How Cold is it?...

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As soon as the 12 degree air hit my face this morning at 5:30am while in the dark and on my way to work, memory recall kicked in and thoughts of a Sailfish Tournament in Key West this past April came into focus...

I had the opportunity to work the World Sailfish Championship Tournament this past April where over 335 Sailfish were caught and released in three days of fishing...

Istiophorus platypterus is the scientific name for the Atlantic Sailfish...

Several of the Top-placing boats in the tournament...

Favorite "Watering-hole" of a frequent visitor to RightsideVA....

Visitors to one of the many tournament events...

You need to be a Tournament fisherman to understand and appreciate this ...

This tournament is a "Catch & Release" only format...


Again, you need to be a tournament fisherman in Key West to appreciate this one...

Pierre-Auguste Renior

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

"Hey Boss, running a little late"...

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Ran a little late getting to work yesterday due to the weather conditions along 81 but at least I did make it...

Solutions....

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Just as Thomas Malthus, Ehrlich did not understand the power and initiative of the free market system to solve global problems.

In his book “The Population Bomb”, Ehrlich stated “The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970’s and 1980’s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now”.

Peter Huber in his book “Hard Green” provides examples of how mankind, with the freedom and ability to address problems through the free market, has provided solutions to the dire forecasts…

“To grow more food, you can add more oil instead of more land. Oil, packed with (fossilized) solar energy, can be used to produce fertilizer, which makes crop yields soar”… page 4...

Huber provides more examples of dire predictions such as the 1972 study by the Club of Rome who stated in The Limits of Growth “Humanity was scheduled- almost as precisely as a Swiss train-to run out of gold by 1981; mercury by 1985; tin by 1987; zinc by 1990; petroleum by 1992; and copper, lead, and natural gas by 1993.” page 4...

Huber then shows how many of those from the “Sky is Falling” crowd tend to make no real allowance for mankind to find solutions to problems such as noted above. Many like those with the above bumper sticker will state that there is only a finite amount of any one natural resource and it will be consumed in a given time at the rate of consumption now…

Unfortunately they do not understand how the free market system, supply and demand, and the allocation of valuable resources, have solved many of the problems predicted by some…

The Club of Rome predicted that copper supplies would be depleted by 1993 due to world demand. “They never imagined that pounds of sand might soon displace tons of copper. Corning Glass did, and gave us fiber optics”… Page 11...

Really?

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Came upon this vehicle today and just had to get a photo for the photo database....

Really?...

Ron Paul "Revolution" in Harrisonburg?

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Recently I have been seeing numerous Ron Paul 2008 signs around Harrisonburg and have found several 20 “Somethings” at work talking about his campaign and issues. It has been interesting talking issues with people who were 14 years old when 9/11 happened and to hear their perspective on this and the war on terrorism.

The interesting thing is that a civil debate and conversation can happen with these Ron Paul’s supporters resulting in a productive exchange of ideas and opinions. Unlike many discussions with “Progressives” of the same age that fall back on “Bush lied us into the war” and refuse to discuss issues or facts that they do not agree with. These same “Progressives” are now arguing at work that Iran should be allowed a nuclear bomb because if we have them everybody should be allowed to posses a nuke. Ask them about Iran’s top guy calling for the destruction of Israel and America and they say everybody is allowed to their own opinion…

I have found it refreshing to discuss issues with people who are voting for the first time and interested in the actual issues instead of rallying around the most recent “MTV Voter Drive” agenda. While not agreeing with many of Ron Paul’s stances on the issues, I find it interesting to talk with potential new voters hungry for information about an election that will surely shape their future.

I have also found it interesting to discuss issues with people who are voting for the first time and interested in the actual issues instead of rallying around the most recent “MTV Voter Drive” agenda. While not agreeing with many of Ron Paul’s stances on the issues, I find it interesting to talk with potential new voters hungry for information about an election that will surely shape their future.

Members of the Ron Paul “Revolution” have been criticized for their appearance at functions and maybe being a little loud at times but it is good to see them interested in conservative issues. I personally do not believe that Ron Paul is the best Republican candidate but I do welcome the interest in conservative issues that he has generated in many younger voters.

Remember this guy?...

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Remember the Democratic Party Representative from Louisiana, William "Cold-Cash" Jefferson, who got caught with the $90,000 cash in his freezer?

"A federal judge has set the corruption case of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) for Feb. 25.U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis reluctantly granted Jefferson's lawyer's request for a continuance. But he gave them an extra six weeks instead of the four months they sought".

"The nine-term congressman is accused of taking more than $500,000 in bribes and demanding millions more for himself and his family members from 11 different companies interested in securing business contracts in Africa".

Hillary’s “Willing Suspension of Disbelief”…

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Remember a few months back when: Mrs. Clinton told General Petraeus that his progress report on Iraq required "a willing suspension of disbelief."

