Anything to win

So, yesterday PA Senator Arlen Specter announced that after 29 years, he would be switching from the Republican party to the Democratic party. He makes the change after (apparently) traveling the state and realizing that he couldn't win the Republican primary. Basically, he'll do whatever is necessary to stay in office, including turning on the party that has for nearly three decades has his back. Politics as usual.

Pirates!

Maybe it's just me, but I see a huge opportunity here. First, let's look at what's going on. Pirates, who don't have to follow any rules, can carry weapons and take over just about any ship they choose because those ships have to follow rules that don't allow them to carry arms (mostly because the ports they go to don't allow it, not because of any rule in the open waters). So, seems to me a well-armed ship could be hired out to escort the unarmed ships from port to port. The escort ships would never dock so they wouldn't be breaking the rules of the ports. They could have their own support ships to bring them fuel, food, etc. And, they'd probably be a lot cheaper than paying ransom to the pirates.

As an aside, anyone really think there is any chance of there being another Pirates of the Caribbean movie?

Source of Energy

One of the biggest problems we keep hearing about, at least here in the US, is the problem of over-population in our prison system. Even I won't go as far as suggesting a Matrix-like solution to tap into the energy of prisoners' bodies, but I do think we can and should use them to help produce energy. How about this... exercise bikes and treadmills and rowing machines and whatever else with generators attached. I don't know how much energy is a reasonable amount to expect one human being to produce in two or three one-hour sessions a day (that's for the scientists to figure out), but at least those in the system could be doing some good. Even if it's just a matter of covering the energy use of the prison itself, that would be something.

Feel free to discuss; I look forward to your comments.

Welcome to my new blog

I never know what to write in these things but I thought I'd give it a shot. Seems like I spend a lot of time frustrated at how the government handles things. I'm sure I don't know half of what's going on, but that certainly shouldn't prevent me from expressing my opinion. If I was the guy sitting in the Oval Office, this is what I'd do. Consequences be damned. How will it get done? That's for someone in my cabinet to figure out. In the famous words of Captain Picard, "Make it so."