<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991</id><updated>2010-04-30T15:13:40.725-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Rational Thoughts</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='rationalthoughts.net/atom.xml'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>120</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-8118888126947923951</id><published>2010-04-30T14:33:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-04-30T15:13:40.746-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Immigration needs reform, but not amnesty</title><content type='html'>Tomorrow we're supposed to be enthralled as a large section of our population protests our immigration laws, and specifically the new legislation in Arizona. While I don't take issue with their rights to do this, I do believe they are, en masse, missing the point.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'd be first in line to complain about our immigration bureaucracy, and I've come by my education there the hard way. I married an illegal alien, so it may be some surprise to find that my complaint with DHS and our immigration services isn't one sympathetic with the illegals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The system is broken. I come to this conclusion based solely on my own, personal experience. For almost four and one half years I, with my wife, battled the endless bureaucracy that is our current immigration system to voluntarily correct her status. It doesn't work, and is so cumbersome and punitive that it's no wonder so many people opt for the illegal path rather than following this convoluted system. Having used it, first hand, and jumped through all of it's hoops and hurdles, I can definitively say it's broken.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That said, amnesty isn't the answer. The border MUST be controlled, and our laws must be obeyed. It's funny to me that many of the folks protesting tomorrow seem to think it's ok that Mexico has far more draconian laws, and consequences, for their southern border, but here we're supposed to simply allow the invaders (legal definition) to stay and benefit. "Hypocrite" comes to mind.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, if not amnesty, then what? I'd like to say "reform". However, the current administration has so sullied that word that I no longer think it means what it once did. No, the current system should be eliminated all together. Starting from the premise that there must be a means to screen those who would join us here, and a means for filtering and controlling commerce, we should start with a fresh slate. However, no action should take place there before securing the border. This is the first, most crucial step. All other "reform" (if you must) is little more than a waste of time and money until the leaks are stopped.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The current administration has made it's position clear, and sadly theirs is one of ignorance and ideology, not facts and reality. They'd rather pander to their politics, than bring needed changes to fruition. I believe this will be their legacy. Unfortunately, we will have to live with the consequences of their ignorance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Until we've secured the border, and then engaged in the very real reformation of our laws and methods for immigration, we'll see continued erosion of our culture, a continued flow of illegal narcotics and the violence that naturally accompanies them, and we will continue to subject people to the inhumane system that currently exists.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-7629923204203454634?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/7629923204203454634/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=7629923204203454634' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/7629923204203454634'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/7629923204203454634'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/07/inconvenient-truth-global-warming-isnt.html' title='Inconvenient truth, Global Warming isn&apos;t.....'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-8339308086405471165</id><published>2009-07-07T11:48:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-07T12:01:56.522-07:00</updated><title type='text'>IOU</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;So the State of California legislature has decided, through their inaction, to issue IOU's to companies that the State does business with. These businesses don't have a choice in the matter, as the State has too much power.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Can these businesses pay their employees with IOU's? Can they pay their taxes with them? Uh, no. The companies are regulated by law, and unfortunately the State seems to be above the law. Actually, the State has gone farther, saying that there will be restrictions on redeeming these IOU's.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, let me get this straight. The folks running the State of California don't do their jobs (again), so the State runs out of money. The State feels that it can issue something called an IOU in lieu of payment, and then attach whatever strings it likes to these phony instruments? Without any repercussions? Wow! It must be good to be all-powerful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I looked up some synonyms for All-Powerful: autocratic, divine, almighty were just a few. This points to where I believe the problem lies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, in California and many other Governmental areas, those in positions of power believe themselves to be above the law, a divinity of sorts. Their God complex is evident in so many of their actions. They live on a different plane than the rest of us, so are not subject to the laws that they, themselves, produce. We've seen many instances of this recently, and it appears to be a pandemic that is expanding wildly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Until We, the people, regain control over our elected officials we will endure nothing even remotely akin to freedom, but rather serfdom. I believe that if the legislature is unable to meet their deadline for something as important as the State's budget (which they have an entire year to work on), then their positions should be vacated by law, and special elections held to replace them. It is only through such a drastic measure that we will get their attention.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An initiative perhaps?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-8339308086405471165?