Current Affairs

A big story last week involved the Air Force, Congress and EADS (the European parent company for the makers of Airbus aircraft.)  You see, some people in the U.S. Congress expressed outrage that the U.S. Air Force would sign a contract with a company outside of the U.S. to make aircraft for the U.S. Military.

"Congressman John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), said: 'There is the industrial base you have to consider. The political implications are important.'" 

Apparently, outsourcing labor to other countries is a bad thing for the U.S. economy.  Someone probably should've told roughly half of the United States technology companies currently outsourcing labor overseas.

Some people credit the U.S. Air Force with making a shrewd bargain though.  Airbus offered to make the U.S. Air Force KC-45A airplanes modeled after the Airbus A330.  The KC-45A would function primarily as a refueler of planes.  You see, Airbus' rival in the deal- Boeing- bid to make an aircraft for the U.S. Air Force capable of holding 23% less fuel and 16% fewer passengers than the aircraft offered by Airbus.  That's a difference of fueling 7 more F-16's during one run.

"By some estimates the government will save $55 billion if it buys all the needed planes from Northrop-EADS."

EADS- a group controlled primarily by both public and private interests in Germany and France- won the $35 billion Pentagon contract last week.  At the same time, apparently Germany and France may be working on legal methods to prevent foreign investors from acquiring controlling interests in EADS. 

Maybe they agree with something in Murtha's concerns about outsourcing.  Spain also owns a five percent portion of equity in EADS.  Spanish national elections just closed Sunday and the Socialist Party in that country appears to have won.  That party has been responsible for "removing Spanish troops from Iraq...legalized gay marriage, pass[ing] legislation that cracks down on domestic violence, and made gender parity mandatory within political parties."  In 2005, they offered Spanish residency permits to undocumented immigrants with proven jobs.  This year they campaigned on promises of tax rebates and housing subsidies.  The Popular Party ran against the Socialist Party by promoting their economic policies as well as attempting to instigate fear regarding immigration's impact on the Spanish economy.

In the U.S., "a small explosion caused minor damage to a U.S. military recruiting center in New York's Times Square area."  Around 3:45 am on Thursday, March 7th an IED went off with apparently no one really noticing.  Police have combed videotape from the ever-present, electric eyes in Times Square and they've found a ten-speed bicycle they believe the bomber rode.  No one was hurt.  However, the police may establish a connection between this bombing and previous blasts at the British and Mexican consulates in New York.

"Asked if there was a link to terrorism in the incident, Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Laura Keehner said...'there is no credible information to suggest there is an imminent threat against the homeland at this time.'"

So we've got that going for us.  The "homeland" is safe for now.  However, Representative Todd Tiahrt from Kansas sees problems for the homeland in the form of the Air Force- EADS deal.  According to Todd Tiahrt, "An American tanker should be built by an American company with American workers."

Tiahrt's congressional home district coincedentially also happens to be home to Boeing facilities.  Apparently Tiahrt has no qualms with "energy to heat and cool buildings, fibers for superior carpets and garments, chemicals used to manufacture a wide range of products, forest products such as bath tissue, paper towels, building products and packaging, and financial services" being supplied by outsourced companies though, because Koch Industries Inc.- Todd Tiahrt's biggest donor to his 2006 election- boasts of having a presence in nearly 60 countries.

Sue Payton, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, claims renovating the Air Force tanker program is a top priority for the Air Force.  However, congresspeople like Murtha and Tiahrt have threatened to withhold funding from the Air Force for the purchase.

I wonder how this is going to affect supporting the troops?  I agree that the contract does not maximize the creation of jobs in the U.S.; however, I find myself agreeing with John McCain.  Defense contracts shouldn't be determined based on how many American jobs are created.

If equipment is inferior then a better deal should be sought.  Our military should be the best.  End of story.

As for Congressmen Murtha and Tiahrt, they should decide what it is they really believe.  If outsourcing is bad on principle then it is simply bad.  That might mean Murtha should stop taking money from companies like DRS Technologies- his second largest donor in the 2006 election cycle. 

You see, DRS has atleast four offices in foreign countries.

It's the principle of the matter and if you don't believe me just ask Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.  You see, Florida and Michigan want to try to change their tone after having flouted Democratic National Committee rules by proceeding with primaries they knew were too early.  Howard Dean seems to be holding firm on not allowing their delegates a spot in the primary season unless another round of voting takes place in both states.

Principles are a good thing and don't let anyone tell you different.



Our Nation is Now Dumber for This…Thank You for Your Participation!

Girls:
Here is yet another reason to be very wary of performing in front of a camera.
This one doesn't even involve Girls Going Wild.
When you sell your likeness, your likeness can be used to promote anything imaginable.
And sometimes the unimaginable.




Question of the Week

How do you feel about the work that you do?  Are you fulfilled through your work? 
If you didn't get paid to do it, would you show up tomorrow?

Tip of the week

Become what you have the potential to be.  Find your essence and express it.

Birthday Shout Outs (Mar 9th to Mar 15th)

3/9
(1451) Amerigo Vespucci- It's a helluva thing to climb aboard a ship and sail into the unknown.
(1910) Samuel Barber- Classical music is under-appreciated.

(1932) Keely Smith- Jazz music doesn't get the love it probably should.



(1961) Rick Steiner- He was one of my favorite pro-wrestlers back in the late 80's and early 90's.  He always looked like he was having fun in his early days.

