Monday, July 31, 2006

Important Announcement

Dr. Ken Hawk is back in the office after some much needed R & R. If you are having any problems with your relationships, or just accidently got an appendage stuck in some office equipment, feel free to drop him a line.

Ask Ken Hawk

Energy Independence: A Two-Pronged Strategy

While our elected officials debate on the topic of offshore drilling, we need to push them towards developing a national energy policy that's based on science, common sense, and void of political pork-barrels.

Prong 1: Ease out of foreign oil by using our own

Allow domestic oil & gas production in both ANWR and the Gulf of Mexico. This is not a sustainable replacement for alternative fuel, and cannot be a long-term solution, but if we can put any kind of a dent in our middle eastern imports, then we need to make it happen. America's oilfields are more mature and more depleted than any other nation's on earth, but we may have enough to finish the race- a race that I pray we're actually running. It doesn't matter who's paying who, the more money we invest in middle eastern oil, the more soldier's lives and expensive armor we have to send over there to protect it. Iran cannot afford Uranium enrichment without the sale of oil, and Hezbollah cannot afford rocket artillery. Our hydrocarbon resources must be allowed to come online within this decade, because if we don't use them now, when will we? In 10 years petro-fuels will be nearly obsolete, so let's get 'em to market now so they can make a difference. Resources are not like whiskey or wine- they only become obsolete with age.

Prong 2: Develop alternatives

The importance of commercially viable alternatives cannot be understated. According to renowned economist Stephen Leeb, "it would be less dangerous to remove all traffic signals and air traffic control infrastructure in America for two years than to ignore the coming energy crisis for the same amount of time". Did that get your attention? Write your congressman AND your Senator. Both of them. Mine are sick of hearing it, but they still write me letters to tell me they're listening. I wrote about having NASCAR champion the technology- an idea which is catching fire here in my neck of the woods. I would never push for folks to go out and buy into the already-obsolete hybrid technology; we need to demand a new generation of vehicles and fuels that can bless the American way of life like nothing else has since the Interstate System of the 1950's. If America doesn't take the lead in this role, someone else will. We are at the twilight of the oil age, and our way of life depends on our ability to innovate and lead the world into a new chapter of History.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Hmmm, Interesting .....

Interesting read here, I guess Bruce Dickinson is a professional pilot. Did not know that! This is almost as cool as when Sean Penn took a .22 to New Orleans and rescued people out of the diseased muck shooting at gang members who were fucking shit up.

[Read Story Here]

Cross-posted essay from Green Communist

Hemp Essay I Found A Long Time Ago

What's So Great About Hemp?
By Lee Hitchcox

Historical tradition, if not current federal law, favors hemp. The U.S.Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Gutenberg Bible, and Old Glory (our nation's first flag) were all made from hemp as was the favorite fuel of Henry Ford, the reading lamp oil of Abraham Lincoln,the paints used by Van Gogh and Rembrandt, and the parachute webbing that saved the life of George Bush. [1] Hemp canvas covered the Westward-bound wagons, the tall sailing ships, the biplanes and zeppelins of World War I. Hemp was so crucial to colonial America that its cultivation was mandated by law. [2]

"Make the most of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere." [3]~George Washington, 1794

Industrial Uses

As an agricultural commodity, hemp is arguably the world's top renewable resource for fuel, paper, cloth, paint, plastic, protein, soap, oil and over 25,000 other products. [4] Anything made from oil or wood can be made from hemp. [5]

Hemp biomass can be converted into fuels (methane, methanol, gasoline) more efficiently than fossil fuels (coal, oil) and without the sulfur oracid rain. [6] Hemp fiberboard is stronger than wood; hemp houses are as strong as cement houses and better insulated. [7] Plastic, rayon, and cellophane made from hemp are biodegradable; plastic and nylon made from petrochemicals are non-biodegradable.

Read the entire essay at Green Communist

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Snowball's Chance In Desert Warfare

[CNN Story] --> Read First

I just love the sub-headline "Israeli general expects 'a few more weeks' of combat". That to me seems someone reminiscent of the VICTORY sign on the aircraft carrier where Bush gave that speech oh so long ago after we bombed Baghdad. (Do you see where I am going with this). THIS IS NEVER GOING TO END!

