Kerry's Dishonorable Response. from the mind of Unknown.

The Times speaks out against Kerry's reaction to Osama-heit 9-11. Don't get your hopes up, it's the times from just a few miles South of New York.

Poll Watch from the mind of Unknown.

An MSNBC Poll says that recent events should be in Bush's favor. Let's hope so....

All I Need To Know in Life.... from the mind of Unknown.

... I sure as heck didn't learn in Kindergarten.

Even though President Bush seems to be pulling away in the polls, the current popularity of the haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat who by the way served in Vietnam (Thanks Mr. Taranto) is still baffling. One could chalk it up to populism, where Senator Kerry uses the lower middle class people's distaste for the wealthy to gain popularity, even though he belongs to the precise group of people that they hate. It could be attributed to the unbalanced picture that the media constantly provides to the public that allows them to buy into the doctrine of the 'do anything and say anything to be popular' Kerry. It could be many things, but it all boils down to education. If our voting public was more educated on some of these important issues, they would be able to notice when a load of bull was coming their way.

The problem lies within the fact that we could never educate the public on all of these issues. The only medium that we truly have to provide the public with such education is in our public schools. High school students would never be able to cover the required curriculum along with a course on the current state of our health care system, current tax codes, foreign affairs, and so on. We must look at the one piece that ties all of these together. One might ask what single piece ties all of this together? The answer is simple. Economics.

Our lives thrive on the exchange of money for goods and services. Even our recreation thrives on it. Almost everything we do, almost everything we use and experience has an economic aspect to it. The theories and laws of economics even come into play when trying to understand how different regulations on the health care industry will effect the quality and availability of care. A basic understanding of our nations economic structure would allow people to understand that taxing the rich is not a ticket to free money, and will, in fact, have adverse effects on our quality of lives. A basic understanding of how our economy actually works would allow people to see the realities of our current and proposed policies rather than trusting people trained in journalism to properly convey an accurate portrayal.

In my high school, we did have an economics course. It really went only as far as teaching us that supply and demand would find an equilibrium and that Mr. Keynes was supposedly a cool guy. Oh, and there was some sort of French word that was supposed to have something to do with the free market. Our compulsory education does not address issues of macroeconomics at a level beyond completely superficial. Macro would give people the tools to accurately clear the smoke screen placed by all of the different candidates claims about the benefits of this policy and the detriment of that policy. Understanding the time value of money would allow people to see that our deficit is not the highest that it has ever been, and compared to most other first world countries, it is still tiny. People would be able to see the whole picture for themselves, not have the picture interpreted by a group of people whose reputation has recently come under intense scrutiny.

No offense to you, Mr. Shakespeare... But we spend a lot of time on your works, and that doesn't help me at all know how to vote. If any candidate addressed the problem and offered a comprehensive plan (and actually explained that plan to us, not just say over and over again "I have a PLAN!") on how to educate people on these issues, I'd vote for him. If we are to be the worlds economic superpower, we need to have a better understanding of the economy. If that means that we have to sacrifice a little Shakespeare, a little Poe, a little Thoreau, so be it. It will offer huge dividends.

ACT Off the Wall from the mind of Unknown.

My wife is a registered democrat, so I am lucky enough to see some of the mailings that target democrats. So, ACT, one of the left wing groups that has taken to some pretty interesting efforts in the final few days of the elections to make sure people don't vote for Bush. A very interesting flier came in the mail today. Upon initial viewing, you see this:



the image is comprised of little micetype in different shades and colors to create the image seen. (note, the smudge on the bottom is a blurred out name of my wife and our address.)

I was drawn toward the whole concept, it's kind of clever, and I like to be informed of the claims and arguments of people who think differently than I think. So, I put my face really close to the paper, and started reading the roughly 7 pin type that is really bunched together. And, I found this:



(Note: in the full image above, the location of this text is noted by the little yellow arrows, though this statement appears several times on the flyer.)

So, we can fully agree that ACT is off its rocker. To claim that there is no relationship between this terrorist organization and the attacks on 9/11 would go against so many reports and so much testimony by the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks himself. (By the way, he is referred to as KSM in the 9-11 comission's report.)

