While You Were Out, Civilization was Changed.

From yesterday's ruling from San Francisco's Federal Circuit Court, striking down California's Proposition 8: "Gender no longer forms an essential part of marriage".

Better make that a double, Joe.

The Un-Christianity.

The American Spectator reviews Mortal Follies: Episcopalians and the Crisis of Mainline Christianity, by William Murchison. He chronicles the decline of this historically critical Protestant denomination, correlated with its "rejection of orthodoxy in favor of cultural and political fads, regardless of the spiritual consequences".

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is now following a similar path. One hopes one will chronicle that tragedy as well.

Sorry, Bernie.

The Iranian Government's Ministry of Culture has issued a list of acceptable haircuts. (the picture is of the beloved "Bernie" from the early '70s TV show, "Room 222")

Lost in Space.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a decent and brave man, shared the President's primary goal he envisions for NASA: reaching out to the Muslim world, so that they can feel good about their contributions to math and science. We are not making this up. In contrast, let us remember this moment shown below, that occured nearly fifty years ago:



President Obama's vision for NASA is pathetic. To see a preview of this diminished role for the U.S. in space, see Deputy Administrator Lori Garvin's webcast with Space News earlier this year.

Independency!

Give us a country where we each can seek and fulfill our destiny, as we see fit. Give us a country where our rights are issued not from pen of a king, but from the hand of God. Give us a country where we loan the smallest portion of these rights to the State for proscribed exercise. Give us a country where charity towards our fellow man comes freely from our hearts inspired by God, and not coerced from our pockets through threats by the State. Almighty God, if You bless us with such a country, we shall preserve it forever to the glory of Your Almighty Righteousness.

The McChrystal Imbroglio.

Should a capable general be fired over a "they said that he said" article in Rolling Stone? The latest report is that the general will arrive at the White House with resignation letter in hand.

Perhaps General McChrystal has been asking the President to answer the Four Essential Questions of Strategy, as stated by Thomas Ricks, author of Fiasco:

• Who are we?
• What are we ultimately trying to accomplish?
• How will we do it?
• What resources and means will we employ in doing it?

Do we have clear answers to these questions regarding Afghanistan?

Pointless, Valueless Theater.

Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, is not an Oil Man. His pedigree is finance, serving in the corporation's Mergers and Acquisitions department for the majority of tenure at BP. In today's testimony to Congers, it was very clear that Hayward was not there to answer questions specific to his expertise, but was summoned so that Congresscritters could look good to the "little people" by ranting at him. Not that they understood the significance or triviality most of the technical questions they threw at him. If we were offered a seat along side the Critters, we would have asked the following questions:

1. When you became CEO of BP and directed a "laser-like focus" on improving safety, at that time were you made aware of any drilling, production, refining, or petroleum transportation activity that was operating with unacceptable bounds of safety, regardless of whether they met federal oversight requirements? For example, were you told that the overall approach to drilling procedures could allow operations with an amplified risk of failure or accident? Were there operations that you unilaterally halted because of safety concerns?
2. As CEO you receives safety briefings that were at the highest level, with little technical detail for evaluation. Basically, you are given "red light - green light" status reports of safety initiatives. Who in the BP organization does have the responsibility to evaluate the technical criteria to assess whether BP operations were improving in safety? What reports were you getting from these personnel about the state of drilling safety?
3. What conditions did you place on your subcontractors, Transocean and Haliburton, in decision-making for safe practices on the rig? Did either have veto power over procedures directed by BP personnel?
4. What are the experience requirements for BP rig managers? Does a single BP manager have authority for rig operations?
5. What direction or guidance were you given by MMS as part of your improved safety initiatives? Did you solicit input from MMS for this? If so, what was their response?

These hearings can be quite valuable in determining the structure of risk manangement and decision making for operations of BP and the other producers in the Gulf, and the interaction of MMS. Or they can be useless theater.

Calling Gene Kranz!

There are Oil Men who know what to do. We don't care who they work for or where they live, pound on their doors and get them in here!

Yup, Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste.

The Wall Street Journal comments on how the Administration used the good name of oil engineering experts to push ideology.

The Failure of Risk Management.

Nansen Saleri, former head of reservoir management for Saudi Aramco, provides a non-hysterical, apolitical, and sober analysis of oilshore oil drilling in the shadow of the Deepwater Horizon accident. His claim is that the principal failure that lead to the catastrophe was that of effective risk management. Saleri also reminds us that shutting down offshore drilling may actually increase the risk of another oil spill from much more vulnerable oil tankers.

Dim-Bulb Debbie Strikes Again.

Michigan's Junior Senator, Debbie Stabenow continues to embarass her state. We are not inclined to ad hominem attacks on congresscritters. But we'll suspend our restraint for this one, extraordinary moment: Debbie Stabenow is a Chucklehead. She believes that the power, dignity, and solemn gravity of her office should be used to call for the Commissioner of Baseball to overrule the umpire who denied a Tiger pitcher a perfect game:

MACKINAC (ISLAND) (sic)– U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today made the following statement urging Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to invoke the “Best Interests of the Game” clause to declare Armando Galarraga’s performance perfect.

