Football - A Liberal, Collectivist Enterprise

Conservative columnist George Will has uncovered a liberal, elitist plot - the introduction of football into higher education. Football teams, after all, succeed because of effective teamwork, planning and organization. They don't succeed because of stars, who can't score without blockers.

If Will had any direct personal experience with military operations, he would know that the military is a collectivist enterprise as well.

I guess that's why George Will is so fascinated with baseball. Still, there's a disturbing amount of teamwork there as well. Hard to imagine a triple play or a hit and run play without teamwork.

How To Be A Republican

• You have to believe that those privileged from birth achieve success all on their own.
• You have to be against all government programs, but expect Social Security checks on time.
• You have to believe...everything Rush Limbaugh says.
• You have to believe society is color-blind and growing up black in America doesn't diminish your opportunities, but you still won't vote for Alan Keyes.
• You have to be against government interference in business, until your oil company, corporation or Savings and Loan is about to go broke and you beg for a government bail out.
• You have to believe a poor, minority student with a disciplinary history and failing grades will be admitted into an elite private school with a $1,000 voucher.

- Ann Richards

[Alternate to the first item: "born on third base, but thought he hit a triple."]

The late Ann Richards had a real Texas accent. Her comments may seem a bit dated, but not all that much.

Seventy Years Ago: September 9, 1942 - Japanese Bomb Oregon

Pretty incredible for a Japanese aircraft to bomb Oregon, but they did it seventy years ago, September 9, 1942. Here's the story.

On Poverty And Government

Economist Jared Bernstein brings to our attention an illuminating graph showing data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a body made up of the world's 20 most advanced economies. What the graph shows is that all 20 advanced countries alleviate poverty to some extent by redistribution payments.

The poverty rate of the United States before redistribution is 26.3%; very close to the 26.4% average of the other 19 member states.

After redistribution, however, is a completely different story. The poverty rate of American citizens after taking redistribution into account is at the bottom - 20th among OECD countries.

"We're number 20" isn't such an inspiring chant. Here's the graph:



We're the richest country in the world and that's the best we can do?

On Women And Work

"They blame the low income women for ruining the country because they are staying home with their children and not going out to work. They blame the middle income women for ruining the country because they go out to work and do not stay home to take care of their children."

-Ann Richards

 When we were pushing "welfare reform," meaning putting single mothers out to work, I always wondered, "who is going to raise the children?" There are possible answers, but I don't recall that we ever had that conversation.

Seventy Years Ago: Taking Stock In The Pacific

In September 1942, Japan remains determined to expel the Americans from Guadalcanal. Bloody fighting, both ashore and at sea. Nothing works for Japan, but neither have the Americans clinched the win. On Guadalcanal, it was about half time. Or by a baseball clock maybe approaching time for the seventh-inning stretch. By early September, both sides have runs, hits and errors.

Time to review the pluses and minuses of both sides:

Japan:
Assets -
1. Incredibly effective torpedoes. Far faster, greater range, explosive power and reliability than American torpedoes. Air launched torpedoes have less explosive power, but are equally effective and can be launched in shallow water;
2.  Aggressive submarines. Used against warships in fleet actions, with good effect;
3.  Excellent pilots - especially aircraft carrier fighter pilots;
4.  Superb fighter plane - Mitsubishi  Zero - highly maneuverable, long range, high climb rate, great for dogfighting;
5.  Sailors skilled in night fighting;
6.  Superior optical systems, including gun laying equipment;
7.  Outnumbered US in aircraft carriers at outset, 10-5;

Vulnerabilities:
1.  Poor damage control and firefighting equipment and skills;
2.  Submarines not used effectively against allied shipping;
3.  No effective organization to recover downed pilots and to train replacements to a high enough level;
4.  Aircraft highly maneuverable but not strongly built - no self-sealing fuel tanks (vulnerable to fire) and no armor to protect pilots;
5.  Lost more aircraft than allies from the beginning;
6.  No radar;
7.  By early September had lost 6 aircraft carriers to 2 for US;

United States:
Assets -
1.  Ship board radar;
2.  Ground based radar;
3.  Communications intelligence;
4.  Excellent pilots;
5.  Superb damage control training and equipment;
6.  Incomparable experience in carrier flight operations;
7.  Excellent organization to recover downed pilots;
8.  5"/38 dual purpose gun - war's best anti aircraft artillery;
9.  Two decades of detailed war planning;
10. Excellent and rugged aircraft: e.g. F-4-F slower than Zero but more rugged, climbs more slowly but to higher altitude and dives faster without falling apart;
11. Fleet units and organizations well prepared for war (under Kimmel's leadership);
12. Excellent coordination between Navy, Marine and Army air forces;
13. Skilled at underway replenishment at sea;

Liabilities:
1.  Snafus at high military staff levels in DC - e.g. R.K. Turner;
2.  Snafus in army organization in the field - both Hawaii and Philippines failed to set up effective radar control organization - or for that matter, any organization at all for air defense, even though they had radar equipment for nearly six months;
3.  Torpedoes - inadequate testing - failure to act on fleet reports of torpedo failures for two years;
4.  Inadequate anti aircraft machine guns aboard ship -  1.1" quad mounts kept jamming and hitting power of projectile inadequate;
5.  Staff level in DC failed to allocate enough resources to communications intelligence before the war and let some fleet commanders (R.K. Turner) fail to make effective use after the war. Turner, for example, wouldn't have a Comint support unit on his flagship;
6.  Not enough equipment and ships (during 1920's and early 1930's, US had not built up to the limits of Naval arms limitation treaties);
7. First year of war, US Navy fighting in two oceans with a navy built for one - depended on movements through Panama Canal.

Voter Registration

Not registered? Moved? Changed name? Any other change to voter registration?

Please stop by the Board of Elections office in Bayboro and fill out a revised form. Or do so by mail.

If you want to vote in person on November 6, the deadline to register is October 12.

Voter Registration Deadline

When:  Friday, Oct 12, 2012

Description:  October 12, 2012, 5pm - Voter registration deadline for November 6 General Election. Forms must be postmarked or delivered in person by 5:00 pm today [NCGS 163-82.6(c)] *Individuals who miss the registration deadline may register in person and then vote at one-stop voting sites in the person’s county of residence during the one-stop absentee voting period (October 18-November 3). In order to register during a one-stop period, the applicant must show acceptable proof of name and residence in the county. 

 

Remember: If you miss the deadline, you can always vote during one-stop.

Stakhanovites

The style is unmistakeably "socialist realism."  In the National Review? A blatant copy of a Soviet poster (rolled up sleeves and all) declaring that "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is the Socialist Government of Workers and Peasants."




Pretty heroic pose. What gives? A resurgence of Stakhanovites? Thanks to Solon.com for the connection.

Pretty curious. I have some thoughts, having to do with the real reason for the demise of the Soviet Union and the role of Soviet management style.

Stay tuned.