Is Obama Serious about Nuclear Power?

Anti-Nuclear Hysteria May Still Have an Effect on Public Policy

As a full disclosure, myself and OleGreyDog may need employment in the near future, and that box of cookies we sent with our resumes to Lehman Brothers may have been a futile action seeing how they've gone tits up. Since we are already confirmed nuke power nerds, putting shameless self-interest into our election decision is desirable to secure future subsidies for our drinking habits.

McCain and Obama had a bit of a testy exchange on nuclear power at yesterday's debate. Transcipt:

MCCAIN: No one from Arizona is against solar. And Senator Obama says he's for nuclear, but he's against reprocessing and he's against storing. So...

OBAMA: That's just not true, John. John, I'm sorry, but that's not true.

MCCAIN: ... it's hard to get there from here. And off-shore drilling is also something that is very important and it is a bridge.

And we know that, if we drill off-shore and exploit a lot of these reserves, it will help, at temporarily, relieve our energy requirements. And it will have, I think, an important effect on the price of a barrel of oil.

OBAMA: I just have to respond very quickly, just to correct -- just to correct the record.

MCCAIN: So I want to say that, with the Nunn-Lugar thing...

LEHRER: Excuse me, Senator.

OBAMA: John?

MCCAIN: ... I supported Nunn-Lugar back in the early 1990s when a lot of my colleagues didn't. That was the key legislation at the time and put us on the road to eliminating this issue of nuclear waste and the nuclear fuel that has to be taken care of.

OBAMA: I -- I just have to correct the record here. I have never said that I object to nuclear waste. What I've said is that we have to store it safely.

Obama seems to be taking a middle ground approach on nuclear power, and his energy page has a bunch of pictures of trees and wind turbines, but nothing on splittin' atoms. However, I was able to dig up this video where he discusses some nuclear issues at a campaign rally:

Obama talks about keeping his kids safe, and that nuclear plants need to prove that they are safe (yawn). Pretty dishonest comment seeing how the worst nuclear accident in American history (Three Mile Island) didn't result in anyone getting injured. Meanwhile, every time an oil refinery blows up and leaves a pile of stiffs in its wake, it barely makes a dent on any politician's radar. Obama also mentions that he is against the Yucca mountain depository, which would provide a permanent storage solution for high-level waste. His criticism of the high-cost of nuclear power is justified, but with the cap and trade program he advocates, it could become more economically viable. So, Senator, hopefully you'll come around to support nuke power, and if you don't, remember that there's no bigger a nuisance in the modern age than an unemployed blogger.

Taliban Advance on Islamabad, Nuclear Facilities

Oh Fuck

Did you think that Pakistan's government negotiating a deal with the Taliban to allow for Sharia law in exchange for "peace" in the Swat Valley was a good idea? Me neither. Despite the government telling the international media that all is well, Al-Jazeera English has footage of Buner being occupied by the Taliban (southeast of Swat and about 100km from Islamabad, map is here):

More troubling news from The Long War Journal is that the Taliban are continuing their march onward to Islamabad and areas which have nuclear facilities:

The Taliban advance on Mansehra and Haripur takes place at the same time they are moving on the districts of Swabi, Mardan, and Malakand. The takeover of these five districts would essentially cement the Taliban's control of the province.

The Taliban takeover of Haripur would put the Taliban on the doorstep of Islamabad and would also put two major nuclear facilities at risk.

Haripur borders the Margala Hills, a region in the Islamabad Capital Territory. Haripur also borders the Punjab districts of Attock and Rawalpindi.

Attock hosts two major nuclear facilities in Pakistan: the Wah Cantonment Ordnance Complex and the Kamra (Minhas) Airbase. The Wah Cantonment Ordnance Complex host three sites where nuclear weapons and components are stored and assembled and aircraft and missiles are modified for use in nuclear attacks. The nearby Kamra Airbase is thought to host attack aircraft capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Pakistan's military has been dispatched after some justifiable hand-wringing by SECSTATE Hillary Clinton. But, seeing how Pakistan's military advances against the Taliban have a history of being a dog-and-pony show to get more aid from us, it might be time to start shitting your pants.

Solution to Nuclear Waste: Just Dump It on Al Gore's Lawn

An environmentalist friend of mine from the Seattle area once questioned me on a possible solution to CO2 emissions in the energy sector in response to global warming. I strongly suggested nuclear power since it emits no CO2 and has been used safely for decades. However, the problems with nuke power is that it requires an enormous amount of investment capital to construct a power plant, training personnel for safe operation is costly, public hysteria to splitting atoms resulting in never ending protests, and where in the world to dispose of nuclear waste. She sent me this Scientific American article which discusses the problems with reprocessing spent fuel.

In lamens terms, the fuel used in most reactors is a combination of the U-235 and U-238 isotopes of Uranium (which can be mined). When the fuel is exposed to neutrons bouncing around to heat up the reactor, some of the U-238 become Plutonium-239. This stuff does not occur naturally in mother nature, since it's quite unstable, and is also used in nuclear warheads. The author of the Scientific American article argues that since it is so expensive to recycle the plutonium and terrorists could get their mitts on it, fuel reprocessing is a bad idea. Ultimately, the question becomes how do we dispose of spent fuel from nuclear reactors in a cost-effective and safe fashion.

