If I were President I would restore the role of the Federal Government to it's original roles:

1. Defend the Country
2. Protect and Regulate the Borders
3. Regulate and mediate interstate commerce.

The jettisoning of massive amounts of welfare and special interest spending would be used to:

1. Eliminate deficit spending
2. Pay off the national debt
3. Restore the Social Security Funds spent by congress
4. Rebuild Nationally owned infrastructure
5. Reduce and simplify taxes
6. Encourage extremely rich Americans to contribute as much additional tax as they choose
7. Secure the borders

As a part of the National Defense I would

1. Reduce and eventually eliminate stationing of US Troops in Japan, Europe and Korea.
2. Correspondingly Increase troop strengths in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait (other Middle East Countries as needed).
3. Make a major push in Iraq to seize upon the strengths of the surge with the goal of leaving by fall of 2012.
4. In January 2013 begin the phased removal American Troops from the Middle East
5. Pass the "Assured Destruction" initiative. This would let belligerent States like Iran know that if the US is attacked and it is tracked back to them, we will level their 3 largest cities and destroy their infrastructure from the air.

To make keeping troops in the middle east past 2012 unnecessary I would engage in a National Energy independence initiative with he goal of being energy independent by 2050.

1. Immediately Fund a new "Manhattan Project" to discover/invent a new fuel for cars, trucks and power plants
A. Offer the technology to the car companies for free to incorporate it into their products
B. Seed the buildout of privately owned National distribution so consumers can get fuel for the new vehicles
2. Incentivize consumers and industry to continue to upgrade to green technologies and make energy conservation a National Priority.
3. Continue to use foreign oil and keep our own as a reserve until a suitable replacement is found.

Just a start.

Sporting a freshly dyed beard Osama Laden implored America to convert to Islam in his recently released video.

His unusually conciliatory language should make it clear that radical Islam is intent on taking over the world, and is using a multi-pronged strategy to do so.

No struggle for world domination is fought on one single battle field with one single strategy.

Notice that while Al Qaeda engages us in Iraq, and elsewhere around the world, in Sweden, clerics are demanding the government there be more tolerant of Muslims. Notice that in Europe, the Christian and secular white majorities are shrinking, while their Muslim populations are growing. Notice that in the US, local governments and schools offer special consideration to the needs of Muslims, while purging the public square of anything that hints at Christianity.

The radical Clerics teach violence and hate in their Mosques, and publicly scoff at the notion that they do so. Meanwhile the mainstream Muslims, the majority, are frighteningly silent.

Those of you who dismiss these things should become aware that Islam is creeping like a vine and it's tendrals are reaching world wide. Since those of you who deny this are generally liberals and progressives that champion women's and gay right, you should pay particular attention to how Islamic law treats those two groups. You might also notice how dissent is handled if you disagree with, or disobey their laws.

The world has seen the struggle between Christianity and Islam ebb and flow over the centuries. Now it has expanded to a struggle between Islam and western secular culture (which Islam abhors).

It would be foolish to think it can't happen here. It is also foolish of anyone who does not want a very wide and bloody war to keep their rights and culture later to understand the threat now, and act accordingly.

File under "we told you so". August 21st on this blog we surmised that the recent spate publicity surrounding recalls and problems with Chinese products was related to the Chinese threat to devalue the dollar.

Recently China floated a threat that it would sell off US Treasury Bonds if Congress imposed sanctions against the growing Asian giant.

The Chinese government has hinted that it may liquidate its vast holding of US Treasury bonds, potentially triggering a crash in the dollar, if Washington imposes trade sanctions to force a yuan revaluation, The Telegraph reported. source- Forbes.com

Since that story broke there have been a number of stories about problems with Chinese manufactured products.

From Mattel toys to Toys R US bibs, to tires, pet foods, tooth paste, the list goes on.

So it is curious that suddenly, we are hearing about the Chinese products in a way that has people checking the Made In labels before they buy.

Read the rest here.

"People have reason to fear that some government officials and media in the United States hope to use doubts about the overall quality of Chinese goods to press for narrow trade protection." source- Reuters

Are we seeing a new kind of trade war using bad product publicity instead of tariffs?

Recently China floated a threat that it would sell off US Treasury Bonds if Congress imposed sanctions against the growing Asian giant.

The Chinese government has hinted that it may liquidate its vast holding of US Treasury bonds, potentially triggering a crash in the dollar, if Washington imposes trade sanctions to force a yuan revaluation, The Telegraph reported. source- Forbes.com

Since that story broke there has been a number of stories about problems with Chinese manufactured products.

From Mattel toys to Toys R US bibs, to tires, pet foods, tooth paste, the list goes on.

Considering the volume of products coming in from China, it is silly to assume that the quality issues plagueing them lately are new. What is new is the amount of publicity they are receiving. There are new stories it seems, popping up every week.

