Hemp bill hits rocks in Ky. House committee - Businessweek

Hemp bill hits rocks in Ky. House committee - Businessweek

Fourth Amendment Violation

Supreme Court Considers If Warrantless DNA Swab Violates Constitution : NPR

I did not see this as being too intrusive until I heard the argument that DNA carries not only our own identities but also the identities of our relatives.  The de facto effect of  being forced to testify about oneself is a persuasive argument but to surrender information about our relatives who may have nothing to do with this particular crime renders this practice unacceptable.  To accept DNA testing before conviction must require some sort of hurdle such as the Miranda warnings and a legally obtained warrant.

All In

Full Speed Ahead

It is time to put the pedal to the metal, open her up, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.

While our leaders in D.C. sit there moribund, mired in their petty politics the United States is squandering the most precious resource it has. That resource is the head start we have on the rest of the world. As of this moment the United States still has the capacity to out-innovate, out educate and out produce any country in the world in critical materials. That gap is rapidly closing. Even if we start tomorrow we will be in a race for our livelihoods and standard of living. If we wait for market forces of supply and demand to drive development we will inevitably lose the race to those who will not allow capitalistic reticence to prevent their race to the future. Our competitors want to take over the elite spot in the world and have no compunction whatsoever about forcing our citizens to become third world residents.

Even now China is producing three times the engineers the United States is. One of the biggest reasons that innovative companies do not locate here is the lack of skilled and educated people who are proficient in the areas they require. No longer are China and India content to take our low wage jobs and do them even cheaper. Now they want the big prize. This is not without precedent. After WWII the United States helped Japan rebuild its industry and one of the things they built was steel mills. They used the current technology while the United States plodded along with antique technology. Ask Pittsburgh and US Steel what happened. Japan ate our lunch and we still aren't manufacturing steel at competitive prices. Retooling costs money.

And retooling is what the United States needs right now. Not in ten years or twenty years but right now. But it isn't so much the manufacturing that needs retooled. Oh, we will still be able to support some basic manufacturing to satisfy the domestic market but we won't be able to export those products to the world as long as we try to maintain our standard of living. The United States must retool in the areas in which we can be competitive at high rates and high profits.

Even now it may sound counter-intuitive to take on initiatives that will cost money but the need is so dire that to not do it will likely condemn the United States to second world status for a lengthy time. That may not be so bad for the upper crust but the effect on the middle class would be devastating. In all likelihood the wealthy class may be OK because they profit from financial activities that take place in other parts of the world but the part of our country that makes us great would be plunged into the doldrums much the way the population of Russia was after the demise of the Soviet Union. Never a wonderful place to live for the common person their situation became so dire that their life expectancy deteriorated.

It is time to go all in. Or as close to it as we can swing in order to jump start the chase for more engineers and mathematicians. We have quite enough investment bankers and such for now, thank you. Our future will depend on having a product that will sell all over the world that others cannot easily duplicate and that is our people. We already have great institutions and a twenty year program to focus on emerging technologies would once again place the United States in the premier position in the world. We have not deteriorated so far as to begin to lose critical skills but we are in danger of being overtaken in these areas. Just recently a Chinese company bought a domestic company that dealt with solar energy's patents. That means that now we will have to pay them to use that technology. That we could allow that to happen is just crazy.

People went nuts when Solyndra failed to prove profitable but being profitable and being valuable may be very different things. That capacity inherent in that company was worth supporting until profits came. Not every effort can be done better by the free market. We would never have gotten atomic energy in time to save us that way. Hydrogen fuel cells are possible right now. All we need is the infrastructure to provide fuel. Government could support that.

But more importantly things like scholarships in the sciences and engineering would encourage students to pursue those fields especially if they could leave college with the prospect of not owing a hundred thousand dollars for it. Allow new teachers to work off their loans by giving them a bonus for teaching. Efforts such as this will save our way of life and ensure the future of the United States for another century. In the face of this certainty one of our Senators in Kentucky is in favor of eliminating the Department of Education. Just phenomenal.

My take on the future. The future is now.

As usual I desire your comments.