This is what we are up against. We try our best to keep the truth in mind, while the opposition just fabricates these lies. It is absolutely unethical.... and I've shown you the proof. So, if they have to use such lies like this to support their claim that 'it's not working'... then maybe their claims are just plain false as well.

Oh, the address for the Oregon Chapter of ACT is plainly visible on the upper image. Feel free to write to them and give them a piece of your mind.

Watch O'Donnell Come Unglued on MSNBC from the mind of Cowgirl Up.

Speaking of downloads...

How do I love the internet?
Let me count the ways...

As usual, Michelle Malkin does an excellent job of chronicling this incident here and here.

Backwards Thinking at Kedwards.com from the mind of Unknown.

While I was doing my ostrich research for the post below, I cruised around the democrats.com site to see what they had to say. What I was really looking for were the 'plans' that they are always talking about. You know, the John Kerry has a plan' for this and that and every single problem. I didn't really find any detailed plans at all, but I did notice some iteresting statements from the page where the Kedwards campaign contrasts itself to the Bush Administration. One of those 'this is why we are right and they are wrong' sort of things. There were things that ranged anywhere from 'maybe this would be good, but absolutely not feasable' to 'boy, oh boy! isn't that backwards thinking!'. I'll just quote a few and then comment in italics below. (The first two words will link to the page where the quote was taken.)

• For John Kerry and John Edwards, making America more competitive means investing in more jobs at higher wages. Um... isn't that the exact reason for outsourcing? That jobs are cheaper overseas than they are at home? I think cutting taxes for employers and employees would be a great way to make things more competitive. Remember, most people that make over $200,ooo a year are also called employers. They are the ones that create jobs. It would be a disaster to raise taxes on them.
• John Kerry will create a new partnership to expand the supply of natural gas, and develop and deploy clean electric power from coal. Now, natural gas is a good idea, but coal? Clean? Coal can be done cleaner than it used to be done... but why not nuclear power? I'd rather have my pollution contained in a benign block of glass buried in the ground rather than floating around in the air that I breather while I ride my bike.
• John Kerry will lead a new era of broad alliances to execute a more effective war on terror. Broad alliances? Like Poland, Japan, Australia, Iraq, Great Britain, South Korea, and the many other countries that are helping us currently? Personally, I don't want the help from countries who were bought off by Saddam's Oil-for-'Food' program.
• To help win the war on terror and strengthen the military to meet new threats, John Kerry will increase our troop strength by 40,000 and double our special forces capability. Currently, the US military has a roughly 10 support to 1 combat troop ratio. So, by adding 40,000 troops to active duty, that would only bring 4000 troops online to help in the war on terror. Now, Kerry has said that the contributions of other nations are insignificant... and if that is so, then 4000 extra combat troops in our military would also be insignificant. Perhaps cutting defense budgets and reducing the size of the military was not such a good idea. But, that's exactly what happened during the last administration's 8 years. And, yes, Senator Kerry, you helped him do it. Maybe a better plan is to try and transform our military into a lighter and faster and more agile military so fewer support troops are needed for each combat troop. Now, that would really increase our military strength. But, that idea is already taken by the current administration... DARN!

Well, I've had enough fun for now. Be sure to read the post on the Duelfur Report by Daredemo

More DNC Junk Science from the mind of Unknown.

Well, there were two animal based advertisements that came on the airwaves this week. The most talked about spot was the WOLVES advertisement which uses striking imagery to convey a point. The other spot was from the DNC, which uses an eagle and an ostrich to contrast how they see themselves and how they see those who oppose them in government. One of the points that they drive into the ground is that somehow, their opponents are just sticking their head in the sand and hiding from the problem at hand. They even use video footage of an ostrich with its head in the ground. See for yourself:



Now, I had always wondered if ostriches actually do stick their head in the sand. I could not figure out what purpose it might serve... so I went investigating. This is what I found:

If threatened while sitting on the nest, which is simply a cavity scooped in the earth, the hen presses her long neck flat along the ground, blending with the background. Ostriches, contrary to popular belief, do not bury their heads in the sand.

