Big Sky Cairn

There was an interesting article on Real Clear Politics, today. That contained this practically forgotten gem.

Here’s Obama in his own words to the Chicago Sun-Times on November 4, 2004: “I was elected yesterday. . . . I have never set foot in the U.S. Senate. I’ve never worked in Washington. And the notion that somehow I’m immediately going to start running for higher office just doesn’t make sense. So look, I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years, and my entire focus is making sure that I’m the best possible senator on behalf of the people of Illinois. . . . I am not running for president in 2008.” Oops. Within two years, that promise gave way to personal aspirations; Obama has, in fact, spent more time running for a higher office than serving in his current one.

The opinion piece also contained a link to a photo that I had not seen before.  Apparently, the leather seat that Obama uses on his Air Force One like plane says “President” on the headrest.

I thought the author made some interesting points about how presumptuous the Obama campaign has become since winning the Dem primary, and even before that.  I think we’ve all been hearing that Obama is a shoo-in for so long now that we’ve forgotten that most candidates, particularly candidates for president, don’t often speak in those terms.

It’s worth a read.

On Saturday, I flew down to Denver to visit some relatives.  And while flying out of the Butte Airport has never been terribly convenient, TSA has now made it downright infuriating.

The airport has no X-Ray machine for checked baggage so, all the luggage is hand searched. Because it’s just so much fun to watch someone you don’t know sort through your suitcase in full view of all the other passengers.  The poor college student at the front of the line was probably sorry that she packed her lacy unmentionables on top of her other clothes.

But while we may not have an X-Ray machine, the imbeciles at Homeland Security decided that we needed not one, but two machines to check for explosive substances.  So, the screeners also swab every piece of luggage inside and out for bomb making materials.

At the security checkpoint, TSA has no fewer than four agents crammed into a tiny 10 by 10 space.  One to check your ticket and ID at the door, one to operate the X-Ray machine, one to supervise the operation of the X-Ray machine, and another to re-check your boarding pass and ID before you walk through the metal detector.  And while these agents are never more than an arms length from one another they insist on talking on headsets.

The agents also take great pleasure in running luggage through the X-Ray machine while standing around the monitor saying things like, “Well, that cord there could be something,” and “That looks like a mass of some kind.”  Sometimes they run a bag through the machine three or four times so that they can examine every single blip on the screen in depth.  This group-think caused yours truly to stand there for almost 15 minutes (with no shoes on) while the man in front of me had his bag run through the machine over and over again.

The suspicious item that had TSA all aflutter? A cell phone charger.  The fiend.

After finally collecting my shoes, I walked the twenty-feet to the boarding gate.  But before I could enter the jetway, another TSA official emerged from a dark corner to perform a “random gate screening.” I didn’t even know they could do this, but apparently, they can.  I guess his “behavioral training” told him that I was behaving suspiciously.

The agent took my bag and rifled through it’s contents.  After discovering that I had a tube of chapstick and a tiny vial of Visine in the pocket, he looked at me and said, “Ma’am all liquids, gels, aerosols and creams must be in a Ziploc baggy.”   He then tossed my items in a nearby trash can.  Not content with his inspection, he then asked me to turn on my iPod and open a small black coin purse to make sure that I had no other contraband.

Of the two-dozen or so people on the flight, I was the only one chosen for this special privilege.

Also, frequent fliers, like myself, have learned that you never want to be the first person in the security line because that person is always selected for additonal screening.  During which, you are patted down in full view of the other passengers and everyone else in the airport.  If you’re a woman this includes the oh so awesome part where the female TSA official runs her thumbs around the wires of your bra and gropes the snaps on your jeans.  Embarassing and uncomfortable, great.

Based on my count for the 6:40 AM flight to Salt Lake City the ratio of TSA employees to passengers was 1:5.  Even if you filled both of Butte’s departure flights, you’d still only be screening 96 passengers per day.  That means that there is one TSA screener for every 12 passengers. A bit of overkill when you consider that airports in larger cities are understaffed.

