Bush, North Korea and Democrats

You've got to give the Democrats one thing. They tend to stay on message. North Korea is an example. In the past week or so I've heard a number of Democrats say that Bush coulds have achieved a break through with Kim Jong Il if only he would have opened the door to unilateral talks 5 years ago. I watched Chris Dodd and Joe Biden on separate occasions look directly into the camera and mouth this absurdity. On neither occasion were the Senators challenged on the statement by either interviewer - Tim Russert and Judy Woodruff. The fact of the matter is that the North Koreans have been playing the US like a fiddle for years under the unilateral approach of the Clinton administration. It was not until Bush drew the line in the sand and insisted on multilateral talks including South Korea, Japan, China and Russia all major players in the region that the North Koreans began to pay attention. China exerts great influence and when they made it clear that a nuclear armed rogue nation on their border was not acceptable the lunatics in the North began to pay attention. Once it was clear that all of these countries and not just the US were insisting on the North backing off nukes unilateral talks between the US and Kim could take place and a solution could be agreed on. I've noticed that if Democrats repeat lies long enough we tend to accept them as reality. I don't. And I hope more people will pay attention to the facts. Don't rely on the major media to point out discrepancies. Rick

Gran's apple pie

Angels and apples

Papa eating fresh picked apples with Ashlyn and Ian

Ashlyn's first riding lesson on Breezy at the Rolling C Ranch

Ian at the Rolling C Ranch

Dave and Rick camping in the Lewis & Clark National Forest

Dave duck hunting on the Flathead River

Rick & Dave floating the Yellowstone River

Dave & Rick at Chico Hotsprings

Rick on Flathead River

Papa & Ashlyn hiking to Strawberry lake. First snow in September

Islam: A middle age religion in the age of technology

Today I hiked through a foot of snow to about 6000 ft above Marias Pass (Also known as Theodore Roosevelt Pass) between West Glacier and East Glacier on beautiful route two in northwest Montana. They extended elk season and that was my excuse for braving 20 below zero wind chill. Many people think I'm crazy but you'd have to be there to really know how wonderful it is. Just dress warmly and get in shape. The main sensation was not cold; it was peace. I began to wonder about peace. I'm sad to say that I'm not optimistic that we'll find it other than in isolated seclusion. Anywhere there are fundamentalist Muslims there is turmoil and it's not going to go away. Remember I'm viewing this through my western Christian cultural prism. That does not change the fact that many thousands if not millions of lunatic fanatics are living among us in Europe and the US and they are harnessing the power of the internet to achieve their cancerous growth. Soon they will be using WMD's against us. What's a culture to do? From the looks of it Europe may have already thrown in the towel. France of all unlikely places may just have a chance to reverse the trend under the leadership of Nicolas Sarkozy. I've heard the argument that Islam is a peaceful religion, but if that is so where is the outrage from the broad Muslim community when these crazed zealots cry for the execution of a British school teacher in Sudan? Folks I've read "The Life of Muhammad" and most of the Qur'an and please believe me when I tell you peace and love are not the underpinning principles of that "religion". Intolerance, punishment and conquest are the dominant themes I found. Now as a Christian I need to love my neighbor, but martyrdom went out of style in our culture half a millennium ago and I'm hesitant to love a guy who is trying to blow up my airplane. Can a strong leader help us rally to victory in this cultural war? I hope so, but I don't see any Sarkozys on our Presidential horizon. I hope I'm wrong. Rick

Islam: A middle age religion in the age of technology

Today I hiked through a foot of snow to about 6000 ft above Marias Pass (Also known as Theodore Roosevelt Pass) between West Glacier and East Glacier on beautiful route two in northwest Montana. They extended elk season and that was my excuse for braving 20 below zero wind chill. Many people think I'm crazy but you'd have to be there to really know how wonderful it is. Just dress warmly and get in shape. The main sensation was not cold; it was peace. I began to wonder about peace. I'm sad to say that I'm not optimistic that we'll find it other than in isolated seclusion. Anywhere there are fundamentalist Muslims there is turmoil and it's not going to go away. Remember I'm viewing this through my western Christian cultural prism. That does not change the fact that many thousands if not millions of lunatic fanatics are living among us in Europe and the US and they are harnessing the power of the internet to achieve their cancerous growth. Soon they will be using WMD's against us. What's a culture to do? From the looks of it Europe may have already thrown in the towel. France of all unlikely places may just have a chance to reverse the trend under the leadership of Nicolas Sarkozy. I've heard the argument that Islam is a peaceful religion, but if that is so where is the outrage from the broad Muslim community when these crazed zealots cry for the execution of a British school teacher in Sudan? Folks I've read "The Life of Muhammad" and most of the Qur'an and please believe me when I tell you peace and love are not the underpinning principles of that "religion". Intolerance, punishment and conquest are the dominant themes I found. Now as a Christian I need to love my neighbor, but martyrdom went out of style in our culture half a millennium ago and I'm hesitant to love a guy who is trying to blow up my airplane. Can a strong leader help us rally to victory in this cultural war? I hope so, but I don't see any Sarkozys on our Presidential horizon. I hope I'm wrong. Rick

