Segment 1
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE?
It seems the US Air Force misplaced five nuclear warheads a couple of weeks ago. Ops! A B-52 bomber mistakenly loaded with five nuclear warheads flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, resulting in an Air Force-wide investigation, according to three officers who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the incident. Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Ed Thomas said the transfer was safely conducted and the weapons were in Air Force custody and control at all times. However, the mistake was not discovered until the B-52 landed at Barskdale, which left the warheads unaccounted for during the approximately 3-1/2 hour flight between the two bases, the officers said.
“Nuclear warheads mistakenly flown on B-52”, http://www.thetowntalk.com/, Sep 4, 2007
Let’s see…they lose five nuclear warheads for three and half hours but that can assure us there was no risk of detonation. If you don’t know where they are, how the hell can you assure us they are not going to go off?
HHHEEEEERRRREEEEEE’S FRED!
Senator Fred Thompson decided to forgo the Fox Republican debate and announce his bid for the White House on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He was quoted as saying more people watch the Tonight Show than a debate. Thompson made his candidacy official in a 15-minute Webcast that aired at midnight, around the same time he was seen on the East Coast chatting with Jay Leno on a taped broadcast of NBC's "Tonight Show."
“Thompson announces candidacy on Leno”, http://www.breitbart.com/ Sep 6, 2007
Is it a smart move on Thompson’s part to bypass a traditional political forum such as a typically low-rated, political debate for a high-rated, late night talk show? Will this truly help him connect with voters. Point being, are those who are likely to vote in a primary watching the debate or Leno?
UNDER 40 VOTER BLOCK
A new book by Bryan Caplan, The Myth of the Rational Voter, points out that people don’t like their world view challenged, thus, we vote for candidates who make us feel good – in other words, irrationally. Voters don’t fear consequences so they indulge their biases. John Stossell says that he is okay with young voters who don’t care to vote because “most of you don’t know anything yet.”
“Economic Illiteracy”, Wednesday, Aug 1st, 2007
What do you think about Stossell’s perspective? Should everyone of age 18 be allowed to vote no matter their level of education? Is it a bad idea to launch get out the vote campaigns that often serve merely to get out the uneducated vote? Should we require current event tests for people under 25 prior to entering the voting booth so that they earn their right to vote? Since most would simply walk out rather than go through the hassle of taking a test, would the “walk-out rate” be a good litmus test for whether they have any business voting?
Segment 3
TERROR FRONT – THE LONG HIGHWAY
In the wake of 9-11 earlier this week, General David Patreaus is focusing the nation on progress in Iraq as the front in the war on terror. But terror fronts are like Halo video game environments, they all look different, there are many of them, and the name of the game is Decentralization. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff talks tough out of one side of his department for cracking down on “sanctuary cities” for illegals in the U.S. and hinting at taking away their government funding. At the same time, he serves under an Administration that just ramped up the release of over 100 Mexican trucking companies onto U.S. highways trafficking goods, products, services, and the occasional soul longing for freedom in the New World or longing to bring his brand of “reality” by who knows what means.
“The Security and Prosperity Partnership” http://www.cis.org/articles/2007/back607.html, June 2007
“Mexican trucks approved for longhaul…” http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57533
“Chertoff warns meddling sanctuary cities” http://www.washingtontimes.com, September 6, 2007
How do you reconcile the idea that you are protecting national security in a war on terror and opening U.S. borders to illegals, especially trucking companies? Isn’t it easier to smuggle dangerous cargo in a big rig than in your back pocket? What do you think of the Securities and Prosperities Partnership? Is this inevitable in the U.S.? Is this a good effort to build alliances with our border nations to project a more united front against terror? After all, the Canadians don’t seem to trust the Russians any more than we do and what American doesn’t love a good chimicanga? Would be a different issue regarding national sovereignty if we were expanding our borders as opposed to simply opening them, making Mexico our 51st state?
Segment 5
STRONG MEN?
A new book about the presidency of George W. Bush, Dead Certain, quotes the President saying that “self-pity is the worst thing that can happen to a presidency” and that “I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot. I do a lot of crying in this job” when he reflected on soldiers that have made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror.
Disregard your personal feelings about George W. Bush’s presidency. Can a man, let alone a President who is charged to project American power, cry? Is emotion like this a sign of weakness or strength? Should the American people feel more or less confident in leaders who are able and willing to cry? If “Big Girls Don’t Cry” do men have any business crying? What does a willingness or ability to cry say about a person? What about an unwillingness?
Segment 6
SURPRISE! MY CHILD IS SMARTER THAN YOUR CHIMP.
European scientists have found that children are smarter than chimpanzees. A unique study comparing the abilities of human toddlers to chimpanzees and orangutans found that two-year-old children have social learning skills superior to the apes, the researchers said.
”Shock: Kids smarter than chimps” http://www.news.com.au/story
Wow, Scientists are now finding humans are smarter than apes and it seems to surprise them. Have they compared to cognitive skills of research scientist to those of primates? The primates might fare better. On the other hand, how dare chimps go out and try and disprove what hundreds of years of science has tried to justify – their similar cognitive capabilities to humans. Don’t they have any appreciation for what’s been done on behalf of their image?! If they keep this up, we may bump them back down the evolutionay ladder.
THE GENERAL “DON’T BETRAY US” REPORT
The week prior to U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' Congressional testimony, Congressional Democrats worked overtime to undermine his findings saying the general is a mouthpiece for President Bush and his findings can't be trusted. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin referred to the report as "The Bush report." "We know what is going to be in it. It's clear. I think the president's trip over to Iraq makes it very obvious," the Illinois Democrat said. "I expect the Bush report to say, 'The surge is working. Let's have more of the same.
“Dems already discount war report” http://washingtontimes.com, September 6, 2007
Why do some of our political leaders seem to have a vested interest in our defeat in Iraq? What does victory in Iraq look like? Will the Petraeus report really change opinions or will pundits take elements out of context to justify their current opinions? Are we determined not to let the facts get in the way of what we already believe? Why is it difficult to change the opinions of those who are emotionally invested in an argument?
Segment 10
TERROR FRONT(S) – THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY
The Dept. of Defense focuses on traditional warfare, the Dept. of Homeland Security deals with border warfare, and yet a new warfront is going largely unnoticed – possibly because the terrorists on this front look more like Steve Erkel than Rambo or Conan: The Barbarian. The world of cyber-terror came alive in Estonia recently and the U.S. is just starting to grapple with its implications.
“Web War One” Wired Magazine, pp. 163-169; 182-184, September 2007
Is the U.S. doing enough on the cyber-terror front? Is this a real-world Revenge of the Nerds? Is it a real or imagined threat? Even if it’s real, for the sake of posterity, let’s imagine a threat. What would a successful “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”-attack look like on U.S. soil? How do you feel the U.S. stacks up with world prestige when it comes to the number of “Vetted Anti-Cyber Terror geeks”(those elite nerds who hold the trust factor worldwide within the hacker nerd community)?