Misc.

1 am this morning – Glad I can sleep in a bit this morning – at least no show to get early for this morning.  Love doing the show, but need some beauty rest… 

Brrring!   Brrrring!

5:30 am "….hello…?"

"Skip, you up brother?"

"…am now, Jeff!"

Yup – wasn’t scheduled, but will help out a friend anytime – just hand me a can of Mountain Dew….dang, open eyes Skip, you just dropped it on your toes…. Here’s the links that we used during the show:

1. Town employees now allowed to have guns at work
2. Follow up from yesterday: School backs down on "no Pledge zone" (but not in classrooms)
3. Radar gift from Iran to Syria – uh-oh
4. US Justice Dept still stonewalling on why voter intimidation suit against New Black Panther group was dropped.
5. Carol Shea-Porter continues stonewalling on where / from whom she got high schooler home addresses.

We only had time to address #1, #2, and #5.  I have to admit, when I first started to read #1, I almost had a "snorting out nose Mtn Dew" experience:

NOTTINGHAM – The board of selectman approved a new policy last week allowing town employees to carry guns to work.

Selectman Mary Bonser, whose family runs the Cedar Waters Village Nudist Park, asked during the board of selectman’s June 21 meeting to amend the employee handbook to allow employees to bring guns on town property. The change was approved unanimously.

My first reaction back to Jeff (before the caffeine kicked in) was:

Man, that first one is full of irony – nudist camp owner in favor of concealed carry?

No, don’t go there, reader! But the rest of it really brings to the fore a very serious problem (in my eyes):

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Week 25 – getting better (again)

Previous weeks after the jump:

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From Bob Bestani on business in Bejing…

[Ed. note: What does it say about China when 2 ‘Groksters are there at the same time for different business activities? Terry, contributor to GilfordGrok, writes of his time in China here and here.]

After nearly a quarter century of visiting China, this country never ceases to amaze. In the mid 1980s, Beijing was still a very gray and shockingly backwards city. Cars were few and far between; the landscape was flat with the tallest building being only six stories or so; rivers of bicycles flowed throughout the city; its very somber people were dressed in uniforms of gray, blue or green Mao suits. Peat was still the most commonly used fuel to heat homes, even though it cast a thick pall of smoke and haze over the entire city. Rickshaws were the taxi’s of the day.
 
Today, Beijing is a colossal international city, with countless skyscrapers and modern ten lane highways that of necessity run through and around the city to serve its 17 million people. Every make and model of car has taken over the city streets. Its citizens are very brightly dressed in all the modern designer labels, and obviously happy with the prosperity they now enjoy. Every western brand of fast food restaurants, clothes, and vendors like Lenscrafters are scattered throughout this city which seems to extend out endlessly. Greater Beijing is said to be about the size of the entire country of Belgium. What a difference a quarter of a century makes!
 
With a total population of 1.3 trillion and a historically unprecedented level of economic growth, it is easy to see how projections suggest that China will soon be the largest economy in the world. Even in recession, China continues to grow at “only” 6% per annum. The country is sitting on over $2 trillion in cash reserves which the government is spending on yet more infrastructure projects to add a stimulus to the economy. Their banks are actively lending and their shops and malls are packed.
 
But looks are deceiving; just below the surface there is a quiet sense of unease. China, like virtually every country in the world, has been hard hit by the current financial crisis. Tens of millions of jobs have been lost, causing yet another mass migration, this time back out to the countryside. The problems that China faces are immense and every bit as daunting as the rest of the world is today facing – even bigger and more complex. Their 6% growth rate is hardly sufficient to maintaining stability and social order.
 
Their problems are such that the entire system of governance that has brought them to this point is under threat. For all of our problems, President Obama and Joe Biden do not have wake up in the morning worried that the legitimacy of the Presidency is at risk. President Jiang Zemin and Vice President Hu Jintao must worry about the future of the Communist Party. For decades now, the Chinese social contract has been very simple: we will give you economic prosperity – you keep quiet about political issues. While the next few years should remain calm, the clouds are there on the horizon.
 
Consider only few of their problems:

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President George W. Bush consoles Ronald Klopf and Lisa West-Klopf, both of Aguanga, Calif., during a gathering of military support organizations Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007. Their son, Lance Cpl. Jeromy West, was killed November of 2006 while serving with the U.S. Marines in Iraq.

Something tells me it won’t be long before many people will miss President Bush. Say what you will about the guy… he has exuded nothing but class right to the end. There’ll be no vandalized keyboards or stolen Air Force One china this time…

Here’s the transcript of President Bush’s final radio address:

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. For the last eight years, I have had the honor of speaking to the American people Saturday mornings through this radio address. In hundreds of broadcasts, I have talked to you about important issues affecting our security and our prosperity. And today, in my final address, I want to send a simple and heartfelt message: Thank you.

Eight years ago, Laura and I left our home in Texas to come to Washington. Through two terms in the White House, we have been blessed by your kind words and generous prayers. We have been inspired by those of you who reach out to feed the hungry, clothe the needy, and care for the sick. We have been moved by the courage and devotion of those of you who wear the uniform. Serving as your President has been an incredible honor.

Like every individual who has held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks. There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I’ve always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right. You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions.

The decades ahead will bring more hard choices for our country, and there are some guiding principles that should shape our course. While our Nation is safer than it was seven years ago, the gravest threat to our people remains another terrorist attack. Our enemies are patient, and determined to strike again. America did nothing to seek or deserve this conflict. But we have been given solemn responsibilities, and we must meet them. We must resist complacency. We must keep our resolve. And we must never let down our guard.

At the same time, we must continue to engage the world with confidence and clear purpose. In the face of threats from abroad, it can be tempting to seek comfort by turning inward. But we must reject isolationism and its companion, protectionism. Retreating behind our borders would only invite danger. In the 21st century, security and prosperity at home depend on the expansion of liberty abroad. If America does not lead the cause of freedom, that cause will not be led.

 

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