Simply Observations

The massive cuts announced by the Pentagon yesterday?  Well...it's an amusing thing.  They are designed to take almost a decade to accomplish.  So, it looks good for about six months, then some war episode will occur in Central America, Asia, or the Middle East....and the President will announce various planned cuts are now suspended.  The odds of all the planned massive cuts happening?  I'd rate it less than ten percent.  It was a decent public relations event.....and not much else.

The $14k offering that the cruise line will make to the Italian cruise passengers?  Well....I'm guessing the majority of folks will turn it down and consider a massive court case.  The problem I see is that you go with some massive case, with a dozen lawyers....and sit back for a five-year court operation.  When it finally ends...after the lawyers get their cut....you end up with $70k (my humble opinion).  The cruise line will figure the game out and sell off a boat or two....declare bankruptcy, and it could be another five years before some judge can release all this money.  I might be thinking $14k would be worth it....then I figure the taxes here, and I probably only get $9500 after the IRS gets their money.  $9500 for a 3-hour cruise gone wrong and losing my luggage?

Do I care much if Pat Sajak had a few drinks between shows (Wheel of Fortune)?  No.  Was he drunk when spinning the wheel?  You can't find a single example of such behavior.  I've watched eight different updates from local and national news over the past two days, and don't see much to report.  Folks who worry about this....ought to demand a breathalyzer for news folks, TV weathermen, game show hosts, and US Senators.  We might be shocked at how many are tipsy or drunk on a daily basis.

This Bob Dole negative talk over Newt?  I kept thinking.....Bob who?  Then it hit me.....he was some minor Republican party Senator from the eighties and nineties.  He is apparently throwing his support behind Mitt.  I thought that was pretty neat....326 Dole-supporters....now supporting Mitt.  This might help out in Kansas....maybe.

Finally, a publisher in Germany has been in a major fight to reprint "Mein Kampf" (Hitler's book....his one and only book).  The German government has a ban on the book....you can't find it on any shelf, or print it.  Even if this publisher gets some legal understanding.....it'll be curious just how many copies might be sold.  My humble guess....less than twenty thousand.  To be kinda honest....you can likely buy the book at a digital book site, and download it to your Kindle in Germany.  The German cops probably haven't figured out that angle to the deal yet.  The fear of Mein Kampf?  It's a fairly difficult book to read, and I'm guessing most folks will stop after a dozen pages.  But the problem is that you just need some dimwit in Bavaria to read it....get all peppered up.....and start making speeches....to restart the whole Nazi movement.  One guy....is all it takes.