I know there will be those who say that these people are just doing their job.  But the fact that we have an explosive detection device but not an X-Ray machine is asinine.  The idea that I need to be screened at check in, at the security point and then at the gate when these locations are not even 50 feet apart is ridiculous. And the fact that I have to be patted down and have my luggage sorted through with absolutely no regard for my privacy is infuriating.

I’ve flown out of the Helena airport, the Bozeman airport and the Missoula airport on several occassions and never been selected for additional screening, a hand search of my bag or a gate check.  I’ve traveled to major cities and foreign countries where the airport security personnel packed sub-machine guns and never had any trouble. And yet, every time I go to  the Butte airport, I have my privacy violated by government employees who root through my suitcase and carry on to justify their own existence.

When you consider that many of Montana’s smaller airports have no screeners and that large cities don’t have enough screeners, it seems even more ridiculous that Butte has so many over zealous bureaucrats rifling through our belongings and invading our privacy.  I would rather drive to Helena and pick up a flight there than fly out of Butte.  And since the Helena flights are often cheaper, I don’t see myself flying out of Butte any time soon.

A lady walks into my office today, and tells me that her children are going to be democrats for Halloween.

“I’m sorry?”

They’re going to trick or treat from 5 til 10 and then we’re going to make them give half of their candy away.

Second joke…

Why should you vote republican? Because we get bang for your buck.

We spent 150,000 on Sarah Palin and she looks like a million bucks.

Jack over at Western Word is my favorite blogger in the Dextrasphere.  He never ceases to amaze me with the material he finds to write about.

Today, he had a really interesting a post about why he is choosing Waterman for Chief Justice.  Within the post, he included a link to a website that explains in detail Mike McGrath’s poor managerial skills and refusal to reign in the Montana’s Crime Lab.  The information on the website is quite chilling.

It’s definitely worth a read.

On the Fourth of July, Butte Silver-Bow went out of our way for Barack Obama.  Police officers, firefighters, Search and Rescue members and many other county employees gave up their holiday to provide security for his visit.  Volunteers threw a birthday party for his daughter and made sure that she wasn’t left out on a day that could have easily been all about her dad.  And in general, Butte rolled out the red carpet for the Obama’s.

Then yesterday, I’m on Western Word and I see this crap.

Tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Katie asked Barack Obama and John McCain the question: “When was the last time you cried and why?”

Barack Obama talked about a birthday party for his daughter when they were visiting Montana over the Fourth of July (I believe in Butte).

He said we were in a small hotel, like a Holiday Inn, and about putting together a little party for his daughter’s 10th birthday.

He talked about the cake and family and then he said, “…there was some food which wasn’t, you know, stellar…”

Well Senator, I’m so sorry that the food wasn’t up to your standards.

Think about that for a second, you know some restaurant owner in town was probably super excited when they found out that they would be cooking for the candidate, only to find out that food “you know, wasn’t stellar.”  Which is politician speak for it was bad.

I mean here he is telling a story about how he was moved to tears by this birthday party and then, BAM!, and by the way the food wasn’t that good.  Was that really one of the defining moments of the party for you?  How petty can you be?

Maybe I’m overreacting but this is the second time this Fall that a Democrat who Butte supporters has bashed my town.  First Schweitzer and his trial lawyers bs, and now this.   Who else wants to take a shot?

I was checking Drudge today when I saw something so ludicrous that it could only be considered laugh out loud funny.

An article on SkyNews was describing how footage of John McCain as a POW is being released from the French archive, and they decided to use this gem in the second paragraph:

The video portrays the Republican as a hero but the message may be tarnished as he is filmed smoking a cigarette.

Seriously? The man was shot down, bayonetted and tortured but the story of his patriotism might be tainted because he smoked a cigarette!  Un-be-lievable.

