Sometimes it seems like humans can’t live unless they are fighting over something. Today, I’m going to weigh in on a story that has been a big deal here in Japan and also over in Korea, the Takeshima/Dokdo debate.
I can already hear you thinking, “What the warm place is he talking about?” Well, that’s perfectly understandable since I sincerely doubt that this has made the US press.
Short version: There is a small chain of islets off the northern coast of Japan that are claimed as sovereign territory by both Japan and South Korea and are called Takeshima and Dokdo by each country respectfully. Who actually owns the islets has been a matter of hot and violent debate for years, but the current stink started a few months ago when the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (the Japanese like to get full mileage out of their ministries) came out with their new guidelines for middle and high school teachers. The most controversial change is that students are now to be taught that the Takeshima islets are part of Japan and the Korean claim is to either be ignored or refuted. As one might expect, this has royally cheesed off the Koreans, who don’t like the Japanese much to begin with, and they have officially recalled their ambassador to Japan.
Long version: Here’s a link to an AP story:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SKOREA_JAPAN?SITE=CTDAN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
With all this fuss, you must imagine that these islets are pretty valuable. Full of natural resources ripe for exploitation or with plenty of room for urban development for an over populated country. Well, you’d be dead wrong. These islets, note that they’re not even called islands, can best be described as a pair of rocks that just happen to stick out of the water. The weather is horrendous most times of the year and the terrain is considered all but uninhabitable. The population consists of 2 Korean citizens who live there as part of that nations land claim, 37 Korean security guards to defend the islets (???why???), and 3 Japanese fishermen.
I’m sorry if this sounds like I’m imposing my culture on another, but this is a petty and ridiculous thing to fight over. The core issue is an understandable one however. From 1910 to 1945, Japan occupied South Korea and the Koreans are still angry about it. Wouldn’t you be?
What really ticks me off is the idea of dragging the schools into it. Revisionist history in social studies class is nothing new in Japan or anywhere else for that matter. Just look at any US history textbook in any public school. But to write an ending for a current event is a new low. Imagine if a US history text were to come out tomorrow and the last chapter read, “. . . and then President McCain continued President George W. Bush’s good work and won the war in Iraq without any significant loss of American life.” (Published by Murdoch Pub. Ltd. “We decide, you agree ARRRRR.”) The public outrage would be . . . minor most likely. Americans don’t really care what goes into their children’s textbooks.
OK, that was a depressing thought.
I’m going to stop writing now.
Hit Count (not the number of people I have been paid to kill)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Gotta love the loopholes.
The FISA bill that the President will soon sign is a terrible idea. By protecting the telecom companies from civil lawsuits, it sends the clear message that the President of the United States is above the law. Considering that most of the big wigs at the Dept. of Justice sit at the pleasure of the President, it’s hard to say that he isn’t. But there is one argument against this bill that I’m not sure I buy.
I was watching Countdown via msnbc.com last night and one of the guests made the argument that the FISA bill shreads the 4th amendment. I’m not sure I agree. As a refresher, the 4th amendment is:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
As I understand it, the FISA bill legalizes and/or excuses the government spying on American citizens without a warrant. I haven’t read the bill, so I’m probably missing a lot of the details, but that is how it has been presented so that is what I will argue against.
The government listening in on your phone calls doesn’t violate the exact wording of the forth amendment. The spirit of it, heck yes, but the law is rarely concerned with the spirit. That’s the difference between Law and Justice. Verbal communication doesn’t fall under persons, houses, papers, or effects and the amendment only requires a warrant for those specific things. All four of those categories refer to physical objects, not information. “Persons” means the government can’t search your physical body or clothing. “Houses” is self explanatory. “Papers” refer to your personal records in an era when writing something down was the only way to record anything. “Effects” refer to your physical property such as the contents of your briefcase (In that era, this probably covered your slaves as well).
The big question is: Do spoken words fall under any of these categories? Houses: no. Person, not really because your words can’t be found by a physical search of your person. Papers, possibly, but the Administration’s argument will be that if it isn’t written down, it doesn’t count. Effects, that’s doubtful because you don’t own your words. Something I heard over and over again in school was how once something is said, it’s not private anymore. Under that logic, listening to someone’s phone call is not a search of their private records because words are definitively not private. (OK, yeah, I know that’s a load of rubbish, but that is what my generation was taught to believe in the post-columbine world.)
