Sleepless in Midland

Swine Flu Hysteria

Vice President Joe Biden may have said that people should stay off airplanes and subways because of swine flu. Or he may have been simply offering hypothetical advice to a family member planing a trip to Mexico depending on which version of what he said is what he really meant. Source: The Oval.

One thing is certain, though, there is a lot of hysteria out there about swine flu. Schools are closing, Mexico is on a five day holiday, the entire state of Texas is a disaster area.

"This is discouraging," an anonymous Houston emailer says, "The first recorded death from swine flu recorded in the US is a Mexican from Mexico City who ends up traveling to Houston to die." See Reuters for details.

However, some are questioning the hype. See Swine Flu Walking the Line between Hyping and Helping in which we are advised to take a deep breath, presumably not while in an airplane or on a subway.

Who gains from the chicken little hype? It's the fans of big government. If a crisis is averted, thank the federal government as Rick Perry gets accused of hypocrisy for requesting a portion of Texas' allotment of antiviral medication from the CDCs Strategic National Stockpile.

The hysteria is no doubt causing people to take precautions to protect themselves, and there are probably a lot of people limbering up to pat themselves on the back for averting a pandemic or epidemic. President Obama will get accolades from the media along with inevitable references to the Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. But for all the things Obama complains of inheriting, there will be little or no credit given to the decision makers who began planing for health related catastrophes years ago. However, there will be a heavy emphasis on the need for a national health care program, which coincidentally, is currently being formulated.

Ugly and proud of it

Joe Biden says:

"You Texas guys are ugly as hell, but your women are beautiful."

He's half right. Texas women are indeed beautiful.

Swine flu mask

With all the hype it's hard to ignore swine flu. A few months from now it's possible we may barely remember the great swine flu panic of the Spring of 2009. But given how the Obama administration won't let a crisis go to waste it's likely we'll be hearing about it as long as lawmakers are debating health care.

But what about those masks? The CDC recommends the use of N95 masks around tuberculosis patients.

While I don't know how tiny the flu virus is, I'm betting that the N95 will block them, too. N95 masks are sold at most hardware stores and should be available unless there has been a run on them.

Added later, from Houston:

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston nurses and doctors are getting ready to treat swine flu patients. First they must be fitted with an N95 mask and then they test it to make sure the seal is tight. One by one some 400-500 people will have these protective masks, but they say what really spreads swine flu, is not so much breathing it but touching it.

UPDATE: The CDC has updated the recommendations regarding the H1N1 flu and masks as of April 27, 2009 011:00AM ET:

When crowded settings or close contact with others cannot be avoided, the use of facemasks1 or respirators2 in areas where transmission of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus has been confirmed should be considered as follows:

1. Whenever possible, rather than relying on the use of facemasks or respirators, close contact with people who might be ill and being in crowded settings should be avoided.

2. Facemasks1 should be considered for use by individuals who enter crowded settings, both to protect their nose and mouth from other people's coughs and to reduce the wearers' likelihood of coughing on others; the time spent in crowded settings should be as short as possible.

3. Respirators2 should be considered for use by individuals for whom close contact with an infectious person is unavoidable. This can include selected individuals who must care for a sick person (e.g., family member with a respiratory infection) at home.

These interim recommendations will be revised as new information about the use of facemasks and respirators in the current setting becomes available.

For more information about human infection with swine influenza virus, visit the CDC H1N1 Flu website.

1 Unless otherwise specified, the term "facemasks" refers to disposable masks cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as medical devices. This includes facemasks labeled as surgical, dental, medical procedure, isolation, or laser masks. Such facemasks have several designs. One type is affixed to the head with two ties, conforms to the face with the aid of a flexible adjustment for the nose bridge, and may be flat/pleated or duck-billed in shape. Another type of facemask is pre-molded, adheres to the head with a single elastic band, and has a flexible adjustment for the nose bridge. A third type is flat/pleated and affixes to the head with ear loops. Facemasks cleared by the FDA for use as medical devices have been determined to have specific levels of protection from penetration of blood and body fluids.

2 Unless otherwise specified, "respirator" refers to an N95 or higher filtering facepiece respirator certified by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

3 Three feet has often been used by infection control professionals to define close contact and is based on studies of respiratory infections; however, for practical purposes, this distance may range up to 6 feet. The World Health Organization uses "approximately 1 meter"; the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration uses "within 6 feet." For consistency with these estimates, this document defines close contact as a distance of up to 6 feet.

Hospital bond issue -- a tough decision for voters

The broad arguments are easy to summarize.

On the "yes" side there's the need for quality health care out here in a desert community with little else to entice top notch health care professionals other than an expensive new facility and a rich earning environment.

On the "no" side is the fact that $115 million is a lot of money for taxpayers to have to pony up as the community heads into lean times. Add to that the lingering suspicion that the money may not be spent in the most efficient manner possible.

Yet there are still a lot of undecided voters out there. And I'm one of them.

Others have gone into great detail about certain aspects of the issue; in particular, see MyWestTexas.com here, here, here, here, here, and here. See Jessica's Well here, here, and here. And see Newsroom Stew here, here, here and here. Good points have been made by all. And the bond proponents FAQ lists the things they expect the money will buy.

