J's Cafe Nette

Archive for September 4th, 2007

Once upon a time this was the traditional time of year when candidates for the presidency announced. With all of the changes in the political landscape on all levels, it feels as though we have been subjected to campaign mode since 2004 on a continuous basis. Every politician has weighed their words, couched their vote and avoided delving into any serious policy debate.

That said, there are those on both sides of the aisle who have been travelling the country, meeting with voters and working hard to secure delegates who will propel them to their party’s nomination.

I have made no decision personally as to the candidate (primarily on the right) I would support at this point in time. Fred Thompson has always been someone who has piqued my interest in one way or another but I must admit I am slightly disappointed in the theatrics he has planned to announce his entrance into the race.

As a veteran actor, Fred Dalton Thompson knows something about entering a stage. It’s all about the build up. The former Tennessee senator plans to announce his official entry into the Republican presidential contest on Thursday. But he’ll pique interest first on Wednesday with an ad aired during a GOP presidential debate from New Hampshire that Thompson will otherwise skip.

By then he will have taped an appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” which will air about an hour after the debate ends in many U.S. households. Come midnight, he’ll post a 15-minute video announcement on his official Web site.

The face time with Leno and the debate ad on the Fox network are the coquettish moves of a candidate who has already proven his aptitude using the media, from television to the Internet. While his main rivals – Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain – parry debate questions, Thompson will pretty much control his own message.

So while others have been planning for the tough questions Fox moderators will pose, Mr. Thompson has planned an ad to do what? To my mind he is not a member of the field of candidates at this point. Is this meant to upstage the candidates who are addressing serious issues? Then Jay Leno, followed by the web announcement of some sort and an official declaration of his candidacy to follow on Thursday. I am tired already.

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer when a candidate declares for the Office of the Presidency with a strong speech (perhaps in their hometown) which offers some idea of where they would hope their tenure would direct this country, not some media blitz.

Do not misunderstand me, I have not written off Fred Thompson as my choice for the nomination, I simply am not pleased with the methods he has chosen to enter the field. I really do not care about Jay Leno, Web Cams or for that matter political ads. I care about issues, character and the morals of a candidate. Join the debate Mr. Thompson and let me know exactly who you are.

Tweet This Post

There is a new dispatch today from Michael Yon.

Michael also this past week linked to a video put together by two reporters from the NYT.

Both pieces are well worth checking out.

Tweet This Post

Time sure does fly. It seems only yesterday we heard of the untimely death of the “Crocodile Hunter”, Steve Irwin. Now on the anniversary of his death comes news that another adventurer of a different sort has gone missing.

Teams searched rugged terrain Tuesday for a plane carrying aviation adventurer Steve Fossett, the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon, but crews had little idea where the plane might be, federal officials said.

Fossett took off in the single engine Bellanca at 8:45 a.m. Monday at a private airstrip in western Nevada and didn’t return as scheduled. A friend reported him missing, said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Maryland.

In the case of Steve Irwin, he died doing what he loved best, making contact with creatures of the earth.

While Mr. Fosset’s fate is yet determined, he also has followed all of his dreams and lived his life to the fullest. They are both an inspiration to others to do the same.

Tweet This Post

The citizens of Israel are among some of the bravest in the world. They live daily with the threat of suicide bombers, rocket attacks and are surrounded by countries hostile to their very existence.

They field an exceptional army and have intelligence services which some consider in the top tier, but even they are little consolation when an attack like the one yesterday occurs. Who but a murderous thug with no regard for human life would fire these rockets at all let alone into populated areas? One rocket fired on Monday exploded near a day care center. Viewing this video brought home the reality these people live with every day.

Thankfully no one was injured in this attack as is noted in this article.

A Palestinian rocket landed in a courtyard next to a crowded day care center on Monday, sending panicked mothers scrambling to take their screaming toddlers to safety and bringing warnings of retribution from Israeli leaders.

None of the 15 children at the center was hurt. But frantic parents in Sderot—already furious over the government’s failure to protect them and their children from the near-daily rocket fire—pulled their children out of schools on the second day of the academic year. It was unclear when studies would resume.

Imagine for a moment watching your child step on a school bus every morning and knowing that there is a constant threat of violence targeted at the very area in which their school is located.

One wonders how long it would take before we would all be home schooling our children. This is no doubt a universal feeling and it seems the parents in Sderot have also reached their limit.

The Education Ministry said studies would continue normally. But Batya Katar, head of the Sderot Parents Association, said parents were pulling all 2,500 of the town’s students out of school.

“The school year is over. We can’t hold on any more,” Katar told The Associated Press by telephone, the voices of panicked parents audible in the background.

At one Sderot school, Nahum Bitton arrived to take his children home.

“Of course I’ll take them out. Should I leave them in the hands of Hamas?” Bitton told AP Television News.

As a parent and grandparent let me answer your question Mr. Bitton. No, you should not.

Tweet This Post

Some celebrities are remembered for the great movie in which they starred, others for that one song that remains associated with them through the ages. Many have worked diligently for or donated to various charities through the years but one man, every year, has raised mega bucks for a worthwhile organization. That man is none other than Jerry Lewis.

Showman Jerry Lewis raised nearly $64 million on Monday during his annual Labor Day Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, topping last year’s event by $3 million.
“We did it. We did it. I got my buck more. And more. We can go shopping,” a jubilant Lewis said as the tote board topped $63.7 million for his 42nd telethon. Last year’s record was $61 million.

As in the past, the International Association of Fire Fighters anchored the donations from local fill-the-boot drives with $25.2 million, eclipsing last year’s $23.5 million.

“Whoa, whoa firefighters. They’re all my heroes—every firefighter you see,” Lewis said.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is blessed to have this man and every individual who contributed to make this fundraiser a phenomenal success. Well done.

Tweet This Post

One of our frequent commenters, Big Mo, who has been kind enough to let us share his Presidents series with you, has written an excellent piece on what he says is a different view of the decline of the Bush presidency.

In this essay, I’ll probably catch some heat. If it were posted on some other conservative sites, I’d probably be figuratively tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail, or I’d be stupidly labeled a Bush boot-licker. So be it.

But I haven’t been studying the presidents for nothing, and I’ve noticed a lot of things about the American character that are just as apropos today as they were then. So, here goes.

What went wrong with the Bush presidency? How could we have gone from the magnificent response to 9/11 (when he appeared at the WTC site on 9/14/01 and then at the Congress on 9/20/01) to what we have today? Is he even the same man we voted for?

Actually, yes.

Bush hasn’t changed. But our expectations of him haven’t been met, because we expected things of him that he either never intended, or he was not capable of doing.

I had a different piece written to explain what had gone wrong with the Bush presidency. I was going to examine specific policies, proposals, appointments, his handling of the war, etc. However, I’ll save all of that for my actual evaluation of his presidency next year. So, please keep in mind that I won’t be talking about specific things Bush has done or not done. Rather, I want to explore some broader themes. If you want to argue about a specific misstep or give a litany of Bush’s supposed sins, save it for another time, because that’s not what this essay is about — now, anyway, because I did some serious rewriting when I read this:

Please go over to Hang Right Politics and read the entire piece. You will find it well-worth your time.

Tweet This Post