Battle of Freeman's Farm

Awesome battle with at least 900 reenactment soldiers. The British kept the field but with heavy losses. Technically they won, but they lost too many men. Took over 200 pictures.

Battle of Saratoga Reenactment

Tomorrow through Sunday I will be celebrating the 230th anniversary of the Battle of Saratoga. There is a reenactment of the battle being held in Fort Edward, NY.

Oct. 6th will be the reenactment of the Battle of Freeman's Farm which was fought on Sept. 19, 1777. Oct. 7th will be the reenactment of Battle of Bemis Heights which was actually fought on Oct. 7, 1777.

Hopefully we will also be visiting the grave of Jane McCrea in Ft. Edward and also visit Fort William Henry in Lake George. I should bring back some good pictures.

Hu is the President of China

GOP Convention Logo

I've been seeing this logo on several blogs today. I didn't really pay much attention because I figured they were just making fun of the GOP with a photoshopped picture.

But no. It's the actual logo for the 2008 GOP Convention to be held, in all places, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN.

Whoever came up with this logo needs to be fired immediately. Where to begin? The "wide stance" of the elephant that looks like it's about to mount something, maybe our country because the republicans want to continue to screw the Constitution. The elephant is wearing prison strips or maybe wrapping itself in the flag. What's with the star for an eye? Is the elephant on drugs or just a "starry-eyed" idealogue? And why is the elephant blue?

BTW, I read a few days ago that bathroom stall dividers in the Minneapolis airport are being removed and refitted with a divider that is lower to floor. I guess they are really worried with all those republicans coming to the city next year.

Negative Ad About Mitt Romney?

The above is an ad sponsored by the Log Cabin Republicans that is running in Iowa. Here is what Romney spokesman Kevin Madden has to say about the ad:

“This personal, negative attack was launched and paid for by a group recognized as having Mayor Giuliani as their ‘favorite’ candidate," Madden emails us. "Governor Romney supports a federal marriage amendment and so it makes sense that a national gay rights group would attack him."

Just how is this a negative ad? It shows what Romney has said in the past. Does he deny saying those things?

Family Values Party Won't Back Rudy

Sorry Rudy, but James Dobson doesn't think you would be an appropriate Republican president.

If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand. The result was almost unanimous.

This is great news for Democrates. Dobson is going to find a "Ralph Nader" third party candidate to run against Rudy. This is not a surprise. Southern fundamentalist conservatives don't know Rudy's stand on social issues. It almost insures that a Democrat will be elected President.

The President of the United States is a Liar

From a press conference held on Aug. 7, 2007:

Q Thank you, sir. A two-part question. The New Yorker reports that the Red Cross has found the interrogation program in the CIA detention facilities use interrogation techniques that were tantamount to torture. I'm wondering if you have read that report and what your reaction to it is?

THE PRESIDENT: I haven't seen it. We don't torture.

In an extensive NYT times article today:

The new opinion, the officials said, for the first time provided explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects with a combination of painful physical and psychological tactics, including head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures.

Mr. Gonzales approved the legal memorandum on “combined effects” over the objections of James B. Comey, the deputy attorney general, who was leaving his job after bruising clashes with the White House. Disagreeing with what he viewed as the opinion’s overreaching legal reasoning, Mr. Comey told colleagues at the department that they would all be “ashamed” when the world eventually learned of it.

Unfortunately Mr. Comey was wrong. I doubt there is any shame in this administration about the decision to use torture. These people care nothing about the US Constitution, International law and treaties or the rule of law. Their desire to "promote democracy" in the Middle East is a joke. They do not believe in democracy at home so how can they possibly believe in democracy anywhere else?

Lying about a bj gets you impeached. I wonder what lying about torture will get you?

Equal Time Announcement

This is an equal time public service post. Get your awesome "free" poster of your conservative heros HERE. Jeez, I bet Kristal is really pissed off that he's not in it.

Is it just me or is everyone near Ann Coulter seeming to keep their distance from her?

