Apple Computer has superior products and inferior judgement

From the Apple Press Release -

"Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8."

There is no "right to marry" under the Constitution for homosexuals or anyone else. They do have a right under California Law to form domestic partnerships. That is not good enough for them. Four California Supreme Court Judges overturned a law passed by the people defining marriage as between one man and one woman. This Constitutional Amendment overturns that Supreme Court ruling.

Apple should stay out of politics. This offends me. I buy computers, lots of them. No point in offending me.

Colin Powell Endorses Obama - BFD

This is not a bad thing.

First, never trust a man named after a body part. (I realize colon is spelled with an “o”)

Second, I have no idea what Powell was like as a Company Commander in Viet Nam. I did not meet him until he was a LTC in Europe. After that, I know. Like the dwarfs, Powell has always been for Powell. He was then, has been and always will be a liberal politician with no sense of direction. He laments one thing, pursues another. He fired Norman Schwarzkopf for providing the President his opinion when asked. The man who singlehandedly kept Desert One from being a victory. The man who cut the legs from under the anti-Sadamn forces. For some reason, George W. Bush picked him as Secretary of State, a job he was eminently qualified for as he has always put the views of his principal above any principals he might or might not have. As soon as he was relieved of that job, he began stabbing his former boss in the back.

Anyone who things being endorsed by Powell means anything positive was going to vote for 0bama anyway.

Colin Powell, a man of no integrity, whose name lives in infamy. A general who has no followers. No one would follow Powell to the Gates of Hell because they would know he had already made a deal with the devil.

What a loser!

Huntley Brown - NO on Obama

Huntley Brown is a popular Christian music artist a who wrote this email to some friends who were inquiring if he was going to vote for Senator Barack Obama. He said he has problems with both candidates, but the differences he has with Senator McCain pale in comparison with the ones he has with Senator Obama.

Brown did not write this email to influence public opinion nor did he expect his response to be forwarded to others which resulted in wide distribution of his opinion on the super information highway. No matter the outcome of this election, Brown said as a Christian, he could be counted to support the President in prayer every day.

===============

Dear Friends,

A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it's worth repeating...

First, I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads I follow. I can't dictate the terms He does because He is the leader.

I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should anyone from the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter.

We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I don't know Obama so all I can go on is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007. Check it out here: http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/

To beat Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with.

There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100 % rating.
There is a reason the homosexual community supports him.
There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him.
There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court.
There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill.
There is a reason he voted No on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.
There is a reason he voted No on banning partial birth abortion.
There is a reason he voted No on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue. The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures:

A. Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps. (Remember this is a live baby)
B. The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.
C. The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head.
D. The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole.
E. The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law. Think about this: You can't give a kid an aspirin without parental notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years. Obama tells us he has good judgment but he sat under Jeremiah Wright teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons. I wonder why now? Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training.

Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 'Go and make disciples of all nations.' This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you, believe what you believe etc. The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him?

Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a
1. Commitment to the White Community
2. Commitment to the White Family
3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community.
5. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Would you support a President who went to a church like that?

Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama's former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside. This kind of church is a racist church.

Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discover he went to a racist church.

The church can't be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world. A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if it's a white church or a black church it's still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.

Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book A Black Theology of Liberation. Cone once wrote: 'Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. ' Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this?

So what does all this mean for the nation?

In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing - judgment.

Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king.

First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 'Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.' Then God says 1 Samuel 1:18 ' When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.' 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.' 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, 'Listen to them and give them a king.'

Here is what we know for sure. God is not schizophrenic He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God. Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy.

I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends. Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation,

1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation.
2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings, Huntley Brown

Standing on the shoulders of giants

When you see Arlington National Cemetery, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam Memorials, do you truly appreciate the sacrifice those men gave for our country by giving their lives so we might live free?

We stand with our heads above water because we stand on the shoulders of giants like them. We should never forget for even one millisecond the tremendous sacrifices made for our freedom. Freedom is not free. It never was and it never will be. Those to whom the monuments are dedicated gave all they had for this country. Not only did they give their future for ours, but their families' future. Never ever forget that, not for one millisecond. Those who answer the call to arms are those to whom the country owes a debt it can never pay. Each and every one put their country before themselves, their family and their fortune that we might be free. Not only did they give their lives, but they gave their mobility, their limbs, their minds, they gave precious time with their wives, sons and daughters that we might live free.