CNN.com today has two stories. One of them is Al Qaeda (which I'm still convinced is a dummy organization for American weapons manufacturers) says they will get involved in the Israel/Lebanon war (which it really is by now). But whats more frightening is another story where Iranian civilians are gathering up to go join Hezbollah on foot. We all know (I hope) that the Iranian Hezbollah's Supreme Leader is none other than Ayatolla Khamenei, a man although no longer the President of Iran, still has a great deal of power in the country. He could command an army in an instant, volunteers would come out of the woodwork. A few days ago they stated they had 2000 volunteers ready to go.

So is this all WWIII? Well, the potential is there, it's a snowball sitting at the top of Mt Everest right now, and Israel is about to push it down the mountain. True, we put the snowball up there, well, our dictators did, but still, no one is really doing anything to stop them.

[CNN Story #2]
[Washington Post Story]

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Abuse Of Power Running Rampant, Will It Ever Be Too Much For Americans?

Thanks BND for inviting me to join up. For my first post I offer this to discuss...

When people? When will it be enough that you rise up and fucking have a goddamn spine! You live your drone existence content with lower wages, shittier benefits, gas prices sky high yet record profits for oil companies, a war going on that no one understands, lies, lies, lies spilling out to you on your FOX News Channel. Well, this probably won't be enough to snap you out of it, but read it anyway.

[CNN.com Story]

Walmart: Forced to Pay a Living Wage?

The Chicago City Council is currently debating legislation to force large corporations, those that sell $1 billion annually and operate a store over 90,000 square feet, to pay a living wage ($10/hr + $3 in benefits) if they wish to operate within city limits.

The debate is very heated as proponents of the city ordinance believe it will balance out the negative effects these corporations tend to have on a community, such as driving small businesses to the ground. Opponents claim that this legislation will cause such giants to leave the city, thus robbing people of thousands of jobs.

However, will these giants actually leave Chicago, a thriving city, because their profits will be a couple million less than they expected? I think not. I think these corporations are greedy-enough to pay what they have to pay. They'll likely find ways to hire less people. Nevertheless, it is more likely they'll raise their prices. This will be bad for low-income families. But at least residents will be making more money and have better benefits. We have experienced significant inflation without raising wages. It is time to move along with inflation and pay our workers more. Since companies like Walmart pay low wages, many of their employees request some sort of welfare to make up for the low pay. Taxpayers, as a result, are screwed because of corporate greed.

Let's debate...

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

The situation is much worse than it appears

According to Saudi King Abdullah, war may be inevitable in the middle east if Isreal doesn't stop it's "brutal" defense of its own borders. This warning has strong echoes of a 1945 meeting between FDR and King Aziz (the founder of Saudi Arabia). In their meeting, which took place within the last two months of FDR's life, King Aziz urged the US President not to support the creation of a Jewish state. Doing so, he warned, would create an infinite war. The King explained that he wishes to have strong ties to the United States, and participate in a league of nations, but if a Jewish state was created, he would have to takes sides with his Arab brothers.

In my opinon, the existence of Israel is as irrelevant of a debate as is the decision to invade Iraq. Both decisions have been made, and now we are left with the consequences. Perhaps if both decisions were made differently, the outcome would have been much more favorable, but that "if" tell us approximately nothing about how to deal with Hizbollah or Muqtada Al-Sadr.

This is purely a religeous war, and no amount of PC can sidestep that issue. State sponsors of Islam are also supporters of the destruction of Israel.

The first thing the west can do is ensure that the Lebanese government takes control of its own country, and removes Hizbollah permanently. If the conflict continues beyond that, then it will either prove Israeli aggression, or prove that someone else is behind the attacks on Israel. Fortunately, Arab moderates (King Abdullah included) will likely suggest this step as they discuss the issue with the world in Rome.

Got to see to believe!

Reporter risking his life in the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Alberto. What a brave reporter.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Very Cool!

My post below titled "Brief Thoughts of the Middle East Conflicts" made MSNBC's Blog roundup.