While most environmentalists are kind folks who live modest lives and enjoy hiking on the weekends, there is a dangerous trend towards celebrity environmentalism amongst modern American society. These douchebags fly around in gulfstreams, live in huge mansions that no doubt destroyed huge swaths of the landscape to construct, and might show up in a Prius at some awards ceremony to show how "compassionate" they are about the cause that is in-style that week. Al Gore is one of these hypocritical assbags, who lives in a mansion in Nashville, but tells all the rest of us commoners that we need to reduce our carbon footprint. In an apparent PR stunt, Gore installed a bunch of "green" fixtures in his mansion, but the fact that the guy consumes way more resources than the average Joe is still apparent.

So the problem with nuclear waste is that we don't have a place to dump it, and it might get in the hands of terrorists. I say put it on Al Gores's lawn since 1) It will show how committed he is to reducing CO2 emissions and inflate his already massive ego, and 2) He'll be able to scare off any potential terrorist by boring them to death with his recap as Vice President or how the 2000 election was rigged against him. This might have the fun-filled consequence of bombarding Al Gore with gamma rays, thereby turning him into some sort of Gore-Zilla. Just thinking outside the box here.

Hillary Goes from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove!

If Hillary Clinton was once a die-hard leftista burning her bra at Wellesley College, it certainly wasn't evident in her interview with Olberman last night (h/t Hot Air):

"We used [deterrence] very well during the Cold War when we had a bipolar world and what I think the president should do and what our policy should be is to make it very clear to the Iranians that they would be risking massive retaliation were they to launch a nuclear attack on Israel," she said.

I have nothing against Israel, but threatening nuclear war on their behalf seems just a tad bit hawkish. Is Hillary trying to bring about the "end of times" in some eschatological orgy of rapture? I hope not, because all that would result from a nuclear war is a society based on cannibalism and barbarism as we scrounge for the few remaining resources, and the only thing beneficial that could come out of nuclear apocalypse would be a make-shift Thunderdome where young female participants would fight in Xena-style warrior gear.

I'm no expert on Middle Eastern affairs, but it seems most of the Arab states are no fans of the Iranian theocracy. But, they fear hawkish American threats towards Iran as a path towards a massive regional conflict not seen since the Mongols last came through. Ironically, there's an LA Times article about the Persians closely watching our election. At a time when their economy is in the shits, and our Ambassador in Iraq seeking another round of security talks with Iran, shouldn't we a little more diplomatic in our approach. While nefarious Iranian influence in Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere signifies an exceedingly complex diplomatic problem, this isn't exactly the Cuban Missile Crisis in the desert.

Forget dodging sniper fire, Hillary, try living through Nuclear Winter

Obama's Energy Secretary All About Fission

Here's a bit of good news for a soon to be unemployed Navy nuke guy like myself and a country that is in desperate need of an electrical infrastructure makeover. Obama's incoming energy secretary is a nuclear nerd. From Politico:

The Nobel Prize-winning physicist told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during his confirmation hearing that he’d help streamline nuclear loan guarantees that would help the industry construct several new plants to produce low-emission energy and would push the Energy Department to examine options for recycling nuclear waste.

“I’m supportive of the fact that the nuclear industry should have to be part of energy mix in this century,” Chu said. “And recycling [nuclear waste] in the long term can be part of the solution.”

While counting on government subsidies is hardly a valid business model, if cap and trade were imposed or a gas tax, that some prominent conservatives are supporting, nuke power would be much more economically viable. Obama has hinted that he supports splittin' atoms before, but has waffled on what to do with nuke waste. I suggest dumping it at Al Gore's house..."for the children", or if his house unavailable going with the Yucca Mountain option. Either way it's good to see the administration at least paying lip service to new power plant / grid construction. However, expect most of the opposition to come from NIMBY types that expect all the benefits of living in modern civilization without any of the "eyesores".

Thoughts on the Debate; All Hail Obama and His Glorious Empire!

Well I thought it was pretty evenly matched, but too bad for McCain he needed a miracle to alleviate his epic drop in the polls. Even Karl Rove was calling this election for Obama before this debate started, and I didn't see McCain take out any magical fairydust out of his knickers to pull this one off. Time to get a grip on reality and understand that Obama is probably going to be running the country in a few months...and planning accordingly. Here's some dumb thoughts:

Where's The Money Lebowski!: Neither Obama nor McCain could answer the question about future obligations for entitlement programs without diverting the topic to immediate plans for tax relief. That probably has to do with them needing to win the election in the short-term, and the long-term ramifications of entitlement programs are just too damn depressing to think about for the average voter. I don't plan on living past 40, so I should be good to go, but the rest of you should probably bury a bunch of money in your backyard before aging boomers can get their mitts on it for yoga classes in their twilight years. There was a time when young people respected the elderly, but that was before the Ponzi schemes known as Medicare and Social Security became part of the collective conscious.