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/8339308086405471165/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=8339308086405471165' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/8339308086405471165'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/8339308086405471165'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/07/iou.html' title='IOU'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-1971778820863989671</id><published>2009-07-07T00:18:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-07T00:19:57.020-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Too funny!</title><content type='html'>&lt;center&gt;&lt;div style='background-color:#e9e9e9; width: 400px;'&gt;&lt;object id='A64060' quality='high' data='http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=Xu3Z67xwJZCj6JfJ&amp;service=sendables.jibjab.com&amp;partnerID=JibJab' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='transparent' height='319' width='400'&gt;&lt;param name='wmode' value='transparent'&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name='movie' value='http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=Xu3Z67xwJZCj6JfJ&amp;service=sendables.jibjab.com&amp;partnerID=JibJab'&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name='scaleMode' value='showAll'&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name='quality' value='high'&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name='allowNetworking' value='all'&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name='allowFullScreen' value='true' /&gt;&lt;param name='FlashVars' value='external_make_id=Xu3Z67xwJZCj6JfJ&amp;service=sendables.jibjab.com&amp;partnerID=JibJab'&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name='allowScriptAccess' value='always'&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;div style='text-align:center; width:400px; margin-top:6px;'&gt;Try JibJab Sendables® &lt;a href='http://sendables.jibjab.com/ecards'&gt;eCards&lt;/a&gt; today!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-1971778820863989671?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/1971778820863989671/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=1971778820863989671' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/1971778820863989671'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/1971778820863989671'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/07/too-funny.html' title='Too funny!'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-2663256858431386968</id><published>2009-06-21T00:43:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-21T00:50:13.747-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Mind-numbing boredom, illegal and imoral...</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;If you really want to read something bizarre, try this link:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://uscode.house.gov/pdf/2007/2007usc26.pdf"&gt;http://uscode.house.gov/pdf/2007/2007usc26.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This will take you to a .pdf copy of the 2007 version of Title 26 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations. Title 26 is the section commonly referred to as the IRS tax code.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get this: The tax code that is supposed to be equally applied under the law to all Americans is more than 3500 pages long. Yep, 16+ megabytes as a low-quality .pdf file! That's huge!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Scanning a few pages of this will do two things: One, it will certainly convince most people that it's WAAAAAAY too complex to be even remotely fair. Second, it will cure any case of insomnia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Government shouldn't be this complex, and it's only kept this way so that it can hide things from people. Us, you and I.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We should adopt the Fair Tax initiative, abolish this abomination of a tax code, and begin to reign in the out-of-control power that our Government has seized from us.  I believe that only through this method, taking away the blank check, will we once again be the masters of our own destinies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Until then, we're subjects to an all-powerful master. That's not free.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-2663256858431386968?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/2663256858431386968/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=2663256858431386968' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/2663256858431386968'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/2663256858431386968'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/mind-numbing-boredom-illegal-and-imoral.html' title='Mind-numbing boredom, illegal and imoral...'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-4182859250528742418</id><published>2009-06-21T00:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-21T00:31:23.246-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Something's wrong. I and the ACLU on the same side?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I'm becoming nervous. Not only has our Congress forgone any sense of right or wrong, and our President has embarked on his own personal war against the principles of our Country's success, not only do militant islamists have new found power against us, and China, North Korea and Russia are all testing our limits, but now the ACLU and I are in agreement on an issue. Wow, what a time we live in.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The AP has a story &lt;a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSn_6PR94lxb-8eilNzijc--1U1QD98TCATO0"&gt;HERE &lt;/a&gt;about an ACLU suit against the TSA.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The folks in an airport apparently lost sight of their stated goals, and became part of the problem.