President Bush explained tonight what the problem was. How could we have missed it?

The old strategy: Go through insurgent neighborhoods, root out the insurgents, then leave the neighborhood unguarded. The insurgents then come back and plant more bombs and kill more of our troops and innocent citizens.

New strategy: After our troops rid a neighborhood of the insurgents, we'll have our troops (embedded in Iraqi units) keep the insurgents from coming back in.

It's so easy... Why didn't anyone think of it before. It's the perfect use for 20,000 troops.

Seperately, I read the other day in "Soldier of Fortune" magazine that our U.S. Army snipers were being forced to be a "visible presence" around Baghdad. Anyone who understands the role of a sniper will understand that snipers work in two man covert teams. Their role is not to be a visible deterrent, but an invisible, silent and deadly tool to put down insurgents by shooting them dead when they least expect it.

Good grief...

This will be my one and only post here about the Texas Speaker's Race

I watched the Texas House of Representatives Speaker's race yesterday with interest, though I don't have a dog in the race. Much like it's human nature to stare the carnage of a bad wreck on the highway as you drive past, it was hard to avert my eyes from the disgusting game that played out in the Texas House yesterday.

Last session's house Speaker Tom Craddick found himself with several challengers for the post, all from the Republican side of the house. The "ABC" (Anyone But Craddick) crowd angrily demanded that all Democrats vote as a caucus for Jim Pitts, also a conservative Republican, but considered the lesser of two evils.

One group of Democrats went so far as to take video of Texas Democratic legislators attending the dinner for Tom Craddick at the Austin Club and suggesting that we run candidates against them in the primaries as punishment.

I made comments to my fellow bloggers that this might not be the best use of our efforts, but I was shot down by folks who would rather see revenge on Tom Craddick than advancement of Democratic goals.

Is Craddick a real a-hole? Of course he is.
Did some Democrats vote for him anyway? Yes, unfortunately.
Is Craddick going to crack down on, and take retribution on those who did not vote for him? Probably.

The point that some were trying to make was that the Democratic caucus should have voted as a block to "make our 'power' known". I don't have an answer as to why 15 of our Democrats chose to vote for Craddick, but I can speculate that they did it out of either fear, or that they had a deal with him, or hoped to gain his favor.

The point is that each of the Democratic Representatives comes from and represents their own district. It's not right, nor is it productive, for a bunch of bloggers to be demanding that we take these folks down in the 2008 primaries because they voted the way they voted. I say we need to focus on having a Democratic majority by spending our time cooperating on taking down Republicans, not Democrats.

Anyhow, all that being said - it's a non issue at this point. As it turned out, due to various parliamentary farces, we were unable to get a secret ballot for the Speaker election, and a voice vote was forced. Because of this, and the fear of retribution when it came to committee assignments, Pitts did the honorable thing and withdrew from the race without naming his supporters. Craddick was re-elected as speaker by 121 to 27. For the record, if I were in the legislature, I would have voted with the majority of the Democratic Caucus, but when it came down to just Craddick I would have voted "Present".

For more on the Speaker's race, I'd suggest reading Josh Berthume's Speaker's Race LiveBlog on The Texas Blue or Vince Leibowitz's postings on Capitol Annex. For a good dose of liberal vitriol, check out Burnt Orange Report

Michael Burgess reported today that he will retain his seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The Energy and Commerce website is currently down, saying "No web site is configured at this address." This is likely due to the switchover of chairmen from Joe Barton to John Dingell.

I sent the following letter to U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX 26) via email today:

Whenever the public asks for our government to step back from, or end the occupation of Iraq, our purpose there changes. Despite having won the war, hawks in Congress and in the White House change the rules, so that it's something else we're after.

First, it was Weapons of Mass Destruction. When that was proven false, it was to capture Saddam Hussein and make regime change. When he was captured, it was to spread democracy. When free elections were held, and the people elected a government that asked us to go home, our mission became to train the Iraqis to keep the peace. Now that Iraqis are launching their own raids, what will be next?