Well, there you have it. The DNC is using false imagery to prove a point. It seems as though I remember another organization using false imagery to prove a point... most of you have probably forgotten that little story with Dan Ra^ther...

So, if you hear anyone talking about this advertisement, you can inform them that the video must be fake or doctored or something... because ostriches don't stick their heads in the sand.

But, then again, I'll probably get blamed for using scare tactics if any liberals read this.

One More Thing: Be sure to read the great post on the Duelfur Report. It is time well spent.

Telltale signs from the mind of Unknown.

Sen. John Kerry Drops By Bike Gallery in a recent visit to Portland, OR. Now, I know a few of the guys at the Bike Gallery, and they are great guys. Really. So, in no way do I want to give out the idea that I think lowly of the Bike Gallery at all. It's always fun to have a celebrity come into the shop and need service.

But, what is more interesting in this article is what John Kerry was doing there. He was having flat tires fixed... TWO flat tires fixed. As someone who worked in a very busy, very high end bike shop for many years, I have a little insight into what we can learn from this.

First off, let me describe John Kerry's riding kit first. He rides a steel Serrotta bicycle. The frames are made in the U.S. and the bikes are assembled in the States. They make a fine product. I find it kind of odd that Mr. Kerry would choose steel, when Serrotta makes a very nice Titanium bike. You'd think he would go for the best money can buy. I also noticed that he uses Campagnolo components on his bike. Oftentimes, we in the bike industry would label someone who buys a steel bike (heavier than Titanium or Aluminum) and they put Campagnolo on it (more expensive than Shimano) as a bike snob. People that will pay top dollar for components, but won't pay top dollar for the finest frame always seemed odd to me. Also, he was riding in baggy shorts and a baggy shirt. Anyone who spends serious time in a saddle will not use such shorts, as they chafe the skin and have some seams in pretty delicate places. Road Cyclists wear tights shorts for a reason... They feel better and take better care of the body. He might be letting public image get in the way of making a good decision here.

Now, as far as his visit to the bike shop the other day, we can tell this: First, he would rather drive to a bike shop and have 'a common man' change his flat tires rather than fix them himself and save the time. I'm sure, as he travels all around the nation that he prepares himself with a basic repair kit. Maybe he makes the secret service officers carry it. Also, two flat tires is extremely odd on a road bike... Unless the tires are well underinflated. Most road cyclists know, from experience, that tires have to be topped off almost every time you ride. If you ride a lot, maybe two or three days can go by with one pumping, but most of the cyclists I know check their pressure before every ride. It just takes a simple squeeze with the thumb to check.... (there is a possibility that two flats could have come from glass or thorns, but it's just not probable. Underinflation is the prime suspect.)

So, what can we gather from this? First, he doesn't pay attention to detail. And, when that lack of attention to detail comes back to bite him in the butt, he pays someone else to fix the damage.

I would, however, like to thank him for unnecessarily spending money at a local business in Oregon. Maybe Tuh-ray-zuh paid for it...

Please be sure to read Daredemo's post on the Duelfer Report. It is time well spent!


Update: When you take this event and combine it with his marathon record (thanks Michelle Malkin) you can really begin to see that his 'sporting life' is just an attempt to be popular.

Hussein and Terror from the mind of Cowgirl Up.

Still arguing with your conservative associates that taking out Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the War on Terror? Adamant about there being very little possibility that America haters Hussein and al Qaeda would ever collaborate, much less carpool to a US flag burning?

Then clearly you have not yet read Deroy Murdock's Saddam Hussein's Philanthropy of Terror.

Another Reason to Vote for Bush from the mind of Unknown.

The Japan Times Online has a short piece about a joint project between Hitachi and GE to bring new nuclear power plants online, possibly by 2010... now that's some good news!

Tax Cuts a "Redistribution" of Wealth??? from the mind of Zeke_Wilkins.