So the biggest sticker is in papers. If the government or their tele-toadies RECORD the call and play it back, then it becomes a “paper” under this amendment. So all they have to do is listen to the calls live and then prosecute under the 1st grader laws of evidence, “Teacher! Teacher! Johnny said a bad word!” (and yes, that’s the same Johnny who can’t read. What a little brat!) In the days of “You’re an enemy combatant because I said so. Off to Gitmo with ya!” this isn’t as crazy as it sounds.
It all comes down to the fact that we are using a 16th century rule book for a 21st century game. Therefore, the constitution ranks right up there with the Bible as a document that can be interpreted as just about anything. In today’s world, information is as tangible a commodity as bread or rice, something the founding fathers never could have imagined and hence did not plan for.
So the Bush administration is showing uncharacteristic intelligence by working their way around a constitutional loophole. That doesn’t change the fact that George W. Bush is a criminal and deserves to be hauled off to jail for the dozens of felonies he has, or has ordered, committed.
I was watching Countdown via msnbc.com last night and one of the guests made the argument that the FISA bill shreads the 4th amendment. I’m not sure I agree. As a refresher, the 4th amendment is:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
As I understand it, the FISA bill legalizes and/or excuses the government spying on American citizens without a warrant. I haven’t read the bill, so I’m probably missing a lot of the details, but that is how it has been presented so that is what I will argue against.
The government listening in on your phone calls doesn’t violate the exact wording of the forth amendment. The spirit of it, heck yes, but the law is rarely concerned with the spirit. That’s the difference between Law and Justice. Verbal communication doesn’t fall under persons, houses, papers, or effects and the amendment only requires a warrant for those specific things. All four of those categories refer to physical objects, not information. “Persons” means the government can’t search your physical body or clothing. “Houses” is self explanatory. “Papers” refer to your personal records in an era when writing something down was the only way to record anything. “Effects” refer to your physical property such as the contents of your briefcase (In that era, this probably covered your slaves as well).
The big question is: Do spoken words fall under any of these categories? Houses: no. Person, not really because your words can’t be found by a physical search of your person. Papers, possibly, but the Administration’s argument will be that if it isn’t written down, it doesn’t count. Effects, that’s doubtful because you don’t own your words. Something I heard over and over again in school was how once something is said, it’s not private anymore. Under that logic, listening to someone’s phone call is not a search of their private records because words are definitively not private. (OK, yeah, I know that’s a load of rubbish, but that is what my generation was taught to believe in the post-columbine world.)
So the biggest sticker is in papers. If the government or their tele-toadies RECORD the call and play it back, then it becomes a “paper” under this amendment. So all they have to do is listen to the calls live and then prosecute under the 1st grader laws of evidence, “Teacher! Teacher! Johnny said a bad word!” (and yes, that’s the same Johnny who can’t read. What a little brat!) In the days of “You’re an enemy combatant because I said so. Off to Gitmo with ya!” this isn’t as crazy as it sounds.
It all comes down to the fact that we are using a 16th century rule book for a 21st century game. Therefore, the constitution ranks right up there with the Bible as a document that can be interpreted as just about anything. In today’s world, information is as tangible a commodity as bread or rice, something the founding fathers never could have imagined and hence did not plan for.
So the Bush administration is showing uncharacteristic intelligence by working their way around a constitutional loophole. That doesn’t change the fact that George W. Bush is a criminal and deserves to be hauled off to jail for the dozens of felonies he has, or has ordered, committed.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Dubya goes to Japan, part one.
W. is visiting Japan and (since it probably won't make the news state side) I'm here to capture all the fun and frolics.
It’s only natural that when a country hosts an international even that they want to show off their culture. Japan is currently hosting the G8 summit in Hokkaido. As such, the eight world leaders were asked to participate in the Tanabata tradition of writing a wish on a piece of paper and tying it to a tree. This tradition stems from the fact that Tanabata is the Star Festival and the words for “wish” and “star” are the same (hoshi) only written with different kanji. 欲しい and 星 respectfully. By the way, that was an excuse to see if the blogger software can handle Japanese writing.
