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 Copyright ©2003-2008 Anthony Canales |
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 Anthony Canales is the President of the San Fernando Valley NRA Member’s Council. He works as a Quality Control Manager in Glendale, California. He is married with one son. The opinions expressed in 'News Briefs' belong soley to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Rifle Association of America or the NRA Members' Councils of California. |
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03-20-2008
12-31-2007 |
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March 31, 2004 “…Attacking with a long sword The enemy thinks I’m in front of him Ah, behind him. I’m already standing there…
Even though surrounded By several enemies set to attack, Fight with the thought That they are but one…
When entering a forest of spears And they encircle you, Remember, your mind Is your protective shield…
When the enemy comes Running to strike you, Step aside, avoid him Immediately attack, and cut…”
-Early poems by O-Sensei Ueshiba Morehei, the founder of the martial art of Aikido
To All, Given that Condoleeza Rice has already been the victor in numerous encounters against certain politically-correct Stanford academics, one can only have pity for the partisans on the 9/11 Commission, and what they are about to receive:
When In Rome…: Reuters is reporting today about simultaneous attacks near the Iraqi town of Fallujah today.
In one incident, a road-side bomb was used to ambush 5 American soldiers, killing them all.
In the other incident, guerrillas used small arms fire to ambush two vehicles, killing the occupants. Locals are reported to have pulled a “Mogadishu”, pulling out the charred remains of the victims and dragging them through the streets in celebration of the ability to “jump” folks when they are not looking.
Perhaps the Morons of the Sunni Triangle have taken our measure, and have found us more humane than previous foreign rulers. Unlike the Mongols, we do not wipe out whole towns for the death of a single soldier.
Unlike barbarian armies of old, we do not sack whole towns should the townspeople display even the slightest bit of displeasure in the change of management (What was otherwise known back then as a “hostile takeover”.).
Unlike the Turks, we do not take hostages from all the prominent families, and then execute a few when incidents like these take place.
And unlike Saddam, who apparently these fools would restore to power, we do not have a police organization that snatches a recalcitrant from street corners (or even their beds), only to disappear the evidence of homicide out in the desert.
On the other hand, when people wage war on the US, we are fairly proficient in waging war right back at them. If the residents of Fallujah think that they can test conclusions with a Marine Division or two, and all the air cover that comes with them, then perhaps it is time to “…kick the tires and light the fires…” once more.
After all, it is apparent that the sheiks and other city fathers of Fallujah are unable to keep things peaceful and serene. But if confronted with the kind of urban renewal that only modern combat arms can bring, perhaps they can perform a “miracle” or two and get the local zanies to park it for the duration.
This would be preferable to having their power cut, their town surrounded, water plants turned off until such time as they “cough up” the so-and-so’s responsible for the attacks and the numerous “sack dances” in the AFP photos on the news wires. But the sheiks of Fallujah should remember one thing- patience and forbearance have their limits. They should be careful that the order to unleash hell is not finally given.
Story may be found at:
It’s Not Rocket Science: In another snazzy column by Dan “The Man” Walters of the Sacramento Bee, the Pundit of River City is once again demonstrating the grasp the Elites have on things related to the current workmen’s compensation insurance crisis in California.
For starters, Walters notes that the State Compensation Insurance Fund was originally set up to be an insurer of last resort for employers unable to get insurance from the private sector. What Walters fails to note is that insurance premiums are based upon risk. Given the current chokehold that the tort community has on the state’s employers, private insurance companies have declined to provide coverage for occupations that risk the kind of injuries that cannot be dealt with Bactine, a lollipop, and a kiss from a Mommy Surrogate.
In essence, the State Compensation Fund was established because numerous employers could not get workmen’s compensation insurance at any price (Roofers and chemical workers come to mind). Given that an employer must either have insurance or the ability to post a humongous bond (self-insurance), many new businesses would have never gotten off of the ground due to their lack of the experience “mods” that allows a private quotation to be given in the first place. State Compensation Insurance thus is the risk coverage version of a County Hospital (County USC in Los Angeles is one example of this type).
This last leads one to the next point in the Walters article, which is the true relationship between Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and the State Fund. The Private Insurance companies do not want the riskier categories on their lists without truly massive premiums to offset their risks. But as long as there is one insurer capable of writing a lesser rate, they are unable to make their higher-priced quotes stick. They therefore lobby (think campaign contributions here) the Insurance Commissioner on the issue, alleging that their accountants and actuaries can show that the State Fund is not charging enough in fees and premiums to have enough “cash on hand” to cover their potential payouts.
Readers should not laugh at this tactic. It has “killed” many a private insurance company in the past (Golden Eagle comes to mind), in the private insurer’s drive to consolidate and concentrate the industry.
Yet despite 5 consecutive years of 25%-plus increases in State Fund Insurance premiums. (When was the last time any other product, other than crude oil sold by a cartel, was able to sustain this kind of price increase with no end in sight?), Garamendi and the Iron Triangle that backs him are looking to seize the State Compensation Fund and impose a rate structure that would “address” the cash reserve deficiencies that are perceived by the private insurance carriers. One can be certain that Garamendi is not looking to lower rates, at least for those manufacturing and industrial occupations that every Donkey Candidate from coast to coast pays lip service to.