Today a friend of mine sent a copy of an email his mother had received that criticized the President. Most of the email was pretty standard garbage, but the last "point" contained a novel level of stupidity and selfishness that grabbed my attention and made my blood boil. Below in italics is an excerpt of the criticism, and my (slightly edited) response in bold:

George W. Bush believes in the redistribution of wealth to the richest, at the expense of the poor. His new "middle class" tax cut actually sees 44% of the benefits going to the top 20% of the country. The middle class only sees ten percent. Healthcare is a disaster as close to 50 million Americans don't have any health insurance. Bush has consistently sided with corporations at the expense of the poor. His offer of up to $3,000 per family to purchase healthcare is insulting as the current costs are more than $8,000. John Kerry has supported real tax breaks for the middle class and working poor. He has vowed to eliminate corporate greed and handouts to the wealthiest Americans.

To use the term "redistribution" to denote allowing people to keep the money they earn is so disingenuous as to warrant contempt. Redistribution is taxing the rich at a rate far higher than you would the middle and lower classes, then spending that money on a slew of programs that not only fail to deal with the problems of healthcare, homelessness and unemployment; but concurrently foster feelings of entitlement toward government handouts and an unmitigated reliance on government rather than personal initiative. People have the right to enjoy the fruits of their labor; and taking from the wealthy to give to the poor is not only a moral wrong; it is bad public policy. Stealing from the rich is still theft; and stealing for the poor is as morally wrong as ignoring them.

Roll Out! from the mind of Unknown.

I'm heading down to Central Point, OR to see the President tonight, and possibly some pretty great people that are reportedly traveling with him. I'm excited, to say the least.

I made this pin to wear:



Maybe it will get some exposure.

I hope to have pictures posted by midnight. Stay tuned.

Effortless Voting? from the mind of Zeke_Wilkins.

How is it that the loudest cries for social activism and the registration of new voters are also the laziest jerks on the planet?

First you have all these "get out the vote" drives. Am I the only person who thinks that only people who actually take the time to seek out a means of registering to vote, should actually vote? Yes, voting is a right, but do we really want people who have to wait until they are approached in public to register, to participate in the upcoming election? It is a sad and telling move by the political left when they resort to the kind of hand-holding they engage in to register voters. Make no mistake, liberals are banking on these uninformed and unmotivated newly registered voters to turn out in droves to vote for their man Kerry.

Another annoying manifestation of this helpless mindset can be evidenced in a letter to the editor of the Oregon Daily Emerald (found here), written by nutty professor Frank Stahl. Dr. Stahl is upset that University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmeyer did not take more steps to establish a quorum at the 2003 University Senate vote to authorize the University to take a political stand on the war in Iraq. Hey Frank, here's a thought: maybe you couldn't get a quorum because people either didn't care about your agenda, or had enough intellectual honesty to admit that it isn't the job of a University to take such a stand. Yes there were obstacles for people intent on attending the vote, but truly passionate voters will overcome such hurdles. Your pacifist drivel just didn't inspire enough individuals for you to get your quorum: go cry in the corner.

Finally, it has been pointed out that the level of security to ensure the identity of voters in Afgahnistan's recent election puts the measures taken in the U.S. to shame. Drudge is now reporting a new voter fraud scandal in Colorado (see here), and proposals to require photo ID at polling places is routinely called "racist" or simply painted as an attempt to reduce the turnout of blacks and the poor.

I'd like to see more effort on the part of voters: more effort to register themselves without having to be browbeaten in supermarket parking lots and college campuses, more effort to become informed, and more effort to support measures that protect the integrity of the election. Let's all reclaim voting as a right and a tradition that requires effort and sacrifice.

Guns At Lane Community College (Oregon) from the mind of Zeke_Wilkins.

Lane Community College has been told by its attorney that the current policy of banning handguns is legally untenable. A potential policy change is in the works. Can you hear the paranoid anti-gunners screaming yet? The story can be found in the Register Guard [sorry, I tried linking to it and had troubles].

Hopefully the policy change will go smoothly and will bring the LCC into compliance with Oregon state statute. Several surrounding public school districts have already done so; while the bastion of tolerance and diversity, the University of Oregon, treats its faculty, staff and students and homicidal dolts who can be trusted with cars and alcohol, but not firearms.

Bush to Visit S. Oregon from the mind of Unknown.