Great Britain Sucks

The UK used to be awesome, what with helping us out in Iraq and acting as G.W. Bush's "enabler". But now that they are pulling troops out of Iraq it turns out the British weren't all that great to begin with.

The White House no longer views Britain as its most loyal ally in Europe since Gordon Brown took office and is instead increasingly turning towards France and Germany, according to Bush administration sources.

Ironically, it appears the Prime Minister of that "Freedom Fries" nation, those cut and run French are now the good guys. It's a good fit between Bush and Sarkozy. It appears that, like Bush, Sarkozy doesn't have much regard for the rule of law either. Will Bush's nickname for Sarkozy be "Speedy" now?

Bush is The Decider: We get it already

Pres. Bush gave an 76 minute long speech in Lancaster today in which he assured his audience that he was the "Decision-maker". I'm not sure who he trying to convince that he is the decider.

I really appreciate the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce for giving me an opportunity to explain why I have made some of the decisions I have made. My job is a decision-making job. And as a result, I make a lot of decisions. And it's important for me to have an opportunity to speak to you and others who would be listening about the basis on which I have made decisions, to explain the philosophy behind some of the decisions I have made. And so I'm looking forward to your questions, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to come and share them with you.

Bush also used the opportunity to brag about being an average student in college. Being the decider he gets to tell those smart-ass, liberal, commie Phd's what to do.

"I got a lot of Ph.D.-types and smart people around me who come into the Oval Office and say, `Mr. President, here's what's on my mind.' And I listen carefully to their advice. But having gathered the device (sic), I decide, you know, I say, `This is what we're going to do.' And it's `Yes, sir, Mr. President.' And then we get after it, implement policy."

He also uses the opportunity to explain why he vetoed the S-CHIP legislation....using misinformation.

It is estimated by -- here's the thing, just so you know, this program expands coverage, federal coverage up to families earning $83,000 a year. That doesn't sound poor to me. The intent of the program was to focus on poor children, not adults or families earning up to $83,000 a year.

Religion in Presidential Elections

It sure is amusing to see the candidates question the religious bona fides of other candidates and the church doing the same thing.

After stating that the USA is a Christian nation, John McCain now questions whether Mormons are real Christians.

"Only America, in my view, has these Judeo-Christian values that drives us to play the role we do in the world.

McCain makes it sound like we are in Jihad with the rest of the world. When asked whether Mormons are Christians McCain had this to say:

When asked if he considered Mormons to be Christians, McCain said, "I don't know.

Here's a hint. If the words "Jesus Christ" are in the name of the religion, they probably believe in some supernatural role for Jesus Christ and thus are Christians by definition.

On the Catholic end of the religous scale, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke has the following to say about Giuliani:

"I can't imagine that as a Catholic he doesn't know that his stance on the protection of human life is wrong. If someone is publicly sinning, they should not approach to receive Holy Communion."

Does the USA Have the Moral Authority to Condemn Burma?

The White House has now condemned Burma for locking up people for years without representation.

MS. PERINO: Well, unfortunately, intimidation and force can chill peaceful demonstrations. And reports about very innocent people being thrown into detention, where they could be held for years without any representation or charges, is distressing; and we understand that some of the monasteries have been sealed.

This statement would likely carry much more weight around the world if the USA were not doing the same thing.

Thanks to G.W. Bush and Richard Cheney, the USA has lost its moral authority to condemn the Burmese authorities.

Revamp Our School System

Bob Herbert, of the NYT, opines about the necessity of revamping our schools in the USA. Everyone I've ever spoken with about the subject agrees that our schools could be better. But Herbert makes a good point here:

What is counterintuitive, but well documented, is that paper qualifications, such as teacher certification, have very little to do with whatever it is that makes good teachers effective.

“Regrettably,” said Professor Kane, who has studied this issue extensively, “we’ve never taken that research fact seriously in our teacher policy. We’ve done just the opposite.”