So, Healthcare is a Right Now: I'm a big fan of worldwide natural rights, such as institutions not being able to force people to think a certain way, not being coerced to see shitty chick flicks, and not being able to deprive others of those rights. But referring to healthcare as a "right" is a bit disturbing, because it requires the compulsive services of doctors, nurses, people developing medical technology, etc. Does that mean that I can willfully deprive those hardworking folks of their liberty just so I can get the ass implant I always wanted? Hmm. Obama is implying that we should mandate socialized healthcare the same way we have the right to free speech. I would sure like to know how we are going to pay for that shit. In fairness, McCain is the guy who wants the federal government to buy up foreclosed homes, so that money troff in Washington must run pretty damn deep.

Obama Fires a Zinger at AIG: The plutocrats at AIG have already stolen $61B of the $85B in taxpayer dollars that our unprincipled wangs in Washington handed over. A week after AIG got a piece of this "bailout", a bunch of the upper management went to some resort in CA for $400K. Obama said the CEO should be shitcanned, which struck a chord with me. But then I remembered that both Obama and McCain approved "The Bomb", and I just got pissed off two seconds later.

Energy: Seems like Obama and McCain both supported Nuke power, and McCain even mentioned that he spent some time on carriers run by nuclear power...cool! Of course he didn't mention that one nuclear operator in the Navy costs about $250,000 to train, and new nuclear plants cost multiple billion dollars. They might be profitable if oil prices continue to go through the roof, or a cap and trade system is implemented, but it's going to be a lot of dough, and considering we're going to be burning trash and dead squirrels in a barrel for the next four years due to the economy tanking, I'm just not sure Americans will be onboard with such massive projects for energy independence. As for my Navy nuclear training, you should feel honored that you, the taxpayers, spent a quarter of a million dollars on me and all you got is this lousy blog.

(for ABWF, on Obama talking about government research and computers: the first "general purpose electronic" computer was ENIAC which was developed by the Army during WWII for firing artillery. But, technically, the Abacus is probably a computer that was been around forever, but was invented by Al Gore.)

Afg/Pakistan: I never thought the Democrat would be the guy wanting to go Dr. Strangelove on the nuclear-armed Pakistan, while the Republican took a more nuanced approach. Seems a little hardcore, and I'm wondering if the State Dept. in Pakistan is going to have to do some damage control tomorrow. But, Obama recovered well and cited that supporting dictator Musharaf was probably a lousy idea on the Bush administration's part. Afg/Pakistan is really complicated, and it's tough to discuss in a townhall forum when the people running for Commander-in-Chief are fielding questions from the rubes in palookaville, ansewering ridiculous questions about their favorite flavor of ice cream or whatever the fuck that last question was.

Iraq: Didn't seem to come up much. I guess when stability broke out, it no longer became such a hot-button issue that it was at the beginning of this presidential campaign eons ago. I'd say that speaks loudly of what our troops did there. McCain's support for the successful surge strategy is definitely a big plus in my book, but it's in the past. Obama went further back into the past and cited McCain supporting the initial authorization for the use of military force, which still pisses off Americans.

Veterans Issues: IAVA came out with a very comprehensive grading system for DC politicians today (Obama got a B, and McCain got a D) based on how they voted on issues like the Webb GI Bill. TSO disagrees with Paul Rieckhoff's analysis in a very-detailed post, but I still consider Paul a very trustworthy dude who has done a lot for our generation of vets. But I urge IAVA to give both Obama and McCain a big fat F, because they FAILed to even mention veterans issues. A panel of vets at the NY Times were not very impressed with this lack of discussion. But we're a small voting bloc and we need to realize that there is going to be a serious lack of tax revenue to pay for vets benefits. Hang on, because it's going to be a wild ride.

Thanks to everyone who hung out at the chat room on This Ain't Hell. Politics is a vile, nasty business, but sooner or later, it is going to fuck you in the ass. We're just trying to stay educated on the subject. What are your thoughts on the debate?

Probably Best They Left the Nukes out of the Carrier Documentary

It's time to cast off for an uber-motivated portrayal of the Navy with this PBS documentary on the nuclear-powered carrier USS Nimitz (h/t David Axe of War is Boring). Normally, gussied up photos and stats of the Navy (top speed: 30+ knots of awesome!) in the traditional media makes me want to vomit for some reason, but David Axe recommended it, so it is worth perusing. It is also good knowledge to know, since your tax dollars are paying for these colossal sea beasts.

You can get some history and stats on the ship here, some info on their 2005 deployment and some candor from a Rear Admiral here, and an interview with "the crew" here. Generally when one refers to "the crew" in Navyspeak, that refers to the enlisted men and women who work for a living. But this montage is mostly aviation types and mostly officers. If this is big ploy to get people to join the aquatic branch during these tense times, then PBS has chosen wisely. If they had chosen servicemembers from the nuclear community who work in the carrier's engineroom, then they would've heard musings on how much their life sucked, complaints about the ship's internet not having enough bandwidth for World of Warcraft, and the wretched boredom of standing watch deep in the ship's hull. The aviation community is generally very proud of what they do and loves talking about themselves more than Paris Hilton at a self-help seminar. While the nuclear or "nuke" community (which I am part of) chooses to not celebrate the setbacks of their own life....which is probably a good thing.

A pilot's perspective...

...and a nuke's perspective

Do You Know About the Dangers of A Nuclear Detonation?