The funny thing is that anyone who clicks on the link can read a wonderful comment from Ken Hawk about how not to use a microphone. I laughed for about half an hour on that one.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Iran's Hizbollah says ready to attack US, Israel

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Hizbollah, which claims links to the Lebanese group of the same name, said on Tuesday it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide.

"We have 2,000 volunteers who have registered since last year," said Iranian Hizbollah's spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli, speaking by telephone from the central seminary city of Qom.

Read more...

OK, This is getting a bit old. Screw Iran and screw Hezbollah. I still say that Iran has a plan in place to try to come out of this whole mess looking like the good guys (see earlier story), by getting the Hezbolla asshats to stand down on command, But I hope the world community isn't dumb enough to fall for that. I know us Americans aren't

Monday, July 17, 2006

Monday's Funnies


Courtesy of Buck Fush

Briefs thoughts on the Middle East Conflicts

Last week, on the same day that the UN Security Counsel agreed to push ahead with demands that Iran stop its nuclear program, Hezbollah militants crossed the Lebanese border into Israel, killing six Israeli soldiers and kidnapping two others. To send a clear message, Israel has repeatedly bombarded the Lebanese infrastructure, destroying the airport, bridges and highways leading to Syria, as well as power plants and numerous positions considered Hezbollah stronghold.

As much as I hate to see the lives of people with no connection to this dispute suffer from these events, I feel that Israel is doing what needs to be done. This is an attempt by the Iranian government to press their agenda on the world community. Hezbollah is not a Lebanese organization, but an Iranian organization working in Lebanon. Unfortunately, the democratically elected government in Lebanon is virtually powerless against the Hezbollah to stop their attacks.

Related Links:

The Hand That Feeds the Fire - Iran's role in all of this
U.S. sends cruise ship for Lebanon evacuees
Bush caught on tape swearing about Syria - Someone teach this dude how to turn off a microphone
Israel plans Lebanon buffer zone to stop attacks
UN calls for Lebanon peace force

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Reform this tort, Bitch!

This is a perfect use of the civil system when the criminal system just doesn't cut it. If this is played correctly, it could result in a perjury trap far more brutal than the one Clinton was lured into. We can only hope that Cheney is brought to justice before his fake heart finally gives way and Satan calls him home.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Back from My Short Vacation

Also posted on The Metal Pundit

I just got back from my 5-day vacation to Mexico with my father. This was somewhat of a short-notice journey, decided upon only weeks before departure. Nevertheless, I had a spectacular time hanging out with family and friends.

The primary reason my father and I decided to visit family in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, is because both my grandfather and one of my aunts are sick. My grandfather, although now doing much better, had his diabetes catch-up to him as his blood pressure and blood sugar levels soared. My aunt, unfortunately, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. On the bright side, a few second opinions have given her hope that cancer isn't actually present in her breasts. Nonetheless, she is receiving chemotherapy while further analysis is performed.

Since our arrival was met with good news, we proceeded to drink it up! We got ourselves several bottles of tequila, including Corralejo, Don Julio Anejo, Jimador, and Casadores. At night, I would join my cousins in late-night drinking. We went "clubbing" on two of the nights I was there. Let me say that the only good thing about the club scene are the girls. Other than that, the music sucks nuts and liquor is terribly expensive. I suppose dancing and feeling-up Mexican chicks is worth it.

During the day, my father and I would visit family from both his side and my mother's. You see, the entire family lives in Mexico, with the exception of my immediate family, a few cousins, an uncle, and an aunt in Chicago, one aunt in Dallas, and two uncles and family in Los Angeles. We ate great food and just kicked back sipping on Coronas and Victorias.

After three nights of striking out, I finally got laid on the fourth night. The lucky girl is very hot and knowledgeable in bed. She's a light-skinned, blue-eyed, blonde chick with an incredible ass and pretty face. I will honestly say she is out of my league in terms of physical traits. However, I've yet to meet a girl who enjoys talking on an intellectual level with me. Her best quality is the fact that she listens to punk and metal! As a result, we fornicated while playing Metallica's Black Album. Good times!

Since I took American Airlines, I had to stop at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport. I was there for a couple of hours as I waited for the flight to Leon. I looked out the window and wondered where my good friend, BigNewsDay, could be. I almost felt like missing the flight and contacting you dude. One of these days...

