It's that members of any political party can make mistakes. John Ensign, Slick Willy, John Edwards, Mark Sanford....
Heck, I'm willing to bet that Socialists and Libertarians (and some members of all other parties) can do and have done the same stuff. The errors that folks make don't necessarily negate the views they have. They just prove that we're all human.
Check out the latest CRS reports available from the Federation of American Scientists Secrecy News newsletter. Topics include an analysis of selected Sotomayor opinions, the recent Iranian elections, and the FY2010 appropriations request for homeland security...
Speaking of the Iranian elections...
Much of the coverage we see has a western orientation to it. Unfortunately, it appears that the official mouthpiece of the Iranian state isn't currently serving up an English version. Here's Al Jazeera's Iran section. How about the Mousavi page on Facebook? Or Google's translation of Mousavi's news site? To end the streak, check out Mousavi on Twitter...
In closing, RIP to Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
This past Monday night...
We tried a new recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens special recipe magazine. Tonight, the wife unit decided to head out with the girls. That left me with the decision of what to make myself for dinner. Having enjoyed the "Greek-style quesadillas" (from the other night), I decided to experiment. I had actually decided what I would make well before I got home from work. Please pardon me for not including all the measurements of ingredients. I am HORRIBLE at measuring when conducting experiments. Here's what I made:
Mediterranean style tuna quesadillas
About 5 tbsp. kalamata olives
1 11 oz. foil package of tuna
3 tbsp. bottled Greek vinaigrette salad dressing
Diced tomatoes (to your taste/visual appeal)
Chopped red onions (to your taste/visual appeal)
3 oz. of Athenos basil & tomato crumbkled feta cheese
Two Toufayan wheat wraps
Olive oil
Combine all ingredients, mix well and marinate for at least one hour. Cover one half of each wrap with the tuna/veggie/dressing mixture. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in skillet (or grill) to about medium. Brush each side of wrap with oil (I used Hain's garlic infused oil). Heat for 6-8 minutes (flipping halfway through) until both sides are browned. Enjoy!
I only made two wraps and I think there's enough filling left for at least eight more. I believe I'll carry some more to work tomorrow or Friday. What would I do different? I'd probably add a bit more feta cheese. I definitely feel I had the wrong ratio of fish to feta. All in all, this experiment turned out to be fairly tasty. I'll be making this again (and maybe I'll measure better)!
In closing, there's some interesting reading below. I've included links to 20 recently added reports from opencrs.com.
Canada-U.S. Relations
Latin America and the Caribbean
U.S.-Iraq Withdrawal/Status of Forces Agreement: Issues for Congressional Oversight
Strategic Arms Control After START: Issues and Options
U.S. Military Stop Loss Program
Ocean Acidification
Department of Homeland Security Assistance to States and Localities: A Summary and Issues for the 111th Congress
Senate Rejections and Committee Votes Other Than to Report Favorably, 1939-2009
State, Foreign Operations Appropriations: A Guide to Component Accounts
Cars and Climate: What Can EPA Do to Control Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources?
Tax Credit Bonds: Overview and Analysis
Cuban Migration to the United States: Policy and Trends
Airport Improvement Program (AIP): Reauthorization Issues for Congress
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Updated "Safeguards" and Net Assessments
Oversight and Related Issues Concerning International Security Agreements Concluded by the United States
Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate
The Role of the Department of Defense During A Flu Pandemic
Military Installation Real Property and Services: Proposed Legislation in the 111th Congress
Greeenhouse Gas Legislation: Summary and Analysis of H.R. 2454 as Reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Military Aircraft, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Mediterranean style tuna quesadillas
About 5 tbsp. kalamata olives
1 11 oz. foil package of tuna
3 tbsp. bottled Greek vinaigrette salad dressing
Diced tomatoes (to your taste/visual appeal)
Chopped red onions (to your taste/visual appeal)
3 oz. of Athenos basil & tomato crumbkled feta cheese
Two Toufayan wheat wraps
Olive oil
Combine all ingredients, mix well and marinate for at least one hour. Cover one half of each wrap with the tuna/veggie/dressing mixture. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in skillet (or grill) to about medium. Brush each side of wrap with oil (I used Hain's garlic infused oil). Heat for 6-8 minutes (flipping halfway through) until both sides are browned. Enjoy!
I only made two wraps and I think there's enough filling left for at least eight more. I believe I'll carry some more to work tomorrow or Friday. What would I do different? I'd probably add a bit more feta cheese. I definitely feel I had the wrong ratio of fish to feta. All in all, this experiment turned out to be fairly tasty. I'll be making this again (and maybe I'll measure better)!
In closing, there's some interesting reading below. I've included links to 20 recently added reports from opencrs.com.
Canada-U.S. Relations
Latin America and the Caribbean
U.S.-Iraq Withdrawal/Status of Forces Agreement: Issues for Congressional Oversight
Strategic Arms Control After START: Issues and Options
U.S. Military Stop Loss Program
Ocean Acidification
Department of Homeland Security Assistance to States and Localities: A Summary and Issues for the 111th Congress
Senate Rejections and Committee Votes Other Than to Report Favorably, 1939-2009
State, Foreign Operations Appropriations: A Guide to Component Accounts
Cars and Climate: What Can EPA Do to Control Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources?
