Joe the Plumber and Character Assassination

OK, perhaps it happens on both (or all) sides, but this is the one currently in the news. Joe the Plumber, he of Obama's "spread-the-wealth" comment fame, had his background checked through state-managed computer systems back in Ohio.

According to this article in the Columbus Dispatch, Helen Jones-Kelley, Director of the Department of Family and Job Services (whose sytems were used to make the checks), indicated that it was "consistent with past departmental practice" to make such checks.

Considering how quickly we discovered that Joe doesn't have a plumber's license or a business license or a union membership, I'd say the only reason we don't know that he's involved in a child support case or have tax problems is because he isn't and doesn't.

Reality check: Redistributing Wealth

Joe the plumber. Instant iconic hero (well, for conservatives, anyway!) He managed to expose the Messiah with a simple question which Obama answered - and accidentally answered honestly, stating that everybody benefitted when the wealth was spread around. The invasion of Joe's private life is another story which I hope to get to.

This raised the obvious question: is Obama a socialist? A Marxist? Joe Biden tried to spin it away as meaning that there would be tax cuts.

Well, Uncle Joe - what about this interview with Obama done in 2001? Let's look at the important statements:

• (Referring to the success of the civil rights movement of the 1960's): But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society.
• One of the I think tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court focused, I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributed change and in some ways we still suffer from that.
• (A caller to the show asked:) is it too late for that kind of reparative work economically and is that that the appropriate place for reparative economic work to take place – the court – or would it be legislation at this point?
• I’m not optimistic about bringing about major redistributive change through the courts... The court’s just not very good at it and politically it’s very hard to legitimize opinions from the court in that regard. So I think that although you can craft theoretical justifications for it legally. Any three of us sitting here could come up with a rational for bringing about economic change through the courts.

So here we have the Democratic presidential candidate lamenting the fact that the Warren court had not gone far enough with regard to redistribution of wealth. According to Obama, we're "still suffering" from being too court-focused to have brought about redistribution (or have it the other way - that we're still suffering from not having brought about redistributed change). Finally, Obama asserts that bringing about this "redistributive change" is not likely to happen through the courts - leaving unsaid the alternative posed by the caller's question, that such change could be legislated. Of course, with at least two Supreme Court appointments available to the next president, and with a congressional supermajority, what's to stand in the way of judicial appointments (at every level) of judges who do believe in redistributive change, an Obama presidency could have its cake and eat it as well - court decisions in addition to legislation, with the enforcement capabilities of the executive branch (ie, the IRS, the FBI, the Justice department, and whatever new agency Obama was referring to establiching a couple months back).

The press reaction to all this? Here's one ostrich, which tries to bury the currency of Obama's beliefs by positing the statement of an Obama spokesman, Bill Burton, that the statements in question were "seven years old". (And while we're passing by, let's look at liberal bias: Burton :said", but the so-called news article alleges that "Both Boehner and John McCain have been trying to pin the 'socialist' label on Obama ".

Seven years? Is that really so long? I remember 9/11 like it was yesterday.

Grow up. Vote against Obama by voting for McCain.

Searching for a job

My previous employer and I parted ways about 5 weeks ago (long story, not here). So I've been doing a variety of things - back surgery, consulting, job hunting. And that's the source of this post.

I went to a job fair a few weeks back, and left a copy of my resume with the sponsor, who farmed it out to whoever was interested. So I got a call last week from a local agency, they'd seen my resume, and could I come in and talk to their "Sr. Vice President". Well, that's one possible way to get a job, so I set the appointment.

When I got there, it was an hour early (my mistake, but didn't realize it until ten minutes later). They had made a point to emphasize that I should be prompt. All I said at the front desk was that I was here to see Mr . so-and-so, and I was invited to sit down, he'd be with me in a couple of minutes. Although the receptionist was older, there was bubble-gum music playing on a portable radio. Obnoxious bubble-gum music. There were also a couple of dinosaurs wandering around (and I don't like the age discrimination when I'm looking for a job, but these dudes were seriously mid-70's, minimum).

About five minutes into the waiting, the first faint alarms started going off. If they're so doggoned busy, where was everybody? More to the point, I was supposed to respect their busy schedule, but they didn't need to respect my time? Oh, yeah - that's right, I'm not employed, my time's not important...

I was just about to walk out when this younger guy comes into the room, extends his hand, and says "Hi, Mr. Smith" (not me!), and I said "No, I'm Jones", the receptionist looks up and says "Your appointment is at 10:30", and the dude turns to her and says "I don't have any 10:30 appointment scheduled". Clue #2 and 3: Disorganized. Not busy. Anyway, they set my appointment to "10:00". I guess the ten-minutes-late thing is ingrained, because 10:10 is about when I got into the dude's office.

The dude proceeds to ask some "personal" questions "Employers can't ask these, you understand, but we're not an employer, we're here to help". Yeah, sure, move along. "Married?" "Kids?" and here's what I think they're really after: "How much staying power? That is, how long can you afford to continue a job search?" In other words, how sure can we be that if we charge you $10,000 up front, can we expect to see the money?

