D Blog

One.org

2005-12-27T20:34:00.000-06:00

I'm a huge u2 fan, and have heard Bono speak about poverty in Africa for years. I've been skeptical, because corruption seems so deeply ingrained in Africa that I found it hard to believe anyone could do any good for the people who really need it. But, Bono persisted. And the cause grew. Now, fighting corruption is listed amongst the top goals for a relatively new but star-studded anti-poverty organization: one.org.

I believe that evil thrives in darkness but runs from light. As celebrities, politicians, athletes and citizens like us shine a bright spotlight onto the issue of corruption in Africa, the corrupt will run and hide or be caught and stopped. And if we are steadfast, finally, light will shine in the "Dark Continent," and its people will feel the warmth of enlightenment and break free from the chains of poverty.

Add your voice to the millions of others who are supporting one.org. If you're reading this: you have a computer and you can read... which makes you immeasurably better off than the average African. So simply adding your name to the list of supporters is the least you can do. They don't want our money, just our voices.

Report Shows Oil-for-Food Funded Saddam's Appetite for WMD

2005-12-07T16:08:00.000-06:00

From Wikipedia:

The Duelfer report, released on 30 September 2004, described in a key finding the impact of the Oil-for-Food Programme on Saddam's regime:

• The introduction of the Oil-For-Food program (OFF) in late 1996 was a key
turning point for the Regime. OFF rescued Baghdad’s economy from a terminal
decline created by sanctions. The Regime quickly came to see that OFF could be
corrupted to acquire foreign exchange both to further undermine sanctions and to provide the means to enhance dual-use infrastructure and potential WMD-related development.[vol. I, p.1] (emphasis added)

Iraq and France Working To Undermine Oil-for-Food from the Start?

2005-12-07T15:53:00.000-06:00

From the Wikipedia overview of the Oil-for-Food program:

"The Oil-for-Food Programme (Oil-for-Food Program in American English),
established by the United Nations in 1996 and terminated in
late 2003, was intended to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange
for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing Iraq to rebuild its military. The program was introduced by the US Clinton
Administration in 1995 that nevertheless opposed the further liberalization
of the proposal pursued by Iraq and France."

So, even before the program was approved, IRAQ and FRANCE were working together to further liberalize the program. Any doubts that was because they saw opportunity for extreme graft?

Where's the Outcry?

2005-11-22T20:55:00.000-06:00

Not much buzz about the 2,200 companies and governments who funded Iraq's army and insurgency through the oil-for-food program.

The Moderate Voice and The Reaction at least point out that a French diplomat has admitted to accepting kickbacks. Gee, wonder why the French didn't want to support enforcement of the UN's resolution to go to war with Saddam if he didn't disarm and adhere to sanctions levied on Iraq in the 90s?

Corruption Costs Lives: The U.N. Oil-for-Food Scandal

2005-10-29T14:14:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, Paul Volcker, former Fed Chairman and current Chairman of the Independent Inquiry Committee investigating corruption in the U.N. Oil-for-Food program issued an eye-opening, jaw-dropping report that more than 2,200 companies and government agencies, especially from France and Russia, were illegally giving millions of dollars in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein.

These companies, agencies and their leaders and the corrupt officials at the U.N. should be held accountable for their crimes, which likely kept Saddam in power longer than he otherwise would have been able to. The elder Bush and members of the Clinton administration couldn't understand how Saddam stayed in power through the late 90s and early 2000s. Well, this is how.

The illegal kickbacks to Saddam paid for his torture and rape chambers, the countless sins of his sons, his pusuit of WMDs, his funding and promotion for terrorism including payments to families of homicide bombers attacking Israel, his oppression of the Kurds and Shiites, repression of women, etc.

Without the money from these kickbacks, would the War in Iraq have been necessary? Would the insurgency be as well supplied? Would France and Russia have blocked a larger coalition and a unified world response to Saddam's violation of U.N. sanctions? How much of this money was funnelled to terrorists, directly by Saddam or indirectly through his henchmen? Would 2,014 American soldiers and counting have been killed in Iraq?

And, was it coicidence that the U.N. announcement came a day before the CIA leak investigation closed? The U.N. story, which is much larger in terms of global consequence, sure got buried fast. But in the grand scheme of things, we cannot allow such diversions to detract from the evils done through the corruption of the oil-for-food program. Those 2,200 companies should be legally prosecuted, fined, their leadership imprisoned, and their produce boycotted!

