Morning Coffee (113)

Two people are talking; about nothing in particular. The first person mentions to the other that his third cousin’s nephew’s brother-in-law’s birthday is coming up on the 13^th of March. “Oh my God!” the other girl replies, “My birthday’s on the 13^th too!” The first replies with incredulous surprise, “Really?!” The soon-to-be birthday girl then utters, “Yes…how weird!”

Isn’t it amazing that people think things like this are amazing? As if they think that someone else having the same birthday as them is so utterly improbable that they are shocked and surprised that not only could it be so, but they just spoke with someone who knows someone with the same date of birth. Amazing…

White, Like Siberian Exile:

The heavens have opened up and poured down upon me a deluge of precipitation in the form of snow flakes. There must be, as Carl Sagan might (not) say, billions and billions of them, most of which have, by way of a miracle, been placed in the 1/10^th of an acre of freedom upon which I presently reside. At first, they appear light, fluffy even; as if a gentle breeze could/would blow them away and out of my sight forever. And the wind does blow them; it blows them into stark white Sahara dunes. But light and fluffy these flakes are not. No, they are heavy and dense, to which my creaky back can attest. And the wind turns me into an Arctic version of Sisyphus; I laboriously move snow into pretty little piles, at which time the West Wind repositions those piles in my wake. Help finally comes; a great mythical/mechanical beast that shoves the snow aside as if the flakes were but weightless rag dolls. But no, my eyes deceive me once again, for I see the future. I see the machination, in vehement fury fling the eye pollution towards the square footage I have recently emancipated; doing the job of a thousand West Winds. A gigantic wave of snow, propelled by the power of hundreds of horses, comes crashing down upon my shores. The Humanity! Why have the gods punished me so!? Have I not left the Wintry Purgatory eons ago? I start again, moving the newly condensed snow from its resting place into pretty little piles…

Wake Me Up When November Ends:

Isn’t it painful to watch? It’s almost unbearable. The sounds and sights are like watching pigs being slaughtered by a thousand incompetent butchers who botch the job over and over again. Imagine that. Blood soaking the floor, agonizing squeals, but the pigs never die and you’re forced to watch, paralyzed into inaction. You know you have to hire one of these butchers, but which fool do you entrust with the grisly work? The difference is the stakes are much higher than the quick deaths of a few pigs.

Seething McCain Tears Head off NYT Reporter; Shits Down Neck:

Have you heard about this? Of course you haven’t, because it didn’t happen. But McCain did “clash” with a NYT reporter on his campaign’s plane. The reporter questions McCain about a meeting he had with John Kerry in 2004, allegedly about McCain running with him as his VP. She really tries to get him to reveal what the meeting was about, despite him saying that it was well known that they had met, and he wouldn’t discuss details because it was a private meeting. He’s clearly annoyed by her line of questioning. A number of news outlets reported this story with the headline, “Why are you so angry?” which suggests that the reporter was baffled by McCain’s anger or maybe afraid or something similar. This isn’t the case. In fact, I’d say that this NYT reporter was a little gutless. Watch the video, which is in the link above. She says, “Can I ask you about, um…?” She then looks down for a second before looking up and sheepishly asking, “Why are you so angry?” McCain replies, “Pardon me?” Her reply was, “Never mind, never mind…” Gutless. Clearly, McCain was annoyed, I’ll concede that. But overtly angry? I don’t think so. She asked a negative question like that and then backed down, as if knowing that that question would become the news.

If Cancer Won’t Do It, God Dammit, Boeing Will:

Boeing and its legion of fanboys are still quite angry at McCain for sabotaging their bid to make aerial refuelers for the US Air Force.

But as there is always the proverbial silver lining to any dark cloud, this Boeing vs. Northrop Grumman/EADS issue has shown us the only thing that is more powerful than Party lines, as Democrats and Republicans alike have rallied behind Boeing against John McCain. What is really important is that contracts be awarded to companies in these Representatives’ states. In this, Dems and Repubs can join forces. So important is this one thing that they will mischaracterize the entire system of awarding contracts, disrespect the Air Force, and even lie outright.