Here is the page that will give details about a Bush rally in Central Point. I will try to make it down there and report back.

The Real Coalition of the Bribed from the mind of Unknown.

Read it. Great Britain, Japan, Poland, Australia... well... they just don't seem to be on this list.

John Kerry for Heisman from the mind of Unknown.

This is one of those 'must see' pages. I think it really highlights some reasons not to use botox. I hear that his boyhood dream was to play at 'Lambert Field'. I think it's somewhere in Wisconsin....

Afganistan Candidates lear from Gore from the mind of Unknown.

Is the DNC in Afghanistan? It looks as though no elections are ever going to be held without fraud and disenfranchisement arguments. Way to go, DNC! In 2000, you ushered in a new era of distrust in the democratic process.

Might I say, all of these issues only matter in a close election. If an election is a landslide, then any effect from fraud or voting irregularities won't be strong enough to skew the results... Unless it is a really big fraud or irregularity.

Evan's Post Debate Wrap Up from the mind of Unknown.

Transcript of Debate #2 here.
A few fact checks at CNN from the debates
The CIA report on Iraqi Weapons. You should read this if you haven't. I wouldn't trust the media to interpret it for you. At least read the 'Key findings' part. It sure reads differently than Mr. Kerry's interpretation. Anyone who says 'The Sanctions were WORKING!!!' hasn't read this report, or they have on some very powerful liberal blinders.

Thoughts about online polls: The democratic party and many of their sympathizers have been in force trying to get people to flood the online polls and be sure that the different media outlets can report that Kerry won the debate, based on those polls. Well... two things that we could do. One, we could try to match their floods and balance their votes. But, more effectively, we could go to the same polls and vote for kerry, so the results are so lopsided that they would not be believable. I personally only endorse this approach on non-scientific polls, like the one at MSNBC, or CBS. Well, they are pretty easy to find.

Damning Documentary of Kerry's positions on National Security A must see. Trust me. (hat tip, Blogs for Bush)

Bush Kills! from the mind of Unknown.

In a comedic sense, that is. It was great to see the President not hold back and speak the truth about his opponent. The opposition's cheap shots have not gone unanswered now, and with force the President showed his conviction and ideas to the American public. All I have to say is: Way to go, Prez! I'm proud to have you leading me.

Now, let's go off and vote on the online polls for Bush. He was the clear winner in this one.

FBI at the Border from the mind of Unknown.

Progress in Homeland Security. good news on keeping foreign criminals out of our country. If you believe JK and JE, you would never be able to believe that this is happening.

Tax on Men for Violence on Women Proposed from the mind of Unknown.

Luckily, in Sweeden. This is what happens when the government takes over your life. People actually look at taxing all men to pay for the low number of men who cause problems. How about this: Enforce laws that protect your citizens. Throw woman-beaters in jail, and make jail a not nice place. They might make good cars, but they don't make good government.

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Diplomacy at work....

North Korea is running out of time. It has been pretty amazing to see the side-by-side differences between the diplomatic processes with the DPRK compared to the process that we used with Iraq. If Iraq had been freed of the sanctions or was able to obtain Nuclear Weaponry (or other kinds of weapons that could cause mass destruction of life and property), could you imagine the prospects of 6 party talks with Saddam? I don't think so. Now that the DPRK has it's finger on the red button at all times, we are not really left with many currently accepted options but to deal with this diplomaticly. Of course we could just obliterate the entire northern half of the Korean Peninsula and not have the problem to deal with any more, but we, as a country, have prioritized reducing civilian casualties in our military actions. Hopefully Mr. ElBaradei will be able to generate some force to deal with the regime in one way or another. It would be nice if the international community would step up on its own instead of having to be lead by the 20 or 30 nations that are willing to defend all free countries.

I just can't stop thinking about how much of a joke 6 party talks with Saddam would have been. They would have been as useful as a deadbolt lock on a tent. Or perhaps a bottle of sunblock on a spelunking trip. Oh! Oh! I'll stop now. I don't want to cause any hernias from laughing too hard....