Iowa Democratic Caucus Polls
RealClear Politics Avg. 12\07 to 12\13

Quad City Times Obama +9.0
Hotline \ FD Obama tied
Rasmussen Clinton +3.0
Strategic Vision Obama +8.0

“Now how can we punish those evil pharmaceutical companies”?…

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They have mentioned it once or twice already. Worked it into a comment in passing. Blamed it on the evil Republican administration. And you can be sure they will highlight their “remedy” once we get closer to the 2008 Presidential election for they believe it is a great vote getter…


It’s the Democratic Party’s war on evil pharmaceutical companies who have unacceptable profits earned from overcharging the American people. They believe it as well as the voters who do not understand simple economics and the free market system and believe the Democrats who tell them they are being gouged by the pharmaceutical companies. It’s so much easier to believe and act the “Victim” and to vote for those who promise to give you something that another has worked in producing… The Democratic Party has a whole playbook full of “Victim” tactics to convince the weak to vote for them…


“If you rob from Paul and give it to Peter, you can count on Peter’s vote in the future”…


Doug Bandow has a great article in the Washington Times that provides the facts and data the Democratic party representatives fail to mention or provide for this data does not fit the game plan. The Democratic candidates do not want you to know how much it costs a pharmaceutical company to bring a new drug to market for that would show where those obscene “Profits” are being reinvested into research and development of new life saving drugs…
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071214/COMMENTARY/112140026/1012


“Patients are the ruling's biggest beneficiaries, because medicines do not magically appear on the market. To develop them, pharmaceutical firms spent $55 billion on research and development (R&D) last year. Few prospective drugs make it to market — 5,000 to 10,000 are tested for every one approved. So the few successful medicines have to pay for all the other costs — including the costs of defending against demagogic politicians seeking to control prices. Medicines that do make it to market are estimated to cost $800 million on average to develop“.

The democrats would rather have you believe that the American people are being overcharged so that the pharmaceutical companies can make obscene profits for their shareholders. It’s easier to thrive on the peoples fears then it is to explain and support programs that provide the life saving drugs to Americans and the worlds populations. There are more votes to be had from the weak who do not understand simple economics then to explain why other countries pay less for the same drugs. Would the Democratic party rather have third world countries pay the same rates and thus prevent millions of people from having access to life saving drugs?

“So why do some drugs cost less in other countries? One reason is different economic circumstances. Most people in developing nations cannot afford to buy drugs at developed nation rates. Lowering the price in poorer countries makes it possible for people there to have access to important medicines, while allowing drug makers to have sales they otherwise would not“.

The Democratic party would rather have you believe that we are paying higher rates so “the rich get richer” instead of showing how American pharmaceutical companies have delivered life saving drugs and procedures to the world’s population.

“These countries free ride on U.S. R&D. That may not be fair to American consumers, but punishing the pharmaceutical industry with price controls will not solve the problem. To the contrary, doing so would reduce the availability of new medicines. That is because if those same drugs were sold at the lower price in the U.S., they would not have been developed in the first place. You cannot spend $55 billion on R&D if you make only pennies for your products in your most important market“.

The Democratic party is not interested in telling you this for they would rather have you feel the victim and vote for them. They promise to hold these evil pharmaceutical companies responsible for their obscene profits as long as you vote them into the power they crave. But at the same time they fail to tell you what will happen in the future if they succeed.

“Moreover, no one knows what cures will not be developed. The trade-off is cheaper drugs for voters today versus unrecognized deaths and hardship for the unborn in the future“.

The “Drug Card” will be played, once again, in the near future…

What if "Hillary" was in charge?...

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Investor’s Business Daily pointed out the report about another successful missile defense test that was ignored by the mainstream media. The mainstream has been quick to report\discuss the recent National Intelligence Estimate which “Estimates” that Iran stopped it’s work on Nuclear weapons approximately three years ago. But yet Iran has worked hard to develop missile technology to deliver some type of warhead in the near future…


"Advances in missile defense, like good news from Iraq, are things the mainstream media and Democrats ignore. So you may not have heard that an Air Force F-16 successfully destroyed a ballistic missile in its boost phase using an air-to-air missile.
One would think that those who think President Bush is once again trying to conjure up an excuse for war, this time with Iran, would embrace missile defense. The ability to shoot down an Iranian Shahab on a trajectory toward Israel would make a pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear installations less likely".

It is good news that the Iranians have stopped(?) their efforts to develop a nuclear weapon but what about their work to develop a missile system that could deliver a nuclear warhead given to them or purchased on e-bay?





"Democrats want us to think the recent National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) puts to rest the issue of an Iranian nuclear threat. But the operative word here is "estimate" and the first rule of estimates is that they are usually wrong. Like Hitler before him, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced his intentions".

"According to news reports, Monday's test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico involved an F-16 fighter that fired two modified AIM-9X missiles at the target, an Orion research rocket. The first missile hit and destroyed the target. The second recorded the intercept and was also on a trajectory to hit the target".


"But Democrats in Congress want to gut missile defense and have repeatedly slashed Bush's funding requests. If they don't want us to bomb Iran, do they at least want to defend America and its allies"?

Very good read at IBD:

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=281749285290776

"If 30 seconds is a full day, no wonder Congress has got a lot of work to do."

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In a Monday morning Rose Garden statement on congressional priorities, President Bush taunted that "in a political maneuver designed to block my ability to make recess appointments, congressional leaders arranged for a senator to come in every three days or so, bang a gavel, wait for about 30 seconds, bang a gavel again, and then leave. Under the Senate rules, this counts as a full day.

"If 30 seconds is a full day," the president said, "no wonder Congress has got a lot of work to do."

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=281577123540074