Sarasota Secret Society

Let No Good Deed Go Unpunished

Remember when the Pakistani's were hit with the big earthquake last October? This was the United States' response.

Remember the furor over publishing the cartoons of Muhammed? This was the Pakistani response.

"But if they pass a law, I'll deal with it with a veto."

President Bush, about to go down as the first President in the history of our country to never veto a bill, finally says he's mad enough to exercise that veto.

In a briefing with reporters this afternoon, he says he will veto any attempt to keep the UAE from acquiring the rights to manage six major U.S. ports.

Say what you will about this President, but reacting to polls and public sentiment is not something he can be accused of. Something tells me this may be the issue that finally allows Democrats to look tougher on defense than the President.

Stay tuned.

Port Security

At first, I didn't know what to think about turning over management of our ports to a UAE company. Even though our government assures us that they have taken every precaution to insure that our security has not been compromised, there is something unsettling about an Arab nation with direct ties to the 9/11 terrorists having so much influence over shipping ports that are already too loosely examined. It's often difficult to balance free trade against security. How do we really know if this is a good deal or not?

Today, former President Jimmy Carter weighed in on the issue. He says our current President is doing the right thing. That sealed it for me. Now I know we shouldn't be doing it.

Here's some of what Wikopedia has to say about the Carter presidency:

"The Iranian hostage crisis was one of the contributors to his failure to win a second term. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan further weakened American prestige. Carter faced interest rates reaching their highest levels since World War II, and the administration froze domestic oil prices in response to rising prices from OPEC. The "Misery Index," his favored measure of economic well-being, rose 50% in four years. Despite his own party's control of Congress, his administration was unable to reform the tax system or to implement a national health plan, as he had promised during the 1976 campaign."

His ability to accurately assess issues involving middle-eastern countries leaves a lot to be desired.

And Our Recommendation Is...

Yesterday, the Southwest Florida edition of the New York Times (locally named the Sarasota Herald-Tribune) announced their candidate for the U.S. Senate in the upcoming election. At least I think they did.

The front page, "above-the-fold", lead article was merely an introduction to the full-page (unpaid) political ad on Bill Nelson that followed. Nothing but glowing tributes and fond memories about his single space flight 20 years ago, awarded as the political prize for being then-Chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee.

It will be interesting to see how this newspaper compares and contrasts his Republican opponent in the fall. Care to take bets?

I'll Have A Diet Coke...And No Ice, Please

That's what you may want to say the next time you head for a fast-food restaurant. Particularly, if you live in South Florida as I do.

According to this article from ABC News, a 12 year-old student from south Florida submitted a science project confirming that the ice at fast-food restaurants is dirtier than the water in their toilets.

Too much information!!

All Men Are Dogs!

That's what I used to tell my daughter when she was approaching adolescence. Unfortunately, it was something I discovered about myself and most of my friends in our own adolescence.

The other day, a cute young girl at Publix bagged my groceries for me. As I finished paying the cashier, the girl asked if I needed any help taking the bags to my car. It pained me to think I looked so old and frail that she thought I couldn't handle three small bags weighing no more than a few pounds.

At the same time, I was conflicted by the younger "dog" in me saying "why not? She is kinda cute."

Shame on me.

Giving It Another Try

Several friends and frequent guests have asked me where the Blog site went. I thought I'd give it another try. However, no promises on the frequency of posts. It was never meant to be a job...just a hobby.

Thanks for the expression of support.