I dream of living in ... a World Without Dictators! I'm a Libertarian Paternalist in Slovakia - Freedom with Responsibility - 10% of income into your own Pension; Tax Loans for education, health, housing; now supporting Employment Maximizing Companies!

Obama-Biden vs McCain-Palin

It will be a close election, but I think McCain's inspired pick of young, cute, Alaska gov. Sarah Palin, will win it for him.

See Beldar's blog for more background.  Maybe talk about it on Ann Althouse's.

Obama reads a speech in a great way.  But I don't believe he can deliver, and he has no record of delivery.


McCain's video ads seem to be doing a good job, even better than Obama's also good video ads.

This is mentioned and discussed.  My answer to why:

The McCain ads are better -- because they are ALSO News!

Almost everything Obama says about McCain, the NYT has already covered, and MSM talking heads have already discussed.  OK, not exactly how many houses, but the fact that Cindy is RICH and McCain married her. 

But the McCain ads are true, AND they are news that the swing voter hasn't heard.

The nation is hungry for true news, and hasn't been getting it from the Obama love-fest MSM.

Posted by: TomGrey at 08/30/08 04:18 | link | comments (1)
politics

When Patrick turned 3

Our fourth kid, 3rd son Patrick, turned 3 on Aug 25.
He's so cute.

My wife is still so beautiful. And cute.
Plus three other kids: Michael (Mishko) 12; Daniel (Danko) 11; Bianca (Biani) 9, to be 10 in Sept.

I didn't come to Slovakia to get rich (and haven't!), except that I *AM* rich in family, life with a loving wife, with kid's loving grandparents nearby.  A maternal Aunt & Uncle with 3 cousins, plus another nearby Aunt, and one in the UK.
3/4/5 other paternal Aunts in America, one with 3 kids, one with 5, one with 2; two  unmarried without.

Life. Marriage. Kids. That's life.
It's pretty good here in Slovakia.  Hard to express exactly how and why.

Posted by: TomGrey at 08/30/08 03:56 | link | comments
greys

Ossetia & Georgia & Russia, oh my

There's a fine Atlantic article from 2000 that explains the background to the Georgia problem, by Robert Kaplan.

But Michael Totten has better maps, much better.

Russia opposed Kosovo's independence and the redrawing of borders.  Going ahead with it, it does set a precedent.

There should be multi-national peacekeepers, including Russians and Americans, allowing the Ossetes to vote on whether to stay or go.  That should be the democratic standard.

Even if the Georgian oppression is much less, smaller groups should be allowed to leave -- killing to keep non-nationals in a nation-state isn't morally worth it.

Kaplan writes of:
Another lesson of this tragic story is that although history, culture, and geography are the only guides to the future, they are still not determinative—because of extraordinary individuals. Turkish influence would have been better for Georgia than Russian, because Ataturk took a backward Turkey and made it modern, while Lenin and Stalin took a directionless Russia and made it backward.

But the US needs to get involved to save Georgia.

Posted by: TomGrey at 08/14/08 02:30 | link | comments