The US has allowed cheap Chinese products to enter the US because the low prices to consumers have helped to offset increases in food and energy costs at home. The huge trade imbalance this causes puts China in a position to threaten the US, and the currency devaluation that China could presumably cause if they carried out their threat could have a big impact on inflation in the US.

So it is curious that suddenly, we are hearing about the Chinese products in a way that has people checking the Made In labels before they buy.

China may have power to leverage their success against us, but threatening to kill the cash cow is never a good idea. It is a good bet that sales of Chinese goods will slow in the US. This will negatively impact the Chinese economy, all without imposing sanctions on Chinese products.

One has to wonder what the source is of these stories in the first place.

Breaking from FOXNews:

7-Eleven to End Relationship with Venezuela-Backed Citgo

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

DALLAS — Convenience store operator 7-Eleven Inc. is dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo as its gasoline supplier at more than 2,100 locations and switching to its own brand of fuel.

The retailer said Wednesday it will purchase fuel from several distributors, including Tower Energy Group of Torrance, Calif., Sinclair Oil of Salt Lake City, and Houston-based Frontier Oil Corp.

A spokeswoman for Dallas-based 7-Eleven said its 20-year contract with Citgo Petroleum Corp. ends next week. About 2,100 of 7-Eleven's 5,300 U.S. stores sell gasoline.

Citgo is a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, and the foreign parent became a public-relations issue for 7-Eleven because of comments by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez has called President George W. Bush the devil and an alcoholic. The U.S. government has warned that Chavez is a destabilizing force in Latin America.

7-Eleven spokesman Margaret Chabris said that, "Regardless of politics, we sympathize with many Americans' concern over derogatory comments about our country and its leadership recently made by Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez."

Chabris said a boycott of Citgo gasoline would hurt the 4,000 employees of the U.S. subsidiary, who have no connection to Venezuela.

7-Eleven had been considering creating its own brand of fuel since at least early last year. Company officials said at the time they had spoken with independent fuel distributors.

Fox News

There is a growing boycott of Citgo gas. GOP and the City has details. Read more on the boycott here and here. I for one will certainly participate.

Jawa Report has good comments:

Hyscience says let's boycott Citgo. Seems pretty reasonable to me, although it may hurt a lot of businessmen in the process. Still, a widespread boycott could bring the share price down low enough that an American interest can buy it back.

Jawa Report

Angry United Nations officials said Israel continued firing on the post as a rescue mission was begun to free two UN peacekeepers trapped under the rubble.

Tel Aviv is facing growing international pressure over the 300-plus civilians killed during its offensive against Hezbollah.

Israel denied aiming at the UN building and launched an investigation into yesterday's barrage. Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he had spoken to Mr Annan to express deep sorrow over the killings. Mr Olmert said he would order an investigation.

Mr Annan said the post, located in Khiam on the eastern Israeli-Lebanese border, had been there for a long time and was clearly marked.

"I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defence Forces of a UN observer post in southern Lebanon," Mr Annan said.

"This co-ordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long-established and clearly marked UN post at Khiam occurred despite personal assurances given to me by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that UN positions would be spared Israeli fire.

"I call on the Government of Israel to conduct a full investigation into this very disturbing incident and demand any further attack on UN positions and personnel must stop."

Herald Sun-AU

This is breaking on CNN:

(CNN) -- The Esseily family was winding up a vacation in Lebanon when the airstrikes began. Nearly a week later, they're still looking for a way to get back to California.

Tony and Monika Esseily and their three children were asleep in their apartment, nearing the end of a month-long holiday, when Israel began bombing Beirut.

"It was an extreme shock when I woke up and -- actually, we heard it," Monika Esseily told CNN. "3:20 in the morning, we got up, and the whole sky was just alit. And I'm like, 'Oh no, oh no, oh no.' "

Beirut's airport was closed after Israel warplanes bombed its runways, and every night is punctuated by the sound of airstrikes.

"I have two kids [and] a baby, and they're scared. I'm scared," Esseily said. "First time I've ever encountered something like this."

The Esseilys are among tens of thousands of Westerners stranded in Lebanon Tuesday waiting for help to arrive. Monika Esseily said she's in contact with many other Americans in Lebanon and that all of them want to get out.

"They're pulling out their hair, they're crying, they're saying 'What's going on?' They're being rejected from the American Embassy," she said. "The American Embassy is still saying, 'We will call you.' That's all that they will say."

CNN

The United States fears a Hezbollah attack during its evacuation of up to 5,000 Americans from war-torn Beirut, and is working with Israel to coordinate their safety, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh said Israel was aware that the U.S. would be ferrying evacuees from the port of Beirut to Cyprus on the chartered cruise ship Orient Queen, and that several U.S. and Israeli warships would be on hand to protect Americans from an attack by the guerrilla group.

"I’m concerned about attacks on ships. We do not assume anything. And that sort of scenario is something we are planning for," Walsh said to reporters Tuesday.