Why no Leaders?

Why no Leaders? Our republic seems to have devolved into a political quagmire where all of the candidates recognize that substance is not important. Sound bites and smiles carry the day. The instant media attention and coverage is getting out of hand. If I didn't know better I'd think it was a two person race for the Democrats. It's Hilary and Barack a liberal's dream. A black man against a woman! It doesn't get any better than that for the NYT, AP and the crowd at NBC's networks. It's as if Biden, Dodd, Richardson and the rest of the bunch don't even exist. The Democrats have a broken record message--- it's all Iraq. There's no other issue. The Republicans are just as bad or maybe worse. I'll admit that the limited government approach that used to be the Republican mantra fits my philosophy. The problem is most of the GOP folks in the race have sold out on that issue along with President Bush. McCain, Rudy, Thompson? No way. Huckabee is a guy I trust, but he's a big government guy.

Where is a leader who is going to solve the one single biggest problem we have? It's ENERGY stupid. If we were not reliant on OIL we would not have terrorism, Middle East wars, air pollution, global climate change—you name it. I'm beginning to think that our only chance is to bring in an outsider who has not been an accomplice to creating the mess we're in. Someone who has not been a part of the problem. I love it when these guys start reciting their accomplishments after years in Congress or as a mayor or governor. It seems to me that the more time you have in the federal government the less qualified you are as a leader. Hey you're the reason we are at the brink Senator. You've been playing the Washington power game so long you actually believe you've got something to offer.

The one guy who is beginning to look good to me besides Ron Paul (he can't win or I'd vote for him) is ------ yes Mitt Romney. If he would only come out swinging on energy. Anyone who addresses that issue forcefully has my vote unless of course it's a Democrat. Rick

The Republican Presidential Debate

The first debate on MSNBC was an artistic failure. Chris Matthews' style on his Hardball show is almost too boring to watch. He brought that style to the first debate and it was awkward to say the least. Besides that his questions were very poor. The second debate on Tuesday night was telecast on Fox News and I think Brit Hume, Chris Wallace and Wendell Gohler did a great job in presenting questions and scenarios that gave the candidates the time and the opportunity to express their views clearly.

I disagree with the pundits who say that the Republican base is unhappy with the group of candidates before us. They are constantly pointing to Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich as examples of that discontent. Actually I'm impressed with all the candidates and have enjoyed their points of view. That being said I'll remove four of them from my presidential list:
1. Tommy Thompson is an impressive guy. He's done a great job as governor of Wisconsin as well as a cabinet secretary. Unfortunately he just does not appear presidential and comes off as somewhat inarticulate. I like him but he's out of here.
2. Jim Gilmore is more articulate and certainly has great credentials as governor of Virginia and head of the Republican Party. He's a true conservative but there's something about him that makes me think he just can't be elected.
3. Ron Paul is a true libertarian. I'm a libertarian! While I agree with many of the things he says in terms of restricting government intrusion into our lives he like all libertarians is too far out of the mainstream to be elected.
4. Tom Trancredo has a lot of good things to say especially on the immigration issue. He to comes across as a true conservative on virtually every issue that I care about. Unless something totally off the wall happens I can't see him as being electable.

