Politics Isn't Fun

I try not to bring topics such as politics or religion into my
blog, but I ran across this video, presented to the Governor
of Arizona that caught my attention. There has been a lot
of talk about Arizona's new law, that will require people to
present identification to Police officers, proving their ability
to be in the United States. A few things about this law:

* Police will not be able to randomly pull people over, asking
for their identification. It must be for an infraction of another
law, such as a traffic stop. Yes, there is a chance that the
law may be abused by certain officers of the law, but that can
happen with any law by certain people who are not on the up
and up anyway. There has also been so much press on this
subject, I think those unscrupulous officers might be wary of
abusing their powers. Call me naive, but I try to have faith.

* If you are in the U.S. legally, you are required to keep you
Green Card information on you at all times. This is stated in
the documentation produced by the INS.

* There IS a legitimate problem, especially in Arizona, of
many crimes committed by illegal people.

And I think that's what it really does come down to...the
word ILLEGAL. Unless you are a Native American, your
ancestors came into this country as immigrants. Mine did
as well. But...they came into the country LEGALLY. This
country thrives on immigration. I think that everyone from
Mexico that wants to come to this country, should be able to.
As long as it is legal. The Mexican people that I have met and
worked with are some of the nicest, hardest working people I
have ever met. I have a great deal of respect for them. I
hope this issue gets resolved soon, but I don't think that
people who live thousands of miles away from Arizona, such
as politicians in New York and San Francisco should
judge them so harshly until they have lived there and have
lived with the situation..

Uno de Mayo

Photo by Gretel Daugherty and Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

We were downtown today and noticed that there was a large
get together in the parking lot between Main Street and
Colorado Avenue. We discovered that it was a Cinco de
Mayo party! Everyone looked like they were having a good
time. We didn't stay, but it struck me that people of all
nationalities and ethnic makeup were just enjoying the
atmosphere and each other and not worrying or focusing
on the controversial Arizona law that has just been passed.
This didn't seem to be so in other communities on Saturday.
There were no signs, protesters or anyone seemingly
upset about anything. At least not while we walked through
the area. This is one of the things I like so much about
Grand Junction. People are just very friendly and for the
most part easy going...and it really doesn't matter what
country your heritage is from. Nice people are nice people
and we really should all just get along.

As Goes Honduras...

Today we saw people protesting the recent military coup
in Honduras in which Leftist president Manuel Zelaya was
overthrown. Of course this has received high notes of
condemnation from many of Latin America's presidents,
including our friend Hugo Chavez (insert sarcasm here)

Latin America Unites Behind Ousted Zelaya Of Honduras

CARACAS (AFP)--Latin American countries, many of which are no
strangers to major political upheavals, unanimously condemned
Sunday the Honduran army's ouster and exile of leftist President
Manuel Zelaya.

The drama centered on the president's bid to secure a second term,
becoming the latest in a long list of Latin American leaders, including
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, to seek constitutional changes to
expand presidential powers and ease term limits.

Leftist leaders were especially vocal in their backing of Zelaya, who
was elected as a conservative in 2006 before making a dramatic shift
to the left.

Chavez threatened military action if his ambassador or embassy in
Honduras is harmed, saying he would launch a continental battle to
see Zelaya restored

to the presidency, hours after the Honduran leader was ousted and
flown to Costa Rica.

The "military junta" in Honduras "would be entering a de facto state
of war" should they harm his ambassador in Tegucigalpa, warned the
firebrand leftist leader.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the "brutal and
criminal coup d'etat" in Honduras and demanded the return of Zelaya,
the "sole legitimate president" of Honduras, whose Congress voted in
its speaker Roberto Micheletti to take over until the presidential term
ends in January.

Chavez, a thorn in Washington's side in Latin America, denounced the
arrest of Zelaya, suggesting the U.S. was implicated.

Speaking in Caracas, Chavez urged U.S. President Barack Obama to speak
out against Zelaya's arrest, saying "the Yankee empire has a lot to do"
with developments in Honduras.

The U.S. has had a battered image in Central and South America, where
it supported several coups and military governments during the Cold War
in a bid to contain the grip of communism over its southern neighbors.