How about protecting the pipelines for the big oil interests? No, I don't think our government will be willing to admit to that.

Though you now say "We must remember that this remains an ideological struggle with Islamic Jihadists," one fact is clear: Through force, we will NEVER achieve winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, or changing their ideology.

Therefore, the only winning path is certain: We must not send any more troops to Iraq, and we must bring the current troops home as quickly and honorably as possible so that we can begin to rebuild our military and protect our homeland.

There are many more economic, strategic, and moral reasons why this occupation is not justified, and I would love to discuss them with you. Would you be willing to meet with local representatives of Veterans for Peace during your time off on January 15th - Martin Luther King day? If not then, how about your District work period on Feb 19 - 23rd?

Sincerely,

Steve Southwell

The concept of fiscal conservatism is all but lost on Republicans these days, it seems. District 26 Representative Michael Burgess was among the Texas delegation of Republicans to vote against the PAYGO rule for the House of Representatives, which requires new spending to have offsetting cuts in other programs or corresponding tax measures.

Read more at Capitol Annex: Which Texas Congressmen Hate Earmark Reform?

Last year, around this time, I posted My Household Sucks (a lot of energy)

Back then, last January, we scored 0/10 on EPA's Home Energy Yardstick:

So what happened? Some of the stuff we did toward the end of 2005 is detailed in my earlier post, but the first thing we did in 2006 was to have about 8 - 10 inches of additional insulation blown into our attic. We chose fire-resistant blown cellulose, which is the most cost-effective. It cost us $600. That has already been paid for by the $737 in savings. We also got a new Energy Star rated refrigerator from the scratch & ding section at Best Buy, and an Energy Star rated front-loading high-efficiency washing machine.

I also followed my children around all the time turning off lights

Speaking of lights, just about every fixture in our house now is either fluorescent or Compact Fluorescent (CF). One of the problems we faced in getting every incandescent (ancient) bulb replaced was the fact that CF's for dimmable circuits are hard to find. We did find them though - on eBay, and of all places at Big Lots.

Back in June or July, when Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" came out, we decided to switch our electric provider the the more expensive, but 100% renewable wind energy from Green Mountain Energy. Switching was painless, and required just a phone call - I think you can even switch online. They have online payment and bank-draft billing for your convenience.

During 2007, I'm going to continue to look for ways to improve my home's efficiency. Since I've hit many of the easy ways, it will get a little more difficult:

• Put timer circuits on office equipment, so printers don't stay on all night
• Install point-source water heater in master bath
• Install new high-efficiency windows.

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX 26) sent out his periodic newsletter via email today to his constituents. If you've ever emailed him, you probably received a couple of these. Most of the folks I know got two copies. The letter is in grey, my comments in the white area:

Our presence in Iraq is a critical component of the War on Terror. Today’s recommendations by the Iraq Study Group are aimed at returning the United States to its place as the watchdog of democracy and freedom for people all over the world.

Whoa... So much crap here... Our presence a "critical component of the 'War on Terror'". Would that be the component that foments the terror? Maybe the part that provides a target for the terrorists?

"Watchdog of democracy and freedom?" Michael, you and your Republican cohorts have been more lap-dog than watchdog here in OUR country. Freedom and democracy are to be cherished, preserved, and guarded, but it starts at home. Your assertion that we should be the watchdog for the world is authoritarian and wrong. We are to be the shining example of freedom and democracy, lending a helping hand in times of crisis to countries where the people want us there. While I don't disagree that Iraqis needed more freedom and democracy, there are now and have been more pressing needs.

The most critical component of the recommendations focuses on the need for the Iraq government to step-up its responsibility of serving, protecting and providing for their countrymen. I could not agree more with this point; it is not an open ended commitment.

We continue to train and encourage the Iraq Security Forces so that they will sooner, rather than later, be able to take the reigns of control completely. This is a recognized goal, and we are taking the actions to make it a reality. As soon as we can confidently depart Iraq, knowing it can defend itself, we will.