Concerned about raising the quality of teachers, states and local school districts have consistently focused on the credentials, rather than the demonstrated effectiveness — or ineffectiveness — of teachers in the classroom.

I've had more than one teacher tell me that obtaining a Masters of Education is a joke. Show up to class and you will get at least a B. Certification guarantees nothing. Assigning effective, experienced, mentor teachers to new teachers would likely be much more effective in helping new teachers than requiring "paper certification". Sort of like what is done in almost all other careers.

I understand, better than most, that teachers love the protection that their union provides (I've been through teachers union negotiation sessions). But I think if teachers don't start supporting effective change, taxpayers are going to revolt by supporting more and more charter schools or other alternative means of education.

Arctic Sea Ice Rapidly Disappears

The Northwest Passage is finally open. Give thanks to the massive loss of arctic ice over the last few years. Whether you believe global climate change is the result of human influence or not, this graphic from the NYT Science section should give pause.

It's a map of the world looking straight down on the North Pole. It's interactive so you can see the loss of Arctic sea ice since 2003 (slider in upper right corner). The loss of sea ice is really startling. The loss of "perennial sea ice" is even more unnerving. Perennial sea ice is ice that has always been present since satellite observation of the Arctic started in 1979. One million square millions of normally ice covered ocean has been exposed. That's the size of six Californias.

Some that have previously argued that the loss of ice is not due to human influence are now beginning to wonder:

Some scientists who have long doubted that a human influence could be clearly discerned in the Arctic’s changing climate now agree that the trend is hard to ascribe to anything else.

“We used to argue that a lot of the variability up to the late 1990s was induced by changes in the winds, natural changes not obviously related to global warming,” said John Michael Wallace, a scientist at the University of Washington. “But changes in the last few years make you have to question that. I’m much more open to the idea that we might have passed a point where it’s becoming essentially irreversible.”

It will be interesting to sea how much ice is formed during the coming Arctic winter.

Republican Resolution to Commend Limbaugh

No one expects Republicans to vote for the resolution offered by Rep. Mark Udall to condemn Rush Limbaugh for his "phony Soldier" comment.

But this blows me away. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) is actually introducing a resolution to commend Limbaugh.

Personally, I wish the US Congress would just stfu about what people say. We do have freedom of speech in this country so it really isn't any of their business. Let's get on with some real business.

Excuses for Slavery or Give Slavery a Break

This is rich. Michael Medved tells us the truth about slavery at townhall.com.

1. SLAVERY WAS AN ANCIENT AND UNIVERSAL INSTITUTION, NOT A DISTINCTIVELY AMERICAN INNOVATION. [others were doing it so why couldn't we]

2. SLAVERY EXISTED ONLY BRIEFLY, AND IN LIMITED LOCALES, IN THE HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC – INVOLVING ONLY A TINY PERCENTAGE OF THE ANCESTORS OF TODAY’S AMERICANS. [heck, we only had 89 years of slavery, what are you whining about?]

3. THOUGH BRUTAL, SLAVERY WASN’T GENOCIDAL: LIVE SLAVES WERE VALUABLE BUT DEAD CAPTIVES BROUGHT NO PROFIT. [lets not count all those that died on slave ships]

4. IT’S NOT TRUE THAT THE U.S. BECAME A WEALTHY NATION THROUGH THE ABUSE OF SLAVE LABOR: THE MOST PROSPEROUS STATES IN THE COUNTRY WERE THOSE THAT FIRST FREED THEIR SLAVES. [that sure excuses slavery]

5. WHILE AMERICA DESERVES NO UNIQUE BLAME FOR THE EXISTENCE OF SLAVERY, THE UNITED STATES MERITS SPECIAL CREDIT FOR ITS RAPID ABOLITION. [yeah, we got rid of it didn't we?]

6. THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT TODAY’S AFRICAN-AMERICANS WOULD BE BETTER OFF IF THEIR ANCESTORS HAD REMAINED BEHIND IN AFRICA. [yeah, blacks should be paying US for bringing their ancesters to the USA]

Damn! And Republicans just can't understand why they don't get more of the black vote.