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At the heart of all of this is freedom, or the increasing lack of it. A man was carrying some $4700.00 of his own money, and the "authorities" at the airport saw a need to detain him and question him about it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The TSA's name is actually: Transportation Safety Administration. What possible harm did this man's cash present? None. What it represented to the "authorities" was a possible seizure opportunity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see, we now do not have the freedom to walk around with large sums of money, because we have ceded that right to government. Their goal was to determine that his money was in violation of one of the many rules governing our behavior and that they'd get to seize it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A quick search on "number of laws in the U.S." provided only one answer: Too many. Seriously, I couldn't find even an estimate, because there really are too many. The Congress has been adding some 300 new laws every year, by themselves. This is only the beginning. Congress doesn't create ALL laws, because we've ceded that right to other entities like States, Counties, Cities, Commissions, etc. An estimate I found suggested that each year Americans are subjected to tens or even hundreds of THOUSANDS of new, additional, or modified laws. Laws really have only one characteristic, that being that they restrict freedom.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don't get me wrong, or try to read into this any desire for anarchy. Law is necessary for a free and stable society. However, have we reached (passed) the point where enough is enough?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, just in Title 26 of the United States Code (the part which authorizes the IRS) there are so many laws, written so poorly that you cannot hardly live within the entire scope of the code.  Simply put, they have laws that prohibit you from living without violating something or another. This puts the "authorities" in the position of being able to come after you any time they like.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most of us don't give them a reason to take notice. However, when some agent of said Government decides you pose a risk, they almost always have the legal means to deal with you in whatever means they decide.  This sounds like paranoia to some. Mostly to people who have yet to run up against the system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unfortunately, occasionally an innocent citizen like this gentleman getting on a flight with some cash, we find otherwise.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our Government has become too large, too powerful, and to dependent on itself and it's future. It's like an animal that has to survive at all costs. Sadly it consumes our freedom, that very thing with which we entrusted it to begin with.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was not supposed to be this way. The government was supposed to be watchful over our freedoms, not our movements. They were empowered to provide for our safety, not our existence. It was created to protect our interests, not subject our populace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I fear the genie is out of the bottle, and we're just now beginning to see that it's not a benevolent genie, but rather an evil, and hungry one.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If people don't wake soon to the sounds of their liberties being devoured, then they'll sleep through the last vestiges of their futures being consumed by a ravenous beast called Uncle Sam.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-4182859250528742418?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/4182859250528742418/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=4182859250528742418' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/4182859250528742418'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/4182859250528742418'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/somethings-wrong-i-and-aclu-on-same.html' title='Something&apos;s wrong. I and the ACLU on the same side?'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-791860211865296973</id><published>2009-06-18T12:27:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-18T12:54:52.650-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Sad state of Journalism today....</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This video's underlying value is that it points out the critical role that most of the media outlets are failing to live up to.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;object width="400" height="344"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vziKB1F42lo&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x3a3a3a&amp;amp;color2=0x999999"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vziKB1F42lo&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;color1=0x3a3a3a&amp;amp;color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is disturbing. The "free press" was at the heart of our Nation's founding. Newspapers and Journalists have played the most valuable role of watchdog for more than two hundred years. When they became part of the "establishment" in Washington, their value to us began to erode. Now that all but a very small number of outlets around our Country have given up this role, we now find ourselves facing a huge crisis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Media outlets have an enormous responsibility because they wield enormous power. Power of persuasion is hugely effective. This hasn't gone unnoticed by the political parties. One in particular has embraced this, and wooed the media towards their direction.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It really doesn't matter which party or which direction, this is a disaster. This means that you'll be getting a biased opinion disguised as news. Many people can't tell the difference. Thus, they adopt a skewed view of the world, and act and vote accordingly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fox news is generally critical of politicians of both parties. At least we get some "balance", that which is totally lacking on the other major networks. Those who would attack Fox as being "Right-wing" are simply ignorant. Fox spent plenty of time opposing the previous administration. And you know what? Good! We need more voices out there uncovering the corruption in Washington, not gladly bowing to or pitching softball questions to the current Administration.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The media's real value to us as a Nation is being a Critic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not a lap-dog to those in power. These officials need to know someone is watching, and willing to ask the hard questions and get to the truth, then report that truth to the People.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is where CNBC, ABC, CBS and most print media have failed us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shame on them, but shame on us for accepting this, and rewarding them with viewership. Fox is number one, simply because it's the closest thing we have to impartial, nonpartisan news reporting. This is a role that others have played in the past, but have forgotten.