Oh Noes! My Porn Was in There

Did you know that a nuclear detonation by a ballistic missile could cause widespread death and destruction?!? Get the fuck out, I know. Despite duck n' cover drills being taught throughout America during the cold war, the cuban missile crisis, and a legendary performance by Steve Gutenberg in The Day After, the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation seems to think people in Washington DC don't appreciate the devastation that a nuclear explosion could cause. That's why they want to create "EMP Recognition Day" on March 23rd for congress members, where politicians would have to live out a Flintstones episode because everything electronic would be simulated as decimated by an Electromagnetic Pulse.

Not sure what the point of this foolishness is, but they seem to want to drum up support for more investment in missile defense. Not surprising as they get a bunch of their funding from defense contractors. Pretty lame.

(h/t Armchair Generalist)

Oh Yeah...You Mean THAT "Secret, Underground Nuclear Fuel Facility"

President Obama, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and President Sarkozy are dropping a bombshell (pun intended!) at the G20 summit today...well not really that surprising considering Iran's track record. From the NY Times:

President Obama and the leaders of Britain and France will accuse Iran Friday of building a secret underground plant to manufacture nuclear fuel, saying it has hidden the covert operation from international weapons inspectors for years, according to senior administration officials.

The revelation, which the three leaders will make before the opening of the Group of 20 economic summit here, appears bound to add urgency to the diplomatic confrontation with Iran over its suspected ambitions to build a nuclear weapons capability. Mr. Obama, along with Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, will demand that the country allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct an immediate inspection of the facility, which is said to be 100 miles southwest of Tehran.

That's certainly one way to approach diplomacy, and a much more effective one that inviting Iranian officials over for hot dogs.

World's Troublemakers Weigh in on Obama

Iraqpundit writes that many of our allies are pleased with the selection of Obama as President. This is good news, as America's standing in the world needs some serious repair in light of recent worldwide opinion polls. But what about the quasi-dictator hooligans who continue to oppress their suffering people? Iran says Obama must stop the "war mongering", Chavez hopes he can meet the president select on "equal and respectful terms", and Al-Qaeda thugs in the online forums said "Today America elected Obama because al-Qaeda wanted it, after God desired it! In 2004 America elected Bush because al-Qaeda had wanted it, after God desired it!". Ho-hum. This is normal and silly chatter from the usual rabble, but another questionable regime appears to have taken action. The apparatchiks at Pravda wrote a glowing review of Obama in yesterday's edition:

Those of us in the international community who predicted eight long years ago what would happen if Bush were elected must do two things. First, never forget the damage done by George W. Bush and his minions of evil and make sure that, like the generations after Hitler, history does not pardon these criminals as well-meaning politicians who were the victims of tough times. Secondly, we must give Barack Obama a blank page to write on, and hand him the pen with a sincere and open smile.

Welcome back, people of the United States, welcome back into the fold of the international community, where you will find friends and not foes, where you will find we all prefer to smile and not to cry and that when we do cry, our tears taste of salt just like yours do, whether we are pink, blue, white, yellow or black.

Sounds like kind words from our sometimes friends across the pond. Unfortunately, President Medvedev decided to deploy the nuclear-capable Iskander missiles today in an attempt to spook the incoming Obama administration. The President then prattled on about the U.S. being the architect behind the global financial crisis. The Telegraph reports that some Russian media delved into the ridiculous:

Several tabloids incorrectly reported that the main message of Mr Obama's final campaign speech was a call on young African Americans not to let their underpants show above the waistline of the jeans.

Jeez. It's like these guys want to go back to the good old days of the cold war, replete with shoe-banging and thermo-nuclear annihilation. Despite a resurgence in classic movies like Matthew Broderick's War Games, our country doesn't need this headache while we are already engaged in a difficult fight against Islamic extremism.

Joe Biden originally gave us six months before Obama would face a serious crisis. President elect Obama didn't even get 24 hours before Russia started puffing it's chest Soda Popinski-style. Please have a plan, Mr. Obama.

Russian President Trying to Act Tough

Pakistan President's Gets Punk'd By Prank Call, Almost Starts a War with India

Not Fucking Funny

In a striking similarity to the Onion article where JFK gets let in on the Cuban Missile Crisis hoax, Pakistan scrambling its air force during the Mumbai attacks was the result of a prank call. From Fox News:

A man pretending to be India's foreign minister called Pakistan's president and talked in a "threatening" manner during the Mumbai terror attacks, prompting Pakistan to put its air force on high alert, a security official and a news report said Saturday.

Dawn newspaper said authorities were investigating the circumstances of the hoax, which occurred as tensions spiked between the nuclear-armed neighbors during the attacks.

The potential for nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India has reached dangerous new levels due to Mumbai, and the fact that some joker could push central Asia towards the Urdu version of Road Warrior is very troubling. That or Pakistan's Administration is playing games with the media to deflect attention from their involvement with the attacks, as India has suggested.

The real question is how does some random schmoe have the phone number directly to Pakistan's President? If anyone knows it, please call Mr. Zadari and tell him to properly secure the NATO convoy route through Peshawar. It is becoming extremely problematic as seen by 96 trucks bound for Afghanistan being set ablaze by militants.

Note: It's in bad taste to relate international tensions to that ass clown Ashton Kutcher, but in tough times all you can do is laugh uncomfortably at how fucked up everything is.