Charge your glass, raise it high. Drink to them.

Joe Biden's 14 lies at the debate

1. TAX VOTE: Biden said McCain voted “the exact same way” as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000, but McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY.

2. AHMEDINIJAD MEETING: Joe Biden lied when he said that Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Barack Obama did say specifically, and Joe Biden attacked him for it.

3. OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Biden said, “Drill we must.” But Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to “raping” the Outer Continental Shelf.”

4. TROOP FUNDING: Joe Biden lied when he indicated that John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, that the President of the United States had already said he would veto regardless of it’s passage.

5. OPPOSING CLEAN COAL: Biden says he’s always been for clean coal, but he just told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.

6. ALERNATIVE ENERGY VOTES: According to FactCheck.org, Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain’s record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.

7. HEALTH INSURANCE: Biden falsely said McCain will raise taxes on people’s health insurance coverage — they get a tax credit to offset any tax hike. Independent fact checkers have confirmed this attack is false

8. OIL TAXES: Biden falsely said Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska — she reformed the state tax and revenue system, it’s not a windfall profits tax.

9. AFGHANISTAN / GEN. MCKIERNAN COMMENTS: Biden said that top military commander in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan, but the commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.

10. REGULATION: Biden falsely said McCain weakened regulation — he actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.

11. IRAQ: When Joe Biden lied when he said that John McCain was “dead wrong on Iraq”, because Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right.

12. TAX INCREASES: Biden said Americans earning less than $250,000 wouldn’t see higher taxes, but the Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.

13. BAILOUT: Biden said the economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out, but in reality it doesn’t meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of “part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20.”

14. REAGAN TAX RATES: Biden is wrong in saying that under Obama, Americans won’t pay any more in taxes then they did under Reagan.

As long as you are happy being poor and downtrodden, you should vote Democrat!

The Democrats are the party of the poor and the downtrodden. As long as you are happy being poor and downtrodden, you should vote Democrat.

In addition, isn't it interesting the Republicans bet the Union on freeing slaves (Civil War). The Democrats still had segregation as their official party plank until after the 1948 election. Democrats resisted the Civil Rights Act of 1964, finally passed by the Republicans. Democrats feel blacks can only exist with government protection and favoritism (note how ZeroBama got into Harvard). Note also, the Democrat’s position is remarkably similar to that of the Klu Klux Klan, not surprising in that they founded the KKK. Republicans choose the best qualified. That is why JC Watt, Colin Powell and Condelezza Rice aren't "black."

We are in the credit problem because of affirmative actions by Democrats, specifically Barney Frank, Joe Biden and ZeroBama, in resisting changes in regulatory environment and rules proposed by Republicans, specifically George Bush and John McCain. Yet, the problem is all the fault of George Bush and John McCain.

Let’s review the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign Contributions:

Chris Dodd (S-D-CT) $165,400.00
Barack Obama (S-D-IL) $126,349.00
John Kerry (S-D-MA) $111,000.00
Harry Reid (S-D-NV) $77,000.00
Barney Frank (H-D-MA) $42,350.00

First question, if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are Government Sponsored Entities, what are they doing making Campaign Contributions? Second question, why are the Democrats who hold the only solution the biggest recipients of their largesse? I thought Barack Obama “warned us about this two years ago.”

John McCain sponsored legislation two years ago that would have increase oversight and tightened up lending requirements. Chris Dodd and Barney Frank kept the legislation in committee, never to see the light of day. Don’t remember those names? Look at the list above.

John McCain has been in Washington too long, 22 years. Sarah Palin has no experience, she was only a business owner, mayor and governor. She is the only one so far who suggested that if you can only afford a $100,000.00 house, perhaps you should not buy a $300,000.00 house. A more apt observation is yet to be made on the "crisis."

ZeroBama brings a fresh look to the presidency, he was elected senator about the same time Palin became governor. She ran the state every day, he managed to get to work 147 times. Joe Biden has invaluable experience, he as been a senator for 32 years.

If you have not puked yet, the headline Obama Fights Poverty $28,500 At a Time

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took a hard-lined stand on 16 September 2008 for the poor and downcast. Knowing that if Big Government doesn't look out for the little guy no one will, Obama attended a fundraiser which had an attendance price of $28,500 per head. It is not known whether or not the poor or downtrodden were invited. It is certain no one rode for free.

