Act of Man?

I am currently reading the book I referenced in an earlier post, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas L Friedman.  

As Hurricane Ike makes its way towards the Lone Star State, we must ask if this is a natural storm, or one that was made by us?  The answer is we simply don't know.  When Katrina hit New Orleans, it gained power in the days leading up to that strike from warmer than average waters in the Gulf of Mexico.  Is the warming due to climate change?  Very likely.  

I'm not saying that the hurricane was formed due to climate change, but warmer waters in the Gulf definitely can make them stronger.  So as Thomas Friedman says:

When hurricanes and other natural disasters hit, insurance companies and the general media often call them "acts of God."  Have we introduced so much CO2 into nature's operating system that we no longer know where nature stops and we start in shaping today's weather?  We no longer know..."

And that is what is truly scary.

Foreign policy credentials my ass

Sarah Palin, whose foreign policy experience to date is limited to shooting caribou who have immigrated from Canada, said today that the United States should go to war with Russia over Georgia, if necessary.  She also said that the attack on Georgia was "unprovoked."  The attack could have been a bit lopsided, but it is universally accepted that Georgia conducted some hostile actions towards the Russian citizens in South Ossetia. 

Palin should stick to managing hockey games.  If McCain is elected, and he becomes incapacitated in office (I'd give 50/5o odds to that), we will be stuck with the female version of Dan Quayle.  

How 9/11 became 9/11™

Tomorrow we mark the seventh anniversary of one of the largest terrorist attacks in the history of the world. What was once a national day of memory has since become a rallying cry for one side of the argument. Watch Keith's special comment below on this issue, if you wish.

The questions to ask: "Who was the president on September 11, 2001? Who was the president for the 9 months prior to September 11, 2001? Between Barack Obama and John McCain, who is most like that man who went on vacation for 96 days in 2001 prior to 9/11?"

Don't give in to the fear.

Pigs and Lipstick

Yesterday Obama compared McCain's speeches to "putting lipstick on a pig."  McCain immediately played the gender card and said Obama is using this to attack Sarah Palin.

Can't we rise above this crap?  This is a saying that I, myself have used, and when I used it I was not referring to men or women either but ideas.  McCain needs to grow up and stop hiding behind Sarah Palin.

 

Note that McCain used the exact same phrase when talking about Hillary Clinton a few months ago.

Does Sarah Palin Speak in Tongues? And a new scandal

Sarah Palin just may belong to the looniest part of the fundamentalist Christian movement.  It is now being reported that she is a pentecostal, a group that is known to speak in tongues.

They also believe in faith healing.  Maybe she'll bring some snakes to the Whitehouse too!  Yes, Pentecostals are that same religious group that handles snakes.  This would extreme to even Pat Robertson.

Regardless of whether she speaks in tongues, it seems that she always speaks corruption.  She has been billing the state for her kid's trips.  Now, I understand that when you have 5 kids, you might want to keep some of them with you while you travel, but that should be on your own dime, not the taxpayers'.  She also billed the taxpayers to pay for her meals while she was in her own house.  I thought she was supposed to be a fiscal conservative!