So, what did the world leaders wish for? According to the Japan Times, the wishes were as follows:
England—PM Gordon “Not Blair” Brown. I will mock the other leaders, but not this one. July 7th may be Tanabata in Japan, but in the UK it is the anniversary of the London terrorist bombing. His wish was for an end to terrorism and a prayer for those who lost their lives in London. A class act.
Germany—Chancellor Angela “no amusing nickname” Merkel. She wished for a bright star to shine over the summit and for all nations to meet their responsibilities. A bit of a “take that” at the USA, which has a decades long reputation for signing treaties and accords, then using them to line the birdcage.
Japan—PM Yasuo “spell check says his name is Fu**er” Fukuda. The current PM has approval ratings below those of President Bush and is basically counting on this summit to save his job. He had a good chance here to show his intelligence and skill with the language (two things the Japanese apparently LIKE in their leaders) and he blew it by just writing one of his political catchphrases. “Learning from past wisdoms and creating new ones.” The spell checker may have been right.
USA—Still President George W. “I’m still allowed to touch things” Bush. This is a good one. I should point out that he wrote in English, it was translated into Japanese for the press, and that was retranslated back into English before the Japan Times published it. Why they didn’t just read the original, I don’t know. The Tanabata wish of Still President Bush: I wish for a world free from tyranny. Please insert your own joke about Jan 20, 2009 here: __________________________________________.
What a maroon!
It’s only natural that when a country hosts an international even that they want to show off their culture. Japan is currently hosting the G8 summit in Hokkaido. As such, the eight world leaders were asked to participate in the Tanabata tradition of writing a wish on a piece of paper and tying it to a tree. This tradition stems from the fact that Tanabata is the Star Festival and the words for “wish” and “star” are the same (hoshi) only written with different kanji. 欲しい and 星 respectfully. By the way, that was an excuse to see if the blogger software can handle Japanese writing.
So, what did the world leaders wish for? According to the Japan Times, the wishes were as follows:
England—PM Gordon “Not Blair” Brown. I will mock the other leaders, but not this one. July 7th may be Tanabata in Japan, but in the UK it is the anniversary of the London terrorist bombing. His wish was for an end to terrorism and a prayer for those who lost their lives in London. A class act.
Germany—Chancellor Angela “no amusing nickname” Merkel. She wished for a bright star to shine over the summit and for all nations to meet their responsibilities. A bit of a “take that” at the USA, which has a decades long reputation for signing treaties and accords, then using them to line the birdcage.
Japan—PM Yasuo “spell check says his name is Fu**er” Fukuda. The current PM has approval ratings below those of President Bush and is basically counting on this summit to save his job. He had a good chance here to show his intelligence and skill with the language (two things the Japanese apparently LIKE in their leaders) and he blew it by just writing one of his political catchphrases. “Learning from past wisdoms and creating new ones.” The spell checker may have been right.
USA—Still President George W. “I’m still allowed to touch things” Bush. This is a good one. I should point out that he wrote in English, it was translated into Japanese for the press, and that was retranslated back into English before the Japan Times published it. Why they didn’t just read the original, I don’t know. The Tanabata wish of Still President Bush: I wish for a world free from tyranny. Please insert your own joke about Jan 20, 2009 here: __________________________________________.
What a maroon!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
All's fair in love and war records
OK, there’s nothing much in the Japanese press today except that gas prices have gone up another 10 yen a liter. Speaking of which, I was wrong about the translation of the gas prices I’m paying. 1 gallon is 3.78 liters not 4, my mistake. So I’m actually paying $6.77/gal, not $6.80. (Big !$#%ing deal!)
What I’d like to talk about today is Barack Obama and his decision to take the high road with regards to John McCain. Gen. Wesley
This just goes to show that Barack Obama is simply a better person than John McCain. McCain’s service record is his main selling point, yet nobody is examining it that closely. The general idea is that you don’t attack the record of an ex-POW veteran with several impressive metals attached to his chest. That’s all well and good, but where was that logic 4 years ago when the GOP ripped John Kerry to pieces with false information about his war record?
The double standard extends to this election as well. One reason that nobody is attacking McCain’s record is it is equated as attacking his patriotism or attacking American troops in general. Again, that doesn’t stop the GOP from attacking Obama on the same issues, but what the hell. This is ridiculous of course. Examining his service record is just looking to see if he was any good at his job. It has nothing to do with courage, patriotism, or anything else. It’s about seeing if the foundation of the McCain campaign is strong enough to hold up the entire free world. Kinda important, donja think?