The fact is, McCain killed the 2004 version of the tanker deal, in which Boeing would have been awarded the contract. This version was killed not because McCain has a pathological hatred for Boeing, as some Congressmen apparently think, but because Boeing executives recruited an Air Force official, Darleen Druyun, while she was still overseeing Boeing related contracts. This sort of behavior wasn’t new to Ms. Druyun, as she was involved in another controversy in 1993 involving McDonnell Douglas, which was later bought by Boeing. So deep do Ms. Druyun’s connections to Boeing run that she simply forwarded to the company resumes of her daughter and her daughter’s fiancé, both of whom got jobs there. At any rate, Druyun and the Boeing executive both served prison sentences for their roles in the 2004 tanker deal. Shame on you John McCain.

But McCain’s actions are not very merit-worthy according to some. Nancy Pelosi insists that Boeing was on course to win the new deal before McCain started rallying against it. What does this mean? I haven’t seen anything that suggests that McCain did any such thing in this most recent deal. Pelosi is either lying or knows something no press has reported. Likely the former.

Speaking of horse pucky, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill) says, “Having made sure that Iraq gets new schools, roads, bridges and dams that we deny America, now we are making sure that France gets the jobs that Americans use to have. We are sending the jobs overseas, all because John McCain demanded it.” Rep. Emanuel must be afflicted with anosmia, because he can’t even smell the shit coming out of his mouth. Nowhere have I read that McCain has demanded that jobs be sent overseas. And even that is a gross misrepresentation of the contract anyway. Sure, Illinois and Washington State will not benefit from this contract, but Alabama will, as will a number of other states. The NG/EADS contract will create 2,000 jobs in Alabama and support 25,000 jobs at suppliers across the country. Some people (morons) have stated that the Boeing contract would have created 44,000 jobs. What sort of bullshit is this? The 767 is an existing platform with the infrastructure for it’s building already in place. It might have supported those jobs, but it didn’t create them. Furthermore, as I’ve said before, 60% of the NG/EADS built plane will be US made, which is 10% more than the minimum legal requirement in the Buy American requirement. Thus, Emanuel’s and Tiahrt’s complaints are invalid, and in some cases, blatant lies.

What they are right about, however, is that this issue stands to hurt McCain in the general election in these states, mostly because jobs are important to people, and any perception of losing those jobs, real or otherwise, is greatly terrifying, especially in the day and age of the Rust Belt. But we shouldn’t discount people’s gullibility, as they will eagerly consume the feces that the aforementioned Representatives produce because it plays to their fears. However, we should not forget one simple thing in all of this: the US Air Force will receive a better platform which will not compromise national security. If someone must be blamed by the faceless masses, it should be Boeing, who felt they were entitled to this contract, and proposed the same airframe as they did previously. Sorry Washingtonians and Illinoisans, but you’re welcome to vote your conscience.

Word of the Day: Cabal (noun): 1. A secret, conspiratorial association of plotters or intriguers whose purpose is usually to bring about an overturn especially in public affairs.
2. The schemes or plots of such an association.

On This Day in History: Stalin’s daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the US (1967). US Navy divers find the damaged crew compartment of the space Shuttle Challenger (1986). The bodies of all seven crew members were inside. Today we “sprung forward” which means I lost an hour of my day. Thus the MC is more like, Afternoon Tea.

Morning Coffee (110)

Weekend Coffee is as good as any Coffee, don’t you agree? There’s so much to talk about. So, shall we begin?

Gone, Baby, Gone:

This coming Wednesday, the day after voting in several so-called big states, it’s very likely that Hillary Clinton will no longer be a candidate for the Democratic nomination. Thus, our choices for President of the United States will have been whittled down to two from what seemed like hundreds just five months ago. The grind is, well, grinding down.

But it’s not over. Obama is spending plenty of his massive treasure chest with the intent of eliminating Clinton on Tuesday. According to the New York Times, he has outspent Clinton two to one in television advertising in two states. This massive spending, which he can easily afford considering he raised $50 million in February (versus Clinton’s $35 million), has helped him virtually erase the two-digit lead Clinton held in the polls a few weeks ago.