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Saddam's Obsessions

Since Saddam was obsessed with Iran as an enemy, one can only assume that Saddam was planning on reviving his Nuke Program. Iran has been fairly public about their Nuclear program, and their main rival as military superpower in the middle east (Except for Israel, but in the minds of Iran and Saddam's Iraq, Israel didn't count.) one could only assume that the nuclearization of Iran would have lead to the nuclearization of a de-sanctioned Iraq. Once again, another reason to remove Saddam. Now on to those mullahs....

Peace through strength sure has its upsides, doesn't it?

Saddam's weapon-building intent from the mind of Unknown.

Report details Saddam's weapon-building intent - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

We may never know the extent of what was to come, but I think that is much better than the 'wait and see' approach that I'm sure we would be taking under an administration of the other party. I am so comforted that our current administration won't wait for another attack to happen in order to take these guys out.

Fahrenhype 9/11 from the mind of Zeke_Wilkins.

For those who haven't heard, Dick Morris has created a rebuttal of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Featuring Zell Miller, Ann Coulter, Ed Koch, Morris himself, Ron Silver, David Frum and others, the movie systematically responds to the allegations in Fahrenheit. I watched it after the Veep debate and it was great. Certainly worth the $4 that Blockbuster charged. Furthermore, I was happy Blockbuster actually chose to carry it, since in an interview with Sean Hannity, Morris said there was some uncertainty as to how wide the circulation would be.

Charles Rangel is a Bastard Hypocrite from the mind of Zeke_Wilkins.

Breaking news...

After months of fear-mongering by calling for a reinstatement of the draft, Representative Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) had his worst fears realized this evening when House Republicans moved his bill (H.R. 163) out of committee and called for a roll-call vote. The results - which can be seen here - are interesting: the bill was defeated by a 2-to-402 vote (29 representatives did not vote). Even more interesting was the fact that neither of the two democrats who voted "yea" was Rangel himself!

Not only was this a brilliant piece of political maneuvering by the republicans to show up Rangel, it completely eliminates the conspiracy-talk (started by 527's and perpetuated by CBS) that Bush would reinstate the draft during his second term.

A note to Representative Rangel: the only thing that could add to the shame of you playing on the fears and dimwittedness of your liberal constituency was for you to not even vote for your own bill. Shame on you.

Debate 1 Facts from the mind of Unknown.

GeorgeWBush.com :: Debate 1 Facts is a site that the Bush Camp uses to respond to the claims of Senator Kerry. It is fairly complete. I'll be checking after the next debates... you should too.

Mark R. Levin on Debate #1 from the mind of Unknown.

This National Review Article keeps the eye on the ball in a way the mainstream media can't. Highlights: Kerry confusing a Nazi Concentration camp with a KGB installation. Kerry getting dates wrong. Kerry touting the promises of previously failed policy.

This would be a great thing to recommend to your friends who claim Kerry won the debate. This just reminds us that when you face a lawyer against a businessman/pilot in a public speech contest, you might actually have to listen to the content rather than just judge them on their presentation.

Zeke's Reading List from the mind of Zeke_Wilkins.

I'm in the midst of reading some interesting books, so let me share:

Bias and Arrogance by Bernard Goldberg:

I've finished reading Bias and am a third of the way through Arrogance. Both books give a revealing glimpse into how the media works. Dan Rather is mentioned in the beginning of Bias and I thought that reading the books in the aftermath of Rathergate was timely. I especially like Goldberg's take on the liberal bias of the media: he states that it is not a conspiracy, but that the liberal views of journalists are so uniform that they honestly believe they are middle of the road and anyone who disagrees with them is on the fringe of society. An interesting tidbit I learned was that not only is the New York Times significant in it's own right; but that ABC, CBS and NBC search the pages to see what they should be covering. Goldberg also goes into detail about the attitudes toward the viewing public that "mainstream" journalists have.

How I Accidentally Joined The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (And Found Inner Peace) by Harry Stein

This is a real book. I heard about it in Bias and decided to see what it was about. The book was much easier to find than I thought it would be. I got it at the local public library no less! I am halfway through and the premise is similar to Goldberg's. The book recounts the political evolution of Mr. Stein starting with him marrying and having children. I'll have more to say when I'm finished.

