Quick Hits

I broke down and upgraded my iPhone 4S to a 5S, and now must quickly upgrade my Generation Three iPad to the new iPad Air because both my phone and tablet should at least have the same connectors!

It would really be confusing, and annoying not to have the right USB cable and connector at the right place.

On the subject of technology, I HATE the idea of cell phone use on airplanes for phone use, but applaud the use for music through earphones. I can’t even imagine how annoying it must be to have to listen to teenagers discussing their lives in the seat next to me for five hours, San Diego to Honolulu!The TV talking heads recommend “Noise Canceling Headphones” — what they apparently do not know is that those only cancel noise with a continuous frequency — like airplane engine noise — but not talking or music.

Now, you who read this from cold company may wonder why anyone living in San Diego would fly to Honolulu, and that’s a good question. It’s call Marginal Utility — Honolulu is marginally warmer.

Today, I showed one of my real estate listings to a couple who just flew in from Chicago, where it was 10 degrees. Even though  is “cold and rainy” by San Diego standards, compared to Chicago…

Everything is relative.

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In any other news cycle, the taxpayer loss of $139 million in the Fiscar car collapse, a la Solyndra, would be good news, but this Democrat power grab, the collapse of Obamacare, NSA spy revelations, Fast and Furious, Benghazi, the illegal use of the IRS, …and does ANYONE remember the name James Rosen…

Heck, even a lousy $$139 million doesn’t make Honorable Mention!

The nation is suffering Scandal Fatigue…for good reason.

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One wonders if anyone has seen the videos of Obama, Biden, Reid (“it would be the darkest day of the Senate”), and Pelosi saying the the 60 vote rule should never be changed — when the Republicans had control of the Senate.

I understand why the Republicans are not replaying those videos — when the Democrats are destroying their Party with Obamacare, why get in their way with a distraction to that overwhelmingly disastrous policy. Democrats are eating their seed corn, which is why Reid, Obama, Pelosi, Hillary, Biden, et al have ALWAYS opposed the nuclear option on filibusters.

Like the General Motors executives who gave in to unions for years to gain immediate peace from strikes, passing the problem to future executives with the hope the debt comes due when the peace-seeking executives have retired, the current Democrats have gained immediate advantage at the cost of Democrats in future Congresses.

Reid, Obama, Pelosi, Hillary and Biden all recognized this — and forcibly expressed it, previously. This is more likely a ploy to change the subject from Obamacare because the Democrats will plead for return to filibuster rules in the next Congress — and Republicans will probably relent because it is the right thing to do.

I wouldn’t but they will.

The ONLY state where “Young Invincibles” are paying their way of the Medicare sign ups is Connecticut. If this trend continues into the new year, and there is nothing on the horizon to change it that is visible, the Democrats have a mess.

My own son’s premium just went from $400 to $916, with a higher deductible.

Winning enemies, and certainly influencing people.

Spectacular Game — But Strange!

A college game played Friday night featured a really strange play in a really strange game — a coach told his players to let the opponents score.

Navy was leading by a single point over San Jose State with just over two minutes to go when the San Jose Coach told his team to let Navy score — which they did, giving Navy an eight point lead.

It also gave San Jose State the time to drive down the field, score, and tie up the game with a two-point play, with no seconds on the clock.

Which they did, throwing the game into overtime. Actually THREE overtimes.

The Navy Quarterback, Keenan Reynolds KNOWS that he should NOT have scored that touchdown. He should have taken a knee at the one yard line, then run out the clock, with Navy winning by one point. The natural reaction of every player is to score.

Reynolds redeemed himself, much later.

You probably did not see the thrilling football game between Navy and San Jose State, but it was a record breaker in many ways.

The short story is that Navy won in Triple Overtime!

The San Jose State Quarterback was spectacular – he completed 42 out of 56 passes for 440 years, and San Jose scored 52 points – in a LOSS!

The Navy Quarterback (a Sophomore!) carried the ball for 240 yards, personally, and scored SEVEN touchdowns!

Basically, it was a shootout – Navy could not stop the San Jose passing attack and San Jose could not stop the Navy rushing attack.

The Chargers had a similar game, with the lead changing hands many times.

Great games to watch!

I Really Think It is DNA

Gwen Ifill of PBS said, correctly, this morning on ABC This Week (Last Week), “The president last week said, ‘We know what’s best for you, we just don’t know how to do it.”‘

I disagree with the first part of the equation. No one, particularly government, can, or does know what is best for us.