These are frustrating times for taxpayers as we see what is going on in Washington and marvel at their don't-worry-be-happy attitude about the huge national debt. And locally tax revenues have increased from 30% to 40% between 2002 and 2007 while population during that time increased by a mere 10%. (Source: Newsroom Stew.)

So how much would the hospital bond cost individual taxpayers? The aforementioned FAQ tells us that property owners should expect an additional tax assessment of $0.066 cents per $100 of appraised value along with a helpful reminder that those over 65 can vote for it and expect others to pay their share. Then there's this astonishing statement: "Many believe - as did Memorial Hospital's founders and this generation's philanthropists - that 6.6¢ is a small price to pay for a top-notch hospital when you or someone you love needs it most!"

And with that bit of hyperbole we are compelled to wonder just what price the Midland Appraisal District will place on our houses. House prices nationwide have taken a tumble lately, but the value on which our houses will be taxed will be the one the Appraisal District decided was a fair market value as of January 1, 2009, regardless of what the market has done in the months since then. And the Appraisal District values were determined by the reported sales prices of houses in the vicinity of the house being appraised, and those sales had to have taken place prior to 2009. So in a falling market the appraised values will likely be unrealistically high.

But here's another straw to toss on the camel's back. The last day to vote in the hospital bond election will be Saturday, May 9. And if the person I spoke with today at the Midland county Appraisal District was accurate, they hope to mail out the new appraisals to taxpayers on Monday, May 11. Darn. Missed it by that much. It's almost as if the bond proponents knew when those appraisals would be mailed when they selected the vote date.

Conficker again? And we thought we were done with it.

April 1 came and went without a peep from the Conficker worm we were warned so much about. Most of us had downloaded a Conficker removal tool or used that cute Conficker Eye Chart. And by April 2 with no news of catastrophic computer hacks we were thinking we had been punked, Y2K style.

But along comes Yahoo Tech which says Conficker infected computers are sending out spam. It's not so much of a problem in the U.S., according to the article, as "Some 3.5 million are estimated to be infected worldwide (with just 4 percent of those machines installed in North America), though estimates of infection range from much lower to substantially higher."

Reuters says this:

Conficker installs a second virus, known as Waledac, that sends out e-mail spam without knowledge of the PC's owner, along with a fake anti-spyware program, Weafer said.

The Waledac virus recruits the PCs into a second botnet that has existed for several years and specializes in distributing e-mail spam.

"This is probably one of the most sophisticated botnets on the planet. The guys behind this are very professional. They absolutely know what they are doing," said Paul Ferguson, a senior researcher with Trend Micro Inc, the world's third-largest security software maker.

He said Conficker's authors likely installed a spam engine and another malicious software program on tens of thousands of computers since April 7.

He said the worm will stop distributing the software on infected PCs on May 3 but more attacks will likely follow.

With progress comes pestilence.

Napolitano Apologizes to veterans, other "right wing extremists" still nervous

Janet Napolitano has apologized to the American Legion, and according to Fox News, that makes at least three apologies she has made for that infamous report warning of right wing extremists. Click for PDF.

The "historical presidential election," the current economic and political environment, disgruntled military veterans, among other things, caused this presumed rise in right wing extremism. Gun owners who bought ammo because of the current ammo shortage were thrown in there, too.

The report was so widely attacked that Ms. Napolitano was driven to apologize. So let's have some fun with it while it's still fresh. Remember that definition of "destructive device" which included a weapon with a bore size of over 1/2 inch? See previously. Now a hypothetical news item:

WMD seized -- terrorist suspect apprehended

Homeland Security Agents apprehended a suspected terrorist yesterday on the highways of West Texas averting what they called, "a potential human caused disaster, formerly known as terrorist attack."  He was carrying a load of what the agents said fit the definition of weapons of mass destruction -- numerous destructive devices with bore holes larger than 1/2 inch. The vehicle had a bumper sticker saying "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a veteran" which agents said fit the profile of the recently identified Right Wing Extremist sect. Further, agents said he had a white powdery substance in his shoes.

Passerbys who gathered outside the crime scene were seen laughing, and when asked, one said, "Those WMD? Ha! They're drill pipe! And that white powdery substance? That's Dr. Scholl's!"

In case you came in late, that's a fake news item.

Trebuchet as WMD! Sacre bleu, look out below!

The target was a helpless human trapped in a steel cage as gangs battled each other on a patch of raw land at the Midland College campus. Each team had constructed a trebuchet capable of launching a gallon container filled with water. It was wet and messy.

But don't worry, no humans were injured in this water war, although one target washed out and had to be replaced. It was great fun for the combatants and targets alike, and it was a wonderful experience for the observers.

The prizes were gold, sliver and bronze colored gallon water containers. And the winners?

Gold - the first place winner was a team called "Sparta" from San Jacinto Junior High;

Silver - the second place winner was "Rambo 5" from Lee High School; and

Bronze - third place went to a team from Midland High School.

What a performance. And what an inspiring display of man/woman power and ingenuity that was. The future belongs to them. Congratulations, everyone.