However, we must remember this is not simply a matter of Iraq taking care of itself. It remains an important player in Middle East politics. A tentative balance of power in the Middle East continues, but should it falter, there would be a consider threat to the peace of the entire region which will inevitably spread across the globe. The negative ramifications of this failure could be felt for generations to come.

It should come as no surprise that a powerful and vindictive Iran is waiting in the wings. As Iran gains nuclear power, its prominence and sway over the region will present an unprecedented threat to peace everywhere. Iraq must stand as the beacon of democracy and be able to balance the power of her surrounding neighbors who are openly hostile to any form of freedom.

I plan to return to Iraq soon and review the progress of the Iraq Security Forces. They are being trained by the best in the world - our United States Armed Forces. I know that our soldiers have done all we have asked of them.

But I also go to Iraq to meet face-to-face with new leaders I the Iraq government so I can share my political and governing experience in a complex and partisan government.

I hope that all Members of Congress, in both Houses and on both sides of the aisle, will remember our overarching goal – to defend our homeland and to seek freedom for all. I will carefully and diligently review and support the best of the recommendations.

If you read regularly, you may recall that I wrote recently about My son's first letter to Congress. My 7-year old son wrote about his favorite topic: Sharks. (They are hunted for their fins, a delicacy in parts of Asia)

Congressman Burgess wrote back promptly, and it wasn't the usual squishy form letter full of blind partisan dogma, but a very well researched and thoughtful letter not only addressing my son's concerns in detail, but thanking him for his activism. When I get a chance, I'll post the letter.

I appreciate that very much and applaud him and/or his staff for taking the time. I think it is important for children to learn early how to articulate their opinions and actively engage their government for solutions to the problems they see.

So although I normally publish a different picture of Rep. Burgess, this one will go undoctored. (no pun intended). Seth is the one next to Rep. Burgess, (3rd from left) with the obnoxious display of over-enthusiasm for yet another family political outing.

From Peace Action Denton:

The 3,000th official US troop death of the Iraq war/occupation was reached on Sunday, Dec. 31. Also not to be forgotten are the estimated 650,000 Iraqi deaths.

In memorium and to ask for immediate US troop withdrawl, please join us at 3:30 pm on MONDAY, JANUARY 1 at North Texas Bl and I-35 (Denton). Dress warmly as the high is predicted to only be 50 F. (this is an earlier starting time than previously stated)

Craig Baker, a 46 year old man from Katy, TX was unhappy with an Islamic mosque / community center being erected on property next to his. When the Islamic association asked Mr. Baker to remove his cattle from the land, this illiterate racist apparently thought they were asking him to leave. So as an offensive response, he decided that hosting pig races and grilling sausages during Friday evening prayer was appropriate.

Only two problems:
1. Muslims don't hate pigs - they just don't eat them.
2. Though Baker now recognizes the misunderstanding, he plans to continue the pig races.

Earlier this month, Baker conceded that the Muslims probably aren't after his land, but he said he had to go through with the pig races because "I would be like a total idiot if I didn't. I'd be the laughingstock now because I've gone too far."

Well, Craig Baker, owner of the "Craig Baker Marble Company" you are a laughingstock, and your stupidity has landed you squarely in the national spotlight. For this reason, you are hereby awarded the December 2006 Texas Dim Bulb Award for Illiteracy, Stupidity and Religious Intolerance. You tried to offend, but you were too stupid to even do that right. Racing pigs is about your speed. You'll have a hard time understanding why you're receiving this award, which further reinforces your eligibilty for this dishonor.

In a further effort to show themselves to be horses-asses, Craig Baker and his neighbors have put up a patently offensive website, using a domain name similar to the Katy Islamic Association (www.katyislamicassociation.net instead of www.katyislamicassociation.com) You just have to view the site they've put up, which talks about terror attacks, and asks readers to contact the FBI if they see anything suspicious.