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-791860211865296973?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/791860211865296973/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=791860211865296973' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/791860211865296973'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/791860211865296973'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/sad-state-of-journalism-today.html' title='Sad state of Journalism today....'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-7476812906447668300</id><published>2009-06-18T00:51:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-18T01:08:01.651-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Gun Running.....</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Yahoo news has a story &lt;a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090618/ap_on_go_co/us_drug_war_guns;_ylt=AvUBQaeutkMtkkqccUSe2rCWwvIE;_ylu=X3oDMTMwY2FzbGQyBGFzc2V0Ay9hcC8yMDA5MDYxOC9hcF9vbl9nb19jby91c19kcnVnX3dhcl9ndW5zBGNwb3MDNQRwb3MDNQRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA3JlcG9ydHVzbm90ZA--"&gt;HERE&lt;/a&gt; about guns found in Mexico that apparently came from the U.S., and found their way into the hands of criminals there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ok, so I have a couple of issues not answered by this article.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Every gun sold in the United States has a copy of ATF form 4473, Firearms Transaction Record. Information on this form is mandatory, and the ATF is VERY particular as to how it's entered and it's accuracy. This information includes: The weapon's serial number, make, model and type. It also requires identification of the buyer, and in the case of Handguns, an approval from NICS. So, if weapons were found in Mexico, I would assume that their serial numbers were traceable, and if so, that some point of origen could be discovered. Once that's accomplished (in a matter of moments with today's electronic technology as all of this is in the database) we should know who they belonged to.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. If we know who some or most of these belonged to, then how'd they get to mexico? Were they reported stolen? Were they sold to people who falsified the BATF form?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. What could have prevented them from getting over the border? Perhaps if we'd had some idea that our border was so pourus we'd have prevented this at the same time as reducing illegal immigration with a simple fence along our southern border? (and yes, I realize that a fence by itself wouldn't have done it, but we're not talking specifics here, I'm merely pointing out that increased border protection would have had a two-fold benefit)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The article says that the U.S. isn't doing enough to prevent this. What's Mexico doing? It's their border too, you know?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After decades of attacks on gun ownership and our rights under the Second Amendment, I'll admit I'm a little sensitive to things like this. However, don't mistake my sensitivity for panic or anything like it. I'm merely trying to show that this article is in many ways skewed and incomplete. If they want to document the items I've mentioned above, then we could wring out some details and perhaps come to some conclusions and informed actions. Without these details, however, we're left with the assumption that guns are bad, and America is somehow responsible for the actions of others. Not so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I will hopefully be around for many decades to come. I, and my family will remain strong defenders of not only the Second Amendment, but all of the content of our American birthright and our Constitution. I hope you'll join us, as we're all in this together.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-7476812906447668300?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/7476812906447668300/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=7476812906447668300' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/7476812906447668300'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/7476812906447668300'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/gun-running.html' title='Gun Running.....'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-890915995132289787</id><published>2009-06-15T10:49:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-15T10:58:07.790-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Cute. Not quite perfect, but headed in the right direction....</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;You've got to at least give credit for the attempt with the following video.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;object width="400" height="344"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T9XwhF5PDb0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T9XwhF5PDb0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I believe that we need to get more aggressive in educating the folks, and it's going to have to be by means such as this. Although this one is a step in the right direction, it's going to be a long road ahead. There are simply too many outlets for misinformation working against our Nation today. Most of the "main-stream media" is in that camp.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Short, thoughtful messages that draw clear conclusions on the part of the viewer, that distinguish the conservative message from the B.S. that's being delivered by the rest, are the answer. People might have to be shamed into realizing that they're believing lies and distortions from the left. Too many people believe outright lies about conservative views. We need to educate those folks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a first-step. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-890915995132289787?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/890915995132289787/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=890915995132289787' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/890915995132289787'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/890915995132289787'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/cute-not-quite-perfect-but-headed-in.html' title='Cute. Not quite perfect, but headed in the right direction....'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-1696150354504209364</id><published>2009-06-13T11:54:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-13T12:37:37.555-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The root of all evil....