Author: Dick

The old “Speculation” game is alive and well as the media tries to guess who will be the new top members of the Obama administration. At one minute it looks like Hillary will be Secretary of State, the next minute, who knows?

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is in strong contention for Commerce but he too might get State if the other Bill (Clinton) proves to be carrying too much baggage.

Also, one must wonder whether N.Y. Fed head Timothy Geithner’s name is being floated as the likely pick for Treasury Secretary for real or just a trial balloon who is being tested on the whims of Wall Street? If it’s the latter, then maybe the right balloon has been released. But then I don’t know if I would put the nation’s financial health for the next four years all upon a one-day run on the Dow.

Have a nice weekend or else.

The guided missile destroyer USS Stout prepares to tow a Tanzanian ferry which ran out of fuel in the piracy-infested waters off Somalia.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets automatic weapons and perhaps some rocket-propelled grenades and hijack ships out on the ocean.

At least that seems to be what has been going on lately. It seems like on the world’s seas — especially in the Indian Ocean off the African coast — maritime piracy appears to be the crime du jour. The recent seizure by pirates of a Saudi supertanker that is being held hostage by pirates along with its crew and more than $100 million in crude oil has heightened worldwide concern over the spate of ship hijackings. In addition to “World 911” a.k.a. the United States, other nations including India, United Kingdom and Russia have taken tough stances on piracy.

Poor global economic conditions, especially those in Western Africa, along with pirates learning they can get huge ransoms for relatively little work have made life on the high seas a bit dicey these days.

Much of the activity involving attacks or attempted attacks on ships at sea by pirates goes unnoticed in the global news. This eight-page assessment of current maritime threats worldwide published by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence explains such activity can be found practically all over the world. A few examples:

–The British Royal Navy killed two pirates following a chase in the Gulf of Yemen on Nov. 11. The Brits discovered the pirates attempting to seize a Danish cargo ship.

–French sailors captured nine Somalis in the Gulf of Aden on Oct. 23 after the French found automatic weapons, RPGs, ladders and grappling hooks in the pirates’ two boats.

–The sailboat (CHILL) was boarded by pirates with the boat’s captain killed on Nov 9 while anchored at Isla Borracha, Venezuela. Three men on board a small fishing pier approached the sailboat asking for water. When the captain came back up from below with water, they shot him in the chest. Another couple from a sailboat anchored with the Chill was also on board and the robbers shot a second man as well. The second man reportedly shot at the robbers with a shotgun, killing one and injuring another.

It is obvious waters get a little turbulent out there these days raising an obvious question. Why don’t the ships or shipping companies do something to protect themselves?

The answer is some measures are being taken. For instance a recent television program on this subject told of how an ocean liner repelled would-be pirates deploying a directed sound weapon at the would-be boarders. The sound gun targets the bad guys with sound waves, passengers are not endangered, which cause such intense discomfort that the bandits escaped.

There are international laws and those of individual nations under which a ship is flagged regarding the arming of the maritime vessels. Obviously, it is one thing for a military ship from a sovereign nation floating around out there armed with Sidewinder missile. It’s another when a privately owned ship with a Panamanian flag, an American master and a crew from the Philippines and India.

Some shipping companies have employed private security forces who accompany the ships on another chase vessel with armed guards ready to take action. Other companies are hiring armed security personnel of the type that have been operating with U.S. forces in Iraq. Obviously, some of the shipping companies are concerned about “cowboys” who might shoot first and ask questions later, and who then might escalate the situation or may cause the ship and its crew to get shot or blown up.

No doubt something needs to be done. In a global economy such as this and with one which is in such a precarious condition, these hijacking do nothing but cause higher prices and can reduce certain supplies. In other words, the fiscal turmoil which is causing these pirates to step up their attacks could cause even worse economic conditions and shortage of goods.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

An explosion of civic or capitalistic pride seems to blow whenever a new or bigger and better big box store comes to town. At least this is the case among enthusiastic shoppers fond of one store over another or among city boosters. Sometimes this happens and one big box store will shut down to build a more grand store in the same city. This took place relatively recently where I live. Academy built a larger store just a ways up Eastex Freeway from their old store. And Circuit City — which is facing store closings nationwide due — moved into a new store inside the Parkdale Mall complex on the other side of Eastex Freeway from the old store it left empty not far from the deserted old Academy on Eastex Freeway. Whew! That made me dizzy.