Mayhem at Daytona

NASCAR Fans Injured At Daytona By Debris From Crash : NPR

It was a rowdy finish to the Nationwide race featuring a late caution and then a red flag caution resulting in a green-white-checker finish.  With the cars all bunched up and being power challenged by the restrictor plates it was almost inevitable that it would happen.  When the two in the lead made contact and went up the bank Tony Stewart and the following car ran through for the win.  The remaining cars that could not stop plowed into the two already wrecking.  In this photo you see the red car under the 32 and that is what got it airborne.  Most of the front end was already dangling and ripped a hole in the catch fence and tossed a tire and other debris into the stands.  It left the engine block sitting on the wall. It seems probable that the carnage will continue tomorrow since this will be the debut race for the Gen 6 car.  Stay tuned.

Don't Worry-Be Happy

Six Underground Radioactive Waste Tanks Leaking In Washington State | Fast Company

How can an alarming leak of radioactive waste not be an immediate threat.  And if this is not one then what would one look like?

Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Bowman v. Monsanto - NYTimes.com

Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Bowman v. Monsanto - NYTimes.com

Not a good day for the farmers or for the public.

The Desperate Truth

Kentucky suffers as coal use rises everywhere but in U.S. - KansasCity.com


the great disappointment here is that the state leaders did not lead their states to develop jobs and energy sources past coal.  Everone has taken the easy way out and now a cheaper and cleaner fuel is available.  Market forces are doing what environmentalists could not resulting in dozens of coal fired electric plants going off line.

The increase worldwide in the use of coal brings to bear another question.  When are the practices of any country considered a cause for any kind of action when they infringe on the air quality and climate change of another country.  Could we consider rising ocean levels in the United States an attack on us.  Could we take military action?

The same goes for water.

Obstructionism at its Finest

Republicans block vote on Obama's defense nominee, Hagel - chicagotribune.com

It has always been the constitutional duty of the President to conduct foreign policy and, absent any justifiable malfeasance or illegalities, the President has always been afforded to choose the team he wants in order to fulfill that duty.  If the President were intentionally defaulting on these duties the GOP would be head over heels crying for his impeachment but now they are in the position of contributing to a security vacuum at the head of a critical department.  Just because the President's nominee is of a mind with the President is not reason enough to oppose confirmation

.



The GOP is attempting to subvert the right of the President to conduct foreign policy and give that power to Congress.  They say they want more information on Benghazi although the President and Vice-President have both given statements.  The Secretaries of Defense and State have testified before Congress along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs as well as our ambassador to the United Nations.  Congress has subpoena power to force testimony and has availed itself of that power.

The objection to this nomination is invalid and is nothing more than crass obstruction.

Tesla Automotive--Electrical Car

Tesla's stock dips after negative review of its Model S sedan - San Jose Mercury News

silo demo

Biertijd.com // Media » Silo Demolition Sledgehammer Style


GOT TO WATCH THIS VIDEO.

The Prince in Modern Society

Florence and the Drones - NYTimes.com

David Brooks

I often go on about the philosophical basis for political thought.  I am of the opinion that any political thought should have a firm basis in philosophy and not just be cast out willy-nilly in the heat of the moment without any consideration of the implications of that action.

Nicolo Machiavelli

David Brooks is one of my favorite conservative thinkers.  He seems to understand that impetuous thought and inconsiderate action are no substitute for effective governance.  In this column he uses the philosophy of Machiavelli to make his point.

I urge anyone who is concerned with proper action in a democracy to fully engage the great philosophers and develop a philosophy of his or her own as well.  This is a short essay.  Read it.

Iran-No Deal

BBC News - Iran's Khamenei rejects US nuclear talks offer

It is unfortunate that Iran's leaders are divorced from the realities on the ground that affect the people in the streets.  They are being hammered by the sanctions but the religious leaders who control the country are motivated only by ideology and are willing to sacrifice the people to maintain their power base.  I fear that in the absence of an uprising of the people there is nothing short of physical intervention that will alter the pursuit of nuclear energy.  The rational fear is that such technology would inevitably lead to nuclear weapons.

However, it seems clear that attack by the United States or Israel would only serve to galvanize support for the Ayatollahs.  The path seems to be the one we are pursuing which is to try just about anything before resorting to that avenue.

