Monday, August 27, 2012

Neil Armstrong: "All American"


Neil Armstrong: 1958
One of my boyhood radio heroes was Jack Armstrong, the “All-American Boy.” I can’t recall anything about him or his radio exploits but I have never forgotten the name. Years later in 1969 as I watched on TV with my wife and millions all over the world, I must have thought, along with many of my contemporaries born in the pre-TV years, that it was entirely appropriate that the first man to set foot on the moon should also be named Armstrong. 

Neil Armstrong was the epitome of the American hero. Even after his epic landing on the Sea of Tranquility he seemed to remain a quiet, unassuming Midwesterner much like his own boyhood idol Charles Lindbergh. Anyone familiar with Lindbergh knows that rather than being “Lucky” he was a skilled, competent pilot with an incredible amount of flying experience before he made his famous cross-Atlantic trip to Paris in 1927.

Armstrong was much the same way. It is hard to imagine that he would have been chosen by NASA if he wasn’t the best of the “top guns.” Watching and listening to the video below makes it appear that the actual landing on the Moon was a piece of cake. We hear the methodical, matter of fact, intonation of flight statistics as the landing vehicle makes its approach. What we don’t hear is that a crises developed in the cabin just before the landing. 
As they got closer to the surface it became clear to Armstrong and his co-pilot, Buzz Aldrin, that the landing zone was strewn with large boulders. Immediately he decided to seize control of the vehicle from the computer and make a manual landing as if he was flying a Midwestern barnstormer. We hear nothing on the tape that would indicate any panic or lack of control on Armstrong’s part. He landed the ship without a hitch and the rest is history.

I don’t think Jack Armstrong could have done it any better.###

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Romney prediction

The other day a friend asked me who I thought would win the upcoming Presidential election. He was shocked when I replied that I thought that Mitt Romney would win in a landslide. My guess was based on my gut feeling as well as on a recent poll in Connecticut, a traditional very blue state. The poll showed that President Obama had only an eight-percentage point lead in a state he carried by twenty-three percentage points in 2008. If Obama’s showing is so poor in usually reliable Connecticut, how will he win in the toss up states so vital to victory in November?

I believe that the poll numbers are not only a recognition of Obama’s record but also an indication that the Republicans now have an extremely attractive candidate whose apparent negatives will be perceived by most people as positives.

The 2008 election showed that American politics have entered the age of American Idol. Incredibly in the Democratic primaries a totally inexperienced but extremely attractive candidate triumphed over Hillary Clinton and the established leaders of the Democrat party. In the ensuing election Barack Obama easily overwhelmed an aging John McCain.

However, in Mitt Romney the Republicans have found an attractive candidate of their own to put up against a floundering Administration that seems totally unable to understand or deal with the country’s economic woes. I must admit that I am a political conservative and that I do like Mitt Romney but here are a list of qualities that I think any observer would agree with.

1. Romney has an attractive appearance. He appears youthful and energetic both in person and on TV. His wife and family are equally attractive. Again, in the age of American Idol this quality cannot be underestimated. Obama has no advantage here.

2. At the same time Romney appears to be intelligent, experienced, and quite capable of handling the demands of the Presidency. It would appear that he has been successful in practically everything he has set his hand to. Never mind the Olympics, he managed to get elected as a Republican governor of one of the bluest states in the country. Even the critics of his career at Bain Capitol would have to admit that he was successful there.

3. No one can doubt that he showed great skill he winning one of the most grueling primary campaigns in memory. Those who question his campaign strategy and tactics should give him credit for knowing what he is doing. He is no dope. His selection of Paul Ryan as running mate was a masterstroke. Despite their immediate criticism of Ryan, some Democrats are so concerned that I believe there will be an attempt to replace bumbling Vice-President Biden with Hillary Clinton. Moreover, the Romney campaign is and will be extremely well funded unlike the McCain disaster. Obama will not have the overwhelming financial advantage he had in 2008.

4. Speaking of money Romney is wealthy and makes no bones about it. Independent voters are wise enough to understand that a rich person has a great incentive to protect the rights of private property so basic to our country’s health and freedom. They also know that many Democrat politicians are equally wealthy. If the election is about class warfare and divisiveness, the Democrats will lose.

5. I don’t think his religion will be a factor. I know very little about the beliefs of Mormons, but I once overheard a man say that he never met a Mormon he didn’t like. He seems to be a devoted family man. Again, Obama has no advantage here.

I like to comment on what’s going on and don’t usually like to make predictions but I will go out on a limb here. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, I believe that Mitt Romney will win in a landslide big enough to give him a mandate to get the country moving again in the right direction. ###

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Global Warming and Stormy Weather


Al Gore
It is typical for local newspapers to run stories and editorials during the dog days of summer on Global Warming.  Last week one tried to find a link between a violent summer storm and global warming. Another talked of residents with beach homes who were concerned about flooding that they attribute to global warming.  Never mind that their beach cottages are built so close to the shoreline that they have been subject to flooding for decades. Another activist from a progressive lobbying group thought that doomsday was just around the corner because of our reliance on fossil fuels.

I am all for conservation of resources. I live in a small home, drive a small, fuel-efficient car, and don’t even use a hair dryer. Still, I agree with those who believe that the whole global warming business is a sham, maybe even a scam. Commentators and activists who believe that one hot summer is a sign of global warming do not know what they are talking about. They are talking about variations in weather, not climate change. It would take centuries, not months, years, or even decades to identify a real global warming or cooling trend.

Moreover, even if we are in a global warming period I am not sure that there is anything that we can do about it. Some scientists believe that solar activity like sunspots or flares plays a much more important role than human activity in regulating the Earth’s climate.

We probably can’t even do anything about the “greenhouse gases” that everyone talks about. Ninety five percent of the greenhouse gases are made up of water vapor. What are we supposed to do about that? Take fewer showers? The notorious Carbon Dioxide makes up a small amount of the remaining 5%. Nevertheless, we want to spend billions to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions. Humans exhale carbon dioxide and trees breathe it in. What are we supposed to do about that?

Still, if you want to do your part, I have the following suggestions.

1. Stop using hair dryers and let your hair dry naturally. Young environmentally conscious ladies could just brush their hair dry or even cut their hair short.

2. Stop using clothes dryers. Hang your clothes out on the line and dry them with good old solar power like our grandparents did.

3. Stop heating your swimming pools. Let the sun do the work. What’s wrong with a nice brisk dip on a hot day? I’ll think of changing my views when Al Gore, the high priest of global warming, stops heating his huge pool. He uses more energy on his  mansion in a day than most of us use in a year.

4. Limit the use of electronic gadgets like cell phones and video games whose batteries need almost daily re-charging. Maybe activists could take the lead by tossing their IPads and IPhones.

5. State supported universities, most of whose scientists are global warming believers, could go back to playing their football games on Saturday afternoon rather then under the lights at night. Pro football and baseball could follow suit.

6. Even the President could take the lead by using Amtrak once in awhile rather than the gas-guzzling Air Force One. I would guess that he has taken more trips during his brief stay in office than all previous Presidents combined.###

Air Force One Photo Op