“Last night’s performance deserves its place in the record books. It is clear that Commissioner Selig should make an exception in this case and invoke the ‘best interests of the game clause’ to reflect Armando Galarraga’s perfect game for the Detroit Tigers.” – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.

Will some human, animal, vegetable or mineral, take up votes and by opposing this twit, end her Senatorial career? Please?

The "Competence" Theme Snowballs.

Tom Coburn's appearance on a recent Morning Joe says it all. But if you need additional ammunition, read Peggy Noonan's recent WSJ column. But to be fair, this is problem is beyond Mr. Obama or any president. It's a loss of vision by our leadership - and the electorate - of what constitutes conscientious stewardship of our Republic.

Bonding Over Brookies.

Yesterday we took the younger son and his girlfriend flyfishing for brook trout on the North Branch of the Ausable. The single day's drive was brutal, the sun was penetrating, the air was hot, the water was low, and the fishing was so-so. But the experience was priceless. The girlfriend, being a flyfishing greenhorn, naturally caught the nicest fish of the day. The son, full of pomp and hubris, naturally was skunked. Your correspondent held his own, but acknowledged that his pace to wade a stream was not quite that of the young folk ("SLOW DOWN! Flyfishing is not a scavenger hunt, son!"). Perhaps fishing colleagues would observe our tendency toward the phelgmatic, though. Our heart skipped a beat when a very nice brown cruised through the pool we were working. He was searching for a cool shady spot and was having none of our offerings.

After five hours of hard fishing, we pulled off our waders and paid a visit with Grandpa and Grandma; caught up with local happenings (forest fires, song birds, and variae), then dined at one of the storied dives of Northern Michigan - the Whitehouse Diner in Clare.

A wonderful day spent with people we love!

An Emerging Theme.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was interviewed by ABC News' Jake Tapper about the strange laxidasical behavior by the United States Government regarding the protection of his state's coastal wetlands. Aha! thought Jake, doesn't this contradict his conservative view of limited government? Jindal replied:

“When government grows too big, it doesn't do its core functions properly. Absolutely, I believe in a limited government that is effective and competent in what it does. We need federal government exactly -- we need our federal government exactly for this kind of crisis.”

George Will has also jumped on this theme: asserting that a massive central government that intervenes in all aspects of the nation's life will, by corollary, be competent at the essential functions that are truly of national interest is false. Advocacy for a limited federal government is not simple ideology of Washington "doing nothing". There are roles - such as national defense or the coordination to mitigate an interstate enviromental disaster - that are appropriate for a federal government. Then there is most of the rest of what Washington believes is good value for your tax dollars.

Look for the theme of "limited and competent government" to grow in the public conversation.

Is Big Oil Undermining US Security?

Larry Kudlow has been dogging oil giants Shell, BP, and Total about selling the Pentagon refined petroleum with one hand while paying Iran for the crude with the other. That's money that goes to kill Americans in Afghanistan and build nuclear weapons.

More Bad News About Unicorns.

News reports indicate that they are close to extinction in Italy, too.

Yet Another "Emergency" Spending Bill.

Remember the bill to extend unemployment insurance for which Senator Jim Bunning had the cruelty to ask "who pays for it"? Well, get ready for another "emergency" job stimulus and tax loophole closing (tax and spend for short) bill coming from Congers. Pay as you go? Come on, that is soooo two months ago!

We are heading for a tipping point in cynicism of the people towards their government.

A Time for All Things.

Like Milton in Office Space, Utah Senator Robert Bennett just can't accept that he is being let go. The Nattering Nabobs are mourning Bennett's loss: how could the rabble* turn out such a marvelous patrician and "cut short" a stellar political career?

Because if we accept a Ruling Class, as many in the Beltway do, we are doomed. It's not a lifetime appointment; you serve at the pleasure of the people and the support of your party. Bennett, from what we can discern, has been a fine public servant. But there is a time for all things, and if he has thrived courtesy of the Utah GOP, then may wilt by them as well. Bob, make sure to take your fern on the way out, and tell Arlen Specter he has thirty minutes to collect his stuff. If you choose to run as an independent, you are free to do so. You may want to consult with Joe Lieberman.

*A gushing fan of Adlai Stevenson confessed to him, "Mr. Stevenson, all of the thinking people of America are voting for you!". "Madam", replied Stevenson, "that is not sufficient...I need a majority".

Unicorns No Longer Found in Spain!

Spain announced austerity measures, including a 5% cut in the pay of civil servants. You know, those guys that don't create wealth, just consume it? The Spanish workers, convinced that the government is hiding the unicorns in secret warehouses, have called for a national strike on June 8. Meanwhile there are plenty of free-lance unicorn hunters among the 20% of Spaniards who are currently unemployed.

Like Scrooge and his Third Shadow, we are seeing images of things that could come to pass.

EU to Greece: No More Unicorns for You.

George Will delivered a great lecture at Princeton on "The Dependency Agenda". The end result of what Will describes is now playing out in Greece.