Obama vs. gun owners & ammo reloaders

Gun Owners of America tells us that President Obama promised Mexican President Felipe Calderon that he would urge the Senate to pass the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials treaty of 1997, the treaty that if implemented in the U.S. could require hobby shooters who reload their own bullets to obtain a license from the government or else be guilty of "illicit manufacturing." Here's the definition from the treaty:

1. "Illicit manufacturing": the manufacture or assembly of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other related materials: ...

b. without a license from a competent governmental authority of the State Party where the manufacture or assembly takes place;

Gun groups are mobilizing opposition. For example, here's an excerpt from President Obama Continues Assault on the Second Amendment:

President Obama is hoping to capitalize on an increased Democrat majority and push its quick ratification. The U.S. is one of four nations that have not ratified the treaty.

If ratified and the U.S. is found not to be in compliance with any provisions of the treaty -- such as a provision that would outlaw reloading ammunition without a government license -- President Obama would be empowered to implement regulations without Congressional approval. ...

Actually, gun control proposals such as reinstating the ban on semi-automatic firearms will make Americans less safe, especially if violence spills over to this side of the border. ...

President Obama disagrees and he continues to spread the myth about how many guns recovered in Mexico come from the U.S. "More than 90% of the guns found in Mexico are not bought [in Mexico], but in the United States," he said.

This would be a concern for gun owners and reloaders if we were to take Mr. Obama at his word. However, during the campaign we saw Mr. Obama say one thing to one group and contradict himself to another. Obama's supporters were pretty good at spotting the "tells," but the rest of are playing catch up. In this instance he may be simply trying to appease President Calderon with an empty promise. Surely the Senate would balk at this treaty, and Mr. Obama could tell Mr. Calderon, "Hey, don't blame me, I tried."

Wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on this thing anyway.

Thanks to John Krenik for the heads up.

Columbine -- media got some of it right, some wrong

Americans were riveted to their TV screens ten years ago as news broke that two teens had murdered their classmates at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. [corrected.]  What emerged later but which never made the headlines was news that contradicted earlier reports. Some examples:

• Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were reacting to having been bullied. Wrong. They were bullies themselves.
• They were disaffected videogamers. Wrong.
• They were in a "Trenchcoat Mafia." Wrong.
• The targeted jocks, blacks or Christians. Wrong.
• They shot a student in the head after she said she believed in God. Wrong.

Greg Toppo did the reporting for a fascinating update at USA Today. Here's a sampling:

A decade after Harris and Klebold made Columbine a synonym for rage, new information — including several books that analyze the tragedy through diaries, e-mails, appointment books, videotape, police affidavits and interviews with witnesses, friends and survivors — indicate that much of what the public has been told about the shootings is wrong.

[ ... ]

In fact, the pair's suicidal attack was planned as a grand — if badly implemented — terrorist bombing that quickly devolved into a 49-minute shooting rampage when the bombs Harris built fizzled.

So whom did they hope to kill?

Everyone — including friends.

What's left, after peeling away a decade of myths, is perhaps more comforting than the "good kids harassed into retaliation" narrative — or perhaps not.

It's a portrait of Harris and Klebold as a sort of In Cold Blood criminal duo — a deeply disturbed, suicidal pair who over more than a year psyched each other up for an Oklahoma City-style terrorist bombing, an apolitical, over-the-top revenge fantasy against years of snubs, slights and cruelties, real and imagined.

It's a good read, check it out. There are some tips for parents, too.

The Serve America Act -- government in competition with charities

The reason behind the tax law allowing a deduction for charitable giving was probably to encourage people who could afford it to make charitable donations. That way the donated funds could be spent on projects to promote the general good and maybe do things that people might otherwise be tempted to ask the government to do.

However, it wasn't too long ago that we learned that part of Mr. Obama's plan for change would reduce the donation deductibility for people who made over a certain amount of money.

Part of Mr. Obama's presidential campaign was based on resentment of the wealthy, and it's possible that this denial of charitable deductions was an effort to punish the rich. But in any event, the effect will be to punish the charities. See The Obama Budget and Charitable Tax Deductions and A Deduction from Charity.

Another possible motive was to weaken private charities and concentrate funds and power in the federal government. Evidence supporting this theory comes to us by way of yesterday's White House press release telling us that Mr. Obama was to have signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. We have to go outside the government websites to find the cost of this program, and in an article friendly to the program at Boston.com we find out it's $5.7 billion. Here's more from that article:

The law dedicates $5.7 billion over five years to encourage volunteerism, including providing $500 summer scholarships to middle school and high school students and granting $1,000 educational stipends to older volunteers, who could pass the cash on to their children, grandchildren, or another young person.

Further, the law vastly expands AmeriCorps, putting the 16-year-old domestic volunteer program on track to increase from its current level of 75,000 volunteers to 250,000. Those volunteers - who receive a living allowance of about $12,000 for 10 to 12 months of work - would staff programs for poor people, veterans, the environment, healthcare, and education.

As the old joke goes, before long we're talking about real money.

Not everyone is as exited about the project as Boston.com, and Reason.com gives it the ground 'n pound.

