3/27/2008
Permit me, gentle reader, to take a break from politics and the long war. I have been thinking a lot about the old days. The excitement of getting the truck loaded, and getting out of town. The peace and quiet in running down the road with the windows down and the radio up. The pleasure that I took in a job well done… in trying to better my last time from point A to point B. This time of year… spring going into summer was always my favorite. The wild flowers in bloom in Texas. The afternoon thunderstorms beggining to slowly take the place of snow storms. I even miss doing paperwork. Yeah, paperwork. It was one time when I could sit and think on the events of the day. A time when I could relax and not have to watch everything going on around me.
Those of you who drive a car know that you have to watch out around you all the time. It’s even more important to be on your A game when your vehicle weighs 80,000 Lbs and doesn’t stop nearly as quickly as the Toyota in front of you. So, paperwork time was also a time to decompress… especially if traffic or the  weather had been an issue.
I traveled all 48 states and Canada for several years, and then the last 4 years I traveled mainly from Kansas City to Southern California with many trips to Texas, Arizona, and the Northwest (Oregon and Washington State).
This country is so full of things to see. It’s so full of history. I sometimes feel sorry for those who only see this country from 30,000 feet.
Just some things I’ve been thinking about….
If I could have it all back I would do but one thing differently. I would take the time to enjoy it more. It really is true. You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone.
3/25/2008
In an open letter to Senator Obama, Lionel Chetwynd has a perfect example of how Obama could have used his speech last week to be the post racial candidate that he claims to be.
…That is the teaching opportunity I hoped you would evoke: not explaining Wright’s outrage to me, but explaining his outrageousness to him. That’s how we’ll reach the postracial era: by no longer justifying ourselves with what was, instead speaking to what now exists. Not deny the past, but recognize that’s what it is: past.
You say you are devoted to Reverend Wright because he brought you to Christ. I can only imagine how powerful a relationship that forges. But, my imperfect understanding of the Christian Faith tells me you can do him an equally magnificent service: You can help bring him back to Christ. Show him redemption and salvation lie not in the satisfaction of doing little dances in a pulpit while you slander good and decent people. Teach him that great leadership and Christian love abjures the very filth – and I pick that word deliberately – that he spews on an apparently regular basis. After all, Senator, you know our government did not invent the HIV virus to kill African-Americans. You know, Senator, this is not the United States of KKK America. You know the truth of 9/11. At least you should. Both you and Michelle have benefited mightily from the new spirit that has come to America in the last two generations. I thought you were part of that. I thought you were post-racial.
But in your silence, in your justifications, in your facile instruction to contextualize, you seem just a more presentable version of those dreary self-promoters, Sharpton, Jackson, Bakewell and the rest. Surely this is not you. Please, Senator, be brave. Lead. From a position of honesty where context is our daily reality, not drawn from bitter memories, no matter how justified they once might have been. Deny Jeremiah Wright your comfort of “contextâ€. Be Presidential. To all Americans.
Yours sincerely, and in prayer for the Grace of God,
Lionel Chetwynd
As they say… go read the whole thing.
3/24/2008
On The Possibility Of A Strike
Drudge has a link to a story in the Quad City Times about truckers going on strike on April 1st. Of course, my first question is; is this an April fool’s joke? If the answer to that question is no, then I support their calling for a strike.
Truckers have been calling for a strike for as long as IÂ can remember though. They’ve certainly been calling for it dating back to the days when I was driving over the road. And, they’ve got good reason to. Everything we use, eat, drink, and wear has been on a truck at one point or another, and the truckers that bring those goods to market truly do get a raw deal. Especially the owner operators.
Let’s look at this from the two sides of the driver’s coin… owner operators and company drivers. First you have the owner operators. These men and women own or are paying on their truck much like you would either own or pay on a house. In addition to paying on the truck they also pay for the fuel, maintanence costs (oil changes, tires, brakes, inspections which are required by federal law and are not inexpensive), insurance for the truck itself as well as the trailer, insurance for the cargo, and state and federal taxes (fuel and road use). Once they’ve paid all of these expenses then we can start talking about the cost of living out on the road.
To be fair, owner operators make a good deal of money off of a load. As of six years ago you could see the going rate for a load in the neighborhood of $1.00 - $2.00 per mile, and I suspect that the price hasn’t gone up much — if at all. But, as detailed above, they have a lot of expenses going out the door as well, and those expenses have only gone up. Fuel prices have gone from $2.00 per gallon to around $4.00 per gallon, and I suspect that fuel taxes have gone up as well.
Company drivers don’t have nearly the number of expenses that owner operators have. But, they have troubles of their own. They have living expenses out on the road. They have the constant hassle of DOT (as do the owner operators).
Both sets of drivers have to deal with constant disrespect from shippers and recievers, and the ignorance of the motoring public.
Now, will a strike change any of this? Who knows. Probably not, but it would certainly draw attention to their cause. I know one thing, I’ll be watching the events of April 1st with great interest.
3/23/2008
In a strange twist, six Iraq war protestors decided to interrupt mass at a Chicago church to protest the war in Iraq. This seems to me to just be an attempt to garner attention. In Fact, the “peace” protestors admitted as much.
The group, which calls itself Catholic Schoolgirls Against the War, said in a statement after the arrests that they targeted the Holy Name Cathedral on Easter to reach a large audience, including Chicago’s most prominent Catholic citizens and the press, which usually covers the services.
When “peace” protestors decide to protest they make a spectacle of themselves, and create trouble for everyone. When troop supporters gather, we do it respectfully. Quite a bit of difference… wouldn’t you say?
