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2006 November 19 — Why Now?
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The Draft

Apparently the media hasn’t bothered to cover the Congress for the last three years, because, like clockwork, every year Charlie Rangel of New York puts forth a bill to re-start the draft. When I read silliness like CNN’s Top Democrat: Bring back the draft, I want to scream at the ADHD middle schools students that constitute the news media to turn off the cartoons and start paying attention to the real world.

Charlie Rangel is personally convinced that there would be fewer wars if the children and grandchildren of the people in charge stood a good chance of fighting the wars they vote for. He thinks that the sacrifice should be shared by all of society, not just the predominantly rural/urban mix in the “all-volunteer” military.

When the military is told to kill and die, while the civilians are told to shop, it’s obvious that the sacrifices are not being equitably shared by all of society.

This is a variation of argument that took place during the founding of the United States. There was a great deal of suspicion regarding a standing army. The founders were more comfortable with local militias responding in defense of the nation, rather than having a professional military. This is why the power to declare war resides in Congress, and defense funding bills may not extend beyond two years.

November 19, 2006   8 Comments

Marking Time

Well, I went out last night because of the promise of the Leonid meteor shower, and while the sky was clear after the cold front moved through, I had absolutely no sightings and was chilled through and through.

I doing a re-hab on a house for a friend, which is a change from sitting at a desk beating on a keyboard, but when you start by hauling off 6080 pounds of junk, the job is not the touch-up the trim and repair a few electrical problems that was mentioned.

One of the pieces hauled off was the tank that belonged on one of the toilets in the house, so it’s time to install a new toilet.

The nail holes are nothing compared to the fist holes in the walls indicating someone among the former tenants had major anger management issues.

If I wasn’t ready for some physical labor I would have begged off, but I don’t see the December 1st “available to rent” date as realistic, too many things would have to go right for that to happen.

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November 19, 2006   6 Comments

Passing the Plate

Florida License Plates

Florida Plate Blogging

Beneficiary

Standard Florida Plate

A weekend feature of Why Now.

November 19, 2006   14 Comments