First off, who wasn’t smoking in the 70s?  Second, if I got stabbed in the chest and was being held in a Vietnamese hospital by people who just 24 hours before had been trying to kill me, I’d probably want a little nicotine too.  M

My gosh, how politically correct are we expected to be?  Will someone now demand that we CGI the footage to replace the cigarette with a delicious lollipop.  Oh wait, suckers are made with high fructose corn syrup can’t have that.

Maybe we can have him sucking on a straw.  Oh but aren’t straws made of petroleum based plastics, nope that won’t work.  Wait we can make it a biodegradable straw made of compressed corn!  After all, McCain is a maverick. He should be leading the green energy movement three decades in advance.

Out with the unhealthy cigarette and in with the eco-friendly compostable straws.

Way to embrace the mavericky maverickness.

A brief programming note, things have been slow here at BSC for about a month now.  Cody has fallen into married life and failed to leave a trail of bread crumbs to find his way out.  As for Brad, he insists that he’ll be back soon.  So until then, I and my moderate views will be holding down the fort.

That sound you heard was a shiver running down Cody’s spine. Now, back to the post.

Barack Obama has raised $605 million dollars.  That’s greater than the GDP of 17 of the world’s countries.  But with twelve days to the election he is not giving up on separating his supporters from their hard earned cash. In an effort to keep feeding his gluttonous coffers, Obama is trading “special-edition” car magnets for a $10 contribution.  And what is he spending all of this money on?

Well, he’s enlisted the City of Chicago to help throw him a lavish Election Night party in Grant Park.  According to Mayor Daley the outdoor venue will create a logistical nightmare and cost the city a minimum of $2 million, but whatever right?

Obama’s campaign will reimburse the City (which is running a massive deficit already) for the costs, but they don’t want to move it indoors to one of Chicago’s big sports arenas which would be Daley’s preference.  Because why save the people and government of Chicago major hassles? I mean who cares if the massive police presence required will divert attention from other areas?  Who cares if everyone from the transit authority to the utility companies to the local residents will be seriously inconvenienced?  He’s Barack Obama and he can do whatever he wants.

Maybe he’ll bring back the Roman columns?

And if you were curious as to where Obama is getting all of this money, Missoulaopolis has an interesting post about the Obama website’s lax controls.  Apparently the name and address that you are providing does not need to match the name and address of the credit card that you are using.  The website also doesn’t require the three digit security code to make a donation.

So, in theory, if you wanted to cheat the system you could do so pretty easily.  Just input your number and the name and address of another person.  Or simply make up a fake name and address for your real credit card number.   Nice way to get around those pesky FEC rules right?  McCain’s website requires a matching address and security code.

I’ve commented before about my dislikeof all the money being spent on this campaign.  But it’s beginning to take on a new dimension.

Obama claims he’s for tax breaks.  He claims that he understands how money is tight for most people during this economic slump.  And he claims that he will embrace fiscal responsibility if elected.  But all I’ve watched the guy do for 10 months now is beg for money so that he can buy everything from car magnets to special half-hour television programs.

Obama’s made a LOT of promises to a lot of people, and it is going to take a lot of money to keep those promises.  So, either he’s going to end up raising taxes to pay for these commitments or he’s going to end up breaking his promises.  And my guess is that with how liberally he raises and spends money on his campaign, his Administration will spend every penny they can get to keep those promises.

While I do believe in party unity, sometimes it’s time to call a spade a spade.  Michelle Bachmann is certifiable, and I am thrilled that the NRCC is pulling its monies out of her race.

If we do lose seats in this election, let’s hope we lose those people who have made a mockery of themselves, this party, the Congress and the country.  Getting rid of Bachmann is a good start.  Having an R behind the name is not reason enough to keep putting up with her embarassing crap day after day.

**Update** NRCC has also pulled it’s money out of the Colorado 4th.  The District is home to the Queen of the Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage, Marilyn Musgrave.  The NRCC gave me two presents in one day, and I didn’t get them anything.  Maybe I should send a muffin basket?