I don’t see what the problem is with looking at McCain’s background. It's ok to look at Obama’s background and experience and evaluate him as a potential POTUS but not ok to do the same to McCain. Why? Because he was in the military? The military contains the same crosscut of individuals as the rest of the population. I say from first hand experience, there are people in the military that I wouldn’t trust to run a cub scout den, much less a country (including some of the peoplewho ran MY cub scout den). Is it because John McCain was a POW? Well, I’m sorry if this sounds crass, but if you crash your plane behind enemy lines and are captured by said enemy then something went very badly wrong! And you automatically deserve to be the President of the
While we’re on the subject, would somebody please define the word patriotism or patriot for me? Over the last few years a patriot appears to have come to mean someone who never questions what they are told, a person who never disagrees with the authority figure, a person who proclaims the greatness of their flag and nation without knowing anything about its inner workings or history, a person who is proud of their ignorance, and most importantly a person who is a Republican. And not just a republican, a Bush/Rove republican. That can’t be right. If it is, then I am not a patriot and I am damn proud of it.
Getting back to the point, I just hope this impressive show of class by Obama doesn’t come back to haunt him. Not retaliating in kind when you are attacked and not stooping down to the lowest common level is seen as a sign of weakness under the modern political paradigm. This is a bad idea for the GOP. They are hearing the message “I’m going to be a nice guy while you attack
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I need my own talk show.
So that I can give these kind of opinions and have people listen to me. I’m seriously thinking of starting a radio like program on youtube. Would anybody out there watch it? Will my love of the sound of my own voice make me not care?
Two interesting notes in the Japanese press today. First, the rigorous training of the Japanese Olympic team . . . fork and knife training! Yes, it turns out that he Beijing Olympic Village is saving time and dishwashers by serving all meals on paper plates with plastic western serving utensils. I guess all the money is going into their weather control cannons. I wish I’d made that up.
In an understandable panic, the Japanese athletes have been training for this by eating without chopsticks once a week for the last month or so. Also, the dishes served have been straight Chinese. Chinese food in Japan is typically redesigned to cater to the Japanese palette (the same thing happens everywhere else). Not this time, the brave Olympians are eating the same things the Chinese do. The poor dears.
The general conclusion, according to the Reuters story I read, “We need to sneak chopsticks and soy sauce into Beijing.” Therefore it is clear that these people are missing the point of the Olympics by several light years.
The second story is much more serious and relates back to something I reported on a while ago, relations between the US military and the people of Japan. A Japanese court has ordered 146 million yen (about $1.35 million) paid to the people living near Futenma Air Station. Futenma is a Japanese ASDF (Air Self Defense Force) base that is shared with the US. The reason for the citizen’s complaint? The helicopters are noisy and they are scared of accidents.
According to the court:
The Japanese government had "infringed on the rights of residents by sharing the air station [with the Americans]," said presiding Judge Yoshimitsu Kawai, Jiji Press reported.
"The noise hampered conversation, television viewing and sleep. Residents have had increased emotional damage due to fear and insecurity about crashes."
The interesting thing here is that it is the Japanese government that is being asked to pay for this despite the activities of the US personnel being expressly stated as the cause of the problem. My opinion on the issue: these people are complaining about absolutely NOTHING! I lived on or near air bases most of my life before my 3rd year of high school. The noise is noticeable, but hardly disruptive. It’s also useful because you can often set your clocks by it. That said, the Japanese value their peace and quiet so I understand where they are coming from, but 1.35 million dollars is way too much.
Thankfully, the judge struck down both the original demand of 455 million yen and completely threw out the idea of ordering the base not to launch or land aircraft in the early morning/late evening. He also described the idea that the “low frequency sound waves from the helicopters” are causing the people health problems as unproven (that’s Japanese-polite-speak for ridiculous).
In a related story, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (who wishes he had approval ratings as high as George W. Bush) has promised to “reduce the burden” the US troops place on the people of Okinawa. This is the Japanese equivalent of an American politician promising to fund ethanol while campaigning in Iowa.