</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I really believe that the root of our current political problems can be laid at the feet of the men and women of the media. The newspapers and broadcast media of the past, the venerable print media so vital to our Nation's beginnings, the journalists who covered dispassionately the events of the day, the correspondents that risked their lives to provide us a glimpse of the strife others have faced, all of these great folks are apparently gone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, the media in America is a ghostly shell of it's former glory. They have no integrity, rather exchanging that for ideology. They'd prefer to bring you their view, where their respected forebearers brought us the truth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;object width="400" height="344"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D2jxYBxLWP0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D2jxYBxLWP0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The sad facts are that as the media wields it's awesome power, they're doing more harm than good. Not just that their political bent is wrong en mass, but more because they've contributed to the "dumbing down" of the electorate. Rather than providing the facts and allowing the folks the opportunity to process them and come to their own conclusion, the media has taken the "thinking" away from the people. Now, whatever they see on the pages of the liberal newspaper, or hear on MSNBC or CNN, they take as gospel. No processing required!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The people in today's media are tearing down the great and noble edifices created by the likes of Edward R. Murrow and Ernie Pyle, Nellie Bly and Walter Cronkite. While they imbued their articles and broadcasts with their own "flavor" they did not often color the facts of that which they reported on. Often, their personal inflection was more an emotional response, genuine and proper, to the moving events of the day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, we don't have many if any at all, of their ilk. Grossly, the biggest names in the business today are largely eye-candy, Hollywood types who do very little reporting if any. They read a script written for them by a team of ideologues, and perform in front of the camera or microphone. Hard, factual journalism is pretty rare these days.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Too bad, as it's at the bedrock of the foundations of our Nation. America can not long endure if the media takes sides, and uses it's powers of persuasion to direct events which it should by all rights merely report on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rest in peace, Journalism.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-1696150354504209364?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/1696150354504209364/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=1696150354504209364' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/1696150354504209364'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/1696150354504209364'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/root-of-all-evil.html' title='The root of all evil....'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-5140587447047871500</id><published>2009-06-13T11:08:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-13T11:31:20.415-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Chicago Style Politics, Nationwide!</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Yes folks, you now have good old Chicago style politics right in your own back yard. The political machines that have ruled Chicago with an iron fist have made their way to Washington.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rep. Michele Bachmann hit the nail on the head with this:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;object width="400" height="344"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cjwEBrAWMu4&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cjwEBrAWMu4&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&amp;amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="344"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is just the beginning. As you've watched the disturbing manipulations of private enterprise being subjugated to the Obama administration, so will many more industrial entities and private concerns suffer. This is how it's been done for decades in Chicago, and will now be applied to the entire Nation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Private ownership of anything is ok, so long as you are politically connected. I'm reminded of a story told to me when I lived there by a lady who wanted an additional trashcan for her home. She requested one through the refuse removal company and was stonewalled. She tried several times. Someone then told her that if she removed the yard sign supporting the opposition candidate in her front yard, and replaced it with the one supporting the incumbent, she'd be able to get her trashcan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This would have sent me through the roof! However, seeing the size of the obstacle in front of her, she did as instructed and was rewarded very soon after with her additional trash can. Sort of a "Pay to Play" situation. This is the very heart of Chicago politics.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, you, all around America can get a chance to experience it. The Obama administration is bringing it to you as I write this.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chicago fancies itself the "City that Works". Well, it works if you, the citizenry, tow the line. If you wish to express any independence, then forget it. You're done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unions are at the heart of Chicago Politics and have been for many, many decades. These fine folks tout their unions as some sort of magical coalition that allows them to be right, and renders everyone else wrong, on any issue they choose to take up. However, experience with unions has proven to me that this is all smoke and mirrors.