FW: End of Day -- 1/7/08

Two good commentaries...

To: Friends and Supporters

From: Gary Bauer
Campaign for Working Families

Date: Monday, January 7, 2008

Reality

The polls indicate that many Americans are tired of war and looking for a new president who will rely on "diplomacy." Sadly, no matter who gets elected in November, these Americans will likely be disappointed by a reality of today's world, a reality that the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf had to confront last weekend.

The Defense Department reported this morning that five Iranian ships made threatening moves toward U.S. vessels. The Iranian ships came within 200 yards of our ships and actually radioed this message: "I am coming at you.
You will explode in a couple of minutes." Our sailors manned their gun positions and were "in the process" of giving the order to fire when the Iranian vessels abruptly turned away.

Here is what you need to know about the incident. In November, the Iranian government turned over its naval operation in the Persian Gulf to the radical Revolutionary Guard - committed Islamic jihadists. As I have reported before, Iran's Revolutionary Guard is responsible for providing the sophisticated weaponry that the terrorists have used to target U.S.
tanks and armored vehicles in Iraq.

You may recall that last January President Bush issued orders to "kill or capture" Iranian operatives in Iraq, and the administration later designated the Guard a terrorist organization, an action overwhelmingly endorsed by the Democrat-controlled Congress.

The weekend provocation was most likely a "test" of our naval defenses.
The biggest threat facing the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz is a "swarm attack" by dozens or even hundreds of small Iranian vessels loaded with explosives.

It only took one such boat to disable the USS Cole and kill 17 sailors in October 2000. The Pentagon fears that an attack by dozens of such "suicide boats" could sink a major U.S. naval vessel and inflict massive casualties.

It would be wonderful if we could wish away the danger we face. I would love to live in a time when there was no chance of a jihadist detonating a dirty nuclear bomb and taking out an American city, and where U.S. troops could come home and have normal lives. But that is not our world.

The next president may want to bring "change" (Obama's mantra) or may want the U.S. to withdraw from the world (Ron Paul's solution). Other candidates say they are running to revamp health care (Hillary) or tackle corporate greed (Edwards) or revamp the tax code (Huckabee).

But the reality is that they will begin each day in the White House with an overnight "threat assessment" of the dangers facing our country. Then, glibness, sound bites, pollsters and good looks won't matter. All that will matter is whether or not they have the fortitude, strength and foreign policy knowledge to keep Americans alive in an era when thugs are working feverishly on ways to kill us.

The Lesson Of Jamie Lynn Spears
 
The entertainment world was rocked by the recent news of the pregnancy of Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney's 16-year-old sister.  Spears' announcement was particularly well-timed, because it came just days after the Centers for Disease Control issued a report that found the birth rate for 15 to 19 year olds increased in 2006, for the first time since 1991. 

These two recent events have given the mainstream media a chance to engage in two of their favorite pastimes:  pushing birth control on children and bashing the Bush Administration and its funding of abstinence education. But what most news analyses of the CDC report failed to mention is that there's an even greater problem than teen motherhood:  unmarried motherhood. 

As I write in my Human Events column today, the real lesson to be learned from the CDC report and the Jamie Lynn Spears episode is that if young people want to give their children the best chance to succeed, they will wait until marriage. You can read my column at: http://www.humanevents.com

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10-20-30 rule for presentations

http://pbp.typepad.com/nobull/2008/02/the-102030-rule.html

 

Ok, I have had this discussion too many times with presenters and presenter wannabees.  The author of the blog is spot on as far as I am concerned. 

Sure, you have a 10-hour OSHA training course - yes, the concept will not work based on what is required.  But I am focusing in on that presentation that we often give.  You know which one – the conference in Chicago, the overview to pastors and wives or maybe that refresher to the maintenance team.  But reconsider the concept that there has to be a slide for every 30 seconds of presentation.  I have not found support for that one.

Jimmy Buffett

Yes, I am a fan of Jimmy Buffett. I was asked that question today after someone had played a song on their car radio and my wife mentioned I enjoyed his music. Yep, I have read the books too.
Earlier I mentioned that John has passed on. He too was a Buffett fan. At his memorial a quote was made from the song "He Went To Paris" - '..some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, But I had a good life all the way.'
I agree with the words there.

Another site to look at:
http://www.buffettworld.com/ and for lyrics http://www.buffettworld.com/lyrics.html