After writing this up, AP comes out with a story on it, quoting Obama: Standing in the courtyard of the palatial estate, he said his campaign was dedicated to people who need jobs and health care and worry about their pensions and sending children to college. "It's about those who will never see the inside of a building like this," Obama said.

Skill Mismatch
* Barack Obama has put out an ad that simple minded John McCain cannot use a computer. [He has much difficulty typing due to torture by the North Vietnamese]
* John McCain has not bothered to point out the world's savior, Barack, cannot land a jet fighter on an aircraft carrier at night.

Double Standard - NO!

Why John McCain?

John McCain and I do not see eye to eye on a number of things, but Barak Nobama and I do not see eye to eye on anything. As they say in the Royal Navy, ‘Always choose the lesser of the two weevils.’

At the same time, while John McCain and I do not see eye to eye on everything, we do on a lot of things. Let me point out:

John McCain would die before doing anything he thought would prove harmful to his country. John McCain would choose death over dishonor. Both these are not mere suppositions or wild claims, they are fact. Fact that no one can dispute. John McCain proved who he was, not only in combat; but as a POW.

John McCain understands both the cost of war and the horrible cost of losing a war.

John McCain is a good man.

John McCain is an honest man.

John McCain is a Christian who is not afraid of letting people know. At the same time he has no problem with others practicing their own beliefs. He is comfortable with his own Christianity and understands it is not God’s desire for him to force it on others. He got his foreign experience in Vietnam and other foreign travel on government business; but, he never attended a madrassa in Indonesia. He never registered for school as a muslim. He did not begin attending church when his wife decided he needed to belong to a “white” church to get elected. He did not attend a racist anti-American church for twenty years without noticing its point of view. He did get into a bit of trouble over religion in one of his foreign travels. He was once dubbed a “Hell’s Angel” for rioting against his captors in Vietnam in order to hold Sunday church services.

John McCain is a real and good man. A person you would be delighted to have to your home for dinner. A person with whom you could trust your life and that of your family. After all, that is what you are doing when you vote for a President.

Drill Here, Drill Now and in my backyard preferably – BUT first, send water South, Death to the Delta Smelt

Drill Here, Drill Now and in my backyard preferably – BUT first, send water South, Death to the Delta Smelt

There is a water “crisis” in San Diego County, indeed in all Southern California. Why” Are we in a drought? Sort of? Sort of? Yes, a shortage of water caused by the government.

The California Department of Water Resources has reduced by 40 percent the water it allows Southern California to draw from the Sacramento Delta which in turn draws from the Sierra Nevada snow pack.

Why?

To protect the Delta Smelt.

What is a Delta Smelt? It is a two inch long non-gold fish.

Who cares about it?

A bunch of people without jobs who think you should not have water for your home.

Death to the Delta Smelt and none too soon.

Don’t think of it as endangered, think of it as obsolete.

Like almost all other problems, the Delta Smelt and no water is brought to you by the government. The water is there for us to use. The government just thinks the Delta Smelt is more important than you are. The same government that has not yet brought us a budget. But, don’t worry, the budget is on the way. Along with a huge tax increase to further bloat the stomach of the ever hungry government employees unions. You certainly would not want them to go without their nine square meals a day at your expense, would you?

Drill Here, Drill Now and in my backyard preferably – BUT first, send water South, Death to the Delta Smelt

A jar of marbles?

Things to think about
There is more to do in the world than we can or even really want to do. This came across my desk about two years ago and then again last week. I’ve edited the story to condense it slightly:

I overheard an older fellow talking about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say,

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.

Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here next to my desk.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.

There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.”

Why are we here on earth?
God put us here on earth to make a difference. In Genesis, it is written:

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

God gave us the earth and all that is therein with the charge that we should go forth being fruitful, subdue it and have dominion over it. What then is our charge, our commandment, our instruction?

To make a positive difference in this world, our world, more importantly God’s world, which he left in our charge. So our priorities are:

1 - If you are parents, your first priority is to make sure your children go to heaven;
2 - Your second priority is to be there to meet them;
3 - Your third priority is to prepare your children to meet the challenges of this world;
4 - Your fourth priority is to provide for the needs of your family;
5- Your fifth priority is to be of positive use to your friends
6 - Your sixth priority is to have fun doing the first five!