It's not clear whether or to what extent ACORN will qualify for some of these funds, but one thing is almost certain. When the summary says that it "Authorizes Nonprofit Capacity Building grants to provide organizational development assistance to small and mid-size nonprofit organizations," you can be sure that there will be a plethora of new organizations springing up with mission statements which fit the funding requirements to a "T."

And there's one more confusing objective in the summary.  The act "Introduces responsible and balanced competition to the RSVP program." Is there a problem with the RSVP program we haven't been told about? One of the RSVP objectives is "Helping community organizations operate more efficiently." So maybe they aren't pulling their weight in the community organizing department. Hey, maybe ACORN could do that!

Generally, competition is a good thing for the consumer, but to pit government volunteer programs against each other, presumably for taxpayer money, raises the question of whether the government is trying too hard to consolidate power.

Oh well, a majority of voters wanted hope and change, so maybe this is the change they've been waiting for. After all, John McCain voted for it and would likely have signed it had he become president, so there's really no escape.

Comparing quips: Obama and Carter

One of the big news items to come from President Obama's South American trip was his response to socialist Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's lashing out at the United States with a 50 minute rant. See news source for details.

Americans are hungry to see how our presidents respond when affronted, and like it or not, a president lives or dies by those one liners. So it was interesting to see how President Obama responded. When asked what he thought about Mr. Ortega's speech he first said, "It was 50 minutes long. That's what I thought," implying that he didn't quite have enough time to come up with a good retort. Later he said, "I'm grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was three months old." And with that strange expression of gratitude he gave himself room to blame he predecessors. Still not the most satisfying retort, but we go south with the president we have whether we wanted him or not.

For comparison, let's look at Jimmy Carter's visit to Mexico in 1979. The U.S. was experiencing an oil shortage, and Mexico was flexing its muscle as an oil producer. President Portillo gave a speech, and here's what one report said:

The palm trees and topless bathers made for a successful no-fault conference; however, Mr. Carter's tan faded quickly, to be replaced with a red face. Mexican President Lَpez Portillo sternly lectured his American guest in public on the evils of U.S. imperialism.

Mr. Carter's retort was that in a prior visit to Mexico he had been a victim of Montezuma's Revenge. Source.

So how do these two presidential quips compare? It's difficult to say, so I'm calling it a draw. Next time Obama should go out there with a handful of one liners and comebacks. Get help from someone, Leno, Letterman, Colbert, anyone. But go prepared. Go out there and win one for the quipper.

Monday Diversion -- a remarkable video

It's really just a commercial, and that's probably what justified the expense. It's a video ad for Phillips' wide screen Cinema 21:9 LCD TV which they say is "the world's first cinema proportioned television screen."

I don't know how they do this, but it's like a still shot of a very unusual scene; a horrific battle between police and gun wielding clowns. We go with the camera into this scene and see the frozen action as the camera twists, turns, goes up, goes down, for a two minute 19 second video -- 2:19, get it?

You can see it on Youtube. But it's better to watch it the way they intended at the Phillips site where the viewer can stop it at certain points to see a director walk on scene as if he were actually directing it. "Now hold that for five hours," he quips at one point.  It's worth a look.

Via Neatorama.

Obama and Hillary should switch jobs, if they haven't already

We were promised change, and promise or not, there it is. Obama has switched roles with the Secretary of State. Previous administrations used the State Department as the negotiator, the good cop, the one who makes nice with all the other countries while the president sits back and ponders whether to get tough or give in.

However, our Secretary of State is the one who is talking tough. She's threatened North Korea: "There will be consequences," she said as North Korea readied its missile the other day. Kim Jong Il called her bluff, but it sounded tough, nonetheless.

Then she threatened the Somali pirates saying we should be snatching their stolen booty. (Actually, that's a good start but it doesn't go far enough. If they can't scuttle a pirate ship then they should take a page out the DEA handbook and stop, board and search suspected pirate ships for pirate paraphernalia. If the find AK-47s, cannons, swords, eye patches, etc., then confiscate the boat and everything on board.)

Now we go to President Obama's trip south of the border and learn from The Hill that Obama defends interactions with Chavez and that he wants to be an equal partner with the South American countries. Excerpt:

The president's trip appears to have produced few if any concrete changes in policy, but the White House has said in recent days that the purpose of this and other excursions was to send a signal to world leaders and the people of other countries that Obama envisions a new sense of global cooperation.

While Obama acknowledged that there is still a "carry over of kneejerk anti-American sentiment" from Bush's time in office, he feels like he has been successful in ensuring other world leaders that "there are no senior or junior partners -- we are simply partners."

Aside: Former Bush administration officials have taken swipes at Obama, and Obama hasn't passed up an opportunity to take a swipe at Bush. Seems rather childish, but Obama was elected by an anti-Bush fervor, so maybe Obama's political strategists want him to keep beating that dead horse.

Another aside: Note this one from Bloomberg: Obama Gets History Lesson From Latin American Leaders (Update1). Mr. Obama's own history is a bit murky, and it's at least possible he didn't get history classes in the school he attended.

So to bring this thing to a close, Mr. Obama is the one trying to be the nice cop, and Ms. Clinton is trying to be the mean cop. Who knows, maybe they've thrown a curve ball with this switcheroo and thoroughly confused all those other country leaders out there.

