Political shmolitical

What do I know? I used to be a fan of John McCain, and I could have been assigned to the US Navy vessel (DDG-56) named similarly. Much of my low volume fandom has been diminished after hearing his opinions concerning the latest war in Iraq and his apparent support for Resident Bush, but I have always held a little back. In my own quest for intriguing knowledge, I have always quietly hoped this was some bit of wool pulling to foil those who kept him from the White House most recently from doing it again.

What happened now? Now that he has tied up the Republican presidential nomination, I heard talk of subtle changes in McCain's political mumblings that are either proving my suspicions true, show he thinks he has a bigger ball of yarn to play with, or he is really as senile as some people think. I don't think I'm lucky enough for it to be the first one, but who knows? As his stated Rightliness has his party (reluctantly or not) falling in behind him, I'm even more afraid for a system of electing government officials that can pander so effectively and not worry about turning your back on your constituency because they have turned into their own wool producing entity (yes Rush, you could call them sheep just as well). It seems to me that we have doomed ourselves to repeat this continually. The Democrat and Republican parties are reducing themselves to little more than poorly managed voting unions.

When will enough people realize they are being taken advantage of en masse, and that the advantage takers should be treated to a wool-free reality check? I'd like to think that there are some states where this might be possible. Open primaries and other systems that do not favor the big two political monopolies are gaining a little traction. I'm interested in seeing how Louisiana-style primaries are carried out as well.

I'm almost hoping that the leading republican makes it to the White House, just for the shake-up I think both parties need. But I believe the reigning wool pullers are too powerful to let the full reconstruction take place.

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Media Outlets, Inlets, Eddies, and Sinkholes...

What do I know?  In an age of growing media conglomerates, where competing news and editorial teams have to combine resources to show "growth potential" and reporters have to stoop  lower and lower for a scoop, is it really any wonder that people are forced to look elsewhere for their news?  The good part is that there is greater selection, so the wandering ear can find the story playing the tune most melodious and chord-striking for it's particular taste.  Oh yes, that's the bad part as well.  People can tune in to their own narrow view all too easily, blocking out ideas and facts that might help us have a more balanced viewpoint.

What happened now?  Maybe I should rephrase that:  What has been happening for quite some time?  While increasing numbers find their own voice, there are fewer vocal coaches to go around (read editors) or being used.  We, as societal entities, could all use a helping hand when it comes to generating our own dialog.  Why?  It was an established norm because real writers need them to be properly understood by a broader audience, and we all make mistakes.  A second set of eyeballs help out more than many seem to understand.

The perspect of erducaishun helps can help as well as that.  I know I'm not perfect, but I can't help but wonder at how many of "edited" pieces we read these days are suffering from the lack of discipline acquired through skimping in school or celebrating our diversity in slanguage.  I see it every day from websites paying educated folk to write content for them.  Maybe they should bring in their grandmas in to help with the grammar checking.  I don't really know what the right way out of the hole is, only that for as long as this goes on there will be people sneering at web-generated content for being amateurish and unpolished, and they will largely be correct.  I'm not going to get into the politically motivated people-bashers that misuse many mediums in an attempt to brainwash the masses.  I'm sure they'll get an appropriate amount of attention later, but they are just as guilty of not offering balance in their productions.


Got opinions, topics of intrigue, rumors, or some other wool of you own?  You can leave me an anonymous (if you prefer) voicemail via GrandCentral, or you can make a public reply on the blog.

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The USAF and Boeing

What do I know?  Every US Government agency that purchases anything has certain rules they have to follow pertaining to whose services or products might be eligible for use.  The Air Force and Boeing have previously gotten into trouble for unethical deals involving preferential treatment.

What happened now?  It was announced the USAF was going to go with an in-flight refueling option from Northrop Grumman, using planes from Airbus, instead of a competing bid from Boeing.  Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else to complain about patriotism, utilizing domestic resources for national security, domestic jobs, and on and on.

Where's the wool?  I don't pretend to know how many different angles this issue can be viewed from, but I think that this is the ABSOLUTE BEST DECISION that could be made at this point.  My opinion doesn't assume that this decision will be carried out.  My opinion is that this is a great way to cover your ass.  If you get accused of making deals that are less than fairly made, why not make a "bad" decision and let everybody tear each other apart proving why you made the right and wrong choices?

An Introduction

Pushing Wool is a place I will be using to share my thoughts about cover-ups and shenanigans.  It is my own feeble attempt to shed light on topics that seem shady to me.  While I'm sure I don't have the whole story, I hope my take on it can be illuminating enough to open a few minds.  Enjoy!!

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