The money advantage cannot be discounted, as unfortunate as that may be. Obama is able to fly hundreds of paid organizers to wherever they’re needed. He can dominate the airwaves with his message. I’ve heard his radio ads dozens of times on one radio station. I have never heard a Clinton ad on that or any other station. I have seen one Clinton ad on TV, whereas I’ve seen at least five for Obama. Admittedly, I do not watch much TV, so I’m sure the saturation is higher. Obama is going to spend Clinton into the ground. Already, his operation has expanded into states that will hold Primaries after Tuesday. Clinton is unable to do this. She simply hasn’t the funds.

It gets worse for Clinton. While she rolls out former Democratic Representative Dick Gephardt as a supporter, Obama ups the ante and has the indie band Arcade Fire perform for him. I have news for her. Young voters do not identify with a former Congressman that most of them haven’t even heard of.

It is possible that Clinton will pull off a few wins (some call this a miracle) on Tuesday, but this would serve merely to prolong the inevitable. She may not be as mathematically eliminated as Mike Huckabee (who?), but she is most certainly philosophically eliminated. As Clinton herself knows, Hope trumps Reality; as it did for her husband, it does for Barack Obama.

So the voters will believe in a change as much as something like change can be believed in, and Obama will secure the nomination, eventually. And here’s where our system gets less interesting. Two candidates will duke it out. The policies of each will become less radical as they try to garner votes and approval from voters in the other party. While there will be plenty of fire and brimstone during debates and the like while each candidate tries to stand out, the whole affair will really be sort of watered down.

Actually scratch that. Some aspects will be vaguely interesting. For example, what will happen with McCain’s finances? McCain made some tactical decisions about money earlier in this election cycle, and it might bite him, what with various rules and such. I am not going to go into specifics at present, as there will be ample time to discuss it, but what is interesting is that the FEC doesn’t have enough members for a quorum. Thus the FEC can’t make a decision. This will not change either. Appointees to the FEC have to be confirmed by the Senate, which is presently in Democrat hands. It’s not going to happen. In this, McCain’s campaign could face considerable financial difficulties, which, if things go a certain way, Obama will not have to deal with.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the 44^th President of the United States, Barack Obama! Enjoy it America. You wanted it; you’ve got it.

Russian Politics:

Since I can’t seem to bore you enough with American politics, I’ll regale you with tales of intrigue from Russia. Arguably, Russian politics are more interesting than those in America, if decidedly more predictable. You might wonder why. It’s simple: the filth of Russian politics makes American politics look as though the Bald Head of Mr. Clean rules over the Election Cycle with an Iron Mop.

Let me put it to you this way. Russia’s Presidential election is today. Russia’s next President was decided in December. Does that make sense? Dmitry Medvedev, Former Chief of Staff for Vladimir Putin, former First Deputy Prime Minister, and current Vice Premier or Russia (and Chairman of Russian petro-giant Gazprom’s board) was unofficially endorsed by Putin on 10 December, and officially endorsed on 17 December 2007. Polls indicate that 79% of Russians will vote for Medvedev. Not bad for a man who has never held elected office. Putin spoke, and Russians will listen. The American media must be green with envy over that sort of influence.

How fun are elections in Russia? Your boss will tell you who to vote for. If you don’t vote, you’ll lose your job. He’ll even accompany you to the polls to make sure you cast your ballot in a responsible manner. Four hundred and fifty-thousand troops and police were deployed to make sure voting took place in a calm manner. Surely, they will not serve as an unconscious reminder to wayward voters.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the next President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev! We at the Morning Coffee apologize to Russians everywhere for that little Constitutional prohibition that forbade Putin from seeking another term, but he’ll likely be your Prime Minister, so worry not for Comrade, er, Mr. Putin.

What is almost scarier than Russian politics, however, is the American media’s lack of coverage of those politics. Considering it is Russia (and really cold and dreary) and that there are almost no foreign observers watching the election, that’s not surprising. But let’s remember, this is not an insignificant country in Africa. This is Russia, a nation in possession of strategic (nuclear) weapons and the ability to deploy those weapons right to your front porch.