You have to take care of your country, so that your family will have an environment from which to get to heaven. You have to help your neighbors to the extent you can. Recall Jesus’ summary of the law:

THOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

If what you are doing is in conflict with what you are charged to do, change what you are doing. Eternity stretches from the past so far we cannot see it and into the future so far we cannot fathom it. Only today, the present, where the Hand of God touches the timeline to eternity, can we exist. While we remember yesterday and hope for tomorrow, today is where we live. Always. Yesterday was, tomorrow may be, but today is. Act today. Your actions will affect your today if tomorrow comes.

So, what are you doing and how does that fit into the plan? Do you need a jar of marbles to focus your life?

HughesNet - Hughes Net - hughes.net - Does not matter what you call it, it doesn't hack it!

The day Hughes Net has a product that doesn't suck will be the day they market a vacuum cleaner. (Not original, but Microsoft isn't the only company that sucks)

What kind of speed can you look forward to with your Hughes Net Satellite Service. Well, we have the Small Business Professional Plan and the DW7000 router, this gives us blinding speeds. Most of the time we get an uplink speed of around 4 - 5 Kbps and a downlink speed of around 14 - 15 Kbps. Tonight, the downlink is about 750 bps (no K, less than 1 K per second).

Now, there is a downside, if you do a major software update and exceed your daily limit, or if they think you might exceed your daily limit, you are put on restricted access due to the aptly named Fair Access Policy. Then you are limited to 128 Kbps maximum download speeds. Of course, you never get that speed ever. But the limit is there.

The only place Hughes Net is used is where you cannot get any other form of service. We live in the country and dial up is 14 Kbps maximum.

In the event cable, DSL, ADSL or fiber optics ever get here, Hughes Net can go to the dumpster. That DAY.

Mac OSX 10.5.4 Leopard Evolis Pebble Drivers that work!

You can download a BETA Pebble Driver package that worked on my MacBook Pro Intel machine running 10.5.4 here:

http://www.descansorodents.com/pebble_osx10.5.4_drivers/

The drivers are courtesy of Darcy Ryan of Australia who prevailed on www.interactcard.com.au to send them to me. Thanks Darcy!

I am so happy that I can use my Pebble again!

Thanks!

Mobile Me SUCKS and SO DOES APPLE

Due to Apple's Ego Centric renaming of the DOT Mac Service to Mobile Me (how me-centric can you get), they cannot renew my membership because of their own programming ineptitude. So, what to do? They will cancel my account and delete all the information in three days, if I do not renew. Of course, I cannot renew because their programmers are up and locked. Oh, yes - And I cannot even figure out how to sign in to my own account now. Great website, Steve O. What a bad joke. User friendly? If I wanted this kind of support, I would call Bill Gates!

They are AFU and I am supposed to lose my e-mail and web pages. There is no phone number, no e-mail address, no nothing. For this I have been paying $100.00 per year?

In the event my site goes down, I have already instructed our legal department to file suit. Let Apple get a taste of its own medicine!

First Memo to Steve Jobs - I find Mobile Me to be a very insulting name.

Second Memo to Steve Jobs - GET A JOB!

Women in the Priesthood and Bishopric

Today we hear the Mother Church of Anglicanism, the Church of England, is to allow the ordination of women bishops. This is not surprising to any with intellect and memory. The CoE has ordained women priests in violation of biblical direction, why not bishops?

Please read the following from the First Book of Timothy, Chapter One, Verse Five:

thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Those who are in communion with the CoE are not in communion with the Bible. Your choice.

The Truth shall set you free!

Pebble 3 Card Printer and Problems with Mac OSX / OS X Leopard 10.5.1 and 10.5.2

Since we upgraded our computer system to Leopard 10.5 and then 10.5.1 we have not been able to print directly to the Pebble 3. We could print through another computer running 10.4 Tiger. After upgrading to 10.5.2, that no longer worked. We need the printer. Evolis has been ZERO help. Our card program operates in Filemaker, so we are going to try the Windows version under Parallels. Will post results.