Dennis Hastert, two heartbeats away from the Presidency, Launches a Blog

2005-10-29T13:45:00.000-05:00

So, Dennis Hastert has started blogging. Kudos to the "old guy" as he calls himself.

But, his blog needs some work.

First, couldn't he find a better picture to use? He looks like a mean, cranky old politician, just the image Republican party is trying to get away from!

And, I have to take issue with him about the oil companies. Here's an e-mail I sent to his office since there's no space for comments on his blog:

Mr. Speaker,

I think it's great that you've started a blog, but would suggest you allow comments to your postings to build a two-way dialog with your engaged constituents. Certainly a staffer could monitor and filter comments for you. I would have preferred to respond that way.

But, I must take issue with something you said on your blog. You said that as oil companies announce record prices, Republicans don't believe in punishing success. I wholeheartedly agree with the principal of not punishing success, but I have deep questions about whether the oil companies record profits represent success or unfair trade practices - such as price gauging.

I know oil companies will claim that the profits will be used to build refineries (and you rightly criticize them for their lack of refinery expansion in 30 years), but such promises sound more like a diversionary tactic to shift attention away from their predatory practices of bilking the American consumer and also fall a day late and probably many dollars short.

As a conservative who is concerned about the direction of our party, I hope you will use your office to counter the growing perception that Republicans are too tightly tied to oil interests and join other on Capitol Hill to lead an investigation into what appears to be a series of improprieties within the American oil industry that stretches from Enron to Oil-for-Food and now apparent price gouging.

At the same time, I hope you will work with the President to increase the pressure for drilling in Alaska, development of more alternative fuel and/or hybrid technologies for automobiles and trucks, improvements in our pipeline infrastructure, drilling off the Florida coast and any other reasonable measure to decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

Respectfully,

My other blog

2005-10-18T19:41:00.000-05:00

As I continue to experiment with blogging, check out my other blog: "dbest of...", where I'm trying see how much interaction a blog can generate.

http://dbestof.blogspot.com

Talking about great ads...

2005-09-24T23:07:00.000-05:00

This one gave me goosebumps...

Kudos to Anheiser Busch.

Little Things Make Great Advertising

2005-09-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

Like most in communications/marketing/advertising, I'm a skeptic. I don't believe the news because I know the modern news game - and it's a broken system. Most efforts to target market me backfire b/c if I wanted to know about your product, I'd find it without your ugly flyer on my door, envelope in my mailbox, spam in my inbox or, worst of all, ring of my phone. I think most ads are horrible. The best seem to be ones that you can never remember who they're for. That's kinda a bad thing to spend millions on - something memorable, but does nothing for your brand or product.

Then there are those rare ads that can be so simple they break through and grab you.

On the way home I heard such an ad on the radio. Production quality was poor. Some local yocal insurance man rambling his Texas drawl. Then he said something about, "... what insurance companies don't want you to know is they're in kind of a soft market...". That sounded interesting, and i started listening. Then in closing, he delivered the line that made the ad: "... or visit my Web site: insurancecompaniesarestupid.com." I laughed out loud. It wasn't just how he said it - and he nailed the line - but the fact that he had the nerve to say it. I mean this guy has to work with insurance companies every day - he's an agent. And he struck a nerve with me - because I pretty much think all banks and insurance companies are running rackets.

Well, he earned a chance to earn my business. I visited his site, and filled out a form to get a homeowner's insurance quote. We'll see if he really can save me $.

Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast

2005-09-11T00:54:00.000-05:00

If you missed it, the benefit concert for the victims of Katrina is worth viewing. And, people along the Gulf Coast will need our prayers, love, help and yes, money, for some time to come.

Watch the concert!

Daily Kos Guilty of Early Finger-Pointing

2005-09-04T13:12:00.000-05:00

In an example of the far-too-early finger pointing and agenda-pushing (discussed in my last post below), the blogosphere's second most popular blog (according to Technorati), the liberal blog - Daily Kos - fails to focus on what really matters and instead rampantly starts laying the blame for Katrina at Bush's feet.