3/18/2008
Regarding Hope, Change, and Unity
Barack Obama has founded his campaign on hope, change, and unity. But, if you look at his record it’s obvious that these are just as empty as the rest of his promises. Obama is a liberal politician who has never broken with the Democratic party on anything of consequence, and has attended a church that is lead by a man who blames white America for 9-11, drug abuse in the African-American community, and HIV/ AIDS.
Hope, change, and unity indeed…
3/14/2008
Why Would You Stay In A Church For 20 Years If You Don’t Agree With The Pastor?
Barack Obama has said that he doesn’t agree with everything that his pastor — Jeremiah Wright — has said. That’s fair… I guess. What part of what “Rev.” Wright said does Obama agree with?
Here are some more questions for Barack Obama:
- Why would you stay in a church for 20 years if you deeply disagree with what’s being preached from the pulpit?
- Why would you have this man marry you and your wife?
- Why would you have your children taught by this man?
- If you disagree with what Jeremiah Wright has said, why would you have him as the spiritual advisor to your campaign?
There are those who are saying that this doesn’t matter. In fact, it matters a great deal. We as a nation are interviewing Barack Obama for the position of President of the United States of America. What Barack believes about his country, what he believes about his countrymen, and who is informing those beliefs is important. If John McCain (or any other Republican candidate for office) was attending a church that was espousing racist or antisemetic views do you think that the media would be as forgiving as they have been with Barack’s situation?Â
3/13/2008
Obama’s Post Racial Campaign… Not…
Barack Obama has based his campaign on a number of things. Of course, there’s the whole “hope” and “change” thing, but he’s also tried to sell his campaign as one that isn’t based on skin color. That claim is being called into question now after comments from his pastor have come to light. Rev. Jerimiah Wright has apparently violated his church’s tax exempt status by stumping for Obama from the pulpit. Here are some of the comments… from a FOX News article.
CHICAGO - Barack Obama’s controversial pastor and the church he’s served for 36 years may be in hot water over statements he has made from the pulpit in support of the Illinois senator’s run for the White House.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. preaches that he follows the righteous path, but when it comes to the federal tax law, his Trinity United Church of Christ may have crossed the line.
Although Wright delivered what was billed as his final sermon last month on his path to retirement, prior to his departure he delivered commentary from the pulpit now being scrutinized in which he praised Obama.
“There is a man here who can take this country in a new direction,†Wright said during his Jan. 13 sermon, according to recordings obtained by FOX News.
It was not the first time Wright appeared to endorse Obama, who was baptized at Trinity United, has been an active member of the church for two decades and receives spiritual mentorship from Wright.
The title of Obama’s second book, “The Audacity of Hope,†was taken from a sermon by Wright.
During a Christmas sermon, Wright tried to compare Obama’s upbringing to Jesus at the hands of the Romans.
“Barack knows what it means living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people,†Wright said. “Hillary would never know that.
“Hillary ain’t never been called a nigger. Hillary has never had a people defined as a non-person.â€
In his Jan. 13 sermon, Wright said:
“Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain’t! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty.â€
FOX News purchased the video recordings of Wright’s sermons from the church.
Of course, Wright and his church stand little chance of being taken to task for this. The IRS has only revoked two church’s tax exempt status in the last 54 years. So, they’re not likely to single out the first black candidate for President’s church.
3/12/2008
My pastor has a great point regarding the Elliot Spitzer scandal.
I wondered what former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer would say.
“Private failings.†“I did not live up to what was expected of me.â€
Imagine…the power of a statement like this – “The Bible says in Exodus 20:14 – You shall not commit adultery. I did. Repeatedly. The Bible also says, You shall not give false testimony. I did. Repeatedly. I ask my wife and family to forgive me, I ask the people of the State of New York to forgive me, I ask the young women with whom I committed adultery to forgive me, but most importantly, I ask God to forgive me.â€
That kind of statement would strike me as humble, sincere, and contrite. In a way that “private failings†doesn’t.
The whole situation strikes me as incredibly sad. The people I truly feel sorry for in all of this are his wife and daughters. They are the ones that will truly bear the cost of his “private failings”.
3/9/2008
I was reading an article in the New York Times this morning about the President’s veto of the “Torture Bill” as the media and Democrats are calling it, and these two paragraphs jumped out at me.
The Senate’s majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said Mr. Bush disregarded the advice of military commanders, including Gen. David H. Petraeus, who argued that the military’s interrogation techniques were effective and that the use of any others could create risks for any future American prisoners of war.
“He has rejected the Army field manual’s recognition that such horrific tactics elicit unreliable information, put U.S. troops at risk and undermine our counterinsurgency efforts,†Mr. Reid said in a statement. Democrats vowed to raise the matter again.
First of all, the Army faces a completely different situation than the CIA does. They are dealing with an entirely different type of prisoner than the CIA is dealing with. Therefore, what is useful for the Army is not neccesarily useful for the CIA. The CIA is dealing with the worst of the worst, and they may not respond to the tactics allowed in the Army field manual.
The bill that the President vetoed would limit tactics used by the CIA to those outlined in the Army field manual, and that’s simply not appropriate. The Army field manual doesn’t exhaust the legal methods available to US interrogators. Neither is it the definatinve text on what does and doesn’t constitute “torture”.
As far as some of the other ridiculous statements. Statements like “He has rejected the Army field manual’s recognition that such horrific tactics elicit unreliable information…”, well, tell that to KSM who sung like a canary after just a few seconds of waterboarding and gave us valuable and reliable information.