Air Force Renewal - A Guest Editorial

In my humble opinion, the mess with the nukes on the bomber was inexcusable and people should have gotten fired immediately. For them to flunk the retest, means a few more needed to go but that's not what all this about. Simple solution, 1 bomber on alert for each of the B-52 and B-2 sqdn, the troops pull an alert tour ever 3 months or so and go through all the procedures--plus big clue, don't store nukes and fake nukes/conv weapons in the same bunkers/rooms and maybe splash a little paint or big stencils/logos on them if they are no longer a nuke. B-1s are now conventional only so they get a pass.

Gates has it in for the AF and is just paying back the pilots, for his time of AF service before his CIA service. He was a big wig when the CIA didn't see the wall coming down, USSR collapsing or Saddam Kuwait adventure, but he's suddenly a military genius.

The AF has spent a lot of money on the f/a-22 and taken forever to field it - it was the wrong choice back in 1990 but that's subject of another discussion. Now it has a few neat airshow machines and bunch of worn out airplanes which it can't afford to replace. The AF could buy 3 or 4 F-15Es for the price of a f/a-22 and be able to put bombs on target as well as shot missiles at anything that staggers into the air. Whether carrying 2 1000# GBUs (which it has to borrow from the Navy) or 8 250# SDBs, it is unlikely the f/a-22 would make a big impact as bomber and it would only be able to carry 2 AMRAAMs and 2 Aim-9s when it is going a bombing.

The last few AF Gens have been totally heavy on the F-15 background and for the most part much like their airplane don't seem to have a clue about the A/G arena. The stars in the desert/mountain/cities recently have been the bombers, A-10s, and I would image the AC-130s although you don't hear much about them.

The UAVs have become the FACs and Recee fliers. Unmanned and therefore fearless, they do the job of the O-1,O-2, OV-10s and the like. There's some magic number that the system is able to provide and it works out to around 25 orbits, covered 24/7, 365. I kind of wonder how many airborne FACs covered SVN which I believe is a smaller land mass then IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN but that's another subject.

The Army wants their own UAVs and the AF says they should control all UAVs so they can be deconflicted with other traffic. The AF could not generate enough UAVs to suit the needs of the Army for overwatch of its activities so the Army complains it isn't getting support and tries to buy its own system, which is just a little different from the AF predator.

Gates meanwhile runs around complaining about the AF want to fight the "next war". This is funny because it is commonly understood that most military forces are structured to fight their last war using the "lessons learned" and almost always start a war using the old tactics, equipment, etc. For example one study showed that the ARMY had 4000 tanks but only around 400 in the desert. The rest were concentrated in Europe. We've pulled almost all the combat aircraft out of Europe but the tanks are still there. Wouldn't they be better in some location were they could be rapidly put on fast boats and sealifted to a combat area?? Remember the fiasco when the AH-64s tried to self deploy to Bosnia?

Also constraining the ARMY vehicles so they will fit inside C-130s is dumb. Unless you are sending troops as a trip wire or special force team, the small vehicles are unsafe. IEDs and RPGs go right through the little vehicles. A hundred M-1s offloaded from a fast ship is much more threatening than a couple of C-130s loaded with Hummers and Strikers, without the armor cause then they are too heavy. The armor and ammo has to come in via another aircraft.

Another of Gates's great ideas is heavy emphasis on special ops and special forces. The fact is to get those kind of troops takes lots of training, years of time and then to pay them the same as you do some admin clerk, PA or JAG means they move on to better jobs or get out of the service. Also, the Army hates those types and doesn't promote them as a rule. Additionally, we now have a military culture controlled by JAGs who Monday morning quarterback decisions and go after servicemen who actually fight. How about a JAG in each combat platoon as point man, that way there won't be any problems about ROEs, etc?

Taking the space mission and cyber force is in keeping with the AF mission and also shows its biggest vulnerabilities. Everything is now tied into the GPS and comm links. Jamming a signal is usually the easiest way of defeating any electronic emitting system and doing it can be as simple as keying a radio on the freq as we all know.

The constant need to know where the forces are is a military requirement but it is also what killed the U-boats in WWII. The reporting in combined with the code breaking allowed the allies to find the stealth forces of the day and eliminate their threat. The f/a-22 is constantly mentioned as an ISR resource but it needs to reveal itself to provide the information to other, so what good is that? Encryption and all that cosmic electron pushing does wonders but when the system can be compromised by a luke warm allie who sells to anyone or espionage.

