James R. Rummel

I am a self defense instructor who lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Great Essay at Power Line

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John at Power Line has posted a great essay where he discusses the role the American media has assumed in the War on Terror. He points out that the constant emphasis on casualties in Iraq with no strategic or tactical perspective is, to say the least, counterproductive.

“We are conducting an experiment never before seen, as far as I know, in the history of the human race. We are trying to fight a war under the auspices of an establishment that is determined–to put the most charitable face on it–to emphasize American casualties over all other information about the war.”

Go read the whole thing. It’s well worth your time.

Also worth your time is this account from Michael Yon of a firefight in Iraq. Stuff like this should be on the front page of every newspaper in America. Instead we get big headlines about the casualties, and nothing else.

(My thanks to loyal reader Robert Schwartz for the heads up.)

Perfect Example

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There has been a great deal of ink spilled in recent years in an attempt to define the differences between Democrats and Republicans. This news item sums it up in a nutshell.

The subject is a report by an advocacy group named Trust for America’s Health which says that obesity rates rose in every state except Oregon. The group then goes on to advocate increased government action in order to promote a healthier lifestyle.

Since this item is carried on the Associated Press wire, one would expect it to stop there. But the author, Kevin Freking, makes an admirable attempt at balance. He quotes a spokesman from The Cato Institute who says that it’s pretty much an individual’s responsibility so far as diet and lifestyle is concerned.

I’m a fellow with a big ol’ gut and I still don’t want the government to offer me anything extra because of it even though I’d be first in line to realize any benefits. I don’t know if that opinion would lead people to think of me as a Libertarian, a Neo-Conservative or a plain old Realist. Personally, I just think that I’m a grouchy old fart.

V-J Day Remembered

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Today marks the 60th anniversary of the last day of WWII, otherwise known as V-J Day.

This is controversial, like just about anything connected with that terrible war. Some people insist that the war didn’t end until October 15, when the bulk of the Japanese armed forces surrendered in China. Some historians point to the political and ideological problems that came from WWII, problems that still plague us today, and they make the case that the war is still lurching along at a greatly reduced intensity.

Whatever. There has to be a demarcation line somewhere, a place where the old world order ends and a new begins, and this day is as good as any and better than some.

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Singing That Same Old Song

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Air America was formed specifically to be a counter to what many Liberals view as an overwhelming bias towards the Right in talk radio. So far, AA has not only failed in its core mission to reach listeners and get the Liberal word out, but they’ve also embroiled themselves in a scandal that will probably pound the final nail in their coffin.

America Coming Together was supposed to be a way for the Left to invigorate itself, soliciting donations and encouraging voter turnout to defeat the Republicans at the last election. The organization performed brilliantly and met all of the stated goals beyond expectations. Voter turnout was the greatest this country has ever seen in raw numbers. The only problem is that the Democrats lost anyway. ACT is currently in the initial stages of shutdown, and it appears that no one will try and save the organization.

Now the Liberals are trying a new strategy. A group calling itself The Democracy Alliance has recently been formed, and they’ve garnered the support of several rich Liberal donors. According to the news item linked to above, it would appear that DA is going to have at least $80 million donated to it over the next 5 years. The goal of the organization is to increase that to $200 million, which is exactly the same amount that ACT managed to raise during the last Presidential campaign.

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My First Incoherent Rant!

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The company I worked for seven years ago sold off their mainframes and outsourced the data processing they needed. Suddenly I found myself looking for work.

This wasn’t too bad in and of itself. Changes in technology mean that jobs sometimes become scarce in the marketplace, or even disappear altogether. I wasn’t too worried because not only did I have over ten years of experience, but I had a good reference from everyone with whom I had ever worked. (Not only the supervisors, but also the people who were doing the same job.)

It should have been a cakewalk, but I was in for a shock. What really frustrated me was the interview process. You see, none of the score-or-so companies that granted me an interview would allow me to meet with anyone who had anything to do with the job for which I was applying. Instead I found myself talking to people from the Human Resources division.

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