Tax Credit Bonds: Overview and Analysis
Cuban Migration to the United States: Policy and Trends
Airport Improvement Program (AIP): Reauthorization Issues for Congress
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Updated "Safeguards" and Net Assessments
Oversight and Related Issues Concerning International Security Agreements Concluded by the United States
Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate
The Role of the Department of Defense During A Flu Pandemic
Military Installation Real Property and Services: Proposed Legislation in the 111th Congress
Greeenhouse Gas Legislation: Summary and Analysis of H.R. 2454 as Reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Military Aircraft, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
OK, this morning I tweeted a link to the Campaign for Liberty's petition drive to audit the Federal Reserve...
Here's the petition link and here's the tweet.
You might ask "What's the big deal?" The best explanation I have found so far is the short speech that Ron Paul gave when introducing H.R. 1207 just this past February. I will include the full text and a link to the GPO's pdf file. To read the full text of Dr. Paul's introduction speech (and the rest of this post), click "Read more!" below...
H.R. 1207 introductory remarks made by Dr. Ron Paul on 2-26-09
"THE FEDERAL RESERVE TRANSPARENCY ACT
HON. RON PAUL OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Federal Reserve Transparency Act. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Federal Reserve has presided over the near complete destruction of the United States dollar. Since 1913 the dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power, aided and abetted by the Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy. How long will we as a Congress stand idly by while hard-working Americans see their savings eaten away by inflation? Only big-spending politicians and politically favored bankers benefit from inflation.
Serious discussion of proposals to oversee the Federal Reserve is long overdue. I have been a longtime proponent of more effective oversight and auditing of the Fed, but I was far from the first Congressman to advocate these types of proposals. Esteemed former members of the Banking Committee such as Chairmen Wright Patman and Henry B. Gonzales were outspoken critics of the Fed and its lack of transparency.
Since its inception, the Federal Reserve has always operated in the shadows, without sufficient scrutiny or oversight of its operations. While the conventional excuse is that this is intended to reduce the Fed’s susceptibility to political pressures, the reality is that the Fed acts as a foil for the government. Whenever you question the Fed about the strength of the dollar, they will refer you to the Treasury, and vice versa. The Federal Reserve has, on the one hand, many of the privileges of government agencies, while retaining benefits of private organizations, such as being insulated from Freedom of Information Act requests.
The Federal Reserve can enter into agreements with foreign central banks and foreign governments, and the GAO is prohibited from auditing or even seeing these agreements. Why should a government-established agency, whose police force has federal law enforcement powers, and whose notes have legal tender status in this country, be allowed to enter into agreements with foreign powers and foreign banking institutions with no oversight? Particularly when hundreds of billions of dollars of currency swaps have been announced and implemented, the Fed’s negotiations with the European Central Bank, the Bank of International Settlements, and other institutions should face increased scrutiny, most especially because of their significant effect on foreign policy. If the State Department were able to do this, it would be characterized as a rogue agency and brought to heel, and if a private individual did this he might face prosecution under the Logan Act, yet the Fed avoids both fates.
More importantly, the Fed’s funding facilities and its agreements with the Treasury should be reviewed. The Treasury’s supplementary financing accounts that fund Fed facilities allow the Treasury to funnel money to Wall Street without GAO or Congressional oversight. Additional funding facilities, such as the Primary Dealer Credit Facility and the Term Securities Lending Facility, allow the Fed to keep financial asset prices artificially inflated and subsidize poorly performing financial firms.
The Federal Reserve Transparency Act would eliminate restrictions on GAO audits of the Federal Reserve and open Fed operations to enhanced scrutiny. We hear officials constantly lauding the benefits of transparency and especially bemoaning the opacity of the Fed, its monetary policy, and its funding facilities. By opening all Fed operations to a GAO audit and calling for such an audit to be completed by the end of 2010, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act would achieve much needed transparency of the Federal Reserve. I urge my colleagues to support this bill."
That pretty much sums it up. For more understanding of exactly what the Federal Reserve does, here's the Wikipedia article about the Federal Reserve System and here's a 6 page report from the Congressional Research Service (from 2005) entitled "Structure and Functions of The Federal Reserve System". OK, enough about that. If you feel that this bill has some merit, please sign the petition and contact your Congressman (particularly if they don't support HR 1207).
Want an interesting read? Check out what the Congressional Budget Office had to say about Obama's FY2010 budget just last week. I was never a fan of the last administration, but allowing the public debt (not the total debt) to reach over 80% of GDP (as estimated in the CBO post) is irresponsible.
Last but not least...
What kind of documents regarding my nuclear plant were added to the NRC's website last week?
Browns Ferry Unit 2 - Safety Evaluation For Relief Request 2-ISI-18R1 Associated With Inservice Inspection Examination Coverage.
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2 - Verbal Relief Related to Instrument Line Weld Overlay (TAC No. ME1319) (2-ISI-21).