The Midland TEA Party 4/18/09

"Are there any reporters here from CNN?" That was Craig Anderson referring to the infamous CNN reporter who seemed clueless as she reported from a Tea Party in another city the other day. Mr. Anderson kicked off the Midland TEA Party at the Permian Basin Vietnam Memorial today where there were some local politicians, some rousing speakers, lots of clever signs, and iced tea for a buck a cup.

Midland Mayor Wes Perry gave a short talk as did County Commissioner Randy Prude. Mr. Prude spoke in favor of abolishing the IRS, ending property taxes, and implementing the Fair Tax. Many in the audience were probably reeling from Kathleen Thurber's article in the morning paper titled Property tax increases may outpace home value increases. Just yesterday we noted Newsroom Stew's post about how local tax revenue had increased so significantly over the past few years, far outpacing the population increase. So to hear a local politician agree that taxes are out of whack was welcome news to the audience.

Other speakers included Jason Moore of Citizenswatchdogs.com who had everyone's attention as he defined "Utopianism" -- the belief that one elected person will solve all your problems. Hmmm, I wonder who he had in mind.

And don't forget the signs. You've gotta see the signs. There are some very clever people out there, and when they have the chance to show their creativity it's an impressive display. Here's a link to the Midland TEA Party Photo Album. Check it out.

What next after the TEA Parties?

Newsroom Stew speculates that few will remember the inspiration of the TEA Party rallies when the next national election comes around. And that raises a question that many of the TEA Party participants have been asking themselves. What happens next?

There are 19 long months to go before the next national election, and we don't know what might happen between now and then to change the public mood. But it sure would be a shame to waste the momentum that has been built around these Tea Parties.

One thing is certain, though. Those people who attended these things got a pretty good dose of anti-taxism, and there's comfort in knowing that there are others who feel the same way. Groupthink if you will, but when they're right, they're right.

Newsroom Stew, as a gentle reminder to local politicians that they are not off the hook, reports that local tax revenues have risen 30% to 40% between 2002 and 2007 while the population has increased by less than 10%.

Voters might remember that when they are asked to vote for or against a $115,000,000 Hospital Bond on May 9 just as our national politicians will be arguing about how big a role the Federal Government will play in our health care.

As for Tea Parties, there are some slated for Saturday, 4/18/09. And looking ahead, the Odessa Tea Party organizers have another one planned in July.

Tea Parties Saturday in Permian Basin

If you missed a TEA party on 4/15/09 there's still a chance. The Americans For The Constitution in Fort Stockton, Texas, have one planned in Ft. Stockton at the Roadrunner on Saturday, 4/18/09, from Noon to 4:00, and Bill Everett said they have 300 pocket constitutions to give out.

Also on Saturday kwel is sponsoring one at the Permian Basin Vietnam Veterans' Memorial between Midland and Odessa, Texas, scheduled to begin at 10 AM.  This is sure to be a big one.

Oh that federal debt!

The chart on the right has been posted at various blogs and serves to highlight the dramatic increase in the debt taxpayers will ultimately have to pay. I wish I could give credit to the chart creator, but I don't know who it is.

The reason I'm posting it is to address some of the commenters to earlier posts who seem to be trying to say the huge debt is all the Republicans' fault. I'll address that in a minute, but first, let's look at a possible phenomenon brought to our attention by GayPatriot. He says there's an effort by Obama supporters to invade the comment section of blogs not loyal to Mr. Obama. And he points to an Andrew Breitbart article which says, among other things:

Much of Mr. Obama's vaunted online strategy involved utilizing "Internet trolls" to invade enemy lines under false names and trying to derail discussion. In the real world, that's called "vandalism." But in a political movement that embraces "graffiti" as avant-garde art, that's business as usual. It relishes the ability to destroy other people's property in pursuit of electoral victory.

It's usually pretty easy to dismiss a conspiracy theory, and I'm not sure how coordinated this strategy is. But when we recall the fervor and loyalty the pro-Obama crowd exhibited before the election it seems entirely possible and may explain why people who have never commented at Sleepless in Midland before have shown up lately to lambaste the TEA party movement. And one common theme is that the federal debt is Republicans' fault because it began rising under a Republican administration. There are many partisans who will condemn or rationalize some behavior depending on whether or not their favorite party is in office. And that seems to be what's going on now.

So let's talk about Republicans. There were not enough Republicans who tried to stop the runaway spending while they were in power. But to use that as a reason to excuse the exponential increase in the debt since then seems to miss the point.

Instead of exercising fiscal responsibility, Representatives, Senators and the President all seem to be running amok. The people are supposed to be in control of this nation, and the elected officials were put in office to represent them in that endeavor. But politicians seem to be more concerned with serving their special interest groups than the people who actually voted for them. As a result we ended up a mess like Fanny Mae.

The TEA parties are not Republican events. The attendees are frustrated with both parties. They are ordinary people who simply want some accountability and responsibility from the people in office. So the next time someone wants to come on these pages and blame Republicans let's all remember that chart and recognize that Republicans are in the minority in the House of Representatives, in the minority in the Senate, and absent from the White House.