It appears that the new Circuit City here will not be closed, right away at least, thus leaving us TWO deserted big boxes of the same company. But the natural selection of business, encompassing both growth and failure, has left these giant retail spaces all over the American landscape and what remains behind isn’t always so attractive. I mean, face it, a huge Wal-Mart might look grand when you are going there to buy everything under the Sun what with a parking lot full of cars and folks selling pit bull pups from the back of their pickup trucks. But a weed-covered empty big box, especially those whopped by hurricane damage, just aren’t very cool.

Luckily, some places have found ways to deal with the big boxes we leave behind. Slate’s Julia Christiansen explains in a slide show how these Pac Men of space have found new lives in everything from mega churches to public libraries to the official Spam museum in Hormel Land a.k.a. Austin, Minn.

I have seen some of the big box transformations with my own eyes which seem to work well. Here in Beaumont, for example, regional appliance giant Conn’s turned the old K-Mart store here into their company headquarters housing more than 500 people. This is just one example. There are also many large buildings which contain certain stores or another which end up holding some other large store or another. Recently I saw a former Safeway supermarket turned into a large CVS drug store.

The face of retail sales is something which constantly changes and, in my opinion, not always for the good. I’ve seen places where indoor malls have turned into wastelands for large, spread-out shopping cities which requires driving to get from one end to another. People who live in places such as I, where it gets hot, humid, rainy and hurricany (if that’s not a word, then sorry, maybe it should be) should come to appreciate indoor shopping malls. But I am glad the cast-off big boxes are finding utility. I just wish some folks had a little more foresight before they build these large monuments to the so-called “free market.”

The poor of Brazil have good news and bad news. The good news is if one is impoverished he or she may have Botox treatments for free. The bad news is the treatments are to be administered by trainees.

The Associated Press reports that beauty-obsessed Brazilians need not have scowl lines or crow’s feet just because they don’t have the cash. The Brazilian Society of Esthetic Medicine is offering free treatments for people who make less than about $250 a month. The poor folks will look sharper and dermatology residents get hands on experience. Ouch!

At least if the poor starve to death they’ll leave a wonderful-looking corpse.

There is nothing more scary in the great state of Texas than its Legislature. And they’re almost back. In fact, Texas lawmakers are already pre-filing for the 81st Session which begins in January and trotting out products guaranteed to make you scratch your head a time or two, or perhaps leave the state, such as:

County Tax Cops?

House Bill 115 filed by Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, relates “to the authority of a county tax assessor-collector to commission certain employees as peace officers.” This bill would add to the already long list of state and local agencies that can employ their own police force such as school and hospital districts to include county tax assessors-collectors.

These commissioned cops would act as “enforcement” officers if such a division is so sanctioned by that county’s governing commission. What is left out and I don’t know the answer to this is will these peace officers have power to arrest those who don’t pay their property taxes? Whoa! That would go over like a lead balloon. Thank goodness this would require approval by voters to amend the state constitution. Maybe I’m just missing something.

Illegals: Stay in the designated areas

State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, filed House Bill 254 today which would restrict illegal immigrants to so-called “sanctuary cities.” These are cities, as defined by Berman’s legislation, which “do not discriminate or deny municipal services on the basis of a person’s immigration status and are treated equally regardless of immigration status.” Hmmm. Yeah, that ought to work. He also filed HB 255 today which would prohibit illegal immigrants from public colleges and universities. But wait, there’s more …

Not only does Berman want to make life difficult for illegal immigrants he wants to make it hard for Texas residents to help out friends or family down South. HB 263, part of Berman’s serial pre-filing today would require money transmission companies to charge a fee of 8 percent of the amount sent for “personal, family, or household purpose” from Texas to Mexico, Central or South America. Those who are legally in the United States could apply, under such a law, to seek a refund of this fee from the state upon submitting proof they are lawfully entitled to be in this country. The fee collected by the state would go to a fund for indigent health care, which is at least shows a little sense but not an overabundance.

Now if you think that’s all for our Tyler friend who, wants to make life difficult for illegal immigrants and give back all those great power-washing and dishwashing jobs to Ah-mer-cuns, think again. Berman’s House Joint Resolution 27 proposes a constitutional amendment to make English the official language of Texas and that all official governmental acts be taken in English. Oh and he encourages shooting illegal immigrants as well. House Concurrent Resolution 13 would ask the U.S. President, who will be named Barack Obama, to pardon convicted rogue Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who shot an illegal alien drug dealer and tried to cover up the incident.

These are just a few of the wonderful proposals from our esteemed state legislators. Many, many more bills will come. No one is safe be them legal or illegal.