A Journey into the Heart of Darkness: The 2008 Dem PlatformD

It Smelled Like Slow Death in There

Following up on the amateur analysis of the GOP platform, the Dem platform is out(pdf) and worth taking a gander at. I admit to once having a strong dislike of the Democrats when I first became interested in politics during the Clinton days, which was probably the result of listening to a lot of Waco-era talk radio growing up. But, the times have definitely changed, and old partisan lines have been redefined. Here's the rating systems of the platform (out of 4 Sinbads for good, out of 4 Mr. Van Driessens for heinous)

Sinbads (out of 4): The hilarious comedian and star of the epic TV show, A Different World, and the underated 1995 classic, Houseguest, embodies the best traits of liberalism. He understands that institutionalized forms of intolerance are best defeated at a grass roots level by relentless mocking and parodying of the hypocrisy in the cultural elite. While advocating for change, Sinbad still holds a profound affection for this country by serving in the Air Force (despite going AWOL a few times) and doing USO tours into a conflict zone to boost morale among forward deployed Americans (even though he didn't come under sniper fire the way Hillary remembered).

Mr Van. Driessen (out of 4): The wussy teacher of Beavis and Butthead embodies the worst of liberalism. A cult-like fanaticism exists within his mind towards emphasizing people's feelings and being one with mother nature like some sort of hippy ant colony. Mr. Van D can only sense injustice within the own confines of his silly little world, as shown with his distrust of authority figures in law enforcement and irrational fear of human progress. Naively singing songs about Lesbian seagulls, while madmen overseas plot to massacre both nature-lover and corporate fat-cats alike. Mr. Van Driessen represents the dregs of modern liberalism and is not a good choice for a candidate in a time of uncertainty.

The Issues:

• Economy: Entitlement programs, ahoy! The platform wants to give Joe and Jane schmoe energy rebates to accommodate rising gas prices, health coverage for Americans similar to the plans congressmen get, stronger social security, stronger medicare/medicaid, and much, much more. There's probably some shit in their about free puppy dogs and lollipops to voters in bellwether states, but it's hard not to space out when reading this beast of a PDF. They also want to pump in a whopping $50 Billion to local and state coffers that will certainly save incompetent government programs from the chopping block in these tough times. All this money doesn't grow on trees, and these pie-in-the-sky promises are exacerbating the problem of government misspending that has gone on in both the major political parties, which makes the dollar more worthless, making shit more expensive, and making me have to haul a wheelbarrow full of cash to the liquor store to buy a pack of smokes for fuck's sakes.

Rating: 3 Van Driessens

• Energy: The Dems are pushing hard for the cap and trade system, which would cut greenhouse gases and prevent Denver from becoming beach front property in the future due to global warming. And who doesn't like the idea of more jobs being created to develop infrastructure and the like. But even the platform's ambitious zeal for "green-collar" jobs can't make totally wacky promises, and they seek only 25% of America's energy from renewables by 2025. Scrounging around the platform for nuclear power, one only finds something about how awful it would be in using the barren, uninhabitable expanse of Yucca mountain as a place to store nuclear waste. Seems a bit unrealistic and lofty a proposal to put all our eggs in one solar-powered basket, and we'll most likely continue giving Chavez petrobucks until we can come to our senses on a reasonable energy policy. The platform also mentions harnessing American ingenuity to free America from the "the tyranny of oil". Hmm. I'm confused about the context here, because if it wasn't for crude oil and its distilled products, we'd probably be bitching about needing the local consulate to mend the yoke for our oxens because all the able-bodied men died of the bubonic plague or something of a medieval nature. I think the Dems are looking for solutions that aren't totally anti-growth, but they need to keep lookin' harder. If any of you know the silver bullet to our energy woes (which can't be destroyed or created tanks to the crummy law of thermodynamics), you've got my vote!
  

Rating: 1 Van Driessen

• Military/Diplomacy: Lots of good ideas to expand the State Dept (by way of the Peace Corps), Americorps, and the military, Scrapping the archaic Don't Ask Don't Tell policy is a way to allow more Americans to serve their country. Also, expanding diplomatic options as service-based rather than career-based would have more people working for Uncle Sam as opposed to the indirect method we have now, where many civilians serve as contractors. The Dems focus a lot on the conflict in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and I hate everything they tried to fly during the surge, but the reality is that the future administration will require a reduction of military forces in Iraq, and more focus in A-stan/Pakistan. This has been the position of the Democrats for a long time, even when it was completely irresponsible, but it would be a good thing for Iraq and America if withdrawal was done based on the conditions now. As for Iran, they say they will have diplomatic negotiations without preconditions to prevent Iran from developing nuke weapons. Not a bad idea, since saber-rattling has got us jack and shit the last 28 years. The only beef I have is with China, because the Dems talk about economic trade with the emerging giant as a way to foster a more legitimate regime, but the Dems platform on trade was alarmingly protectionist to placate the union cronies that have their dicks in punch bowl. Seems like they want to have their cake and eat it too. I have no reason to question that Dems care for vets, as Sen. Webb, a Dem, was the ones who passed the GI Bill and was awarded the Military Coalition Award.
  

