Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Wife, Pickups and Barack Obama's birth certificate

Wife is heading back to England for a spell to see youngest into her new University. While she is gone, it will be business as usual for me. I will pine terribly while she is gone, and be forced to talk to Dog who is not the world's most erudite conversationalist.

We're currently in the process of buying an additional vehicle to our existing van, and are opting for an aging pickup. A Ford 1990 F150 Pickup, we've both always wanted a pickup, with the earlier 2.8 litre engine and an extended cab for preference. Just a little something for negotiating logging roads while we look for a parcel of land up country. We did the sums and worked out that one of these earlier and smaller pickups delivers gas mileage equivalent to and better than the MPV we currently use. Our current vehicle delivers 28mpg per imperial gallon at best; according to our research, the desired 4x4 gives up to 30mpg per imperial gallon. This is only 2mpg less than a Honda CR-V or Subaru Forester, and costs a lot less to buy. Besides, reliability of the Honda's and Subaru's of this vintage can get a little ropey. While they are solid as a rock repairwise for much of their career, after fifteen years or so, they are definitely past their best. Pickups seem like tanks, to keep going even though resembling a leaky colander.

In addition, I keep on hearing a nasty little rumour which is doing the rounds, that the Democratic Candidate for the Presidency of the USA is not as required by US law, "American born and bred".

If the 'evidence' as portrayed in the embedded video is accurate and true, then Barack Obama should not have got the Democratic nomination, and even if the majority of voters wanted him to be President, he could not legally take the oath of office. Although I think the FBI or INS would have had something to say about it before now if it were really the case that Mr Obama's US birth certificate were a forgery, as suggested in the video.

However, this could all be just the usual dirty play of US politics, especially when the Democratic faction have gone straight for the low punches with Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin. Wasn't there some kind of convention where the children of any candidate are 'off limits'? Whatever happened to policies and 'substance over style'? It just reduces the race to an undignified scramble for power. Hi ho, glad I'm north of the 49th Parallel. I haven't dared ask our Californian neighbours what they think of it all.

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