However, in his last interview before his arrest, Zelaya told Spain's El Pais
that a first planned attempt to remove him from power Friday had been
thwarted after the U.S. declined to back the move.

"I'm only still here in office thanks to the United States not supporting a
coup," he said.

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, speaking after voting in legislative
elections in Argentina, said she was "extremely concerned" about the
situation in Honduras, calling the military's removal of Zelaya a sign that
"we are back to the worst barbarism in Latin American history."

Brazil's foreign ministry warned that "military acts of this type constitute a
violation of democracy and are not in line with the political development
of the region."

Saying "the time for dictatorships is over," Bolivia's Socialist President
Evo Morales called on "international organizations, social movements
and presidents to condemn and reject the military coup d'etat in Honduras."

Member countries of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, or
ALBA, an anti-trade liberalization bloc of which Honduras has adhered,
also denounced the "coup d'etat."

An emergency ALBA meeting was called Sunday, Chavez said. The
Organization of American States, or OAS, also held a meeting at its
headquarters in Washington.

The OAS Permanent Council was working on a consensus resolution
"that will condemn the efforts to depose President Zelaya of Honduras,
calling for his return to Honduras and for a full restoration of democratic
order," a U.S. administration official said.

Quito, meanwhile, called for a presidential-level meeting of the Rio
Group, an organization of 23 Latin American and Caribbean states,
without indicating the place or time of such talks.

Zelaya's removal "violates the most basic norms of democracy and
international law," Ecuador's foreign ministry said in a statement,
calling for the "immediate restoration" of the Honduran president to power.

The Rio Group in turn expressed its "strongest condemnation" over the
developments in Honduras, denouncing as "illegitimate" Zelaya's removal
from power.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega urged his peers to hold emergency
talks of the System for Central American Integration, or SICA, voicing
hope to reverse Zelaya's ouster, which he called "a terrorist act against
the institution" of democracy in Latin America.

Honduras neighbor El Salvador stepped up military presence at its
international airport and the border between the two countries to
prepare for the possible evacuation of Salvadorans living in Honduras.

Colombia's foreign ministry expressed "deep dismay over the breakdown
of the constitutional order," adding that it rejected Zelaya's "removal
from power by force."

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
06-28-092219ET
Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

El Presidente

Here we are, sitting in our apartment, minding our own
business...and what happens? A political rally breaks out.
Just 1/2 block north of where we live! It turns out that the
campaign headquarters of the President of Ecuador, Rafael
Correa are located 100 yards from our apartment. From
what I read, Correa is somewhere left of President Obama
but somewhere right of Hugo Chavez. Apparently at
least 51% of the people like him since that's the percentage
of people voted for him in this weekend's presidential
election. The rally was a victory rally and went on for
hours and hours.


it seemed very much a family affair as even a small band showed
up to entertain everyone.


Not hard to figure out this guy's political leanings though as he's
wearing a Mao hat and a Che Guevarra t-shirt.


One of the things that struck me most (as a vexillologist) was the
large number of campaign flags showing pictures of Correa and
others of his party that were running for election.


At approximately 9:00, Correa finally showed up. We saw his limo
and heard him talk and then it was over. Although there was
certainly lots of music and entertainment that followed over the
next few hours (as we were trying to sleep)


One of my favorite scenes during the event was this guy who was
just trying to make a buck, selling his potato and cheese snacks
from his cart...and he's surrounded by armed policemen!
Ah...capitalism at work!

The Downward Spiral

I tend to be a "half empty" kind of guy, so I'm
trying to remain optimistic these days. The world's
economies are going to hell and taking their handbasket
with them. As a result, I feel fortunate to have a job
that I pretty much like in an atmosphere that is somewhat
comfortable to me. In other words, I'm not scrubbing
rat turds off bed sheets like I saw in a television
program tonight. (yes, it was pretty gross). Thousands
of people are getting laid off in the States and the
only thing that seems optimistic these days is that the
Dollar is re-gaining its strength around the world.
So much so that it's cheaper for Lynn to stay in
Christchurch for the next 2 1/2 months until I get there
than it is to return to the U.S. Apparently things have
gotten so bad in the States that President-Elect Obama
discussed changing to compact fluorescent bulbs...does
a President-Elect of the world's most powerful country
need to discuss changing light bulbs??? Anyway, I'm
trying to be a "half full" kind of guy nowadays. Let's
hope the world doesn't become a "half empty" kind of
place.

