Delacroix post #3

Another Friday...Another Delacroix painting. This is a drawing by Delacroix during his trip to Morocco. The title of this drawing is called: The Jewish Bride of Tangier. This was drawn in 1832 and you can find it at the Louvre.

The THIRD most important job in Washington

Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff, is stepping down and being replaced by Joshua Bolton, formally of Office of Management and Budget [OMB] The last time a President had only two Chiefs of Staff during an administration (the average is 3), was during the Ford Administration.

I own a book called The White House Staff by Bradley Peterson, Jr. In it, he describes what the job entails:

• "A Chief of Staff needs to be familiar with the unique pressures and pitfalls of...Washington.
• "The Chief of Staff has comprehensive control over the activities of White House Staff...
• "None of the policy centers of the White House...can be allowed to work independently of the rest of the institution...
• "The Chief of Staff controls the President's schedule....[and] doorway.
• "The Chief of Staff cannot avoid dealing with Congress
• "The Chief of Staff must build bridges to the Cabinet."

(Abridged pgs 348 - 356)

The equivalent out in Los Angeles is a Personal Assistant; However, no
personal assistants control hundreds of federal employees or billions of
taxpayer funds. The last time this switch occurred was during the
Reagan Administration when James Baker and Donald Regan switched jobs. Their switch helped create the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (Detailed in the book, Showdown at Gucci Gulch by Birnbaum and Murray).

The question is: with a GOP Congress and an OMB head turned Chief of Staff, what new watershed law will be done between 2006-2008?

Welcome back to the Machine

As you can see by my earlier post, I cleared the Cache on my Computer. Now the blog is up (only 7 seconds between publish and post) and ready. Onward through the Valley, then?

This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast system

I cleared my cache...just checking to see how long it goes from post to publish.......

Emergency Broadcast System

I seem to be having a small problem with publishing my posts (At least 5 -- Yes FIVE hours between writing a post and having it published.) I will touch base as I get under the hood with anyone from Blogger who can help.......

Delacroix Post #2

It's Friday...so that means another Delacroix post. This is Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople on 12 April 1204. Painted in 1840, this can be seen in the Louvre.

News from Everywhere -- Act Two (RIP, Joe Rut)

On January 3, 2003, my father died. On February 20, 2006, one of my mentors and father-figures passed away. He was good man who ran a great Non-profit called Young Adult Institute. Within the NYC tri-state area, Joe Rut, through his work as a CFO, helped people with disabilities with services and becoming self-sufficient.

Once I left the company to move back to L.A., we stayed in touched. He would always start the call, "Hey Joe F., this is Joe R. speaking." He had a big heart and he was a good guy. I didn't expect to say this again this week, but Godspeed.

If you want to do some good in his name, please donate today. Again, Godspeed, Joe.

News from Everywhere -- Act One (The Job Hunt)

I have applied to a few different places around Los Angeles. Also, this week was the Careerbuilder job fair in Los Angeles. I sent my Resume out to UPS as well. Also, a friend back East in DC is helping find me work in that small city.

Will the Valley of the Shadow move East? If a job opens up back there. If anyone has a job offering in Los Angeles, contact me. As you can see, I can do writing and research. If you have any q's, email me.

That's the first act. Welcome to Intermission.

News from Everywhere -- Overture

This has been a busy week for me from the Job front to long lost friends. I'll do a post for each. Here we go......

RIP - Bill Beutel

I grew up watching Bill Beutel on WABC during the 70's. He was an Anchor who always played it straight. Godspeed.

The Land of Do-as-you-please

On Friday, I saw the movie V for Vendetta. Years ago, I also read the comic. If you read the hype, the movie was (another) slam against the Bush Administration. However, this being Hollywood (filmed in England but the Hollywood mentality remains), John Hurt as Adam Sutler is Bush personified.

In the comic, the Leader is much scarier then Hollywood's version. Most Leftists forget that George Orwell's, 1984 , the party was INGSOC, English Socialists. Throughout the comic, the Leader is able to run a state-controlled Nazi-like England (Think Richard III) using the Eye (cameras on the populace), the Ear (Listening posts), the Voice (the Propaganda machine) and Fate itself (a computer consolidating all the data). The comic's version of V's England is scarier because the enemies are not jumped-up stock characters, but bureaucrats with lives and beliefs who crush the populace slowly.

When V finally destroys the Eye and the Ear in book 3, he announces the England is now the Land of Do-as-you-please. In the movie, it seemed everyone was already there from the beginning.

So, how does square with modern politics? It doesn't.

If this was really a Fascist dictatorship, would Michael Moore still be able to make a movie? Would Tim Robbins still make plays and movies today? Kurt Vonnegut is still writing in Turtle Bay and the President will step down on January 20th, 2009. No fascism, no dictatorship. I hope the Republicans will use the arguments by the present-day Democrats when the situation reverses.

Remember, in one-party controlled Los Angeles, No Smoking is allowed, even if you do own the business. I don't smoke too often, but I don't begrudge those who do. Why should the State control every facet of our lives?

We do not live in The Land of Do As You Please, but that invites Chaos. A little order, a little chaos and you now have the free-market system. I only pray that the free market of ideas is just as vital.

Delacroix post #1

In 1830, Eugene Delacroix painted Liberty leading the People. It's vision of revolutionary vigor proved too much for the French Government, that the painting was bought, not to be displayed. Until the reign of Napoleon III, the public could not view it. Delacroix is my favorite painter; I will try once a week to publish his painting and try to bring some culture to this blog. Since I am just getting my feet wet this week on How to Write a Blog, this painting is for my entertainment as well as yours. Hopefully, I will stand with Liberty (Delacroix painted himself on the upper left from Liberty) as I venture into the political waters. Please join me as we venture forward. And, of course, enjoy the view.

And only $2.50 for bottled water!

Rich Galen writes about the extra hassle if you have to deal with planes. Read it here.

The Ides of March....

...means only two things: Caeser's assassination or "Vehicle"

Entering the Pass.....

In the book, The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk he describes the history of the British and Russian Empires during the 19th and early 20th Century (Pre-October Revolution). The British Empire during that time faced their own Waterloo at the Khyber Pass. Your journeyman for this blog is experiencing a transisition, not unlike the British in 1919. I am between many things, covered only by the shadows of the San Fernando Mountains; I am between jobs (and looking for a new career), between beliefs (a Jew who enjoys going to Bel Air Presbyterian Church) and worried about my own purpose in life. Through this blog, I hope to find my way, out of the pass and out the Valley of the Shadow.