He then proceeds to tell me how very selective they are, that only about "one in seven" of the people they interview get "accepted" as clients (at the pace people were pouring in through the door for their interviews, I'd guess they pick up maybe one client a week at that rate), that they have an office meeting every afternoon to decide who they were going to select to be their chosen, and that they'd get back to me on Monday if I were selected (I guarantee you I'll be "selected") to set up a second interview to which I would bring my wife, and that they'd expect me to make a decision before I left. More alarm bells going off. And would I fax them a copy of my resume? Sure, I'll email a softcopy. "No, fax is better - we're getting deluged with email". Yeah, right, your last appointment stood you up, you spent most of an hour with me, and there's nobody in the lobby - you must be incredibly busy, dude.

When I got home, I googled the company. No luck. Same with the recruiter. Then I tried the Better Business Bureau. Not there either, but what's this? A listing for a similar name, same address. Click on the record, they dissolved in December 2005. "BH Careers International". Obviously not the same company (right?? ) so nothing I say here could possibly have anything to do with this same agency located in the same office space, could it?

And that linked me to the website ripoffreports.com, and page after page of complaints about Bernard Haldane (BH??) I think the tie-in was actually the addess, they had the same address listed. Anyway, many common themes running through the complaints: you could be one of the select few we decide to represent... our committee meets this afternoon... we'll schedule another appointment, bring your wife...

I guess you wouldn't expect to find a bunch of satisfied customers on a website called "ripoffreports", but it confirmed my gut's reaction. I don't need anything more.

Biden's Brain Scan

The headline reads: "No brain scans in released Biden medical records".

I suppose asking "What brain?" would be too obvious...

The liberal straddle

This report from ABC News: "Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., on Sunday guaranteed that if elected, Sen. Barack Obama., D-Ill., will be tested by an international crisis within his first six months in power and he will need supporters to stand by him as he makes tough, and possibly unpopular, decisions."

Let's say Biden's correct. The response? "We told you so...."
Let's say Biden's wrong. The response? "The world loves Barack..."

If you can figure out the "right" way to say it, I guess you can have it both ways.

I've thought the same thing for some time now, regarding the global warming controversy. Some of the allegations of gloom and doom are win-win propositions for the doomsayers. Take this interview with "scientist" Dr. James Hansen of NASA, who throws out the following observation: "The last time a large ice sheet melted sea level went up at a rate of five meters per century. "

Let's say Hansen's correct. The response? "We told you so...."
Let's say Hansen's wrong. The response? "Look how wonderfully successful all of our efforts to save the environment have been!"

Besides, 100 years from now, Hansen, Al Gore, and all the other prognosticators of doom will be safely dead and unavailable for comment (or personal ridicule).

Me? I'm still trying to figure out how humankind has managed to cause the polar icecaps on Mars to shrink.

The Obama Hitler Youth phenomena

Things are getting scary out there.

Let's leave any discussion of the merits and morality of "using" children to convey a political message when the belief system of the child is one that's largely taught by a parent - it's no different than what faithful religious folks do when they raise their own children to be believers.

To the point: George Santayana said: "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it." In that light, be sure to watch this video. In the not-so-unlikely event that the video is no longer available, what it depicts is the recording session where the children sing the "Obama's gonna change the world" tripe that came out a few days back. The scariest part is the last 30 seconds or so of the video, a film clip of the Hitler Youth in 1930's Germany singing a similar tribute to Adolf. YIKES!!

As with all things youtube, there are linked videos, and I actually got to the video above from this one: this one, which was linked on the drudgereport. Again, if it's gone, it depicts a group of roughly ten young (teen-aged) black men dressed in military camouflage bottoms and black T-shirts dork-stepping (as opposed to goose-stepping - you've got to see the video to understand) into a room chanting "Alpha - Omega" (I think). After stopping, they take turns stepping out and saying "Because I have been inspired by Barack Obama, I will be the next ___" (fill in the blank with a career pursuit: architect, lawyer, fireman, auto mechanic). This is followed by more chanting and synchronized calasthenics. The youth then take turns again stepping out, and each enunciates a point from the Obama health insurance proposal (or at least, what it would be in Obama's ideal world where there's no cost to implement any plan and all government administered programs function perfectly...)

I'm all for kids taking inspiration from wherever they can find it to form a direction in their lives that will be a force for good in the world. And I must admit that there are some similarities between what I see in the second video and the Boy Scout organization that I have been active in over many years. However, I think a line has been crossed. Not only is the unison dork-stepping three or four steps beyond anything the Boy Scouts ever did, it's highly reminiscent of authentic goose-stepping. Then there's the synchronized calisthenics combined with the chants. Yeah, kind of like a football team working out before the game. But the topper here is the dedication to The One - Barack Obama. Boy Scouts dedicate themselves to God and country, and a set of high standards of personal conduct. Football teams are dedicated to the team and the school. The young men in this video are dedicated to one individual.

Can you say Jim Jones? David Koresh? Adolf Hitler? Barack Obama???

Press on. And don't forget to vote.