When you drive the freeway, note how few cars are exactly like yours, make, model, color, year, the ask yourself if the government required three make/model/year/color choices, if you would be happy?

Before I did a media trip to Russia just before Perestroika was announced to the Russian people, I met with a Russian lawyer visiting Rancho Bernardo who told me of his impressions of America, “you have too many choices in grocery store, too confusing. One brand of cereal is all needed. And you have too many cars. Walking is best for you.”

Of course that’s making a virtue of necessity, but later the next year a wonderful Ph.D Russian woman (Irena) who had married a friend arrived, and soon brought her mother for a visit. Her mother was stunned with the Von’s in RB, and accused her daughter of taking her to a staged store. Irena had to drive and tell her mother to “pick a store and we will stop.”

(While the people had no choices in Russia, the Nomenclature — Government officials — had plenty of choices in stores just for them and tourists. In Leningrad I was stopped by a beautiful, 21 year old woman who offered to spend the weekend with me if I would take HER money and buy her a mink coat in a store she could not enter.)

Statists always believe we have too many choices. Three health insurance plans, get everyone we can out of their individual cars and into “mass transportation,” and we need more apartments and fewer individual homes…

It’s for your own good.

Statists by any other name still stink. (With apologies to Juliet in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet)

I guess I understand the problem, I just don’t understand the solution.

I take the free market view of the most good for the most people, while they take the socialist view of equality at the best level attainable so long as it is equal.

Socialism always settles for equality at the common denominator, while my side seeks excellence, recognizing that all men are not created equal (except in Court.)

It is a basic philosophical difference. My side recognizes winners and losers, their side wants trophy a for everyone who competes.

In Case You Missed It…

It’s not necessary for Republicans to say anything, the media is FINALLY on it. (Where were they before the train wreck?) Bob Woodward said,

“When you go down the road, it’s going to get worse, because you talk to the experts and they will tell you that this is a money issue. It’s going to blow a hole in the budget. And when we go in two or three months from now and have more “Are we going to shut down the government? Are we going to pay for the debt we have?” All of a sudden, this is going to come on the table and people are going to say, “My God, it’s going to cost much more money than we were spending on these things before.”

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/11/17/woodward-obamacare-isn-t-watergate-or-lewinsky-it-s-going-get-worse#ixzz2kwxnmKM2

Strange Friends — But It May Work

The information that Israel is having talks with Saudi Arabia to use Saudi airspace for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities MAY be a means to put a rod in Obama’s spine, but I expect that it may eventually be used.

Israel reportedly lacks refueling capability, but taking off and landing from Saudi soil would be a piece of cake, and the Israeli jets could reach Saudi soil over a tributary of the Red Sea. Saudi’s have always are said to be ready for airspace use, but it appears the old enemies are engaging in closer cooperation for an attack on a common enemy, Iran..

The other problem is bombs capable of deep penetration, and there is a question if Israel has that capability. Their scientific and manufacturing capabilities are superior, so they may not need our help — perhaps they already have it, or perhaps they don’t need it.

Worst case scenario is that Israel uses THEIR nuclear weapons. THAT would certainly put a period on the subject, at the risk of Israel’s international reputation.

Given the risk of an Iranian nuclear weapon, I doubt that they, either Israel or the Saudis care about reputation.

Few actually know. Israel is not going to let Iran have, or even get near a nuclear weapon. Only Obama/Kerry can use less than lethal means like sanctions, but my confidence I them is nil.

I suspect that STUXNET virus cooperation was the most that Obama will do – something that does not have his fingerprints.

I hope I am wrong. I hope that we have Israel’s and the Saudis back. It might be what is necessary to take attention off Obamacare.

Canadians Like US Healthcare

Bloggers continue to tout the Canadian healthcare system in order to defend government healthcare in the US, and to cite the Canadian government numbers as to wait times.

 The Fraser Institute disagrees with the numbers sent out by the Canadian government, but if you believe that governments don’t lie, fine.

Here is some VERY visible demonstration of the confidence that government officials have in Canadian healthcare:

In 2007, Canadian Liberal MP, Belinda Stronach came to the US. for breast cancer surgery.

When Robert Bourassa, the premier of Quebec, came to the US for cancer surgery.

In 2007, Wikipedia reported that “scores” of Canadian women were sent to the US for high-risk pregnancy, and one woman was sent to Montana for Quadruplets birth.