This storm hit liberals and conservatives alike, and it's sad that we can't be united regardless of political perspective in our response. Can we stop this for now and unite in helping those in need, or is our country really that fragmented?

Doesn't anyone remember how we all felt after September 11, 2001; how we all united as AMERICANS first and foremost, not republicans or democrats? As we approach the 4-year anniversary of those attacks, where is the sense of unified American spirit that Katrina victims sorely need?

I pray that everyone can stop pushing personal and political agendas long enough to unite in helping the victims.

Irresponsibe Leaders and Katrina Media Coverage - The Next Hurricane of Tragedy?

2005-09-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

This morning on NBC's Meet the Press, Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, broke down crying when telling the story about the drowning death Friday night in St. Bernard nursing homeof the mother of one his Parish employees. My heart and prayers go out to Mr. Broussard, and especially the employee who lost his mother Friday night. May God rest her soul and bring peace to all the lives wrought by the tragedy of Katrina.

But two other aspects of this interview and the media's coverage of the disaster in general - reflected by this morning's Meet the Presse - need to be questioned.

First, earlier in the interview, Mr. Broussard quoted his Sherriff, saying, "Sheriff Harry Lee said that if America--American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis. " At the very next commercial break, the very first commercial was a Wal-Mart ad about how they support farmers. There is no way that was coincidence! I'm not questioning Mr. Broussard's integrity or sincerity in his comments, but I must believe that Wal-Mart somehow knew that comment was coming and placed the ad to follow it. To play PR tricks in the middle of this crisis is reprehensible. Whoever was involved with this effort to promote Wal-Mart's image in the middle of this crisis should be ashamed. This is no time to push personal or corporate agendas.

Furthermore, and most importantly, the real concern about the media's current coverage and some of our "leader's" actions and statements is a trend toward division and finger-pointing. There will certainly be many lessons to be learned from the situation - but the time for learning is after the crisis fades, after all the lives possible have been saved, after lives have been restored. Now is a time for UNITY. Unity toward a single, simple goal - to do everything in our nation's power to help those whose lives have been tragically affected.

Minority leaders need to realize this is not the time to irrisponsibly throw around charges of racism. New Orleans was 68% African American - so of course the majority of those tragically affected in that city are African Americans. But in the "great gumbo" that was New Orleans, all races, creeds and kinds of people felt the sting of this tragedy. Neither mother nature nor local, state or federal authorities are guilty of selectively targeting or neglecting one group of people.

And this is no time to point fingers at the Bush Administration, FEMA, State and local governments and authorities along the Gulf coast, nor citizens of the region. Someday, yes, all of these should face tough questions and accountability in the name of learning from mistakes so that we might improve our readiness for future tragedies. BUT NOW IS NOT SOMEDAY. Now we are still in critical stages of rescuing lives and beginning to restore lives.

And the media will be guilty of a grevious abuse of power if it continues to misrepresent the situation across America. All I hear, see and read outside of some muck-racking media circles and hate-mongering Bush bashers is that ALL AMERICANS are pouring out their resources, time, tears and prayers for EVERYONE affected by this tragedy. That is and should be the real story - today and in the hard weeks and months ahead.

As Americans, we must send a clear message to the media, our elected leaders and anyone who would put their own agenda ahead of the needs of the hurricane victims that WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT. WE STAND UNITED IN THE FACE OF TRAGEDY, AND WILL REMAIN SO UNTIL WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO HELP THOSE IN NEED!

Rangers... Nevermind

2005-07-22T20:58:00.000-05:00

Dear Tom Hicks,

Please disregard my last post, as your team has obviously opted for the other Ranger tradition - letting the wheels fall off mid-summer. What an unravalling. Yep - this is the Rangers team I know and love! Why? I have no idea!

d

Texas Rangers & Pitching

2005-07-20T15:10:00.000-05:00

For YEARS - since I was a kid - the Rangers have needed starting pitching. They always need a better #1 or #2 man in the rotation. So, as the MLB trade deadline looms, it's time for the annual Rangers fan disappointment as the team fails to go out and get what they need to make the playoffs.

As in most years, there's debate in Arlington whether the Rangers are one move away from contention. And debate about what they need most - another bat, help in the pen or a starter. Based on the current standings in the AL West and the wildcard, the Rangers should absolutely try to make a run this year. And, after 25 years as a Rangers fan, I can tell Tom Hicks and crew that the answer is simple - GET A DANG STARTER!