Election Fatigue

Put a fork in me...I'm done. I'm am officially
electioned-out. And I'm one of the lucky ones.
I'm 8000 miles away from it and yet it invades
even Antarctica. Too...Much...News...about...
the...election. I'm more sad than anything else.
I can't say I like McCain. If he were a color
of paint in the pallette, he'd be Navajo White.
Just a shade above Vanilla. More of the same.
As for Obama...I just don't trust him. Too much
unknown about him and what he plans for this
country. And to watch the millions, including
many of my friends fawn over him...it's almost
nauseating. It seems like blind devotion that
can only lead to heartbreak for our country.
Whoever wins...at least it will be over.
However I'm seeing a rift being formed within
our nation that I fear will only grow larger and
never heal. We are not a United States any longer.
We are Us versus Them. Sad times lay ahead. No
matter which candidate wins, the country as a
whole will be the loser.

Oh Yeah

Stop drinking the Kool-Aid and wake up when voting
on November 4th. Nuff-said.

I Fear for Our Future

As I get older, I find myself becoming more of a
Libertarian than anything else. Fairly apolitical,
I'm finding the current election news both boring,
yet painfully disturbing at the same time. I don't
find McCain especially enticing. Not that I disagree
with his views strongly...it's just that I don't care
for him that much as a person. However, Obama just
plain scares me. I feel that if (when?) elected, our
country will start it's slow slide into a Socialist
welfare state where hard working people will get
crapped on. I know that many of my friends feel that
he is the saving-grace of all that is good and holy.
I feel he is not a good man and my gut feeling tells me
many troubles lie ahead.
I'm very afraid that we as a nation will get exactly
what we deserve...I hope I'm wrong.

Get Off Your Butt

I don't live in Michigan...in fact I don't really live anywhere.
However, as a former resident of Michigan, and as a resident of
the United States (Where I DO pay taxes), I feel I have a right to
voice my opinion regarding something. I was watching one of
those Sunday morning politics shows this morning and the
Governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm was boo-hoo-ing
about how Michigan is losing X amount of jobs, is "hurting" and
how bad things are. What is the president (whover that is going
to be) going to do about it?

Well you know...the same thing was being said when I lived there
20 years ago and were being said 10 years before that. This same
thing being said to many presidents from both parties. Well, Governor
Granholm...get off your butt and do something about it yourself!
YOU ARE THE GOVERNOR! It's too darn easy to blame someone
else isn't it? Quit complaining and do something...anything. The
Big 3 automakers have been sucking money out of the state for
years...Detroit is electing corrupt politicians for years...DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Quit blaming whoever was and is to become
president. This isn't going to change whether McCain or Obama is
elected. Governor Granholm...do something.

I'm sure this argument could be made in some shape or form for
any of the 50 States...even D.C. (Marion Berry got re-elected after
being busted on camera???). However, I saw this on television and
I used to live in Michigan so it struck a nerve. Quit your bitching
and get off your butts and do something...the complaining gets old
after a while and as a American citizen, I really don't want my tax
money being spent to help out someone who doesn't want to help
themselves.

Who's Minding the Store?

McCain...Obama. Obama...McCain. Who cares. I can't
say I'm enamored with either one of them. Is this the
best we can do? I'm not even IN the States and won't
be during the election, but I'm already tired of this
election and there's still 100 days to go. However,
what I always wonder during these types of elections
where campaigns run on ad nausea...who does their job
of being Senator while they are spending all this time
campaigning? I've been a resident of both Arizona and
Illinois and I don't think that the residents of those
two states are currently getting their money's worth.
I've always been a big believer that if someone is
running for National Office and holds an elected office,
they should have to resign from that office that they
are currently holding (and apparently not giving that
much attention). It would benefit the residents of their
district or state as well as make them much more likely
to try harder to win the office. After all, they're
going to be out of a job if they lose. Ok, so they won't
go all the way down to "Bob Obama" working as a barista
at Starbucks or "Juan McCain" handing out "Fire" sauces at
Taco Bell...they're pretty wealthy guys...but for once
it seems that the constituents might be considered.