Lastly the AF and all the other services are too small. As they were downsized after the USSR collapse, the virus of downsizing kept going and now the military is actively engaged far more than any time in its post WWII past with a smaller force. Mao said "quantity has a quality of its own". The military should be doubled in size across the board and the number of aircraft being built each year should not be measured in double digits, including drones.

The unstated effect of the beheadings of the AF leadership is that when the reviews for funding start in Aug, there will be interim and inexperienced people representing the AF. The Navy will be front loaded with the JCS and Central Region and the Army will be next in line to allocate funds. The Army is supposed to grow in manpower like the Marines and the AF might just be able to stop it personnel downsizing if Gates keeps his word. Watch for the Army to get a big budget boost, navy to get some big bucks and the AF to get cut in funding. Probably no more f/a-22s as the f-35 is coming and will solve all the AF needs.

CMAC

The Air Force shakeup

The shift was long over due.

Somehow when the Bomber Generals got thrown out, along with there Peace is our Profession motto, they were replaced by the Air to Air Generals.

Air Superiority missions have another name, Defensive Counter Air. Defense never won a war, never will.

What wins a war is a grunt with a rifle saying, "This freaking piece of ground belongs to the US." Nothing less.

Neither the Bomber nor the Air to Air Generals would give the time of day to the people doing the fighting: Fighter Bombers, Attack Aircraft, FACs and Special Operations. The war in Southeast Asia was an anomaly. You had an air war in the North and a ground war in the South. The two were not in many senses connected.

Desert One was an Air War, followed by a Ground War. There was no follow-on.

Desert Two is only a Ground War, the Red side did not fly one sortie. The only need for the Air Force is for CAS and Transport. CAS is becoming a bit different, but it is still the direct support of our troops, mostly in contact.

So, what was the service priority?

The F-22.

What is the F-22?

It is an Air Superiority Fighter with very limited Air to Ground capability.

What use is it in the current war?

I have no idea, neither apparently does anyone else. Mostly, it looks cool doing fly bys at Langley.

What is the solution?

Gates had part of the idea.

First fire all the generals and colonels. Promote fighters. The people that should be running the Air Force are those who support the concept of winning wars against our enemies. The only way to do that is with Joint Action. Let's see FACs, SOP and Fighter Bomber / Attack people running things.

The UCAVs are interesting. They in some ways are the way of the future for limited wars, given our casualty aversion. Their use in a major war rather limited, however.

The last two Chiefs of Staff have managed to make the Air Force seem irrelevant.

One parting thought, even though the current war is a limited conflict, China can go to war at any time. They are our real current enemy and we need to be ready to defeat them. By the way, 180 F-22s won't do squat there either.

A plan, a plan, my kingdom for an Energy Plan

If we do not want to go back to the dark ages, living as manual laborers, eking out of a living from whatever we can, using draft animals, dying at an average age of 33, we need energy. The source is not critical, the form and cost are.

Is oil a renewable source of energy? We do not know. Many call oil a “fossil” fuel, yet no one can duplicate a process and artificially create oil. Is it a natural substance somehow produced in the earth’s core? We do not know that either. Junk science will not tell us.

We need a reliable source of energy, two to be more precise. One for fixed units: houses, offices, factories and the like. Nuclear power producing electricity will do fine for this.

Oh, but the danger!

Danger? What danger? How many people have been killed by nuclear power in the United States? To save time, not one.

The hazardous waste!

What waste? Most of what is currently classified as nuclear waste is in reality not hazardous at all. The totality of nuclear waste with a rational definition will fit in one shipping container for the whole United States for a year’s worth of waste. Less, if you allow recycling!

Nuclear power would also allow for the use of electric cars. Electric cars have a reasonable range of about 120 miles per day. That would take care of about 90 percent of US needs, hybrids could handle the rest.

What about aircraft, boats/ships and trucking?

Synthetic Liquid Fuel (SLF) Liquid combustible fuel is the only source of energy with sufficient energy density for aircraft and vehicles.

We need a Manhattan Project to manufacture SLF. Now.

So, what to do? How do we drop energy costs to a manageable level?