You might ask "What's the big deal?" The best explanation I have found so far is the short speech that Ron Paul gave when introducing H.R. 1207 just this past February. I will include the full text and a link to the GPO's pdf file. To read the full text of Dr. Paul's introduction speech (and the rest of this post), click "Read more!" below...
H.R. 1207 introductory remarks made by Dr. Ron Paul on 2-26-09
"THE FEDERAL RESERVE TRANSPARENCY ACT
HON. RON PAUL OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Federal Reserve Transparency Act. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Federal Reserve has presided over the near complete destruction of the United States dollar. Since 1913 the dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power, aided and abetted by the Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy. How long will we as a Congress stand idly by while hard-working Americans see their savings eaten away by inflation? Only big-spending politicians and politically favored bankers benefit from inflation.
Serious discussion of proposals to oversee the Federal Reserve is long overdue. I have been a longtime proponent of more effective oversight and auditing of the Fed, but I was far from the first Congressman to advocate these types of proposals. Esteemed former members of the Banking Committee such as Chairmen Wright Patman and Henry B. Gonzales were outspoken critics of the Fed and its lack of transparency.
Since its inception, the Federal Reserve has always operated in the shadows, without sufficient scrutiny or oversight of its operations. While the conventional excuse is that this is intended to reduce the Fed’s susceptibility to political pressures, the reality is that the Fed acts as a foil for the government. Whenever you question the Fed about the strength of the dollar, they will refer you to the Treasury, and vice versa. The Federal Reserve has, on the one hand, many of the privileges of government agencies, while retaining benefits of private organizations, such as being insulated from Freedom of Information Act requests.
The Federal Reserve can enter into agreements with foreign central banks and foreign governments, and the GAO is prohibited from auditing or even seeing these agreements. Why should a government-established agency, whose police force has federal law enforcement powers, and whose notes have legal tender status in this country, be allowed to enter into agreements with foreign powers and foreign banking institutions with no oversight? Particularly when hundreds of billions of dollars of currency swaps have been announced and implemented, the Fed’s negotiations with the European Central Bank, the Bank of International Settlements, and other institutions should face increased scrutiny, most especially because of their significant effect on foreign policy. If the State Department were able to do this, it would be characterized as a rogue agency and brought to heel, and if a private individual did this he might face prosecution under the Logan Act, yet the Fed avoids both fates.
More importantly, the Fed’s funding facilities and its agreements with the Treasury should be reviewed. The Treasury’s supplementary financing accounts that fund Fed facilities allow the Treasury to funnel money to Wall Street without GAO or Congressional oversight. Additional funding facilities, such as the Primary Dealer Credit Facility and the Term Securities Lending Facility, allow the Fed to keep financial asset prices artificially inflated and subsidize poorly performing financial firms.
The Federal Reserve Transparency Act would eliminate restrictions on GAO audits of the Federal Reserve and open Fed operations to enhanced scrutiny. We hear officials constantly lauding the benefits of transparency and especially bemoaning the opacity of the Fed, its monetary policy, and its funding facilities. By opening all Fed operations to a GAO audit and calling for such an audit to be completed by the end of 2010, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act would achieve much needed transparency of the Federal Reserve. I urge my colleagues to support this bill."
That pretty much sums it up. For more understanding of exactly what the Federal Reserve does, here's the Wikipedia article about the Federal Reserve System and here's a 6 page report from the Congressional Research Service (from 2005) entitled "Structure and Functions of The Federal Reserve System". OK, enough about that. If you feel that this bill has some merit, please sign the petition and contact your Congressman (particularly if they don't support HR 1207).
Want an interesting read? Check out what the Congressional Budget Office had to say about Obama's FY2010 budget just last week. I was never a fan of the last administration, but allowing the public debt (not the total debt) to reach over 80% of GDP (as estimated in the CBO post) is irresponsible.
Last but not least...
What kind of documents regarding my nuclear plant were added to the NRC's website last week?
Browns Ferry Unit 2 - Safety Evaluation For Relief Request 2-ISI-18R1 Associated With Inservice Inspection Examination Coverage.
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2 - Verbal Relief Related to Instrument Line Weld Overlay (TAC No. ME1319) (2-ISI-21).
Sunday, June 21, 2009
First and foremost...
To all you dads out there (particularly mine):
Happy Father's Day!
Today was a fun day. It started off with 17 miles on a bicycle riding with my long-time best friend. Then we met the rest of our family for breakfast. After breakfast, we picked up our various cars and bicycles and took a drive to and through the Harmony Park Safari. It's kind of trippy having rams and emus and the occasional bison come up to your window wanting food. If you're in Huntsville and you haven't checked out Harmony Park Safari, you're definitely missing out. Especially if you have kids...
Happy Father's Day!
Today was a fun day. It started off with 17 miles on a bicycle riding with my long-time best friend. Then we met the rest of our family for breakfast. After breakfast, we picked up our various cars and bicycles and took a drive to and through the Harmony Park Safari. It's kind of trippy having rams and emus and the occasional bison come up to your window wanting food. If you're in Huntsville and you haven't checked out Harmony Park Safari, you're definitely missing out. Especially if you have kids...
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