That leaves what I consider to be the top six:
1. Rudy Giuliani is growing on me. I could vote for him and I think he would make a very strong leader. I'm willing to look past his mistakes on the Second Amendment and abortion. I've learned the hard way that one or two issue voters can be a problem in an election. My vote for Ross Perot taught me never to waste my vote again. I've watched Rudy on a number of interview shows recently and I've been very impressed with the way he's rebounded from his abortion gaffe during the last debate (which I like to call the Chris Matthews debacle). There’s something about Giuliani that makes me believe he can appeal to a broad spectrum in the general election and for that reason I think he may be our best shot at beating Hillary or another Democratic nominee. There is no question that he'd be a leader we could follow in the war against Muslim lunatics.
2. John McCain is pretty impressive too. I've also been watching him on a number of interview shows and he’s handled himself well. He presents himself as the best choice for leading us in war and I think he may be right there. Let's face it the guys been there served with distinction and is a hero. You got to give McCain another thing-- he sticks to his guns. Examples -- torture, campaign finance reform, immigration etc. I don't agree with him especially on immigration and to me that's one of the biggest issues of our time after the war. Still, I believe he can beat Hillary, he'd be a great war leader and he has good sense when it comes to budgets, government spending and taxes.
3. Mitt Romney impresses me. Perhaps more than any other candidate he exhibits true leadership qualities. If you think running the government is a challenge that needs a hands- on manager then Mitt's the man. He's a self-made millionaire, he's run the Olympics in grand fashion and he's been a successful governor in Massachusetts one of the most liberal bastions in the US (just about on a par with New Jersey and Maryland). The pundits keep harping on his policy view changes to the point where my anger rises from time to time. We all change our minds and I'm glad he's changing his mind in my direction in virtually every case. I could vote for Mitt but I'm not sure if the country will vote for a Mormon as our president and that's a problem.
4. Sam Brownback could be a sleeper. He's a true conservative. I trust him (after all he's a good Catholic!). I agree with virtually every view he has articulated. While he is not a top-tier candidate and does not enjoy the broad name recognition I think he may be able to overcome that in the general election. The last time we ran a guy from Kansas it was a disaster but he was past his prime. Brownback might not be the comedian that Dole is but I believe he can do the job. I doubt he'll get the nomination but I hope he finds a job at the cabinet level in a new Republican administration.
5. Duncan Hunter is another true conservative with impeccable defense credentials. He's already shown leadership on the immigration issue and I believe he has a good presence. His problem is name recognition but I think he may be able to overcome that. Again I doubt he'll get the nomination but he’d be a great secretary of defense or homeland security.
6. Mike Huckabee -- I love this guy, I trust this guy. He may end up being a real sleeper in this race. He's a true conservative and a very principled man. The fact that he's a Baptist minister would be a great help with our friends on the religious right and would really get under the crawl of the liberal secular democrats. Perhaps the best line in the debate last night was delivered by Governor Huckabee when he said "the government is spending money like John Edwards in a beauty shop".

The challenge for Republicans in the general election is that the party when it had control of the executive branch and the legislative branch totally botched the opportunity. The only possible salvation for the Republican Party in the general election is that the Democrats are even worse. I've seen the latest poll numbers that indicate an approval rating of 27% for Congress versus 33% for president Bush. WOW! It's hard to believe that some one or some group of people could be doing a worse job than George W. Bush, but the Democratic Congress is. One of the candidates in the debate last night I think it may have been McCain said "the Republicans came to Congress to change government and instead government changed us". How sad. How true. Rick

Photos Of Mission Mountain Wilderness

Here are some shots that I left off the last post.

Back from the Mission Mountains!

Well folks I'm now aware of at least one more personal strength and and one more weakness. The strength--- I survived a six day backpacking trip into the Mission Mountain Wilderness in northwest Montana with brother-in- law Chuck Sheroke and two other learned Coeur d' Alene attorneys Lou Garbrecht and Marc McGregor. The first day we gained 2400 ft in elevation in the first eight miles in 100 degree heat with full packs. It was that day when I began to consider whether I'd come to the end of my backpacking career. When we found our first good water and a flat spot things got better quickly. A cold bath, an early dinner, a friendly fire, good brandy, soft sleeping bag and no world news made the day's hike seem enjoyable--- such is the way of the wilderness-- a little suffering and then the ecstasy that only an alpine camp can deliver. We camped at 6080' that night. The next day we lost almost 1000' in elevation before climbing to Mollman Lakes at 7000' where we spent the next three nights in a Rocky Mountain paradise. I've posted a few pictures that will give you a perspective.

The weakness --- I need to have the discipline to post to this blog regularly. I admire my many friends who have the discipline and talent to scribe their thoughts and ideas and I'm determined to join them. Certainly since the return to civilization there has been much to comment on.