Two interesting notes in the Japanese press today. First, the rigorous training of the Japanese Olympic team . . . fork and knife training! Yes, it turns out that he Beijing Olympic Village is saving time and dishwashers by serving all meals on paper plates with plastic western serving utensils. I guess all the money is going into their weather control cannons. I wish I’d made that up.
In an understandable panic, the Japanese athletes have been training for this by eating without chopsticks once a week for the last month or so. Also, the dishes served have been straight Chinese. Chinese food in Japan is typically redesigned to cater to the Japanese palette (the same thing happens everywhere else). Not this time, the brave Olympians are eating the same things the Chinese do. The poor dears.
The general conclusion, according to the Reuters story I read, “We need to sneak chopsticks and soy sauce into Beijing.” Therefore it is clear that these people are missing the point of the Olympics by several light years.
The second story is much more serious and relates back to something I reported on a while ago, relations between the US military and the people of Japan. A Japanese court has ordered 146 million yen (about $1.35 million) paid to the people living near Futenma Air Station. Futenma is a Japanese ASDF (Air Self Defense Force) base that is shared with the US. The reason for the citizen’s complaint? The helicopters are noisy and they are scared of accidents.
According to the court:
The Japanese government had "infringed on the rights of residents by sharing the air station [with the Americans]," said presiding Judge Yoshimitsu Kawai, Jiji Press reported.
"The noise hampered conversation, television viewing and sleep. Residents have had increased emotional damage due to fear and insecurity about crashes."
The interesting thing here is that it is the Japanese government that is being asked to pay for this despite the activities of the US personnel being expressly stated as the cause of the problem. My opinion on the issue: these people are complaining about absolutely NOTHING! I lived on or near air bases most of my life before my 3rd year of high school. The noise is noticeable, but hardly disruptive. It’s also useful because you can often set your clocks by it. That said, the Japanese value their peace and quiet so I understand where they are coming from, but 1.35 million dollars is way too much.
Thankfully, the judge struck down both the original demand of 455 million yen and completely threw out the idea of ordering the base not to launch or land aircraft in the early morning/late evening. He also described the idea that the “low frequency sound waves from the helicopters” are causing the people health problems as unproven (that’s Japanese-polite-speak for ridiculous).
In a related story, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (who wishes he had approval ratings as high as George W. Bush) has promised to “reduce the burden” the US troops place on the people of Okinawa. This is the Japanese equivalent of an American politician promising to fund ethanol while campaigning in Iowa.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Tips to save money on gas
We’re all paying a lot of money at the pump. Here in Japan, it’s 170 yen a liter. That translates to about $6.80/gal! The general consensus is that this sucks. With that revelation under our belts, please enjoy these methods of squeezing every last drop out of your car.
1. Obey the law. Silly as it may sound, one of the best ways to increase your miles per gallon is to drive at or slightly below the speed limit. The faster a car goes, the harder the engine has to work, and the more fuel is consumed. Driving the speed limit doesn’t really get you anywhere any slower and it will save you money in speeding tickets, so give it a shot.
2. Drive a constant speed. It is the constant acceleration and deceleration that drains a cars tank. That’s why the mpg listed for a vehicle is higher for highway driving than it is for city driving. On the highway, you are driving at a fairly constant speed. Try using that in town. Obviously, you still need to stop at traffic lights and such, but otherwise pick your speed and stick to it as traffic allows.
3. Make the car do the work. There are a few times when you can take your foot off the pedals and let the car do the driving for you.
A. When you have to stop, but have a long distance to do it in. When you see a red light in the distance and there are no cars between you and it, take you foot off the gas (COVER THE BRAKE JUST IN CASE) and let the car coast until you need to stop it. You will slow down gradually due to the laws of physics. If you are lucky, the light will turn green and you can gas on through, eliminating one of those nasty start/stop gas guzzling maneuvers.
B. When driving down hill and there is nothing in front of you. Take your foot off the gas and let inertia and gravity do the job. Again COVER THE BRAKE JUST IN CASE!!
During these times when the gas pedal is not engaged, there is little to no gasoline being burned. It isn’t much, but every mpg helps.