Rating: 3 Sinbads

• Values: The Dems acknowledge the 2nd amendment, but want to instate the assault weapons ban. Bye-bye zombie protection kit! They also support money going to churches, despite the infringement on the first amendment. More pandering to the evangelical base, when they clearly will have trouble getting these votes because they are pro-choice. And if you are irresponsible enough to knock someone up or get knocked up without the means of raising a small kid, your babies will be shipped off to Pre-K on the government's dime. Lucky you. The platform also gives would-be fathers advice: "We need more fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to understand that what makes a man is not the ability to have a child–it’s the courage to raise one." I find this very offensive that a political party would feel the need to explain something so obvious to the unwashed masses. Maybe in 2012 they'll tell people how to tie their shoes. However, the platform gets some props for strongly supporting tribal sovereignty, which is a matter not often discussed.
  

Rating: 2 Van Driessens

This platform isn't bad on national security (never thought I would say that for the lefties), but promises an awful lot of goodies from Uncle Sugar to woo voters come election time. The foreign investors must be ecstatic at the amount of cash our country is willing to borrow. The Dems have the fiscal spending responsibility of a 15 year-old at a Gucci shop in Beverly Hills with Daddy's plastic. Unfortunately, we're all gonna have to pick up the tab eventually. You say Hope and Change, and I say Game Over, Man! See you all at the burn barrel under the bridge.

What are your thoughts on the platform?

Brazil - why pour salt on your wounds?

I caught something quick on Drudge Report about how Brazil has found some new oil fields offshore. I've never had the chance to go to Brazil, but it seems like there'd be a plethora of babes, Carnivale sounds like a total party, and the buffet at "Rio" in Vegas is top-notch so I'm guessing the food is good in the real Rio. I'm happy to hear countries finding oil besides Iran and Venezuela, since Chavez and Ahmadinejad seem to display this appaling, self-righteous hubris whenever they get to talking about oilbucks that makes one want to go into punchin' faces. But then I read that Brazil wants to take some of the revenue and invest in... a nuclear submarine! Brazil, I implore you to think of the consequences on your citizenry. I just spent 3 years on a boat and I am still going through a recovery period... in Iraq. So sure nuclear submarines might sound like a good idea, but don't neglect the hardships endured by the crew below. Me on my last deployment on the right, I was such a happy lad.

Keepin' it Klassy in Kitsap Kounty

From the Kitsap Sun: Port Orchard Woman Arrested, Despite Claiming to be a "Nuclear Scientist"

A 23-year-old Port Orchard woman who claimed she was a nuclear scientist — and then shouted insults and obscenities at a Kitsap County sheriff's deputy — was arrested Sunday morning for assaulting the deputy.

And again from the Kitsap Sun: Stolen Bremerton Chihuahua Turns Up at Vet's After Ingesting Meth

The employee told an officer a Chihuahua had been brought into the clinic Thursday by a 40-year-old Silverdale man. The veterinarian believed the dog had ingested methamphetamine based on its strange behavior. They also believed the Silverdale man might have been high on methamphetamine, according to reports.

Sometimes, no commentary is necessary.

Nuke Power Gets the Nod From the Snooty New York Times

The New York Times writes about viability of more nuclear power plants in America and seems to be supportive of the whole no CO2 emission thing. But, a detailed discussion at Reason suggests new nuclear power plants are too damn expensive to be economically sustained without either massive government subsidies or a huge carbon tax/cap-and-trade policy in place. And that takes into account fossil fuels being priced through the roof.

Whatever our country decides to do for energy, I just hope the policy wonks come up with a strategy soon. Because, I just got my separation letter from the Navy and I need to get a job like a normal person eventually. Trying to live off Paypal donations from internet people probably isn't going to tide me over for long.

LT Nixon tries to make a living off bloggin'

A Journey into the Heart of Darkness: The 2008 GOP Platform

The Horror...The Horror

The GOP has released their 2008 platform(pdf) in time for the convention. While there's a lot of reasons to blow off the Republican party this election cycle (dude, $9.6 Trillion national debt, WTF!), I figured it'd be good to at least hear them out and give it a quick analysis. Tomorrow we'll be looking at the Dems platform from my own warped perspective.

For the purposes of scientifically analyzing the major components of the platform, we'll be using the following scale:

Good Conservatism (on a scale of 1 to 4 Plisskens): Snake Plissken embodies all the best parts of conservatism. As a specops combat vet, he's certainly patriotic, but he's pissed off that the government has become an over-reaching tyrannical state, symbolized by Manhattan being walled off into a maximum security prison. His rugged individualism is enough to save the President from a group of Marxist hijackers, but his muddled morality questions the mission the entire way, because those in power should remember that they are being scrutinized.

Bad Conservatism (on a scale of 1 to 4 Smails): Judge Smails can't control the hijinx of his family, so he seeks to criticize everyone else having a good time to overcompensate for his failure to tame his own offspring. He also abuses his position of authority to maintain a society with an upper caste serviced by lowly peons like the hilarious Bill Murray.