He said the U.S. was working with Israel through the European Command segment of the military.

President Bush, meanwhile, told reporters late Tuesday that he suspects Syria is trying to reassert influence in Lebanon more than a year after Damascus ended a long-term military occupation of its smaller, weaker neighbor.

"It's in our interest for Syria to stay out of Lebanon and for this government to survive," Bush said in a reference to the Lebanese government. The president also said he believed the Syrian-backed guerrilla group Hezbollah is the "root cause" of the current conflict.

Fox News

If Hezbollah even looks at an American citizen the wrong way, we should carpet bomb them.

We need to quit trying to police the planet and at the same time trying to keep everyone happy with the United States...

An Israeli warplane bombed the Palestinian Foreign Ministry building in Gaza City late Thursday, collapsing part of the structure and causing widespread damage in the area, Israel's second use of a huge bomb in Gaza within the past few days.

The Israeli military confirmed it carried out an airstrike on the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, noting that it is "led by Hamas." The Palestinian foreign minister is Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar. Israel's offensive is aimed primarily at Hamas, which claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack that resulted in the capture of a soldier.

Early Wednesday, an Israeli F-16 warplane dropped a quarter-ton bomb that killed nine members of one family in Gaza City. The Israelis were aiming for Hamas leaders, who were meeting in the house.

A Hamas militant leader who has topped Israel's most-wanted list for a decade was badly wounded and underwent four hours of spinal surgery, security officials said.

Fox News

More from CNN:

An Israeli warplane takes off for a mission in Lebanon from Ramat David air force base in northern Israel, Wednesday, July 12, 2006. Hezbollah fighters launched a raid into Israel and captured two Israeli soldiers Wednesday, triggering an Israeli assault with warplanes, gunboats and ground troops in southern Lebanon to hunt for the captives. Seven Israeli soldiers, two Lebanese civilians and a guerrilla were killed in the violence.

Yahoo/AP

It was reported tonight that Officials have closed Beirut International Airport after Israeli warplanes struck runways in the Lebanese capital's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. The Israeli military has confirmed its aircraft carried out the attacks

Ok, I have an issue with our US based companies farming out or having their technical support departments in other countries. Simply for one reason. The majority of the individuals cannot speak English.

For the most part, I rarely need to call tech. support as I can handle most situations myself. However, the other night I had an issue with a wireless pc card/router conflict. So I called Linksys tech support. After waiting on hold for about ten minutes, I get a guy who answers the phone that clearly speaks VERY broken English and with a hard East Indian (?) accent. He says "Thank you for calling Linksys Technical Support, this is Bob, how can I help you?"

Ok, first issue:
Use your real name. It was almost amusing to hear this guy try and tel me he was a "Bob". This guy ended every sentence with "Ok, tell me". It was very annoying. After being on the phone with him for almost an hour, he was not able to resolve anything. I finally had to play trial and error and I finally resolved the issue myself.

My second issue:
If you are going to deal with English speaking individuals, then they need to be able to carry on a conversation. My point is that if he could have spoken better English, we probably would have been able to communicate better and possibly been able to resolve my issue.

I realize that companies can save big dollars by moving their Tech. Support to other countries, but not at the expense of their customers.

I have always been a HUGE fan of Linksys but unfortunately will be questioning whether or not I will choose Linksys when making my next network purchase.

From FOXNews.com:

Saddam Claims He Was Beaten in Detention
Wednesday, December 21, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Saddam Hussein launched into an extended outburst at his trial Wednesday, alleging he had been beaten and tortured by his American captors while in detention after a witness testified that his agents had tortured people by ripping off their skin.

Chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Mousawi said he would investigate and that if American-led multinational forces were abusing the former Iraqi leader, he would be transferred to the custody of Iraqi troops.

"I want to say here, yes, we have been beaten by the Americans and we have been tortured," Saddam said, before gesturing to his seven co-defendants around him, "one by one."

OK, now for my response:

GOOD!

How does it feel...

It amazes me that President Bush received enormous criticism over the lack of federal response to hurricane Katrina (I too had criticism for him). Yet France President Jacques Chirac is catching very little flack from what I have read in the MSM.

These riots need to come to an end. I have a very simple solution:

1. Go on television and inform everyone that in four hours there is going to be a mandatory curfew imposed.

2. Activate the military.

3. Instruct the military to use rubber bullets and that anyone caught outside
after the curfew is in effect, they are to be instructed to go inside. If they decline, they are to be shot and arrested.

4. If rioting continues, have the military reload with real ammunition. Instruct them to shoot the individuals in the knees or legs. Alert the local hospitals there will be casualties.

5. Replace President Jacques Chirac.

If you think this is being overly aggressive, then read some of the stories below. I think the family of the man who died from injuries he received during a riot, or the people that had their cars destroyed may disagree with you.

FOXnews

NY Times

CNN