3/10
(1957) Osama bin Laden- To hear some people tell it, he might be the devil incarnate.



3/11
(1926) Ralph Abernathy- He was amid the turmoil with Martin Luther King Jr.
(1931) Rupert Murdoch- He sure will leave his children with a ton of cash.
(1981) LeToya Luckett- I've got a soft spot for Destiny's Child.



3/12
(1932) Barbara Feldon- She was Agent 99.
(1953) Carl Hiaasen- He's written some very entertaining books.
(1972) James Maritato- Better known to some as Little Guido, he was capable of wrestling many styles.

(1978) Frank Catalano- I can't say that I'd ever heard of him before, but I like his sound.



3/13
(1950) William H. Macy- Fargo was good.
(1960) Adam Clayton- U2 had their moments.

3/14
(1879) Albert Einstein- He was unintelligibly brilliant.  I'm not sure if that's a compliment.
(1920) Hank Ketcham- Dennis the Menace was a great comic strip.
(1933) Quincy Jones- This guy has had a prolific career.  He produced Michael Jackson's early work and wrote the theme song to Sanford and Son among other things.

3/15
(1767) Andrew Jackson- He was the 7th President of the United States of America and adamantly opposed the National Bank of the United States.  He also killed Indians as if his life depended on it.
(1912) Sam "Lightning" Hopkins- Blues doesn't get the love that it should.

(1935) Judd Hirsch- He was Alex Reiger.
(1977) Joe Hahn- He spins the beats and samples for Linkin Park.





Memory Lane

The place I call "home" in Michigan is a little town named Mattawan.
I only lived there maybe five years, but my fondest childhood memories- in Michigan- reside there. 
A poor family, surname Dibble, also lived in Mattawan.
This is a small town.
The "Dibbles" became something they were not. 
They were a symbol for the town, even though really they were just a family trying to get by.

I didn't know the Dibbles, although I knew who they were.
They had a station wagon with a hole in the floorboard.
I remember watching them drive slowly down a side county road- past my house.
Some of the Dibble children had their feet hanging down through the hole.
They were swinging their feet as if from a swing.
They really appeared to be in no danger of falling or colliding with the road.

I was seven or eight when I left Mattawan.
I remember thinking that I wouldn't dangle my feet through the floorboard of that car.
I was only motivated by fear though.
I remember thinking that some of the Dibble kids at school were kind of dirty.
They had old clothes.
They seemed a little "off."

They were poor.
Their house was a shack.

I was nicknamed "Dibble" by some of the adults in Mattawan.
It was affectionate, or so it was presented.
There became a time when I was more likely to be called "Dibble" then any of my birth-given names.
There would be other times when the same could be said about other nicknames, but those are stories for their own time.

I'm quite sure that I met people when I was called "Dibble" that had no idea of the backstory of the Dibble family.
They probably thought my name was Dibble.
They must've wondered, 'What would motivate a person to name their child Dibble?'
I wore the name comfortably.
It wasn't until the name was gone, and I had moved into another state of being, that I questioned the nickname.

The joke that began the name was, "You're a part of the Dibble family.  We just adopted you."
Hah, hah, hah, hah...quite the joke, huh?
People got a kick out of it, but my mom always told me where I came from.
My father was dead when I reached the age of four.
It was good to know where I came from.
My mom got a kick out of calling me "Dibble" as well though.

It was okay, because I lived through the experience.
I honestly don't believe that- in most cases- anyone harbored any resentment toward me when they called me "Dibble."
Many of my "childhood buddies" were grown men and women who were often drunk.
Many of them were good people who let me learn from watching things that I'm sure they would've shielded from the eyes of their own children.
My mother was a bartender and it was a small town.

Hanging out at a bar is among my earliest childhood memories.
The smell of the bar.
The pinball machine.
Soda.
The bands playing on the weekend.
People dancing.
The pool table.
And the drunks.
Hanging out at the bar was good times.

I didn't drink anything but Shirley Temples and Coke.
The people around me drank Pabst Blue Ribbon.
They called me "Dibble" and usually had a pretty good time.
I heard dirty jokes that I didn't really understand.
I found out early I had a knack for repeating those jokes with good timing and emphasis.
That impressed my buddies.

They called me "Dibble" and now I pass on the tradition to my children.
I don't tend bar and I don't live in a small town.
I'm not taking my children to the bars of Phoenix, because they are unstable places.
There are no roots in Phoenix bars.
In "the" Mattawan bar, everyone was a neighbor or childhood schoolmate.
Fights happened, but they were rare.
There were roots.

My twelve-year old daughter has earned the name "Birth Defect," because her finger won't bend all the way.  She's earned the name "Big Head," as well, for standing in front of the television.
My eleven-year old daughter has earned the nickname "B-S" for telling me too many stories that lead me to say that's "B-S."
My four-year old son earned the nickname "Body Function" today from my wife, for being so enamoured with his own belchs and farts.
We'll see how long that one sticks.

There's something to having challenges in youth.
When life comes too easy at a young age, a person might get the notion that life is easy.
They might even begin to think that life is great.
Life is only great if you talk yourself into it.
Life is.

A good nickname can quell a swelling head.
A good nickname can feel like a new suit off the rack.
A good nickname makes for stories to tell later on.

Belly Laugh

Monty Python: irreverent and hilarious