The uninformed says, “But Russia’s military is falling apart, we needn’t worry about them.” Five years ago this statement would have been largely true; Russia’s military was sustaining itself by selling equipment to any and everyone. It is hardly the case now. Russia has the largest proven natural gas reserves and the eighth largest proven oil reserves. Russia is rich. And that money is being spent on its military again. Russian BEAR bombers are regularly patrolling the skies near the US and its allies, even flying a mere 2,000 feet directly above a US aircraft carrier. The Russian military is making a comeback, and will only continue to flex its muscles. I contest that this is a good thing, as it provides a potential counterbalance to the growing Chinese might. But it also means that the US needs to treat Russia as if it belongs at the Big-Boy-Table. The US has been dismissing Russia for a long time now, and Russians resent it. This cannot continue. Criticize the lack of transparency (or in this case abundant transparency) in elections all you want, but believing Russia is as inept as it was in 1996 is a mistake.

Competition Bad, Cronyism Good:

For the past few years, the need of a new aerial refueling platform to replace the current, outdated KC-135s has dominated discussion in the US Air Force. A version of Boeing’s 767 was supposed to replace the KC-135, but Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld cancelled the KC-767 program in January 2006 following the revelation of corruption in how the contract was awarded. The following year, the Air Force announced the KC-X program, which pitted Boeing against the Northrop Grumman/EADS group. Both competitors offered a refueler based on an existing platform.

Stunningly, Northrop Grumman/EADS won the contract, which would produce the newly named KC-45. This has set off a storm of anger in Washington. See, NG/EADS is partly European, EADS being the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, part of a conglomerate that builds the Airbus A-380, and a number of military aircraft. And the KC-45, which is built upon the A-330 platform, would benefit the French. We all know how well like the French are in Republican Land.

Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) said, “I’ll be calling upon the Secretary of Defense for a full debriefing and expect there will be a protest of the award by Boeing.” Senator Todd Tiahrt (R-SD) said, “We should have an American tanker built by an American company with American workers. I cannot believe we would create French jobs in place of Kansas jobs."

Brownback and Tiahrt should be educated about the merits of competition, that being that it’s a pretty good thing. See, by all accounts, the A-330 platform makes for a better KC-45 than does the 767 presented by Boeing, being able to hold a great deal more fuel, cargo, and men, should that be needed. I don’t see the problem with this. The US Air Force is getting a superior product. Apologies to Boeing, but maybe next time they’ll do better and not have to whine about fair competition.

A bane to Tiahrt’s argument, Airbus has already stated that the company would assemble the tankers in Alabama, and promised to transfer the assembly of the A-330 there as well. That does this thing called, “Create American Jobs.” What’s worse is that not only has this vow been made, but Northrop Grumman/EADS is contractually obligated to build a $600 million assembly plant in the US, likely in Mobile, AL. Thus, we put to death Tiahrt’s complaint. The heart of the matter is that he’s from Kansas, and Boeing would have built the 767-based tanker in Kansas. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that he used to work for Boeing drawing up government contracts. Go figure.

Word of the Day: Garrulous (adjective): 1. Talking much, especially about commonplace or trivial things; talkative. 2. Wordy. Garrulous was the Senator from Kansas, as he bloviated needlessly about the loss of American jobs.

On This Day in History: Since I missed yesterday, indulge me…

01 March: The Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation (1781). The first US Census is authorized (1790). Napoleon returns to France from banishment on Elba (1815). President Tyler signs a bill authorizing the US annexation of the Republic of Texas (1845). The Ethiopian army defeats an outnumbered Italian force in the Battle of Adowa, and Caesar rolls over in his grave (1896). Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity (1896). Josef Stalin suffers a stroke, dying four days later (1953). Puerto Rican nationalists attack the US Capitol Building, injuring five Representatives (1954). A bomb, planted by the Weather Underground, explodes in a bathroom in the US Capitol Building (1971).

See last year’s Morning Coffee (64) for all the cool Roman happenings on this date.

02 March: Tsar Alexander II emancipates the Russian serfs (1861). His generosity is thanked by assassins in 1881. Note to self: Do not emancipate anyone; it bodes poorly for the emancipator (see Lincoln). Tsar Nicholas II abdicates in favor of his brother (1917). Nicholas and his little tribe are also killed. Michael is smart and defers acceptance of the throne, but is murdered in 1918. The first Communist International meeting (1919).

“The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.”

“The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colours breaking through.”

- Alexis de Tocqueville.