Updated: The internet troll theme seems to be that if one didn't complain about the $0.4 trillion nation debt at the end of the Bush administration then one shouldn't complain about the $1.75 trillion resulting from Obama's first few months in office. That's a little like saying, "You didn't complain when you stubbed your toe, so you shouldn't complain when I break your foot." And it clearly demonstrates either a lack of understanding of the problem or a willing acceptance of the consequences with little regard for the people who will have to pay for this debt.

Added later: Definition of internet troll -- An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

They did it! A Tea Party in Odessa today.

"I'm 18 years old. I'm in high school. I'm a taxpayer. And I'm outraged!" Those were the words of Matt Pippen who gave a stem winder of a speech. If you missed the speech, here's his blog. Keep an eye on that young man -- he's going places.

Hats off to Dottie Chavez for pulling this event together.  It was a great event with lots of good speakers. And the free chicken sandwiches and tea? Chick-fil-A provided them, and they were fantastic! Thanks Chick-fil-A!

All in all it was a nice rally, and people had genuine concern about the out-of-control spending in Washington and the debt that will be passed on to the next generations. Representative Conaway had sent a letter which was read respectfully. And the audience listened politely, but no one needed the reminder that he has not always been able to control the urge to spend.

I took lots of photos -- the ones you see here are just teasers.  Click tea party album to see more.  The signs were a hoot!

Tea Parties all over the place!

Today is going to be a big day. A huge day! Tea Parties will be taking place all across the nation in protest to the out-of-control spending on the part of our federal government.

There are many scheduled in Texas and several in West Texas. In the Permian Basin, according to TeaPartyDay.com, there will be rallies in Crane, Big Spring, Lubbock, San Angelo and Snyder, and a big one will take place at the City Hall in Odessa beginning at noon.

Then on Saturday, April 18, there is one planned in Ft. Stockton at the Roadrunner.  Also on the 18th there's one planned at the Vietnam Memorial between Midland and Odessa sponsored by kwel.

Find one near you and help send a message to our elected officials that they are supposed to be representing taxpayers.

T-shirt launcher as WMD

The other day Schneier on Security was chiding lawmakers in Definition of Weapon of Mass Destruction for making an over broad definition, and while some of the law makes sense, there do seem to be parts of it that require too much discretion on the part of the law enforcers.

Take, for example, this definition of a destructive devise:

(B) any type of weapon (other than a shotgun or a shotgun shell which the Attorney General finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes) by whatever name known which will, or which may be readily converted to, expel a projectile by the action of an explosive or other propellant, and which has any barrel with a bore of more than one-half inch in diameter;

/.../

The term "destructive device" shall not include any device which is neither designed nor redesigned for use as a weapon; ... or any other device which the Attorney General finds is not likely to be used as a weapon...

Thankfully the lawmakers added a human element in there so that the toy stores wouldn't have to relabel some toys as WMD. But it still requires an Attorney General with common sense, and that just confirms Schneier's point.

I started this blog post last week and was going to suggest that those T-shirt guns used at ball games to project T-shirts into the crowd could be considered WMD due to the barrel bore size of greater than 1/2 inch. Lo and behold, along comes this:

David Babusiak suffered a permanent back injury when he was shoved to the ground at a June 8, 2007 game, when members of the Chevrolet Pride Team fired a T-shirt from a "launcher cannon" into Babusiak's section of the stands between innings, said his attorney, David Holub.

The suit filed in federal court this week also names U.S. Cellular Field and the Pride Team as defendants.

Hopefully the Atty Gen won't be asked to weigh in on whether it was a weapon of mass destruction.

Good shooting, Navy Seal Snipers

Imagine the sniper, holding in position for hours staring at a target through a scope, waiting for the order to fire. Then it finally comes. Three snipers, three shots, and three dead pirates. That's some remarkable shooting.

We are all hungry for details about that incident, and some of the many online articles about the incident provide some relevant information. For example, from the AP we learn that the snipers were "on a rolling warship in choppy seas." And from a NYT article via Militaryphotos.net we learn this:

... snipers on the fantail of the destroyer Bainbridge, which was towing the lifeboat on a 100-foot line, opened fire and picked off the three captors.

Two of the captors had poked their heads out of a rear hatch of the lifeboat, exposing themselves to clear shots, and the third could be seen through a window in the bow, pointing an automatic rifle at the captain, who was tied up inside the 18-foot lifeboat, senior Navy officials said. It took only three remarkable shots — one each by snipers firing from a distance at dusk, using night-vision scopes, the officials said.

So we know that it was dusk with choppy seas at 100 feet, and most likely there was a sea breeze. Let's do some speculating on the type of weapon the snipers used based on available information. According NavySeal.com the Seal snipers generally use three rifles, depending on the situation: The 7.62mm M14, the 7.62mm MK11 Sniper Weapon System, and the 50 caliber M82A1 Heavy Sniper Rifle.

The MK11 appears to be the most accurate of the three with its 1/2 inch MOA, and the small bullet (relative to the 50 cal) would seem to make it appropriate in a close range hostage situation.