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was in Big-Box retail for decades. Prior to living and working in Chicago, I had opened a new store in a California suburb. Our warehouse-style shelving and racking was massive, and the management team of four plus our store manager, were responsible for installing it in the California store. While the Store manager focused on hiring, me and the three other assistant managers put up all of the steel racking in the 120,000 square foot store in 9 days. We did so with the knowledge that if we didn't do it right, we'd be the ones who'd have to deal with it from then on, so the care we took in doing it was significant. The job was done right, safely and on time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Move forward exactly one year. I'm tasked with exactly the same project, only this time it's in a suburb of Chicago. In Chicago though, the assembled and experienced group of management aren't allowed to put up the steel. Instead, Union Iron workers had to do it, by some quirk in the laws there. We busied ourselves with hiring and training while twenty five (25) union iron workers put up the same amount of steel in 21 days. And did so in such a way that for the next year that I was at that store we had areas where we had to use tools to move the shelves around because the steel hadn't been installed correctly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Four motivated salaried managers put up the steel in 9 days. Twenty five union iron workers put up the same amount in 21 days, and did an inferior job.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The work ethic was awful. Where the four of us worked twelve hours to ensure it was done on time and correctly, the union members in Chicago barely got four hours of work out of an eight hour day. It was pathetic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, this one glaring example of inefficiency will now become the model to live by. Your president and his Union handlers, would have you believe that their model is the one that "works".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It only works if they have total control, and competition is not something they handle well. They'll do anything and everything within their power to eliminate it. They can't stand on their efficiency or accomplishments, so they'll regulate the competition out of the way. That's what Government Motors is doing to the dealers that have established businesses.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Are you ready to be subjugated to their "model"? &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-5140587447047871500?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/5140587447047871500/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=5140587447047871500' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/5140587447047871500'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/5140587447047871500'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/chicago-style-politics-nationwide.html' title='Chicago Style Politics, Nationwide!'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-2833515529842446829</id><published>2009-06-09T16:39:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-09T16:40:33.722-07:00</updated><title type='text'>It's long, but worth the time. This is the Federal Reserve</title><content type='html'>&lt;center&gt;&lt;embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=6507136891691870450&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=true" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"&gt; &lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-2833515529842446829?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/2833515529842446829/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=2833515529842446829' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/2833515529842446829'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/2833515529842446829'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/its-long-but-worth-time-this-is-federal.html' title='It&apos;s long, but worth the time. This is the Federal Reserve'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-5434393920791950729</id><published>2009-06-09T13:21:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-09T13:29:39.510-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Maddening Bull S__T!!!</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Having undergone a four and one half year odyssey against the U.S. Nationalization and Immigration services to bring my wife's status into line with the law, I can speak to how broken our immigration system is. However, granting amnesty is almost never the correct answer, and to extend amnesty to those who might harbor ill-will against Ameirca is lunacy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The story &lt;a href="http://wizbangblog.com/content/2009/02/07/obama-signs-executive-order-allowing-palestinians-loyal-to-hamas-to-resettle-in-us.php"&gt;HERE&lt;/a&gt; tells of Pres. Obama's latest foible. Apparently he's allowed refugees from Hamas to join us here in the U.S. It gets better though, as we get to pay for it too!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read the story, and then sit around your house/apartment/office/whatever and complain about it. Or, you can send a message to these idiots, like I'm doing, and let them know we're not pleased by their multi-cultural efforts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Frankly, I'm happy that I don't worry each time I go to the grocery store, about a suicide bomber blowing themselves up in Ralph's Market across the street. With more and more "multi-culturism" like this, we may see just that here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once that begins, it's all over. It's every man for himself, and your government will be powerless to protect you. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-5434393920791950729?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/5434393920791950729/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=5434393920791950729' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/5434393920791950729'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/5434393920791950729'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/maddening-bull-st.html' title='Maddening Bull S__T!!!'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-1050986584139527703</id><published>2009-06-09T12:42:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-14T00:51:08.347-07:00</updated><title type='text'>I'll never fly Airbus again, and this is why.....</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;I've been leary of the products produced by Airbus for years. Having said that, I've travelled quite a bit and flown on their products many times with out crashing to earth in a fireball. But, I've always been aware of when I'm on an Airbus, and my confidence level has always been lower.