Simple:

1. Open all the US territory to drilling for oil. ALL of it.
2. Open the ANWR to drilling right now.
3. Federalize power, oil and gas production permitting requirements so that a single permit is all that is needed to build a powerplant, LNG facility, drill for oil or build a refinery.
These three items will drive the cost of energy down to the point that gas will be under $2.50 per gallon immediately in an effort to preclude these steps from being economical. Short range victory for the US.
4. Allow the immediate permitting and construction of nuclear powerplants. Change tax codes to encourage energy production.
5. Dedicate all resources required to develop a SLF, the patents to be United States property.
6. Encourage the production of stand alone solar energy units of the 1-25KW size in areas of appropriate weather. Make them easy to shop for and install.

Simple. Quick. Effective.

Oil, Energy and the Economy

A robust and growing American economy is due to a number of factors:

• Productivity of the American worker;
• Abundant natural resources;
• Low government overhead;
• Low energy costs.

The American worker is one of the most productive in the world, bar none. Toyota and Honda build cars here because they are better and cheaper than the ones built by Japanese workers.

We have abundant natural resources compared to any other industrialized country.

Although we complain of high taxes, they are the lowest in industrialized world.

Until now, energy costs have been relatively low. We have not been energy taxed to the hilt like the European countries. With the current spike in energy prices, our economy is in a precarious position. The European countries have the same problem, except made worse by their taxation. They do have the advantage of much smaller distances to overcome, but diesel at $9.50 per gallon is destroying their economy, also.

Energy prices need to come down. $140.00 per barrel of oil with the profit going to the various forces of evil that oppose our way of life is not good.

What is the solution?

We need CHEAP ENERGY. Period.

What does that mean?

Nuclear power, synthetic liquid fuel that can be burned in internal combustion engines, solar power that works cheaply, where it makes sense. Increased efficiency.

Most important, this all needs to be based on SOLID SCIENCE. Not the junk science of Global Warming.

SOLID SCIENCE will bring us a solution. It is inconceivable that a synthetic liquid fuel cannot be manufactured if we have access to unlimited capital, say 100 Billion dollars, unlimited talent and unlimited (nuclear) energy.

The time is NOW.

Airlines, Capacity and Survival

For airlines to survive the revenue per used seat mile must exceed the cost per used seat mile. For some this is “Rocket Science”, for others it is elementary math. For anyone in the airline industry it is an obvious fact.

Currently fuel prices are in an upward spiral, out of control and irrational. That does not change the fact that they are up 100 percent in the last year. Fuel would seem to be a constant fraction of costs, about 30 percent. Not true, the fuel fraction of costs is actually about 67 percent due to its influence in the other sectors.

The era of cheap travel is gone. So long as our governments allow the price of energy to be artificially inflated, the airlines have no choice. They either raise the yield, that is the revenue per aircraft mile or they go out of business.

The number of people traveling today is based on old energy costs. When the price of flying doubles, which it must, the number of people who can afford to fly drops about 75 percent. People who can afford the higher fares will not fly in the current cramped seating. Thus, the airlines need to cut their capacity by about 60 percent. With 40 percent of the aircraft flying at a lower load factor the airlines can make money.

There is an unintended consequence. Places that depend on drive in traffic will do okay; these are cities like San Diego whose tourism comes mostly from Los Angeles. Areas like Hawaii, whose tourists are almost exclusively air travel customer, will have a major problem as their lower end customers stay home.

Stand by for more economic bad news brought to you by the current administration. But, the Democrats have an even worse solution. We need an energy plan. Watch this space for a real one.

Tooth Violence

Dateline Today
In light of yesterday’s tooth violence incident, I am asking each of you sheep to write or call your legislators and local government officials. We have for too long been subject to the ravages of the wolves’ teeth. Please implore them to pass legislation calling for the immediate registration and then confiscation of all sheep teeth. For too long have we as a herd put up with sheep being eaten by wolves’ teeth. We must ban the ownership, possession or use of sheep teeth. Only if we are truly without a means of defense will the wolves quit eating us.

Some of you have been calling for all sheep to carry sharp teeth as a means of defense. Can you not see how ridiculous that would be? The only way for the sheep to be truly free of tooth violence is for none of us to have teeth.

What about the wolves? Don’t worry, be happy. Your herd management will protect themselves, I mean you.

Regards,

Leandro T. Sheep
Head of the Sheeple