Now Walters gets it wrong by intimating that Garamendi is worried about the claim that he is “…trying to force State Fund to lower its rates dangerously…”. In fact, the problem is just the opposite. State Fund is fighting an Insurance Commissioner takeover based upon the very nature of the client base that is left to it by the law and the insurance business. Tweak a few numbers, and take into account that new businesses do not have modification histories to base a rate on, and State Fund could never appear to be on solid financial footing without impossible premiums. Walters thus appears to be confusing two different issues of the debate- the reform battle over the direction of rates versus the tried and true tactic of using accounting regulations to shutdown a lower-cost provider of insurance.
In essence, the only way to make Garamendi, the Insurance Industry Iron Triangle, and the tort community happy is for the State Fund to charge higher rates than private insurers. Given that certain cities and other private entities find it more cost effective to go with State Fund than with private carriers, there should be no doubt as to why the private insurers would want to “jimmy the system”. At the same time, there would be no guarantees that the Insurance Industry would not “cherry pick” the less risky occupations. Nor would there be a guarantee that there would be fee caps placed on the tort community, and the doctors that succor it.
Now, some sharpies out in the Blogosphere could point out that there are more than vague similarities of this case to the current debate over education. Superficially, this is true. But like in all combat, the timing is everything. If State Fund is forced to raise rates above what the private sector would charge, it would take more time than what an already shaky employer base has to encourage enough insurers to re-enter a potentially more profitable market. By the time that the nation’s private insurers started offering “competitive” prices based upon the rules of extraction written by a Democrat Legislature, the negative effects on employment and the state’s economy would be multiplied many times. Short to medium term unemployment, outside of entrepreneurial or “venture” capital sole proprietor types, would radically increase. In turn, the “official” economic and unemployment numbers would appear worse than what they truly would be.
Not so strangely, this controversy seems to have been heading towards a denouement in 2004 from the start (Hmmm, what is important about 2004? Think now….). To paraphrase Tom Lehrer, when correctly viewed everything is political. Given also that there is veracity in Rush Limbaugh’s maxim that “…Bad news for America is Good News For the Democrats…”, one can only marvel at the lengths to which the Donkey Party would go to regain the reigns of power nationwide.
Still, the premier issue for Californians, and California’s economy, is whether business can be done here at all (Please, no comments about the underground economy). That includes the workmen’s comp issue, the taxation issue (there is a reason why taxes are unpopular in a state with 1.2 million more registered Democrats than Republicans, Governor Schwarzenegger), and other costs of doing business issues that somehow continue to escape the Public Service and Punditry Classes.
But the debate is surely not helped by columnists such as Walters, who appear to look the other way when partisanship demands it. If truth is the first casualty in political warfare, then columnists like Walters are not so much the corpsmen as they would have us believe. Rather, they are the gravediggers that they have always been.
Story may be found at:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/
If They Can Do It, So Can We: The New York Times is announcing the launch of Radio Air America, the Liberal’s Riposte to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage (Yeah, right).
For those who have to shampoo their short-haired pointers, clean out the rain-gutters, or otherwise do that septic tank cleanout that they have been promising their significant other for weeks, one only has to think of Pacifica Radio on Acid to imagine what it is like to listen “DJ’s” like Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo (Hey, if she has to do a daily radio show for little or no pay, she cannot make a fortune doing movies. And if she is not making a fortune, she cannot keep subsidizing the Donkey Way-Left forever).
Still, despite the best efforts of Terry McAuliffe and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, it is a free country. It is a country for all viewpoints. A country of proud traditions, and one of tolerance and consideration for the opinions of fellow citizens.
In other words, it is time for Radio NRA.
No more will gun owners have to rely on political interpretation by the likes of Peter Jennings. No more will hunters have to take a dose of a PETA activist with every East Coast deer hunt story. And no more will The Message Be Denied because some Communications School Graduate has a problem with such arcane things as armed self-defense and the preservation of American Manufacturing jobs.
Also, the reader should realize that NRA Radio would not be a stolid affair, like Pacifica’s efforts. Nor it would be a simple re-creation of the solid work of the folks at the Outdoor Network. But who else could outdo Imus or Mancow when it comes to having a “shootout” with some controversial public figure on gun issues? (Imagine Barretts at 50 paces, in the rhetorical sense). The NRA is the source on all things related to firearms. In fact, when certain manufacturers had gotten a case of the wobblies, NRA members were there to prop them up (Hold their feet to the fire was more like it). As such, NRA Radio, or even NRA TV, could almost qualify as a Public Service, given the widespread support of firearms rights nationwide (37 states with shall-issue concealed carry laws cannot be wrong).
So, keep your radios handy, fresh batteries at the ready, and your satellite bill paid up. With luck, and a good bit of venture capital (we do start out with some 4.2 million potential listener/views, after all), a new era in getting the message to the people is in the offing. At the least, it will give the Brady Bunch and The Bleks a Mylanta Moment to have NRA TV included in their basic cable bill. Stay tuned.
Story may be found at:
Respectfully,
Anthony Canales SFVMC-NRA
© 2004 Anthony Canales All rights reserved. |
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