Strategypage tells us that the military snipers use computers, so we can probably assume that in this high profile situation the snipers had top of the line equipment which might include the Horus Vision Recon aiming computer to help correct for target speed, air temperature, wind and other bullet altering factors.

However, competition shooters will tell you that no matter how good the equipment, it's the shooter who has to make the shot. It's the human element that makes the difference. Those snipers may have had a steady hand to begin with, but it still took many hours and lots of shots to develop the skill they displayed Sunday. It is news like this that continues to make us all proud of our military. Congratulations, Navy Seals.

We can't leave this subject without addressing President Obama who deserves credit, too, for having given the shoot order. After all, he would certainly be blamed if things had gone badly just as Jimmy Carter continues to take blame for the failed rescue mission in Iran decades ago. However, Mr. Obama could probably use some advice. So here's mine: Nothing in your background or experience has equipped you to make military decisions, and from your stand point, this was a lucky shot. Don't short change the military, but don't get cocky, either.

Updated 4-14-09 1:30pm: Blackfive provides us some insight into Mr. Obama's decision making process with this foreboding statement:

The tests for our President continue and I now have multiple confirmations saying that the initial set of rules that Obama put on the Navy forbid any active attempts to rescue the hostage and only after they requested he reinstate their authority to act if the hostage was in imminent danger did he do so.

Thankfully he listened to the advice from the military, and hopefully next time he won't make them beg.

Hospital Bond issue

Today's Midland Reporter-Telegram contained an article about the upcoming hospital bond vote. Then over in the "letters to the editor" section were three letters each of which raised a topic about it -- the lack of information, the bad economic timing, and the yard signs. All three letters made interesting points.

Here's another question, how are all of those real estate investments working out? The hospital district built a big two story building to house doctors' offices, but in looking at the roster of tenants it raises the speculation that the hospital district got them there by buying the doctors' old offices and presumably engaging in something other than an arms length transaction.

Go to MidlandCAD and search for "Midland County Hospital District" to find the appraised value of some hospital district properties. Here's a starting point:

400 N. Garfield - the hospital district's new office building & improvements -- appraised value $8,012,970, property ID number R000204410;

More improvements at 400 N. Garfield, appraised value $3,434,130, property ID number R000206062;

2201 W. Tennessee, former doctors' offices, now parking lot, appraised value $2,389,980, property ID number R000024826;

2405 W. Missouri, formerly Permian Cardiology's office which relocated to 400 N. Garfield, appraised value $2,341,980, property ID number R000009849; and

509 N. Garfield, doctor's office, appraised value $339,090, property ID number R000020436.

So how is that new office building working out as an investment? Have taxpayers gotten their money's worth?

Hail yes!

Yes sir, we had the hail. Wind too. The Midland Reporter-Telegram says this:

The National Weather Service reported tennis ball-sized hail at Midland International Airport at around 7 pm. Parts of Midland received hail ranging from golf ball-size to marble size.

Hail made huge splashes in the street puddles and stripped leaves off the trees. And the wind gusted up to 64 mph at 8:04 pm, according to NOAA. Then there was the nifty little weather radio coming on every 15 minutes warning me about this and that.  Yes, there's a noisy storm outside.  I get it.  Luckily there was an easy to find "off" switch.

Odessa Tea Party looking good

The Tea Party in Odessa, Texas, is shaping up to be a nice get-together. Organizer Dottie Chavez expects a great turnout and adds this important detail: "Chick-Fil-A has teamed up with us and will give away 200 sandwiches and all the tea we can drink."

Free tea! What a fantastic idea!

However, she needs some help. Here's the wish list:

People needed:
To help with agenda,
To design a website for Odessa,
To compile contact information gathered at the event,
To coordinate a July TEA Party.

If you can help please get in touch with Ms. Chavez. Her phone number can be found at TeaPartyDay.com. (As of a few minutes ago it was on the third page in the Texas section.)

The 411: Odessa City Hall at 411 W. 8th St., Odessa, Texas, at noon on 4/15/2009.

Singing the taxpayer blues (2nd verse)

Why isn't the tax code simpler? Even Nina Olson, the taxpayer advocate at the Internal Revenue Service, says it's too complicated. See WSJ:

In my view, it's because elected officials believe the political risks of putting forward a proposal to vastly simplify the tax code outweigh the political benefits. Each tax break has a constituency, and constituencies that stand to lose benefits tend to organize quickly to protect their interests.

Elsewhere in the article:

- According to my office's analysis of IRS data, U.S. taxpayers and businesses spend about 7.6 billion hours a year complying with the filing requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.

- If tax compliance were an industry, it would be one of the largest in the United States. To consume 7.6 billion hours, such a "tax compliance industry" would require the equivalent of 3.8 million full-time workers.

She goes on to offer a blueprint for change. Read the whole thing at WSJ.

Here's my solution, courtesy of Steve Forbes : FLAT TAX!

For sale: 1944 British Spitfire, used

The Spitfire is going up for auction April 20, so there's not a lot of time to kick the tires, if that's what one does to a WWII warbird. Here's the press release: "estimated value £1.5 million." More:

Today, this Spitfire is being offered as a freshly-completed ‘zero-hours’ ground-up restoration to perfect two-seat TR Mark IX specification; in effect an historic warbird absolutely ready-to-fly and in truly sparkling flightline condition. Originally it was a single-seat Mark IX but it now offers a new owner the attractive extra accommodation and flexibility of the two-seat trainer variant.