Mutate a Face

Want to help mutate pictures of random triangles into a face? Then go here and rate each picture as to how much it looks like a face. You basically allow the most fit pictures to survive. See the progress here. After enough rounds of mutation and selection something that looks like a real face will appear.

Moveon.org vs Freedoms Watch

Many people have heard of moveon.org, the group that many conservatives think is a commie, socialistic, America-hating group of hippies owned by multi-billionaire George Soros. Actually, moveon.org is a true grass roots organization with an email list of over 3 million citizens. They have a stated purpose:

The MoveOn family of organizations brings real Americans back into the political process. With over 3.3 million members across America – from carpenters to stay-at-home moms to business leaders – we work together to realize the progressive promise of our country. MoveOn is a service – a way for busy but concerned citizens to find their political voice in a system dominated by big money and big media.

They have a webpage full of information and currently a scrolling list of names of people that have signed a certain petition. They have information on the history of the organization and who founded it. They also have an extensive report on their most recent accomplishments.

Compare this to freedomswatch.org. This is the same type of organization founded by members of the conservative right. But try to find a name on their website. Who founded them? Who funds them? How many members do they have? You can't find this information. That's probably because they don't want you to know that they are more or less a White House front group, an astroturf organization. This organization is funded by rich conservative friends of none other than the esteemed Richard Cheney. Bradley Blakeman, the groups president used to be an assistant to G.W. Bush. Ari Fleischer and Mary Matalin, both of whom worked in the White House, are also involved in Freedoms Watch. You can read more about the founders of Freedom Watch here. Many of the founders are also members of the Republican Jewish Coalition. Why doesn't Freedom Watch want us to know who they are?

The purpose of Freedom Watch is to lead us into a war with Iran. In fact, Freedom Watch is sponsoring a private forum, being held this month, to make a case for war against Iran. Drudge (for those that need a good conservative reference) also confirms the purpose of the forum is to promote war with Iran.

Polls show that Americans do not support military action against Iran. That's why an organization like Freedom Watch is needed. They will spend the money required to convince Americans that we need to take military action against Iran. Freedoms Watch ads end with a plea to call your congressman and even provide a toll-free number. The phone number, however, doesn't connect you with your congressman, it connects you with Freedoms Watch to hit you up for a donation.

Saranac River in Saranac Lake Village

The water level in the river is as low as it has probably ever been. There is usually a foot of water going over the dam. Check out the dam pictures, the water is probably down at least 18 inches.

Friedman Sings a New Tune

Tom Friendman of the NYT is singing a new tune in todays Op-Ed.

We don’t need another president of 9/11. We need a president for 9/12. I will only vote for the 9/12 candidate.

What does that mean? This: 9/11 has made us stupid. I honor, and weep for, all those murdered on that day. But our reaction to 9/11 — mine included — has knocked America completely out of balance, and it is time to get things right again.

But this is what really got my attention.

Look at our infrastructure. It’s not just the bridge that fell in my hometown, Minneapolis. Fly from Zurich’s ultramodern airport to La Guardia’s dump. It is like flying from the Jetsons to the Flintstones. I still can’t get uninterrupted cellphone service between my home in Bethesda and my office in D.C. But I recently bought a pocket cellphone at the Beijing airport and immediately called my wife in Bethesda — crystal clear.

This statement is right on. Travel to any major Western European city (and probably some Eastern European cities) and you will have a sense of modernity that you just don't get in the USA. They have better internet access, better cell phone technology, better transportation systems, hell, they even dress better than citizens of the USA. And they do this all the while they fight terrorism (using law enforcement)which they have been doing alot longer than the USA.

Friedman says:

For me, the candidate of 9/12 is the one who will not only understand who our enemies are, but who we are.

The problem is that Americans have huge disagreements on who we are and I don't see that changing in the near future.