The issues:

• Immigration: The GOP platform rightly seeks to uphold the rule of law regarding immigrants illegally flocking into our mainland to commit crimes, but their incentives to naturalize the vast majority of productive, law-abiding immigrants is weak at best. The GOP platform suggests employers utilize some Gestapo crap called an "E-verify" system to track all these foreigners in a monstrous database, and deporting those who over-stay their visas. What about all the college students, educated in our schooling system, who then go back to India and China to boost their tech sector. These people create wealth and innovation and shouldn't be kicked to the curb. Also, the ag sector throughout America is largely dependent on migrant workers, and the platform fails to recognize the importance that immigrants have had to our country since the boat after the Mayflower showed up. Then they go on to say everyone must whiten up, adopt our cultural practices (what is the officially sanctioned U.S. cultural paradigm O wise Republicans?), and stop speaking in funny languages. Another example of the GOP's desire to put the lid on the melting pot that has been the American way for hundreds of years.

Immigration Rating: 2 Smails

• Veterans: Holy shit! The GOP loves the bipartisan Webb GI Bill, talks about the need to help out vets suffering from TBI (traumatic brain injury), and wants to increase the size of our Armed Forces. What's not to like?

Veterans Rating: 4 Plisskens

• Diplomacy: The GOP Platform does a country-by-country break down. They have had a good policy on Iraq with regards to not abandoning our Iraqi allies to genocide, and the platform states a continued partnership in diplomatic relations. With that monstrous embassy of ours, it'd be crazy not to have good relations. However, the GOP takes the tough-guy approach to Iran by stating they refuse to talk to the Islamic regime. We've adopted that policy for 28 years, and it hasn't done a lot of good. The blurb on Pakistan and Afghanistan is incredibly terse and shows that the GOP doesn't recognize that this is the most important part of the War on Terrorism (despite what the brass/State Dept. is saying). The bit on China is good though, as it encourages economic development and trade, but is leery of their human rights abuses. The platform talks a lot about setting the example for human rights in America, but doesn't mention that we should shitcan Capital Punishment or enhanced interrogation. I'm not very sympathetic towards the people that get waterboarded or put to death, but diplomacy isn't about what your average Joe in America thinks, it's about what your average Mohammed overseas thinks. This has been a strategic blunder with the Bush Administration that the platform fails to recognize.
  

Diplomacy Rating: One Plissken

• Energy/Environment: Finally, a fucking party that recognizes nuclear power doesn't mean Godzilla is going to be popping out of the cooling tower to wreak havoc on middle America. The platform calls for more nuke plants and shows the embarrassment that an entire generation bought into anti-nuclear hysteria in the 70s and there hasn't been a plant built since. The platform also wants to improve on other technologies and stop shipping money off to Saudi Arabia so some sheikh can wipe his ass with Benjamins. The platform also addresses Global Warming and suggests a "market-based" approach to nipping the problem, but is unclear on specifics. Do they want cap-and-trade, giving Al Gore more money to make documentaries, or what? Overall though, it's a responsible platform that calls for balancing energy infrastructure improvement and environmental responsibility. I'm not big on this no-growth hippy crap that liberals often spout, because I guess we could all go back to living like savages in the woods, foraging for berries and shit, but it's cold outside where I'm at.
  

E/E Rating: Two Plisskens

• Healthcare: It's pretty obvious that the geezers in the AARP are running the show here, since the GOP talks big about one of our biggest government expenditures: Medicare. The platform calls for more choice for Medicare and Medicaid recipients, which will ensure a plethora of corruption amongst shady "Dr Nick Riviera" insurance providers looking to charge two thousand bucks to Uncle Sugar for dishing out a couple of Advils. This is absolute bullshit and shows that there is no longer any personal responsibility in taking care of your own health. With free healthcare goodies, what's to stop consumers from calling pricey ambulances to drive them across town because they have an owie or opting for the most expensive drugs that are clearly beyond their means. I'm all about helping people out through charity, but expanding these monstrous programs will only create massive amounts of waste in the healthcare industry with the taxpayers footing the bill. We need to be honest with ourselves...we are a nation with a horrific debt that makes the dollar about as valuable as Mama's Family VHS tapes and we need to stop promising people shit we can't afford.
  

Healthcare Rating: 2 Smails

• Culture War!/Values: Unsurprisingly, they saved the kickers for last. Continue the unsuccessful war on drugs, keep internet gambling illegal, and stop teh gheyz from being so publicly and flamboyantly gay. The war on drugs screed is funny (in a sad sort of way), because earlier in the platform they say that more needs to be done about gang violence...how about cutting off their funding source, you imbeciles! You don't see the Rollin' Sixties slinging Budweisers on the street corners of Los Angeles. The platform also shreds the first amendment in half, and says it's all hunky-dory that publicly funded institutions use religious-themed items and that America is founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Ugh. I have never understood why America can't be a secular nation in their eyes, because it's not like we should be inspired to achieve the glorious statedom of Saudi Arabia or Iran. And it's nothing against religion, just that it doesn't have a place in public fuckin' policy when a lot of folks have radically different religious beliefs in this country. They take a hard stance against abortion...which I'm ambivalent about and shant discuss further. The 2nd amendment stuff was a good shot in the arm, but everything else in the values portion of the platform is an attempt to impose values at the federal level to a society that only existed on 1950s television. America has always been a country of hookers, violence, and people getting hammered, and trying to erase this part of our history just isn't going to happen.

