did not get the huge handouts of money that they still want to comply with the agreement. Well, they don't need much money now. They can set their own goals, and why would anybody pay them for that? You can also bet the farm that the $100 billion Hi-Larry mentioned, well, that will sort of "evaporate". Hey, global warming can do that to money uncle Sam "promises" you know.

In the end, yes, I am gloating a bit. Al, never to be my pal, Gore lost out. Hopefully he lost big time huge. If we never see or hear from him again it will be too soon. Go back to his mansion and sulk. And don't forget to pay that electric bill there Al.

The warming crew lost out also. Well, maybe now we can get the real, honest science on climate.

As to the climate, I do think it may be changing. But, if anything, it is getting cooler. Back in the early 1970's that WAS the big worry. The coming ice age was in many science magazines at that time. Maybe they were right then, just off with the timing. I also believe that conserving our natural resources is a very good idea and we all ought to do what we can to conserve. Using energy efficient appliances and vehicles just makes good sense. It is also good for the personal "economy" (personal finances) as well. If you need a new ride, buy one that gets better mileage than what you own now. You will save money every time you fill up and save on resources as well. That is a good thing to do, smart even. There are all sorts of tips on how to save energy and other resources that do not cost much to do. It just makes sense that to be good stewards of this planet that we use the resources wisely. Leave some for the kids. Don't be wasteful with what we have. Everybody and the planet will thank us for that.

Oh, one last comment on what drives global warming, even global cooling for that matter. It is seen most every day by most people. Yep, right out there in the sky. The sun. That is what drives our climate. When solar activity is looked at along side climate data, well, let me just say that it all falls into place. And, we have accurate data on solar activity, sun spots, that go back hundreds of years. There IS a correlation folks. Some scientists know this. I even remember reading about sun spots and climate way back in grade school. How many of you remember back in the 1950's a school

magazine" the "Weekly Reader"? I know that the grade school I went to in Illinois had us get it. In 1957, it was IGY, International Geophysics Year. There were all sorts of interesting science articles in that little newsletter/magazine that year. I do not claim to remember much of what I read then, but the solar activity and climate stuck with me. There were articles on the connection during the early 1970's and talk of global cooling/ new ice age also. The idea of solar activity driving our climate is not new.

Aha, so, you ask, then why all the fuss on global warming? Well, you cannot make huge piles of money if the sun drives the climate. BUT, if people are causing "global warming", well, hell, there are tons of money to be had from that. We make them stop what they have been doing for years and have them do something new. See how the scam works? Well, it was supposed to work.

Poor Al, never ever my pal, Gore, he was set to be richer than Bill Gates.

semper fi

nothing much

Wow! I got actual comments posted here. That is odd as it is unusual for me to have comments posted at the corner. I usually get an email or three, sometimes. Often times nothing at all. Now that is OK by me. I don't expect any sort of response. In fact, I don't really know if anybody reads this blog. Well, not quite true, some folks tell me they read it.

Either way, this isn't to gather any sort of "following". That would be the worst thing that could happen, my opinion. I am not a leader. I was a very good worker before the old back gave up. I did good work, and never had any problems with the quality of my work. That even held up for some hobbies I had and one I still have. I refer to my photography. No, it isn't "professional" quality photography, but I did not set out to be a professional photographer. I do it because I enjoy it and I do a fair job of it. It is a hobby and nothing more.

Same holds here with the old "corner". This blog is a sort of hobby as well. It is my little soap box where I can write about whatever I feel like writing about. This also explains why the new postings here are very irregular. I do not write on any sort of schedule at all. I only post here when I feel like it or if I read something that I want to comment on beyond just an email reply to the author of an article.

Why am I putting all this down today? Well, it is a long winded, my usual "style" of a reply to a comment posted here.

The nice person who posted the comment mentioned that my posts are not very frequent. Exactly. And it will continue to be so. At 62 I doubt that I am going to change much, if at all in any way. I don't see any "need" for me to post here even once a week. Sometimes I might do one a week, or even more. That has happened, but don't count on it.

I doubt that I have much to say that often. I also doubt that my opinion is needed on any topic with any frequency. Who the hell am I anyhow? Nobody of any great importance is who.

The same person mentioned not being in agreement with all I write. Great! To be totally honest, if you agree with all I write, you are, in my opinion, in need of some serious intervention. Again, I do not set out to get any following or group. I do not want to, and will not be any leader of any group of any sort. No way. I don't know where I might be going, so follow at your own risk. Better yet, just sit back and watch and laugh when I fall flat on my ass.

This blog is not to get anybody to agree with me either. It is where I post my opinions and ideas. I am not trying to get people to agree with me, just maybe to get people to think about the possibility of another view point.

One more comment before I end this for today. It was mentioned to me that maybe I should read the "prize" speech that Go-bomb-them gave the other day and then comment on it. I have thought about that and decided that there are already enough comments on that speech already. Also, those who have commented on the speech did a much better job of it than I could, so there won't be any comments by me on it. Sorry, I just don't feel like doing it. I will get around to reading it later this week. Right now, I just don't give a flying crap what he said. From what I have seen of it, the whole speech is just the usual political crap anyway. Why would anybody "need" my comments on it?

Well, if I don't make it back here before then, Happy Holidays" to one and all. Have a safe holiday season folks. Remember, do not drink and drive.

semper fi.