The Rangers say they won't deal their top pitching prospects, of which they have several that, packaged properly, could bring them a proven major league pitching stud. So, why won't the Rangers make such a move? Because the Rangers are paralized by a chronic inability to admit one simpe truth: they have NEVER been able to develop starting pitchers - and it's NOT the Ballpark's fault.

Their best pitching prospects have always either flopped in the bigs or gone on to flourish somewhere else (both those who came up through the Rangers organization or were acquired at a relatively young age) - Esteban Loaiza, Kevin Brown, John Thomson, Doug Davis, Jamie Moyer have all worn Rangers uniforms and then gone on to better seasons elsewhere. Only Rick Helling and Kenny Rogers stand out as minor exceptions. And yet, the Rangers still refuse to admit this organizational weakness even with more evidence this season when they waived their Opening Day starter - Ryan Drese - who was promptly picked up by the Nats. and has since gone 3-2 with a 3.44 ERA!

Yet, somehow, the Rangers have a pretty good track record for evaluating/acquiring and even developing relief pitchers - especially closers. Proof that it's not the Ballpark.

Because of the Rangers' and the Ballpark's reputation, the team can't attract top free agent pitchers in the offseason. They embarrasingly struck out swinging at past free agents like Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.

So, why in the world aren't the Rangers in discussions for the likes of A.J. Burnett or Jason Schmidt? Or any servicable starter for that matter? Why not grab a great arm in a trade and negotiate a contract extension as part of the deal? This may well be the only method by which the Rangers could actually piece together the rotation of a contender.

With Kenny Rogers having a career year, Chan Ho Park actually winning more than losing and Chris Young looking like he might be an exception to the Rangers' development woes (time will tell), one great top-of-the-rotation arm like Schmidt or Burnett could easily ease the pressure on the bullpen and combine with a pounding offense to take the Rangers to the next level.

But, no doubt, I write in vain. Surely, the Rangers will stay true to form - at best picking up one spare arm or maybe a mediocre bat-for-hire and finish just short of the playoffs. The only difference this October will be a legitimate "what if" debate, because with one more stud starter, Rogers and Park/Young plus Benoit, Wasdin and Cordero in the bullpen and this offense - the Rangers could actually do something in the playoffs this year.

Bush Supreme Court Nomination: Let the Stupidity Begin

2005-07-19T19:39:00.000-05:00

In about 21 minutes, President Bush will address the nation to tell us he's nominating John G. Roberts Jr. to fill Justice O'Conner's vacant spot on the Supreme Court. And now, the stupidity of our current political climate will kick into high gear. Oh boy - what a great use of our tax dollars.

The left will try to paint Roberts as an overly conservative threat to free speech, freedom of religion and Roe v Wade. They might even say that his appointment could end the freedom to breathe to push their agenda - which is to keep the court as liberal and activist as possible, because their power has eroded in the executive and legislative branches at the federal and state levels acros the country. Meanwhile, the right will have to counter with a campaign that Roberts is a bastion of solid opinions.

Early word from those who know him - he's a DC insider but a fair judge who rules according to the law, not in order to legislate from the bench. But instead of deciding whether his appointment is or is not in the nation's best interest, our hyper-polarized political operatives and their media cronies will instead spar over their personal and party politics.

Bush promised he'd try to change the climate in Washington, but hasn't found willing partners from "across the aisle" or even in his own party. I hope someone will come along who can bring the two parties back to focusing on what's best for us citizens!

LANCE!

2005-07-17T10:51:00.000-05:00

Just finished watching the 15th "Queen" stage of the 2005 Tour de Lance. Called that because it's the toughest stage route of this year's tour, with multiple climbs and crazy descents. Wow. Amazing athletes - and Lance Armstrong is just so much better than anyone else. Each time a competitor attacked, Lance just jumped the gap to stay with or pass them. I can't imagine his current record ever being broken - much less if he wins his 7th tour in a row, which is looking very likely at this point. And to think he had testicular, stomach, lung and brain cancer just a few years ago! Livestrong!

My First Blog

2005-07-16T21:23:00.000-05:00

Well, this is my first blog. As a professional communicator by trade, I thought I better figure out what the rage is all about. Where we go from here... who knows.