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm in the aviation field, and fly frequently. One of the reasons I've favored Boeing Aircraft is that I understand them, and the company that builds them. Until the development of the Dreamliner, they did most, if not all, of their own construction in-house. Airbus produces it's aircraft from sections built all over Europe, and shipped to assembly plants in France.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The biggest factor, however, has come to light in the aftermath of the Airbus/Air France flight 447 out of Rio de Janeiro last week. There's a fundemental difference in the design philosophy between the two companies, and it's major.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Informationweek has a story &lt;a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/06/computers_key_t.html;jsessionid=S25I02AIAKFRGQSNDLPCKHSCJUNN2JVN"&gt;HERE&lt;/a&gt; that details the difference, but basically it's just this: Airbus trusts the computers onboard, Boeing trusts the pilots. In an Airbus the computer has the last word. In a Boeing Aircraft, the pilot can always overrule the computer. Not so in an Airbus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, I'm a pilot, so I am both biased and know a little about what I'm talking about here. I take the controls of whatever aircraft I'm flying and immediatly accept the responsibility for all of the souls aboard. I'll use whatever tools are provided, and many are invaluable. However, just as people are not perfect, the perfect computer system hasn't been designed yet either.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the feces strikes the rotating ventilator, I'm going to put my life in either the hands of a highly trained pilot, or the digital-calculations of a computer. Computers have an edge in most areas here. They can process far more data, far quicker. They can monitor hundreds of systems and data points simultaneously. Their reaction times are in the nano-second range, and they will reliably follow thier programs under any circumstances. That last part is key.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Human Pilots however, are a different situation. We can't process as much detail, and we can't react quite as quickly. However, they have not yet devised a computer that has a "will to live". That "survival instinct" is the final detail that is missing in an Airbus, and one that I feel is critical.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The next time you have a chance to fly somewhere, check out what aircraft you'll be flying on. Remember that if you're in a Boeing, the pilot truely is in control. If you're on an Airbus, the computers are actually in charge. Which would you prefer?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many Airline pilots share a saying: &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;If it's not Boeing, we're not going!. &lt;/span&gt;Now you know why.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happy flying!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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&lt;/script&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4524039740827540991-1050986584139527703?l=www.rationalthoughts.net' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/1050986584139527703/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4524039740827540991&amp;postID=1050986584139527703' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/1050986584139527703'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4524039740827540991/posts/default/1050986584139527703'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.rationalthoughts.net/2009/06/ill-never-fly-airbus-again-and-this-is.html' title='I&apos;ll never fly Airbus again, and this is why.....'/><author><name>Jerry</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14536403711221611614</uri><email>jerry@rationalthoughts.net</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='14367375079793357973'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4524039740827540991.post-4732100903354811562</id><published>2009-06-09T12:08:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-09T12:40:31.148-07:00</updated><title type='text'>This is just wrong..... in so many ways....</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Reuters has a quick blurb &lt;a href="http://mobile.reuters.com/mobile/m/FullArticle/CBUS/nbusinessNews_uUSTRE5580IF20090609?src=RSS-BUS"&gt;HERE&lt;/a&gt; that says some of the banks who were given taxpayer money will be ALLOWED to repay that money. Huh? Wasn't this TARP boondogle supposed to be an emergency measure to bolster the banks, and then once they were on their feet, weren't they SUPPOSED to repay us? What is this nonsense about being ALLOWED to repay the debt?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a stark example of the Obama Administration's true intention: socialization. They always intended to subjugate the banking and automobile industries, right from the beginning. Critics on the right, and notably absent from the misguided-left-leaning media, intoned this all along. We should have been listening.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We, the People, expect the government to act according to it's word. That being when they forced this TARP and Bailout baloney down our throats, they said this would be an interim effort to get these businesses back on their feet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's a huge problem though. Take GM for instance. The Obama Administration has placed two of their own people in positions of power within GM and overseeing the car business in general. They've gifted the unions with ownership (taken from stockholders value by the way) and in addition have funded GM with over $50 billion of your hard earned tax dollars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They told us that they had to put that $50B into GM to keep it functioning and avoid bankruptcy. They spent the money (plus another $15billion to GMAC a division of GM) and STILL went bankrupt! What happened to the money????? Where'd it go???&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm still waiting for the legal challenges to begin, because I cannot find anywhere in the founding documents from which this government gets it's authority, for it to own anything, or nationalize private buisnesses. There's a very severe constitutional issue at heart here, and if the Constitution is no longer in play, then this government is no longer legal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now what?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Get more Rational Thinking from RationalThoughts.net!
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