Some of you may not agree with me, or you may call me a RINO, I don’t care.  I think this is good news.  You’re entitled to your opinion.

Remember Mark Foley?  The closeted gay man making sexual overtures toward underage Congressional pages while decrying homosexuality and pedophilia on the floor of the House of Representatives.  Of course, you remember him.

Well the Democrat who replace him as the Representative for Florida’s 16th District, Tim Mahoney, has been accused of having an affair with one of his staffers and then paying her to keep it quiet.  Friends of the staffer, Patricia Allen, told the AP that Mahoney also threatened to fire Allen if she ended the affair.

Allen denies any wrongdoing and has asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that an investigation should happen “immediately.”

The Florida 16th is cursed.

The Montana GOP is taking a lot of heat for asking the state of Montana to ensure that the lists of registered voters - the list of voters that will have a say in how Montanans choose to be governed - is accurate. The Gazette goes so far as to suggest that the cigar-filled-room-motive behind this effort is to reduce voter turnout. Please.

Over at Western Word, Jack does a great job of walking through these accusations with a little common sense.

The Gazette Editorial Board writes, “Those who receive the challenge letters initiated by the GOP ought to make a point of voting. We suggest that they encourage their friends, family and neighbors to vote, too.”

What the Gazette says is correct, but they failed to mention these people should be “legally” able to vote. I am sure the Gazette would like to see a fair and legal election.

Ultimately, though, it comes down to this simple fact. For every soldier or teacher or firefighter that the Democrats are parading in front of the media because they are asked to face the inconvenience of ensuring they are properly and legally registered, there is the possibility of that soldier’s or teacher’s or firefighter’s vote being negated by an illegally cast ballot from out of state.

A friend of mine did some data-mining in Helena. The State of Washington posts their voter roles online, so a comparison could be done. Out of those voters, at least fifteen were registered in both Washington and Montana - and that’s only a cross-section of one state. There are 48 other states that these voters may be duel-registered in.

Here are the 15 People currently registered in both Montana and Washington:

[Edit: I decided to remove the names since, as I originally said, these people have done nothing wrong; my point was merely to show that such people existed]

Now, I’m not suggesting that any of these people have or intend to do anything wrong. Certainly, it takes time for voter roles to update when someone moves, and there’s a good chance that most of these are people that have no intention of voting twice. There’s no way to tell if they have recently arrived in Montana or left. But if a single one of these voters does end up voting in two states, their illegal Montana vote may just as likely cancel as bolster the vote of a Montana soldier or teacher or firefighter. Or you.

So, on my behalf, the Montana GOP is asking 6,000 people to confirm their eligibility in Montana to cast a vote. Doing so helps ensure the sanctity of my vote - and yours. It’s prophylactic. And in Missoula, where the voting has already begun, it turns out the request isn’t that big a pill to swallow.

Among those challenged was Ian Mucci, 23, of Missoula, who has moved twice in the last year and run into all sorts of problems with the U.S. Postal Service delivering his mail.

He said that if voting involves an easy fix to the challenge, that’s OK. If it’s denying him the right to vote, he’ll take issue with the whole thing.

“I think it’s a pain in the butt, but it’s not like we are asked to give our blood or firstborn child,” he said.

Is this about voter suppression? Of course not! But if we’re going to throw that phrase out there, how much more likely is it that someone won’t vote if they don’t think their vote will be counted fairly?

Given the lengths to which Governor Brian Schweitzer bragged about going to secure his promise that Montana would elect Tester in 2006, Montanans need to be absolutely concerned about what he is willing to do in 2008. It’s worth noting that in the now infamous Philadelphia speech Schweitzer also guaranteed that Obama would win Montana. That’s a pretty big check Schweitzer wrote, and Montanans have heard first-hand the lengths he will take to cash it.

Update: Not sure where I got the idea that there were only 56 people challenged in Helena.  That is, obviously, incorrect.