The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater

I am ashamed to admit that I know very little about Barry Goldwater - but I am a product of public education. I'm a third of the way through this short book and amazed at the clarity and conviction of Mr. Goldwater's writing. He begins the book (published in 1960) by encouraging conservatives to stop apologizing for being conservative. I look forward to finishing this book since already the message seems to be as timely as ever.

Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman

Milton Friedman is another figure who I've heard of, but know close to nothing about. P. J. O'Rourke in Eat the Rich recommends Friedman, and so far (about a quarter of the book) he doesn't disappoint. Friedman does a great job of detailing exactly how political and economic freedom are intertwined and what the proper scope of government should be. I'm sure I'll have more to write about as I get further into the book, but here is a great excerpt:

"... a major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it does this task [preventing one person interfering with another's activities] so well. It gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguements against a free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself."

9 Days in a Week from the mind of Unknown.

This last week, I had a 9 day week. How's that? Well, flying back from Japan at the right time of day makes for a week that consists of M T W T F S F S. I took off from Osaka on Saturday, crossed the Int'l Dateline before midnight bumping it back to Friday then changing to Saturday again a few hours later.

So, with a week that is so much longer than normal (18 hours longer, I think) one would think that more could be accomplished in that week. So, in order to do this, I thought I would take the opportunity to pay attention to the 3 different border control and customs agents that I would encounter. I from my observations, I can claim three things. 1) people wishing to do harm to the US should enter from the east instead of the west. 2) Canada practices racial profiling. 3) US border agents are serious about their jobs compared to the other countries' counterparts.

1) The searches I encountered going from Japan to Canada (My flight went from Kansai Airport to Vancouver to Portland.) was non existent. Now, I'm sure I don't look like a terrorist, but I had all of my stuff that I had over there for a year. I'm sure that some of the odd camera equipment or hard drives (not attached to computers) should have thrown up flags. The only extra checks that I endured was my film, which I requested to be checked by hand. In Japan, they didn't even swab the film, they just opened up the ziplock bag and kind of looked at it. I think that Japan would be an easy place to come into N. America with naughty pieces.

2) As I was coming off of the plane in Vancouver, I was on a plane with 3 main 'groups' of people. Japanese, English speaking white people and French speaking white people. From what I could see, there was only one person on the plane that didn't fit that description. When he showed his passport to the initial border guards, they grilled him. I tried to see what his passport said, but I think that he was from Russia (I think I saw a 'RUS' on one of his documents. He looked to be from the area near the 'Stans' in the southern part of the country. All guesses on my part, I must add.) Boy, oh boy, did he get grilled. If it had been in the US, and the ACLU had seen that, I'm sure that the guard would lose his job. Or more. Not one single Japanese looking or 'American looking' person was even asked one question. We just held up our passports and cruised right along. All I have to say is, good for those border guards.

3) Even though they were practicing things that are 'illegal' but valuable in the US fight against domestic terror, all in all, their border controls are much more smiley and much less serious than the US border controls. In Vancouver, there are actually 2 sets of customs and border guards. This allows all people flying into the US to be pre-cleared by customs which simplifies the process once the traveler arrives in the US. So, side by side, I got to compare the two experiences. The US agents asked everybody very stern and serious questions, where the Canadian agents engaged me in small talk. The Canadian agents did employ a swab test to my film and camera equipment, but no further searches were done. In a way, it was a little disappointing to see so little attention paid to me. I had many interesting things in my bag that I thought would set off flags for the screeners, but it wasn't so. So, either the screening equipment is very thorough or the security is relaxed. They did not give an image of being a tough security environment.

So, I'm back in the USA. It's good to be home. Travel is educational, and living abroad can be even more so, but the best part of going away is always coming home. I love my country.

Sayonara from the mind of Unknown.

Well, with mixed feelings, I'm finally leaving Japan. I'll be back home in the land of 6' 8" doorjambs and right side driving soon.

I'll have a first hand account of our nation's border security as well. I'll be posting an update.

So, this is Evan, Signing off from Japan.