This would make a nice addition to the CAF collection if there's money like that available in these hard times. If so, it would be a real crowd pleaser. There's a CAF wing with a two-seat Mustang P-51 making the air show rounds offering rides for a fee.  And they have people lining up to ride in  it, at least they did when I road it in '05. (See A Wild Ride for a report about that experience.)

The Spitfire could be a real money maker for some lucky buyer. Dig deep, CAF Colonels. The West Texas sky needs a Spitfire.

UPDATED: The Spitfire sold for £1,739,500 on 4/20/09.

Silent majority speaks out -- Odessa Tea Party coming next week

As we watch President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the other Democrats in the House and Senate try to reshape the U.S. to fit some Utopian vision and, coincidentally, fatten the wallets of their favorite campaign donors, we must shake our heads and wonder what's in store for the future of this great country. The government has a mountain of debt, but it's still spending as if there were no tomorrow. It's even making our creditors nervous.

Do you believe Nancy Pelosi when she says this?

This budget is a start in the investments that it makes in education, health care and energy, a tax cut for 95 percent of the American people, and reducing the deficit in half — more than half — by 2013.

I don't. There is a disconnect between the people who work and try to save and the government that looks at them as nothing but a source of money there for the taking.

People are speaking out about it everywhere, and the Tea Party movement has provided a way in which citizens can voice their displeasure. They're taking place all over the nation, and there will be some near by. The next one locally is scheduled for April 15 at noon at the Odessa City Hall, 411 8th Street, Odessa, Texas.

The organizer, Ms. Dottie Chavez, has prepared a poster for the occasion which you can see in the JPG on the right. Typepad has a 640 pixel width restriction for photos, so the thumbnail expands to a larger but still too small version. To download a larger jpg file click here. Or if you have Microsoft Office you may be able to open this pub file.

Here are links to the two websites listed on the poster: teapartyday.com and taxdayteaparty.com.

It's tea time.

Singing the taxpayer blues

For some reason this year tax preparation seems to be especially onerous. Maybe it's the knowledge that regardless of what has happened to my net worth recently, the government still has its hand in my pocket. And the money is going to either the Democrat Congress' or Mr. Obama's pet causes for which there will ultimately be very little to show.

But it's not so much the taxes themselves as it is the work involved in preparing the return. It's little wonder that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner gave up paying taxes for a while and little wonder that a huge industry has developed solely to prepare tax returns.

A flat tax would make life so much easier.

When I gripe about something on these pages I try to make an interesting point or at least a joke. Nothing but gripe today.  Sorry.

Guess who's coming to dinner, the White House Correspondents' Dinner

A sharp tongued comedian is headed for the White House Correspondents' Dinner on May 9. Whoa, look out Obama. Oh wait, it's Wanda Sykes. Never mind, you'll be safe, Obama.

A liberal friend recommended a Wanda Sykes stand up comedy show that aired on TV a few years ago. Some of it was humorous, but then she hit the old standby, the Bush-is-dumb jokes, perhaps the most overused theme comedy fans have ever had to endure. Too bad Johnny Carson wasn't around to remind those comics about the rule of one-too-many.

She was on the TV show "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and while viewers couldn't have predicted when Ms. Sykes might show up in a scene, when she did it became quite predictable -- she was outraged at some perceived slight due to a miscommunication.

So I wonder what she's going to say at the WHCD. Her writers are probably laboring under some stringent guidelines.  We found this in the dumpster, writer's notes with Sykes' comments:

Jokes about the 1st black man wearing a tux in the White House but not carrying a tray -- YES!

Jokes about the 1st half black man in the White House -- Unlikely.

Jokes about the 1st half white man in the White House -- Forget it.

Barack Obama is dumb -- Never!

Barack Obama can't speak without a teleprompter -- Huh? What do ya mean, can't speak without a teleprompter?

The show is likely to be very well received by the President and the press, but for the rest of us it may just remind us of the campaign. She's no Don Imus.

But let's give her the benefit of the doubt, and heck, let's even throw in a freebie.

"They asked Barack Obama what he thought about Lincoln. He said, 'They need to make it a two door hybrid.'"

Updated 5/10/09: Yep, she did it. See Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondent's Dinner for a review.

Odessa Tea Party

Tea Parties have been breaking out all over the country, and there are lots of them set to happen on or around April 15. We've already discussed the one Craig Anderson of kwel has scheduled for April 18 at the Vietnam Memorial between Midland and Odessa, Texas.

In Odessa there's one scheduled on April 15 at noon at the Odessa City Hall at 411 W. 8th. Want to speak there? Call Dottie Chavez and let her know -- her phone number can be found at teapartyday.com.

Fiscal conservatives have not been an especially outspoken group, but they've been backed into a corner with the outrageous government debt and elected officials seemingly ignorant of basic economic principles. So they took a chapter out of Barack Obama's community organizer book, and they've found their voices.

It's tea time.