The Canadian Globe and Mail reported in 2008: More than 150 critically ill Canadians – many with life-threatening cerebral hemorrhages – have been rushed to the United States since the spring of 2006 because they could not obtain intensive-care beds here. Before patients with bleeding in or outside the brain have been whisked through U.S. operating-room doors, some have languished for as long as eight hours in Canadian emergency wards while health-care workers scrambled to locate care.”

The Premier of Newfoundland, Danny Williams, had his heart surgery done in Florida!

These are not anonymous  anecdotal instances, they are media covered instances, with names attached. These are CANADIAN officials who came here — AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE — instead of taking FREE healthcare in Canada.

Of course, many other Canadians do so quietly, every day, but in this case these are the officials who fund and understand how well the Canadian healthcare system works. Mind you, no one says it is in Britain territory but it is also not in our territory, either.

Why Not Healthcare As A Right — Like Europe?

This is an exceptional country — broken away from Europe, its Kings and now its Social Democracies (and Socialist Democracies).

This nation underwent its socialist time (note the small “s”) in the 1930s, a time when even Communism (note the capital “C”) — a time when the Democratic Party flirted with both socialism, and provided the sea in which ACTUAL Communists swam.

It is a periodic theme, this socialism (if not Socialism) as an identifiable part of the left wing of the Democratic Party. We do not wish to be European, although there are ex-pats in almost all European capitols of those who do.

There is a moderate wing of the Democratic Party, represented by the Democratic Leadership Council and Bill Clinton, but in the name of party “solidarity” (where have I read that word before?), it is supportive of this president and his flirt with Social Democrats.

Bill is now pushing back, recognizing that — as the news media suggests — this is Obama’s :Katrina.” 39 House Democrats also pushed back today, and threatened Senators have yet to be heard.

The takeover of 15% of the US economy is failing, and even elected Democrats are looking for cover. The NYTimes calls it a “crises of confidence.”

Yep! That’s what happens when your only choices are lying or incompetence.

“So, Who Ordered JFK Killed?”

One of the great tragedies of our nation was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Everyone who was alive on that day remembers where they were.

This week there has been a lot of press coverage on that assassination, and there is STILL question as to who killed JFK, and why.

About 25 years ago I was sitting in the basement bar of a small hotel in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with the recently retired number two man in the CIA, Ray Cline, (actually, the Number One professional who serves under a political appointee.)

It was Ray Cline seen bending over the desk of President Kennedy in that famous photo while the U-2 photos of the Russian missile sites were being pointed out in Cuba. He was the Number One professional man in the CIA for many decades.

A photo of me with the late Ray Cline and my then newspaper Editor, while we were all in Russia, is attached. You can see the typical Russian buildings in the background. We had meetings with many Russian military and politicians while in Russia, and you should have seen the Russian Generals embrace Ray when they saw him — he was revered even by our opponents for his professionalism.

One does not often get an opportunity to talk privately with someone like Ray, in a quiet venue like a dark, vacant hotel bar at 2 a.m. —  so I asked him, “Who killed JFK?”

I thought his answer was revealing: “I don’t know, but I can tell you who everyone on that plane back to Washington carrying the body of JFK, Lyndon Johnson, and Mrs. Kennedy unanimously THOUGHT had done it.”

“ Fidel Castro.”

When you read the Ray Harvey Oswald background, that makes sense to me.

 

Canadian Healthcare

On KFI-Los Angeles, Bill Carroll, a transplanted Canadian now a talk radio guy, said in Canada he had to wait a year for his daughter’s MRI – but the other day in the KFI parking lot he spied a huge van, and when he investigated, it was doing MRIs.

In the parking lot!

He exclaimed that in the US you could drop into a parking lot van, ad lib, and get what his daughter had to wait a year for in Canada.

That has to tell you something!

Preview of New Book on the USS Pueblo

The new book on the seizure of the USS Pueblo by the North Koreans will be available at Amazon.com on December 3.

Meanwhile, entire chapters are on-line at the Author’s website, including a chapter on Rose Bucher, my wife, and I.

This is the Author’s website for his new book on the seizure of the USS Pueblo: The book will be available Dec. 3 on Amazon.

http://www.jackcheevers.net/

This is one chapter in the book, or at least one part of one chapter..

http://www.jackcheevers.net/read-an-excerpt.html

Additionally, Cheevers wrote more about Rose, and our (Jean and mine) involvement, but space didn’t let it hit the published book, so he added it to his website at:

http://www.jackcheevers.net/roses-story-deleted-chapters.html

The story of my life – always left on the cutting room floor