4. Stop Idling. This has been a major PSA campaign in Japan lately. The idea is that when you stop your car for more than about 30 seconds, switch it off. Modern cars (at least Japanese ones) use less fuel restarting than they do idling for a minute or more. So don’t leave the car running when your spouse dashes into the store for five minutes. Don’t circle the parking lot waiting to pick someone up. This one requires good judgment, but if it is done correctly, it can save up to a gallon per tank (according to the Japanese PSA campaign).
5. Drive less. Yeah, this is the one we don’t want. But sometimes it just makes sense NOT to drive. Use public transportation, park & ride, walk, or use whatever else you can. Failing that, you should at least try planning your route out ahead of time so you can cover the maximum amount of space with the least amount of driving. For that matter, combine trips and do as much as you can in one drive.
Just a few ideas that I've found work for me. The result is that I only need to go to the gas station twice a month even though I drive every day.
1. Obey the law. Silly as it may sound, one of the best ways to increase your miles per gallon is to drive at or slightly below the speed limit. The faster a car goes, the harder the engine has to work, and the more fuel is consumed. Driving the speed limit doesn’t really get you anywhere any slower and it will save you money in speeding tickets, so give it a shot.
2. Drive a constant speed. It is the constant acceleration and deceleration that drains a cars tank. That’s why the mpg listed for a vehicle is higher for highway driving than it is for city driving. On the highway, you are driving at a fairly constant speed. Try using that in town. Obviously, you still need to stop at traffic lights and such, but otherwise pick your speed and stick to it as traffic allows.
3. Make the car do the work. There are a few times when you can take your foot off the pedals and let the car do the driving for you.
A. When you have to stop, but have a long distance to do it in. When you see a red light in the distance and there are no cars between you and it, take you foot off the gas (COVER THE BRAKE JUST IN CASE) and let the car coast until you need to stop it. You will slow down gradually due to the laws of physics. If you are lucky, the light will turn green and you can gas on through, eliminating one of those nasty start/stop gas guzzling maneuvers.
B. When driving down hill and there is nothing in front of you. Take your foot off the gas and let inertia and gravity do the job. Again COVER THE BRAKE JUST IN CASE!!
During these times when the gas pedal is not engaged, there is little to no gasoline being burned. It isn’t much, but every mpg helps.
4. Stop Idling. This has been a major PSA campaign in Japan lately. The idea is that when you stop your car for more than about 30 seconds, switch it off. Modern cars (at least Japanese ones) use less fuel restarting than they do idling for a minute or more. So don’t leave the car running when your spouse dashes into the store for five minutes. Don’t circle the parking lot waiting to pick someone up. This one requires good judgment, but if it is done correctly, it can save up to a gallon per tank (according to the Japanese PSA campaign).
5. Drive less. Yeah, this is the one we don’t want. But sometimes it just makes sense NOT to drive. Use public transportation, park & ride, walk, or use whatever else you can. Failing that, you should at least try planning your route out ahead of time so you can cover the maximum amount of space with the least amount of driving. For that matter, combine trips and do as much as you can in one drive.
Just a few ideas that I've found work for me. The result is that I only need to go to the gas station twice a month even though I drive every day.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Extra!! Extra!! Read all about it!!!
John McCain says something smart! Extra!! Extra!!
The Monday, John McCain announced that he supports the idea of a $300 million prize to anyone, corporation or private citizen, who designs a reliable battery operated car. This is a fantastic idea and one that is a long time in coming. Just to make it clear, we are talking about $300,000,000.00 here!
I've said for a while now that the only way to get America back on it's feet is for us to start creating again. And the only way to ensure that is a good hard bribe. Why we didn't start doing this years ago is beyond me, but what the heck.
That said, I still believe that McBush would make a horrible president. But every once a decade or so, he apparently comes up with a good idea. And this is one that President Obama should seriously consider implementing.
The Monday, John McCain announced that he supports the idea of a $300 million prize to anyone, corporation or private citizen, who designs a reliable battery operated car. This is a fantastic idea and one that is a long time in coming. Just to make it clear, we are talking about $300,000,000.00 here!
I've said for a while now that the only way to get America back on it's feet is for us to start creating again. And the only way to ensure that is a good hard bribe. Why we didn't start doing this years ago is beyond me, but what the heck.
That said, I still believe that McBush would make a horrible president. But every once a decade or so, he apparently comes up with a good idea. And this is one that President Obama should seriously consider implementing.
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