Superweeds and Super disasters

Nearly Half of All US Farms Now Have Superweeds | Mother Jones

The assaults on our lifestyle and life space now come at alarming speeds.  This problem and the ones associated with genetically modified crops are putting us in serious danger of not being able to withstand the damage caused by these actions by Monsanto and other corporations.  We need a national examination of these impacts before we lose the ability to control our futures.

How Long

How Long

How many times must a cannonball fly

before they're forever banned?

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind

The answer is blowing in the wind.

Bob Dylan-1962

The news Sunday is of the death of Seal team sniper Chris Kyle who has been credited with 150 kills. Also killed was a friend, Chad Littlefield. Reportedly the killer was a fellow marine and a person who provided security for Kyle while he was planning his shots. His name is Eddie Ray Routh. Speculation is that Routh suffered from PTSD symptoms as a result of his time in the field. From all accounts Kyle was a generous person who tried to help veterans who were having problems. At this time it is unknown what triggered the murder at a firing range the three men were at. Kyle was the author of a book about his exploits called “American Sniper.”

We can go on interminably arguing about gun control or the culture of violence in which we live. We can argue about how we can deal with the gun violence that is omnipresent in our daily lives now. It seems like it used to be the bad guys that got shot but now the gun is taking more and more of us who are peaceful.

My first thought when I heard the first sketchy details was the quote from Jesus when accosted by the soldiers who wished to arrest him. Peter drew his sword and sliced off one of the men's ear but Jesus said:

"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword

Matthew 26:52

I mean nothing as for interpretation of this passage, it was just simply the first thought that came to my mind. When we look for reasons for the violence and gun deaths in our society I think we need look no further than the mirror. Since the last “Good War”, WWII, we have been constantly embroiled in one conflict or the other. We have lost thousands upon thousands of our finest men and women and enough treasure to abolish hunger and want many times over. That is just the ones of our own who have been killed. Millions more have died for the inability of people to reach peaceful resolution of differences.

We are in danger of becoming a society engaged in permanent war. Some say we are already there. Already our economy is so entwined with the machinery of war and death that any drawback from it sends shockwaves through our economy. Now we have the reason of economic prosperity to continue the killing. I know it's not just us but we do our share.

Last year we experienced 22 deaths per day by suicide in our military. That exceeded the number lost in combat. Even when we count fatalities we often miss the great number of our military that are returned to us maimed. Battlefield medicine has become so good that many who would have died are now saved to live a life without one or more limbs or to suffer from traumatic brain injury. That is still only the tip of the iceberg. I have said before that when one goes off to war he or she never returns without some sort of damage. No one returns unscarred. Now we have thousands of wonderful men and women suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The medical science surrounding this disorder is becoming plentiful and we can see what creates it. Constant stress, exposure to danger, alert readiness, all these things that are part and parcel of a good soldier are influences on the physical structure of the brain. Most surely, many do not return to a life of violence when they become civilians again but so many do. The better we train our military to be excellent killers and proficient soldiers, the more we expose them to changes in their brain structure.

 The symptoms of PTSD are well known. Flashbacks, or reliving the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time, upsetting dreams about the traumatic event, trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, feeling emotionally numb, avoiding activities you once enjoyed, hopelessness about the future, memory problems, trouble concentrating, difficulty maintaining close relationships, irritability or anger, overwhelming guilt or shame, self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much, trouble sleeping,being easily startled or frightened, hearing or seeing things that aren't there. (Mayo Clinic Web Site).

In spite of what we know we still have the War Hawks who shout about loosing the dogs of war at every perceived slight or setback. We still have those who want to protect defense industry from normal market forces for the economy's sake and for the sake of the ability to launch war at a second's notice.

It's not just the fault of our military or the War Hawks. The fault really lies with the face in the mirror. This is the United States of America. We are not just powerful but we are also at the mercy of the will of the people and thank almighty God for that. None of this happens but for the will of the people and that includes the murder in our streets and schools. We have the power to, very nearly, end it if we choose to do so.

How many times, how many times before we answer?

My take on the slaughter.

Cyber Invasion

Google CEO Eric Schmidt Rips China Calling Country an 'IT Menace' - HotHardware

I am of the opinion that not only are the Chinese probing our cyber defenses but that they are also practicing war games against various targets for when they need to use them.