Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

January 10, 2005

Saturday Round

Filed under: Golf — Bunker @ 9:54 am

I didn’t play golf Saturday. I can’t really say why. I just didn’t feel like it. I did have a lot of other things to do. I needed to clean up the yard and get rid of a lot of dead vegetation which succumbed to the snow on Christmas. And there were weeds to pull. And all the bank accounts needed an audit in preparation for doing my taxes. And my truck needed some work.

But all that was really of no importance in comparison to a round of golf. After all, they could all be done afterwards. I just didn’t feel like playing.

That’s never been an issue before. I enjoy playing regardless of weather, and the fact that temperatures were low wasn’t what stopped me. I just didn’t feel like playing.

I’ve been off my game recently. I’m not scoring as well as I’ve grown accustomed to. I’m not hitting the ball cleanly, and putts always seem to drift right. But I don’t get mad at myself for all that. I simply remind myself that I am out playing because I enjoy the game. But on Saturday, I just didn’t feel like playing.

I did all those tasks at home. And yesterday I went out and played. For most of the round, I enjoyed myself. I birdied the first hole, but didn’t play well the rest of the round. A few pars, a few bogeys, and a few “other numbers.” But I didn’t have the enthusiasm nor focus to play well. I just didn’t really feel like playing.

I think it must be some kind of mental illness that afflicts me.

January 9, 2005

Torture

Filed under: Politics — Bunker @ 2:32 pm

I’m sorry, this doesn’t reach the level of what I would call torture:

Al Qosi claimed they were strapped to the floor in an interrogations center known as the Hell Room, wrapped in Israeli flags, taunted by female interrogators who rubbed their bodies against them in sexually suggestive ways, and left alone in refrigerated cells for hours with deafening music blaring in their ears.

When professionals interrogate someone, they know that physical pain rarely does anything but make the person being interrogated say what he thinks they want to hear. Little information of any value ever comes from it except in movies. The Americans tortured in Hanoi weren’t being asked for real information. Their captors simply wanted them to be pliable and provide a propaganda tool.

Interrogators in this new war want real information. Making a prisoner uncomfortable is now equated to torture. It follows the decline of what sexual harrassment once was. If someone “feels uncomfortable”, it must be torture and the offending party must cease.

I don’t advocate torture, but not out of sqeamishness. It doesn’t work. I do advocate making detainees uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.

January 8, 2005

High Noon

Filed under: International — Bunker @ 8:15 pm

My favorite Gary Cooper film is High Noon. And the core message of that film is being played out in the world today as explained by Victor Davis Hanson in The Disenchanted American.

Sarah has thoughts relating to this in regards to another fine film. To me, I can see Will Kane asking for help only to see townspeople he asks get mad at him for doing what needs to be done. Hanson examines the psychology. I just relate Kane to Bush.

UNbearable

Filed under: International — Bunker @ 1:21 pm

In 2003 I went to Kuwait for a month, not long after the war began. We stayed at an inexpensive, but nice hotel, and shared it with several NGO teams. They had their SUVs, and arose each morning by nine to prepare for a day of assessing. They were easy to spot–every one wore the vest. You know the one I mean–all professional photographers once wore them, with all kinds of pockets to carry things in. Of course, they wore them constantly as a uniform.

I really don’t know what they did. They usually returned to the hotel before we did. They were obviously not going into Iraq. It was too far away for a round trip in the time they spent away unless they simply went across the border, had lunch, and then returned.

The Diplomad sees the same things happening in south Asia. No wonder Kofi wants all money to go through the UN. How else could he fund their lavish lifestyle?

Voter Registration

Filed under: General — Bunker @ 8:47 am

Barbara Boxer’s crocodile tears, and Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones’ formal objection to the vote certification are based in a deep concern about voting irregularities.

They said their goal was to force lawmakers to heed problems that had been particularly evident in Democratic-leaning minority and urban neighborhoods and to consider the need for more voting reforms including standard election rules in all states.

Terry Shamsie is apparently a friend of Al Sharpton, whom he visited in New York almost immediately after being elected Nueces County Judge. Like Boxer, Sharpton views the last two national elections as problematic, with many inconsistencies. I hear many prominent Democrats voicing concerns, and have to wonder whether Shamsie shares them.

According to the Census Bureau, in 2000 Nueces County had a population of 313,645, with an estimated increase to 315,206 by 2003, 28.4% are under the age of 18. That means 225,687 people of voting age, and 90% of eligible voters are registered. Only 25% voted last election, one of the highest totals ever.

Lots of numbers, but what is it all about?

It is time for our Democratic leadership to quit talking and posturing, and actually do something. All the complaints about election fraud and disenfrachisement come from counties and districts controlled by Democrats–just as in Florida four years ago. Judge Shamsie can take that lead right here in Nueces County and assume a national leadership stance for other Democrats to follow.

Let’s purge the votor rolls in the county and have new registration. With an average of 85 registrations per day we can get everyone who voted last November back on the list by 2006. We can cleanse the rolls of thos who no longer live here, and ensure only legitimate citizens have the franchise.

Can anyone complain about that result?

Slattsnews

Filed under: General — Bunker @ 6:26 am

Has moved here, and it looks like a nice new home.

January 7, 2005

Corpus Christi Bay News

Filed under: Media — Bunker @ 7:23 am

When I set up Mrs. Birdie’s web site, I put her on a hosting service that allows up to three domains. So, I had a bright idea.

We’ll see if it really was.

I decided to take Hugh Hewitt’s advice in Blog, and established a news site for the Corpus Christi area. Most of you couldn’t care less because you’ve never been to, nor ever will visit our city. But a few of my readers are in south Texas and may be interested. Of course, I doubt I’ll ever manage to cover the kind of human interest stories we see at the Coober Pedy News, but I’ll do my best.

Michael will join me, as will a couple of others, in providing some kind of content there. And the site looks “okay” right now, but Michael, the web designer, has some other designs in mind. He doesn’t want to be embarrassed!

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