Culture War Ratings: 3 Smails

• Overall: The diplomatic portion is somewhat reassuring, which is incredibly important during the complex international conflict we currently face, and I'll always have a place in my heart for the GOP on national security since they supported the Iraq mission during the Surge. But the Repubs are still pandering to the evangelical base to sucker in those easy votes. The only problem is that not everyone is a Ned Flanders, and laws on morality compel everyone to act a certain way. I can't support this ridiculous intrusion of government, when there's much more pressing issues ahead of us as a nation. Well, there's always the 2012 platform.
  

Overall rating of the GOP Platform: 1 Smails

And what are your thoughts?

Shocker: Iranian Thugocracy Ain't Chomping on Obama's Carrot

Besides throwing the Special Olympics under the short bus yesterday, Obama made a pretty bold soft power move by issuing a video addressing the Iranian people and its leadership on the occasion of Nowruz (Persian New Year). Not a terrible idea, since not exercising all diplomatic options prior to conflict would be madness. However, it unsurprisingly was met with disdain by Iran's leadership. FOX News has a little blurb about Iran saying "neigh", and using the power of teh google news aggregator, I was able to dig up this FARS News Agency (one of Iran's propaganda mills) article:

The new US administration needed a "fundamental change in attitude", he said. But Iran would "not show its back" to Obama if the US put its words into practice.

"By fundamentally changing its behavior, America can offer us a friendly hand. So far what we have received have been unfriendly fists. Unlimited sanctions which still continue and have been renewed by the United States are wrong and need to be reviewed," he said...
...But Iranian memories go back much further, to the 1953 CIA-backed coup that overthrew the nationalist prime minister Mossadegh, and decades of American support for the shah. As Obama pointed out, with presidential understatement, it would not be easy to overcome "the old divisions".

Javanfekr also singled out US backing for Israel, Iran's arch-enemy and currently the only nuclear power in the Middle East.

You're pretty standard Iranian fanfare about our support of Israel and past involvement with the Shah. Of course, nothing from Iran about their aggression of the last 3 decades from kidnapped diplomats to flying drones above neighboring countries to undermine regional security. However, it seems like the video was a clever way to reach out to the Iranian people ahead of their elections, and the vid is getting some serious attention on the Middle Eastern satellite stations.

The Persians are smart enough to have good taste in music, so perhaps they'll realize that all the ridiculous conspiracy theories about the West attempting to assassinate Ahmadinejad with airport X-rays is simply state-issued propaganda to distract the citizenry. Also, observational evidence suggests that Iranians don't have some deep-seated hatred towards America and in fact have some affinity for Western culture. Fundamentalist theocracies will inevitably collapse during an information age, since control of media by the state becomes less and less feasible. Perhaps the President was just trying to hasten the process.

Indian Police Blame Laskhar-e-Taiba, Pak-Indian Tensions Getting Ugly

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

As the smoke clears from the abominable atrocities committed in Mumbai, speculation of how nations respond and whodunnit abound throughout the international media. Jules Crittenden has a pretty good round-up of what's being said, and, unsurprisingly, India's leadership is enraged. It's no secret that nuclear-armed Pakistan and India are not the greatest of friends, and reportedly the thugs responsible came from a terrorist group in Pakistan. From the Daily Mail:

One police officer said: ‘That, thankfully, never happened because we managed to stop them.’ Police insist that Kasab confessed to being a member of the Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has denied involvement in the carnage, and claimed he and the others were trained in the Muslim country.

Long War Journal has a pretty good synopsis of the Lashkar-e-Taiba:

Indian and US intelligence officials believe the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the attacks. The capture of Kasab, along with signals intelligence, and a satellite phone and GPS recovered by police indicate the group was behind the attack.

The Indian Mujahideen -- a front group for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Harkat ul Jihad al Islami, and the Students Islamic Movement of India -- claimed responsibility for the attack. The Indian Mujahideen has been behind several mass-casualty terror attacks in India over the past two years.

Lashkar-e-Taiba has an extensive network in southern and Southeast Asia. A senior US military intelligence official described the group as "al Qaeda junior," as it has vast resources, an extensive network, and is able to carry out complex attacks throughout its area of operations. "If by some stroke of luck al Qaeda collapsed, LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) could step in and essentially take its place."

The relationship between al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba is complex, the official noted. "While Lashkar-e-Taiba is definitely subordinate to al Qaeda in many ways, it runs its own network and has its own command structure. The groups often train in each others' camps, and fight side by side in Afghanistan."

If this terrorist attack in Mumbai was backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, like the suicide bombing on the Indian Embassy in Kabul, the hostility between the nations will only get worse. There's also reports that Pakistani troops are being pulled from the northwestern tribal areas to be garrisoned along the Indian border. Pakistan's new democratic government deserves international support, but they have to be held accountable for allowing terrorism to fester inside their borders. A tough tightrope to walk for a nation like the U.S. A successful Indian entrepreneur writes in the WSJ that this is Obama's first international challenge. The stakes are incredibly high and the consequences for failed policy are enormous. I hope our next president doesn't let us down, because solutions to Pakistan's terrorist problem are not easy to come by.

From the mind of Barack Obama "I picked the wrong week to quit smoking!"