So that's a brief summary of the last week. I know I sound overly excited about my vaginal acquisition, but I haven't been getting much lately, so bear with me!

Questions regarding the Fair Tax Act

Alright all of you Fair Tax supporters, please help me with these issues.

  • How will gas be taxed? There is no mention of repealing the federal gas tax in the Fair Tax Act of 2005. Does that mean that the 23% sales tax will be in addition to, and on top of the current federal gas tax? What about state gas tax? Will the sate tax that many of us pay, be taxed again by the federal tax? That's going to drive gas prices to near $4.00 a gallon.
  • How will business to business transactions be taxed? If they are not taxed, what will prevent people from making personal purchases under the guise of that business?
  • Fair Tax supporters mention that the Wal Mart effect will eventually bring prices down due to competition. How will this work with monopolies such as utility companies in many areas?

Here is an interesting article to read about some of the potential flaws in the Fair Tax Act.

These are just a few questions. If anyone has other questions to add, let me know. If anyone has the answers (Axe), please post them to educate us.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Alternative fuels research: Git 'er done!

I'm going to propose my solution to two of our great problems in the year 2006: The fact that alternative fuels are just some daydream instead of something that chemists, mechanics, and engineers are furiously working to develop; and that NASCAR has turned into a redneck soap opera by homogenizing the irrelevant vehicles into true anonymity.

The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup winner will be powered by a different alternative fuel at every single racetrack.

Consider this: The reason that Auto Makers sponsor racing in the first place is so that they have a testing lab for their cutting-edge technology. Being a redneck myself, I have a hard time facing that fact that less than 1/10 of 1% of all vehicles on the road are powered by a 358 cubic inch engine fed by 114 octane supergas. To continue developing technology to burn 114 octane supergas is a waste of time and money.

I propose a rotation of renewable, alternative fuels be featured at every single NASCAR track in the 2007 season. This fuses my undying love of capitalism with cutting-edge science and technology. The problem with federal funding to develop technology is that you get "government" grade effort done on a "government" grade schedule. NASCAR holds gigantic purses for those truly brilliant mechanics and engineers who can figure out how to not only crank out mind-blowing power, but also deliver that power in an efficient enough manner to take the checkered flag.

Besides, I'd pick the guy with 12 cars in his front yard that he's used for parts to fix the 3 actually functional vehicles to build a better engine than those bench-racing champions in academia. Crack open another 18-pack of Icehouse, shave a #3 into your back hair, and get your wife an oversized Jeff Gordon t-shirt that covers the FUPA (and/or the BIF), and watch as America races into the age of renewable resources!

Bush gets sued

The family of an Al Jazeera reporter killed during a US bombing in Iraq in 2003 will sue President Bush. Tareq Ayyoub, a reporter for Al Jazeera, was killed on April 8, 2003, during a strike of the building in which the Arab-language TV station was housed. Ayyoub was on the roof of the building for a live broadcast. The Pentagon claimed that the attack had been an accident, having fired after it had detected hostile fire from the building. The incident was featured in the 2004 film Control Room, a documentary about the TV network. Hamid Rifai, a New Jersey-based attorney for Ayyoub's family, will bring the case to court tomorrow. The lawsuit was spurred on by the revelation in the UK newspaper The Mirror in November 2005 of a British government memorandum reporting that Bush expressed a desire to bomb Al Jazeera's world headquarters in Doha, Qatar. Read more here.

Friday, July 07, 2006

EXCELLENT!!!!

Yeah, these are the fucktards that you want to provide military training to. This will be yet another negative side affect of this unnecesary, illegal and immoral war that we'll be feeling for another generation or two.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Kenny Boy Lay got off easy

Or did he? If there's any justice in the world, he's enjoying the firey pits of Hell right now and saving seats for his pals Cheney and Bush.

Am I the only one that thinks its a bit of a "coincidence" that Kenny Boy drops dead of "an apparent heart attack" within days of telling the world that he concidered suicide? I'm hoping that a thorough autoptsy is performed and that they find out he self-induced the attack, thereby negating his life insurance policy. I see no reason why his family should continue to profit off his malfeasance.