The Israeli - Hezbollah war has the mainstream press doing hissyfits. Oh my goodness how could the Bush Administration allow the Middle East descend into such chaos? What have they done to the "peace process"? The peace process? Where have these folks been for the past 50 years? It's laughable to talk about a peace process. Let's face it there is no peace process nor can there ever be a peace process until the Islamic radicals are defeated (read killed, obliterated, destroyed). A dear friend reminded me the other day that in the 1950's Alfred Toynbee wrote that the Islamic world was stuck in the Middle Ages. Look around you friends -- mass murder, be-headings, suicide attacks, death for wearing shorts in public all in the name of a benevolent Allah. The American public and the people in the Western Democracies need to wake up to the fact that there is no reasoning with Islamic militants. This war we are in needs to be won. There can be no negotiations or reasoning with people bent on our destruction. That's their goal and the will never give it up. The Bush Administration started out recognizing the facts, but they are in full retreat now as a result of their pandering to the champions of appeasement on the left.

Henry Kissinger said that his negotiations to end the Vietnam war were thwarted time and again by our anti war drum-beaters. No matter what the military advantage we had the North Vietnamese knew that America did not have the political wherewithal or the stomach to claim victory. After the evil US pulled out of Indo China millions of people were massacred by their communist oppressors and few tears were shed by our anti war factions. Now a repeat performance in the Middle East except the stakes are exponentially higher. What's at stake now is our survival. Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaeda all know that the attention span of Americans is very short and our tolerance for a long struggle is small. We want instant gratification. How is it that we can't win this war quickly, take few casualties and move on?

The sad part for me is watching the Democratic party play into our enemy's hands so perfectly while at the same time Republican "leaders" join the appeasement crowd by offering Iran concessions like spare parts, nuclear fuel etc. for delaying their march to an atomic weapon. Neville Chamberlain would be proud. We should take all necessary steps to defeat Iran now. Help overthrow the despots. We should put Iran and Syria on notice that they will be held immediately responsible for any Islamic terror attacks on the west. We will meet force with unrelenting force. Tom Friedman in his landmark work "From Beirut to Jerusalem" made the point that in the Middle East the only rules that count are "Hamas rules" named for the town of over twenty thousand people destroyed by Ha-fez Al Assad the current ruler's father after an attempted uprising. There were no more attempts.

This weeks defeat of Joe Lieberman in Connecticut is a prime example of the high jacking of the Democratic party by the left. I never thought I'd be a champion for Joe, but I hope that he dies run and win as an independent. It would restore some of my faith in America. We'll see.

Speaker Gingrich makes sense!

Newt Gingrich might be a lightning rod for the left and many on the right may still be disappointed in his failed speakership but Americans of all stripes should take some time to listen to him now.

A common theme with many thought leaders from Tom Friedman to Mort Zuckerman is the lack of leadership quality in any of our current crop of politicians. I agree. It seems that no one is willing or able to really confront the many staggering issues facing our nation and the world. All of them are more interested in pandering to their respective bases rather than offering solutions that require tough decisions and bold approaches. All except Newt Gingrich. Here are just a few examples:

1. On the deplorable track record of training new math and science majors in our education system he offers this solution. Offer to pay (that's right pay a salary) inner city and other disadvantaged youths a substantial wage to go to school and major in math and science. The wage would be well above minimum, more than they'd make flipping burgers and substantial enough to keep them out of the drug trade and crime. He makes the point that the cost would be lower by far than trying to support a welfare underclass or incarcerate those who would instead go afoul of the law. We would help underprivileged people make it to the mainstream and enjoy the fruits of America and at the same time begin to repair the science gap that is widening between the U.S. and our new global competition i.e. China, India and Eastern Europe.
2. On the alliance between Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah that launched the current attacks on Israel he says -- confront them. Aid the substantial opposition to Mullah rule in Iran. Give them resources to overthrow Ahmadinejad and his despotic crowd. Make our opposition clear and stop the current test the wind strategy that shows us as a weak opponent to despotism.
3. On North Korea he would consult with Japan and South Korea and then make it clear that if Kim Jong il puts an intercontinental missile on the launch pad we will destroy it. Period.

Gingrich makes the point that it's a new world and facing the challenges is not going to take partisan business as usual approaches. Rather we need new bold approaches based on intellect not pandering. I wonder how Friedman and Zuckerman and any readers might view Newt's ideas?

Rick